There and Back Again

Déjà vu.

Quicker.  Faster.  Harder.  Desperate.  She had to do this right.  Maybe … just maybe … she can save him …

Wayne Evans.

Maybe this was it, the event that forked her fate away from the True path.  The turn of events which created a reality that was never supposed to exist.  Maybe …  just maybe … the world needs him …

Captain Indomitable.

Scarlet needed to try.  If the Pillar of Ice and Flame sent her to this time stream, then something must be done.  At least to do it again.  At most to correct the future.

The Sky Raiders were not the issue: they existed before she came to Paragon.  Nor could she stop the Vigilance weapons getting to them.  But maybe … just maybe … she would be fast enough.

Scarlet exited the elevator and heard a nearby voice, “Get rid of it and we can be out of here.”

“No”.  Her whisper drained her of hope … but not all of it.

She bolted down the hallway, pushing her already throbbing legs to run faster.  Leaping to the opposite wall and spinning to put her feet forward, she planted both feet against the vertical surface.  Using the wall a springboard, Scarlet rocketed toward Lt. Marshall.  Her fists a blur as her bullet-like speed contacted with his helmet.  The visor exploded as his neck whipped to the side.  The rifle fired reflexively against the ceiling and his body was thrown into an unconscious pile to the corner.

Surprised, the engineer fumbled with his equipment and Scarlet pounced on him like a hawk to a rabbit.  Her sonic abilities pried open his helmet and his eyes rolled back, becoming unconscious from syncope.

A laser bolt warmed her chin as the coherent beam missed her head by centimeters.  Launching from her last victim, Scarlet’s fist found the Assault Raider’s stomach.  He crumpled to the floor, his machete falling from his grip.  Scarlet was gone by the time the weapon came to rest.
---

She sat on the couch in silence, staring at the objects on the coffee table.  Scarlet could not stop thinking of Mender Taros’ words before she came home:

Everyone’s destiny is sealed at birth.  What has happened was expected to happen.  What is happening will happen again.  The future is made by our actions today, but the end is already set in motion.  His death cannot be changed, could not be changed.  Take comfort that what is was meant to be.  Keep them … Like you have already done so.

Captain Indomitable's Uni-Bands rested silently on the coffee table.  Their gold luster lost in the darkness.

A cat’s tail crossed her vision to the bracers.

A tear flowed down her cheek to splash upon her chest.

There and Back Again

“Doc Delilah is … DEAD!  Dead, do you hear me?!  She died because of YOU!  You failed her!  All your powers, and you couldn't save one person!  She is DEAD and it's all YOUR fault!  She trusted you, and you let her DIE!  You left her!  YOU!  YOU KILLED HER!"

Scarlet raised an arm to shield her eyes from the black fire that swarmed toward her.  The terror across her face muted her plea.

“It wasn't me!”

“LIAR!  She called your name and you turned your back to save yourself!  YOU KILLED HER!”

The voice was everywhere, coming from nowhere.  The black fire danced with each word and consumed everything it touched, slowly creeping toward Scarlet.  She felt the hard, rough surface of a wall stop her retreat and she looked around her.  The bright red brick wall seemed infinitely tall and stretched to the horizon on both sides.  She was trapped and the voice continued to punish her ears.  She cupped her hands to muffle the voice and closed her eye as the black flame inched closer.  Scarlet sunk into the corner and shook in fear.

“No.  NO!  NOOOO …"


...



Scarlet kicked the sheets off her bed as she woke with violence from the nightmare.  Strands of hair stuck to her face and her whole body glistened with beads of sweat.  She blinked, sat up straight and looked around the room at first not recognizing it.  Once reality started to sooth her, Scarlet became washed with exhaustion as the adrenalin left her blood.  She flopped back onto her pillow and felt her sweat dry and cool on the drier parts of the bed or from the overhead fan above her bed.  She rubbed both eyes, even if only one could be used.

Looking at the clock beside her bed she realized she was breathing heavily as the time was only an hour past midnight.

From beside the bed she heard a faint “merow” from Hector and Scarlet smiled with some relief.  Then her memories of the dream came back and Scarlet was filled with insecurity and dread.  Her eye darted to several objects around the room as she tried to remember, not the dream, but what really happened.  Yet remembering the accuser’s voice made Scarlet doubt herself.

She remembered saving Doc Delilah from the Vazilok and how Scarlet had to convince Doc to stop fighting them at every turn of the abandoned lab.  Scarlet had to save Doc on a few occasions, even when a crossbow shaft almost pinned Scarlet to a wall.  There was the last room: large and dusty with half embalmed cadavers coming from the darkness and shadows to stop their escape.  Doc was a hard fighter.  Scarlet lost a lot of blood that night.  She could see herself closing the front door and calling the PPD to her location …

But she couldn't remember if Doc Delilah with her as she called.  Scarlet traced back her steps in memory as she sat up straight in bed and put her feet to the wooden floor as dread started to swell within her.  Scenes from her memory started flashing back and forth from the rescue, to the last room, to the call.

Fighting.  Anger.  Frustration.  Pain.  Remorse?  Decision.  Action.  Regret?

She shook her head and stood, trembling in fear: fear for the truth.  Was the dream … not a dream?  Scarlet numbly walked through her apartment toward her costume.  The images kept rushing through and she timidly searched for her Dawn Patrol communicator.  Terror seized her as she felt the cold metal of the device.

Then, from some source inside her, Scarlet pushed aside doubt and replaced it with resolve.  Resolve turned to confidence and she stood taller, stronger and filled with pride.  In her mind's eye she could see the last fight and the two of them exiting the building, even if it was Doc holding her up as Scarlet clutched the crossbow bolt in her thigh.

She twisted her head to brush the hair out of her face.  She looked and saw herself, naked, in the mirror next to the front door.  Her leg showed no signs of puncture.  Looking away, she activated the communicator and accessed DOGMA.   A chime acknowledged and Scarlet cleared her parched throat.

“DOGMA.”

She coughed as the word was scratched and coarse.  The strength in her legs started to wane.

“Search Doctor Delilah Stein.  Single parameter: alive or deceased?”

The paused lasted for hours when the reality was less than a second.

“Alive,” was the female-like response.

Scarlet fainted onto the hardwood floor of the living room.  Hector “merowed” in her ear and licked the tip of her nose.

There and Back Again

"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!"

There and Back Again

Scarlet screamed herself awake and sat upright in her bed.  The silk sheets clung to her moist skin at the legs and she reached back with one arm to feel the pillow while the other pulled the hair back from her face. Both pillow and hair were damp with sweat.  She was breathing heavily and her eye darted around the room looking for something familiar.  The window betrayed the details in her room and her awoken terror was diminished.

"It was just a dream.  It was just a dream," she whispered heavily to herself.

A small cat’s meow was at the edge of the bed. Scarlet looked suddenly and the little animal almost fled from her gaze.  "Aw, Hector. No need to fear. I was just having a nightmare."  With that, Hector licked his chops and cautiously approached Scarlet.  As the feline walked between her legs, Scarlet stretched and pulled at her long t-shirt to remove the clothing.  She threw it on the floor and scooped up Hector to bring him closer.  He meowed in protest but did not fight her and Scarlet snuggled the little cat to her chin and neck.  Hector purred and pushed against her with his head, a sign of affection.

"I need to figure out why these dreams are affecting me like this."

Hector continued to purr against her drying skin.
----

"Are you serious?  There has to be another way."  Scarlet's arms were crossed in front and she stared down at Capt. Cymru defiantly.

Cymru just stared up at her from his desk in Dawn Patrol Headquarters.  "No ma'am.  This is it.  It's not that bad.  Domgeorm and I have done it dozens of times.  It does get a little used to, I'll admit.  But from what I know, your symptoms are not rare.  Odd, but not rare.  I can set up the way to get there.  After that you're on your own."  Cymru looked out the window and cleared his throat.  "Well that's not true.  A team can do it at once.  But no one can leave until the time stream is fixed.  So to speak."

Scarlet considered his answer for a moment and turned on her heels to leave.  Halfway in the spin she stopped and looked back at Taffy.  "And you don’t know why the dreams have started?"

Taffy shook his head solemnly.  "No ma'am.  Ouroboros is your only solution."
----

Scarlet faced the Pillar of Ice and Flame.  Tucked away in the corner, its paradoxical existence did not fit well in the Dawn Patrol base and always made Scarlet uneasy.  It was placed by Xaddak months before and Scarlet avoided it and anything to do with it … until now.  The ease to let another Patroller 'handle it' was all Scarlet needed.  She had read the reports from Cymru and Domgeorm concerning its use.  It's not natural, she thought to herself, hen smirked at the observation as the flame flickered inside the ice crystal, challenging reality.

Surrounding the large crystal were the security columns.  Before that were the Olympium-infused, temporal-resistant walls guarding the room itself.  These measures were untested, but Xaddak is a thorough scientist and expressed confidence that the dual aegis systems were enough to protect the headquarters in the event of a temporal accident.  It was the stuff of science-fiction to Scarlet, but then again, she had been to the Shadow Shard and Cimerora.  Science-fiction and time travel be damned.

Still, staring at the Pillar of Ice and Flame caused a little nausea within Scarlet.  She remembered her dreams that have haunted her the past month; each more terrifying the last.  First, Mark Vargis' death, then the twisted smoldering pile of children.  Patrollers gruesomely killed one by one, including her own death.  Scarlet shook her head as if to shake the memories of the dreams out of her mind.  Mender Silos of Ouroboros told her that a mistake was made in her past.  Something or someone she overlooked or forgot.  Maybe she missed that one pivotal moment that led her to her current path.  She would have to travel back in time in an attempt to find that moment, person or thing to change her future ... or her present.

She gulped loud enough to embarrass herself.  It was a daunting task.  And what of the Fates?  Didn't They have a hand in all of her life all along?  Wasn't it They who gave her the memories of the First Age?  Where were They now?  How is it that the Truth is somehow different because of Ouroboros?

Mender Silos instructed she could not bring the Zenith Fangs for they are a part of her present.  As they did not exist in the time stream she needs to start at, they would cease to exist once she passed though the crystal.  It made sense and not at all at the same time.

She activated the aegis systems to allow one person and, feigning fearlessness, she passed the inner perimeter and stood close enough to feel the crystal's cold and heat.  Scarlet closed her eye to the light that surrounded her ...
----

Opening her eye, she was greeted with a familiar sight.  Quickly breathing in the musty, dank yet familiar odors, Scarlet welcomed the sight of Eastgate.  She smiled and looked around.  The only person in sight was in the uniform of the Paragon Police Department.  Then other sounds: gunfire.  The PPD were defending this part of the city, Cherry Hills, from the Trolls and Outcasts gangs.

Looking at herself she was dressed in her off-duty costume and was a little surprised.  She expected to still be wearing her uniform.  No, Scarlet thought.  I joined the Patrol after my time here.  Suddenly, she was overcome with a feeling like some mental or physical burden was upon her.  Something she could not put her finger on.  Something was different about her.  She did not remember feeling this way when she first entered Eastgate.  Scarlet touched her throat.  It felt different.  She was not as strong as she was ... or is.  Panic started to creep in and she willed herself to fly ... but couldn't!  She could almost remember how she learned to fly but it would not happen.

The Scarlet Scorpion suddenly felt very alone and vulnerable ... and she knew it.  Checking her Dawn Patrol communicator provided relief as it was still open, active and traffic was registering.  She could communicate with her present in real time.

She closed her eye and focused.  What was it that Mender Silos told her ...

Once you have achieved whatever goal was needed in the past, you will immediately return to your present.  You may be trapped to relive your past.  There is a way to return to your present, but you will continue to be haunted by your dreams until you straighten the twisted threads of your fate.

She reached into her belt and found the miniature crystal, one similar to the Pillar.  This was her ticket home.  Yet, she must not fail.  She can't live with her dreams any longer, not like the ones from the First Age.  Composing herself, the Scarlet Scorpion casually waked up to the officer, and greeted him.

"Hello, I'm Officer Wincott.  So you're Scarlet Scorpion, huh?  I hope you're as good as your reputation.  These Trolls are vicious, but, with your help, I hope to take them out."

Sky Raider Secret

She stood over the body and breathed heavily. He was having a hard time breathing as well and she could tell he knew it would be over soon. She almost pitied the man but that emotion was a vestige of her former life.  Even as a “hero” she learned a new kind of compassion, yet she still had some limits.

She put a high-heeled boot on his hand and heard the broken bones grind.  He winced and so did she.

“You are the last one I’m going to try to talk to about this.  What happened to the shipments meant for Vigilance?”

Vigilance was the name of a special operations unit designed to combat super-powered actions and threats.  The group consisted of very well trained mercenaries and some metas willing to work for a para-military outfit.  Yet, it was the hardware that gave Vigilance their strength.  Having their “toys” go to the wrong hands would be disastrous.

Gazing up at the Scarlet Scorpion through his broken visor, he started to remove it with a free hand.

Scarlet allowed the movements but was wary.  His rifle lay too far for him to reach and Sky Raiders were not known to have any superpowers: the high-tech weaponry they were infamous for aiding their viciousness.  Still, she had come to learn that villains came in various sizes, shapes and abilities.

He coughed up blood and wheezed, “They were diverted.  The paperwork was forged.  It was Katcher’s plan ever since the beginning but he didn’t know where the shipments were really going.”

That fit what she found out already.  Scarlet started putting the pieces together.  Her contact will not like what she will tell him. B ut still, one part vexed her more than the others: Captain Indomitable . She grew up hearing tales about the man and even had a crush on him as a child.  She had to know for certain.  It was hard enough to discover his body yesterday.  The police department was gracious enough to let her keep his bracers as a souvenir for her service, but it was a bitter gift.

She snapped out of her reverie and returned to her stern look.  “Who is Katcher?  You have nothing else to lose now and you know it.”  She applied more pressure and more bones cracked.

He smiled weakly and whispered, “He was tracking the shipments and got a little sloppy cleaning up after himself.”  He smirked and blood trickled from his quivering lips.  “He discovered the truth but it was too late. We used all of it already.”

Scarlet leaned in, putting her weight on his hand.  He flinched but the pain didn’t bother him much.  That meant time was running out.
---

Scarlet sat down hard into her chair at Dawn Patrol HQ.  As she closed her eye and tried to collect her thoughts she was washed with a feeling of exhaustion.  She put her head down and nuzzled into her arms on the desk.

Three men: the former General of Vigilance, former Deputy Secretary of Defense and Captain Indomitable had a meeting in an abandoned office in King’s Row.  They were almost killed by the Sky Raiders but she was tipped off and rescued them in time.  They were extremely resistant to discuss their affairs and Scarlet knew it was not her place. Still, she decided to track the Raiders movements and learned they were going after the three men again but separately.

The General was saved when Scarlet and a short-lived team-up with Xiana stopped the Raiders from reaching him.  Scarlet found the deputy secretary and put him in a safe house.  He said Captain Indomitable went to a warehouse to check on some shipment irregularities meant for Vigilance that came from Europe.  Chasing after Captain Indomitable, she found his body and paperwork that pointed everywhere but to Vigilance headquarters.  All the shipments came in to the Talos Port Authority managed by Irving Katcher, whom she rescued from a Sky Raiders assassination attempt.  The last Raider on that mission spilled the beans.

At this recollection she forced her tired body to sit up and look at the file she created for this puzzle.  The pieces were there and now it’s time to make a picture.

Irving Katcher was the mastermind that diverted the shipments.  But he thought it was for the black market and planned to make a lot of serious money.  As nefarious as that plan was he was also just a dock manager and didn’t seem to be the kind of man to pull off a grand scheme.

So, what was happening?  Scarlet laid out the papers on her desk and stood up to look at them from a different view.  Her eye darted from one sheet to another: columns, rows, scrambled …

Something caught her attention and she leaned in.

Hand written on each of the documents was a small letter ‘D’ scrawled in different locations.  Always by itself and not connected to invoice numbers, item codes, contacts ... nothing.

She took a few steps back and looked to the ceiling deep in thought.  Ok, that’s it.  That’s all you have: a dead hero, lots of documents, the letter ‘D’, and the Sky Raiders.

Sky Raiders.

Like a thunderbolt Scarlet darted from her office and ran to the mainframe.  She hurriedly sat in the chair and entered passwords in a flurry.

“C’mon, DOGMA.  Show me the truth,” she whispered. Dogma was the name Scarlet gave the Dawn Patrol mainframe.  Since she joined the Dawn Patrol nothing impressed her more than what this computer could tell her about anything.  From the mundane to the complex, whomever inputted the information seemed to leave nothing out.

Window upon window opened on the main screen: Sky Raiders documented history, recent attacks, DP patrol entries, dossiers …

That’s it!  Colonel Duvay, commander of the Sky Raiders.  ‘D’ for Duvay.

At least Katcher did something right.  His simple bookkeeping note was enough to remind him about these shipments, but not enough to save him anywhere else.   Scarlet sat looking at Duvay’s name for long seconds. She closed the files and patted the top of the user screen.  “Thank you, DOGMA.”

She stood and walked back to the locker room while putting the pieces together in her mind’s eye.

Colonel Duvay tricked Katcher into sending the Vigilance weapons and supplies to Duvay’s contacts.  Katcher discovered this and wanted out, revenge, or a piece of the pie.  Whatever he wanted, Duvay didn’t agree and wanted him dead.  Meanwhile, the three men that started the game became a thorn in Duvay’s side somehow with Captain Indomitable being the most troublesome.

She closed her locker door with the thought: the Sky Raiders have been using the equipment meant for Vigilance!  Or rather, that the Sky Raiders exist because they have been using the material meant for Vigilance.

Their secret would no longer be secret soon.  It was the least she could do for Captain Indomitable.

Moment of Weakness

Scarlet’s left knee was starting to ache and she slightly shifted her weight. The faux-gravel of the rooftop crunched with her movement. She winched as a joint quietly popped. She returned her attention to the streets below her. So far Steel Canyon had been quiet but she knew that would change.

“It always does”, she whispered.

Trust to your instincts
If it's safely restrained
Lightning reactions
Must be carefully trained

Then she heard it: gunfire. Scarlet smirked as she scanned left then right. The sound waves were bouncing off the monuments of concrete and steel around her. Scarlet’s training and “expertise” in sound helped her find the trouble-spot. Two blocks away and around the other side of the DynaCorp building.

Scarlet leapt off the roof in a swan’s-dive and free-fell for a moment before she willed herself to fly horizontally. She brought her arms to her side and heard the firefight again. Fast-floating down and around the corner, Scarlet swooped under the claws of a granite gargoyle overlooking the street. She released her Will to fly and she streaked straight to the ground. Thirty meters is a long way to fall and as she looked toward the thug with the assault rifle, Scarlet activated her personal sonic shield.

Heat of the moment
Curse of the young
Spit out your anger
Don't swallow your tongue

She landed hard behind the thug, but the shield absorbed the impact. Scarlet channeled the sound waves of her flight and projected them away from her in one burst. As the thug flew into the air away from her she looked at the situation.

PPD versus Council. Grim. The Council rarely backed down. She could see the blood splatters and lifeless bodies of several PPD officers around the entrance of the building and around vehicles. Of the Council only a few were in the same condition.

She will tip the balance in favor of justice. She will succeed where the law has failed. She will exact vengeance. She will cause pain.

Natural reflex
Pendulum swing
You might be too dizzy
To do the right thing

Scarlet spun on her heals and back-fisted another Council soldier to the ground. His goggles shattered and the pieces reflected tiny sunbursts as they fell. She focused her attention to a group of Council soldiers who were training their rifles toward her. Scarlet took a deep breath and yelled at them. Although she screamed “YAH”, her powers channeled the sound from her vocal chords into a tight ball of condensed sound.

It fell upon the Council like a bomb. Glass shattered, clothing ripped, and metal buckled under the pressure. All the soldiers collapsed to the ground and writhed in pain. The screams of agony caused a satisfied grin to appear. She looked around for more.

The doors to the Council APC burst open and a high-ranking soldier appeared. He ripped his shirt off and raised his hands to the air. Instantly he was transformed into a hulking Nightwolf and baled in anger. Then he charged Scarlet.

She dug in her heels and braced for impact. Scarlet intensified her personal field and the sound waves became visible. She heard a PPD officer shout behind her but couldn’t hear his words. Bullets flew over her shoulder and around her waist. They impacted upon the Nightwolf and bounced off his skin. Scarlet grimaced with the realization she may be outclassed this time.

Trial under fire
Ultimate proof
Moment of crisis
Don’t swallow the truth

“No”, Scarlet whispered through clinched teeth and she raised her hands as if to wrestle.

Then she got hit. A bright flash replaced the world and Scarlet could feel a shock of pain across her whole body. She crashed into the PPD police cruiser and caved in the driver’s door, lifting the machine off two wheels. Scarlet found herself half in the car and saw the Nightwolf flying in the air with its knees heading for her head.

She rolled out of the wreckage in time to hear the animal destroy the rest of the vehicle upon impact; pavement cracked and spider-webbed away from the small crater. Scarlet picked up a lose chunk and over-hand launched the debris into the recovering Council fiend.

The concrete block disintegrated against the tough hide but Scarlet did not stop her counter-assault. She leapt into the air and focused her power. “HAEEE”, she screamed as she arced over her target. Waves of sound spiraled down and bored into the creature’s back. Bone cracked and skin blistered with each wave as the Nightwolf howled. The last wave finished it’s turn and the car was crushed deeper into the ground sending a plume of concrete sand into the air.

Scarlet landed on both feet, splintering the ground. She took deep breaths and waited for the Nightwolf to make its move. But it was motionless and bleeding. Steam from the engine hissed and the dust started to settle.

Scarlet looked around her and the cops were coming from cover in awe of what they witnessed. They slowly approached the vehicle with weapons drawn on the Nightwolf. Scarlet remained tense: too many times have one of these animals feigned death.

Each time we bathe our reactions
In artificial light
Each time we alter the focus
To make the wrong moves seem right

Did she just kill? A long time ago she would not have thought twice of the action. Or the reaction.  She relaxed and crumpled to the ground with the realization that she took a life.

“Not again,” was all she could muster. Scarlet slowly stood and wiped her Dawn Patrol uniform off of dust. An officer checked for a pulse on the Nightwolf and Scarlet held her breath.

You get so used to deception
You make yourself a nervous wreck
You get so used to surrender
Running back to cover your neck

The PPD officer looked at her with surprise washing over his face. Scarlet dreaded his next words.

“He … it … is alive. Barely.”

Scarlet’s adrenaline evacuated her muscles and she took a few steps to keep from falling. She regained her composure and faked a grin.

“Of course,” she said matter-of-factly. “Gentlemen, I’ve done all I can do. I think the rest is up to you. Be careful with the Nightwolf. It’s no longer a man.”

She turned and walked away, shrugging off every jolt of pain as she moved and forced herself to appear to be unharmed. Scarlet turned a corner and found an empty and dark alley and cried the pain away.

 

(Italicized segments are lyrics from Rush - Counterparts, ""Stick It Out")

A Day In Victory

The sky alternated between light and dark as the clouds themselves alternated between white and grey. The wind smelled clean or dirty. The asphalt was new or old. Buildings changed from pristine to worn. But it was the banners on the buildings that announced the most obvious, allegiance to hero or villain that made the entire milieu recognizable to the participants in the never-ending war. A temporal war for control of the Earth.

Such was each day in "Recluse's Victory".

Scarlet was used to it by now; her powers had matured, along with her sense of place in the world, to the point where she ventured into this chaos with little fear. But the glory of defeating a super-powered villain no longer entranced her to this place. Curiosity was the little itch she needed to scratch. Curiosity lead her to the thing that stood immobile before her.

As the battle unfolded in pockets around her, Scarlet ignored it all. Glancing over her shoulder, she look past the trees, with bright green leaves quickly wilting suddenly rejuvenating, that she saw the Pillbox. Magnificent in construction, it was a deadly machine of war. Even with her sound-controlling defenses and regenerating abilities, the firepower behind the machines was lethal. She had witnessed more than one Pillbox, controlled by hero and villain alike, destroy man and machine with ease.

Now it was her turn to feel the power for herself. But first she needed to overcome its automated weapon drones, and the means to do so was only a few seconds away.

Scarlet turned to the Longbow Heavy. It's bright red and white armor glistened and dulled. She looked at the control panel and smirked as her fingers danced over command codes and overrode data streams. Her Longbow contact will be recognized for his assistance. Even though he was stationed in Bloody Bay, his knowledge of this action post was now paying off.

Energy was routed to the Heavy. Sparks and steam erupted from cracks and vents as the machine came to life. It's "eye" glowed yellow and the Heavy stood erect, quickly stretching it's arms before taking a ponderous step forward. A second step confirmed the Scarlet Scorpion as its Master. A third step activated its weapons and the console revealed it was fully operational.

Scarlet rerouted control to her wrist-comp and pressed the touch-screen. The Heavy responded to her command and turned on its heel toward the Pillbox. The Heavy's weapon arms were raised as it charged. For her part, she focused the conflict around her, natural and man-made, and created a sonic barrier around her. She was ready ...

She was ready to feel the power of war.