drownedinlight

 She hacked and coughed as she made her way over to Charlotte, her face contorted into an angry snarl.

“You said!” She could not muster enough air to finish her statement, and Charlotte offered her a water bottle. Mizuki snapped it up guzzling down the water. Havard came tumbling down the park side walk as she handed it back and began to speak, “You said no super speed.”

“So I did,” Charlotte replied. “What went wrong?” Natalie came up with shiny, new, plastic bottles from a vending machine by the park bathrooms, and Havard ripped into one.

“What is wrong is you did not obey your own rule!” Mizuki shouted. She looked around her, but no one seemed to notice her outburst. Lowering her voice she continued. “You were running far too fast for a normal human being. Not as fast as I couldn’t have, but still much faster than a normal person could.”

“Mizuki speaks the truth,” Havard rasped out. “I do not think you realized you were doing it, but you continued at far too quick a pace for too long, and I do not believe your ‘parkour’ can account for all of it.”

“I have a theory,” Greer said as he jogged up to the group. Charlotte blinked as Natalie handed him a bottle; she had not seen him enter the corner of her eye. Once he took a few drinks of water he said, “Charlotte is capable of maintaining weights that would kill a normal person, not to mention, she’s invincible. So it would stand to reason that she can accelerate to a velocity capable for most people, and then maintain it, when others would weaken. Something to be aware of, like you said, when speeding through the city without a mask.”

“Hmm, well, I apologize Mizuki, Havard,” Charlotte said, “I didn’t mean to break my own rule the first time we trained together. That being said, baring super powers, if Zombies ever take over the world, you would be eaten.”

“How is that a fitting critique at all?” Mizuki asked. “Zombies would never take over the world.”

“And people who fly and can lift cars over their heads surely do not exist,” Charlotte retorted. “I’m teasing, Mizuki, I don’t really mean any of it seriously.”

“Then you should not say such things,” Mizuki said, falling to the ground and falling over her legs in a stretch. “Everything you say has meaning.”

“Yes, and the way you say it does as well,” Natalie said, moving into the same stretch as Charlotte, Havard and Greer joined them. “The fact that Charlotte teases you like that means you’re her friend. I mean we banter all the time. Just come up with a witty retort.”

“The wittier the better,” Charlotte said, putting one leg over the other and turning the side. “And I am sorry; I didn’t know I was constantly going thirty miles per hour.”

“It’s…all right, I suppose, so long as you are held to the same rules in training later on.”

“Of course,” Charlotte agreed. “I make it a point to follow my own rules.

 Atalanta and Strike watched from a nearby roof top as the ambulances and squad cars poured around the building.

“You know I never would have thought of this,” Strike said.

“Yeah well, I figured we couldn’t take her to the hospital ourselves,” Atalanta replied. “We need to get back though, they be calling me soon about how she was rescued.” She turned and lifted the computer modem over her head and walked toward the fire escape.

“You know, we make a pretty good team,” Strike told her, following after.

“Yeah I suppose you could control me if I ever fly into a violent rage again.” Strike scoffed, and Atalanta turned and flashed a smile at him. “But seriously, you do good work. And thank you for the help…you know all around.” For a little while, the only sound Atalanta heard were their boots clanking against the slotted metal of the fire escape.

“I guess, I wouldn’t want those murderous rages to hurt the ones you love,” Strike replied, as they made it to the bottom. “And I don’t think I could have done this without you. Well, maybe I could have…” At Atalanta’s look, he added, “I probably would not have gotten out without a few gunshot wounds though, so thank you.”

“You’re welcome, now where’s your car?” she asked.

“Right, Natalie,” he said, leading the way toward the car. As Atalanta loaded the modem into the back seat, Strike collected a strange piece of pink paper which had been attached to his wind-shield wipers. “Shit, you gotta be kidding me.”

“What?” she asked, climbing into the front seat.

“I got a parking ticket,” he said handing her the pink slip. Atalanta chuckled a little and said,

“Maybe when we go out on heroic ventures next time, we’ll remember to pay the meter.” Strike snorted as he turned the key in the ignition and put the car in gear.

“You are ridicules,” he told her.

“Yeah so is getting a parking ticket while you’re out saving the day,” she said as they drove out onto the streets.


The two reached Greer’s apartment, changed and made it to the hospital in what Greer swore must have been a record. Natalie was asleep, but the doctor informed them she was dehydrated and, of course, frozen, but she would make a good recovery over the next few days. He told them both to go home and that they could come back tomorrow. A week later when Natalie was finally ready to be brought home, it was finally time to crack at the computer.

“Explain to me why we waited this long?” Greer asked as he followed behind Charlotte as she wheeled Natalie into the apartment.

“Because you admitted that you aren’t that great of a hacker,” Charlotte said.

“Though I think you might have to wait a little longer though,” Natalie said. “I think I need some soup and a bed. We can do some hacking tomorrow though. Sorry Greer.”

“Yeah, yeah, I guess,” Greer retorted. “I’m pretty good at soup, if you want to get Natalie into bed.”

“Ah, you don’t want to take me to bed, Gre?” Natalie asked. Greer wiggled his eye browns, but Charlotte rolled her eyes as she wheeled Natalie into her room.

“Let’s not talk about taking anyone to bed, all right?” she said.

“Sure,” Greer replied, “I’ll just get started on that soup then.” As soon as the girls had disappeared into the back rooms though, Greer retrieved the modem from where they had stashed it earlier that week in Charlotte’s living room.

“Greer, that doesn’t look like soup,” Charlotte called from Natalie’s room.

“How do you know what I’m doing looks like?” he asked.

“You’re not that subtle,” Natalie added. “And I’m still waiting on that soup!”

 So I finally got back to writing this today. And stuff happens!

( Superwoman )

I didn't like how that first one went, here's a take I think will be more like what I want in the end.

( Read more... )