Just give thoughts on the story, where it is going, what you think of characters, etc.
1 Like
OK, well I just had a thought. Is Black Blast supposed to be Irish? Cause he talks kinda funnyā¦ Also, I kinda wouldāve liked a little more backstory on Stephanie. Like, whatās this business that she runs? How old is she? What does she do in her spare time? Ok maybe not quite so much but you get the idea.
Yeah, Black Blast is Irish. 
Iāll need to expand more on Stephanieās life, but I was hoping it would be understood that she is a jeweler.
a Blast Back
The bailiff puts his gun down. The men with the hats pick up Black Blast and go on their way out the door. They break Black Blastās handcuffs on the way out by shooting them. Black Blast is escorted into a black van with a skull. It was a Triad vehicle.
Triad Thug #1: Well that was relatively easy.
Black Blast: Heh. I might have actually been declared guilty. Those lunatics would rather listen to the words of that bizarre red-head than mine. So whenās our second attempt on the jewels gonna take place?
Triad Thug #2: Weāll have to wait until that Barmms lady doesnāt expect it. We should snag it when sheās asleep. Itās obvious sheāll learn how to use the powers soon.
Black Blast: And what if she goes after us?
Triad Thug #1 pulls out a case and it opens with a click. Blast smiles.
Triad Thug #1: The boss felt these would suit you. We stole āem from Johnson Technology Corporation.
Black Blast: What do they do?
Triad Thug #2: Apparently they absorb kinetic energy or something and blast it back in negative energy. I donāt really know the details, but regardless we saw it in a test and it works great. This should slow her down for sure.
Black Blast: I might as well put these lilā things on, then. Help me remove the remaindār of these cuffs on my wrists, will ya laddy?
The second thug uses a special key-like tool to unlock the cuffs. Satisfied, Black snatches the gauntlets and puts them on his wrists.
Black Blast: They feel comfy. Although I do prefār a nice gun over this.
Triad Thug #2: Oh this will be more powerful than that. Plus you can still aim with this.
Black Blast: Good, then. These should work fine with my lilā nic-name you guys gave me.
~~
Carolina: Stefay? Where did you go?
Carolina tries to squeeze through the evacuation of the audience in the court, holding up a suitcase with both hands. It gets knocked down and people walk to the side of her.
Carolina: She mustāve ran off. I wouldnāt blame her. Oh gosh, I hope she isnāt mad at me.
Stephanie had no time to be mad. She ran home to her apartment right above her jewelry shop. Up in her room, she was looking through her clothing. Nothing seemed right for covering her identity in public.
Stephanie: Cāmon, I have to have a mask around here somewhereā¦
Stephanie looks at the ascot she was wearing. She grabs that and wraps it around the lower part of her face.
Stephanie: What else do I have around here?
She takes off her business suit and removes her business pants to put on black leggings. Then she grabs a black ā ā ā ā ā that covers up her upper arms. Finally she puts on the jewel necklace and some bracelets for her arms. She looks at herself in the mirror.
Stephanie: No time to complain. Itās better than nothing.
~~
The Triad truck didnāt get very far. It was stopped quickly by policemen on the Marion Street North East bridge. The police blocked off any traffic on the bridge. The Triad men were trapped.
Triad Driver: Looks like the police here act fast.
Black Blast: Well we ARE in downtown Salem. The police wouldnāt be too far from here, idiot.
Triad Henchman #1: Regardless, Blast, I feel itās time to show these men what the Triad can REALLY do. Especially here in America.
The doors of the truck slide open. The police are behind barriers, guns pointing the direction of the truck.
Police Captain: Stand your guard, men. We donāt know what these men are up to.
Blast steps out of the vehicle. The triad men follow him. However, instead of confronting the officers, Blast decides to walk the other way, east of the policemen.
Blast (To Triad members): Iām not dealing with this. Iām not gonna make a scene like they do in the movies. Iām going to show the world what these things can REALLY do besides just knocking over a few policemen.
Blast bops the back of the head of Triad Thug #1, knocking off his glasses. Blastās gauntlets glow in a dark essence, signalling that they absorbed the kinetic energy.
Blast: Now then. To the mall?
Blast points the gauntlets to the ground and squeezes the bar around his hand to blast himself into the air. Before hitting the ground, Blast points the gauntlets again and squeezes lighter, to lighten his landing. Heās at the Nordstrom. The people inside the mall see Blast lift up his arm in curiosity. Blast fires into the glass window, the glass shattering and sending victims of the blast flying back into the storeās aisles. Blast walks in.
One of the guards pulls out his taser but Blast simply flicks his finger to shoot a light blast at the guard.
Black Blast: This is getting real easy to get used to. This is fun!
~~
Stephanie pulls out her phone she kept in a green belt she had on her. She sees the fast-trending news: Man in black and blue attacking Nordstrom. Stephanie focuses closely on the jewel but to no avail.
Stephanie: Oh gosh, this better not be the case when I get down there to stop him.
She goes down the fire-escape from her apartment and runs down the alleyway.
Stephanie: Iām probably gonna regret doing this. But gosh darnit I have to try!
Stephanie finally gets to the Nordstrom, but already the damage had been done. Stephanie looks through the glass doors.
Stephanie: Oh gosh, how am I supposed to find him now?
Suddenly Stephanie hears a blast. Screams are coming from upstairs. She rushes up the escalator but trips. She quickly gets up. She finally gets into the food court when she sees Blast. Suddenly he turns around and points his extended left arm toward Stephanie.
Blast: Oh hey. Itās you again.
Stephanie suddenly stiffens, and stumbles a little. Her eyes are wide. Her arms shake. She looks into the nothingness and gets visions of the first night she confronted Blast.
She remembered the bullet. The smug face Blast had when he shot her. The flash of quick light proceeded by a TWANG sound. Stephanie stumbled to her feet and blacked out after that.
Stephanie: I donāt knowā¦ If I can do thisā¦ Thisā¦ This will kill meā¦
Blast suddenly goes for the kill. He gives a straight blast to Stephanieās stomach, but suddenly she snaps out of her panic attack and her body is repelled back but goes unharmed. Stephanie hits her head on the floor.
Stephanie: Oohā¦
She gets up. She sees her clothes covered in a thin layer of green crystals. They begin to shrink as Black Blast walks his way over to Stephanie to finish her off.
Stephanie: The adrenalineā¦ The shock! That is what made the crystals happened! And the night he attacked meā¦ It was the confidence! The faith! The stamina and perseverance that made this happen! Thatās what I got to do! I need to have faith, and focusā¦
Stephanie focuses on her arms. She places them in a crossed position as Blast tries to punch her with a blast. Stephanie quickly blocks the blast and it sends the energy hitting the walls, leaving burn damage.
Stephanie focuses on her hand. Her nails begin to become crystal.
Stephanie: I donāt want to KILL the guyā¦ But hopefully this hurts.
Stephanie scratches Blast Blastās right cheek with her left hand. He stumbles over from the pain. As she stand above him, though, he blasts her away again. She hits the ceiling and falls to the floor.
Stephanie: OhgoshIhurteverywhereowowowowowowā¦
No time to complain. She weakly gets back up. Blast comes at her face, but she quickly dodges. Dodges faster than normal, actually. Stephanie looks at her skin. Itās glowing. She has no idea whatās going on, but she feels so much moreā¦ Energized.
Faster than Black Blast can see it coming, she gives him an uppercut into the jaw. He slips off the floor and falls to his back. He curses her under his breath.
Black Blast (To himself): Thisā¦ Is not goodā¦ Sheās learning her powers! The Triad will come after meā¦ If I donāt get that necklaceā¦ I canāt afford to be put to sleep again!
Blast jumps from the floor and tackles her, knocking her into the ground by her back. He points his hand toward the back of her head.
Blast: Alrightā¦ No more gamesā¦ Now to resume my mission and get that necklace.
Stephanieās eyes widen and she brightens up again to throw him off. Her nails grow longer from the crystal. Blast his halfway up from the ground when Stephanie swings her arm, sending shards from her fingertips and pinning Blastās hands to the ground by it.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!
Stephanie is about to throw another punch when she stops. She already has him pinned to the ground. She looks at her hands. Her skin is pure crystal, even having her bones and veins show through. She takes a deep breath, and exhales.
Stephanie: Thatās enoughā¦ Iām done for todayā¦
Stephanie leaves Blast whimpering in pain as she walks downstairs from the mall. Her work was finished.
~~
And after-party is taking place for a few highly-skilled employees of Johnson Technology Corporation. They laugh as they drink cider, until Dr. Seth Dwarn interrupts while pouring more cider.
Dwarn: So did you guys hear what was happening in downtown Salem an hour ago?
Megan Mataline (putting down her wine glass): No, what?
Dwarn: Remember those kinetic energy converters the chemistry and engineering department made? They found them on a guy who was using them to destroy the Salem Center. Some woman managed to stop him, though.
Kevin OāReale (laughing): Just the news being the news again. You know how they exaggerate things.
Dwarn: Iām serious here. They finally found them and all you guys can drink cider. Do you think the police is gonna give them back?
Mataline: Knowing the police? Nah. They never give us back our equipment when itās stolen from us. They put it under āevidenceā or whatever at their department. Regardless, we still have the blueprints for them. We can always rebuild it.
Dwarn: If you say so.
~~
That night, a group of three Triad members slide down Johnson Technology Corporationās walls and place a bomb right on the side of a wall. They hurry down the wall and run away from the premises, going over the security fencing and making it away from their helicopter.
An huge explosion occurs on the side of the wall, the cloud of plasma burning all the walls nearby and pushing everything in its molten path to itās doom. Equipment is destroyed, and few nearby the explosion survive.
Next Issue: ARE THERE ANY SURVIVORS?
3 Likes
Great job again! Canāt wait for the next one.
Needā¦ Thorough thoughtsā¦
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Well, if you want thoughts, seeing gour viens and bones would freak me out, and the way she controls her powers seems very similar to how she tried to control them earlier. I felt that she was just like, āoh, i need to focus to control them,ā when she was doing just that the other times. The faith and adrenaline werenāt really incorperated much more than the other times they were activated imo. Still good, just little nitpicks.
Wow, this is really neat.
#The Aftermath
What is this.
What has happened?
Where am I?
Who am I?
Do I even know the answer to any of that? What is an answer? I am confused. It isā¦ What is it? What is thisā¦ Memory? That is what you call it? I can see someoneās whole life through their eyes. That someone is me. I am Megan. Interesting. Oh yes, I know what happened now. That blast from the particle accelerator. I was hit by it. I must have been blinded by it.
What am I on? The floor. It must be the floor. Itās flat andā¦ Cold? I think itās cold. I canāt move my arms. I must be paralyzed. But waitā¦ My body does not feel right.
A puddle of material in the ashes of a destroyed building starts to form a lump, which eventually grows into a long cylinder shape, but begins to bend and grows a hand. It was an arm.
Oohā¦ I felt that. It was painful. What is going on? Waitā¦ I can feel my arm again. Itās in a puddle. But what is the puddle made of? Is that ā¦ me?
Another arm grows slowly. Then the head begins to form as the neck connects to a forming torso and the arms connected to said torso. The eyes begin to form for Megan. She begins to blink, and looks around. She sees concrete, metal and fire broken up upon a concrete floor. It is night time. She looks below. She sees her body emerging from a puddle. But she realizes she is starting to form in the nude, and covers herself with a labcoat nearby so nobody sees her uncovered.
The legs finally form and soon she is standing up on her own two legs.
Megan: What in the world just happened to me?
She rubs her head, but her skin on her head smudges like clay. She retracts her hand in horror and with a gasp. Her eyes bat around. A huge part of the laboratory was destroyed.
Megan: The explosion. Did I survive that?
Megan looks at her arms again. They are beginning to melt slowly, like a ice cream cone under the hot sun.
Megan: Oh no no noā¦ Not againā¦
Megan concentrates on the arm.
Megan: Come onā¦ Stop melting and become solid.
The arm goes back to being solid, almost like she was controlling a part of her body. She nervously snickers, but notices another part of her body beginning to melt. She controls that part too.
Megan: Itās almost subconscious, almost like itās part of me now. Itās terrifying and yet, Iām bewildered.
Megan examines her hair next. It had become a pink color.
Megan: The explosion must have bleached my hair and colored it some strange dye.
Megan turns around when she heard soft footsteps going against the gravel floor of the remains of the building. Her purple eyes stop the man in his tracks. He was stunned by her bright eyes and hair. Itās a man in a hazard suit.
???: Oh myā¦ A survivor. I need to tell the others!
The man turns back around, slipping a bit on the gravel but hurriedly picks himself back up. Megan watched the man go away as she starts melting at the legs.
Megan: No no noā¦ Stay solid.
Her legs go back to normal.
Megan: I sound like Iām talking to a dogā¦ A dog that can change their state of matter, except itās my own body.
After waiting several minutes, the man is back with four other men with hazard suits. Theyāre carrying equipment and soon surround Megan. One of them begins to scan her.
Man #1: Weāre getting signs ofā¦ Wait, what even is that supposed to be?
The men check their scanners, but they begin to go haywire. Meganās eyes widen.
Megan: What- what are you doing? Is that a bad sign?
Man #2: Could it be?
Man #3: Probably is. She seems the same as the others in the explosion. We should probably take her in.
Megan: Wait a second, Iām not going anywhere without an explanation.
Man #1: You wonāt need one. Weāll tell you later. Please, come with us.
Megan: Iām not going.
Man #2: Please comply, Ms. Mataline.
Megan: Wait, you can still recognize me?
Man #3: Your hair color doesnāt make much of a difference. Now then, by the request of Mr. Johnson, please come with us.
Megan: Colt is here? Goodness, this mustāve made national news then.
Man #1: Are you going to come or not?
Megan: Iāll be coming, donāt worry.
Suddenly, one of the men takes a metallic stick out of a metal case and points it toward Mataline.
Man #2: Hold still.
Megan gets a pulse of electricity running through her, knocking her out and she quickly becoming liquid form.
Man #1: Whoops. That did not go as expected.
~~
The next day Stephanie walks down from her apartment to her jewelry store. Her brother was waiting for her at the register.
James: About time you woke up, sleepy-head.
Stephanie: Hello James. Am I late for work?
James: Pretty much. Thankfully Iām good running this place by myself. You know, itās been a week since you were assaulted. Are you still tired from all that?
Stephanie (putting on her necklace and sitting down): My body feels like a train rammed straight into it. So there is that.
Stephanie looks around the place. All the broken casings had been replaced and the doors were fixed. Stephanie smiles.
Stephanie: Looks like they fixed up the place pretty fast.
James: I offered to give them some help but they told me not to. What a shame. I didnāt even get to put my finishing touches.
Stephanie: James, you canāt even use a power drill right.
James: I know, I know. But it looks so modern. Needs some abstraction, which I could do perfectly if I were to build.
Stephanie: Regardless, my head hurts. All that stuff that happened yesterday was quite a stresser. (Rubbing her eyes) It doesnāt help with the anxiety, James.
James: Yes, well. You could always take the day offā¦ Again.
Stephanie: I need to get paid too, ya know.
James: Stephanie, just please go relax. Your week has already been stressful enough. It wonāt hurt you to take more days off. Besides, are you forgetting you OWN this place?
Stephanie: Yeah yeah. Iām forgetting a lot of things. What I need to do is just clear my thoughts a little. Thatās all.
James: Have fun with another day off. (He winks)
Stephanie rolls her eyes and smiles as she heads out the door. She has a free day to do what she wishes. She smells the Oregonian air and smiles.
Stephanie: I need to just relax and take a nice day off. Cool myself off from all the stress of figuring out these powers. Take a nice break.
Stephanie heads on over to Carolinaās office to see how she was doing from yesterday. When she arrives, Carolina springs up from her chair and hugs her tightly.
Carolina: Oh Stephanie, I was so worried about you. Where did you even go?
Stephanie: Once I saw those men I made a run for it. I grew anxious. You know how I am.
Carolina: Yes yes. Hopefully youāve had rest to calm yourself down. The trial is going to begin again next week and theyāre gonna stack more charges against him.
Stephanie: Youāre still gonna defend that jerk?
Carolina: Might as well. I got a job to finish.
Stephanie: Well good luck for you, I guess. Even though itās obvious heās guilty.
Carolina: Yeah yeah. Iām not gonna win that case. But hey, not everyone does win cases.
Stephanie: The world canāt run without there being winners and losers, right?
Carolina: Precisely, Stefay. Precisely.
~~
Megan wakes up in her solid form inside of a glass container. As her eyesight begins to clear up, she sees her current situation. She places her hand on the glass and it begins to melt. But sheās wearing different clothes. Something outfitted for her, so her clothes could work alongside her powers.
Megan: What in the world is going on? Iām stuck in this round glass container. Donāt tell me theyāre studying me like some sort of ratā¦
One of the scientists looks back and notices that Megan is awake and is startled by it, and he taps another scientistās shoulder.
Scientist: Donāt worry about her. She wonāt harm us once she knows whatās going on.
Megan: What is going on?
Out of another room Colt Johnson, the founder of JTC, steps out into the view of Megan.
Colt: Relax a bit, Megan. My crew has just saved your life. I outfitted you with a suit which will adapt nicely with your ability to melt and all that jazz.
Megan: What? How did you do it all that fast?
Colt: Hmph. You seem to be forgetting my scientific genius, Megan. Donāt you remember when this company was smaller? I was the head scientist, and that was a position well earned. I studied what had happened to you and you seem to have been affected by ādarkā or āantiā matter, which distorts most things, even light itself. But for some odd reason your body and mind can control it. Itās peculiar.
Megan (looking at her melting hands in astonishment): Is that it, then? Iāve combined with some celestial mystery out of that explosion which caused me to become like this?
Colt: I theorize the explosion affected the reactor and caused anti-matter to form and hit you. It seems that this anti-matter saved your life.
Megan looks at Colt and his rectangular, shaded glasses. Her brows lower.
Megan: So what are you going to do with me now?
Colt: Keep you safe, I hope. We still need to run tests before you can return to normal life.
Megan: What do you mean by that?
Colt: What I mean by that is returning you to your normal state. Iām afraid that if you keep that anti-matter around you itāll begin to deform your mind and eventually cause your mental state to change. Possibly even your personality. Itās dangerous.
Megan: Ohoā¦ So thatās how it is, then? Dangerous? Colt, I took this job BECAUSE I knew there was dangerā¦ Thatās whatās astonishing about science. To explore new ideas with experiments, take risks. Open my eyes to what else humanity can discover. Whatās happened to me nowā¦ Do you really think I should just give it up? I need to explore what I can really do.
Colt: Iām just warning you, the more this anti-matter fluctuates around you, the more you are in danger. One day you may just start with a new personality, or your morals will completely go away. You could lose who you used to be.
Megan: So now Iām just here to lose what Iāve gained? You taking away what I have received?
Colt: Oh dear. The anti-matter must have already affected her brain. Sheās not acting like she usually does.
Megan: Can you not understand my frustration, Colt? Iām in between this glass and I have no choice to comply. I have no freedom. Iām in bondage.
Colt: No, we are preserving you. I donāt know what this will do to others but-
Megan: What am I? Some type of chemical you keep in a test tube? Iāve been reduced to matter? Thatās what I am to you, just matter to be tested with.
Colt: How about you stop with the SASS, miss, and understand I am PRESERVING YOUR LIFE!
Megan (banging her hand upon the glass, it melting under her internal heat): The wonders of science. Heh. Iām an accident, thatās what I am. I should have died, and now thatās what Iām supposed to be? Your liquid to shake around in a test tube? Yes. Thatās who I am.
Colt: Ms. Mataline, please, donāt be angry.
Megan: You say that like a true gentleman. Now let me out of here, before I escape from this myself.
Colt (turning to other scientists): Men, use the sleeping gas. That will knock her out cold.
Megan turns her hand rock solid with enough focus, and with a powerful punch, the glass shatters, parts of her liquefied upon the floor. She steps out of the glass and recollects lost parts of her.
Colt: Please, Megan! We can-
Megan: Quiet, fool. I know what youāre doing. It wonāt work. Iām not your little science experiment.
Colt: Youāre delusional!
Megan: No, no. To you, Iām just a woman made to be tested on. Ms. Matter is a name that comes up. I like that name. I should keep it.
Colt: Okay, now I know youāre delusional. My estimations were WAY off. Youāre too dangerous to be left around these par-
Ms. Matter grabs Colt by the neck and brings him face-to-face with her.
Ms. Matter: Please, Colt. Iām thinking very clearly. I wonāt fall for this. I now wonder what youāve done to Professor OāReale. Lemme guess, he died in the explosion as well?
Colt: I cannot tell you -erk- it would only make you angrierā¦
Ms. Matter: I donāt care about him as much now. You are going to listen to me.
Colt: Ohohoā¦ You and your fondness for dominance. Thatās what this is about. You want control. Well youāre not getting it. Now let me go.
Ms. Matter: Iām not going to let you go. Iām going to torture you for the irresponsibility you brought to this company. First allowing the gauntlets to be stolen. This explosion is probably a result of you failing to establish safety measures, and now youāre dealing with all of us who survived like lab rats.
Colt: I still -erk- think your mind has gone haywire. Stop using your powers for a second and you will recover from this. Please, -erk- I just want you to heal-
Ms. Matter: Youāre not covering anything else up, Johnson. Nothing else. Now Iām going to show the world what REALLY comes out of JTC.
Ms. Matterās arm stretches almost subconsciously as she reaches an electrical wire and rips it, leaving the charge exposed. She plunges it into Johnsonās torso once she lets him onto the ground again and he is shocked with thousands of volts. He faints onto the ground.
Ms. Matter: Oho, Iām perfectly fine, Johnson. Just fine.
NEXT ISSUE: The Matter with Ms. Matter!
2 Likes
The fluctuating energy stuff deteriorating your body is a bit cliche imo, but it works. Although I wouldāve perfered of you made the change a bit more subtle and revealed thoughts from the villian as she slowly went more insane. Another great segment though!
But is she really going insane?
Nah, sheās suffering a mid life crisis, sheāll be fine tomorrow. /s
1 Like
I mean, just because some guy saying she is insane doesnāt mean she is.
1 Like
But her actions suggest that she isnāt exactly healthy. Refusing to have a few test done on her when she has to focus on keeping herself solid is realy irrational, to say the least. She isnāt thinking straight, at the very least, and at the very most sheās completely lost it.
Mmm, I know thereās only so much backstory that you can fit in there, but what if Megan had been someone who showed up in previous chapters, so that we couldāve seen how she was before the big explosion? Just throwing things out there. I did like the bit where she went insane, it maybe wouldāve been better if there was either a longer transition period or if Megan was an already established character.
Surprisingly, I find myself quite hooked on theseā¦ Gonna have to read chapter 5 tomorrow.
1 Like
This WAS the fourth issue. Did you miss one?
1 Like
Nope, Iām just not remembering which one Iām currently on XDā¦ I need to go to bed, Iām speaking gibberish nowā¦
Itās cool. Goodnight, bro!
I was wanting to do this, but honestly I couldnāt find a way that didnāt feel forced. Even the segment in #3 where she is with the other JTC scientists I felt was forced, but I had to add it in.
The Matter with Ms. Matter!
Johnson wakes up on the ground, surrounded by shattered glass. His coat his burned as well as his body. His face also has burns around the face. He notices that he cannot feel his right leg. Using his elbows as support, he weakly gets up to see that his right leg has been weakened.
Colt: Ughā¦ No. No noā¦ I need to get some help. Very fast.
Colt notices his phone a few feet away. He reaches for it, finally getting a hold of it with his middle finger and sliding it over to himself. He dials the phone.
Within minutes paramedics already outside the premises on one half of the building have come to the other half to deal with Johnson and other knocked-out scientists. Johnson is taken on a stretcher.
Colt looks at one of the paramedics, getting his attention by putting his hand on the paramedicās shoulder.
Colt: Weāre gonna need some policemen in the premises. What was left inside that building was dangerous. They must be cautious with this investigation. VERY cautious.
Colt is taken inside an ambulance. He is driven off to a hospital.
~~
Colt wakes up when he hears the voice of a man he is very familiar with. His eyes widen as he sees Seth Dwarn in his hospital room. Seth has a look of concern.
Dwarn: I heard what happened, Colt.
Colt: Donāt remind me of it, will you? I just need to lie in bed and relax.
Dwarn: I came here because I was concerned about what had happened to you. From what the physicians told me here your right leg doesnāt work anymore.
Colt: Bah. Iāll be fine. At the early age of 37 I am going to be walking with a cane. Isnāt that something?
Dwarn: Mataline is safe, isnāt she?
Colt: Sheās the one who did this to me. Itās not a matter if SHEāS safe, itās a matter of whether others are safe. The anti-matter must have flexed her brain patterns to extraordinarily high levels. Regardless I fear she may start going haywire if she continues to act like this.
Dwarn: Hmph. You think simple policemen will do the job for you, then?
Colt: What else do we have? Some other super-human like her? And donāt mention OāReale. Heās sick. VERY sick. Wonāt be able to get out of bed to calm her down. Why donāt you do it?
Dwarn: I donāt want to be killed. But I do remember just yesterday seeing footage of a mysterious woman stopping that terrorist. With crystal protruding from her hands. What do you think of that?
Colt: How is that supposed to help control Mataline?
Dwarn: I donāt know. We could give it a shot, though. If Mataline is willing to hurt you, she may come after me next if she knows I visited you here. I need to keep my wife and son safe.
Colt: Youāre not suggesting sheāll murder you, are you?
Dwarn: You just mentioned her brain undergoing changes, though-
Colt: Sheās unstable at the moment! Donāt assume sheās going to kill you or your kin! Now leave me. Just find some way to find your lady you want to get. All this talk is hurting my face. These awful burns on my face.
Dwarn: If it really bothers you that much, then fine.
Dwarn gets up to leave the room.
~~
Ms. Matter floats gently down the hallway of JTC in a gaseous form, looking for one of the exits. She clasps her head and puts pressure on it due to pain. Itās been a few hours and sheās still trying to control whatās going on to her body.
Ms. Matter: Aughā¦ My head. It hurts too much. Iām forgetting where the exit is to this darn place. Johnsonā¦ Augh he must have been right. This is bad for my head. But what else am I supposed to do? Iām not thinking straight.
Something in her kicks in again though. One of the nearby labs has a window which she can use to escape.
Ms. Matter: Where I would ESCAPE to is a whole different story.
Again, another idea pops up to her head.
Ms. Matter: Johnson. I should find him. He is the only one who can help me AUGH.
Ms. Matter falls upon the floor, more pain going into her head. She shivers as her body solidifies into itās natural state.
Ms. Matter: This all began from bewilderment to shielding my new powers to now wanting to get rid of it. My powersā¦ Oh the power. Yes! MY POWER. It feels good yet itās terrifying. Iām acting so distraught when I can deal with this on my own.
Suddenly Ms. Matters hears a door down the hallway slam open. A few police officers come into the hallway and see Ms. Matter. She turns around to see them running toward her.
Officer 1: Hold up there miss.
Ms. Matter grins. She sees one of the officers keeping his hand near his gun in the holster.
Ms. Matter: Why so eager to have your hand near your gun? Iām not going to harm you.
She stretches her arm to snatch the gun out of his holster and throws it down the other side of the hallway. The other officers hold their guns out as a response to her.
Ms. Matter: What? Iām not going to hurt you, as long as you donāt hurt me.
She hovers over to one of the officers, him seeing her sharp facial features much more closely.
Ms. Matter: Unless youāre scared of me. Thatās what it must be, then. Fear. Donāt worry. I was afraid too. But now Iām learning to cope. Grow with it. Understand my powers.
Her hair begins to become a swirling cloud of gas that surrounds the officers and Ms. Matter. They begin to shiver as her eyes turn completely white and melt. Her arm begins to melt too.
Ms. Matter: I canāt help this. Iām in distress, yet I love the power. How is that so? You see these powers.
Finally, one of the officers begins to breathe in the pink gas and coughs, falling onto the floor unconscious.
Ms. Matterās eyes widen, first out of fear, but then a smirk comes onto her mouth and she giggles. Another officer breathes it in and faints. The others motion each other to stay away from the gas. Another one drops down. Eventually one of the officers pulls out his gun quickly and shoots Ms. Matter in the arm. The bullet phases through.
Ms. Matter: That wasnāt MEANT to be an attack. But whatever. Iāve been needing to test my capabilities anyways.
Ms. Matter sends a wave of her liquid self around the officers. One of them manages to flee the scene before he gets hit by the wave.
Officer 2: We need help. This woman is out of control!
~~
Stephanie is walking back to Barmms Industrial Jewelry when she sees cop cars zooming past her. Several cop cars. They all seem to be going on direction: toward the half-destroyed JTC building, which has already been held off from civilian entrance.
Stephanie: Something is going on over there. I need to check this out.
Stephanie rushes to her apartment up above BIJ and climbs the fire escape. In her room she grabs her black ā ā ā ā ā , pants and green belt from the day prior. She also takes her scarf. However she sees herself in the mirror.
Stephanie: I need to cover up my eyes so people canāt recognize those either.
She grabs a pair of goggles and heads out. She looks at the brick wall that surrounds her window.
Stephanie: I wonderā¦ Could these crystal claws help me climb this?
She produces crystal with her fingers and sticks them into the wall. Then she does it with the other hand. It takes a bit of her strength to remove the crystal fingers from the wall but she manages to do it after years of weight training in high school and college.
On top of the building she takes a bit to breathe.
Stephanie (panting): Gosh that wasnāt as easy as I wanted it to be.
She looks out at the other buildings besides the one sheās on. She did this the day prior.
Stephanie: There has got to be better ways.
Then she remembers: her energy from yesterday when she took down Black Blast. She gets pumped up again and suddenly she starts to glow.
Stephanie: Yes. Here comes Stephanie.
~~
Ms. Matter had taken care of the policemen. She was starting to get a grip of these powers very nicely. She smiles when she sees the policemen on the floor, unconscious.
Ms. Matter: I am beginning to understand now. My power and dominance. Just something so satisfying by seeing the looks of your opponents as they fall because of you.
Suddenly she hears sirens outside. She gives a look out of a window in a room. Itās more police. She smirks and her brows lower.
Minutes later, Stephanie arrives at the scene, climbing over a fence quickly and watching the police and what they were doing. She turns her ear into smooth crystal to get a better grip on what was happening.
Stephanie: Third floor. Woman who can turn herself intoā¦ Liquid? Unsafe conditions around parts of the building. Several men unconscious. Hmph. Good thing I came prepared.
Speeding into the building, Stephanie makes her way to the third floor.
Stephanie: I donāt know why I had this impulse to come. The first time I just stopped Black Blast because he endangered hundreds of people, and plus I hated his guts! Itās not the same for this one. This must just be pure whim.
Stephanie finally gets up to the hallway where Ms. Matter was. She opens the doors to find the hallway filled with a pink gas.
Stephanie: Oh myā¦ What is this gas?
The gas begins to move around Stephanieās legs as she walks down the hallway.
Stephanie: Oh goodnessā¦ This doesnāt look very safe.
Suddenly the gas begins to surround her torso as well. Stephanie begins to understand what is going on.
Stephanie: Oh myā¦ Should have brought a gas mask. Oh noā¦ This isnāt going to suffocate me, is it?
Ms. Matter: Noā¦ Not at allā¦
Stephanie: What? Who was that?
Ms. Matter: Hmm. Youāre not supposed to be here, are you? Gooooooooood. Now I can deal with a trespasser. Letās see how well you can handle me.
Ms. Matter shoots a stream of gas toward Stephanieās face but she dodges. Then Ms. Matter brings a solidified beam to hit Stephanie with, but she uses her claws to slice it up. Ms. Matter yells in pain.
Stephanie sees her flinch, the body around her becoming solid. She starts to scratch more while Ms. Matter yells in pain. However, Ms. Matter noticed the crystal claws on Stephanie, and sharpens a bit of her own finger to try and cut Stephanie as a test.
Stephanie sees the sharpened finger, which tries to slice at her arm but Stephanie turns her arm into crystal to make sure she was safe. Ms. Matter draws back into a solid form.
Ms. Matter: So, another person with powers. Did Johnson send you?
Stephanie: Who exactly? No, I came here on an impulse. I saw cop cars and I wanted to help them out. But this wasnāt what I expected.
Ms. Matter: Good. Youāre terribly outmatched anyways.
Ms. Matter grabs Stephanieās arms once she becomes gas again and puts a solidified beam against Stephanie neck. She squeezes it harder and harder. Stephanie begins to suffocate. Ms. Matter solidified her face to get a good glimpse.
Ms. Matter: Donāt worry. You wonāt die. At least not yet.
Stephanie manages to pull her arms free and punches Ms. Matter in the face. Ms. Matter sharpens her arm again and scratches Stephanie when she doesnāt expect it. Stephanie cries in pain and drops to the floor.
Ms. Matter: So my dominance holds true. Even when fighting against someone with powers I prove dominant. This is all I needed. Good bye.
Matter leaves the scene, while Stephanie is in pain since she has a large scratch on her back. Her body glows and gives off heat from her adrenaline. Her wound begins to scab up at a faster rate. Regardless she still hurts.
3 Likes
This was a great issue, I particularly liked the arguments ms. Matter was having for herself. I donāt really know how She can be beat thoughā¦