I should make a superhero story. idk, though.
Like this!
#Merciless is Ms. Matter!
Stephanie wakes up to seeing bright lights in her eyes. She tries to cover the lights with her hands in order to see better. She gets up and looks around to see that she is in a hospital. Her necklace is on a table right next to her, and sheās still wearing her torn clothes.
Stephanie: Oh no no no. I must have fainted trying to get off the premises of JTC. No no noā¦ They probably know who I am now.
???: You look worried, miss. Donāt worry. Nobody but you and I will know of your identity.
Stephanie turns to the door. A man is standing in front of it, and the door is locked.
Stephanie: Whoā¦ Who are you?
The man walks over to introduce himself. He has black hair, a nice red tie, and is wearing a lab coat.
???: Name is Dr. Seth Dwarn. Iām an engineer for Johnson Technology Corporation. You may or may not have heard of me.
Stephanie: What do you want from me? My gosh, those doctors here didnāt operate on me did they?
Dwarn: No, it seems your body did a good job of healing itself. You are completely healed. However, my boss wanted me to give you a proposal because I was the only man he could trust at the moment.
Stephanie: What is it? Look, Iām not going to go under any government experiments or training am I?
Dwarn: No. Itās not like that at all.
Stephanie: Then what will it be? Please, I just want to live a normal life. How long have I been here? How long have I been asleep?
Dwarn: Listen, Ms. Barmms, for a second if youād please. You remember the explosion from two nights ago, donāt you? It created that crazy woman you for some odd reason decided to confront. Regardless, my men found you, but I advised them not to remove your facial coverings. Your identity is safe with me. All JTC wants to do is use you to help us deal with this mess.
Stephanie: So you want me to clean up your mess?
Dwarn: We didnāt start this mess at all. You seemed to have not read the news.
Dwarn grabs a newspaper and gives it to Stephanie. She reads the title. āTRIAD MEN BOMB JTC BUILDING. HUNDREDS OF LIVES LOST.ā
Stephanie: The Triad? Like, the Chinese Triad?
Dwarn: No, but the menās uniforms on surveillance definitely point to an international association also known as the Triad. Theyāre a terrorist organization. And you, miss, seemed to have taken out one of their most valuable assets.
Stephanie: If āBlack Blastā or whatever that idiot calls himself is their best asset, they really suck at hiring people.
Dwarn: Regardless, the bombing hit us unexpectedly. Much of the companyās building was demolished, only a few survived on that side of the building. Kevin OāReale, Megan Mataline, Maria Valentina, and others. Megan Mataline had escaped our custody and now we need YOU to help
Stephanie: No no. I canāt just give myself up to work for you guys.
Dwarn: So youād let a man go astray knowing your identity?
Stephanie is silent. She knows whatās exactly going on.
Dwarn: All we need you to do is help us gather up this mutated woman and weāll be on our way until more trouble comes. What you could do at least is help us and others. We canāt deal with this ourselves, and you know that.
Stephanie: But she almost killed me. How do you know Iāll be able to fight her again?
Dwarn: As inexperienced as you are, you seem to have at least been able to fight her off. Weāll help provide things you need to fight her.
Stephanieās eyes point elsewhere as she thinks about the deal.
Stephanie: I have no other real choice now. I might as well help him out.
Stephanie: Alright, Iāll help. But just this once. Iām not going to be owned by your company.
Dwarn smiles.
Dwarn: Very good. Dress back up to some normal clothes and come with me.
Dwarn passes some clothes to her, which flop onto her lap. She picks up the ā ā ā ā ā and begins to put it on.
~~
Stephanie sits alone in a metal-walled room in JTC. She looks out one of the one-way windows. The other half of the building is mutilated, but the half she was in was fully functional. Colt Johnson enters the room through a heavy metal door, walking with a cane.
Stephanie: Isnāt it dangerous to be here?
Colt: Completely, as Mataline is still roaming this building.
Stephanie: Why exactly is she doing that?
Colt: No idea. She must have this type of territorial mindset on the broken parts of this building. Regardless, Iām here to help you.
Stephanie: What do you have that will make it easier for me to fight? I already can make my skin into crystal. I donāt think you could top that.
Colt pulls out some pellets from his coat pocket and shows them to Stephanie.
Colt: These are pellets which contain pressurized liquid nitrogen. Such a liquid has the ability to freeze almost anything and make it frail, so I suggest you use this with caution. This is what we will use to stop Mataline. But I also have something else for you.
Colt gestures to Dwarn to bring in a suit.
Stephanie: Is that something for me to wear? How did you make it so fast?
Colt: We developed a hyper-weaving machine. No other company has this. It can create clothing of any color and design within minutes. Itās still being tested but we hope this can help the clothing industry.
Stephanie grabs onto the costume. Itās made of a stretchy but strong fabric which is smooth to the touch, almost like silk. It has polygonal patterns all over it, shaped like diamonds like on a card. It has a zipper on the back to easily put on, with the addition of gloves and boots to help her grasp things and run easier. It had a belt for Stephanie to place the pellets in, as well. A built-in microphone set is also connected to the mask.
Colt: What do you think?
Stephanie: It looks amazing. Better than what I was wearing before.
Stephanie notices the mask with green screens to go over the eyes.
Stephanie: I donāt think Iāll enjoy seeing green all the time though.
Dwarn: You wonāt be. Itās only an outside feature. Youāll see just fine through the mask.
Stephanie goes into another room to put on the outfit and comes back. It fits perfectly, nice and snug and shows the outline of her body. The muscles are outlined but not completely shown.
Stephanie: Yes, this works very nicely.
Colt: Very good. Now, then. Take these pellets with you. Police are going around these parts, make sure not to hurt them if they attack.
Stephanie grabs the pellets and puts them into the pockets on her costume.
Colt: Do you need a code-name, by the way? Donāt want to be saying your name the whole time if we message you through that mask.
Stephanie: Hmā¦
She looks down at her necklace.
Stephanie: Emerald. We will go with Emerald.
Colt: Alright, āEmerald.ā Iāll keep in touch with you.
Colt slowly walks over to a button in the wall. He presses it, and it reveals a room where all the security cameras are. He puts on a microphone set.
Colt: Iāll be watching you from here, Emerald.
~~
Emerald goes through the wreckage of the ruins.
Emerald: I feel so much more prepared now that Iām more equipped. I just need to find that pink lady again.
Emerald spots some officers looking around the place.
Officer 1: This is very frightening all right.
Officer 2: Itās almost like suicide, having to go after this thing going around this place.
Hehahahahaaaaheehehā¦
The officers look around themselves with their flashlights. Coming from the broken ground from the floor below them was a pink cloud. It surrounded them as they trembled in fear.
Emerald made her way down some stairs to see this happening.
Emerald: I see her. Sheās about to deal with two more officers. Should I take her down?
Colt: Take her down immediately! There is no strategy in this. She could just go away in an instant. Do it while sheās busy.
Emerald continues down the stairs, and opens up one of the pouches on her belt. She takes one of the Nitrogen pellets and throws it on the ground as the gas surrounds the officers. The nitrogen breaks open and sprays the gas, making it colder so it becomes liquid instead.
What?
Ms. Matter recollects herself as humanoid gas again, but her legs wouldnāt go back to becoming a gas. They begin to freeze into a solid. She canāt move.
Ms. Matter: What theā¦
With effort she tries to become gas again, but itās too difficult for her. Her legs are stuck as a frozen puddle.
Ms. Matter looks at the policemen and tries to grab at them, but another pellet breaks and sprays her arms. They get frozen and break off of her torso. The arms shatter onto the ground.
The gaseous woman turns around to see a figure in green and purple, and wearing the same necklace as the woman she had defeated not so long ago.
Ms. Matter: You againā¦ Whatās with the outfit?
Emerald: Doesnāt matter. Youāre coming with me, miss.
Ms. Matter makes a new arm out of the remaining parts of herself and aims a giant fist at Emerald, but Emerald swifty dodges it and kicks Ms. Matter in the face as she flips.
Ms. Matter corrects her face and goes back to the fighting. She lunges herself at Emerald, acting like a pressurized spray of water. She knocks Emerald back.
Emerald: I can do this. I just need to use more of these liquid nitrogen tablets to freeze her. Then the job will be finished!
Emerald gets back up to find Ms. Matter trying to hit her with a huge solid arm. Emeraldās gem glows along with her body, and her lenses over her eyes shine as she dodges the attack. Emerald was filled with energy!
Emeraldās fingernails grew sharper with the crystal and she slashes through the liquid that was Ms. Matter. Matter yelled in pain for each scratch.
Ms. Matter sank to the ground, recollecting herself. Emerald threw another liquid nitrogen tablet, which broke and froze more parts of Ms. Matter.
Ms. Matter: Nghā¦ I canāt move very easily. I need to tryā¦ I need to heat myself up.
Emerald: Not on my watch.
Emerald kicked Ms. Matter in the chin, knocking her backwards. Ms. Matter back safely using her hands, and gives Emerald a nasty look. Her pink eyes seemed to be lit with fire. She lunges at Emerald with two sharp arms. Emerald quickly turns her whole body into crystal as she throws another pellet of liquid nitrogen. Both of them get sprayed. Ms. Matter solidifies instantly and shatters into a thousand pieces. Emerald moves her body a little and the diamond cracks off. Soon all of it shatters, revealing her completely okay.
Emerald: And now to make sure she stays that way.
Emerald drops a final pellet to keep her frozen in those pieces. She stands over Ms. Matter, smiling out of the defeat of Ms. Matter.
Emerald: Second time was the charm.
~~
Emerald looks at the glass box in which Ms. Matter is kept it. She notices how itās being kept at a thermal temperature of -100 degrees.
Emerald: So you plan to keep her frozen?
Colt: Well if I kept her room temperature she would just escape again, so yeah. She might learn to adapt to these temperatures but for now, we should be safe.
Emerald: Thank goodness.
Emerald removes her mask, revealing her luscious ginger hair.
Stephanie: So this is going to stay a secret between me, you and Dwarn, right?
Colt: No doubt. I may need to call on you again if this mess ever gets more out of hand. So are you sticking with the code name?
Stephanie: Emerald? Yes. It fits. Just please. I canāt have this being what my life is all about. Iāll try to stay committed as long as this doesnāt interrupt my normal life too much.
Dwarn: That shouldnāt be a problem.
Stephanie: Alright then, it is settled. Iām going to be your own private vigilante. Donāt expect me to always be your lacky, though. I want to help others. You donāt own me. This is a mutual partnership, you guys hear?
Dwarn: Loud and clear, Ms. Barmms.
~~
Meanwhile, deep under the grounds of JTCās main buildings, the injured Kevin OāRealeās fingers begin to twitch as he begins to wake up. His eyes slowly open.
He looks at his hands. Theyāre blistered and have rashes all over them, along with his arms having spots and being a gross green-ish color. He is breathing heavily as he notices his lungs are in pain and that his nose is stuffed up.
Kevin: Ohā¦ Iām going to die, arenāt I?
NEXT ISSUE: Enterā¦ The Virus!
3 Likes
Cool cliff hanger. Very good issue, the way she was beaten made sense. Coolio
Liquid nitrogen is a very common element to use in comics to go against people who have metal machines or donāt have a solid shape. It manages to instant-freeze things and then shatter them.
This was a homage to liquid nitrogen.
But this stuff isnāt safe though. Donāt get it on ya.
3 Likes
Enter: The Virus! Part 1
Kevin OāReale sat up in his bed. Many injections had taken place on his body. A mask went over his mouth to keep him alive. His hands twitched and his eyes fluttered slowly, but eventually opened. He begins to breathe heavily.
He looks and sees Seth Dwarn overlooking his survival.
Kevin: Sethā¦ What happenedā¦
Dwarn: There was a flash of light wasnāt there?
Kevin: Yesā¦ And it happened so fast. Suddenly all my research comes crashing into my face. All those viruses must be inside of my body right now.
Dwarn: Actually, theyāve been fought off quite successfully. Weāre pumping more of it into you.
Kevin: WHAT? What are you-
Kevin tries to get the needles out of his arms and cords off of his body, but Dwarn places his gloved hands over Kevin. Heās wearing a mask and protective clothing.
Dwarn: This is the only way you can survive, Kevin.
Kevin: Youāre trying to kill me?
Dwarn: No. Letting you live.
Kevin breathes deeply as he feels some type of coldness shiver through his body. He moans in agony.
Kevin: This canāt be living. This is just constant death.
Kevin looked upon his body again. His skin was coming to red and light green colors as splotches. He had bruises, sores, rashes. Spots over his skin. His body felt weak, almost like small movement would break his bones. And yet he was surprisingly muscular. It was almost like he was feeding off the virusesā¦
Kevin: Whatās going on here, Seth. Whatās REALLY going on?
Dwarn stays silent as he looks at Kevin deal with his pain. Kevin shivers in the bed. He canāt move with most of the needles injected into him.
Kevin: Please Seth. Tell me what is going on.
Dwarn stays silent and leaves the room.
Dwarn: Sorry, Kevin, but we canāt tell you. For your own safety.
Kevin yells. He looks around and sees some scissors. Weakly, he uses it to cut off some of the tubes and removes the needles from his body. He breathes deeply. His eyes are filled with crust and his mouth is warm and dry.
He crawls out of the bed and tries to walk. He can steady his feet, but he shivers rapidly. His heart rate suddenly went up once he got out of the bed. He begins to sweat and feels tired. He falls onto the floor, bruising himself.
Uuuuuuuuuuuuuugnā¦
~~
Stephanie arrives back at home after a long day. She walks past James and goes up the stairs to lay on her bed in her apartment. James follows her up the stairs.
James: Stephanie, where did you go?
Stephanie: What?
James: Youāve been gone for a while now, Stephanie. A whole day. Where did you go?
Stephanie: James, I canāt tell you.
James: You had me worried sick about you. Now itās nine in the evening. What are you doing out there? And why is your face bruised?
Stephanie feels her cheek. She hadnāt noticed the bruise on her face.
Stephanie: I donāt know where I got that from.
James: Yeah, I donāt either, which is why I want an explanation. Now. Who did this to you?
Stephanie: Sigh Iām going to be honest, James. I got into a fight. OK? I got into a fight and beat the woman.
James: You beat a woman?! You werenāt drinking where you?
Stephanie: No no. Just got into aā¦ Confrontation.
James: Hmph. So thatās what youāre going to call it.
Stephanie: James, stop worrying over me. Youāre not mom. All that matters is that Iām alive and well. Thatās all I want you to know.
James: Fine. But please, put some make-up on tomorrow. I donāt want any customers seeing what happened to you.
Stephanie: Thank you, James.
Stephanie goes up stairs to get some rest.
James: Oh, and by the way, Stephanieā¦
Stephanie: Yes?
James: Donāt go around messing with JTC.
Stephanie: What? How did you-
James: I used a phone tracker, you know.
Stephanie: Then why did you ask me-
James: Because I believe in honesty. 100% of it. Now go upstairs. Iām leaving work for tonight. Iām going to lock the doors.
James leaves his desk and heads out the doors, locking it in the process, and then he drives off. Stephanie looks out her window, and shuts the blinds and curtains. She removes her working clothes and the Emerald costume underneath it.
Stephanie: Jamesā¦ James James James I forgot about him. Oh, no no no. Heās going to get even more suspiciousā¦ And then heās going to figure it all out.
Stephanie sits down on her bed, hands in face and elbows on her knees. She breathes slowly.
Stephanie: I donāt know what Iāve gotten myself into.
Stephanie couldnāt sleep. She kept tossing and turning as she gets memories of Ms. Matter and getting punched in the face by someone. But who was that someone? She couldnāt remember. But it wasnāt Ms. Matter, surely. It had to be someone else.
Stephanie: Wait a secondā¦ My phoneā¦
She grabs her phone off of her desk and sees that it was turned off the whole time. Her eyes widen.
Stephanie: My goshā¦ James you filthyā¦
She stops right there.
Stephanie: Noā¦ He couldnāt have punched me. He wasnāt even there. Why donāt I remember anything about that punch?
She goes back to her bed, but she still doesnāt sleep. She just looks up straight at the ceiling. Her breathing is slow but steady.
~~
Kevin OāReale wakes up in an alleyway. He doesnāt know where he is or what happened to him. All he knows is that he feels terrible.
Kevin catches a glimpse of who delivered him in an alleyway.
Kevin: Blueā¦
Kevin slowly gets up off the floor, when suddenly a shot of heat goes through his spine. He screams in agony. He grabs a blanket that was thrown away and covers himself in it to get heat. Itās dark in the night, the temperature cold enough for him to see his own breath. He shivers in the cold.
He looks at his hands. Theyāre as white as snow and have blisters.
Kevin: This is what happens over the course of a night? I go from microbiology professor to a leper in the streets? What kind of sick irony is this?
He comes across a man walking in the street. Heās wearing a cabbie hat and has a beard. He also is draped in a scarf.
Kevin: Sirā¦ Please, help me.
Man: My goshā¦ Your hands! Youāre not a leper, are you?
Kevin: Pleaseā¦ I donāt know whatās been going on with me.
Kevin places his hands on the man. Suddenly, Kevin starts to feel stronger while the man he touched begins to grow a whiteness to his face and blisters. He falls back and faints from the amount of energy that Kevin had absorbed. Suddenly, Kevinās arms were cured. He gets healthier, but soon shows other symptoms.
Kevin inspects the man. His heart stopped beating from shock.
Kevin: Ohā¦ Noā¦
Kevin runs into the alley, making sure nobody saw what he did. He hides behind some boxes to make sure he isnāt seen. He looks at his arms. Heās clean.
Kevin: What did I just do to that man, and why am I suddenly healthy?
Kevinās arms begin to shake out of fear.
Kevin: Oh no. Theyāll figure out who killed the man. I had my hands on him. Hell, theyāll figure me out and execute me.
Kevin gets up from the boxes and runs to the place he knows best: Willamette University.
At Willamette, Kevin covers his face with the blanket to make sure heās hidden. He enters his office by a window. He sits down in his chair and begins to look into his research from days ago. While he does so, he begins to feel weak again. But not in a tired way. Almost like hunger.
Kevin: Why do I crave?
Suddenly his head shoots back to a locked lab door where his stored bacteria are. He unlocks the door and heads in. He feels a stronger craving.
Kevin: The craving is realā¦ But this is no foodā¦ At least I donāt think it is.
Kevin touches one of the glass dishes and understands his craving: he needs more bacteria in his system.
He takes out a syringe and takes some of the bacteria and mixes it into a liquid to inject it into himself. He moans as he puts it into his system. It feels good to him.
Kevin: Such pleasureā¦ I feel so resurged. The stress is gone. The bacteria is back into my system.
Kevin begins to drift off to the floor by sliding against a counter. He sighs and closes his eyes.
Kevin: Hehā¦ This is all strange. To think I just got rid of these viruses and now I injected them into my body for energy. Itās almost like Iām aā¦
He stops to think about it, but the continues.
Kevin: ā¦ virus myself.
Kevin falls asleep. A person appears above him and, wearing protective gear, drags him out of the building.
~~
Colt wasnāt happy with what he heard on the news that morning. Someone had dragged OāReale out of the JTC center and took him out for a ātest driveā where a man was murdered over a sudden case of leprosy and shock.
Colt: What is this?
Dwarn (working on a helmet): Looks like someone broke in yesterday and took our friend.
Colt: Ugh. How could my security be this flawed? Do we know who did it?
Dwarn: Nope. Camera was blocked prior to the incident.
Colt rests his head into his hands in frustration.
~~
Kevin gets a bag removed from his head and looks around. He sees a singular light shining upon him in a very dark room.
???: Kevin.
Kevin stares into the darkness to get a glimpse of the one who spoke.
Kevin: What is going on here?
???: Your powers are a curse, Kevin. You are cursed.
Kevin flutters his eyes weakly. His arm shakes.
Kevin: Just let me go, please.
???: Let you go and youāre taken in by the police and executed for a crime you didnāt mean to commit. Sounds like a good life plan, donāt you think?
Kevin closes his eyes and lowers his head in despair.
Kevin: Look, blue person, I remember you from earlier, now who are you?
???: Nobody you would know, really. But the Triad is interested in your abilities.
Kevin: Triad? Oh noā¦ No no no not those terrorists from a couple days ago. No.
???: Kevin, you make it seem like youāre innocent.
Kevin: But I amā¦ Not, am I?
???: Nohoho, no.
Kevin notices the raspiness of the voice but cannot make out whose voice it belongs to.
???: So are you going to listen to me now or not? Because I can tell you are intrigued.
Kevin: Very. Just, what do you want to do with me?
???: Iāll give you access to all the bacteria and viruses you need and help you survive in this world. Itās obvious your friend, Megan, tried to take this on her own, and yet now sheās encased in glass for however long. You need some assistance in this new life.
Kevin: Assistance. So youāve dealt with this kind of thing before?
???: Yes. I have. And we need a replacement for one of our most important men. You should do nicely.
Kevin: I have no other choice. What do you call yourself.
???: If I gave you a name you could deduce who I am. So for now, no name. Just refer to me as your overseer. I do have in mind what is best for you, Kevin.
Kevin: If weāre going to have code names, please. Call me what Iāve become. A virus. Call me āVirus.ā
???: Very well, Virus. Hm hm. I love the sound of that name. Simple and to the point.
Virus: Yesā¦ The Virus.
NEXT ISSUE: Enter the Virusā¦ PART 2!
3 Likes
##Enter: THE VIRUS! Part 2.
A man drops on the floor, his face inflicted with black lesions coming from his neck. On his suit chest are tiny holes. He takes a few breathes, coughs up blood, and then he stays still.
???: āTis a shame, doctor. But you were an enemy to the Triad, and thus you are an enemy of me.
Virus gives a small cackle in his approval of the scene. He is dressed in more dragged clothes. His lab coat has a rip for the right arm, and he wears gear to keep his body up and running with bacteria so he functions properly.
Virus smacks down a calendar from the table and steps on it when he leaves the room. The calendar shows a red marking stating ātomorrow - meeting with mayor.ā
Virus walks his way to a dark van. He steps inside. He is alone, but has two escorts in the front seats, completely separate from him.
Escort 1: The mission was successful, I presume?
Virus: All he needed to do was get some enhanced anthrax spores to hit him. Worked like a charm. The stab into the chest isnāt what killed him, and thatās all they need to know.
The van drives off. Virus lies back in his seat, comfortable.
~~
The next day the manās body is discovered to have been the Health Commissioner. Who appears on the scene is a strange man with a scar on his face in the shape of a division symbol over his right eye: Matthew Hemsworth.
He removes his hat, puts on medical gloves, sterilized clothes and a mask. He carefully inspects the body.
Hemsworth: Three stab wounds into the body. Appears to have dark lesions on his neck and coughed up blood. Possibly anthrax or some type of infectious bacteria. Seems like it killed him prematurely and and such a rapid pace.
The Commissioner of Police steps into the room with protective gear as well.
Commissioner: How long has he been dead?
Hemsworth: A few hours, Iād say. He died at night. Seems like he died from the virus itself, though. These stab woundsā¦ They look like someone injected needles into him. Could someone haveā¦
Commissioner: How could someone get their hands on that much anthrax to begin with?
Hemsworth: There was a break in days ago at the Salem Center for Disease Control. This could have been the suspect of that. I have a feeling he didnāt want this health commissioner meeting with the mayor today.
Commissioner: Oh great. Shall I warn the mayor?
Hemsworth: Probably, yes. The rest of my men will take this body and analyze it. Give it a proper autopsy. Right now I theorize an injection took place on the man and killed him slowly with a modified version of anthrax. The culprit had to have ties with someone who could have dealt with microbiological specimen. Commissioner, good luck to your men on finding him.
Hemsworth leaves the scene, putting his hat back on and discarding the sterilized suit.
~~
Virus sits in his comfy chair as his overseer looks at him with their big eyes.
Overseer: Virus, your work was sloppy. Iāll put it there nicely and straight to the point.
Virus: Itās hard not to leave a trace when you kill a man with a virus. At least I left not prints whatsoever. Theyāll take some time tracking. Meanwhile I want to test these anthrax specimen some more. Iām not quite done yet with them.
Overseer: Yes, of course. Your next target should be that detective, Hemsworth. Heās skilled, not incompetent like the rest of those detectives on the force.
Virus: I donāt feel like killing him will be undetectable. You said he was competent? You obviously donāt understand how detectives who are competent work, then. Maybe you should read a bit of Doyleās works.
Overseer: Iāve read plenty of books, OāReale. Every day I read. I know what Iām doing. Now go back to your testing. Iām through with you for today.
Virus looks up at the Overseer as it leaves the room. Who this person is, he doesnāt know, but he smiles at the thought that perhaps he might one day.
~~
Stephanie comes downstairs, prepared for work. James is reading the news off of his tablet as he waits for opening time. Stephanie sits down and decides she needs to talk with James.
Stephanie: Last night you told me you tracked my phone.
James: Iām well aware of it, Stephanie. You want to ask me how I knew, donāt you? The phone was off, wasnāt it?
Stephanie: Yes, well-
James: Of course I didnāt track your phone. Thatās preposterous.
Stephanie: So you lied?
James: Needed something quick to tide over for the night. Now do you want the truth or not?
Stephanieās brows lower and her eyes squint out of disapproval. Her mouth is open and lightly shakes her head.
Stephanie: So you just shrug off your lie? What was that about last night where you wanted me to be āhonest?ā
James: Well, you could use a little more honesty in your life, Stephanie. Alright, Iāll tell you.
Stephanie shrugs, hands following the wave of the shrug by raising into the air.
Stephanie: Could have done that a little EARLIER.
James: The truth is, Stephanie, I am great friends with Dwarn. I knew him in college, until I decided to change my degree, of course. He told me about you once I grew afraid of where you went.
Stephanie: Dwarn? You mean he broke his promise?
James: Must have. He isnāt an Honest Abe either, you know. No one really is.
Stephanie: This had BETTER not be another lie.
James: Why would it be?
Stephanie gives a loud āUGHā out of her frustration with James. She sits on the counter. She wants to reach for the phone, but she doesnāt touch it. She notices a ring left on the counter. It has the shame jewel shape as her necklace.
She tucks it into her pocket for later. Now is time for work.
~~
Hemsworth walks down near the waterfront next to the Willamette River. He sits on a bench and relaxes as he watches the mighty Willamette River make its journey northward. He receives a phone call from the Police Department.
Hemsworth: I presume you have your suspect.
Caller: Weāve narrowed down to the man who might have stolen the anthrax. It was the same man. Some men broke in a few days ago into the Center for Disease Control. Three men, two carrying guns and crowbars and one carrying a briefcase. Seems to have known the place well.
Hemsworth: Hmmmā¦ Three men, hats. Wearing black, right?
Caller: And some blue.
Hemsworth: I know this gang. The Triad. They must be responsible. Weāre going into some untouchable territory here.
Caller: I know.
Hemsworth: Bye.
Caller: Bye.
Hemsworth shoves his phone into his pocket and takes out his gun.
Hemsworth: No doubt they tapped that call.
~~
Hemsworth runs as fast as he can. He knows heās being tracked. He goes into a bar and takes off his jacket and hat. The bar manager sees his gun and raises his brows.
Manager: Sir, you canāt have that in here. Iāll need to ask you to leave.
Hemsworth spots another hatted man. He gestures his head to the man.
Hemsworth: May want that guy to leave too.
The man stands up. The manager escorts Hemsworth out. The hatted man follows behind him.
Hemsworth runs and the other men chase after him. Hemsworth takes out his taser and uses it against the man. He gets shocked and stumbles to the ground. Hemsworth breathes out of relief, but he knows heās not done yet.
The sun is setting when Hemsworth is hit by a heavy object and is dragged away. If only the gangsters had not done this near Barmms Industrial Jewelry, they would not have been heard.
~~
Emerald stalks the triad gangsters to their base going off of the enhanced hearing she has. She creates a thin crystal to fit into the lock in order to turn it, and heads inside the base.
She slowly heads down the steps of the stairs as she peaks to see Hemsworth beaten on the floor. He looks worn out.
The two triad members in the base take out a bat and begin to smack it onto his body. He yells in pain.
Suddenly Emerald projects a crystal and hits the bat out of their hands. She jumps over the railing and rams into one of the men, knocking him off of his feet. The other man swings his arm but misses. Emerald punches the man and sends him stumbling back and falling belly-up. The other triad member pulls out a semi-automatic. Emerald sees it and turns all of her skin into crystal. He fires, but the bullets reflect off of her body.
āTWANG!ā both of them go. She round-house kicks the guy, and his head hits the concrete floor, giving him a concussion.
Hemsworth breathes slowly as he tries to get up. He sees the woman clad in purple and green.
Hemsworth: Youā¦ What did you-
Emerald puts her hand over his mouth.
Emerald: Shhhh. Itās alright. I got them all down.
Hemsworth: Miss, youāre forgetting one.
Emerald: What?
Hemsworth: The triad. They always work in groups of three. There has to be another one here somewhere.
Emerald hears footsteps walking her way.
Virus: Yes, he is right. The triad prefers to keep the āthreeā thing going.
Virus loads his syringe gauntlet with a mysterious vial. The syringes load with a clear chemical.
Hemsworth: So. Youāre the perpetrator who killed the commissioner.
Virus: It doesnāt take a detective to figure that out, Sherlock.
Emerald clenches her fists and takes a boxing stance. She hops around ready for a fight.
Emerald: Iāve been waiting to fight something physical for a while now.
Virus: Ah yes. YOU were the one who took out Megan. What a shame, too. This will be an astonishing moment. I can get vengeance for my friend.
Virus takes a swipe at Emerald, but he misses and she punches him in the gut.
āOOfā¦ā
Emerald hits him in the face and he stumbles back onto a table. He breathes heavily. But then, he twists a knob on his gauntlet, and the tubes begin to pump into him. He receives more energy, becoming more jittery. Emerald takes another swipe, but he moves impossibly fast. He smacks her in the spine, knocking her to the floor.
Emerald: Ooh. That was dirty.
She quickly gets back up. Virus swings his syringe claws at Emerald but she dodges. The battle is a fast-paced one. Eventually, however, Emeraldās foot slips, and she gets stabbed in the gut with Virusās syringes. Virusās mouth widens into a grin. His eyes open.
Emerald feels the micro-organisms pump into her system. She suddenly begins to get sick at a rapid pace. Virus takes out the syringes.
Virus: I figured yellow fever was the way to go. What do you think? Itās a little twist. A ādeadā disease to take your life. How eventful.
Emerald drops to the ground. Virus laughs and looks for Hemsworth, but he seems to have disappeared. Virus leaves the scene, seeing Emerald shiver and begin to feel the pain of the yellow fever kick in. She cries in agony.
All alone, she removes her mask. Her face becomes sickly.
Stephanie: This virus. Itās rapid. Itās like it was modified to attack the system before the immunity can kick in.
She groans.
The stomach pain begins to kick in. She begins to feel woozy. Her eyes start closing, almost on defeat. Her head lowers and she begins to doze off. Not before one final thought, however.
Stephanie: So this is what death feels like.
NEXT ISSUE: Will Stephanie survive?
3 Likes
Whew. I finally got all caught up. That was epic. I liked the way in which Ms. Matter was defeated. Also, Virus is 2sp00ki4m3.
But seriously, thatās a pretty cool villain you got there. A couple questions, though. 1. Can Stephanie create separate objects out of crystal, in addition to transforming her body? I only ask because of this:[quote=āChronicler, post:46, topic:23111ā]
She creates a thin crystal
[/quote]
So, in theory, could she make some sort of crystal sword to fight people with? Cuz thatād be pretty awesome.
2. When did Stephanie learn how to fight like that? I mean, doing flips and roundhouses and all that jazz?
1 Like
She could, but it would take concentration.
Iāll delve into that for further issues. I actually released the most recent issue of Emerald, so if you wanna read that you can.
http://marvelcomicsfanon.wikia.com/wiki/Emerald_Vol_1_9
However after that it will be two weeks of waiting. I posted these all in a few days span so you guys could catch up.
2 Likes
Oh, so youāre still writing these? I thought this was something you finished a while ago and then decided to post on here XD. But if you are still writing theseā¦
HYPE INTENSIFIES.
Oh yes, I am indeed. Iāll be writing them throughout the year. I started in January and now I have enough issues and stuff to show you guys.
2 Likes
Awesome! I look forward to the new issues. You know, if you were able to make these into actual comics with art and stuff, that would be soooo coooolā¦
I would if I had the time, lol.
I donāt, unfortunately.
1 Like
Having a life suks, bro. Thereās so much stuff I would do if I had timeā¦
Well itās better than having death 
1 Like
I need to read the other chapters. I only read the first lol.
2 Likes
a Time and a Place
Stephanie grew exasperated in the pain and suffering she had to deal with. She moans in agony. Someone comes down the stairs. She looks up defensively. She can barely see the person. Sheās been awake for hours, and has grown tired.
Stephanie: Whoā¦ Who are you?
???: Shhhā¦
The man is masked. He holds out his hand. Heās wearing a strange ring. Suddenly, energy comes from his hands. It connects to Emeraldās necklace. She begins to heal from her sickness. She regains enough strength to look closer at the man. He is tall, and wears a dark green cape with a diamond broach.
Emerald puts on her mask. She notices something about the man. Heās wearing a similar pattern to hers.
Emerald: Whatā¦ Who are you supposed to be?
???: A friend. An ally.
Emerald: Ughā¦ You sure helped me with that yellow fever. That seemed a bitā¦ Too easy though.
???: Donāt mock what has given you mercy, miss.
Emerald: I canāt thank you enough.
???: One shall be plenty.
Emerald: Thank you.
???: Your dearest welcome. Now, I need to head off. I shouldnāt be around these parts.
Emerald stands up and sees the manās mask better. It looks almost like hers. She gets suspicious.
Emerald: Are youā¦ Posing as me?
The mysterious man looks at her outfit.
???: I would have guessed youāre posing as me.
Emerald: You. Who are you? I need a name, at least.
???: You donāt need a name. Iām an ally. Nothing more.
Emerald: Alright, āally.ā Or whatever you want me to call you.
???: Thatās all you need to call me. Good day, miss.
The man runs up the stairs, making sure Emerald doesnāt catch too big of a glimpse of him.
Emerald: That man. He resembled me. That ring. What is he?
~~
The mayor is at his desk when he is approached by the commissioner. The commissioner plops a folder on his desk. The mayor is bewildered.
Mayor: What is this?
Commissioner: Detective Hemsworthās files on the homicide on the health commissioner.
Mayor: So thatās what happened to him. Why donāt I get words like these when people miss meetings?
Commissioner: I advise that you need to stay away, mayor.
Mayor: Hawthorne, I have a job to do here. The festival is coming up in a few weeks and I need to prepare for it. In all my 25 years as mayor nothing like this has scared me. Look, Hawthorne, if you want me to be protected, send protection. Iām not going to abandon mayoral duties for a presumed threat.
Hemsworth walks into the room.
Hemsworth: Itās NOT a presumed threat. It will happen.
Mayor: My gosh, Hemsworth. What happened to you?
Hemsworth: I was assaulted by a gang. Someone helped me get out of there alive, though. The killer, I remember him. He was in that gang.
The mayor sighs. He nods his head.
Commissioner: Naise, youāre going to need to get away from this town. If theyāre not afraid to assault Hemsworth, theyāre definitely not afraid to hurt you.
Mayor Naise nods slowly.
Mayor: I see that, then. In that case, we must not show fear. I will stay in this office.
Hemsworth: Naise-
Mayor: In all my years as mayor, gentlemen, I have not shown fear. Today will NOT be that day. Good day to both of you. I expect some of Salemās finest guarding this office.
The commissioner and Hemsworth leave the office, frustrated.
Hemsworth: Mayor Naiseā¦ What has hit his head?
Commissioner: Nothing. Nothing at all, Hemsworth. Heās like this. Whenever he faces a hard decision he always goes with the most effective and less time-consuming one. He probably thinks this is a waste of time.
Hemsworth: Foolish man.
Walking into the mayorās office is Carolina White. She looks around the hallway until she finally makes past Hemsworth and Hawthorne.
Hemsworth: Good luck in there, miss.
Carolina turns to Hemsworth. She examines his appearance.
White: Looks like you had a rough night. I actually have come here by appointment. I wanted to speak to the mayor on how well Carl Backburns is holding up in prison.
Hemsworth: Very well. (He grumbles.)
Carolina: Thank you.
She walks into the office, smiling.
Carolina: Rough his night was, indeed.
~~
After the brief meeting, Carolina is met by James, who came for a meeting with the mayor.
Carolina: Oh, James! What are you here for?
James: The mayor wanted me and my sister to sponsor for the upcoming festival.
Carolina: Thatās wonderful. Do you know where your sister is? I need to talk with her.
James: No idea. She keeps running off. I donāt have any idea what she is doing. It bothers me, really. She recently came home with a nasty bruise on her cheek.
Carolina: You act like thatās abnormal. She always used to fight, remember?
James: This is different. Sheās an adult now. I worry about her.
Carolina: Then stop worrying about her. She can handle herself. Iām sure of it. Sheās handled herself when assaulted. She survived a gunshot. Sheās practically unkillable. It makes me envious sometimes, actually. That she can withstand so much.
James puts his hand on Carolinaās shoulder. The contrast in the sizes of the rather muscular and tall James and the small Carolina is really signified here.
James: Sheās not invincible. Thatās what I fear. Sheās going to get herself KILLED.
Carolina: You donāt have faith in your sister, do you?
James remains quiet. His eyes quickly moves to the left. He stares.
James: Maybe I donāt.
Carolina: Maybe you should.
James nods gently. For a āgiantā he is gentle. He is also a gentleman.
James: Iāll try to make up for it. How about on the day of the festival, me, you and Stefay go out and just enjoy ourselves. Casual clothes. Nothing too fancy. Itāll be a nice warm day, I am sure. Maybe even eat some burgers.
Carolina: Burgers? (She smiles and raises an eyebrow.) I want to keep a flat stomach.
James: Oh peeshaw. You can have one lazy day.
Carolina: I know, I know.
James looks down at his watch.
James: Welp, I need to get into that meeting. The sponsorship needs to be arranged. Have a lovely day, Carolina.
Carolina: And a lovely day to you, James.
~~
The Virus examines the blood on his needles. They came straight from Emerald. He puts it into a petri dish. He slams it onto the Overseerās desk, who is hiding in the shadow. It looks down with itās bright eyes onto the table.
Overseer: My. You got some of her blood, didnāt you?
Virus: I did.
Overseer: Yes.
The Overseer grabs the dish with gloved hands, which are noticable by a beam of light. The gloves are a blue color and feature a thin arm inside with thin fingers. Virus looks intently at this. The Overseer notices and draws its arm back in.
Overseer: You didnāt see anything.
Virus: Understood.
Overseer: Hmmā¦ We could find out her true identity with this blood. Itās obvious this Emerald is a new threat to the Triad. If only we hadnāt lost the trace of our old foe.
Virus: Old foe?
Overseer: Heās disappeared, but we need not worry about him. Emerald is the new threat to the Triad. We only focus on her.
Virus: I will test the blood right away, then.
Overseer: Good. See to it.
The Virus leaves the room. The Overseer looks at itās arm. It lowers its brows.
Overseer: I need to find something less revealing of my size. Nobody needs to figure out who I am. Nobody.
~~
Carolina enters Barmms Industrial Jewelry the next day and comes upon Stephanie. Sheās wearing make-up over her bruise. She is sweating, pretty much exhausted on what she had to deal with. James is off polishing some of the jewelry in the back.
Carolina: You donāt look so good, Stephanie.
Stephanie: I caught something over night. I should be doing better. (She sniffs.)
Carolina: Youāre sweating, Stefay. I can see that bruise on your cheek.
Stephanie faces the mirror on her desk. The makeup is rubbing off.
Stephanie: Oh my.
Carolina: So who did you fight this time?
James: No need to ask her, Carolina. Sheās gonna lie again.
Stephanie: Youāre no better than me, you red-headed demon.
Carolina: āRed-headed demon?ā Iāve never heard you call him THAT before.
James: She says it all the time.
Stephanie: Whatever it is, I donāt want to talk about it. What do you need, Carolina?
Carolina: Iām worried about you. Ever since that trial a week ago things havenāt been the same. At all. Youāre disappearing more often and now youāre getting bruises on your face. So I wanted you and James to join me and have a fun time on Saturday. Just the three of us!
Stephanie: Sounds fun, but I really need to catch up on all this missing work.
James: Steph, Iām closing on Saturday because of the festival, remember?
Stephanie: Oh yeah.
Carolina: So what do you say?
Stephanie: I suppose we can go.
James smiles in the back, and Carolinaās lips stretch across her face.
Carolina: This is wonderful! Iāll get the food prepared and everything! Iāll see you both next Saturday.
Carolina leaves the building, excited for their little get-away.
James: Well, I hope to see you on Saturday, sis. I look forward to it.
Stephanie: I need it. Iām tired and exhausted. Hopefully everything is immaculate. No problems.
James: Iām looking forward to you coming.
Stephanie: You too.
~~
Seth Dwarn places his slightly-wrinkled hands on a helmet he had finally made. It has a peculiar shape, with large black eyes and a strap around the chin connected with a microphone. He places it on his head, and completes his armor by adding the gloves. The eyes light up, as well as some of the lines in the costume. Sethās exposed mouth gives a toothy grin.
Dwarn: It is finished.
He holds his right arm in the air, with a triumphant fist.
Dwarn: Oh, after all these years, I have finished this exo-suit. Perfected it. This will be revolutionary! Now I just need to prove how well it worksā¦
NEXT ISSUE: The Virus Attacks!
3 Likes
Is this the first time that it was mentioned that James and Stephanie were siblings?
Anyway, great issue as usual.
Iāve been thinking really hard about who the Overseer could be, but I have no ideaā¦ In other words, I appreciate the mysteriousness of the Overseer. Iām also looking forward to the backstory of the guy who was dressing up as Emerald.
Was it not mentioned in Emerald #1?
It was mentioned before.
#Ill-Intent
Stephanie, Carolina and James are at the Salem Spring Festival. The cherry blossoms at the capital are blooming. Itās a beautiful day. All around downtown, people are buying from local businesses. The waterfront is filled with people enjoying the mighty Willamette and with vendors. Carolina is wearing just a normal T-ā ā ā ā ā and a skirt. James is wearing a plad ā ā ā ā ā and jeans. Stephanie, however, is wearing a long-sleeved business ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā and long-sleeved pants.
Carolina: Youāre going to get hot in that, Stefay. Why didnāt you wear anything shorter sleeved?
Stephanie: Iām good, really. I donāt feel good though. Wearing this costume underneath is making me sweaty.
Stephanie takes a swoosh of water from her bottle. Theyāre sitting under a bench at the capitol, right under a cherry-blossom tree. Itās quite the hot day.
James (squinting): The sunās pretty bright for a spring day.
Stephanie: And hot.
Carolina: Oh please. Itās Oregon. The weather is constantly changing. I bet by the next hour itāll be cloudy and cold. Maybe even some rain. (She smiles)
Stephanie: Weād better get to the waterfront. The mayor is going to have a thanking for Barmms Jewelry in a few minutes.
They head to their car and they drive to the waterfront. They pass the courthouse. Carolina gives it a short look and focuses back on her driving.
~~
The Virus replaces the old syringes on his glove for new ones. He takes off his mask and puts on his casual wear. He looks sickly. But he injects himself with his viruses and starts to get energized. Healthy, as he would call it. He hides the needles on his glove. He smiles.
Virus: Itās gone too far now. Iām no longer the man I used to be.
Virus looks outside of his car window. The mayor is with the governor at the festival. He locks on the blades connected to his gloves. The two Triad men behind him watch him. They lock on their guns.
Virus: The assassination of the mayor and the governor will suffice. What is the cause of the Triad again?
Triad Men: As Three, We Are A Mighty One.
Virus: Yes. As three. A trinity, a triad.
Virus steps out of the vehicle with his trench-coat. He is several blocks away from the mayor, but it will suffice. He is close to police, but he will deal with them. He loads a gun with two pellets. The mayor stands on the podium. Stephanie comes up with him. They begin to talk. Virus begins to aim the gun.
Triad 1: You sure you know how to aim that thing?
Virus: Donāt question it. I will hit my target.
~~
Mayor: I would like to thank Ms. Stephanie Barmms and her brother, James, for providing the proper funding for this event. We thank them as our sponsor! And now, I will leave the podium to the governor.
The governor comes to the podium and begins to thank the people of Salem for joining the festival. The Virus shoots his pellets. Stephanie hears a gunshot, and quickly her necklace glows and she jumps in front of the mayor and the governor, taking the pellets while her skin is crystallized. The mayor and governor drop onto the ground. The security rushes to the scene, but Stephanie rushes away. Chaos ensues in the crowd.
Carolina: My gosh, did Stephanie just-
James notices Stephanie running away, and goes after her. Carolina tries to get through the crowd of people panicking but canāt seem to find her way.
Stephanie removes the pellets out of her chest and removes her business clothes behind a dumpster. She quickly puts on the mask and the belt, and then the gloves. She glances around sees James across the street. She stays still.
James, meanwhile, runs the other way. He notices Virus and his men going back into the car, and heading straight toward the crowd. James begins to push people out of the way in the crowd.
James: EVERYONE MOVE! That car is coming straight for us!
Virus starts speeding, and crashes through police cars. However, before he makes it into the crowd, Emerald jumps in front of the car and smashes through the window. Virus slams on the breaks. The car goes into the grass and keeps going. Dirt is pulled out of the ground. The mayor and the governor are being rushed out of the scene by police.
Emerald quickly pulls herself down the front of the car, plunging her legs into the grass as the car kept moving. She uses her strength to keep the car from hitting the crowd. Eventually the car stops. Virus comes out of the vehicle and removes his trench coat, showing his normal outfit. He places the mask back on his face. Emerald gets out of the ground and gets into a boxing position.
Virus: Youā¦ You survived.
Emerald: Well, it was a dead disease. Dead diseases should stay dead.
Virus throws his fist, but Emerald stops it and gives him a good punch in the chest. Virus fires one of his syringes into Emeraldās belly.
Emerald: Augh!
The needle self-injects, giving Emerald some unknown chemical into her system. The process is quick. She falls to her knees and begins to cough. She shivers. But her fists remain clenched, and her necklace glows again. Her eyes begin to shine bright, out of anger. Her fingers become lethal blades of crystal.
The claws are a fast opponent for the dreaded Virus, but his thin and fast body allows him to dodge each consecutive swipe. He kicks her in the stomach, pushing the needle further into her skin. This only makes her more enraged.
She screams as she tries to stab Virus with her claws. He blocks them with the metal blades he put on his gloves. He swipes at her feet and she stumbles forward. He kicks her while she is on the ground.
Emerald grabs his leg and pulls. She gets up, and firmly holds his leg to slam him onto the ground.
AAAAAAAAAAGH!
Emerald shoves him over on his back. His face flops, showing all of his bruises. She punches him continuously with her left and right hand. Punch, punch, punch. Finally, he smiles.
Virus (brokenly): HeHeheHā¦ YoU forgOt aboUt the MAYOR and the govenORā¦ HAHAHAHA!
Emerald gives him a swift uppercut, knocking him out cold. She looks, and sees beaten policemen on the ground. Triad men with power gauntlets are confronting the mayor.
Emerald runs, but as she begins to run, she starts to get woozy. Eventually she falls on her face, tired. Exhausted. She falls asleep. The needle had fallen off of her just beforehand. She is in a deep slumber.
~~
James looks back at the fallen Emerald.
James: No no no. This canāt happen. I canāt allow this to happen.
James focuses on the ring on his hand. He runs from the scene, very fast in fact. So fast that he becomes a blur. A cloud of green and purple comes around him in the blur, and he slows down. The figure Stephanie had met before was here again. It wasnāt James. No, it was the Emerald Man!
He turns back to the scene and rushes towards the Triad men. He knocks them off of their feet. The mayor and governor look at him.
Emerald Man: Run. Now.
They head straight for the police lines. Emerald Man overlooks the Triad Men. They get up and are ready to fight him again. One of them rushes at him with his power gauntlet. Emerald Man swiftly uppercuts him, his magnificent cape adding a garnish to his already tasteful blow. He comes to the second Triad Man. They lock into a arm combat, and Emerald Man twists the Triad Manās arm, and punches his elbow, breaking the connection. The Triad Gangster screams in pain. Emerald Man punches him in the face, throwing him back a couple yards. He smashes into some garbage cans.
Emerald Man: Once again, simply immaculate.
He runs over to Emerald. He places his ring on her necklace. A bright light comes from them as they connect. Emerald Man looks around for Virus, but he had disappeared. Emerald wakes up. She notices the magnificent green cape.
Emerald: The ally. Itās you again.
Emerald Man: No need to call me that anymore. Itās Emerald Man.
Emerald (weakly): Emeraldā¦ Man? You are posing as me.
Emerald Man: Thanks to you and me, we just saved the lives of the mayor and the governor. I handled those other Triad men.
Emerald gets back up with the support of Emerald Man.
Emerald: Who exactly are you? Youāre notā¦ Me from another dimension are you?
Emerald Man: No. I will have some explaining to you, though.
~~
Virusās body stumbles into the Triad Base. A blue essence leaves his body, and comes to the form of the slumped over Overseer. It suddenly regains life and snaps itās finger. Virus wakes up again.
Overseer: Pathetic.
Virus: Quite kind words.
Overseer: That is all I wanted to say. You disappoint me, Virus. Once again, you failed to kill her. And now, the Emerald Man has returned from hiding.
Virus: That was him? He was your old foe you were talking about?
Overseer: Yes. But I donāt need to explain much. You made too much of a controversy. Look at the news.
It switches on the news. A helicopter view shows the ruined scene. The Overseer frowns.
Overseer: So this is what the Triad does. Makes a fool of itself just to state a lesson? I donāt just want fear, I want results. You, despite being a scientist, DONāT make results. I donāt even think I want you on the Triad anymore. You are useless. A rag doll powered only by some micro-organism. A disappointment. You should be dead.
Virus (angry): You should be tooā¦ Miss.
The Overseerās eyes widen. It picks up a knife stuck in the table and flings it at Virus. Virus dodges it.
Overseer: Youā¦ You donāt call me āmiss.ā I told you to only refer to me as the Overseer.
Virus: Excuse me, miss. Are you upset for me discovering your gender?
She frowns, and finally gets rid of her raspy tone.
Overseer (in a beautiful, feminine voice): No. Not at all. It was all due to a simple mistake. One that will not happen again. Now leave. Youāre too knowledgeable to get rid of.
Virus leaves the room, grinning. Overseer also grins.
~~
Carolina comes to Jamesās house. Stephanie is there.
Carolina: Ohā¦ You both are OK? Stephanie, did you go to a doctor?
Stephanie: No. I am uninjured.
James: She really is invincible, huh? The pellets only scraped her body. See?
He shows some bloodied pellets to Carolina. Her eyes widen.
Carolina: I thought for sure they went straight into her belly.
Stephanie: I would have died, then, Carolina.
Carolina: True. Anyways, that was mighty brave of you. Turn on the TV. The Governor is talking now.
They turn on the television. The Governor, Jacy Brown, is standing in front of the capitol, discussing the terrorist attack.
Brown: If I can, I hope I can award Ms. Barmms of her bravery up there on the podium, if she shows up. A patriotic act such as saving our lives will not go unrewarded.
Stephanie smiles, quite exhausted. James also grins, and looks at Stephanie. Carolina is especially happy.
Anchor: It was also discovered that two masked vigilantes came about the scene, keeping people from getting hit by the terroristās car and actually confronting the man. Who these masked people are, it remains a mystery. Some of the citizens recognized them by their green diamond insignias, though. The people at the scene have dubbed them āEmeralds.ā Who these emerald folks are, the police is still trying to investigate.
Stephanie looks at Jamesās left hand. A diamond ring wraps around his ring finger. It was the ring from earlier that she saw on āEmerald Man.ā
Stephanie: James?
James notices her looking at his hand.
James: Yes?
Stephanie smiles.
Stephanie: You were trying to ward off people from getting hit by the car. I donāt see why you donāt get recognition.
Carolina: He did? I may tell the mayor that. Perhaps he can accommodate for you.
James (smiling): That would be quite lovely.
NEXT ISSUE: Termites and Triad!