Purgatory Siren had one debt paid off, but now a much larger, more interminable debt stood before her, that of keeping the world safe and clear of criminal activity. As a woman who knew the responsibility of clearing debts, she had taken charge a long time ago and kept the city safe in return for housing her and guiding her. It was a place she loved dearly, and no matter how ugly or stained it got, she would love it regardless: there as its protector until her glorious end. She left the Kamaguchi residence and MERCS and ventured back to her home, where work had piled up considerably since she left. A new villain was in town, and a ghastly one at that. Word got around quickly (a city bored with itself caught onto anything new with startling speed), and no sooner had Siren spent some time settling in and unpacking her things did she get the full story on the news. The content had been edited for viewers, but even then it made her sick to watch it—and the detailed news wasn't going to air until 11:00 that night. Siren flicked her set off and hugged herself, feeling dirty and frightened just from watching the news. She took a shower, but it didn't help. People had been killed indiscriminately, left and right, as far as the eye could see. There was no pattern at all, just all kinds of people, even children. A police force had been called in twice to stop the maniac, and had failed both times as casualties began to pile up at an accelerated rate. Siren knew that only a person with abilities surpassing a normal person's was required for something like this, but was it even possible to stop somebody whom even two waves of resistance couldn't? The news reporter had dubbed the killer "The Reaper". Interesting title. Siren cupped the hilt of her sword and packed a lunch. Win, lose, or die, it was time to hunt. Ironic, really, that such tragedy could be seen as good, for without the trail of gore, it would've been much more difficult to track down this so-called Reaper, but as it stood, finding the person was like finding a tornado. Siren cringed as she followed the trail. From high atop the buildings blanketing the steel jungle, she could spot the little red dots that led to her destination. She had to stop a few times to catch her breath and air out the stink of death; once, she even vomited, and wept as she recognized a familiar face. The grocer, the kids down the street, those stupid punks that drove around recklessly, they were all... Justice/revenge, revenge/justice. Turquoise and cyan, jet and obsidian. Two words for the same thing, like two words for the same color? No matter, they would be married soon. The killer would be killed and the dead would rest in peace. Siren cut her hand on her sword and made an oath with her own blood, as she had before, then leapt away and continued following the trail. Eventually it began to thin—either the Reaper was growing weary or more people were heeding the safety announcements that had been broadcasted—and soon, whether to her relief or grim dismay, not a body could be seen. The streets were clean, and Siren had no more leads. She sheathed her sword and stood in the middle of the empty road, crossing her arms impatiently. She was suddenly knocked off her feet by a sharp blow from behind. She tumbled but caught herself and quickly jerked to her feet, using her hands to "leap" from the pavement before she got a concussion. She stood and presented her weapon, ready for a second attack—but there was no preparing her for what she saw. Smallish, elegant, pale, and young-looking, the girl before her smiled eerily. She held her hand out, fingers pointing towards Siren, and thrust her entire limb at the other woman. Siren had no time to react: she flipped to the side as the missile came after her and ran after the girl. She followed a trail of blood. Red droppings fell from both her arms, and her legs, and her body—everything. The girl was white and bathed in red, and still smiled eerily. Siren gasped as the horrible truth came to her: she had done all that! "You were the one!" she spat. The girl winked. "Yes, it was I. I must kill them all." "You—" Siren grunted as a wall of...something struck her, flinging her backwards to the pavement. She coughed the dust away and gasped as she watched the girl's arm retract into its body. Its skeletal structure creaked and groaned, but refitted itself into the new, small size it had been a moment ago. Siren's heart jumped into her throat; the girl laughed, and seemed to grow as her legs lengthened, the bones inside her growing by some magical means. Siren felt like vomiting. But disgusted or no, the girl had to be stopped. "Is she aware of what she's done?" she whispered to herself, staring up at the now-towering child. Her hands grew and stabbed downwards, thrusting here and there in random fits, piercing the ground and nearly piercing Siren as she weaved around, dancing and dodging the powerful blows as she tried to navigate her way to the Reaper-girl. The child laughed, uttered a guttural "KILL!", and socked Siren in the chest with a mighty kick, aided by the strength of her bones. The woman rolled and came to a halt, injured and angry. It was her turn now. Sling, went her sword as she swung it. A wave of invisible spiritual energy (well, invisible to the untrained eye) shot out and flew across the distance, striking the Reaper in her thighs. She screamed and tumbled to the ground, catching herself as her shoulderbones puffed up and softened the blow. Now sideways, the girl clenched her teeth in rage and shot out both her arms, smacking Siren with elongated fingers and forearms. She flew off and crashed into a brick building, nearly making a dent in it. The Reaper stood back on her legs, looming tall once more and laughing harder than ever. She bunched her fingers together to make one point, aimed her sharp bony hand at Siren's chest, and giggled before thrusting. KA-ZOW! A stray blast of energy repulsed the attack, forcing Reaper backwards in surprise. Siren picked herself up and watched in awe as two bodies fell from the sky and joined her, male and female, one on each side. "See? I told you I could hit her," said the male. "Okay, okay, I don't doubt you. But I said I could make it down here." "And my confidence in you has soared, G. Say, you all right?" Siren stared at the duo for awhile, mouth open in surprise. They were clearly superheroes, like her, but ones she had never seen before: one was more red and yellow, blond and awfully fond of lightning bolts; the other, a bit more on the maroon side, and blue-skinned at that. "Um, me? Yeah." "Great." The man smiled and gave her a thumbs-up. "We'll make introductions once you're safe. For now, you should find someplace safe to hide so we can take care of this villain." "I'm sorry," she said, thrusting her sword out in challenge, "but I cannot do that." "Oh, are you skilled?" "More than you know," she replied, smiling. The lightning-man gave his partner a pat on the back. "Hey, you hear that, G? We've got a pro on our side! I'd bet you a million units she's a hero!" "And you said there weren't any," she grinned. He winked at her and turned to the Reaper, who had watched the whole spectacle with discontent. Her face was twisted in the most evil growl, and her body seemed to crawl as the bones inside rearranged themselves. Siren, who had seen this sort of thing not long ago, was still disgusted, but her new companions looked even worse. "Ugh, what's her deal?" grunted the blue girl. Siren quickly filled them in. "Her name is the Reaper, I believe. I'm guessing she kills people by manipulating the bones in her body." "Gross." "My sentiments exactly. I managed to hit her, but it doesn't look like it did much damage. I'm Siren, by the way." "G-Force," said the girl, pointing to herself. "And this is Thunder-Claw, my partner." "Nice to meet ya, and thanks for saving my life." The man Thunder-Claw smiled. "Aw, no sweat. We do this sort of thing all the time." He and G-Force focused their attention on the monster-girl, who was by now in a rage over being so ignored. She screamed and threw all four of her limbs at the heroes at once, and they scattered like billiards. G-Force thrust herself into the air; Thunder-Claw jumped backwards and started charging up for a big blast; Siren back-flipped and put her sword in a classical defensive position. The Reaper started to sing and twirl. "One of the five Dances, Dance of Doom, surely to lay waste to those I see before me!" She twirled around and around, slowly stretching her arms out, until she became like a deadly buzzsaw and slashed everything around her. Siren clenched her teeth and shouted as she forced an immense wall of spiritual power at the girl, but it only stopped her for a second. She groaned and started spinning again. "No good!" shouted Thunder-Claw, still charging up. "Maybe we can shoot our energies out at the same time! You still got some juice in you?" "Yeah, but not a lot!" "One shot might do it! G, you copy?" "Copy, TC," came G-Forces voice over the two-way headset they carried. "Siren and I are gonna hit her again. When she stops, see if you can't disrupt the gravity around her." "More or less?" "Less," shouted Siren, who had overheard the conversation. "Get her into the air and I can hit her easier, maybe knock her into a building!" "Or one of those neon signs," muttered Thunder-Claw. "Copy." "Now!" Lightning and Spirit joined forced and ran towards the Reaper, who was so close by that time that it was nearly a point-blank range. The blast forced her backwards into the air, as planned, and as G-Force concentrated her unique powers around the villain's area, she lifted high off the ground into the air. Reaper shrieked as she realized there was no ground beneath her, and floundered miserably. "Be right back," said Siren. She jumped very high into the air, probably boosted by her spirit-powers, and slashed at Reaper's chest with all her might, combining steel and energy. The maniacal girl rocketed down back to the city like a meteor, screaming but still alive. Thunder-Claw quickly jumped into the air. "G, get me up! I'm gonna see if I can—WHOA!!!" He sailed right into the stratosphere, much too high to be seen by the naked eye, screaming the whole way. G-Force covered her mouth in shock. "Oops! Oh my gosh, I didn't mean to do that! TC, are you okay? I'm so sorry! TC, you in?" The poor girl covered her ears as she heard her partner squealing. "Sorry!" she wailed, "I'll get you back down." "Not...too...fast!" he yelled. While the novice partners were trying to work things out between them, Siren (after rolling her eyes) was running off after the Reaper. She believed that after suffering dizziness and that powerful blow, her enemy would be weaker and unable to fight back. She spotted the small crater that had appeared when the Reaper landed, but not the villain herself. Deep in the ruins of the impact, Siren had no way of telling where her foe was, or even if she was around at all... "Dance of Desire, make my foes do my bidding!!" Siren's sword was out in a flash; the spirit power exploded and flattened the immediate area, deepening the crater and obliterating everything it touched. Reaper screamed as she was thrown away, but Siren's shock was worse. She had rarely used her power to such extremes, and had never seen it destroy so much. Sure, she had been taken off guard, but that was no reason... Reaper, meanwhile, was flying, but she stretched her limbs out and crashed them against the rushing pavement beneath her until she skidded to a halt. Four long lines had been carved into the asphalt; Reaper's hands and feet were bloodier than before, nearly ripped off at the wrist and ankle. Reaper sat up and groaned, and in the middle of the street she licked her wounds and waited for the bones to heal themselves. G-Force and Thunder-Claw were already at the scene. "Bothersome people," snorted Reaper. "Dances of Doom and Desire failed, and Dances of Devastation and Deterioration will cause unwanted side affects. They shall have my final." The girl's smile widened; she beamed as she stood, twirled her head around, and flapped her limbs. She was bloody and bruised, but otherwise whole. She sat down and crossed her legs as the two heroes advanced on her. "Dance of the Damned," she whispered, "show us what light means and why the dead are freed from its brightness." Her head twirled again; her body began to contort itself until it formed a crude shield around her body, disgusting the partners to no end. The shield then rolled, like a ball, and slowly increased in size until it became a boulder, then a hill, then a mountain. "Oh, dear," muttered Thunder-Claw. He looked to his partner, giving her a what-now face. G-Force furrowed her brow as she tried to think. "Hmm, there's a psychotic bone-girl the size of a mountain rolling around trying to crush everything in her path. Doesn't sound like an easy job." He agreed with a gesture and held onto her as she jumped high in the air, searching for clues. Thunder-Claw immediately remembered muttering something about neon signs, and knew for a fact that electricity stunned the nerves and left them weak, or even disabled them completely. And in any city, there were bound to be plenty of neon signs around. "G, look over there, at that sign." He pointed to a large advertisement that was more of an eyesore than anything else. Ironically, it encouraged people to drink milk to help their bones grow strong. "Oh yeah. You want me to make it heavy?" "As heavy as possible. I'm going to lure her out and underneath it. Let's see if we can't shatter that bone-girl with it, and if not, I'll give her a few thousand volts for good measure!" "Heheh, you can be kinda cruel when you want." "Shush, it's for the good of the town." G-Force floated directly over the sign, and released Thunder-Claw from her grasp. He descended gently thanks to her, and waved at her to get ready. Wanting to conserve her strength, the blue-skinned heroine landed just behind the gigantic neon sign and waited for his signal. The ground rumbled as the sphere of bone came closer and closer to Thunder-Claw, who was firing off weak jolts to get its attention. It came within ten meters of him—dangerously close considering its size—before he called out to her. "NOW!" G-Force nearly broke a blood vessel as she put all her might in crushing the neon sign, but it was too big and she was too weak. It budged and bent, but remained stubborn and whole. Thunder-Claw stuttered and started to run away from the boulder of bone as it wheeled after him. Soon he would be crushed, while the sign, ah, would be perfectly intact. "Darn it!" growled G-Force, but there was nothing she could do. Suddenly, the sign buckled and popped off, plummeting far down to the surface in a bright flair until it smashed into the boulder, crashing in a furious explosion. G-Force shielded herself from the light and noticed that she had had help: Siren was there, smiling with her sword out! G-Force couldn't help but hug her and thank her again and again; Siren was just glad they were all okay. Back on the surface, the Reaper's rolling attack had been stopped for good. Her body had reverted back to its normal state after absorbing the shock, and when G-Force and Siren combined their powers to lift up the sign, all that was left were the charred remains of a human girl, small and frail and too twisted and destroyed to be recognized. The three of them covered their faces in horror, and stepped away as emergency crew came rushing in, summoned courtesy of Thunder-Claw's father's friends. The sun was still up, but it would not stay that way. Siren would part with it, just as soon as she bade her farewells. She thanked both heroes for their help, and added their names to her long list of debtors. G-Force and Thunder-Claw asked her to join them so they would have an easier time fighting crime, but Siren declined. She was a woman who worked best when she was alone, and the thought of joining anyone had not yet crossed her mind. But if ever any of them met again, they would surely team up and fight, because as they all knew, the world would always need a hero or three. ............ Yohko Kamaguchi had told Stalker where she could find the enigmatic Nort, but when she arrived, there was nobody around. According to Kamaguchi, Nort was the kind of character who would take a creature like Stalker in, and care for her, and provide for her, without regard to her appearance, power, or even disposition. It sounded too good to be true, so the shadow master had some doubts as she crept around, searching for a being that she had never met, nor even gotten a good description of. "This is a waste of my time," she muttered, crumpling up the paper with the directions written on it. "Clearly that woman is insane. If she expects me to pay that debt—" Stalker cut herself off as she turned around and saw, for the first time, that she had company. Rather, for the first time without even noticing it. The person before her had come out of nowhere. She jerked and stood guard, staring at the individual as she wondered where he could've come from. The area was wide open, except for a few naked trees and fences a few steps back, and she would've heard him through the voices of the shadows. They remained eerily quiet in the presence of this new person: a man standing before her, a perpetual creepy smile on his face, dressed entirely in a white business suit. He looked average and unassuming, smiling and bright yet not really happy—more like he was up to no good. He had a white brimmed hat on that concealed most of his hair, and his eyes seemed to shift color every random moment. There was a small aura of fright, beauty, and radiance surrounding him, though it was probably an illusion created by his white suit and that creepy smile. Stalker swallowed. "Who are you? Are you Nort?" He answered in a smooth, calm, peaceful voice, though not without a trace of power beneath it. "Nort is...one of the names I am addressed by, yes. You can call me Nort, Met, Mr. White, Sir, Milord, Master, even That Creepy Man in White. You may do as you please with me." Stalker found herself clenching her fists and teeth. Something about this man frightened her, made her tense, like no other being had. The shadows recoiled in his presence as he stood perfectly still. "What is your real name?" "Nobody knows that. You may address me however you wish." Stalker shuddered, and with all her might, summoned the black blade from the dark. It looked slightly less effective than a piece of string in the man's presence. "Who are you? Why are you here?" "To collect you, my dear. I believe that you and I have a mutual friend in one Yohko Kamaguchi." "Huh, so you are Nort." "Among other things." He kept his smile—he had never stopped smiling since meeting her—and took his first step forward. Stalker cringed and buckled, feeling as if the entire sky was weighing down upon her. The man continued to speak: "Come, my dear, there is nothing to worry about. I would adore having you on my team, as it were. You would make a very fine addition, and I think you shall agree that once you are there, you will like it as well. You will find it to be most...beneficiary to your cause." "And what...cause would that be?" she managed. The man in white raised his head slightly, exposing more of his luminous face. His eyes were ablaze with rainbows. "What else do you seek? Come, I will tell you everything when we are at...my place. It is quite a good place. You will like it there." "Where are we going?" "You will see. I would much prefer you come by your own free will, my child." She snarled. "Screw you." "Oh, but do you not wish to achieve your goal? I know you do. I also know you do not trust me, especially since you cannot even stand. Well, have at it, then." Stalker suddenly felt lighter than air, as if the burden had been cast off. The shadows returned, relieved to be back, and the black blade oozed with energy. She stared down at it, feeling stronger than ever, then focused her anger on the man in white. "I'll have at it with your larynx, you freak!" she snarled. The man in white kept smiling and stood utterly still as Stalker chased after him, screaming and swinging her blade. She could not have possibly missed—but she did. The man vanished from sight, fully and totally, so even the shadows could not find him. Stalker screamed and demanded that he show himself. She swung randomly at the air just in case he decided to pop up again. He came up from behind her and said, "Hello." She swung wildly and missed him, hitting only vapor. The air floated around her, clouding her eyes with its density, until at last the air became so thick that all she could see was fog. Her hands felt numb and heavy, her legs weak, and her senses dull as she wobbled, staggering, weak and helpless without any idea what was going on. At last she fainted, and was caught up in the arms of the man in white. He rose up in the air slightly and held Stalker close to him, as a father would embrace a sleeping child. The end of Part One
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