A Whateley Academy Tale
The Cast-Offs 2: The Game
by
Rose Redd
with snark by Domoviye
“It's time to play the game
“Time to play the game
It's all about the game and how you play it
All about control and if you can take it
All about your debt and if you can pay it
It's all about pain and who's gonna make it
I am the game, you don't wanna play me
I am control, no way you can change me
I am heavy debt, no way you can pay me
I am the pain and I know you can't take me.” -Motorhead, “The Game”
December 1st. 2007
Crystal Hall
Valentina DuMont sat at a table, yawning. It was early morning and she had been up most of the night for classes. Tori was running late. It had snowed the previous day, and the grounds crew was still shoveling out the campus.
The young pseudo-vampire girl looked around, noticing people pointedly trying to not pay attention to her. The black skirt and leggings with the black batman logo hoodie may have looked out of place, but it was the weekend. UpBeat walked in, clad in sweatpants and a Joe Sakic Colorado Avalanche hockey jersey.
“Am I late?” Asked the white haired girl.
“A little, but it’s fine.”
“I’m sorry. James had a rough night. He frequently has nightmares of the accident and the events afterward.” Tori frowned and sighed. “Anyhow, you wanted to talk to us? He isn’t feeling up to being in public, but he’s listening in through our telepathic link.”
Sanguine nodded in understanding. “I get it. You two had a traumatic experience, with the loss of your parents. On top of all that, manifesting at the same time has to be a gut-punch.”
Changing topics, Tori looked over at the food line. “Shall we grab breakfast before we talk?”
In contrast to UpBeat, who took time picking through the options and loading a tray with different foods, Sanguine ordered a cow blood milkshake and headed back to their table quickly.
Valentina watched as Tori placed her tray down and sat. Looking over the food, She couldn’t help but be jealous as she eyed the grapefruit, raisin bran, scrambled eggs, and sausage.
With a sigh, she looked away from the feast in front of the snowy-white haired girl.
“Problem?” Tori asked.
“Eh, nothing really. Just sometimes I miss the textures of solid food, the sensation of chewing and biting into a delicious piece of food.”
“Just so long as as you don’t try to bite me.” The other girl joked.
“Officially, there is a rule against feeding on other people on campus. And… I have no desire to bite people, except maybe as foreplay.” Val smirked, flashing a fang. “Anyhow, The reason I asked to meet with you is that I have been thinking about the team. More specifically, about our weaknesses. We need to shore up our defenses and I thought of a way that you and James can help.”
Tori raised her eyebrow, in a questioning way. “Oh?”
“We need to tap into your other super-power...wealth. I did some research on other training teams, Almost all of them have communications devises, either with an ‘s’ or a ‘c’…”
Tori nodded. “Our company makes a lot of technology for law enforcement and military use, We can get compact communications devices. Anything else?”
“Well... with the exception of your brother, none of us can do anything at range. I can’t use any sort of gun when in my other form, because I need to flap my arms to fly, as does Raptor. Plus, in the other form, my wing membranes stretch between my fingers.”
Tapping the table while thinking, Tori silently conversed with her brother. “James suggested grenades might be options for you two.”
“Hmm… possibly. For now, let’s concentrate on the communications. We can meet with the others and make further plans.” Looking around, there weren’t very many students in the area. Still, Valentina thought it best to pick somewhere more… secure to talk.
“I’ll head back to my room and contact the company, see what is available. I’ll talk to you later.” Tori said as she collected her empty plates and walked away.
Beck Library
Megan Stone roamed the paleontology section, looking through the books. She smiled when she saw her mother’s book. Pulling out some other books, she wandered to a table and sat down. She had barely opened the first book, when she noticed that someone had come over and was looming over her. Looking up, she saw Springbuck standing there.
With a sigh, she closed the book, and looked up at the giant idiot. “What do you want?”
“I came to make you reconsider. It’s not too late to go out with me.”
“Look, I’m not interested. Not in you, not in anyone. I just want to study, get good grades, and get into a good college.” Megan was feeling rather irritated, and she could feel the Smilodon stirring in her hallow.
“Aw, come on babe…”
Megan had had enough. “Listen, even if I were insane enough to want to go out with a pathetic loser like you, You are nine foot tall, I’m five foot even, which I might add is the perfect ratio for me to punch you in the nuts… so go away.”
With a sigh, Megan walked to the front desk to check out the books. She planned on a nice weekend of reading, but given that the idiot was following at a distance, she doubted she would be lucky.
The moment she stepped through the exterior doors, she dodged to the side, as a fist passed through the vacated space. Running in a zig-zag pattern, She sped across the campus, making her way towards her cottage. She saw the cobblestone flying at her out of the corner of her eye, and spun on her heels to avoid it. It was a narrow thing, as it whizzed off to her right. Another one quickly followed, and she back flipped away. Her exemplar agility was a godsend, as she continued to evade and avoid the projectiles. Speeding off, she was ever so close to her dorm, when two more stones flew at her. She evaded the first, but the second zoomed towards her head. Megan didn’t have time to evade. She closed her eyes and braced for the impact, but it never came.
Realizing that the stone hadn’t hit her, Megan opened her eyes and saw the reason. Standing there was a girl in a costume. Looking like some variation on the Power Rangers, the girl in the suit had very generous curves.
The girl in the purple bird-themed costume had her hand extended out, and the cobblestone floated in the air in front of her. When she threw her arm to the side, the stone responded in kind and hit the ground.
“Would someone mind telling me what is going on here?” The new arrival asked.
Megan was relieved. “I was at the library, and this… individual thought it was appropriate to proposition me for a date, despite my telling him on several occasions that I am not interested. He followed me out of the library and proceeded to chase me.”
Springbuck scowled. “That’s not true!”
The girl in the bright costume glared at him. “You are holding a piece of pavement in your hand.”
“So what? What is it to you?” The behemoth retorted.
“I’m Mindbird, and I’m a member of the security auxiliary. Meaning that I am empowered to take you over to security.”
The Senior girl looked over at Megan. “I’m sorry about all this, if you would like to drop your books off in your dorm room before coming to the security office to give your statement, feel free.”
Megan sighed and headed to her cottage. It was going to be a long day, she could tell.
Security Annex
Several minutes later
Chief Delarose glared at the two students sitting in front of him. “Now what all the hell is going on here? I get a report of two students running wild across the campus, causing destruction.”
Saber sighed. “This guy keeps bothering me. I told him that I won’t go out with him, more than once. He won’t listen. He followed me from the library and started throwing pavement chunks at me.”
“I…” began Springbuck, only to be cut off by the chief of security.
“I don’t want to hear it. Mindbird caught you red-handed. There is camera footage from the library, and cameras all across the campus.”
Springbuck glared at the smaller student. And mouthed a silent threat.
Letting out a fake yawn to show her dangerous teeth, Megan sat and ignored him.
Delarose wasn’t amused by the giant teen’s antics. “Mr. Higgins, I am not amused. Your little rampage could have easily killed someone if one of those concrete chunks had hit someone. Helping the grounds crew fix the damage you made will be part of your punishment. I have to consult with the headmistress, but I suspect you might get a couple weeks helping out in the sewers as well.”
Another glare was directed at the avatar girl, who promptly ignored it.
Delarose did not. “Evidently you are slow to learn. I’m seriously tempted to look the other way next time, if Miss Stone has to take more … physical... methods to get you to stop harassing her. You two are dismissed.”
Springbuck slunk out of the security office, his head down, shoulders slumped. Megan waited a few minutes, then headed back to her dorm.
Meanwhile
Whitman Cottage
Valentina walked up to the door of the cottage fixer, and knocked. A few seconds passed, and then the door opened, revealing a black-haired beauty with gray eyes, the sort that pierced through you into your soul. She wore a loose flowing gown, the sort that hung provocatively close to revealing more than it should. “May I help you?”
“Yes, I am Valentina DuMont. Am I correct that I am speaking to Judicator?”
The senior looked at the pale girl with the long fangs and pointed ears curiously. “I am she, how may I help you?”
“I was told that as cottage fixer, you could help me acquire a room for my training team to meet in.”
Judicator nodded. “Normally, I would be able to assist you, however the rooms I have access to have both been rented already. If you really need a meeting place, I would suggest that you talk to Jadis Diabolik, the Mellville fixer. She has access to more rooms than I.”
“Thank you.”
“Think nothing of it. It is my duty to assist those who dwell in this cottage.” The senior remarked.
Elsewhere in Whitman
Tori Richmond sat on her bed, thinking of simpler days. Happier days. Tori had always enjoyed sports, whether it was getting a big hit in little league, or scoring a goal in soccer, or hitting a clutch free throw for the basketball team. She had always imagined going to high school and lettering in those sports. But then the accident happened and everything changed. Now here she was at a school with no sports teams, no letter jackets. Nothing was working out like she had planned.
Tori’s roommate returned from the bathroom. She looked away as Sophie put down her shower kit, and disrobed. The other girl was rather plain-faced, with long black hair and blue eyes. It was her figure that gave away the fact she was an exemplar. Her body was very shapely, with a nice butt and large breasts.
“You can turn around now,” Sophie commented “though I don’t know why you are so embarrassed. We are both girls, I don’t have anything you don’t.”
Tori blushed before replying “It’s only polite.”
“I suppose… I guess.” Sophie said as she put on her glasses. Sitting on her bed, she took out a thick book with what appeared to be Latin on the cover and started to read. Sophie’s code name Rosetta Stone, alluded to her ability to understand, speak, and write any human language she was currently exposed to.
Sophie was dressed in her usual casual outfit. A baggy sweater and sweatpants. It was funny to Tori that someone with such a nice figure always wore things that covered her physique.
Closing her eyes, Tori reached out to her brother through their shared link. She was surprised that he was blocking the link on his end.
Emerson Cottage
James lay on the bed, eyes closed. He tried to ignore his roommate Doug’s typing. He liked Lawful, but he needed some peace and quiet. The dreams still bothered him. Tori was stronger than he was. He remembered her being the more adventurous one, into sports and working out. James, on the other hand, was more the quiet nerdy one. He would sit and watch anime, listen to music, sew, dance, and engage in hobbies that didn’t require a lot of outside time.
Opening his eyes, He observed that Lawful had stopped writing whatever he had been working on and was looking at him.
“You okay, homie?” The seven foot tall boy asked.
“Yeah, just tired.” James said, wearily. “Plus my sister keeps knocking on the telepathic link.”
Lawful nodded, picked up his laptop and got up to leave. “I could use a snack, I think I’ll go work on my letter over at Crystal Hall.”
James looked over. “Thanks.”
He rolled over and tried to take a nap.
Whitman Cottage
A short time later
Valentina came back to her room and sat down at her desk. She had negotiated a fair deal to rent a room from Jadis Diabolik. It had cost her most of her stipend from her sister. She lay down and closed her eyes. It was later than she usually stayed up, and she was tired. She would contact UpBeat later, after she got a good rest. April was off somewhere, so the room was very quiet. It was only a matter of minutes before she was dead to the world.
Elsewhere in the dorm
Tori Richmond sat in the common area of the dorm, scrolling through her phone messages. There were several from her lawyer, Hedgeworth Enterprises was making another attempt at a take-over, but with Her brother and herself holding fifty-two percent of the company stocks, they were safe. Having the majority and keeping it held the Hedgeworths at bay. Still, the recent stock grabs by Steven Hedgeworth Sr. made Tori nervous. Getting up, Tori put on the jacket she had brought with, and headed off to talk to her brother in person.
After a brief journey across the campus, she arrived at Emerson Cottage. Entering the lobby, she headed to the apartment of the dorm’s house parents. Giving a knock on the door, she was greeted by Mr. Dunne.
“Miss Richmond... here to see your brother, I presume?” He asked.
“Yes, If you could let him know I’m here?”
The house father nodded. “I’ll send someone up to get him.”
Looking around, the man’s gaze settled on a blond boy that was working on a calculator with a pair of tweezers and a jeweler’s screwdriver in a nearby chair. “Mr. Cambridge, if you would be so kind as to go tell Mr. Richmond that his sister is here.”
“I shall endeavor to return with him, post-haste” the blond boy responded.
Mr. Dunne seemed amused by Tori’s response to the odd wording. “Paul has a thing about talking in Olde English, and being formal. Pay it no mind.”
Waiting impatiently, Tori looked around and tapped her foot. When James finally came into the foyer, she gave him a cold glare, causing him to look away.
“James, we need to talk. Follow me.”
With a sullen nod, her brother followed. After leaving the cottage and wandering to a remote area of the academy, Tori sat down and nodded to the ground beside her. James slumped to the ground next to his sister.
“What the hell is going on with you?” Tori demanded.
Head down, James sighed. “Sorry, just having a hard time lately. Mom and Dad are gone, we have a psycho girl after us, her family wants to take the business away, and everything else. You don’t know what it’s like for me. You were strong. The rough and tough one. With your sports and games. Now you are the hot tomboy, people love you. Even after everything, and even after all the … changes.”
“Bullshit! You think I don’t worry? I don’t have problems? I don’t worry about the company? I don’t have flashbacks to the accident? That I don’t cry over what happened to me?”
James punched the ground.
“Seriously, are you okay? You know I love you. I’m concerned. Have you talked to your counselor?”
James mumbled. “It’s dumb. They want me to move to a different dorm, where I can get have a ‘better support system’… how dumb is that? I refused, of course.”
Whitman Cottage
A few hours later
Valentina sat up and turned on the light beside her bed. She was still dressed, so after donning her jacket and shoes, she left the room. Weaving her way through the hustle and bustle of the common area, she left the cottage.
Heading to Crystal Hall, she stopped briefly to take a look around. The sky was gray, sunset would be upon them within the next hour. Reaching into her pocket, she sent a text message to Tori Richmond to meet her at the dining area. After selecting a tall glass of sugar glider blood from the daily menu, she walks over to the now-usual table for the Cast-offs, and sits down. Tori arrives after about five minutes.
“What’s up?” She asks, sitting down with her own dinner, in this case a burger and fries with a strawberry float.
Looking at the other girl’s food, Valentina thought to herself about how being a hemovore sucked sometimes.
“I secured a space for the team’s meeting place. Our fixer didn’t have rooms available, so I had to go through Jadis Diabolik, the fixer for Melville.”
“I see,” Tori said in between french fries. “let me know how much and I’ll send you the money to rent it for the year.”
“I already rented it. Took most of what I had in my available stipend from my sister.”
“In that case, I’ll re-reimburse you.” She could see Valentina was about to object, so she kept speaking. “James and I can afford it, I’m sure the money we have access to is considerably more than your stipend. Speaking of, we should go take a look at our new ‘clubhouse’, don’t you agree?”
In the tunnels
An hour later
It had taken Tori and Valentina some time to gather the others, and explain the situation. Making their way through the tunnels, the students gathered in front of a door in the tunnels, not far from Whitman. Giving everyone their individual pass-codes, they keyed them in and then provided their bio-metrics for the scanners.
Entering the room, they saw a large, well maintained gathering area. There was a small kitchenette, a three-quarter bath, four large couches, a coffee table, radio, and television.
Megan flopped onto one of the couches. “This is nice.”
Looking at the saber-toothed girl, Valentina laughed. “Yep. Cost a pretty penny too. But that’s not important. We called you here because we have gifts. Well, Tori and James do.”
Standing up, Tori passed out small boxes the size of a Rubick’s cube to each person present. “Inside you will find an ear-clip with an attached microphone.”
Pulling out her own, she held it up. The small device was the size of an earbud, and attached to the earlobe.
“Pressing the small button on the clip turns it on and off. Voice recognition can select who you want to talk to. Battery charge lasts about fourteen hours. There is a charger in the box, as well.”
Everyone eagerly opened their packages and dug the devices out. Looking at hers, Megan noticed hers was different, in that it had a leather choker packed in with it. “Is my microphone on this?”, she asked.
Tori nodded. “I asked the guys in our company’s R&D lab to separate the mic, since your ears are a lot further away from your mouth.”
Annalea looked down at hers. “H… how much do we owe you?”
Tori shook her head. “Nothing. Considering that Pin Cushion and her lackeys have it in for us, I thought it best we have a method to stay in communication, beyond e-mail or telephones. Plus, these will come in handy once we register our team and are put into training drills. Val, I’ll give you the access codes and an earpiece for April, so you can bring her here later.”
With business concluded, the teens started more appropriate teenage activities. Making snacks and watching movies.
December 11th, 2007
Cast-Off Clubhouse
Annalea reclined on one of the couches, packing a pair of pouches full of small marble-sized items. The day after combat finals had begun, and none of the Cast-offs had been picked, meaning that it was likely that most, if not all of them would get the call today. It had been a sobering experience the day before. All of the team members had assembled in the room to watch on the TV. When Pin Cushion had been selected to go against one of the ultra-violents, none of them had expected the outcome. To reduce a sadistic UV that craved inflicting pain with manifested razor-wire into a whimpering, crying mess was something nobody could have expected. But when the bully was carted out on a gurney crying “Why… why won’t you go down?”, it had emphasized to the group just how messed up Ashleigh Hedgeworth was. To revel in feeling pain to an almost orgasmic degree shook them, and most of the student body, to its core.
Nearby, Megan was reading a book and munching on some beef jerky. She had packed her load-outs already, and was trying to find the proper mindset. Even after all this time, she had trouble reconciling the duality of her nature. She was content to be the quiet, studious girl that sat in the corner reading. But now she was a contradiction. Her body was now fit and athletic, with the natural grace and agility of one of the great cats. She got comments on how attractive she was… albeit in an exotic way. No longer did she have the ability to hide in plain sight.
The speaker built into the ceiling suddenly came to life, with the assistant headmistress making an announcement. “Harpy and Raptor, report to the Arena. Harpy and Raptor, you are to report to the arena.”
Annalea shrugged and grabbed her hold-out belt. She had flight class with Harpy, but they had never really spoken. All she really knew was that the other avian mutant had a temper and would often glare at her.
Whitman Cottage
At the same time
Deineira Karras was having a terrible day. Or as she thought, a typical one. They called her to the stupid final while she was laying in bed. She awkwardly righted herself using her wings. Grumbling, she struggled with her clothes, failed and stepped into her bikini bottoms. Fortunately, the top was already tied. She maneuvered clumsily and got one wing through the straps, but the other got caught. Flexing, she managed to get her foot up high enough for her claws to pull the band low enough for her caught wing to slip through. With a sigh, she spotted her utility belt on the floor, and used her foot to flip it into the air. Moving her head, she caught it around her neck. Hopefully someone would be at the arena to help her into it.
She hated her mutation. She watched as other kids took having hands for granted all the time. When her arms painfully changed, she watched in horror as her hands deformed into her wingtips. Her fingers became useless as her arms adapted to flight, and lost all other function. As if that wasn’t bad enough, while her wings were still developing, her step-sister would call her ‘Wing-thing’, ‘Chicken-thing’, and other bad nicknames. Her arms were gone, her legs were still changing, she couldn’t walk, and she didn’t have the dexterity with her still-forming taloned feet to use them in place of her hands, so she had to wear adult diapers and have her father feed her and bathe her and change her clothing.
She arrived at the entry just in time. A few minutes more and she would have been declared late. Looking at the tall African-American standing before her. Gunny Bardue ignored the sad look Harpy returned. “Cutting it close, girl.”
She shrugged and looked at the floor.
Meanwhile two students looked down from the press box area, and took notice of the situation.
“Oh this should be an interesting fight!” Tink said over the speaker.
“And why is that, Tink?” her roommate and fellow unofficial announcer, Broken asked.
“Well B, Raptor and Harpy are both big flyers with almost no other powers. If they aren't in the air, they aren't going to be very effective.”
“Right, I've seen Harpy in action, and she's going to put up one heck of a fight. What about Raptor, she's a Thornie, so you must have run into her sometime,” B said.
“I don't actually see her that often. She doesn't need much help when I'm on detention, she's mostly in Hawthorne because she has to sleep in a big nest, and she lays eggs.”
There was a pause. “She lays eggs?”
“Yep, they're like ostrich eggs. And if you pretend to use them for making scrambled eggs, she turns a really interesting shade of white and then green,” Tink explained a bit too enthusiastically.
There was another long pause. “Tink are we going to have another girl coming after you?”
“Nah. At least I don't think so.”
Back down on the event floor
The instructor looked towards Raptor and Harpy and began the briefing. “The situation you will be dealing with is that a zombie virus has broken out, and a helicopter en route to the Mayo Clinic has crash landed somewhere in Rochester, Minnesota. It is your task to recover the experimental cure from the downed helicopter, and deliver it to the Mayo Clinic. You will no doubt encounter humans and animals that are infected. Do not allow yourself to be bitten. Are you ready?”
The avian mutants stepped through the doorway. It amused Raptor that the interior side of the door was disguised as the front door of a rather ordinary house.
Turning to Harpy, she spoke. “So, shall we team up to do this?”
The other girl was visibly upset. She tugged at the belt that was around her neck, awkwardly pulling it over one wing, so the stretchy item looked more like an ill-fitting bandoleer.
“I don’t need your help!”she screamed “I don’t need anyone’s help!” drawing in air, Harpy inflated her chest and let out a deafening ‘scree”, loud enough to force Raptor to cover her ears. Following up, the angry girl back-handed Raptor to the ground with her wing… if one could ‘back-hand’ without actual hands.
Watching intently, Tink winced at the sneak attack.
“Oh I hope Fetch and anyone else with sensitive ears had ear plugs in. That wasn't the loudest Harpy can shriek, but it still hurts those of us with sensitive hearing,” Tink said.
“Yeah, Harpy isn't playing around, that backhand- back wing, that hit had to make Raptor see some stars. It's a good thing Harpy didn't hit her with a full shriek, that can take a locked door off it's hinges.”
“Oh, she's that tough?”
“Tink,” B said very slowly, “you were there when she broke down our door. In fact you had locked it and were hiding behind it when it slammed into you. Did you get a concussion and forget about that little incident.”
“Huh... Oh yeah I remember that now. She was really unhappy when I went and borrowed some of her feathers for my hat. I forgot all about that!”
B sighed. “If it was anyone else I'd be surprised that you forgot that. But honestly I should expect it by now with all the fights you get into.”
Flapping her wings, Harpy took off and began to climb. Sighing, Annalea shook her head. She had questioned why the two of them specifically were chosen to be in the simulation together. Based on her observations of Harpy from flight class, It appeared as though one of her theories might be correct. Taking to the air herself, Raptor kept an eye on her apparent adversary as Harpy continued to climb. Soon the other girl was slowly circling, using the thermal updrafts to soar as she scouted for the downed helicopter. Most other flying students would go up just above the trees and houses for a better vantage point, but the two of them with their enhanced vision and bird of prey-based GSD would take advantage of their ability to soar on the thermal updrafts. And sure enough, She had been right. The teachers had planned a trap. As she kept an eye on her adversary above her, she saw the infected birds approaching their target. A flock of hawks, buzzards, osprey, and even a pair of bald eagles approached from the rear. They began attacking their target, blood flowing from their eyes and beaks.
Tink jumped up and pointed excitedly, before slumping down on the control panel.
“It's not fair!” Tink said. “Why didn't I get to play with zombie birds. That would have been really fun. I could have thrown the bullies at them and had some fun watching them get pecked and their hair get all tangled up in the claws.”
“You had a crash and you wish it had been even harder? Wait don't answer that, of course you wanted it harder.”
Harpy was having to maneuver rapidly to avoid the attacks, swerving and diving out of the way. Annalea did notice though that her opponent was steadily heading to the north-east, despite the issues she was having. She must have spotted the helicopter. Adjusting her own course, Raptor flew along just above the tree tops. She heard the crows cawing, and picked up her own followers. Still, she would rather deal with crows, ravens, and perhaps the odd owl or two over the more dangerous hunters that were hampering the other girl thousands of feet above.
Sure enough, Raptor had gained her own pursuers, a murder of crows followed her, attempting to catch up. She bent her right knee, allowing her to briefly push the button on the ankle belt she wore on the left leg. The bottom of the pouches on the ankle belt opened up, causing a trail of squibs to fall out, within a few seconds, the pea-sized explosives detonated in among the crows, disrupting their chase, and even downing a couple. She smiled and made a mental note to thank UpBeat for the new load-outs.
Soon, she spotted the wreckage of the helicopter, and cautiously landed. Looking up, she noticed that although Harpy had gotten to the location before her, the other girl was still busy with her attackers, and had not begun to descend. The birds that had been following her had turned away, so surely the teachers had some other challenge for her. She heard the wet, distorted growls before she saw them, but from behind the helicopter appeared two skinless dogs, as if they were refugees from a Resident Evil game. Blood and pus dripped from their eyes and mouths. Soon the dogs were joined by several raccoons. Hopping carefully up onto the top of the downed craft, Annalea saw shambling human zombies approaching from all directions. It would take them several minutes to arrive, so she had best dispatch the current threats quickly and leave.
Tink danced about excitedly, spinning in circles, before falling down.
“Oh doggies! And raccoons! They're so cute!”
“TINK! They're covered in blood and trying to rip out Raptors throat!” B exclaimed.
“Ah they just wanna play! NO! Bad Raptor! Don't hurt the doggies and cute animals!” Tink cried.
Suddenly Tink's cries of anguish became quieter. “Lets just mute your mic for a few minutes while you grieve, and save the audiences ears.
Performing a back flip off the top of the chopper, she led with a powerful kick to the head of the first dog, her talons crushing the skull and pulping the gray matter inside. A back roundhouse kick tore the head off the second dog. The raccoons feigned retreat, and then lunged. Raptor was faster, however. Grabbing shattered fragments of the windshield, she slashed at the diseased creatures, eviscerating them. With the rodents briefly subdued, she looked in the cockpit of the craft, and saw the pilots. They had died on impact, their heads having collided with the instrument panels and the yoke. The cure, thankfully, was still intact in a shoulder bag one of the doomed couriers had slung around them.
Raptor scooped up the bag, and transferred the vials to her belt pouches. She looked up into the sky, not seeing Harpy anywhere. With a quick leap she took to the air, rising to the level of the tree tops. Hearing the crows cawing, she flew away. Keeping an eye on the birds trailing her while also scanning for her opponent, Annalea progressed towards the hospital compound. Dodging and weaving between the buildings she lost some of the following flock to impacts with buildings, and the remainder when she released the squibs from her other anklet. She was almost at the clinic, when she spotted a shadow on the ground. It was growing larger, and Raptor knew what it meant. At the least moment, she swerved to the right as Harpy missed her attack and had to pull up hard to avoid crashing into the ground. The evasion gave the young avatar just enough time to reach the doors of the clinic.
After landing, Raptor hurried to the front desk. She was about to speak to the nurse at the desk, when the scream started. Harpy was standing about ten feet away. Dodging and zigzagging, Raptor avoided being blasted by the acoustic attack. While the other girl had the advantage at a distance, Annalea knew Harpy was at a disadvantage up close. Ducking and avoiding the attempted wing-strikes and kicks, Raptor’s haymaker met the other girl’s jaw, knocking her to the ground. Removing her handcuffs from her waist belt, she looked at her opponent. Her momentary confusion on how to cuff someone that had no wrists was quickly resolved when she saw the narrow structural support pole. She dragged Harpy over by the ankle and then cuffed the girl’s feet around the pole, prohibiting her escape.
With that done, Annalea brought the simulation to an end, handing the medications to the desk nurse. The holograms and hard-light objects turned off, and the ANTs shed their holographic disguises. Able to move, Harpy crawled over towards Raptor, a scowl on her face.
Looking at the other girl, Annalea shook her head.” I think it’s safer for me to wait for the instructors to arrive before I set you free.”
A classroom attached to Arena 99
Five minutes later
Raptor and Harpy sat uneasily as Gunny Bardue stood before them with his hands behind his back.
“Raptor, explain your reasoning and actions during the final. Harpy took to the sky and searched, yet you stayed barely above the treetops and kept an eye on Harpy’s movements.”
The young avatar swallowed nervously and then spoke. “W..well, when we were both called for the match I thought about why her and I were picked together. I mean...with the exception of her siren abilities and my cla--” Annalea stopped, as a low grumble came from the other girl. “What I mean is that she and I are pretty much the same, power-wise, so I wondered why we were picked together. Then it occurred to me. There are very few students that fly the way we both do. There are plenty of students with wings... but most of them have arms, in addition to wings. You could count the number of students that fly by using wing-like arms on one hand. Furthermore, Sanguine for example, flies like a bat. She constantly flaps her arms to fly. Harpy and I fly more like birds of prey, we climb to a higher altitude, so we can conserve energy by riding the thermal updrafts. So I thought about that… and I figured that the teachers had planned an obstacle to keep us from easily surveying from high up. And I was right.”
Bardue looked at her, frowning. “So you used her as bait for our trap, while you just followed her along?”
Swallowing hard, Annalea explained. “I wouldn’t have, if she had agreed to work together. I was going to suggest that one of us survey, while the other provided a sort of escort. Kind of like a military radar plane with a fighter escort. But when I suggested we work together, she attacked me.”
“And your side of things, Miss Karras?” the gruff drill sergeant insisted.
Sheepishly, Harpy sunk her head down and mumbled. “It’s like she said. But I didn’t need her, I could have done it on my own!”
Bardue looked from Harpy back to Raptor, before clearing his throat. “Do you agree with that assessment, Miss Downs?”
Annalea paused, and then answered. “Harpy is a much better flier than I am, her turning ability is much tighter than my own. She can dive faster than I can. She also can climb higher than me, probably because of her siren lung capacity.”
Gunny wasn’t satisfied. “I sense a but.”
Hesitating, the avatar girl thought about what to say next. Clearly Harpy was growing increasingly angered. She glared with barely-hidden contempt for her. “But… her observational awareness is… in need of improvement.”
Nodding, Bardue looked at the other girl. “Indeed. Miss Karras, you are repeating Flight 101 because of that fact. You nearly caused a severe mid-air collision the first time you took the class. We had hoped you had taken your prior failure to heart, and worked on that flaw… but it seems like you need more work in that aspect. I will talk to your instructor about more personal training, outside class hours. As for grades. Raptor you get an A. Your reasoning was solid, you adapted when your initial plan couldn’t be used, and you delivered the payload successfully. Harpy, you get an F. You were offered aid, which you violently declined. You didn’t adapt when you encountered resistance. Worst of all, you nearly caused the complete failure of the delivery. If this had been a real crisis, how many would have died if you had destroyed the vials?”
Deineira Karras had no response, she simply hung her head. Yet another opportunity for life to kick her in the head. It wasn’t bad enough that her mutation took away her hands, her dream of playing professional tennis, her enjoyment of simply sitting and strumming her guitar. Hell, it was embarrassing that she needed help getting dressed. Now it had to rub her face in it with this girl that ended up like her… but still could do all the things she couldn’t.
Whitman Cottage
A short while later
Ashleigh Hedgeworth knocked on the door to Harpy’s room.
Through the locked door came a cry of “Go away!”
Standing outside the door, the girl known as Pin Cushion spoke.“Now now, Deineira. Don’t be like that. I’ve come to offer you my help. You were humiliated by that cut-rate knock-off, but I can help you get even. I’m putting together a little group to deal with those like Raptor that don’t learn the lesson not to mess with their betters. Additionally, I know people that have some… pull, both in terms of money and … power… that might be able to help you out with other issues.”
Slowly, the knob turned, and the door opened to reveal Deineira Karras standing there on one leg, her taloned foot wrapped around the knob.
The Quad
Later that afternoon
Valentina walked around the quad, her hood up as the hazy sunlight filtered through the clouds. Light snow was falling around her and she tucked her hands into her pockets and she trudged along. Her combat final had gone well. The odd stone skinned gargoyle girl, Tisiphone, had thankfully agreed to a team-up, and the two of them had stormed through the streets of Atlanta. Having picked up the antidote from a crashed armored personnel carrier, the duo clawed and burned their way through the zombie hordes and safely delivered it to the Center for Disease Control.
Looking around, Val something she did not expect. There was someone approaching… a very familiar someone. She looked at the girl. To anyone else, she would not have looked out of place. A Korean girl, about 14-15, with long twin-tails, in a white jacket and black leggings. Fur-trimmed snow boots and black scarf completed the look. Val knew better. She looked at the girl, and her visitor badge. “What are YOU doing here?” she asked, but the answer was cut off, as the outdoor speakers suddenly called for security and medical to report to the arena.
Meanwhile, at the Arena
Tori Richmond struggled in Stormwolf’s grasp, even with her energizer powers temporarily boosting her strength to the equivalent of a much higher Exemplar level, she was still not strong enough to break free. She cursed and screamed and threatened the low-life scum that lay on the ground before her. She had barely finished handing off the antidote to the NPC outside the simulated military facility, when Long John had ‘stumbled’ over a defeated zombie and ‘accidentally’ put a hand on her breast, with the other finding her butt.
It was obvious that he had done this on purpose. She started to shake, and her breathing grew more and more rapid. She was panicking. Nobody had ever touched her like that. She was unprepared for sexual assault, as she had never really considered the possibility. She felt vulnerable in a way that she had never felt before. She was freaking out, and her emotions were all over the place. Anger. Fear. Vulnerability. RAGE.
When she was pulled away, she had battered the boy severely. His face was covered in blood and swollen beyond recognition. Mindbird was administering chest compressions, while Stonebear gave him mouth to mouth.
Having rushed down from her observation point, Hive ordered Stormwolf to make sure he held her steady, as she carefully cuffed the out-of-control girl. Under guard, UpBeat was escorted to security, struggling and screaming all the way.
Back on the Quad
Valentina turned and was about to speak, when she saw the Wild Pack, escorting her teammate. The white-haired girl was struggling and shouting, saying something about “I’m gonna kill him.”
looking at the visitor, then back at the scene playing out before her, Val nodded to the other girl and started to run towards their likely destination at Kane Hall. The Korean girl hurried along behind her
She tried to enter the security office after her friend, but was stopped by Mindbird. “I’m sorry, but you can’t go in there right now.”
Nodding sadly, Val turned and left. The other girl followed along behind her. Silently, the two walked to Crystal Hall, where Valentina selected a glass of hot chocolate, and some warmed seal blood from the menu. Sitting down, and offering the cocoa to her guest. “So, what are you doing here? We were supposed to meet when I flew home this weekend.”
The twin-tailed girl smiled wickedly.”How did you know it was me?”
Rolling her eyes, Val looked over the rim of her mug. “I can always tell it’s you.”
The other girl laughed. “love you too, little sis.”
As the two drank their drinks, another girl walked over. “Hey Val. I was just picking up a to-go meal. Who’s your friend?”
The Korean girl looked up and smiled. “I’m her sister, Eve… and you are?”
“This is Annalea, one of my friends and teammates.” Val responded.
“Nice to meet you, but what are you doing here?” Raptor asked.
“I was wondering the same thing”, admitted Valentina.
Eve swirled her cocoa slightly before setting it down. “I received an invitation from the research department. They wanted to get some blood samples from me, to try to understand the nature of the changes you underwent.”
She glanced over at her sister, who ever so lightly shook her head side to side.
“I mean, of course how it’s rare for someone to under go what you did.” Eve cautiously added.
“Yes,” Val added quickly “Exemplars don’t normally manifest shifter powers, and since I did… I guess they want to figure out how I did.”
Eve sipped the cocoa again. “Yes, that’s it exactly” she replied… perhaps a little too quickly.
Annalea knew there was more than was being said, but she decided not to press the issue. Instead she looked to her teammate. “I heard that Tori beat Long John severely, She’s in custody.
“What?” the vampiric girl exclaimed. “She finished her drink quickly and stood up. Looking to her sister, she apologized. “I’m sorry, I need to go see what’s going on.”
Eve nodded. “No worries, I understand. Let’s go see what we can do for your friend.”
The three girls stood up and quickly left the dining area.
Meanwhile, at the security holding cells
James Richmond had known almost immediately through the mental link that something was wrong with Tori. He had literally been knocked to the floor by the feelings of rage, anger and fear. It didn’t take him long to sprint to the main building, arriving just as his hysteric sister was being brought in.
“What’s going on?” He demanded as his sister was slumped over in the cell, in tears.
Franklin Delarose looked up from the computer on his desk. “James Richmond, I should have known you would be arriving almost as soon as she arrived. I don’t have the complete details as yet, but from what I’m told, your sister attacked Long John shortly after their match. Unfortunately, they were in a camera blind spot. There’s no footage to determine what might have happened, but I have a guess. I’ve sent word to the counselors, Dr. Markham is on her way.”
A few minutes later, She entered. Her dark hair in a 1940’s victory curl style. She exuded grace and refinement. Looking at the silent girl slumped against the wall of the cell, she turned and looked at James. “If I may speak to you in private?” She asked in a soft, gentle voice.
With a solemn nod, he turned and followed Dr. Markham out. The two of them entered an adjoining interview room and sat down. “James, I’m not trying to pry, or invade your privacy, but I need your help. My sessions with your sister have been less than fruitful. I can tell there is something bothering her, beyond just your parents deaths, but she shuts down when I approach the subject. I have my suspicions as to what’s wrong, but if I can’t help her, she could spiral down into further dangerous emotional turmoil.”
Sighing, James looked down at the table in front of him. “Neither of us have talked about this before. It’s...difficult.”
Betty Markham touched James’ hand and quietly said “take your time.”
James took a big breath, and spoke quietly. “You were right that it started with our parents deaths. But it goes beyond that. Do you know about the incident?”
Dr. Markham sighed. “I know what was in the records, but your sister hasn’t spoken much about it.”
With a sigh, James continued. “We were run off the road. I highly suspect that the Hedgeworth family was responsible. They have wanted to acquire our family’s company for many years.”
“Hedgeworth, as in Ashleigh Hedgeworth?” The doctor asked.
“Yes, those Hedgeworths” James responded, scowling. “Anyhow, we had been run off the road, and were injured. My thoughts at the time were on my sibling, and us surviving. I didn’t know until later that we both shared that thought. With Mom and Dad...dead, we had only each other. Finding an old hunting cabin, we found that the closer we were to each other, the more pain we would feel. We were manifesting our powers. And the closer we were to each other, the faster the changes were… we eventually realized what was happening.”
Dr. Markham looked at James with shock. She was starting to figure things out. “You mean…?”
“Yes”, James sighed. “We think that our body templates picked up on our emotions about each other and that effected how we manifested.”
“So that means…”
“Yes, I’m actually Tori Richmond, and she was originally James.” James said quietly.
“I see… I’m getting a picture of what happened. I suspect that when Mr. Johnson knew they were in a camera blind spot, he might have tried to touch your sister.”
“I’LL KILL HIM! I’LL KILL HIM!” James leapt to his feet, and turned to run from the room.
“SIT DOWN!” The doctor commanded. “you won’t do any good for her if you join her in a cell.”
James nodded solemnly, and returned to his seat.Markham placed a hand on the troubled boy’s shoulder. “We’ve given your sister sedatives, so she can sleep. I suggest you get some sleep as well.”
With a head shake, James reluctantly agreed. He got up and headed back to his dorm.
The next day
“Pucelle and Saber, please report to the arena for your combat final.”
Megan sighed. “Pucelle, it had to be Pucelle.”
She had encountered Pucelle on several occasions, none of them pleasant.
A little while later
Megan grumbled. She was only a couple minutes into her final, and already Pucelle was getting on her nerves. The Holier-than-thou idiot would cut in the way and defeat opponents that were closer to her, all the while spouting garbage about how “as one of the truly blessed, it was her responsibility to protect those poor and unfortunate mutants that ended up with GSD.”
It was at that point that Megan grabbed the manhole cover, and did her best Captain America impression, clocking the conceited bitch in the back of the head with it.
“Stay down stupid, or I’ll do it again. I’m not going to have you jeopardize my grade on some sort of delusional bigoted messiah complex!”
Pucelle, however had different goals. She continued to intercept zombies that Saber had targeted, getting in the way and causing Megan more difficulty. After nearly getting clobbered by a street light that Pucelle had knocked over while fighting a group of zombie dogs, the avatar dashed over to her personal albatross. She grabbed Pucelle’s shoulder, and turned her around forcefully, throwing a punch while she did.
The masked exemplar staggered, and fell, With Saber quickly pouncing on top of her, pummeling her until the girl’s mask cracked. She swiped her claws over the downed girl’s face, carving it up. After a minute, she dragged the unconscious girl over to the open manhole, dropped her in, and placed the cover back.
She knew that between her own regen and the medics at Doyle, Pucelle would recover… unfortunately. After all, some scars might help her reassess her delusional standpoint.
With a quick pause to wipe blood from her hands, Megan continued on, completing her test.
Over the speakers came a high pitched and very angry shout. "We missed Pucelle getting eaten by a Sabertooth tiger!"
B's much calmer voice tried to soothe the furious fairy. "They'll have it recorded, we can watch it tonight with everyone and I'll make popcorn."
"But I could have seen it live! I'll never get this chance again!" Tink wailed. "And you made me miss it!"
"Seriously Tink it's not that bad. And you reeked, you've been so busy playing announcer, you've barely showered. Plants were starting to wilt when you flew by. And as your roommate, I don't want to deal with that."
"Ahem," came the voice of the regular announcers, "Can you please go away. Some of us are actually trying to act serious here."
"Oh no! Tink don't hurt them!" B shouted as the sound of yelling and a disturbing number of thumps and screams erupted from the speakers.
Area 99 debriefing room
Shortly after Saber’s Final
“What in the Holy Hell were you thinking?” Gunny Bardue screamed.
Megan sat there looking at him, formulating her answer. “She was a liability, sir. I was nearly incapacitated when she took down that street light. She charged in when I had a handle on my opponents, neglecting other threats on the field. As a military man, I’m sure you are aware of the potential dangers of having a loose cannon on the field.”
Gunny looked down at the diminutive girl. “I am, and that’s why you get a B+, instead of a trip to security, and why Pucelle will be waking up to the news of an F.”
Exhausted, and achy, Megan headed back to her dorm, for a much needed hot shower and a nap.
Cast-Off Clubhouse
Eve looked over at the girl that had become her sister. “That was brutal, tell me that wasn’t the norm.”
Valentina looked up from the cup of polar bear blood. “No, mine was pretty calm. I lucked into someone that was willing to work with me.”
“I see.” Eve responded, but she was clearly skeptical.
The two sat and watched the television. Eve thought it was odd, crews were cleaning up the arena, much like a hockey game with the Zamboni re-icing the surface between periods. She watched, amazed, as buildings vanished and reappeared in different configurations. The entire layout changed. going from a large city, to a smaller suburban town.
Meanwhile
Doyle Medical
John Johnson sat up. His body ached, and he felt like he had been run over by a herd of elephants. He shook his groggy head, and tried to wake up fully. He succeeded when he heard an all too familiar voice speak. The Headmistress was standing there, clearly upset.
“Mr. Johnson, you’ve been asleep for over a day. How do you feel?” Liz Carson asked, her voice not giving away any signs of her mood.
“A little groggy and sore.” He meekly responded. He remembered now, UpBeat. That bitch had pounded the living daylights out of him. Broken bones that due to his flexible, rubbery body, he had thought were unbreakable.
Carson looked at him. “Consider yourself lucky then. You have an uncanny knack for attempting to sexually assault girls with deep-seated trauma. You were told when you were inappropriate with Miss Franks that you were on thin ice. Consider this your second strike. Oh and another thing, if I were you, I would be very careful if Miss Richmond catches you alone.”
With that said, Carson turned and walked out of the room.
Castoffs clubhouse
an hour later
Valentina and her sister sat and watched as Downtrodden and Punch ran through the simulated town. Val could tell that Punch was carrying him. Given the situation with his sister, She saw he was not performing that well. Sure, he had her back and was doing his best at crowd control, but he was still clearly distracted.
Half an hour later, he shuffled into the clubhouse. Val glanced his way, and asked “how did you do?”
“C+”, he said in a tired voice, before walking over to the other couch and flopping down. The three of them sat in silence for a while, until Saber entered the room.
She sat silently next to James, and carefully wrapped her arms around him.
Smiling, James hugged her back. “Thanks, I needed that.”
Breaking the hug, He shot straight up. “She’s awake!” he said. “I can feel it through our bond. Someone go get Raptor, we need to all be here.” James looked uncertainly at Eve.
She seemed to take the hint, because she stood up. “I’m hungry. I think I’ll wander over to the school store and get a snack.”
Looking at her sister, Val mouthed a silent “thank you.”
Megan stood up and briskly walked to the door and left. A few minutes later she walked in with the avian avatar. They both sat, but they didn’t have to wait long. UpBeat walked in, there was mascara streaming down her face. She quietly walked to her brother, and sat down. Leaning against him, she closed her eyes.
After a moment of silence, Tori spoke. “Damn hormones. It’s so hard. It’s just so hard…” She sobbed, and slowly began to explain everything that had happened the day her parents had died, not leaving anything out. Periodically, James would interject things from his point of view. When the twins finished, there was silence.
Valentina walked over, placing her hand carefully on Tori’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry. Sorry that pervert did what he did, and I know how difficult it has to be for you to deal with … the changes you went through.”
Laughing, Tori looked at the pale girl. “You know? How could you possibly know? How could you possibly understand? Get your hand off me!”
Valentina backed away, and silently sighed. “I do know. I told you all about my changing into the… monster. About how I was no longer able to talk. How I ran away from home. What I didn’t mention was Eve isn’t my birth sister. The home that I ran away from… I lived with my mother, and my name was Vince.”
Everyone looked at the gorgeous girl, confused.
Val resumed her story. “I ran away from my mother. I felt the hunger for blood gnawing at me as I became more and more of an inhuman monster. When I encountered Eve in the subways tunnels she was being hunted down by an evil, evil man. She wasn’t looking for me, because she didn’t yet know I existed. I lied about biting her. I didn’t do it because she was my sister, and her blood was safe for me. I did it because I was injured and in a berserk rage. She could have left me behind, but she didn’t. She carried me to safety. Because of her regeneration, I changed genders, and gained the ability to change into this form.”
Megan sat up straight on the adjacent couch, realizing what the others hadn’t yet. “So you mean that your true form…”
“Yes, this is the assumed form, my true form is the monster.”
Everyone sat in silence for a moment. Tori wiped her tears on her sleeve and got up. Slowly, she walked over to Val, and hugged her tightly. Soon everyone was together in a group hug.
Once the tension eased, the group slowly drifted back to the various couches. Val and James sat on either side of Tori, each with a supportive arm around her shoulders.
Cast-Offs clubhouse
December 19th
Valentina sat on the couch, stretching. She had just spent what had seemed like an eternity at her calculus final, and was exhausted. Across from her sat the twins. After the incident with Long John, The team had been taking turns escorting UpBeat to her classes.
“I feel so stiff, all this sitting and writing... my hands cramped up, and my back hurts. Even with regen.” she complained.
Tori Sighed. “I know what you mean. Um, can I ask you something, about your gender-change?”
“Sure, I guess.”
“I know you said you changed because you bit your sister, but are you okay?” the white-haired girl asked.
Valentina rolled her head, working out the kinks. “I’ve come to accept being a girl, it’s better than being a monster that can’t speak, can’t live a normal life.”
“I… I don’t know if I could ever… after… after he touched me, I panicked. I’ve never felt so weak before.” Tori said, slumping over. James instinctively put his arm around her shoulders and reassured her.
“You are strong,” Valentina stated as she smiled at Tori. “You survived a murder attempt, you lived through the crash, being isolated in the wilderness. You are stronger than you think.”
Tori shuddered. “But… I just feel so tainted, wrong. How…how do you deal with it? Being ogled and treated like a piece of meat?”
“It doesn’t happen to much as you would think.” Valentina smiled, her sharp canine teeth showing prominently. “I mean some guys… and girls… do stare but I think I intimidate them, especially since it’s not a secret that I’m a hemovore.” She laughed and continued. “I’ve heard second-hand that some people think I’m an actual vampire, and I can turn people into vampires.”
Tori and James laughed as well.
James was the one to speak next. “it’s all so… confusing though, when it comes to attraction, and… sex. I don’t know how to react to it all. When a girl flirts with me, I just don’t know how to respond.”
Tori nodded in agreement.
“I know what you mean, I was confused at first. I still noticed girls, and felt that attraction. I still do. But lately, guys also are starting to appeal to me. I’ve spoken with my sister, and with my therapist about it. I’m still kind of figuring things out, but I think I’m starting to accept I may be bisexual.”
The twins shuddered simultaneously.
Seeing that, Valentina quickly continued. “Of course, that’s just me. You two are both your own people, and your experiences will differ.”
John nodded. “I don’t know how I feel. I look at guys, and I don’t feel how I used to. I don’t feel any attraction, but I look at girls and I feel nothing there either.” He looked over at Valentina, with her school uniform blazer unbuttoned, and her tucked-in white dress shirt pulled tight over her breasts. Nothing. No attraction, no interest.
“it’s okay, You may feel differently later once you adjust more to your situation, or you may stay the same. You could be asexual, or just not ready yet.”
Valentina arched her back after speaking and stretched her arms with a stiff groan, her ample breasts pushing outward.
Tori took a deep breath, It was reassuring to hear her brother say that. She wasn’t strange, she wasn’t a freak. Well, she was… Turning from a guy into a girl, and her own brother at that.
Val could tell that something was still bothering Tori. She got up and walked over, sitting on the opposite side of the girl. Putting her arm around Tori’s shoulder, just like James had, she asked a question, in a soft, quiet voice. “Something still bothering you?”
“I… I guess, the whole changing genders thing. I feel like such a freak. Like some… weirdo.”
Moving slightly, Val stroked the other girls hair, and kissed the top of her head gently.
“I understand, but we aren’t the only ones on campus. Reach was turned into a girl, Jobe Wilkins apparently accidentally did, Then there is Mega-Girl… who is changing into a girl under her TK shell. There are the rumors about Phase say she may or may not actually be a girl. - Plus there are all sorts of rumors about various members of Poe. I mean really, is it just me, or does the premise of the cottage not make sense? They claim it’s for students that need more hands-on mental health assistance… but there are no on-site psychiatrists or mental health professionals. Hawthorne keeps doctors and nurses on site for their special needs students, so why not Poe? Additionally, have you noticed just how many gay, bi-sexual, and lesbian students there are there? Some are openly out, but I’ve seen more than a few holding hands or kissing when they think nobody’s looking. Secretly, I think it’s the LGBT cottage, and given that, there may be students like the three of us that are not out about the gender-change thing...”
James and Tori silently looked at each other quietly, and Val could almost see the telepathic conversation happening.
Both twins chuckled, and Tori spoke “I guess I never thought about it, but I guess that makes some sort of strange sense. I know there are homophobes on campus If they learned that boys and girls changing like us is more common, they might do something.”
The three of them sat in silence, thinking about the implications.
Hedgeworth Manor
Pawtucket, RI
Later that day
Ashleigh Hedgeworth stepped out of the limousine, clutching her purse tightly. As the various servants unpacked her baggage, she looked at the front door. With her finals completed, she walked to the door with trepidation. She remembered her mother had mentioned that her younger sisters had manifested their powers, At Thanksgiving they had obviously hit their growth spurt, looking less like typical thirteen-year-olds, and more like her own age of fifteen years. She walked in and headed for her room, or at least she had intended to. Blocking her path were two familiar, yet different blue-eyed blondes. They had grown even more in the past month, and that infuriated Ashleigh. She was now shorter than them, even if by only an inch. She could deal with that, the thing that really annoyed her was that her sisters had not only caught up to her, but far passed her in looks. She gave them a quick glance up and down. Both of them had hourglass figures, and breasts that had to be at least a D cup.
With a cold glare, she spoke. “Renata, Allegra. It’s so good to see you.”
The sarcasm was absolutely dripping from her words, and if the twins had noticed, they didn’t let on.
“Are mother or father about?” She asked.
Allegra looked at her, and from seemingly nowhere, produced a large staff. It was easily six foot long, and the ornate staff was topped with a cross that appeared to be a combination of mithril, orichalum, and gold. A blue stone sat affixed at the junction of the two beams of the cross, and glowed a bright blue.
“Hello sister, bigger no longer.” She said with a wicked grin. Indeed, though two years younger than her, the twins could have easily passed for seventeen, perhaps even eighteen. The form-fitted black leather corset and pants did nothing to dismiss that opinion. Renata crept up to stand behind her identical sibling, an ornate long-sword in her hand. In contrast, she wore a white leather corset and tight pants.
“Little indeed.” the other twin said, her voice heavy with venom towards their elder sibling. She pressed close to her doppelganger, and suggestively kissed her cheek.
Allegra took a deep breath. “Let’s rid ourselves of the pain, and go... play.”
Ashleigh had had enough of the brats. Without a word, she locked her eyes on them both and bit off her own tongue and swallowed it. While her siblings rolled on the ground, crying as their pain receptors flared with sensations that Ashleigh forced on them. Half a minute later she once again had her tongue, and she decided not to hold it.
“You two had better learn some respect. Keep in mind that whatever you do to try to hurt me, I can visit it back on you. Also… remember that you cutting me or burning me or whatever other magic you may wish to use will not dissuade me from teaching you a lesson. Pain and I go way back, pain is not my enemy… pain is my lover.”
While her sisters writhed on the floor in agony, Ashleigh calmly walked up to her room. With a sigh, she crashed onto her bed. She sighed, and opened up her phone. There were e-mails and messages from the usual opportunistic girls that lived in the area, the social climbers that heard she was back from Sweden or France or Wherever she went to. Those got promptly deleted. She saw a message from her father, and opened it.
Ashleigh, your mother and I will not be able to attend Christmas and New Years with you girls, as an important business opportunity has come about in our Wisconsin holdings. As the eldest child now, you are expected to take care of your sisters. No bullying them, no fighting. Reginald and the staff have been informed that you are in charge, however there are of course limitations.
We will be expecting a good report about your behavior.
Sincerely,
Your father.
Ashleigh resisted the urge to throw her phone across the room. Shaking her head, she set the phone down and walked to the door. Walking down the grand staircase, she saw her sisters still on the floor.
“Get up!” she barked. “Mother and Father won’t be home for the holidays. They left me in charge, so we’d best get along. The staff will be giving them a full recounting. While I can shrug off any injuries you two try to inflict, you can’t say the same, and I have an extensive knowledge about how to cause maximum damage and pain.”
The twins looked at each other and then back at her, nodding slowly. Allegra spoke up, malice clear in her voice. “Agreed, We’ll play nice for now.”
Shaking her head, and rolling her eyes, Ashleigh simply responded by saying “My room, five minutes.”
She turned and walked back up the stairs.
Sure enough, at the requested time, the twins were seated on Ashleigh’s bed, while she lay sprawled across her couch. Renata was looking at her sword, which was slung at her hip. Allegra gripped her staff tensely.
With a sigh, Ashleigh looked at them. “No need to worry. I’m not going to do anything. I just want to talk. I know that you don’t trust me, and don’t like me, but mother has plans for us all. You know about the bunnybitch that got our brother killed. She’s going to be arriving at my school soon. Father wants us to go after the Richmond twins, but Mother seems to be more ambitious in her desires. We all grew up in this adversarial environment, and while I would like nothing more than to torment you all, I fear her more.”
Allegra snorted derisively, while Renata laughed quietly.
Furrowing her brow, Ashleigh looked at her sisters. “You don’t know, do you? You really don’t know.”
“Know what?” Renata said, puzzled.
“What do you know about mother, exactly?” Ashleigh said.
Renata looked at her sword. “She’s older than she looks, I think she may be like one hundred, one hundred fifty years old.”
Ashleigh laughed out loud. “Mother is far older than that. To put it into perspective, she’s older than Christianity. She claimed to me to have been there watching as Jesus performed the miracle of the loaves and fishes. She’s had over five hundred children. Supposedly Joan of Arc was one of her descendants.”
Renata gasped, and dropped her sword on the floor, cowering behind her sister. “Mother told me that the sword she gave me was Joan of Arc’s sword… but I didn’t believe it possible.”
Looking at her other sister, who was also fidgeting with their weapon, Ashleigh asked. “And you? What about yours?”
“She...s..said this was the ferula of Pope Sixtus the IVth… whatever that means” Allegra mumbled.
Ashleigh pondered that. It was likely true, given their mother’s twisted sense of humor.
“I learned a bit about him in my European History class. He ordered the construction of the Sistine Chapel, started the Vatican Library… oh, and was responsible for the papal decree Exigit Sinceræ Devotionis, which eventually led to the Spanish Inquisition.”
Allegra dropped the ornate staff. “I wasn’t expecting the Spanish Inquisition”
Ashleigh sighed. “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.”
Standing up, Ashleigh sauntered over to where the artifacts lay. She picked them up and handed them back to her sisters. “Mother undoubtedly has plans within plans within plans. I think it best that we work together with her. But at the same time, keep an eye on her. She is contracted to a demon, hence her long life… and that means trouble.”
The twins shuddered, looking at their older sister. “You didn’t know? I once caught her sacrificing girls in an occult ritual, I was scared for years. I never knew why until we talked at Thanksgiving. She was dying, and in exchange for serving him, the demon healed her, and unlocked her dormant mutant genes. Mother says that we may have distant relatives all over Europe, and possibly by now, the entire world. I wouldn’t doubt that we might even have some at Whateley right now.”
Leaving her younger sisters to digest this information, Ashleigh wearily walked up the stairs to her room. Closing the door, she stripped off all her clothing. she walked into her bathroom and sat on the tiled floor. Her chest ached. The spiritual cyst that had formed around the magic her mother had injected her with at Thanksgiving caused her great pain and discomfort. Normally, she welcomed pain. Relished it, enjoyed it. But this was different. It was foreign, An alien sensation pressing on her soul. Crawling over to her vanity, Ashleigh took out the large scissors.
An hour later
Sitting on the floor and hugging her knees, Ashleigh looked around her. Parts of her sternum, rib cage and various shredded pieces of unidentifiable meat lay scattered about. The blood formed large pools, and covered the walls, the floor, and the ceiling. It didn’t matter to her, the help would clean it up. She was famished, as was expected after regenerating so much mass. Ashleigh crawled to the shower and turned on the water, allowing the cascading water to rinse the blood from her body. She was emaciated, seeing a starved stick-figure in the mirror. She needed to regain mass. Gorging herself would put back on the weight, if she could hobble downstairs. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to excise the magical mass, but she had hoped. In the end, there was nothing there… nothing physical, at least.
Vatican City
December 8th, 1943
The guards for the vault lay unconscious as Genevieve Lavigne slipped into the reliquary. The Vatican City while recognized for its neutrality, was on high alert. The Allied Forces had invaded Italy, and were advancing through the south. Citizens were panicking, and the Pontiff had responded. The Pontifical Swiss Guard had been activated to fortify the territory, The Papal Gendarmarie Corps had been assigned to protecting the Pope. Genevieve did not know where the Noble Guard or Palatine Guard were, but they were not guarding the valuables contained within the vault.
Brushing her blonde hair away from her face, she removed the bandage that covered her eye and dispelled the illusion of fresh scarring that she used to hide in plain sight. With a wave of her hand, she opened the heavy door and it creaked open. She smiled as she picked up a small, unimpressive wooden cup. That this relic was so carelessly stored amused her. She put it down, as she looked around at the other valuable relics.
Gazing at the fragments of the Holy Cross, she pondered another visit, one with more assistance to loot the reliquary. She saw in a corner the objects she was after. But before she could go over to claim them, she stopped. She could sense the magical aura that had entered the reliquary.
“Darrow,” she said to the intruder, not even turning to look at the person who had entered. “what brings you here?”
Charles Darrow emerged from the shadows. “Madam Occulus” he said rather plainly.
Genevieve Smiled and turned. “Oh come now, I haven't used that name in over fifty years.”
Looking over the man before her, She tilted her head as she looked at his SS uniform, “A new look for you. Can’t say I like it.”
Darrow frowned. “I don’t much care what you think. The Nazis serve their purpose. Romani magic is very dangerous, and this solution is perfect. As a bonus, I get plenty of corpses to use as I see fit.”
Shaking her head, Genevieve looked at him. “You should be more careful how you talk to me, If I wished, I could rid this world of you without working up a sweat. However, I’m feeling magnanimous right now. Let me know what you are here for, and I might let you go, provided it doesn’t conflict with my own plans.”
“I have an interest in that cross beam, but learning that the Holy Grail is here… that surpasses my expectations.” the Necromancer said gleefully.
“You still haven’t learned.” The senior mage said to her former apprentice. She picked up the wooden cup and tossed it to Darrow. “The Holy Grail only grants power to the virtuous. If you or I were to drink from it, we would die within seconds.”
The Necromancer put the cup down. “How can you be so sure of this?”
“Because the papacy is many things, but seldom virtuous. If the Pope were to publicly divulge they have the Holy Grail, the masses would insist their spiritual leader drink from it. It’s bad publicity if your highest ranking religious figure suddenly dies if they drink from a holy relic.”
“You always were a bitch, glad to see that hasn’t changed.” With a bow, Darrow picked up the large wooden beam, turned on his heel, and exited the reliquary.
Smiling, the Sorceress walked over to her true target. Lifting the rusty sword from the stand in the corner, she strapped it to her back. She looked around the vault, and seeing a large ornate ferula. Her mage sight had locked in on these two items in particular, and she had to know why. It was as if the fates had a plan for her. She dismissed that thought immediately, the Tao had often interfered with her plans in the past. No, this was something else. Something that she couldn’t quite figure out.
Later that day
Genevieve sat in her hotel room, looking at the battered sword. She probed it with her magic, examining the dirt and blood. There was no doubt the blood resonated with her own, however faintly. This was the mythical Sword of St. Jeanne. It was worth the effort to steal it, if for no other reason than to keep it away from the Handmaidens. But if she could corrupt it, bend it towards her purposes… she smiled and began to laugh wickedly.
