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Post by amysutherland on May 14, 2005 16:15:46 GMT -5
She walked down the darkening streets hunched over in her battered leather coat. Orange streetlamps were flickering into life sending out pools of light into the gathering gloom. Snow clouds were congregating on the horizon while Christmas lights emitted a festive glow through frosted windows. Amy took it all in with cold eyes. The season held no happiness for her, only argumentative memories.
She ploughed on through the emptying streets pulling her coat collar tighter against the evening air. Tonight was her night off. The previous evening she had delivered a particularly elusive mark who she had been tracking for the past two weeks. She was rewarded richly for her efforts and felt she deserved some down time.
A passer by carrying many bulging bags gave her an odd look as she passed. It was her sunglasses and she knew it, but if he had seen her actual eyes she was quite sure the contents of those bags would now be sprawled across the pavement. She carried on regardless and totally ignored the church where Christmas carols could be heard seeping out of the old doors. Anyone else may have stopped and listened to the beautiful sound, but Amy didn’t even slow her pace. Something that did make her stop, however, was the window of an electronics shop where the TV’s were tuned to a news report. The newsreader was talking about a ‘disturbance’ in a subway station not far from her current position. Of course she knew that he was talking about a mutant incident, it was clear from the tone of his voice and the way he looked at the reporter at the scene.
She listened to a couple of hurried interviews with eye-witnesses before the newsreader moved onto another item. Partly out of curiosity and partly because she had nothing better to do she decided to go and take a look at the station. It beat aimlessly walking the streets.
She crossed the road and headed in the direction of the station.
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Post by xman on May 14, 2005 23:53:24 GMT -5
((continued from the "Bad Luck" thread))
She just sat there in the blue recliner, while he struggled to walk, watching his every move. "Umm, you take care now, thanks for the rescue," he smiled as he walked out of the room. He expected her to say something or go after him, but as he continued to walk down the tunnel towards the station he didn't hear or see her.
"Well that was strange," he thought aloud, he wondered where he would go to get himself fixed up. By the time he reached the train station and it was packed with cops and reporters. "damn it, how the hell am I going to get out of here without getting seen?" He tought for a while and decided that causing a distraction would work the best in this situation. He fired a blast at the other end of the station, and sure enough everyone looked in that direction. "Heres my chance," He was tired and in pain so the stairs were no help, as he limped his way up them he bumped into a young woman.
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Post by amysutherland on May 15, 2005 8:08:32 GMT -5
She felt the explosion beneath her before she heard it. She was still a distance from the entrance to the subway and wouldn’t have gone any closer under normal circumstances. The place was crawling with cops, reporters and many curious civilians. They all lunged forward and were pushed back when they all heard the blast. People came coughing out of the entrance, a young battered looking man among them.
She trusted her instincts and moved towards him. Taking his arm she gently guided him away from the crowds and down a side street. While he caught his breath she kept a look out. She threw him a bottle of water, but didn’t speak to him. She was already cursing herself for getting involved in the first place.
She hunched up in her coat once more as she leaned on the wall scanning the street with her sharp eyes.
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Post by xman on May 15, 2005 11:02:24 GMT -5
Nate felt the young women he bumped into guide him out of the scared and frantic crowd and down the side street. Nate didn't know this women therefore he did not trust her, but he was to weak and to tired to fight her.
She waited with him while he caught his breath, and gave him water. "Well thank you, second time today that a women has had to save my ass," Nate spoke while huffing and puffing still trying to catch his breath. He then spoke again trying not to sound ungrateful "I hope you won't mind me asking this question, who the hell are you?"
Waiting for an answer he leaned up against the wall and slowly sat down on the street pulling the collar of his black duster up.
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Post by amysutherland on May 15, 2005 11:16:24 GMT -5
"I hope you won't mind me asking this question, who the hell are you?"
Actually she did mind, but replied none the less.
“I’m no one of consequence, but you can call me Sphinx if you’re desperate.”<br> Her voice had an air of boredom about it. She didn’t look at him instead she spoke over her shoulder. Still, she was feeling something about this young man. A sort of similarity in their situations. She wanted to walk off, go to her regular bar and have a drink or two. Somehow this seemed out of the question now.
She sighed and turned to face him.
“You hungry?”
So much for her night off.
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Post by xman on May 15, 2005 11:48:15 GMT -5
"I’m no one of consequence, but you can call me Sphinx if you’re desperate."
Her answer to his question felt forced as if did not wish to reply but did anyway. He stood up just as slow as when he sat down. "So Sphinx, that's the name right I'm Nate Grey," He then tried to walk away, but stoped himself, he didn't want to leave her, he didn't know why but he felt connection to Sphinx that was unexplainable.
“You hungry?”
To tell the truth Nate was starving the beating he had taken seemed to have given his appetite a rather great boost. "Yea sure I wouldn't mind a little food."
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Post by amysutherland on May 15, 2005 12:29:20 GMT -5
"Yea sure I wouldn't mind a little food."
She motioned with her head for him to follow her and began walking in the opposite direction of the subway. She was fully aware of Nate’s limp so she kept her pace a lot slower then normal but she was always a couple of steps ahead of him.
She quickly turned away from the main road and lead Nate through a maze of alleyways and places only shady people knew about. After 10 minutes of steady walking she stopped before a quietly lit dingy door with a neon open sign above it.
“Just one word of warning. If anyone called Andreas tries to talk to you tell him to shove off ok?”<br> She didn’t wait for a reply, but opened the door. The exterior was very misleading to what lay within. Warm yellow light spilled into the back alley along with a babble of voices, up tempo music and the delicious smell of pizza.
A rounded and moustached man walked over to Amy and Nate as they entered wearing a smile on his face and his arms open in a friendly gesture.
“Welcome to Joe’s Pizzeria. Ah, my dear lady, it has been some time no?”<br> He had a thick Italian accent and wasn't afraid to show it. The man grasped Amy’s hand and she smiled in return fully exposing her enlarged K9’s.
“Hey Joe. It has been some time.”<br> “The usual?”<br> “Yeah, make that two.”<br> “I have your seat all ready for you. Come.”<br> Italian music played unobtrusively through crackling speakers. To their right was a long bar where lone people sat on high bar stools sipping drinks thinking about their troubles. Joe led them over to a small booth near the back of the restaurant, passing many others like it on the way. They were either empty or filled with multiple shifty characters deep in discussion.
He stopped at the last booth, waited for them both to sit and took out a small notepad.
“Something to drink perhaps? The usual?”<br> “Not tonight. I’m off duty. Surprise me.”<br> “And what about your friend?”<br> She glanced over to Nate.
“He’ll have a club soda.”<br> Joe made a note on his pad and walked away.
“Alcohol won’t help you. Believe me.”<br> She made herself comfortable and decided to take off her glasses. She wondered how Nate would react to her being a mutant, but being one himself she didn’t think it would be much.
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Post by xman on May 15, 2005 13:47:21 GMT -5
As she started to walk Nate followed as fast as he could given the circumstances he stayed pretty close to her. They made a lot of twist and turns before they finally came to a stop in front of a dingy looking door, making him wonder how edible the food really was.
“Just one word of warning. If anyone called Andreas tries to talk to you tell him to shove off ok?”
Nate nodded as she opened the door to what he couldn't believe it was the complete opposite of what he came to think from the outside appearance. The smell of pizza and the music made for a nice atmosphere. As they walked in a well rounded man with a thick moustache greeted them with smile and an Italian accent.
The man grapsed Sphinx's hand and smiled at her, she smiled back showing some very large K9's, much made sense to Nate because no human would help him like she did. She said his name was Joe and this was his pizzeria. Joe lead them to the back of the pizzeria pass a bar were people were drinking and having a nice time. They passed many booths until they reached theirs. Then Joe took out a notepad ready to take their order.
“Something to drink perhaps? The usual?”<br> “Not tonight. I’m off duty. Surprise me.”<br> “And what about your friend?”<br> She glanced over to Nate.
“He’ll have a club soda.”
Joe made a note on his pad and walked away. Nate looked over at her, she was very comanding person, he kinda liked it.
“Alcohol won’t help you. Believe me.”
"Yea, I guess your right, so how did you find this place?"
She took of her glasses showing her cat like eyes, he kind of liked them they made her seem dangerous, he slowly took off his duster and pushed it to the side.
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Post by amysutherland on May 15, 2005 15:18:23 GMT -5
Amy had seated herself facing the door. It was a habit. It opened not long later and a single bald man entered. Their eyes met and she gave him a recognisable nod. He busied himself at the bar and didn’t look at her again.
"Yea, I guess your right, so how did you find this place?"
Nates voice broke her thoughts and she answered simultaneously taking off her coat and fingerless gloves.
“While I was on business.”<br> She noticed that a man with orange eyes two booths down kept on glancing up at her. She shifted her position just in case she had to get up quickly.
Joe came over shortly and placed their drinks on the table with a smile. In one swift movement she grabbed his arm just as he was leaving. She pulled him closer so she could talk without being overheard.
“Has there been any, trouble, round her lately Joe?”<br> She stressed the trouble. Joe looked apprehensive and anxiously looked around before leaning in even closer.
“Some of the-a regulars come-a no more-a.”<br> Amy nodded, while looking back at the man with orange eyes.
“Tell me, who’s he.”<br> She pointed with her eyes. Joe had a quick look then pretended he was organizing the napkins.
“He-a…he de reason my regulars come no more. They-a say-a he is-a connected to tha Mob. He-a just-a paying-a costumer to me, but he-a…” Joe tried to find the right words, “… He-a give-a dis place a bad-a name-a. You know what-a I mean-a?”<br> Amy nodded and Joe straightened up.
“It-a would-a been-a better if never come-a.”<br> With that he walked away and Amy sat back in her chair thinking for a moment. She took a sip of her drink which turned out to be a martini and lemonade. She really must’ve been coming here for a long time if Joe could make her exactly what she wanted.
She glanced back at Nate before looking back at the man who was bent over in discussion with his friends. In her head she was assessing every probability that might happen and what she could do in each situation. On the outside, however, she looked to be following a fly with her constantly flickering eyes.
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Post by xman on May 15, 2005 17:00:06 GMT -5
“While I was on business.”
"Oh thats interesting." Nate noticed she wasn't really paying attention, she looking at someone in another booth. Then Joe came over and handed them their drinks, "Thanks Joe," he drank some of his club soda, he hated it but drank it nonetheless. As Joe was leaving Sphinx grabed him and they had a quick and quiet conversation, "what was that all about?" Nate thought to himself. When they were finished she just sat there not saying a word, she looked to be following a fly with her constantly flickering eyes.
"So what was that all about, is there something I should know about?"
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Post by amysutherland on May 16, 2005 10:25:02 GMT -5
"So what was that all about, is there something I should know about?"
She silently shook her head and took another sip of her drink. She sighed and began running her finger through some spilled salt. After a pause she looked up, her eyes flicked to the man two booths down before settling back on Nate.
“So…what happened in the subway?”<br> She was making small talk. She knew something was going to happen, but there was some time yet so she figured she may as well know something about the latest stray she had brought in.
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Post by xman on May 16, 2005 11:07:37 GMT -5
He got his answer with a slightest movement of her head as she continued to sip her drink slowly. He drank some more of his club soda.
“So…what happened in the subway?”
He looked down and started to tell her what happened to him that night in the subway. "I bumped into an asshole and my mouth got me into some problems..." he stoped to drink some more then he continued "so i ended up getting jumped by him and his fake skin head friends, but once they figured out I was a mutant I got it even worse," he pointed to his possibly broken arm. "I ended it, when I knocked them out with a little blast."
He stoped and finished off his club soda, "I'm lucky you helped me the way you did, I really didn't want to deal with the cops or the reporters." He smiled and slowly laid his injured arm onto his lap.
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Post by amysutherland on May 16, 2005 11:17:01 GMT -5
"I'm lucky you helped me the way you did, I really didn't want to deal with the cops or the reporters."
“Well there’s something we have in common.”<br> She took another casual sip of her drink. Shortly Joe came over and laid two piping hot pizzas on the table.
“There-a we go-a. Enjoy.”<br> He said it with a warm and genuine smile. He noticed Amy looking once more at the man and turned back to her. She raised her eyes up at him and said quite calmly:
“Send me the bill ok?”<br> He leaned back, the smile wiped from his face, and gave a reluctant nod. He then hurried away to the kitchen in the back. Three heavy bolts slid slowly across the door, but this was only audible to Amy.
She looked back to Nate.
“Well, eat up. We haven’t got much time.”<br> There was a pause as she glanced behind him.
“By the way, how good are you in a fight?”
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Post by xman on May 16, 2005 11:32:39 GMT -5
"Well there’s something we have in common."
Nate nodded in agreement, then Joe finally came over and brought them their pizza, they were extremely hot and smelled great. "Thanks Joe, they look great," he smiled at Joe and grabed the pizza with his good arm. As Joe was leaving he and Sphinx had another quick conversation.
“Well, eat up. We haven’t got much time.”
He nodded and took a bite.
“By the way, how good are you in a fight?”
He looked at her and swallowed the piece of pizza he had in his mouth, "Yea I can hold my own, but in this state I'm not sure if I would be any good, why do you ask?"
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Post by amysutherland on May 17, 2005 12:18:09 GMT -5
"Yea I can hold my own, but in this state I'm not sure if I would be any good, why do you ask?"
“Well, just stay back then ok? I think I may be in some trouble.”<br> She said this while putting her gloves back on, her eyes never straying from her target. She downed the rest of her drink and edged over on her seat.
She casually got up and walked over to bar looking as though she was intending to buy a drink. She waited a few moments as the three men behind her got up and moved over to her. She took a deep breath before what she knew was about to happen.
One of the orange man’s cronies threw a punch at the back of her head. She dodged it, caught his arm and flipped him over the bar. He flew into the wall and fell to the floor bringing down many glass bottles with him. She spun around, ducked under the lunge of the other crony, grabbed his arm and bent it backwards simultaneously pushing his head into the edge of the bar. He collapsed under it while the first crony jumped over the bar and began hurling more punches at her. She deflected all of them and chucked in a couple of her own. One particularly bad blow to the stomach left him bent double. She swiftly gave him an elbow to the base of his neck and came upwards with her knee. It connected with his nose as a sickening crunch reverberated in the air.
He fell to the floor to join his teammate while the man with the orange eyes advanced on her wielding a truncheon. He may have been fast and strong, but Amy was far quicker and dodged everything he threw at her. After a dazzling series of moves she had him bent over as she forced his left arm up his back.
He cried out in pain as she twisted it further, his right arm was hanging by his side obviously dislocated. She talked into his ear.
“Who sent you?”<br> “No one!”<br> “Who sent you?”<br> “NO ON-ARGH!”<br> She pushed his arm up higher and asked again with more force.
“WHO SENT YOU?”
“NO - ARRRRRGGHH!......OK, ok.”<br> He panted as he spoke.
“It was...Cognomi.”<br> “Enrico Cognomi?”<br> “Yeah, yeah.... Enrico.”<br> “I should’ve known. Well, you tell Mr Enrico that if he ever, ever tries to do something like this again I will hunt him out and paralyze him from the neck down. Comprende?”<br> “Yeah, yeah. I get it.”<br> “Good.”<br> She released him and he backed away towards the door grasping his dislocated shoulder.
“And take your playmates with you.”<br> He made some gestures to his friends. The one with the broken nose got up unsteadily and tried to rouse his mate. When he didn’t wake up he grabbed one of his arms with his left hand and began to drag him to the door, his right hand being occupied with his face.
Amy watched them go, let out a long sigh and flexed her hands.
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