POV Kieu :
She looked rough, but not enough to determine if anything 'horrific' had happened to her yet. Aside from the forced drug exposure she looked 'relatively' fine. She should honestly be thankful to the Merchants for their unusually gentle treatment of her.
I look her up and down, inwardly wondering if those things were natural... She looked nothing like what you'd expect of a stereotypical Tinker, with blonde hair, a pale(likely from drugs) yet nice face with plump lips and long eyelashes... Most noticeable to any warm-blooded male was her body, huge breasts that looked like they may have been sculpted by Panacea(if she ever tried her hands at cosmetic surgery), a fat ass(in a good way), and an hourglass figure.
Were she not covered in her own waste and dirt, dressed in stained panties, and exhausted from drug use, she'd been an extraordinarily attractive woman... My less-than-pure inspection of her aside, I still had a job to do.
"So, you want help or not?" I ask while slowly strolling from one side of the room to the other. I'd never honestly admit it, but being a cat was too comfortable to be 'comfortable'... I imagined that in a few years if I didn't temper my will I'd be reluctant to stay in my humanoid form outside of emergencies...
"Y-yes! Please! I don't even know how long they've kept me here..." She rubs her arm while digging nails into her skin, inadvertently leaving pale trails across her filthy flesh.
"Alright." I mutter, transforming into my base form and jabbing a thumb behind me. "Grab on, we'll leave through the roof."
"Y-you're a kid!?" she blurts in surprise.
"Yeah? This kid's gonna save you, so either hold on or get back to the baby rendition." I drawl, and my nose twitches as she gets closer... She needed a shower asap.
"Baby-rendition...?" she quietly mutters as she wraps her arms around my neck.
"Rolling around on the floor while babbling and defecating on yourself..." I retort before unleashing my claws and climbing up the wall with the woman as a rucksack. I have to peel back the roof a bit for us to fit, but soon we're stood atop one of the warehouses in the area. It'd be tough to get out given we were in the centre of Merchant turf, but I wasn't exactly expecting to go quiet.
We look over the edge of the roof and spot an alleyway on the opposite side of the street... Unfortunately, below us guarding the warehouse door were three Merchants. One was strung out nearby on a dirty couch, completely out of it on whatever he'd taken, while the others still seemed to be conscious.
"H-how are we going to get out!? We'll be spotted as soon as we get to the ground!" the woman fearfully exclaims. "Can you do that cat trick on both of us?"
I shake my head, "No, it's a 'me-only' type of deal. I do have a plan though." I state as I let myself fall off the side. She gasps but covers her mouth with her hands as I drop towards the two junkies, claws spread.
I fall right between them, and before I hit the ground I bury my fingers into the their necks, just below the backs of their skulls. A crack sounds out, along with a thud as they drop like puppets with the strings cut, which isn't a bad metaphor given I'd severed if not their brainstem then just below it.
That done, I walk up to the last living junkie and rake my claws across his neck, killing him. I look back up at the Tinker and see her retching while emptying the content of her stomach, huh, I'd have thought given the torture she'd been put through she'd be less sensitive about killing them...
Climbing back up, I gesture to my back as she wipes her mouth of vomit. "Let's go before someone notices the bodies."
"Y-you just killed them! A kid! I-I-It's sick!" her stifled voice shouts.
"They were going to rape you." I drawl as I slide down a pipe with her on my back, "Even if they didn't have that planned, they probably deserved it anyway."
"B-but you don't know that... A-and you shouldn't be judge, jury, and e-executioner!"
I sigh and rub my face, accidentally smearing it with blood, "How many times am I going to have this same damn conversation... Look, think what you want, but shut your mouth until after we're safe?"
I take her lack of response as her, if reluctant agreement.
We duck through an abandoned bus depot to avoid some junkies and passed a trashed liquor store when shouting could be heard. "Jigs up, they found the bodies." I whisper as the sound of multiple modified engines fills the background of the night.
She was still frail from her 'drug treatment' but I dragged her over to the waterfront, jumping down onto a dilapidated pier and towards the ship graveyard. But by the time we were halfway headlights appeared above us, and illuminated the bay as we hid under the ledge overlooking the wharf.
"Run, I'll hold 'em off." I urge. They only had a couple capes, and those they had weren't exactly powerhouses.
"But-"
"Shut the fuck up and go. I can handle myself, you'll only hold me back. Go. Now!"
...
"I'll remember this." she promises with moist eyes before fleeing towards the boat graveyard. As she leaves I leap up onto the upper ledge to prevent anyone following her, catching a stray Merchant grunt by punching my claws through his chest.
This, of course, directly in the headlights of five cars, and in front of every Merchant that'd come... I could barely make out their silhouettes due to the blinding lights, but it was more than twenty at the very least.
"Johnny! That fucking jap-cat killed 'em!"
"KILL 'EM BACK THEN!"
I leap to the side while using the corpse in my hands as a meat shield against the couple thugs who actually had guns. Bullets pinged around me but the only thing they hit were the spasming half-alive dude who hadn't registered his missing heart yet.
The body gets tossed as I reach a nearby building, hiding behind the corner and reaching for the gun at the back of my waistband.
The Merchants, perhaps thinking I'd fled, ran over to where I was hiding without much caution. A stupid idea as I proved by slashing the throat of the nearest man. He goes down with a gurgle but I continue, raising my own pistol and rapidly firing some shots at them.
Two hit non-lethal areas while the last of my barrage clips a driver who was hanging out of the window of his stationary car to shoot at me... He drops and ends up jamming the accelerator down. The car must've been an automatic as it immediately jolted forward and crashed into two Merchants, crushing them under its tires before crashing into the bay.
Half stunned by the chaotic events, the rest of the Merchants don't stand much of a chance. They weren't nearly as organised as the other gangs, and since most were half out of their minds on drugs, I was standing amidst a pile of corpses barely three minutes later...
I was half tempted to follow the Tinker to recruit her into my services, but I was sure the gains I'd make from killing the Merchant leader, Skidmark, would be worth more than a random Tinker.
It wasn't like I couldn't find her later anyway...
---------------------
After interrogating one of the goons on Skidmark's whereabouts, I quickly made my way to the warehouse where his 'office' supposedly is. Scanning it, the entire place was boarded up like a zombie shelter, forcing me to go loud through a wall like the cool aid guy or quiet through the front door.
I picked the latter option, especially with how many Merchants had been mobilised after the recent massacre. I could handle twenty or thirty comfortably, fifty maybe I could handle if they weren't properly armed. But a hundred armed junkies with nothing to lose, who might have cape assistance? No chance.
I drop onto the guy guarding the front door, caving his skull in with my heels before ducking inside and finding myself in a hallway... At the of it, surprisingly, Skidmark stood.
If there were pictures in the dictionary, this guy would have his face above 'Junkie'. He was the absolute epitome of the word at every angle. The trash makeshift mask only covered the upper part of his face, leaving his mangled yellow teeth still in view. The bare blotchy arms filled with needle marks and other scars. The emaciated body that seemed to imply the guy had replaced food with whatever narcotics he enjoyed...
Even if he was a cape, I had nothing to fear from him. I'd done my research, and I was honestly surprised he was a leader of anything at all, especially an anarchic band of psychos who'd kill their closest friend for a bag of weed. Strength mattered, and this guy lacked it.
His power? According to PHO, witnesses, and PRT interviews, and what the ABB knew, the guy was able to create an area which would push things in certain directions. It was basically a speed boost pad from Mario cart. He'd been seen applying it to equipment and other things, but the strongest instance observed had been when he'd had it enhance a punch to around Brute 2. Enough to crack concrete but nothing I should be scared of.
Anywhere marked with his power gave off a weak blue glow, and judging by the more than intense glow in the area of the hallway directly in front of Skidmark, I imagined he'd placed them on both the floor, walls, and ceiling. Was this why he'd chosen a base with a long ass hallway as an entrance?
The crack-head gives me a cocky grin and tilts his head in my direction, "So you're the cunt-rocket who stole my bitch!? Didn't you know it's rude to touch another man's shit before he's fucking done with it!?"
"My bitch now," I shrug, "You know how it is, take your eyes off of them for a minute and they stray."
"Ha! Damn right! Shit, if you weren't one of 'dem AB-Bastards I might've liked you! You sure ya don't wanna swap sides and kick it to them squinty-eyed samuroids!? I can tell you right now we've got better cookies than whatever they're givin' you!"
"I wouldn't accept a boxed, unused pair of shoes from you, let alone food." I retort, "I'd have thought you'd have a hundred goons standing in between us... Where's this confidence coming from?"
"You'd like to find out wouldn't you, you bloody hemeroid... You don't talk like a kid, you know that? You sure you ain't just a midget?"
"I'm sure. Why?"
His grin gets wider, "Because I kinda feel bad about doing this." he moves his foot, dislodging something under some old newspapers. All I saw was the glint of metal when something blasted past like a bullet.
*CRAASH!*
My eyes flit behind me at the now-missing door, then at the building with had a huge crater in the side of it, the only evidence of what'd occurred being the half-shattered circular saw blade still stuck in the street's tarmac.
My body tilts sideways as I lose balance, unable to stand on my leg. Then, the pain started, as my leg from mid-calm down slides away and hits the floor, cut off cleanly from the rest of my body.
"W-What the fuck was that!?" I shout, clutching my injury and still in disbelief by what'd happened. I'd done my research! Skidmark shouldn't be able to produce projectiles faster than the speed of sound!
"Fucking tool! Did you think I'm dumb enough to face a shit-head like you without a backup plan!?"
Another cape? A mine? Timed ballistic?
"H-how?" I rasp, clutching my leg which was thankfully beginning to clot.
Skidmark picks up another rusty circular saw blade from the ground and holds his arms out, gesturing at the still-active glowing blue marks. "My power is shit! But no one's figured out that I can stack this shit to no end! I spent the last hour stacking these marks for your scrawny arse! I think I should be thanked for making this quick... Do it, say thanks!" he holds the saw blade near the mark, ready to try to take my head off with another supersonic projectile.
"O-only if I can have some last words..." I slowly respond, doing my best to ignore the pain and act the part of a scared child.
"Well, I'm a generous guy! Whaddya wanna say little man? Tell me where your mum lives and I might give her a tip... My tip, I mean." he chortles, snorting in an incredibly unattractive manner.
I nod, "Yeah... OMEGA BEAM!" I roar, holding my hand out at him and blasting as much magic as I could.
"HiiyaaAHH!" He gives a surprise scream and rears back, not expecting my sudden actions... Of course, he's surprised when all that comes out of my fingertips is blinding light, but before his vision returned I was already sprinting out of there in my cat form, still one leg down.
Hope you bois liked the chap, if I missed anything please let me know. Thanks!
If you like my content or want to read ahead please go to : https://www.p.atreon.com/Nagross, I'd appreciate it.
Also, thanks to my patrons for their support :
Kingsprovince
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Peter Evans
Will Noir the Destroyer
JayJonnaJamison
"Motherfucker-fucker-motherfuccker!" I mentally shouted as I limped down the road, my cat form leaving me with three legs available instead of just one. I can't believe I let that piece of shit get the better of me!? And why did no one know how powerful Skidmark's power could be!?
That rat-bag asshole shouldn't be smart enough to hide that info until now, a Thinker should've realised it!...
A low growl leaves my throat as I think it over. The Merchants were seen as a non-threat, which Skidmark took advantage of by letting everyone else draw attention from him... Regardless, I knew what his power could do now, and I knew he couldn't stay away forever.
I'd find where he lives and cut the fucker's throat before he could lay down a single mark. We'll see how long the gang lasts after I leave his head dangling from a lampost.
The thoughts of revenge are some of the only reprieve from the niggling phantom pains of my lost leg, which only got more painful as time progressed. I imagined regrowing the bone, muscle, and tendons would be hellish once the process began... I could only hope it'd grow back in my sleep, that or if my 'doctor' was available.
Contrary to what many might think, New Wave's home was easy to find... You'd think after Fleur was murdered out of costume they'd have got more security. It was a gated community to be fair, but it was hardly enough to ward off any capes powerful enough to threaten the family.
--------------------------------
POV Amy Dallon :
She paid attention to her sister, more than any sister really should, and it was for that reason she'd picked up Vicky's rather shit poker face. Her story about meeting and 'chasing' the new ABB cat cape was an average one for cape standards, but unlike Carol, Amy had picked up on Vicky's ticks and social queues almost instantly.
After following her up to her room and confronting her, Vicky quickly spilt the beans. To hear that 'Guitar Boy', the not-cape she'd become the 'unofficial' doctor for and had been incommunicado for weeks, had become a murdering psycho gangster was a hard pill to swallow.
Sure, Vicky spoke of his reasoning and even leaned towards it in her own way, but she couldn't help but feel the boy was twisting her mind. It might be pedantic, but they were heroes. They put villains and monsters away, saved the day, and didn't bend to awkward situations like what'd been thrust at them.
At least she now knew where the money he'd given Mr Hotaro and his grandaughter had come from... And knew to be disgusted by it, blood money of any origin was to be reviled, after all. She wondered how Mr Hotaro would feel to know the boy had become part of the gang that crippled his family.
There was the factor of his kidnapped mother but, he could've sought help. Even if Vicky thinks his reasoning was correct, it doesn't make it right or just! No one, no matter who they are, is worth hundreds of lives. Even if she could understand that part of the sentiment.
She leans against the window and lets out a sigh as a breeze blows her hair to the side. "Why can't she just understand that things aren't so black and white..." she mutters to herself, "Just because you can sympathise with someone doesn't make them a 'good guy'... That's just naive thinking."
Of course, while she would never admit it, most of her frustration was coming from two other sources... The first being her work at the hospital, and the second... Her burgeoning feelings for her sister, those that she knew would or could never be reciprocated.
"This just gets worse the longer it goes on..." she groans to herself. It was probably just puberty pushing her emotions into hyperdrive but it was still sick. "Uuughh..." she cups her eyes with her hands, "If anyone knew about it they'd call me a freak!"
*Mooouuueow...*
...
She opens her eyes and looks out the window as the motion detection light flashes on, revealing a dirty, crippled white cat limping outside the house, meowing pathetically.
"I don't get a break even when I'm home, huh..." she remarks while climbing out of the window, hopping onto a nearby tree and dropping to the ground as the feline approaches her.
"That's a clean cut... Who would do this to their cat?" she grouses as she inspects it. It's surprisingly calm and allows her to look it over, lifting its leg to check for any more injuries along with its gender... It does let out a strange yelp as she inspects its genitals, but she places that it's instincts. "Maybe things would be different if I were born a guy...?" she wonders aloud as she sits on a tree stump and places a hand on it's head, preparing to give it's leg back.
Though... She doubted even if she were a man Vicky would look at her as anything other than family.
"Hm, you've got a tumour in your brain..." she mutters but shakes her head, "I could..." she trails off, recalling her recent arguments on the matter. "No... Guess you'll be enjoying your new leg for a couple months, before the tumour starts affecting you... Sorry."
Using nearby weeds, she uses their biomass to form a new appendage for the cat, which just sits silently as she works. Once done she lets out a sigh and fixes her patient with a look, "Well, you can go now..."
It doesn't move and she tries to shoo it away. Vicky had brought bad a dozen stray cats when she was younger and Carol always sent them away. She'd rather not suffer her mother's wrath, her punishments were always more severe than her sister's...
Despite her efforts however, the cat stays put and just stares at her, not reacting as she makes awkward hisses and hand movements at it... The slight tilt of its head looked almost mocking to her eyes.
"You're not some creep changer cape are you...?" she ganders, wondering if she'd accidentally healed some villain by mistake.
"You were the one staring at my cock..." she stifles a scream as she stands back away from the suddenly speaking feline.
Still stunned into silence, the cat tentatively flexes its new leg before slinking around, its gate awkward as it gets used to its new centre of balance. Finally, it hops onto the stump she was sitting on and flicks its ear as it stares at her. "Well? Cat got your tongue?"
Amy can't help but snort at that, "Another role-playing cape? Did Uber and Leet reject you?"
"I never sent a resume so I doubt it. Still waiting on the Slaughterhouse's reply though." the cat shrugs, the action looking mightily unnatural. Had she fallen into Wonderland or something?
"... Give me one good reason I shouldn't shout for my family, right now." she threatens.
"Because I'll tell everyone you want a sex change...? Or, y'know, the sexual harassment thing. Imagine the headline, 'Panacea sexually assaults cat!'"
She furrows her brows, but not because of what he said... "Your voice. I know it."
If a cat could look smug, this was it. It stands from its seat and turns to leave, but not before leaving her with some parting words. "I'd say this makes us about even. You should keep this quiet too, I doubt people would be happy to hear of you healing a villain, or about your bio-tinkering." he nods his head at the dead weeds used to create the new leg. "See you around, Amy."
With that he's gone, disappearing into the underbrush surrounding the suburban house, and leaving the thoroughly confused and irritated Panacea in his wake.
"Cat cape... Wait, Kieu!?"
-----------------------------
POV Kieu days later :
I was on my eighth set of katas in the ABB dojo when the doors were suddenly thrown open, drawing everyone's attention as Master Akiba and Mr Nishihara walked in with another, surprising addition to their entourage.
"Greetings everyone, please halt your activities for a moment as we introduce a new, exciting member to our number!" Akiba announces, stepping to the side to reveal a tall woman. She wore the same metal mask that every ABB cape wore, except this one depicted a demonic fanged woman, with crazy eyes and a long dangling tongue.
Her outfit was also quite odd, consisting of black robe-like clothes with armoured plates attached to some parts, like the shoulders, legs, and back. The only weapon she seemed to be equipped with was a short tanto on her hip, which she seemed rather uncomfortable to wear.
"This, is Gozen, and she is the fourth cape to join us. Please do not question her powers or anything personal, we would rather keep these things quiet until the right time." Nishihara glances at her, "Well then, Miss Gozen, you're here for a reason. Please don't take too much of our men's time." he says before exiting, leaving Akiba to watch things.
Almost immediately as the boss leaves Gozen jumps on her heel and quickly approaches me, and I could almost hear her smile... "Thank you for saving me, Kaibyo. You have no idea how bad a situation I was in, I'm so sorry for leaving!" she grips my free hand that wasn't holding a blade, "I'm in your debt."
...
The Tinker, this fucking idiot!
I grab her hand and glance at Akiba, nodding at him before speed walking to one of the free rooms. 'Gozen' is surprised by my sudden action, and even starts to protest saying I was 'too young for that sort of thing'.
Slamming the door behind us, I push her mask up to reveal her face and glower at her like a rabid animal. "Are you retarded? Why the fuck did you join the ABB!?"
"W-what do you mean? I wanted to help you, and they don't seem as bad as the Merchants..."
"Lady, these people are monsters! The only reason I'm still here is because they're holding someone close to me hostage! And you, a Tinker just jumped into their arms!?"
Her mouth forms an O as the consequences of her actions hit her, "B-but... I didn't have anywhere else to go... Would you rather I join the nazis...?"
I shake my head, "I'd rather you join no one!"
"Not even the PRT?" she questions unsurely.
"They're better than the gangs but not by much. And now you're stuck in the same shit situation as me!..." I rub the bridge of my nose, "What did you tell them about your powers...?"
"That I'm a Tinker. I built a suped-up toy car for them during my testing but I said I wouldn't do any more until I saw you..." she sheepishly admits.
"Toy car?"
"Well, it did have guns attached to it, and a bomb, a guess?"
Astounded at how casually she admitted to creating a remote-controlled mobile bomb, I looked at her blankly and asked, "What's your speciality?"
"Er, vehicles...?"
My eyes bulge at that. Every Tinker had a speciality that their creations leaned towards. Some were hyper-fixated on hard things like guns, and other were more esoteric, like 'mind control' or something.
I don't think she realises just how stupid powerful a 'vehicle' specialization was. It was essentially a 'grab-bag' version of Tinkers. It could apply both to hypersonic bikes and time machines. A full fucking Gundam to a Death Star.
As far as I understood, there was no limitation to what she could build as long as whatever it is could be piloted. Hell, it might even include fucking POWER ARMOUR! Thank god she hadn't revealed her specialization to Nishiara or Lung, otherwise the ABB might be shitting out Spartans or Space Marines within the year!
"Listen, tell NO ONE your specialisation, do you understand!?" I urge as seriously as I could project.
"B-but, what do I tell them when they ask?"
"Tell them you don't know your specialisation yet. That should hold 'em off until we find a way to leave." I say, inwardly wondering if she'd manage to keep her mouth shut until then... After all, I still had barely any leads on Tieu's location.
"Okay... If that's what you think." she mutters, as if she hadn't been ordered to do all this by a thirteen-year-old.
"Good, keep your head down until I'm ready to make a move... A single fuck up and we're all dead. Understand?"
She nods and I exit, heading straight back to the mat to continue my kata. No point in raising suspicions so soon after all.
Hope you bois liked the chap, if I missed anything please let me know. Thanks!
If you like my content or want to read ahead please go to : https://www.p.atreon.com/Nagross, I'd appreciate it.
Also, thanks to my patrons for their support :
Kingsprovince
Faruk Ereng
Peter Evans
Will Noir the Destroyer
JayJonnaJamison