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SP – The Greatest Power is …

Written by castor :: [Wednesday, 22 April 2015 18:17] Last updated by :: [Thursday, 23 April 2015 09:23]

Idlwyld wasn’t a terrible neighborhood really. It was a kind of lower middle class suburb of Huston that wasn’t technically a suburb-just a place at the edge of the town. It was full of lower middle class people-a lot of factory workers, some office managers … a quiet place.

Where you didn’t get involved in other peoples business.

And in this little place lived a quiet unassuming man who had a big house with a basement. And most people-most sane people tried there best to pay him no mind. Cause to think too much about him …

*****

“Don’t scream.”

Mary trembled in her seat

“Don’t scream.” repeated the figure. Mary never got his name-he was the presence, the tall man the hulking figure of 6’5 of muscle and rage and anger. The man with the black with the black hair, and dark eyes. He looked like a devil a monster in human form and why …

“I’m not screaming.” said Mary.

He slapped her. She didn’t scream but she started to cry.

He smiled at her pain.

Mary didn’t have a perfect idea of what was going on. She was asleep one night about 10 days ago-she was pretty sure it was 10 days ago. Then the next thing she remembered was she was here. A dark room a dark space a chair with ropes around it and the occasional water, potatoes mixed with something metallic … and him. There was another chair he sometimes sat in. That she knew. She guessed some kind of desk. A light that was always on. Never off. Always on.

She assumed this was a kidnapping. But the details of it-the money of it … she didn’t know. She didn’t care … she just wanted to.

“Don’t scream.” he said much more quietly almost a whisper and walked away towards the space she thought she was a door.

Mary stopped crying. It was a waste of salt. She stopped looking and closed her eyes. As happened easier each day … she fell asleep.

A moment latter it seemed her eyes opened.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. You’re going to be alright.” said a voice. A female voice. A sweet voice. Her eyes didn’t quite focus to see who it was yet, but it was a calm reassuring voice full of joy and glad to see her.

“What?” said Mary?

“Have you been hurt, have you been hurt?” said the figure that Mary’s eye saw was red. A red blob slowly focusing “ it doesn’t matter we probably should take you to the hospital anyway. I think that’s a good idea.”

“Who are you?” said Mary. Then her eyes could see.

The woman was about 5’5-not tall not short for a woman. She had long hair that would be wrong to call red, wrong to call brown. She had bright eyes of happy blue, and looked the kind of thin that one could call muscular on a woman, but was really thin. And mostly … mostly she saw what she was wearing.

It was a red jumpsuit with purple and white features, belts buckles, shoulder pads, kid gloves. She had a long red cape like superman but she wasn’t superman. She had a red mask on her eyes. It was Simple but complex, garish but reassuring, A superhero was the idea. That was clear … but the kind of superhero you would see in a Halloween costume not a movie. She was there and likely a dream until Mary realized the ropes on her hands still hurt. She was …

“I’m Whiplash,” she said smiling “and I am here to help.”

And Mary for the first time in a long time Mary smiled.

Whiplash smiled back looking at her ropes. “Let’s get you out of here. I could just rip them off but that would probably hurt your hands more.” she leaned down “Ahh here’s a knot at your feet. It’s a shame I don’t have super untying power.” she joked.

Mary sighed and closed her eyes “How did you?”

Whiplash nodded freeing her legs “I have super senses. I was on the roof of the building and heard your crying. And I knew you needed help.”

“Thank you.” said Mary.

“That’s your feet, lets get your body here and we should.”

“My hands, get my hands, they hurt the most.”

“Okay.” said Whiplash.

Mary looked out … and saw the tall man behind Whiplash, the tall dark man … with a gun.

“Look out!”

Whiplash turned her head, just quick enough to see the revolver start to shoot to produce fast metal pings in the air.

Mary could barely see Whiplash as she moved her body to cover hers to shield her from the explosions in the night as Mary screamed so loudly

And then there was the sound of the empty gun misfiring a couple of times in the mans hand.

“Huh?” said the man

Whiplash turned and used her confines. She kicked up hitting the mans gun with her feet … which in turned smacked the gun right into the mans face knocking him back.

“My turn.” smiled Whiplash.

“What are you lady.” said the figure concerned … as Whiplash punched him again in the gut knocking him back further “What are you.”

“Someone who doesn’t want you to mess with a lady.”

Mary watched the struggle. Her attacker got up and lunged at Whiplash with a might blow. His hands were so big, so powerful so …

Whiplash dodged underneath it, went behind him and picked up the chair behind her and swung it at his face. As it connected it smashed into a million pieces and he fell down like a load of bricks.

Mary hadn’t stopped screaming

“Its okay, are you okay.” said Whiplash. “It’s over.”

And Mary saw the woman … and smiled. She put her hand against her and for a moment looked at the strange figure and held her hand. Just felt humanity.

“You’re my hero.”

*****

“Jesus Christ … he shot at her five times. Five times!!!!” said the cop.

“Yeah at least.” said his partner as they examined the crime scene. It was quite a scene. The woman had been held captive for at least two week and … Well it was glad that was over.

“How did all of them miss?” he said looking at the wall in the background riddled with bullet holes

“Ahh shooting especially close up can be trickier then you think. We got training, but you know these punks on the street- a lot of them talk tough but some of them never shot a gun

“But she was what five feet away?”

“According to the victim.” said Rick “people remember things different

“How do you not get hit-how does a woman takes out a 6’5 hunk of muscle?”

Rick shrugged “some people get lucky. You get distracted, and anyone can take out anybody.”

Carlos looked at the broken chair. It was a rocking chair of light pine wood

“This must weigh what 20 pounds.”

“Well if you’re a superhero …” he said chuckling

“Who is she anyway?”

Just then detective Michaels walked in- Rick didn’t like him. He was the kind of guy who made detective not by being a good cop but by being a good suck up. When he came in … he knew things were going a touch … with something downtown.

“Andrea Sanders.” said Michaels “Aka. Whiplash. She’s been in and out of mental institutions for years. Mostly out. She’s just sane enough in this state not to incarcerate if she doesn’t want to though god knows she should be. She’s convinced she has superpowers.”

“Does she?”

“What do you think.” said Michaels chuckling “That’s absurd. However her father did know the police chief, and some guy’s downtown. Wealthy is the wrong word, but ahhh … She mostly goes around town in a stupid outfit helping old ladies cross the street-however something like this.”

“So.” said Richard

“The Victims at the hospital. Keep her out of the reports. We don’t want a shit storm here a big story of the crazy hero-that’s just nuts. Keep her under wraps. Its better for everyone

And Richards nodded.

Richards looked at the wall for a second … riddled in bullets in death … and shook his head. For a second “Streets a strange place.”

*****

Mary woke up. She screamed. That was her first impulse still, after all this.

She was in the hospital-nothing that much was wrong, but so much was …

“Hi.” said a figure in front of her. It was Whiplash.

“Hi.” Mary looked around looked.

“Just wanted to check in.” said Whiplash “See if you’re okay.”

“It’s …”

“Don’t worry.” said Whiplash “you know in a couple of days, you know weeks the little sores on your hands-they go away-just bed sores, used to see them all the time.”

“Its just has still there when I close my eyes.”

“You know what you need. Electrolytes.” Whiplash opened up a bag. Inside there were a couple of bottles of Gatorade in a variety of flavors

It’s how can I just go outside?” said Mary. “wait a second is it 3:00 AM.”

“You have to be brave …” said Whiplash “And I know it’s hard.”

“Wait a second how did you get in here at 3 AM?”

She waved her hands “Because I am brave.”

“Yes you are you.” said Mary.

“And you can be to!!!” said Whiplash.

“It’s not that easy … and you have superpowers and shit.”

Whiplash paused. “I hope that’s not it.”

“What?” said Mary?

“I mean I hope it’s just not my superpowers. I mean … well that’s not really me.

“You have nothing to be afraid of.” said Mary “I have everything.”

“I’m afraid …” said Whiplash. “Just one thing. I mean I may have superpowers. But that doesn’t mean when I was rescuing you, you did. He could have gotten you easy. I guess being brave isn’t about afraid of everything. It’s about one thing. Being afraid for one thing that isn’t you. I’m just one person who won the cosmic lottery. What ever. But one thing Not of Bullets, of what people will say and think-but the people in need, what you can do to help them …”

“I wish he just killed me.” said Mary. “Really.”

“Well then,” smiled Whiplash “you’re halfway there.”

There was a pause

Whiplash smiled “Do drink Gatorade though. It’s ability to replenish needed Electrolytes is well founded.”

“What do you mean?” said Mary

“Think about it.” Whiplash then walked to the window. And opened it up “Just think about.”

She then jumped from the window 6 stories down.

Mary did think that night, she thought a lot about things. And then slept for a few hours more … and found they were happy dreams

*****

Whiplash stood on a rooftop, watching her city at night It had been a light rain that day and it gave the air a mist. She did this a lot to be honest-it wasn’t necessarily useful … but it helped her think. Especially going home where she lived with her sister.

God her sister. She never understood any of this … who.

She thought of the man. His ugliness his venality. This was a kidnapper who was interested in money, which somehow made him both more or and less lithesome. This was

But there was truth in all of that. She looked at the city. It was full of despair, crime, anger, and hatred. It was enough to walk away. She wanted to fight it to save the city … there were people like her good people, caring people. But for the most part they were so apathetic. But it was better to bless the light to be the light, then to curse the darkness. Her real power didn’t come as the result of the aliens who talked to her threw her refrigerator. No.

Real Strength, Real power, Real everything. That came from courage.

And as long as her city needed her, as long as she could do well, as long as there were wrongs to be righted … she would be here.

And she jumped from the roof and landed in a trash can.

And laughed.

*****

Anthony Weamers Rejected several plea Deals as his lawyers told him that most of the case depended on Mary, and she would never testify against him. He was wrong, and after a long grueling cross examination he was sentenced to life in prison. Mary for her part is working to get her Masters in Social Work to try to become a counselor.

At the trial the figure of Whiplash came out, and the press had a brief field day with the heroine. She was treated as a joke a laughing stock … That was until …

Categories SWM Library | SP

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