The Stranger – Chapter 4: Life in Four Parts

Written by castor :: [Sunday, 05 April 2015 15:12] Last updated by :: [Monday, 06 April 2015 08:00]

The Stranger:  Life in Four Parts

by Castor

Based on the story "Stranger on A Train" by Taliesan

 

"Do you want me to get the rest of the curry" said Erica Harper as she had John tied up and flayed. "Do you want to finish it-do you want some milk?I find milk goes well with it"

"Come-on, I know you’re getting off in this serial killer thing" said John.

Erica paused, tilted her head as if she was going to object. But didn't.

"But you’re just a pathetic little billionaire with odd hobbies"

She pressed a button on a table.

A screen popped to life. On it was the president of the United States talking to someone. The president’s eye caught something quickly.

"You must excuse me for a second" he said" Some important just came up

"Huh" Said John.

The man was quickly brought up by secret service and out of the room "Do we have to do this?" said the president

"Yes" said Ms. Harper "Yes we do"

the president sighed "I pledge allegiance to Ms. Harper and may her long reign of power be unended...unended She is my complete master in every respect and ...

"I don't believe you" said Ms. Harper "Can you do this on the ground. Kneeling?"

The president sighed and got on the ground and begged

"I pledge allegiance to"

Ms Harper didn't bother to turn it off. she pressed another button. The President of Russia appeared- then in a split screen, the Chinese premiere, the president of Germany

The...

"Well this would be more impressive if you could recognize the president of France. Here this president of Iran. All the world leaders bow to me. All are under my sway.”

And he listened as all of them repeated the mantra in near unison.

“Every major decision is mine-and any I dispute is removed. I control everything from Canadian oil drilling to Brazilian immigration issues. Environmental, finance, crime,

Power-anything I want is just a couple of button presses. It’s not nearly as hard as you might think. I control about a 5000 people do my bidding and with them....through

Them I can do anything I want."

"Except her"

"She’s a thorn in my side-and she doesn't even know it which is the irony... there leaders are more sensible but if the people of the world knew about me they would turn to there

Champion to save them.

John tried very hard not to laugh.

"What’s so funny?"

 

"I choose my words carefully"

Harper frowned.” With her out of the way. The only threat to my power is gone-which is ironic as she has no idea of who I am or what I want. And through you-and through you I Will have my victory”

"Who is she?"

And Harper just smiled.

****

The Defender flew over Boston in a dark kind melancholy night. One of the things of the world is that clouds our more or less invisible from the ground at night-but flying in them...there was a moistness to it the speed of the wind, that fluttered over her armor that got in. There. A coldness that went to her bones. When you’re super strong, super tough, what ever-sometimes it was the little things that got you sometimes more than the penguin snake monsters.

God then.

She thought that it had been a trick, a ruse to get her out of town-but if it wasn't....well there was still a lot of burning buildings in Cape Town and not a lot of local infrastructure to fix it. There was plenty she should be doing there to fix that. But well here she was. And she wasn't really prepared to fly back.

Boston looked fine. The media she could scan with her devices indicated....that everything was more or less fine. A couple of car accidents, assaults-no big robberies, not even any murders she could find, which was rare for Boston. It was fine.

New York-murders but nothing too unusual, Hartford, Providence, Augusta, Jersey Phili(which was the extreme end of her normal radius). Nothing. Nothing the media was picking up at all...

But why did she feel that there was. Why?

She wasn't a master detective-she left that for others. She was first strike infantry who would come in when people were in need and help. Hell she didn't particularly like being police, which was something that made the occasional pig comments weird.

She was a symbol, a beacon, a star, a hero, a goddess.

Well didn't that mean she was omnipotent?

**

the screen was still on display on it was a CGI model of a monster-in fact the one from Boston harbor that seemed ages ago- it was kind of primitive actually-as if some of the

Vectors weren’t in..but well.

"Took me some doing but figured out how to access the Satellites genetic database -whether this is a picture that this satellite took on its travels, or if I am

Just accessing its version of the internet-not quite sure on-but in it are hundreds of animals, thousands. Most of them are you know small, harmless little things-you should see

the fish that live in the world that this Gigantis lived on-gorgeous and beautiful-but this. I guess its the alpha predator of its planet. A mindless eating machine eats the sea whole like a whale...however I also discovered technology that more or less lets me put a very primitive computer in a very primitive brain and well here we are"

It cycled to the penguin monsters "A colony of snake men from the planet--I am not even sure. I am not sure if it can be pronounced "

Then it was on the screen. It was hard to gauge size from a big chunk TV-but it was Large. It had six legs, but not like an insect but like a creature a beast, with proportions

That where animal but not, stunty legs giant belly....with a strange mouth. it was all in a black black grey, that somehow seemed blacker and black, and is it moved.. there was

Something odd. as if it wasn't quite there, as if it wasn't quite.

"As far as I can tell its a herbivore." said Erica" Eats what ever version of grass-why it has to be half a mile in size to do so, beats me"

"So you're going to build another giant monster for her to fight..."

"People have a need, if you find a way to meet them you..”

"Just tie me to the train tracks or something" said John

"If only it was that simple-but I just can't grow a good twirling mustache" said Ms. Harper "but you’re on the right track Your value to me at this point is that she thinks your important.

"Everyone is important"

"More or less" Said Erica.

She then walked up to John and kissed him in his restraints- a soft wet kiss.

And he fell unconscious in his restraints.

 

*****

John woke up-how much latter- in an alley. It took him about 10 seconds of strange consciousness-to realize he was back near his apartment in boston, in an alley more or less right behind his building. he felt as if he had been very very drunk for awhile and had slept off about half of the effects. He was at least along so he hadn't woken up like a wino which was a though in retrospect he perhaps had a touch early. but it was dark and it was a touch cold...and he woke up to see there was a typed note on his chest from a neat ink jet printer.

"Hi,

John,

If you attempt to go to the police, the media-I'll know-i think I have proven that by now, and it will do no good. If you try anyway I will kill 50 people. 50 people you don't know, which I often find more motivating then threatening your loved ones or any such nonsense. while you may think of some clever method to tell the world-in the end it will do you no good

Sincerely,

Ms Harper

PS oh what’s going on? Something that requires you to do nothing, so keep at it. Watch Walking Dead or something.

PPS. If all goes as plans I’ll buy a good add campaign from your company.

John considered. Sitting in the street for a second.

He was dealing with an evil megalomaniac super genius. Evil yeah He was still going with Megalomaniac. Then it hit him.

Genius.

That was a word.

****

The Defender rarely stopped. When she was working, when she was living her life, it was rare for her to completely freeze-not move. She would constantly fly moving left or right up or down-sometimes walked. Stillness wasn't in her nature. Hell when she slept she was a tosser.

But when she saw John getting up from lying on the ground in the alley. She was relieved. He wasn't home when she first got here so to see he was alright-a -well that was something that filled her heart well.

Wait was something wrong.

****

John went home immediately and fired up his computer.

he hoped this would work- he needed it to work. Otherwise.....

He started a long email to his girlfriend Janey off in Prague with her company to dance

 

I hope your doing well. Life is rather boring without you here

No one to listen to my jokes, or do little dances around the house

Except well the little rat that lives in the wall. But hes busy.

Everyday I think of you, and everyday I miss you

Darling, its all I can do to not go with loneliness

Unless, until you come home

2morrow I am going to the park to pick flowers, dafodills and maybe sit by a lake, and think of you.

Fly home soon my darling because the thought of you being gone

Longer I realize is better for your career, but I miss you

Your touch sustains me, makes me feel alive and free like nothing else.

However we all live in a world of money and dollars

Obligations and expectations, we strive and we keep going

Much time is spent working on a crazy add campaign, and the stupid bullshit around it

Each however is drugerious. I have realized how much bullshit it is, how much sorry.

Now- right now I can focus on what matters, what’s really important

On you my darling, my sweetest darling, your gentleness, your heart your passion your grace, your love

What else else in this worlds is truly worthy of my time.

Go however. Make your mark on the crown princes of Europe

(or are you going to perform for any crown princes-surely the prince of luxemburg or something doesn't have anything better

2 do)

Dance. Show the world what a great dancer you are, so talented.

Always be true be true to that, be true to yourself

Nothing else really matters I know when you dance-not the bullshit, not rent, not anything

concentrate. hover. Fly. Breath. Hope.

Explore

 

Such is the nature of our time on earth.

To much time is spent elsewhere-god the airports you must go through!

Unless you have a really good book or something they must be maddening

doing little bits here and there to get by

I hope you find a little bit of sollace here and there a momments grace

Oceans in the sea of time.

most people-well

everyone really- see so little of the

earth. They go about there business with nary a carry go to through as they wile about the days(Huh I just used the word

through. Hoped I spelled it write)

Truth is, well. I am not sure.

how do we make time how do we find the way. I'm lonely now. So lonely. its hard

Everyday is one more, one more with ouy you-if I may find a momment of bueaty a

river, a stream, the taste of bread and butter

except until your here until your back its well I'll do the best I can.

He sent it shrugging. He had a lot more to do.

*****

The Defender watched him do -it over the next couple of days she watched him a lot.

Should she just go down-see what it was

Would that it be to admit she had been a crazy stalker for the last couple of months. Her Big Secret.

Huh. Maybe that was the trick she thought darkly. Set up an elaborate scheme, do something....and she could do anything about it. That was very clever. Very clever if it was true

 

She watched as he gathered materials, went to stores and bought things and otherwise seemed to go about in a daze-he didn't go to work, as far as she could tell he didn't call work. he just...well he existed and she thought- she thought of her past as champion heroine, star. all of it. and she started to think. Was there something. Pushing?.

The Monsters the disasters. they were very big very grand...well just very.

 

But what if something subtle was there to. But just as dangerous.

She continued to watch him until one day he rented a car, and headed north into the Maine woods almost daring her.

As she watched him the thought crossed her mind. Maybe he was the monster all along.

in any case she had to know.

********

John took two hours driving fast to reach the house in Maine. he knew the address-it was actually in one of her emails, though he had never driven there himself. Time for a climax

the day was ever so slightly rainy, the kind when you notice the rain for a second then it wasn't then it was. But it was misty. He saw her big cabin at the top of the hill covered in mist almost like Dracula’s castle well...

Here he was with the torches and pitchforks.

Actually he reached into the back of the trunk and pulled out an ax.

He wondered if there were security guards, robots, monsters traps.

nope, nope, nope and nope.

He simply walked to the front door and with the ax chopped it open in like two seconds as if something out of shinning

Then he walked through the house, chopped open the door to the secret lab which was a good solid core door...about five seconds and...

Walked down the stairs to the secret lab. so far this was easier than he thought.

Of course this was likely all part of her plan, all part of her scheme that he would come back but....

Well such was life.

He found his way down to the secret basement layer of Ms. Harper

She was there of course sitting at a work table looking at small pieces of circuit boards

she ignored him

"Um hello" John said "I have an axe"

"Probably one of the earliest weapons invented by man" said Erica. "Well a weakness for the classics"

John looked over holding it.

"Drop it" said Erica "we both know you don't have the guts for it"

As he did sparks of energy flew off from her table. as she pressed things menacingly.

"Getting in is very easy-getting out"

The room smelled of ozone.

John shook his head. "But do you think that will stop her “Are you familiar with fairies?"

"What" said John

"Fairies-you know elves, leprechauns"

"I thought your technology came from an alien space ship"

"oh *mine does*. Hers" she shrugged.

"So she’s an elf?"

"Fairies work on metaphor" said Erica "And metaphors are important in this line of business"

"So don't take drugs, stay in school"

"I liked you a lot when you were friendly" said Harper "i spent close to a million dollars to try to sleep with you, and yeah that was part of my plan--but that was you know funsies"

"Charming"

"I meant when I said I am lonely" said Harper" but in any case-metaphor. The way you defeat a fairy is you learn its name- its real name . Its true name. Who is the Defender. What is she like. Where does she live."

"What about her family, how can you blackmail her" said John

"She’s a stranger" said Harper "And once I figure that out-i will have power over her. Complete power"

"And the world"

And Erica chuckled

"You still believe I don't rule the world"

And John Smiled.

"Look at you. You have a billion dollars, a network of global leaders at your beck & call, an underground base an army of monsters" said John "all of it. But that’s it-you're just a blackmailer, a petty schemer.

"And you fell right into my trap"

"Maybe. But it’s still conventional. You’re not her. You’re the woman fighting her. You’re the woman sending giant monsters at her. You’re not even the woman who loves her though you clearly have weird twisted desires here. You’re not even her Lex Luthor-cause she doesn't know you exist, and you want that very much”

"But that’s where you're wrong Mr. Farmer-i want you to bring her right h…”

there was a giant smash as the broken door opened in a collapse and in came the Defender.

"Well that timing was a bit to on the nose. But you lead her right where I wanted her"

"Heard everything you just said and You would be disappointed" said The Defender "Very disappointed"

Erica Harper walked forward "Would you be? We can stop and I would make you queen of the world"

Defender face was always a poker face in so much as she wore a mask.

"No seriously. I have given much thought of how to make the world a better place-cure hunger, diseases, energy-you fix a couple of things and the world becomes a utopia-and really what The World needs is a figurehead. A true symbol as my technology fixes it in its place-they wouldn't believe me. I have made peace with that-but you?"

Erica paused.

"You would be disappointed" said the Defender.

"You take off the mask, for me-we pretend to be normal people, when we're not. Lets stop pretending. What is your name?" said Harper.

And the Defender took off her mask, revealing a soft fresh face. "My name is Jane Salazer"

"Janey" said John turning over and looking at his girlfriend "How, what. You"

"I have wanted to tell you forever. But well" said janey walking over and smiling a guilty smile

"No seriously how is this possible" said Erica "My surveillance and drone footage caught hours of you watching you and John together- I mean I sent you off to europe and"

Janey smiled "Do you think I am Superman-do you think I just am super strong-and can fly. I can do all kinds of things. More dreamt of in your philosophy"

Harper paused. she just paused.

"But your offer.....i except. Lets take over the world together-or rule it some version of it"

"I'm still"

"What" said janey sternly.

"This doesn't make sense" said Erica "You just don't make sense"

"The world doesn't require that it does"

"But well…. I thought that was what ruling the world.....""

The Defender  laughed and turn to walked to the stairs.

"Answer me!"

She walked up the staircase.

"What’s the question?"

David followed "lets get some hot chocolate-i assume you have hot chocolate. You know they have this really great bedroom. its got this view of a creek from outside and, I know how you like listening to it when you sleep

"awhh honey" Janey said leaning in kissing as they walked up the stairs. "You’re going to make a great monarch"

"Answer me!!" said Erica trailing them out of her lab past the machines.

"Can I rule Australia?" said John

"You would have to go there" said Erica "its very hot and dry and so far away. No lets build a giant palace and we can live in.....

"What is going on" exclaimed Erica more than a question

"You do have hot chocolate"

"Now look" Said Erica "You're just going to be a figurehead"

"I'm altering the deal" said Janey "pray I don't alter it any more"

"But I just can't....."

Defender paused and put a hand on Ericas back.

"there there" Said the Defender "it will be alright-you have advanced further than anyone else-and that’s an achievement!!! But you can only go so far. Accept it.

John opened the door at the top of the house and walked into the house. Janey and Erica walked behind him.

"But its just not fair" said Erica weekly "its just not

Just then a glass window in the houses great window broke open. the Defender flew in from outside. Her armor glowing as if mystical runes were circulating among them

"What’s going on"

"Huh" said Erica.

"Well that is really complicated” said David. "But the short of it is that this is the woman behind the monster attacks and you should arrest her or something. though that is"

"Oh my fucking”

Before she could finish the thought this Defender grabbed Erica and lifted her off the ground holding her in her arms.

"Though arresting her would be complicated given"

"WHAT DID YOU"

Janey looked up and "This amour its just very heavy."

Its people like you" said James" its people like you who assume they know everything-that don't really value the people in the world-what they can accomplish-or what say a good costume store can make"

"Its a nice copy" said the Defender” But really what’s going on?"

"I'm the CEO of a fortune 500 company" said Erica "I want to"

And a spark of Blue energy went into her from the costume into her and she fell unconscious.

**********

The Island of Mahalla was a small speck in the north pacific ocean. Now that may assume palm trees and tropical paradise, but it was actually covered with mangy fir trees in its cold barren existence. It had about 16 acres above high tide, a few small springs producing alkaline water, and a few feral cats that feed on what ever was left.

no one had set foot on the island since 1946. That was until....

Erica Harper CEO of Translan, discoverer of several patents relating to Field Technology, Secret Ruler of the world, Monster Maker, and arguably monster herself woke on it the next morning on the island.

There was two large crates. Inside she would discover boxed rations-about 8000 of them. That and a couple of boxes of seeds, and a good winter coat.

Oh

She looked around her barren little rock of an island and.....

Oh.

She didn't cry. That would serve no purpose. Instead she looked around her island, found if not a cave, a large rock formation that could be a cave and plotted for her survival.

Because she would survive. She would get out of here. She would....

she smiled. She was probably safe here at least.

*********

The president was sitting in his office when a screen came alive. he sighed expecting to…

"Hello" said the Defender "I have been hearing a really fantastical story"

"Thank god its you...."

And despite herself and despite herself the Defender laughed slightly.

*****

Defender after a couple of calls to various world leaders. She hoped she got to all of them. it would be very awkward for the king of Siam to think there was still a madwoman in charge of everything and wait for orders. She walked around the libratory "So she really built all of this-she made all the monsters

"I guess it was the threat of them" Said John "That caused her to let the world do all of this

"And she knew about" said the Defender.

Janey was upstairs getting out of her amour into normal clothing. She had been very brave, very brave to put on the ruse-good actor to. She would often complain that when she was required to actually actor r anything she was terrible-but no she was very good. Very brave and sure of herself, and everything that the real janey was not. But she was human and John loved her.

"i was never quite sure why she chose me-but I did figure that its because somehow you would know about me follow me here. it was kind of dangerous-but if we both went down into the lab- I guess I really hoped when we got out of it into a room you could see, the sight of me a copy of you and her would inspire you to investigate"

"Well I am a master detective apparently" Defender said dryly looked at the satellite.” So this"

"Is from whatever alien world created all of this. A faster then light satellite to explore the universe and send data back to whatever world built it" said John "i wonder if its similar to yours"

The Defender paused "I'm not an alien. Though sometimes I wish I was"

"What are you?"

"Do you really want to know?"

John Grinned "I suppose it’s not important just that...”

And he heard something.

It was loud.

John he turned to see a large button. It was blinking.

Then he felt the earth shake.

And again

and again and..

he turned to see the Defender was no longer there.

But the world was still screaming.

John ran up the stairs.

If you were a global spanning supervillain a threat obviously would be if you were killed taken out. A solutions to it maybe some kind of failsafe and a.

John rushed out of the door and into the window of the main house...

In the deep valley below him-well no...above him as well......

There was the creature of nightmares, with six legs a strange face, and skin that didn't seem to move, but the world moved around it somehow as if it didn't quite belong in this universe.

it was oh a mile or so long. and half a mile high.

It filled the sky, almost the world with darkness, and blocked out the moon and the stars.

And it screamed.

*****

The Defender flew over the creature. Watching it. it was storming through the valley which was at least mostly empty-it was rampaging and bellowing but ignoring her so far.

What got her was its mouth. Or technically speaking mouths-the front of the thing had about 20 of them, each with maws full of teeth. That moved-well the way it moved. It was as if there was a quarter second delay between the start of something and the finish as if you got the idea it was going to move, then it did, as if particles of where begging the dance before the mass would follow. This didn't feel like a creature moved. this didn't look like a creature. or frankly anything that belonged in this universe.

She flew in building up speed and punched it in the back of the leg, which on most quadrupeds was a good way to take them out.

She flew at about a thousand miles of force, with enough might to maybe move 100000 tons. Defender knew abstractly she could lift up the pyramids of giza if need be- but well rarely needed to use that much force. This was her initial attack. A showstopper.

She connected with it.

And it did nothing.

Nothing at all.

It wasn’t as if it was hard- but it was like punching nothing-it was there, but it wasn't. It didn't feel like regular matter, it didn't feel like regular space- when she punched it-it didn't even ripple.

the creature turned its head lazily. Its look wasn't of pain or anger-but a weird dull curiosity.

as well as best could be said because it had mouths where its eyes would be.

Then it puts head down and ate what looked to be a farm house in a single gulp, then for good measure ate a giant chunk of the ground.

This wasn't a monster-not like the others. This wasn't a beast, a rampaging animal. This was something from some part of the universe where the laws of reality didn't quite follow, a strange thing that should not exist. Doubtless where it came, from where ever strange pit or reality it was, it made perfect sense. It was part of some strange ecological balance. On this world she watched it eat. and eat, the forest, eat it whole in its giant maws, not carrying about anything other than consumption-probably not very satisfied with the piddly matter that composed it , but well....

it just made it more hungry. That at least she could identify.

She leaned over and started to punch it again. and again and again.

Nothing. Nothing at all. it wasn't even bothering to look at it.

She flew underneath-she had tried this trick before. Pick it up toss it into the sun. It maybe weighed-well a lot but still...

She couldn't budge it -not an inch. and she realized. it wasn't how strong she was-her strength depended on a tenuous grasp of physics-but physics none the less. This one didn't quite apply. She could be as strong as fast, as powerful in this world. And it wouldn't be enough.

However it brought it 6th leg up from the ground to scratch her as a dog would a flea.

And it strange claw thing hit her with the cumulative power of a nuclear blast. Focused on about a square foot.

 

The imprint kicked her, pushed her away-she flew nearly 100 east, hitting the Atlantic ocean surface with a force that made the water harder than diamond falling through the water nearly a thousand feet deep before hitting the bottom of the ocean and being impacted into the earth about 500 more before finally stopping.

She sat there for a moment.

it was peaceful. So very peaceful.

Her suit had an oxygen supply in it of sorts. it could let her breath. Syntheses air out of the water.

The suit did a hell of a lot.

the suit gave her super strength, let her let her run. the suit was invulnerable to damage impervious to pain. it could do almost anything she could ever possibly want.

The suit.

It was magic.

She was just a poor shlub who was along for the ride.

Without it she was a fairly ordinary woman. Albeit one who did Pilates.

It was lets face it all the suit. Who was she kidding?

She could just avoid it.

Hell there was a decent chance that something stupid would kill it. Like rain, or cyanide from an apple or just unable to feed itself dry out-there had to be a giant energy source to feed it...it may burn out like the storm it resembled.

Sure it would probably literally eat a good portion of New England, maybe more...but...

It was peaceful here.

It was so peaceful.

The water it was said had a beautiful narcotic haze, and she wondered if she had wasted all this time, and effort and stupidity to save them. she never really got much joy for it, or pleasure. She hated it really. Despised them. the people with there cheers yes, but there grabby hands, and ugly motives and stupid jealousies.

She wasn't a hero, she was the idiot who touched the stove.

She thought of Harper who summoned it. She seemed to think the opposite of a superhero was a villain.

No.

It was nothing.

She could just sit in this beautiful tomb.

It was someone who did nothing. That was the opposite of a hero.

And as the thought crossed her head. her mind. She realized She couldn't do nothing.

And so the Defender of humanity, lady of the sacred armor knight of the air flew out of the water to face the giant dragon once more.

****

John stood watching it. it was at least leaving him and janey alone up in the cabin-single minded at least, as it seemed to be heading south east in a kind of straight steady line that seemed to leaving...not much in its path. a kind of hard stone like ground from bedrock. he watched it go up to a hill...and eat it. as in the entire hill was no longer there.

Ge wondered. what there.

He guessed about 30 miles...Portsmouth, those outlet malls that sometimes advertised...

Then about 40 miles south of that...Boston.

Then 30 miles south of that Providence...and

Well quite a bit actually.

Huh.

He heard it gnaw with a hungry bone shattering roar.

Janey walked up still wearing part of the armor of the Defender as she did. she seemed....strangely strong. Strangely straight up. the usually quivering in her knees attitude seemed gone, replaced by steely strength

"Its okay" said Janey "will be safe

"But but" said John suddenly free to be frightened suddenly free to be terrified.. suddenly free to yes piss his fucking pants.

Janey held him, and stroked his hair in her arms.

"It will be okay. It will all work out”

he started to cry really cry, blubbering into her shoulder as they drifted down , as she kept stroking his hair.

Then he realized something. Something he should have realized long before.

She was the strong one. she had always been the strong one. it wasn't the oak tree that was strong-they could fall over.. but the reed. The reed that bent in the wind...

She just held him and let him cry.

 

***

The Defender flew at max speed towards the beast-but still it took her time.

Time...well to think

The suit. when you punched and you kicked, and you did all that stuff-who needs thinking. The suit did 99.99 percent of the work really.

Huh.

That was pretty stupid.

Now she needed to think, now she needed to push herself, not just the powersuit.

Okay.

Monster. From another part of space-maybe another dimension, wasn't sure...but it couldn't be effected by dimensional forces in this part of the universe.

How did it even get here...how did it.

Huh.

******

John cried into Janeys arms as they sat outside the house. The light rain from before was turning ever subtly heavier deeper stronger...

When smash there was a giant crash into the house as if it was being destroyed by hail.

he looked to see the shock the trail of the Defender as he turned and watched as she flew through those house not stopping for anything.

Then flew straight down into the solid bedrock a hundred foot down.

***

The Defender paused looking around. as she flew in she had turned and largely destroyed the lab, reducing it to rubble as rocks and caverns where all around her. what had once been a cavern would soon just be a pit.

fine fine...

then she saw it as a giant rock fell down on top of the case that held the satellite

she flew at super speed and grabbed it before the stone and could harm the dinky looking rocket and tossed it away..she broke the glass case and grabbed the little things and held it in her hands.

hmmmmm...

She flew out of the cave, holding it, and flew towards the beast, which was by now about 10 miles from Portsmouth..time to....

She thought about flying into it. Grabbing it as a suicide bomb.. Dying probably in a stream of glory.

But that wasn't really necessary.

Harper had never figured out how to activate the devices one last great power-it could fly faster than the speed of light.Though a mind like her probably never really tried.

But she extended her hands and a weird energy of blue came out of it...

And the device beamed back to life, alive and well once more.

Good for it.

She didn't really have exact command of the technology as such, but well she was trying to time this

10

She went in front of it...and flew towards its eye mouth and looked.

9

It roared and darted towards her...

8.

She dodged again too quick for it

7

it seemed at last to realize that she was the threat, to finally acknowledge...was there a brain in there. For a second she pitted it. Pitted as she watched it step on a house, for it had no pity.

 

6

She flew upwards a bit right over it as it reared up

5

She dropped the device

4

The creature swallowed it engorging it into itself...

3

2...

The creature just screamed looking forward seeing the lights of the city a delightful morsel

And

1....

Faster than the speed of light the device and a good chunk of the creatures internal organs flew upward away towards the star that had sent it, to some strange alien place.

The rest of it

They sent shock waves through the creature’s guts, what ever past through organs inside of it-pushing all of even the quasi matter away. Because nothing could fly faster than the speed of light-when it did-even its strange matter was affected. and it was more powerful than any force encountered by man, nature

Or the beast.

Its six limbs collapsed. The creature fell down.

And she watched as over the course of about 10 minutes what ever strange matter that had birthed the creature..

It just slowly dissolved into nothing not even puddles of blood. Just nothing

And the Defender watching it breathed.

 

****

She went back to sight of the lab. it was all destroyed now all of it- a large triangle of ground had been. gone.. well she had saved it. wohooo

Normally when this happened she felt bad terrible.

But now she honestly Wohhoohoed. Woohoo.

She saw John and Janey together, smiling holding each other. she saw them kiss happy- she listened to them make plans. He would quit his job, and follow her around Europe like a bum. That would be delightful wouldn't it for them. And she honestly thought that. Honestly felt joy for them.

It was a good feeling.

It was good.

She was something. There was something to her.

The Defender meanwhile flew home that night. she had a large house of her own in the suburbs of Boston overlooking the city. She paused as she landed and just watched it for a second.

Relief-somehow all of this, all of it had made her feel as if the weight of the world was off her-it wasn't that her arch nemesis(which before today she didn't know she had) was taken care off-but it felt new, fresher, more alive somehow. As if the night felt good again in a way it hadn't for many years.

The Defender took off her mask. She smiled to feel the air off-it felt like it had been weeks since she was in the open air.

And she went into the other room to see her husband asleep.

Daniel was an account executive and a workaholic. He spent sometimes 70 hours a week at work and thought she did the same- a likable presence when she was around, but someone to

Eat the occasional dinner with, make love once and awhile, or go on some vacation and point out a sight. He never knew her secret. There had been no point.

It had been a cold marriage, a distant one. She had thought about words like divorce…but well that would require to feel more than she did. It was easier not to…but..

She woke him up and hugged him. Hugged him and kissed him.

“What was this about” he said.

“I love you” she said “I love you I love you I love. And I should tell you this. When you first took my hand that day in the park I wanted to spend forever walking with you”

He looked a touch confused-but not unpleased. “What’s all this about Anne?”

“Well …” she said “There is something I have been meaning to show you”

“Well, whatever it is I love you too.” Said Daniel. “I should say that more often.”

And the stranger, smiling opened the door.

Categories SWM Library | The Stranger