Don't Fear the Reaper: Chapter 2
Trisha sat on the ground and waited...waited for something to happen...she had seen Scarecrow shimmer and disappear a second ago and then...nothing...where was he?
"Sir, negative contact on the upper floors, repeat: target is MIA," a mechanical voice came through a walky-talky on a man's shoulder. The man looked important, a captain's insignia on his shoulder and a large sword in its sheath on his belt. He was captain of a Chimera Search-and-Destroy Squadron. They were the REALLY bad guys...
"Continue your search. I want either him or his body," the man growled. He stepped back and looked at his men holding position around the courtyard. Well, not so much men...not anymore...they were cyborgs. Androids; half biological and half machine. All biological systems (heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, etc.) were fully mechanized, the brain being the only organ left besides the skin and it was augmented with nanochips and wires and bits of metal. The skin was completely left alone. The suits that were forced upon them were eerily reminiscent of the Skinners' battlesuits...but they weren't removable...perfect soldiers...perfect weapons...
The captains were even worse. Also augmented, they were fast, strong, intelligent, and cruel...
The captain flicked out one of the silver sticks and stuck it in his mouth. He had a vest on but no other shirt and was vaguely humanoid. There were long tattoos running up and down his arms and a scar slashing across his lips. He lit the stick and took a breath, letting out a big puff of red smoke. As he looked around, he suddenly heard a small noise...like a blade being pulled from the sheath...his eyes widened.
"Battle positions! Get--!" he was cut off when his soldiers suddenly started dying around him. There was a quick glint of shiny metal and then blue cyborg blood bursting from huge slash wounds! The captain thought he could see a small shimmer of red every now and again as his eyes flicked around. He flicked his eyes to the left and caught a glance of something familiar...a white mask...a shiny flash of metal slicing through steel and flesh and then! There it was again! The mask! The captain leaned back and smiled...
As the last of his men died, he started laughing.
"Something funny Captain Coza?" a voice said from right behind him. The captain chuckled.
"Good old Scarecrow...it's been too long my friend," the captain growled. He turned around to face the long blade at his throat.
"My my Captain! What dashing Skinner gave you this little going away present?" Scarecrow chuckled and ran his blade along the Captain's lip scar. The Captain snarled and then smirked.
"Still the same joker...has that gotten you into trouble yet?" Coza raised an eyebrow.
"You'd like to know wouldn't you?" Scarecrow pressed the knife against Coza's throat harder. The Captain coughed and then laughed harder.
"So easily frustrated..." he chuckled. He looked Scarecrow dead in the eyes and smiled. Then, with lightening speed, he grabbed Scarecrow by the collar of his jacket and flung him across the entire courtyard without as much as a grunt! Scarecrow smashed into the pillars next to the front door and lay there for a second. He was dazed!
"When did he get that strong?" Scarecrow wondered to himself. He stood up. Then he shook himself off like a cat and started walking across the courtyard.
"Not bad for an old man...been taking some kickboxing classes since last we met?" Scarecrow laughed. Trisha watched the whole time in silence, hoping the Captain wouldn't notice her...she prayed for Scarecrow to win...she didn't know why but for some reason or another she just knew she would be safe with him...
"Come and find out, Skinner!" Coza called out. Scarecrow ran at full speed towards him as his arm-blade shot out. Coza cracked his neck and took a half step back. Scarecrow threw himself forwards, the knife going straight for Coza's heart! Coza sidestepped and tried to swing a punch at Scarecrow's throat, but Scarecrow was too quick and he nimbly dodged the strike. This move put him underneath Coza's striking range. Scarecrow spun quickly and slashed the Captain in the leg. The Captain only looked down and brought his heavy foot flying forwards in a kick that sent Scarecrow flying to the wall where he left Trisha. She screamed when he landed against the wall next to her.
"Oh man...my head..." Scarecrow muttered. Trisha started shaking him.
"Hey! Hey listen, get up! Can you hear me, big guy? You gotta get up! C'mon, please get up!" she brushed some dirt from his rubber shoulders and then shook them roughly.
"Alright alright! Thank you..." Scarecrow brushed her off and then removed her arms from his shoulders. "No touchy..."
He stood up and walked a few steps before reaching into his jacket and pulling out a long, serrated blade. The handle was a part of the blade, jutting out from the side so it could be held lengthwise against the arm and extend further past the gripping hand. He swung it in perfect form, spinning around to end in an aggressive stance. Coza smirked.
"Flashy...but let's see it in action," he said and pulled his sword from its sheath. His sword was black with a pure white blade. The hand-guard was a large silver skull, the blade protruding from its mouth, passing rows of sharpened teeth. The hilt was the spine, curving eerily from the back of the skull.
"Ready when you are," Scarecrow said and stood his ground. The Captain charged forwards, zipping towards Scarecrow with his blade aimed high! Scarecrow started running towards him as well, picking up speed as he went. When Scarecrow was going at a jog, Coza was sprinting literally less than a foot away! Then, when Coza was within striking distance, he vanished! Completely disappearing into thin air! Scarecrow looked surprised for a moment and then he grinned underneath his mask...
Scarecrow ducked just as Coza's blade sliced towards the back of his head! The sword arced wildly, the momentum thrown off as well as Coza's form! Scarecrow twisted backwards and swung his metal-studded fist with all his might...
His fist landed in Coza's stomach with such force that the Captain's eyes looked like they would pop from his skull! Then there was a loud boom and a crashing of rubble as he flew backwards and crushed the front of Marty's mansion! The rubble kept piling on as more and more fell...Coza was nowhere to be seen!
Scarecrow stood up slowly and looked at the destroyed front of the house. Trisha stood up slowly as well. She approached him and clung to his arm, safely rubbing her head against his rubber-covered bicep. He looked down at her.
"No...touchy..." he said and shrugged her off for the third time. Trisha looked rejected and held her bare shoulders, rubbing them to keep them warm in the cold rain. He looked her over quickly. He noticed how she looked so hurt...so lost...like a hurt puppy she had nowhere else to go but with him and he wouldn't even touch her...
He was about to speak but then a voice came through his headset.
"Scarecrow this is Mother, the Angels have spread their wings," Mother said smoothly. Scarecrow grinned under his mask and turned to the rubble.
"Well Captain! It's been a blast, honestly, but I'm afraid I must take my leave!" Scarecrow said and took a bow. "Perhaps next time you're in town you can give me a ring? I'd be dying for a re-match hahahahahahaha!" Scarecrow laughed manically and looked over at Trisha. "C'mere..."
She hesitantly approached him. "Y-yea?"
There was a low humming noise that Trisha had juts noticed above them. It sounded like the quiet hum of an engine, but a very big engine! She looked up, gazing at the sky, unable to find the source of the noise. Then, she saw it! A large, jet-black plane hovering right above them! It was practically invisible! If it wasn't for a quick beam of moonlight glancing over its silhouette she would still be looking for it! As she watched, it dropped a long coil of rope that landed right near Scarecrow's feet.
"Time to abscond," he said and grabbed the rope, hooking it to his belt. He looked over at her and held out his arm. "Just this once...grab my shoulder...but don't even think about making this into a habit..."
Trisha smiled and grabbed his arm, holding tight as he tugged on the rope roughly. The plane started retracting the rope and Scarecrow and Trisha were hoisted up. They reached the ship's body compartment and Scarecrow tapped out some codes on a number pad. A slew of ceiling lights jumped to life, the room was illuminated so fast that Trisha had to cover her eyes and adjust herself. She looked around as Scarecrow moved into the cockpit.
"Make yourself comfortable," Scarecrow said monotonously and flicked switches to get his plane working. He looked down on the rubble. There was a small rockslide, a few big rocks rolling down the hill of debris, and then a bloodied hand reaching up through the stones! Scarecrow's eyes widened for a second, and then he chuckled. "Nice to see you too, Captain Coza...It has been far too long..."
The pitch-black jets engines roared for a second and then it lifted higher into the sky. Scarecrow tapped into his communications.
"Mother, this is Scarecrow. On my way home, I have a ride," he said. "However, we have a guest..."
The woman's voice came on over the line again.
"Mother hears her Children, Scarecrow, repeat...a guest?" Mother asked.
"Just a temporary visitor," Scarecrow reassured.
"As you say," Mother finished and the commlink was closed. Scarecrow got up from the pilot's seat after hitting the autopilot switch. A green light blinked on and the plane's engines began roaring! The plane didn't move though, its engines lit up like vortexes of flame! Then the jet finally bolted to life and exploded forwards! Trisha had started to stand up, but was knocked back against the wall when the jet leapt forwards! Scarecrow walked through the cabin, undaunted by the plane's incredible speed and g-force. He walked up to Trisha, who was plastered against the back wall of the cabin!
"Do you get airsick?" Scarecrow asked as he sat down on a large puffy chair next to a couch. She tried to speak, but she could only muster a small gurgle. Scarecrow laughed and laid his head back. "Give it a minute, my dear."
Then, without warning, the G-force was suddenly nullified! The cabin had its own gravity and it felt as though they weren't moving at all! Trisha fell off of the back wall and laid on the ground for a moment.
"Bathroom's the first door on the right," Scarecrow said nonchalantly. Trisha immediately jumped to her hooves and rushed over to the door, yanking it open and kneeling in front of the toilet.
The sounds of her wretches forced Scarecrow stand up and walk over to the bathroom door.
"Hey, I thought you said you didn't get airsick?" he said and chuckled.
"Everything's a joke to you isn't it?" Trisha mumbled from the toilet. Scarecrow looked down.
"Would you rather I took everything seriously?" he asked.
Trisha looked back at him. She sighed and then attempted to stand up, only to stumble...right into Scarecrow's arms...
She held him for a minute, and then the two of them looked at eachother before Scarecrow coughed and held her away from him, setting her upright and patting her on the head.
"No touchy," he said and turned around, walking over to his chair and sitting down. Trisha looked towards the couch and then back at Scarecrow, who was slumped in his chair, silently, barely moving.
"Yea, no touchy, I got it," she said and smirked. She walked over to the couch and lay down; resting her head on the armrest and falling into a much-needed sleep...
The hand twitched...
It twitched again and then balled up into a fist!
Then there was a large eruption as Captain Coza burst from the rubble, tossing rocks and pieces of debris all over the courtyard! He shook himself off and brushed his shoulders. He looked around, trying to find his sword. He saw it sticking in the ground at the end of the walkway leading up to the house. The rain had stopped and had left the air damp and fresh, Coza taking a deep breath of it before walking in the direction of his blade. As he walked, he could feel a sort of cold mist creep onto his shoulders, the closer he got to his sword. He felt a weight against his back, like hands pressing against him!
He spun around and swung a fist wildly, but hit nothing but air. He looked around again, seeing nothing but the bodies of his androids, the destroyed front of Marty's mansion, and the otherwise empty courtyard. Cautious, he turned back around towards his sword...only to find he was not alone after all...
A man stood next to his sword, grasping the hilt with a clawed glove. He wore a black, fur coat that went down to his ankles, the collar inverted so the fur puffed around his neck and collarbone. It was unbuttoned, and a white dress shirt could be seen underneath it. He wore a maroon/crimson tie and pair of black jeans. His face was masked by a hood and a black mask. The mask had no features; it was completely blank, even lacking eyeholes or breathing spaces! There were two small glass dots where the eyes should've been, but they were invisible unless light was glancing off of them.
"Captain Coza," it said its voice extremely deep and metallic, robotic almost. The Captain continued walking forwards, a look of annoyance on his face. He stepped up and stood at full height against the man, who was relatively the same height, if not a bit shorter. The man plucked Coza's sword from the ground and brandished it next to Coza's face. Coza reached down and grabbed the hilt, yanking it out of the man's hand. "It appears that you've run into a spot of bother."
"I could do very well without the berating or the snide comments then, Sir," Coza said and bumped the man out of the way as he walked over to the gates, slightly limping. The man cocked his head slightly, and then disintegrated into a fine black smoke! The smoke swirled over to Coza and the man reformed about two feet away from him again!
"Apparently one Skinner was MORE than a match for you AND your squad Captain. And all this time I thought you were the best man in my League..." the man said. Coza glared at him angrily.
"I AM the best man on the League, and I'm better than anything the Skinners have," he retorted. The man uttered a dead laugh.
"I believe that statement is more a waste of breath then a point, Captain," the man said. Coza took a deep breath and walked past him, walking outside of the courtyard and hopped onto his Icarus motorcycle.
"You worry about your own business General Void...I'll worry about mine," Coza said as he sped away into the night. General Void looked up into the sky.
"Hubris comes with a price Captain Coza," he said and burst into a smoky black vapor again, twisting upwards into the sky and vanishing in the clouds...
"Let's hope it won't put you in debt..."