"Flash?"
"Yes Ella?"
"Why can't I take revenge on Enrique? He ruined my life, the lives of so many others...he deserves to die."
"Maybe he does."
"So why not?" Flash sighed but he gave her a friendly smile, one filled with warmth and compassion. Ella refused to meet his gaze as she kept her eyes locked on the road ahead with a distant look, as if she were gazing into the past.
"Because no good can come from it. All revenge can create is more pain, more suffering; and it ends up making us as ugly as those who hurt us." He turned to face forward, "I don't want you becoming ugly." Ella scoffed slightly.
"I think it's a little too late for that, Flash." He smiled.
"No. I don't think it is."
Ella checked the snub-nosed .38 revolver she was clutching tightly in her hand for what must have been the tenth time as the elevator rose steadily to the fifth floor, the top floor; Enrique's floor. This is where he and his associates would conduct business and relax. Laughing and living it up like kings without a care in the world for all the hell happening beneath their feet, a hell of their own making. Ella imagined that even without a key card to access the elevator, it would not take Flash long to find her. That kid is relentless. She would need to act quickly. She immediately pushed aside the bit of guilt she felt at giving Flash the slip. She had to do this, she needed to do this; and she would, with or without him. Ella shook her head, trying to clear his words from her mind as she attempted to bring her focus to bear.
Sorry Flash, but I'm doing this. She turned her attention instead to her burning hatred of Enrique, all the ugly things she had to do because of him. Her hate was inflamed all the more by the wrath she felt at seeing little Ashley so badly roughed up, just another thing to add to the list of reasons as to why he needed to die. Ella remembered when the young girl was first brought in and how she had done her best to look out for her, but the younger ones were so hard to protect. He'll pay...I'll make him suffer for what he did to me...to her.
The elevator neatly chimed as it reached its destination, the door gliding open in smooth silence. Ella stood to one side out of sight in case there was anyone in the hall before peeking out briefly; all clear. This area was far better furnished than the basement level she was more familiar with. Hardwood floors lined the hall with dark, violet wallpaper decorating the walls. After checking once more that the way was clear, she carefully made her way down the corridor, hugging the wall towards the first junction. Ella's heart began to beat faster as she thought she could make out Enrique's voice coming faintly from around the corner up ahead to the right, the way that led to his spacious office; it sounded like he was on the phone. She tried to steady her breathing as her palms began to feel sweaty. Peeking around the next corner, she could see the luxurious, wooden double doors about thirty feet away. They were slightly ajar, allowing her to glimpse a bit of movement inside, but not much beyond that.
As cautiously as a cat stalking a mouse, Ella inched her way towards the doors, staying out of sight of the small opening. As she finally reached them, Ella stole a couple of brief glances through the small opening, finally able to see him. Enrique was sitting on the far side of the room behind his ornate, rose-wood desk; he was indeed on the phone chatting away, completely oblivious to the fact that his reckoning had come. Ella gritted her teeth as she stared a moment longer, hating the fact that Enrique was just as handsome and seemingly carefree as ever. With his dark complexion, close-cropped beard to compliment his wavy, dark-chocolate hair and matching eyes, he had the looks of a model. What she hated even more though, was the fact that she still found him attractive after all of this time, even though she knew his beauty was literally only skin-deep; underneath, he was a soulless monster. And here he was, all alone; completely at her mercy. This is too perfect. Was her last thought before she violently shoved open the door and stepped into the room.
Stars exploded across her vision as Ella felt something hard and heavy slammed into the side of her head. She felt her body go limp as the hardwood floor rushed up to meet her. Dazed and unable to move, Ella felt someone tug the gun from her limp hand as strong hands roughly grabbed her underneath her arms, dragging her to her knees; someone was laughing derisively, but it sounded like it was far away. The sharp pain of her arm being twisted behind her back brought her somewhat back into focus as she was yanked to her feet. Ella shook her head as her vision started to clear, but her head continued to throb painfully. Looking around the room, she saw three other men present, four counting the one holding her from behind. They all began to move away from the sides of the entrance where they had been hiding, laughing and snickering to themselves. Ella looked up and saw Enrique leaning back in his chair also laughing as he gave her a slow round of mocking applause. With casual ease, he reached over to the silver laptop on his desk and used one finger to slowly spin it around to face her. Ella felt her heart sink into her stomach as she saw two black and white camera feeds on the screen: one of the interior of the elevator, and another of the view of the hall just outside his office. They had seen her coming from a mile away, the phone call had been a ruse. Enrique grinned at her.
"Hey babe, saw ya coming and just thought it would be nice to throw you a surprise 'Welcome Back' party." His voice was as smooth as an oiled-dagger and about as comforting, it gave her chills. Ella tried to pull away from whoever was holding her only to hiss in pain as whoever was gripping her arm twisted it further. The rest of Enrique's crew, a motley assortment of unsavory creeps dressed in a various assortment of boring, modern styles, continued to spread out into the room, presumably resuming the places they'd been at before they had noticed her intrusion. One of them went over and flopped down on the red-leather couch on the left while the other walked around the ornate glass-table in the center-left of the room to go behind the bar on the right side, pulling a bottle off the wall to pour himself a drink. The third leaned back against the bar while keeping an eye on her; he casually tossed her black revolver on top of the counter with a clatter.
Stupid! Stupid! Ella screamed at herself in her mind. She had allowed her emotions to cloud her judgement. Of course it had been too perfect, too easy. Of course Enrique would have cameras set up outside his office. How could she not realize that sooner?! Because she let her anger get the better of her, just like Flash had hinted to her earlier as his personal struggle. Oh where is that kid...
Enrique stood up and strolled around his desk, making his way towards her. He was clad in white slacks and a light pink polo shirt that fit loosely around his fairly toned physique; Ella made no effort to conceal the venom in her expression. "You have caused me quite a bit of trouble Ella." He stated in a calm, mocking tone as if he were scolding a child; he now stood less than a foot away. Enrique gave a dangerous smile as he counted out fingers on one hand, "First, you steal from me. Then you leave without saying goodbye, you cost me extra pay, and even put some of my guys in the hospital!" He reached out to caress the side of her cheek, "And after everything I've done for you."
Ella snarled and attempted to bite his hand, nearly succeeding as he quickly pulled it back. "Oh ho!" He laughed as some of the other men chuckled in amusement.
"Careful Riq!" The man behind the bar snickered, "She's a feisty one!" Ella grimaced as the man behind her painfully grabbed onto a fistful of her hair and twisted it, holding her head firmly in place. Enrique shook his hand out a few times.
"That she is!" He leaned in close to her face, she could smell his cologne. "But you know, that's what I've always liked about you Ella," He said as he grabbed her chin between his forefinger and thumb. "You always kept that defiant spirit, I can respect that. And take this for what you will, but I always considered you my greatest catch." Ella glared death at him while breathing hard, but she refused to give into his taunts. She could get out of this. She had made a serious error, yes; but she still had one ace up her sleeve.
They don't know yet that Flash is downstairs. Ella chuckled out loud which surprised Enrique a little. She gave him a smug grin despite the pounding ache growing in her head. "Aintcha even a little curious as ta' how I got up her in the first place you sick freak?" His eyebrows raised slightly in annoyance. "You think I just strolled in through the front door?" Enrique was silent for a moment before he smiled slightly, seemingly regaining his composure.
"Oh, don't worry sweetheart, I was planning on asking." He replied coolly, "We have so much to catch up on." He stood up straight as he slowly cracked the knuckles on his right hand in an intimidating manner; there was a small gold ring with a single diamond on his right pinky finger. "Let's start with your new friend. Where's this little tough guy I've heard so much about? Is he waiting out in the club for you? Maybe we should invite him up, then we can all have a good time." A few of his men snickered a bit. Ella smirked.
"Nah, last I checked he was downstairs rippin' your business a new asshole." She said with all the gloating she could convey. That was all it took to melt the self-satisfied grin right off her hated enemy's face and gain the more serious attention of all present. Enrique glanced at his man who was leaning against the bar. He responded by immediately reaching into his leather jacket and pulling out a radio.
"Johnathan check in, copy?" The device clicked off with a beep. He waited five seconds before clicking again, "John check in! Roberts? Do you copy?!" Ella smiled.
"I believe John is still takin' a nap and Roberts needed an extra long toilet break if ya wanna know." Enrique's face twisted into utter rage. He grabbed onto her face hard enough to make her eyes water.
"You WHORE! What did you DO?!" Ella's only response was a defiant glare. Enrique snarled and backhanded her across the face; she felt some of her hair pull loose from the fist holding it, his ring tearing a small cut across her cheek. It hurt, but it was worth it to seem him losing his cool.
"Why don't you go downstairs and find out? Should warn you though, kid's got a hot temper." Ella flinched slightly as he raised his hand to strike her again only to stop when an urgent beeping began to sound from his laptop. Ella was fairly certain what that was for, it signaled an unauthorized door access; a door had been opened without a key card. Here we go... The man with the radio now moved over to the laptop and leaned over it.
"The hell?" She heard him mutter. Enrique stepped over as his man clicked away, bringing up the camera view of the alarm's location. His eyes widened in shock as he saw the black and white video feed of the door downstairs next to the elevator that led to the stairs. It was currently hanging halfway off its hinges, swaying slightly as if it had been rammed by a truck. A blur moved past the next camera angle before a young man came into view in the next feed. He paused briefly, his head twitching with unnatural quickness as he briefly looked around. The young man then glanced up at the camera, staring right into it for a moment, right at Enrique, before he darted out of view. Enrique blinked, unsure of what he just saw. In a growing sense of panic, he spun around and pointed to the doors,
"He's coming up the stairs! Go! If you can't grab him, kill him!" With the exception of the man still holding her, the other three moved quickly towards the door, one of them grabbing an aluminum bat that had been leaning against the corner wall while another flicked open a black-bladed knife; the one leading the way, however, drew a silver pistol from the inside his leather jacket, cocking it as he went.
"Have fun boys!" Ella tauntingly called out after them. Enrique responded with a brutal punch to her gut, doubling her over and knocking the wind out of her.
"Shut. The hell up." He furiously growled at her.
Okay, that one hurt... Ella thought as she gave a few violent coughs as she tried to catch her breath. "You know..." She said weakly after a few moments, blinking tears out of her eyes, "He really hates it when guys beat on girls..." Enrique didn't reply but instead turned to stare, with growing frustration at the computer screen. Damian had called him from the hospital earlier. Gave him some bull of a story about some kid who had managed to beat the hell out of all three of them. He had dismissed it as some kind of excuse as it made absolutely no sense. But then again, Damian didn't seem able to make sense out of what had happened to him either. Enrique banged his fist on the desk, a feeling of unease beginning to crawl up his spine.
It's just one stupid kid!
Flash tore down the hallway, retracing the way he and Ella had come before; his flight magic coursing through him, gripping onto the surrounding atmosphere as well as the planet's magnetic field, stabilizing his body, allowing him to take turns at what were already impossible speeds. It took him but a few seconds to reach the silver door of the elevator as he slid to a halt in front of them. Stupid! Stupid! Flash berated himself as his eyes darted around, searching for any kind of a control feature. He angrily banged his fist against the stainless steel, putting a sizable dent in it, as he realized that like all of the other doors in this place, this too required a key-card. Think! Think! He glanced left and noticed another black fire door perpendicular to the elevator access. That's gotta be the stairs! Flash took a quick assessment of the obstacle. Steel door, metal frame set in cinder-blocks... He cracked his neck and took a deep breath before brutally thrust-kicking the door as hard as he could, aiming his heel at the section of the door right next to where it latched. The door crumpled as it was violently smashed open, its momentum causing it to rebound slightly as it banged off the inner wall; small cracks appeared in the bricks surrounding the door frame.
Open says ME! Flash smirked to himself as he raced up the first flight of concrete and metal stairs. As he reached the first landing, he paused briefly to look up the stairwell and count the remaining number of floors to the top. Five. Flash noticed a camera up in the corner and glared hard at it for a moment before taking off again at a speed that made him nearly invisible to the naked eye. Please don't do it Ella...you're better than this I know it... The echo of a door opening above him made him slow to a stop as he rounded the corner to the last set of stairs. Looking up, he saw three men filing through said door. The first one was a man of medium build with close-cropped blond hair wearing jeans and a leather jacket; he was holding a gun. Ah, horsefeathers... Flash then felt a surge of panic. If they're here, that means...Ella! The lead man had taken about two steps down the stairs and had begun to aim his pistol with one hand towards Flash.
"Hold it right theAA-" Before he could react, Flash had closed the 25 feet or so between them within a fraction of a second, seizing his wrist before violently yanking him forward with enough force to pull his arm out of its socket, sending him rocketing head over heels down the steel and concrete stairs into the next landing where he crashed in a broken heap.
One. The next man, a skinny guy wearing khakis and a white t-shirt with messy brown hair, blanched in shock before swinging the knife in his right hand with a wordless shout as he attempted to slash his opponent across the face. Flash leaned back like a reed in the wind, allowing the sharp blade to sail by only a few inches from his face before grabbing the man's elbow with one hand and pushing his wrist with the other, causing him to plunge the weapon up to the hilt into his own left shoulder. The color drained from his already pale face, his shout turning into a scream which was abruptly cut off as Flash put a hand to the side of his head and slammed it sideways into the metal handrail with a dull clang. Two.
The final guy, a shorter, hulking brute in dress slacks and a sport coat and holding an aluminum bat, proved a bit smarter and beat a hasty retreat backwards out the doorway from where he originally came. Flash pursued him but had the sense to pull his head back as he got to the doorway right as the aluminum bat smashed into the door frame where his face would have been. Flash's arms shot forward as he grabbed onto the man's shoulder while his other hand hooked on the back of his neck. He pushed him back before jerking him face-first hard into the steel door frame with a loud 'thud'; the man melted to the floor. Three. Flash felt as if he was acting solely on reflex and instinct, so focused as he was on finding Ella. The whole encounter had lasted less than 5 seconds.
Flash quickly stepped out into the hall, glancing left and right, not sure which way to go. He put his nose up, sniffing the air in an attempt to catch Ella's scent; it was faint. "ELLA!" He urgently called out as he began to move right. Then he heard her voice somewhere from behind.
"Flas-" Was all he heard before her voice was abruptly silenced. A sense of dread and rage overcame him as he spun around and sprinted in the opposite direction. Rounding the corner, he looked up to see a large man about thirty feet away with a gun aimed right at him. The muzzle flashed.
Enrique gaped in silent incredulity, not fully processing what he was witnessing on his screen as he watched the stranger tear through his men with more brutal efficiency than a chainsaw going through paper dolls; the speed with which he moved was unbelievable. He swore loudly as he scrambled around his desk, snatching his own pistol from the top drawer; a 1911 chambered in .45 ACP. He slammed the action back to chamber a round as he quickly moved back towards Ella. "Give her to me!" He snarled as he roughly grabbed onto the collar of Ella's jacket and hauled her backwards towards him. Enrique pulled her around and forced her to her knees, facing the doors. She could finally see that it was Joe, one the more competent members of Enrique's crew, who had been holding her. A tall man with broad shoulders and hard features. He reached behind him and pulled a black pistol from his belt. "I want you to blow this guy's head off the second he comes around the corner, you hear?!" Joe nodded with grim determination as he quickly turned and exited the office, partially closing the doors behind him. Ella shuddered as she felt the hard muzzle of Enrique's gun press against the top of her head.
"What the hell is he?!" He demanded. Ella savored the sound of panic in his voice as she flexed her fingers on her now liberated arm to help circulate the blood.
"Extremely pissed off I'd say..." She muttered with growing satisfaction. Before Enrique could punish her for her insolence, a voice rang out from somewhere outside the room.
"ELLA!" Flash's voice filled Ella with a renewed sense of hope; but at the same time, she knew she had to warn him of the new threat waiting for him.
I don't think he's fast enough to dodge bullets! Enrique seemed to sense what she was about to do though as she drew in a quick breath, "Flas-" Pain exploded in the top of her head and her vision dimmed as he brought the butt of his pistol down hard on the crown of her head.
"Shut! Up!" He hissed through clenched teeth. Ella's head lolled to one side, her neck felt like rubber as she struggled to remain conscious; she felt nausea building as warm blood begin to trickle slowly down the side of her temple.
Ugh...c'mon Flash... There was the sound of some kind of movement followed by the sharp report of a pistol firing three shots in quick succession. There was a shout and the sound of a brief scuffle before the doors were suddenly smashed open with explosive force by a body flying backwards through the air.
"HOLY SHI-" Enrique shouted as Joe landed hard on the glass coffee table with an incredible crash, shattering it into thousands of small fragments that exploded outwards across the wooden floor. He staggered backwards a step, dragging Ella with him; his man was not getting up. Ella slowly raised her eyes towards the battered entrance. Flash darkened the doorway, appearing as the very embodiment of a reckoning: his arms were loosed at his sides for action, his fists tightly clenched. A great rage radiated from him as his eyes narrowed in righteous anger, glaring death at Enrique; she swore she saw a glow come from them again. Flash glanced down at Ella; she was a complete mess. Her golden hair stained with fresh crimson as blood trickled down the right side of her face, mixing in with the blood from the cut on her cheek. She gave him a timid, somewhat apologetic smile.
"What took ya kid..." She managed to croak. Ella saw his face soften for an instant, his mouth open in shock before his features hardened again in redoubled ferocity. His eyes snapped up as his lips curled into a fixed snarl.
"Let her go." He growled angrily. Enrique kept the gun firmly pressed against Ella's head.
"Who the hell are you?!" He sputtered as he shuffled back another few inches. Flash took a menacing step forward.
"Last warning...Let. Her. Go." He said with an air of finality. "Do it, and I won't tear your arms off."
Enrique just stared back at him, his face a mixture of shock, outrage, and disbelief. Flash knew he couldn't risk making a move until that gun was no longer pointed at Ella. He needed to get Enrique to point the gun at him, if only for a second. His first encounter with gunfire had been an, enlightening experience to say the least. Those bullets had been fast, almost too fast. The image of that first one speeding towards his head was still fresh in his mind. He had barely managed to avoid the first shot, quickly zigzagging after that to avoid the next two. Even so, he was fairly confident that even at this range, he could control the outcome; they were only about 20 feet away.
Flash side-stepped so that the ruined table was out of his path. "You must be Enrique. Huh, just the kind of loser I thought you'd be, maybe taller." He moved just a little closer as Enrique's eyes shifted nervously. "I bet you feel like you're really important, the 'Big Man' of crime around here. Must be, after all, it takes a big man to hide behind a woman." He continued to pour on the sarcasm as he put his arms out to his sides in a mocking gesture, trying to provoke him. "What's the matter? Don't think you can hit me from there? C'mon, 'big man', take a free shot." He taunted. Enrique began breathing hard,
"Shut up!"
"Aw, did I say something to upset the 'big man'?" Flash tapped the middle of his forehead, "Come on, put one right here, right between my eyes if you're man enough. I'd bet not." He slowly slid forward another inch. "I've known foals with more guts than a sniveling coward like you..."
Enrique clenched his teeth in fear and frustration, sweat was dripping down the side of his face "Keep back...I said keep BACK you freak!" He swallowed nervously, "I will shoot this bitc-" He never finished as Ella suddenly and unexpectedly shot her hand back between his legs; she clenched and twisted as if her life depended on it. Time seemed to slow down for Flash as he saw Enrique's eyes widen in pain as the hand holding his pistol involuntarily flinched, taking the muzzle off of Ella's head. Flash moved.
He shot forward with every ounce of speed that he could muster. His right arm raised up over his head as the twin blades of his wrist gauntlet snapped out. Flash shouted as he brought the deadly edges down hard on the gun in Enrique's hand, the enchanted steel slicing through metal, flesh, and bone as if they were all equally insubstantial. Flash continued his forward momentum, allowing his elbow to smash into the man's sternum. He felt the satisfying crunch of bones breaking as the blow sent the miserable wretch crashing backwards into the desk behind him. Ella had already pulling away from him, rolling to one side.
Enrique gasped in wordless pain, unable to scream, unable to breath as he clutched his wrist in agony; half a hand remained clinging to half a pistol. Flash stood over him, breathing hard as he retracted the blades with a flick of his wrist. Though anger continued to course through him, Flash could not bring himself to inflict any further punishment on the broken, ruined man at his feet. As far as he was concerned, justice had been served; the police could take it from here. Flash began to turn, "Ella, are you all-" He froze. Ella was standing just behind him. She had grabbed her revolver off of the counter and was now pointing it squarely at Enrique, her eyes filled with an inestimable combination of pain and black hatred.
"Ella..." Flash said softly, "Ella, give me the gun." She released the breath she had been holding in a partial sob as she took another step closer, the muzzle still aimed directly at her hated enemy. Flash raised his left hand slowly above her wrist now that she was next to him. "Ella...Ella look at me." She held steady for a few, agonizingly tense moments before finally meeting his gaze, her eyes brimming with tears. Ella looked into Flash's eyes, those otherworldly, two-toned eyes. For the first time, and with unmistakable clarity, she could finally see the depth of compassion this mysterious young man had for her, a compassion she had not experienced since she was a child. A compassion that said that if it were possible, he would willingly bear all of her pain for her if that's what it took to give her peace and make her happy. "Ella," he said with such gentleness, "This isn't you." The gun tumbled from her hands to the floor.
Flash suddenly found himself holding her as she collapsed against him, sobbing onto his shoulder. He wrapped his strong arms around her and rested his cheek on her head as years of indescribable pain and darkness came pouring out of her. Flash felt a sense of surrealism as he found himself whispering to her the same words his mother had said to him so long ago. "It's okay, it'll be okay, I'm here for you..." They stayed that way for what felt like hours but was in reality only a few moments. Flash was about to say something when he suddenly felt a tingling on his forehead as the hair on the back of his neck stood up which led to him to glance behind him to look at where Enrique had been laying, what he saw nearly caused his heart to stop. In his unmutilated left hand, Enrique was holding another pistol, Joe's pistol. Flash realized with growing horror that it must have fallen unnoticed into the room when he had kicked that man through the doors. A bloodied, deranged grin full of spite was affixed to Enrique's face as he pointed the gun straight at them both.
Flash dove forward, holding Ella tightly against him as the first shot rang out; energy surged down his right arm. A second shot rang out, and he felt a tremendous impact in his back just to the left of his right shoulder as he continued to shield Ella with his body. Flash twisted around bringing his right hand up as the charging energy crescendoed to a fever-pitch within the tips of his fore and middle fingers which he pointed directly at Enrique.
Ella felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up before a blinding flash and deafening thunderclap shook the entire building, causing her to wince involuntarily as she clung fearfully to Flash's chest. It was eerily quiet for a beat except for the sound of countless small pieces of debris falling to the floor. The acrid smell of ozone, burnt wood, and seared flesh filled the air as she dared to open her eyes again. There in front of the desk, or what was left of it, lay Enrique's smoking, apparently lifeless body. Steam drifted up from his gaping mouth and burnt out eye-sockets. Ella felt her legs grow weak as shock began to overtake her.
Flash coughed once and staggered slightly. She looked up at his face and saw him staring ahead with a blank expression. The force of the blast had knocked out the back window, allowing them to clearly hear the growing noise of approaching sirens as well as the many car alarms that had been set off by the blast. Without a word, Flash suddenly scooped Ella up in his arms and turning, sprinted out of the destroyed office. Time to leave, gotta get out... He thought as he tore down the hall. He had to find an exit before the police came in; he was in no condition to face them, nor did he have any desire to.
Flash knew that he was hurt, he just wasn't sure how badly as adrenaline kept any pain at bay for the moment. He focused an electrical charge around the wound in his back, constricting the tissue in order to restrict any blood-flow. At least I won't bleed out. Turning around one corner, he saw a large window up ahead through which he could see another building about thirty feet away with an old metal fire escape on it's side. Perfect.
"Hold on to me!" Flash commanded as he sprinted towards the window. Ella wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and closed her eyes as he sprinted towards the window. She winced as he unleashed another bolt of lighting at the window from his left hand, blasting it out along with a good portion of the wall. CSI is going to love this place. He thought grimly as he jumped through the opening, sailing through the open air, before landing with a clang on the side of the opposite building's fire escaped, gripping onto one of the railings with his left hand while cradling Ella's legs with his right. She, for her part, maintained a death grip around his neck. An agonizing pain immediately lanced through his back as he tried to steady himself. Flash gritted his teeth, squinting tears out of his eyes as he looked up to see the top of the building about forty feet away. He took a deep breath as he gathered his strength. This is going to hurt... He kicked off hard as he leaped for the edge of the roof, ...A LOT! Flash just managed to clear the edge, landing on the top of the building as he staggered, dropping to one knee. He coughed again as he stood up and took off running, leaping the fifty feet to the next rooftop of the adjacent building.
Ella remained in a semi-conscious daze, vaguely aware of her surroundings as she rested her head against Flash's warm chest, listening to his strong heartbeat pound in her ear as he ran through the cold night air. Flash, She wondered to herself, What are you?
A young woman wearing a short, black skirt and white blouse stood alone in a darkened study staring out at the city lights illuminating the night through one of the massive windows of her luxury penthouse located at the top of one of the city's tallest buildings. It always gave her a sense of power to be in a place that towered over the majority of the city, the humans below appearing as no more than ants scurrying about their meaningless lives on the streets below. Though she bore the appearance of a woman in her late thirties, she was absolutely flawless in her beauty. Her voluptuous figure was perfectly accented by her long, raven-black hair and emerald-green eyes. Her rose colored lips and lightly-tanned skin made her the envy of any other woman of her age, and utterly irresistible to the men she chose to manipulate. The only other source of light in the room besides those coming from the city outside came from a roaring fire in the large, ornate fireplace at the far side of the room and from a small, black sphere on her desk that steadily pulsed, like a heartbeat, with an eerie, green glow.
For almost eighteen years that small gem, enchanted with a detection spell, had remained silent. There was not a hint of magic left to be detected in this world. All of that had changed in the last five hours when the stone had suddenly been awakened by the presence of magic, Equestrian magic. She continued to stare hard out at the city, eyes hungry and filled with longing. Please, let this finally be what we've been waiting for. For the first time in seventeen years, she allowed herself to hope.
A knock sounded at the entrance of the dark room. "Enter!" She called out, not even bothering to turn about; she knew who it was. A tall man impeccably dressed in a dark suit with a green tie entered the room. He was an imposing figure, powerfully built and perfectly proportioned with a physique that any major modeling agency or football team would kill for. Like her, he had jet-black hair but cut high and tight and styled with a flat-top; his eyes were a pale, dull blue.
"Mistress," he said as he walked over to the desk and set down the folded laptop he had been carrying under his arm. "I think we may have something here." The woman turned and immediately joined him at the desk. "What have you found, Telson?" The large man opened the laptop and began clicking open files.
"Earlier this evening, one of our local hubs was raided by the police. They found everything: the drugs, the girls, everything. The place was practically destroyed. The manager was found dead in his office, and almost every other asset had been injured badly enough to require immediate medical attention." She raised an eyebrow at him with a bemused scoff.
"Telson, I was under the impression that you were bringing me some good news." He glanced over at her with a small grin.
"Forgive me Mistress, just laying out the facts as they stand." She motioned with her head for him to continue. "As per standard protocol, all of the security footage on the servers was wiped, the only remaining file being the one we have backed up here. I was reviewing the footage, and take a look at what I found." The woman leaned down towards the screen as Telson played back footage for her. They both watched together in silence, her excitement building as her eyes darted back and forth following the replay of events.
"Pause it right there!" She exclaimed. Telson complied and smiled.
"I see you spotted it too." He said as he zoomed in on the frame of the young man as he cleared the stairwell after practically destroying the three men in his way. He clicked away as he brought the man's face and upper body into focus and then leaned back. The woman placed both hands flat on the desk as she leaned forward, staring with incredulous delight at the screen.
"Well, well, look who finally decided to come home." She said, unable to hide her excitement. She leaned even closer to get a better look at one of the patches on his left shoulder, the one she had noticed. It was the silhouette of a unicorn's head over the image of a blazing sun. "And a Solar Guard no less!" Telson smiled at her, happy to see that she was pleased. She drank in the image a moment longer. "I want every asset, every single sack of meat who was assigned to this hub who isn't yet jailed, hospitalized, or dead right here, within the hour."
"Already summoned, Mistress." She turned to him, giving him a satisfied smile.
"Well done, Telson. Well done." He simply nodded in humble acknowledgment.
"I'm going to go and call in some additional backup, I will alert you as soon as they've all assembled, Mistress." Telson turned and swiftly walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. The woman sat at the desk, continuing to stare at the image filling the screen.
Finally, after all this time, a way home... A predatory smile spread across her beautiful face. "Welcome home, little Equestrian," She whispered as her eyes flashed with a green light, "Welcome home."