Intrigue at the Arcade

[apache_banshee]

Sean and Rose had decided to go out and have some fun. Rose had insisted it had been too long since she had "schooled him" in pool, so they were driving to a local arcade that had several pool tables available.

"I still say I won that last game we had."

Comments

[ngm_xsyndicate]

Before Sean could mutter "Showoff", a grinding sound could be heard inside. Part of the floor shifted to reveal it was in fact a giant door blocking what looked like a massive, man-made ramp with stairs built along the far sides. Several figures came up first, all human-sized but with distinctly non-human features: An extra eye, tusks, an additional arm, and various minor, but distinctive mutations. They were also all armed with pistols. Then a large, snakelike form slithered up the ramp. From the waist up she looked like a scaled woman of mixed reptilian and human features. Below was a leviathan-like tail of coiled muscle. The only remotely "human" trai she had was a shock of red hair.

"I'm disappointed, Bennett," she spoke, a surprisingly smooth, almost soothing tone. "I would think you would be more grateful given what I've done for you."

"It's not that I didn't want to, Echidna. Really. Just..Molly's pregnant and I thought betting on the fights would get us some quick cash. I never meant to cheat you."

"Considering you were already in-debt for that mask you're wearing, I'm surprised you'd risk my anger."

Bennett gulped. "We'd spent all or lives in the sewers. I..I wanted our baby to have more."

"You have a roof over your head," Echidna pointed out, seeming to slither idly in an approximation of a human pacing. "You can see the Sun rise without being mobbed by paranoid flatscans. You have edible food and water."

"But-"

"But nothing!" She snapped. "I lived there too and made something of myself here! I didn't do it by biting the hand that fed me!"

"Please, Echidna. I'll pay you back for everything. I swear!"

[wild_child]

Rose quickly shoved Sean behind cover. The conversation, though, gave her pause. There was more here than met the eye, but what exactly...

What the flamin' heck..?

Her hands flexed open and closed. She wanted to leap into action right now, tear this snake woman and her goons apart.

[ngm_xsyndicate]

Echidna took a deep breath, then let out a sigh of irritation. The tip of her tail made a few brief, agitated movements.

"You leave me with an uncomfortable situation. We grew up in the same dank cesspool together, and that does mean something to me. On the other-hand I can't have our fellows think I'm soft to my fellow Morlocks." Echidna narrowed her eyes before waving a dismissive hand. "I'll give you another chance to pay me back."

"Really!? Thank, thank you, Echidna. I told Molly you hadn't forgotten your roots."

"Yes, yes, but this is your last chance, Bennett. Having the surfacers discover what you really are will pale in comparison to my wrath."

He gulped. "I-I understand."

"Good." She turned and began to slither back down the ramp, her guards following suit. "Mayhem, rip his left arm off."

"What!?" Bennett cried out as Mayhem took hold of him. "But Echidna, you said you were giving me another chance!"

"I am, but you still crossed me. An example has to be set," she said coldly.

[wild_child]

"To blazes with waiting," Rose snarled. She clenched her fists, willing her psionic energy claws into existence. They would tear through any inorganic materials, but merely stun and paralyze people (plus, it would hurt like heck).

She vaulted from their hiding space.

"Hey! Jolly Green Giant!"

[apache_banshee]

"She sure knows how to make an entrance," Sean mused before jumping down after Rose.

[ngm_xsyndicate]

"The hell!?" Mayhem looked over to see Rose and then noticed Sean a little further back. "The fuck is this!?" She maintained her hold on Bennett.

Echidna glanced up at what was taking place, surprised, but seemingly nonplussed by it.

"Kid, if you don't want to be torn in half than you better walk away right the fuck now," Mayhem snarled.

The human guards for their part lifted their guns, just waiting for an order.

[wild_child]

"Lady, better scum than you have tried and failed," Rose said, brandishing her claws. "Bring it."

[ngm_xsyndicate]

"Mayhem, make sure the bodies are disposed of when you're done," Echidna replied casually before resuming her downward slithering into the tunnel.

"There won't be enough left to bury," Mayehm growled. She shoved Bennett to one of the guards. "Hold him!" She came at Rose like a freight chain.

[apache_banshee]

Sean suddenly wished he had some kind of weapon, or at least a bulletproof vest. He'd have to hit and run here. He dashed off the crate, leaned his toward a group of guards and let off a wail of sonic power. The closest guards were floored immediately while those further pack held their ears in pain.

[wild_child]

Rose grinned like a madwoman and charged forward, dropping low and striking out with her claws at the last possible moment.

[ngm_xsyndicate]

The claws connected, giving two good strikes. Mayhem snarled in pain, but didn't fall over paralyzed. Instead she grinned. "So you're mutants too? This just got interesting." She tore a chain from a junked car and swung it rapidly at Rose.

[wild_child]

Rose darted out of the way, taking a glancing blow across the side of the head. She saw stars, but kept upright, and kept flip.

"I can do this all day, jumbo."

[apache_banshee]

Sean took advantage of the disorientation to make up the distance between him and the guards. He decked one across the face, dropping him to the ground. Suddenly one of them held his hand up, then it suddenly lit up with blinding light.

"Shit!" Sean cursed, managing to turn his head just enough so that didn't blind him, but he was seeing stars. He just barely saw another guard come at him with spiked brass knuckles. Wait..those weren't brass knuckles. Fuck those are real! Sean barely avoided the full force of the spiked fist, leaving a thin cut across his cheek. "Rose! I think they're all mutants!"

[ngm_xsyndicate]

"Heh, you think I don't know what you're doing short-stuff? I fought on the streets for years. You think you're the first to try and make me lose my cool with stupid insults?" She whipped the chain around again, this time aiming for Rose's legs.

[wild_child]

This time, Rose was in motion, sidestepping the chain and lashing out again with her claws.

"Hey, these are quality crafted insults, ya sorry excuse for a shamrock!"

[ngm_xsyndicate]

This time it was Mayhem who dodged, showing greater speed than her size would indicate. Her left hand let go of the chain, shooting out to try and grip Rose's wrist.

"Can't help what we're born with, twerp. You should know that." Mayhem came down with a sledgehammer like strike at Rose's head.

[wild_child]

Dang it, didn't expect her to be that fast....

The blow rocked Rose's head around, knocking her to the ground.

[apache_banshee]

Rose! Sean leveled Spikefist with a fierce uppercut, sending him to the ground. He then turned and screamed, sending a huge sonic wave hurtling toward the green-haired amazon. Midway though Sean's head was rocked back, busting his lip open. Was that..a rock? His vision blurred as he fought against unconsciousness as he saw another guard run at him, his fist a gray-black.

[ngm_xsyndicate]

Before Mayhem could capitalize on her attack, Sean's scream caused her to fly back to the ground.

"Fucking-! Mother-!" So angry she couldn't form complete sentences, mayhem snarled as she moved to get back to her feet.

[wild_child]

Rose struggled to rise, blunt force trauma already repairing itself. A beast-like snarl escaped her lips when she saw Sean take a hit, and she vented her rage upon Mayhem, claws slashing wildly.

[apache_banshee]

Sean spat out some of the blood forming in his mouth. He dodged the rock-guy's punch, driving a fist into the other man's gut.

"Fuck!" Sean felt the bones in his hand crack when he the man's stomach.

"Stupid kid. I can turn any part of my body into rock." The goon bragged. "And now I'm going to-" The man was interrupted when a hubcap came flying and slammed into the back of his head.

Sean blinked in surprise as the man went down. He turned to see Bennett, sweating profusely as he sat sprawled on the floor.

Trying to stay conscious, Sean gave the man a tired thumbs-up.

[ngm_xsyndicate]

"What in!?" Mayhem couldn't even get her question out as Rose tore into her with multiple slashes. Individual paralyses could be shrugged off, but the various, multiple slashes and the pain that came with them was wearing even her out. Mayhem tried grabbing Rose, but any grip she got broke from the fierce assault. Finally the pain was too much, causing mayhem's eyes to roll back as she fell forward with a thud.

[wild_child]

Rose looked around, seemingly more like an enraged animal than a young woman. There was some intelligence left to her eyes, but right now, it was all subsumed by white hot rage.

[apache_banshee]

While part of him wanted to just pass out, he knew that countenance Rose was sporting. He stumbled a bit toward her, trying to shake off the lights in his eyes.

"Rose..it's over. They're all down..we're okay."

Bennett still sat frozen on the ground, a combination of confusion and fright when he saw Rose's face.

[wild_child]

Some of Sean's words broke through, and with heavy breathing, Rose brought herself back from the brink of rage, the red filling her vision slowly receding.

"Thanks, Irish," she said. "I needed that."