Killer Queen
By: Megan Libon
It was a small, cute coffee shop. The chairs and tables were dark mahogany brown, and paintings of Paris and Venice hung on the cream colored walls. Soft soothing music played in the background, setting a serene scene for coffee lovers everywhere. A strong scent of coffee beans swept through the shop as wind traveled through the swinging door. Many people traveled in and out of the shop daily. It was the perfect little place for relaxation.
A young woman sat at one of the miniature round tables. She delicately sipped a steaming cup of coffee while reading a magazine. A playful smile tugged at her cherry flavored lips as she looked over the top of her magazine. People would stare at her as they walked by. She did not blame them, either—she had gorgeous black hair that glistened in the sunlight, and tan skin that any girl would kill another to have. Her smile was deadly—any man would melt when she flashed any interest towards them. She had control over all…
~*~
In a small cramped office, two men watched a video jump from the coffee shop to their TV. One man was middle aged with few gray hairs on the top of his head. His face had a rough appearance, as if he had been through many fights in his lifetime. A mustache grew above his upper lip, which was set pursed around a diminishing cigar. He drew in a quick breath before expelling a cloud of smoke.
The man's partner was a young man who looked no older than twenty-five. He had spiky black hair with a young, youthful face that screamed the word innocence to anyone who passed. His dark, black eyes always seemed to be seeking more knowledge of the world and what was around him. When people looked at him, they felt as if he was gazing into their very being, trying to find who lived under the external shell. He was a brilliant young man, who could have been a scientist. Instead, he chose to contribute to life a different way. He became a law enforcer.
Meet Agent Son Gohan, the last hope against crime.
Since he came out of school, Agent Son had the best record of successful missions, which included flawlessly arresting crime syndicate bosses and dangerous convicts.
He was their last hope against her.
Gohan shifted his gaze between the TV and a sheet of paper. He watched as the young woman in the frame peacefully drank coffee. Well, she certainly did not look like a threat.
"So, this is her?" Gohan asked his partner, taking out a cigarette and lighting it. He pressed the cigarette against his pale lips, and drew in a long, deep breath. A wave of filthy smoke welcomed his partner's reply.
"I thought you said that you were going to quit smoking," He watched Gohan roll his eyes and spit out his cigarette before continuing, "and yes, that's her. They call that woman the Killer Queen. She has beauty to match intelligence. In the crime world, men worship the ground she walks on, and women want to be her. She twists stories until they evolve into something new, and she is known to flirt with her male captors."
Gohan smirked, and rubbed the coarse paper between his fingers, "Sounds like a fun one to catch. Let's go get her."
~*~
She sat in a corner of the coffee shop, watching as the crowds passed through. No one knew that, of course. At a quick glance, it would seem as if she were reading through a teen magazine, slowly thumbing through thoughtless articles about boys, clothes, and makeup. They all mistook her for some glamour girl, but they were wrong. She was a master at acting. A con artist, so to speak. If she wanted to survive in life, acting was key.
She made note of the emergency exits, just in case she needed a quick escape. A security camera rested its lens on her face as it zoomed across the shop. She gave it a toothy smile—she knew she was being watched. Rolling up her magazine, she put it away in her bag. It was only time now…
Five…four…three…two…one…
The coffee shop's door flew open as Agent Son ran into the shop. He smoothly strolled over to the counter. Flipping out his badge, he asked for the manager. The girl behind the counter gave Gohan a blank stare as her arms began to shake a little.
Gohan sighed, "I am Agent Son Gohan, and this is Agent Charles Garcia." He made a head gesture over to his partner, "We're looking for the Killer Queen. Have you seen her?" He took out a small picture. The woman in the picture smiled cutely at the camera, her arms crossed over her chest. A black tank top fit comfortably to her body, which would obviously allow total comfort in continuous activity. Her raven hair fell over her shoulders, and her icy blue eyes shone with innocence. Now, it would have been fortunate if she were actually an innocent person, but unfortunately, that was not the case.
The young girl's teeth chattered as she pointed to a corner. As Gohan turned his head, the woman he was looking for ran out an emergency exit, and into the street.
The Killer Queen…she could not get away…
Gohan growled, "Chuck, get our forces on her now. Block all the exits out of the city. I'm going after her." Without waiting for a response, Gohan ran out of the coffee shop, after his convict. This case screamed promotion. He had to catch the Killer Queen at all costs.
West City roared with life. Cars, busses, and trucks crowded the busy streets. They all had their conversations with each other, one vehicle always beeping to another. It was not always friendly, of course—most of the time some crazy lunatic would cut off people in the lanes, nearly causing fatal accidents. People filled wide sidewalks. They all rushed from place to place. God forbid if someone should slow down for a split second. Then everyone would stop, and there would be mass chaos throughout the city. People in business suits practically sprinted down the streets with their cell phones up to their ears, their voices traveling over the noise for all to hear. Bikers would carefully weave in and out of the crowds, getting around the quickest. Yes, the city was very busy that day.
What a perfect day to chase a person from the Wanted List.
She briskly walked down the main street in the city. She wove in and out of the commuters, a cap pulled over her eyes. The key to escaping was keeping any form of attention off you. Without the attention, finding her in a city with thousands of people constantly moving would be extremely difficult. She stole a quick glance behind her to see if anyone was following her. Not surprisingly, they were. She quickened her pace to a slow jog. As she sped up, so did her pursuers. Her heart raced in terrible excitement. She had not been chased after in a long time. Out of nowhere, she broke into a full sprint, causing her predators to almost lose her.
"Stay after her! She can't get away!" Gohan screamed to his crew. They all immediately split up, leaving Gohan to chase after her exact path.
She continued to sprint. Endurance wise, she was very strong. She had to have sprinted a full two hundred meters without even letting up a bit of speed. Suddenly, she turned into an intersection. She stopped in the middle of the intersection to get a good look at who was chasing her. He was a young guy, she noted, who was—dare say she said it—attractive. She smiled as a car came speeding towards her. It was going way too fast to stop short for her, and it would surely hit. Her smile grew bigger. Why was she not afraid? Her death was near.
Gohan stopped short. What was she up to? There was no way that she could survive an accident…
A small laugh escaped her throat. She jumped up, landing on the front hood of the car. The man shook in his seat, startled by the woman on his hood. She smiled at him, and climbed over his car. Pushing off the back hood, she jumped to the next car. As soon as she left the first car, a truck rammed into it, demolishing the frame. A chain reaction soon started, one car crashing into another. She could do nothing but laugh, and continue hopping from car to car.
Gohan raced after her, running between the cars. He was lucky that it was rush hour. She had to get off the cars somewhere, and he was going to be at that location to greet her.
She looked around while car hopping. She needed a means of transportation, something that could get her through this traffic. Parked on the side of the street was the most gorgeous vehicle she had ever seen. She jumped off the car she had just landed on, and sprinted over to it.
The motorcycle was a vivid indigo color. Red flames ran down the sides, giving a killer effect. Quickly looking at the engine, her nimble hands disconnected and reconnected wires. Taking the roaring of the engine as a sign, she hopped into the seat and sped off, leaving a wave of dust behind her. Weaving through the traffic, she drove recklessly through the cars. People jumped out of her way as she sped through, giving no regards to her surroundings.
Gohan quickly shifted his eyes, searching for a means of transportation. In a second, he darted to a motorist, and forced him off the bike. Hopping on in one fluid motion, he sped off in the direction of the Killer Queen.
People who passed by could smell the rubber as the bike's wheels rotated quickly against the hot tar. She worked the motorcycle like a race car. No matter where she was, she kept it at the same, steady speed. She never slowed down the bike for anyone, regardless of who had the right of way. She had to escape her pursuer. The Killer Queen had come so far, and she would not be caught now.
She took a sharp turn, leaving a burning black skid mark in the road. Her foot skidded on the tar, pushing into the street as she regained balance on the bike. Taking in a deep breath, she rotated her wrist upwards, causing a spell of smoke to exhale from the exhaust pipe. The wheels spinning intensely, proving Newton's third law to be incredibly true, she sped towards a ramp leading over a fence. She locked her legs, her muscles tightening from the anticipation of the jump. The bike jumped up the ramp and over the fence, soaring through the air at an unbelievable rate of speed. A smile crept across her face as she exhaled. Her heart pounded against her chest as she tried to relax. She was free…free at last…
If only she had waited a little longer to rejoice in victory…
In a split second, there was the sound of a crackling fire, and everything went black.
~*~
Gohan paced back and forth in a small room. The peeling walls were painted a light shade of gray. A single desk and computer leaned against the left side of the room, while a plain round table with chairs stood to the right. Yes, it was Gohan and Chuck's small, cramped office, but it was their second home. Countless hours were spent in there analyzing information on different cases.
Gohan sighed deeply, "So, what you're telling me is that we have no main address for this woman?"
Chuck's fingers quickly ran over the keyboard, "Yes. To avoid complications, she never kept the same address."
"What about a name?" Gohan's thumb and ring finger rubbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance, "Do we at least have a name?"
"Three of them, I'm afraid," Chuck answered. He hit the enter key, and the Killer Queen's picture with three names came up, "We have Angela, Eraisa, and Videl "
"This makes life so much harder. Why does she have to have an alias? She could have been less intelligent and used her real name."
Chuck laughed, "No, it doesn't make this easy."
Gohan eyed his partner suspiciously, "What are you laughing at?"
Chuck pushed away from the computer, his chair rolling backwards. He spun around and looked at Jake, "Look, you've always wanted a real challenge. Well, here it is, and now you can't embrace it with open arms? This is a huge case, and we can't screw it up. So, do this the easy way, and go talk to her. I'm sure she'll give you her name."
Gohan shot Chuck a doubtful look. Rubbing his forehead, he nodded, and left the room.
~*~
She sat soundlessly in her prison. The walls were a dark cement to obviously prevent escape. The ground was also cement, with little green plants sprouting from cracks in the floor. The building must have been a secondhand job. She had been in much better places than this before.
Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out something that looked like a broken watch. Pressing a button
twice, a picture came onto the face of the clock. A blonde man sat on the other end of the screen. His feet were propped onto the table he was sitting at as he read the latest issue of Gaming Weekly.
"Sharpener?"
Sharpener coughed and flipped the page.
"Sharpener!"
Sharpener jumped, and threw his magazine down. Grinning sheepishly, he seemed to turn a few knobs, and hit a few keys.
"Hey, how's it going? I thought you were dead there for a while. Get yourself caught again?"
"Caught again? This is the first time in months, thank you very much. I've been being good lately."
Sharpener rolled his cerulean blue eyes, "Whatever you say. Okay, what do you need?"
"Download a map of the ventilation system onto my watch. Meet me on the roof at twelve o'clock sharp tonight."
"Will you be able to get out this time?"
She smiled, "Of course. They have no security around here," she paused for a moment before continuing, "Shoot, someone's coming. Remember, twelve o'clock. Later." She turned the screen off, and threw the watch back into her pocket.
Steps echoed through the hall as the door to her cell slid open. Gohan walked through, a serious look planted on his face. He needed her name, and he needed it for the case to be filed against her. It had to be one of her many secrets, and it was going to be the first one he cracked.
"What do you need?" The Killer Queen asked rudely.
"Your name."
" It's Killer Queen, and everyone knows it." She smiled at Gohan.
"No, your real name," He replied calmly. He had to stay cool. People like her purposely get others mad.
"Eraisa."
Gohan shook his head, "No, you don't look like an Eraisa to me. How about your real name?"
She hung her head in disappointment, "Videl. My real name is Videl." She looked up at him with sad eyes.
"Videl, is it? Well Videl, we'll be keeping you here for a while. Just sit tight for me, okay? Thanks." He turned, and left the cell. After the heavy door slid shut, he turned around, "Why did you tell me your name so easily?"
Videl smiled, "Why shouldn't I? I'm here, right? So it's better for me to cooperate, isn't it?" She waited for a reply, but none came, "Of course it is. Good night."
Gohan rolled his eyes. He had no choice but to believe her at the moment. Shaking his head, he simply let the conversation end like that. Folding his hands behind his back, he made a sharp turn left, and disappeared.
~*~
Night quickly fell. Crickets sang in the background as people tossed and turned in their sleep, unable to block the annoying song out of their heads. As the darkness moved through time, Videl's cell grew darker. Shadows of her body danced on the wall in front of her, caused by the light in the hallway. A soft snoring could be heard from a sleeping security guard, who was obviously not aware of Videl's plan. She smiled wickedly to herself—another escape, another story to tell at the clubs. Pushing herself up with her arms, she quietly dragged a chair over to the center of the room. Standing on the wobbly chair, Videl maintained her balance while she felt around for the air vent. Finally feeling the metal bars under her fingertips, she grasped them tightly and pulled as hard as she could. The gate to the vent came crashing down. Videl paused to make sure that no one heard her. A loud snore and a soft mumbling of words came as her reply. Smiling again, she soundlessly laid the gate against the ground. She took her position back onto the chair. Lowering her center of balance, Videl bent her knees, and pushed upwards, exploding in a jump. Grasping the sides of the vent with both hands, Videl pulled herself into the cold metal frame. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a piece of thin, carbon yellow paper and a pen.
Gohan looked up from his late night work. He could have sworn that he heard a crashing noise travel through the building. He set his pen down, and leaned back in his black rolling chair. Rocking in it, he stroked his chin in an effort to figure out what the sound could possibly be…
It came again. This time though, it was a kicking sound coming from the ceilings. Gohan jumped to his feet. Videl was the only person being kept there, so it had to be her! Gohan grabbed his jacket off a coat rack in the corner, and ran to her cell.
He was met with a wave of air, and a single piece of thin, carbon yellow paper. On the paper, a note was written in blue ink:
"She's a killer queen
Gunpowder and guillotine
Dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your mind
Wanna Try?"
Catch me if you can…see you on the streets, Agent Son Gohan
~ Killer Queen ~
Gohan crumpled the note in his hand. Throwing his long, trench coat like jacket on, he ran outside. Maybe—just maybe—he could catch Videl before she left. He did not want to chase her around the city, or around the world, if it led to that.
A helicopter buzzed in the distance as Gohan headed outside. A cold blast of air cooled his burning face. A few stars poked through the cloudy sky. Those clouds mixed in with the black sky, making all objects seem lost.
As he looked towards the few city light that shone over the horizon, Gohan could do nothing but smile. Silently, he accepted Videl's challenge. Yes, a new challenge. The Killer Queen would be his.
Gohan spun on the ball of his foot to turn to move inside the police building. A new day, a new crime was the way he looked at life. But now…now he was going to work on a very important case…
Just remember—She has the best reputation for getting what she wants, when she wants. Men need her, and women want to be her. The law may never catch her…they may never get her to change her ways….
Enter Agent Son Gohan, the last defense against crime.
Let the real chase begin…
