The Defenders
The unofficial sequel to Shireheart's 'Stories from the Peach' chapter 'Complacent,' posted with her permission. I highly encourage you to read 'Complacent' first before viewing this fic, as it is a fantastic story. Shireheart, thanks for allowing me to use your brilliant idea. ^^
Disclaimer: Mira and her friends belong to me; they appear in my as-of-yet unfinished fic, 'Not Quite Human.' I do plan to finish that once inspiration stops being so darn fickle.
"I'm telling you, there's something off about the whole thing." Mira stabbed a piece of raw beef and popped it in her mouth, her fangs making short work of the tasty morsel.
"I take it you still believe the whole "possible foul play" theory, then?" Landon asked, raising an eyebrow. Mira waved her fork in his face.
"Yes, I do. And I can back it up too." Landon and the other three werewolves sitting around the table- Kaya, Sean, and Aria- watched the half-demon with expectant eyes.
"My mom was working at the hospital when Centipede was admitted. He said he didn't realize he'd been exposed to pesticides because they 'didn't smell like pesticides.'"
"So?"
"So, he and the others could probably identify pesticides faster than any of us could. If Centipede didn't recognize the scent, then it means the chemicals were altered. And if the people spraying the city lawns simply forgot the fact that there are giant talking bugs living here now, why bother disguising the smell of the chemicals?"
The friends fell silent, the plate of raw meat they were sharing forgotten.
"You know," Kaya said slowly, "Mira's got a good point."
"Yeah, that's too much of a coincidence," Aria agreed. "Besides, being the mayor and all, Centipede's probably made more than a few enemies. Maybe more than we have."
"Exactly," Mira stated, drumming her claws on the wooden table. "And I'd bet my life that some of those enemies were responsible for what happened today. And if not enemies, then low-level criminals for sure"
"Hmmm…." Landon glanced out the window of his apartment, watching the sunset with a critical eye. "Well, guys, it's the full moon If there is something going on, let's see if we can figure it out tonight. Then, if there is some kind of plot being hatched by humans-"
"-we have some fun," Mira stated, her golden eyes glowing with delight at the prospect.
"Uh, Earth to Mira and Landon. How are we supposed to find the guys responsible for putting our mayor in the hospital? OW!" Sean rubbed his head with a paw in response to Aria's cuff.
"We follow the scent," his sister said
"Hey, yeah. If the pesticides in the park were altered, it shouldn't be too hard to track the people down." Kaya ran her claws through her pink-striped fur (the result of her own dye job) and grinned. "This'll be fun. Let's go."
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"Geez, I don't know who these people are, but they could sure use a bath." Aria wrinkled her nose as she sniffed the air, The young supernaturals had started out close to the Trotter family's house, but the trail had quickly led them further into the park. The air was heavy with the arid scent of chemicals and the sweaty odor of unwashed human flesh.
"I'll say. Even the Rage Pack weres would be put off by how these guys smell." Sean muttered as the five friends trekked through the trees. Mira paused, then turned to the left.
"Over here." Running over to one of the few roads leading into the park, the half-demon crouched down and sniffed the ground. "The human's trail ends here and I can smell exhaust. This must have been where their getaway car was."
"Yeah, the smell of altered pesticides just as thick here as it was back near the house; the car or truck must've been full of the stuff."
"All the easier to follow it. C'mon!"
Leaping into the air, the supernaturals followed the trail from atop the buildings and skyscrapers of New York. No one saw them; the friends were far too experienced in hiding themselves to be spotted. However, had any mortal caught sight of the group, then he or she would have been struck by the sight they made. The full moon shone down upon the friends as they ran, their powerful limbs outdistancing the numerous cars below Their eyes glowed in the moonlight, their tails streaming out behind them like those of shooting stars. Each of them could feel their wild blood pounding in their veins; the full moon was fully in the sky now and those with magic in their blood ruled the night.
"There!" Mira pointed to a bunch of rather run-down abandoned brownstone houses, where the scent of altered pesticides was strongest. The group lept over the roof of the last two buildings and carefully descended back to the ground, their keen ears alert for the softest sound.
"Psst, guys. Over here" Sean was pointing to a basement window, barely visible between its level with the ground and its coating of grime. Crouching down around it, the five supernaturals peered inside, ready to leap onto the roof at the sound of approaching footsteps.
Four men were seated around a small TV, which was tuned to a news channel. Three of them were still were the yellow jumpsuits. The fourth was wearing a dirty black sweater and jeans His brown hair was tied in a ponytail and he looked furious. Snapping off the TV, he turned to the others.
"Nice going, the mayor's not dead." One of the men in yellow snagged a bottle off the ground and took a long drink from it.
"I toldja we shoulda gone for that ladybug first. She works at the hospital; that's the only reason why he's not dead."
Outside, Mira stiffened with shock; she had been right! She felt Landon grasp her hand and she squeezed the paw back.
"Maybe so. But that doesn't excuse your failure. Now it will be even harder to pick those creatures off."
"Why don't we just do 'em all at once?" another of the yellow-clad men whined. "It'd be easier if they was all together." The leader rolled his eyes.
"Because, Caleb, if the whole group dies together, the cops'll be sure to smell a rat. And we cannot, absolutely cannot afford that. Besides, we need the boy alive."
"The mayor's kid?" The head man snorted.
"That boy is no son of theirs, no matter what those creatures tell the press. He's just a ward they took off some old women, nothing more. But believe me, he's what we want."
"Why?" Caleb whined again.
"Why? Why? Do you know what that kid is worth now? Once the bugs are outta the way, all their cash goes to him We get our hands on him, we're rich."
"Um, how do we get the kid, Lucas? We gotta do it legally, or we don't get anything."
"You let me worry about that, Hank. I've got connections; all I gotta do is call in a few favors and the boy's as good as ours."
"He ain't gonna like it."
"So? He'll learn to live with it. And if not, well, we can arrange to let him have a little accident, just like his so-called family. Now, let's go over our plans so that there'll be no further screw-ups."
Outside, the five had heard enough; already, their wild blood was pounding, urging them to tear the men inside to pieces. Snarling, Kaya turned to her friends, her green eyes alight with rage.
"I say we kill 'em now and be done with it! Let's send this pile of scum back to where they came from!" Mira growled, sorely tempted to do so. She didn't really want to kill, but the combination of her demonic blood, the full moon, and her utter fury at the men's plan was making it hard to ignore her basic instinct. Oh-ho, if given the chance, she'd gladly show them what fear was all about…
Mira gasped, standing stock still. Fear, that was it!
"Mira?" Landon cocked his head at the half-demon.
"Guys, listen, I have a great idea. And it'll give us much more satisfaction than killing them will."
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"Right, does that make sense to you three?"
"And how come we're doing all the footwork, Lucas?"
"'Cause that's what you're getting paid to do, Hank," Lucas replied, eyeing the burly man. "And don't worry, you guys will all get your cut. After all, there'll be plenty of dough to go around."
The four lapsed into silence, daydreaming about the wonderful lives they would soon be leading after they committed several murders. But before they could share their fantasies, a frantic knocking came from the front door. Lucas frowned, carefully stowing a pocket knife in his jeans pocket. Followed by his men, Lucas exited the basement and approached the front door.
"Who's there?"
"H-H-Help me!" a young man's frightened voice called back. Opening the door, Lucas stumbled back as a teenage boy spilled into the grubby living room. The boy's brown hair was tousled wildly and his baggy clothes were shredded nearly to rags. Gasping for breath on his hands and knees, the boy whimpered,
"It… it…. it b-b-bit me." Lucas frowned and leaned forward, trying to see the boy's face.
"What're you- AHHHHH!" The boy's head jerked up, his face elongated and his teeth grown abnormally long. Lucas and his followers could only stare in terror as the handsome young boy transformed into a huge, bipedal wolf. Ripping the remains of its clothes from its body, the wolf fixed the men with a hungry eye and leapt after them. Lucas and the others scattered, leaving whiny Caleb to be pounced on by the grey-furred creature. Caleb's whiny voice gave out as the wolf hoisted him up in its paws and shook him. Hank ran upstairs, only to be driven back downstairs by two other werewolves, saliva dripping from their teeth. The third man had attempted to run into the kitchen, but the collar of his yellow jumpsuit was snagged by the jaws of a white werewolf, its fur dabbed with stripes of hot pink.
Lucas, meanwhile, escaped to the basement, whipping out his knife in the hopes it would defend him. But the puny weapon was quickly snatched out of his hand by a long thin appendage that cracked against his hand like a whip. Whirling around, Lucas uttered another shrill scream.
A teenage girl was standing behind him, but there was no doubt in Lucas's mind that this was not a human girl, but a monster. Her black hair was shot through with streaks of red and her face was striped with jagged red tattoos. Her ears were pointed and the long appendage was in fact a barbed tail that quivered in anticipation. The girl reached out a clawed hand and grasped the front of Lucas's sweater. Lucas was treated to the sight of her sharp fangs before he was dragged back upstairs. The man barely had time to note the number of werewolves that were menacing his followers before the demonic girl jerked him around to face her again. Running a tongue over her fangs, she spoke in deceptively soft voice.
"Foolish man, you thought your plot went undetected, did you?"
"You know?" Caleb squeaked, still dangling from the grey wolf's paws.
"How could we not?" said grey werewolf asked in a deep voice, his muzzle inches from Caleb's throat.
"There is little in this city that we do not know," the demon girl confirmed. "And we are always willing to defend those who are threatened by people like you."
"It was Lucas!" Hank screamed, squirming in the white wolf's grasp. "He planned everything, he got us the supplies, he-"
"Hank, you-"
"Oh, we know," the smallest of the werewolves said, its voice as soft and feminine as the demon's. "We know everything." She licked her lips as she eyes the man she and her partner were restraining.
"And we have come to punish you." The demon ran the barb of her tail across the skin on Lucas's throat.
"Please!" Lucas pleaded, tears filling his eyes. "Please don't! I, I'll do anything you say, I promise! Just don't kill me!" The dark grey werewolf laughed, a very bestial sound.
"These guys are all the same. They all beg for their worthless lives once they're caught. Pity none of them keep their word after."
"I will, I will!" Lucas screamed. "You have my word, I promise!"
"Your promise is worth nothing to me, human!" the demon roared, her pupils flashing red for a split second. "You attempt to destroy an innocent child's life and then ask for my pity? Nay, I'll gut you now!"
"I'll do anything!" Luca's men echoed their leader's screams with vigor and the demon paused.
"Stay away from the Trotter family, as they are under our protection," she ordered. "If I catch you near them again, you will wish you'd never been born! Abandon any ideas on illegal activity from now on If you even consider another crime again, even one as minor as jaywalking, you and your followers won't live long enough to regret it."
"Oh, and don't think leaving the city will help you," the last werewolf said, running a tongue over his lips. "There are more of us. A lot more."
"Get out of our sight!" The demon threw Lucas to the ground and the werewolves released the other men. Immediately, all four fled for their lives, too terrified to even scream anymore. Only Caleb glanced back and only he saw the five creatures standing on the roof. But all four heard the howls of the werewolves and the laughter of the demon as they fled New York City once and for all.
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The full moon had nearly reached its zenith when James was roused from sleep by a soft tapping at his window. Rubbing his eyes, the ten-year-old sat up and glanced over the window. A shadowy form was balancing expertly on his window sill.
A shadowy figure with golden eyes.
"Mira?" The half-demon easily pushed the window up and lept lightly into the room.
"The one and only. Sorry for waking you."
"That's okay," James assured his friend, stifling a yawn. "What's that on your face?"
"Oh, this?" Mira scratched at the red marks she'd had Kaya paint on her face. "Nothing. I was out with some friends and we decided to have a little fun with some idiots, that's all."
"Oh." James rubbed at his eyes again, and Mira noted just how exhausted he looked. Poor thing; he'd had one heck of a bad day.
"Listen, I heard about what happened to Centipede. I just wanted to let you know that nothing that bad will ever happen again."
"How do you know?" James asked. The half-demon gave him a rueful grin.
"The idiots my friends and I scared were the ones who sprayed the chemicals all over the park. Guarantee they won't be doing that again."
"You didn't hurt them, did you, Mira?"
"Hey, no, of course not," Mira assured her young friend. "But you should have seen their faces; it was hilarious." James bit his lip as a grin spread across his own face, but his brown eyes were starting to fall shut again.
"You go on back to sleep, James. And like I said, don't worry about anything like this happening again. I'll explain everything to your family tomorrow, but I wanted to tell you first."
"Thanks, Mira," James replied, lying back down. Seconds later, he was fast asleep again. Mira slipped back out of the room, closed the window and jumped back to the ground. Glancing up at James's window, the half-demon closed her eyes and thought,
I promise I'll always protect you, James. You and your family both; I won't let anything happen to you. I'm a half-demon and we defend our friends and loved ones with our lives. Besides, if I don't protect you from the evils of both the natural and the supernatural world, who will?
With a decisive nod, Mira Redmane exited Central Park, a defender headed home for a well-deserved rest.