BurkeWorld Studios
Proudly Presents…
An SPC Fiction
"Reinforce The Wings"
He always made sure not to fly so high that his wings would freeze. The winters in Little Tokyo were always harsh, as the city was located right on the waterfront.
There was just so much going through his mind; The Pizza Bird, Carla, his new friends, and just trying to pull himself together after the Comet incident. Night flying made him feel free, like nothing could quench the feelings inside him.
Indeed, Good Bird had changed for the better. Aside from the already mentioned pressures, all was well in the city. Repairs were made, the Palace rebuilt perfectly, houses, shops and buildings were all fixed. The citizens lives were mended over time, and people started to breathe easy again.
The Pizza Cat Emporium was back in business with it's new partner. Good Bird had everything he needed and wanted. His former friends, you might call them, were nowhere to be found. The Big Cheese and Mr. Old Attrick had simply vanished. Not that anyone cared how they turned out, as they were more of a liability than a contributing factor in the city.
Swooping low under the main wooden bridge, Good Bird veered home through the light dusting of snow the city was receiving. Landing in his open bedroom window, he shook off his wings and arms.
"You're getting my floor all wet."
He loved hearing that voice. That voice would melt snow if it were possible.
Good Bird simply answered in his typical gruff voice, "It needed a good washing."
Carla approached him, stepping from the shadows.
"Good, I'll get you the mop then." She kissed his cheek and retrieved the cleaning supplies.
It took him a few minutes, but soon everything was straightened up. Carla never asked about his night flying, as she thought it was quite adventurous and even suggested that she accompany him one night. He chuckled at the thought, but gave in.
"Sounds fun. Always nice to have a flying partner." Good Bird said sleepily.
"I'd be happy to be yours forever." She answered, snuggling up to him as they got into bed.
Both fell asleep promptly.
The usual routine. Get up, get ready, open the doors, let the business start. Since the Pizza Bird was only a two crow job, things weren't as upscale as the Pizza Cat Emporium, but it still did quite well for itself.
Good Bird ran the deliveries, Carla took care of all the managerial work along with the organization of specials and discounts. On the busy days, Speedy would come over and give them a hand with anything. Vice-versa on other days, Good Bird or Carla would help out the Pizza Cat Emporium whenever it was needed.
So. Where does this leave us? Everything is perfect now, everything is in that righteous balance. There is, however, always that one particular something that threatens to knock everything askew. Since everything is perfect, what could it possibly be? The answer is right in front of your very nose, dear reader, all you have to do is look for it.
Days went by. Weeks. Months. A year. One year since the anniversary of the Comet had arrived. The entire Little Tokyo populace had a celebration in the towns centre for this occasion. Shops were closed, and people were brought together in joyous celebration.
Speedy, while trying to dance with Polly, had only managed to step on her tail twice.
"You're getting better, Speedy, but you're icing my tail when we get home." She said teasingly to him, giving him a playful nudge.
"Yeah yeah, but it's a small price to pay just to spend more time with you." He replied with a big smile.
The two continued to dance.
Even Guido and Francine eased up a bit and deciding to have some fun. They were currently sharing a vanilla milkshake together while watching the rather impressive fireworks display.
Good Bird was sitting at the edge of the fountain, watching the brilliant lights of the fireworks in the calm reflection. He saw himself too, the new being he's become; a being of benevolence and of justice. A year ago he'd find that hard to believe, but Time has a way of forging souls for the better. He was indeed changed, no doubt about that. As he stared into his reflection upon the water, however, he felt both comfort and dread at the same time.
"Birdy!"
A quick pair of hands disrupted his thoughts. Carla had snuck up behind and playfully pounced; hugging him tightly.
"Happy Comet Day, Birdy!" She cooed into his ear.
Good Bird smiled and rocked back and forth with her.
"You too, my sweet."
He felt great, he felt fulfilled and… whole. For the first time in his life, he was at peace.
Speedy, Guido, Francine and Polly came up and joined them at the fountains edge. Greetings were exchanged, laughs were shared, stories were told, and even a good luck punch from Polly to Speedy found it's way into the mix. They finished off the night staring at the night sky. The Grand Finale of fireworks detonating overhead, making night into day, so powerful was the show. After the celebration was over, the bright stars produced the best show for them all, engulfing the entire twilight…
The usual routine. Get up, get ready, open the doors, let the business start. It was almost the same everyday. Good Bird entered the main floor of his Pizza shop. He felt tired. More so than usual. He could hear Carla in the back, firing up the ovens. He got himself some coffee, which was rare, but today he really needed it.
He yawned mightily as Carla entered the room.
"You could fit an entire pizza in there!" She joked at him.
Finishing his yawn, Good Bird said quietly, "Yeah, that'd be just what I needed. Not sure why I'm so tired.." Sipping his coffee, he sat at one of the tables waiting for the phone to ring. Silence. His own thoughts were speaking to him now.
"Had fun with all your friends last night?"
"How about Carla?"
"What about your business?"
"Your health keeping up?"
"Lots of money being made?"
"What about your past? Weren't you happy then?"
As quickly as the last thought raced through his mind, he dismissed it. He is happy now, and that's all that counts. Nothing could change that. Sitting back in his chair slightly, he finished off his coffee with a final gulp. His past. He wasn't happy then, but now that's all changed.
The day dragged on, he felt rundown, but dismissed the feeling as it was probably from the party last night. The sun fell behind the low horizon as the greyish-black clouds sauntered along the darkening sky over the city. Night had come.
Good Bird and Carla had retired to their bedroom. It was muggy outside, as the clouds brought with them a light misting of rain. This was the night the peaceful serenity of Little Tokyo was about to be blown wide open. Literally.
It was late at night, when no one was around. Everything was still and quiet as the rain continued to fall. A loud crack of thunder split the sky apart as more rain continued to fall. Lightening dashed across the sky like spider legs, making a brilliant light show in the night. There was another crash of sound, but not caused by thunder or lightening, but an explosion. One of the warehouses by the harbour was blown sky-high. After the fire and flame-cloud cleared away, there was nothing left of the structure. Debris was piled up everywhere and strewn around. The Fire and Rescue crews were dispatched to the scene. No one could figure out what caused the explosion, it was so sudden.
Not more than 20 minutes after the first attack, a second detonation rocked the city. This time it was right in the core of the downtown. Shops were obliterated in one wave of fire and destruction. Every fire service and Royal Guard was sent into the city to either prevent ANOTHER attack, or to investigate what was going on. It was a dreadful night for the city, the news report the next day gave all the details. No one was hurt or killed, but there was now uneasiness spreading through the city.
Good Bird, who was watching TV in his own Emporium, was literally opened mouthed. No one could believe this. Carla was at his side, also in disbelief. The Professor on TV said that weather was not the cause of these twin explosions, but an act of sabotage or terror. Giving Carla a quick kiss, he told her he had to help the SPC figure this out, before another attack occurred. He left his Emporium and went across the street to the Pizza Cat.
All four of them, too, were glued to the TV, not believing what they were seeing. A ring from the back of the Emporium got their attention. It was Big Al paging them on the video phone. The group of them gathered around and awaited instructions.
"This is very serious.." Big Al started.
"Obviously!" Francine piped up, "If there is a threat to the city, people won't want to come and eat pizza!"
"I know, Francine, I know! I need you guys out there at night, search the city and keep an eye out for anything suspicious." Al finished.
"No problem. Gang, lets suit up." Speedy replied confidently. "Nobody is gonna mess this city up again."
"Right!"
Day turned to night. Speedy, Good Bird, Guido, Polly we're split up into groups, scouring the city for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. They were up all night and not one little thing was found or seen. The two devastated sites were cordoned off to the public with Police tape. At 5:00 am, the group met back at the Pizza Cat Emporium. They were all exhausted and irritable, as they hadn't found a single clue or hint anywhere.
Speedy started to rant, "Nothing. I don't believe this at all, how in the hell could someone sneak around so well without leaving anything behind!"
Polly calmed him down gradually.
"Sorry guys.." Speedy said quietly.
"Don't worry cats, there is a solution to every problem. Hasn't stopped us before, right?" Good Bird said reassuringly.
"Yeah, you're right. Lets take tomorrow off, see what develops."
They all agreed and went to their respective homes.
"Birdy…?" A sleepy voice came from the darkness as Good Bird walked into his Emporium.
"Yeah, I'm here Carla.. Sorry for being so late, but we didn't find one thing." He said, sounding very dismayed.
She gave him a glass of water and a small snack.
"Come get some rest, you look so tired."
Good Bird, munching away, replied, "thanks.. I'll be up in a few minutes."
Carla left Good Bird alone to finish his food.
"Ugh, what a night…" Good Bird thought to himself as he finished his snack.
For the next few days and nights, nothing at all happened. All was calm again, and everything seemed the way it used to be. But the second one lets their guard down, disaster strikes.
He was perched atop the Palace spire, looking over the entire city. A menacing looking figure, donned in black battle armour, full head mask, and rocket-launcher strapped to his back, he was out for blood tonight. His quad-wings flexed and moved around behind him. Indeed, he was very dangerous, a person that has lost his mind. He began his dive off the palace, bringing the launcher up to his visor, and as he swooped by the Little Tokyo hospital, he unleashed a barrage of rockets. The night sky lit up brilliantly in fire and smoke. He had struck again. The figure was gone before the first piece of debris hit the ground…
Good Bird lay in his bed, eyes half-closed, staring at the ceiling. Carla rushed into the room, crying. He sat up quickly, his heart racing, a mild sweat on his body.
"Oh Birdy… The.. The hospital.. Has been destroyed…!" She buried her face into his arms, crying so hard.
He placed his arms around her, lowering his head.
"When will the madness end..?" He thought to himself.
Carla sniffled a few more times and sat up. She gazed around the room slowly, her mind still not taking in fully the events of what happened. She was about to say something else when her eyes fell upon something at the foot of the bed.
It was some mud.
"Birdy?" She sniffled again, "what's that dirt doing on our bed?" She pointed to the spot of mud on the sheets.
Good Bird looked too, perplexed.
"I.. Don't know.." He relied, reaching over and running a talon over the stain. He looked down at his feet, noticing that they had mud on them as well.
He sat up quickly, dusting his feet off.
"What the hell is this!" He shouted, sounding both frightened and angry.
"Were you outside today…?" Carla asked.
"I don't think so. I woke up early today, but didn't go outside.." Good Bird said again, sitting back down, staring at his talons. Carla got up, wiped her eyes and gave him a towel to clean his feet…
Big Al called a meeting that day at the Palace. He wanted to speak to the team in person, as the situation was growing very serious now, as people had been killed in the latest attack.
"You will all take turns at night, patrolling and snooping. I want this maniac taken down, and I need you guys to do it!" Al instructed them. They all agreed and drew straws to find out the order of patrol.
Guido: 1st
Good Bird: 2nd
Speedy: 3rd
Polly: 4th
They all agreed and left the palace, leaving Big Al to wonder and worry if anything else will happen. Another night crept into the scene, and the patrol began. Guido started at the north end and worked his way down towards the downtown core. He had a radio to communicate with the others, should anything happen. He looked inside buildings, down alleyways, every place and everywhere, but all was quiet once again. After a few hours, Guido stretched and radioed Good Bird to continue where he left off. Good Bird arrived a few minutes later by flight and bid Guido a farewell. Guido passed over the radio to Good Bird and left. He was alone again, walking up and down the streets. After an hour, he flew up and perched himself atop a tall roof. He sat and looked over the south end of the city, exhaling.
"What's the matter with you?"
"Are you feeling sad?"
"Or are you feeling happy inside, just as you were."
"Why are you fighting it, for you know you cannot win."
"Once you have become something, you can never change it."
The voice in his head just wouldn't shut up now. He was more tired than usual, as he hasn't slept hardly at all in these past few days. Something wasn't right. He closed his eyes and leaned his back, relining himself. The stars were out, shining their sparkling light down onto the city.
Sirens and whistles were going off, snapping Good Bird out of his light nap he was taking. He jolted up, looking around quickly. Think plumes of smoke and fire rose up from the palace… The entire east wing of the building was missing, as the fire had eaten it's way through it. Good Bird's eyes shot open in fear and disbelief, he fumbled around for the radio which was strapped to his belt. He finally got a hold of it and shouted into it.
"Cats! There has been another attack! Come quickly..!"
But there was no sound. In fact, the radio was smashed open, wires and springs spurting out of it.
"This is.. This is impossible!" Good Bird gasped, dropping the radio. It slid off the slanted roof and onto the ground below. He stared at the fire burn, dropping to his knees. They had struck again, right under his nose and he didn't even realize it… His head slumped down into his chest, he felt sick and defeated inside. Then a small voice in his head piqued at him:
"This is quite a nice light show tonight, hmm?"
"Quite a nice display, I like how the fire mixes with the smoke."
"Yet another successful mission on your part."
"You destroyed yet anoth.."
"Ahh! Stop it! Stop it, get out of my head!" Good Bird yelled to the sky, covering his ears.
"It's impossible! Stop it! It can't be true!" He shouted more, tears flowing down his face.
Flashes appeared behind his eyelids, surging through his mind.
Night flying.
The ordeal.
The first, second and third strike.
The fire and death which had been brought to the city.
Good Bird opened his eyes, which were bloodshot and misty. It was impossible, he kept repeating it over and over in his mind.
"Are you sure it's impossible?" his mind spoke to him again.
"Because I can tell you, it's quite possible, as you've been there the entire time."
He shouted to himself, "How? That doesn't make any sense at all! I was with my friends the entire time! I was with Carla the rest of the time!"
His mind countered, "You're sure about that? Can you vouch for your whereabouts tonight? You were alone, weren't you? What about the night the first disaster?"
"Enough! Lies! All lies!" Good Bird screamed some more. He pressed hard with his legs and took flight into the sky, flapping his wings as hard as he could.
More flashes as he flew through the sky, sickening scenes of burnt bodies and dead children as the hospital lay in ruins. The fires which consumed the city also consumed his soul. He grabbed his head again and yelled into the night, his eyes shut tight. He flew blindly, twisting and turning.
"There there.. It will all be over soon." The calm voice spoke to him in his mind again, it sounded so soothing, yet menacing at the same time.
"I will reveal all for you."
Good Bird still had his eyes shut tight, but his minds-eye made him see the newest scene of destruction. A dark figure standing off in the distance, the weapon on it's back, the set of quad-wings, the dark armour, the mask. He saw it as clear as day, the figure looked towards Good Bird and removed it's mask.
He was looking at himself.
His eyes glared open, fresh streams of tears spilling forth as he was shown the images. He felt his body flex, his stomach churn and his wings strain outwards, enough to cause pain. Something inside him was trying break free. His inner soul, his dark half was pushing itself into reality once again. A bright flash of light, he was engulfed in pure, white light. As quickly as it appeared, it vanished, leaving only behind the dark figure in black amour, the wings, the weapon, and the mask. His evil half had been reborn once again. His right wing clipped the side of a power pole, causing him to spin towards the ground. With a sickening crash, he rolled to a stop, not moving, hardly breathing, but his eyes remained wide open through the broken mask, as if staring off into nothing.
He heard voices. Not the quiet, whispering one in his mind, but other voices. Voices of concern and weeping and voices of puzzlement and despair. He tried to move, but was unable too. His eyes were shut, and he could not open them either. The voices became much clearer.
"Birdy… wake.. Up.. Please wake up…"
"He's gone, Carla… Please, let him be."
He felt his body shake then as if something had grasped him.
"No! He's alive! I.. I can.. Feel it! Please!"
There was a heavy tingling starting to develop in his chest. Then a numbing sensation, followed by a hollow sound of air. His chest was moving, air filling his lungs again.
He heard a gasp which sounded of shock. He heard more talking, echoes in his ears. He knew the voices. He forced his hand to move, to reach out, to touch something. Anything. Another hand gripped his and gave it a tight squeeze.
"Birdy! Open your eyes! Please! You're alive! C'mon!" Carla was in near hysterics.
He heard other voices of encouragement, telling him to wake up. Very slowly, his eyes opened. Blurred figures stood over him, one kneeling. He blinked a couple of times and gripped the hand which was holding his firmer. He heard crying, not crying of sadness, but of happiness. His wings were broken, the black armour lay in ruins next to him, the mask had smashed in half, and the weapon which caused the death and disaster had broken into pieces. His old, evil past had broken free when his good side had weakened. All his old rage and pent up anger had finally broken free into a creature of pure evil. His mind spoke to him, telling him to do those things.
The first night, his mind made him get up after Carla and himself went to bed, and head out into the night. He flew to Mt. Coochi, to the place where he first found the Armour of Worc. He entered the chamber, but found the place empty. Only the statues had remained behind, but the armour had been lost years ago.
As he left the chamber, his dark half forced himself to change into the creature of the night which then took it's toll on the city in the first strike. Once the attack was completed, he was brought back to his Emporium and laid in bed. Good Bird had no memory of the attack whatsoever.
The next attack occurred a few days later, at the same time of night. The hospital was bombed, but when he was flying home, he stepped in some mud before entering the Pizza Bird to go back to his room. He lay away in a dead stare, not remembering anything. The mud was found the next day, with no possible explanation.
His vision cleared, he saw his friends face, and his wife's sparkling eyes looking down at him, his hand over her heart as she held so tight against herself.
With great strength, he smiled at her…
Then, his mind made his mouth move and say:
"Carla… I'm.. me again.."
-End