Sow 1.1
The door slid shut behind me with a quiet sound, muffling the sound of Brockton Central's busy lobby. A chilly winter breeze blew past down the street, sending a shiver through me. I drew my robes tighter around my shoulders. Dammit, it was freezing out here. My costume was good for keeping warm, but there was only so much it could do on a winter night. I should have grabbed a sweater or something before slipping out…
Shaking my head a bit, I started walking away from the hospital. If I wanted to get back to the house before Carol got up, I couldn't use the nearest bus stop. It'd make like, ten different stops before getting to mine. The stop a couple blocks away was better — it only took two stops before I needed to get off. So I had to go walking through the cold night to get there. Yaaaaay me.
A small sigh escaped me as I shivered again, rubbing my arms through the sleeves as I walked. Why was I complaining? I didn't have any right to complain about a little cold. There were people back in the hospital dying of brain trauma, or even homeless out in the city likely freezing to death. Meanwhile, it was just a short walk for me before I'd be on a bus heading to my warm, comfortable bed. I had no right to complain, and yet… Dammit, it was cold out here!
Groaning lightly, I forced the thought out of my mind. Which probably was a bad thing, as it let a different thought filter in. Memories of why I was out here and not currently asleep in bed. Why, oh why, had Vicky decided to set me up on yet another double date? I hadn't had an excuse to turn her down beyond just not wanting to go, and she wasn't having any of that. Normally it wouldn't have kept me up late at night, but well…
It was just meant to be a day on the Boardwalk, and my sister had decided to show off for Dean. So she'd worn that sundress she picked up earlier the week. The yellow spaghetti strap number that went to mid thigh, had a low neckline, and fit her just right and constantly pressed against her because of the wind and… To put it bluntly, literally no one during the date was looking anywhere else besides her. Even my own date had glanced at her half the time.
It really, really hadn't helped that she was trying so hard to get things to work out between me and the guy. Her way of doing so was to try and spout off every good thing about me, while forcing Dean to do the same about the guy. Which in turn led to her trying to talk about how useful my power could be. Which in turn led us to the same old argument, where I told her I didn't want to be considered a bio-tinker, and she just spouted off various random ideas of how it could help make New Wave more effective. I get that it would be useful in the field, but seriously, chameleon skin? It wound up with her having to be distracted and dragged away by Dean, leaving me in awkward silence with my date.
Which made me jealous, especially with how close Dean was getting to her. Which made me feel guilty because she was my damn sister and I shouldn't be jealous of Dean. Which made me angry at life in general for all the bullshit I put up with. Which made me guilty again, because I've got Vicky in my life, I shouldn't complain. It went on from there, a cycle of some emotion leading into guilt that lasted the entire date and well into the night. It kept me up, well, that and the image of Vicky in the sundress. If I couldn't go to sleep, I might as well make something useful out of the time.
My feet carried me forward on autopilot as my mind carried on with its tangent. Really, considering my power, healing when I couldn't sleep was the least I could do. There were always people who needed healing, always. There was no point in me laying in bed contemplating how my life sucked when I could be doing the same thing, but while being productive. Every extra minute I spent healing was someone helped.
A scream tore me from my thoughts. My head whipped up and around, it took me a moment to recognize where I was. Westside Park, right next to my bus stop. The scream had come from inside the park itself. For a moment, I considered just… ignoring it. Waiting for the bus to come, head home, and pretend it was just my imagination. My conscience took that thought and squashed it like the time Vicky smashed Hookwolf with a dumpster.
Dammit. Turning on a heel, I hurried into the park. I was a hero, even if I usually never fought. What kind of hero would I be if I didn't help someone in need? My hand was already starting to dig for my phone as I went. If it was too dangerous, I could call Vicky and tell her to fly out. Hopefully there'd be enough time or it was simple enough that I could handle it myself. Maybe I should have paid more attention to Neil's self defense lessons...
Hearing voices arguing ahead of me, I slipped off the path. Engulfed in the shadows, I managed to reach the park's plaza and hid behind a tree. Carefully poking my head out from behind it, my eyes widened. Visible under one of the lamps scattered around the park was the source of the scream, and the reason for it. A guy was lying on the ground groaning, bleeding from his mouth. A girl kneeling next to him was crying, holding his hand in a white knuckle grip. Three guys were standing in a loose semi-circle around them arguing. One was holding a baseball bat, another a crowbar, and the third an old pipe.
"I don't get what's the big deal, Moe," the one with the baseball bat said, making a gesture towards the pair. "Better he's unconscious, so he can't try and fight back!"
"That'd be right, Larry… if we were in the docks! Muggin some rich kids is one thin', puttin' one in the hospital's somethin else entirely! We ain't gonna be able to come back here after this, see?! Ya ruined everythin' ya' bozo!" The one with the crowbar emphasized the point by jabbing into Larry's gut, making him yelp and double over.
"Hey, no need to be mean to him, Moe! Larry's just over eager is all!" The final one with the pipe spoke up, reaching a hand out to pat Larry on the back. In response, Moe whacked him over the head with a fist, resulting in the argument starting up all over again. A silent sigh escaped my lips.
Well, there was definitely no need to call Vicky in for this. Just a trio of idiots that somehow managed to get the jump on a couple. The thought of stepping out and just yelling at them to get lost came to me, but I dismissed it. For normal thugs, sure, they'd know to run at the sight of a cape. These idiots? They might try to take me hostage or something stupid like that. Plus, I was pretty sure one of the victims was one of Vicky's friends from school, and I did not want her blabbing about this.
I idly placed a hand against the tree while trying to figure out what to do. I quickly pulled it away with a start when I suddenly got an extensive look into the biology of the tree. Touching plants was always weird, probably because… they were plants. They used photosynthesis, didn't have fleshy bits, used cell walls, and were just odd things in general. Though I had to give them one thing, wood was definitely one of nature's better armors. Bark, not so much, but wood itself…
An idea sparked in my head. It would solve how to deal with these guys, how to keep from being recognized, and how to stay safe all at once. However, this would be what Vicky always suggested. Essentially making myself a biotinker. Like Bonesaw and Blasto. But… it wasn't like I was using it on a person, or even an animal. It was a plant, and a massive one at that. The amount of material I'd need wouldn't really harm it, it'd be as if it just lost a few branches. Besides, I wasn't making some weird Frankenstein meat suit, just some wooden armor…
Decision made, I started removing my robes. It would just get in the way, and it'd be the absolute easiest way for someone to recognize me. Folding it up, I pressed it against the tree with one hand while the other found a gap in the bark to touch the living wood inside. Material shifted about as I went to work, the robes sinking into the tree as I formed a hollow. It flowed up my arm, causing me to shiver slightly at the feeling. It felt so different from what I usually did, and yet… it didn't feel wrong.
Shunting the thought aside, I focused on what I wanted. I needed something to hide my identity and protect my head, so a simple helmet was made first. Besides the eye holes and opening at the bottom, it was a completely smooth round… oval shape. Chest protection was important, so I formed it into a smooth breastplate. Then came the appendages. For the first time in literally ever, I was thankful for Gallant's knight shtick. It made it easier to design proper armor. I couldn't do joints well, so I didn't bother. It only took a minute or two for the armor to be complete.
They still had weapons, so I needed to solve that issue. Probably didn't want to get hit even with the armor, so I needed to solve that issue as well. Directing more material into one of the forearm… armor… things, I had the section on my outer arm grow. The wood spread outwards, forming a perfect circle of smooth wood. Shield done, now for the weapon. No need for anything fancy, I just formed the wood into a long baton in my hand. On a whim, I formed a bunch of thorns all along the length of it. They weren't long enough to actually cause any injury, but they'd definitely hurt.
All in all, it only took about three minutes for me to get it all done. Just in time too, as it seemed like the thugs were finally getting done with their argument. Or their leader had intimidated them enough for them to get back to work. They had all turned back to the couple, Moe waving his crowbar in a vaguely threatening manner. "Alrighty, stand up nice an' slow, girly. Whatever you got in your pockets are ours now, see? Jerome, get the stuff out of the guy's pockets."
Okay, they deserved what was coming to them. As the girl sniffed and stood up, I decided it was about time for me to step in. Shifting out from behind the tree, I stepped forward out of the shadows and shouted at them. Gotta try and project my inner Vicky for this. "Hey assholes! Step away from the couple, and this won't get ugly!"
Moe and Larry whirled about at the sound of my voice, accidentally whacking Jerome on the top of his bald head with the baseball bat as he bent down to start rifling through the guy's pockets. He fell onto his ass, clutching his head with a pitiful whine. The girl gave me a hopeful look, Larry gave me a nervous one, and Moe… just laughed. "What, seriously? Did they start sellin' armor' at Home Depot? Ya look like a walkin' cabinet!"
...I did not like Moe. Despite him telling the truth. He was going to go down. Hard. "At least I'm not enough of an idiot to try and rob someone Downtown. Now, are you going to do what I say, or do I have to introduce your face to my stick?"
Waggling the thorn baton in his general direction seemed to get the point across well enough, as a slightly nervous look came over his face. Looking over at Larry, he elbowed him in the side. "Well, Larry, don't be a pussy. Go kick her ass!"
"But she's gotta be a cape, Moe! I mean look at her, ain't no way that stuff ain't homemade." Larry pointed out, clutching his baseball bat a bit tighter. Moe sneered and smacked him on the back, forcing him forward a step with a yelp.
"She's literally a little girl in wooden armor! Ya can kick her ass!" Moe shouted at him, giving him a glare. Maybe I should make the thorns longer, just for him. Really have it hurt. Larry gave him a nervous look before turning back to me, and apparently decided to just get it over with. Because he just raised the baseball bat over his head and charged me.
I hadn't been taking this all that seriously before, but something about seeing a fully grown man charge at me with a baseball bat kind of made me realize I needed to. Uncle Neil always drilled one thing into my head. First rule of fighting: If you can avoid getting hit, avoid getting hit. The guy's swing was obvious a mile away, so I managed to neatly step out of the way of it. His momentum carried past me for a few stumbling steps, and I swung the baton right into the back of his knee.
He yelled out in pain and toppled over face first. Rolling over and clutching at his leg with one hand, it was easy enough to bring the baton back down onto his stomach. The air left him with a strangled gasp, the baseball bat abandoned to grab at his stomach. A few more whacks with the baton to his chest and arms had him curled up in the fetal position, groaning and bleeding from light lacerations. Damn, that was… exhilarating and exhausting.
Turning on a heel, I barely managed to get the shield up in time to block the crowbar coming in towards my face. It hit the shield and skidded off the wood, going wide above my head. Still sent me stumbling back a step as the shield itself wound up thudding against my helmet from the force. I almost tripped over Larry, but managed to keep my footing as Moe and I stared at each other. He snuck up on me… the bastard!
"This is for Larry, ya bitch!" He shouted and swung the crowbar at me again. I snarled and acted on instinct, raising my weapon arm out of the way to get the shield into place. The crowbar struck the wood and I had to grit my teeth to keep from crying out. Even with the wood, it still hurt! As he pulled back from the swing I rammed forward into him, shield first. The force of the blow sent him staggering back, and my baton swung down from above, the thorns growing to make sure this hurt!
The blow struck him right on the top of the head, the thorns digging through his skin as he yelled and stumbled back. Blood quickly began to leak down his face, covering one of his eyes and making him bring a hand up to try and wipe it clean. I took a step back as he started wildly swinging the crowbar around. After a moment I saw an opportunity and swung the baton out again, smashing it into the wrist holding it. He let out a strangled yell as he was forced to let go of it. From there, well, it was easy to simply lay into him with the baton. He went down in a couple more whacks, and wound up in a fetal position similar to Larry. Just a bit bloodier and visibly crying.
A vicious grin blossomed on my face as I turned about to face the last guy, Jerome. I was a little disappointed to find that he was staring at me wide eyed, his weapon on the ground and his hands in the air. "I-I surrender, ya don't gotta take that thing to me! I-I'll be good."
Snorting at his reaction, I walked forward towards him. He tensed up a bit, at least until I stuck the baton to a bit of my leg armor. It was easy enough to merge the pieces of wood together, to get my hands free. "Turn around and get your hands together behind your back."
He complied and I looked at the limbs… I didn't have any hand-cuffs. Or zip-ties. I was going to have to improvise. I reached a hand out, setting it onto his hands. Wood flowed from my shield and across my body, down my arm and onto his limbs. A small shiver ran through him as he likely felt the wood wrap around his wrists, forming a set of wooden restraints.
Shoving him towards where his two fellows were still on the ground, I quickly repeated the process for the two I beat up and sat them against one of the park's lamp posts. Nodding in satisfaction, I turned around, only to be reminded of why I got involved in the first place. The girl has managed to get the guy sitting upright, fussing over him. It was pretty obvious why, as I got a better look at him.
Jaws were not supposed to sit like that. Nor was blood supposed to drip from your mouth. Nor was your mouth supposed to swell up like someone stung by a bee in a cartoon. Walking over, I mentally tried to figure out what the hell I was gonna say. Should I just say nothing? No, Vicky wouldn't do that. She'd be confident, calm them down and get them sorted. Just act like Vicky. Reaching the pair, I kneeled down by them and looked over at the girl. Janice, her name was Janice. "How's he doing?"
She glanced over at me as he let out another pitiful moan, holding one of his hands in a near death grip. "I-I'm pretty sure they broke his jaw. Th-The guy with the baseball bat came out of nowhere and just… slammed it into him!"
I kept myself from turning around and whacking that particular guy even more, or making any captain obvious comments. Gotta be like Vicky, gotta be a comforting presence for Janice. Reaching a hand out, I rested it on Janice's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Listen, I'll take a look at his jaw. I might be able to help. I need you to call the police so they can come collect those idiots, alright?"
Janice gave a small nod and let go of his hand, standing up to dig her phone out of her pocket. Reaching out towards the guy, I placed my hand onto his cheekbone. I mentally winced at what I saw. Larry definitely had an arm on him, that's for sure. The blow had wrenched it entirely out of the socket, fractured his lower mandible severely, and knocked multiple of his teeth completely free. Not life threatening, but something that'd require extensive surgery and a month or two of recovery.
I almost started healing right away before halting myself. I wasn't Panacea at the moment, I was… some unknown independent cape. Dammit, I had to improvise again. Snapping my fingers in front of the guy's eyes a few times to get him to properly look at me, I met his eye before speaking. "I'm gonna do something to relieve the pain and heal you. You okay with that?"
He stared at me for a few moments before letting out what I thought was an affirmative grunt. Good enough in my book. Taking a few moments to figure this out, I reached one hand up to hold his head steady. It really was to give me a spot of solid actual skin to skin contact with him while I did this. I reached down to the baton at my belt, causing a small chunk of it to come off and into my hand. Focusing on it, I changed its cell structure to something more… ooze like. I had hoped I could make it look like sap, but considering the ratio between solid wood and sap, it wound up looking more like an orange and green paste. Oh well.
Timing myself carefully, I deadened the nerves in his jaw as I set about rubbing it across said jaw. He let out a sigh of relief as the pain was dulled, and let me continue unabated. The freshly made paste did not smell pleasant, and it was making me regret not adding nose holes to the helmet. Once I had it all in place, I repaired the damage fractures done to his jaw. As much as I wanted to repair his teeth, that felt like it might be enough to give me away. Best I could do was to stop the bleeding. Finally, I simply grabbed his jaw and made a show of wrenching it back into place. In reality I just used my power to do it.
Letting go and leaning back, I watched as he brought a tentative hand up to his jaw. He felt it for a few moments before turning away. A small sigh escaped me as he began to spit out all the blood he still had in his mouth… as well as a few of the lost teeth. Pushing myself up to my feet, I glanced over at Janice to see her staring at me, phone up against her ear. "He should be fine now. Well, he might need to see a dentist, and I recommend seeing a doctor despite the paste."
She nodded her head and glanced over at the phone for a few moments before looking back over at me. Bringing it down to her chest, she spoke up again. "Th-The cops are on their way, they said they wanna talk with you."
That was my cue to leave. Turning on a heel, I start to walk away towards where I stored my robes. Turned out turning away from her was a bad idea, as I wasn't prepared for her to run forward and wrap her arms around me from behind. I froze, trying to figure out whether I should give her some kind of disorder or just whack her when I heard her speak. "Th-Thank you. R-Really, thank you."
She let go after those words, and I heard her go back to her boyfriend. I stayed standing there for a few moments before starting to walk again on autopilot. Slipping behind the tree I took the wood from, I pulled my robes out and returned it all back to its rightful place. Walking through the shadows under the dead trees, the cold suddenly made its presence known again. They wouldn't get on me fast enough.
Luck was on my side, as the bus was just coming around the corner as I stepped out onto the sidewalk near the stop. Standing next to the sign, I walked on and ignored the bus driver's surprised reaction. The first open seat was near the front, so that's where I sat. The police arrived just as we pulled away, so I watched them get out and head into the park, my forehead met the seat in front of me. There was no way I was gonna go to sleep when I got home. I had a new question running through my mind.
Why had Vicky never told me how good it felt to be a proper hero?