Chapter 6 Part B: Enter Brad
AN: Hope this didn't take too long to get out. This time we'll be introduced to Brad aka Shooter. Hope I've portrayed him correctly. Enjoy.
Central Park was eerie this time of night. It was too late for the usual joggers and picnickers, but too early for the nightlife to start coming through. It was quiet, too quiet for his taste. He'd arrived here early this morning, but jet lag had K.O.'d him until only about an hour ago. He was trying to shave a few minutes of time off of his travel time by cutting through Central Park. He was glad his cousin lived close to the part or he'd have been taking a cab. He was so not in the mood for rude cabbies.
He'd gotten an email from his Aunt about four months ago telling him that his favorite cousin, Jessica, had gone missing. Yesterday he got another email telling him to come to America as soon as possible. Jessica had returned safe and sound! For the nineteen-year-old any excuse to see his cousin was a good one. Besides, it had been too long since he'd been to the states.
Like everyone else, Brad wondered where his little cousin had been all that time. According to his Aunt she hadn't been very open with the information so far. A counselor had been called in to try and pry the info from her. Her parents thought she'd been kidnapped and traumatized. Brad knew better. If Jessica, the only person who could best him in a fair judo match, had indeed been assaulted by someone attempting to kidnap her; she'd have clobbered the bastard then pepper sprayed him to death. There were no if, ands, or buts about that. It was a fact. Then where had she been? Could she have run away? If so, why hadn't she contacted him or one of her friends? He'd have come to get her if things were getting bad at home.
His thoughts turned in another direction as he ventured further across the park. Why hadn't he reached the other side of the park yet? He could have sworn he had taken the short route through. Something was off around here, he could feel it. It was almost as if something wanted him to remain in Central Park until something happened to him.
Brad was ready to head back the way he came when he ran smack dab into another person. He hadn't been paying attention and WHAM! And, on top of that, the person was most defiantly a woman. He wasn't all that comfortable around women. Well, he'd have to try.
"Oh man, I am so sorry. Are you alright?"
The woman, a tall, slim beauty, was still trying to recover from the shock of the collision. Her hair was a very light blond. It fell to just between her shoulder blades and was very straight. Her eyes, which were now staring at him in annoyance, were the lightest shade of blue. Android blue was the shade.
It was then that Brad's sense of chivalry came back to him. Shaking his head to focus himself on the woman he'd run down Brad held out his hand to the blond beauty and repeated his earlier enquiry. "I'm so sorry about that. Are you alright?"
The woman simply slapped away his hand and stood up on her own. She apparently didn't appreciate his gentlemen's ways. The way she was glaring at him was making him nervous. It was as if she was trying to burn a whole through his head.
Not knowing what else to do Brad said, "I'm Brad, but you can call me Shooter. What's your name, miss?"
The woman glared at him again, then seeing that her glares didn't affect him she said, "Android 18."
Shooter's eyes bogged out.
"You-you can't be! I mean its not... Oh my god..."
She tilted her head at him then flipped her hair over her shoulder and said, "So you've heard about me? Good. Now, human, tell me where my brother is or I'll kill you where you stand."
She spoke with a calm, monotone voice that sent chills down his spine. This woman was exactly who she said she was. He had no doubt about this now. She radiated power, but oddly enough, she showed no signs of violence or menace. It was like she was just a girl out looking for her brother. This couldn't be right. He must have hit his head.
'That's it! I've hit my head on something and I'm unconscious. This is all just a dream. Okay, Shooter, wake up. Wake up. Wake up!'
(Eighteen)
This guy was really starting to get on her nerves. She had just been minding her business with her brother when suddenly BAM! This stupid human ran her down and she's somewhere she doesn't recognize without her brother. If this boy had done something to Seventeen... He'd pay! Nobody messed with the two of them. If someone did something to one, then the other would seriously murder said person. It had been that way since they woke up in the damaged containers three years prior.
She knew that there was something that they were supposed to do out in the world, but the explosion that had blown open their capsules had damaged the memory circuits that gave them their directions. They had to assume their mission was one if little importance since no one was there when they woke up. Seventeen said that their only mission was to stay alive. They had lived by those words ever since.
She had her brother had never really been apart. Nothing had ever really happened to separate them. Now this slip of a human had broken them apart. He was going to pay.
Eighteen flipped her hair over her shoulder again. At least this human was cute. She gave him the cursory once over to see if he'd give her any trouble. He was taller than she was at around 5ft 8. Most humans would probably consider him handsome with his looks. Short, strawberry blond hair peaked out from under a dark blue cowboy hat while sharp prussian blue eyes watched her with a silent interest. Yep, defiantly a cute one. He had this whole knight in shining armor thing going for him, but he still looked very casual. His clothes were all in dark blues and his trench coat was the same color as his hat, dark blue. He looked really cool, but also like one of those people that broods a lot. Go figure on that one.
Now finished with her evaluation Eighteen decided that this human was not really worth the effort it would take to blast him, but she'd blast him anyway just to prove her point. Annoying men always put her in the worst of moods. This one was about to meet the brunt end of a ki blast. Why did the cute ones always have to get on her nerves? Oh well.
Just as she was about to blast the annoying human, a large white vortex opened underneath them and sucked them both into its depths. She'd have to deal with the human later. For now, she was going home.
That's it for this part.
Like? Hate?
I hope I portrayed him right.
Next up is Jasmin.
Keep an eye out for it.
