Clean Fall Chapter 6, an el tigre fanfic

You've all been so good in 2008 that I think I'm going to reward you with a new chapter! A super chapter, too! It's incredibly awesome, if I may say so myself. And if you disagree, you may say so with a review. In any case, I can choose to disregard your criticism in favor of a flight of fancy caused by chocolates and action movies. It's win freakin' win, baby!

Chapter 6, Hero's Fall

Miracle City High School, Thursday, 11:50 AM

Manny had been asked to stay after by his teacher when the bell rang, which brought a frown to his face. He was eager to get to lunch so as to sate his hunger and see Frida again. But no, here he stayed. And if he had bothered to pay more attention the first time around, Manny would have learned why.

"Are you listening?"

"Yeah."

"Then what did I just say?" his teacher asked, crossing his arms in utter disbelief.

"… Alright, I wasn't listening."

"Fine, I'll say it again," he began, "but pay attention this time. Your two week absence has left you pretty far behind."

"Yeah, I got that part."

"Good… but I'm going to cut you a break, Mr. Rivera. If you write a five-page paper on the Spanish occupation of Mesoamerica, I'll give you a C for the semester. If it qualifies as an A paper, of course."

"… Oh. I can do that."

"I'm sure you can. Now get to lunch."

Leaving his history class with a faint smile, Manny Rivera thought back a bit. Perhaps he had misjudged his history teacher, Mr. Rio. He couldn't be all bad if he was offering a C for a stupid essay about… what now? The smile immediately disappeared, and Manny turned around and looked in the door again.

"The Spanish occupation of Mesoamerica, Manny."

"Thanks."

Smiling once more, Manny started making his way to the courtyard, sure Frida was already on her way there, or possibly half-way through the lunch line. Him not immediately being at her class door was usually the sign to go ahead without him. Manny found the courtyard to be unusually quiet when he arrived, which was strange because he knew for fact that it wasn't quiet a minute ago. He could hear the bedlam as he walked down the hall. He walked slowly to the line, painfully aware of every set of eyes that followed him. There were rumors… rumors that he had died, or that he had run off to live a life of freedom and crime. There were also rumors concerning a moose, which was strange because, frankly, where would he ever get a moose? He found Frida about two thirds through the line, glancing at people as they stared and whispered. She looked a little concerned… she didn't like that they were looking at him like he had indeed died. As Manny approached his friend, he found that a space had opened up in the line; the student who had previous occupied the spot apparently found somewhere better to be.

"So, uh, do you mind if I take your spot?"

Getting no response, Manny shrugged and took his place in line, right behind Frida. The whispering turned into a hushed din as time limped on, and eventually chaotic, noisy life returned to the courtyard. This allowed Manny to smile, but Frida didn't share his optimism.

"So, Frida, how's your day going?"

"… Not so great, Manny. But thanks for asking."

He was shocked by the coldness of her answer, or perhaps it was that she was acting just altogether strange of late. With a deep sigh, he turned to her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Frida, what's wrong? I though you'd be, I dunno', excited to have me back."

She shuffled to the side as the line processed, not responding to him. This made him to a slightly angry place, but he suppressed that in favor of a gentler approach to this growing problem.

"Come on, Frida. Why you givin' me the cold shoulder?"

"… Zoe Aves hasn't been to school in two days, if you count today," she whispered, turning to him with sad eyes, "and three days ago you ran away from the hospital. Three days ago I told you how I feel about… us."

He felt very cold for a moment, but didn't know why just yet. Maybe it was the judging look in her eye, or just the memory of Zoe on the roof of the hospital. He could remember her screaming into the night, and recalled the sound of her weapon firing again and again as her heart tore in half. It was probably a combination of those two things. Manny looked away, not wanting to stare into Frida's eyes if that was what they were going to do to him.

"Now, I don't like Zoe Aves, but I can't help but think that you dumped her because of what I said."

"Frida, I-."

"And I'm just gonna' clear this up now… that's not how I wanted it to be."

He thought for a moment that he should tell her the truth about Zoe being Black Cuervo, and more importantly, helping this new enemy ravage the city. But his honor forbade that. And so, to not allow a vacuum to persist, and to help fix this new rift in their horribly tried relationship, Manny fed Frida a lie.

"Zoe… visited me after you and my family. She broke up with me because…"

He looked at Frida again, sensing her eyes on him. They still seemed so cold, and it made him shiver. It was as if she knew he was lying, and was willing him to stop. But surely he was in too deep to stop. Maybe one day he'd tell her the truth, when all this bullshit is behind them.

"She couldn't stand to see someone she cares about endangering himself all the time. So, yeah, it's over."

"Manny, you know I don't believe that."

"Believe it or not, that's how it is."

Frida looked down at the tray she had accumulated, realizing she had taken a bag of chips and three dessert items. And as she stared, she realized that this was fine; she lost her appetite two hours ago when she first heard the news about Zoe Aves' disappearance. She shook her head and moved on, not wanting to hold the line up further.

M's Command Center, 12:10 PM

Maxim sat back in his chair, gently tapping his fingers together in a very diabolical fashion with absolutely no expression at all, and it drove Voltura insane. She and Lady Gobbler had been sitting, waiting for him to reveal something about Zoe for the past fifteen minutes. And though he made no sign of it, he was reveling in their tension. One of his twisted joys. As she quickly reached critical mass, Voltura opened her mouth to speak, to get M to say something, and was interrupted by his hand.

"Calm down. I found her."

Lady Gobbler took a step forward and raised her scepter. "You lie!"

"I most certainly do not… she was found before the meeting started. And I had her transported here while we were rearranging the dynamics of the underworld."

"And you said nothing about this?!" Voltura advanced on him, laser ready. He didn't flinch in the slightest, sighing and slowly standing up. Every step he took toward her caused Voltura to back up, and she wasn't sure why.

"Disarm yourself. If you want to see your daughter, that is."

That left both Voltura and Lady Gobbler with expressions of fear. He was… using her as leverage? That was uncharacteristic of an ally, even one like M. On the reverse, if you thought about it, it certainly made sense for him to be playing a stacked deck. He was very, very good at that. Wanting to see her baby again, Voltura lowered her laser, glaring at M as he stood calm and silent.

"Very good. I'm sorry about threatening you. The Flock of Fury is actually my favorite group to employ, which is why I invested so heavily in Black Cuervo."

"What are you talking about?"

"Cuervo," he said with a hand over his ear, "would you please join us in the control room?"

Voltura turned to the large sliding door behind her, the only entrance to the control room, the only way her baby would come in and see her. The silence was crushing, cold, and bitter… and through the absence of noise and the steel door, they could hear harsh footsteps making their way across the floor on the other side. The crunch of the door sliding on its rail shattered the silence, and light flooded into the fairly dark room. Through it came a form that looked very much like Black Cuervo, but knowing who M had working for him, Voltura had her doubts. And once the door closed again, she was not anymore able to confirm or deny her daughter's presence, having been temporarily blinded by the light beyond the door. This blindness was exacerbated by M's turning off his computer monitors, much as he did when Zoe was last in this room. His footsteps could be heard distinctly as he made his way to the light switch, bringing illumination to that one place in the room where M had built his new lieutenant. Voltura and Lady Gobbler stood on the very edge of the light zone, staring into the darkness beyond it, just barely seeing Cuervo's helmet reflecting the ambient light. And out of the darkness, he beckoned her.

"Cuervo… please step into the light where we can see you."

"Yes sir."

That was unsettling… but not quite as much as Cuervo slowly stepping into the light as M requested. The tension was incredible, and met immediate, jaw-dropping, hope-crushing release when the light fell upon Cuervo's form. Voltura backed up a step when she looked at her daughter's helmet, seeing the red paint upon spelling out her new allegiance.

"Z… Zoe?"

"Who?" she asked coldly, barely turning her head to her mother in a mocking manner. Her smile was obvious behind her purple visor.

"Mija?"

Lady Gobbler now approached Cuervo slowly, not fully understanding what was happening here. As she grew close, Cuervo's fists tightened, and she started to become uncomfortable, looking into the dark beyond for a sign from M. He delivered, not wanting his lieutenant to suffer from a slide back into her less useful human form.

"I hate to interrupt this… but I nee Black Cuervo right now. We must seize this opportunity to defeat El Tigre and take the city in one swoop."

"No," Voltura turned on M, both lasers raise this time, "you tell me what you did to my daughter!"

She was caught very off guard by a shout from Lady Gobbler and the sound of a laser charging up behind her. Cuervo had drawn her weapon and pointed it at her mother. The purple energy grew stronger as the weapon charged, causing the light fixture to dim slightly. The power amplifier was clearly working.

"All in due time, Voltura… all in due time. But what I want you to do now is leave. And I want you and Lady Gobbler to remain underground until I see fit. You have officially been phased out."

"Disarm yourself, Voltura."

Turning to look at her daughter, Carmelita Aves had to fight to keep herself from breaking down, from simply letting her self fail. And not being willing to harm her only daughter, she complied, reducing her weapon charge to zero and dropping the lasers to the floor.

"Zoe…"

"Now, ladies, if you would please step out. Cuervo and I have business to discuss."

Without a word of rebellion, Voltura was led out by M's men in black, who had opened the door on cue and entered the room slowly and emotionlessly. Lady Gobbler was a little less quiet, screaming blasphemy at all volumes as she was essentially dragged from the room. They were led to a back room where they removed their gear in favor of civilian garb. They were taken to a black van and place inside of it with all of their super villain gear in large duffle bags. And as Carmelita and Grandmami Aves sat in the back of the van, quietly letting the men in black take them home, Carmelita let a single tear slide down her cheek. M, meanwhile, had turned off the spotlight of sorts and restored power to his computer screens, standing before them in a manner that made his silhouette even more imposing. Out of the darkness came Black Cuervo, standing at his side. She broke the silence with little more than a throat clearing cough. He responded.

"I'm sorry about that. I know it was… hard for you to see them."

"It's fine… what's the business?"

"That a girl," with a wicked smile curling his lips, M touched a few keys and a window opened on one of the screens, containing a phone number and the words dialing now. "What say we give our friend General Fitzgerald a call?"

Rivera Estate, 3:30 PM

Despite his requests to the contrary, Frida had decided to walk home alone today. She said that she needed some time to herself for that thing… what was it, thinking? Anyway, he had surrendered to the notion of, therefore, walking himself home as well. And it left him feeling a little empty. But now that he was home, he felt better. It being Grandpapi's day to watch him, Manny had decided today would be perfect to go back to school. He passed behind Grandpapi as he proceeded to rummage through the fridge, seeking out an afternoon morsel to quiet his hunger.

"Hey Grandpapi."

"Hola Manny. How was escuela?"

"Meh. You know how it is."

"And how was Frida?"

Manny didn't answer, instead just standing and staring at the light fixture in the ceiling. His thoughts abandoned him as he began to wonder about Frida's condition; soon all he was thinking about was how Frida had looked at him at lunch today. It was… crippling.

"Manny?"

"She's still having trouble with the whole me being injured thing…"

"That's too bad. Can you go turn on the TV for me?"

"Sure."

Making his way to the television, Manny found he couldn't see the remote right away. If he were younger, he'd waste energy looking for it in order to turn the thing on. But, having figured out the game long ago, he instead just pushed the power button on the set and planned on walking away. That plan was spoiled by the sight of smoke out in the city somewhere. Again, if he was younger, he'd pay no attention to this. But he paused and stared, and when he heard those magic words on the television…

"We interrupt this broadcast for this emergency news."

Manny turned from the window and looked at the TV, seeing the field reporter struggling with a tide of people. Soldiers and police officers were running about, and every now and then an explosion would roar over the din of the crowd, which would cause Manny to look out the window and see new clouds of smoke.

"We have received reports that Black Cuervo, recently reequipped, it seems, is attacking military and police vehicles on a chaotic path through the city! The authorities are having great difficulty keeping up with her!"

The roar of El Tigre's transformation caught Grandpapi's attention, but he was unable to drop everything in time and stop his grandson from bursting into the world, eager to do more hero work. Staring out the window, he only caught the occasional glimpse of El Tigre leaping across the rooftops. This was not a good thing.

Center of the City, 3:45 PM

The streets were alive with panicking civilians and fire. And as she watched this dance, Black Cuervo smiled in dark triumph, quietly hovering high above with her newer, more efficient jet pack. But as she watched the havoc in her wake, letting minute after minute pass, she grew upset with the apparent failing of this plan.

"It's not working… he's not going to show."

"He'll show. You just keep destroying things, and he'll show up."

Cuervo deployed her arm laser and charged it, pointing it at one target, then moving to another before firing. She picked four targets and began moving her weapon from one to the other while reciting a childish rhyme. She opened fire upon an already overturned car, causing its fuel tank to explode and belch fresh smoke into the air. She smiled then, because as she looked up, she saw him running across roof tops, clearly seeking her out.

"Well well, you were right."

"Of course. He's a hero, after all. Proceed with the plan."

"Yes sir."

El Tigre stopped running when Cuervo descended until she was level with him. She hovered over the street while he stood on the closest building, and for a time, they just stared at one another. He clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes while she just maintained her gaze. Cuervo spoke, using a cute tone that reminded him of the days when they were still in middle school.

"You're late, Tigre."

"You got a lot of nerve pulling something like this!"

"Aww, don't be mad, Tigre. I only did it to get your attention. Come on. How about a nice game of tag?"

Without warning, Cuervo turned her laser on him and fired, causing the mortar in front of him to burst. Tigre leaped back reflexively, only barely paining himself in the process. When the dust cleared, and Cuervo was clearly no longer in front of him, he let himself smile. It did feel good to be playing the game again. Tigre spied his target across the street and over a couple of buildings, hovering in a mocking fashion. He started running and leaped hard, clearing the four lane street below and landing firmly on the building opposite his launching point. Checking again, he saw Black Cuervo hadn't moved at all. But when he started running toward her, she took off to another building. What sick game was she playing? This proceeded for what seemed like miles; the bird flew, and the cat gave chase. Finally, Cuervo stopped, hovering over a building about two stories high. Tigre landed on the same building, taking short breaths to compensate for his injury. This wasn't fun anymore… but at least she stopped moving.

"Finally… now, face the wr-!"

Tigre was interrupted by Black Cuervo diving down hard on him, plunging her fist into the roof where he stood. The gauntlet emitted a burst of purple light, much like her laser, and the mortar beneath her fist cracked and gave way. She stood unharmed and aimed her laser at him, firing a weak burst at him. El Tigre was hit squarely in the chest, but was not terribly injured. He found that to be both strange and understandable… which slowed him down a bit. How can something be both at the same moment? While he reeled from the shot and pondered that, Cuervo, all the while smiling grimly, kept her eyes on him and her ears open. Finally, she got was she needed.

"Alright. Move!"

Without a thought to the contrary, Cuervo had her jets fired up and launched herself into the air. About two seconds after that, the door leading into the building burst open, and through it came three soldiers armed with semi-automatic rifles, followed by General Fitzgerald. The soldiers aimed their rifles and fired while Fitzgerald shot his handgun blindly at the quickly escaping Black Cuervo. Tigre stood, breathing heavily but stably, and made his way slowly to the general.

"General Fitzgerald…"

"El Tigre. It's good to see you alive, my young friend."

"Spare me. Tell me, general… what happened to the attack on New Alamo? I thought it was supposed to be a sure thing."

"I'm so sorry, my young friend," Fitzgerald bowed his head in shame, placing his all but spent handgun in its holster. "My lieutenant told me everything. Had I known that the enemy would be so dastardly, I would have set aside more troops to send in."

Tigre only shook his head, turning and facing the city. The plumes of smoke began to fade as fire crews took control of the various blazes, previously impossible with Cuervo destroying vehicles with impunity. It finally dawned on him…

"Why aren't there any helicopters?"

"Because I didn't order any into the air."

The sound of claws shredding into flesh filled the air, followed by the death gasps of three soldiers falling to the roof dead. El Tigre spun hard and saw Nikolai wipe his bloodstained hands on a rag he procured from his back pocket, casting it down onto the bodies.

"You!"

"Yes, me…"

"You're that thing that was pretending to be Zoe! You work for him!"

"Wow, way to be concise."

When Tigre stared angrily at Nikolai, slowly shifting his shape to mirror his foe's, Nikolai took the opportunity to insult his enemy's intelligence.

"Concise means to get to the point."

"I know what it means! So, was the general even real?"

"Well, yes. For the first couple of days that he was in charge. By the way, I'm looking forward to ripping you apart. I haven't forgotten what you did to me at New Alamo."

Nikolai showed off his mimicked claws, completing the transformation at his own leisure to put the fear of god into El Tigre. But he didn't feel it. It wasn't a perfect mimic; Nikolai was unable to compensate for the belt he wore, which held the military equipment he was required to wear. Glad to still possess a steeled resolve, Tigre leaped forward and swiped at his enemy. Having the advantage of bearing better healed injuries, Nikolai evaded the attack, and instead of returned a slash, he simply chopped at Tigre's chest, at about the spot where he was stitched up. This caused him to yelp and back up several steps, clutching the injury with one hand while keeping his claws trained on the shape shifter with the other.

"Enjoy the cheap shots while you can… 'cause this is gonna' turn around real fast!"

Skies of Miracle City

Grandpapi had taken on his Loco mech in an effort to track Manny down, flying high above the city toward the source of the smoke. He was upset with his slow response, wondering if perhaps he was getting too old to be of any use anymore. And while he dwelled on that indecision, he was struck by a fast moving Black Cuervo, who cracked the very hard bubble that protected Grandpapi inside. His trajectory was severely thrown off, and Cuervo planted her feet on the mech as it proceeded to fly toward the volcano. Looking up to see her, Puma Loco growled and twisted the levers on his control panel, causing the mech to spin. Cuervo jumped off and flew up, which allowed Grandpapi to stabilize. He turned his suit and faced the hovering villain, waiting for her to make a move.

"Hello, Puma. How nice to see you again. How have you been?"

"Where is Manny!"

"He's busy. But I'll keep you company!"

She aimed her laser and fired; the burst as the powered up shot struck his chassis caused his mech to spin in the air a bit, and she took that opportunity to charge forward again.

The Rooftop

They had pushed each other to a standstill, both bearing injuries worthy of noting. But there was something strange… all of Tigre's injuries were caused by closed fists. Bruises and a split lip surely hurt, but wouldn't those razor sharp claws be more effective? In stark comparison, Nikolai had collected slices across his arms and back. Breaking the pace of battle, the shape shifter lifted a hand to his ear, then nodded, speaking in a thick Russian accent.

"It's time to end this, little man."

Nikolai rushed forward, swinging his freshly extended claws wildly in a pitiful attempt to injure El Tigre, who "nimbly" avoided every attack. After a short while, Tigre started to counter his attacks, pressing him to the edge of the building. Sensing his defeat was at hand, Nikolai raised a clawed hand and started to bring it down, though gasped loudly when Tigre slashed across his chest in an X pattern. Letting his arms drop, Nikolai fell to his knees injured, allowing Tigre to back away panting. A sense of dread filled the young hero as Nikolai slowly stood again, laughing madly.

"Oh come on! What do I have to do to kill you?"

"Oh, but Tigre," Nikolai said slyly as he took on the general's shape again, bearing all the obvious injuries, "you have killed me."

El Tigre panicked and looked over the side of the building, seeing soldiers running across the street in an effort to regain some control over the situation. It all became clear to him; this was another one of M's damned traps. He rushed forward in an attempt to seize Nikolai, to stop this madness, but was too late. The assassin dressed as the general slipped out of his fingers and fell into the ally below, landing hard on a pile of trash bags below. The fall surely would have killed him if not for that. A soldier across the street, having seen this, rushed toward his general.

"The general is down, I repeat, the general is down! We need an ambulance! Lieutenant Guiterre! General Fitzgerald is critically injured!"

Peering over the edge of the building into the alley, Manny watched with ever intensifying panic. His breathing grew harsh, his heart raced like never before, and for the first time all week he was genuinely afraid. Something awful was about to happen.