We own nothing beyond the concept for this story.
'Ride the Lightning' is performed by Metallica
Wendy Harris struggled with the paper brown bag, nearly spilling the cans of energy drinks and painkillers she had managed to obtain in her foray. Reaching into her pocket, she fished around for the key to the disgusting, and temporary, respite that she and her brother had secured. After managing to jam it into the lock and turn the tired mechanisms, she rammed the door open, marginally worried that she would knock it off its hinges but more worried about getting into relative safety. Groaning as she entered the room, kicking the door shut behind her, she called out to her brother, "All right, you big baby. It took me a bit, but I got everything we need to patch you up and then some. So you can quit your whining."
When her comment was not returned, she was immediately on edge. Drawing the taser she had pickpocketed from the cop she'd bumped into during her excursion, she slowly entered into the room and gasped at the sight she saw. Secured to one of the room's chairs by thick white strands of some kind of rope, which also covered his mouth, her brother stared at her with wide eyes, occasionally trying to glance back to the girl whose face was mostly covered by a blue and orange mask. A teasing smile played across her ruby lips and she had an efficient looking dagger steadied at his throat. Starting to perform the calculations in her head as to how quick each of them could react, her brother suddenly began struggling, his gaze turning upward to above her head. Whirling about, she turned just in time to see the net of spider silk descend about her and secure her in its unrelenting strands. Screaming as she was hauled into the air, she stilled as she found herself staring into a pair of enormous eyes, each orb easily the size of her head. The emerald gladiator spider regarded her oddly before tossing her upon the closer bed and dropping from the ceiling. His form shivered before the long thorax shortened along with half his limbs, the shape contorting into that of a muscular young man who grinned impishly at her.
"Wendy Harris, I presume? In case you didn't know, spider silk is proportionately stronger than steel. I don't think you're getting out anytime soon."
Refusing to answer, she merely glared at her brother who averted his gaze, pantomiming whistling despite the silk muffling his sounds. Changeling laughed, "Oh, give the guy a break. Stabberella's very persuasive in the sort of 'if-you-don't-tell-me-what-I-wanna-know-you're-gonna-have-an-intimate-knowledge-of-how-your-insides-look' way. Not a lot you can do to stand up to that."
Gritting her teeth, Wendy snapped, "Listen and listen good, brain dead. We never touched that ugly little pudge's cash, so why don't you just back off?!"
The intruders were clearly amused as Marvin groaned through his silken gag, directing his stare up at the ceiling. His sister turned her head between the other two before groaning out loud.
"You're not with him, are you?"
"Well, presuming that you're not referring to the effeminate, lobster-clawed foe of the Powerpuff Girls, than most likely not," Changeling assured her. The youths stared at him in confusion as he glanced about for some comprehension of his joke before scoffing in disgust. "This is why I hate young people. They don't get references like that."
"Don't give yourself a coronary, gramps," Ravager rolled her eye before jabbing her chin towards the bound girl, "Who are you talking about?"
"Some crook from Gotham. I don't know how he found us. We've been draining from his online accounts. He's the one that sent those goons that shot Marv," she spat out the last sentence angrily.
"That still doesn't answer who," the platinum-haired girl tried to keep the annoyance from her voice. Marvin began to struggle, growing fervent and at a nod from Changeling, Ravager cut away the webbing, teasing his skin with the tip of the blade and making him shudder.
"Cobblepot! It's some Cobblepot dude," the brother volunteered eagerly before glaring at his sister, "Please don't aggravate the hot chick with the knife to my neck."
"First off, flattery gets you nowhere with her. Trust me on that. Second, you kids stole from the Penguin? Seriously? You couldn't steal from a less murderous, vengeful runty psychopath?" Changeling interjected.
"Sorry about that. Next time we'll make sure to rip off somebody who's actually built their wealth using legitimate means," Wendy remarked sharply.
"You seem pretty sure that there's gonna be a next time," Ravager snapped.
Changeling sighed, massaging his temple, "Look, we're actually not too interested in the fact that you robbed a crook. Honestly, I applaud you for it. However, you did break into some files that you should've left alone while you were taking the hacker's tour of Gotham. Data on heroes and villains all over the globe. Stuff we don't want you touching."
"How'd you find out about that?" demanded the dark-haired girl.
"When you guys were hacking into my pal's files, a little something extra was added in. You turned it on; it sent out a signal that we tracked. Mind you, I have no clue how a couple goons found you. Anyway, you're going to wipe out every iota of code and data you swiped from the Oracle," ordered the shape shifter.
The twins shared a glance and, despite their situation, still managed to summon up a whine, "But it's got who's got all the best stashes to rob and so much-"
Increased pressure of a blade and the abrupt appearance of a very much irate Utah raptor convinced the pair that it was in their best interest to meekly nod their heads in assent. Shifting into the more manageable shape of a deinonychus, he leapt onto the bed and swiftly cut away the silken bonds that restrained Wendy. As she ripped away the remainder of the webbing, her eyes flickered towards the door and then the window as she calculated avenues of escape before the dinosaur in front of her snorted in what she guessed was derision.
"Don't even think about it, sweet geek. Start wiping out that data."
"Let me help my brother first. He got-"
"Taken care of. Kermit bandaged him up pretty good," Ravager said shortly.
Wendy turned to the raptor who shrugged, seemingly quite proud of himself. "Not that big a deal. It's amazing what you learn while watching the TV at three in the morning. Speaking of which, did you know the 'velociraptors' in Jurassic Park were actually based more on the deinonychus? Velociraptor just sounded cooler."
The hacker paid no heed to this fact as she reached into her bag, rifling about for a moment before pulling out her sleek laptop. Crossing her legs, she set the device in her lap and waited impatiently for it to start up. Once it chimed, her fingers began to race across the board, and the fear and anxiety, which had clouded her face upon seeing the peril her brother was in, was cleared away by a sense of relief and focus upon the task at hand. Slipping into the form of a snake, Changeling slithered about her ensuring that she was doing as she had said she was. As he watched her diligently conduct her work, Marvin looked about the room before breathing out a sigh and trying to glance back towards the girl holding him hostage.
"I guess you guys are the good guys then?"
"Twig, I'm anything but good. The species-confused fella over there likes to think he's a hero though."
"Easssssy, bright eye. Play nicccccce or I'll put you in the timeout corner," he hissed.
After a brief silence, Marvin asked nonchalantly as he could manage, "Soooo . . . you seeing anyone?"
Changeling tried to give a bark of a laugh and found that the mouth of his current form was less than accommodating for the sound while Ravager's eyes narrowed and she returned, "I'm about to see your insides. You want to continue?"
"No. No, I think I'm good."
"Smart boy."
"All right. It's taken care of," Wendy announced as her laptop dinged. Shifting into a human form beside her, Changeling plucked the laptop from her lap, ignoring her protests. His fingers were spider like as they danced across the keys and he gave a soft smirk as he scolded the girl.
"Don't try to pull a fast one on an unrepentant prankster, kid. Especially one who knows a thing or two about computers."
"They're the closest thing he gets to a date," Ravager quipped.
Changeling ignored her as he accessed the remnants of the files that Wendy had 'erased.' Delving into its base code, he scanned the lines until he found the aberration that Oracle had spoken of. After making a few alterations, he saved the new programming and then set the computer down, warning Wendy away from it with a sharp glare. A moment later, the computer seemed to become possessed as numerous windows opened, displaying the dark screens with lime green writing. The windows scrolled down before they started closing until only a single message box was left open, a simple 'Thanks,' before it closed as well. Wendy whirled upon him and demanded, "What did you just do?"
"That friend of mine you stole from? She made sure that you no longer have what's hers. And that you never do anything like that ever again."
"You know, I'm still surprised you're literate of any sort," mused the one-eyed girl.
"Try hacking into the Oracle's computers to plant a few little fun things and we'll see if you can keep mocking me," he snapped at her as he closed the laptop and returned it to the still sour Wendy who returned it to her bag. Hopping from the bed, he offered a hand to the dark-haired girl and said, "All right, let's go."
"Go? Go where?"
"Dot com girl, you've not only got authorities after you for cybercrimes, but you've got a waddling little psychopath's goons gunning for you. Did you really think we were just gonna let you walk away?" he smiled patronizingly at her.
"Kid and Blackfire are still searching the clinics and hospitals," Ravager reminded him. He paused, tapping his fingers against his legs for a moment before returning to regard her.
"You got his cell number?"
"Not off the top of my head."
"I think I've got it," he said before moving over to the phone on the table between the beds. After pressing the numbers, he waited for a moment, transforming his free limb into a tentacles and securing the girl who had been attempting to subtly inch away, before his eyes lit up, "Hey, KD-"
He stopped and furrowed his brow at the response before saying, "Wait a sec, slow down. Hey, I – Listen, ma'am . . . Ich no sprechen el Russkieninsk! Ciao."
Looking up to Ravager, he admitted, "I think it's safe to say I pressed a wrong number. That or Kid Devil has been taken hostage by a rather verbal and I imagine irate Russian woman."
"It's probably safe to bet otherwise."
"Yeah. I think I know where I messed up. I got it this time."
Dialing in again, he whistled a simplistic tune until the line picked up and he began, "Dude, you – Rosabelle? Oh, no. I was just trying to call somebody else . . . Really? When's the date? Cause I'll definitely be there . . . I'll take a look at my calendar. What's Leonid been up to?"
"Changeling!" shouted the sword mistress in annoyance.
He glared at her as he continued on the phone, "No, no. Just this new chick I'm working with . . . Ha! I wish. All right. I'll talk to you later, pretty kitty. Give Leo my regards . . . All right. Bye."
Scowling at the white-haired girl, he growled, "Hey, if you actually had friends, I wouldn't intrude on your calls with them. Show the same courtesy, sweet silver."
"How about you try to remember exactly who you're trying to call," she suggested.
"All right, all right. I got it this time. Don't get your panties in a twist. At this point, I can't even get a pic for KD," he grumbled. He typed in the number again but as he was waiting for the line to pick up, there was the sound of splintering wood. Instinctively, the pair of heroes dropped to the floor, bringing their two captives with them while Changeling shoved the bed into a defensive position, standing on its side. A clamor consumed the room as heavy boots crashed onto the floor and numerous voices began to deliver instructions before there was the scream of gunfire and bullets thudded into the walls and assortment of objects. Glass shattered and the television sparked as it was torn apart when the phone clicked and Changeling turned back to the receiver.
"Kid, we need you here – wait, what? Who did you say this was? . . . Ravager!"
"What?"
"I found this city's pizza place! Quick, write this number down."
"Are you shitting me?!"
"Fine," he snapped, "I'll do it myself. Pizza guy, you stay on the phone."
He crawled towards the desk and scrabbled around until his hands landed upon a notepad. A moment later, he managed to retrieve a stubby pencil and set himself on the ground, crouching low and encouraging the terrified Wendy to do the same as he spoke into the phone, "All right, I'm good. Hit me, dude. Okay, got it . . . Wait, was that a three or a four? Three? All right, go on . . . Okay. Thanks for that. I will definitely be contacting you folks later."
Setting the phone back in its cradle seconds before a stray bullet shattered it, he beamed at the dark-haired girl who was looking at him like he was some sort of nut. He gave her thumbs up and a reassurance she didn't entirely buy. "Don't worry. I got this."
Suddenly, he was gone and Wendy glanced around before yelling to the other mattress and bed that had been erected as a shield, "Psycho chick!"
"For the love of – My name is Ravager. What do you want?"
"The green guy is gone!"
"He what?!"
Her response was interrupted by a sudden cessation of the gunfire, startled shouts, and then several thuds. After a moment of peace, the girls peered out to see a powerfully built gorilla surrounded by several unconscious thugs, one of which now found his head embedded in the wall. Grunting and glancing about as though expecting more, he directed, "Grab that number. We should get moving."
"Would you hurry up? Being out here in the open seems like a really bad idea with the two targets," Ravager complained as they tried to keep to the shadows and failed miserably. Changeling was rather proficient at remaining unseen though most of his efforts were put to attempting to track Kid Devil and Blackfire, a difficult task given that they flew most of the way. Wendy and Marvin were considerably less skilled and hampered further by the latter's injury, which had only received basic medical care. They received several curious glances from the citizens who meandered along the sidewalks though Ravager encouraged them to look elsewhere with a snarl. They had already found the scent of their comrades at several clinics and Changeling had altered his course, hoping to get to one of the medical centers that the others hadn't reached. Evening was beginning to swallow the city, dusk sweeping through the streets and ushering most of its citizens home.
"Just keep your eyes peeled. That disgrace to the smartly dressed aquatic avians is absurdly tenacious when it comes to vengeance," Changeling cautioned before his wolf snout snapped up. Glancing back to them, he urged, "Come on."
He dashed towards a clinic, tearing away from them in his eagerness. Ravager would have followed after him, but she noted how the tall lanky boy was struggling with his wounded leg even as his sister attempted to support him. Growling in her throat, she strode towards the siblings and slung the other arm over her shoulder, transferring most of his weight to her. Before he could make any comment, she warned, "Your hand touches anything inappropriate, it's forfeit. We clear?"
"As a prism," he assured her. With a nod, she assisted him towards the clinic, too distracted to notice the hard eyes that watched them from across the street, cloaked by the shadows. As the trio headed down the street, one of the men hidden in the shadows pulled a cellphone from an interior pocket in his jacket and held one of the buttons down. When the line began to ring, he lifted it to his ear.
"Miss Lark. We found the brats."
Inside the dingy building, made cramped by the slumped and coughing humans within, Ravager smiled at the sight of the familiar red-skinned boy as Changeling spoke with the black-haired alien. She nodded at his approach, "These two are the goons that hacked into the Oracle's system. Unfortunately for them, they also decided to mess with the Penguin or some other stupidly named crook. And now he's got pretty much the entirety of the criminal underworld after them."
"And, let me guess, we're protecting them now," he sighed before catching sight of Wendy. He gave a grin and a short bow, "Course, it's more than an honor to guard such a beauty."
"Back off my sis, red," Marvin growled though his sister seemed nowhere near as bothered by the affection as she returned a soft smile.
"Down, boy," Ravager said, her eye narrowing. Changeling and Blackfire joined them, the former taking a deep breath before giving a nod.
"All right. We're going to take Hack and Crash here back to the base and put them in lockdown until we can get them safely into the penal system."
"For the record, I suggested that we leave them to suffer the fate that they earned for themselves. For some bizarre reason, Gar feels that we should waste resources and endanger ourselves for their sake," Blackfire lamented, waving one hand in the air dismissively. The siblings shared a concerned look while Changeling tried to give a reassuring laugh and tossed a companionable arm around the golden woman's slender shoulders.
"She's kidding, she's kidding. Trust me, Goldy McCurves is an absolute sweetheart." he offered a vibrant grin that did little to console them. Glancing between the groups, he opened his mouth before pausing as his pointed ears twitched. Joviality fled his features before they melted away entirely in lieu of the squid form that he took on, grabbing as many people as he could and dragging them to the ground. He flattened himself to the floor as well as rounds crashed through the windows and walls of the clinic, cutting into the interior structure. Screams and crying managed to be heard under the gunfire and Changeling roared, "Get in the back! Everybody stay low and get in the back!"
Releasing the civilians from the grasp of the tentacles, he ushered them towards the back though Ravager grabbed the collars of Wendy and Marvin as they tried to follow the crowd and pulled them back towards her as she growled, "Not you. You two are sticking with us."
"Can't blame us for trying," Wendy tried to grin but covered her head with a shriek as glass rained down around her. With a growl, Ravager began to crawl to behind the counter, dragging the twins alongside her and assisting the other citizens into the back. Changeling had shifted into an ankylosaurus and he grunted as he pressed himself to the ground, affording as much cover as he could to those within the building. Blackfire was pressed to his side; waiting for a chance to retaliate against those who had dared to attack her while Kid Devil was guiding citizens to safety. An energy bolt glowing in her palm, the former shouted to the shape shifter.
"How many are there?"
"Is it too optimistic if I say we're terrifyingly outnumbered?" he wondered.
"Are you really quipping right at this moment?!" Ravager demanded from behind the counter.
"Are you really asking?" he smirked.
Kid Devil glanced back to them, "Shouldn't the police help in handling this?"
"They're probably busy being distracted or paid off," Changeling answered.
Blackfire suddenly sprang to her feet and with a fierce cry, she launched a volley of violet bolts that wrecked much of the front of the building that had been ruined by the rain of bullets. For a brief moment, the assault came to a halt and shouts rang from outside while the former queen turned to those within.
"Get to safety, now! Red one, get over here. Your ability to breathe fire would prove useful in this situation," she ordered imperiously. He responded smartly to the directive, taken with her tone, hustling over to her. She pointed towards the hole she had blasted through the wall and said, "I believe the term is 'open fire.'"
A stream of fire shot from his mouth, blooming into an inferno on the outside and forcing the heavily armed thugs to take refuge. Unfortunately, as soon as the men took up defensive positions, they were free to return to their attack and the pair had to duck behind the prehistoric tank. A bullet bit into his thick hide and he gave a short bellow of pain before swinging his head towards the others. "I'm armored; not invulnerable. Are the civvies clear?"
Kid Devil glanced back and then returned, "Yeah, we're good."
"Good to hear. You take cover elsewhere before these philistines ruin anymore of the absolute masterpiece that is me," he directed.
"Go small; I've got you," Blackfire suggested. Her one arm wrapped around Kid Devil's waist and her other palm was soon occupied by a verdant field mouse whose paws clutched at her fingers. Lifting slightly from the ground, she zoomed towards the cover provided by the counter, joining Ravager and their two captives. Ravager glanced up at their approach though she kept her present company from lifting themselves from the ground.
"So if we're entirely certain that we can't just toss these two to the dogs, I'm fairly certain I could take them all out if I could just get behind them."
"I like that first one. Let's do that," Blackfire insisted eagerly.
"I'm fairly certain you and I are going to have a sit down for another talk about exactly what being a hero entails, my midnight-haired and golden-skinned glory," the shape shifter told her from the palm of her hand at which she merely shrugged. He scurried about in her hand before popping up over her fingers to peer at Ravager and said, "If you go anywhere, it's not alone."
"Kid Devil, no offense, but you have all the subtlety of, for lack of a more original phrase, a bull in a China shop."
"None taken."
"And Legs there isn't much for anything quieter than a space shuttle taking off. Guess that leaves you, salad head," she nodded towards Changeling.
Their planning was interrupted as a searing bolt of electricity crackled over their heads, charring the wall. A harsh voice called out, "Hand over the brats, and nobody else has to get hurt!"
Peering about the corner and over the top of the counter, the group observed a lean angular man attired in dark body armor and obsidian cargo pants. Red pauldrons, elbow pads, and heavy gauntlets protected his stringy, muscular arms, and his fingers danced as he shook them, electricity arcing between them. Dark knee pads were sewn directly into the baggy pants, which were tucked into heavy black boots equipped with steel toes. The pockets of his armored vest, the heavy belt, and his pants were filled with various equipment and paraphernalia that looked rather advanced. A half-mask covered the upper portion of his face and the revealed half was decorated by a grim sneer as he stared at the building. Lifting his hands into the air, electricity leapt between them as he called out to them again.
"C'mon. What's it going to be? You going to hand over the walking corpses or fry with them?"
"That's Lester Buchinsky. The Electrocutioner. He used to work as a vigilante, but found the mercenary business to be a bit more profitable. Looks like he's on Pengy's payroll," Wendy breathed, earning her Changeling's glare.
"You were looking at those files, weren't you?"
She shrugged, "Just a few of them. Nothing major."
"Great. Down!"
Another bolt of electricity crackled through the air, this shot cutting into the counter and coming uncomfortably close to their heads. Bullets began to pierce into the building once again and Ravager snarled before glancing to Changeling. She jabbed a thumb towards the outside, "You ready?"
"I'm voting we make Sparky there a priority. KD, Blackfire, lay down some cover fire. Ravager, this way."
A snake slithered into the hallway and she followed after him, turning the corner as he flowed into the form of a mid-sized baryonx, tearing through the ceiling. He offered her his tail and she easily clambered along his back and through the hole that he had created. Placing his hands on the inside of the hole, he became a gecko and crawled onto the ceiling before adopting his human form, crouching low to stay hidden. They made their way to the edge, taking note of the positions of the shooters as they kept themselves hidden from view. There were only the briefest of respites in the firing cycles as the violent thugs took the time to reload their weapons. The Electrocutioner was not restrained by such a banal necessity and he only paused from launching bolt after bolt to reach into one of his pockets and select a weapon from it. As he selected an egg-shaped device from a pouch on his chest, Changeling leapt from their perch to tackle the man as a jaguar. Morphing a paw into a human forearm and hand, he grabbed the small device and tossed it towards a cluster of the gang members. It burst open to unleash a mass of lines that, upon striking the surrounding men, caused their bodies to stiffen before they crumpled to the ground. Still on the roof, Ravager leapt to the next building, charging towards the closest group of thugs.
"Bad idea, boy," Electrocutioner growled. He grasped the large cat's throat, sending electricity through his body before throwing the stunned animal away. Snarling and shaking off the effects of the attack, he turned into a ram and sprang forward, slamming his powerful horns into the mercenary's chest and launching him off his feet. His breath was knocked out of him and he was still in the process of regaining it when a large creature that made him suspect bigfoot was real hauled him into the air. Powerful fingers gripped under his vest before smashing him into the ground and causing him to grit his teeth. Fighting through the pain, he unleashed a bolt of electricity into the beast's chest but only succeeded in causing him to stumble back a step. Rolling onto his feet, Electrocutioner closed in on the emerald Sasquatch until a bullet zipped by him, intended for the shape shifter. Directing one blast of electricity at his foe, he sent another one arcing through air at the man who'd almost shot him.
"Shoot over here again, and I'll watch you fry, losers," he snarled. Confident that his shot had sufficiently stunned Changeling, he wasn't suspecting the club-like tail of an ankylosaurus to impact him with a force that sent him crashing into a building's walls. As he picked himself out of the wall, he felt a sudden stinging sensation on his neck and slapped at it only to hit his own skin. He felt something crawling along his arm when a spider leapt out from his vest, morphing into his human form in midair. Landing upon the ground, he smirked as Electrocutioner wobbled forward, his hand still pressed to his neck. His limbs were growing heavy, his vision was blurry, and his mouth went dry as he tried to speak. Stumbling forward, he collapsed to the ground and was only vaguely aware of the green man crouching beside him.
"Sydney funnel-web spider. Pretty nasty creature. Lucky for you, you got a tiny dose. Still, you'll be doing your best impersonation of a vegetable for about the next half a day or so," he beamed before roughly patting the paralyzed man upon his back and standing. Setting his hands on his hips, he glanced about and noticed that the thugs had largely vacated the area. As Ravager approached, he swung his head to look at her and shrugged his shoulders, "Where'd they all go?"
"Wish I knew. I got about half a dozen of them, but then they all cleared out. Damn wusses," she spat. She slipped her swords back into their scabbards and they turned to the shot-up clinic as Blackfire, Kid Devil, and the twins emerged. Within the squat building, civilians we're starting to file back into the lobby. They stared about the scene, searching for any remaining enemy, but it was entirely fruitless aside from a series of unconscious or otherwise incapacitated rabble. Blackfire grabbed the twins, lifting them from the ground and giving them a slight shake.
"Somebody tell me exactly how these runts were worth all that trouble we just underwent."
We hope you all enjoyed this chapter and we'd like to thank you for all the reviews. Wendy and Marvin aren't done just yet and we'll be seeing them again soon. Honestly, we're a bit displeased about the end of this chapter though there is a reason that the thugs bounced. First person to tell me who Changeling was talking to in the second phone call gets to request a DC character.