Defenders of the Earth: This Is Their Side Story
Preview
Presented by Marzena
Amy hears about Rick and Tatiana and accidentally uses her powers to smash a vase.
Meanwhile, Rick is not sure if this is what he wants. While Tatiana is everything he could want, something is still missing.
"Alive"
The sound was faint, but loud enough. Something had shattered in the living room. Rick hoped it wasn't an expensive item. Then he realized that was wishful thinking. Nothing in the house was particularly cheap.
He jogged to the door and took a peek inside.
Amy was kneeling by a broken vase. She glanced at Rick, then eyed the shards. "Accident," she muttered, brushing them back, not sounding sorry in the very least. "I'm sure that Daddy Dear can buy a new one of these." She got to her feet and stormed out of the room, marching right by him as she climbed the stairs.
He flinched a bit at her choice of words. What in the world had gotten into her? "Ames?" he called.
She kept on moving.
"Wait a second." He rushed upstairs.
Amy headed straight for the balcony. The twin doors opened before she arrived, slamming the walls as she'd willed them to.
Rick tensed a little. This wasn't good. "What's going on?" he yelled ahead, lifting an arm as a gust flowed in.
"Where to begin?" She chuckled a tad. "I've got a nutty mother who's all screwed up. I've got foster parents who refuse to call. I've got a dad who seems to forget I was born. And then there's you..."
Rick's jaw dropped. "What about me?" What did he do?
She still wouldn't face him. She stared ahead, her shorts and tank-top fluttering. "Never mind," she uttered. "Go hang with Tatiana." Amy placed a foot right atop the rail, looking like she was about to jump.
"Ames!" he called. "What are you doing?" Rick ran up and latched onto her back.
Amy started rising toward the distant clouds, Rick clinging to her as best he could. His whole frame trembled as he glanced about. This wasn't like being in a jet at all. This wasn't the method of flight he preferred.
Amy turned left toward a bulky mountain. Not the volcano, but one nearby. She flew a bit faster, then added speed. It seemed she'd abandoned all sense of care.
"Amy?" he murmured.
She didn't respond. They were zooming closer to impending doom, on an undeniable collision course.
He braced himself to be pulverized. She was undeterred by the massive thing. He had no idea why she felt so brave. They were flesh. It was rock. This certainly wouldn't end well for them. Seconds before they could hit, however, Amy swung left, flying around.
He quivered while holding her closer now.
Amy descended to a cluttered forest.
"Wait," he stammered. "Too many trees." The scent of fresh pine permeated the spot. He lowered his head, dodging leaves.
Amy charged straight toward a bulky oak, its tall mass looking quite hard as they neared.
"Look out!" he shouted.
She carried on.
"Amyyy..." Rick eyed the tree in fright.
She turned suddenly, avoiding it. Then she sped around five others too.
Rick caught his breath, and kept on shaking. He wasn't sure why he was twitching now. He'd felt something odd as they dodged the trees. It seemed like his fear was beginning to fade.
They moved past the forest, and then soared higher. A flock of white birds hovered up ahead. All of them parted as the duo approached.
"Don't mind us," Rick muttered to them.
They passed a helicopter as they traveled on. A passenger appeared rather stunned by them.
Then he saw a long landmark below — the city's counterpart to the Golden Gate Bridge. The water beneath it stretched far and wide; it looked quite pretty as it gleamed in the sun.
Amy flew down underneath the bridge, taking Rick with her as she went for a swim.
They were submerged for about five seconds, pushing onward as he held her close.
Then they returned to the windy sky. Rick was soaked, but didn't mind. He giggled a little as the sun warmed him.
After a few more minutes had passed, Amy flew back to her father's home. She and Rick collapsed on a patch of grass.
He turned his stare to the girl at his side, a smile complementing her dampened locks.
"Sorry if I scared you," she uttered quietly.
"No problem," he answered. "What was all that?"
"It's something I do when I need to vent. I guess it just helps me to feel alive."
Rick held silent as he studied her. Every Defender had their method of coping. This one seemed just a little extreme. He wasn't about to condemn it, though. Sometimes people simply needed thrills, especially people who appeared reserved. She probably bottled things up a lot.
"Anyway," she said, pleasantly, "you can tell Tatiana that you're in one piece."
"It's over with me and Tatiana now."
Amy flinched, looking surprised.
Rick had to pause after saying that. Why had he let those words slip out? Why did he want her to know about this?
It didn't take long for him to find the answer.
He bent straight forward, cupping her cheek.
She held his too — and they finally kissed.