03-27-2009, 09:26 PM
‘Doth not rosemary and Romeo begin both with a letter?’
The buggy barreled forward at breakneck speeds, and Juno felt his body rocking along with his transport as they traversed the rocky desert. The occupants felt hot and drained underneath the blazing sun—Wizard often complained about the heat throughout the trip, and Jackson obliged to be polite; but the hybrid in the backseat remained hushed.
His eyes were closed, and his head was leaning back, letting the desert winds—which were as hot and fierce as the sun—dance with his black hair. Before a lengthy amount of time had passed, he had shed the shirt of his dark jumpsuit in favor of letting the heat hit his young chest, which he half-hoped might tan his pale skin. He remembered fondly the tan he’d had on Mercy—his experience on Frost, however, had quickly depleted his skin of the sun’s effect.
Exhaustion slipping over him, he had almost fallen asleep by the time the driver—Jackson—had broken the silence. The fortuneteller started, sitting up abruptly to hear the man’s piece.
“We’re coming up on it,” the faux-chauffeur noted, and though Wizard smiled in contentment that they were reaching their goal, the notice of closing in on the scarfed woman’s location only made Juno worry. “Look, fighting Rosemary head on is a bad idea,” Jackson continued, stating facts about her that Juno knew all too well. Hand-to-hand combat, as the giant suggested, was the best way to go.
“Sounds easy enough,” Wizard threw in. Juno scoffed at the idea—his commentary was not only unnecessary, but completely incorrect.
“Yea, well, the trick is actually getting close,” Jackson informed the ex-cop as the dog slithered away from Juno’s lap towards its master’s voice, allowing him to slide closer to the conversation. “Nobody uses ki like she does. She has, like—a relationship with energy that I can’t even explain. If you’ve ever seen her in action, you’d know: there’s something different about the way she uses ki. It’s like another plane of existence to her. It’s a life force.” Juno nodded along.
“I’ve seen it; I can explain it,” he revealed to the pair. He and Sophia hadn’t really spoken of their encounter with the mistress since it had occurred, but now seemed to be like the best time. “It’s like a beautiful dance,” he explained, dreaming of it in an almost fond manner, “Her words trap you; her beauty stuns you; and her movements can kill you.”
Wizard’s eyes grew wide, and Jackson nodded, an impressed expression washing over his countenance. Juno smiled meekly. “Yea,” Jackson agreed, “What he said.”
As the military base grew ever closer, Juno felt the air inside the jeep getting progressively tenser. Nash seemed to continue having a fine time making small talk, but the two warriors who knew what this woman was capable of—they were clearly getting slightly on edge.
Before five more minutes had passed, the buggy that the three men were in slid to a stop on the concrete that had replaced the sand and rocks underneath them. The confident Oliver Nash was the first to exit the car, and immediately lifted his cannon onto his shoulder. Though its ability to teleport was gone, the ex-cop had found a pair of old missiles in the trunk of their jeep, and though he didn’t know if they’d work, it didn’t hurt to try.
“Nash!” Jackson halted, and the grey-haired man turned to face the foe-turned-friend. “We can’t do anything stupid—now, put it down.” Reluctantly, Wizard obliged, slinging the cannon back over his shoulder and letting it hang by a loose strap there.
The final person to leave the car was the shirtless half-Saiyan, Juno; he and Champ leapt from the back seat following the two larger men, and while the mutt raced for his master, Juno hung back, overlooking the military compound.
“Come on out, Rosemary,” the hybrid muttered to himself, inaudible to his companions. “I know you’re here.” The cluster of gentlemen stood still and quiet for a few seconds, Jackson and Juno waiting for the inevitable while Wizard tapped his foot impatiently.
“That’s it, I’m heading in,” Nash finally subjected, and pulled the cannon from his shoulder, aiming it at the large hangar door ahead. He had placed his hand on the trigger, prepped to fire, when suddenly, it creaked.
The large, rusted door took a second to get its bearings, but finally begin to slide upwards, revealing the interior of the military base to the emblem-hunters. Inside was an old hangar, decked from corner-to-corner with fighter jets and tanks. Nash was impressed by the artillery, and as he gazed at the gargantuan weapons, he relaxed—even if only slightly.
Rosemary took her chance, and before any of them could do anything to stop her, she had appeared from the shadows and shot a blast of ki right at Oliver Nash. I should’ve seen that coming, Juno scolded himself, notching his body into a battle stance. He leapt forward, catapulting off the jeep and over Rosemary’s head. The red-haired woman’s eyes followed him, and while she was distracted, the tumultuous fist of Jackson Pride connected to the back of her head.
Catching herself, Rose spat out a bit of blood before looking to her attacker. “Jackson?! Why the heck did you do that to me?” she screeched at her friend. Jackson sighed, stepping back.
“Rose,” he said calmly, lowering himself into a stance, “Just give us the emblem.” Juno slid off of the nose of the fighter jet he’d landed on and pulled her up gently. Nash stood by; he was unaware of why exactly the pair was being so calm with whom he could only know to be a murderess.
“What in God’s name are you guys doing?” he yelled. “Finish her and get that emblem!” he called, raising his cannon and squeezing the trigger. Juno quickly reached into Nash’s mind, reappointing his aim to where the missile would crash harmlessly into the wall of the base.
“Oliver, stay calm,” Juno reprimanded his companion as the missile crashed into the wall of the base, leaving it stained with the charred marks of the explosion. “Rosemary—don’t make this harder than it has to be, we don’t want to hurt you,” he told her.
Rosemary smirked, and before the (only slightly love-struck) hybrid could even think to react, she had backhanded him across the face, and slipped back into the shadows. Juno touched his cheek, almost feeling her handprint staining it. Wizard swaggered over to his companion, helping him up off the ground. Slowly, Rosemary’s cackling laughter faded away into silence, and all was still.
“She can be such a whore sometimes,” Jackson sighed.
The buggy barreled forward at breakneck speeds, and Juno felt his body rocking along with his transport as they traversed the rocky desert. The occupants felt hot and drained underneath the blazing sun—Wizard often complained about the heat throughout the trip, and Jackson obliged to be polite; but the hybrid in the backseat remained hushed.
His eyes were closed, and his head was leaning back, letting the desert winds—which were as hot and fierce as the sun—dance with his black hair. Before a lengthy amount of time had passed, he had shed the shirt of his dark jumpsuit in favor of letting the heat hit his young chest, which he half-hoped might tan his pale skin. He remembered fondly the tan he’d had on Mercy—his experience on Frost, however, had quickly depleted his skin of the sun’s effect.
Exhaustion slipping over him, he had almost fallen asleep by the time the driver—Jackson—had broken the silence. The fortuneteller started, sitting up abruptly to hear the man’s piece.
“We’re coming up on it,” the faux-chauffeur noted, and though Wizard smiled in contentment that they were reaching their goal, the notice of closing in on the scarfed woman’s location only made Juno worry. “Look, fighting Rosemary head on is a bad idea,” Jackson continued, stating facts about her that Juno knew all too well. Hand-to-hand combat, as the giant suggested, was the best way to go.
“Sounds easy enough,” Wizard threw in. Juno scoffed at the idea—his commentary was not only unnecessary, but completely incorrect.
“Yea, well, the trick is actually getting close,” Jackson informed the ex-cop as the dog slithered away from Juno’s lap towards its master’s voice, allowing him to slide closer to the conversation. “Nobody uses ki like she does. She has, like—a relationship with energy that I can’t even explain. If you’ve ever seen her in action, you’d know: there’s something different about the way she uses ki. It’s like another plane of existence to her. It’s a life force.” Juno nodded along.
“I’ve seen it; I can explain it,” he revealed to the pair. He and Sophia hadn’t really spoken of their encounter with the mistress since it had occurred, but now seemed to be like the best time. “It’s like a beautiful dance,” he explained, dreaming of it in an almost fond manner, “Her words trap you; her beauty stuns you; and her movements can kill you.”
Wizard’s eyes grew wide, and Jackson nodded, an impressed expression washing over his countenance. Juno smiled meekly. “Yea,” Jackson agreed, “What he said.”
As the military base grew ever closer, Juno felt the air inside the jeep getting progressively tenser. Nash seemed to continue having a fine time making small talk, but the two warriors who knew what this woman was capable of—they were clearly getting slightly on edge.
Before five more minutes had passed, the buggy that the three men were in slid to a stop on the concrete that had replaced the sand and rocks underneath them. The confident Oliver Nash was the first to exit the car, and immediately lifted his cannon onto his shoulder. Though its ability to teleport was gone, the ex-cop had found a pair of old missiles in the trunk of their jeep, and though he didn’t know if they’d work, it didn’t hurt to try.
“Nash!” Jackson halted, and the grey-haired man turned to face the foe-turned-friend. “We can’t do anything stupid—now, put it down.” Reluctantly, Wizard obliged, slinging the cannon back over his shoulder and letting it hang by a loose strap there.
The final person to leave the car was the shirtless half-Saiyan, Juno; he and Champ leapt from the back seat following the two larger men, and while the mutt raced for his master, Juno hung back, overlooking the military compound.
“Come on out, Rosemary,” the hybrid muttered to himself, inaudible to his companions. “I know you’re here.” The cluster of gentlemen stood still and quiet for a few seconds, Jackson and Juno waiting for the inevitable while Wizard tapped his foot impatiently.
“That’s it, I’m heading in,” Nash finally subjected, and pulled the cannon from his shoulder, aiming it at the large hangar door ahead. He had placed his hand on the trigger, prepped to fire, when suddenly, it creaked.
The large, rusted door took a second to get its bearings, but finally begin to slide upwards, revealing the interior of the military base to the emblem-hunters. Inside was an old hangar, decked from corner-to-corner with fighter jets and tanks. Nash was impressed by the artillery, and as he gazed at the gargantuan weapons, he relaxed—even if only slightly.
Rosemary took her chance, and before any of them could do anything to stop her, she had appeared from the shadows and shot a blast of ki right at Oliver Nash. I should’ve seen that coming, Juno scolded himself, notching his body into a battle stance. He leapt forward, catapulting off the jeep and over Rosemary’s head. The red-haired woman’s eyes followed him, and while she was distracted, the tumultuous fist of Jackson Pride connected to the back of her head.
Catching herself, Rose spat out a bit of blood before looking to her attacker. “Jackson?! Why the heck did you do that to me?” she screeched at her friend. Jackson sighed, stepping back.
“Rose,” he said calmly, lowering himself into a stance, “Just give us the emblem.” Juno slid off of the nose of the fighter jet he’d landed on and pulled her up gently. Nash stood by; he was unaware of why exactly the pair was being so calm with whom he could only know to be a murderess.
“What in God’s name are you guys doing?” he yelled. “Finish her and get that emblem!” he called, raising his cannon and squeezing the trigger. Juno quickly reached into Nash’s mind, reappointing his aim to where the missile would crash harmlessly into the wall of the base.
“Oliver, stay calm,” Juno reprimanded his companion as the missile crashed into the wall of the base, leaving it stained with the charred marks of the explosion. “Rosemary—don’t make this harder than it has to be, we don’t want to hurt you,” he told her.
Rosemary smirked, and before the (only slightly love-struck) hybrid could even think to react, she had backhanded him across the face, and slipped back into the shadows. Juno touched his cheek, almost feeling her handprint staining it. Wizard swaggered over to his companion, helping him up off the ground. Slowly, Rosemary’s cackling laughter faded away into silence, and all was still.
“She can be such a whore sometimes,” Jackson sighed.