I groaned as I scrubbed my hair, trying desperately to get the congealed, sticky goop out of it. I hated that Gemia only used food as weapons, it just made clean-up a mess and it was ruining my uniforms. I'd prefer that to her using real weapons, to an extent, but it was still frustrating. If I could just have fought her as Angel Rouge then it'd be fine, the goo and burnt sugar would have gone away when I un-transformed, but nooo, I had to fight her as Comfit, and get my ass kicked. If I could just fight her at full strength, I would rip the arms right off that stupid mech of hers...
How had I even gotten the sticky in my hair? It was mostly hidden under my helmet, but I was having to scrub all the way up, had it expanded when it was lit on fire? Had I smeared it in further trying to wash? I poured another blob of shampoo into my hand and lathered up, cringing at the streaks of red dye coming out as I washed. I'd need to re-dye my hair soon, my roots were already an inch or two long, and the dark, rich red had faded a lot to be a more washed out brick red. I'd just been so busy, there wasn't any good time for me to sit and wait for an hour for the color to set.
As I finally started to feel less sticky, I heard footsteps outside the shower, and turned my head to see who was out there. Based on the color of the feet, it was Alele, standing right outside the swinging door. I stepped out of the stream of water and called out to her, wiping the water and suds off my face.
"Hey, do you need something?" I asked
"I was just going to let you know I finished my spa treatment, and that I was going to go get dressed for tonight. Are you good? You've been in there for like an hour..."
"Yeah, it's just hard to clean caramelized sugar out of hair." I sighed "I'll be out in a few minutes, do you know where we're going?"
"Mm, yeah, it's a place downtown called Chrysós. They're a chain, but they're on the safe list. See you in the lobby then?"
"Sounds good, I'll see you there."
As her footsteps receded, I shut off the water. I was as sugar-free as I was going to get, and I had a girlfriend to get ready for.
~~~
I tugged at the dress I'd bought months ago when I was out with Driz and Alele and tried to hold off a frown. The flared part still looked good, but the upper part which had once hugged my body and made me feel classy and sexy was hanging lose, the fabric resting against my skin instead of wrapped around it. Was stress really doing that much to me? I consumed nothing but junk food and I ate practically all day long, I shouldn't be losing weight. I was training every day I could, but that wasn't enough to do this, plus everyone else had been building mass. Galorna had even gotten a little taller, why was I specifically going backwards?
"You look really pretty tonight, Candy." Alele smiled at me "I love the eye shadow you chose!"
"Oh, thank you..." I said "I think I need a better fitting dress though, this one is too lose these days."
She frowned "It doesn't look lose to me, I think you're lovely in it! That's the one you got with me, right?"
I nodded "It just fits different is all."
"Hm, ok then." she said simply, looking back at her menu
"Y-you look pretty too!" I said quickly "Or, as well, I mean. I like the top a lot."
Fuck, I'd forgotten to compliment her until it was too late. The moment was gone because I'd talked about my body too much, and now my comment came off as an after thought... I really did like her outfit though, she was wearing a dress shirt with gold stitched patterns on the lapels and along the buttons, all in a dark blue like she usually wore. Her black dress pants were thin and tight on her hips and thighs, but widened at her knees and hung loosely over her black heeled sandals. She was very well dressed in my opinion and looked fantastic, but with how I'd told her, I may as well have not said anything.
She gave me a thin smile, less enthusiastic than her first "Thank you, it's a new top, I got it a couple days ago. The thread is real gold, if you can believe that."
"Oh, wow!" I said, my eyes widening "How do you wash it?"
She blinked "Uh, I didn't actually think about that..." she said "I guess dry clean only?"
"It'd have to be, and no heat or steaming or anything or the gold might melt." I mused
"I'll find the care instructions when I go home." she said "What are you thinking you'll order?"
"I was thinking of the house Moscato with a double order of the dark chocolate fudge brownie melt." I said confidently
She winced "Um, may I make a recommendation?"
"Sure, what?" I asked
"Moscato won't work well with that... dish, and honestly, I'd never recommend someone get a house wine on a date. Not that I'm judging you or anything, but it's more fun to be fancy, right?"
"They don't have ice wine or mead though, and-"
"Nnno, here, see this one?" she pointed to a part of the wine menu "This is an young late harvest Zinfandel from a region in the southeast of the north-western monoculture. It'll go very well with the brownies, trust me."
"Uh, if you think that's what I'll like?" I said, unsure
"I do think you'll like it." she confirmed "And if you don't, we can stop and get a different kind on the way home before we cuddle."
"Oh, damnit..." I said "I'm going to have to change before that, I didn't think about that, this dress doesn't have nearly enough coverage to snuggle."
"It's fine, just change into that one piece pajama thing you have when you wash off your makeup." she said dismissively
"Oh, right." I said "Will you change too?"
"I think so, I don't want to mess up this top." she said "I don't know, my pajamas are basically strips of cloth that I wrap around myself, it's more for show and sex than for cuddles."
"I could let you borrow some of my clothes? I have a nice soft pair of sweatpants and a few oversized shirts you could try."
She made a face "That's not sexy at all, that's almost sad."
"It's not like they make formal pajamas, I just sleep in what's comfortable." I said defensively
"No, they do make formal pajamas, it's just an elven thing, not a human thing." she corrected me
"Fuck, do you need to stop at an elven pajama store or something before we go home?" I asked "We can, I don't mind."
"No, we- you shouldn't swear when we're on a fancy date, Candy." she said, frustrated "It ruins the atmosphere."
I flushed "I have literally never been on a fancy date before, give me some slack, gods."
Alele's face fell "Oh, babygirl, no... I wasn't trying to be rude, I just- I've never dated anyone like this before, I want it to be perfect."
"Like this?" I asked, still hurt "Like how, like a human? Like a magical girl? Like a country bumpkin?"
"Like, for real." she said, her hand pressed into the table "My dates are all about trying to impress whatever person is across from me so they come home with me and fuck me. That's all. I'm not used to caring about my partner, I just want our first real date to be perfect, ok?"
"I'm not perfect though, I'm a mess, we all are." I said shortly "You can't expect me to just be perfect on the first date, telling me my wine was wrong, calling me out for swearing, making fun of my clothes, I have no idea what I'm doing here."
"Maybe this was a mistake." she said, looking away with a confused look on her face
"Which part?" I asked sullenly "Dating me?"
"Don't be so dramatic, no." she sighed "Taking you out to a fancy restaurant. Gods know the last one we visited was a mess too, we should have just gotten pizza again..."
I felt a flash of anger and reached for my glove, really? She was bringing that up? "Well maybe we should have, at least then we'd be having a good time."
"Or not, since you only eat at that one stupid pizza place." she muttered "Pizza shouldn't need a fork to eat."
"They have desert pizzas!" I hissed "I can't eat regular pizza, I have to eat there! You knew this when we got together, why do you care now?"
Alele locked eyes with me, frustration and fire pouring out of her gaze. I held my hand steady, twisting the fabric of my glove as it slid off, watching her simmer. I wanted so badly to just reach out and grab her, to taste her, to scare her a little and make her stop being like this. I looked back, my expression level, and I didn't move. Her expression faltered, and then broke, and her chin crumpled as she hung her head and tears slipped out and ran down her long pointed nose.
"Candy, it's just hard." she said, her voice thick
"Eating deep dish pizza?" I asked coldly, still feeling the fire inside "You're crying about that?"
"No, fuck- you-" she stumbled on her words "Dating you, it's hard."
"You're the one who pushed so hard for it." I said, venom slipping into my voice "You didn't have to pursue me so hard you know."
"I wanted to!" she protested "I thought you were hot, and smart, and had good attention to detail, and you had that home-town charm about you. I liked your attitude and how you weren't afraid to be a bitch, I just thought it'd be fun."
"Thought?" I asked "Wanted to? Liked? Those are all past tense, Alele."
"They don't have to be past tense! I want to date you, but you're hard to date, you know?" she said "I want to kiss you or have sex or just hold hands without a stupid glove. I want you to give up on the social media bullshit and the activism and just have fun being superheroes like the rest of us, I want you to kick the mystery lady's ass and stop fighting goblins in the streets. I want you to just be the you I met on the first day, ok?"
"I can't get rid of my powers, so we can never have sex, Alele." I said "I wanted to be popular and famous way before I showed up at the headquarters, and activism is the only way I can get the popularity I need right now."
I drummed my fingers on the table "As for the mystery lady, if you know where to find her, let me know. I'll stop her right now. Except- no, I can't. Because she's a fucking immortal and has a position in the city so strong even the Queens can't stop her."
"I'm just saying, you're different than the old Candy, I still care about you, but you've changed a lot recently and we need to figure this out, I think you're being affected by all this."
I crossed my arms, my glove forgotten "Figure what out? That I'm trying to balance my life and you're just out here trying to throw a wrench in it?"
"The wrench is good!" she said "If I hadn't made you come here, you wouldn't have even taken a break tonight, you'd still be working!"
"Somehow I think I'd rather be in a community center listening to a group of abominations complain about how hard it is to get health insurance instead of arguing with my girlfriend in public." I snapped
"I didn't want to argue, I just wanted to have a nice night, listen, I really like you, Candy. I want this to work, I just don't know what we need to do to make that happen right now." She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Work with me, please?"
"...I think we need a break." I said, standing up "I think I need to go home alone, and we need to think this over. You need to think about if you can put up with me, and I need to think about if I want a girlfriend who lays into me on our first date."
Her face broke again, and she stood quickly, reaching out to stop me, her hand brushing my arm. She gasped and flinched backwards just as I tasted blueberry-mint and she looked at me in shock.
"Why is your glove off?!" she whispered sharply, glancing around "Were you going to-? Was it-?"
She looked at my hand then to my face, and I glared back. She sank back into her seat and covered her mouth, her expression impossible to read.
"I'm going home." I told her again, and slid the glove back on slowly, my eyes staying firmly on her
"Candy we need to talk to someone, this is more than just our relationship." she said, her voice shaking "You're making me really worried..."
"Talk to whoever you want, I'm busy." I said simply, and turned away.
Where did she get off? Making fun of me, trying to tell me how the date should go, implying I wasn't good enough, and to top it all off, demanding I change everything just to fit her idea of what I should be like? It was bad enough she was trying to make me quit things that could help me get the followers I needed, now she wanted me to drop everything and 'have fun'? She was delusional, she had no idea the pressure I was going through. I'd done fine on my few solo-missions as Comfit so far, she was officially no longer invited. I'd get... Drizti to come, dress her up in a disguise and put a camera in her hand again, who needed Trigger Warning?
I pushed my way out of the building and headed home, transforming in an instant and rocketing up into the sky. I needed something to do, something to help burn off this extra anger I had. I'd go to pick up Ravel from home, then I was going hunting, and I knew just the person to ask to help me find my prey.
~~~
I knocked on the door to Seraphim's house, my Comfit outfit still damp from the wash. I needed to fight someone, and I needed to be able to fight them as hard as I wanted without worrying about anyone filming or reporting me for excessive violence. For some reason, most likely due to her A ranking, Sera seemed to be able to get away with anything, up to and including murder. I didn't want to kill someone, but hunting heretics sounded quite lovely right about now...
"Candy, I'm not sure this is a good idea, you're really worked up." Ravel said from my shoulder "Did something happen on the date?"
"Shut up, chew toy, I need to fucking do something, and I need to do it now." I snapped, stuffing the last bite of donut into my mouth
"Ok, like that, that was toxic and mean." she said "You're usually more passively bitchy, what's wrong? And why am I here?"
"Mm. You're backup in case something goes wrong." I swallowed, ignoring the other half of the question
"Backup for what?" she asked "We're just going to ask the angel if she knows someone to beat up, right?"
"She's not an angel yet, I don't think." I said "Hush, I hear her coming."
The door opened and Sera grinned at me, the spicy, meaty, rotting fruit smell seeping out of her home, the dull thud of something alive pounding deeper within. I shifted my helmet to my other arm and gave her a tight smile, holding out my hand for her.
"You busy right now?" I asked as she took my hand in hers
She waved down at her simple robes and un-wrapped face casually "Not very busy, just maintenance. You look sharper than usual, did you finally want to get physical with me?"
"Physical how?" I asked
Her grin grew wider "Any way you like!"
I could fight her, I could transform and spar with her, clashing back and forth in the evening sky until another flyer like Chap or Creamy came by to stop us, but she'd utterly destroy me in my current state. Sex though, or as close as I could get to it... Hm. I thought about it for a second, of bringing her back to the base and walking past Alele to my room with Sera on my arm, just to spite her for ruining our date... but no, we had work to do. I patted her shoulder and returned her smile, mine less excited and more cold.
"I need to get some bad energy out." I said "I'd like to go hunting with you, if that's alright."
"Of course!" she said, her voice raising to a higher pitch "Wait here, I shall reattire and get my sword!"
She slammed the door and the sounds of things being moved and knocked over filled the air. I stepped back, leaning against the porch railing as I waited.
"So are we telling her about me, then?" Ravel asked, poking her head back up over my shoulder "I know I'm an abomination or something, will she consider me a heretic?"
"Who knows." I said, shrugging. The movement of my shoulder caused Ravel to extend her legs, clamping down on my flesh and I flinched.
"I think we should figure it out." she said "If I'm going to have to hide or play dead the whole time, I'd rather just stay back at the base and find someone online to help me. Did you know there's over seventy registered super scientists in Valley City alone? If even one of them works with interdimensional travel, I can get home!"
"I don't really care, Ravel." I said "I'd like you here in case we kill someone though. I'll need you to help convince the safe-house group that feeding Inky dead bodies is a normal thing to do. Plus if I get hurt, you can... go for help."
"The 'Angel' will be there if you get hurt." she protested "I don't think NK wants to eat people, anyway."
"If we meet up with Spacegirl, Sera might actually get seriously hurt, it's happened before. And Inky's eaten people in the past already, she said so in that party game."
"Oh, shit, I forgot about that..." Ravel frowned "Do you think she'd eat Tipsy?"
"No, I don't." I said "Look, I'll just introduce you to Sera, it'll be fine."
The door popped open and Sera stood in front of me in all her shining glory, her facewraps tight, her third eye hidden, her half dozen wings glossy and straight and her sword on her back between them, polished and gleaming. She ducked through the doorway and clapped me on my free shoulder.
"My dearest Comfit, I am ready to hunt for anyone who may or may not be spreading the will of my god incorrectly, we can leave whenever you wish!" she bent down and looked at her hand on my shoulder with slightly narrowed eyes "Two questions, though, why are you wet? And why do you have a doll?"
"My costume is wet because Gemia covered me in burning sugar earlier. I had to wash it and it's not dry yet." I explained "The doll is... This is Ravel. She's a living doll, and she's my sidekick, for now."
"Sidekick?" Ravel asked "I thought I was more like the friend who ran commentary from the sidelines."
"She's a pain, but I'm stuck with her." I told Sera, ignoring Ravel
Sera plucked Ravel off my shoulder and looked at her closely. Ravel yelped and lashed out with her metal spider legs, clamping into Sera's hand and forearm deeply. Sera didn't seem to notice, and as her blood seeped out and dripped onto the floor, her eyes watched Ravel's squirming body closely, looking through her. Ravel stopped fighting back after she realized it wasn't doing anything and went still, looking back at Sera carefully.
"Uh, do you want something?" she asked
"Comfit, this doll is sticky with the residue of another world." Sera said seriously "A world that is touched by my god. I know not what form he takes there, but this doll has resided in a world overlapping with him..."
"I haven't seen any gods in my world." Ravel said "I was actually an atheist before I came here, no gods anywhere, I looked."
Sera blinked and her bandages wrinkled as her expression bled through "Oh, he was there. He may have been hidden, but his influence is strong on you, almost as strong as his presence in this world."
"I went through Samsara, maybe he was there?" Ravel offered
"I'm pretty sure her world is just dull and empty, Sera." I said. I wanted to leave already, damnit
"Samsara usually cleanses his filth off people." she said "You did not pass through Samsara."
"You think your own god is filth?" I asked "Why follow him then?"
"I did get pulled out of Samsara halfway through, I'm kinda starting to believe you..." Ravel muttered "Fuck, is that bad if he's in my world?"
"I follow him, because if no one follows him, he will ensure everyone follows him." Sera sighed, also ignoring Ravel "And the benefits are nice, too."
"That's true, you do get some cool benefits." I agreed "Hey, can we hurry up and go find someone? Someone who needs beating up?"
"That we can, Comfit!" Sera said, snapping out of her focus "I see your Comfit costume has no wings, should I mayhaps..." she leaned in and bounced her eyebrows at me under her wraps "...carry you?"
I wasn't about to say no to being carried by a giant glowing sword lady, especially if there was a chance Alele might look up and see us. Sera's glow was pretty obvious against the night sky after all, and I'd be recognizable in my light-up helmet even from a distance.
"I'd love that, absolutely." I told her firmly
"Wonderful! Here's your doll back, let's find some heretics!" she sang, tossing me Ravel
I caught her in my helmet and pulled her out as I slid it on, stepping over to Sera. Sera bent down and snagged me under my knees, tipping me back into her other hand to let my weight fall between her two arms like a princess. I blushed under my helmet and hoped that wasn't a trigger to flash something on the screen. Ravel clambered up onto my stomach, holding tight as Sera took off, and we swooped for the denser parts of the city at stomach-dropping speeds I could only wish for on my own. The lights twinkled below us as the sun set, and I smiled to myself, my faceplate mimicking me. Alele had been terrible to me tonight, I deserved this, she deserved me doing this to her. We had an open relationship anyway, and Sera had already told Alele she was pursuing me, so I wasn't actually doing anything wrong, really. I hugged Seraphim closer to my body, the cold wind giving me an easy excuse to get closer, and I listened to her laugh ring out across the sky, loud, free, and with abandon. Someone bad was going to go to the hospital tonight, I just knew it.
~~~
"Please, I don't know, I swear I don't!" the woman pleaded with us "I just heard someone was hiring henchman, I didn't go to the sign-up!"
Sera stepped forward, her sword gleaming in the night "And why not?"
The woman stepped back and fell to her butt, trying to crawl backwards "Because I'm not stupid! They said they needed people with 'open minds', that's code for brainwashing or something!"
"I let you go the first time because you promised you'd gather information for me." Sera growled "Now you can't even be arsed to go to a meeting?"
"I- no, I would have, I didn't know it was something you'd be interested in, it didn't seem connected to a church!"
I cleared my throat "Uh, where was the meeting, if you remember?"
"Section 236!" she said quickly "It was in an abandoned building or something!"
"Sounds like you-know who..." I said to Sera under my breath
"Yes, but brainwashing?" she shrugged "Doesn't seem like her."
"I know a guy who went, I can call him?" the woman offered, looking between me and Sera nervously
"Oh, yeah, do that." I nodded "Why didn't you offer that to start with?"
"I forgot, I haven't seen him since!" she said, cringing "Here, just wait, he'll know what's up!"
She pulled out her phone and dialed quickly. Someone answered on the second ring.
"Hello?"
"Hi! Todd, it's me, Merian? I was wondering how the meeting from a few nights ago went..."
There was a pause "...There was no meeting. I have to go."
The line went dead.
"Hm, brainwashing indeed." Sera mused "Where does this man reside?"
"I don't know, I just know him from the local henching scene, we frequent the same bars..." Merian said "Please, that's all I know..."
"Fine. Scamper back to your drinks, peon." Sera sneered, waving her hand
As the woman ran off, Ravel dropped down from the fire escape onto her metal legs and shook her head "Well, that's a mess and a half. You two know who's doing it? Do we have a target?"
"It's most likely the woman with pink and grey skin." I said "She's not a good person, we know she uses minions, and she owns dozens of empty buildings, if not hundreds."
"I was under the impression that she wanted her minions to try and kill her, though." Sera mused "Brainwashing them is counter-productive to that."
"Unless she was ordering them to kill her?" I said "Can brainwashing do that?"
The man on the phone had been very curt and to the point. He hadn't sounded like anything, just... there, saying what he was supposed to. Brainwashing was more getting people to do what you want by convincing them they wanted it, right? That was the easy way inside someone's head, but there were plenty of other methods, magic, super science, blackmail... I tried not to glance at Ravel as I though of her, no need to make her feel important here.
"I don't think so, that would be more mind control than brainwashing." Sera sighed as we headed out of the side street "Know anyone who does mind control?"
"...Holy shit I do." I said, stopping "The guy who killed my friend, he did mind control! He's still in a coma, though."
"Maybe he's faking the coma?" Seraphim asked "Let's check, I'm not above breaking into a place of healing to fight evil."
"I'd like to sit that out, if that's the plan." Ravel said "I'm already wanted for the jailbreak, I don't want to have 'breaking into a hospital and beating the stuffing out of a coma patient' added on."
"I don't think it's him, it could be someone using his gear?" I said "They didn't find his lab or anything."
"Drat... this is truly a night of sadness, my dearest Comfit." Sera shook her head "I was so sure my lead would guide us to combat, but it's an empty trail pointing towards an insurmountable foe."
"We could always try to fight her anyway, just in case it's her after all." I said "If we smash up her stuff again, she'll show up and we can try and capture her?"
"She counters our powers with those flesh ropes of hers, no. I do not wish to be severed from my god again." Sera said "I'd rather move on, just find someone else."
"Hey, what about the goblin girl you keep fighting?" Ravel offered "With Sera here, you'd beat her for sure!"
"I wish. I'm only allowed to fight the same person once a day, as per the GGDS guidelines." I said "As Comfit I might not be 'registered', but Gemia is, and villain or not, the GGDS enforce their rules. If she complained, heroes would be all over my ass by morning."
"It's almost the witching hour, is that not a new day in your culture?" Sera asked me "We could find her, then wait until the time comes, then beat her!"
"That sounds like cheating." I said "But... sure, ok. That's technically legal, I think. I just want to fight."
"Perfect, let's go capture a sleepy goblin girl!" Ravel cheered "Hm, ew, actually that sounds bad, how about 'let's go offer housing to a homeless person by force!' instead?"
I rolled my eyes, my helmet flashing with swirls, and pulled out my phone. ChosenCreeper should be able to help me track her down, people loved her for some reason. I didn't get it, her pudgy frame contrasting her wiry mechanical limbs, the messy clothes and hair, the annoying voice, her heavy Goblinspeak accent, it was the opposite of the stuff real popular people had going for them. I could only imagine she had her meager following because people liked to laugh at her failings. Either that or goblins were just happy to see more of their kind on a screen and hyped her up despite who she was. Whatever their reasons, Ravel had my camera and I was going to film Gemia's downfall and steal all her fans for myself, as it should be.
~~~
I looked down at the little green menace at the back of the alley. She was curled up in a ball under her mech, a ratty blanket pulled around her tightly as she slept, snores creeping out of her with every breath. She looked different without her big red goggles on, less like a bad guy, more like a regular person, kinda. I almost felt guilty for what I was about to do. Almost. I checked the clock in my helmet, thirty more seconds... I'd let her get in her mech, of course, I wasn't that cruel, but with Seraphim right behind me, her whole body glowing lightly as she floated in the air, Ravel perched on my head, her legs jagged and sharp, and my faceplate set to glow dark red instead of pink, I wouldn't be surprised if Gemia surrendered instantly. Not that I'd let her, of course, not after the trouble she'd caused me.
"This feels wrong..." Ravel said quietly "She's all cozy, I don't like this, I just thought we'd find her out of her mech and talk to her..."
My clock changed to midnight, and I grinned, stepping forward and stomping on her stomach with my heel, driving my flat into the soft part under her ribs. Her eyes popped open and bugged out, and her mechanical limbs flailed wildly as she looked around, trying to figure out what had happened. She saw me towering over her, wearing Ravel like a crown, Sera's sword shining in the moonlight above me, and she let out a horrid squawk, scrabbling for her mech. She hauled herself up the rungs, still wrapped in her blankets until the dome snapped shut behind her, sealing her in. She pulled the blanket around herself tighter and looked out at us, shivering and coughing as she caught her breath.
"Whas wrong?!" she blared through her PA "Is just to be asleeping! Not to fights!"
"I'm here to finally beat you, Gemia." I said coldly, my voice sounding odd with Trigger Warning's filter over it "I brought backup, you won't get away this time."
"Is not fair! Ju is to waits a day, I is safe for today!" she said, shaking her head at me "I is not even to refuel yet!"
"It's already tomorrow, Gemia." I said "So fight me, or I'll take you apart."
She wailed in terror and boosted, her mech blasting past us into the street. I lunged for her, my hand slipping off the smooth paint and I stumbled. Fuck this, I wanted to fight. I pulled two gummies out of my pouch and ate them both at once, feeling the rush as the sweet tang of the sugar-blood filled my mouth. Seraphim blasted upwards and came down fast, kicking Gemia's dome hard enough for her to rock back, and I used my enhanced strength to plow through her legs, flipping her over onto her back like a turtle, making her slide out of her seat to the back of the dome, out of reach of the controls. I jumped on top of the mech and started whaling on the glass, my knuckles splitting open and healing with each punch as the gummy worms did their thing. I felt alive, I was powerful, I was practically as strong as I was when I was transformed, and the quick healing too? I needed more living sweets, something to use as Angel Rouge. I could take on the Queens themselves if I had this kind of boost while transformed...
The glass cracked and splintered, and Gemia shrieked, shaking her head as my fist finally punched through the thick bulletproof glass and my fist clenched around the stained sweatshirt she'd been sleeping in. I hauled her towards me and she kicked the controls, making the mech rise to its feet, but I stayed on. I kept my feet braced against the legs, one hand on the glass, one hand through the glass, holding Gemia as she splayed her arms and legs to stop me from pulling her out of the hole I'd made. She looked afraid. Good. She deserved it. I deserved to make her feel scared.
I took a deep breath, and pulled my other fist back, using her as a brace to finish it once and for all. Her face paled, and her foot smacked a lever, swinging the Mech's arm swung towards me with a speed I'd never seen before, I clenched my teeth and curled instead of punching, this was going to hurt... I was going to be plastered against a wall again by this stupid, annoying, munchkin. I tightened my grip on her sweatshirt in the split seconds I had; if I was getting hit, she was coming with me in as many pieces as it took for her to come through the jagged hole in the dome.
There was a flash of light, and the arm twisted in air, collapsing and clanging on the ground loudly. I looked to my right, and saw Sera, her gleaming blade dug into the metal giant's side. I'd forgotten I had backup, I breathed a sigh of relief and turned to land my last punch. Gemia was looking back at me with a stricken, hurt look, and I stopped, glaring at her. There was no fight left in her, she was limp and listless. I let go in disgust and she tumbled back into her seat, not even trying for the controls. Ravel climbed off my head through the hole in the glass and pressed a button on the dash with a picture of the glass dome on it, popping it open and leaving Gemia exposed.
"I gives up." the pathetic green menace said, sniffing back tears "Ju does known my babie id verdy importants to me, but ju smach it up andyways. Ju saids ju woud stop der Queens from to smach it, but den ju jus breaks it..."
"Are you willing to come to the safehouse now?" I asked her, my head swimming with the comedown from the sweets
That was it? Just break her robot a little and she loses all her fight? That was so... anti climactic. I thought she'd break out all the old weapons, make a huge mess and fight us on foot with weird trinkets and gadgets once we got her out of the mech, but she'd only thrown one punch and given up instantly. It was still nice to get my blood up like that, and I was still riding the high of the gummies, but it still felt empty, somehow.
"Ja, I'll go wheresdever ju says, I jus..." Gemia put her head in her hands "Dis was my babie an ju smach it to bits, I just wan to sit an cry..."
"It's just an arm and the dome..." Ravel said from her dashboard "I'm sure you can fix those pretty quick, right?"
"Der dome wads a spedshial kinda glass from de goblings forge." she said shakily, smoothing her hair back "Is was to given to me for to leave an be famous for de oder wilds goblings to be famous too. I is not have a gobling forge to make de new one. Dis arm... is verdy hard to fix, meby a moon to purt it bak on."
I felt a little guilty, I could relate to wanting to be famous, but it was just a fancy window, I'm sure she'd be able to find something that could fix it. If not, she could just go out without it, no problem. I hopped off the mech and Ravel climbed onto the shoulder to look at me. Her expression was hard to read because it was made of cloth and buttons, but she seemed upset for some reason. I could deal with that later though. For now, I needed to get Gemia where she belonged.
"Feeling better?" Sera asked me, her hand slipping behind me, holding my ribcage
"A little, yeah." I said "Thanks for the save, I'd have been smashed without you here."
"Of course, you deserve preserving." Sera said, her eyes flicking down to the torn open knuckles on my bodysuit "I have a great interest in you, you know."
"I gathered that." I said, smiling absently "Could you carry the severed arm? We're headed back to 247, Gemia has a new place to stay."
As we headed off to the safehouse, I heard Gemia talking softly with Ravel, but the heavy footsteps of the mech drowned out their conversation. They knew each other, right? They had to, Ravel broke her out of prison in the first place. I hoped they weren't talking about me, that's all I needed, for Gemia to be drawn into the blackmail plot too. She'd never be able to keep a secret. I wondered how we'd fit her mech through the doors once we got to the safehouse, could it crawl or something? I wasn't looking forward to cramming her in there, I was already crashing from the candy and I just wanted to go to bed before tomorrow. Luckily no one there 'slept' so we wouldn't wake anyone up, unless Inky slept? I wasn't sure what parts of her biology translated. I could always find out though, just toss Gemia in her tank and see if she dissolved or if she got spit back out. I giggled at the idea of Gemia floundering in Inky, slowly melting away into nothing. I bet Inky could eat the mech too if we needed her to, I should ask...