Fair Fight




    A blonde walked past the gate to Herringcarp Asylum wearing jeans, black leather boots, and a black hoodie pulled over her head.  The hoodie had some abstract logo on it.  No one seemed to notice her there, save one person.  The others were too busy posturing, and trying not to lose their place in line and having to wait several more hours.  


    While most of the people there didn’t see her as anything but an anonymous blonde who happened to be gawking at the super-villain signup outside the Asylum, one person recognized those unusual eyes. 


    Velcro Vixen set aside her role in keeping the signups moving along, and headed toward the gate.  She moved faster when she blonde spotted her, turned around, and started to walk away slowly.  VV passed through the gate, and started half-running to catch up.  She didn’t want to yell and get the attention of the others on the grounds, turning the sign-up into complete chaos, after she worked so hard to keep it sane.  Besides, she could handle one person herself.


    VV paused just then, about a block down the street, in a small park, realizing that she lost sight of the blonde.  She spun around, not sure what to do.  Should she search?  Stay put for a minute or so?  Walk back to Herringcarp and hope it didn’t mean anything?  She didn’t entirely rule out the possibility of an ambush.


    The reason she was so worried - that blonde was Lara Night.  VV recognized her from the Clockwork ship and Captain Khan’s Dimensional Dreadnaught.  The Hooded Hood said she used to be called Lightning Girl back home, when she was younger.  And she certainly could live up to her name.  With all of those super-villains in one place, she had the power, the skill, and the lack of fairness to wipe them all out at once, just because she had the opportunity.


    â€œHey!”  a voice behind her suddenly announced.


    VV spun around, poison blade in hand, and swiped at the blonde.  The blade passed right through her like she wasn’t even there.  She clenched her teeth, and tried again.


    â€œEasy, easy.”  Lara urged her, waving her hand downward to emphasize calm.  “I just want to talk to you.”


    Lara glanced down at the still-poised knife, noting that VV held it so tightly her knuckles turned while.  “I’m not going to take it from you,”  she said.


    VV looked around again.  She noticed the blonde said I.  As in that she was here alone.  “If I whistle, a hundred super-villains will come here and crush you,”  she said.


    Without replying, Lara sat down on one of the park’s concrete benches, and put her hands on the pockets of the hoodie.  It was a little chilly.


    Since Lara was just sitting there now, making no aggressive moves, VV sat down, too, and put the blade in her lap.  “What do you want to talk about?”


    â€œWhen we were on Captain Khan’s ship, you were the only one who treated me fairly,”  Lara told her.


    â€œSo?”  VV asked.  “It’s a waste of time to fight with crew mates.  You’re stuck with them, so you either get along or kill them.”


    â€œWhy did you just try to stab me?”


    VV thought about that.  She couldn’t really come up with a reason, other than…she was afraid.  She never really had any super-powers, so she had to be murderously aggressive to stay alive.  But she wasn’t going to tell Lara that.


    â€œI thought the Lair Legion sent you to kill me,”  VV replied.


    Lara shook her head, and smiled.  “I don’t work for them, VV.  I help them.  They offered me membership in exchange.  I decide what I do and don’t do.”


    â€œAs do I,”  VV pointed out.  “Why do you hang around those losers, anyway?  They don’t have any serious power.  You do.”


    â€œBut I have friends there,”  Lara explained.  “People I can talk to, who listen to me.  Which is kind of why I’m here.”


    VV raised an eyebrow.  She was amused, thinking that Lara might ask her to sign up.  Hatman would literally explode - a paid assassin with dozens of kills joining the Lair Legion.


    â€œYou don’t have anyone to just…listen to you,”  Lara concluded.  “I noticed that when we were on Khan’s ship.  You’re surrounded by violent predators who would kill you if you showed a moment’s weakness.”


    â€œOh, and it’s much better in the Lair Legion?”  VV shot back.


    â€œI’m not trying to recruit you,”  Lara corrected.  “I don’t really have the authority to do that.  I just want you to know that…when I was little, I wanted to have a friend named Victoria.”


    VV chuckled then, and looked down at the blade in her lap.  “Nobody’s called me that in a long time, Lara.”


    â€œYes, well, I just did.”  Lara smiled too.  “I’m not really expecting a full friendship.  I just feel like you need someone to listen to you once in a while.”


    â€œYou’re not…into girls, are you?”  VV asked.  “I mean…it’s okay if you are, but I’m not.”


    Lara shook her head.  “I’m not either.”


    VV then laughed again, as another thought occurred to her.  “Aren’t you friends with Hatman?  Is he going to completely freak if you’re friends with me?”


    She didn’t say that thought made it kind of tempting.  She would love to see Hatman freak out over that.


    â€œIt’s not really his business,”  Lara told her.  “He doesn’t have to like my friends, he just has to accept them.”


    â€œAnd you’re not doing this because you think you can chip away at me and turn me into one of the good guys?”


    Lara shook her head.  “No.  I can’t say I won’t hope you don’t meet self-destruction, but it’s your life.”


    It’s your life.  That part echoed in Vicki’s head.  Her life had been full of people trying to tell her how to live it.  This blonde was a refreshing change from that.


    â€œWhat if I’m hired to kill you someday?”  Vicki asked.  “Or if you’re supposed to arrest me?”


    Lara smiled, and chuckled slightly.  “I suppose we’d have a decision to make, then.  If it’s going to be us vs the world.”


    â€œUs vs the world,”  VV repeated, and then she laughed.  “That does kind of sound awesome.”


    â€œAren’t you cold?”  Lara asked, referring to the assassin’s fetish-wear, and the fact that it was winter outside.


    â€œShit, yes.”  VV nodded quickly.  “I chose this because it distracts men.  I’m having second thoughts though, because dressed like that, you had both Cacciatore and Browning wrapped around your little finger.”


    â€œYou should get some high-tech boots and gloves so you can cling to stuff.  It would totally fit your name.”


    â€œI wish,”  VV laughed.  “That would make my job so much easier.”


    â€œI think guys like Cacciatore and Browning like me so much because they think I look innocent,”  Lara finally replied.  “I don’t think they take me seriously like they do with you.”


    â€œI think I’ve been gone long enough,”  VV finally said with a sigh.  “The others will start looking for me soon.”


    Lara nodded.  “Another time, then?  Us vs the world?”


    The blonde extended her arm with a clenched fist at the end.


    VV sighed, and thought for just a moment, before doing the same, and bumping Lara’s fist with her own.  “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”


    â€œI don’t think you’ll regret it.  Victoria.”


    VV snorted a laugh while Lara smiled.  “Seriously, don’t call me that in front of anyone.  I will kill you.”


    â€œFair enough,”  Lara agreed.


    The assassin then rose, and put the knife away.


    â€œBy the way,”  Lara said as she stood too, “With that fist bump I gave you just enough static electricity to give someone a really nice shock.”


    â€œReally?”  VV raised an eyebrow, and looked down at her own fist.


    â€œYeah,”  Lara laughed.  “A little gift from me.  Use it wisely.”


    â€œYou have a little mean streak in you,”  VV observed.  “I like it.”


    Lara started to walk away then, and VV stopped her.


    â€œHey,”  VV called after her.  “How can I contact you?”


    â€œCall the Lair Mansion,”  Lara told her.


    â€œAre you serious?  They won’t let me through.”


    â€œHallie will.”  Lara turned and started to walk away, vanishing into the thicket of trees in the park.






-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2017 by Jason Froikin, and may not be 
--    reprinted without permission.