Noelle - Day 307 (More Survivors!!)

Hey!
I don't have a lot of time (AGAIN, I know, sorry) but I'm just going to post these sections really quick, okay?

The Survivors (Parts 38, 39, and 40)

He found her chatting with Red, although both of them were on edge and Jess’s fists were still clenched behind her back.  As Sam approached, he heard Red’s voice saying, “I won’t work for less.”

“Your sister might.  What’s your prices?”

“Steep.  And I don’t accept jobs that will get her killed.  Either of us killed.”

Sam stepped up next to Jess, determined not to say anything that could anger either of his friends.  “Red, I think that you and Jess got off on a bad foot.  Perhaps we could restart?”

The glares that he received were ‘no’ enough.

His blonde date turned her attention back to the deal at hand.  “Look, I get it.  You won’t work for anything less than a ton of money.  I can protect you and make sure that you don’t get killed.  You make sure that S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn’t capture me.”

Red considered it.  “It’s not like I’m getting killed everyday,” she said.

“If you’re a serious merc, you would be.  C’mon, Sam, let’s find somebody that can actually help us.  I told you the sisters were a dead end....”

Jess had pressed just the right button.  Before she could walk more than a few feet, Red’s hand was grabbing at her shoulder.  “We can deal,” She growled.  “But I don’t work with girly girls like you.  I deal with Sam, and Sam only.”

Sam stopped dead in his tracks - not surprised by Red’s demand, but waiting for Jess’s ultimate reaction.  Boom!  Bang!  Dead Red.  Jess, on the other hand, turned around slowly and calmly said, “Could you say that again?  I missed the first half.”

Before Red could say anything, the same drunken teenager that had nearly punched Sam in the face earlier appeared out of the crowd.  “Hey sweetheart...you’re hot,” He said, staggering over to Jess.

She stared at him.

He leaned on her shoulder, breathing hot, smelly breath in her ear.  “Wanna ditch the kid and go out with me sometime?”  Red looked supremely triumphant.

The poor guy never knew what hit him.

*******

“Well that was fun!”  Jess grinned and shook her hands, as if she was stretching after a run.  They had disappeared up into an empty room upstairs.

“You just beat that guy up!”  Sam said, entirely unnecessarily.

“Yes Sam,” She grinned, “And there was no need for you to drag me off of him like that, I was going to stop.”

“Sure you were,” Blue commented.  She was standing on the other side of the room, staring out the window.

Red glanced at her, and then back at Jess.  “Alright, I take back what I said earlier.  Maybe you’re not a girly girl, even if you are annoying and wearing a dress like that.”

“A dress does not a girl make,” Jess said sagely.  “So we can deal?”

“Maybe.  Blue?”

“Sounds fine to me,” The quiet girl affirmed.  She turned back to the window and ignored them.

Red shrugged.  Her eyes were narrow and conniving, but her voice even.  “Alright, you two, what’s your plan?”

“Wait a minute - just like that?  No money?  No dealing?  Nothing?”

“Nope,” Jess affirmed.  “And you know why?”  Sam looked cluelessly between Red and Jess.  “Because they tracked your phone just like I told you they would.”

In a moment, Red had Jess by the neck and up against the wall.  “You led S.H.I.E.L.D. right to us, you idiot!  I suppose you’re a pair of younger agents, told to track us down and report our locations?  I thought had I seen your face before!  How long have you been following us?”

Jess seemed unperturbed by this explosion.  “Funny thing is, we’re both running from S.H.I.E.L.D.  So whenever you want to let go of my neck and let me explain, that would be nice.”

Red reluctantly let go of her throat.  “Spill.”

*******

Jess pulled out a piece of folded paper from her purse.  It was a blurry picture, probably from a cell phone, of a girl with wings and all-grey skin.  She was ten, maybe eleven, and her hands were facing downwards, as if she was in control of everything around them.  Sam knew that she was.  This was what Jess had been, a long time ago.  Powerful.  Strong.  Free.  “This is -,” Jess whispered.

“I don’t kill kids,” Red snapped before she could continue.

“You don’t have to,” Jess said.  “This picture was taken in 2009 anyway.  And I’m not hiring you to kill the Stone Dragon, I want you to protect her and her friends.”

“You want me to protect the Stone Dragon?  Ha!  Hahahaha - that’s funny Jessica.  The Stone Dragon vanished right after the 4th Loki Invasion and was never heard from again.  Ever.  The girl’s a psycho anyway.  She’s probably dead or something.”

“You’re looking right at her.”

“Oh.”  Red processed this, then her eyes narrowed again.  “I don’t believe you,” she said firmly.  Sam edged out of the way and watched serenely as a rock wave slammed Red against the wall and pinned her there.  Blue, who had been standing silently in the corner, reacted immediately.

“Let my sister go!”  She screamed and her eyes flashed.  A second before, the only light in the room had been from the moon, shining through this second floor window.  Now it was ablaze with lighting, dancing with crackly shadows and sizzling noises.  The living light did not dissipate, but rather danced around Blue’s fingers like a snake.

Jess sidled into a fighting position.  “At what point were you going to mention that they have powers?!”

“This is all new news to me!” Sam said, feeling rather helpless.  His helmet was stashed in the car and he knew nothing about real fighting.

His companion looked exasperated.  “Honestly, I hate your ideas SO much Sam.”  She switched to a calmer, soothing voice and whispered, “Alright, Blue, I’m going to let Red go and you’re going put out that lightning, ok?  I was just proving my point and didn’t mean to anger you.  Look see, I’m going to let her down nice and easy.”

Red’s feet touched down on the ground lightly and the stone dissipated into floor and walls.  Blue looked distrustful, but the lightning crackled out.  “Alright,” the red-haired girl said, rubbing her neck.  “I believe you now.  What are we going to do about the S.H.I.E.L.D. that you led directly to us?”

Jess was in the middle of snapping Sam’s phone to bits.  “I don’t know...can either of you fly?”

“I just got the high score!”  Sam moaned.  They ignored him.

“Neither of us can fly, so answer your question,” Red snapped.

“That’s going to be an issue.  All of our supplies are stuff in a car out front.  And S.H.I.E.L.D.’s downstairs.  So yeah.  Think you can get out there?”

“Easy peasy,” Red commented and promptly jumped out the window.

“Um...that’s not exactly what I meant,” Jess whispered.

Blue laughed for the first time.  “Red’s always like that,” She said, seeming to loosen up a little now that her sister was gone.  “She’ll be back in a minute.”

§§§

Sorry for the boring quick intro, and sorry for the quick, boring ending paragraph, but I really do have to run.  Thanks for reading!

PUNS

PUNS FOR EVERYBODY

GOOD BYE