StarFall Comics
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Proudly Presents:
City Streets
#3: Dances With Daggers
cover: Allan and Heather racing towards each other, each holding a dagger. Across the top, the faces of the others look down with various emotions
It was after midnight when Heather met Allan and his small group in the orphanage's gymnasium. Without anyone else noticing, Joe Smale hid in the shadows, observing silently. He awaited the spectacle that would shortly ensue, and smiled at the thought of the traitors being brought out to task.
"So," Allan began, "what exactly are you planning for us? Harnagorn must be having kittens about us."
"She doesn't know," Heather retorted. "Yet."
Looking at the assembled renegades, she noticed the absence of a person.
"Where's Pete?"
She was answered by a sharp prickling in the small of her back, as Harnagorn's former spy half whispered, "Right here, and don't think I'm gonna let you control the situation."
"Chill out, Pete," Lee said. "We don't need anyone getting a second navel."
Pete made a sour face, but put up his stiletto and joined the group, keeping a wary eye on Heather.
"Are we gonna talk about this all night, or do it?" Josh demanded.
"Right," Allan agreed. "So how about it, Red?"
Without warning, Heather launched herself at Allan. The two tumbled to the floor, Heather rolling to land on top of Allan's chest. They grappled for a mere second, until he saw the knife in Heather's fist. Reacting immediately, he hooked one of her shoulders with a leg, and sent her sprawling from him.
Pulling themselves up from the floor, the combatants circled each other, watching for an opening. Allan knew that this would have to end soon. He may have been in good shape, but Heather had probably been training like this for years. Heather feinted to his left with the knife, and struck at his head with a vicious round house. Her foot buzzed dangerously close as he ducked, Swiping her other leg out from under her. The moment she went down, he was on top of her, grabbing vainly at her forehead. He only succeeded in getting a foot in his chest. Flying backwards with the force of her kick, he slammed into a wall, which was, fortunately, padded. She had his throat in her hand, the knife coming uncomfortably close to his chest.
In desperation, he lashed out wildly with his mind. A shock wave ripped through Heather's nervous system. She opened her mouth to scream, but her lungs refused to push the air. Allan half caught, half dropped her as she slumped to the floor. Unseen by the others, Joe reeled from the residual effect.
"What did you do to her, man?!?" Pete yelled.
"I... I'm not sure," Allan replied. "I hope I haven't killed her." He leaned down and felt for a pulse. Luckily, he found one. Allan then reached over and mind-linked with her.
Joe, having come to his senses, stepped forward out of the shadows. "Leave her alone, you traitors!"
"Where did he come from?" Robin groaned.
"Doesn't matter," Josh stated, "cause he's going down. Let's give Allan some time to finish with Heather." With this, he stood over the two, as Pete and the twins rushed Joe.
Pete and Lee went down almost immediately, Joe's fists hammering into their stomachs. Robin managed to break through, bloodying Joe's nose. She then ducked as she avoided his fists. Joe, thrown off balance, spun as he missed her by inches. Robin smiled, and kicked him in the back of the knee. Joe fell over, falling face first into the mat. Pete, having recovered, delivered several kicks to Joe's ribs and pelvic area before the twins pulled him away.
"Let me go!" Pete yelled. "I missed a spot!"
"No time," Allan stated, pulling out of a still unconscious Heather. "Let's scram. I'm finished here. Josh, can you carry Joe?"
"No problem," Josh replied, lifting Joe and throwing him over his shoulder. Allan carried Heather as they fled from the gym.
"Will she be okay?" Josh asked Allan once they were safe from detection. "I mean, is her - ?"
"Harnagorn took her time with her," Allan replied. "It was tricky. I wasn't able to break it completely. What's left, though, will probably decay on its own."
"And your brother?"
Allan thought for a minute before answering. "I don't know. There's only one way to really be sure. I'm gonna hafta go in extremely deep."
Heather tossed, and slowly opened her eyes. Instantly alert, she sat straight up on Allan's bed.
"Where am I?" she asked, a bit confused. "And why do I have this pounding headache?"
"You're safe," Allan told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to comfort her. "The headache'll eventually go away. It's a disturbing side-effect of a broken brainwashing."
"'Brainwashing'?" she whispered. "Harnagorn... brainwashed me?" Allan and Josh nodded in responce. "Why?"
"You tell us," Allan stated. "You're the one who sent Joe down to the brainwashing center."
"Last thing I remember," she said, her eyes filling with tears, "is we were fighting, and I was about to kill you. Then, I wake up with this killer headache, and no more loyalty to Harnagorn than a bullet has to the gun it's loaded in." She fell against Allan, stifling her tears. Allan, not knowing how to react, just held her close.
"I want you to stand guard during this procedure," Allan told Heather and Josh as he sat next to Joe's inert form, preparing to enter his mind. "If anything appears to be going wrong, I want you to pull me off him."
"What if that does more damage?" Josh asked.
"Then you two'll have to go on without me," he told them. He placed his hands over Joe's face. He took a deep breath, and closed his eyes....