Flea-va, Las Vegas! Part Six
The next morning Julie is hovering above the casino's morning crowd with Bartholomew, the Masquerade's head of security. He also happens to be another FISS but what's weird to Julie is that he doesn't seem to care about all that, the way every other FISS Julie has come across does. Or maybe he just cares more about his job. After last nights...challenges, Julie is feeling a little better. The towel isn't an ideal cape but it works. It also turns out Zodon had made an arrangement with the owner of the Masquerade, a Mr. Godwin, to help the casino catch some one who was cheating in some way that Julie really didn't understand. Fortunately, she wasn't needed for catching the person and was allowed to help Bartholomew in his stakeout of the casino floor as they tracked Zodon down below.
"Mister Godwin?" Bartholomew said into his cuff after spotting a pre-arranged signal from Zodon. "The kid has signaled he's playing with one of our card counters, but he's not having me move in." Julie doesn't hear how Mr. Godwin responds as Bartholomew is wearing an earpiece, but does hear him say, "Roger that."
Julie turns to watch Zodon and can't help the smile as she sees the silly little hat he's wearing as part of his disguise. As she watches, she sees Zodon talking with a woman on his right. Then there's a man talking to Zodon and Zodon seems to be getting agitated. Then, seemingly out of no where, a huge guy (like bigger than coach Rockslide) wearing an armor plated costume is there and yelling at Zodon. Zodon is saying something to the huge man when suddenly the huge man is raising his arms to strike....Julie's gone in a flash from Bartholomew's side and is near enough to Zodon to catch him saying, "Oh, jumbalaya! There was a mental tripwire in his brain too!" Then she's caught the huge man's fist in mid-air, a fist which is almost as big as she is.
"Security says STOP!" she yells at him trembling with nervousness. What am I doing? part of her screams.
The huge guy's only response is to smile and throw another punch whose concussive force is enough to knock several bystanders off their feet. Julie just floats there holding both fists at bay, a look of sheer determination in her eyes as she stares down the huge man. Behind her Bartholomew says, "Mister Greg Stone, aka 'Thunderclap', I'm ordering you to cease all hostilities and accompany me to our security center or risk a lifetime ban from this casino and possibly the city of Las Vegas. And you'll be lucky if 'assaulting a minor' isn't added to your list of offenses."
Thunderclap's response is to pull back his fists and suck in a big lungful of air.
"Get Back Everyone! He's got a sonic..." Bartholomew yells reaching for Julie. He's interrupted by Thunderclap's sonic yell which knocks him and Julie back but just as quickly the scream is cut off as Poly wraps herself around Thunderclap's head.
"Naptime!" she calls out. "I did this to my brother once. My mom said never to do it again because it might give him brain damage."
All seems taken care of until Thunderclap breaths in again. "Whoop!" Poly says. "You have stronger lungs than he does!" Fortunately, while Poly has him distracted an officer of the meta-human task force is able to get a stunning and power inhibiting device on the back of Thunderclap's head and then he's out like a light. "Some more guys are on the way with the heavy-duty restraints, boss," the officer reports to Bartholomew who has picked himself up.
"They'd better hurry. We've only got a few minutes 'till the inhibitor's battery starts to fade," Bartholomew says checking Thunderclap's pulse. "I'd hate to have to file the paperwork for using one and have it come to nothing."
"I've never felt lungs before," Poly says pulling herself out of Thunderclap. "It's kind of weird."
Since Thunderclap is taken care of Julie looks around. "Where'd Zodon go?"
"And Thunderclap's accomplice is gone, too." Bartholomew says standing. "I'll get her photo out to every police department in the state."
As she looks around some more Julie is hit on the head a few times by a fly. What the heck? she thinks before remembering Flea's powers include controlling or talking with insects. "Hey..." she says as she follows the fly, which leads her to a door where a bunch of ants have spelled out, 'In Here'.
"Psst! Julie! Over Here!" she hears Flea call as she opens the door to find the woman Zodon had been playing cards next to, Flea, Zodon himself and a woman she doesn't recognize holding Zodon's head and sweating.
"Four of hearts. Two of curves. Ace of girlfriends. King of spade..." the card player woman is mumbling from the floor.
"What's going on?" Julie asks as she approaches the group.
"This is Beryl," Flea reports. "She's the clerk who gave me our room key. She can also do stuff with your brain if she touches you. When I came in here, she told my brain that my legs are frozen, so I called for help with some bugs. She's been like this with Zodon since I got here. I think they're...fighting, kinda."
"So what do we do?" Julie asks stepping much too close.
"Not so close!" Flea calles out but too late.
"Why? Isn't she..." is as far as Julie gets before Beryl's right hand switches from Zodon's head to hers. Suddenly it's like she's floating in a violent storm. Black clouds roll and lightening strikes. Up in the clouds a giant Beryl and Zodon glare at each other while lightening strike between them.
"I can feel you weakening!" Beryl gloats. "You've got the strongest mind I've tackled so far, but you'll still do whatever I say in the end!"
"Get zambonied, you knockwurst!" Zodon fires back.
Julie wants to fly up there and help but just as she thinks it, she's chained to a rock.
"Fight her!" Zodon yells at her, suddenly her size. "Do something!"
"I can't!" she cries back.
"Why don't you at least try first?!"
"But these chains are too strong! I can't...!
"They're just an illusion! If you...Cilantro it! Forget I asked! What else should I expect from a little girl wearing a towel?"
"But my cape..."
"What did you ever need a reroofed cape for? You're just a mousy little disappointment to your cornmeal-poor family who thinks she can be a superhero! Take your eighty-fourth copy-cat powers and go cry in a corner somewhere if you can't even starching pretend to be useful to anyone!"
"But...but I...?" Julie says looking at the chains and crying.
"What does he know?" says a voice she knows but doesn't recognize. She turns to see the dark clouds part as Zodon swells up to giant sized again. Down at her level the clouds fade to show...herself?
"Who...? But you look like...you're...me?"
"We're in a dreamland place, so why not?" says the unmasked, happy, confident Julie. "I think I'm the part of you that took on Thunderclap, that helped stop Charles and what made you wrap that gold guy in that giant mask. I think I'm what you can do when you quit worrying so much about being someone people want and start being someone people need. Get it?" The unmasked, confident Julie holds out her hand to the masked worried Julie.
"But...it's scary to try.." the masked, worried Julie says reaching for the hand.
"I know," Julie says. "And that's okay."
Back up in the clouds, Beryl is monologuing. "You'll make up even better schemes for me! With your genius under my control, we'll take on the Stock Market! We'll...."
"Hey! Beryl," Julie yells interrupting as she flies up with the rock she's still chained to. "This is your rock. TAKE IT BACK!" Julie swings the rock, knocking Beryl's psychic self in the head. Julie and Zodon are instantly knocked back into their bodies and everyone falls to the ground.
"I think...we won!" Julie exclaims happily, sitting up.
"Great," Flea says. "I think whatever she did to me is wearing off. I can sort of move my legs again...sort of."
"Treehouse, my head hurts," Zodon says as he rubs his temples and sits up. "But if this Rasputin wanna-be here has stolen as much as I think...it'll be worth it!"
Julie picks herself up and gives Flea a shoulder to lean on as they stumble out of the office. "Thanks for not carrying me," Flea says.
"I don't know if I could fly straight right now anyway..." Julie replies.
This entry was originally posted at http://fiss84.dreamwidth.org/3671.html. Please feel free to comment here or there using OpenID.
"Mister Godwin?" Bartholomew said into his cuff after spotting a pre-arranged signal from Zodon. "The kid has signaled he's playing with one of our card counters, but he's not having me move in." Julie doesn't hear how Mr. Godwin responds as Bartholomew is wearing an earpiece, but does hear him say, "Roger that."
Julie turns to watch Zodon and can't help the smile as she sees the silly little hat he's wearing as part of his disguise. As she watches, she sees Zodon talking with a woman on his right. Then there's a man talking to Zodon and Zodon seems to be getting agitated. Then, seemingly out of no where, a huge guy (like bigger than coach Rockslide) wearing an armor plated costume is there and yelling at Zodon. Zodon is saying something to the huge man when suddenly the huge man is raising his arms to strike....Julie's gone in a flash from Bartholomew's side and is near enough to Zodon to catch him saying, "Oh, jumbalaya! There was a mental tripwire in his brain too!" Then she's caught the huge man's fist in mid-air, a fist which is almost as big as she is.
"Security says STOP!" she yells at him trembling with nervousness. What am I doing? part of her screams.
The huge guy's only response is to smile and throw another punch whose concussive force is enough to knock several bystanders off their feet. Julie just floats there holding both fists at bay, a look of sheer determination in her eyes as she stares down the huge man. Behind her Bartholomew says, "Mister Greg Stone, aka 'Thunderclap', I'm ordering you to cease all hostilities and accompany me to our security center or risk a lifetime ban from this casino and possibly the city of Las Vegas. And you'll be lucky if 'assaulting a minor' isn't added to your list of offenses."
Thunderclap's response is to pull back his fists and suck in a big lungful of air.
"Get Back Everyone! He's got a sonic..." Bartholomew yells reaching for Julie. He's interrupted by Thunderclap's sonic yell which knocks him and Julie back but just as quickly the scream is cut off as Poly wraps herself around Thunderclap's head.
"Naptime!" she calls out. "I did this to my brother once. My mom said never to do it again because it might give him brain damage."
All seems taken care of until Thunderclap breaths in again. "Whoop!" Poly says. "You have stronger lungs than he does!" Fortunately, while Poly has him distracted an officer of the meta-human task force is able to get a stunning and power inhibiting device on the back of Thunderclap's head and then he's out like a light. "Some more guys are on the way with the heavy-duty restraints, boss," the officer reports to Bartholomew who has picked himself up.
"They'd better hurry. We've only got a few minutes 'till the inhibitor's battery starts to fade," Bartholomew says checking Thunderclap's pulse. "I'd hate to have to file the paperwork for using one and have it come to nothing."
"I've never felt lungs before," Poly says pulling herself out of Thunderclap. "It's kind of weird."
Since Thunderclap is taken care of Julie looks around. "Where'd Zodon go?"
"And Thunderclap's accomplice is gone, too." Bartholomew says standing. "I'll get her photo out to every police department in the state."
As she looks around some more Julie is hit on the head a few times by a fly. What the heck? she thinks before remembering Flea's powers include controlling or talking with insects. "Hey..." she says as she follows the fly, which leads her to a door where a bunch of ants have spelled out, 'In Here'.
"Psst! Julie! Over Here!" she hears Flea call as she opens the door to find the woman Zodon had been playing cards next to, Flea, Zodon himself and a woman she doesn't recognize holding Zodon's head and sweating.
"Four of hearts. Two of curves. Ace of girlfriends. King of spade..." the card player woman is mumbling from the floor.
"What's going on?" Julie asks as she approaches the group.
"This is Beryl," Flea reports. "She's the clerk who gave me our room key. She can also do stuff with your brain if she touches you. When I came in here, she told my brain that my legs are frozen, so I called for help with some bugs. She's been like this with Zodon since I got here. I think they're...fighting, kinda."
"So what do we do?" Julie asks stepping much too close.
"Not so close!" Flea calles out but too late.
"Why? Isn't she..." is as far as Julie gets before Beryl's right hand switches from Zodon's head to hers. Suddenly it's like she's floating in a violent storm. Black clouds roll and lightening strikes. Up in the clouds a giant Beryl and Zodon glare at each other while lightening strike between them.
"I can feel you weakening!" Beryl gloats. "You've got the strongest mind I've tackled so far, but you'll still do whatever I say in the end!"
"Get zambonied, you knockwurst!" Zodon fires back.
Julie wants to fly up there and help but just as she thinks it, she's chained to a rock.
"Fight her!" Zodon yells at her, suddenly her size. "Do something!"
"I can't!" she cries back.
"Why don't you at least try first?!"
"But these chains are too strong! I can't...!
"They're just an illusion! If you...Cilantro it! Forget I asked! What else should I expect from a little girl wearing a towel?"
"But my cape..."
"What did you ever need a reroofed cape for? You're just a mousy little disappointment to your cornmeal-poor family who thinks she can be a superhero! Take your eighty-fourth copy-cat powers and go cry in a corner somewhere if you can't even starching pretend to be useful to anyone!"
"But...but I...?" Julie says looking at the chains and crying.
"What does he know?" says a voice she knows but doesn't recognize. She turns to see the dark clouds part as Zodon swells up to giant sized again. Down at her level the clouds fade to show...herself?
"Who...? But you look like...you're...me?"
"We're in a dreamland place, so why not?" says the unmasked, happy, confident Julie. "I think I'm the part of you that took on Thunderclap, that helped stop Charles and what made you wrap that gold guy in that giant mask. I think I'm what you can do when you quit worrying so much about being someone people want and start being someone people need. Get it?" The unmasked, confident Julie holds out her hand to the masked worried Julie.
"But...it's scary to try.." the masked, worried Julie says reaching for the hand.
"I know," Julie says. "And that's okay."
Back up in the clouds, Beryl is monologuing. "You'll make up even better schemes for me! With your genius under my control, we'll take on the Stock Market! We'll...."
"Hey! Beryl," Julie yells interrupting as she flies up with the rock she's still chained to. "This is your rock. TAKE IT BACK!" Julie swings the rock, knocking Beryl's psychic self in the head. Julie and Zodon are instantly knocked back into their bodies and everyone falls to the ground.
"I think...we won!" Julie exclaims happily, sitting up.
"Great," Flea says. "I think whatever she did to me is wearing off. I can sort of move my legs again...sort of."
"Treehouse, my head hurts," Zodon says as he rubs his temples and sits up. "But if this Rasputin wanna-be here has stolen as much as I think...it'll be worth it!"
Julie picks herself up and gives Flea a shoulder to lean on as they stumble out of the office. "Thanks for not carrying me," Flea says.
"I don't know if I could fly straight right now anyway..." Julie replies.
This entry was originally posted at http://fiss84.dreamwidth.org/3671.html. Please feel free to comment here or there using OpenID.