Faith in Gotham.
So it's taken more than a month (for which, my apologies) but I've finally got the next bit into vaguely decent shape.
(Parts one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight and nine)
Part the tenth, in which Faith is violent, and the bad guy just. Won't. Shut up.
Batman paused a moment, crouched on a rooftop overlooking his target. The building was a condemned wreck, but the two vehicles parked out front were anything but. A faint light gleamed through the high windows. He moved forward.
***
Seven vampires, four guns. Four guns visible. Seven game faces, so at least the bastards aren't trying to be coy. Giles in a chokehold, somehow managing to look sardonic and bored even while he's gasping for breath.
And here comes vamp number eight, the big man himself, stepping between his minions like he's Darth fucking Vader.
"Again with the guns," She said. "Whatever happened to the old-fashioned stuff? I miss when you guys liked to kick it Bela Lugosi style. Did you just stop believing in all the mystical hoodoo, or something?"
Keep smiling. Keep the chopstick against Vampire Andy's chest. Do they give a shit about him? Can't think of many other ways to find out.
None of them are smiling back.
And then Tepes grins, showing off his fangs. He almost manages to look friendly with it.
"You misunderstand us, child." Voice almost accentless, but he puts a little too much precision into his vowels. She's heard English used like this before. "In us you see creatures who have come to accept the truths of the past, while remaining prepared to learn the lessons of the present. In us you see the perfect balance of immortality and the fleeting trappings of civilisation. In us you see a race reborn. In us you see..."
Vamp Andy has just enough time to yelp before he turns to dust.
"Sorry. I got bored. Were you done?" She stuck the chopstick back into what was left of her hairstyle.
Tepes shook his head sadly. "I remember your kind, child. You are a Slayer, though the term may be unfamiliar to you. Once you had a code. Honour. Dignity. Now? Now you are all too human."
He held out a hand. One of his men placed a pistol in it. Faith stepped back, edging towards the shadows.
"Take this weapon. I remember when war was an art, and battles were fought with honour. At Poltava I slew nine men at sword's point, and each of them knew the face of the one who killed him. But with a weapon like this?"
What was it with vampires and the monologues?
"And I am meandering. You have so little time left to live - we should not waste it in reminiscence. Bring him."
Two of his followers dragged Giles forward. Faith froze.
"Who is he, I wonder. Your father? Your lover? A man of so little consequence that you can walk away?"
She stepped back into the light, hands open. Unarmed, ready to talk.
"Well? Who?"
The Watcher she never had. The last person left who trusts her, even if only a little. The guy who has her back in a fight. The guy who stitches up her wounds, helps her dodge the law, fine-tunes her fighting. Her partner.
"He's my... my friend."
Four guns. One certified tough guy - but he was the type who loved to hear himself speak. The minions she could handle. How many shots could they get off before she got to them?
"Friendship is a rare prize." Tepes turned suddenly, aimed low, and fired. Giles jerked in his captors' grip. A hiss of shock emerged from between his teeth. "And now your friend is bleeding. In time, perhaps..." Faith's boot smashed into his face, knocking him down.
She rolled, rose to her feet fist first. A mook doubled over round it, dropping his gun. She caught hold of his tie, used it to pivot him round as a shield between her and the gunmen. They were bunched up; she pushed forwards and rammed her shield into them, scattering them like bowling pins.
Keep moving. Don't give them a chance to think. She snapped the neck of her vampire shield, shoved past him, caught the gun hand of a big vamp with a scuzzy goatee. She twisted, extending his arm, and brought her other fist up into his elbow with bone-breaking power. Goatee-boy was starting to scream, but this was no time to sit back and enjoy the music so she followed through with a head-butt, felt a fang break against her forehead, knew it was gonna leave a mark.
He started to go backwards and she shoved him to the ground, taking his gun and using it to smack the last gunman across the face. He fired, but wherever the bullet went it didn't hit her. She yanked the chopstick from her hair, pistol-whipped him again, staked him, smooth and fast, and had time to hit him a third time before he turned to dust.
She pivoted on the ball of her left foot, driving her right heel into the face of Goatee-boy, who was starting to rise. He went down and she followed through with the chopstick, but he got his arms up in time and she impaled his hand instead of his heart.
A fist caught hold of her hair and yanked her backwards. "So impatient," Tepes muttered into her ear, then flung her away from him. She managed to land in a fighting crouch.
He was still smiling.
"If I had know you were so eager to fight, I would have killed your friend at the start." He shook his head, then glanced towards where his men had left Giles. Then looked again.
Giles had gone.
Tepes seemed to be at a loss for words.
***
"It appears I underestimated your friend."
"It appears I underestimated your love of your own voice. Seriously, were you planning on shooting me anytime soon?"
Tepes shook his head, glanced down at the gun he was still holding. "To die in such a way has neither honour nor dignity," he said. He tossed the gun aside. "Far better to fight as our creators intended."
Tepes slipped off his suit jacket, tossed it into the shadows, and adopted a combat stance. Faith stepped forward, cautiously, smiling at him.
"You realise I'm gonna kill you now, right?"
She didn't even see the first punch coming.
Come to think of it, this bit's mostly filler. Strange as it may seem, I am actually trying to do stuff with the characters. Pretty much none of it happens here.
(Parts one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight and nine)
Part the tenth, in which Faith is violent, and the bad guy just. Won't. Shut up.
Batman paused a moment, crouched on a rooftop overlooking his target. The building was a condemned wreck, but the two vehicles parked out front were anything but. A faint light gleamed through the high windows. He moved forward.
***
Seven vampires, four guns. Four guns visible. Seven game faces, so at least the bastards aren't trying to be coy. Giles in a chokehold, somehow managing to look sardonic and bored even while he's gasping for breath.
And here comes vamp number eight, the big man himself, stepping between his minions like he's Darth fucking Vader.
"Again with the guns," She said. "Whatever happened to the old-fashioned stuff? I miss when you guys liked to kick it Bela Lugosi style. Did you just stop believing in all the mystical hoodoo, or something?"
Keep smiling. Keep the chopstick against Vampire Andy's chest. Do they give a shit about him? Can't think of many other ways to find out.
None of them are smiling back.
And then Tepes grins, showing off his fangs. He almost manages to look friendly with it.
"You misunderstand us, child." Voice almost accentless, but he puts a little too much precision into his vowels. She's heard English used like this before. "In us you see creatures who have come to accept the truths of the past, while remaining prepared to learn the lessons of the present. In us you see the perfect balance of immortality and the fleeting trappings of civilisation. In us you see a race reborn. In us you see..."
Vamp Andy has just enough time to yelp before he turns to dust.
"Sorry. I got bored. Were you done?" She stuck the chopstick back into what was left of her hairstyle.
Tepes shook his head sadly. "I remember your kind, child. You are a Slayer, though the term may be unfamiliar to you. Once you had a code. Honour. Dignity. Now? Now you are all too human."
He held out a hand. One of his men placed a pistol in it. Faith stepped back, edging towards the shadows.
"Take this weapon. I remember when war was an art, and battles were fought with honour. At Poltava I slew nine men at sword's point, and each of them knew the face of the one who killed him. But with a weapon like this?"
What was it with vampires and the monologues?
"And I am meandering. You have so little time left to live - we should not waste it in reminiscence. Bring him."
Two of his followers dragged Giles forward. Faith froze.
"Who is he, I wonder. Your father? Your lover? A man of so little consequence that you can walk away?"
She stepped back into the light, hands open. Unarmed, ready to talk.
"Well? Who?"
The Watcher she never had. The last person left who trusts her, even if only a little. The guy who has her back in a fight. The guy who stitches up her wounds, helps her dodge the law, fine-tunes her fighting. Her partner.
"He's my... my friend."
Four guns. One certified tough guy - but he was the type who loved to hear himself speak. The minions she could handle. How many shots could they get off before she got to them?
"Friendship is a rare prize." Tepes turned suddenly, aimed low, and fired. Giles jerked in his captors' grip. A hiss of shock emerged from between his teeth. "And now your friend is bleeding. In time, perhaps..." Faith's boot smashed into his face, knocking him down.
She rolled, rose to her feet fist first. A mook doubled over round it, dropping his gun. She caught hold of his tie, used it to pivot him round as a shield between her and the gunmen. They were bunched up; she pushed forwards and rammed her shield into them, scattering them like bowling pins.
Keep moving. Don't give them a chance to think. She snapped the neck of her vampire shield, shoved past him, caught the gun hand of a big vamp with a scuzzy goatee. She twisted, extending his arm, and brought her other fist up into his elbow with bone-breaking power. Goatee-boy was starting to scream, but this was no time to sit back and enjoy the music so she followed through with a head-butt, felt a fang break against her forehead, knew it was gonna leave a mark.
He started to go backwards and she shoved him to the ground, taking his gun and using it to smack the last gunman across the face. He fired, but wherever the bullet went it didn't hit her. She yanked the chopstick from her hair, pistol-whipped him again, staked him, smooth and fast, and had time to hit him a third time before he turned to dust.
She pivoted on the ball of her left foot, driving her right heel into the face of Goatee-boy, who was starting to rise. He went down and she followed through with the chopstick, but he got his arms up in time and she impaled his hand instead of his heart.
A fist caught hold of her hair and yanked her backwards. "So impatient," Tepes muttered into her ear, then flung her away from him. She managed to land in a fighting crouch.
He was still smiling.
"If I had know you were so eager to fight, I would have killed your friend at the start." He shook his head, then glanced towards where his men had left Giles. Then looked again.
Giles had gone.
Tepes seemed to be at a loss for words.
***
"It appears I underestimated your friend."
"It appears I underestimated your love of your own voice. Seriously, were you planning on shooting me anytime soon?"
Tepes shook his head, glanced down at the gun he was still holding. "To die in such a way has neither honour nor dignity," he said. He tossed the gun aside. "Far better to fight as our creators intended."
Tepes slipped off his suit jacket, tossed it into the shadows, and adopted a combat stance. Faith stepped forward, cautiously, smiling at him.
"You realise I'm gonna kill you now, right?"
She didn't even see the first punch coming.
Come to think of it, this bit's mostly filler. Strange as it may seem, I am actually trying to do stuff with the characters. Pretty much none of it happens here.