Chapter 9 (2/3): Why We Do It
Tyler was running around the flank looking for any signs of his target. Colt had left him with the responsibility of dealing with this lady and by golly was he going to do it. Tyler watched from the side as Colt began to walk closer to the partition that the giant and his allies disappeared behind. He looked back to Jessie as she stomped the ground in frustration before running into the darkness opposite of him.
"She's probably trying to flank them while Colt distracts down the middle. No way Colt would tell her to do that, she must be breaking orders. That's so cool," he whispered giddily. He looked towards the barricade and thought about what he had seen. The giant man picked up a small man with bright yellow skin, he would unpack that later, and a woman with purple hair. Colt didn't hesitate to shoot the giant man, but he seemed much more hesitant when she was in range. "She's definitely a high-value target, but Colt usually just shoots to injure if they are needed alive." His thoughts were all coming out like water from a faucet. His ramblings pulling him away from his surroundings.
"Maybe she's a big-time criminal that he wants to bring in." That was the most logical option but as he thought about it other ideas came up. She was a friend of his, maybe a childhood friend or distant cousin. Then why were these men taking her? "They must be kidnappers. But why kidnap her?" Though he didn't fully believe this theory he wanted to explore the possibility more. He pondered over why they would attack some random woman and attempt to kidnap her. Why does Colt seem so hell-bent on saving her? He had never seen or heard of the woman before.
"*gasp* Unless she is an ex-lover." This wild theory made sense now. Colt heard a woman's scream, it sounded familiar, so he jumped into action. He didn't want them to come because he didn't want anyone getting mixed up in it. That's why he is hesitant to shoot, he didn't want to hurt her. Tyler was blushing at the thought of Colt and this purpled haired woman's potential relationship. He imagined a comically young version of Colt dancing, laughing, and singing with a dark girl and her purple hair.
Tyler giggled lightly at the thought of the relationship they must have had. His mind shifted from Colt and the purple woman to him and Jessie. He swayed back and forth as he hummed a tune imagining it was them dancing. The sounds of their steps filling an empty hall. "1-2-3, 1-2-3," he whispered as he swayed along to his imaginary song. He could hear the steps as if he were there himself, "1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-2-3... 2-2?"
His dream faded away as he was lifted off the ground. A pair of arms had snatched him up from behind into a full nelson. His legs dangled wildly as he tried to understand his situation. He was told by Colt to check the shadows for, "Masked Lady!" He tried to turn his head to see the woman but could only get a glimpse at her golden Mysterion mask. Most of the Mysterion masks had an opening at the mouth just like Mysterion had himself but this woman also had some black bandana underneath covering her mouth.
Tyler struggled some more causing her to tighten her grip and shake him violently. Tyler felt his brain shift in his skull from the violent throws of her submission hold. Tyler realized fighting her grip was useless. He thought for a moment about how he would escape her iron grip but with more time spent in the hold, her grip only grew tighter and tighter. His mind thought about what Jessie would do in this situation, he imagined her grabbing some strange gadget from her hat and shocking the lady. He didn't have any such tools so he scrapped the idea.
Then his mind wandered to his boss, Colton Domire. What would Colt do? He brightened up as it finally made sense to him now. In true Colt fashion, he opened his mouth and started talking. "Damn lady, you got one killer grip there. If I didn't know better, I'd think a bear was holding me." Tyler gave his best Colt impression while he shifted around in her arms. He waited for a response, but the woman was silent as a mouse. Perhaps even a mouse could make more noise than her.
"Not much of a talker, huh? What are ya, some creepy freakshow mime?" Tyler started to roll his left shoulder around. She gripped tighter and threw him about eliciting a grunt from him. As she settled down Tyler could feel the grip on his left shoulder had grown even tighter now. He smiled, "Didn't much like that huh? Well, ya gonna hate this. Did ya know that the jaw is one of the most sensitive parts of the body?"
He didn't know if it was true, but he could see from sudden pause that he had her attention. He reached over his head and took a hold of his left arm. "Yeah, that's why uppercuts are so deadly in boxing. But do you know the best part about an uppercut?" He quickly ripped on his left arm popping it out of the socket. He yelped in pain but took advantage of the ailment, slipping from his masked attacker's grip dropping to a crouch beneath her. Before she had time to react to his stunt Tyler propelled himself upwards nailing her jaw with a jumping uppercut.
"They hurt like hell from the ground up!" He was still suspended in the air watching as the masked woman reeled back from the blow. 'That was a great one-liner,' he thought as he started to fall to the floor. Before he touched the ground he refocused on the masked woman, his heart freezing.
She was staring into his soul, her blue eyes visible through the mask, white-hot with rage. Tyler tried to maneuver in the air, but her iron grip found his shoulders once more. She ripped him from the skies driving her knee deep into his guts. The force of the shot knocking the air out of his lungs. He dropped to a knee clenching at his stomach, gasping for air, instinctually rolling backward to gain some ground.
He took a second to inspect himself. His stomach felt like it had been turned upside down. A small puddle of his drool pooling on the floor. He couldn't help but laugh. Rising from his feeble position, he faced off against his opponent. The masked woman standing tall a few feet away. He knew that she was far tougher than anyone he had ever fought before, but the adrenaline rush from that blow was intoxicating.
He gripped his left arm, grunting as he forced it back into the socket. The pain was unbearable, but his mind was more focused on the elite woman before him. He was on the defensive, she had an advantage, so why hadn't she attacked yet? She was just standing there, menacingly! 'She's letting me recover?' he thought as he felt his heart rate increase. Either she didn't see him as a threat, or she wanted a fight. Tyler took a step forward; he wasn't the kind of guy to make a lady wait.
He dashed forward staying low to the ground. As he got closer, he noticed the masked woman's unwavering stare. Her hands were at her sides as she looked off into the distance. Holding back was not an option, if she didn't want to block his blow then she could suffer the consequences.
He stayed low cocking back his left arm aiming for her abdomen. An eye for an eye. His swing missed narrowly as she hopped backward at the last second. Tyler didn't stop his assault, chasing after her with precise jabs and random hooks trying to throw her off. This woman he had just met was looking into the future with her immaculate dodges. He went for a big hail mary enziguri, a jumping kick aimed for the opponent's head.
A big mistake.
His kick connected eliciting a small cheer deep inside. Upon closer inspection, he saw her hand had blocked the blow just before connecting. Tyler would have panicked if he wasn't more worried about her fast-approaching fist. He threw both hands up just in time blocking the blow, sliding on the floor away from her.
He took a second to inspect his arms. They were on fire, the pain like firecrackers on his skin. His eyes were covered by his loose and wild hair. He saw that the masked woman was once again standing still watching him. Her eyes were calm, emotionless. Tyler was starting to understand the difference in strength. Not just strength, skill, experience, knowledge; she outclassed him in all aspects. But for some reason, he still didn't feel discouraged.
He wanted this challenge. He hadn't met a single guy in the dunes that he couldn't take in a fight. This woman had finally given him a challenge and they only just began. Tyler rose to his feet again. He looked the masked woman in the eyes, his iris on fire with passion at the battle they would have. He dropped low once again slowly creeping forward, looking for an opening.
With her hands at her sides, he thought her entire body was one large opening, but he had made that mistake once already. He kept his eyes on her head but imagined the rest of her body. The size difference would be his eternal crutch. It was time he evened the playing field. He lunged forward staying low to the ground. Her eyes told him she was ready for another high mix up. She was underestimating him.
Big mistake.
He stayed low jabbing towards her knee. She was visibly surprised by the switch and tried to move her leg so he would attack her shin rather than collapsing her knee.
"AAAHHHH!"
They both froze at the girlish scream. Tyler gazed upward and saw her eyes wild with a fist above his head and her foot just about to leave the ground. She was looking out into the middle of the stadium where Colt was pushing his offensive.
Tyler started to scan the area looking for Jessie, fearing the girlish scream came from her. He dropped his guard as he looked around. The masked woman doing the same, looking for someone to match the voice. They both sighed with relief when they saw Colt flying through the skies.
"Why is Mr. Domire flying?" Tyler thought out loud. The masked woman tapped his shoulder pointing towards a giant man in the middle. Tyler chuckled lightly at the realization. He turned back to his opponent, "I hope you don't mind but I have to go help my boss out. Maybe we can finish this later?" Tyler held his hand out, he had a bruise visible on his arm and one hidden beneath his shirt. He was panting lightly from their short bout. She, on the other hand, was still emotionless. She hadn't broken a sweat.
She turned her head away from him and started working her jaw. Tyler still had his hand out, she hadn't refused yet. She rolled her black bandana up and spit out a wad of saliva. Tyler looked in the direction of the loogie and noticed something strange. There was a little blood mixed in as well.
He looked back towards the woman, she was smiling. A big toothy grin with a little blood in the cracks of her teeth. Her reddish-white teeth a contrast to the fair brown skin around her lips. Tyler's eyes lit up at the visible damage. Damage was done, that's why she got so intense after his uppercut.
She crouched down, patting his head softly, tussling his hair around in her grasp. Her eyes were almost shut and her mouth covered but he could tell that she had enjoyed their little match. For a second Tyler couldn't help but blush at the woman. She rose to her feet and started dashing away.
Tyler released a breath he didn't know he was holding before focusing on the giant in the middle. 'If she was that tough, how am I gonna deal with that monster?'
~--~
"First I make my own shock rifle. Then I make the special piercing rounds he gives the dumb name, 'Bullet Storm'. Then I make my own personal defense turret from scratch, yet he still thinks I'm some defenseless little kid."
"AAAHHHH!"
She looked above her head and watched as Colt flew by. Her face was stale, "I'll ignore that."
She kept slinking through the shadows towards the area she saw the giant man carry his two allies behind. 'I'll show him. I'll arrest both crooks and then he'll have to see me as a mature adult.' She could imagine it now.
Her carrying the strange yellow man and purple-haired girl out of the stadium in handcuffs. Spotlights on her from the sky as a crowd cheered her on. Tyler would bow down to her and throw confetti at her feet while she carried the crooks away. She imagined the giant man running away into the distance with his tail between his legs.
Colt would run to the front of the crowd with stars in his eyes. "Wow! Jessie, you are the greatest little sister in the world. Please join me on all my missions from now on." She saw Tyler ripping the deputy star from his shirt and presenting it to her like a wedding ring.
"Oh, boys, please. Of course, I will help you... on one condition."
"Anything!" they would chant in unison.
"I'm the sheriff now." Jessie cackled lightly at the thought of taking over as sheriff of The Greater Sand Dunes. Her reign would be filled with adventures of valor. Traveling all of Brawltopia busting the worst crime lords left and right. Her daydreams were interrupted by the low strumming of a guitar. She peaked around noticing a small man with yellow skin frantically tuning a guitar, cursing under his breath.
"Why the hell do I always get put in these situations?" he tried to play a tune, but it came out sour, hurting Jessie's ears. The yellow man recoiled as well, "I am a great musician and a skilled fighter, but I can't work in these high-pressure situations."
Jessie hid behind another seat when he started cursing and looking around the arena. She saw during her sneak peek that it was just him with the purple hair woman laying on the ground. She adjusted the settings on her gun to slightly reduce the damage. Incapacitation was the only way her dream of becoming the first female sheriff could be realized.
She took a deep breath, "Step one: Successfully arrest two huge targets. Step two: Prosper. Mission Start!" She jumped around the corner, her eyes landing on the yellow man. She jumped in surprise at his appearance, the yellow man was a skeleton? The skeleton in question froze as he stared up at her.
Smiling.
His smile sent a chill down her spine. His eye sockets black with two white dots floating in a void. His eyes had a pink and green flower pattern around them attempting to make him look friendly but they only made his face look creepier.
"What are you?"
The skeleton looked around, "A musician?"
Jessie shot another orb to his side with a look of frustration, "You know what I meant."
"Well, I thought it was pretty obvious I was a skeleton so..."
Jessie charged up another shot, "I'm not here to play any games. I work with the sheriff of The Greater Sand Dunes, Colton Domire. You and your friends are under arrest-" she choked on those last words when she looked down. The woman with purple hair was breathing harshly as the bloodstains dried up on her clothes. Jessie listened to her heavy pants and started to understand the situation.
She had been attacked by some outside force. She was badly injured, possibly in critical condition. Her gun lowering as she felt pity for the woman in pain. Poco noticed her guard dropping and continued tuning his guitar. Jessie heard him playing, training her sites on his body again.
"Relax, I'm just tuning my guitar. It comforts her," he lied through his teeth.
Jessie fumbled with her grip for a second. The skeleton's voice soft and filled with pain, "Did Colt attack her?"
Poco pondered for a second, "Ya'know, not once since he realized who she was has he fired a shot in her direction." Jessie let out a loud sigh of relief. "Your sheriff is a good man, I can tell. Just wish he could see we aren't his enemies."
Jessie took a second to inspect this skeleton. He wasn't much taller than her, they might even be the same size. He didn't seem to have any weapons on him. The way he sat with his guitar was like he was inviting someone to attack him.
He wasn't a threat.
Jessie powered down her gun and sat down in front of him. The purple-haired woman between them. Upon closer inspection, the woman looked strangely familiar. "Who are you? Both of you."
Poco pondered that question for a second. This girl was aligned with the sheriff and his men. Revealing his name could be compromising but the look in that girl's eyes melted him. She was looking at Shelly with a hurt expression. She was worried about her safety. "My name is Poco. The woman currently unconscious between us is Shelly."
Jessie perked up at the name, "Shelly. As in the Gem Bandit Shelly that robbed every store on Niagra's Main Street", Poco nodded lightly. "Woah. Who would attack her?"
"That's the question." Poco played a few more notes on his guitar. Jessie listened closely, rocking with the beat until he hit an eventual sour note again. "Damn," he whispered beneath his breath. Jessie looked up, he was still smiling, it was unnerving.
She returned her attention to Shelly. "Why?" Poco looked up at the question. Jessie was resting her head on her rifle, staring vacantly at Shelly. "Why commit crimes? She was so smart that she organized a raid on one of the most lucrative and powerful cities in all of Brawltopia. With a strategic genius like that she could have been amazing. So why commit crimes? Why be a bad guy?"
Poco hit another sour note at the phrase. "Why be a bad guy?" he repeated. Jessie looked away from Shelly. Shivering as she met Poco's gaze, his eternal smile and soulless eyes chilling her soul. "What makes her a bad guy?"
"She practically robbed an entire city. Only criminals rob people, and a criminal is a bad guy."
Jessie finished that phrase matter of factly. Poco played a few more tunes on his guitar. Seeming content, he set his instrument down and focused on Jessie. "Yes stealing from people is wrong morally and legally, but did you look into what stores she robbed?"
Jessie scratched her hair beneath her hat, "Jewelry stores, fashion shops, fine dining..." Jessie racked her mind looking for any other shops but stopped there.
"Now ask yourself again, she is a strategic genius, right? Why rob a group of smaller stores when she could just organize a bank robbery?"
"Because it would be harder for cops to stop them all if they spread out?"
Poco scratched his boney chin pondering the statement. "Maybe, maybe... but what brand stores did she rob?"
Jessie started ruffling her pigtails trying to remember the stores mentioned, "Ummm... Bonefish, Channel, High Society, Gucci..."
"Good. Now look at those stores, how often do lower-middle-class people shop there? What about the poor?"
"Little to none."
"Now how often does a lower-middle-class person use a bank? What about convenience stores and supermarkets?"
"All... the time."
Poco picked up his guitar again and resumed playing, a low melancholy sound escaping it. "She's like a Hispanic robin hood, stealing from the rich. Her team is comprised of the poor, people who lived their lives under the belly of the upper class. From their hauls they give most to their families and friends, giving to the poor." Poco finished his tune with a victorious fanfare, "Now tell me, is robin hood a 'bad guy'?"
Jessie shook her head trying to understand what he was saying, "N-no... those were different times. The rich were corrupt. They were suppressing the poor."
"And they aren't now? In Niagra, there is no minimum wage. Workers might get paid a few coins working in those stores. But the prices are more gems than they can make in a year. The taxes that are paid for the poor are the same for the rich. The CEO's of companies give away jobs to their friends even though they aren't qualified then have a board of executives do all the heavy lifting behind the scenes for no compensation. If the rich keep getting richer while doing less work, who is gonna help the poor?"
Poco started to strum his guitar once again, happier with his defense of the bandits. Jessie was visibly uncomfortable. His words made sense morally, but her sense of justice was giving off red flags. "It's... It's not right." Poco glanced up from under his sombrero's brim, she was clutching at her jeans. "That doesn't make it okay to break the laws."
"Okay, then how could she help them without hurting the rich?"
Jessie's mind started to work overtime, "She could... join politics."
Poco stumbled over his notes, "P-Politics!"
"If she were to get into a position of power in our legal system, she could sway votes and make bills that could slowly change how our society operates. Bills that make the rich pay higher taxes. Introduce a minimum wage. Punish companies that hire people because of personal connections. If politics don't work, she could make unions in big businesses." Jessie was standing above Poco now, determination in her eyes and voice, "People have the power to make a change, you just have to fight."
"But isn't she fighting them now?"
"Legal fighting, she doesn't have to break the laws. She could change them."
"Haha..." Poco's eyes were hidden beneath his hat brim. "Hahaha... Bwahahaha!" Poco was in hysterics. Slapping his knees as he laughed his ass off. Jessie watched with a pause as Poco continued his breakdown.
"Hey! What's so funny?" she started to feel embarrassed.
"I'm sorry... wooo... I'm sorry. It's just..." he looked up wiping an imaginary tear from his eye socket. "I wonder if I was this pure when I was a kid?"
Jessie paused, "You don't remember when you were a kid?"
"I don't remember most of my time being alive, can't even remember my death or rebirth." Poco was still smiling brightly but his voice sounded hurt. It confused Jessie watching the smiling skeleton sound so sad. "Well, it looks like we are fighting for the same thing."
"But fighting on different sides."
The air grew heavy with the realization. "Hey kid," Poco called. Jessie focused back on him, but her frame was still visibly distraught with their conversation. "What's your name?" Jessie flinched from the question, "Now don't be like that. I told you mine, what's yours?"
Jessie started to fidget in place. They had a nice conversation and he didn't seem like a dangerous enemy. To her, Poco was just a neutral skeleton that happened to join the wrong side. "Umm... I'm..."
"JESSIE!"
She turned quickly at the screaming of her name. Behind her came a bumbling Colt with his hair a mess and tears on his The Fez shirt. There was a wad of chewed gum sticking out of his hair. His face was wild and exasperated. "Where were you?!"
"Wh-What?"
Colt grabbed her shoulders, "Where... Were... YOU!?" He started shaking her back and forth. "I was out there getting thrown around by that monster man waiting for backup. Where were you?!"
"Arresting the bandits?" she pointed towards the prone Shelly and lounging Poco.
Colt's vision snapped between Jessie and the bandits. "Fair enough," he said as he pulled out his pistols.
"WOAH!" Jessie called as she pulled his arms down.
"What?" Colt deadpanned looking down at his sister.
"You said we were just gonna arrest them."
"I said we need to arrest Shelly. He's in the way."
"He's not like the others. He's a good guy he just got wrapped up in all this."
Colt raised his eyebrow, "How would you know that?"
"We talked..."
"You... talked?"
"Yeah..."
Colt pinched the bridge of his nose, "And you think that because you... talked... you know he's a good guy."
"Yeah...?" Jessie didn't sound very sure.
"Jessie, he could have just been lying to you, messing with your head."
Jessie stared back down at Poco. He was smiling, he was always smiling but she could feel his desperation. A plea for help. "I trust him..."
"You trust him? Jessie do you understand how little that means."
"Please Colt just let him live," she put her puppy dog eyes into full effect. "For your little sister?"
Colt writhed as he looked into her droopy eyes. He hated those baby doll eyes. "Fine~," he reached into his back pocket. Throwing a pair of handcuffs into her grasp. "Cuff 'em." Jessie looked down at the metallic trap. They felt strangely heavy and cold. Colt looked down at her hesitation, "No..." Jessie looked up at him again, her baby doll eyes in full effect. "Absolutely not."
"Do we really have to?"
"Yes!"
"Oh, look at him Colt, all he's got is a guitar. And that smile..." they both turned and froze at his haunting grin. "Okay forget the smile but look at him. He couldn't hurt a fly."
"You don't know that."
"I have been sitting here talking to him for the past, like, ten minutes. If he wanted to do something he already-"
*strum*
Colt and Jessie turned at the sound. Poco was standing up now with his guitar in hand. "Oh, dulce y pequeña Jessie. While I hope you always seek justice in your pure way, sometimes you should listen to your big brother."
Poco ripped a destructive chord on his guitar, the sound scratching at their eardrums. Jessie watched as a wave of red half notes formed from his guitar. The notes looked almost sentient with little mouths grinning her way. As they flew towards them, they bit and slashed at their skin. Cutting up their clothes and scratching up their faces and arms.
"Not the face!" Colt screamed as he grabbed Jessie by the arm ducking behind a partition. They heard and saw more notes fly past them behind the large wall.
"I want to apologize for this Jessie, my friend, but like we said. We want the same thing; we just have different ways of getting it. You understand, right?"
"Poco we can talk about this. Just stop resisting and I can convince Colt to go easy on you."
"No, she can't," Colt chimed in. Another wave of malicious music passing by them.
"You heard him; we are long past talking. Now let's make some beautiful music together."
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