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Stripess Part 2



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Wed Jan 25, 2012 8:12 pm
Dingobabee says...



I was, for all intensive purposes, dead. I would probably exist in whatever corner Shifter had put me until she died; she would go to whatever afterlife she deserved, and I would just cease to exist, since I didn’t really exist in the first place, I had just been borrowing someone else’s time…
How could I prove she was wrong about me? She was of course entirely right about me; I mean she did create me to be evil… Maybe I scared her because I didn’t make sense. I was able to make choices contradictory to what she had created me to be… Maybe that was one of the reasons her people don’t do it, maybe they are afraid of what they might create… You might not come back at all or, you might not be able to come back without it feeling like murder… So I was trapped here, she had taken back her dominance and I don’t think she ever intended to let me out again; I would never be let out of this cold dark place…
The darkness was so depressing. I explored as much as I could (I had nothing else to do) but there really wasn’t anything to distinguish one spot from another, nothing to determine time either; no heartbeat, no day, no night, I didn’t get tired, no hunger, just nothing not even injuring myself helped since even my own claws couldn’t do any damage…
Sometimes I would see vague shadows whispering as they passed me in an almost eathral way, probably Shifter’s other forms; they were all both more and less real than me; none of them were the originals, I could see that but they were complete, no one had thought them up, they were memories of people and animals that Shifter could change into, nothing more, nothing less… Did I seem any more real to them? Did they think at all?
One day (hour month year?) I felt myself being pulled in a direction I had never gone before in this place, up…
* * * * * * * *
I found myself in what appeared to be my room with Shifter standing over me with a worried look on her face.
“Oh good it worked” she said relieved “I was afraid that this kind of thing only worked with animals”
I leapt out of my bead and clung to the ceiling (heightened strength+ adrenalin+ claws= holes in the ceiling) about ten feet from a lying position pretty impressive I would think.
“Wh-wh-what is happening?” I said as I attempted to free my claws from the ceiling.
“Something about you being the one and only well, you, made me feel guilty about keeping you locked up with my other forms especially since you were fare more…present…” she said “The others agree on the fact that you deserve a chance at your own life; that everyone should have at least one chance”
I climbed down from the ceiling (carefully) and said “By the others, do you mean the rest of the Alpha Crew, like all of them?”
“Yes, of course” she said offhandedly then she got serious “I have a very important question to ask you, the decision is entirely yours and I previously known the answer because it’s one of the things I based you around mainly… Do you want me to make you entirely human?”
“I-I-I-I” I said smartly. This question had flabbergasted me; I had a choice now, I could become human, like I had been in my memories; become a computer programmer, settle down, maybe lead a normal life; isn’t that why I had tried to kill the Alpha Crew, why I had hated Shifter? Yet… this form, part tiger part human, was all I had really ever known that wasn’t created by Shifter; I had memories of being entirely human but they were all fake, while the memories I had as a tiger-person, as Stripess rather than Magnolia Dripwen (now that I think about it, the fact that I didn’t have any memories of being teased because of that name should have clued me in on not having a real past) the good and the bad, had been real, those were the memories I had that made me who I was and that had proved not only to me but to Shifter that I was more than just a, form… The real question I guess was what kind of life could I live as Stripess…
“Thank you for giving me a choice it really means a lot to me… I think I’ll stay Stripess, it’s the only thing I’ve ever known for sure.” I said quietly
She nodded solemnly “Just remember, I would have given the human you a head start” she said then she yelled into the hallway “Hey Ruby gargoyle, she’s awake!” I recoiled as Ruby gargoyle thundered down the hall and gripped me in a crushing hug!
“I was so worried about you!” she said, as I fought for air, Shifter left and Ruby gargoyle released me and sat down.
“Why were you worried about me” I said surprised that she cared (after I had caught my breath)
“I know what it’s like to not be fully your own and have someone else control you” she said darkly “Let’s just say that at one point I was something akin to a training dummy at the telepath section of the villains school”
“I-I’m so sorry” I said sitting down next to her
“Don’t be” she said “It’s not your fault and I was just saying I think I partly know how you feel… Honestly though I thought you were still having issues with control from the villain’s school when you had your breakdown”
“Thanks for trying to understand” I sighed “I’m not sure who I really am without Shifter controlling me though even if she never directly controlled me…I think I may have to leave for a while to clear my head” I left the room then, not really wanting to hear what Ruby gargoyle had to say on the matter; she cared though, and that meant the world to me…
“You want what?” The Flash Ranger said when I told him
“I want a communicator without a tracker in it and I want to leave the building… I have some things I want to work out” I said again
The Flash Ranger just stood there stunned while Hidden dragon left and brought back a communicator opened it, pulled out a tiny blue chip then handed the small round radio to me.
“Don’t betray our trust but go find out who you are… If who you are, isn’t someone who would be around here… let us know before you leave forever…ok?” he said sadly.
I nodded then left.
I ran through the city at top speed relishing the sensation of freedom, but feeling a pang of loss as I got farther away from Alpha Crew headquarters. I would go somewhere nobody knew me and maybe I could get a fresh start… maybe Africa? That seemed reasonable, the eastern Alpha Crew didn’t check there often so maybe I could get a good reputation before they found me…
* * * * * * * *

I was hunting; I hadn’t eaten for days and I wasn’t accepted in the nearby village so I was once again hunting for my food. I slunk through the tall grass silent and deadly searching for a piece of prey that I could catch…
Then I saw it, the biggest antelope I had ever seen! I knew I should leave it so that the future antelope would likely get bigger and stronger but I was starving! I leapt onto the back of the creature and dug my tail spike into its back while holding onto it with my claws. Stunned, it rolled over and I was barely able to get off before its bulk crushed me. I stalked up to kill it and prepare to eat but then I heard something…
“Warrior, report, report… come in Warrior. Have you found the cause of the disturbance in the savanna…? Warrior!” It was coming from a communicator he held in his hand… He was a member of the Alpha Crew and I had nearly killed him…
I picked up the communicator turned it on and said “I think it found him… he’ll be fine but you might want to hurry before the smell of blood attracts predators” I then dropped the communicator and ran. I ran for all I was worth but what was that really… I felt that I was no better than when I had been injected with my own poison! I had hunted a human; sure he looked like an antelope but I should have been able to tell… maybe that’s why I hadn’t been accepted in the villages, maybe it wasn’t my appearance, maybe I just acted too much like an animal to live in human society. I climbed a tree to make sure that Warrior’s partner, Eternal Thunder, would find him before the predators or scavengers of the area did…
“My, my, that was impressive, but, I can’t help noticing you didn’t finish him off” a voice from behind me said. I spun around on my branch to see who it was;
“Slash” I said with all the hate I could muster; my claws extended and I took the best fighting stance that I could while in a tree.
“Oh don’t be like that Stripess I’m not here to hurt you, you know that if I was I would have done so without making any noise whatsoever” He said “By the way nice takedown on Warrior, I never thought a surprise attack could work so well on him, you always were a great problem solver.”
“I was hunting for food Slash, not for super heroes, I didn’t know he was Warrior until after I had pegged him with my tail, I’m not on your side Slash so bug off!” I said angrily; his presence set my teeth on edge and I could almost feel the extra venom rushing through my tail.
“Too bad” he said easily “The way you have this set up I could have sworn you were using Warrior as bait for Eternal Thunder, you’re not having fun and trying to exclude me are you?”
“Heads up genius, I’m friends with the Alpha Crew now! I though you got the message that I wasn’t a villain anymore when I flattened the school building! Oh wait, you’re too dense to see anything but how I’m acting evil!!!” I snapped at him
“Friends? HA! They will never trust you and no one will ever accept you as a human being! At least as a villain you commanded respect! I intend to kill every last one of the Alpha Crew members the world over, so you can either stop me now, or join me and have something that your appearance can’t change! ”
I didn’t know what to say he had hit some hard points for me, but, he obviously didn’t know the whole story or he would know that I would never betray them… not after Shifter gave me a real chance at life, and Ruby gargoyle really cared… But I didn’t think I could stop Slash either; while I was faster and could stop him with just a scratch from my tail, he was stronger and he wouldn’t have to win, he would just have to get away. Then I thought of a plan that could work…even if it would make my friends hate me, it would keep them safe from Slash…
“Why do you want to work with me when I don’t trust you?” I asked finally
“Partly because you don’t trust me, it means you’ll never let your guard down enough for us to be ambushed; but, mostly because you impress me, taking down a super without knowing that they are a super is just flat out amazing! Besides, I may know you better than you think when it comes to the Alpha crew.” he said
I sighed then said “Alright I’ll join you, but on one condition”
“Name it” he said with a grin
“I always get to deliver the final blow, no matter what…” I said seriously
His grin faded as he said “You drive a hard bargain, but I suppose it will let me have some fun without getting too carried away”
I glared at him as we shook hands on it and I said “My poison won’t wear off for another minute and I don’t want to be surprised by an early recovery on his part so we’ll wait here until we see movement or Eternal Thunder gets here.
As soon as Warrior stood up we were off; bolting through the tall grass at top speed and we had him pinned within ten seconds. The look on his face suggested that he hadn’t expected to get back up let alone be attacked again as soon as he did.
“Finnish him off quick we don’t want his power to manifest it’s a doozy that has kept me thinking about how to get around it for months.” Slash said sitting on his chest.
I can’t do it, I can’t betray my friends! That was what I was thinking the whole time; but it was already done… I pull my tail spike away and walk off with Slash. Slash grins evilly at me; little does he know that something entirely different from what he thinks just happened; something that would make him very angry if he found out.
“Come Stripess,” he says “The next one is too close to have not heard about this.”
I pull out my communicator that Hidden dragon gave me open it and say “This is Stripess I’m keeping my promise and telling you that I won’t be coming back” before anyone can answer and change my mind I crush the tiny round radio in my hand and toss it next to Warrior…
“So who do we take out next” Slash says excitedly apparently enjoying my betrayal of the Alpha Crew far too much “By the way your form of killing is quite exciting to watch! I’ve never seen a hero die quicker from one shot!”
I just start walking towards the direction that I know Eternal Thunder is going to have to come from if she got my message about her partner. I can’t afford to stick around and wait for my poison to wear off… my poison when injected stuns an opponent for an average of ten minutes; when injected into the heart or the jugular or any other place that is vulnerable in that way it stops the heart and the victims breathing for an average of ten minutes but then they recover with no adverse side effects.
Eternal Thunder with a panicked look on her face almost runs past us in her hurry, but I just use her speed to drive my tail spike into her throat; it flattens her and Slash just stares
“I don’t think you’re really goanna need my help to take down the Alpha Crew” he says with a low whistle
“We are not splitting up, some of these guys travel in groups remember?” I say as I walk away hoping that he just thinks that I’m eager to get to the next one…
We are unstoppable; we travel around the world “killing” every last member of the Alpha Crew, one by one. I try to keep things interesting for Slash since he can get violent when he’s bored but also so he doesn’t get suspicious about me always killing them the same way.
Slash keeps his word and allows me to deliver the final blow every time until poor Tuner, he’s too young to be a hero anyways, I don’t know what his power is, was, but Slash tears him apart before I can get to him… I get angry with Slash but he says that he should get at least one since I was obviously having all of the fun during this excursion… Once again I had trusted Slash too much and someone had been hurt because of it the only difference was that it hadn’t been me…
* * * * * * * *
Far too soon we have “killed” every last member of the Alpha Crew except the ones who had taken me in and given me a chance, the ones that Slash would inevitably gloat over…
When we come close to the city though we are surrounded by every Alpha Crew member the world over each one seething with anger and ready to attack us at the slightest provocation! Slash looks shocked but then takes a fighting stance and winks at me; he is over-confident that we can take them all down, we probably can if we work together, but I won’t help him, I raise my hands above my head to surrender but Slash won’t have it, instead of immediately jumping into a fight he can’t win he grabs my tail, shoves my spike into my side and prepares to run…
NO! I think. NO I won’t hurt my friends they are not prey! They are to be protected! I should have asked Shifter to change this, I know it’s not different because on the savannah I once got myself with my tail, no one was hurt but, I will not fight them! NO! NO! NO! I scream loudly and without any intelligible words then fall to my knees, why had he done this it put him in danger to, maybe he just wants to watch as my plan fails while his succeeds…
Something strange happens then, the venom from my tail instead of traveling through the wound and driving me to hunt, travels down through my tail mixing with adrenaline and causing everything to fade to opaque black, except Slash, my target and my enemy… I lose conciseness right after my claws and teeth make very permanent marks on his throat and chest, fortunately or unfortunately, this new anger only lasted long enough for one attack…
I wake up in a cage again, with Hidden dragon and The Flash Ranger standing outside.
\ “Come with us” Hidden dragon says bluntly as he opens the door. The Flash Ranger has his daggers at the ready as they lead me down the hallway through several corridors I have never seen before…
“Why did you-” Hidden dragon starts to say before The Flash Ranger interrupts him.
“Don’t talk to her, we all agreed that this was for the best and I won’t have you going soft on us… E-even if it is something we don’t normally do…” he says with a pointed glare at me before his face falls a bit and he turns back to look down the hall.
“What are you going to do to me” I ask starting to worry
They ignore me as we continue to walk through Alpha Crew headquarters in silence…
We finally come to a small almost empty room with a gray chair.
“Sit” The Flash Ranger barks
I sit down and look at them nervously they are starting to really scare me and Hidden dragon looks almost, broken...
“You asked what we are going to do to you, the short answer is we are going to, kill, you… the long answer is that you squandered your chance at life that Shifter gave you and she doesn’t want to even try to reabsorb you… You’re just too dangerous to keep around Stripess, don’t try to escape it would just cause you and us more pain than necessary…” Hidden dragon says not meeting my eyes.
Ruby gargoyle wheels in a series of what appears to be tubes and restraints. At this point every fiber of my being is screaming at me to fight them and run as far and as fast as I can, but I won’t fight them again… I let them bind my hands legs and tail to the chair, there’s no turning back now...
Gray wolf is leaning against the wall with his emotionless face, crusted with dry tears; I was glad that this decision had not been an easy one for them even if they had come to this verdict anyways.
“So this is what you do when you are fully yourself. Feel lucky that Tuner’s power is healing otherwise we wouldn’t be trying to make this as painless as possible” Ruby gargoyle says bluntly as she puts the final restraint in place around my neck. Thoughts swirl through my head disjointed and almost unrelated to each other as they finish setting up the machines that will kill me evidently painlessly…
I am so relieved that Tuner is ok; being able to heal from what Slash did to him is just flat out amazing…
Why had I trusted Slash when he would inevitably betray me every time? Maybe he was like me, just a form and that made me feel drawn to him… maybe he had been created to be good just like I had been created to be evil… Or maybe he was just a silver tongued tiger that I was supposed to trust just like I was supposed to hate the Alpha Crew, maybe, just maybe, it was because when I was around him I felt more, normal, the fact that there were two people that looked like tigers meant that I wasn’t a total freak… From what I remember though he’s probably dead anyways…
I know who I am now though… I am Stripess the person who has the ability to kill every superhero on the planet but used it to protect them instead, why had Shifter made me this strong? Had she made me that strong? I had trained a lot and had been taught by Dr. G about my potential… Maybe I could have stopped Slash from killing them if I had tried; maybe I hadn’t really wanted to stop him….
Why do I still think of the Alpha Crew as my friends when they are about to kill me I know that’s not Shifter’s doing… maybe it is; maybe I’m only good because Shifter accidentally filled any gaps in my personality with her own… Did I ever really control anything about myself? Where is shifter anyway? She probably doesn’t want to see a part of herself die or she just doesn’t care enough to be here, but, I hope it’s because she doesn’t approve of my death…
My death… what is the significance of that? I know that most people say that there is an afterlife but what about for me? I was created by Shifter do I have a soul? My life is ending full of maybes… I guess what I see depends on what you believe about me and about religion; a bright light or just darkness as the machines whirr to life…
The Writers could rule the world. Simply because we have thought of the various ways to do it.
  








Everything is a lot of things!
— Hank Green