Saaya
Junior Member
Posts: 80
Power Level: 1062
Effort Points: 2026
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Post by Saaya on Oct 14, 2019 3:37:10 GMT -8
"They lifted the prototype, but the cops won't check it out. I think they've got money in the right pockets, if you know what I mean. If you're feeling tough, you could check it out and get some evidence. Maybe that'll motivate them to do something."
The offer was unusual to be requested for a sixteen year old, but she'd begged for any work - literally anything - that someone could provide. She figured that, being underage and without a record of employment, she was probably easy to keep off the books. Maybe they figured she'd be let off the hook if she got caught, or that she wouldn't dare to try something so bold as to travel the desert and challenge a gang of raiders.
The smoke in the distance suggested that maybe the short girl dressed in white had a few screws loose in her head, or a heart set on proving them wrong. A horizon of pale sand seemed to extend in all directions without interruption. The sky, a dusty blue, was free of any clouds and their shade. The heat of a merciless sun bore down on her, but she ignored the beads of sweat and focused on her task. Her boots crunched as they ground sand against solid, parched soil. Saaya had been jogging at a brisk pace for more than an hour now, having interrogated a bandit for what unreliable information she could gain on the whereabouts of their gang.
The smoke in the distance was the tell-tale sign of human activity, though. Someone cooking a meal, perhaps?
As she approached a distance close enough where she could spy on them, she realized that whoever it was had found some hollow to tuck away in, away from prying eyes. She'd have to approach the defilade and hope that eyes didn't happen to spot her the moment she peaked. Keen to monitor her own silence, she gently avoided stirring up sand and crouch-walked around the periphery of the hollow, spotting a ledge with a cactus conveniently located near the edge. The rise was somewhat steep, causing her to get on all fours and move towards the lip. She could hear voices in the distance - a thick, manly voice erupted in a saucy chortle. "'course issa sweet ride! It's Desert Wolf's newest!"
"Boss's ain't gonna happy with yous' claimin' hims' spoils," another voice warned with a twang.
"Ain't boss's spoils, I lifted it meself."
"He's ain't gonna see so."
"Boss's dun't hafta know."
"Boss's got eyes y'know."
The first voice, audibly annoyed, let out a sigh. "Lissun, Harold, yous' gonna tell hims' this's mine square?"
"Sure," the other voice slurred back, "but boss's takes what he's wants."
The man grumbled and kicked what sounded like a pot. "Ain't fair. Boss's gets the spoils, we's do the works." The sound of footsteps didn't seem distant, yet Saaya approached the lip regardless and took a peak. Within, a round man in a dark leather vest caressed a deep crimson motorcycle. Three other men rested under a makeshift canopy, two seemed to be sleeping while the third idly prodded an empty pot with a dead stick. "She's'a purty one, you's hear her's sing?"
"'course," replied the other. Four more motorcycles, in various rusted states of disrepair, seemed to be barely sufficient to operate. Four men, five motorcycles, one must have been the fat man's before the theft. Little wonder he wanted it for himself.
"Lissun, Harold," the big one mounted the motorcycle.
The third one stood up. "Heys, where you's goin'?"
"I ain't gonna let boss's take its', issa mine."
"Boss's gonna be mad if he's hear you's gone rogue!"
"Ain't helpings it Harold!" the fat man squeezed the throttle, a beautiful roar resounding through the crater. The two sleeping men jolted up and the one known as Harold ran for one of the motorcycles as the fat man sped off. Saaya could do nothing but watch.
Harold kicked his ride to life, screaming after the fat man, "BILLY! I AIN'T GONNA LET YOU GET FAR!"
"Shit!" one of the recently woken men shouted as he ran to another one of the motorcycle, pulling out a pump action and mounting the vehicle. The two men sped off after the other two, kicking up sand and howling as they went. Saaya cursed the situation and leapt over the lip of the crevice, rushing down the side to what had to be Billy's former ride.
She knew enough about riding a bike from her dad; he'd taught her the basics though she'd never actually successfully done it herself. Still, she thought she was confident it would work.
She looked for the killswitch and flipped it down, wrapped her hand around the screwdriver that qualified as a key and flipped it. A icon of an arrow, the paint within the bevel well faded, called to her. She smashed it and felt the engine sputter, reluctantly, to life. Her fingers grabbed the clutch and pulled, her foot kicking the shifter into gear, release the clutch, twist the throttle... the wheel spun as she lurched, having pulled it too hard. She felt like she'd lose control. Damnit! This wasn't the time to screw up. She sighed and focused, in the distance she could hear bangs - the sound of gunshots. A radio taped to the bike squawked to life, "Billy's gone rogue! We's past Hawk Nest headin' East! Send bikes!"
"Billy!? We's sendin' the cavalry!"
It was time to go. Saaya grabbed the throttle with confidence and gently pulled it, lifting her feet and letting the bike carry her forward. She could hear her dad's voice ringing in her head, just like she'd practiced. There were no kids wheels, and there was no adult to tell her she was going too fast. The thrill of picking up speed rushed to her, but every bump and every shrub felt like life and death. She watched the needle of the speedometer continue to steadily rise, the hot desert air kissing her cheeks and sucking the moisture out of her lips.
WC = 1011 / 1011
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Saaya
Junior Member
Posts: 80
Power Level: 1062
Effort Points: 2026
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Post by Saaya on Oct 14, 2019 21:41:11 GMT -8
The shrubs, dirt, and cacti roared past her. Her hair clawed at her face like whips. Sand in the air bit at her eyes. But something about the situation made her feel alive. The sensation of so much power between her legs, accelerating her to speeds she could never imagine running, was exhilarating. There was, heretofore, no feeling like it. Saaya was an ace learner, she picked up new talents with a preternatural affinity, and the motorcycle was quickly becoming one of those skills. The vehicle, old and shoddy as it was, was not incapable in its own right. Fuel injectors and nitro jerry rigged into various pipes, gismo's and sprockets offering who knew what sort of after-market upgrades, rattled about the bike as each bump shook it.
The gang driven bikes were opening the not already insignificant distance between her and them, but now at a much slower pace. Saaya felt that, as the gunshots barely resounded in her ears, their distractions and squabbles would soon give her the opportunity to destroy the deficit and overtake them. But, for now, Saaya could relish the sensation of feeling alive, adrenaline surging through her body and making her fingers tingle and ache with each twist and turn to dodge plants or pitfalls. A smirk resided on her face, as it had for some minutes now, carving its memory into her muscles. The radio squawked to life again.
"Carl's down, Billy got 'im!"
"The hell you mean!?"
"HE SHOT 'IM!"
"THEN SHOOT HIM BACK!"
"But the bike!"
"Damnit!"
The gang was struggling to cope with the situation at hand. It was, in fact, a difficult task to divest someone from their life and property when that very property was what you desired. It was even more particularly difficult prospect when such property was a one of a kind object flying across difficult terrain at more than a sixty miles an hour.
Saaya tires bumped against the ground, drawing her attention just in time to make a gradual shift in direction and avoid the downed biker. He was wasted, a puddle of dark red already turning a brighter color of red as the water quickly evaporated from it. His bike, some two dozen feet beyond the corpse, was a busted ruin of bent steel and spilt oil. She dodged it, the sight of murder steeling her will. She felt it, the moment had come. The distance between her and her quarry was closing. She twisted the throttle further, gently, determined to bridge the gap faster.
Who were these reckless monsters to so ruthlessly murder former comrades over stolen things. The thought of so easily abandoned friendships seated an anger within her little heart. She didn't know the dead man, but she'd revenge him, not for his own sake but for the principle of the matter.
WC = 472 / 1483
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Saaya
Junior Member
Posts: 80
Power Level: 1062
Effort Points: 2026
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Post by Saaya on Oct 15, 2019 23:40:55 GMT -8
In the distance, Saaya could see them; three motorcyclists battling it out atop their rides. From here, they were only blips, but they were coming closer. The intermittent discharge of energy blasts continued to punctuate the roar of powerful engines. She couldn't hear the yelling, but she imagined that a new glossary of profanities was being developed on the fly.
Her mind had to wonder, though, as the intense driving gave her a strange opportunity to think. How mindless had the man been to shoot his friend. What drove him to kill over a motorcycle? Why did they even steal it? What were their motivations? Out here, in the middle of nowhere, such people existed in seemingly incredibly quantities, roving the wastes and raiding the roads. The Earth defense forces, for their part, did their best to provide security, but protecting vast stretches of empty desert was something that was difficult to justify spending tax payer dollars on. Not that Saaya realized this. She could barely wrap her head around why he'd kill to begin with.
She had to wonder whether they were really friends. Had they known each other long? Out here in the desert, they'd have to trust each other to survive, right? Was a bike really more valuable than a friend? Saaya shook her head. She had never had many friends. She'd never fit in, always too energetic, amitious and eager to fit in. She asked too many questions and tried too hard. People her age didn't like people that stood out, that made their lives harder, that challenged their lot in life. Maybe if she had more friends she'd be able to understand if they were truly so disposable, but Saaya - Saaya could never concede such territory trivially.
Her eyes focused in once again on her goal. A wild energy bolt struck the dirt some twenty yards to her right. The rearmost biker, maybe a couple hundred feet behind her, turned his head to dodge a cactus, then did a double take, noticing her behind him. He looked back a few more times, no doubt trying to understand this new situation. Without a doubt, Saaya now found herself in a new predicament. As if he had finally decided what to do, the rearguard seated his rifle on his shoulder and, unable to aim, sent wild blast after blast at her. One struck and shattered a cactus as she passed it.
Saaya tried to take a hand off the handle, but she was nervous. Under fire and riding a motorcycle for the first time, her confidence was not where it usually was. If she made a mistake and crashed, even if she survived, she'd never catch the bandits again. Assuming she even survived. The speedometer told her that might not be likely. Another energy blast flew past her, too close for comfort, he seemed to be picking up a new talent. Just do it, just do it, just do it. Okay, she thought to herself, taking her left hand off the wheel so she could still grip the throttle. She tried to get used to this. She wasn't sure that was possible.
Just do it. She raised he hand, palm out and aimed at the bike. Just do it. An energy blast fizzled past. The report of her reply hummed through the air and struck true, blowing the wheel off the back and sending the man flying through the air and skidding against the ground. He was wearing padding, she assured herself, ...right? She didn't want to look back. She closed her eyes for a moment, shook her head, and found her resolve. She needed to end this chase, fast.
WC = 613 | 2096
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Saaya
Junior Member
Posts: 80
Power Level: 1062
Effort Points: 2026
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Post by Saaya on Oct 20, 2019 23:11:44 GMT -8
Two remaining biker warriors did battle with each other. Energy rifles exchanged fire in brief bursts, the drivers focused on maintaining their distance from each other. Between Saaya's legs, the radio buzzed reports about the location of inbound riders, and Harold reported Billy's whereabouts incessantly. Saaya had made her gains on the duo in relative obscurity, Harold and Billy too focused on each other to realize the other two had been lost.
She caught the duo just as the three of them together hit the highway. Henceforth, the danger multiplied, she knew. But here, her engine could roar and without the distraction of dodging incoming fire, she could close the distance.
It didn't take long, maybe a minute, until she was almost close enough to spit on Harold. Billy had taken notice, and now his blasts were fizzling past Harold and striking the ground near here. She was tired of this game, she decided to end it here. She stuck out an arm and concentrated, an orb of light forming in her hand, and she thrust it out with her will. A flashing pulse fired an oblong orb of energy into Harold, who reeled and lost control of his rear tire.
"Damnit! Someon--" he was cut off as he wiped out. Judging from the fact that he didn't continue, she was sure he'd been knocked unconscious or broken his radio. Billy fired shots at her, and she replied back, two shots, before the return fire stopped. A few moments later, he chucked his rifle over his shoulder, seemingly at her, then began to check his person.
He was out of ammo! She twisted the throttle and gained speed on him, inching to him. He looked at her and started to cuss. "Lissun' good ya bitch! I dunno who you is,but yous killed my friend! I'll kill you!" He kicked at her motorcycle, but his stumpy legs couldn't reach as she swerved away.
The man was obviously confused; he'd been shooting to kill Harold only a minute ago, and having taken Harold out, now Billy accused her of doing the same! She lifted her hand, manifesting an orb, and prepared to fire before coming to. If she knocked him off the bike or let him lose control, it would be too damaged to be returned for any value.
The radio squawked between her legs, "We're coming up on ya'll now! Don't let Billy get away with that bike! Boss'll handle him!"
She grunted. She needed to take action now, and she knew exactly what she needed to do. She pulled closer to the bike, knowing she'd need to jump aboard it and take it from Billy by force.
WC = 448 / 2544
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