Post by The Circle Television Network on Jan 9, 2017 16:44:45 GMT -5
Chapter XVIII: The Merits of Being Super
Madison Chapel
Madison District, Empire City
Brandon scoffed as he looked at the latest edition of the Weekly Citizen. He read the part of the paper that he found to be so ‘humorous’ aloud. “…it was thanks to the mighty god Superius that more innocent lives were not lost in the attack by Gaia on Caesar’s Coliseum…” He shook his head and tossed the paper aside. “Superius! As if he had done it all himself…saved the world…”
Yes, Superius had indeed held up the massive pillar which would have brought the entire structure down and killed dozens or even hundreds, but what was lost on everyone is that Superius himself had been the target. Had he not 'returned' there would have been no attack...no more loss of life. Brandon didn’t understand how people could put so much faith…blind faith…into something or someone. Superius wasn’t a god…he was just a man…a super man perhaps…but a man all the same. No man was greater than God…and no man was worthy of being worshiped. The people of Empire City had forgotten about God…had replaced God with mere men…men like Superius.
Superius had cast a long shadow over the city since he returned…all too long and equally untimely…at least in the minds of some. What impact would the sighting of an angel have had on the masses had Superius not returned when he did? Likely, the impact would have been greater…more immediate, much more profound. In the end, Brandon was no less happy about the timing than one would have thought. What better way to show the glory of God when compared side by side with the imperfection of man.
There had been many converts since the sighting in Gateway Park. There had been a resurgence of the ‘One God’ faith…yet…out of all of those who had become followers, the one that he cared for beyond all others resisted at every turn. Stacey Lynn Jordan…one of Empire City’s finest and the recipient of not just one but two miracles. Lifted from the jaws of certain death in Gateway Park then spared again from critical injury after being shot in the back at point blank range during the incident in the bank. If there was anyone in Empire City who should have seen the power of God and embraced Him…it should have been her.
Brandon sighed to himself as he dressed and adjusted his collar. There would be plenty of time to dwell on the reason why Stacey fought against the truth the way she did, but now was the time to tend to those who did believe. He walked to the balcony overlooking the street and out at the masses of people gathered there…all waiting to hear him speak…all waiting to receive the word of God.
Empire City General
Downtown, Empire City
“Thank you so much for calling Spike…you take care of yourself…and give Michelle my best…” Stacey Jordan smiled as she hung up the phone. If nothing else, she got a good feeling from having played some small part in helping to save Spike’s friend. There had been questions over whether she had actually been shot by Michelle, but Stacey had given a statement to absolve her of any wrong doing. Of course, she omitted the part about the girl being possessed by a Shadow Demon…or whatever the hell that thing was. The point was she had done her duty and one more person in the city had been saved. Maybe she didn’t have powers like Spike, but she had done what she could…all without the merit of being super.
She glanced over at the table beside her bed at the golden ring that had saved her life. She had to admit that she would have been a lot more help if she had super powers…but would that have been a blessing or a curse? Perhaps it was more the latter. Spike didn’t seem to revel in his powers. As a matter of a fact he seemed to go out of his way to hide them. No surprise really, seeing all of the attention the supers got. Some good…some bad…a majority of it annoying.
Stacey looked up as she heard a knock on her door and one of the nurses stuck her head inside the room. “I’m sorry Ms. Jordan…but you have a pair of visitors here insisting on seeing you. They say that they are…old friends…”
Stacey shook her head. “I don’t really feel like seeing anyone right now…I…” She paused as she looked a little closer at the nurse and she realized that the woman was sweating profusely and seemed to be scared out of her wits.
The woman looked nervously behind her and then back to Stacey. “Ms. Jordan…I…”
Before she could do anything, the woman was shoved violently into the room, and sent skidding across the floor. Stacey looked down at the terrified woman, then reached for the call button and began pushing it quickly.
“You can call for help all you want little Miss Piggy, but I wouldn’t hold my breath while waiting for it. You’ve got something that we want…and you’re going to give it to us…or you’re gonna burn sweet cheeks…you’re gonna burn!”
Stacey Jordan looked in the corner at the nurse cowering there in fear and then into the villainous eyes of the two intruders who had forced their way into her room. Stacey’s eyes grew wide as she looked at the pair with surprise, recognizing them instantly as Vixxxen and Reaver, the two women that had strapped explosives to her and tried to blow her ass all over Gateway Park. She continued pressing the call button frantically, but Vixxxen merely extended a single finger and sent a stream of fire across the room that burned through the cord.
“Come on lady! Who in the hell do you think is going to be able to help you against us in this place?”
She paused as Reaver tugged on her arm to get her attention, “Maybe Doctor Strange, do you think he works 'ere Luv?”
As the pair laughed, Stacey rolled out of the bed and grabbed her chest, still feeling the pain from her gunshot wounds. She felt completely naked without her gun…helpless…powerless…not that it had done her any good last week. All the same, at least she would have been armed and she would have had a fighting chance. She pointed at the pair. “LOOK!! I don’t know what you want…but if you don’t want to end up in a shit storm, you might want to turn around and walk out of here!”
Reever spoke up, “Shit storm? Luv, you’re th' only one in a bloody world of shit right now!” The woman flicked her hands up as long vicious looking claws appeared.
Stacey flinched as she remembered the pain of being skewered by one of those wicked barbs, but she remained as defiant as she could…given her situation. “Just let the nurse go…then we can talk about what it is that you want, okay?!”
Vixxxen produced a massive fireball in one hand and pointed to the nurse with the other. “You are in no position to negotiate bitch!”
Stacey stumbled across the room and threw herself in front of the nurse, shielding her with her own body. “YOU ASSHOLES NEED TO LEAVE, NOW!” Stacey trembled with fear, but she wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of seeing her grovel.
The terrified nurse that Stacey was trying to protect began to scream out. “FOR GOD’S SAKE!! JUST GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT!! I HAVE A FAMILY!!”
Stacey turned and glared at her. “Damn it! I don’t know what they want…but I know these two, and trust me…they will kill us anyway!”
Despite the warning, the nurse shoved Stacey aside and ran over to the pair. “PLEASE DON’T KILL ME!!”
The pair looked at one another and then grinned sadistically. Vixxxen put her arm around the nurse, “Tell me a story sweetness…what do you know about the Detective? I mean like personal stuff, like…does she have a boyfriend, or is she married? I don’t see a ring on her finger, but…you get it, right?”
The woman was on the verge of hysterics. “I-I don’t know! S-She’s only had o-one visitor since s-she’s been here…BRANDON KNIGHT!!”
Reaver arched her eyebrow, looking at Stacey with a rye grin, “You shagging th’ Holyman you naughty little piggy?”
The woman grabbed Vixxxen, “Please!! Will you let me go? I told you what I know!!”
Vixxxen stared at her and stood aside and pointed to the door. The woman looked back at Stacey, with tears in her eyes. “I’m s-sorry… I-I have a f-family…”
Stacey’s eyes dropped to the floor. She didn’t want to see what happened next. The woman reached for the door and opened it, just as Vixxxen turned and hit her squarely in the back with a massive ball of fire. The woman screamed as she burst into flames and stumbled into the hallway. Vixxxen snickered as she called after the screaming woman. “I think there’s fire extinguisher down the hall on the right!” She turned back to Stacey with a vicious smirk on her face. “Oops! It’s really on the left! Now Detective…what to do with you?”
Stacey got to her feet and backed away from the pair. “You two crazy bitches are going to jail…I promise you that!”
Vixxxen snorted, “Tell me officer…how do you like your bacon?!!” Vixxxen threw a fireball at Stacey. There was a tremendous crash of glass as she fell through the window…with the entire frame up in flames.
Vixxxen chuckled to herself as she turned and looked at Reaver. “Let’s go downstairs and check her ashes for the ring Daria sent us here to get.”
Reaver grinned as she scooped the ring up from the table, whirling it around her elongated claw. “No need Luv! It looks like Ms. Piggy left it here for us! Nice of ‘er, eh?”
Vixxxen smiled as she walked over and plucked the ring from her partner and patted her on the backside, “Maybe we should go see the priest? I feel like I should confess or something!”
The pair laughed as they left the hospital in the midst of screams of terror…
EPISODE CREDITS
CAST (In order of appearance)
Father Brandon Knight … Trace VanReardon
Detective Stacey Jordan … Nina Stokes
Nurse … Lupita Sanchez
Reaver … Melissa Reeves
Vixxxen … Katie Anderson
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure
Madison Chapel
Madison District, Empire City
Brandon scoffed as he looked at the latest edition of the Weekly Citizen. He read the part of the paper that he found to be so ‘humorous’ aloud. “…it was thanks to the mighty god Superius that more innocent lives were not lost in the attack by Gaia on Caesar’s Coliseum…” He shook his head and tossed the paper aside. “Superius! As if he had done it all himself…saved the world…”
Yes, Superius had indeed held up the massive pillar which would have brought the entire structure down and killed dozens or even hundreds, but what was lost on everyone is that Superius himself had been the target. Had he not 'returned' there would have been no attack...no more loss of life. Brandon didn’t understand how people could put so much faith…blind faith…into something or someone. Superius wasn’t a god…he was just a man…a super man perhaps…but a man all the same. No man was greater than God…and no man was worthy of being worshiped. The people of Empire City had forgotten about God…had replaced God with mere men…men like Superius.
Superius had cast a long shadow over the city since he returned…all too long and equally untimely…at least in the minds of some. What impact would the sighting of an angel have had on the masses had Superius not returned when he did? Likely, the impact would have been greater…more immediate, much more profound. In the end, Brandon was no less happy about the timing than one would have thought. What better way to show the glory of God when compared side by side with the imperfection of man.
There had been many converts since the sighting in Gateway Park. There had been a resurgence of the ‘One God’ faith…yet…out of all of those who had become followers, the one that he cared for beyond all others resisted at every turn. Stacey Lynn Jordan…one of Empire City’s finest and the recipient of not just one but two miracles. Lifted from the jaws of certain death in Gateway Park then spared again from critical injury after being shot in the back at point blank range during the incident in the bank. If there was anyone in Empire City who should have seen the power of God and embraced Him…it should have been her.
Brandon sighed to himself as he dressed and adjusted his collar. There would be plenty of time to dwell on the reason why Stacey fought against the truth the way she did, but now was the time to tend to those who did believe. He walked to the balcony overlooking the street and out at the masses of people gathered there…all waiting to hear him speak…all waiting to receive the word of God.
Empire City General
Downtown, Empire City
“Thank you so much for calling Spike…you take care of yourself…and give Michelle my best…” Stacey Jordan smiled as she hung up the phone. If nothing else, she got a good feeling from having played some small part in helping to save Spike’s friend. There had been questions over whether she had actually been shot by Michelle, but Stacey had given a statement to absolve her of any wrong doing. Of course, she omitted the part about the girl being possessed by a Shadow Demon…or whatever the hell that thing was. The point was she had done her duty and one more person in the city had been saved. Maybe she didn’t have powers like Spike, but she had done what she could…all without the merit of being super.
She glanced over at the table beside her bed at the golden ring that had saved her life. She had to admit that she would have been a lot more help if she had super powers…but would that have been a blessing or a curse? Perhaps it was more the latter. Spike didn’t seem to revel in his powers. As a matter of a fact he seemed to go out of his way to hide them. No surprise really, seeing all of the attention the supers got. Some good…some bad…a majority of it annoying.
Stacey looked up as she heard a knock on her door and one of the nurses stuck her head inside the room. “I’m sorry Ms. Jordan…but you have a pair of visitors here insisting on seeing you. They say that they are…old friends…”
Stacey shook her head. “I don’t really feel like seeing anyone right now…I…” She paused as she looked a little closer at the nurse and she realized that the woman was sweating profusely and seemed to be scared out of her wits.
The woman looked nervously behind her and then back to Stacey. “Ms. Jordan…I…”
Before she could do anything, the woman was shoved violently into the room, and sent skidding across the floor. Stacey looked down at the terrified woman, then reached for the call button and began pushing it quickly.
“You can call for help all you want little Miss Piggy, but I wouldn’t hold my breath while waiting for it. You’ve got something that we want…and you’re going to give it to us…or you’re gonna burn sweet cheeks…you’re gonna burn!”
Stacey Jordan looked in the corner at the nurse cowering there in fear and then into the villainous eyes of the two intruders who had forced their way into her room. Stacey’s eyes grew wide as she looked at the pair with surprise, recognizing them instantly as Vixxxen and Reaver, the two women that had strapped explosives to her and tried to blow her ass all over Gateway Park. She continued pressing the call button frantically, but Vixxxen merely extended a single finger and sent a stream of fire across the room that burned through the cord.
“Come on lady! Who in the hell do you think is going to be able to help you against us in this place?”
She paused as Reaver tugged on her arm to get her attention, “Maybe Doctor Strange, do you think he works 'ere Luv?”
As the pair laughed, Stacey rolled out of the bed and grabbed her chest, still feeling the pain from her gunshot wounds. She felt completely naked without her gun…helpless…powerless…not that it had done her any good last week. All the same, at least she would have been armed and she would have had a fighting chance. She pointed at the pair. “LOOK!! I don’t know what you want…but if you don’t want to end up in a shit storm, you might want to turn around and walk out of here!”
Reever spoke up, “Shit storm? Luv, you’re th' only one in a bloody world of shit right now!” The woman flicked her hands up as long vicious looking claws appeared.
Stacey flinched as she remembered the pain of being skewered by one of those wicked barbs, but she remained as defiant as she could…given her situation. “Just let the nurse go…then we can talk about what it is that you want, okay?!”
Vixxxen produced a massive fireball in one hand and pointed to the nurse with the other. “You are in no position to negotiate bitch!”
Stacey stumbled across the room and threw herself in front of the nurse, shielding her with her own body. “YOU ASSHOLES NEED TO LEAVE, NOW!” Stacey trembled with fear, but she wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of seeing her grovel.
The terrified nurse that Stacey was trying to protect began to scream out. “FOR GOD’S SAKE!! JUST GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT!! I HAVE A FAMILY!!”
Stacey turned and glared at her. “Damn it! I don’t know what they want…but I know these two, and trust me…they will kill us anyway!”
Despite the warning, the nurse shoved Stacey aside and ran over to the pair. “PLEASE DON’T KILL ME!!”
The pair looked at one another and then grinned sadistically. Vixxxen put her arm around the nurse, “Tell me a story sweetness…what do you know about the Detective? I mean like personal stuff, like…does she have a boyfriend, or is she married? I don’t see a ring on her finger, but…you get it, right?”
The woman was on the verge of hysterics. “I-I don’t know! S-She’s only had o-one visitor since s-she’s been here…BRANDON KNIGHT!!”
Reaver arched her eyebrow, looking at Stacey with a rye grin, “You shagging th’ Holyman you naughty little piggy?”
The woman grabbed Vixxxen, “Please!! Will you let me go? I told you what I know!!”
Vixxxen stared at her and stood aside and pointed to the door. The woman looked back at Stacey, with tears in her eyes. “I’m s-sorry… I-I have a f-family…”
Stacey’s eyes dropped to the floor. She didn’t want to see what happened next. The woman reached for the door and opened it, just as Vixxxen turned and hit her squarely in the back with a massive ball of fire. The woman screamed as she burst into flames and stumbled into the hallway. Vixxxen snickered as she called after the screaming woman. “I think there’s fire extinguisher down the hall on the right!” She turned back to Stacey with a vicious smirk on her face. “Oops! It’s really on the left! Now Detective…what to do with you?”
Stacey got to her feet and backed away from the pair. “You two crazy bitches are going to jail…I promise you that!”
Vixxxen snorted, “Tell me officer…how do you like your bacon?!!” Vixxxen threw a fireball at Stacey. There was a tremendous crash of glass as she fell through the window…with the entire frame up in flames.
Vixxxen chuckled to herself as she turned and looked at Reaver. “Let’s go downstairs and check her ashes for the ring Daria sent us here to get.”
Reaver grinned as she scooped the ring up from the table, whirling it around her elongated claw. “No need Luv! It looks like Ms. Piggy left it here for us! Nice of ‘er, eh?”
Vixxxen smiled as she walked over and plucked the ring from her partner and patted her on the backside, “Maybe we should go see the priest? I feel like I should confess or something!”
The pair laughed as they left the hospital in the midst of screams of terror…
EPISODE CREDITS
CAST (In order of appearance)
Father Brandon Knight … Trace VanReardon
Detective Stacey Jordan … Nina Stokes
Nurse … Lupita Sanchez
Reaver … Melissa Reeves
Vixxxen … Katie Anderson
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure