Raines is considered the perfect fictional city, if it wasn’t for its yearly summer season, and its cynical and ungrateful citizens. The citizens are like cockroaches – expecting to die as they spew foul verbal diseases to each other. Although, the sun sprays scorching pesticide on them, they continue to live and ever spread their verbal scornful disease.
But, there are a few good, reasonable and upstanding citizens like the Knights of Raines –they are elite, goody two shoes policemen. They patrol the city daily and keep crime at bay with their silver armour and large samurai swords.
“Excuse me,” said First Lieutenant Sir Christopher Sutherland of the Knights of the Raines Table as he perched an eyebrow at the snoring woman in the flying helicopter. He jerked her shoulder, trying to wake her.
“Tis the season to be jolly,” she murmured, feeling an uncomfortable jab on her shoulder as she slept.
Sir Christopher Sutherland had the urge to puke when he caught a whiff of her alcoholic breath. “By the Code of the Knights of Raines! It’s not even noon!” cursed Sir Christopher Sutherland, unimpressed by the woman’s poisonous breath.
“Throw her off, First Lieutenant,” instructed Captain Sir Goodsworth of the Raines Table, folding his arms as he glared at the sleeping woman.
“But...Captain...” protested Sir Christopher Sutherland. “She’s Ja-el the Righteous – Raines very own Super Heroine.”
“Exactly my point! Toss her out!” demanded Captain Sir Goodsworth, swiftly grabbing her feet. “Get her arms and we will fling her out of the helicopter.”
“But, Captain... isn’t this against The Mandate of Justice? I recall it states that we are prohibited to harm unarmed civilians,” said Sir Christopher Sutherland, quite stunned at his Captain’s words.
“She’s not a civilian!” retorted Captain Sir Goodsworth, already lifting her feet. “If you know what’s good for you and the real civilians in this rescue helicopter, you will do as I command, First Lieutenant!”
Sir Christopher Sutherland immediately obeyed. He hesitantly hoisted Ja-el and followed the swinging pace of his Captain.
“Did you not see the ‘Do Not Disturb Sign?’” murmured Ja-el, trying to avoid the sudden, windy and foreign motion against her body. “Lower the air-con,” she said, prying her eyes open.
“What in Raines are you doing?” she said, flashing an irritated gaze at Captain Sir Goodsworth.
“The correct question would be, what are you doing?” countered Captain Sir Goodsworth.
“The obvious –getting rescued,” replied Ja-el, like Captain Sir Goodsworth was an idiot.
“You don’t need to be rescued! You are Raines Super Heroine –Ja-el the Righteous. You should be rescuing people! Saving lives –NOT TRYING TO BE SAVED!” spat Captain Sir Goodsworth, gesturing to Sir Christopher Sutherland – at the count of three they should toss Ja-el out.
“Then what exactly are RESCUE HELICOPTERS FOR?” snapped Ja-el, as she was spat out of the helicopter.
Other unfortunate creatures might have been alarmed and panic-stricken, trying their best to prevent the death-defying gravitational pull but Ja-el, The Righteous didn’t care –she didn’t give a tossing Raines hoot.
She was clad in a skin tight herculite army suit. Her hair was a long rough mess and her eyes were scarlet – just what was expected of a Super Heroine.
“Welcome to Raines,” she quipped, as the large welcoming billboard sign caught her eye. “What’s so welcoming about this city?” she grumbled, slamming six feet underneath the ground.
“Damn, super heroine strength,” she muttered, trying to crawl out of the grave she created. She was almost out when bright camera flashes blazed in front of her face, they blinded her and she abruptly fell back into the hole.
“Ja-el, The Righteous!” introduced Humpty Thompson, the rising star journalist of Yearly Magazine. “What are you doing idly lying in dirt?”
“I’m not idly lying in dirt,” Ja-el spat out the grime in her teeth. “I’m trying to get up.”
“Is that so?” asked Humpty, taking a few notes. “And what got you in this big hole?”
“The Knights of Raines Table and your blinding camera flashing,” snapped Ja-el, flying out of the six feet grave and standing arrogantly onto her feet. “You got some nerve taking photographs of me –I’ll sue you and the Yearly Magazine!”
“You can’t sue me, remember the signed contract? Yearly Magazine is authorised to take photos and write stories of your daily life,” said Humpty, writing more notes.
“That was until you kept writing rotten gossip stories about me and taking indecent photographs of me – you were meant to write about my heroic deeds and take glamorous photographs of me!”
“You should have stipulated that in the contract before you signed it,” said Humpty Thompson, thoughtfully.
“Why do you sound like a lawyer?” said Ja-el, her stomach began to churn slightly. It must be the bile from the alcohol, she thought, silently.
“Remember, I am your lawyer,” said Humpty, quirking a concerned brow.
“Right, and now you should be delighted to know that you’re fired,” smirked Ja-el but her face looked sour with sickness.
“Are you okay?” asked Humpty, stepping back. “It looks like you’re about to... you know... puke.”
“I am not about to puke. You backstabbing lawyer,” said Ja-el, trying to keep the smirk on her face while her throat tried to suppress the bile from erupting outside her mouth.
“Ex-lawyer,” corrected Humpty. “You were my only client and I’ve just retired from that backstabbing industry.”
“It’s not the only thing you will be retiring from,” said Ja-el with a big strained smile as she proudly swallowed the bile back down her throat and into her stomach. “I’m going to make you retire from life, you lousy journalist!”
Ex-lawyer and journalist, Humpty Thompson began to sprint as fast as he could whilst holding tightly to his camera and notebook. But, the effort was short-lived as Ja-el easily grabbed his tiny throat and lifted him into the air.
“Wait!” choked Humpty Thompson, feeling his eyes bulge from his sockets, “aren’t you meant to protect civilians?”
“Of course, I am,” said Ja-el, cynically. “I’m protecting civilians like me from trash like you –I believe that Raines will be a better place without you.”
“Wait... wait,” begged Humpty Thompson. “I... I –“
Before Humpty Thompson could stutter anymore pleas , something shot through the air.
It was a sniper bullet.
It zoomed hotly and bounced off Ja-el’s hand that was squeezing Humpty’s throat. Ja-el immediately dropped Humpty Thompson and peered at her surroundings. She saw a shadowy figure run towards her.
Once it faced her, it whispered, “I’ve come for you.”
Ja-el smiled condescendingly, “Good,” she replied and began punching, but her swift punches went through the shadowy silhouette, making no impact.
The shadowy silhouette gripped her shoulders, forcing her still to see its pale eyes with no eyelashes. It grinned widely, revealing its sharp, triangular teeth.
“Impossible. You’re dead,” said Ja-el, widening her eyes.
“Then who is standing in front of you?” questioned The Dark, cocking his head.
“Father? Is that really you?” asked Ja-el as The Dark disappeared from her eyes.
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