Kodiak Jack: Heroine Blood

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The wind was whippin' up somethin' fierce as I made my way from the parking garage under the nearest mall. I had to traverse the 300 yards or so from the under belly of the local Macy's and then through the courtyard of the food court, and then out into the wind once again as I made my way to Layla's. The main drag was filled with the worst invasion to come to America since - well, I don't know when - there were franchise stores on both sides of the street; Pudrucker's, Cammin Rolls, and of course the usual Buckstars Coffee on every corner.

Shoppers, and street people as well moved out of my way as I took up the space on the sidewalk. My trench coat swaying and flappin' in the wind, revealing my belt full of ballistics and the obvious sawed off shotgun attached to my side, underneath the coat. I suppose this was the main shock that they all suffered, not so much my quick pace and aggressive demeanor, but the fact that I was fully armed in a commercial district and cutting a mean path through the lazy, late night populace. Few of them knew it, but it was a good move on their part to get quickly out of my way.

Layla's neon sign was just where it always had been, but this time I stopped in front of the window and looked inside, beyond the neon glow. It was no time for chillin' and relaxin'. I scanned the interior pool hall but couldn't find either the woman or the suspected Lady Liberty. The wind rushed at me in strong gusts as I stood near the window, it kept pushing me toward the doorway, and I was just fine with that.

I went inside, trying to be as calm and inconspicuous as I could possibly be, and slid into a seat at the crowded bar. Layla saw me enter, and moved toward me with raised eye brows. I nodded my own greeting and motioned with my chin towards the interior, with a questioning look in my eyes.

She leaned in over to me while standing behind the bar and whispered. "Toward the back.... on the left side.... by the green Gordon Beer sign."

I nodded and looked over the room while wrapping my knuckles on the bar itself. Layla knew just what that meant and moved to get me the usual neat whiskey. The room was more than full, an unusual thing I had not seen much of at this establishment. I had to really crane my neck to see past the many patrons filling almost all of the pool tables and also the "restaurant like" area near the big screen TV's. Tenders and waitresses moved about the crowded room and mixed in with the pool players who seemed more than a little annoyed to have to watch their backs as they bent down to take their shots. I felt for them. I hate crowds in pool halls myself.

Suddenly my eye caught the white hair of the female vampire, Leanna, sitting near the wall just under the sign that Layla had referred to. I grabbed my whiskey without looking away as Layla returned with a shot glass half full of her best. I took a sip and latched visually on to the 1/4 th of a head that I could see through the crowd. But, I couldn't make a visual on the woman with her.

I leaned over and whispered to Layla. "I see the vamp.... but where is the broad you said was with her?"

Layla looked at me with annoyance. "You can't see her from here because of the crowd, old man. Get your ass up. Go walk to the men's room..... I'll hold your seat."

I nodded my agreement and placed a napkin over the top of my whiskey glass. I got up and made my way through the crowd, making sure no one saw my armory under my coat. All I needed was a panicked crowd in a bar to once again ruin my chance to finish a job. TWO jobs - now that I think of it.

I couldn't be sure whether or not the woman had ever really seen me. I believed that the only time I had come in contact with her was when she was making a break for it through the oaks in the graveyard. Grey jacket had seen me. The third one had seen me, for sure. But could the woman I.D. me if she saw me while I made my way through the crowd. I held my breath in hopes that this was indeed NOT the case.

On my way I did indeed see the woman seated with her by the wall. The broad was big. VERY big. This lent a lot of truth to the suggestion that she was indeed Lady Liberty. But she was blonde. I had always seen Lady Liberty as a brunette. I though a lot about this as I made my way into the men's room. I stood by a stall pretending to do my business.

Would Lady Liberty be here in her civilian identity with some one who was a vampire? Did she know Leanna was a vampire? If she did, would she be so bold as to reveal her secret identity? I then started to get a little paranoid. Was Lady Liberty so good at what she does, that it was she who was leading the vampire on? Could she be immune to the effects of the lesbian crap that I saw Destiny Blue fall victim to? Revealing a secret identity, even to the undead, is risky business. They can't go to the press with it, but they can threaten all of your family and friends. So it couldn't be.... could it?

Lady Liberty was the "old hand" at this heroine business that all the young babes whom I had captured and sent away, went to for training and advice. I had managed to avoid her. A vampire turns up in Layla's talking about taking Liberty down, something I would naturally be interested in, if I were involved in a job to capture the hero. She also bites Layla, thus marking her for future vampirism. I would, of course, jump to her defense. I was busy laying traps for vampires with Destiny Blue... was this whole thing a layed trap.... by Lady Liberty.... a trap for ME???

I had never seen those guys at the dock before, the beard and the skinny one. I had just assumed they were with the organization. Was this actually all a set up by Lady Liberty to reel me in??? Was Blue Raider and her buddies free and somewhere laying low and ready to join their mentor in bringing a stop to my operation? This couldn't be.... could it??? I had captured about 50 of the young heroines... and this could indeed bring notice from a big gun like Liberty. I was about to land both of my marks, and I was stoked and ready to do so.... just so I could retire from all this. But, could my next step be just the one Lady Liberty had been waiting for? No. Impossible, I tried to tell myself. It's too fantastic!

I made my way back to the bar and noticed that the two women had moved and were now standing near the door. I couldn't immediately return to the bar and I milled around trying not to be obvious. The women then walked out into the outdoor patio space and turned their backs to me as they stood around chatting, Lady Liberty holding the small of Leanna's back as though she was the 'man' in the couple. One would indeed expect this, for sure, just by regarding them.

Even though Leanna was about six feet tall, Liberty was about five or six inches taller. She had big shoulders for a woman, so I thought, and her boobs were classically big as well. Her biceps and thighs were full, strong and cut.... meaty like a weight lifter, and probably not something a man wants to feel next to him when waking up in the middle of the night. She was probably wearing some sort of blonde wig, I surmised, and had a semi-business woman and also casual athletic outfit she was wearing which accented her curves, which she DID have, but the outfit did little to hide her 'lady wrestler' physique, despite the high heel pumps on her feet.

She would be one hell of a tiger to take down. What should I do? Let the vamp seduce her, and then move in and take her? She wasn't Destiny Blue but then again she was also worth ten mil to me. What to do? What to do?

They then left the bar and headed outside. I moved quickly and grabbed the rest of my whiskey and slammed it down into my gut. I winked at Layla as I followed them out into the windy city. She gave me an amused expression and shook her head with derision. But, I know she understood what I was up to, no matter how ridiculously incredible that whole scenario was.

Once outside, I saw them strolling across the street like lesbos headed for the bed. Arms around each other's waist, and whispering closely in each other's ears. Ordinarily I might have stopped and tried to articulate my feelings on the matter.... was it a hot moment? Was it kind of disgusting to see such a public display? But not today. There was way too much at stake to even consider my own thoughts on the matter. The moment was now, and I had to take it. I wasn't going to wait for any seduction scenario. I was going to kill the vamp bitch now, and then take on Lady Liberty.... if indeed this was Lady Liberty. If not, then there would be no battle.

I reached into my trench coat and grabbed hold of my sawed off shotgun. I planned to yell out a warning to Liberty to duck and then I would blow the vamps head off, all in one shot. It was time for action.

However..... c'mon, you knew that was coming. Quick as a shot, Lady Liberty grabbed Leanna and took off for the skies.

I stood with my mouth agape for several seconds as I now realized that not only could Liberty fly, but the vamp HAD to know just who Lady Liberty was. I told myself, regarding the heroine, either she's a little nuts.... or the vamp truly had her, just like Destiny Blue.

With no time to go back and get my new yellow van in order to keep up with them, I smashed open the car window, with the butt of my shotgun, of a Dodge Viper that was parked nearby on the street. I hot wired it with a tool I had in my belt and fired the engine. In moments I was after them, though I wondered just how I could keep up with them far above me in the night sky and also not regulated by the streets and stop lights and such. I also had problems with the Viper not being able to take heavy turns, they had a history of rolling over or sliding off of a road that had too steep of a curve. But I would have to deal with it, I wasn't losing Liberty or the vamp!

I had no doubt that the vamp would be euphoric after such a trip through the sky without having to change into a bat or smoke or whatever. But who was in control? Was the vamp making Liberty fly? Was Liberty somehow scamming the vamp? Their easterly direction seemed to imply the other side of the town where another major graveyard was positioned just off of the border of the ritzy side of the neighborhood in that area. It was hilly terrain, and the whole area wasn't as old as the western yard. I had to make a few assumptions as to their direction, hampered by the streets and physical layout of the surrounding city scape while I was driving a car. Soon enough though, I arrived at the Elysian Fields cemetery.

Armed and ready for a major fight, I parked the Viper outside the gates of the cemetery and found my way into the yard by way of some worn out section of the black metal bars near a large tree whose stump had broken through the pre-fab metal. I had my usual fedora on my head, my bullet proof trench coat with its multiple pockets filled with tools and weapons, and my three guns, two on my hips and the sawed off shotgun which hung under the coat from a shoulder harness, at my ready.

Once inside I listened close for any sounds of female voices, and as luck would have it, voices carry pretty good in a silent yard of stones and hills. I could hear slight giggling sounds far off to my left at about 200 yards or so. I know, I was damned lucky, they could have flown anywhere and lost me, but I was playing the odds and tendencies, something I was good at, and once again my instincts paid off.

The yard was full of hills and trees, mostly oaks as I could tell, but a few willows here and there. The above ground graves were plentiful in this area and all grey, vine covered and obviously well kept by the still functioning maintenance staff. The night was thankfully clear, and the moon light, reflected by the mid-month full face, cast a light glow over the whole area. If it had been a new moon that night, the surrounding hills and foliage would have cast the area into almost a pallid blackness.

I peered out from behind an above ground grave, all grey marble and statues surrounding the facade. I could see the vamp and Lady Liberty standing together across the yard at about 90 feet, holding each other like lesbos and whispering in each other's ears. It appeared that they might be preparing to enter into one of the above ground single occupant mausoleums. I couldn't let that happen and checked to see if my shotgun and sidearms were ready and loaded. They were.

Vamp pulled back, holding both of Lady's hands in her own, as though they were about to dance or something, and she looked up at her with some kind of a nasty smile and said something I couldn't hear. Liberty, looking down into the vamp's eyes, smiled back and nodded her head in agreement. Leanna then turned and moved for a doorway on the nearby crypt, like she was leading Liberty into the tomb - and that's when I showed up.

"Hi-YAAAAAHH!!!" I shouted as I darted out from behind the tomb across from their position. I lifted my shotgun, barreling towards them, and took aim as I ran at them full force.

They both froze, which is just what I wanted, and turned to look at me with wide, shocked expressions. They stood side by side now, with Leanna's head away from Lady Liberty, and I fired with deadly aim, right in her kisser.

BAK-LAM!!!! BAK_LAM!!! Echoed my shots as they rang out throughout the yard. I swore I could see her red, dead looking eyes almost as if I were nose to nose with her at that moment, and the focus was strong and true as my shotgun shells connected before she could even react. Her head exploded into thousands of shards of bone and a messy splatter of brains and such with a singular, wet smacking sound that I won't soon forget.

As the vamp's body wobbled and then fell aside, Lady Liberty looked on in horror, and then with an angry snarl she looked back up at me.

"YOU IDIOT!!!!!" She growled.

I pulled to a stop and leveled my gun in her direction with a quick turn and said, "I wouldn't move too much just yet, Lady. You're next!"

"Do you know what you've done?????" She asked, her hands almost shaking.

"Well... either I saved your ass from a life of vampirism, or I've ruined some sort of master game plan you had going. No matter. I needed to protect a friend from this bitch, and I also need to bring YOU in." I said this while never lowering my gun or taking my eye off of the site.

"ME??? You fool! She was leading me to the sect.... going to show me where they all were...."

"Oh, yeah? So... what.... you were trying to rid the town of these freaks?"

She walked up to me with little care as to the shotgun I had trained on her, as if it meant nothing, and she grabbed me by the collar of my trench coat.

"Who the hell are you anyway????" She shot at me. "You've blown months of my work on this case!!!!!"

"You're not afraid of guns, eh?" I said holding the shotgun in one hand and trying to push her away with my other.

"Answer me! Who the hell are you and what are you doing here????" She insisted, putting her mighty, snarling face in my own.

Before I could speak there was a loud howling sound from over the surrounding hills. It reminded me of a group of wild dogs.

"OOOOwwwwwoooooHHHHHHooooooooWWWWwooowwww!"

Liberty looked beyond me and then around at the surrounding hills. "They're here!" She said with steely expectancy. "Your ass may be in a lot of trouble, mister! Stay behind me, understand?" She said taking a few steps backward.

I looked around as she did and listened to the painful wailing. "Don't worry about me. I am armed to the teeth for this." I replied, cocking my shotgun and getting in firing position.

Lady Liberty then did something I hardly expected at all. She started to twirl on the spot. She spun twice and was suddenly surrounded in brilliant light, full of sparkles and glittering stars. The creatures surrounding us, howled in response. I had a tough time concentrating on any one thing for quite a few moments, as I watched an amazing transformation while trying to keep tabs on what must be an approaching army of vampire creeps.

In no time flat Lady Liberty stood before me all brunette hair, star spangled red, white and blue costume, and cape....well, a short one that only reached her midsection from her shoulders. And now she was even taller as her magical transformation also outfitted her with what must have been four inch stiletto heeled boots. I almost laughed out loud at how incredibly well suited she was to instant battle conditions. I saw the golden rope also attached to a waist belt, it hung at her side.

"You're not going to just fight them with that rope, are you?" I asked with amusement.

She looked around at the surrounding hills, the howling was becoming more pronounced. She told me, "You just keep a civil tongue in your head and I'll think about keeping you alive over the next half hour or so."

"It won't last that long." I told her swinging my back toward her. "Here they come.... back to back!" I commanded with suggestion.

She didn't question me as they came pouring over the hills, jumping and leaping like a wave of wild jackals.

"YYyaaaaiiiiIIIII- Kakkakakak - OOoowwwwwooooowwwww!!!!!!" They sounded as Lady Liberty and I were suddenly surrounded on all sides by a cascading wave of vampire bodies. The noise they made was deafening.

As the dead, horribly twisted faces came closer into view I aimed and fired, again and again. BAK-lam!!!! Bak-lam!!!! Sounded my shotgun over and over again. Lady Liberty was just behind me. I could see all sorts of strange lights and hear incredible explosions from over my shoulder as she once again performed the unexpected.

Liberty had a power I could only have guessed at, having never done any real homework on the heroine. She was about to show me, without any reservation, just why she was considered the boss of all heroes in these parts. From her hands and fingertips Lady Liberty fired huge, Fourth-of-July type fireworks that blasted and exploded with a deafening din. The yard lit up with brilliant glowing explosions of color in all hues of the known rainbow. Vampire bodies flew right and left, howling and growling in pain as they reeled from the force of the power and the intense light she unleashed.

I turned to my side and blasted an attacker at point blank range, exploding his head in the process. Liberty looked over at me in a moment of receding dead bodies with a concerned look on her face.

I told her, "Hey.... they're already dead."

She pursed her lips and nodded her understanding. Then she turned and threw a right cross at another nearby vampire which hit with such force that his head also exploded. His body fell limp to the ground.

She raised her eye brows in a moment and said, "Yeah. I guess that DOES work."

She then turned and met the still oncoming crowd of creatures with considerable combinations of fighting skills and her fireworks ability. She was truly more heroine than I had ever seen before. One jumped in from her left and she leaped up and kicked him away. Another jumped on her back and she reached behind her and set him on fire with a silver twister type shower of sparks. He groaned and jerked around as though he had been electrocuted. She continued to swing and kick and pounce with each new attack.

I never had had such a partner in a fight. I was able to almost forget about my rear flank and continued to fire away at attacking vampires who leaped and fell from the sky over and over again. I had to wonder, with each falling body, just how many there would be, and how high the pile of death around me would build, before I ran out of ammo.

The crowd then suddenly pulled back as they all seemed to respond to some unseen, unheard command. They headed for the hills around us and Liberty and I flattened our backs to one another once again, scanning our surroundings for the next wave of the unexpected.