No Longer Scared of Her Power
by Randomizer
Submitted by Randomizer on November 11, 2015 - 1:58pm
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Matt slowly opened his eyes. His lower body ached slightly, but he couldn’t exactly say it was unpleasant, considering what had caused the aching. He rolled over and looked around the room he currently occupied. It was a nice, clean bedroom that was fairly sparsely, but still pleasantly, decorated. It was Melody’s bedroom, but given how much he had stayed there over the past month, it was starting to feel like his as well.
A light, pleasant humming filled the room. It didn’t take long for him to find the source. Melody sat in front of a small table with a mirror on it. She brushed her long, raven black hair out in preparation for braiding it. Matt couldn’t help but be entranced by the view of her. The fact that she wore nothing but a pair of panties didn’t exactly hurt.
He slid out of bed and made his way over to her. He couldn’t help it. He just wanted to be with her as much as possible. With the exception of the person who had gotten them together, people at work had even started calling him whipped. Or at least they used to until she actually made an appearance one day. Then they understood why he wanted to spend so much time with her.
“Good morning.” She said when she saw his movement in the mirror.
“Morning.” He replied.
Matt moved in close and wound his hands across her midsection. He gently rubbed her stomach for a moment. Melody giggle lightly at his touch, but did not object. She simply smiled warmly and started braiding her hair.
“Do you want any help with that?” Matt asked.
“No, it’s fine.” She said. She had braiding her own hair down to a science by now, so there was no need for his aid.
As her hands moved down her hair, Matt’s moved up her body. When he got to her large, perky breasts, he paused. Even now, after a month of her sexual awakening, he still wanted to make sure she felt comfortable with such contact before proceeding. She gave no indication that the touch was unwelcome.
Matt’s hands moved onto Melody’s chest. Melody took in a short, sharp breath of air and her hands faltered for a moment. As he started to really play with her chest, Melody let out a long, light N sound. Matt had found that was the sound she made when something felt good. He had come to find it just plain adorable.
Melody had stopped trying to braid her hair. She closed her eyes and looked like she was savoring his touch.
“M-Matt…” She cooed.
“Something wrong?” He asked. “Do you want me to stop?”
“Nooo.” She said breathily. “It…it feels good.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Matt eagerly continued working on Melody’s spectacular bust. He would have been quite willing to continue to do so for hours on end. And from the way Melody was acting, she would probably have let him.
Unfortunately for them, the phone chose that moment to ring. Both of them let out disappointed groans.
Matt stood up to retrieve the offending device, set up close to Melody’s bed. When he did, she was already there. Her super human speed had allowed her to answer the phone the moment he had turned around to do the same. She flashed him a small, playful wink and shrug.
“Hello?” She asked. “Oh, Janet, hi.”
Matt sat on the bed. If Officer Janet Porter was calling, it was probably better that Melody had answered the phone. The redheaded young UN police woman was cut from the same cloth as Melody was. That meant she was incredibly beautiful and sexy, and in possession of neigh-limitless strength.
After Melody had first taken the officer’s advice and learned how useful controlled mindless violence could be, the two had gotten together on more than one occasion. These had ranged from more practical lessons for Melody on subjects such as instinctive control of her strength to actual combat lessons. Melody tended to want to avoid those, but she still went through with them, however reluctantly.
The two of them had, of course, gotten together for more social reasons as well. It was apparently good for both of them to just hang out with an actual peer. Since both of them thought they were unique in the world until recently, finding out about each other was a blessing.
Melody chatted over the phone with the other young woman. She smiled and laughed occasionally. That is, until whatever topic of conversation the two were having changed. Melody’s face darkened as she spoke. Then her eyes grew wide with panic and her entire body stiffened. She trembled like a leaf. Matt was glad she was standing up. If she had been sitting, she might have shaken whatever she sat on apart. As it was, her hands closed around the phone a bit too tightly. The plastic burst apart in her ultra strong grip, leaving the circuitry and remaining plastic to clatter on the ground. Melody stood stock still and continued trembling even after she broke the phone.
A few seconds later, Matt heard a different ringing. This one came from his pants pocket, which had been discarded on the floor the previous night. He fished around for his cell phone and looked at the number. It was exactly who he thought it was.
“It’s Natalie, isn’t it?” He asked once he answered the phone. Natalie. The only person in the world Melody was truly afraid of. The third person in the world with the same limitless strength as Melody and Janet, the incredibly beautiful blond woman was also the most violent and dangerous of them. The first, and so far only, time Melody and Natalie had met it didn’t end well for Melody.
“Yes, yes it is.” Came Janet’s voice. “My people found her just yesterday and have been keeping track of her.”
“Are they all still okay?” Matt knew full well what Natalie thought of normal people. She would have no trouble seriously injuring, or even killing, the officers watching her if they tried anything.
“Yes, they’re fine. I made sure they know not to engage her in any way. So far they’re just observing discreetly.”
“That’s good to know. So, were you calling just to warn Melody about that, or what?”
“Actually no, I’ve been putting together a plan to capture her. I hope to use that thing you told me about. What was it, Archie or something?”
“A.R.T.I.”
“Right, that. I was hoping the people who made it could turn it into some kind of prison for her.”
“Not sure how Melody’s dad will feel about that, but I’ll talk to him.”
“Good. Also, I was kind of hoping Melody would help with the capture operation.” Janet sounded a bit hesitant at that.
“How so?”
“Well, I don’t want to engage Natalie in a highly populated area. So far the reports haven’t indicated any majorly dangerous behavior, but have shown the potential for it. I’d rather not deal with that in any place civilians are present. That means we have to call her out and make her go to a less populated area. I’d do that myself, but it’d be useless. Natalie doesn’t know about me, and as far as she knows, I’m a normal person that’s below her. Melody on the other hand, is not. If Melody were to call out Natalie, then she’d come no question.”
“So you need her to act as bait?”
“Not quite, no. I hope to have her participate in the fight, but I also won’t force her into it. Hopefully I’ll be able to take Natalie down on my own, but it never hurts to have backup, no matter what the situation.”
“Alright. I’ll see what I can do. I’ll also try and get her father on board with whatever plan you have. He seemed interested to meet you, but I’m not sure how he’ll feel about his invention being used as a jail.”
“I’m sure they won’t, but it’s the only thing we have that can contain her.”
“Right. Like I said, I’ll see what I can do, but no guarantees.”
“Good enough. Call me when you know for sure. We’ll be making preparations on our end as well. Don’t worry, I won’t tell my higher ups the nature of the containment or the specifics of the plan, just that both exist.”
“Thanks. Later.”
Matt hung up and sighed. Melody still looked paralyzed with fear, since she hadn’t moved during that entire conversation. He went over to her and placed his hand gently over hers.
“Melody, listen to me, you need to calm down, okay? Come on, let’s have a seat and talk.” He tried to guide her to the bed, but she remained planted, unmoving. “Or we can stand and talk, I guess that’s fine too. Melody, I know you’re scared right now. You have every reason to be scared. But you’re better prepared than last time. You’ve gotten lessons on how to fight. You’ve spared with Janet. You’ve even gotten stronger than you were. Plus, this time you won’t be fighting by yourself. If everything works out, you probably won’t even need to fight. Janet said she’ll try and take Natalie out on her own, and you know what she can do. Really, all you have to do is give Natalie a message and then show up.”
“B-b-but I-I…” She said hesitantly. “I-I…I just don’t know if I can do even that much.”
“Oh come on, it’s easy. Janet’s colleagues will even deliver the message for you if you want. Everything will be fine.”
“B-b-but what if Janet can’t do it? Wh-what then?”
“Then yeah, you might have to fight. But like I said, you’re much better now than you were before.”
“B-but last time…”
“Last time you didn’t even know you would be fighting. This time you do. This time you know what to expect. Plus, Janet’s hoping to use A.R.T.I. as a battleground and maybe even a prison. If your dad agrees, then you don’t even have to worry about collateral damage.”
“C-c-can I maybe have some time to think about it?”
“Sure.”
Melody made her way over to the bed and plopped down on it. She looked at her still clutched fist for a moment before opening it. There wasn’t even dust left from the phone. Her grip had simply vaporized everything that it had been holding. She continued looking at her empty hand as tears started dripping down her face. Matt could only sit next to her and hold her while she worked through whatever emotional problems she had. The two of them stayed like that for almost half an hour before Melody finally stopped crying.
“I…I…I’ll do it.” She said quietly.
**************************************************************************
Matt sat around doing a whole lot of nothing. Almost everyone else was busy actually doing something. He wanted to help, but since the group of workers and scientific minds was assembling something so complex and delicate, even he had to admit his help would be more detrimental than anything.
“So, is that thing really a portal to another world?” Asked the only other person who wasn’t working.
His name was Connor, and he was allowed to be present for the exact same reason Matt was. Connor was dating Janet, and she had insisted on his presence just as Melody had done for Matt. The two men had met once before, and had gotten along fairly well. Connor was a nice, cheerful guy that would one day be called jolly. In fact the only reason that word didn’t describe him now was that he was built like a linebacker.
“Not really. I don’t quite get it, but it sounds more like it actually makes everything on the other side. Kind of like virtual reality stuff, except it all really exists.” Matt said.
“Weird. It’s like we walked into a sci-fi movie or something.”
“Yeah, really. Oh hey, did you know they have a flying car?”
“Really?” Connor asked, looking just as excited as Matt was about that one.
“Yeah. I’ve even ridden in it. Haven’t driven it though.” It wasn’t for lack of trying, that was for sure.
“Nice.” Connor said with a light nod.
“Mm hm.”
Melody’s father, Dr. Beston, approached the two men, ending the current conversation in favor of another.
“Now then,” The doctor said. “We’ve just about finished setting up here. We’re just waiting for the ladies to arrive with the remaining parts.”
“Kay.” Matt said. “And, uh, thanks again for letting us use it for this.”
“Of course. This is actually an interesting opportunity for study and testing. We’ve never kept a living person inside A.R.T.I. for a prolonged period of time, and using someone with similar physical abilities as Melody will be an excellent trial. Plus, we always knew the system could be used as a prison. It fact, it’s basically inevitable really. So this is really just getting an early start.”
“Yeah, about that.” Connor chimed in, “Doc, are you sure this is really gonna work? I mean, I’ve only seen Janet in action, but if this Natalie person is anything like her, then she’s gonna be hard to contain, even with something like that.”
“Yes, we’ve thought about that. We’re working on that as we speak. For one thing, I was hoping your woman will act as a guard if it becomes needed. But it should only be for rare occasions anyway.”
“How come?”
“I would rather explain that once, so if you don’t mind I’ll wait until everyone involved is present.”
“Sure.”
“Now then, I was actually hoping to speak with you about a different subject.”
“Okay, what’s that?”
“About Officer Porter. You see, I am only familiar with my daughter, and am very interested in learning the circumstances of another like her. Her childhood, her adolescence and the like. How she handles limiting herself and interacting with others. Everything, really.”
“Well, most of that you’ll probably have to talk with Janet herself, but I’ll help out as much as I can.”
Just then a sudden burst of wind was kicked up nearby. Where nobody was standing before, now stood a tall, beautiful, incredibly sexy redheaded young woman. She held a massive cylindrical object that was every bit as big as a two story house with one hand like it was nothing. She instantly spotted Dr. Beston and headed over to him, not bothering to drop the huge object she held.
“Here you go doctor.” Janet said. “Sorry it took so long. It took awhile to get this thing out the door.”
“Of course Officer.” Dr. Beston said.
“Also, if I might add, this gravity thing is amazing.” She said, lifting the very bottom of her shirt to expose the small metal disk. “I’ve never been able to just run like that. I’ve always had to worry about sonic booms and the like. Are you sure I can’t keep it?”
“I’m sorry Officer, but no. Besides, it wouldn’t do you much good anyway. The battery life is somewhat limited, and it doesn’t exactly run off AAs.”
“Ah. I suppose that would be a problem, yes. Can I at least use it for the rest of the day?”
“Of course.”
“Great. Now then, where should I put this?” She asked, hefting the large object. “And would you mind if I asked what it is?”
“It’s A.R.T.I’s main generator, and you can set it over there.” Dr. Beston said, pointing to an area a few dozen feet away from the arc.
“Uh, hey, babe, is that thing heavy?” Connor asked, looking at his girlfriend with a wide smile.
“This?” She said with a small grin. “It’s only a few hundred tons, nothing major for me.” She walked away with a subtle but incredibly sexy motion aimed squarely at Connor. He nudged Matt lightly with and winked. Matt couldn’t help but laugh at how excited the man was to be with Janet. Not that Matt could blame the guy.
“So, where’s Melody anyway?” Matt asked the redhead when she placed the generator down and came back over to them. “I thought she would be right behind you.”
“She should be here soon. When I left they were just about done loading her up. She’s taking all the big cables and wires and stuff, so it took longer to get everything ready. The people there wanted her to take two trips, but she insisted they load it all up for one.”
“Alright, thanks.”
When Melody finally did show up, she had a massive backpack on her back. The entire thing was easily ten times bigger than she was, and it looked full to bursting. She obviously had no trouble carrying something that looked like it would take three or four industrial cranes to move. In fact, she looked more concerned with how long it had taken her to arrive than the massive weight she had brought with her.
“S-sorry I’m late.” She said hurriedly. “I-it took awhile to get everything loaded up.”
“It’s fine. Janet already told us all that.” Matt said.
“O-Oh, yes, right. O-of course. S-sorry.” She said. Her cheeks started to turn red as she spoke.
“Why don’t you go help everyone set up?” Matt said with an amused smile.
“Huh? Oh, yes, right, of course. H-hold on, I’ll do that now.”
Melody was in front of the generator in an instant. She set the massive pack on the ground and fished out a cable the size of those used on a suspension bridge. The end she pulled out was capped with what looked like a plug with many large, cylindrical leads. Melody handled the huge power cable like it was nothing, even though it probably weighed several hundred pounds.
The scientist and workers present guided Melody to the appropriate place and she plugged it in. She fished the rest of the huge cable out of the bag and did the same to the arc itself. She followed this up by removing lengths of much more normal wires and cables. She talked to one of the people for a bit and then sped off. In the blink of an eye, everything was hooked up properly, and Melody returned to Matt’s side. She fidgeted slightly as her father checked her work. He soon finished checking and retrieved a small bundle of cloth before heading over to the group.
“Excellent work setting up dear.” He said.
“Th-thanks, daddy.” Melody said. “Um, I did get everything correct, right?”
“Oh yes, everything’s hooked up and running smoothly. And thanks to you two,” He motioned towards both Melody and Janet, “much faster than we ever could have on our own.”
“Happy to help, Doctor.” Janet said with a polite nod. Dr. Beston returned the nod before continuing.
“Now then, before our guest arrives, I have a few things for you two. First of all, please put these on.”
He opened the bundle, which became two thin, greenish suits. Both Melody and Janet took one. Melody hesitated as she looked at the thin fabric. Janet’s body became a momentary blur before her regular clothes were set aside in a neat pile. The outfit she had been provided was skin tight and did an excellent job of showing the red head’s amazing figure. Connor in particular looked very happy with that. Melody saw that and looked about ready to throw the thing away. It took some encouragement from Matt and her father before she too put on the thin cloth. Matt drank in the rare opportunity to see her in that type of outfit.
“I’m guessing these aren’t normal clothes?” Janet asked once Melody was wearing it.
“Not at all, no. These outfits were designed just for this occasion. They will absorb and transfer any energy they receive inwards to you. This means that they can handle virtually any amount of force from a hand to hand attack, and you won’t have to worry about them coming off due to friction either. From what I hear, that was something of a problem the last time Melody and Natalie met.”
“I bet.” Janet said, looking at Melody’s deep red face. “So these things are essentially invincible then?”
“Oh heavens, no. They can resist any force you’re likely to encounter today, but that doesn’t mean that they can stand up to anything. They are still quite susceptible to cutting and tearing actions, for one thing. Even a reasonably strong person can tear that material, and common scissors will make short work of it. It’s effectively bullet proof, and even a tank shell won’t leave so much as a mark. But any kind of blade will make ribbons out of it. Understand?” Both women nodded. “Good. Now then, on to the more important discussion. This is about the A.R.T.I. system itself.
“Now, the important thing to note about the system is that there are two modes; an active mode and a passive mode. Melody, Matthew, so far every time you’ve been in there it’s been in active mode. This mode keeps the gate open, allows for instant changes and alterations, full two way communication, and more. Basically, while in active mode, I can change whatever I need to from the outside. I can even protect the gate with barriers and render it invisible. It’s still there though, and can be entered and exited almost freely.
“This leads to a major problem, since I doubt there’s any barriers I can generate that will keep someone like the three of you ladies from leaving. That means you will have to be in passive mode for this fight. In this mode, the created reality is maintained, and can be observed from the outside, but that’s it. No alterations or communication is possible, but the gate will be closed, so escape is likewise not possible.”
“Alright, that’s fine.” Janet said. “So I assume you’ll open it back up once Natalie is restrained, then close it once we’re out, correct?”
“Yes. However, please be aware that this is a temporary solution to the problem. We won’t be able to keep Natalie imprisoned in A.R.T.I. forever.”
“Why not?”
“Energy. This system takes a considerable amount of power to run. We have the technology to keep it up in passive mode for roughly one week without problem, but after that it gets tricky. I’m afraid we’ll need a more permanent solution before that happens.”
“Why? What happens if it runs out of power?”
“Same thing that happens to anything else that runs out of power. It shuts off. That means that anything being maintained by the system will be lost, including people.”
“In other words, she’ll die.”
“Exactly.”
“Well, I can’t say I’d be sad exactly. She is quite the mass murderer, after all. But we’d need to keep her alive at least until she receives a trial.”
“You’re giving her a trial?” Matt asked.
“Of course.” Janet replied. “She’s a criminal, and under both US and UN law, she has a right to a fair trial, no matter how bad her crimes are.”
“That’ll be an interesting trial to watch.” He said under his breath. “So, uh, how are you going to handle this anyway? I mean, I’m sure the two of you can take Natalie just fine, but holding her is another matter. I mean, there’s a week where we’re okay, but what about after that? It’s not like any prisons can hold her. And even if there’s a trial and she’s convicted, then what?”
“We’ll come up with something.” Janet replied. “I’m sure there must be some way of restraining her for long periods.”
Matt wasn’t so sure. Natalie was someone who could challenge even Melody in terms of both speed and strength. It was likely the only way to contain her was either A.R.T.I., or launching her into space. And he wasn’t so certain about that space thing either. Somehow he wouldn’t be surprised if Natalie could find some way of surviving out there. Still, there were a lot of resources involved in the UN, so he had no choice but to hope for the best.
“If you say so.” He said. “So, uh, when is Natalie supposed to get here?”
“Oh she’s not coming yet. She hasn’t even gotten the message.” Janet replied. “I figured it would be best for everything to be ready before it’s delivered, since once it is, it’ll probably only take a few seconds before she’s here. Before the message is sent, Melody and I have a few things to go over.”
“W-we do?” Melody asked.
“Mm hm. First of all, both of us will need to tie our hair up. Trust me, it’ll help more than you think.”
Melody reached behind her and took hold of her braided hair. She moved it in front of her shoulders and held it. Matt knew how much she liked that style, since she rarely wore it any other way.
“Do I really need to?” She asked. “I mean, isn’t it fine like this?”
“Sorry Melody, but it needs to be tied back. It’s not my favorite style either, so I can sympathize, I really can. But it’s better than having it flying in all directions and getting in your eyes. Plus, while your hair does look good in a braid, I admit, you’re practically asking Natalie to grab it. That would not end well, I promise you.”
She looked back up at Janet, who was already tying her own hair back into a neat, professional bun. She held out a hand and Connor drew a small hair needle out of one of his pockets and handed it to her. He then took out another one and held it out to Melody. She took the offered accessory somewhat more reluctantly. With even more hesitation, she undid the braid and tied her hair into a style similar to the one Janet was using.
“Good. Now your hair won’t get in the way.” Janet said. “Now then, I’m going to wait inside the gate. You should wait out here and find a way to get her to follow you inside. Everyone else should probably hide until she’s in there with us.”
“Don’t worry, we’ve already taken precautions. I promise she won’t even notice us or the equipment.” Dr. Beston chimed in. Janet nodded in his direction.
“Excellent. Now then, I’m going to head out and get everything ready. Conner, you have my phone, right?”
“Sure do.” The large man said, holding up the phone in question. “I’m all set to give the go ahead whenever.”
“Great. Melody, when you’re ready to begin, just let him know and stand in front of the gate for when she gets here.”
Melody nodded. Janet walked away and waited for the gate to open. With a few key button presses, the generator started up, and the gate filled with red light. Janet walked through it without a hint of hesitation. Melody remained planted.
“I-I’m not sure if I can do this.” She said to Matt once there was some distance between them and everyone else.
“Yes, you can.” Matt insisted. He placed himself in front of her and his hands on her slender waist. “You can do this. This is what you’ve been training for for a month now. Plus, you won’t be alone in there. Really, you just need to be there and let the pro do her job.”
“S-so can’t I just, you know, get Natalie in there and then leave?”
“Probably not. You heard your dad. Once you’re in, the door closes. But I know you’ll be fine. You have nothing to worry about.”
“I-if you say so. B-but what about the outfit?”
“What about it? You look great in it.”
“I-it’s a little…tight…” She said.
“So? As long as you can move alright in it it’s fine. Besides, it’s better than the alternative.”
“Which is?”
“Being naked. That’s how you ended up last time. Do you really want all the people here to see that?”
Melody’s face turned deep red. The very idea of so many people seeing her body was not a pleasant one for her.
“M-maybe just…just this once?”
“Atta girl. Now, just remember, even though I won’t be in there with you, I’ll be right here rooting for you. And so will your dad. And everyone else here, really.”
“I-I’ll do my best.” She said. She took a deep breath to try and calm herself down and let Connor know she was ready.
She stood in front of the glowing red light while Dr. Beston gave the signal for the other workers there. Everyone moved in close to one of the pieces of equipment and hit a few buttons on the control panel. Matt felt the now familiar feeling of a gravity bubble activating.
“This is a newly designed gravity bubble, tentatively called a stealth bubble.” Dr. Beston explained to Matt and Connor, who were next to him. “It combines the protection of the regular gravity bubble with various other technologies designed for concealment. It will render us invisible, and block out our scent and most of the sounds we make. It’s still a good idea to be quiet though. Now then, any time you’re ready.”
“Alright, I’m giving the go ahead.” Connor said, typing a few words on the phone. “There. Now all we need to do is wait.”
For the next ten minutes, everything was quiet. Then, an air ripping, earth shaking sonic boom echoed through the area. A huge plume of dust and dirt filled the air, obscuring everything around them. When it settled, Natalie was there. She wore a tight T-shirt and mini skirt that showed off her magnificent body. Her lips were curled up in an excited, menacing grin and her green eyes seemed to sparkle with excitement.
“Hey there Mel.” She said once she saw Melody. “Didn’t think I’d be hearing from you again so soon. I see you’ve got a few minions now too. Finally decided to embrace being a goddess, huh?”
“Th-those people aren’t my minions. Th-they were just…just there to deliver the message, that’s all.”
“Ah, too bad. Having a few minions to do your bidding can be fun.”
“Wh-what?”
“Oh, yeah, it’s great. See, after our fight, I figured I might as well try and find out what you see in these people. I still don’t get why you like them so much, but I found out they do have some use outside of a night of fun. A few good worshipers and minions really make a goddess feel good, you know? Oh hey, is that why you like that guy you were with so much? Is he your, uh, high priest or something?”
“N-no!” Melody cried out. “I-I would never see him like that! He’s my boyfriend, not my servant.”
“Ah, too bad. It’s fun being worshiped, you know. Oo, oo, you know what we should do? We should start a religion! You can be the nice goddess. You know, the love and peace kind of deity for boring people. I bet you’d like that one. I’ll be the fun goddess for everyone else.”
“Th-that’s…that’s not why I asked you to come here.” Melody said. She was clearly uncomfortable with Natalie’s words. “I-I called you here for a rematch.”
“Oo, that sounds like fun!” Natalie said happily. “Didn’t think I’d ever hear that from you though. Does that mean you’re actually gonna do something this time? I bet you are. Oh, hey, we should bet on this one. How about if I win, you tell me how you get stronger, and if I win…”
“N-no! No bets!” Melody called out quickly. “Just…just come with me. We’re not going to fight here. We have to go through that.” She said, pointing at the gate.
“Huh? What the hell is that thing anyway?”
“It leads to a place where we can fight better. I-I mean, um, cut loose?”
“You mean we can go all out there? Hell yeah! Lead the way!” Natalie said, much too happily for Matt’s taste.
Once the two ultra powerful women were through the gate, everyone else sprang into action. The bubbles were let down, and Dr. Beston hit a few buttons. The red light in the arc disappeared, but the yellow lights around it remained lit. A few more button presses and a large screen popped up, showing Melody and Natalie walking through an open, stony plain.
“There. It’s all done.” Dr. Beston said.
“Will that terrain be able to stand up to the three of them?” Connor asked.
“It should, yes. It’s designed to redirect energy throughout its entire mass. So unless one of them actively tries to break it, it should be fine.” Dr. Beston said.
“Tries to?”
“Yeah. Melody ripped a planet like that in half a while back.” Matt said. “But it held together really well until she did that.”
“So unless they’re planning on using half a planet as a weapon they should be fine, right?”
“Yup.”
“But, uh, what happens if they do?”
Neither Matt nor Dr. Beston spoke. Neither of them had an answer to that question. The last time, the doctor had been able to repair the planet a few seconds after it had been ripped apart. This time that would not be an option.
“We’ll just have to hope for the best, I suppose.” Dr. Beston said.
“So, uh, Connor,” Matt said. “Have you even seen Janet go wild before?”
“No, this would be my first time seeing her really cut loose.”
“Really? You’ve never even seen her when she’s playing human wrecker for the UN?”
“Nope. I’m not a part of the UN, so I’m not allowed to watch that, no matter how much I’d like to.”
“You’re not? I thought you were.”
“Nope. I’m a dentist.”
Matt looked at the large man in surprise. Then he looked at Connor’s large, thick fingers. Matt wasn’t sure if he would like Connor as his dentist. He would have commented on that fact, but was interrupted by the image on the screen. Melody and Natalie had arrived at the area where Janet was waiting for them.
“Who the hell are you?” Natalie asked. Her voice came perfectly clear through a speaker on the control panel, even if the view was stationed a few feet away.
“Officer Janet Porter of the United Nations Special Police Department.” Janet said in a clear, professional voice. “Natalie Green, you are under arrest for assault, first degree murder, and multiple counts of murder on a large scale. You have the right—“
“Seriously? A cop? Man, I’ve never even heard of that department. But damn, you really think you can just arrest me?” Natalie interrupted. “Listen Red, you’ve got the looks, but if you think you can just expect me to roll over and play nice just because of that, you’ve got another thing coming.”
Janet sighed and disappeared. Not even a second later, Natalie was on the ground with both her arms pinned behind her by Janet in an almost textbook restraining hold. Natalie struggled against her captor for a moment before a wide grin appeared on her face.
“Okay, yeah, I probably should’ve seen this coming, shouldn’t I?”
“Yes, yes you should.” Janet said. “Now then, as I was saying, you have the right to remain silent.”
“Oh knock it off, would ya, Red? I mean seriously, I get you’re a cop and all, but damn that’s annoying. I mean why are you even trying to arrest me? Hell, why’re you even a cop in the first place? I mean, the three of us should be ruling this planet. It’d be easy to do, you know. It’s not like there’s any army on this rock that can stop us. The only reason I haven’t taken over already is because it’d be boring as hell on my own. But with three of us, yeah, I bet I can swing that. But here you are, not only working for them, but actually protecting them? It just doesn’t make any sense to me.”
“My reasons for my position are not up for questioning. All that matters is that you’re not going anywhere.”
“Oh? I bet once you and Mel are gone I can get away pretty easily. It’s not like anyone else but the two of you can hold me.”
“Normally I’d agree with you, but this is a special case. Do you want to know where you are right now?”
“Not really, but I bet you’re gonna tell me anyway.”
“Currently, we are in an artificially created space that ‘s spate from everything else. Currently, the only way in or out is closed, but it can be opened easily enough from the outside. Once you’ve been subdued, Melody and I will leave, and then you’ll be imprisoned in here until the date of your trial. There is no escape. You can run all you want and you’ll never find any way out.”
“You’re bluffing. There’s o way that can be true. I mean, that kind of stuff doesn’t even exist.”
“Oh it does, it just won’t be made public for a very long time. Actually, from what I hear, there’s lots of other things like that as well. But putting that aside, the only option you have right now is to cooperate. Otherwise, I will very gladly add resisting arrest to your list of crimes.”
“You know, ignoring how impossible everything you said about this place is, I’m kind of curious why you’re here. I’ve killed lots of people before, and nobody seemed to care. So what changed?”
“First of all, I’m going to take that as an admission of guilt, as this entire conversation is being recorded from the outside. And as for your more immediate crimes, well, you remember those mountains you threw at Melody?”
“Oh yeah, sure.”
“There were people on them. Lots of people. So far, the UN estimates the numbers to be well over a thousand, and we’re still getting reports of more.”
“Oh, is that all? I mean, come on, that’s nothing. Look at it this way; there’s what, seven billion people on this planet? Who really cares if I off a few thousand?”
Neither Janet nor Melody reacted very well to that. The people outside the artificial battle ground didn’t take too well to it either.
“Ho boy,” Connor said, “That was a mistake.”
“Why?” Matt asked.
“Ever wonder why Janet joined the UN instead of any other place? It’s because she hates unrepentant mass murders more than any other, and the UN lets her go after those people.”
“Huh. Sucks to be Natalie right now.”
“Oh wait, there’s more. She also hates being called Red.”
Matt couldn’t help but smile at that. He found himself hoping Janet would keep her actions to a reasonable human speed so he could actually see what she would do. He looked back at the screen to see Janet leaning in close to Natalie.
“You know,” The officer said, “right now I really wish I had the authority to execute you right now. It wouldn’t even be very hard. Hell, technically I wouldn’t even have to do anything.”
“Oh? How so?”
“Well, you remember that big arc with the red light outside? Well, that was the only entrance to this place. It needs power to run. If it’s turned off, everything inside goes away. Right now, there’s a bunch of people outside who are controlling the place we’re in. With a single button, they can not only kill you, but completely erase you from existence. You understand, right? Your life isn’t in my hands, it’s in the hands of those normal people you think are so worthless. In fact, the one who’s actually controlling it is Melody’s dad. He’s what, in his 60s?”
“H-He’s 59 actually.” Melody said.
“Eh, close enough.” Janet replied. “The point is your fate is in the hands of a middle aged, normal man.”
“I don’t believe you.” Natalie growled.
“Believe it or don’t, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s the truth. In fact, I’d be perfectly willing to have him shut the system down right now. The reason I’m not is because both Melody and I have boyfriends, and it would be Melody’s father doing the deed, and I wouldn’t ask any man to kill his own daughter.”
“Well, sucks for you then. I’m not planning on staying here very long. You say there’s no way in or out, but I don’t believe you. I’d sooner believe it was some kind of teleporter than it’s some kind of fake real planet. All I need to do is beat you and Mel, and I’m good.”
“You really think you can beat me? Sorry to say it, but unlike you, I actually know how to fight. Plus, if you hadn’t noticed, I’ve got you in a pretty good hold right now.”
“Yeah, I can tell. If I was normal, I’d be pretty well immobilized right not. Too bad for you I’m anything but normal.”
Natalie took a deep breath and blew down. A gust of wind that put F5 hurricanes to shame forced both Natalie and Janet high into the air. With the ground no longer helping her, Janet wasn’t able to keep Natalie contained, and the blond was able to easily break free of captivity.
The moment both of them returned to the ground, Natalie launched herself at Janet, seeming to simply appear next to the officer. Janet easily avoided the attack, and countered with earth shaking force. Even though he was watching the action on a screen, Matt still swore he felt the shockwave from the blow.
Not a word was spoken as Natalie shrugged off the attack and continued fighting. She disappeared from the view of those watching as she unleashed a flurry of devastating attacks against Janet. Janet, for her part, remained almost motionless. She stood where she was, moving enough to dodge or counter every single one of Natalie’s attacks. If it wasn’t for all that she had done, Matt would have felt almost sorry for the blond.
Janet’s hand lashed out at speeds greater than even lighting, latching on to Natalie’s wrist. In an instant, Natalie was placed into a clean, professional wrist lock, bent over in an awkward, painful position.
“You know, you’re not all that bad.” Janet said. “From what Melody said, it seemed like you didn’t know how to fight. It looks like you’ve learned a few things though. You’re still an amateur, but still.”
“Yeah, well. I figured if Mel could do it, why can’t I? It’s one of the few things those normal people are good for. I admit the fact that they’re so weak has let them make some really fun things. Things like this.”
Natalie twisted just enough to slam her free hand into Janet’s side. Even with the minimal leverage and awkward position, Natalie’s attack was more than powerful enough to send Janet flying back. Natalie stood and shook her arm out, waiting for Janet to stand back up.
Janet stayed on the ground where she fell. Her eyes opened wide and she clutched the area where she had been hit. She stayed like that, trembling slightly before screaming in pain. Everything halted as Janet screamed and held her stomach. A wide grin slowly crossed Natalie’s face and she slowly started laughing.
“Oh my god!” She said, “I don’t believe this! The super cop can’t take a hit! This is hilarious! I mean, even Mel shrugged it off pretty well, but you? You go to pieces with one punch. I didn’t even hit you too hard. I wailed on Mel way harder and she kept going. I mean, come on, the one person here with any real fighting experience and you’re the only one who can’t take hits? Man, that’s awesome. And here I thought I was in trouble. I mean, I’m big enough to know I was getting my butt kicked, and then this happens? Man, this is great. Well, not for you. For you, this pretty much sucks.”
Natalie raised her leg high, obviously aiming to bring it down on Janet’s head. Long before she got the chance to do so, however, she was knocked on her back. Melody stood over her with wide, fearful eyes and a trembling body.
“’Bout time you did something, Mel.” Natalie said as she stood. “I was getting worried you wouldn’t do anything. Again.”
“I…I won’t…I won’t let you hurt people.” Melody said, doing her best to look more confident than she felt. Natalie snickered at her attempt at being tough.
“Sorry, Mel, but as much as I’d like to believe that, I just don’t think you’ve got it in you to actually fight for real. I mean, come on, the only time you did anything last time was when you had your little boy toy to watch out for, and I don’t see him anywhere.”
“H-he’s watching from the outside.” Melody said.
“Really? Good to know. Oh hey, I’ve got an idea.” Natalie said with a wicked grin. “How about if you lose this time I’ll kill him. Last time I didn’t because I thought he’d be a good motivator for you to actually do something, but this time I don’t think I’ll be that nice. Oo, maybe I’ll have a little fun with him first. You know, a little last meal kind of thing. A bit of fun before I pop his head. Maybe I’ll see why you keep him around too. Oh, wait, I forgot, you haven’t done that.”
Melody’s face turned red and she stuttered over a few incomprehensible sounds. Natalie just watched Melody’s flustered reactions with a satisfied grin.
“Th-that’s w-well, I-I…” Melody started. She wrung her hands and fidgeted around a bit before she continued. When she did speak, her voice was quiet to the point where it was almost inaudible. “I…I’m…I’m not a vir…I’m not like that anymore.”
“Wait, what was that?” Natalie asked. “Wait a sec. Mel, did you get some action?” Melody’s face grew even redder as soon as those words were spoken. “Holy crap, you did, didn’t you?” A huge smile crossed Natalie’s face. Matt swore she was about to try and give Melody a high five. “Woo! You go girl! So, how was it? Was he any good?”
“Th-th-that’s none of your business.” Melody said. She nervously shifted her weight from one foot to the other.
“Aw, come on. This is big stuff here. It’s, like, a rule or something. If you get laid, especially the first time, you gotta at least say how good it was.”
“N-no. I-I don’t have to say anything to you.”
“Spoil sport.” Natalie said, sticking out her tongue like a child. “Oh, hey, I’ve got it! I’ll just find out myself. Once I get out of here, I’ll find your man and then have some fun with him! Yeah, you know, let him see heaven before he actually goes there.”
“Wh-wha-what? N-n-no! No you…you can’t!” Melody shouted. Her eyes were wide with panic and she was no longer fidgeting around.
“Hate to tell you this, Mel, but yes I can. He probably wouldn’t even fight it. Well, at first he probably would, but he’d end up giving in. I mean, let’s face it, what kind of guy would turn this down?” Natalie passed her hands up and down her ultra-sexy body. “Plus, let’s face it, it’s not like he’d have a choice in the matter.”
“I-I-I won’t let you!” Melody shouted. Natalie just smiled at gave Melody an indifferent look.
“Sorry Mel, but that means you’d have to actually fight to win. You’ve got some fight in you, sure, but I don’t think it’s enough for you to actually try. Hate to say it, but for you, beating me is nothing but a dream.”
Matt very much wished he could be there next to Melody. He wanted to comfort her. To reassure her that she was capable of beating Natalie. But he could only watch and hope for the best.
“I-I will. Th-this time I’ll…I’ll win.” Melody said. It was obvious she wasn’t feeling as confident as her words implied.
“Well then, let’s have some fun, eh?” Natalie said before disappearing.
Melody vanished from view a split second later. The moment she did, massive booms and crashed that dwarfed those of their last fight roared to life at incredible speeds. Even the special ground cracked and buckled under the immense power of their exchange of blows. The ground rippled with energy as it tried its best to disperse the neigh-infinite energy that was being sent through it with ever increasing speed. Suddenly, chucks of rock the size of houses, skyscrapers, and even large cargo ships disappeared, only to reappear as rubble that scattered in all directions.
Then, just as the speed of the collisions had been increasing, they all of a sudden started decreasing. They slowly petered out until there was not a whisper to be heard. Neither of the combatants reappeared though.
“What the hell is going on?” Connor asked. “Where are they?”
“Hold on, I’m checking.” Dr. Beston said as he furiously hit buttons on the control panel. He read the computer display and the color started draining from his face. “They haven’t gone anywhere. They’re still exactly where they were.”
“Okay, I get that they’re moving too fast for us to see, but why can’t we see any of the shockwaves like we could before?”
“Because they’re moving too fast.”
“Huh?”
“They’re quite simply moving too fast for the environment to react to their presence. By the time even the air could react to them, they’ve already gone somewhere else. Even their attacks are happening too quickly for any reactions to be seen.”
“Wow.” Matt said. He knew Melody was fast, but he had no idea just how fast she really was. This was a new record for her at any rate. “So, how fast are they going anyway?”
“According to the system, about 95% the speed of light, and they’re still accelerating.”
“So they’re going to break the light barrier?”
“Looks like it, yes. In fact, they just hit 98%. 99%. They’ve hit light speed. And they’ve just gone faster than that. The system can no longer track their speed at this point.”
“How can they see each other then? Hell, how can they even exist at that speed?” Connor asked.
“I have no idea.” Dr. Beston replied.
The three of them watched what appeared to be a blank screen in awe. They had just witnessed the confirmation of the two fastest things in the universe, even if they weren’t physically able to see it happen.
“Um, I hate to break the mood, but, where’s Janet?” Conner asked. “I don’t see her, and I don’t think she’s involved in whatever’s happening there.”
“Oh, she moved away while Melody and Natalie were talking.” Dr. Beston said. He hit a few buttons, and the police woman appeared on a separate screen. She was sitting cross legged with her eyes closed. “There she is, on the other side of the planet.”
“What’s she doing?” Matt asked.
“Collecting herself.” Connor said. “She does that when she gets shaken up enough. She’s probably getting herself ready to rejoin the fight.”
“Yes, well, she’ll have to hurry up. I’m not sure how long…” Dr. Beston started. His words petered out as he watched the screen with the fight.
It wasn’t hard to see why he stopped. A small distortion in the air was starting to form. It pulsed and rippled outward, bending and twisting seemingly at random. And it slowly grew bigger.
“What in the world is that?” Matt asked. Dr. Beston was already hard at work figuring it out.
“Oh dear.” He said quietly after a few minutes.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Well, it seems those two are breaking reality.”
“Huh?”
“The speed at which they’re moving, combined with the force that they’re attacking with is weakening reality itself. If they keep accelerating and increasing their attack strength, they’ll break reality itself.”
“And, uh, and what happens when they do?”
“Nothing good, I’m sure.”
“How bad?”
“I’d say it’s a very good thing that they’re in A.R.T.I. right now instead of in real space. If they weren’t in there, well, I’d advise all of us to move very, very far away at a very, very fast speed.”
“Well then, hopefully they figure this out and stop before anything really bad happens.”
As the three of the watched, the distortion grew bigger and bigger, pulsing and twisting faster and faster. Then, just as suddenly as it formed, it vanished. A split second later, the two women reappeared. Matt face lit up when he saw why they had done so.
Melody, still mainly clothed, was holding a now nude Natalie n a crushing grip that even the blond couldn’t escape from. Her feet dangled a few inches in the air as she struggled against Melody’s superior grip. But the thing that really got to him was how injured the two of them were.
In their last fight, both Melody and Natalie had been covered with bruises, cuts, and lumps. this time there, there was almost nothing. Both women seemed almost unhurt. Natalie had a few small, light bruises forming on her arms and sides, but that was it. Thanks to Melody’s outfit, he couldn’t see if she had any injuries in any place other than her arms, legs, and face. But all of those areas were devoid of any wounds at all. Melody had obviously put her limited martial arts knowledge to much better use than the first time.
“Let me go!” Natalie roared.
“No.” Melody said. “I have to end this now. S-sorry about this.” Melody took a long, slow deep breath.
“Uh, Mel, what, uh, what’re you doing?” Natalie asked, sounding oddly nervous. Matt’s eyes widened. He could imagine what was coming.
“Mute button, mute button.” He said quickly. Dr. Beston was already moving quickly to hit the needed buttons. All sound from the screen disappeared.
A second later, Melody opened her mouth and screamed. To the onlookers, it was a soundless one, but the devastation is caused was still clearly evident. What debris was left over from the earlier exchange was not blown back simply because every bit of the loose rocks disintegrated from the force of Melody’s voice. The blast wave she released traveled far and fast, kicking up massive plumes of dust, forming huge dust storms that looked like they could wipe out large cities with ease. It was likely that the only reason the ground survived was because it had been able to transfer enough of the energy to stay in one piece. And even then, it had formed cracks and splits large enough that Matt’s legs could have easily fit in some of the larger ones.
When the destructive force of Melody’s voice died down, Dr. Beston turned the sound back on. They were greeted by Melody’s heavy breathing and Natalie’s incoherent muttering. Melody released the blond, and she started stumbling around, dazed. She tripped repeatedly on the many cracks and splits that had opened up.
Melody looked like she didn’t know what to do at that point. She knew that Natalie would eventually recover from her sonic attack, meaning there was only one real chance to end the fight. But the idea of doing that didn’t exactly sit well with Melody. Natalie held her head and moaned as she recovered.
Her emerald green eye looked up into Melody’s sapphire blue ones in a silent exchange between the two of them. Melody clenched her fist and looked at her opponent as she slowly started to stand. An almost sad look came to Melody’s eyes and her hand opened.
“I-I guess I really can’t, can I?” Melody said. “No matter what you’ve done, I just can’t bring myself to really hurt you. But I…I also can’t just let you go. I-I don’t think I’d be able to live with myself if I did.” Natalie didn’t respond. It wasn’t hard for Matt to assume she said nothing because her ears were ringing so bad she couldn’t actually hear Melody’s words.
“Oh, wait, I-I think I might have an idea.” Melody said. “Just bare with it. It might hurt for a little while.”
Before Natalie could full stand, Melody was on top of her. She raised her hands and slammed them into the blonds’ shoulders, sending her straight down. Natalie was forced into the ground deep enough that only her head was showing. Cracks splintered out from the point of impact, radiating far in all directions like a giant spider web, with Natalie in the center of it all.
Melody was acting even before Natalie was fully buried. She had gone several yards back, and her hands dug into the cracked ground. The onlookers could see the ground shift and buckle under her as Melody began pulling the ground apart.
Melody ripped what Matt could only assume to be half the planet apart and lifted it even with her shoulders. She reared back the incalculably heavy land mass and tossed it like a Frisbee. It flew with a speed that not even bullets could claim, with Natalie still lodged in its surface.
She watched the massive piece of land disappear into the distance, and then promptly fell to her knees. Her eyes were open wide, glued to the open space in front of her. She slowly looked down at her hands, which were clenching and opening at a slow rate. Matt could see her thinking about what those hands had just done. What she actually thought about it though, was a bit more of a mystery.
“Doctor, can you—“Matt started. When he looked over at the man, he found his question was not needed.
The arc filled with pale red light, and didn’t hesitate in entering. He soon found himself only a few feet away from Melody. He slowly approached her, not wanting to risk startling her.
“What did I just do?” She asked suddenly. The way she said it made Matt even more curious about what she was thinking. He would have expected such words to carry worry, concern, and even fear. Yet, it sounded more like quiet contemplation than anything. Because of this, it took Matt a few moments to figure out she was talking to him instead of herself.
“You took down a mass murderer. A very dangerous person who was a threat to the entire world.” He replied.
“Oh. I see.” She said with a calmness that surprised Matt quite a bit. She raised her hands up to eye level and continued opening and closing them.
“Uh, Melody, is there something wrong?” He asked
“I’m not really sure. I feel…different.” She said. “I’m not really sure how to describe it though.”
“Oh?”
“Sorry I can’t say anything more. I’ll think about it and tell you when I do, alright?”
“Yeah, that’s fine.”
Matt could already tell there was a difference. She no longer had any of the hesitation in her words like she did before. When she actually stood up and came over to him, he saw another. Even though she was still dressed in the skin tight body suit, she didn’t seem in the least bit uncomfortable as she had before the fight. Even when she had actually confronted Natalie, she had been standing and moving in ways that showed how little she liked wearing it, but now she seemed perfectly fine.
“Uh, Melody, are you—“
Before Matt could finish his sentence, Melody had moved behind him, and was covering his ears. He had no idea why she had done so until a moment later when a huge sonic boom sounded out. Thanks to Melody, his ears and body were spared the full force of the blast, but it still shook him to his core. When it had died down, she released her grip on his ears. She didn’t back away from him, but Matt was hardly going to complain about that. It was certainly nice to know that she hadn’t changed completely, if the way she hung onto his back was anything to go off of at any rate.
He turned to look at what had caused the boom, with Melody moving in tandem to him. Not surprisingly, Janet had arrived on the scene. She looked a bit confused, then worried when she saw the two of them standing together.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize anyone but the two of us would be here.” Said the police woman.
“Don’t worry about it.” Matt said. “I’m fine, and you had no way of knowing ahead of time.” He knew that there actually was a way if Dr. Beston had communicated with her, but he also knew that there probably hadn’t been enough time to do so, given how fast Janet was likely moving.
“Good, good. So, may I ask what happened to Natalie?”
“I threw her.” Melody said. Janet just looked at her, waiting for elaboration. “She was on the part of the planet that I threw.”
“And she let you do that?”
“Well, I wouldn’t exactly say she let me. I kind of stuffed her in the ground while she was dazed first.”
“Dazed? How did you…That scream was you, wasn’t it?”
“Uh huh.” Melody said with a quick nod. Somehow Matt wasn’t surprised that Melody had been heard from the other side of the planet. “It stunned her enough that I was able to force her into the ground and then throw that away. So now she can’t get out, since the entrance is over here, and she’s traveling that way.” She said, pointing in the direction she had thrown the massive land mass.
“That’s certainly one way of doing it.” Janet said with a slight shake of her head. “Any reason why you used so much land though? If you really shoved her into the ground, couldn’t you have used a smaller amount of ground to send her on her way?”
“Well, sure, I could have. But if I had, then when she breaks out, she’d have nothing to stand on. This way she won’t destroy it all. At least not right away. Plus, like this she has plenty of room to run around and stuff.”
Matt couldn’t help but smile. Only Melody could think about the comfort of someone like Natalie, even if it was only a little. Janet seemed to get some amusement out of that as well, but quickly stifled it in favor of a more serious expression.
“It’s good that you thought of all that, I suppose. I certainly wouldn’t have been so nice.” Janet said. “That being said, I want to apologize to you.”
“Why?”
“For how I acted during the fight, and how little I actually helped. We were both going into this expecting me to do all the real heavy work, and yet…I acted unprofessional, and didn’t take her out right away like I should have. Not only that, I was taken out of the fight with the first hit she landed. That…that was just embarrassing.”
“It’s fine, really.” Melody said. She stopped leaning on Matt’s back and moved to his side to better conduct the conversation. “Honestly, I don’t think I would’ve won if you weren’t there. Besides, this was your first time feeling pain, right? I know it’s not very pleasant.”
“I know, I know. But still. Both you and Natalie said you both handled it fairly well, so I thought I wouldn’t have any problem either. But the shock of it all was more than I thought.”
“Honestly, the only reason I was able to deal with it was because I couldn’t afford to do anything else. If I didn’t have Matt with me, I probably would’ve reacted even worse.”
Matt wondered about that. He knew he was her motivation for fighting, but he wasn’t sure if she was giving herself enough credit. He was quite confident that she would have been fine even without him around.
“Thanks for saying that, but it’s still not something I’m proud of.” Janet said. She sighed before saying anything else. “But I still need to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“How?”
“I need you to hit me. Hard. Not right now, of course. Next time we have one of our practice bouts. That way I can get used to getting hurt.”
“Wait, you still want to do those?”
“Of course. I don’t know about you, but I think they’re fun. It’s nice being able to spar with someone who can keep up with me when I go all out.”
“I can’t really say I’m as thrilled. I mainly went so I could be ready for Natalie. Now that she’s dealt with, I can’t say I’m eager to keep learning to fight.”
“I can understand that. Not everyone’s a fighter. But think about it like this; we don’t know if there are any more like us out there. If there are, and they’re like her, then it’d be best if you knew more about defending yourself and others. Plus we can’t say for sure that Natalie’s fully contained. There’s only one place that she can be contained, and that’s not totally reliable. If the worst happens and she escapes, wouldn’t it be good if you’re really able to take her on?”
“Uh, w-well, I-I suppose so?” Melody said hesitantly.
“There we go. So can I count on you?”
“W-well, I guess so? I mean, I guess I can at least give it a shot.”
“That’s all I ask. Now then, let’s get out of here. I need to inform my superiors about the current situation. We can plan what to do from here on out later.”
“Um, will…will I have to do anything?” Melody asked, shifting around as she spoke.
“Not right now. Eventually you’ll probably have to at least testify against her. Oh, but don’t worry, any trial won’t be for quite some time. Probably a year at least.”
Melody let out a brief sigh of relief. Matt assumed she would want to take a very long break from Natalie and everything to do with her.
“Now then, come on, let’s go.” Janet said. “I’m quite eager to get out of this outfit.” She said, pointing at the skin tight outfit. “It might be handy, but it’s not the most comfy thing in the world.” Melody nodded in silent agreement.
“Oh?” Matt asked.
“It feels like rubber. Thing doesn’t breath at all. If I was anyone else, I’d be sweating like crazy right now.”
“It’s true.” Melody chimed in. “It’s like some kind of weird wet suit or something.”
Matt had never worn a wet suit before, so he had to take her word on that one. Although, he did have to wonder if Melody had ever worn one. He made a mental note to ask her about that later.
“Huh.” He said. “Well, at least you look good in it.”
A light blush formed on Melody’s cheeks and an equally light smile came to her lips. He almost continued by telling her she looked good in anything, but they were interrupted by the gate moving closer to them. Dr. Beston was clearly signaling that he wanted them to leave. Matt could only assume it was due to energy constraints more than anything.
“I think your dad is trying to tell us something.” Matt said.
“I guess we shouldn’t keep him waiting then, should we?” She said, with just a twinge of disappointment in her voice.
All three of them left the gate fairly quickly. As soon as they were back in the real world, Connor rushed to Janet’s side, and Dr. Beston approached Matt and Melody soon after.
“My apologies for rushing you, but I would like to get everything back to the lab quickly. We have a more stable power supply there.” He said.
“It’s fine, daddy.” Melody said. “We probably shouldn’t have stayed in there so long anyway.”
“Even so. In this case, the sooner the better.” Dr. Beston said. “That being said, we need to get everything back to the lab. I trust you can handle that, dear?”
“Of course. It won’t be a problem at all.”
“Excellent. Just give us time to place the necessary defenses and then you can do whatever you need to.”
Dr. Beston went off to make the arrangements for the transportation. The workers immediately started. They worked to anchor the equipment into the ground, and set up gravity bubbles around every single piece, as well as the ground itself. Dr. Beston apparently had a good idea of what Melody was going to do, even without hearing it from her.
“Do you need any help with anything?” Janet asked.
“No, I’m fine.” Melody answered.
“Are you sure? I can take it if you want.”
“No, it’s really alright. Besides, you don’t know where the lab is. Daddy’s already made a lot of allowances for you to be here. I don’t know if he wants you to know where he works as well.”
“Ah, of course. Then, if you don’t need my help anymore, I think the two of us should be off. I need to deal with my superiors as quickly as I can.”
Melody nodded. The two of them made some general plans to meet up again on another day. Once everything was done, Janet lifted Connor into a gentle cradle carry, and the two of them were gone. It didn’t take long after that for all the equipment and people to be secured and ready for transport. Matt was about to join the rest of the workers in the secure area, but Melody prevented him from doing so.
Before he could ask why, she went to work. She seemed to flicker momentarily, and a small split appeared in the ground, encircling the equipment. Melody reached into the gap she had dug out with one hand and lifted the entire thing with a slow, careful action, making sure not to shake anything too much. She held it over her head with the ease of a small pebble for a moment before scooping Matt up in her free arm.
“So, is there anything you wanted to talk about?” He asked.
“I figured out what changed before.”
“Oh? You mean whatever it is you’re feeling that’s different?”
“Uh huh. But it’s not really what I am feeling. It’s what I’m not.”
“What is it?”
“Fear. All the fear I had of myself and my strength is gone. I’m just not afraid of it all anymore.”
Matt could only smile at that. That was something he had been waiting to hear ever since he had found out about Melody’s infinite strength and what she felt about it. Actually hearing it was music to his ears. He clung to Melody tightly and kissed her lightly on the cheek before she started moving. Matt was looking forward to being with her now more than ever before.
