The Sunshine Dame of Doom (27 page)

Scared, the man knelt down again.

“Did you see that, bro?” Vince asked Hector.

“Yes. Susan is doing a good job, but it’s not enough. The soldiers are not killing us, but they’re divided. Some of them don’t trust her. We need something stronger on that TV, a face all people know and trust.”

However, it was clear no soldier would fire a single shot in the immediate future.

“Fine, if that’s the way you want!” Shane spoke, more determined than ever. “I’ll just kill them myself. Like they say, if you want a thing done well, do it yourself!”

Shane turned around to go back to the street, but froze in surprise before the woman standing in her way.

“You’ll have to go through me first, lab rat!” Lily said.

“Oh, look who’s here!” Shane smiled. “You’ve been better, sweet heart.”

“I can say the same about you.” Lily replied. “Looks like you’re fresh out of a Swiss cheese factory, pardon the cliché.”

Lily walked to Shane, who was standing by the edge of the building. The Australian woman slightly limped on her left leg, also with a broken rib.

“Somehow I had a feeling we’d meet again.” Shane said with a smirk. “Isn’t this great?”

“And this is the last time we’ll ever meet, because I’m ending this right now.”

“Oh, make no mistake, sweetie. You’re a tough cat, but you definitely exhausted your nine lives.”

“I’m here to exhaust the only life you got.”

“What are you going to do, fight me?”

“And kill you.”

“You don’t even know if I can die.”

“I got a few ideas. I’ll have some fun testing them.”

“Such a powerful line, you heard that in a movie, or perhaps in a cartoon?”

“Nope, it was in a movie.”

“Always the daddy’s little girl, aren’t you?”

“Yes, guess I’ll always be. But at least I had a dad who loved me very much. What about you, lab rat?”

Shane frowned “You’re still powerless against my very particular skills.”

“Maybe, but we killed your coverage.”

“No, you merely reduced it. Just so you know, I have people working to repair the damages you did.”

“They can’t stop the virus installed in your systems. That much I know.”

“Even so, my personal sphere of influence covers a good fifty yards radius in all directions. And you’re well within range. I can control your mind as I please, very silly of you coming to me like this.”

“You’ll have to catch me first!”

Lily struck Shane with each and every kind of blow she knew from her martial-arts training, including several types of punches and even roundhouse kicks. But the blonde woman didn’t seem bothered at all by such attack.

When Lily finally got tired of punching and kicking, Shane said “Not bad for somebody who’s so wounded. Now, it’s my turn.”

Shane hit Lily with the back of her hand, and that was enough to toss Lily backwards like a tennis ball, making her collide against a concrete wall almost at the other end of the roof. Blood was pouring from her right eyebrow.

Shane came to her and said “This is a punch. Now, let me show you what a kick really is.”

And she kicked Lily right in the chest, causing the Australian girl to fly in a parabolic trajectory and crash violently against the windshield of her truck, which had just arrived. Lily groaned in pain, with yet another rib shattered.

“Goddamn it!” Clark said behind the wheel. “Are you sure you can handle this?”

“I’m exhausting her.” Lily talked breathlessly, a cutting pain hammering her thorax.

Mate’s left arm was broken and hanging in an improvised cast. And he needed such limb to shift gears.

“Ah, I can see your friend and your contraption also have nine lives!” Shane observed. “Thanks for dragging more people to my sphere.”

She walked to the truck.

“If I wasn’t such a sophisticated person, I’d separate your head from your shoulders right now.” Shane spoke as she went. “But as it is, I’ll just make you my slave and then I’ll smash the head of your little freckled friend, I have no use for him.”

“There are better ways to exhaust a super being.” Clark spoke. “Let’s do this
Fast and Furious
style.”

Still on the windshield, Lily said “What is
Fast and Fu
… AHHHHH!”

Clark stepped on the gas pedal with everything he got and the vehicle accelerated, hitting Shane with fury. The impact was such that she burst through a wall, disappearing somewhere into the construction.

Lily rolled down the vehicle hood and fell right in front of it. Mate hit the break with both feet, bringing the truck to a stop, only inches from the Australian’s head, after burning a good amount of rubber.

“Jesus!” Clark said. “Are you alright, Lily?”

“Yes.” She grunted. “Nice driving. Only next time you decide to test metal efficiency against a super being, let me know first.”

“Sorry about this. It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing. Besides, I’m not comfortable driving on the right side.”

On the street, soldiers were still pointing weapons at civilians kneeling on the asphalt.

Down at the station, a mildly attractive middle aged woman stepped into the News TV Set and went to Susan. Immediately, Becky, Paul and Nick pointed machine guns at her.

“Hold it! Don’t shoot!” Susan screamed. “This is my boss.”

“Far from me to shoot a boss and save the world for democracy” Nick commented.

“Turn off the camera for a minute, will you?” Susan told the camera operator and he obeyed. “What can I do for you, Missus Hildenbrandt?”

“Call me Agnes, my darling. I’m here with some parents. They’re waiting in the lobby. Now that you got everybody’s attention, I just thought I might add something to your little speech, if you don’t mind. You see, Shane called me a fool in front of the whole city. Now, there’re a few things I want to say about her as well.”

“Be my guess, Missus… I mean, Agnes.”

Susan stood up, so Agnes could sit down on the anchor’s chair. She adjusted her glasses, organized her hair and nodded at the camera operator. In a matter of seconds, she was on the air.

Agnes Hildenbrandt on TV:

“Hello citizens of Heavensville and Industrial Zone. Most of you know me, but for those who don’t, my name is Agnes Hildenbrandt and I’m the principal at Heavensville’s Elementary. Susan here is one of my teachers and a darn good one by the way. And I’m here now not only to confirm, but also to emphasize each and every word she’s just said to you.”

Soldiers at Downtown gazed at the loudspeaker, although they could only hear a voice. Hector and Vince exchanged meaningful looks.

Agnes Hildenbrandt on TV:

“After Shane delivered her speech in this very network, I did some research on my own. And I found out everything she said is a filthy lie. For starters, Mister Hector Dryland is by no means a criminal. On the contrary, he’s a good, law abiding, hard working man who bravely tried to put an end to Shane’s reign of terror. If some bloodbath was committed, it wasn’t by the hands of Hector or his friends. Shane and her henchmen did all the killing and slaughter!”

“You brought it all on yourself, Shane.” Minister Robert Hedgiest talked to himself in an undisclosed location.

He turned off the television and sat down by his desk, with a monitor screen and keyboard protruding from it. Hedgiest typed some commands and grabbed the phone.

“Hello Harland, it’s me. Yes, I’m ready. You can give me the final codes now.”

Agnes Hildenbrandt continued on TV: 

“And I was about to start a research on Lily Master, but I didn’t have to actually. Some parents came looking for me. And they told me some of my students, their sons and daughters, once studied at that very elementary school that was attacked by a huge horde of those dead creatures roaming outside the gates. Oh yes, these children were eye witnesses of everything that happened in there. And they said Lily Master indeed saved their lives, also saving teachers and law enforcement officers. If it wasn’t for her, they would all be dead.”

“I am now addressing the soldiers who are attacking the Industrial Zone at this very moment. It came to my knowledge that some of your kids also studied at that elementary school and they were rescued by Lily as well. Yes, you heard me! You’re trying to find and kill the woman who saved the lives of your sons and daughters! But the powers of Shane were somehow clouding your minds, stopping you from remembering this.”

“However, I was told such powers were rendered useless. Just search your memories and you’ll find the truth.”

By hearing those words, one private, also father of two, threw his weapon on the floor. One by one, the other military men followed his example, including Major Henderson. They helped the people kneeling on the street standing up and introductions took place.

“Hi, I’m Sergeant Arthur O’Herlith.” He said to a citizen. “If you need anything, just let me know.”

“Thank you boy” the man replied, shaking hands with him. “I’m Jake Harper, former sergeant of the United States Army. What’s your division, son?”

“None actually” He answered embarrassed. “All ranks in here are complimentary. We were taught how to deal with weapons and this sort of thing, but that’s pretty much it.”

“Then you got a lot to learn what being in the military is really all about. And believe me, it’s not only fighting, shooting, going into battle or to a war. Most of all, we protect people that can’t stand for themselves.”

“Yes sir.”

“And you don’t just go ahead and shoot unarmed folks who are surrendering to you, son!”

“I know that now.” He whispered.

The hospital in Downtown was already full, all beds occupied either by patients recovering from cyanide poisoning, or by those wounded in the invasion. Nevertheless, Heavensville Hospital agreed to have some patients moved there, as per request of Major Henderson.

Tess also accommodated people with minor injuries in his restaurants.

“What did you do to Drake?” Vince asked, curiosity killing him.

“Nothing really” Tess disappointed him. “I abhor violence in any form, you know. We just scared the bejesus out of him. We didn’t even touch him. He peed in his pants though.

“You’re kidding me, right?”

“No. It was kind of embarrassing actually. Two of my waiters had to wear latex gloves to lock him up in the bathroom, the only place he belongs now. But I guess the real question is what’re you going to do to him?”

“Well, we were thinking of trialing him for crimes against humanity, not only him of course, like in that Nuremberg thing.”

“And let’s not forget about Susan’s case.” Aaron pointed out. “We also need to arrest a certain doctor in Uptown on multiple accounts of medical malpractice.”

“But, where are you going to find an unbiased judge and jury in this neck of the woods?” Tess queried.

“Well, there’re always the zombies.” Vince replied.

“Do you think she’s dead?” Lily asked, examining the hole on the wall, together with Mate.

“Well, even if she’s not, her bones will be sore in the morning.”

“Alright, let’s get into the truck and see if our friends need some assistance.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Damn it!” Lily cursed, stopping in front of the vehicle.

“What?” Clark mumbled scared.

“It scratched the painting!” She rubbed a finger on the spot that hit Shane. “Daddy would be furious if he knew it.”

“And what would daddy say about all crushes on the hull and bullet holes?”

“Well, I guess it’s going to need a paint job anyway.”

They got into the truck. Lily put it in reverse and accelerated. But the vehicle only burned rubber without going anywhere. The Australian looked in the rear mirror and saw Shane holding the truck in place without many efforts.

“So much for that” Lily said. “By the way, she’s still alive.”

Lily stopped accelerating. Shane walked around the truck toward the driver’s door with demonic, angry eyes.

“What we do now?” Mate asked.

“She’s awfully close to the hull. Let’s try some tickle.”

Lily pulled the lever below the dashboard and lots of pointy spikes came out of the vehicle. One of them impaled Shane’s left shoulder. She screamed in pain.

“Those are still working!” Clark said.

“You’re making a fool out of yourself!” Shane grunted. “Grow up, Lily!”

By firmly gripping the spike with both hands, Shane managed to push her body backwards, getting rid of the spike and falling on the floor, groaning. But she stood up fast and kept on coming.