Harmonious Combination
-Toronto,
Night Time-
30
October, 2015
Finally
finding time to begin the training that he and Daniel had arranged over two
weeks ago, Han arrived in the city of Toronto on the back of his motorcycle; an
imported West Coast American Chopper bike -fast, loud and beautiful. He loved
that motorcycle, loved to feel the wind racing around his head and between his
antlers as he rode down the street to where he was supposed to meet his cousin
to begin their first night of training. Daniel had also promised him his own
uniform for when the training was finished.
Han
had been looking forward to this ever since Daniel had agreed to teach him; to
help him master his powers and to make him into a superhero, just like himself.
Han had been born with a special gift; the power to control and amplify sound.
Over the years he'd practiced with it, and knew the limits of what he was
capable of using it for. He could single out one sound and suppress another, he
could clap his hands to create a concentrated sonic blast to knock people off
of their feet, and he could even amplify the sound waves of the very bike he
was riding on to shatter windows in the vicinity...
Though
that one he actively avoided doing, for obvious reasons.
He
was ready. All he needed now was just a little tempering of his superpowers, to
learn how best to use them, and the best one to teach him that was someone who
had been practicing with his own powers for almost a decade and a half.
Parking
his bike in a hidden place designated by Daniel, Han stepped off and walked
back out to the street, looking around for any sign of his cousin. He stood
there for only moment before he heard a hoof-step. "You're early."
Han turned to face the voice,
seeing a white and red clad caribou stepping out of the shadows, approaching
him on the street with a long red cape flowing behind him with each step. The
younger caribou chuckled as the Warp approached him, crossing his arms. "For a
guy who dresses like the national flag, you sure are good at hiding."
"No
one sees what they aren't looking for," replied Warp. "Are you ready?"
Han
nodded to him. "I am," he said. "Which way to home base?"
"It's
called The Bunker," replied Warp, holding out his hand. "And I never use the
door," he added with a smirk.
Han
took his hand with only a second of thought, and then felt a rush of weightless
as a flash of light enveloped the two bucks, carrying them to places unknown to
Han. He felt gravity return to him in a span of a second, along with a brief
light-headedness that had him struggling to regain his balance, nearly falling
onto his side. He found a table to lean on for support, shaking his head to
clear it.
"Whoa...
that was a buzz," he said. "Felt like we flew through space."
"You
get used to it," replied Warp as he reached up with one hand and lifted the
corner of his mask, the whiteness of his fur seemingly retreating into the
mask, replaced by a shade of brown slightly lighter than that of Han's, before he
pulled off his mask fully and uncovered his green eyes.
"Hey,
you're not wearing contacts anymore," said Han.
"Nope,"
he replied. "After accidentally sleeping in them I needed to make sure I didn't
do that again, so I replaced them with a pliable lens over the eye sockets."
Han
cringed. "Oh that must've hurt... how'd you get them out without going to an
eye doctor and giving up your big secret?"
"My
support crew," replied Daniel, pointing past Han.
The
caribou turned to look over his shoulder, and saw a smiling Japanese Weasel
seated in the chair at the desk, who proceeded to wave to him. "Kon'nichiwa, Hania," he said in
greeting. "I am Akechi Akio, it is an honor to meet you."
"Ah,
so you're Akio," returned Han, stepping forward and reaching over the desk to
shake hands with the weasel, who accepted graciously. "Good to finally meet you
in person."
"Agreed,"
replied Akio. "I am eager to see how your training goes; I even have something
for you to get started." He rolled his chair back and stood up, walking over to
a nearby workbench.
"A
present for me? You shouldn't have," jested Han.
"After
learning what your powers are and how they worked, I had Akio begin working on
a set of tools for you," explained Daniel. "Your costume is still being worked
on but the weapons I had him customize for you should be ready."
"You
had all that done in three weeks?" Han asked, surprised.
"I
have a lot of free time during the day!" Akio called.
"At
least until tomorrow," remarked Daniel.
"Tomorrow?
What about tomorrow?" Han asked.
"It's
Halloween," replied Daniel. "All of
the crazies come out on Halloween."
"What,
like vampires, zombies and werewolves?" Han asked with an incredulous look and
a wry grin as he met Daniel's gaze.
"Among
other things," replied Daniel.
Han's
expression fell flat.
"Kidding,"
assured Daniel. "But I mean it; Halloween does bring out the craziest people; I
guarantee you the police scanner will be buzzing all night long."
Han
rolled his eyes. "Swell... "
At
that moment, Akio returned, and handed a pair of metal rods over to Han,
rubber-coated handles first. Han took the metal batons, examining them
carefully; each one was approximately thirty inches long, with an
ever-so-slight flare at the tips of them. They were light in his hands, with a
fairly good balance as he gave them a few test swings. He then noticed
something about the knobbed heads of the barons, and held them up to examine it
closely.
On
the backs of each baton was an accessory; metal plates that were not attached
to the weapons themselves, but by tiny, coiled springs from top to bottom. The
little, round plates themselves were short and cone shaped, thin and hollowed
out in the centers, and had a different coloration from the rest of the metal,
which he recognized as brass due to their brighter luster and slightly more
yellow hue that made them stand out from the titanium exteriors of the batons.
Curiously,
he looked at Akio. "What are these little 'disks' on the rods?" He asked.
"Bang
them together," Akio replied. "But don't use your powers on them in here.."
He
turned to Daniel, who nodded in reply, before he turned away from both he and
Akio to have plenty of room, holding out the two rods and flipping them around
so that the small disks faced each other, lightly tapping them together before
he spread his arms out wide, and slammed them together harshly, not sure what
would happen. He was rewarded with a satisfying clang that left a resounding
echo through the bunker, so harsh it actually made both Daniel and Akio blink
their eyes and fold their ears until it abated.
"Oh,
nice," said Han.
"I
used miniature versions of cymbals for those," Akio explained. "Just like with
the real thing, you clang them together and you can create a miniature sonic
boom that can irritate sensitive ears. Combining it with your powers..." He let
Han finish.
"You
get a sonic blast," he replied,
holding up the batons again. "I like these. What're they made of? They're oddly
light."
Akio
took one of the rods from Han and traced his finger along the rod as he gave Han
the rundown. "Now, inside of these batons is an aluminum rod -the rest of the
item is built around that, like an endo-skeleton," he explained. "The rod
itself is about one inch thick. The high-density rubber that form up the
handles add another half an inch to the density, and absorb impact reducing the
strain on both your hands and the rod itself, so it is unlike to break unless
to somehow catch a .50 bullet with it -though I wouldn't recommend trying it.
"From
the handles up to the heads," he carried on. "You have an exoskeleton of
lightweight titanium, adding another half-inch density for the stems, until you
get to the head here, which is about three inches thick front-to-back. Thanks
to this design the rods weigh only a two pounds each -less than even a katana,
but are as sturdy as the external plating of a tank. They'll do just as well at
blocking weapons as being used for them."
"These
things are made with titanium?" Han asked.
"Yes,"
replied Akio. "So are the bracers and greaves in Daniel's suit, as well as his
collapsible staff. Strongest metal known to fur-kind; it seemed like the best
option."
"How
did you guys afford so much of it? That stuff is pricey," inquired Han before
looking around. "On that note how did you make this whole hideout?"
Daniel
gave a weak smile at that. "My... parents made sure I would live comfortably,"
he replied in a melancholic tone.
Han
sulked, feeling suddenly guilty for asking. "Ah... sorry, cousin."
Daniel
waved it off. "It's fine," he said in assurance, and quickly changed the
subject. "So, ready for some practice?" He asked.
"You
bet; we doing that here or somewhere else?"
"The
Bunker's too small for training; as good as it is, it's still a little too
confined for anything beyond mission dispatch and being somewhere to catch your
breath," replied Daniel. "We'll have to go somewhere a little more spacious but
no less private for our training."
Han
nodded. "Alright; where were you thinking?"
"I
already took the liberty of setting up a place," replied Daniel. "It's a couple
of teleports away, but it's not too far."
Han
swallowed as he realized that meant teleporting a couple of more times, worried
his stomach might turn in a bad way if they teleported twice in a row. "Okay...
sure we can't just drive?" He asked.
"The
place we're going is inaccessible by car," replied Daniel. "I also don't have a car."
'Crap,' thought Han, before he nervously
nodded and, tucking his new batons under his arm, he watched as Daniel replaced
his mask, once more turning his fur white as he lay the red mask over his eyes,
and when he reopened them the lenses had turned them gray, giving him his
reputed, 'ghostly' appearance. With that, Daniel held out his hand; Han grasped
it, and prepared himself for another rush.
"I
should make the finishing touches on Han's uniform when you guys get back,"
Akio informed.
"Thanks,
Akio; we'll be back in a few hours," said Daniel before he triggered his
powers, and the two disappeared from the Bunker.
Han
nearly vomited as the effects of the second teleportation abated, falling onto
his backside and dropping his batons as his head swooned, holding his head in
his hands in a vain attempt to make it stop spinning. He felt cold grass
underneath him, and could smell the familiar scent of the Great Lake Ontario as
his head finally cleared up enough that his senses were back, and he looked
around, seeing the lake surrounding them on all sides, through a few trees that
ringed the clearing they were in.
The
clearing was not empty. There were straw dummies covering the western side of
the clearing, four arranged in a row, six in a staggered formation, each one
with cartoonish angry faces drawn on pieces of leather wrapped around their
heads, each one standing at various heights and sizes. In the very center of
the clearing near where they were was a final dummy, made of foam with many
indents and marks that could have only been left by excessive use.
"Where
are we?" Han asked. "What is this place?"
"A
little island in the lake," replied Daniel. "Sitting right on the U.S./Canada
border; tiny and ringed with trees. Very isolated, perfect place for training."
"Damn,
cousin; is there anything you don't have?" Han asked asked he surveyed the
clearing.
"I
would still like a sports car someday, if I ever get my driver's license,"
replied Daniel.
Han
scoffed. "What about a girlfriend or something?" He asked.
Warp
appeared in front of Han in a flash of light, looking him right in the eye.
"Don't push your luck, 'cuz," he said, but still had a small smile on his face
to show he was only kidding again. "The training I'm going to give you will
push you far. You're a Park Ranger -a good one." He began to pace slightly as
he continued. "Four years you trained in Policing, Wilderness Survival,
Biology; you can identify edible herbs from toxic ones, you can identify
footprints and recognize animals by the sound of their voice.
"But
you can also," he continued. "Amplify sound, can't you? That's how you knocked
down Ohanzee with a clap of your hands."
Han
shrugged. "Guilty as charged."
"How
far have you tested your limits?" Daniel asked.
"Considering
sound has a nasty way of drawing attention I've kept it under wraps," replied
Han. "But, I did learn one trick I can do."
"What's
that?" Daniel asked.
"Listen,"
Han instructed.
Warp's
ears flicked out, eyes wandering slightly as he listened. "I don't hear..." He
paused. "Anything at all."
There
was no sound at all, except for his voice, and that of Han, as he tried to pick
up sound from anywhere. The wind was blowing, and he should have heard water
splashing on the shores of the islet, or the leaves rustling in the breeze. But
there was nothing; to test it further, he tapped his hooves together, excepting
to hear the resounding click, but he never heard it no matter how hard he
tapped. He looked at Han, longing for an explanation.
"All
sound is vibration," replied Han, and it was then Daniel noticed a slight echo
as he spoke. "I don't just amplify them, I can suppress them -quite selectively
too, like adjusting the volume on a stereo."
"There's
a brisk wind today; how are you suppressing the rustling of the leaves without
affecting the trees in some way?" Daniel asked.
"I'm
only suppressing about four feet around us; we're in a sort of invisible
bubble," replied Han. "All other soundwaves are locked out, while I'm only
allowing our voices to be heard. We'd actually be a lot louder in this space
but I'm keeping our voices controlled too."
"How
many sounds can you control at once?" Daniel asked.
"I
don't know the exact limit," Han admitted. "But, let's just say I am probably
the only man alive who could make a Rock concert boring."
At
that, not even The Warp could hold back a laugh. "Oh god, I can almost picture
that..."
Han
laughed with him, and soon the two found themselves laughing heartily, until
eventually they stopped, and went back to the matter at hand; Han cancelled his
block on the other sounds, making everything almost deafeningly loud to Daniel
as all sound returned to him all at the same time. He shuddered slightly,
looking at Han. "That doesn't unnerve you at all?" He asked.
"Well
sure; total silence would unnerve anybody," replied Han. "That's why I don't
usually do it."
"It
appears we both have an issue with the other's powers," Daniel remarked.
Han
chuckled. "Ironic," he said, before clearing his throat. "So... what's with all
the dummies? You're not here to teach me archery are you?"
Daniel
chuckled. "Ah... no, I'm not an archer," replied the white-clad caribou. "Those
dummies are actually part of my demonstration, and for practice later."
"Okay,"
returned Han, crossing his arms and waiting.
"I
believe," began Daniel. "That a hero's best weapon is neither his or her powers
or martial skills, but a harmonic synchronization of both." He held out his
hands. "A combined power, unique only to them; that is what I created for
myself, and what I made for Whiptail. I call it the Harmonious Combination."
Han
scoffed. "Sounds like a dance duet."
"Whiptail
aced the entrance exam test for agility when he joined the Bureau," Daniel
stated. "He is the only new recruit in the entire B.O.S to get a perfect score
on the first try, and they have more than a hundred heroes."
Han
arched an eyebrow. "Your training helped him do that?"
"My
training taught him to combine his mastery of acrobatics and his astounding
agility with his powers," replied Daniel. "And I did the same for myself,
fusing my Teleportation..." He wound up a punch, before vanishing from sight
and appearing next to the foam dummy, which he punched hard enough that the
stomach gained a new, deep indentation in the foam torso; not even a half of
second after Daniel reappeared did he land that punch, and the dummy, despite
its supports being staked into the ground, nearly keeled over from the force of
his punch. "With my Martial prowess."
"Whoa,"
Han said, eyes wide. "You can actually wind up a punch, teleport, and then
finish it when you reappear?"
"Transferred
momentum; that's about the only thing I can call it," replied Daniel. "I can
have my arm almost completely outstretched before teleporting, and the momentum
my limb has gathered is still there when I reappear; when I teleport into a
strike, my target's down before they even realized someone is attacking them.
Whiptail's strength was his agility, mine is ambush. I use that for when I'm against
a crowd of targets."
"Like...
these dummies," Han replied, wiggling his finger at the straw targets.
"Yes."
"Is
this how you trained originally, before you took on those gangs?"
"Yes.
Although this little islet is a new touch; before converting the bathroom at
the bunker into... well, a bathroom, it was the monitor area, while the main
room was for training, using targets like these ones."
"Why
did you change it?"
"Because
Akio lives there now."
Han
gawked. "Wait, Akio lives in The Bunker, It's not just his day job
or something?"
Daniel
looked at his cousin with seriousness on his face. "Akio is in hiding from the
Yakuza, Han," he stated. "I may have stopped their operations here in the city
but some of their loyalist groups are still around -if they ever found out
where Akio was, he'd be in danger. He chose to live in the Bunker, as my
support; he'll still come out sometimes to go for a meal or something but he
doesn't feel safe outside of there anymore."
Daniel's
expression turned to one of sadness and guilt. "I often wonder if I'm not
taking advantage of him... he's a workaholic to be sure, and good at what he
does, but he deserves his own life. I'd send him home to Japan if I thought he
could be safe, but if did that, I might as well be releasing a honeybee into a
nest of yellow jackets."
Han
grimaced at that, seeing the solemnity on his cousin's face even behind his red
mask. "Okay uh, so what are we practicing first?" Han asked, quickly changing
the subject.
Daniel
blinked at the question before shaking his head, clearing it and getting his
focus back on the task at hand. "Ah, right; sorry. Let's continue," he replied,
before clearing his throat. "First thing we should do is teach you to use those
batons."
"I
already have police baton training," Han reminded him.
"True,
but how often have you actually needed to use your telescopic baton?"
Han
frowned. "Point taken," he replied.
"Furthermore,
baton training from cops only focuses on using your dominant hand," Daniel
continued. "You have two of them, which means to start, you need to learn to
fight as well with both hands. Which are you; a right or a left?"
"Right."
"Okay,
we'll start with going over your technique, to see what you can do," began
Daniel, reaching behind him and pulling a two foot metal rod from the back of
his belt. At the touch of a button, the rod expanded on both ends, forming into
a staff almost three times as large as its base form. "Just use one for now, and
we'll use this round to warm up while I also get a better idea of what your
training has taught you."
Han
nodded, and set down one of his new batons, taking the other in his right hand
and following Daniel over to the safety mats at the corner of their training
site; Daniel removed his cape and hung it over one of the dummies to prevent it
from interfering while he sparred with Han, before standing across from him,
where they both stood in wide-legged stances and were quick to engage each
other, with Daniel acting as the aggressor.
They went over several techniques Han had been
taught in his training, starting with a defensive technique for an opponent who
was pressuring a baton-wielding cop; Daniel struck at Han repeatedly with his
staff, while the younger caribou strategically positioned his arm not only to
block the staff with each swing, but when the time was right, he turned the
force of Daniel's own blow against him, using the momentum to bring his arm
down quickly to strike Daniel in the leg with the butt of his weapon, following
it up with a belly-tackle that knocked Daniel onto his back.
The
second technique was a recovery move for when the baton-user was pinned down on
his back by his opponent. Han laid on his back and let Daniel climb onto him,
straddling him in a position that an assailant might take, with the fist raised
ready to strike if he made a mistake, but Han had a good physical memory.
Drawing his baton from the holster on his belt, he adjusted his legs and bucked
his hips forward in one motion to throw Daniel off balance, him to fall
forward, where Han brought the baton back, grasping is head with his other hand
and pulling it against the back of Daniel's ribs -an extremely tender area, or
to the back of the neck to pull his head down and bump his muzzle against the
ground. Both times allowed Han to roll them both over, and their positions were
switched; now Han was on top, and still had his weapon -a perfect position to
land a knockout strike or force a surrender.
These
were basic but effective techniques; there was parrying, striking, an upper-cut
motion where the wielder could catch the opponent from below. Daniel gave an
approving nod to every technique they practiced, and was glad to know his
cousin remembered his training so well knowing it would make it that much
easier to refine it.
The
second step was in hand-to-hand, where Han demonstrated how he would handle
being without a weapon; if his opponent attacked with a knife, a baseball bat,
or even just his fists, giving Daniel a demonstration of takedown maneuvers and
pins. However, onto the second round of the practice, suddenly things took a
turn; Daniel went in fighting as he usually did -minus teleporting. With his staff,
he did not just attack with one-end to pressure Han like an angry thug might,
but when Han blocked the first strike, Daniel spun the weapon and landed a
strike with the opposite end of his staff, showing the flaws in the technique.
"You
see, the police are trained mostly for dealing with thugs who might carry a
knife, a bat, a wrench or even a sword, all of which they could handle with
that technique," said Daniel. "However a longer weapon like mine isn't so
easily blocked; take up your other baton, and try using that to block the other
end of my staff when I do that again."
On
the first few tries, Han was too slow to stop Daniel's under-handed strike, but
eventually he managed to block the staff a few times, each time where he
managed to perform the tackle to bring Daniel down. They practiced this a few
times before moving back on to the unarmed combat, where this time Daniel also
went unarmed, and it became a contest of martial prowess. The advanced
techniques of Daniel's Muai Thai training won out over the police techniques
employed by Han, leaving the younger caribou lying on the mat, feeling sore.
"Damn,
cousin; good thing you're not a bad guy," remarked Han. "Cops wouldn't stand a
chance against you."
"Which
is why people like us need to exist," stated Daniel as he helped Han back to
his feet. "When there are villains the police can't handle, it's up to us to
take them down. I've trained hard, but even I have faced opponents who pushed
me to my limit -the foremost being Masaru Kameyama, better known as J?sh?, a
while back. I fought him in two separate rounds, and in a straight-up fight, he
beat me."
"How'd
you take him down?" Han asked.
"When
I fought him the first time I fought him as an equal and didn't use my powers
against him," replied Daniel. "But the second time, I forced him to fight on my
terms, making full use of my powers and my skills, as I should have been." He
clapped Han on the shoulder. "People like J?sh? force us to fight somewhat
dirty to beat them; he didn't have any sort of superpowers as I did and yet he
was more than capable of killing me if he got the chance. Having powers doesn't
mean we're unbeatable, so if your life is on the line, anything goes, even
mortally wounding your opponent in order to survive; always remember that."
Han
nodded. "Don't have to tell me twice; just because I'm doing this doesn't
necessarily mean I want to die."
"Agreed,"
returned Daniel. "Alright; let's take a quick break and catch our breath, and
then we'll get to testing your powers."
The
two caribou males spent the next few hours training, until eventually Daniel
received a call from Akio about a situation in the city, forcing them to return
-he couldn't very well leave Han on the island with no way back in case he was
injured in the field, so they both returned to the Bunker, where Daniel went on
to insist that Han stay there while he dealt with what was going on, much to
the dismay of the younger caribou. It wasn't like Han couldn't handle himself
against a few street punks.
But,
Daniel insisted that they at least wait until Han's costume was finished; Akio
was working on just that when they appeared back in the Bunker -with Han once
more on the verge of losing his lunch when the after-effects reached him, and
Daniel left the Bunker immediately after with another teleport. Finding a chair
and sitting down until his head stopped spinning.
"How
the hell did he ever get used to that?" Han asked the weasel.
"I
asked him that myself once," Akio replied while he worked, placing something
onto the center chest of the suit lain out before him. "We both still wonder
why he doesn't get the sense of vertigo and light-headedness from the
teleportation; it only seems to happen to people he teleports with him."
"And
how do they handle it?"
"Usually
when he does it they're too afraid to notice," replied Akio.
"...What?"
Han asked, not understanding.
"When
he saves someone from catastrophes; they're usually too afraid to notice the side-effects,"
Akio explained in more detail. "Maybe adrenaline lessens the effects."
"Oh.
I guess that makes sense," Han replied, nodding.
For
a short moment, Han simply sat in the chair wordlessly before he asked. "Do you
think Daniel didn't take me with him because he thinks I can't handle some
thugs?"
"No,"
Akio replied plainly. "He didn't take you along because your uniform is not yet
done; gun violence is rare in Canada, but you never know what a street punk
might be hiding in their pocket." He pulled back from the workbench, turning
his chair to face Han. "Safety first I think is the term Canadians use?"
"Something
like that," replied Han.
"Well
then; this should suffice," said Akio, standing up from the chair and gesturing
to the bench. "Your new uniform is ready."
Han's
ears stood out as he heard those words, and in seconds he was rising to his
feet from the chair, slowly crossing the room to the bench where his new
uniform lay splayed out on the metal surface. A full-body suit almost exactly
like Warp's in overall design, baring the cape, and gray instead of white, with
black gloves and calf sleeves, a dark gray mask, and a lighter gray emblem on
the chest. The suit was full-coverage from the neck down, with long sleeves
leading into the gloves, and leggings all the way down to the ankles. The
calf-sleeves stopped just below the knee, a tap of Han's finger revealing the
presence of metal plates in the calf-sleeves and the gloves -titanium greaves
and bracers, Akio clarified.
At
first Han wondered what the emblem was supposed to be, but after looking at the
many over-lapping threads, he realized that the design looked like a stereo
speaker, the realization of which actually brought a laugh to his lips. The
entire suit was composed of kevlar, including the emblem, which made the chest
of the suit the densest part of the armour besides the gloves. Showing him more
of the suit Akio turned over the upper body piece, showing holsters for his
batons were actually knitted into the fabric, where he could easily reach them.
"Go
ahead; try on the mask," said Akio. "I made it just like Daniel's."
Han
reached for the mask, picking it up and examining it with skepticism, suddenly
feeling his mind retreating from the thought of what putting on that mask would
mean. When he adorned that mask, he would still be Hania Tonraq, but he would
be something much more as well; a symbol, and a servant of justice beyond even
his current position. He would be associated with vigilantism, but he would be
bound only by whatever rules he made for himself, with his every action
painting his image in the minds of Canadians who heard of him.
Is
this truly what he wanted, he wondered as he wandered over to a mirror, staring
at his reflection. A young, male caribou buck, early twenties with brown eyes
and chestnut brown fur -quite handsome if he dared say so himself, stood there
with the mask held between his hands, hesitant to proceed as if afraid of what
he would find when that nanite-infused fabric was placed over his eyes. Would
he even recognize himself?
His
brow furrowed, and he closed his eyes as he turned the mask inside out and
pulled it over his face, adjusting it to fit around his skull, feeling it stop
at his antlers. Fumbling around with the mask he found velcro straps on the
back to fasten together, pressing them with his fingers to flatten them out and
secure it. He heard a light buzzing noise from the mask, followed by a tickling
sensation in his fur that went over his entire body in the span of seconds.
When the sensation abated, he opened his eyes, and stared ahead to a dark face
he barely even recognized as his own.
His
eyes had turned gray, just like Daniel's when he wore his own mask, but
Daniel's was not designed like Han's. Han had a full mask, covering his whole
face, dark gray in colour with a lighter gray around the mouth that, like the
emblem on the torso piece, looked like a speaker. His fur had become a dark
gray nearly matching the uniform. He held up his hands, seeing the colour
coating had travelled all the way to his fingers, stopping at the hoof-like
fingertips of his hands. Despite the colour change, he felt no different; after
the tingling left by the nanites that had recoloured his fur, he still felt
just like himself, even if he no longer looked so when he checked himself in
the mirror again, scarcely believing it.
"H-Holy...
shit," he said.
"What
do you think?" Akio asked.
"I...
think I'm looking at a rare gray caribou," replied Han, looking at Akio. "This
is just... I don't know how to even describe it; strange, if nothing else." He
snarked as it suddenly dawned on him why Daniel had been The Warp for going on
two years without any concern to anyone finding out who he was. "So this is how
he's done it; why no one has ever made the connection of The Warp being Daniel
Tonraq."
"And
what gave him the nickname 'the Ghost of Toronto'," added Akio.
Han
snarked again. "Yeah, that part's extremely clear here," he said before turning
to Akio. "So how about I try on that uniform now?"
Moments
later, Han had adorned his new costume, and returned to the mirror to see
himself, posing with his batons in hand and seeing his new look with a sudden
rush of glee, feeling powerful as he studied the way he filled the suit,
hugging his body with mild snugness though without any restriction to his
movement. He changed his pose several times, seeing himself from various
angles, and even did a few practice swings with his batons, all the while
grinning at the new look.
"Ho-ho-ho
I look badass!" He exclaimed, excitedly. "This is freakin' awesome!"
Akio
was almost laughing at the childish glee Han felt as he saw himself in costume
for the first time, before he cleared his throat. "The suit is made of a Kevlar
tri-weave; can stop any small-arms bullet -though watch out for rifles; it'll
protect you pretty well but a straight shot could still get through," he
explained.
"What
about knives?" Han asked, looking away from the mirror at the weasel.
"It'll
stop everything from a stiletto to a butcher knife, but stay mobile if you're
up against a someone using a bowie or a KABAR," explained Akio. "Your mask also
doesn't offer any protection so watch your face or you could lose an eyeball."
Han
cringed. "Nasty thought; thanks."
"You're
welcome," Akio returned with a smug grin. "Lastly, you remember those disks on
the back of your clubs; the ones for emitting sound?" Han nodded. "I put
similar ones on the anklets, so that if you're knocked down, you can smack them
together to emit soundwaves to protect yourself."
"Like
something out of Wizard of Oz," said Han.
"Never
thought of it like that, but I guess so."
Han
returned to looking at himself in the mirror, and suddenly saw the smiling,
red-masked face of his cousin standing behind him. Han started and let out a
yelp before he slowly turned to face Warp with a blank expression -though his
mask hid most of it, leaving only his eyes to be read. "How long you been
standing there?" He asked.
"Since
Akio began the knife explanation," replied Warp, peeling off of his own mask
and removing his recoloured disguise.
"You
sure were back sooner than I expected," Han pointed out.
Daniel
shrugged. "Just a local gang; nobody dangerous," he replied. "Half of them ran,
the other half attacked with their eyes closed. A Karate yellow-belt could've
beaten them."
Han
chuckled. "Wow, sad," he said. "Now I don't feel so bad about missing out."
"Yeah;
you didn't miss much," replied Daniel.
"Well
nevertheless, can I go on the next one?" Han asked.
"Depending
on the severity?" Daniel returned. "I'll think about it."
Akio
patted Daniel on the shoulder as he walked past. "Come now, Dan; I'm sure he
could handle a few street punks."
"I
only just started his training, Akio," Daniel reminded
"He's
been a Park Ranger for a year," Akio countered. "He's a professional."
Daniel
crossed his arms. "And what about if we run into someone as dangerous as J?sh?,
or one of the major crime factions?"
Han
stepped in between them. "Don't I get a say in this?" He asked. "I know I'm a
rookie, but I can handle myself; I've got superpowers after all."
"So
do I," Daniel reminded. "And I can still get disemboweled like anyone else."
"You
teleport; I create sonic booms by clapping my hands," Han retorted. "I think
there's a big difference between our powers."
"Yes;
I've mastered mine," Daniel replied. "You are still a work in progress."
"The
way we were talking back on the island you sounded like you had absolute faith
in my powers," Han stated.
"I
do have faith in your powers, Han, but we still don't know the extent of your
abilities," Daniel reasoned. "Your fighting skills are not what I question; you
proved you can fight, but using powers isn't the same -for all we know you
could blow over a skyscraper by yelling
at it."
Han
scowled. "Daniel, if I were really capable of that much power..."
"Not.
The. Point." The elder caribou said with such firmness he actually made Han
feel small. "Until we are sure you've mastered your powers and can fully
control them, there's risk of collateral. I offered to train you and you
accepted; when you chose to undergo my training, you also agreed to follow my
lead. I know you're eager to make a difference -when I found Whiptail he was
the same way, and he almost got himself killed in his recklessness." He put a
hand on Han's shoulder. "So I am asking you, be patient, and trust me."
Han
listened to Daniel's words carefully until he was finished, blinking at him
until he let out a long, drawn-out sigh. "Okay, okay; I get it. Another of
those cliche 'patience' lectures like in a certain sci-fi classic," he said.
"Alright, I'll wait until we've trained for a while."
Daniel
nodded. "Don't worry, Han; you will get your chance, I promise."
Han
nodded back. "Okay," he said.
Daniel
looked at Akio briefly, and then back at Han again. "Let's call it a night for
now," he said. "It's a slow evening; I think we can retire early."
"Agreed,"
stated Akio.
"Anyone
for coffee?" Han offered. "New guy's treat."
"I'm
all for that," replied Daniel. "But, let's get into something that won't grab
so much attention."
Han
laughed gingerly. "Yeah."
~~~~~
31st
October, 2015
Han
moved slowly as he mimicked Daniel's movements, following them to the best of
his ability as the two masked caribou practiced routines for the second night
in a row. In response to Han having shown Daniel some of his police training
techniques, Daniel had offered to teach him some skills better suited for
offensive combat rather than defensive, and that meant passing on some of his
Muai Thai training to his cousin. Han could already throw a decent punch to
hurt a man, but now Daniel would teach him how to throw a punch that could put
a man on the floor.
They
stood side-by-side, with Han trying to follow Daniel's movements to the best of
his abilities. Daniel was practical, teaching Han how to do the moves by
guiding him step by step, but Han was nowhere near as fast or precise as his
cousin yet -that would take time. Daniel could teach him the moves, but it
would be up to Han to practice them until, as Daniel put it, every muscle in
his body knew them. Han was allowed to use the training dummy when Daniel
thought he had the grasp of the attacks.
As
Han performed a straight punch though, Daniel told him to stop. "Try putting
both your shoulder and your hips into the punch; all those muscles working
together will amplify the force of the hit." Concluding the explanation, he
gestured to the training dummy, and allowed Han to resume.
Han
turned to the foam dummy, putting up his fists and standing as Daniel had
instructed him to -left shoulder forward, right shoulder back, since Han
dominantly used his right-hand for attacking even though he was ambidextrous.
He sucked in a breath, and then tried the punch again. Failed. He tried again
and again, until on the sixth punch, he heard Daniel chime with approval, and
the dummy nearly fell back from the force of his fist.
"Now
you're getting it," said Daniel. "Now, I know most of the time you will likely
be using your clubs in battle, but keep practicing these fist techniques when
you can; just in case you are ever disarmed."
Han
panted for breath as he listened to his cousin's explanation attentively,
before asking a question of his own. "I'm just wondering, and I know this is
odd for a law enforcement officer to ask," he bean, "but when dealing with
especially dangerous criminals, the kind that would probably never be taken by
the cops alive, what's our policy for that?"
"Same
as the police, but without limitations on how much force we can apply," replied
Daniel. "Depending on how dangerous the criminal we are is, we limit ourselves
only to what it takes to bring them down. As with the police, killing is a last
resort -one we need to make sure we follow to the letter. Unless they are
holding a switch that'll cause a bomb to go off in a high populated area, or
something just as severe, we only incapacitate them."
Han
nodded in understanding. "Right," he said, before a thought crossed his mind.
"In this 'Muai Thai' you're teaching me, are there any kicks or something I
could use?"
Daniel
nodded. "Yes. You remember me telling you about the Flying Knee?" He asked.
"That's one of them, and a personal favorite of mine."
"Since
my legs are free more often than my hands, can you teach me some of those?"
Daniel
looked uncertain as he answered that question. "I can try... but to be honest I
was never very good at the kicks."
"You
don't know them?" Han asked, surprised. "I thought you were a blackbelt?"
"Sash,"
corrected Daniel. "And I'm at red, which states I've mastered the techniques
and am one rank below teacher. Though don't mistake that for me being unable to
teach."
"Okay,"
began Han, "so you aren't very good at the kicks; why?"
"I
don't know; was always just better with my arms," replied Daniel. "I can do the
knee strikes fine and I can still teach you the kicks. Showing them to you will
be a little harder for me, but to properly perform them we'll need to develop
your flexibility a little, so we'll do that while we continue working on the
rest."
Han
nodded back, and their practice resumed as before...
Later,
the two were having a weapons practice session, staff against twin clubs as
before, when Daniel's cell phone began to ring. The two caribou bucks were
annoyed; the second night in a row their practice had been interrupted, but
Daniel answered the call diligently, retrieving his phone from the nearby
folding table, over which his cape was draped, checking to see who the caller
was.
"It's
Akio; must be something going on in the city," he said to Han before he
answered. "Yeah?"
Han
waited, gathering up his belongings as Daniel spoke to Akio, certain that this
was probably an emergency back in town that Daniel would have to respond to. He
had his clubs tucked under his arm and was dabbing his face with a towel when
Daniel hung up the phone and turned to him. "Problems?" He asked.
"There's
a standoff at the docks," replied Daniel. "The Desert Moon brought something in
at the docks, and the Yakuza have engaged them -apparently they've claimed that
area as their territory now."
"I
thought you chased off the Yakuza?" Han asked.
"I
thought so too but it seems there's still a splinter group in town -probably
some guys J?sh? brought with him when he came to Canada," replied Daniel as he
raised a hand to run his fingers over his mask. "Well, tonight I finish what I
started, then," he said. "Let's take you back to the Bunker."
Han
wanted to offer to help but he knew Daniel would refuse him if he did, and
simply waited until Daniel put his cape back on and collected his staff before
he took his hand and they teleported back to the Bunker. As usual, Han was left
tipsy and with his head swimming from the act when they reappeared in the Bunker,
and Daniel went to collect some additional gear for the objective.
Akio
was typing furiously away at the terminal, the police scanner and radio buzzing
behind him, with rampant chatter about gunshots and even an officer demanding
where their SWAT backup was. "I'm trying to hack into some cameras at the
docks, so I can advise you when you get there," stated Akio. "Looks like you
were right, Daniel; Halloween is a crazy time around here."
"This
wasn't exactly what I had in mind," remarked Daniel, putting his microphone
receiver into his ear. "I'm on my way there now."
"Be
careful, cousin," said Han.
When
Daniel turned to him, he smiled gingerly. "Don't worry; I'll be back soon," he
promised before vanishing in a flash of light."
Han
let out another sigh, disappointed. Akio looked up at him when he heard the
sigh, arching an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you did not offer to accompany him,"
he remarked.
"Why
bother? He'd have just said no," Han returned.
"Hai, most likely," returned the weasel.
"But you can at least watch his progress with me; I've just about got the dock
camera feed."
Han
nodded, and walked around the desk to stand at Akio's side, watching over his
shoulder as images of the docks from multiple views came up, and his eyes
widened as he saw what he soon recognized as one of the docks for the ferry
terminal, seeing the Yakuza gunmen onboard what appeared to be one of the said
ferries, apparently hijacked, and on the pier were men in turbans,
loose-fitting clothes and veils -the Desert Moon gangsters. The two sides were
trading shots, sub-machine guns and AK47's trading a storm of bullets as the
gangs fought over something unknown. Han narrowed his eyes as he studied the
layout of the area, feeling a pang of worry.
"Not
a lot of cover there," he said. "If those guys turn their guns on Daniel he may
be in trouble."
"Not
to worry; Daniel has battled there many times," he said. "He knows all of the
best locations to set an ambush." Akio pointed at a spot on the screen. "And
look; here comes a police boat. They'll be able to pincer the two gangs from
there, especially if Daniel thins the herd a little."
Han
narrowed his eyes in suspicion, and turned his attention to the police scanner,
adjusting the news radio's volume to listen in on the broadcast, his ears
flicking as he heard a report.
"Dispatch, dispatch; this is Alpha 1-0-9! We
are still unable to get close to the scene; the firefight is too wild! Where is
our Code 11?!"
"Alpha 1-0-9, Code 11 is fifteen
minutes away. Do not engage, repeat; do not engage. Keep back until they
arrive."
"Dispatch this is Charlie 2-2-4; we
have sighted a police water vehicle approaching the dock; can you confirm
backup on the water?"
"Charlie 2-2-4, repeat; you have
sighted a Lake Unit?."
"Affirmative, dispatch."
"Standby for update."
Han stiffened
as he heard that last report, and hesitating only a second he turned to Akio.
"Zoom in on that police boat," he said.
Akio
looked at him oddly before he did as requested, using a secondary software to
capture an image of the boat and zero in on it; the image was distorted as he
enlarged the image, but it a little retexturing he managed to clear it up
slightly, giving them a view of the boat.
"Lights
are off," Han remarked.
"Maybe
they're trying to sneak up on them?" Akio suggested.
"Then
why does the dispatch not know of them?" Han asked. "Something's not right
here; I think that boat is hijacked."
"By
who?"
"Who
cares? Warn Daniel; if it's not cops on that boat he won't know they're
coming," replied Han. "Where is he anyway?"
"There,"
Akio pointed at the screen, or more specifically, at the hijacked ferry, where
The Warp had engaged the Yakuza, going for the gunmen first. He appeared and
disappeared at seemingly random parts of the boat, when in fact it was a
strategic attack, targeting men at one end before going for men at the other
while their backs were turned. To Han, it was aweing to see his cousin in
action, seeing how he flawlessly transferred between targets -even one that
were twenty feet away, and struck them down in seconds.
But
he shook himself out of his entrancement as Akio tried to call his cousin.
"Warp? Warp, do you hear me?" Akio tried again and again, but the white-clad
caribou one the screen never reacted or replied even when he had ample moments
to do so. "I don't think he can hear me..."
"Why
not?" Han asked, worried now.
"I
don't know; his commlink's not receiving," replied Akio.
As
if to confirm Han's worst fears, the police radio suddenly fizzed again, and
the voice of the dispatcher was once more heard. "Charlie 2-2-4; there are no Lake Patrol units in your vicinity, repeat;
we have no backup on the water. The boat is not one of ours."
The
eyes of the caribou and the weasel met, gazes filled with horror.
"Dammit,
he's going to get caught in crossfire!" Han exclaimed as it became clear that
his cousin was in danger. Suddenly, at that moment, he knew just what he needed
to do. "I'm going down there!"
"Han,
wait...!" Akio began, but Han silenced him with a hand.
"If
I don't do something, Daniel might be killed!" He protested.
Akio
reached across his desk and picked up something, handing it to Han. "At least
take this with you." He said.
Han
looked at the item, seeing a little microphone device that seemed suited to fit
into his ear. "Another receiver?"
"Yes;
so I can keep in contact and advise you," replied Akio. "Just don't go
overboard; you've never faced these kinds of odds before."
"If
I don't, Toronto will be missing its favorite superhero," said Han.
Akio
nodded, and motioned for Han to get moving. "You'll find your bike right where
you left it six doors to your left when you get out to the street," he said.
Han
thanked Akio before he put on his mask, and as it coloured his fur he grabbed
his batons and slipped them into the holsters on his back, and ran for the
door, which opened as he approached it -compliments of Akio. He'd never
actually been in the building that The Bunker was beneath, so he had no idea
what to expect when he ran out into the hall, spotting the stairs easily and
striding up the steps to the main floor, where he found himself in what
appeared to have once been a store.
He
didn't wait to look around though; he went out the front door, sharply turning
left and striding down the street until he found his motorcycle. He jumped on
hurriedly, starting it and gunning the engine, practically flying out onto the
street again and riding as fast as he could for the docks, feeling the wind
rushing around him faster and harder with every shift of the gears to increase
his speed.
"Please
let me get there in time!" He said, urgently.
~~~~~
The
sound of Warp's fist striking the face of the Japanese fox marked the last of
the Yakuza gunmen for him to be concerned with. With that, he turned his
attention to the men on the pier, taking advantage of their brief pause to
teleport over to them as well and appear at the back, where he struck the first
of them on the back of the head, knocking off his turban while simultaneously
rendering him unconscious.
The
others quickly turned to react; Warp grabbed the two closest and smacked their
heads together, before he teleported directly into the face of the next one and
struck him with his elbow, aiming the strike perfectly. Three remained, and two
of them were still reloading their weapons. Warp targeted the one with the
loaded weapon first, narrowly dodging a spray of bullets as he teleported
behind the man, elbowing him in the back of the head before spinning around,
seizing him by his clothes and hurling him at one of the remaining two men.
They
were down for the moment, giving Warp the chance to knock out the last male, a
jackal, by leaping towards him, teleporting, and using the carried momentum to
ram his knee into the male jackals's face, sending him the ground howling in
pain as his nose was crushed by the force of Warp's knee. The other two
scurried back to their feet, but knew they had no time to seize their guns.
Both of them brandished wicked Jambiya knives, and the one on the left, a male
cat, charged him.
Daniel
blocked the slash with his gauntlet, the steel dagger meeting his concealed
Titanium bracer harmlessly, before he seized the man by the wrist with that
same arm, yanked him forward and knee-bombed him in the solar plexus, sending
the cat to the ground gasping for air. The second male, another jackal, rushed
in and swung at Warp repeatedly with his knife, every swing missing as Warp
expertly dodged every slash, catching the fifth swing with his hand before
striking the jackal in the nose. He dropped the knife, stumbling back, but as
he lunged forward, Warp delivered a powerful uppercut to his face that sent the
jackal dropping to the ground with a heavy thud, knocked senseless by the
punch.
Looking
around, Warp confirmed that he had finished off the last of the hostiles, he
turned his attention back to the boat; he had taken out the gunmen on the top
deck but there were still some Yakuza mobsters on board. Teleporting back to
the deck, he looked around for them, but saw they had ducked for cover for some
reason, as if expecting a shot from somewhere...
Before
he could ponder this, more gunfire erupted from the water; Warp ducked down as
bullets hit the ceiling above him, and he quickly rolled to the side, keeping
low. The shots were coming from the police boat he had vaguely noticed while
fighting the gunmen on the boat, but if it was a police vehicle why were they
shooting already? The Yakuza were no longer firing back and they had given no
warning...
Taking
a second to listen, he realized quickly that the guns sounded like more AK's.
"Shit!"
He cursed, realizing that the police boat must've been hijacked, and was now
occupied by more Desert Moon thugs.
Without
being able to safely look at the boat, he couldn't teleport to it, but just as
he thought he could do just that, a louder gun was being fired, and a storm of
bullets tore into the boat, one of them striking the wall dangerously close to
him. He saw a Yakuza canine stand up and take aim with his gun only to be torn
apart by the storm of bullets when it swept his way. The men on the boat
clearly had something bigger than another AK, and now Warp was in the
suppressive fire; he couldn't focus his thoughts right away because of the hail
of rounds, and was sure he'd be hit before he could teleport.
Out
on the street, the line of police cars could only watch in horror at the
seemingly endless spray of gunfire from the boat, whittling away at the
hijacked ferry. They recognized that it could not be a rifle firing emitting those
barrel flashes -the suspects were in possession of a prohibited light machine
gun; they were not equipped to face such a heavy weapon alone, and they felt
helpless.
But
then, the revving of a motorcycle caught the attention of a few officers; they
turned around, and just barely saw an American Chopper come barreling up the
street, avoiding the barricade and speeding along the slope leading down to the
pier, following it before making a sharp right onto the wooden wharf.
"Who's
that?" A male officer asked.
A
female officer standing next to him took note that it was another caribou, but
in darker colours; she knew it couldn't be The Warp -especially since she knew
he was out on the hijacked boat already. "I... have no idea," she replied.
Han
sped down the pier, dodging the six unconscious middle-eastern males -no doubt
the work of his cousin, and skidded to a stop at the edge, seeing the gunfire
aimed at the boat. He could only guess that Warp was on board and was the
target of the bullet storm. Pulling his clubs from their holster he stepped off
of his motorbike, letting it drop to its side -limiting himself only to a
cringe as he mentally apologized to his motorcycle- and stepped to the edge.
"Now
or never," he said as he turned the clubs around to the proper alignment before
opening his arms, holding his clubs outward and aiming carefully before he
slammed them together, the golf ball-sized disks of brass rebounding and
emitting a powerful sonic blast that, using his powers, he amplified and aimed towards
the boat.
The
water split as the invisible wave of force travelled across, closing the
distance in an instant and sending the stolen police boat teetering ominously;
the gunfire stopped, and Han was pretty sure that even out on the dark waters,
he'd seen one of the men aboard the boat fall over the side though he could not
hear the sound of the splash over the sonic blast he had just sent at the boat,
reverberating across the water and creating plumes that seemed to go on forever
into the night.
The
sound emitted by the blast was like the shattering of glass in an endless loop,
but Han's ears felt no pain. More than could be said for the men on the boat
minus the one who had fallen off; they had released their weapons, throwing
hands over their ears and spouting curses as those standing lost their balance
and fell to the deck. Warp, still on the ferry and miraculously having evaded
harm so far, seized the opportunity and teleported to the stolen boat,
appearing above it just as the machine gunner was standing back up, only to
fall victim to a falling elbow strike.
Han
couldn't see it, but he knew his cousin was clobbering the thugs; they were
yelling in terror, spouting curses in their native tongues that were quickly
drowned out by stray gunfire or the resounding noise of bone -or maybe metal
-meeting bone. Soon, an eerie silence fell across the docks. Han didn't like
the quiet, and soon he focused on the sound of Daniel's voice, commanding all
other sounds -the splashing of the waves, the sirens of approaching police
vehicles arriving as backup, and any other chattering nearby.
"HAN."
It
wasn't a yell, but because it was the only sound he was allowing to be heard it
was much louder than was intended, the younger caribou almost jumped out of his
skin as he suddenly heard his cousin's voice behind him, his heart racing as he
whirled around to face him.
"God
DAMN it, don't do that!"
"Sorry,"
returned Warp. "I did try to wave to you but then I realized you probably
couldn't see me."
"Well
doi; it's night time. I'm not an owl, cousin," returned Han.
Warp
actually chuckled at that. "Right," he said, and then beamed as he addressed
his cousin again. "Thank you."
Han
felt the adrenaline from his earlier spook -as well as what was left from his
fear for Daniel's safety, wane away as he heard his costumed cousin thank him.
He stood dumbfounded for a moment before he smiled back, and nodded to Daniel.
"No problem," he said. "We're family, after all, and we take care of each
other."
Warp
nodded back to him. "That's right," he said, in an almost melancholic tone,
before turning his gaze over to the ferry as more gunshots were heard; the cops
had come onto the pier, and some of the recovered Yakuza mobsters were back up
and were taking shots at them, driving them back to cover. He turned his gaze
back to Han again. "Shall we?"
Han
grinned, though it was only vaguely visible through his mask, before holding
out his hand. "As a team," he said.
Warp
nodded. "A team."
They
grasped hands, and then Warp teleported them both onto the ferry.
They
appeared behind the Yakuza gangsters, two of them -a hare and a wolf. A single
smack to the back of the heads sent them reeling, and the two bucks kicked the
guns away, disarming them of their firearms, but not of their backups. The
gangsters sprang back to their feet; one drew a pair of sai and confronted
Warp, while the other drew a katana from the scabbard at his waist, brandishing
it as he glared at Han.
Warp
and Han stood back to back, their own weapons readied as they faced their
respective opponents. Han steeled himself for what was to come; this wasn't
some ordinary street punk he was facing now, but a dangerous felon with combat
training of his own. He had only trained shortly with his cousin, so he would be
relying entirely on his police training for this fight. That, and of course his
new tools of the trade.
"Keep
your guard up," warned Warp. "These guys are quick; don't give them an inch.
Wait for an opening and power on through."
"Got
it," replied Han.
The
sword-wielding hare rushed at Han, bringing his blade up in an overhead slash,
which Han parried with a club, a metal ringing filling the air as the two
handheld weapons met. Warp teleported into the face of the sai-wielding wolf,
elbowing him and sending him stumbling, giving Han more room to work and less
worry about his cousin getting caught by the blade if Han ducked or parried.
The hare rushed at him again, and he watched his movements carefully, blocking
and parrying with his clubs until he found an opportunity to swing at the hare,
narrowly missing him, and bringing his clubs back around to cross-guard against
a horizontal slash, entering a deadlock with the rabbit.
"The
Warp is our enemy," the hare stated, "but we have not seen you before, dark one.
Who are you?"
"Oh,
you know," replied Han with a sly grin. "I'm just here to add a little more VOLUME!" At the word 'volume', Han
amplified his voice, sending it out as a powerful kinetic blast that staggered
the hare and had him clenching his eyes as his ears rang from the shout.
Having
bought himself a second, Han swiftly holstered his clubs, charged forward and
seized the hare by his sword arm, twisting it roughly and forcing him to drop
the blade, before he widened his legs, and twisted as he fell into a rotating
crouch, using centrifugal force to send the rabbit falling to the deck, from
which he climbed onto his back and pinned him down, one arm pulled behind him
and rendering the hare immobile.
Han
looked up and saw that Warp had already dispatched his opponent and as rubbing
the soreness from his knuckles, having finished his target with an uppercut
rather than with his staff, which he pushed back to the collapsed position of a
three foot metal rod and returned it to the holster hidden beneath his cape
before he stepped over to Han.
"Well
done," the white-clad caribou complimented.
"Well
done yourself; you knocked him clean out," remarked Han.
"I've
had lots of practice," returned Warp, slyly, before he stomped his hoof in
front of the hare's face. "Now, you," he said to the downed lapine. "What were
you transporting on this ferry that could have caught the attention of the
Desert Moon in such a way?"
"I
will say nothing to you!" The hare shouted back.
WHAM!
Warp's
fist hitting the deck just a millimeter from the hare's nose had the eyes of
the Yakuza gangster as round as dinner plates, followed by a glowering stare
from him, those dead-gray eyes enough to send shivers down the hare's back.
"I
don't. Ask. Twice," Warp threatened as he pulled back his fist again...
"Hai! Alright!" The lapine cried out. "I
don't know what was in it, but we were transporting some sort of
metal-reinforced box! I think it contains a wild animal or something; it's been
sedated since we received it! Our orders were to bring it here to Toronto; it
was to be picked up once we docked. But the Desert Moon were here already,
waiting for us."
"And
where was it going?" Han asked.
"They
never told me; they didn't want us to be able to give up the information if we
were captured!"
Warp
frowned. "Like now," he said, before looking at Han and nodding to him.
Han
released the rabbits arm, fell forward and put his arm around his throat,
pushing the front of it into the pit of his elbow; the hare gagged and
struggled to break free, with Han whispering 'go to sleep' repeatedly until
finally the hare's eyes rolled back into his head and he fell limp back to the
deck.
"I
would have hit him, but that works too," remarked Warp.
"He
cooperated; I decided to be gentle," returned Han. "Although maybe we should
have asked him where the crate was."
"I
would assume," began Warp, pointing down, "on the deck below."
"...Right.
Let's check there. And we better be quick before the cops get down here."
They
left the unconscious Yakuza gangsters to lie on the deck as the two of them
proceeded to the stairs leading down to the deck below, descending one at a
time with Warp in the lead, in case anymore gangsters remained, waiting in
ambush for when they came down, but all was quiet.
Until
they heard the bang, not a gunshot, but the sound of something heavy hitting
metal. The two bucks glanced at each other warily before both redrew their
weapons and proceeded cautiously into the lower deck. This area had been hit by
the firefight as well, with countless bullets imbedded in various parts of the
deck, with a few dead. In the center of the room was a large box, almost as
large as a compact car, dented visibly from bullets hitting the sides but the
reinforced siding had held up, protecting whatever was in the crate.
And
that 'whatever' struck the door again, rattling the box and making both Warp
and Han jump, staring at the box in wonder. "What the hell is that?" Han asked.
"I
don't know, but it sounds big," replied Warp.
"What'd
the Yakuza bring, a freaking rhino?" Han asked.
BANG!
The
creature in the crate hit the door again, and this time there was an angry,
chittering growl inside of the crate. A sound that made Warp's ears flick
outward and his eyes widen in horrid realization.
"Oh
shit." He said. "I know that growl!"
CRASH!
The
door broke open as the padlock gave way to the strikes, and out of the crate
burst a huge, hairy creature with eyes shining yellow as it turned to face the
two, grinning a mouthful of fangs before it let out a shriek and held out its
arms in fury, displaying long, razor-sharp claws at the end of
disproportionately long limbs.
"What
in the hell...?!" Han began.
"The
Gremlin!" Warp exclaimed before he spun around, seized Han by his arm and
teleported away in the nick of time as the creature pounced at them, missing
them only to go flying over the railing of the boat.
The
two reappeared on the pier just as the creature fell into the water, and Warp
turned to look in horror as he heard that splash. "Oh no... this just got
worse."
"You
want to tell me what the heck THAT was, cousin?" Han asked.
"A
creature a fought a few months ago, and that's all I've got time to say." He
held his staff in both hands. "Things are about to get even worse."
"A
big hairy monster is on that boat; what could be worse than that?" Han asked.
"Try
several of them," replied Warp.
Han
arched an eyebrow. "Eh?" He asked.
As
if cued, there was a splash, and a hand reached over the end of the pier,
lifting the body it belonged to over the side as the Gremlin climbed out of the
water. Two more hands appeared, however, and were followed quickly by two more
Gremlins, all of them as big and ugly as the first, baring mouthfuls of fangs
as they rose from the waves of Lake Ontario, standing on the pier and dripping
wet. As they watched, the center one began to twitch randomly, sputtering as
half of its body seemed to melt and pull away from it. Han felt his stomach
lurch as he watched that half become a glob of goo, splattering to the pier and
breaking away from the half that remained solid, only for that missing half to
reform faster right before his very eyes, leaving the Gremlin whole and
unharmed...
And
from the glob of goo, which rose up to the height of the other three Gremlins,
a fourth one formed, growing skin, fur, eyeballs and limbs faster than Han
could count to five on one hand, identical to the first in appearance. Now,
four Gremlins stood at the end of the pier, each one as big as the first one,
and leaving onlookers -including the police at the opposite end- bewildered and
disgusted by what they had just seen.
"Oh..."
Han said, his ears falling. "This is a problem."
"Bunker,
did you see that?" Warp asked.
"I did, Warp; your camera feed is clear. I must say,
that was the most amazing -and grotesque- thing I have ever witnessed."
"That
makes two of us," Han remarked. "How do we beat these things?"
"The clones are unstable; they don't last long. But
whatever you do, do not let the original fall back into the water again or he'll multiply
further."
"How
do we tell the original?" Han asked further.
"The
one on the left there," Warp pointed ahead, at one among the Gremlins that
appeared to be panting for breath. "Cloning tires him, so whichever one seems
fatigued, and probably still a little sedated, is the original. Watch out for
their claws; those things are sharp."
"Duly
noted."
The
Gremlins shrieked, and dropped to all fours as they charged, faster than Han
believed that creatures of such size should have been capable of moving. Out of
instinct, he held out his batons and smacked them together, directing a sonic
blast towards the Gremlins, the boards of the pier shuddering as the unseen
blast travelled towards them. But when it hit, that is when the two bucks found
another surprise.
The
clone that took the hit suddenly seemed to melt as the sound struck it,
becoming its gooey state again and spraying all over its comrades and the pier.
The unexpectedness of what happened distracted them for a moment, until the
three Gremlins finished closing the distance and pounced. Warp seized Han
again, teleporting once more, back to the shoreline where there was more open
ground.
"Bunker,
did you see that?!" Warp asked.
"I did! What did you do?"
"Han
hit them with a soundwave attack and it just... splattered!" Warp replied.
"Sound... Sound! The instability; soundwaves
must affect the clones at a molecular level, causing them to destabilize! Han's
the key to beating the Gremlin clones!"
"Huh.
Go figure," remarked Han.
"Do
it again!" Warp exclaimed.
Han
looked ahead, seeing the Gremlins were charging at them again. Reacting
quickly, Han once more struck his clubs together again, aiming for one of the
triplets; as with the first, this one turned back to a liquid state and melted
to the ground with a sickening slop. However, Han didn't have time to smack his
clubs together again before the other two were upon them; Warp teleported above
the first Gremlin that charged for him, striking it from overhead as he landed
on its back, but Han was too slow, and was tackled to the ground by the fourth
one.
Losing
his clubs as he fell, Han pushed against The Gremlin's face as it tried to bite
him, the horrid, reeking stench of its breath making him want to vomit as it
shrieked in his face. Remembering everything Akio had told him about his suit,
Han struck his ankles together, mentally commanding the soundwaves to emit as a
pulse. He braced himself as he expected the Gremlin on top of him to melt as
the other two had, but it didn't; it was sent flying over his head by the
soundwaves, tumbling through the air before hitting the ground, dazed.
Han
rolled over onto his stomach, quickly noting the lack of destabilization and
realizing it could only mean one thing. "Dan!" Han called out to his cousin,
who was still fighting his target, battering it with his staff as it tried to
claw him. "That one's another clone; the original is over here!"
Retrieving
his clubs, Han waited until his cousin had teleported away before he sprang to
his feet, and struck his clubs together again to deliver the final soundwave
attack to destabilize the last clone. As with the other two, it melted into a
liquid state, splashing to the ground wetly, and leaving the two caribou with
only one to worry about. Warp was already on that one, dodging, ducking and
teleporting out of the path of his claw swipes. It was time for Han to make
like a hero and join him.
Han
charged, running towards the Gremlin as Warp battered it in the head with his
staff, staggering it, and not a second later, Han leapt towards it and
bludgeoned the Gremlin with his baton. Staff, baton, staff, baton; the Gremlin
was caught in the middle of a two-sided beatdown, the cousins standing at its
sides and striking it on the back and front, making him tense up as it tried to
resist the pain. It shrieked, swiping its claws at Han, who ducked under the swipe.
Turning his back to Warp proved to be a mistake as he teleported over him again
and struck him on the top of the head with his staff again, and the battering
onslaught of bludgeons continued.
This
time, the Gremlin swung its claws at Warp, who teleported backward to escape
from the swipe, and Han rolled out in front of the creature, acting as his
instincts drove him and striking his batons together again, not hard enough to
send the Gremlin flying, else it might go into the lake once more, but enough to
disorient it and make it grab its ears in pain. Warp appeared behind it and
landed on its back, throwing his staff to stick in the sand before performing a
pincer punch to both sides of its head, striking the Gremlin behind the ears.
Its mouth hung open in a silent shriek, until the creature's eyes fell
half-lidded and its body became limp, teetering side-to-side before it finally
fell over, throwing Warp off of its head before it struck the ground with a
long groan.
Warp
rolled after striking the ground, and after returning to an upright position,
he stared at the Gremlin for a long moment until he was certain it wasn't
getting back up, and allowed himself to relax. "Happy fucking Halloween," he
grumbled.
Han
let out a breath he didn't even realize he had been holding, and looked at his
cousin, clearly desperate for answers. "Is life always this fun for you?" He
asked.
"Nope.
Actually, some days are actually busy," Warp sarcastically replied while
flashing a smirk at his cousin. "Now, let's leave the rest to the police." He
retrieved his staff from where he had thrown it into the sand, looking up at
the cops finally began moving in, SWAT units making a beeline for the ferry
while other officers apprehended the downed Desert Moon members, and the rest
were approaching the Gremlin.
Warp
quickly placed his hand on his cousin's shoulder, teleporting back to where Han
had left his motorcycle, where Han lifted it back to its upright position,
climbing on with Daniel sitting on the back, and teleporting again after Han
kick-started the bike. They reappeared on the street ignoring the shouting
officers as Han shifted to first gear and popped a wheelie as they took off,
Warp's cape trailing behind the moving bike as they rode and fled the scene to
return to home base...
~~~~
Akio
was on his feet the moment Warp and Han reappeared in the Bunker, practically
applauding the two as he gleefully stood up and exclaimed. "That was amazing;
you beat the Gremlin!" He said. "And you took on two criminal gangs at the same
time!"
The
two caribou males smiled at Akio's optimism before collapsing into a pair of
chairs to catch their breath; with the adrenaline of their earlier fights, the
aftermath fatigue was starting to set in, leaving the two exhausted and not
wanting to stand up to celebrate with the weasel. Han was the first to reach
behind his head to unfasten the velcro of his mask, pulling it away as his fur
and eyes returned to their normal colours, with Warp not far behind him, his
face returning to that of Daniel Tonraq.
"Hell
of a first night on the job," Han remarked.
Daniel
laughed lightly. "Yes," he said. "But you did very good." He looked at his
cousin. "You made good use of both your powers and your martial talents, just
as I aimed to teach you. You've already learned the basics of the Harmonious
Combination."
"Really?
You've only been training me for a day," replied Han.
"Mastering
both your skill and your powers are the first step," replied Daniel, sitting up
slightly as he regarded his cousin. "Using them in absolute sync, like you saw
me do, is the second. Third is creating technique specific to yourself; your
training is already past step one. More development will be needed but you may
learn this stuff even quicker than Whiptail did when I taught him. If I didn't
know better, Han," he smiled. "I'd think you were meant for this."
Han
felt honoured by his cousin's words, and a little amazed at himself. His
training had barely begun, and already he was on his way. He raised one of his
hands, looking at it for a moment before turning his gaze to the other, which
held his mask. He looked it in the eye as if the mask were another face,
staring back at him. "I'm going to need a name," he said. "Something that works
for me."
"What'd
you have in mind?" Daniel asked.
"Vibration?
No, that could made to something lewd," remarked Akio. "Pulse? Echo?
Soundwave?"
Han
perked up, and felt a smile cross his features as the answer seemed to just
dawn on him. "I got it," he said. "I said it before when I was fighting that
sword-swinging bunny. When I told him I was there to turn up the 'volume'."
Daniel
nodded. "I remember seeing it," he said, and then his gaze trailed off as he
thought back. "Volume..." He smiled. "That's perfect; Volume."
"The
man who controls sound," Akio added, nodding in approval. "Volume is the perfect name!"
Han
nodded in agreement, looking between the two. "Volume it is, then."
"Well
then, Volume," said Daniel, standing up from the chair. "You're now on the
path, and the road only gets bumpier from here. You ready for that?"
Han
grinned widely as he too stood up. "Damn rights I am. I've got the power, and
it's time I make use of it."
"Then
tomorrow, we resume our training as before," said Daniel. "Warp and Volume, the
defenders of Toronto."
"Team
Ghost," added Akio.
Han
chuckled. "Not so sure about 'Ghost', but team, definitely."
Han
felt his heart swelling with pride as he stood with Daniel and Akio -his new
team, and the ones who would guide him to becoming the hero he hoped he could
be. As Daniel had said, he was now on the path, and there was no turning back.
Not that he even considered doing so; he had waited all of his life for this
moment to arrive and he wasn't about to turn it away, not when it was in his
hand. He would see this through, and he would become Volume.
~~~~~
Unknown location, Cairo
Egypt, four days later...
Etheram
was practically thrown into the chambers of the master as the doors opened; he
stumbled, falling onto his stomach and having the wind knocked out of him as he
hit the floor. He coughed, and looked back at the doors as they slammed shut,
trapping him in the room. He stood up, and took a step towards them, but
stopped; he knew they would not open for him until he was permitted to leave...
assuming he lived long enough to leave.
The
Afghani Leopard felt his heart racing as he realized his situation. Of course,
he'd known what awaited him when he was summoned back from the west by the
master; commanded to return to face punishment for his failures. But he had
thought he'd be taken to the torturer, not directly to the master himself! And
now he was trapped there, trapped in that room... trapped with him...
"Etheram,"
a deep, terrifying voice called from the shadows across the room, cast by the
lack of light coming through the windows above where an armoured figure sat.
"You know why you are here, do you not?"
Etheram
stood frozen for a moment before he felt his knees turn to jelly. He dropped
onto his knees, falling to his belly and grovelling towards the figure in the
shadows, feeling his heart thundering in his chest upon hearing him talk to him. "Y-Yes my lord!" He
replied. "I know that I have failed you...!"
"You
have more than failed me, Etheram,"
returned the master. Etheram heard his master rising from his seat, and merely
knowing that he was approaching had his heart beating even faster, certain that
his death was imminent. "You have cost our cause much with your failures; we
have lost resources, members and valuable assets that could aid in our
objectives, all because you cannot handle a worthless infidel from the west.
You even failed to capture the beast like I told you; we could have used that
creature to topple any who oppose me."
"Master,
please!" Ethan begged, rising up to look at his master, only to nearly shriek
as he saw the armoured figure was standing right in front of him, looming over
him like a giant, and staring down at him through the empty eyeholes of his
mask-helm that covered his entire face, leaving him impossible to identify.
"I-I-I have tried everything to stop him! But, this caribou -this 'Ghost of
Toronto', he is no mere mortal! He is like you; he...!"
A
blade appeared from the master's arm, stopping just millimeters from Etheram's
throat and silencing him. Though he could only barely see the eyes of his
master, he knew that he was glaring down at him, and froze, becoming deathly
still.
"No
living being... on this wretched
earth... is like me," he stated in a warning tone as Etheram trembled, certain
that he was about to die at that very moment. "None possess my perception." The
blade pressed against Etheran's chin as if to confirm his fears, and he shut
his eyes, waiting to feel the sting of his master's blade as he knew he soon would. "However..." the
master stated before he pulled the blade back. "I hear your heart, and I know
it beats only from the terror of what I will do to you for your failure... it
seems that this one is indeed more than my servants can handle."
"Y-Yes
my lord," returned Etheram. "He appears from flashes of light, and strikes us
down before we even realize he is there. He is like a specter; untouchable."
The
armoured figure hummed in thought for a few seconds, before he suddenly raised
his arm, and Etheram once more felt certain he was about to be run through,
until the master struck the round with his fist, forcing the extended blade
back to its metallic scabbard, mounted upon the wrist of its wielder. There he
stood, half crouched and completely still until he returned to an upright
position, no longer even looking at Etheram.
"This
'ghost'," he began, "will oppose my rule no longer." He took a step forward;
Etheram tensed, becoming perfectly still, watching with wide orbs as his master
walked around him. "Order my ship to prepare for departure," he commanded as he
stepped towards the door, a metallic clink marking his every footfall, along
with slight rattles from his armour as his arms swayed following every step, "I
will go to Canada, and I will banish this ghost, myself."
To be continued...