SG: Innocent Bystander #9 -- Siblings 2/2

Continued from Part 1

*****

"It's just, at least I thought I'd have a couple of weeks to relax, y'know? I've been seeing supervillains practically every day, I almost totally forgot mundane criminals were even a thing!" 

"You got that one good, though! I dunno why mom's so worried. It was pretty great, the look on that guy's face when he thought you were pulling a gun on him. Kinda creeped me out when you started giggling though. You learn that from watching those supervillains?"

"No... that just sometimes happens when the adrenaline starts wearing off." Mina's hand rested on the door handle, hesitating. "Just... don't tell Mom. I don't need her to do the full helicopter impression."

"Cross my heart! I'd never snitch on the purveyor of gator bites!" 

She gave him a threatening look, then pushed the door open.

"There you are! Did you kids have a good time?" 

Mina found herself enveloped in her mother's arms the instant she stepped into the kitchen. The older woman stepped back, looking into her face.

"Great time! Mimi paid for everything!" Drew enthused, rescuing her. 

"It's late," James looked up from the kitchen table, where he had been grading papers.

"It's Saturday night, pop! And it's only ten!"

"And have you been working on that paper, or playing video games today?" He spoke sternly, but with a grin for Mina. "Your sister has had a long day. And we have friends over for dinner tomorrow, so we want you to get some sleep."

"I am pretty tired..." Mina excused herself, not wanting conversation until her nerves had recovered.

She accepted another hug, though. "It's so good to have you back!" her mother whispered, and Mina's eyes burned with imprisoned tears.

When she got to her room, she made a beeline for her bed and dropped onto it, face first, with a groan. For a while she lay unmoving, taking in the sounds of the house. The television... Drew moving around in his room... gentle scuffing sounds as someone rummaged through a drawer...

Wait... that last one... that sounded like it was coming from her own desk...

Mina had to remind herself to keep breathing. Slowly, slowly, she turned her head, making almost no sound...

The desk was in its normal place against the wall, several of its drawers open. A wooden scarecrow of a figure knelt before it, long fingers rooting through one of them. Assorted objects removed to the top of the desk attested to the length of time the figure had been at it. 

Mina squeezed her eyes shut, but when she opened them again, the wooden creature had stood up to face her, rectangular objects dangling from its fingers. There was something about that wood--the color, and the shape of the limbs that had been arranged in a creepily skeletal, but somehow also elegant formation. Her eyes flickered over to an old wooden rocking chair she had kept in a corner. Sure enough, it was missing...

"Oh, good! You're awake." 

"Elemental..." 

Elemental spoke at a discreet volume, but the bright and cheerful tone clashed so severely with the horror of her appearance here, in this house, that it made Mina dizzy. "You've got quite the embarrassment of riches here, haven't you? I mean," and here she shook the stolen objects, which Mina realized were cassette tapes that had been impaled on the skeletal fingers. "'The Name Is Ramrod, Girl'? 'Girl, It's

Ramrod Again'? Tell me you've never actually *listened* to these!" 

Mina was coming to a realization. She was realizing that her dizzy sensation was not the result of fear alone, but fear duking it out in her skull with a substantial helping of incandescent fury.

"Those belonged to my sister, you--you--"

"Did they? I don't think much of her musical taste."

"She's dead, you creep! Put those down!" Mina hissed, sitting up.

Wooden shoulders shrugged. "As you wish." Mina watched with helpless rage as the  disemboweled cassettes fell into the waste basket, unspooled tape fluttering after them. "I'm sure you won't miss 'You Know the Government's On Your Side, Girl'. I did leave you the one bootleg concert tape, though. Now this..." she daintily picked up another object between finger and thumb, holding it out for Mina to see.

"This does mean something to you, doesn't it?"

It was an old action figure from the 90s, and its rarity might have made it a valuable collector's item had it been in pristine condition. Radian wore the heroic pose and black bodysuit of her time in Calforce, but her black and white eyes, painted in with a childish hand, dated to a time well after she had ceased to be a hero. Perhaps the paint could be removed, rendering the doll a near-mint financial blow to Mina's looming student debts, but she just couldn't bear to have it done.

"That was her favorite..." tears of grief and frustration stung her eyes, "please... just put it back..."

Elemental stared at her for a moment, carved face expressionless. Then, to Mina's surprise, she gently placed the toy back onto the desktop. Mina stared at her, confused. 

"Why did you come here...?"

"I'm allowed to talk to people who work at the cafe. I usually don't, but you're interesting."

"So you just... rummage through my stuff?"

"You didn't say anything when you came in, so I figured you wouldn't mind."

She'd been right there when Mina walked in, and she hadn't noticed. Dull human sennnnses... she wished, with a desperate pang, that Maow was with her now.

"I do mind! Why do you keep following me?" 

The figure considered for a moment, tilting its head. "I'm trying to figure out why you're not dead. You really ought to be by now--trying to have adventures with no powers or training or anything except that stupid cat toy. Yet you've done quite well for yourself, even when I wasn't there to look out for you."

The way the light fell on the wooden face made Mina realize that it was mimicking her--she recognized her own round cheeks and retrousse nose. Choosing to ignore this mockery, she asked, "That doesn't make sense. So you're trying to figure out why you haven't killed me?" 

"No! Do you take me for some kind of imbecile? I know perfectly well why *I* haven't killed you. What I'm trying to figure out is why no one else has managed it!" 

"Why you haven't...?" Mina asked, still trying to make sense of what she was hearing. "Don't tell me you have a crush on me too? If only I was this popular in highschool!"

The figure recoiled. "Mina! Don't be gross!"

"Homophobic *and* a murderer?"

"Homo--" Elemental began indignantly, then paused. "You really don't know who I am, do you?"

Mina's disgust flared back up into anger.  "Oh, I don't know who you are, do I? Try a different threat, I've heard that one too many times. If you've been stalking me, you should know I work in customer service!"

But the creature seemed stuck on that one. "You really, really--" Her head suddenly snapped to the side, and she froze. Then with surreal speed and silence, she strode to the corner where the rocking chair had been and began to twist and change. Mina stared, nauseated and fascinated, until she was distracted by a soft knock at the door. 

"Mimi? Can I come in?"

Panic flared. "Um, not just yet!" Unfortunately she had neglected to lock her door and, little brothers being notorious for prying, it was already swinging open. She spared a glance at the corner, just in time to see an ordinary chair rocking slightly back and forth. 

"Hey. I was too excited to sleep. That was some night, huh?"

"Be a dear and *don't* introduce us?" The voice was so unexpectedly close that Mina yelped, clapping a hand to her ear.

"Mimi? You okay?"

"Mosquito!" She lied brightly. "Those things get everywhere. Um. You really should get to bed."

"I thought I heard voices. Were you on the phone with your cat girlfriend? Have you got a picture?"

"Uh, no. I was actually talking to myself, since I'm slowly losing my mind!" Go away, she urged silently.

Drew gave her a sardonic look, and flopped down into the rocking chair. It immediately collapsed. 

"Sorry," the disembodied voice followed her as she jumped up to check on him, "It's harder to put things back together than it is to take them apart, and I was in a hurry..."

"Get out!" Mina hissed under her breath. Then, out loud, "Are you hurt?"

He shook his head, dazed, as she pulled him to his feet, checking him for splinters. "What the hell(tm)? I musta sat in that chair a hundred times... Now my ass hurts!"

"I don't want to hear about your ass," Mina said curtly, "Go to bed before you break something else. I've had so much excitement I'm about to drop dead."

"If you're worried about the kid, let me set your mind at ease. I don't kill kids. Well... I've never done so before. If they really, really annoyed me..."

Drew peered at her. "You sure you're okay? You've been acting weird." Something occurred to him suddenly. "Are you finally manifesting some super powers? Our little Mina, becoming a woman at last?"

"...This one, though. I could get to like this one."

"Brat! Out!" 

He snickered.

She closed the door behind him, leaning against it. "As for you," she whispered, "If you think I'm so 'interesting.' I hope you like watching people play video games, because that's ALL I'm going to be doing. That, and sleeping, and chewing with my mouth open."

"If you say so. I'll be going now, but I won't miss the dinner party tomorrow... Goodnight, Mina."

A breeze wafted past Mina to the window. She thought she saw one of the glass panels distort briefly... but then again, perhaps it was her imagination.

*****

"Afternoon, y'all!" declared the red haired woman as she stepped through the Westing's front door, large tinfoil covered dish in hand.

Sophie ushered her in, taking the container. "Debbie! Is that banana pudding? You didn't... Mina, you remember Debbie Hinkle, don't you?" The hostess looked down at the vat of custard treat in dismay, no doubt thinking of the triple-threat flan layered baked butter dulce de leches cream coated arterial murder tart (with chocolate coated berries!) already preparing to make its way into the bloodstreams of their guests.

Mina had been told this guest would be here, but she flushed awkwardly anyway. "Of course. I--I'm so sorry about your brother. I wish..." she trailed off, guiltily.

The woman rescued her with an embrace. "Thank you, hon." She held Mina tightly for a few moments, then pulled away to look at her. "I was gonna ask to hear the story from your own mouth, if you're up to it."

"I--" the memory of Ed Hinkle's death loomed large in her memory after her encounter with Elemental last night, but she didn't want to talk to his grieving sister where the creature might overhear.

Debbie looked concerned. "...But you look like you ain't slept for a week. Maybe get settled back in a bit first."

"...Yeah, ok." Mina sighed, relieved. "I really didn't sleep well. I had nightmares about it last night." It had certainly seemed like a nightmare, as she lay in her bed, thinking every tiny noise was Elemental returned for whatever incomprehensible purpose.

The woman touched Mina's arm gently. "You poor thing. Take your time. And when you're ready, you call me." Her voice turned grim. "Whatever did this has some payback coming."

"Thanks." Mina sighed as they stepped onto the back porch. To her relief, Debbie left her side to greet the other guests and Mina was left to console herself with barbecue.

"She's right, you know. You look terrible." 

Although she had been waiting for the voice all day, it still startled her into dropping a chicken wing. 

"How was I supposed to sleep when an invisible psychopath could come into my room at any moment?" She muttered, bending over to retrieve the lost fowl and conceal her moving lips from any spectators. 

"Ah." said the voice, and then it was silent for some time.

Mina headed back into the house as if to wash grass clippings off the disgraced food, but as soon as she was out of sight she dropped it on the kitchen counter and kept walking straight through the house and out the front door.

Wind swirled around her, tugging at her clothes. "Mina? Where are you going?"

"I don't want you anywhere near my family!"

"I intend them no harm, I promise!"

"I know you're a murderer, why not a liar too?"

"Mina, stop!" From the road in front of her, the figure rose: a statue of a girl in asphalt. Mina halted. "I swear by Fox and Elvis and all five Lords of the Outer Dark, I will never intentionally harm your family!"

As the words were spoken, Mina felt... something... as if the air tightened around them briefly. But the sensation passed, leaving her unsure of herself. She eyed the statue. "I don't know... you could still be lying. And what is a Lord of the Outer Dark? I don't like the sound of it."

The figure shook her head, exasperated. "Don't you know anything? ...All right, you don't trust me. I don't know how to make you trust me. I've even gone out of my way to not kill anyone in your vicinity, so as not to offend your delicate sensibilities!"

"Considerate of you."

"The sarcasm is uncalled for. My forbearance has cost me some face, let me tell you. And it's so unnecessary, since people just go to some afterlife or other when you kill them, which even *you* would know if you had been paying attention."

Mina blinked, briefly distracted. "They just... go to..."

"An afterlife, yes. You know! Good people go to a nice afterlife, bad people go to Hell(tm), either way they're out of my hair! Fox, I thought *everyone* knew about this after Satan T. Lucifer Jones himself invaded Earth in the 90s!"

"Good people... and bad..." Mina shook her head, returning to the present, "so you just 'kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out'!"

"Let *something* sort 'em out, anyway." Elemental paused thoughtfully. "There may be some clerical errors, but those aren't very common, I hope."

This, thought Mina, was more eldritch cosmology than she really needed to hear for her own peace of mind. "Okay... well... look, I don't know what you want from me, but you're terrifying, you're sinister, and I don't know how to protect myself from you. I couldn't trust you even if I wanted to!"

They stood deadlocked, Mina breathing hard, Elemental moving not at all. The light seemed to visibly redden as the sun dropped. A car roared past, which broke the animated statue from her sullen silence. 

"Very well. There doesn't seem to be much else to say. You needn't look for me; I won't come to you after today. But tell me, who was that woman who almost made you cry just now?"

"Woman?" It took a moment for her brain to shift. "Oh, you mean Debbie. The sister of the man you pushed off a building!"

"And you're still upset about that? Don't you know what that man did?"

"I know he was haunted by it. I know he was trying to make up for it..." Realization came to Mina in a flash. "And I do know who you are after all!"

"Oh?" There was something careful about the way the word sounded, but Mina forged on, excited by her revelation.

"You're the ghost of one of the women he and his gang killed back around the Revolution! What are you doing--going around hunting down all of them?" Worry hit her suddenly--were there more people in danger? Maybe not the nicest of people, but--

"Hinkle was the last of them..." the words came slowly, as if spaced between thoughts. "Mina--you've just given me an idea--a wonderful, wonderful idea!"

"Oh, no!"

Elemental laughed. "No, no, this is something you'll like! I'm going to offer you a boon! If, that is..."

Not wanting to be standing here all night waiting on a dramatic pause, Mina offered up the prompt. "If?"

"If," Elemental declared, "You can guess my true name! No, that's too easy--I don't want you to just rattle off a million names from the phone book. An extra challenge, yes--bring me something that belongs to me!"

"I have to guess your true name... and bring you something of yours? But that's not fair! What if it's impossible to get hold of?"

"I promise you, I promise you, it won't be!" Elemental was almost singing with delight. "If it is, you'll you're on the wrong track! Oh it's going to be so much fun!"

"And if I can do that, you'll give me... what?"

"A boon. A favor! Something small--a secret discovered, an enemy ki--er, rendered harmless. A million dollars in a Gucci suitcase. Something like that, as long as it's within my power."

"How about if I ask you to leave me alone?"

A shocked, offended silence. "If that's really what you want to waste your boon on," Elemental said stiffly, "then fine. But you only get to choose after you guess correctly. So you have some time to think on it."

"Oh believe me. I am!"

"Good. I'll visit you in a week's time. Be ready!"

The figure sank back into the asphalt, leaving no trace behind even when Mina poked the ground where it had disappeared.

*********

WELL.

WHO IS ELEMENTAL?

WILL MINA UNCOVER HER TRUE IDENTITY?

CAN SHE REALLY MAKE THIS SUPERNATURAL PEST DISAPPEAR FROM HER LIFE?

OR WILL SHE OPT FOR A CASH REWARD INSTEAD?

WILL SHE EVER DEVELOP SUPER POWERS?

OR WILL SHE BE CONTINUALLY MOCKED BY HER LITTLE BROTHER?

SOME OF THIS AND MORE ON THE NEXT EPISODE!

Author's note

And with that, I'm out of the backlog! Anyone who is still reading this pray to Elvis for me and my continued inspiration.

According to the timeline I've set up, Estella was probably a little too young to have participated in Ramrodmania just roll with it ok 

"The Curse of Millhaven" by Nick Cave and "The Hangman's Body Count" by Volbeat btw

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/40854900/chapters/104380566

Innocent Bystander - Chapter 9 - agiaoftyrosh - Superguy [Archive of Our Own] Chapter Text. Savannah, April 1994. Birds, they all know it, they showed it to me Forgotten by man, there stands an old hanging tree Forgotten by man, there stands an old hanging tree Some roots are still growin', they died long ago--"My Bones", The Pretty Reckless. Red energy pulsed from the altar, siphoning up into the top of the archway in waves which cascaded downward and around along ... archiveofourown.org

SG: Innocent Bystander #9 -- Siblings 1/2

Innocent Bystander Episode 9 1/2

Savannah, April 1994

Birds, they all know it, they showed it to me

Forgotten by man, there stands an old hanging tree

Forgotten by man, there stands an old hanging tree

Some roots are still growin', they died long ago

--"My Bones", The Pretty Reckless

Red energy pulsed from the altar, siphoning up into the top of the archway in waves which cascaded downward and around along intricate patterned veins, shifting as it did to purple to indigo to sky to finally settle on bright teal. It was a breathtaking display of beauty, as if the ancient spell sought to compensate for the ugliness that had come before. The flares of magic eventually died down, though to magic attuned eyes the web glowed with fresh strength. Doctor Theodore Kelley stepped back with a sigh of satisfaction, wiping his hands perfectly clean with an enchanted cloth. 

"Another one done, and another span of power and safety ahead."

"By which time," Laylah sighed luxuriously as she lowered her arms, "we will be well settled in our new home." She made a face briefly as she skipped over a stray rivulet winding its way across the stone floor, her naked flesh bouncing enticingly even in the eldritch light. Max held the silk robe out to her, eyes on his master, determined not to give her the satisfaction of looking.

A flash of annoyance briefly marred Theodore's pleased expression. "Despite your concerns to the contrary. This one performed impeccably, and your efforts to supply an understudy? Entirely unnecessary. I would appreciate it if, in the future, you looked elsewhere for such fodder than those I have put under my protection."

Laylah lowered her eyes as she pulled the robe around her body, the picture of modesty and contrition. "Yes, doctor. I only thought it might be wise to bind him closer to us."

A bark of laughter. "Certainly! We can't have this powerless man who is dependent upon us for the life of his child become a deadly Achilles heel in the few months we have left here. Then we would never see him again, but you would have a new soul for your ledgers. Isn't that why you're looking so regretful?" He chucked her under the chin, and she let a sly smile flit across her lips. "There will be more for you at our destination. Allow me the eccentricity of sparing this one. A pact with you could throw off the results of my little experiment, after all."

Nauseating. Max turned instead to see how Damon was faring. Not well, from his looks. He stood rigid, staring at the altar, a bone deep pallor beneath his dark skin. Max stepped in front of him, blocking his view. "Are you going to vomit?" The boy fixed his eyes on Max's, shook his head. The color started to return to his face. 

"It's necessary, right? That's what Doctor Kelley said." 

This was not the time to share their own sleepless witching-hour doubts. "Yes. It's the only way to maintain the spell. Let it decay, and..." they shrugged. It didn't seem necessary to include Damon in this unpleasantness, but it hadn't seemed necessary to help Stefan, either. Their master's whims must be indulged, for Max could not imagine anyone taking his place...

"Did you watch carefully, boy? There's not much to it on the physical, but the magic requires concentration and finesse. One day you may have to do this yourself." 

Max winced. No one could take their master's place, but if someone did, shouldn't it be the one who had observed him for years, instead of some teenaged neophyte? Desire had nothing to do with it; it was a matter of common sense.

Damon, however, was recovering his composure fast. "You told me to watch, so I did. It seemed real complicated, the magic that is. I don't think I could do it in a hundred years."

Kelley jovially threw his arm over Damon's shoulders. "Certainly you could, and you will have more than a hundred years to watch me at it. I have foreseen a long life for you."

Max sullenly watched the two of them walk up the stairs. They jumped a little as Laylah draped her arm around them, a parody of the two human wizards. "Well, Max," she breathed in their ear, "There you have it. Male chauvinism triumphs once again. Or is it human chauvinism? Either way, here we are, cleaning up the mess once again."

"Who's 'we'? I don't see you grabbing a mop." Max turned away, reaching for a rolled-up swatch of oiled linen. Focused on their task, they didn't see the calculating expression flash across her face as she watched them. 

When they turned back around, she was flicking the mop against the stone floor, leaving it spotless wherever she touched. On her face, an expression of serene domestication.

*****

Watch out behind you there's a

Watch out behind you there's a

Watch out behind you there's a

Watch out behind you there's a

Monster in the closet

Do you open or do you lock it?

There's a tiger with a temptress

Will your weakness outrun your fear?

--"The Ugly", Sumo Cyco

Savannah, Present

Drew watched avidly as the player maneuvered their waspish avatar through the ruins of Telly Chaddeus, deftly zipping past the slow husks. He'd never played a hymenopteran, he liked the sturdier bovid class, but he had to admit they were unbeatable for speedruns.

"Now, the biggest threat in the agriculture zone are the threshborgs, but if you avoid their aggro..." the voice in his headphones continued to speak as one of the ear pads was lifted and a new voice spoke directly into his ear.

"In MY day, young man, we played video games instead of watching them!"

"Mina!" He tore the headphones off entirely, jumping up to give his sister a hug. "If you'd done that while I was playing for real, I'da had to kill you!"

"Better than you have tried! Interesting fashion choices," she looked at the knee-length green skirt, which he swirled around, showing off. It fit quite well with his soccer jersey, she thought. "I hope the kids at school don't pick on you."

"They wouldn't dare!"

"Because they know I'll come out of retirement and kick their asses, of course. Is that the new Glowing Pneuma game?"

Drew shook his head "New? You really are out of touch, grandma." 

"Maybe you can show me how to play. It looks like I'll have some time on my hands for a bit..." she sighed, and suddenly he noticed how tired she looked, and messy. She looked like she had been rolled down a hillside in her sleep.

"You look like shit! Did they throw you out on the lawn and beat you when they gave you the sack?" 

"They didn't sack me, punk. It was a supervillain battle, and since you made that comment I won't even show you the footage I took. What do you think of that?"

Drew didn't think long. "You better show me or I'll tell Mom you're dating a furry." 

"You little--we're not dating! Not officially! And I never said we were! We might not... ever... if I can't get back..."

The topic seemed to be getting her genuinely flustered, so Drew took pity. "Calm down Mimi, you know I'm no snitch. Why don't you sit down and tell me about it? Actually," he took a theatrical sniff, "take a shower and then tell me about it over dinner. I feel like having some fried gator bites!"

That brought her spirit back. "Brat!" She glared a moment, then stomped out.

*****

Elemental tapped her way gently down the hallway, trying to mold her copper shod feet as closely as possible to match the softness of a barefoot human against hard marble floor. A game, this, to see how stealthy she could be in this lovely but rigid metal form. There was no tactical reason for it, since she could make herself quieter than any living thing by discarding her metal body for air, but she had never tired of playing with the limits of her powers since the day she had gotten them. She checked her reflection in an ornamental mirror--patina-green eyes in a penny-bright face--and smiled.

{If you think that you've seen a pair of eyes more green

Then you sure haven't seen 'em around here...}

Someone must have heard her singing, for a voice called her from the doorway to the study as she passed. Abandoning her experiment, she pirouetted on the tip of one toe and skipped with a clatter to see what her mentor might want of her. Some extradimensional excursion, she hoped. She had done well in their most recent battle, though the smelly pest Florida Man had eluded her once again.

Her expectations would be disappointed this time, she could see that right off. Laylah, known in business by her moniker Familiar, wore a frown, and in front of her desk stood Daemon, laptop in hand and a sullen expression on his face. This sort of setup usually meant a dull and sordid murder in the offing, and with the ghost of a sigh Elemental shifted mental gears from fun to business.

And business it was, although the action in question turned out to be past rather than future. 

"Elly, dear," began Familiar, ignoring Daemon's deepening scowl, "that trouble at the Bellicose plantation the other day. We understood that you were going to take care of that, yes?"

Without the unconscious action of flesh and synapse and muscle, Elemental's face would not assume a guilty expression unless she willed it there, and she could conceive of no reason ever to do so. "I did!"

"Did you? It's just that I've come to expect a great deal more finality from your brand of problem solving. I hear three women in old fashioned clothes were checked into a hospital by a number of boys in uniforms. Not to mention a fourth woman, perfectly healthy..." 

"They're all gonna live," Daemon rumbled, "Maybe they won't be happy about it, though." The big man seemed a little too pleased with this non-lethal outcome. Daemon still thought she was just some kid who couldn't handle a little dirty work.

"Daemon has stated the problem in a nutshell, Elly. They will live, and they will not be happy. With you. With us. You maimed three of them and didn't kill a single one. They still have their powers, some henchmen and, one presumes, whatever resources they have squirreled away. What do you think their next move is going to be?"

"I can still finish them off!" She would have done so, too, as soon as Daemon had found the location for her. She just hadn't expected Laylah to interrogate him first and discover her lapse.

"Too late. They've already checked out and will take some trouble to find. Your performance has been rather erratic these past few weeks, but this incident in particular may cause us some annoyance in the future. Why did you do it? And, Elly, the answer had better not be 'because they all look so pretty in their old fashioned dresses' because I know I taught you which values were higher than beauty." 

"They did look very pretty, so it was easy for them to use their powers to confound me." The half-lie slipped out almost before she knew it was coming, which was probably the only reason why Familiar didn't clock it instantly. Elly was about to continue with the news of the fourth girl, the one who could feel her coming, and how they had all teamed up against her at once, overwhelming her protective spells, and how the catgirls had come and made her even more confused and she had worried that they would become too powerful if they took everything in the house and also they were sure to ruin the furniture and how in her mixed up mind she had just wanted to maintain the balance and keep everyone in line. This babble of nonsense would have ruined everything, so it was just as well that Homunculus chose that moment to enter, their robe splattered in some foul smelling precipitate and complaining loudly. 

"Daemon, the scale you set up for me is off, as I told you it would be. I don't trust these electronic things. Where's the ritual, the solidity of the weights? Elemental, give me your hand, I need copper. Laylah--what's the problem now?"

"Your magnum opus here has failed to eliminate a threat that she was trusted with."

"Not true," Daemon put in, "she ran them out of town." 

"She'll realize when they run back in that she should have run them into the ground instead of admiring the cut of their gowns."

"Kill them," said Homunculus, as they reached for the hand now dangling by a single shiny red thread from the end of Elemental's left arm. "Don't kill them. So long as they're not causing problems. Just give it here, Elly!" as she lifted the limb playfully beyond their reach, then, "Oh, all right. Please!"

Elly allowed them to pull the now rather deformed hand off her body, her arm thinning as she grew a new, skeletal one. "It's alloyed, anyway."

Homunculus glared at her for a moment, then gave her a solid ringing tap with it. "It sounds pure enough. Laylah, it sounds like she's dealt with this to her own satisfaction. If you want these people dead that badly, kill them yourself."

"Certainly. I'll just drop the whole business of maintaining our business and alliances and flow of petitioners to handle every little murder that has to be done."

"If you like. A great deal of what you do seems unnecessary to our mission. Doctor Kelley went centuries without the need to expand into some kind of franchise. I'd appreciate more time to dedicate to my research..." 

"Do you pay attention to the world outside this house? It will come for us in one way or another. It has done so before, or have you forgotten?"

"It was getting involved in the outside world in the first place that left us crippled! If only he'd followed the plan..."

This could go on very well without her. She abandoned her current body in its frozen position and swished out into the hallway as a gust of air. Things were getting boring here, anyway. Elly knew of an elsewhere that might be far more stimulating at the moment.

As she slipped through the glass of a window, leaving no trace visible but to the most sophisticated of magic or technological instruments, she wondered why she had bothered to lie at all. It wasn't as if she had broken that promise, made so long ago. Not *technically*. No one could have gotten mad at her. It was never a formal oath, anyway... besides, Laylah was so perceptive, it was a real triumph to get something over on her. And a girl should be able to keep some secrets, after all.

*****

The Generic Thug (unaffiliated) watched his quarry optimistically as they approached. A skinny white girl in a hoodie, early twenties, walking beside a black kid, thirteen or so, wearing the same plus a skirt. Unimpressive little freaks, they looked like easy targets. Plus, they were probably selling each other drugs or something, and wouldn't report a robbery. Even if they turned out to not have any drugs or cash, their expensively comfortable athletic shoes would be worth something, GT(U) thought.

The boy was listening intently to the girl talking about some kind of Civil War reenactment that sounded like it had gone horribly wrong as they passed his shadowed nook. Sliding the butcher knife from under his jacket, GT(U) stepped out behind them. "Freeze, punks." He said. They obeyed before he had even finished speaking. Good. "Now turn around, real slow." 

Of the two, the boy began to obey. The girl spun quickly around, tugging a small pistol from her sweatpants. GT(U) froze for an instant, both at the gun and the look in her eyes, which brought to the front of his mind, with unusual and uncomfortable vividness, memories of some of the more hardened criminals he had known. But he shook those memories aside quickly. He was about to step forward to wrestle it from her--most people would hesitate to pull the trigger on a person even if they had fired a gun before. 

This one didn't. 

A blinding light pierced his skull, and for an instant GT(U) was certain he was dead.

---

Mina screamed with months worth of suppressed rage as she kicked the mugger between the legs with all her strength. As he went down to his knees, she expressed her displeasure further by taking her weapon in both hands and bringing the butt down on the criminal's head with a thump! Fortunately, the noodle-esque consistency of her upper body muscles ensured that nothing she might have regretted later was broken. 

"Sick!" Exclaimed Drew, who was a teenaged boy and easily impressed by violence. "That was totally badass, Mimi!" 

But her fury was mostly spent. "I think I might actually *be* sick..." She swayed back and forth, clutching Lucy's handle for dear life. If she puked, she told herself, she would do it in the mugger's face.

"Damn, bitch... you got some PTSD or somethin'... go to therapy..." the thug wheezed. 

Mina kicked him again, in the ribs this time, but without the same conviction. "How are people supposed to afford therapy when they keep getting robbed by oil companies and landlords and ASSHOLES who jump at them from out of nowhere?" 

Drew, who finally seemed to realize that violence didn't always mean action hero nonchalance and cool catchphrases, took her gently by the arm. "It's okay. You did great but you didn't tell me about that thing, it looks just like a gun! You better put it away before a cop comes along." 

"Cops!" Mina thought about the usefulness of cops, and stifled a giggle. "Right." She pulled away from him, trying to shove the barrel back into her waistband, and he took the opportunity to give the mugger a kick himself, in the solar plexus this time. As Drew played center midfield on his varsity soccer team, this put an end to any plans of immediate retaliation.

GT(U) watched the pair of them hurrying away through streaming eyes. He reached out for his knife, vague thoughts of payback coalescing in his shocked brain. 

As he grasped this hilt, an astonishing thing happened. The metal of the blade warped and twisted like a silvery hand, which curved back until his fist was tightly imprisoned by thin--but not sharp--metal fingers. GT(U) stared, mouth agape. He was wondering how those damned brats had managed this when the wind whispered with unmistakable clarity into his ear.

{Put on the rope

You knew the day was coming

Say your prayers once more

You're part of the hangman's body count}

After Sammy "The Snip", last person in Savannah to see GT(U), reported that the man had been shaking constantly and speechless with terror while Sammy cut a strange contraption off his arm, it was generally accepted in the city's criminal underground that their colleague had fallen afoul of one of the local mages, and succumbed to a terrible curse. In reality, he had that night hopped on a bus to Atlanta, where he eventually got his therapist's license and led a productive and pointedly unexciting life. Which just goes to show that terrifying supernatural encounters are far better rehabilitators than American prisons.

Continued in part 2...

SG: Innocent Bystander #8 -- Grounded 2/2

Continued from Part 1

*****

"Mom," said Mina in a low voice, "You implied--did you really, that is--did you actually KILL someone?"

Her mother looked at her sympathetically. "Bluffing is a useful skill, sweetheart. Especially with a little truth to it..."

"Mom!"

"... And the truth is, that kind of thing did happen, and I knew about it. I never had to do it myself. I thank Elvis I was never tested that way, but I think... no, I *know* that if your safety was at risk, I would have done anything. Now, that's me being honest about something I have never told you before. It's your turn now, Mimi. Can we talk here?"

Mina glanced up at the white acoustic tiles. "They have some kind of sound dampening tech installed... or maybe it's magic... and I've never seen a fight break out somehow..."

Then they were in the dining hall, where they were greeted with the spectacle of Malmechano (mercifully clad in a lime green lab coat, no armor in sight) haranguing Simone, who gazed down at him, nonplussed, from her eye level a foot or so above his. Some kind of villainous instinct caused him to look around before Mina could retreat with her mother, and he turned upon them with a triumphant "HaHA! I have you! And now I will speak with your MANAGER!"

Sophie stepped smoothly between them. "May I help you?"

The villain stopped short, confused by her stolid confidence. "You... you aren't the manager... she's taller... sexier... would look very intimidating with a whip..."

Without missing a beat, she responded, "That's right. I'm the owner." Simone, who had been giving Mina a series of helpless shrugs to indicate that she had done her best, suddenly straightened up, eyes wide.

Malmechano looked her up and down, blinking, then back at her unfazed expression. She folded her arms, raising an eyebrow, and began to tap her foot. "Ah... I see... I have a COMPLAINT!" Regaining his footing, he began to bloviate, "A COMPLAINT! YES! Your employee-- the one standing by YOUR VERY SIDE--is in fact a meddling Superguy! An interfering nuisance! A super-powered STAIN upon the reputation of this business. A pathetic and downright un-American DO GOODER. Also I find her demeanor slovenly and frankly disrespectful."

Mina's mother held up a hand, her voice showing only the slightest trace of strain as her gaze pierced her daughter. "I see...I'm sorry to hear that... please tell me more about her... super-powered activity..."

As the villain howled his way through his version of the sandwich shop heist, pointing and gesticulating, Mina covertly took in the rest of the room. They were definitely drawing some interested looks. She hoped no one could clearly hear what was being said...

"... I insist she be disciplined! Preferably with some kind of clamps... although I don't want to tell you your business..."

"Oh, she'll be dealt with, I promise you." said Mina's mother. "I intend to get a great deal out of her." Mina dropped her gaze, hoping she looked like the right kind of terrified.

Apparently satisfied with this, Malmechano chuckled, "Watch out she doesn't cough up a few hairballs as well!" Which made her cheeks burn and her feet itch to kick him.

When he had sauntered out of the door and was gone from sight, Sophie turned to her daughter. "Well, Mina--"

"I cannot believe you said that! Don't you know anything about the owner?" Simone hissed in delighted terror at the audacious drama. 

"Do you, young lady?"

Simone shook her head. "Ms. Leda's terrified of her, I know that. I've only seen her once, I don't know how much of a sense of humor she has about people taking her name in vain."

Mina was starting to feel giddy and light headed. "Well, no one had better find out. Mom was a commando in the Genocide War and she murdered dozens to restore our freedom. I just learned this. Oh, and she wants a pumpkin spice latte with extra cinnamon."

Sophie smacked her daughter lightly on the back of the head. "Show some respect! And I'll have it with extra nutmeg, please."

"Sorry, mom. Yesterday was very weird, and last night... and you show up, with no warning, and drop all this on me... and start--" she dropped her voice "--*lying* to everyone..."

"Supervillains don't deserve to be told the truth, especially when my baby's safety is on the line. And if you'd call every day--even every week--"

"I've been REALLY busy! There's a lot going on--"

"A lot you need to tell your mother..." Sophie's voice trailed off. Mina, following her gaze, turned to face the perfect white smiles of Amara and Zayd, two strange customers who had taken particular notice of her these past few weeks. Their matching pink vests revealed spectacular examples of sculpted cleavage, male and female.

Zayd bowed slightly, his white hair falling forward. "Hello, dear Mina." 

Amara's dark brow creased into the form of a sympathetic expression. "We couldn't help but notice..."

"...We couldn't help but hear..."

"...You had troubles yesterday..."

"...If you had only called on us..."

Amara playfully swatted her partner. "Now don't be pushy! Although you really should take our card with you when you go out. There are bad, bad people about."

"You're easy prey," Mina fixed her eyes upon the ground, but she could still feel that gray gaze pulling at her. "It's because you aren't very powerful, isn't it, dear?"

"We could help with that... in exchange for..."

"Um, no thanks!" 

The pair of them burst into silvery laughter. 

"How precious!" Amara pinched her left cheek, gently.

"We really will keep you safe," Zayd patted her on the head. "As much as our *limited* powers allow."

They turned in unison to Sophie, who had been watching the scene with suspicion and a quiet but growing anger. "And you're the mother! We can't thank you enough for bringing this treasure into the world!"

They locked arms, and began to walk away. "Anyway," called Zayd, as his partner blew them a kiss, "don't say we never did anything for you!"

"Mina." Sophie Westing kept her eyes on the villains as they sashayed out the door. "They seem to know you quite well."

"They did save me once..."

"Mina. I have to ask you this, honey."

"What...?"

"Have you..." she cleared her throat, delicately, "been having relations with those people?"

"Moooooom!" 

"We've always known you were a bit different... you never seemed interested in any of your ordinary classmates... and you know we'll love you no matter what... but you always followed superguy news, and here you are, surrounded by glamorous superguys who seem to show an interest in you..."

"Moooooooooooooooooom!" Mina wailed, mortified beyond the capacity for coherent speech.

"...People like that will use up ordinary folks and throw us away. Even the heroes sometimes do it, and those were not heroes, sweetheart. I know the sort of things they can get up to with those powers! Of course, you're all grown up and you want to make your own decisions--"

"Mom! I did NOT have sexual relations with those supervillains!"

Sophie put her hands on her daughter's shoulders, carefully scrutinizing her face. Whatever she saw seemed to soothe her somewhat. "I just don't want to see you get hurt. I don't have another daughter to spare..."

There was a throat clearing, and Mina looked to Simone, grateful until she saw from the knowing look in the other barista's eyes that she had heard at least part of the diatribe. "Your pumpkin spice lattes... Extra cinnamon and extra nutmeg. I made one of each. I thought you might need it." She winked at Mina sympathetically.

"Thanks," she said, red faced, and to her mother, "Let's go."

"Go? There's a perfectly nice table right here."

"I, um, thought you wanted to get away from..." she gestured to the variously spandex, leather and armor clad clientele sitting in their various coteries around the dining room.

"Nonsense. If this place is safe enough for my baby to work in, it's safe enough for me to dine in. Besides, I'm starting to think that the only way I'll find out everything you've been up to is if your... acquaintances show up to let me in on it."

They took a table in the back, as far from other customers as they could get. Bit by bit, Sophie got most of the story out of her daughter, starting with the night she had broken into Malmechano's lair and ending with her most recent escape from the mad anachronists. She glossed over only details about the catgirls, and Maow specifically--she didn't need to hear a repeat lecture. Her mother listened attentively, even nodding approval in parts. But her frown grew deep as Mina described Elemental's brutal murder of her old friend, and her eyes blazed with brighter and brighter fury as she heard the tale of the colorful, poisonous Belles.

Finally, Mina was done talking. As she gratefully turned her attention to the comforts of pumpkin spice, her mother leaned back, digesting. When she finally spoke up again, her voice was calm and thoughtful. 

"This Malmechano... he thinks you have powers?"

Mina nodded, her mouth full of hot drink. 

Flatly: "But you do not." 

Mina swallowed. "Um, no. I told you, Rezo got some that he can lend--"

"A supervillain," said Sophie distantly, "and he doesn't have to be bright to do harm, a supervillain believes you have powers that you do not have."

"Er..."

"I brought up the Genocide War earlier, Mina. I don't often do that. It doesn't bring up many good memories, for either of us, although in some ways it may seem like a simpler time. I did my part, yes, and I put my life on the line despite having no powers, having no obligation..." she heaved a sigh, "and I did it so you would have a safer world to live in."

"Mom..."

"And your father, Elvis preserve him. He went waltzing into the supernatural world and never came out. At least he stood to *gain* something for it, something precious, though he *lost* everything."

"Wasn't it normalguys who--"

"Don't interrupt. You know why it happened. What are you hoping to accomplish here, honey? I don't want to put you down, but you have no powers, no fighting skills, not even a suit of power armor, although heaven knows where you would get the funding even to cover the upkeep. You don't even have a real gun, not that I'm in love with the thought of you using one. You've caught the attention of no less than five individuals and groups of dangerous people, at least one of whom is a murderer. I understand that the money is decent, but it won't pay for your funeral. Nothing could." Her eyes bored into Mina's, until the latter looked away. 

There was silence at the table. 

From the surrounding restaurant, the muffled noise of supervillain conversation filtered to mother and daughter. Against that background chorus of cheerful malice, Mina struggled to find words. 

"Mom..." she began, tentatively, "it's not... that is, some--"

She was relieved of her fumbling attempt at argument by the sound of shattering glass, followed by a hurtling object which smashed itself into pieces on the back wall of the restaurant, followed by a shocked silence. Mina and her mother stared at the remains scattered on the floor. 

"Is that... a potato?" 

An incomprehensible roar of blended voices rose around them as villains got to their feet, removing weapons both obvious and obscure from various parts of their clothes and bodies. Those who could make their eyes glow began doing so. The bodies blocked the view of the two women at the back table, so they didn't see at first what it was that crashed through the front door. Mina began to step onto her chair to get a better view, but her mother's hand on her shoulder stopped her. 

There was a loud *thunk* *hiss* noise, and the unmistakable blinding flare of a Roman candle lifted above the heads to lodge, sparking, in the ceiling. This must have broken something in the workings of the cafe, for all of the voices separated at once and became comprehensible, if you could hear them over the continuing sound of fireworks going off. 

"Ow! My eyes!"

*thunk* *hiss*

"How DARE you!"

*thunk* *hiss*

"Get out of my way, weaklings, so I can incinerate this fool!"

*thunk* *hiss*

"Are those chicken nuggets?"

*thunk* *hiss*

"AWLRIGHT, Y'ALL! WHICH ONE YOU SUMBITCHES KNOWS WHERE MY EX-WIFE IS AT?"

*thunk* *hiss*

"He's got guns!"

*thunk* *hiss*

"We've all got guns, you imbecile!"

*thunk* *hiss*

"MY EX-WIFE DONE BEEN SEEN WITH MY JULEP!"

*thunk* *hiss*

"--mask made out of duct tape???"

*thunk* *hiss*

"I KNOW SHE CAME ROUND HERE ATIMES!"

"It's just pasted right on his skin, too!"

"SHE TOOK AWAY MY JULEP WHAT ALWAYS LOVED ME BETTER!"

"Good! I get to be the one to peel it off!" 

The last was buzzed by the Excessively Large Beetle, who spread his chitinous wings and took to the air above the crowd, horns lifted and ready for battle. Unfortunately, while the cafe's ceiling was high, it had not been decorated with aerial combat in mind, and one of the Beetle's wings clipped a light fixture, which then exploded in a shower of sparks as the insectile villain went careening. He crashed into a man wearing orange spandex, who promptly turned his glowing eyes on this new disturbance. The black shell bloomed with iridescence as it absorbed the energy beams, leaving the coleopteran barely singed, but now with a new target. As the two began to exchange blows, the shouting voice continued.

"I BETTER GET MY JULEP BACK OR ELSE I'MA BURN THIS PLACE TO THE GROUND!"

The crowd was moving now, taking positions around the intruder and now the fight breaking out to one side. A space cleared, and Mina could see a shirtless man standing in broken glass and rubble at the front of the restaurant. The shirtless man's head was wrapped in silvery duct tape, concealing his features, and strapped to his back was some kind of PVC contraption. In one hand he held a bottle of ketchup, which he was squirting liberally upon his surroundings, and in the other he held a lighter. He stood in front of what had once been a golf cart, before someone had sloppily welded metal plates to it. There were chicken nuggets glued on to the front for some reason, but more concerning were the two assault rifles affixed to the roof. Fortunately, the man seemed to have forgotten they were there.

Someone else must have noticed them, for they were targeted by a heat beam, quickly turning red and then exploding as the cartridges overheated. The shirtless man dropped to the floor with a yelp, performed a cumbersome combat roll, and blundered to his feet, popping a freshly cooked chicken nugget into his mouth. A hairy, grasping claw swiped at him, snatching away the pipe contraption. Mina winced as she saw the wounds opened on his back, but the man appeared not to notice. Instead, he redirected his tirade.

"YOU GIVE BACK THAT THERE POTATO CANON I DONE MADE THAT MYSELF I DIDN'T NEVER STEAL IT FROM MY COUSIN'S BASEMENT! IT'S MINE!" So saying, he launched himself at his assailant, luckily timing his assault with a thrown dagger from the other side of the room, which missed him but certainly hit someone to judge from the resulting howl.

It was at this point that Mina felt herself taken by the arm and pulled back inexorably. "It's time to go. And put that phone away! I swear I raised you with more sense!"

Obediently, Mina tapped the stop button on her recording. You couldn't see very well with all the glowing fireworks embers, anyway... 

She followed her mother back, into the relative safety of the employee's only area. To her surprise, Sophie stopped, grabbing a pastry dish from the kitchen counter. "No reason for this to go to waste," she muttered. Bearing this prize, the pair retreated to the breakroom. Simone was there before them, swiftly changing her heels out for trainers as she watched a frowning Leda talk into a wall phone. Amy Sunderland sat rigid on a folding chair, but her eyes began to blaze when she saw what Sophie had in her hands.

"We're taking this," Sophie told her. "Compensation."

Before Amy could assert her rights in regards to the delicious treat, Leda Milani had hung up the phone and clapped her hands for attention. 

"Assistance has been summoned. For the time being--" *KABOOM* "--Elvis, that better not have been *my* car."

"Does this kind of thing happen often?"

Leda turned to Mina's mother. "No. No, it isn't supposed to happen at all. In fact, I have no experience in dealing with this, which is why I had to call the owner."

"Hadn't we better get out of here then?" Simone piped up. Sophie Westing gave her an approving look.

"Yes... yes, we had better."

"Who the hell(tm) wants to be here when upper management arrives, anyway?" Amy shuddered, "I've seen all I ever fucking want of that woman, and her pals give me the creeps."

"Have you got everything you need?" Sophie asked her daughter softly. Mina sighed and nodded. It looked like the decision to give up her adventures was out of her hands. She wondered if she would ever see Maow again, if the catgirl would even understand why she had gone...

"This will be an unpaid vacation for you all." Leda said crisply. "I'll let you know when we open for business again. I don't know how long that will be, so feel free to use me as a reference. This is not an easy job, and you've all performed admirably." Mina straightened, ignoring her mother's frown. 

"Now, I think you had better evacuate. There are defenses on this room, but there were defenses up front..." She shrugged, befuddlement breaking through her sang froid. "I really can't guarantee your safety."

Simone was already peeking through the rear exit. When she stepped out, alert but confident, Mina felt herself drawn after. As she and her mother followed cautiously, Mina's ears caught one last exchange:

"Leda, who the fuck IS that redneck asshole, anyway?"

"Believe it or not, Florida Man strikes again..."

*****

Elemental watched her target's hands carefully as he input the string of numbers and letters into the keyboard, then drifted back on the air currents, losing interest in the man as she began the ritual of committing what she had seen to memory.

Unfortunately the whisper of magic came to her just at that moment, words of warning scattering the pattern of digits and characters before they could be set firmly in her mind. 

The man turned his head sharply, startled at what sounded remarkably like a hiss of frustration in what he had been certain was an empty room. Behind him, the air vent gasped and fell silent for a moment. Then the air conditioning resumed its familiar swishing noise. Finding himself still alone, he shrugged. He had been working too hard... but he knew that already.

{Everybody's going nowhere slowly

They're only fighting for the chance to be last

There's nothing wrong with going nowhere, baby

But we should be going nowhere fast

It's so much better going nowhere fast}

As she spiraled up above the buildings, she vented her irritation in song. Then the speed of her wind took her, and she forgot the little man and his annoyingly complicated passwords in the joy of flight and the anticipation of fight. Fortunately her mission had been within the city; she did not have far to travel.

Her teammates had been faster, she saw, as she slowed to a drift above the strip mall where their little business venture had been established. Homunculus, standing on the roof, concealed from those beneath had created an illusory convoy of trucks carrying cash, valuable metals, and experimental weapons. Familiar, she saw, had presented herself as a beautiful spandex-clad villain, and had drawn the crowd's attention as only she could. Elemental saw her gesturing to the convoy and shouting encouragement, then taking off in hot pursuit, followed by the greedy and easily distracted, which was most of them. 

The convoy headed towards the city, which could use a good leveling anyway. Her own job would be to disarm, disable and, if necessary, dispatch any remaining combatants. Daemon... well, if they had had to deploy Daemon, they might just as well dump the whole operation into the fiery poop dimension. Luckily she could not sight him. 

As she spiraled towards the rubble below, however, something else caught her attention. Several figures were avoiding the conflict, scurrying along the edges of the mostly empty parking lot. One pair, seated aboard a blue scooter, headed towards an older SUV parked as far away from the cafe as the lot would allow. Elemental swept in close, then, unwilling to put off her mission any longer, sped back to the ruined entrance to the cafe, her airy heart singing for battle. 

Examining the implications could wait for later, of course. But she had seen what she had seen. 

IMPLICATIONS? WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS?

WHAT EXACTLY IS ELEMENTAL PLANNING FOR MINA?

IS SNITCHING ON MINA TO HER MOM THE WORST OF MALMECHANO'S MANY CRIMES?

DID THE CAFE'S SECURITY CAMERAS GET GOOD BETTER FOOTAGE OF THE FIGHT THAN MINA'S PHONE?

HOW MANY CALORIES ARE IN A TRIPLE-THREAT FLAN LAYERED BAKED BUTTER DULCE DE LECHES CREAM COATED ARTERIAL MURDER TART?

HANDS UP IF YOU WOULD EAT ONE ANYWAY?

THE ANSWERS TO SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS MAYBE PERHAPS ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF

SUPERGUY!

(song credit: Nowhere Fast by Meatloaf)