BOOK 3 of the ORPHIC Series
CHURLISH
/ˈCHərliSH/
marked by a lack of civility.
~~~~~
Lucille 'Lucy' Opal Baker finds herself in the 21 century sporting the title of Aunt while lugging along h...
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"What people don't know, they can't ruin."
???, Sokovia September, 2015
VERFALL WAS FAR MORE EFFICIENT than Steve had expected her to be. She was ignorant towards any pain or wound received, spinning on her heel to tear apart robots without laying a single hand on them, black daggers bursting from the ground. Even as her head burned like her brain had been placed in a vat of acid, Verfall continued forwards with a single-minded focus. She grabbed a civilian by their shoulder as a robot tried to burn him. He skidded to a stop, eyes wide with fear. Verfall eyed him blankly before turning him towards a police officer guiding the others to a semi-stable building.
Steve watched with pursed lips.
There was an obvious difference between Lucy and Verfall. Lucy fought with grins and laughs— she didn't use her abilities excessively, only raising a hand when an enemy came close. She prioritized the lives of civilians rather than the destruction of androids.
But Verfall fought ruthlessly.
She didn't care if she broke a bone or bled, nor if her abilities were reaching their limit. She moved in silence, her breaths so quiet it almost looked as though she wasn't breathing at all. Verfall was immensely productive, but there was a loss of humanity, no decipherable emotion in her expression.
Steve turned, slamming his shield into another robot in a burst of anger.
Verfall heard the crash of metal against metal and tilted her head back as she watched the not-handler Steve, his eyes alight with something dark. She turned her head away from the distraction, destroying another robot as it's sharp metal sliced through her flesh. She ignored the burning pain, though she examined the blood seeping into her sleeve. Red clashed against white dissonantly and Verfall tore the damaged fabric.
Tony would fix it, she knew that, and he wouldn't be upset.
She dismissed the fact she knew her handler was so merciful. She wasn't sure, really, if Dr. Schaffer—no, Henry, he had told her to call him Henry—would be the same, even if he had promised he wouldn't hurt her.
Not that he kept that promise. But he was allowed to do whatever he wanted, because he was a primary handler after all.
She resisted the sudden urge to grimace as a sharp pain traveled through her chest. Her heart twisted in odd ways and she couldn't identify what the source of pain was. She couldn't be upset because that wasn't possible, so it had to have been physical. No robot had stabbed through her chest, however, and she frowned.
