Superheroine

Part 1

I have no idea why this is seven pages or why it cut off the first and seventh page.  If you want the read the whole first part just turn to any page except one or seven. Sorry.    ~Harmofrog

Drip, drip, drip.  My life faded with every little drip.  The only memories I had now were of my one and only friend, Matthew, and of the kidnapping. I never had a mother or father or even a brother or sister, at least I don't think I did. I had been kidnapped a few hours ago, or maybe even a few days ago, by someone I didn't know. I don't even remember why they would want to kidnap me. I was in, what looked like, a dog cage. An IV was attached to the side of the cage and a needle was allowing the blue-tinted liquid to enter my bloodstream. I felt the engine of a car rattling under me and every now and then I heard mumbles in the front seat. I had tried to move before, and already found it useless. There were leather straps attached to the wire on the cage and wrapped around my wrists and ankles. I wondered what I did to deserve this. It must have been something really horrible. Suddenly the car stopped and a fierce light blinded me. I groaned and turned my head away while squeezing my eyes shut. I heard a man shout in a foreign language, then I was yanked out of the car. I tried to move again, but the straps held me back. I heard more shouting and looked around. There was a man in a strange garb carrying my cage. Two other men, in the same odd clothes, were standing at attention beside another car. They had assault rifles at their sides. Instant fear gripped my heart.  I was loaded into the other car before I could see more of what was going on. The car rumbled to life after a door slammed shut. Suddenly gunfire sounded outside the car. I cringed as I heard the car door open and the gunfire reached a peak. The door slammed shut again, and I was left alone. I struggled in vain as the gunfire continued. Tears rolled down my cheeks as my heart beat so fast that it threatened to beat out of my chest. I quit my dumb attempt to get free. My ragged breaths were the only noise in the car. The gunfire was gone now and loud voices were surrounding the car. My heart was beating so fast I was surprised I hadn't died of a heart attack. The door was opened. I struggled as I was pulled from the car. “Please, don't hurt me!” I gasped out, my voice shaky. “We aren't going to hurt you. We're here to help you,” a hard voice replied. I looked through my tears. Even with my memory taken from me, I knew these men were military. I watched in amazement as they unlocked the cage and freed me. They removed the needle and helped me out of the cage. “Elizabeth, come with us,” one of them said. I think they were talking to me, so I obliged. They jogged to a military vehicle, and I followed them. They all hopped in, but I hesitated. Was this really happening? Was I really being freed? “Come on, Liz! Get in the car!” The man patted my back. Maybe it was his urgent tone or the way he had patted me on the back but, either way, I hopped into the vehicle. The man that was behind me climbed in after me. “Alright, boys. We're in the home stretch!” the one driving said. I was refusing to take this all in. I was going to see Matthew again, the only friend I had. I was going home, a crappy, run-down shanty of a place, but a home all the same. I didn't know how to react. “You'll be alright, Elizabeth, you're going home,” one of the men said. I nodded. He laughed. “Not much of a talker, are you?” “I don't know,” I said, truthfully. “Oh, this one's mysterious,” another man said. The others laughed. I wasn't mysterious, I was confused. I had no memory except for the most recent ones. “Hey, don't look so hurt. We're only joking around,” one of them said. I smiled. “There we go! A genuine smile out of the girl that's been saved!” Everyone cheered. “You know, we've had people who have said nonstop praise, some that laugh too much, and some that smile the whole ride home, but not one who's been like you; too dazed to even look happy,” the driver said. He looked in the rear view mirror at me. “Well, I'd guess you could say that I don't live like I want to,” I replied. “How so?” the man in the passenger side asked. “I don't remember much...” I said, looking downwards, “The drug, or whatever, it made me forget things.” “You've only been gone two hours, Liz. No drug can work that fast.” “I remember enough to know that drugs can make you forget. Maybe no drug that you know can work that fast, but this one did,” I said, with cold certainty. Silence filled the car at that last statement. “Damn it. We have a shadow,” the driver said. Bullets started hitting the car, and I flinched. The pinging of bullets on metal continued. “Would somebody get out there and shoot them!” the driver yelled. I noticed his knuckles were white against the steering wheel. I heard a loud pop and suddenly the car turned a full three sixty. I was panting when the car stopped. “Get out! Now!” the driver yelled. “Going out there is suicide!” one of the others yelled. I agreed with him.  Jumping out into the gunfire didn't seem like the best of ideas to me.  “Out there, we have a chance. Staying in here is suicide. Now, get out!” the driver yelled back. The men hustled out. “You, stay in here,” the driver said, pointing at me, “And get down.” I was more than a little relieved that I didn't have to get out of the vehicle but, as I climbed to the floor, I felt anxiety well up inside me. What if I was taken and drugged again?  The sound of gunfire continued. I wanted to run, to get somewhere a little safer, but suddenly the bullets stopped hitting the vehicle. I heard shouts in a foreign language outside the car and my blood went cold. The military men didn't win. I looked around the car hurriedly. There was no better place to hide. If I couldn't hide, then I could contact others or fight. I looked around the car, looking for different things than before. A radio was in the front. It looked like one that the cops used. I scrambled to get to the radio. The car door opened and I felt someone grab my ankle. They yanked me out of the car. I kicked the man in the face and got into the car again. Slamming the door shut, I scrambled into the driver's seat. I turned the keys, hoping it would still work. It turned over. I tried again. I smiled slightly as it rumbled to life. Stomping my foot down on the gas, the car lurched forward. I didn't expect it to get me far, just farther away from them. I just hoped that the military men had taken out the tires of the other vehicle, or something like that. The car kept tilting to the side. I tried to keep the car moving forward but, with the popped tire, it was hard. I managed to get the car to a mountain that I hadn't noticed before. The engine died. I hopped out and hurried to the mountain. It wasn't very steep. I hurried up one side. Rocks slid under my foot and I fell a little. I caught myself. My hand was in a sort of hole, I noticed. Weeds covered the entrance. I parted them slightly. The hole looked like an over-sized rabbit den. It was big enough to shelter me for a few seconds. I looked back, and seeing my pursuers close, slid inside. The weeds swung back in place behind me. I turned around in the cramped space and backed away from the entrance, so if they saw the hole they wouldn't really see me. I heard men shouting in that same language and held my breath. Footsteps pounded around me, but I didn't see anyone in the entrance. Dust fell down around me and I squeezed my eyes shut, fear gripping my heart. I heard shouts and instinctively moved farther into the tunnel. I saw a boot fall right in front of the tunnel and clenched my jaw. With some more shouting, the boot left the entrance. I breathed a silent sigh of relief. The footsteps grew distant and I began to relax. “Having trouble, my friend?” I heard someone say behind me. I looked back, panic flaring up in me. I couldn't see that far back. “Who-who are you?” I asked, my voice high-pitched. “A friend. Now, who are you?” the voice replied. This time, without panic ringing in my ears, I recognized it was a man speaking. “I really don't know. They called me Elizabeth,” I said. “Well, Elizabeth, what do I owe the honor of having you in my humble abode?” he said. “I was drugged and some military men helped me out. Now, they're dead and I'm alive. What use is that?” I said, babbling on, “I'm going to shut up now.” “So, you're hiding from the people who drugged you?” he asked. “Yes, I think that's who they are.” “Well, you are welcomed, Elizabeth,” the voice responded, “Crawl over here and let me give you the tour.” A light buzzed to life and I squinted down the tunnel. I crawled towards the light and was surprised to see the tunnel widening. I guess it wasn't that surprising because, apparently, a man lived in it but still I looked around with wide eyes.  It finally got higher and I was able to stand. I hopped to my feet and looked around. The cave was about ten feet by ten feet. A few old blankets were carelessly thrown on one side of the room and a small table was sitting beside them. It was made from a few rocks and a battery-powered light sat on top of it. A few other openings branched off from this room, but were cast in shadow. The floor was made of dirt, but was hard from being walked on constantly. A man of about twenty sat to one side of the table. He had piercing gray eyes and wild blond hair. He had the shadow of a beard and mustache. His clothes were relatively new, but they looked old. They had multiple tears, probably from crawling in and out of the cave, and the sleeves of the shirt had been ripped off to reveal his bulky muscles. His jeans had dirt stains on the knees and they were a little short for him. He looked oddly familiar, and from the face he was making, he knew me. “Lizzy?” His voice was almost inaudible. “Who are you?” I asked. “You don't remember me?” he asked. “I've been drugged. I only remember Matthew and the kidnapping.” He looked downwards. “I-I'm sorry that I don't remember you,” I said, trying to comfort him. Oddly, I had only known him for a few minutes and I already didn't want to see him sad.  “You can't help it. Stuff like this happens in our line of work,” he said. “I'm sorry, but 'our line of work'?” I asked, “I-I'm only...wait-” I looked down at myself. “How old am I?” He looked up, his face full of agony. “You're twenty one. Just turned so yesterday.” “Huh. Twenty one,” I said, looking at my body in a new light. I saw a movement in one of the tunnels out of the corner of my eye. I flinched as I turned towards the movement, expecting one of the people who took me to be coming in, but instead a black man stepped into the room. He was clean-shaven, both on his face and scalp, and he had sweat dripping off of him. He had a black T-shirt on and his pants reminded me of the military men. “Hey, Brian, you coming to the weight room anytime soon?” he asked, then spotted me. His surprise was apparent. “Elizabeth?” I frowned. Everybody seemed to know me, except me. “Glad to have you back, girl! How'd you get free?” he asked. I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. “Jonas, Lizzy's been drugged. She only remembers Matthew,” the man with the blond hair, that I now knew was Brian, said. “How can she remember Matthew, but not you?” Jonas asked. I pressed my lips together. They were talking as if I wasn't in the room. I hated that. “Well, apparently, Matthew is more memorable,” Brian replied. Jonas opened his mouth, but Brian stopped him. “Jonas, just stop. You're confusing the poor girl.”  I clenched my fists and felt boiling anger rise up in me.  “Really? I'm already 'poor girl'? I can easily fend for myself, if need be. I only hid in the tunnel to make sure I didn't get found and, now that the kidnappers are gone, I can go ahead and live my life. I don't need two god damn idiots in it,” I said. “Don't underestimate who you're up against, Lizzy. They're the ones who captured you, one of the best,” Brian said. “One of the best at what? I mean, who lives in a cave in the middle of Arabia?” I asked, guessing at my location. “You're a hero, Elizabeth, a superhero. Or, as you used like to call it, a superheroine. We're your partners, the ones who help you not get killed. Except, on the last mission, you went rogue and nearly got your whole memory wiped. We've been looking for you ever since. You've been missing for five days,” Brian said. “The military men said that I had been gone two hours.  No more, no less,” I said, raising my eyebrows, "And superheroes don't exist." “We don't like working with the police, they tend to get in the way. And this case didn't seem like one they could figure out,” Jonas said. They seemed to brush off my last comment, and I did too. for the moment.  “What do you mean? The police are more equipped than two fugitives like you,” I replied. “We're not fugitives, Lizzy. We have reason to believe that the police are working with the Vipers,” Brian said. “Who are the Vipers? Slow down before you actually confuse me,” I said, irritated at their small explanations. “They're an organization of drug dealers. Our parents are the leaders. You don't remember any of this?” Brian said. “Do you expect me to? I was drugged, Brian, not on vacation,” I retorted, but the information did seem vaguely familiar. He smiled. “At least you still have your bite.” I jeered at him, “It looks like you've lost yours.” I looked around. “Do I happen to have a cave to myself?” I asked, suddenly tiring of conversation.  “Yeah, you do, but you should probably wash up first,” Jonas said. “Come on, I'll show you,” Brian said, getting to his feet. I followed him through a tunnel. It kept getting smaller, until we had to bend down and eventually crawl. I bumped into Brian a couple of times. I heard footsteps ahead and figured the tunnel ended. My hand fell a little farther than expected and, with a gasp, crawled out of the tunnel. I got to my feet and listened. I didn't hear Brian's footsteps, but I did hear water flowing. I heard a shuffle and instinctively turned towards the noise. It was to my right and close. My senses were on high alert. Something was wrong and I was going to found out what it was. I crouched down. It was instinctive. I moved on delicate feet, not making a sound. I felt along the wall, staying close to something I could feel. The sound of water was getting closer and I just hoped I didn't step in whatever was making the sound. I clenched my teeth and stopped. I heard rustling behind me. I swung my fist when the rustling was close, and met with someone's stomach. The person wheezed. “Lizzy, it's me. I was only checking if you could still fight.” It was Brian. “You idiot!” I exclaimed, standing up. He switched on a flashlight. “You told me too, if you ever got into a predicament like this one.  Thanks for the compliment, by the way,” Brian said as he walked over to a wall. He pulled a lever and a few lights flickered on. I looked around the cave. It was bigger than Brian's and had a small creak flowing through it. The creak was clear and I could see the bottom, which was only, maybe, three feet down. “Do I have any clothes here or do I have to stay in these dirty rags?” I asked, turning to Brian and tugging at my shirt. I saw his feet slip into the tunnel. “Yes, I'm going to get them,” I heard him say. I smiled after him. He seemed to know me more than myself, which wasn't a hard thing to do. He came back a few minutes later carrying a pair of clothes. The shirt was black and had a logo of a band on it. The pants were tight-fitting jeans. He even had socks, shoes, and a bra and underwear.  Blushing, I took the clothes and sat them down beside the creak. “Thanks, Brian,” I said. “No problem. Towels are in the cubbyhole,” he replied. I nodded and he left. I stripped and stepped into the water. It was cool, but not freezing, like I expected it to be. I washed away all the grime that I had accumulated over, what I now knew to be, the days. It felt good to be clean again.  When I was done, I climbed out and dried off. While putting on my clothes, I noticed a piece of chocolate in the combat boots. I knew it was Brian's handiwork and I smiled while slipping them on, after I had taken out the chocolate. I loved chocolate and nothing could hide that fact. I popped it in my mouth as I walked to the tunnel. I pulled the lever to turn off the lights and then slipped into the tunnel. Before I stepped into Brian's room, I heard voices. His and Jonas's. I paused to listen. “Jonas, she doesn't remember anything! She can't go back into the field without training! We need to find Matthew and get him to help us.” Even though the voice was muffled, I knew it was Brian, and I knew he was talking about me. “Don't you remember what he said when he left? He said that he didn't want us to contact him. He doesn't want anything to do with us,” Jonas replied. “This is something big. My parents have finally slipped up. If we don't get someone to do this by tomorrow, then they're gone and we won't be able to attack them until they mess up again,” Brian said. “They will make a mistake again. This won't be the only slip up they have,” Jonas said. “For all we know, it could be their last mistake, Jonas. We have to take this chance, but not with Lizzy. We have to contact Matthew. We'll tell him about Lizzy coming back and he will do whatever we want him to,” Brian replied. They were going to manipulate Matthew! Immediately my good mood towards Brian changed to a bad one.  “I thought you didn't like Matthew dating your sister?” Jonas inquired. “I don't, but he obviously means a lot to her. And this means a lot to me. Win, win sort of thing,” Brian said. I couldn't take it any longer and climbed out of the tunnel. “Hey, guys. What are you talking about?” I asked innocently. “Our parents made a mistake and we're going to get Matthew for the job,” Brian said. “I could go. You wouldn't have to go through all the trouble of getting Matthew,” I said, choosing my words carefully.  I didn't want them to know that I had been listening in on their conversation.  He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Lizzy, you don't know how to fight and, if you get caught again, I don't know what I would do,” he said, his voice sounding his concern. “Brian, I can fend for myself if I need to and I won't get caught,” I said. “No, Lizzy. You aren't going,” he said. “You don't need to protect me anymore!” I exclaimed then blinked. I had only met this man, my brother, a few hours ago. at most, and he never protected me as far as I could tell. “Are you alright?” Jonas asked. “I'm fine,” I said, shaking my head to clear it, “You're letting me go, and that's final.” I left, climbing down one of the tunnels. Turning left instinctively, I entered a small cave. I felt along the walls for a switch. When I found it, I flicked it on. A light buzzed to life, casting the room in a blueish glow. I threw myself down on the bed and stared at the rock roof. Squeezing my eyes shut, I imagined what it would be like to be in this room and remember it, to know it like the back of my hand. If only I hadn't been drugged, then maybe that would be what it was like. I raked my hand through my wet hair. “You can go.” I sat up as soon as I heard the voice, fear gripping my heart. “Brian, don't scare me like that,” I said, plopping back down when I noticed who it was. “Sorry. Do you want me to contact Matthew anyways? You know, so you can see him.” Brian sat in a padded chair on the other side of the room. The idea thrilled me so much that I forgot that Brian had been trying to manipulate Matthew into going on a mission. To see Matthew was what kept me going through the captivity. “Please and thank you,” I said with a smile. My good mood faded quickly. “Can I ask you a question?” I asked. “You just did, but yeah, go ahead,” he said with a smile of his own. “What was I like?” “What do you mean by that?” he asked. “What was my personality before I was drugged?” “Oh. Well, you were determined, to say the least. And you always acted before you thought. You would just run into trouble where ever you went. So headstrong. You were just-” He paused before finishing, nostalgia shining in his eyes. “You.” His eyes flicked downwards and he pressed his lips together. “I miss the old you, but I can adapt to the new you as long as you don't get yourself killed,” he said. I suddenly liked him a bit more. I could see his standpoint; an over-protective older brother.  “I promise I won't get caught,” I said. “I'm not sure I believe your promises anymore,” Brian said. “A promise is a promise, and I won't break this one, for my safety and yours,” I said. A silence grew between us that was so awkward I blushed. “Well, anyways. You should get your sleep. You've got a big day tomorrow,” he said, getting up. He stood there for a few seconds more, then said, “Night, sis.” "Night, bro." The words left my lips before I knew what I was saying. He smiled and left. With our conversation in mind, I closed my eyes and fell asleep almost as fast. I woke up to a slight nudging on my shoulder. I snapped my eyes open and bolted up. “What? What happened?” I asked, my eyes darting around. Brian stood frozen by the bed. His eyes were searching mine. “Matthew is here,” he said, his voice small. I relaxed into a normal stance and took a deep, shaky breath. “Bad dream,” I said, the lie rolling off my tongue easily. Truly, I didn't know why I had acted that way. “Okay,” he said, gesturing for me to go first. I slipped into the tunnel and made my way to the main room, which happened to be Brian's. Climbing out of the tunnel, I locked eyes with Matthew. He looked exactly as I remembered him, long brown hair that went down to his shoulders, fierce blue eyes that softened when he saw me, a crooked smile that seemed to appear whenever I was with him, sculpted features that showed nothing but kindness around me. I smiled, glee filling me. “Matt,” I said, savoring the way his name felt on my lips. “Beth,” he said, then hugged me. I wrapped my arms around him, chuckling a little to myself. It felt so good to have him in my arms again, to feel him. I wanted to drink in his every movement while I had the chance. “Beth, where have you been?” he asked. His voice was deep and showing his concern. I pulled out of the hug and looked into his eyes. “I was captured and drugged,” I said simply. Hatred and hurt filled his eyes. He pulled me into another hug, resting his chin on my head. I buried my face into his shirt. “I missed you,” he said, tightening his grip. “I missed you too,” I said, telling the truth. “Would you two stop being all lovey-dovey and start getting ready?” Brian asked, annoyed. I blushed while pulling out of Matthew's embrace. I had forgotten Jonas and Brian were there. Matthew left through one of the tunnels and I couldn't help staring after him. “Why didn't you tell him yet?” I asked, peeling my eyes off of the tunnel Matthew went through. “We didn't know if he would come if he knew,” Brian said. “He loves me! Of course he would come!” I exclaimed. “We don't have time for this, go get ready,” Brian demanded. “You have a twisted view of love,” I said as I left through the same tunnel that Matthew had. I stepped into the room and looked around. Guns were perched on the walls along with swords and knives and a number of different things. “Wow,” I said, breathlessly. “What? You've never seen the armory before?” Matthew said from the corner, looking at me with a smirk on his face. He had been looking at some wicked-looking machetes. “I need to tell you something,” I said. “What is it?” he asked, taking a machete off the wall and slipping a sleeve on it. He attached the sleeve to his jeans. “The drugs...they made me forget. I only remember you and them capturing me. I don't have any idea of who I was or how Jonas and Brian act,” I said, hoping he wouldn't get mad. “What? You're joking, right?” he said, looking at me with concern. “Why would I joke about something like this?” I asked. “You aren't going to go out in the field today,” Matthew said firmly. “Yes, I am, Matt,” I said. He shook his head. “You aren't going in there untrained when I can handle this on my own.” “You can't make me stay here,” I replied, crossing my arms. He made a grab for my arms, but I stepped back on instinct. “Don't make me do this,” he said with uncertainty. “Change your mind and you won't have to do anything,” I said starkly. He made a few more attempts to grab my arms, but I dodged them easily. The attempts got more aggressive and I got more defensive, my muscles flowing easily in familiarity. He stopped, panting and sweating. “You...you're staying here,” he said in a futile final attempt, putting his hands on his knees. “No, I'm not. Matt, if I have enough training to block your attacks, then I have enough training to do this job,” I said. “I thought you didn't have any memory. How did you do that?” Matthew asked, completely ignoring my comment. “It was instinctive,” I said, “I'm going.” Matthew sighed, then said, “Fine, you can go, but I have to be nearby.” “Okay. So what exactly is this job?” I asked, a blush suddenly crawling on to my cheeks. “Brian didn't tell you?” he asked. “I wouldn't be asking if I knew,” I replied, rolling my eyes. “Your parents are meeting with some drug addicts in a very open place. There are buildings nearby that you can easily snipe from,” he explained, “This is our chance to take out your parents, once and for all.” Something ate away at me. My parents wouldn't make this big of a mistake. “I think my parents are trying to draw us out,” I said. Matthew frowned. “Maybe, but we can't let this chance slip by,” he said, “We should get ready.” I turned towards the wall. I spotted the only two snipers and walked over to them. Picking one, I lifted it off the wall with ease. “Are you sure you remember how to shoot?” Matthew asked. I narrowed my eyes at him. “Of course I do. I may have lost my memory, but I didn't lose my intellect.” He took a step back in surprise at my somewhat harsh reply and definitely harsh glare. “You didn't lose your bite either,” Brian said as he entered the room. As soon as he stood up straight he said, “You two are taking too long. Get your weapons and let's go.” He tapped his foot as we made our way to the tunnel. It was harder than I expected to crawl through a tunnel and carry a sniper at the same time. As I stepped into Brian's room I stretched. Crawling through tunnels was starting to make my back ache. The other two followed me out. I watched as they bustled into the room. Brian immediately ducked into another room while Matthew and I watched. We waited in silence, the tension between us reaching a peak. When Brian came back, he handed us both ear pieces. I put mine in as I asked, “Is Jonas staying here?” “Yes, unless you two need help,” Brian said. I rolled my eyes and looked away. “Well, you should get going,” he said. Matthew nodded then left through the entrance. “Remember our promise, Lizzy,” Brian said as I glanced at the tunnel. “I know. I won't get myself killed,” I said with a smile. He hugged me tightly. I gave him an awkward one-handed hug and felt Brian's warmth. “You'd better come back,” he said, pulling out of the hug, “But, right now you need to go. I'll keep in touch.” He tapped his ear piece and I nodded. I left the caves.

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Dear readers(if there are any),

This is after a few days of work because I thought you might want a better start than what I had the first day.  I swear the beginning is the worst part.  Hope you like it, and please comment any errors you might find or a few ideas.  I will not change the ending that I have in mind, but I am open to new ideas anyone might have.  Thank you for reading!

~Harmofrog