The next day, I told my family the news. An outcry of excitement aroused the room.
"Oh, my God, dear, I'm so proud of you!" Mom said, hugging me.
"I can't believe that you got in," Rafe said, slapping me on the back.
"We have to celebrate this," Dad replied.
"Congrats, Felicia." Said Uncle Charles, moving his wheelchair towards us.
I went to my closet and changed into my new and improved Black Cat costume.
I was ready to meet my recruits.
"Rafe, Yuki." I turned to the 2. "I want you to be my recruits."
Rafe was speechless.
"Felicia, are you sure about this?" He asked.
"Trust me. It'll be fine - this is going to be a fun day of your life. You control elements; now, you're on my team."
I typed the R.I.P.D Team Room on my watch and looked at Mom.
"Enjoy your first training day, honey. Have fun." Mom said.
"Bye, Mom. We'll be back, I promise." I replied.
I pressed OK and we were teleported to the inside of the Team Room.
~
Phil came in and said, "Your recruits are here, Detective Hardy."
"Bring them in so I can get a good look at them," I commanded.
I was full of excitement. This has to work perfectly. No drama, no tantrums, nothing. The first person that came in was Peter, dressed in his clothes from the photo in his file.
"Wow, this place is so cool!" Peter exclaimed as he came in.
"You don't say," I replied.
The next person was Hellboy, smoking a big cigar in his mouth. It smelled so bad, I had to cover my nose. I hate smoking.
"You must be Black Cat." He says, looking very out of shape.
"Yes. And you must be Hellboy." I replied.
The 2 recruits stood in a line. Rafe joined them. The 3rd person was similar.
"And who are you?" I asked the person.
"I'm Bruce Banner," Bruce replied.
I was pale. This was the guy who transforms into the Hulk.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Doctor Banner."
Bruce had curly brown hair, glasses, a purple T-shirt, the sleeves rolled back, brown trousers and black shoes. His eyes were a brown colour and more dangerous, and his skin looked a shade of cream. Then, I knew that 2 people were missing.
"Phil, where's Detective Tom Lone?" I asked, concerned.
"I don't think he'll be here, Felicia. I'm sorry." Phil replied.
"What about Thor?"
"We tried contacting him from Asguard, but nothing came up."
"I'll be hoping they'll arrive. They need to catch up like everyone else."
Then, I turned to my recruits.
"Mmm! Hi, boys! Felicia Hardy - also known as the Black Cat. How do you do? I was recruited to work for the R.I.P.D yesterday because they've seen my work. They've seen your work. You are all here to work for them as well as a group with me. This is my younger brother, Rafe. He'll be working with us as well as Agent Phil Coulson." I said.
This is going so well!
"Anyways, they have your files, information and records of your process." I continued.
I thought about something that everyone should understand. I walked down the end of the line and back, opposite my team.
"Forget everything you think you know. Whatever school lessons... whatever your parents taught you. None of that matters! You're not kids anymore. You're not students. We're the Sacred Detectives." I finished.
Phil gave me a nod. The others smiled - I think I did a good job at my speech. I didn't prepare for this, but I made it up along the way. We need to prepare for any danger with training. Before I was about to say that, a News report came in.
"Last night, a carnage of 4 men were killed due to some kind of beast that attacked them. The thugs attacked 2 people in an alleyway for money when the beast screamed a deafening roar and a howl to create a diversion. Police suggest that the monster was a wild animal, a wolf to be exact must have sensed the men from no longer than a mile away. More will be added tonight when we interview the 2 people on the night of the attack." A man stated.
I paused the telly as it showed a picture of the wolf-man. My senses were ringing off like hooks - it's funny that I know that figure before, but never rings any bells. I need to get more evidence that could lead to the person responsible for those murders.
"Phil, could you take the guys to train for today? I need to find somebody." I told Phil.
"Me? And who's this somebody?" He asked, suspiciously.
"I don't know, but make sure the recruits are ready when I get back."
"Wait for a second, you're going alone?" Hellboy asked.
"Look, I'll be back to cover for you guys. Don't worry - I won't be too long."
~
I typed on my watch Gwen Stacy and teleported to her location. I was going to find evidence because last week, Tom rarely visited Mom's bakery/cafe for days on end which got the rest of us worried sick. I was very concerned and suspicious of Tom. I went in as the Black Cat since I wasn't bothered to change into work clothes; if he is hiding something from us, this is serious.
"Gwen, where's Tom?" I asked, seeing her behind sitting on a bench.
"He's not in. Why so concerned, Black Cat?" She asked.
"He's been off work for almost a month. You must know where he must be."
"I don't know. Yesterday, he was with me on a date..."
A DATE?!!? He's going out with Gwen?!!? Why didn't he mention this sooner?
"How long were you with him for?" I asked.
"A few months." She replied, then looked down at the messages on her iPhone.
I NEED TOM RIGHT NOW!!!
"I need to check his office at the NYPD. He must have evidence somewhere." I muttered under my breath, walking off.
I can't believe Tom never told me who his girlfriend was! He's so dead. I'll have to deal with him later. Teleporting to the NYPD, I snuck into it by disguising myself as Tom. The teleportation watch - thank Jesus - can manipulate the behaviours, characteristics and voice of anybody it wants. Walking into the reception felt nerve-wracking as I've never done this before.
"I'm back," I said in Tom's deep baritone voice.
"Nice seeing you again, Detective Lone." The reception man replied. "Captain Stacy wants a word with you."
"Oh? When?"
"Now, Mr Lone."
Crap. I didn't see that one coming. I swallowed my guts in and walked into the main point in the Department. Tom gave me a tour around this place last year so I already know my way around where what goes on. Passing the dozens of detectives, cops and the Special Agent Unit, I found Tom's office. The moment I go in to open the door, it was locked. A key was needed to get.
"Who needs keys these days when you have claws," I muttered, sticking one of my retractable claws out.
I twisted at the doorknob and open sesame; I closed the door behind me and sat on his chair behind his desk. It feels like memories are coming back to me all at once, his odour not leaving this room feels hard to describe in words. I scurried through his cupboards, drawers, anything else I can find. Then, I saw something rare - his notes. I picked them up and sat down on a chair, reading his jottings word by word:
July 1990, 11 p.m
The werewolf is inside of me - the N.Y.P.D are on my tail, somehow, but I need to cover up my messes on the alleys. Every night, the pain comes back again. Am I something more dangerous than that? I still want to keep my Gwen happy. Although, I still want Felicia to understand how I feel about her. She goes off at random and crazy times and comes back exhausted. I have a bad feeling about who the Black Cat could be. It could be one of these 2: Gwen or Felicia? I don't know. I want both of them to be happy, and not to foreshadow the other. Although, my mind is saying that Felicia maybe her. But I don't know for certain. I need REAL evidence to know if it's her 100% sure.
My Gwen?!!? Is he mad?! But I know who he is now. He is behind the murders of the criminals on the streets? I can't believe this. He's also suspecting me as Black Cat too! I need to ask Tom for some answers to explain this horror. Suddenly, I heard footsteps from the corridor - someone is coming.
Quickly, I nicked the notes, and leapt out of a window, climbing up a roof. He's suspecting me now. I knew Tom's secret. I need to ask him if any of this is true; no, wait. What if he doesn't want anyone to know? I teleported back to the R.I.P.D and told the news to the team.
"We need to take action. The wolf has been let loose, so we should fight." Bruce said.
"I can contact Tom's watch so that we know which location he's sped off to. We have to bring him here so we can test him." I told the group as they were all suited up.
I turned to Bruce.
"Bruce, do you think that you can run a few tests on him to see what's bothering him?" I asked.
"No problem. As long as you're yourself to calm him down." He replied.
"Are we ready?"
"Yeah." The Detectives said.
Phil led us to our ship. It was a camouflage colour and it was big.
"This will be your ship. I'll come along with a couple of backup groups just in case you are all stuck." He said.
"Thanks, Phil," I replied.
"Take these sleeping tranquillizers. These will help Detective Lone calm down if he gets too much."
I took hold of the case and went on the ship. My first mission with a group is ready for anything necessary; I had a sick feeling that everything will go wrong if one of us got killed. Everyone had a weapon - or 2 - to protect themselves, we'll be okay. Hellboy became the pilot; is he good at how to fly, control and land this thing?
"Okay, Red," I said when we're already up in the sky. "I'm giving you the location of Detective Tom, so get ready."
"Copy that." He replied.
"He's in Stokewood Woodland; head North, 2 Wests and a couple of Souths and Easts."
"Got it."
"Okay, guys, before we go down there since it's night-time - probably not a good time for hunting now - we need to be careful of what we're facing. There's a killer wolf on the loose, and we need him now. Bruce, you stay in the chopper and wait until we signal for you to help us."
"Why?" Bruce asked, confused.
"If Tom is near to killing us, we'll need you to turn into the Hulk."
"Fine by me." He nods.
"The rest of you... be on your watch. We don't know what's out there. Rafe, you'll stay with me."
"Roger that." They said.
~
2 hours later, we arrived at our destination.
"We are at Stokewood Woodland," Hellboy called.
"Okay, team, split up. You know what to do." I said as we exit the copter.
Soon, everyone went their separate ways to find Tom. I hated being on my own, but I had Rafe joining me.
The only thing that annoyed me was that Gwen was Tom's girlfriend. I wished he was single, and that he still loved me; but I caused a rift between us and because of my identity as the Black Cat, it caused our friendship to split against all odds - oh, I wish I wasn't chosen to be the Black Cat! Why did I go to that Hedare Factory in the first place?
"Do you think that he might find us?" Rafe asked.
"I'm not sure, little bro. He may be hiding somewhere we cannot see him. Be careful." I replied.
Suddenly, something came flying down to the ground in a flash. We jumped in fright.
"WHAT was that?!" I exclaimed with terror.
"It came from that way, Felicia. Let's go!" Rafe replied.
He pulled my hand and we ran in the direction Rafe thinks it got slammed and saw...
"Thor?! What are you doing here? You're late for recruitment!" I exclaimed.
Thor's dressed from the photo I saw on his file. His face was serious and started looking at the sky, then at us.
"Where are they? Do you know where they are?" Thor asked.
Even his tone is serious.
"Where what are? I dunno what you're on about." Rafe said.
Yuki came out of my bag and saw Thor.
"What are you looking for, Thor?" She asked.
"I'm looking for the Chaos Emeralds," Thor replied.
"The what?!" Rafe and I said in unison.
"The Chaos Emeralds," Thor repeated.
"I've never heard of them," I said.
What on Earth is Thor talking about? Chaos Emeralds? No way. Emeralds don't cause chaos. They're very rare and almost beautiful in their green colour.
"The Chaos Emeralds are emeralds that have powers of emotion and sucks out any power, any person it senses. They've been separated and the whole of Earth is in danger. I spent today and yesterday, from planet to planet to retrieve them, but still no luck." Thor explained.
"Did you get caught off guard?" I asked.
"I was watching them closely until I grew too tired. Then, as I slept, there was harmonising noise that made the Chaos Emeralds glow and they started to lose control - they went up in the air and got attracted to something, I don't know what, and they disappear into the sky."
"How strange."
"You have no idea what you're dealing with. We have to make sure that no harm has damaged the sacred code."
"Sacred code?" Yuki muttered.
"They can manipulate time and space, channel miraculous powers unmatched by almost anything in the universe and can unleash incredible destructive forces," Thor explained.
"We need to find the Chaos Emeralds," I said.
"How do I know that I can trust you?"
"I'm Felicia Hardy, also known as the Black Cat. This is Yuki, and my brother, Rafe. I can keep a promise."
Thor gave a nod of agreement, representing that he joins the R.I.P.D.
"Shh." I hushed them.
I heard a noise, rustling in the trees.
"What is that?" Thor whispered, getting his hammer at the ready.
"Don't... move... a muscle," Rafe said.
"I'm sensing very bad vibes now, Felicia," Yuki said.
It became dead silent for a while...
"AROOOOOO! RAWR!" Came a noise.
"What the hell was that?" Rafe asked, alarmed.
Something moved as quickly as a shadow, from tree to tree.
"We're being ambushed... and I don't think something or somebody wants us on their territory," I said, quickly.
From out of the blues, Tom came out, roaring.
"DUCK!" I shouted.
"Where?" Thor asked.
I grabbed Yuki in my arms and dodged the attack. Thor, who didn't know what I'm on about, got kicked to the floor by Tom. I scared Tom with a gun, the bullets flying out like fireworks. He pranced away, avoiding them.
"Run, Black Cat!" Thor shouted.
"Felicia, come on! We gotta move!" Rafe said, pulling me.
We saw Thor slamming his hammer to Tom; then, Tom had his hand lit up a purple fire and then, punched Thor with it, sending him flying into the trees. He turns to me: we're next. Tom's eyes turned a fiery-yellow - the same colour as mine. He stood up and ran to us, snarling.
"RUN!" I cried.
I was so scared, and at the same time weak as well. Never in my life, I wasn't scared - but this is petrifying than a horror film! My heart went up and down, and I panted. My young brother was looking back to see if Tom was following us. Soon, a pack of wolves surrounded us in a circle. Rafe pushes me out of it.
"Run, Felicia! I'll be fine," Rafe said, swinging his arms at them.
"Be careful, Rafe!" I replied and ran.
I made a stop at my tracks when I saw the dead-end of a stone wall. It was extremely high-up, there's no other way to go but to run back. I went running back but Tom leapt down from nowhere, and I bumped into his hard chest. I fell and crawled backwards as he snarls at me and has gotten closer... and closer. My heart thumped harder and my spine was as thin as ice; I had to tell Tom that it's me. I have no other option. There's no escape, no way out - I'm trapped.
"Tom, it's me, Black Cat! Remember?!" I shouted, trying to gain his memory back.
He still grows viciously.
"Felicia, I knew something was wrong with him!" Yuki said.
"He looks as if he's been cursed," I replied.
"Or he must've been mutated!"
I stood up and walked back and before I knew it he stretched his arm, but I managed to duck and dodge out of his reach. Instantly, Tom's arms began to wrap around me like a present and a snake; his hands linked together in case I try and attempt to escape from his grasp. I gasped in panic and looked down with terror as Tom lifted me from the ground.
"Yuki, get inside of my bag, now! And don't come out until I say so!" I commanded, straining.
She clambered inside my bag.
"I've got you right where I wanted you." Tom threatens, snarling.
"This is not you, Tom! Let me go!" I retort, grunting and fidgeting.
The familiar sense of the adrenaline of panic and fear went over my head. There has to be another way; he's breaking every bone in my body. His arms were digging hard on my skin, I strained myself to get out of his reach, but no use. Then, he came closer and his face invaded my personal space - I tried and tried to get out of this trap, but all I heard was Tom's snarling and his arms tightening their grip on me. Too tight.
But an idea struck me. Letting my hand go free, I went into my pocket and found a tranquillizer in my pocket. Putting it by my side and preparing myself, I stabbed Tom with the tranquillizer and injected the sleeping dose into his system with a quick jab. He howled with pain and all of a sudden, his grip softens and began to set me down on the ground. But his hands still kept a warm hold of me on my shoulders. Tom's snarl changed from a blood-curling to a soft grumble, although his head kept shaking off the effect of the tranquillizer.
I looked at Tom's part-wolf-like face. His eyes, the ears and the fur coming from the back of his face to the front, and his teeth, some sharp and menacing. Our eyes locked us, fervently. I stood up and took a step back. He grunts and starts to sway like a drunk man and ends up collapsing on the floor.
"Felicia. W-w-w-why do I see 3... 5 of y-y-you?" He asked, slowly.
"It's just an injection, Tom. You'll be fine. You'll be okay." I replied.
Until then, he fell asleep.
"Detectives, the target's down. Return to the ship." I said through my earpiece.
~
Another 2 hours later...
I was sitting outside the lab Bruce was in, and he ran a few tests on him back in the R.I.P.D. Then, Peter comes and sits by me, putting his hand on my shoulder. My eyes were falling slowly and my head fell on his shoulder.
"You look worn out, Felicia," Peter said.
"I know. I need 24 hours of sleep." I muttered.
He chuckled. Bruce came out of the lab when I sat bolt upright from the door.
"He's okay. But he wants you to come and see him, Felicia." He said.
"Okay. Pete, tell my Mom I won't be back for dinner in a few minutes." I replied.
Peter sped off once I stepped into the room. I saw Tom, his clothes ripped, and still conscious. As the white light overlooked his sweating face, his eyes glanced in my direction. Somehow, this transformation must've infected his life.
"Bruce," Tom spoke, his voice croaking slightly, "I need some time with Cat for a moment."
"I'll be outside if something goes wrong," Bruce replied, leaving the room.
"Sit down. I'm not mad."
Without the need to be asked twice, I slowly sat down as Tom cleared his throat.
"How do you... feel?" I asked, calming my nerves in case he tries to attack me.
"I still feel pain everywhere." He responds.
Tom sat in silence, thinking of what he wanted to say next.
"What exactly happened to you?" I questioned.
He sighed as if he'd been defeated.
"About a month ago, we heard of a case involving wolves attacking campers at night. So, we went to Stockwood and this mysterious mist appeared, blocking our view. Turns out, it was used as a distraction for me and the NYPD. I was on my own - then, a lot of painful screaming roamed around the woods, followed by howling, growling and barking. Out of nowhere, the second it had been silent, a wolf leapt onto me and scratched its claws on my chest before biting my ribcage. It didn't tear it apart or anything, it just bit me. I tried to get it off of me, but I didn't want to fight it." Tom explained.
"What happened after that?" I asked.
"A few of the men arrived and shot it with a sleeping dart. I went to the hospital to recover, hence the reason why I didn't come to the Glam Slam because of the attention. Yesterday, was horrific. I went to bed after finishing my shift and I couldn't sleep, so, I went to the bathroom to refresh my face. But every time I look in the mirror, the wolf is behind me, and when I turned around, it's not."
"An illusion or just disorientation?"
"Both. When I sat in my bed, I feel pain in my chest. My heart was beating at a fast rate, my blood was boiling with rage and confusion; I was screaming and yelling and shouting and gripping the sheets with my hands. All I felt was the pain. I wasn't changing - I was... mutating... into a thing. Something which I didn't want or chose to be. I howled, and remember the same night just smashing, destroying and breaking things and replayed in my mind over and over and over again. Like an endless nightmare, I couldn't escape from."
His eyes looked down, then at me.
"Jesus, Black Cat, I could've killed you." He says, sadly.
"I know you didn't want to hurt me. And that's okay. The only way you can face that fear of being half-werewolf and half-human is to let your powers know that you're in control instead of them controlling you." I replied, calmly.
I placed my hand over his and held it.
"You're a good man, Tom. You and I may be different, but we're in this together. I'll never abandon you." I told him with unexpected confidence.
"Thanks." He responded in a small voice.
"I just want you to know that... whatever happens... at least you're safe."
"I'll always protect you."
"See you around."
I left the room, feeling sorry for him. I called a team meeting for the Sacred Detectives.
"Guys, I found Thor," I said, presenting Thor to the team.
"It's a pleasure to see you all, friends," He replied.
"I have a feeling that our Earth might be in slight danger."
"What are you on about?" Tom asked, coming into the room.
"Thor says that our planet is in danger due to the loss of the Chaos Emeralds."
There were glances around the room.
"They are very dangerous emeralds that contains the emotions and can absorb the power of anyone's element. From now on, we're going to research and find all the emeralds. There are 7 in total. All of them must be returned to where they came from." I said.
"Asguard," Yuki said.
"Why Asguard?" Hellboy asks, smoking a cigar. "Can't we just destroy them?"
"No," Rafe said.
"I protect them in a chamber which keeps them scared - it'll be unstable unless a chosen one will hold power to them," Thor said.
He elaborated the story of how the Chaos Emeralds work and what they do.
"It could be one of us," Tom said. "To hold power that one person must have the strength and weakness to do so."
"Well, what happens if one of us obtained the emeralds? Will it cause the strength and weakness to unbalance?" I asked.
"It'll unleash the darker side of Hell: the Dark Phoenix," Thor said with a sigh.
"Dark Phoenix?" Everyone said, confused.
"The Phoenix is an Ancient witch that dates back to Ancient Egyptian times. She has dark firepower which could harm or corrupt anyone's soul that could lead to death. She's immortal like any of us, is super strong and I doubt that no one would even challenge to face her. The Phoenix can possess anyone she could find and turn the whole world into dust."
He elaborated the whole story.
"Long ago, she was known as Princess Ahmanet in Ancient Egypt. Beautiful. Cunning. And ruthless. The only heiress to the throne of Egypt. The kingdom of the Pharaohs will one day be ruled by her, without mercy or fear. And Ahmanet will be worshipped as a living god. But Pharaoh had a son. The boy would inherit her destiny. And Ahmanet understood that power was not given to you, it had to be taken. Vowing revenge, she chose to embrace evil. Set, the God of Death, they made a pact - a pact that will unleash darkness itself. Ahmanet was reborn as a monster. Yet, the pact was not complete. She vowed to bring the demon into our world in the body of a mortal man. Together, they would take their vengeance upon humanity. For her sins, Ahmanet was mummified... alive. Her body was carried far from Egypt. There she would remain... condemned to eternal darkness." Thor explained.
"I wonder what we can do to free her--" I began, wondering.
"So that she can kill us all again as she did previously?" Peter interrupted, hearing me.
"No! To put her on our side - but not from her bad side."
"I'm not sure if that's possible, Black Cat. You'd never outnumber her powers." Thor said.
"It's neutral," Bruce said.
"What emotions do they hold in each one?" I asked, turning to Thor.
"Kindness, Sadness, Wishes, Love, Intellect, Anger, Memories and Self. Kindness is Green, Sadness is Purple, Wishes is Grey, Love is Cyan, Intellect is Blue, Anger is Red and Memories is Yellow," Thor replied.
"Self?" Bruce asked, confused. "What about Self?"
"All the 7 Chaos Emeralds create Self. All the emotions are fused to oneself. It's also known as the Grand Emerald - leader of the Chaos Emeralds."
"Well, guys, we'd better up our game so that the Chaos Emeralds are safe. We have a world to save." I said.
The question is: where are the Chaos Emeralds?