| abstract
| - Stephanie, Carolina and James are at the Salem Spring Festival. The cherry blossoms at the capital are blooming. It’s a beautiful day. All around downtown, people are buying from local businesses. The waterfront is filled with people enjoying the mighty Willamette and with vendors. Carolina is wearing just a normal T-shirt and a skirt. James is wearing a plad shirt and jeans. Stephanie, however, is wearing a long-sleeved business shirt shirt and long-sleeved pants. Carolina: You’re going to get hot in that, Stefay. Why didn’t you wear anything shorter sleeved? Stephanie: I’m good, really. I don’t feel good though. Wearing this costume underneath is making me sweaty. Stephanie takes a swoosh of water from her bottle. They’re sitting under a bench at the capitol, right under a cherry-blossom tree. It’s quite the hot day. James (squinting): The sun’s pretty bright for a spring day. Stephanie: And hot. Carolina: Oh please. It’s Oregon. The weather is constantly changing. I bet by the next hour it’ll be cloudy and cold. Maybe even some rain. (She smiles) Stephanie: We’d better get to the waterfront. The mayor is going to have a thanking for Barmms Jewelry in a few minutes. They head to their car and they drive to the waterfront. They pass the courthouse. Carolina gives it a short look and focuses back on her driving. ~~ The Virus replaces the old syringes on his glove for new ones. He takes off his mask and puts on his casual wear. He looks sickly. But he injects himself with his viruses and starts to get energized. Healthy, as he would call it. He hides the needles on his glove. He smiles. Virus: It's gone way too far now. I'm no longer the man I used to be. Virus looks outside of his car window. The mayor is with the governor at the festival. He locks on the blades connected to his gloves. The two Triad men behind him watch him. They lock on their guns. Virus: The assassination of the mayor and the governor will suffice. What is the cause of the Triad again? Triad Men: As Three, We Are A Mighty One. Virus: Yes. As three. A trinity, a triad. Virus steps out of the vehicle with his trench-coat. He is several blocks away from the mayor, but it will suffice. He is close to police, but he will deal with them. He loads a gun with two pellets. The mayor stands on the podium. Stephanie comes up with him. They begin to talk. Virus begins to aim the gun. Triad 1: You sure you know how to aim that thing? Virus: Don’t question it. I will hit my target. ~~ Mayor: I would like to thank Ms. Stephanie Barmms and her brother, James, for providing the proper funding for this event. We thank them as our sponsor! And now, I will leave the podium to the governor. The governor comes to the podium and begins to thank the people of Salem for joining the festival. The Virus shoots his pellets. Stephanie hears a gunshot, and quickly her necklace glows and she jumps in front of the mayor and the governor, taking the pellets while her skin is crystallized. The mayor and governor drop onto the ground. The security rushes to the scene, but Stephanie rushes away. Chaos ensues in the crowd. Carolina: My gosh, did Stephanie just- James notices Stephanie running away, and goes after her. Carolina tries to get through the crowd of people panicking but can’t seem to find her way. Stephanie removes the pellets out of her chest and removes her business clothes behind a dumpster. She quickly puts on the mask and the belt, and then the gloves. She glances around sees James across the street. She stays still. James, meanwhile, runs the other way. He notices Virus and his men going back into the car, and heading straight toward the crowd. James begins to push people out of the way in the crowd. James: EVERYONE MOVE! That car is coming straight for us! Virus starts speeding, and crashes through police cars. However, before he makes it into the crowd, Emerald jumps in front of the car and smashes through the window. Virus slams on the breaks. The car goes into the grass and keeps going. Dirt is pulled out of the ground. The mayor and the governor are being rushed out of the scene by police. Emerald quickly pulls herself down the front of the car, plunging her legs into the grass as the car kept moving. She uses her strength to keep the car from hitting the crowd. Eventually the car stops. Virus comes out of the vehicle and removes his trench coat, showing his normal outfit. He places the mask back on his face. Emerald gets out of the ground and gets into a boxing position. Virus: You… You survived. Emerald: Well, it was a dead disease. Dead diseases should stay dead. Virus throws his fist, but Emerald stops it and gives him a good punch in the chest. Virus fires one of his syringes into Emerald’s belly. Emerald: Augh! The needle self-injects, giving Emerald some unknown chemical into her system. The process is quick. She falls to her knees and begins to cough. She shivers. But her fists remain clenched, and her necklace glows again. Her eyes begin to shine bright, out of anger. Her fingers become lethal blades of crystal. The claws are a fast opponent for the dreaded Virus, but his thin and fast body allows him to dodge each consecutive swipe. He kicks her in the stomach, pushing the needle further into her skin. This only makes her more enraged. She screams as she tries to stab Virus with her claws. He blocks them with the metal blades he put on his gloves. He swipes at her feet and she stumbles forward. He kicks her while she is on the ground. Emerald grabs his leg and pulls. She gets up, and firmly holds his leg to slam him onto the ground. AAAAAAAAAAGH! Emerald shoves him over on his back. His face flops, showing all of his bruises. She punches him continuously with her left and right hand. Punch, punch, punch. Finally, he smiles. Virus (brokenly): HeHeheH… YoU forgOt aboUt the MAYOR and the govenOR… HAHAHAHA! Emerald gives him a swift uppercut, knocking him out cold. She looks, and sees beaten policemen on the ground. Triad men with power gauntlets are confronting the mayor. Emerald runs, but as she begins to run, she starts to get woozy. Eventually she falls on her face, tired. Exhausted. She falls asleep. The needle had fallen off of her just beforehand. She is in a deep slumber. ~~ James looks back at the fallen Emerald. James: No no no. This can’t happen. I can’t allow this to happen. James focuses on the ring on his hand. He runs from the scene, very fast in fact. So fast that he becomes a blur. A cloud of green and purple comes around him in the blur, and he slows down. The figure Stephanie had met before was here again. It wasn’t James. No, it was the Emerald Man! He turns back to the scene and rushes towards the Triad men. He knocks them off of their feet. The mayor and governor look at him. Emerald Man: Run. Now. They head straight for the police lines. Emerald Man overlooks the Triad Men. They get up and are ready to fight him again. One of them rushes at him with his power gauntlet. Emerald Man swiftly uppercuts him, his magnificent cape adding a garnish to his already tasteful blow. He comes to the second Triad Man. They lock into a arm combat, and Emerald Man twists the Triad Man’s arm, and punches his elbow, breaking the connection. The Triad Gangster screams in pain. Emerald Man punches him in the face, throwing him back a couple yards. He smashes into some garbage cans. Emerald Man: Once again, simply immaculate. He runs over to Emerald. He places his ring on her necklace. A bright light comes from them as they connect. Emerald Man looks around for Virus, but he had disappeared. Emerald wakes up. She notices the magnificent green cape. Emerald: The ally. It’s you again. Emerald Man: No need to call me that anymore. It’s Emerald Man. Emerald (weakly): Emerald… Man? You are posing as me. Emerald Man: Thanks to you and me, we just saved the lives of the mayor and the governor. I handled those other Triad men. Emerald gets back up with the support of Emerald Man. Emerald: Who exactly are you? You’re not… Me from another dimension are you? Emerald Man: No. I will have some explaining to you, though. ~~ Virus’s body stumbles into the Triad Base. A blue essence leaves his body, and comes to the form of the slumped over Overseer. It suddenly regains life and snaps it’s finger. Virus wakes up again. Overseer: Pathetic. Virus: Quite kind words. Overseer: That is all I wanted to say. You disappoint me, Virus. Once again, you failed to kill her. And now, the Emerald Man has returned from hiding. Virus: That was him? He was your old foe you were talking about? Overseer: Yes. But I don’t need to explain much. You made too much of a controversy. Look at the news. It switches on the news. A helicopter view shows the ruined scene. The Overseer frowns. Overseer: So this is what the Triad does. Makes a fool of itself just to state a lesson? I don’t just want fear, I want results. You, despite being a scientist, DON’T make results. I don’t even think I want you on the Triad anymore. You are useless. A rag doll powered only by some micro-organism. A disappointment. You should be dead. Virus (angry): You should be too… Miss. The Overseer’s eyes widen. It picks up a knife stuck in the table and flings it at Virus. Virus dodges it. Overseer: You… You don’t call me "miss." I told you to only refer to me as the Overseer. Virus: Excuse me, miss. Are you upset for me discovering your gender? She frowns, and finally gets rid of her raspy tone. Overseer (in a beautiful, feminine voice): No. Not at all. It was all due to a simple mistake. One that will not happen again. Now leave. You’re too knowledgeable to get rid of. Virus leaves the room, grinning. Overseer also grins. ~~ Carolina comes to James’s house. Stephanie is there. Carolina: Oh… You both are OK? Stephanie, did you go to a doctor? Stephanie: No. I am uninjured. James: She really is invincible, huh? The pellets only scraped her body. See? He shows some bloodied pellets to Carolina. Her eyes widen. Carolina: I thought for sure they went straight into her belly. Stephanie: I would have died, then, Carolina. Carolina: True. Anyways, that was mighty brave of you. Turn on the TV. The Governor is talking now. They turn on the television. The Governor, Jacy Brown, is standing in front of the capitol, discussing the terrorist attack. Brown: If I can, I hope I can award Ms. Barmms of her bravery up there on the podium, if she shows up. A patriotic act such as saving our lives will not go unrewarded. Stephanie smiles, quite exhausted. James also grins, and looks at Stephanie. Carolina is especially happy. Anchor: It was also discovered that two masked vigilantes came about the scene, keeping people from getting hit by the terrorist’s car and actually confronting the man. Who these masked people are, it remains a mystery. Some of the citizens recognized them by their green diamond insignias, though. The people at the scene have dubbed them “Emeralds.” Who these emerald folks are, the police is still trying to investigate. Stephanie looks at James’s left hand. A diamond ring wraps around his ring finger. It was the ring from earlier that she saw on “Emerald Man.” Stephanie: James? James notices her looking at his hand. James: Yes? Stephanie smiles. Stephanie: You were trying to ward off people from getting hit by the car. I don’t see why you don’t get recognition. Carolina: He did? I may tell the mayor that. Perhaps he can accomodate for you. James (smiling): That would be quite lovely.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)