Suited For Danger - Book 2 - Chapter 2

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Transformers
(sort of)

Book Two, Chapter Two

By Catherine Linda Michel

I summoned all the strength in the suit, and when I hit the door, I didn't just knock it down, I shattered it, with pieces of it preceding me into the room like shrapnel. I charged into the room beyond like a runaway semi, taking in the scene inside as I went.

There were about 15 or so people inside, with guards where Jim had told us they were. I ran right over the one stationed at the door I'd demolished, staightarming him into unconsciousness. His weapon spiraled away somewhere, but I didn't bother to see where it went. I concentrated on the rest of the men inside, noticing that more than a few of them were making motions like they were drawing weapons.

Out of the corners of my eyes, I could see Jim and Jerry charging in the same way I had, taking out their assigned guards the same way as well. For a few minutes, it was bedlam inside that plant. Jim, Jerry and I went in so fast and so suddenly that most of the men never got a weapon out. The few who either already had one in hand, or were fast enough to draw one, were somewhat hampered in getting a clean shot at any of the three of us, with their own men getting in the way.

We took out most of the, as yet unarmed, men in less time than it takes to tell about it. I'm sure there were many serious if not critical injuries among them, but I didn't bother to just try knocking them out. I was too angry and too hyped to waste any time being gentle. I hit them with all I had, taking no more than one punch, straightarm, or kick at each one, always watching the ones who had managed to get a weapon into their hands. I heard a few shots, but I didn't feel anything hit me.

Somewhere in there, I did notice that there had been one man, sitting in a chair. He didn't move much after we crashed through the doors, and he didn't seem to have a weapon, or at least he wasn't trying to get to one. I noted his position and concentrated on the armed ones, racing past them, trying to disarm them without getting shot again. Once was more than enough for me, thank you very much!

Jim and Jerry seemed to be using the same tactics I was, depending on speed, surprise and superior strength to hit as many as possible. I raced through the group, skidding to a stop and turning around to make a second run. I saw one guy raise his weapon toward Jim or Jerry and I closed on him with all the speed I could muster, hitting his gun arm with a very hard downward chop of my hand. The gun spun out of his grasp, and his arm.......well, it shattered. I felt it give and although It made me somewhat ill to cause that kind of serious damage to another human being, I didn't really have time to think more about it right then. He screamed and went down, and I gave him a kick on the way past him, headed for another, still standing, bad guy.

In just a few minutes, all the bad guys were down, with one trying to make it out a side door. I started toward him, but before I could take more than a step, the door exploded inward, knocking the guy down! I immediately went on guard, not knowing what the hell was going on, but as I slowed to a defensive stance, I saw someone who looked just like ME, coming through the door, into the plant! Immediately I knew who it was.

“Penny!” I exclaimed. “What are you doing here? I thought you were still watching the cop shop downtown?”

Penny walked in, taking a second to make sure the guy she'd knocked down wasn't getting up anytime soon, and then she said;

“I heard what you three were talking about on the com, and I left Terry to watch the cops. I thought you all might need a hand here and besides, you and Jerry are still under Jim's and my care. If anything happens to either of you, not only will we feel like crap, but your Mom will never let us forget it. I'd rather face a battalion of bad guys than try to stand up against her when she gets going!” Penny said with a chuckle. “Anyway, it seems like you three have things pretty well in hand. Need a hand tying these jerks up?”

“That'd be great Penny and thanks for the backup.” Jim said.

We took a quick look at ourselves and no one seemed to have been hit by any bullets, or damaged in any other way. The guy I had noticed before was still sitting in the chair, only now I noticed that he was actually tied to it. His eyes were bugging out and he had a scared look on his face as he watched us. I stalked over to him.

“Who the hell are you and what do you have to do with the rest of this garbage?” I grated.

“Who the hell are YOU people?” He replied with a shaking voice. “Jesus Christ! These sonsofbitches were gonna kill me just like they did Tommy when you people come bustin' in here like some kinda Avengers superguys, or somethin'! Me and Tommy were just drivin' them trucks out there, but after we got here, that guy, whose arm you destroyed, was gonna do me in! I shoulda knew better than to trust these sneaky bastards, but the money they offered was too good to turn down. I swear I don't know nothin' about what the hell they was doin' or anything like that. Please don't hurt me?”

I recognized his voice as one of the drivers I'd heard talking back at the lab, so I knew that part of his story was true. Beyond that, I wasn't sure of anything, but I was damned certain I was gonna find out!

“You just sit there and shut up.” I spat at him. “I don't trust anybody in this place except for those I know right now, and you aren't in that category. Just keep your mouth shut until someone asks you a question, got it?”

“Y..y..yes ma'am.” He quavered. And he did just that.

I took a moment to try to calm down a bit, again checking with the rest to make sure no one had gotten hurt other than the bad guys. None of us were hurt in any way, but Jerry was as high as a kite on adrenaline, almost shaking from the excitement.

“Man!” he shouted. “Did you see that? Shit Donna, we went through those guys just like we were superheroes! Guys flying here and there, bullets flying everywhere! It was too damn cool, I tell ya!”

I let him babble for a few minutes and, to tell the truth, I wasn't that far from joining him. It was cool, damn it! Every time we had a chance to use the suits that way, it cranked my adrenaline way up as well, so I understood how Jerry felt. We needed to cool down, and fast though, so I made a real effort to calm down and tried to get Jerry under control as well.

While Jerry and I were trying to come down off our combat highs, Jim and Penny were busy tying up bad guys and assessing injuries. More than a few of them had broken limbs or ribs etc, and none of them were moving much at all, at least those who were still conscious weren't moving.

I contacted the others over the com and brought them up to speed, letting them know that things here were well in hand. They answered, saying that there was no sign of anything happening in town or at the lab. That puzzled me a bit, but I didn't have time to think about it just then. I had other things to think about.

We got all the bad guys tied securely, and then I faced the trucker. He was pretty much scared spitless and I didn't think he really knew anything. The problem was, if we let him go, would he talk? Would he tell everyone what he'd seen and experienced? I had to make sure, so I knelt down in front of him and put my face about three inches off his nose.

“The way I see it, we have two choices as to what to do with you.” I began, in the hardest voice I could manage. We can just deal with you right here and now and not have to worry about what you'll do. The might be the easiest and safest course of action for us, but you know something? I think you're telling me the truth. You had nothing more to do with these guys other than driving their truck, so here's what I propose. I'm gonna untie you. You're gonna get up off that chair, go to your truck, drive the hell outta here, and never say a word about any of this to anyone! How does that sound to you?”

“Shit yeah, lady!” He responded shakily. “You got yourself a deal there. Besides, who the hell would believe me if I did say anything? Hell, I'd probably get locked up in some padded room somewhere! Even I don't believe what I saw you people do!”

I had another thought just then, and I called a quick conference with the others.

“How about we take these idiots...” and I indicated the 'bad guys'...”toss them in one of the trailers, and have this trucker just drop it off somewhere? I don't feel like dealing with them, and I don't believe we are gonna get any info out of them anyway. At least this way they're outta our hair for awhile, and by the time they get loose we'll be long gone. Something tells me that these guys are some sort of commando group or something, and they know how to resist torture and stuff, and I'm really not into any of that crap anyway. I already feel bad enough that I hadda hurt some of them.”

We talked it over for a couple of minutes and they agreed with me, although Jerry was still in favor of trying to get some info. I think we all knew we wouldn't get anything out of them though, and this way we didn't have to.....well....kill them to keep them quiet and out of our way.

“What do you three think? Should we just let this poor fool go, or just leave him here for the bugs and vermin to clean up?” I said, in a bloodthirsty sounding voice.

Over the com, in a voice too low for him to hear, I told them to play along and scare thus guy half to death before agreeing with me that we should let him go. We pretend argued back and forth with Jim and Jerry taking the bad cop roles and Penny and I playing good cop. Finally we reached an agreement and I started to untie the trucker.

As he got up from the chair and began to try to get feeling back into his hands and feet, I grabbed him by his shirt front and started lifting him off his feet, snarling into his face again.

“Buddy, you better be telling the truth here! If any of us ever hear of you running your mouth about what happened here, we will hunt your sorry ass down and make you wish your Mother had never met your Father! Do I make myself clear?”

At that point.....well, he soiled himself. I know he felt the strength of the hands holding him up in the air, and the sincerity of what I said to him.

“Lady?” He said. “You better bet your uh, butt, that I ain't never gonna say nothin' to nobody about this! Look. I was just tryin' to make some bread, you know? These guys offered a pile of cash for a minor driving job, and me and Tommy jumped at it. It ain't easy to make a living anymore with diesel prices what they are, ya know? Lettin' me outta here with a whole skin will be more than okay with me, lady. Okay?”

Well, I kinda felt bad for the guy, and he had lost his friend as a result of all this madness. I put him back on his feet and told him;

“Go through these guys stuff and gather all the cash they're carrying. Since they aren't gonna object and since your trailer is unloaded, you can load these fools and do us a favor. Just load them up and take your trailer somewhere and leave it. If you want to, and have a way to do it, you can take a couple of their vehicles with you and get rid of them any way you want. One thing. I want half of what you get to be sent to your pal's family, clear? If you let us know where he lived, we'll make arrangements to get his rig back there, or leave it somewhere you can get it. One! Damn! Word!, out of you that we ever hear about, and Tommy there won't be the only one who leaves a bereaved family behind. Is that clear?”

“You got it, lady! I don't need to have a building fall on me! I'll be outta here before you know it, and I won't never say nothin'!”

He turned away from me and hesitantly made his way over to where the bad guys stuff was stacked. He went through all the wallets, taking all the cash, along with a wad that the guy with the shattered arm had in a money belt. He walked to the door, looking back at us like he still wasn't sure we were serious about letting him go.

I stopped him just before he went out the door, saying;

“Give us 4 hours after you leave to get this mess cleaned up. You can then go tell the cops where to find your pal's body, but that better be all you tell them. If they ask how he got shot, you don't know a damn thing. You two stopped out here for a break, and he got shot. Maybe by some hunter, or target shooter, or something. You make something up and make it believable. Got it?”

“Yes ma'am!” He stuttered, and then he was gone. Penny went out to help load the vehicles and conscious and semi-conscious bodies into his trailer.

We took Tommy's body and arranged it outside the old plant, just by the pull up doors, making it look like he was just sitting there, taking a break, when he was hit by a stray bullet. I hated leaving him there like that, but I knew it was necessary. As for the trucker, I didn't really trust him, but I didn't see any other choice. I certainly wasn't gonna be any part of killing anyone unless they were already in the process of trying to kill me, or any of my friends or family.

We took all the weaponry and dumped it into the quarry, which was, in places, over 100 feet deep. It was rumored that there was a full size locomotive down there somewhere, so we didn't figure a few weapons would be found anytime soon. Besides, with the powers we all had there really wasn't a need for any more weaponry.

Then we legged it back toward town, thinking we'd try to unravel why the cops hadn't stopped these guys. Penny had told us that, even after these guys had left, there wasn't any movement at the police station, and all the patrol cars were still parked in back of the jail. That sounded really strange to me, and we made our best speed, which was pretty fast, back to town.

When we got there, we sneaked around through some of the alleys until we arrived at the jail. Once there, we decided that only me and Paul would go inside, with Penny and Jerry staying outside. Paul and I would just look like a normal couple, and Penny and Jerry would be there for backup if we needed them.

We tried to enter the cop shop, but the door was locked! That was very strange to me, and I applied a little pressure to the doorknob, breaking the lock, and we walked cautiously inside, closing the door behind us. I called out, but no one answered. Again, very strange.

We made our way back toward the jail section and, when we arrived at the locked steel door that led inside, I called out again. This time, I heard a faint cry, or voice, coming from inside, but no one came to open the door or question who we were. Paul grabbed the steel door and applied pressure, but it still didn't open, so I added my strength to his, and the door finally opened, darn near coming right off it's hinges.

Immediately I heard several voices calling out, asking who we were and could we help them! Rounding a corner, we were astounded to see all the cops locked up in the cells! They all started yelling at the same time, wanting us to let them out, and I held up a hand and yelled,

“One at a time, please! I can't understand a darn thing you are trying to tell us!”

They quieted down and one cop, who I recognized as the town police chief, spoke up, saying

“I don't know who you two are, but you have to let us out of these cells! There are some really bad guys out there! They left us a few hours ago, locked into these cells, and I heard them say they were going to steal things from that lab outside of town, and also they were talking about doing some serious harm to, or even kidnapping some people! Look, the keys should be in the outer room, in one of the desks. Please let us out so we can do our jobs!”

I went back into the other room and, after a couple of minutes I located the keys, returning to the jail area where we unlocked the cell doors and let the cops out. I started to open one other cell, but the Chief stopped me, saying that those men were real prisoners, waiting for trial. I left that cell locked and we all went back out into the front office area, where the cops re-armed themselves and found keys for their vehicles. Then they took off out the door, headed for their cars to resume their patrols and search for the bad guys who had locked them up.

The Chief thanked us and asked again who we were. Paul sorta sidestepped that question by asking the Chief how those guys had managed to catch them all unaware.

“Well,” said the Chief, “There were just a couple of us here, everyone else was out on patrol. They came in with weapons drawn and took us by surprise, taking our guns and locking us up. They made me call the other cars and have them come to the station, one at a time, and ambushed them when they came in, locking them up as well. They never said who they were, and they never asked us for anything else. Just locked us up and closed that jail door, after disarming all of us. I only heard bits and pieces of what they were saying among themselves, but that was enough! I didn't think they'd leave us alive, but they left in a hurry, after a few hours. I heard the phone ring a few times, but I never heard what was said to whoever called. Anyway, after they left, we tried to call out to anyone who might hear us, but you say the outside door was locked?”

“Yes, that's right.” I replied.

“Well, that's why nobody else came in after those guys left then. Say. How did you two get in here if the door was locked?”

“Well, I'm ashamed to say,” said Paul, “I forced the door. I thought it was damn strange that a police station would be locked in the middle of the day, and I saw all the cars out back. I figured something was wrong. I'll be happy to pay for the door if you want.”

“Oh hell no!” The Chief replied. “You two got us out of a bad situation! You ought to get s commendation or something! We'll eat the cost of the door. Say. Who did you say you were again?”

I let Paul handle that question while I contacted the others on the coms, letting them know what had happened, and asking them to stay where they were until Paul or I called them in.

The Chief seemed to be satisfied with what Paul told him, but he still looked a bit puzzled.

“Didn't I see you two here in town a week or two back? I swear you two look familiar to me.”

I looked at Paul and he looked at me. Finally I said,

“Hey Paul. We gotta trust somebody, sometime. I've known the Chief for a long time, through my Dad, and you and Penny know him too. He's an honest guy and we need somebody on our side who has some legal authority. I say we tell him the whole story and see what happens. What do you think?”

“Kid,” said Paul, in a somewhat exasperated tone of voice. “I don't really want to have to trust anyone outside of our group, but I think you're right. We can't handle this alone any more, and I'm tired of having to sneak around. Why don't you fill him in while I contact the others and let them in on this?”

I sighed and said to the Chief, you better sit down. This is gonna be a long, strange story, but I swear it's all true. When you hear what I have to say, I'll answer any questions you might have. Fair enough?”

“Okay.” Said the Chief, but this better be good and it better tell me what the hell's going on around this town. We've had some people just up and leave for no good reasons, and then these commandos or whoever the hell they were, come in here and lock me and my officers up in our own damn jail!”

“Oh trust me Chief. Once you've heard what I have to tell you, you're gonna know the whole strange story and hopefully, you'll see your way clear to help us.”

Well, I sat there and related the whole tale to the police Chief, leaving nothing out, including the fight at the old warehouse and where the bad guys could likely be found. I didn't tell him about the trucker we had let go, hoping that he'd do as he'd said he would and just forget he'd ever seen us. Anyway, by the time I was done, the Chief was just sitting there with an incredulous look on his face.

“You mean to tell me....you're....Donnie? In some kind of science fiction super suit? And there are more of you? How many?”

“Well,” I said. “There's me and Paul, Penny, Terry and Jerry, my best friend. I know you remember that we got jobs at that lab, and you know my folks and his. They're safe with another friend of ours, along with Jerry's sister, so you can set your mind at ease as far as they're concerned. I'm not gonna tell you where they are, because if you won't help us, then you won't be able to say anything about where they are. It's not that I don't trust you, but we've been on the run and we're getting tired of having to hide and sneak around, and like I told Paul, we gotta trust somebody, sometime.”

The Chief just sat there, looking at me for what seemed like forever, before finally saying,

“Kid. That is the damndest story I've ever heard, but I remember Donnie, if that's really who you are, and Jerry getting jobs out at the lab, and I've always thought that there were some mighty strange folks working on God knows what, out there. After what's happened today, and you doing what you did, I'm inclined to believe you though. I can see that this is gonna be a big deal, and I want you to know that I'm gonna help in any way I can. I've known your folks for a long time, ever since I moved here and got elected Chief, and everything you've told me matches up with what I know about them.”

He got up from behind his desk and walked over to me with his hand out.

“You can count on me and my men, Donnie....er...Donna....oh what the hell do I call you anyway?”

“Donna will do, Chief. I've gotten sort of used to how I look inside this suit and Donna is a better name for the way I look than Donnie, don't you think? Now that I've told you the whole story, why don't I call the rest in here so you can meet them and verify what I've told you, further?”

“Okay, Donna.” He said. He walked back around his desk and sat down, giving a big troubled sounding sigh, and I called the rest in, except for Terry who decided to head back to the hospital to continue trying to locate Dr. Fine.

After the rest had joined me and the Chief inside the station, the Chief verified what I'd told him, along with some other information and then told us all what he'd told me about us being able to count on him.

“I don't care much for people busting in here and locking me and my officers in our own damn cells, so if helping you all will get me closer to who they are, then count me and my officers in!” He said, forcefully.

We called out for delivery food and began making plans for ending this idiocy the best way we could, but I had a feeling that, even with a town Police Chief and force on our side, it wasn't gonna be easy to get anything done unless we had a clue just who those commando dudes were, and until we found Dr. Fine.

Just then, Terry called from the hospital. He told us he had a lead on Dr. Fine who had awakened from his coma, but had been transferred to a mental hospital because he went, as Terry said, bonkers! I let the Chief know what Terry had just told us and then Jerry and I headed for the hospital.

We had to know where Dr. Fine was, and I was gonna make damn sure we found him, one way or another. The Chief said he'd have a patrol car take us over, but we told him to just have it meet us there, as we could get there faster. He just shook his head and chuckled.

“If you all can do what you told me about, then you're probably right.” and he radioed the car to meet us there.

Jerry and I took off at damn near our top speed and, for once, I wasn't concerned about who might see us doing something strange, like running at much higher speeds than any human being had any right to reach. We were gonna get to the bottom of this mystery if it was the last thing we ever did!

More to come! Stay tuned to this Bat Channel!

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Comments

Get em Bat man.

Well, this is a fine little tale. I am really enjoying following it.

Great job.

Gwenellen

A three minute mile?

Got me thinking about the 1960 TV Bat Man and a King Tut episode.

Nice to see your muse back, Cathy. Pretty much and all action episode but the flavor is still a good match to the original story, not easy with an interrupted serial. Keep it up.

John in Wauwatosa

John in Wauwatosa

Transformers

Catherine, an other great chapter, looking forward to your next installment.

To bad she couldn't tell the cops were the bad guys were. Itwould have showed not only the cops what their capabilities are, but they wouold have them locked up, and someone would come to get them. Then they would know who was backing them.

Great job so far, it is a very interesting story.

Hugs
Joni

Nice to see this back

erin's picture

Super stuff!

Hugs,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

Transformers sorta!

Wow! I don't know what to add to what everyone else has said except to add my delight to theirs that you're posting again! John might be hearing BATMAN, but for some reason I'm hearing the old Six Million Dollar Man action theme! with him and Jamie Summers! Do, do, do... CRASH!
Hugs!
grover

I just found this story and

I just found this story and am enjoying it immensely! One small tip for you though is to make sure you pay attention to your continuity. At the part when they recovered the other suits, it read that there were six other suits in addition to the ones Donnie and Jerry had on.

This is exelent writing, I

This is exelent writing, I am looking forward to more of this!