The Shadow Hunters

Bella turns and yanks his shirt up and looks at the area, brow furrowed in worry. "Why did you not heal all the way yet?" She looks up at him. Tapping her comlink she requests medical bring some healing salve. "What was that gun he used on you?"

"No clue why,but it hurts...don't worry with the salve...won't do my body any good. The magic in my system replaced my bodies natural healing...so it has to do its own repairs." Dire winces in pain as he feels the area. "I'll be okay in a day or so...I'm thinking Hyena may be working for Claw. That gun had to be designed to slow my regeneration."

Bellare is worried and feels helpless. "What can I do? I want to help you and I want to know why you aren't healed yet." She looks frustrated.

"My guess is whatever Claw is up to in the next twenty-four hours he doesn't want me either involved or at full strength..." He winces easing back into the cushions. "Whatever it is must be vital for me not to stop him or slow him down."

"hmmm"
Swipe says to himself

That voice sounded familiar. As he was passing an electronics store in his wet trench due to the rain out he peered at the tv report in the window an old report a few months ago, interesting he thought. He saw a woman fighting alongside some powered beings. Her voice made his insides stir as if he needed to be there. 8 months of walking around city to city trying to find out who he is could this be his first hint? he smoothly tilts the brim of his hat further below his brow as he hears the reporter say the name of this female and her powered friends. He grins as he starts to walk and says in a low voice "what a WICKED thing these feelings are".

Wicked was just about to leave her office and she got another fax. Sighing she decided to take the mission herself. Feeling like stretching out her legs she decides to speed and takes off running towards the city. Keeping her speed around 90 it only takes her a few minutes to get there. Her powers still wonky she has a problem stopping and crashes through a store wall and ends up under a pile of men's underwear. Frustrated, she takes the pair that landed on her face and looks at them. "What kind of self respecting man wears a thong?" She gets up and walks over to the counter and pulls out about 10k and gives it to the owner who is still flabbergasted at the whole thing. Then she walks out the hole she created and she walks towards the locale she needed to be at.

Lets see and think about this in a rational manner. Swipe thinks to himself. If i were a superpowered individual ( he smiles at that comment) where would i be? An idea pops into his head. I always seem to get into large commotions in a city this big so why not them, why not her more specifically. He grabs a map off the newstand and looks at the whole thing reading it in superspeed mode which isnt apparent at all. The owner tells him "thatll be $4 buddy". He hands him $2 and the map back. The owner looks confused. Swipe turns and tells him " sorry we're in a recession at the moment". And takes off across the street and leans up against the side of a building. He looks up at the sign it reads 5th precinct. He stays there listening to the operators picking up distress calls and reports.

Wicked rounds the corner and flames up as she sees a mutant of some sort in the street blast at another mutant. She is more worried about the car that is about to explode with at least one woman in it. She drops down next to it and pulls her out. Within a second or two an energy blast nearly hits her ear. Wicked raises up and covers the woman as she gets up and runs. Wicked starts blasting fireballs at the mutant while looking for the other one.

War Monger walks into R&D locating the lead researcher. "Got something for you guys to look at." He hands them a small portion of the powder.

"Its supposed to be able to trap or remove someone from the world, unsure how it works," he then gives them the riddle and asks if they may be able to decipher it. Leaving the room he heads for the office taking a incoming fax about a bank robbery in progress thinking to himself time to earn my pay he takes off out the window.

after leaning on the precinct wall for about two hours a regular beat cop walks up to him. "Excuse me sir but can i help you" the cop says. Swipe turns and begins to walk past the cop and suddenly stops as he hears an operator say" ma'am please slow down, where is it that you said there are two creatures fighting a woman throwing fire balls" after a brief pause the operator confirms and says " 3rd and lexington am i right ma'am?" As she begins to call police cars to that area. The cop a little bothered by swipes pause and disregard for his presence places his hand on his sidearm and says "sir are you ok, you cant be back here" Swipe continues walking and says " yes im ok officer and thank you for your service to this fine city" and in a blink of an eye he takes off to that location. The officers jaw drops at the apparent take off of the man he was talking to and rubs his eyes in disbelief.





'

Wicked looks up and dives off to the right to escape the dark blast and almost gets hit by an energy blast. She jumps up and starts spinning in the air and their blasts are just bouncing off of her. When she stops suddenly she blasts the one and he is hit hard and flies back about 20 feet. The other one looks at her and turns the corner in a hurry. Wicked takes off chasing him.

As Swipe is running towards the area he sees this large mutated creature running to pass by him and a female his female chasing it. He grins in approval. As soon as the creature got within an arms distance Swipe clotheslined the creature and while in mid clothesline he sped up to about 500 mph in the blink of an eye. As he was about to pass the super female they locked eyes and he winked at her ending up about 50 yards away in that instance with the creature unconcious on the floor. He casually reclines against the wall hat pulled down low covering his face and looking at the creature and the woman who is at a distance.

The instant Wicked's eyes locked with his her memories came flooding back "Swipe" and she stopped on a dime. Her heart in her throat she turned around and looked at him. In a split second she had run towards him and knocked him to the ground and was staring into his eyes while he lay on the sidewalk.

Weird this feeling he thinks to himself, yet utterly familiar. The woman now on top of him seems half crazed but not threatening in anyway. He thinks about getting up but it almost feels wrong to. he almost forgot why he is there. "Excuse me Miss but umm i was wondering if you can help" he tells her. He looks at her as she is still staring at him as if she hadnt heard what he said. "Miss are you ok" He began to hear sirens in the distance. damn the cops he thought. "I think we should get out of here" he tells her.

War Monger flies at top speed, something he read in the fax disturbed him. Afraid it may be more than just a robbery he transforms into his energy ball form and streaks to the scene. Landing outside the bank he see several police surrounding it, he walks over to the detective in charge,"Detective I'm here to help...what info do you guys have?"

"Great all I need is a spandex hero...well you're here so I'll fill you in....The bank has around thirty people inside held hostage, no ransom or demands yet....just some horrid screams. We've tried the door only to have the officers fried to a crisp...you want this one enjoy."

War nods and heads for the roof landing lightly for a man his size is no feat but he pulls it off. Transforming into his energy form he shifts through the roof to the top floor. Thinking to himself that he wish he'd brought Dire Wolf with him he moves foreward cautiously.

Wicked grabs him and flies into the air holding onto him for dear life and kisses him soundly. "How do you not know who I am? I can't believe you are right here? How long have you been back? Oh, I have missed you so much." Swipe looks down and then smiles at him.

Her kisses feel right to him. As if this is where he belongs with her, nothing else matters. He tells her "Im sorry but as much as i really and i mean really love kissing you I dont remember you". As he sees her look a bit disappointed with his statement he says very worriedly "dont be offended please". Perplexed for an instant he thinks why am i feeling worried that shes bothered. As continues to say "i truly cant remember anything about myself. It all comes back in bits and pieces. All i know is that i woke up under water about 8 months ago and have been looking and traveling from city to city trying to find (he wanted to say you but caught himself) who i am. Your voice its familiar to me" As she wrapped her arms around him tighter he smelled her scent, the scent of a cool breeze in the spring sunlight, the smell of perfection". Then suddenly a flashback, He saw her dropping her robes as she stepped into a glass shower and turned saying "well hero, you ready for this fight" as she giggled. He snapped back into reality and shook his head and looked at her again as if she were a puzzle hes intent on solving.

She lands up near the springs in the mountain. She looks at him and says, "Sideswipe, it's me. My name is Wicked and I am your wife." She still held his hand and couldn't bring herself to let him go. Looking into his eyes she saw his memories coming back slowly while hers were coming back like a waterfall.

War keeps moving steadily down the floors until he's right outside the main lobby, a loud blood curdling scream fills the air. He peers around to see Demon Claw standing there literly pulling the soul from a woman. As she falls lifeless to the floor a burning anger builds inside him and he takes a page out of Dire's book and charges in.
His first priority is to take out the three armed men, with lightning fast reflexes he hits each one precise in the chest sending them flying through the windows to the awaiting police. He turns his gaze to Claw,"you sick bastard...I thought we were done with you."

Demon Claw looks at him calmly and with a cool voice he replies,"you will never be through with me...and once I cast my spell my hold on this realm will begin with no turning back.

War full of anger fires several blasts his way missing the now vanishing Demon Claw. Pissed off he flies out one of the broken windows straight into the sky letting out his frustration in what seems to be a nuclear explosion, realizing he has over done it he takes off heading back to base.

My wife, those words cut deep into him. "im married?" he says He looks at her and touches her face as he closes his eyes. Think damn it think. He says to himself. He looks up at her and asks "what happened to us, to me. Why cant i remember?" If he could cry he would but instead his eyes turn to a pale bluish purple with his sadness.

She nuzzles her face into his hand and says, "Until a minute ago my memories of you were gone. My God hid them from me so I would stop mourning your loss." She kisses his hand and continues. "You told me one day that the Godwave was taking you back and you couldn't stop them. Then you disapparated molecule by molecule right before my eyes."

Cursing himself knowing he let loose some anti-matter again,telling himself over and over again to stay in control he lands back at base heading inside to find Dire Wolf. He makes his way down the hall until he hears dire talking in Bellare's room. He walks inside,"guys we have a problem,no yankee jokes Dire I'm being serious, Claw made his move again...he's stealing souls, has some spell planned."

Dire takes in what War just said,"stealing souls...damn he must really be scared of getting trapped again...must be why he made sure I couldn't heal fully before he made a move...thinks he's worried I'd find a way to screw him up again."

"Stealing souls." Bellare gets up and puts her swords back on her hips and pulls her hair back into a long braid. "So what do we do to kill him?I know I hurt him before I am sure I can do it again."

"Kill him...if we knew how he'd be dead right now...we've tried everything including hitting him with a kitchen sink...no luck." Dire replies still sitting.

"True but I have the guys in R&D checking out a powder I got, the sensei said it could be the key to trapping him...the weird part was the riddle about where angels once trod the Earth." War says grabbing a seat. "Might as well sit back down Bellare...he vanished again."