Shifting Gears (Part 5)

[Press1269]

::The door to the rooftop burst open with a thud, and out came a figure moving with a speed unlike any human ever known. She moved with grace & precision, and she stopped just long enough to rip slits in the side of her expensively made satin evening gown. She was at full speed within seconds, making her way to the edge of the building. She could hear the commotion coming from behind her, and the excitement of being chased crept up into her spine. She breathed in hard, although she knew that she had no need for air, it was a habit that she never had the heart to break. She was almost there when she felt the presence of warm flesh pop out of the door behind her, and out onto the rooftop.::

Press: God damn it, we have to get her! She's the one!

Youth: Yeah, well you figure out what to do about these assholes coming up behind us!

::Press didn't take the time to look back, he simply lifted the Pump Action Special Police Issue Shot Gun and fired. BOOM! He cursed as the blast took out the wind circulator beside her, and she didn't bother to slow her speed to look behind her. He pumped the shot gun, and took aim once more. BOOM! This time he caught the gravel right under her feet, and it sprayed up onto the back of her legs but never really hit her. He cursed as she made the edge of the roof, and dove from it unexpectedly. Her crimson dress flowed out all around her, and she somehow seemed beautiful rather than the terror that she truly was. All the world seemed to move in slow motion as she began her twist in mid-air, reaching down to grab hold of something between her thighs. She reached out as she turned, and revealed the two .45 caliber's for what they were as she began their simultaneous fire back at her aggressors.

Press dove for the cover of one of the many skylights that surrounded the area of the roof top, and scooted all the way down to his belly as the rain of bullets spewed out of her gun and out in his direction. She continued her ascent until passing by the lip of the building that she was now free falling from.::

Press: HEY YOUTH!! SHE JUST LEFT THE ROOF TOP! YOU GOTTA CATCH HER!!

::He reached down to his belt where a black box hung off of his right side. He flipped a hidden switch on the side, and a small compartment came exposed. He reached in and pulled forth what appeared to be a mountain climbers hook connected to the end of some cable wire. He held the hook up as her last bullets pressed in, and from the darkness of the rooftop entrance a smaller figure burst out like a lightening bolt. He could barely make out the figure of Youth go by him it was so fast, snatching the hook right out of his hand as he went. He heard the unwinding of the spool that was tucked inside of the box, and he turned towards the door, anchoring himself by placing his back up against where he had been hiding. He could hear their commotion as they reached the top of the stairs, and he wasted no time in pumping out a round before they could clear the door. BOOM!

Youth rushed across the rooftop in a desperate race to catch up to the vixen who had just thrown herself off the roof. He barely made eye contact with her as she dropped from sight, and he was only halfway to the edge. He reached down to his sides and pulled forth his dual Colt Pythons, cocking the hammers back so as to easily just pull the trigger. He sucked in a deep breath as the edge of the roof fast approached, and then he was there....throwing himself out into the open night as if he were angel about to spread wings and take off in flight. Yet he had no wings, and this became apparent as he hurdled downwards after gravity caught up to his initial jump forward. He tucked his arms in at his sides, and pointed his head down, making his body like a missile. He could see her down below him, falling to where she would land on her feet. She looked up, and cursed up at him as both rocketed towards the fast approaching street. He extended his arms then, pulling the trigger repeatedly, shot after shot skipping down in her direction. She hurdled through the air like some piece of paper caught by the wind, and redirected her body in odd ways uncanny for something that was made of flesh & blood. She avoided all of the shots, and when he realized that he was empty, he simply popped the guns back into their holsters. Her movements to try and dodge the bullets had cost her some momentum, and he had gained good ground when he reached back for his sword. She snarled at him, and held her hands out to her sides revealing sharp claws along her finger tips. He smirked as he pulled the sword forward, then reached back to a switch hooked to his belt. A red light began to blink as it sent a signal to the box on Press' belt.

Press heard the beep, and looked down to the box which began to make a humming sound. Youth had rigged it to start cranking up the line when he pressed the button on his harness, that way there was no sudden jerk when he finally ran out of line. The machine began it's task, and Press could feel the pressure of the line pulling at him as it mechanically took out the slack of Youth's fall. The first vampire made his way through the door just then, and he found nothing but a Shot Gun Slug for his efforts. BOOM! The impact sent the vamp hurdling back through the door and onto the other three trying to make their way out. He heard the commotion within the dark hallway, and let out another fire just for the fun of it. BOOM! Cries of pain erupted as they scrambled to try and regroup their efforts.

He could feel the line being pulled against him, and he braced himself for a sudden stop. He sheathed his sword as the line began to work it's magic, however, and he began to slow in his descent, twisting his body to where he would now land on his feet. The vamp below him turned herself around, and threw her feet out in front of her just as she slammed into the concrete below. The impact was like that of a small landmine going off, and she went right through the concrete shell into the dirt itself, sending debris flying every which way. He increased the amount of torque going against his line as he watched her climbing out of the mess she had made and shakily take off towards a manhole cover at the end of the street. He knew that his descent was almost at it's end, and he braced himself for the landing. He came down onto his feet, and instinctively slipped out into a roll so as to take some of the brunt off of his limbs. He came back up to his feet in a run, reaching up to the hook on his harness, and releasing it. He pressed the button one more time, and the line quickly began to fly back up the side of the building.

Press could feel the winding of the cable wire recoiling back into the box at his side. He hopped up then, realizing that he had no more need to be anchored to one spot, and made his way towards the door. A vamp came flying from the portal, blood streaking down it's chest, but not on the left. He met the charge with the butt of the shot gun, sending the creature to the ground at his feet missing his prized fangs. Press whipped the gun around quickly to meet the next charge with a blast. BOOM! Then another BOOM! And one more for good measure. BOOM!! He heard the dust fall to the ground inside the hallway, and also felt the tug on his legs as he was taken down onto his back. He barely got the gun up in front of him as the creature he had hit in the face lobbed itself ontop of him. The creature used it's uncanny strength to take hold of the gun and press it down hard onto the big mans throat, leaving him choking for breath. The other two vamps came walking out on the roof, simply cheering their comrade on with nasty fanged grins.

Youth reached the manhole cover in time to see the last traces of his prey fluttering out of view. He reached to his belt without moving, and pulled forth a grappling hook, throwing it towards a grating vent that ran adjacent to where the manhole cover was located. It skipped across the concrete into the vent, and he tugged hard ensuring that it had caught against the metal gridwork before jumping straight up into the air, and putting his legs together in a point so as not to strike anything on his way down. The Vampress had no where to go as she landed, and she looked up just in time to see two boots strike her squarely in the face. He landed on her with all of his force, and then jerked on the rope to keep himself from falling into the sludge river that flowed beneath the streets of Edmonton. He slid off to the side, letting go of the rope and reaching back for his sword. He never got a grip as she came up quickly to a prowling stance, and then thrust herself into his midsection with a spear. Both of them were thrown forwards with the momentum, and didn't stop until slamming into the brick that now surrounded them. He felt the breath drive out of him, and he gasped as she released her hold on him and stood to her full height. She rared back with her foot, and he knew that this one was going to hurt.

Press found himself in a precarious situation. It took all the strength that he had to keep the shot gun from choking the life right out of him, and he pushed against it in the hopes that he could lift the creature off of him. The vamp had a good hold, however, and wasn't going to let go without a reason. Press wriggled a bit, getting his knee up and between his body & the vamps, and rocked backwards, extending his leg and sending the vamp up and over his body. The pressure was off for a moment, and he took in a deep breath as the other two vamps sprung on him with viscous stomps. He took the hits while reaching into his trench coat, and gripping his brass nucks that had the 8" spikes on the end. He slid to the right suddenly causing one of the vamps to miss, but taking a harder kick from the other. The vamp who had missed looked down in surprise, and just as he was about to pull away cried out in pain as a spike went right through his foot. Press used the shock on the other two's faces to roll back onto his shoulders, and then complete a kip up back to his feet. He whirled around putting just enough distance between himself and the three to make it a stand off. All three vampires looked upon the big man with contempt before snarling, and thrusting themselves forward for combat.

The kick landed squarely on his jaw, and he could feel the bone dislodge from it's original setting. He grimaced in pain as he hit the stone floor, spitting out a tooth along with some blood. She didn't stick around to fight, much to his surprise, and he watched as she turned to turn. He hit his feet quickly, grabbing for his sword and giving chase. He pulled the weapon, this time successfully, and took a swing that had no chance of hitting. She didn't stop, and he knew that if she could get a straight-a-way, that he had no chance of keeping up. The winding tunnels of the Edmonton Sewer Company kept her in close range, however, and he took this to his full advantage in his pursuit. Coming around one of the bends, she suddenly turned & ducked causing the skidding Youth to ram into her shoulder as she lifted him up and over her with a back body drop. He hit the ground, but retained his grip on his sword as she came over him for a strike. He brought the sword up defensively, and she sliced her hand across the sharp blade. She recoiled, howling in pain as the garlic he used to slide across his sword before a hunt began to take it's affect. Her hand sizzled for a few moments, affording him the time to get to his feet.

The first one reached him with a right hand, and he sidestepped the maneuver, delivering a hard shot through the ribcage and into the beasts heart. The Vamp burst into dust, and the other two took a measured step back to view their opponent more clearly. Press grinned wickedly, and nodded his head for the fight to continue. Both of them came on in unison, rushing towards him in a wild flurrying of fists & kicks. He blocked a few shots, took a few shots, and before it was over dealt a few shots. All of them were bleeding when they stepped out of this round, and stared at each other in a mixture of surprise and trepidation. They rushed him again, and this time he found his center, blocking more of the shots than allowing them to hit, and finding the spots where they were their weakest. In the end, there were two more dust piles on the roof top when he gathered up his gear, and made his way back inside.

She blocked his initial sword attacks with her forearm, taking care not to get cut by the stinging affect of the garlic laced weapon. She swiped a few times with her claws, but he was able to duck away before she could do much damage. Their dance went on for quite sometime, and it was obvious that he was tiring. She did not, nor would she ever. He lowered his defenses for the moment, and she took her measure, sliding in for a quick & easy kill. Just as she reached him, and opened her mouth to reveal those terrible fangs did she realize that he had dropped something to the floor. She recoiled back, but not in time to escape the UV Light that pulsed forth from the orb. She screamed as her skin began to burn, and Youth wasted no time in sticking her through the heart, and then sliding out to round about and decapitate her. That was the way with the older ones. A stake to the heart would deter them, but wouldn't fully end it. You had to take the head to ensure that they wouldn't be coming back. Her body stood there for a moment, her eyes staring up at her own self. Then both burst into flames, and Youth had to take a step back for the stench was horrendous. The body fell limply to dust, and the head was nothing but a pile. He nodded, and made his way back for the exit.

Press had made his way through the complex, all the way back down to the 20th floor. He traversed the halls carefully, taking care not to be ambushed by any unseen enemies. There were piles after piles of dust on the floor from where they had attacked this area earlier, but there was a reason that he had come back here. He moved to the end of one of the hallways, and entered through two large double doors. Several eyes looked up at him then, all glimmering in the little light that he provided with his flashlight. He held his hand out, and then reached back towards the door, feeling around the posts for a switch. Finding it, he flipped it, flooding the room with light. There huddled on the floor behind desks & office equipment were several dozen children, all hissing out at the stranger who had invaded their den. He reached into his vest producing a medicine box, and then placed it on the table beside him. He popped the box open, and pulled forth what looked like some sort of exaggerated toy gun. He popped a clip into the casing, and was just about to point at one of the kids when the door behind him burst open. He whirled around quickly and took aim just in time to see Youth aiming one of his Colt Pythons at him. Both men gave a grim nod, and then turned back to the task at hand. After shooting all of the kids with the special made injector darts that carried a serum that would revert them back to normal, the two men packed up any evidence, and made their way towards the exit.::

Press: Go ahead and call the cops as soon as we're moving. The change will probably be over by the time we get back to the hotel.

Youth: Yeah, no problem. Man, that bitch hurt me pretty good. My jaw's killing me.

::Press looked over at his partner, noticing the bruised cheek, not to mention the slurred speech. They packed their stuff into the back of the Pontiac, and slipped into the respective seats. Youth started up the engine, and produced his cell phone. Press reached for it, and took it from Youth's hands. When the youngster looked to him for an explanation, Press merely chuckled.::

Press: Maybe I should make the call. They won't understand what the hell you're saying.

Youth: Man, fuck you.

::They both shared a laugh, Youth reaching up and rubbing his jaw as the sound came out. He thundered down the road towards their hotel room, and both men felt good about how the night had turned out. To revert a vampire to human form, you first have to find the vampire that turned them, and after they are dead, you would need a holy concoction that could be made by any priests blessing. Those kids would get a second chance at life rather than live in the eternity of undead. That was why they had agreed to do this for the most part. To try and help those less experienced in the fortunes of a war that was little seen by the real world. What more could be said, other than All in a day's work.::

**********

::The scene opens up inside of one of the SIN production trucks where several high quality video equipment can be seen monitoring different segments of the show, including the promo's of other wrestlers, memorabilia commercials, and advertising links. Finally the camera settles on one screen in particular where the ending spot at Illusions took place. Aphordisia is being viscously assaulted by The BombTrax, ending with her inevitable destruction off the side of the metal rampway. The scene stops upon that massive powerbomb, rewinds, and then plays again. It continues to do this until the camera finally pans over to the side where Flaming Youth & Press stand reviewing the tape.::

Press: You know...It's not exactly what it looks like. If I were a spectator, and not the one delivering the blow, I would think that this viscous man had just tried to end this woman's career in professional wrestling. I would think that the BombTrax were abominations to this sport, and not since the days of the Gladiators have they seen such brutalisim used within sports entertainment. Hell, I would think that these guys weren't just trying to end her career...they were trying to kill her. Murder her on live television, and then blame it on the happenstance of the industry they drew their checks from. But since I am the one who delivered that blow, I can assure you that was not our intentions.

::He turned to look directly into the camera as Youth continued watching the footage.::

Press: You see, it's like this. In this society we have put a measure of respect behind acts of violence. Hell, gang initiations revolve around these acts of rape, destruction of property, and murder. The music we deem as cool, the crap we watch on TV, it all leads down a road of violence. We take this in as our entertainment. We respect those who can dish it out, and even more so, those who can take it. WE RESPECT Aphrodisia, thus the reason we don't take the woman lightly. We wanted to give her that message loud and clear at Illusions that we were her biggest fans here in SW. There was nothing quite like watching her go to work, and we were deeply sorry for her loss of the coveted prize that she sought....SW's World Championship. But you see, much like she wanted that title so deeply, needed to prove that she was the best....we in our own right need to prove the same thing about our team. We've been here only for three weeks now, and we have shown our respect to few individuals. Tony Millennia & Aphrodisia are two people that we hold in our highest regards. So if violence is this nations key to respect, then take our attacks not as viscous ploys to destroy you before you ever make it to the ring....take it as our own personal tribute to your success.

::Youth smirked, and then reached up to rub his jaw before turning to the camera.::

Youth: Isn't it interesting how things work out? Jimmy Jackson calls in a favor to Johnny Storm who gives him our number. Jackson pays two guys who haven't seen the inside of a wrestling ring in three years to come to a high level production, and deliver a message to one of it's top stars that Jackson never intended to live up to. And now, these two no names, these two independent wrestlers have come through the adversities of not ever hitting it big, and have grabbed the spotlight out from under two of their very own bonified SUPER STARS! We could have never realized our true potential until that call came to us, so I guess you could say that we owe alot to Jimmy Jackson. Hell, not just him, but to Tony Millennia & Aphrodisia for being so available to pummel into submission. So thank you guys, and don't worry, WE intend to pay you guys back for every single ounce of pop time that we get off of your backs.

Press: But don't think that we're here just to ride your coat tails. Nah, we're going to do one better. We're going to rip those tails right off, and step out in front so that you can finally have a rest.....and ride ours for awhile. Since Cyber Trooper is non existent, we can't really say how we feel about him other than....Disrespected. Let me tell you guys, after working the undercard circuit for so long, there's nothing worse than to come to a big time promotion and feel slighted by someone. So if you want to take us with a grain of salt, that's fine....Cause we're going to dump the whole fucking salt mines on anyone who decides to take us that way. We've seen the underbelly of wrestling society, and I have no intentions of going back. So make way for the new team in town, because the BombTrax are blowing up the competition, and breaking down the house of immortality.

Youth: What he's really trying to say is...

FIGHT US IF YOU WANT TO
PIN US IF YOU CAN
BEAT US YOU WILL NEVER!

::Both men push past the camera, which settles back on the scene of Aphrodisia's horrific fall at the hands of The BombTrax. The scene begins to flicker, then fades to black. Static.::