Saga 3 Episode 50: Beauty and a Bug Pt. 2

## Participants

Miranda YuriSteven TorresBroderick
I

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSPlpp-aCb4 )

Steven and Miranda find themselves running through another alleyway with multiple people trying to capture them for Tony and his Black Dog gang. The pair have been running for about ten minutes and it is obvious that the constant fighting and sprinting has come to slow the hero down. Sweat covers his forehead and his arms but he can’t give up and he cannot surrender. As they come to the end of an alleyway one man from a competitive gang comes rushing out to try and ambush the two of them. With a knife in his hand he tries to stab Steven on his gut. His reaction time is a little slower and if Miranda saw it fast enough she would see how the knife tears into his vest and begins to poke into his skin. Luckily for Steven his density manipulation is able to catch up in time and he is able to overpower the durability of the knife, causing the knife to shatter from the pressure! Steven’s left hand swings forward to clock the man on his jaw, forcing more teeth to fall out from his mouth. The lack of energy and strength causes both Steven and the gang member to hit the ground. Miranda would be able to get a few steps ahead of Steven and she could choose to keep going or wait for him. If she yells at him or says something at all to him, Steven would quickly get back up to his feet and into a sprint to catch up.

Steven: I’m coming! I’m coming!

At this point Miranda would be in front of him by about a foot. Coming up to one of the corners on the block, Steven looks up to see that the building they are running next to is actually abandoned. Seeing only a wooden door in between him and a place to rest up for a bit, Steven reaches out with his left hand to grab Miranda by her wrist. If she turned to look she’d see Steven nodding his head towards the wooden door.

Steven: In here! Let’s go!

If she followed the next thing she’d see is Steven barreling his shoulder down onto the wooden door to knock the locks right off of it and cause the door to swing wide open. Steven would stumble a bit after barreling through the door from the fatigue of the night. Once Miranda gets inside of the building he’d jump back towards the door to shut it and he falls to his ass, sitting with his back leaning on the door. Shadows of the figures of the men who were chasing them can be seen through the boarded up windows as they run right passed the door thinking that the two kids have kept running. Steven gets a big smile on his face at that sight while his chest moves up and down at a rapid pace.

Steven: Well that’s great. I can get a chance to regroup a bit here.

Inside of this abandoned building they would be safe for the moment, able to look for items in here to maybe use or just to recover from how much they have been running tonight. Steven leans forward a bit, using his knees to place his elbows down on them. His crimson eyes look up towards her, still keeping the goggles on.

Steven: You said you had friends in high places? Seeing as this may be my last night on Earth protecting a girl I just met all of maybe fifteen or twenty minutes ago…You think maybe I could get a name?

Steven lifts up his goggles as they begin to fog up from all the heavy breathing in this enclosed space. He places them on his forehead and afterwords uses his right glove to wipe the sweat off of his face. The young teen has only been a hero for a short time, not even really making a name for himself yet. But he can tell that if he can survive this, he will definitely be known. Having the powers for such a short time is really showing with his lack of stamina and lack of fighting capability. If not for the power set he has been gifted with, it doesn’t take a genius to know that he would have probably already taken the dirt nap. Steven likes to try and keep those kinds of thoughts out of his mind, wanting to stay positive as best as he can; hence why he tries to make a conversation with Miranda. If she chooses to shut him out and stay quiet, Steven would remember it and keep it in his mind for the rest of their time together. He isn’t exactly the most social of teens, usually known as a geek with only a few friends. So being here with someone like Miranda is everything new to him and sometimes this kind of overwhelmingly new stuff can come to weigh a guy down if continued to be pushed down instead of being brought up. So for the life of his sanity he hopes Miranda can drop the mean girl act for a few minutes to at least get to know who they are fighting for here tonight.

Miranda huffed and puffed as the tired hero dragged her down yet another alley. They'd been running on and off for a while now. Whoever that guy over the radio was, he wasn't kidding about having lots of people after them. Every left or right turn was full of thugs just waiting to pounce, but Steven was able to detect them and dodge the attack or counter it within seconds of running into them. It was amazing, really.

Even when he seemed to be running out of gas, Steven was still managing to break weapons and bones with his body, but she could definitely tell that he was getting close to his limit. The girl ran back a few steps, but stopped to watch the brief fight. The very last hit sent both guys to the ground and this worried Miranda a bit.

"Hey hero! Get up! We have to go!" She'd shout while motioning him over with her hands frantically. He sprung to his feet and they began to run again. Miranda was breathing heavily through her mouth as she pushed herself to keep going, but how long could she keep this up? As if answering her prayers, Stevens hand grabbed her slim wrist and she stopped in her tracks. She was in fight or flight mode and was about to clock him in the face again when she realized who it was. Her body relaxed as she watched him jerk his head towards the wooden door.

"After you!" She'd say just before he busted the door open with his body. Miranda rushed I after him, not wanting to be left alone in the alley.

It was very dark in the abandoned building they took shelter in. The small group of goons that they were currently running from had just passed by the boarded up window above Miranda's brown haired head. She painted softly and kept her back pressed against the wall while Steven finally decided to try and catch his breath. Her bright hazel eyes glistened in the dark room as she watched him pull his goggles away from his eyes as he asked her about her 'friends in high places' comment.

"My mom and her boyfriend are kind of a big deal..." She'd mumble softly. Going from orphan to daughter of a famous porn star/porn producer was still a difficult thing to wrap her head around. She remembered how absolutely surprised Kirei was about her adopted daughter being a virgin. Some days were more awkward than others in terms of being a Yuri. With a heavy sigh, Miranda continued by reciting a recent magazine headline. "Billionaire bachelor off the market! Do porn stars really do it better? They've been making headlines since that charity event." Miranda pushed herself to her feet and dusted off her torn dress. "I'm Miranda. Well...Miranda Yuri now. The adoption was finalized a little over a week ago." She smiled at the thought, but it faded quickly. She didn't want to give up too much about herself to some stranger.

"Wha about you? What's your name, hero?" She raised a brow at he guy, a little smirk tugging at the left corner of her mouth. "Aren't heroes supposed to keep their faces hidden for the safety of them and their loved ones? You must be new at this super hero thing." A soft giggle escaped her lightly glossed lips as she moved closer to him to get a good look at his face while she put her hands behind her back. She leaned in close to inspect his costume and looked right up into his eyes. Their faces were very close. He would probably be able to smell the Orbit Sweet Mint bubblegum on her breath. "If we can make it out of this, I can get a really nice suit made for you. Kirei knows a good tailor. He makes all of her outfits and the outfits for all of her films. Unless you have anything else you may want. Consider it extra thanks for helping me out."

Steven’s breathing slows down as Miranda begins to explain what her friends in high places are. At first the young male is a little puzzled at guessing who those “bid deal” people were. But everything came to full circle when she began to rant about the news headlines that have been flooding the social media for the last few weeks. A science buff like himself as a proud admiration for the Yun Corp creator, Donnie Yun. So when she mentions that headline Steven knows exactly what she is talking about. After talking about her family she dusts the dirt off of her torn dress and comes to introduce herself. Miranda. Steven’s lips curl to a soft smile when he hears her name, which might seem a bit odd if she saw it. The conversation turns to him now and he laughs once she cracks the joke about heroes needing to keep their secret identities a secret. Steven looks down at his goggles, clearly no longer keeping his face a secret from her. He flashes a sly smirk because he knows he is doing a poor job of keeping his identity a secret so far.

Steven: You have a good point. I guess I still have a whole lot to learn about being a hero in this town.

He looks up to give her his name but when he does he is greeted to her face being really close to his. She’s bent over a bit examining all of his features from what he looks like to what he is wearing. She’d see that he has a strong jawline with a smooth caramel color skin tone. The eyes he has aren’t “normal” eyes. Even with the odd crimson hue he has in his Iris she could see how his eyes are actually alive, pulsating with the red color instead of his eyes just being stagnant as a normal human’s eye would look like. His clothes are covered in dirt and she’d be able to see how this outfit is something that he put together with appliances he could find at home. The vest wasn’t some high grade military armor. The undershirt he wears has a underarmour logo on the sleeve. Realistically his pants are the only item on him that has some value as a hero; mind you he had to steal them to get them. His heightened senses get the whiff of the orbit pink bubblegum as she talks, further showing how close the two of them actually are. What Steven hadn’t noticed is that as she moved closer to him, his back pressed up against the wall; revealing how nervous Miranda makes him because of his own insecurities about being a geek. After looking everything over about him, Miranda offers to get better gear made from a tailor that her mother has. When Steven finally comes to speak Miranda can easily hear how flustered and nervous his tone becomes by simply being this close to an attractive girl. It might make her laugh to see the change in him and how ironic it is that he acts this way. He can fight men with guns with all the confidence in the world, but talking to a girl, that is where he falls short of being suave.

Steven: T-Thanks. Th-That’d p-probably help a-a lot.

Like a snake moving up a tree he uses the door to help him stand back up to full height in front of her, moving his face away from hers so that the thoughts in his head would leave. Once back to full height he wipes his goggles off and begins to place them back over his eyes. With his right hand he begins to fidget around for something in his pants pockets.

Steven: You are right about that identity stuff though. It can be a real hassle if people found out who I really am. But there is a strong chance today may be my last night here on Earth…And I really don’t have a problem with…

His face begins to get a small hue of bright red under his eyes and on his cheeks as he comes to speak this next portion.

Steven: With someone like you knowing who I am. My name is Steven.

Pulling his hand out of his pocket he reveals that he is holding a high protein workout bar. He peels back the plastic and reveals the chocolate flavored protein bar on the inside. He smiles a bit, breaking the bar in half before he extends his left hand out for her to accept the food.

Steven: Fun fact about me, because of my powers I have an extremely high metabolism. So I have to eat food pretty often so I don’t pass out or just flat out die from exhaustion from all the things I do.

He munches on his half of the protein bar. Almost instantly after getting the nutrients of the bar inside of his body, Miranda would be able to see Steven as he breaks into a second wind. His muscles get a little harder and just slightly larger in size as he comes to flex his body. Similar to like a Zenkai type of ability, Steven gets a second wind that allows him to replenish his energy a lot faster once he gets some food in his system. After getting his energy back to him he moves towards one of the windows and tries to look out to see anything in the distance. Across the street he sees that there is a route that looks to be empty. Steven turns back to look at Miranda.

Steven: If we keep quiet and don’t attract any attention to ourselves, we might be able to get across the street and use that apartment complex to walk through the building without being seen. You think you will be okay with that? I’m ready to go whenever you are?

From confident to a complete mess of nerves, the shift was so abrupt that Miranda raised a brow at him. It was odd to think that a masked vigilante would get a little weak in the knees over a girl being in his bubble. Not wanting to make things awkward, Miranda straightened and took a small step back, but the devious little smirk in her face was easily visible in the barely lit room.

"Sorry, was just looking." She'd say as he stood and placed his goggles back over his eyes. The costume all together wasn't bad looking. She actually really liked it. It wasn't super flashy and she always pulled for the underdogs. His light tan cheeks held a bit of a pink hue to them as he mentioned his stance on her knowing who he was. The teenager could feel her own cheeks, but it never surfaced. The girl laughed and shook her head.

"Some hero you are. You told me your name!" Miranda's hands flew up into the air as she spoke, then fell back to her sides. "I mean, I won't tell anyone, but you really should have a hero name. You know, something that matches your powers or something." She quieted for a moment, her mind buzzing with thought as he told her his 'fun fact' about himself. Given his abilities and his line of work, she figured he'd be burning up quite a bit of his energy every time he went out to do his city saving. Miranda heard the wrapper for his energy bar and glanced over at him as he pulled it open. Her eyes followed the bar in his hand as he snapped it in half and her stomach growled softly. "Thanks...Steven." She giggled a bit and took her half of the bar from him and nibbled on it. Her eyes watched him as he chowed down and the effects of replenishing his energy were very visible. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. They may have been subtle, but it was cool to actually be able to see his muscles grow and harden. "Holy shit. That's awesome!"

Miranda bit into the piece of energy bar given to her and follows him to the window. The mood in the room shifted as the two of them peered out the window. His idea was pretty basic, but she didn't say anything. This wasn't a comic book or a movie, after all.

"Let's do it." She'd say with a mouthful of energy bar while she wiped her hands on her dirty and torn dress. "Im ready to get the fuck away from these creeps. All of this over some stupid porn industry shit. All businesses have rivals but this shit is bananas!"

II
--

Miranda is ready and with the two of them preparing to get back out into the open, Steven slowly creeps towards the broken door that separates them from safety to danger. His left hand pulls the door open and out of safety for Miranda, Steven goes out first. His body is low to the ground and he scans the immediate area with his hearing to see if he can pick up on any sounds. When he doesn’t pick up anything he waves his hand towards the young female so she can come out as well.

Steven: I’m going to run out across the street, you stay right behind me okay?

If she agreed, he’d break off into a low jock to keep his footsteps quiet like a mouse. The street lights are the only thing that gives them something to see around the street area. The two are able to reach the other side without interference. They come up to a glass door that leads them into a narrow hallway that cuts right through the apartment building. Steven pulls on the door only to find out that it is locked.

Steven: Take a step back. I got this.

If she took his warning, the young male lines up his body with the door and increases the density of his left fist. He can feel the weight of his arm increase and it takes a little bit more force to lift his arm up. With one small punch Steven crashes his fist into the locking mechanism of the door to break it wide open. The sound of metal bending is the only sound that escapes from the lock before Steven pulls the door open.

Steven: Get inside, hurry.

Miranda would be able to enter first and if she walked too fast, Steven would pull her back to where she’d be in arm’s length to him just in case anything were to happen. In the middle of the building is a staircase that leads up to the second floor where another hallway of apartment rooms are located. At the opposite end of the hallway Steven picks up the sound of a group of men talking and that forces Steven to react by quickly pulling Miranda towards the staircase to be out of the line of sight that the men have just as they turn the corner. Their bodies are pressed up against each other’s where Miranda’s chest would be pushed tightly against his and their hips bucked up against one another. This might make towards a very awkward moment if it weren’t for Steven being so focused on the group of guys that are walking closer towards them. To look out into the hallway without being seen, Steven places his right hand on her hips and leans out just a bit so his right eye can see the edge of the group. Once again, he has no idea where his body and what he is touching because of how focused he is on the mission. The men turn towards one of the doors and they use a key to open it up. Once they all join in the apartment, Steven gives a sigh of relief and motions back to where he is standing in front of Miranda. As he does this he looks into her hazel eyes and finally realizes how close the two of them are in this moment. It takes him a second but his eyes finally widen and if she hadn’t already smacked him to kingdom come, he’d jolt back towards the back wall and hit it as if he were trying to avoid a grenade.

Steven: Ah! Sorry! Ah! I didn’t! Mean to be that close! I just! Oh god! Don’t hurt me!

Back at the Black God Bar

Tony sits in his office chair behind a large desk with his elbows resting on the desk. Fingertips touch and it would be obvious that he is in some form of deep thought.
Tony: I have heard much about you, Kid. Seems like you are trying to make a solid name for yourself out here on these streets.

???: Do you have a reason to have taken my time to come to this meeting? Or do you just want to keep sucking my dick and thinking it will help lower my price?

Tony: Easy there, hot shot. You don’t want to bite the hand that feeds you…especially one that might have more to feed if you do this job correctly.

???: Then tell me what you have for me…
Tony: My men are taking too much time on this problem. Any longer and her “family” might come looking for her. I don’t know about you but I don’t think a war with Yun Corp’s family is something we completely need right now. So what I want from you is your talents on being able to seal the deal on bringing someone in. What do you say? How does fifty thousand dollars sound?

???: Sounds like you got yourself a deal…

Tony: Right now the two of them are located somewhere in the southeastern section of District Two. But be warned, Miranda has a Metahuman protecting her. Not sure what his abilities are but he’s good enough to take out most of my men so far tonight. That going to be a problem?

???: Metas have never been a problem that stopped me…This world is crawling with them now. You don’t make it far in this business if you are scared of a few powers here and there. I’ll get it done…

On the otherside of the desk is surprisingly another young teenager hat can’t be but a few years older than Steven. He has slicked black hair that has a lot of volume to it and a few strands coming over his forehead. Both of his hands are leaned forward in front of him, pressed down on the bottom end of a metal baseball bat. The bat itself is painted with a slick black color clearly worth some money that this kid has put into it. The iris of his eyes match the color of his bat and his face is nothing but seriousness as he accepts the job to hunt down Miranda and Steven before this gets too far out of hand.

The teenager watched her refueled savior as he pushed open the wooden door that barely hung onto its hinges before slipping out into the darkness. A minute or two of complete silence and stillness had passed and suddenly his hand was waving her through. Miranda crouched low, mimicking Steven as she also moved out into the night.

Part of their current plan was almost complete. The next abandoned building. They'd use for cover was right on the other side of the road. It was a tall, dark and gloomy building that looked extremely inhabitable. It was a wonder why the city hadn't bulldozed it to put something else up. Then again, this was a bad part of town. Miranda nodded at him and responded with a hushed tone.

"Keep those super ears open just in case one of those masked fucktards comes out of the shadows for me." She didn't sound afraid when she spoke. She actually sounded kind of irritated, which was understandable. With that, she followed close behind the boy covered from head to toe in blue and gold. They'd even made it to the building without a hitch! But their luck was short lived.

"Locked?!" She hissed softly while throwing her hands up. "You've gotta be shitting me." Her slender arms dropped to her sides when he asked her to stand back. Of course she listened. He was the hero. It was his duty to protect her and bitching would only hold him up. So, she took a step back just like he'd asked. While he brought his fist back, Miranda watched closely, wanting to know exactly how he worked. Sadly, there wouldn't be much explanation as his fist slammed into the lock causing the door to open freely.

'Super strength, maybe? ....Nah, that's too mainstream, I think.'

Again, he motioned for her to step though the doorway, only this time she'd be first and she didn't wast any time. Miranda didn't even realize just how fast she was walking and how far she'd gone until Steven grabbed her wrists to stop her and pull her back a bit. Her eyes narrowed at him for the briefest moment. The woman had a hair trigger sometimes.

"Sorry." She'd whisper and she'd continue at his pace. They were carefully making their way down the hall. Both were as quiet as they could possibly be. That's why she was so confused when she was pulled from the hallway into the small staircase. The space was small and this forced their bodies to press uncomfortably close together. She could feel her breasts pressing into his chest and everything else touched as well. This left her red in the face. Not just anger, but embarrassment as well. To make matters worse, his hand was placed on her hip while he peeked around her and the corner. The longer they stayed like this, the more her feelings built up. His sigh was enough to tell her that the coast was clear. When he looked back down at her, he'd be greeted with a little scowl, her very red cheeks, and her narrowed hazel eyes. Her hands were now on her hips as he jumped back, begging her not to hurt him, but it was too late. She was already mid swing as he jumped away. If he didn't move out into the hall, her dainty hand would easily connect with his cheek. The impact was enough to make the strongest men stumble over. If he hadn't tried to defend himself there would definitely be a little handprint.

Regardless of whether she hit him or not, her hands would return to her hips and she'd step out into the hallway.

"Look, pal. Just because you saved me doesn't mean I'm going to let you get fresh with me!" Her cheeks still burned that deep red hue as she turned her back to him. She didn't want him to see just how frazzled she actually was, but her body was trembling a bit. "N-Now lets get out of here! This time you lead the way!"

Just when Steven thinks he might be getting somewhere towards a friendship with Miranda, her fist meets one of his cheeks to further prove to him that he ain’t shit to her. His head turns with the impact, forcing himself to not defend because he knows it would hurt her. After taking a second punch from her something inside of Steven begins to shift. The impact of the punch causes him to grunt, not out of pain, but out of frustration. When he turns back to look at her she’d see his expression diminish from the happy-go-lucky look he had before to a much more angry face. Through the golden goggles he wears she’d be able to see the eyes of his glowing a bit stronger, showing his frustration and anger beginning to get to him. He takes the yelling and once she finally quiets down he nods his head and begins to walk down the hallway. The walk he has is a bit faster and stoic, clearly showing how much he’d like to just see this night come to an end.

Steven: You know what! Maybe next time I should let the gang of men who want to attack and rape you take you! Since I am such a terrible person for working my ass off to try and get you home! God forbid I actually try to help you!

His little outburst catches the attention of the men inside of the apartment and they open up their door just as Steven walks in front of it. The young teen stops walking and looks to his right, staring at each of them that are inside of the apartment.

Steven: Do we have a problem?

As he asks this his eyes continue to glow and the men inside take note of the way his eyes are “alive” instead of just color. They all shake their heads and quickly shut the door so Steven can just keep walking. Once the door closed, Steven looks over his shoulder back towards Miranda.

Steven: Lets go…

Steven makes his long walk towards the other end of the hallway without saying a single word to Miranda. His silence does more than just keep them quiet but it also feeds into the tension between the two of them after she hit him for a second time. His left hand pushes at the apartment building door and the two of them would be able to walk out to be back on the street. There are three steps that they have to walk down to get back to the concrete sidewalk. Because Steven is so far ahead of Miranda as soon as she reaches the doorway the sight that would greet her might strike more fear into than the other hitmen did.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urV8MIcLDFk )

As Steven’s guard remains down because of his anger he doesn’t hear the heartbeat of someone being there waiting for them. From out of the shadows Steven looks up just in time to see a metal bat being swung forward! The bat impacts dead center onto Steven’s forehead and the sound of the collision releases a bone shattering and eye cringing sound that could make even the hardiest of men turn away. Miranda would see Steven’s head look up towards the sky after taking the hit and the man who hit him simply standing in a post-swing stance with his back across his back while being held with both hands. Steven’s body slowly begins to fall towards the ground like a tree that got cut down at the base. His body lands on his back and Miranda can look at Steven’s face and see a line of blood drip from his forehead and onto the ground around him. When he hits the ground it is evident that the impact of the helmet is something fierce because Steven’s legs down even twitch as he lays on the ground with his head bleeding! Once Steven had been taken out of the situation, the attacker looks up to reveal his face to Miranda. The hunter has a sadistic smile on his face with drops of blood on his shirt and face from hitting Steven with an amazing force of strength and accuracy.

???: Hello Miranda…My name is Broderick and I think you and I should have a little chat.

He then looks down at Steven with that sadistic smile of his getting bigger, happy to see his handywork.

Broderick: Just the two of us…

Whether she said or did anything, Brodrick would begin to make a slow walk towards her. Lowering his bat he lets the top base of the weapon hand close to his foot; swinging it back and forth in a comical jester type fashion. If she decides to run from him or stand there she’d notice that Steven hasn’t moved since being hit.

Broderick: Running won’t get you anywhere…only more innocent lives taken because they decide to help you…Do you want to see anyone else get hurt because you are too selfish just to give up?

If she looked any closer at him she’d see the blood on the tip of the bat where Steven’s head dented into and this scene would begin to have the looks of a horror flick. Will she be able to get home? Is Steven dead? A plethora of questions could run through her mind including…What will she do next!?

## III

Miranda followed behind him and could feel herself slowly beginning to calm down. Part her knew she'd been a little too hard on him. She often did things before thinking. As dangerous and addicting as it was, it was a reflex. Something that she always did.

'Maybe I should apologi-'

His harsh words ripped through her thought and she was instantly thorn right back into that angry state.

"Hey fuck you!" She'd growl. In the midst of their heated moment, the door beside Steven fling open to reveal two masked thugs ready to pounce, but Steven's anger had him at the point where he didn't seem to give any fucks. With just a few words he was able to scare them into shrinking back into the room and slamming the door. There was a moment when Miranda's anger was put on hold as she was impressed by his sudden intimidation ability, but the fury rolled right back in.

Steven was far ahead of her. It was obvious that he was still just as angry as she was. Though she knew she was in the wrong, she refused to admit it and decided to remain a hot head about it. He was the first to step outside. It took her a short minute to get to the doorway when a single man with a bat came strolling out of the darkness. There wasn't enough time for Steven to notice before he took the end of the bat to his head. Miranda felt her stomach churn as she arched his head snap back. He was out cold instantly. The sight of the blood made her knees weak. She leaned against the door frame to keep her up as the man turned to look at her.

That smile. His tone of voice. It creeped her out so much more than the masked guys did. Miranda began to slowly back away, her eyes moving from Brodrick to Steven and back again. She kept mentally begging for Steven to get up. For him to be ok and for him to help her, but he didn't move a muscle. Tears began to gather in the corners of her eyes but she quickly wiped them away. Sadness, fear....anger... All of these emotions were overwhelming her.

'Running won't get me anywhere? My ass?!' The scrolled at him and stood with her busty chest puffed out a bit and her chin up, hoping to look at least a little intimidating.

"Catch me if you can, Broke Dick!" The brown haired bundle of sass whirled around and took off down the hallway. Her arms pumped hard as she pushed herself to run as hard as she could, but she wasn't just going to leave Steven in the road.

'If I can lose this fuck boy... I can get back around to Steven. I can't just leave that asshole alone on the ground \*bleeding\*.' The thought of having to see more blood made her stomach knot up. Not everyone knew that blood made her sick to her stomach; the sight, the smell, any fire at all for that matter. Miranda panted heavily as she made her way to the front door, hoping to make it before that psycho could nab her.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNXsO6j0n4s )

Broderick simply laughs with an overconfident tone when she tries to look intimidating.

Broderick: If that just isn’t the most adorable thing I’ve seen all day…

She follows that up with a scream of confidence, even going as far as to call him an insulting name of sorts. This brings the hunter to raise his right eyebrow out of annoyance towards her. Feeling confident in his own capabilities he keeps a slow walk to follow just as she turns around and begins to run through the apartment building once more. He shakes his head slightly and over exaggerates each step he takes on the steps before entering the hallway himself. Her body zooms passed the apartment where the men had opened their door up before. They turn the other way to see Broderick coming up towards their door. Before they can run or attack him, Broderick takes both hands on the bat and swings it up from the ground to the ceiling. In the middle of that swing he completely blasts the bottom of one of the men’s jaw and the impact creates a bloody aftermath that would continue to freak Miranda out! His skull caves in from the bottom of his jaw up to the cranium of his skull, shooting blood onto the ceiling and the wall behind him. Once the bat is up towards the ceiling, Broderick swings the bat back down and he cracks a second swing on the back of the other man’s head! Both impacts are cringe worthy as the sound of metal and bone smashing into one another echoes throughout the small hallway. Blood splatters all on the floor and if Miranda looked at the scene she’d see brain matter falling from the ceiling and spilt all over the ground. Broderick simply stands in the middle of the hallway with his bat covered in blood and brains.

Broderick: More innocents have died because of you, Miranda…I may have killed them but their blood is on your hands…

What could be more bone chilling than how easy it is for him to brutally murder someone could be how calm his tone is as he seems so at ease with what he is doing. His eyes show no compassion and his face is blank of emotion. How could someone his age be so cold? His black shoes step over the blood on the floor and he continues his mission to get to Miranda. As she gets through the front door, Broderick is soon to follow behind her; simply toying with her as she runs for dear life to get away from him. Once back out onto the street Broderick keeps his intimidating walk, able to stay behind Miranda enough to still be able to track her.

Broderick: How many more have to die before you finally just give up, Miranda?...You are only extending the inevitable. Your boy toy is DEAD. And you didn’t get to apologize for being so mean…That asshat must have a heart of gold to deal with a bitch like you.

Back at the opposite end of the building

Laying out on the floor, Steven’s body remains motionless. Blood continues to drip onto the floor slowly from his forehead. From the looks of him it would actually give off the appearance that Steven has bit the bullet and taken the dirt nap. Out of sheer will to live his right foot begins to twitch. It takes a few more seconds before his chest slowly lifts up and down to take in oxygen from his nose. Finally after everything else, Steven’s eyes shoot wide open and reveal the now furiously alive eyes that glow brightly with the crimson hue.

Miranda could hear that door open behind her, though she kept running something made her turn her head to look back. This was a big mistake on her part. The first thug was the unlucky first target. The strange man who already had blood on him from attacking Steven seemed to enjoy smashing the guys head in from the jaw up. Blood was spraying everywhere, especially after the second thug took a blow to the head, too. Miranda felt very weak in the knees. Her stomach churned and she stumbled a bit, but forced herself to burst out of the front door of the building.

"You're a \*FUCKING PSYCHO\*!" She'd shout over her shoulder as her feet pounded against the pavement. Though the distance between them was more than an arms length, Miranda was still very terrified. The guy had just killed two, possibly three, people he didn't even know without even flinching!

'What kind of monster...?!'

The teenager was running out of gas. All of the running and hiding and stress before and now this?! If there wasn't a maniac hunter after her she'd gladly sit on a park bench and play a bit of candy crush. Now that she was in the road. She had to do something. She had to get around the weirdo so she could get back to Steven. Something about that guy made her...worry. It was a weird feeling. Something she usually could cut off as soon as it peeked through but this time it was eating away at her. At Brodrick's mentioning of Steven possibly being dead. Miranda felt her anger spike yet again. The girl whirled around, shooting a genuinely pissed glare at the man.

"First of all, freak, he isn't my boy toy. Second, he isn't dead so you can back off and go shove that bat right up that tight ass of yours before he does it for you! And if he doesn't, then I...I will!" She slowly began to sidestep to the right, hoping to be able to find an opportunity to rush past him without being whacked by his sports equipment. Her mind raced with thoughts like 'Don't let him get me' and 'is this it?' With the occasional 'I hope Steven's okay.' popping in every few seconds.

IV
--

Broderick keeps his pace to follow behind her until she finally stops running so she can yell at him. Hearing her words about him not being her boy toy or that she’ll shove his bat up his ass bring the hunter to laugh softly a bit more. The bat is pressed onto the ground and he leans against it like a cane.

Broderick: Instead of running you stop to tell me that he isn’t your boy toy? Poor guy. You really are such a bitch. I almost want to do this job for free because of that…almost…

The situation looks bleak for the young female and it doesn’t look to be getting any better for her anytime soon. She tries to get around him to try and get back to Steven but as she takes that sidestep, Broderick would finally show a sign of using some speed to rush over to her. His left hand would wrap around her hip and she’d quickly feel the air rush from under her as she is picked up with one arm! The sight in front of her transitions from staring at the building to staring at the stars as Broderick slams her back onto the concrete sidewalk just outside of the building. The impact of her back being slammed onto the concrete would hurt like hell but not have any huge injuries caused by it. His arm remains around her and she could stare up at his black eyes glaring down towards her.

Broderick: enough games. It’s time for you to come with me. No one is coming to save you. No one cares about protecting you!

If Miranda started to believe those words, that no one cares about her or saving her; what comes next would feel like God might have sent her a protector for a reason. Sneaking up onto the scene Steven appears next to Miranda and Broderick in a much smaller form than what they’d expect. Like a fly on the wall he’d go completely unnoticed. Using this to his advantage, once he is in place Steven would use his abilities to begin returning back to his natural size. At the very same time that he begins to grow, he’d still be moving his body. His right hand takes a strong grip on the back of Broderick’s shirt. While growing Broderick looks towards his right to see the smaller form continue to grow and grow until he is standing at his full height. Still getting back to his normal size, Steven turns his body around as if he were winding up. This motion forces Broderick to be lifted off of Miranda’s body and into the air with the turning motion that Steven has. Not a second later Steven’s arm flings forward like a pitcher and his enhanced strength allows him to throw Broderick like he is a pebble! The teenage hunters body is thrown towards a large electric fuse box and his body crashes right through the metal container! Sparks fly out and cover his entire body as he crashes through it! Miranda can look up and see Steven standing over her body with blood covering his forehead and his face focused on the task at hand. Even with everything she has done to him, Steven still finds it in his heart to be her protector because he knows that it is the right thing to do. Having bought a few seconds, Steven would get down on one knee and his eyes gazing down at her hazel hues.

Steven: Hey there, Angry…He didn’t hurt you too much did he? Don’t worry…Only I get to be mean to you and get away with it.

He’d flash her a small grin and it would have much more meaning behind it than just simply making a joke. Before he got smacked the kingdom come they had some really harsh words towards one another. Even though he may not be suave with words or the way he looks, this is his way of letting her know that he isn’t mad with her if she even bothered to know. At that time, Broderick slowly gets up from the destroyed electrical panel with his shirt ripped in many places from the metal slicing into his clothes. But it would be evident to even a newbie like Steven that there are no cuts on his skin that match the cuts on his clothes.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hwiCkU73NA )
Broderick: Well this is rather suprising…People don’t usually get up after taking a hit from Brenda. She’s very fatal to the human mind…

Once Broderick comes back into the scene, Steven turns his attentions to him by standing up and stepping in between him and Miranda.

Steven: Not everyone has a defense like I do…And I don’t take kindly to being hit with such a cowards tactic…

The two men come to a powerful stare down with enough anger and animosity to create a flare of energy between the two of them. Broderick tightens his grip about his metal bat while continuing the mind games to try and throw Steven off his game.

Broderick: All this for a girl you barely even know…I heard what she said about you. What do you think is going to come of you working so hard? She clearly is using you only to protect her; to get her back to mommy and daddy.

Steven turns over his shoulder to look down at Miranda with his reddish hues and she could see it in his face that part of him thinks Broderick is telling the truth. Maybe she is only using him to get her safetly back home before ditching him to go on back to her normal life. His mind however can’t focus on things like that, so he turns back to face Broderick.

Steven: It doesn’t matter if she is using me or not…What matters is I promised I’d get her back home and in one piece…If I call myself a hero at all I have to be able to stand by my word. And right now you stand between me and living up to that promise.

Steven slides his right leg back while lifting his hands up to get into a standard boxing stance, one of the only fighting stances he actually knows. Seeing this causes Broderick to raise a brow.

Steven: So why don’t you get the hell out of my way…

Broderick smiles devilishly as the excitement for the fight begins to get his blood flowing.

Broderick: Alright Billy Badass…Let’s do this.

He swings his bat around in his hand as if it were a sword trick before sliding his left foot forward, leaning on the back of his right leg. After spinning the sword around, both hands snatch at the handle and he places it to where the tip of the bat is facing Steven. To get Miranda home he must defeat the hunter that has shown he has more capability in winning than any of the other hitmen hired to take Steven out.