[hr][CENTER][color=silver][h1][b]Natalie Ellis[/b][/h1][/color][/CENTER][hr] [color=silver][i]Location:[/i][/color] Freckles', Argyle Boulevard - Scrapyard, Industrial District [color=silver][i]Time of Day:[/i][/color] Late Afternoon [color=silver][i]Collab With:[/i][/color] [@Lord Wraith] Upon leaving the staff door and walking out into the parking lot, Natalie saw exactly what she was expecting. All the goons she had seen inside the restaurant, plus a few more, and a hastily parked car with an open boot. On one hand, Nat had no intention of letting herself get tied up and thrown in a truck. If they had a boss, getting taken there in this car would help her find out who it was, and put a stop to this. But that was too risky. They didn’t seem to be too well-armed right now but at their lair, they might have heftier weaponry. Even so, Natalie knew, though they might not, that she held the cards here. This group had no idea what Natalie was protecting them from. [color=silver][b]”I guess this means we can stop pretending we don’t recognize each other, huh?”[/b][/color] She asked the crowd in front of her, frowning. Vinnie’s jaw dropped as Monty lifted a hand, placing it against his forehead with a loud ‘[i]smack[/i]’ that echoed across the parking lot before he hung his head in frustration. From behind the pair, Bianca tried to stifle her laughter as she placed a hand against her own mouth and turned her back towards Natalie. [color=#999999]“You knew it was us that whole time?”[/color] Vinnie asked in disbelief as Monty could only shake his head, failing to stop the younger man from babbling on further. [color=#999999]“Why you have to hurt me like that, dollface? I thought we had a connection, we weren’t going to kill you or anything? Maybe just rough you up some, find out where the liz-”[/color] [color=#b7b7b7]“SHUT THE [B]FUCK[/B] UP, VINNIE!”[/color] Monty interjected as he motioned towards two of the larger men. [color=#b7b7b7]“Don’t just stand there, grab her before she screams!”[/color] Moving towards Natalie, the two men each took a hold of one of her arms before they tried to move the girl towards the awaiting car. [color=#b7b7b7]“Hurry up, she’s just a little girl, shouldn’t be taking this long!” [/color]Monty snapped. Natalie was about to fight back but stopped. Before he got cut off, Vinnie was definitely about to say ‘lizard’. They wanted Archie too. That made sense. He’d also hurt them, and had done much more damage than Natalie had. He was probably their main target. She’d have to warn him when she got the chance. But if they had a boss, and he was making moves against Archie, she’d have to stop him. Her dilemma was now solved. She’d let herself get captured and hopefully taken to their boss. She willingly and without screaming walked with them to the trunk of the car. Although, her own time in a criminal gang gave her a sense of professional unsatisfaction what it came to the competence of this motley crew. She couldn’t let it go any longer. [color=silver][b]”You know, if you didn’t want me to scream, you should probably have gagged me. Also not have screamed yourself if you didn’t want to attract attention to a blatant kidnapping. At least tell me you’re going to tie my wrists and ankles before you stuff me in a boot, or have gangs really gotten that bad in just two years?”[/b][/color] Bianca smiled giving Natalie a subtle thumbs up and a wink before turning to watch as Vinnie turned towards Monty. [color=#999999]“Why didn’t you think of that, boss?”[/COLOR] He asked as Monty shot him a look that would freeze molten lava. [color=#b7b7b7]“Because, moron!”[/COLOR] Monty hissed, [color=#b7b7b7]“This was all your hairbrained idea and you’ve gone and fucked it harder than the whatever inbred hick did your mom when she conceived you!”[/COLOR] Looking around, Monty threw a hand up in frustration as he leaned heavily on his crutches. [color=#b7b7b7]“You heard the little lady, she wants to be gagged, so please, someone fuckin’ gag her!”[/COLOR] Monty ordered before lifting a crutch as he delivered a quick blow to Vinnie’s crotch as the later began to reach for the zipper on his pants. [color=#b7b7b7]“Not like that!”[/COLOR] Natalie shook her head, walked straight past both men and climbed into the boot herself, berating them further as she did so. [color=silver][b]”This is just painful. You’ve already fucked this up enough. Shut me in and get in the car before somebody calls the cops. I’m starting to regret sparing and saving your lives, respectively.”[/b][/color] Natalie looked around for the woman. She actually seemed to have sense. It was the same position Natalie herself used to be in; the single woman in a gang of petty crooks, and at times, she felt like the only intelligent member. The voice of reason. The difference was that even Natalie’s gang, even her goofy bonehead of a boyfriend, weren’t as pitifully pathetic as these two clowns. Closing the trunk, Bianca locked it before climbing into the driver’s seat as Monty and Vinnie both followed suit. Starting the car, the women drove out of the Freckles parking lot, turning in the opposite direction from where the trio had come as Monty looked at her in confusion. [color=#b7b7b7]“Where are we going?”[/color] He asked as Bianca nodded towards him. [color=#666666]“You’ll see.”[/color] She replied as she spun the wheel, taking a sharp corner as she began to drive towards the North East side of the city. Driving along the freeway, Bianca took an exit for towards the city’s industrial district. Slowing, the car, drove over a large pothole as the woman guided it into a local scrapyard, which got a large and irritated ‘Ow!’ from their passenger. [color=#999999]“What do you have in mind?”[/color] Vinnie asked as he leaned in between the front seats from the back. [color=#666666]“We’re going to squeeze the information out of her.”[/color] Bianca replied with a smile as she parked the car. Waving towards a member of their gang, he signalled back as he climbed into the seat of a front end loader and started the engine. [color=#666666]“Monty, can you work the crusher?”[/color] Bianca asked as Vinnie scurried around beside her and rubbed his hands together eagerly. [color=#b7b7b7]“Yeah, I think I can figure it out.”[/color] Monty replied as he hobbled over to the controls. With Monty out of the way, the front ender loader approached the car, placing its forks under the vehicle as it began to lift it into the crusher, Natalie still inside. Natalie considered all of her other options. Was there any other way, any at all, where she didn’t have to risk hurting anyone? No. She’d have to escape this car before they crushed her, and even her bones wouldn’t be able to cope with the force of an industrial crusher. But doing so would expose her powers, and they’d probably then resort to shooting her, and then….then she didn’t know if she could stay in control. But there was literally nothing that could be gained from staying in the trunk. She had not been taken to their lair. For all she knew, they didn’t have one. Bianca might even be their actual boss. She had to get out. Forcing the trunk open with a snap, breaking the lock in the process, Natalie emerged from the car, then quickly rushed free of the crusher. She looked around, trying to gauge, how many men there were, how well armed they were, and how many knew, or suspected, she had powers and wasn’t just good at escaping from trunks? [color=#999999]“I thought you locked the fuckin’ trunk!”[/COLOR] Vinnie asked Bianca in disbelief as Natalie suddenly jumped free, the front end loader coming to a sudden stop as the woman appeared on the ground beside the aloft vehicle. [color=#666666]“I did.”[/COLOR] Bianca replied with a snarl as she reached to the back of her pants and pulled out a gun, releasing the safety as she trained it on Natalie. [color=#666666]“Look, sweetheart, we only want your lizard friend but I have no regrets about putting a bullet in each of your legs to keep you here if that’s what it takes. So why don’t you just take out that lovely cellphone of yours I let you keep and give your scaly pet a call?”[/COLOR] Binaca ordered while keeping the gun pointed on the other woman. Natalie’s courage completely deserts her when she sees the gun. For all her powers, getting shot in the leg would still injure and immobilise her, and one shot to the chest would kill her. She puts one arm up in the air, and reaches for her phone with the other, pulling it out and holding it so that Bianca could see it. [color=silver][b]”First of all, he’s not my pet. We met for the first time yesterday. Second of all, I don’t even have his number, not unless-”[/b][/color] Her eyes widened and a slight blush showed on her cheeks as she hurriedly checked her phone’s messages. There was a new one. She opened it and read it. [sup][i][color=00a99d]7:35 pm[/color][/i][/sup] [code]Archie: Would you like to grab lunch sometime?[/code] She didn’t allow herself a smile, even if she wanted to. She didn’t want to give away that she liked the ‘scaly pet’, and give her captors any more leverage than they already had. With as straight face as she could manage, she looked right at Bianca, as she pressed the buttons that allowed her to dial her apartment's phone number. Ellara shouldn’t be in. She works at this time of night. [color=silver][b]”I have his number,”[/b][/color] she told Bianca. [color=silver][b]”It’s ringing now.”[/b][/color] The reason for this deception was that Natalie, though she did want to ring Archie, didn’t want to get him involved in this. She didn’t want to put him in any danger of harm or discovery. She could handle this herself. All she had to do was get Bianca to let her guard down for just a second. With a motion of her head, Bianca nodded towards Vinnie. [color=#666666]“Get the phone,”[/COLOR] She ordered as Vinnie quickly walked towards Natalie, reaching out as he moved to take the device from her hands, Bianca all the while keeping the weapon firmly pointed towards the other woman. Natalie handed the phone over to Vinnie. When he put it to his ear, he’d hear Natalie’s own voice in what was clearly an answer machine’s recorded message. She had rung her own house. [color=#999999]“She called her fuckin’ self-”[/COLOR] Before anybody else could make a move, Natalie got Vinnie in a headlock from behind and grabbed the back of his head with her other hand. [color=silver][b]”Nobody shoot or I snap his neck!”[/b][/color] she yelled out. [color=silver][b]”Everyone drop your weapons and kick them away!”[/b][/color] Bianca smirked, the girl had balls, she had to give it to her. [color=#666666]“I like you,”[/color] Bianca called, [color=#666666]“Which kind of [i]fucking[/i] sucks that I have to do this next part.”[/COLOR] She added, squeezing the trigger as she shot Vinnie, the bullet passing through the man’s shoulder and hitting Natalie. She looked down, and took her hand away from Vinnie’s neck to feel the wound. The bullet was still lodged in Natalie’s wound. Bianca had shot her in the sternum, and after passing through Vinnie’s shoulder, the bullet couldn’t penetrate Natalie’s super-tough bones. She had got very lucky, but the pain and the blood, and the panic were spreading. Oh no. Nonononono… Natalie looked straight at Bianca, and her eyes wide and wild, like those of a deer in the headlights. Then they changed. Natalie’s face contorted into one of confusion and malice, and she threw the injured Vinnie aside, sending him flying across the room in a feat of blatant super strength. Then she sprinted towards Bianca. [color=#999999]“You shot me!”[/color] Vinnie cried while rolling around on the ground in agony as Bianca smiled, holding her ground as she fired three more shots towards Natalie before suddenly dropped the gun. Her skin began to change as a metal like plating engulfed her body, a layer of steel-like dermal armour covering her as she stood her ground ready for the woman while still barking orders. [color=#666666]“Suck it up and get the phone the fuck out of here!”[/color] She ordered as Monty hobbled over to where Vinnie was now laying on the ground after being thrown. Throwing a wide hook, Bianca attempted to sucker punch the approaching girl as the two superhumans faced off. Natalie was not skilled enough of a fighter to intercept or avoid the punch, though this metal punch, that should have turned the head of such a frail woman into paste, merely caused Natalie to stagger backwards and suck air through her teeth, as she came at Bianca with her own wild punch. Two tons of force were being hurtled towards the metal woman’s head. She was too far gone into her ‘episode’ to even comprehend that she needed to stop Vinnie. Tossed backwards, Bianca felt the force of the blow even behind her own armour. Nonetheless, she stood again watching with smug satisfaction as Monty and Vinnie managed to pile into another car, escaping to fuck up another day but at least they had the girl’s phone. Now all that was left was for Bianca herself to survive. The girl seemed to have given in to her anger, there was no reason behind her attacks only an intent to harm or even kill. Bianca, on the other hand, was still in control of her emotions as she avoided another blow and delivered a fist of her own towards the girl’s lower torso, targeting her kidney’s. Natalie recoiled sharply from that blow, backing away and holding her side with both hands. There weren’t as many bones protecting her midriff, although her ribcage did protect her kidneys from that punch. Even so, that one rational worry that went through her mind was enough to snap her out of it. She came back to herself, and far too late looked back for her phone. They took it, and they were gone. And they now had the perfect means to bait Archie into a trap. And it was all her fault because she lost control again… Natalie looked up at Bianca from where she was crouched, and already looked defeated, in her eyes. [color=silver][b]”What are you going to do to him?”[/b][/color] she asked her. [color=silver][b]”What are you going to do to me?”[/b][/color] [color=#666666]“You’ll see,”[/color] Bianca responded before delivering a final blow to Natalie as the other girl fell unconscious.