Journals of the Lady Cobra, her friends, her foes, and anyone in between.

[White Cobra]

The drive from Khao Yai to Loei would have been long and tedious even under the best of circumstances and undertaking the journey in an old Isuzu truck that would have been in its prime when Emily’s grandmother was a young girl was nothing short of tormenting.

Progress was made only at a pace that would make your average glacier seem fast in comparison. Each time the road ascended, the truck was arguing with itself whether to end its vehicular career then and there, and every descent was a nerve-wracking bet on whether the brakes would hold. And every single minute of slowness was keeping Emily away from where nóong Jessica might be.

But the old truck and Emily’s accompanying migrant worker disguise was an absolute requirement for this incursion deep into Ngo Damh controlled territory. As Emily’s mother knew from more than painful experience, the organization had lookouts everywhere, and a white Mercedes or similar would have drawn quick and potentially fatal attention, so she had arranged for the truck, driver, and fellow disguised passengers in an attempt to give Emily’s purported infiltration at least a limited chance of success.

Now, against all odds, the old Isuzu had finally reached its destination and come to a halt in a deserted rest area, and Emily had said her goodbyes and thanks to the driver and her other travel companions. The Lady Cobra was now deep in enemy territory and she was on her own. But much more importantly, as Leylathiriel’s compass was telling her, she was also close – very close – to the dreaded Witch of Mekong and her black magic spells, and by hopeful extension, she might be close to her daughter as well. Emily clutched the golden cobra medallion and closed her eyes, praying that her hopes would not be crushed like the many times before.

Darkness started to fall with usual rapidity as Emily prepared her tent and changed her clothing to provide for maximum protection against leeches and other unpleasantries and dangers of her impending jungle expedition. Despite the excitement and constant gnawing discomfort in her stomach, she would have to try to get a few hours of sleep or – failing that – rest before venturing into the wilderness at first sunlight.

With one hand she clutched the medallion again while she studied Leyla’s compass held in the other. So close it was almost unbearable.

Emily tried lying down and closing her eyes but only ended up twisting and turning restlessly for hours as she waited for the night to end.

[White Cobra]

William Chang disconnected the call and poured himself a congratulatory Chivas of record aspiring magnitude.

Sawat had been difficult to reason with, but in the end he had agreed to ensure that Emily – or the Sao Ngo Haaw as he referred to her by – should come to no too serious or permanent harm in exchange for the information William had provided and the promise of some new and innovative poison designs to be sent in Sawat’s direction to booster the Ngo Damh arsenal.

It had been a busy couple of days for him. First Lung Mao had followed Emily to the airport and watched her board a plane to Thailand. It had required William to arrange for a local team to pick up the lead there once she had landed in Bangkok. Emily’s mother’s foolishly flashy white Mercedes hadn’t been too difficult to find and follow, but a brief Bangkok traffic crisis afflicting one of the other teams had forced his men to stage an impromptu road accident to delay the mother and daughter duo and ensure that they did not reach their Khao Yai residence before William’s surveillance equipment and bugs were in place. Luckily, Emily’s annoying stepfather and her half-sister had been out shopping, allowing William’s team to roam free.

The rest had been child’s play. The old truck was a nice try, but the mother and daughter Lady Cobras really were something of a superhero travesty and honestly had no idea just what they were up against.

William enjoyed imagining the frustration Emily must be feeling at the snail-paced progress of the truck and how it must be driving her crazy to be so close and yet so far away from the Jessica carrot dangled in front of her. Yes, her brain might not be operating at his elevated levels of IQ, but William was pretty sure that Emily had worked out the possible connection between the nightmare spells and Jessica although he wasn’t quite sure how, and the truck’s slow but sure movement in the direction of Loei confirmed his suspicions. He hadn’t quite decided yet how to play the Jessica card to hurt Emily the most, but at least he had warned the Witch and made sure that Emily would be walking into a trap.

William was going to sleep on whether he would allow her to catch a glimpse of Jessica or not, but in any event, once that spoilt little brat slipped just out of Emily’s reach and disappeared again, the failure and pertinent destruction of hope would surely drive his wife right back into his arms where she belonged.

If only Ngo Damh kept their promise not to kill her.

[White Cobra]

The morning mist had been a beautiful yet dangerous traveling companion as Emily had departed but was now starting to evaporate.

The jungle landscape was stunning but difficult to navigate with its frequent steep inclines and challenging climbs amidst limestone rocks and treacherously slippery slopes among waterfalls and rockslides, mixed with the occasional stream to cross and the ever-present danger of snakes or Ngo Damh patrols.

Emily made steady but weary progress, pausing only to study Leylathiriel’s compass, to drink, and when she absolutely needed to rest to catch her breath. Exhaustion could be fatal particularly under these conditions and quickly lead to a twisted ankle, broken bones or worse.

Finally, the strenuous hours of hiking appeared to have paid off as a binocular view revealed a small river stream clearing and makeshift hut and tent ahead and some wooden box enclosures of uncertain purpose. There was a fire burning and occasional movement from a black-clad figure inside the tent. Emily strained to listen for any hint of voices, but the effort was thwarted, drowned out by the flowing rush of the stream and the perpetual cries and whistles from the many jungle animals and birds.

Forcing herself to be patient, Emily spent the next hour watching the clearing, and finally her caution was rewarded. A careless cloud of cigarette smoke revealed the location of a trio of what Emily suspected to be Ngo Damh guards hiding behind trees and thick growth at the outskirts of the clearing. The kneeling Emily bit her lip. Was it coincidence or did they somehow know she was coming? Was she walking into a trap? In any event, her surveillance had come to an end. There was only one way to find out. Near-silently, Emily crept closer.

-0-

Luck was with her, as one of the guards needed to relieve himself. He never saw the black shadow creeping up on him from behind. Emily had a variety of pressure point- and chokehold techniques to chose from but had opted for the safety of a more chemical approach, and the syringe and fast-working sedative worked admirably as intended.

Placing the guard in recovery position she then made her way towards the nest of the remaining guards. Again, luck was with her as they had rested their rifles against a tree trunk and were busying themselves chewing betel and smoking respectively. Emily weighed her options, considering the syringe again but finding it too unsafe against two opponents, opting this time to use her combative skills.

Striking with the speed of her serpent namesake Emily closed in on the two unprepared guards, lashing out with almost impossible precision and ferocity, her palm, knee, and booted feet bringing an end to any opposition or threat from the Ngo Damh muscle before they even knew what was happening. After securing them with strips and gags, Emily could finally turn and face the hut and tent again.

The patient waiting had come to an end and it was time to confront the Witch.

Edited February 16, 2022 by White Cobra

[White Cobra]

((Credit and thank you goes to @Palehood for kindly sharing their knowledge about naam man phrai)

Cautiously, Emily approached the clearing. She stopped with her back against the hut, listening for voices but hearing only birds and gibbon cries from the jungle. At least she hoped it was gibbons and not signaling from more Ngo Damh approaching.

Very carefully, she peered around the corner of the hut and gasped at the sight of shelves that had been at a hidden angle from her previous binocular scans. Bottle after bottle, jar after jar of eerie fluids, one with a baby tiger inside, another with a monkey head. Emily shivered. Naam man phrai no doubt. Black magic oils. She could only pray that there wasn’t a bottle or jar filled with remains of nóong Jessica.

Emily froze as she finally heard voices coming form the tent. The Witch and…another voice. A child. Emily felt her stomach turning and had to steady herself against the hut. She forced herself to step into the clearing just as the Witch emerged from the tent.

The Lady Cobra and the Witch of Mekong finally stood face to face. A gasp of despair escaped Emily’s lips as she recognized the disapproving frown of the nanny that had made her life hell and kept her from Jessica all those years ago.

“You…took her…” she mumbled aimlessly.

The Witch just shook her head and shifted expression from one condescending frown to another.

Emily started moving towards her but paused as the Witch held up something in her hand for Emily to see. It was a wooden handle connected to ropes. Some black magic device perhaps designed to scare her? The Lady Cobra shook off the concern and proceeded towards the Witch.

The Witch pulled back her hand dramatically and the purpose of the strange device was revealed. The wooden enclosures Emily had noticed previously opened and from all directions swarms of cobras started pouring out, some of them rearing their heads and hissing angrily away. Emily looked wearily around trying to gauge the threat. The cobras were everywhere. Small monocled ones mostly, but from one enclosure a single, majestic king cobra had emerged and slithered forward regally among the serpentine fracas.

Emily shook off the discomfort and approached the Witch.

“Tell me where she is!”

The Witch looked at her silently. Emily moved closer and grabbed the Witch’s shoulder.

“I said, tell me…Aaahhh!”

Emily cried out and brought her hands to her burning eyes. The Witch had blown a black powder into them, something she had kept hidden in her black robe sleeves.

“Aaahhh…” Emily cried out again and dropped to her knees, still rubbing at her eyes. The pain was unbearable and she moaned again helplessly as the Witch just laughed.

“Uuhhnnhh…”  Still on her knees, Emily tried to somehow sustain the excruciating agony and open her eyes, realizing with horror that she couldn’t see.

The witch called to someone in the tent and the ailing Emily heard footsteps approaching through the gravel and stopping in front of her. Still moaning, Emily extended her arm, touching something that could only be a child. Her fingers searched frantically and found a chain and medallion worn by the child. A golden Cobra? Jessica?

The child was pulled away and a violent kick slammed into Emily’s temple sending her falling on her side. Dazed, she tried to get back on her knees and heard footsteps retreating away from her blinded eyes as she reached out.

“Jessica…” she cried, but even though she couldn’t see, it was clear that there was no longer anyone there to hear her.

Nearby hissing and something slithering across her boots reminded Emily of the danger from the cobras and the general desperation of her plight. The way her soul had been crushed, succumbing to snakebites might actually be a merciful end. But she couldn’t resign herself to that, not with Jessica possibly alive and in need of her mother.

She cried softly again and barely registered the hands grabbing her trembling shoulders.

[White Cobra]

Oh, it’s time for the tellers to rise. And the blood of the angels.

Madrugada: Sirens

Emily stirred and opened her eyes to blackness. She whimpered at the sudden rush of pain. As the agony subsided a little, to her relief, she heard no hissing, slithering or other signs that she was still surrounded by the swarm of cobras. Her hand searched the surroundings and found a human foot.

“Relax and close your eyes please. Everything will be fine.” The foot and accompanying Thai voice belonged to a young woman. Emily sensed the woman kneeling down next to her.

“Who…who are you…?” Emily could feel she was lying on some kind of mat or carpet; a small pillow under her head.  

“I am the Witch of Mekong,” the young woman replied.

Emily gasped and squirmed, trying to get up, but the woman’s hand held her back, gently but with surprising strength and conviction.

“Don’t worry, I am not the woman who hurt you. She is just an impostor giving me a bad name. Now lie back and let me bathe your eyes.”

“I…can’t see…will they…?” Emily gulped and bit her lip.

“Your eyes will be fine. I have ointment and herbs that will remove the poison. You will just need more rest, and your eyes will be sensitive to sunlight for a while.”

“T-thank you…” Emily gulped again and closed her eyes as the Witch of Mekong started to bathe them with soothing ointment.

The Witch of Mekong, a young woman. Helping her. It was all hard for Emily’s weary mind to fathom. She still didn’t quite dare believe it wasn’t just some further cruel trick orchestrated by the evil nanny and Ngo Damh.

But if this young woman really could cure Emily’s blindness and help her see again, perhaps all hope was not lost. The nanny and Jessica might be gone but Emily held one ace up her sleeve they didn’t know about. Leylathiriel’s compass. Wherever the nanny had gone – as long as nóong Jessie was still with her, the compass would lead her right to them.

[White Cobra]

Rei examined her frame in the mirror, relieved that her senior year uniform was still a manageable fit.

The boarding school reunion was now only a week away and the ever-increasing anxiousness was driving her into preparatory overload.

All of her family and friends seemed to have reached consensus that the smart move on Rei’s part would be simply not to go, to pretend that she was too important, busy, and successful to even bother. While Rei could certainly see at least the theoretical wisdom of following this advice, she just felt that she couldn’t take the risk of her bullying classmates in general, and Clara and Matthieu in particular, seeing it as a sign of weakness; as if Rei had been too scared or socially unaccomplished to face them and had backed down. It was a risk she simply couldn’t allow to manifest.

Also, she wanted to honor her last living memory of her late father from when he had paid a rare visit to her at the school shortly before his assassination. So whether she liked it or not, staying away wasn’t really a viable option.

Sighing, she returned to the task of evaluating potential plus-one candidates. The list had been narrowed down to four now – an actor, a rock musician, a soccer player, and a race driver. The race driver was probably her favorite for now, with Rei planning on trying to perhaps combine the dreaded gala party event with extracting some useful driving tips from her make-believe consort. She probably would have decided on him by now and instructed her finance department to arrange for the exorbitant compensation package required if it hadn’t been for the fact that Roberto J was still lurking somewhere at the back of her mind as a possible outsider contender. She hadn’t forgotten how crazy Clara had been about the boyband icon and how he was actually a pretty nice guy to be with when Rei had “dated” him.

Decisions, decisions, Rei thought and bit her lip in concern, her mind oblivious to the fact that this was probably the extreme version of a first world problem. Roberto J or race driver? And she had less than a week to decide. Whatever was she going to do?

[White Cobra]

Being back at her Founders Falls apartment felt good but did nothing to soothe Emily’s sense of constant unrest.

The past days had been full of worry and taking toll on patience she didn’t have and time she couldn’t afford.

Emily owed endless gratitude to the Witch of Mekong. The young woman had worked tirelessly to heal the Lady Cobra’s eyes. The process had been long and terrifying but Emily could now see again, even if her eyes would be vulnerable to sunlight for the days and possibly weeks to come. And once Emily’s sight had been restored, the Witch had used her skills and contacts to help the Lady Cobra escape from the heart of Ngo Damh controlled territory and evade the organization’s lookouts and reach a safe spot where Emily could be picked up by her mother.

When Emily could finally study the compass again, she could hardly believe what it was telling her. At first she feared it might be a malfunction – that the compass was somehow erroneously trying to direct her back close to the place of its creation. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense that the evil nanny and witch impersonator might have taken refuge there – especially if the nanny had been working with William as Emily suspected.

Yes, it made sense that the nanny might be back in the Etoiles, and Emily was still praying that nóong Jessica might be with her. If the compass was right, as it had been so far, the nanny was somewhere in the jungles of Nerva.

This triggered another period of anxious planning and waiting for Emily’s eyes to get well enough to handle a mission there, but at least the anxiety was accompanied by hope. Thanks to the medical aid from the Witch of Mekong and to Leylathiriel’s compass, Emily still had a genuine chance of finding her daughter.

[White Cobra]

Anni Nakayima stood with her ear against the door to William’s study, eavesdropping shamelessly as her spouse berated the old woman she knew had once been the spoilt little brat Jessica’s nanny.

“Never in my life have I seen such incompetence,” William’s scolding voice was followed by the characteristic boom of his fist slamming into the desk. “First the so-called nightmare spells prove completely inadequate and then to top things off they appear to have led her right to you and the child!”

Anni didn’t envy the poor woman as she strained to hear her mumbling excuses. She clenched her fists angrily. So it was just as she had suspected. William was still harboring an unhealthy fixation with that Siamese slut of an ex-wife of his rather than appreciating the far superior qualities of what he actually had. Well, she was going to show them both. If William didn’t have the guts or means to arrange for a permanent solution to the Emily problem, Anni certainly would.

Anni tried to control her anger and leaned closer to the door again for better hearing as the nanny explained about how an alleged witch impostor had cured the blindness inflicted on Emily. A shame, Anni thought, fantasizing about “helpfully” leading a blind Lady Cobra by the arm and pushing her into the path of an oncoming freight train or over the edge of a 300-foot rock. But unfortunately this no longer appeared to be an option.

“And what about the girl?” she heard the nanny inquire.

“Just leave her to me, you have done quite enough already. I will have Khun Ngo take care of her.”

William’s voice was replaced by the sound of pouring from a bottle. Armagnac or brandy surely, Anni thought. But the reference to a girl was more than interesting. Could it really be Lady Licentious’ missing daughter? And if so, what would William have the Ngo Damh enforcer do to her? It wasn’t that Anni even began to give a damn about the little nuisance’s health or safety, but she knew how to recognize a potentially valuable asset when she heard about it.

If Anni could acquire hold of the little pestilence, she could have Emily eating out of her hand, cripple her emotionally, and force her out of William’s life forever. Well, it would be by use of a proxy hand obviously, Anni couldn’t afford to let William or Emily know that she was involved, but that would be no problem at all to arrange.

A plan was starting to form in Anni Nakayima’s jealousy-clouded mind. She just needed to find out what William instructed Khun Ngo to do and then hire a group of competent professionals to seize the asset.

[Kiken]

Jake and her mom weren't worried about Rei's extracurricular activities.  She was a smart kid (about most things) and could take care of herself.  No, if they had been worried about Rei then Kumiko would have been following her on her little excursions in the shadows.  But Jake had been out of the game for long enough that he didn't know who all the players were any more.  So he'd figured it was a good move to find out just what they weren't worrying about. 

 

There were still a few of his old contacts around and active and willing to talk to him.  Not nearly as many as when he had been at the height of his career but enough to give him some idea of what was going on out there that wasn't covered by the news reports.  And he picked up a little info here and there when he had to remind some of the Paragon gangs why Anderson Construction sites were off-limits and in no need of protection rackets.  But there was only so much you could find out by asking other people.  So he had set out occasionally visiting the easiest source of first hand information on who was active out there. The dives.

 

Pocket D was the obvious starting place.  The décor was lousy.  The music worse.  But it was the best place to find both sides of the game relaxing.  And talking.  There was a lot of talking.  In just a few visits he'd met a teched up mercenary who apparently had sorted out Rei's Nakayima problem, so she was OK in his books.  Her gal-pal had a whiff of brimstone about her but didn't seem any kind of problem.  He'd learned of a probable new Yakuza front over in the Isles.  Talked a little construction.  Decided there were a lot more hocus-pocus slingers around these days.  And that most of the people that turned up made him feel old.

 

At least the bartenders made a decent martini.       

Edited March 3, 2022 by Kiken

[White Cobra]

For Rei the viewing of the stunning property placed on the market by Faverty Industries was a welcome and much needed distraction from babies.

Pregnancy and the obligation to produce an heir to the Mizuni empire had occupied her mind pretty much exclusively since the disastrous boarding school reunion in Switzerland, to the detriment even of Rei’s participation in a handful of lucrative business opportunities that she just couldn’t muster the interest for in the light of the overwhelming reproductive burden she was facing.

Clara had been pregnant! Flaunting her swollen belly and boasting of carrying Matthieu’s baby. The power couple’s happy circumstances had garnered much more interest than Rei and her hired race driver and had cast a painfully bright and insistent spotlight on her own lack of actual romantic affiliation and her very non-pregnant condition.

So yes, the property advertisement had come as a life preserver to the emotionally drowning Rei, and Faverty Industries had kindly agreed to an immediate viewing opportunity.

The representative was called Faverty Sidney and it didn’t take powers of superhuman deduction for Rei to surmise that it was either the owner of Faverty Industries or someone with a familial relation.

Rei felt an unusual quiver of nervous anticipation as she departed for the viewing. If the property was anything near as stunning as the photos suggested, competition to acquire it would no doubt be fierce and Rei wasn’t sure how she would handle a potential bidding defeat on top of her freshly gnawing boarding school social one; and buying more companies just wouldn’t suffice to provide her the comfort she needed so desperately.

Faverty Sidney was equally elegant, friendly, and competent and as soon as introductions were made, Rei started to relax. Already the garden was nothing short of stunning and when she saw the heated pool, Rei was sold and determined to make a bid. Even the garage was perfect and spacious enough to accommodate her cars and her motorbike and still give her room to tinker with and polish them.

The house itself made Rei think about architectural Nobel prizes, and while they were at it, they might just institute a prize for interior design as well. It was like visiting a domestic residence version of the Sistine chapel, with unbelievable panoramic views from practically every room.

Rei made an embarrassing social faux pas when they viewed what would be perfect as the children’s bedroom and Rei mentioned her own reproductive dilemma and then asked Faverty Sidney about their parental status and plans. For a brief moment, the competent representative had looked…well hurt maybe…when she explained that there were no plans to have children, and then – when Rei had foolishly persisted about company succession plans – that she was unable to have them.

Fortunately, she did not seem to take offense and the breathtaking tour continued with Rei ever more determined that this would be perfect as her future residence.

The viewing ended with Rei nervously presenting her offer, and that night, as a pony-tailed figure in a skin-tight costume was adjusting a white mask over her eyes, she realized that she hadn’t been worrying about Clara, Matthieu and babies that evening at all.

[White Cobra]

Regret

At first the letter hidden with the Sunday newspaper registered barely as a mild surprise. An advertisement of some sorts, or perhaps the small envelope had just been overlooked on a previous letterbox emptying occasion?

It lay backside up on her breakfast table. The absence of any sender information confirmed Emily’s suspicion that it was probably just some ambitious sales department campaigning for her to buy a new kitchen or invest in some dubious pyramid scheme. Absentmindedly she turned it over, and instantly the morning tranquility was gone. Emily’s chest tightened and she dropped her knife on the plate.

Sometimes I wonder – what might have been…

The words were beautifully handwritten in blood-red ink. That was all it was - just words she tried to persuade herself. It didn’t mean that… It was a relatively well-known song for heavens sake. Somebody else might have fancied the lyrics with no sinister hidden meaning – a secret admirer perhaps although odds seemed painfully stacked against that particular eventuality.

No, who was she trying to fool? This was not a random coincidence let alone some would-be Casanova’s first romantic move. There was no mistaking it. The letter had to be from him.

Inadvertently Emily’s hand went to her throat but of course the rope wasn’t there. There was no physical reason she was finding it hard to breathe. She wasn’t back on that treacherous basement staircase, and there was no reason she could sense the wood give and squeak under her booted step or sense the cobwebs in her hair or the dust in her nostrils.

Visions of love and hate – a collage behind my eyes…

The song had been playing loudly from the basement as she cautiously descended. Anathema – Regret. It was one of her stepfather’s favorites, he played it all the time, and it had become one of Emily’s favorites as well, so perhaps that was what had caught her just a little bit off guard. Of course it had drowned out the screams at first too, otherwise she would surely have been more acutely alert as she approached the heavy wooden door.

Remnants of dying laughter…

After that, as the turtle said being mugged by a gang of snails, it all happened so fast. Just as she had opened the door, something that sounded like muffled screams had blended with the music, and as soon as Emily slipped inside, she had seen the battered masked woman tied by her wrists to an iron bar.

That was when she had sensed the shadow moving from behind and gasped for air as the rope was tightened round her neck. That was when she had realized her carelessness. That was when she had struggled desperately, and that was when she had come closer to death than ever before.

But just as Emily had underestimated the danger she was putting herself in, the man she later knew to be Chester Theodore Thompson AKA the Killer Clown had underestimated her. He didn’t know who he was up against; that his improvised garotte had found the Lady Cobra’s neck.

Echoes of silent cries…

Emily’s blow had shattered the Killer Clown’s right eardrum and it had been just enough to make him loosen his grip and enable the Lady Cobra to get free. Despite her ragged gasping for breath and despite the Killer Clown’s rage and formidable strength it had been no contest from then, and the Killer Clown had since languished behind bars in the maximum-security mental facility where he belonged.

With the passage of time, Emily had become able to listen to her favorite Anathema song again, to enjoy it even, but now this. Since ex-husband William had leaked her secret identity to the press anyone even remotely interested in the East Asian heroic community knew that Emily Chang was the Lady Cobra, and conceivably this news could have reached even Thompson in his confines, and somehow he had managed to smuggle out the letter. Somewhat disturbing but nothing to be seriously worried about Emily mentally soothed herself.

Sudden vibrating and buzzing from her phone made Emily jump. Her fingers were not quite as steady as she would have liked when she picked it up.

“Ms. Chang, this is Dr. Shawcross…”

Emily’s stomach knotted. Shawcross. She hadn’t spoken with him for nearly two years. Not since he was doing research for that book. Emily had it on one of her shelves somewhere, but she hadn’t been ready to read it yet. She remembered the eponymous character’s painted face on the cover though; those piercing eyes staring at her under the blood-red title. A bit sensationalistic perhaps but it was probably no surprise the book was called simply “The Killer Clown”.

Her thoughts far away, Emily vaguely realized that the doctor was still talking. Something about a courtesy call, no reason for alarm but that the hospital thought she should know.

“I’m sorry…I didn’t quite get that,” she excused herself. “What is it I should know?”

“Thompson. He’s out. Gone.” Shawcross’ voice sounded distorted, or maybe it was just Emily’s head spinning.

“Gone? I don’t understand? Gone, how?” Emily’s mind was struggling to grasp the impossibility of what the doctor was telling her.

“He escaped last night. Killed a doctor and two attendant nurses. But don’t worry. We are throwing everything we’ve got at this, and he will soon be back behind bars. I just thought that you and Ms. Guerrero should know.”

Ms. Guerrero. Alejandra. The woman Emily had rescued before she became yet another victim to the Killer Clown’s tally. Or the Crimson Leopard as Emily also knew her. With Thompson out it was clear that they would both be in grave danger.

Checking all doors, windows, surveillance cameras, and gathering weaponry did not make the knot in Emily’s stomach subside. Chester Theodore Thompson was out there and knew the Lady Cobra’s real name and where she lived.

Emily hadn’t read “The Killer Clown” but knew only too well from Dr. Shawcross what the attempted therapy sessions with Thompson had revealed. She knew Thompson’s one remaining ambition; a passion burning with the obsessive intensity found only among the truly deranged. He wanted to get the Crimson Leopard and the Lady Cobra. He wanted to claim the ones that got away.

[White Cobra]

Chester Theodore Thompson enjoyed driving the stolen Chevy pickup in the heavy snow. With its tuned engine and worn tires, the black K10 was a constant accident waiting to happen and it was giving him something close to a real thrill. The only problem was that the Asian bitch he was following was driving so slowly, obviously struggling to navigate the treacherous roads.

It had been like a sign from above when he found out what that jerk of an ex-husband had done. Leaking your superhero ex-wife’s secret identity to the public to hurt her seemed like a pretty shitty move, even to the Killer Clown.

The Killer Clown! Chester had grown quite fond of that moniker with the passage of time. It seemed like half the world and their grandmothers were active or latent coulrophobes and it gave him and his gruesome deeds an almost otherworldly or supernatural air and filled his potential victims with dread.

It didn’t mean he was going to spare that arrogant prick Shawcross’s life for writing that book about him though, but it meant that he was going after the women first. Who knew, perhaps he would wait for Shawcross to write a sequel before taking him out.

In any event, William Chang’s spiteful transgression had furnished Chester with the Lady Cobra’s real name, and after his escape, Chester had wasted no time tracking down the correct Emily Chang. Once he had her, she could surely be “persuaded” to lead him to the other one. Unfortunately the Crimson Leopard hadn’t had a disgruntled ex-husband or lover helpfully provide her real name.

Finding the address had proven the easy part. She must have been warned about his escape of course, and superhero or not, she had wisely opted to confine herself to the relative safety of barricading up inside. But Chester had bided his time – sooner or later she would have to start living her life again and venture outside – and tonight in this raging blizzard, his patience had finally paid off, and as the white Audi in front of him struggled through the icy patches to exit the freeway ahead, he had a pretty good idea why the Lady Cobra had emerged from her hiding.

A new fiend dubbed by papers the Truckstop Terror was preying on vulnerable ladies of the night and runaways, a menace almost as terrifying and prolific as the Killer Clown himself, and Chester was willing to bet his rubber nose that the Lady Cobra had felt compelled to try and stop him - either unaware of, or forced to accept, the pertinent double jeopardy this could lead her into.

Chester shook his head as he watched the slender Asian woman exit the Audi and head for the truck stop motel. Looking so frail it was hard to imagine the power she had wielded when she had brought him down. Well he certainly wasn’t going to underestimate her ever again. Chester closed his eyes and sighed as she disappeared inside, his mind already racing to plan how he could exploit this vulnerable position she was placing herself in to finally bring the Lady Cobra down.

Edited January 6, 2023 by White Cobra

[White Cobra]

Alejandra Guerrero had never thought she would be wearing the costume again. But as she finished wriggling into the skin-tight suit and felt the soft fabric hugging her from neck to toe, she had to admit that it felt good. Or at least not as bad as she had expected. It gave her a faint recollection of how things had been before, and it left her feeling just a little bit better and more confident than she had done for a long time.

The two calls had changed everything.

The one from Dr. Shawcross had been devastating and threatened to destroy whatever sliver of hope and spirit Alejandra had left. It was the realization of her worst nightmare. The horror that had left her crippled and cowering behind locked doors was no longer just a debilitating  fear but now a soul-crushing reality. Chester Theodore Thompson had escaped, and Alejandra had no doubt whatsoever that he was coming for her.

She had never understood just how the Killer Clown had gotten the jump on her. As the Crimson Leopard, she was confident, smart, invincible. At least that was how she had felt. Of course the occasional bruise or scratch was inevitable, but never had she felt any real danger. Perhaps it had made her complacent. Perhaps she had just underestimated the Killer Clown and never met anyone with powers, strength, and a burning rage and hatred like him. By the time she had realized her mistake it was too late, and she was helpless in his power and at his non-existent mercy.

When Shawcross said goodbye and Alejandra had finished being sick, she had barricaded the apartment door and gathered any weaponry she could find. But she knew it was to no avail. When Thompson finally did find her and came for her, Alejandra knew she wouldn’t have the strength to fight back. In a way it would be better just to let him finish her miserable imitation of an existence. She could only hope his rage would make it be over relatively quick.

And then the second call had come.

Alejandra owed Emily Chang her life. If the Lady Cobra had not arrived when she did, the Crimson Leopard would have died. There might have been a couple more hours of torture first, but the finality of her predicament had been inevitable. It was a crushing, terrifying thought, but Emily had come, and Alejandra’s battered eyes had watched the Thai Mistress of the Martial Arts first be ambushed and almost garroted but then destroy the Killer Clown in that basement. Thompson had been defeated and the Crimson Leopard had survived in body, but her spirit had been too far gone to save.

Or so Alejandra had thought. But now Emily had called. The Killer Clown knew the Lady Cobra’s real name and presumably where she lived. Emily was in danger, and the Crimson Leopard needed to rise from her superhero ashes. It was the one cry for help she could not ignore.

It felt good wearing the costume again. Or at least not as bad as she had expected. If she just kept telling herself that, it might actually stand a chance of coming true.

Edited March 25, 2023 by White Cobra

[White Cobra]

The moment he entered Rei Mizuni’s office, Mouse knew that the young heiress was consumed by ice-cold rage.

As head of Rei’s security detail for close to two decades, the gentle giant knew only too well that she had been taught by her father never to show emotion in public and, usually, Rei was flawlessly skilled in honoring these parental instructions.

But being close to Rei for so many years and knowing her better than probably anyone else, Mouse had also discovered that the perfection of Rei’s emotional poker face was tainted by one small tell; one that most people would never notice, but one that they would overlook only at their own peril and misfortune.

Rei’s eyes were the darkest brown Mouse had ever seen, but on rare occasions they would turn obsidian black and sizzling, and Mouse knew this only happened when Rei was truly enraged and struggling to contain the overwhelming anger.

This was one such rare occasion. Mouse was not afraid of much but whenever Rei’s eyes turned black, he was relieved not to be the object of her wrath.

Today the black flames in her eyes appeared to be caused by what she had been told on the phone.

As Rei checked her knives, guns, baton, pepper spray, and taser, Mouse waited patiently for her to finish and issue her instructions.

-0-

Ten minutes later Mouse, Makarov, and Mbida were in the Lambo SUV struggling to keep up with Rei in the black Lexus. Racing experience notwithstanding, she seemed dangerously undeterred by the treacherously icy conditions, and Makarov behind the Urus wheel had nowhere near Rei’s skill and confidence.

Far up ahead, Mouse could just see the LFA almost drifting into the exit lane, and he instructed Makarov to follow.

The way she was driving, Mouse had no doubt Rei’s eyes were still black and that someone was in for a very bad night. Despite knowing what their target had done, Mouse almost felt sorry for him.

Edited March 26, 2023 by White Cobra

[White Cobra]

Just the short walk across the car park left Emily shivering as if she had been winter bathing in Prudhoe Bay. And this was wearing a coat suited for the hostile elements.

She couldn’t imagine what it would be like venturing outside again far less adequately attired, let alone how it must be for the poor girls who had to do it for real, night after night; defying the elements and putting themselves in danger.

Inside the motel room it was not exactly much warmer, but at least the blizzard gales were met with some challenge even from the poorly insulated walls. Spending a night there would probably be as frigid as making your bed inside a chest freezer and only slightly less claustrophobic. Luckily, Emily had no plans to do so, and by the look and state of décor, most room bookings would be for professional purposes of short variety anyway.

A particularly nasty draft wind, effortlessly penetrating the paper thin window glass, engulfed Emily as she was changing, making her tremble again. It wasn’t just the harsh weather causing her to question the sanity of her impending venture outside. The Truckstop Terror was not a menace to be taken lightly, and Emily was painfully aware of the risk that Thompson was coming for her and could have been watching her too.  The thought  of facing the Killer Clown alone made her stomach turn, and placing herself in potential harm’s way of two serial killers at the same time was nothing short of madness even for the Lady Cobra.

Painfully much could be said about Emily’s deficiencies and shortcomings, but madness was not one of them. She checked her messages one last time, picked up the purple wig, and closed her eyes in mental preparation for what was to come.

 

Edited April 11, 2023 by White Cobra

[Munkar]

((I like this style of storytelling! May I copy it? I love copying other authors for inspiration, of course, the story will be different, just the style will be imitated.))

[White Cobra]

((Thank you so much - I am thrilled that you enjoy it, and you are more than welcome to do anything similar - I love reading stories from the many talented players/writers/RP'ers out there - maybe we can even do a crossover or something if it can fit/make sense! And thanks so much again for the kind appraisal - you really made my day!))