Hellcat redux
By _Caliban_ 0 Comments
Los Angeles, California
Patsy Walker stood high above the city upon a buildings edge, her curiosity much to her feline namesake getting the best of her. The red-haired heroine could not stop the smile which slowly graced her face as the car lights below resembled the stars above. Even in her wildest dreams, she never thought such a view existed. Born and raised as a California girl, she knew at that very moment she was home. She had her doubts, but she knew this view would remain with her forever.
Bliss was a fleeting feeling in her line of work. Many in the business would consider it an inevitable truth. To the fans and onlookers, the yellow and blue cat-suit was Hellcat. To Patsy Walker, it was the loud car alarm in the middle of the night that caught everyone's attention while trying to sleep. It screamed; Bad guys come out now! She waited for it, the inevitability of the career path she had chosen long ago, only to be mocked by her cell phone receiving a text.
'Patsy. Heard you were in LA. Call me when you get a chance. Kisses!!!' The message made Patsy giggle as did the numerous green emojis on the text. She adored the sender who was none other than Jen Walters, known as the She-Hulk to many. Her hand hovered over the green call symbol to call her friend when the noise of inevitability in the form of a crash and squealing wheels echoed aloud in the distance.
Her head turned, her heart slowed. Almost on instinct, Patsy leapt off the building's edge toward the crash, the rush of air forcing across her face until the moment she reached out, launching her grappling claws into another building and using the momentum to swing her to another launch of her claws and another. She would never admit it publicly, but it was something she had witnessed Spider-Man do many of times. If it worked for him, why not her.
Patsy's chase would be short, the abrupt movements of a car below weaving between lanes an obvious giveaway of the culprits. She was close, one final swing along with a graceful flip in the air finalizing the chase until all fours landed on the sedan.
"Good evening, gentlemen,“ Patsy winked as the four men inside the car gawked at her arrival. "Kind of early for Halloween?" There was a sense of enjoyment she could not hide, Patsy relishing every moment as their eyes remained dumbfounded. It was part of the job that always brought her back, the difference between good and evil all expressed in the look of sheer stupidity staring back at her.
It must have been the wink. Maybe it was too friendly, maybe he didn't like red-heads, but it was quickly met with a gun pointed at her from the passenger in the front. Patsy wouldn't wait to test the aim of the gunman as she quickly disappeared to the roof of the sedan as her phone buzzed once more. "Now isn't a great time, Jen..." She mumbled as multiple shots rung out through the front windshield as they followed Patsy until she finally retaliated, launching both legs into a kick shattered the passenger window and hopefully the shooter's jaw. Patsy would use his face as a launching point, using it to show her agility and grace as she managed to escape from the car once again and landing upon the roof. The force channeled through the gunman, pushing his weight into the driver, who quickly lost control of the vehicle as it crashed into a row of parked cars.
Maybe it was the repetition of performing such a maneuver many of times before, or maybe she was just that good, but Patsy's body seemingly went into pure reflex as she launched herself from the top of the car toward a light pole managing to escape the incident without a scratch. It all seemed to have moved in slow motion as she was thankful to live another day. She could feel many spectators lock their phones on her to video the incident as she approached the crash through steam and shattered glass.
Patsy stared at the damage, her feet landing upon the pavement as she wanted to get a better look at the damage. She was relieved there were no by-standers injured in the crash. She didn't know if it was training or sheer luck. Hoping for the prior, she knew even a cat's luck would eventually run out. Patsy examined the four from a distance, noticing they were still breathing. She could hear the moans loudly, figuring any other injuries would need the attention of doctors. That was to be expected, but there was something about the crash that just seemed off. She couldn't place it, but years in the business taught her one thing and Patsy couldn't escape that inner voice.
"Its too clean, Patsy!" Her inner-voice said. "Unless they were stealing something Pym related, there is nothing in the car. Why where they running?"
"That is the million-dollar question," Patsy thought.
Patsy looked perplexed; her arms crossed as she analyzed the crime scene carefully. "What am I missing," she uttered softly. It was then she and everyone around the crash scene could hear the sound of metal crushing upon metal. One did not need enhanced hearing to notice the blare of numerous car horns getting louder and louder as did the noise of crunching metal. Heads turned, cell phones remained fixed as it appeared the lights of Los Angeles itself was blacked out of existence.
"What the Hell is that," Patsy mumbled, the sudden shadow engulfing everyone below.
"Look up," her inner voice commanded.
"You have to be kidding me!" she exclaimed. A life of a hero isn't as clear cut as many would think. On the one end there are common thugs trying to make a name for themselves and on the other there is Thanos. Most encounters align somewhere in-between the two, but then there is Wilbur Day, known in the community as an annoyance, but to the news he is merely Stilt Man.
Patsy followed the moving steel pillars upward to the sky until they met at one point, easily confirming the culprit of her suspicions. Patsy's mouth dropped, wondering how she would handle such a situation. Patsy's view followed Stilt Man's path as his giant steps seemingly covered a city block with ease. There was bewilderment, Patsy grabbing her phone and contacting the one person she knew was in Los Angeles. "Hey Jen! Its Patsy. I'm so glad you called." She was glad to finally get a chance to talk to Jen, the circumstances not what she hoped as a conversation starter. "I'm going to need a favor first before you say anything though."
Patsy Walker was a respected hero in the community. She was known for many things and fought along many battles, but one of the things she was most proud of was able to communicate the same message to multiple people on different platforms, as she was at that moment as she caught the attention of a man hanging out his car.
She waved.
He looked awkwardly at her.
She pointed toward Stilt Man getting away.
He shook his head, not wanting to do what she was asking.
Her eyes grew wide, pointing at the yellow and blue costume of Hellcat and pointing toward Stilt Man, scolding the man in her silent actions.
His head dropped, getting in the car while gesturing Patsy to get in as the two soon sped away in chase.
"I can barely hear you, Pats." She-Hulk replied, imagining all the mischief Patsy had a habit of finding. She exhaled softly, wishing she was experiencing whatever Patsy was involved with on this day. "It sounds like you are in a dryer," Laughed She-Hulk. There was a soft, long pause as her brow twitched when the revelation that it was Patsy freakin' Walker she was talking to on the phone. "Wait...are you at Universal Studios without me? Don't you dare go to Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey without me."
"Universal Studios? Harry Potter?" Patsy was startled by the accusation, even if the thought had crossed her mind. "What are you talking about? I'm in a charcoal Prius in pursuit of the Stilt Man."
"Uhm...if I may Ms. Hellcat." The driver interrupted, his attention purely fixed with Stilt Man's escape as they raced behind his gigantic strides. "I have to say that I have been to Harry Potter the Forbidden Journey three times and it is fab-u-lous!!! Absolutely loved it. Hufflepuff all the way."
"Really?" Patsy replied with a wide smile. "The online test said I was Ravenclaw and since then I always wanted some merchandise since it went with the outfit, you know?"
"Who you talking to, Pats?" She-Hulk's voice asked aloud through the speaker of Hellcat's phone.
"Does it matter?" Patsy replied as one moment they were next to a leg of the Stilt Man and the next he was a few cars ahead.
"What's his name?"
Patsy looked at the driver, with the driver returning the perplexed look as Patsy placed the phone between the two. "Who am I talking to," he would whisper softly to Patsy.
"The She-Hulk," whispered Patsy much to the obvious shock of the driver. "Turn right here though."
The driver would lean closer to Patsy's phone, surprised he had actually met Hellcat, but now on her phone with the Sensational She-Hulk. "Hello..." he said timidly, not knowing what to say to the green goliath on the conversation.
"Name?"
It was just one word, but from the tone of She-Hulk's voice it asked a myriad of questions. It reminded him of a scolding mother, as a series of forgotten memories quickly flooded his brain. He heard the short request of his name, but the sheer force of the word made him want to confess everything from where he worked to the time he was not so nice to Sally Flemings in third grade. "Sam..." he stammered. "Officially its Samuel Bolermo."
"Well Sam, what type of hijinks has Hellcat got you into today?" She-Hulk would rise from the seat of her office, feeling the tension build within her. "Before you answer know that I have a particular set of skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare to many. If you say you two are at Universal or Harry Potter I will look for you and I will find you."
Sam was afraid and confused but he couldn't let the thought linger, "Did you just quote Liam Neeson from Taken?"
"Samuel Bolermo!"
"We are in pursuit of the Stilt Man. We are near New Chinatown going toward Dodger Stadium." Sam spoke fast, taking no time breathe, fearing the damage the green skinned fury could unleash upon him and grateful they were not at either amusement site.
"Why didn't she tell me that in the first place?" She-Hulk asked, relieved it was only Stilt Man.
"I did tell you that," Patsy shouted in the phone, her arms and legs stomping about in frustration as if she was attacking an unseen threat.
"Sam!" She-Hulk shouted once more over the phone.
Surprised he was requested again. "Yes, Ms. She-Hulk?"
"Is she stomping about like an eleven year old?"
Sam wanted to confirm her suspicions as Patsy continued to flail in anger in his front seat, but She-Hulk was on the phone while Patsy was physically next to him. There was a long pause, the stammer easily showing he was lying to the emerald Avenger. "No, Mam."
"Sam...?"
There it was again, the voice that made memories of his own mom erupt so vividly. Sam only knew of She-Hulk's immense strength, but she seemed to invoke an ability to persuade the mind to do things they did not want. "Yes, Mam," Sam uttered as he dropped his head in shame.
"How fast can you get here?" Patsy asked, taking the phone off speaker.
"We are near that location. Keep that long legged bastard busy."
A devilish grin appeared on Patsy knowing her friend would arrive soon. Resting her free arm upon Sam's shoulder, she wanted to let him know that everything was going to fine, but she needed one more thing from him. "Sam! I need you to get us ahead of him and I can do the rest. Hellcat is about to smash!"
Stilt Man had yet to change course, the metallic limbed thief making a straight line to who knows where. Sam channeled his inner Mario Andretti, while Patsy hummed aloud the theme to Magnum PI. The Prius pushed the limits of its design to achieve the higher elevation of Pasadena Drive as it raced past Stilt Man, stopping at a complete halt a mile or so ahead of him. This was the end of the road for Patsy, looking at the gigantic frame of the Stilt Man close the distance with his long strides. His path was now littered with the red and blue lights of the LAPD, which he simply crushed or out maneuvered. The now numerous helicopters which flew near him a mere annoyance.
Patsy rolled her head to the left, and then to the right, stretching her neck for an unfavorable showdown. She rolled the tip of her metallic claws against each other one by one - her signature devilish grin revealing they were sharp as ever. Pounding her gauntlets together, Patsy readied for the fight.
"It's only the Stilt Man," her inner voice revealing itself once more. "The bigger they are the harder they fall."
"That is what they say," she uttered aloud. "I've been telling myself that since I saw Stilt Man."
"I know. I'm literally your conscious."
Her brow furrowed under her blue cat mask. "I forget that sometimes."
"D'uh! If you would have listened to me years ago you never would have..."
"Don't!" Patsy stopped herself from bringing up the numerous mistakes in her past. "Don't say it."
"Okay...but you never would have ma..."
Knowing her inner-voice tried to go an alternate route of humiliation, she stopped it again. "Don't say his name either."
If her conscious had an actual body, her face would have been red with anger. "Are you really going to silence me and invoke a Voldemort clause on..."
"You said his name," Patsy murmured.
"Whose?" Her conscious asked.
Patsy grinned as Stilt Man approached. "The one no one can mention in Harry Potter."
"Voldemort?"
"You did it again.," Patsy insisted. "Every time you say his name I know you really want to say their names. Don't do it. Its bad luck."
"You can’t be serious!"
"I am," Patsy said, her grin morphing into a smile, "but hold that thought."
Hellcat seemed to blend in the shadows of Stilt Man as he made his way over her position once. Metal upon metal clashed, her sharp claw tips finding position in each ridge of Stilt Man's telescopic legs. Each time a leg made contact with the ground, the vibration made the feline heroine quake as if living through a miniaturized earthquake. She looked upward her steep climb, making certain she dug in a groove every time his leg would strike again, until the nimble hero reached her goal.
"Hey fella, you lost?" Patsy hollered, trying to find levity in possibly plummeting to her death if she made one false movement.
Patsy's words caught Stilt Man's attention, the armored thief visibly annoyed by Hellcat's presence. With a simple gesture gas pellets rained down upon her, each pellet discharging randomly as they fell much to his visible delight. It was an effective repellent, one which made Hellcat gag and lose her grip and fall. She could feel gravity take effect on her, death craving her blood-stained body to land on an unforgiving surface. She would have no parts of it though, raising her arm and launching her claws from her gauntlets until it found its mark on a ridge of the armor's legs once again.
"I just want to talk," Patsy said dangling limply as Stilt Man continued to walk. "I mean I really thought people like Doc Oc and Big Wheel were a little lame, but after meeting you up close, I have a whole different outlook on you guys."
"Lady, I appreciate the sentiment, but you are just as annoying as Daredevil or Spider Man." He said, the names rolling with an ire she had yet to hear from anyone when speaking her name. His voice boomed over his armor's speaker as he took aim at his new annoyance in life. Grasping his own weapon, two blast were fired which missed Hellcat barely.
"I'll take the comparison as a compliment," Patsy joked but the revelation of why he had come across both those icons as much as he did became apparent- the hydraulic legs weren't just a means of transportation, they were a way of forcing any combatant onto a battle on his terms. Patsy quickly realizing that she was the underdog in the battle.
"Leave me..." He wanted to say 'alone,' wanting nothing more to escape with whatever he took, but Stilt Man's wish would be cut short as his attention quickly shifted to resistance upon one of his legs. His eyes gazed passed Hellcat, focusing more on something on the surface, something strong enough to resist the compressed force of his armor. His visor magnified his view ten folds, locking onto something below, enhancing the visual ten-folds to notice the green arms of someone he had not expected.
"I don't mean to interrupt a moment," She-Hulk shouted as her mighty arms grasped and halted one of Stilt Man's legs as her own legs began to burrow deep into the surface itself, "but can I cut into this dance?"
The appearance of her friend made Patsy smile. She didn't have a quick-witted response for She-Hulk's arrival but decided to use the distraction to her advantage scaling Stilt Man quickly as she had before. She wasn't Daredevil or Spider Man, she wasn't even a green Hulk below. What she was was fiery and determined. A cat from Hell with claws to match, which launched a series of strikes upon the face of Stilt Man.
Stilt Man's armor provided ample protection, but the threat of Hellcat's feral attack so close to his face made its user panic. Stilt Man disdain for the Daredevil and Spider-Man revealed his familiarity with the duo, but the metal claws of Hellcat was an attack he had not met nor liked, causing an opportunity for She Hulk to use her momentum and strength to shift Stilt Man's center of gravity, causing the armor to come crashing downward with force.
The fall caused a cloud of dust and debris, its thick nature blinding She-Hulk to the damage. The emerald powerhouse covered her eyes, slowly walking near the fallen armor as a guide until her eyes locked onto a silhouette approaching from the opposite direction.
"Glad you finally decided to show up!" Patsy shouted, fighting through the coughs, happy to see her friend as she appeared through the dust.
She-Hulk simply smirked at Patsy's remark. "You've been waiting to say that to me since you met Sam, right?"
Hellcat shrugged her shoulders, her devilish grin appearing once more. "I plead the fifth."
"You have absolutely no clue when to invoke that privilege, huh? " She-Hulk asked, her arms crossed wanting to get into legal debate.
Hellcat simply raised one hand, extending all her fingers. "One, two, three, four, Fifth!"
She-Hulk shook her head at Patsy's comments, but that was Patsy, ever the kidder behind the mask. Through all her hardships, her smile remained, and it was something She-Hulk needed.
"By chance, you looking for work?" She-Hulk asked.
Patsy looked around, looking for someone else but knew She-Hulk was talking to her. "You mean outside of my blue and yellow?
She-Hulk affirmed with a nod. "I mean, the check isn't signed by Tony Stark, but it will pays enough."
Her devilish smile appeared once more, "Does it come with a free round of drinks and dinner?"
She-Hulk smiled, "I can make that happen."
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