Polekitty/Not-so-secret origin part4

From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe

Six weeks later.

Rhonda was grumpy. Ok she was past grumpy. She was sick of this place, she was at the point that she'd do anything, even watch those stupid power ranger cartoons with her little brother if it would get her out of Paragon city. Tallahassee was a good sized city yeah, but it was a lot more rural in some ways than here, and thanks to the doc's it didn't look like she was gonna be able to leave anytime soon. Even the parks were off limits due to crime running rampant, there was a huge park in the middle of town but no one in her school ever went there. That was another sore subject with her, back home yeah she wasn't the popularity queen or anything, but she generally got along with everyone. Here though, if her white hair wasn't bad enough, now she had short black fur covering her everywhere. This pretty much kept her from fitting in, that and the fact that according to her classmates, she talked funny too. Didn't help none that she thought they had weird accent's as well, or that she regularly outscored them in the classes. She didn't want to be here at all! She sighed, looking at the calendar, every other day had a mark on it for her treatments at the hospital. Her DNA was unstable, and she had to spend an hour every couple of days in the genetic stabilizer, which only existed in the hospital here. So she was stuck. Dad had been looking for work up here, he interviewed for a security position at some company called Crey but was leaning toward a job with freedom corps as a trainer, using his military experience. She sighed again bitterly, life was so unfair!

Life was so unfair! At least it seemed that way to Jacob Evans, age 11. Just because his stoopid sister had gotten herself bitten by a polecat the size of a german shepherd and changed into a freak he gets drug away from his friends to this place. Yeah Paragon city was neat, and they had lots of Heroes flying around, he even got to see Statesman once, though it was just a blur as he flew overhead. Still he'd seen all the wanted to see and was more than ready to go home, only to be told they couldn't. His sister was going to need medical treatments every couple days, and the only place they could do it was here. He had suggested that they just leave her here and visit once in a while, that didn't go over very well. So now here he was, out with his mom shopping for warmer clothing, the weather in Rhode Island not as warm as Tallahassee was by a long shot. Dad wasn't selling the house back home, their uncle was moving in to take care of the place, and they were getting an apartment in someplace named Galaxy city. That bugged him more than anything, for a kid who had grown up with a large backyard and acres of forest beyond, the idea of a small place for the four of them with no yard was alien, and a bit scary, not that he would ever admit it. Jake sighed dramatically, prompting a sympathetic look from his mother. “Why can't we get a house with a yard?” he asked again for the ten thousandth time. For the ten thousandth time, Sharon Evans answered patiently “Because we don't know how long we're going to have to be here, as soon as your sister is well we'll be going home.”

“won't be soon enough” he muttered, momentarily distracted by some hero leaping by. Maybe his sister would become one of those, she could call herself UglySister or something. He giggled a bit to himself at the thought, not noticing the large shambling figure, flies buzzing around it coming out of the alleyway behind them...

Randy was tired, it had been a long day of interviews and paperwork. He had thought long and hard about leaving the Florida Game and Fish commission, but in the end, Rhode Island didn't really have any openings, and with his military and law enforcement experience, he was able to easily get a job with an organization called Longbow. It was relatively low risk, he was being hired in an administrative position. Still the uniform...red and white spandex? “definetly change at work” he thought as he picked Rhonda up from the hotel room. They were moving into the apartment next week, their furniture being packed up by Sharon's' brother and brought up, what could fit anyway. He and Rhonda were on their way to look at the new place while Sharon and Jake were out shopping when his cell phone rang. He tapped the button that activated the ear piece while he drove, answering it.

Rhonda glanced over curiously from her seat as her dad answered the phone, she still hadn't gotten used to the fact that not many people drove here. Of course with the Rikti invasion a lot of the cars were destroyed during the fighting, and many people lived outside the city and commuted in on the tramlines. One of the reasons why her dad picked the place they were moving to is it actually had underground parking for all the residents. Her eyes widened as she saw her dad's hands grip the steering wheel of the F150. She turned off her iPod, not able to hear what he was saying on the phone.

“What happened?” she asked, eeping as he swung the truck around, leaving a trail of burned rubber from the tires as he accelerated.

“Som..something happened to your momma and Jake, the officer wouldn't give me any details over the phone” he said as he headed back towards Galaxy City through the streets. Five minutes later they pulled up by a large sewer opening by one of the giant war walls, several PCPD police cars , crime scene tape blocking the alleyway. He jumped out of the truck, randy pulling out his badge, technically he was still a LEO after all even if out of state and waved it at the officer who tried to stop him, heading directly for the person who seemed in charge. Rhonda waited by the truck, in his haste he didn't' even turn it off. She leaned over and shut it down, pulling the keys as well as she opened her door, slipping out to follow her father.

“What the hell you mean, you're not going to look for them?”

The Lieutenant replied patiently “I told you sir, we have put it on the wires that we need a hero to go in there. We're not equipped to handle the Vhazilok, they're too dangerous-”

Randy wasn't screaming, he was beyond that “Isn't that your JOB Lieutenant? 'To Protect and Serve', isn't that what it says on your cars over there?”

“I'm sorry sir, but I have my orders, and I have to follow them..”

Randy bit his lip and turned, almost running over Rhonda standing behind him. “You do that” he said, putting his hand on his daughters shoulder, guiding her back to the truck.

“Dad, whats going on?” she asked quietly as they got back in and drove away “Where's mom and Jake?”

Randy fought for composure, he had come very close to attacking the smug officer “they got grabbed with a bunch of other folks by a group called the Vhazilok, and taken into the sewers. Goddamn chickenshit local cops won't even peek inside, callin for a 'Hero' to take care of it, no idea how long it will be till that happens.” He turned the corner and pulled into another alley, shutting off the truck.

“so what are we gonna do?”

“You are gonna wait here, I'm going in after them myself.”

Rhonda started to open her mouth to protest when a new voice spoke up “Nice truck, now hand over the keys!” She looked up and saw three men, no, calling them that was a bit of an exaggeration, they couldn't have been that much older than her. They were wearing red vests and white shirts with some sort of pentagram on it, the one with the voice had a shotgun, his face painted like some sort of devil. Her dad just growled “Boy I am NOT in the mood!”, prompting devil face to rack the action on the shot gun, his companions pulling out a baseball bat and sledgehammer.

“I don't care about your mood you dumb hick, fork over the keys now!”

She looked at her dad, then glanced at the goons, slightly wide eyed but with the hint of a smirk on her face. He glanced back then gave a slight nod, barely perceptible. He knew about the fight she and Raym had with the cultists when they snuck out of the hospital, and the battery of tests that Dr. Majias had put her through the next day. He turned to face devil face and waited. It didn't take long, as bat boy stepped up and took a swing at Rhonda with it, the bat whiffing through the air as a greenish cloud began to swirl around the feet of the hoodlums. He raised his bat to swing again only to be hit in the face with a blast of greenish radiation from her clenched fist. Devil face actually yelped in surprise “Crap! Wrong answer hero!” he said , raising the shotgun, drawing a bead on the white haired girl-only to have it jerked from his grasp by Randy. Now, Randy Evans wasn't exactly a large man, standing about five nine and weighing 180 or so. But he'd had MP training in the army, and 15 years of civilian law enforcement experience, and a whole boatload of fury looking for a target. He swing the shotgun around, holding it by the barrel and brought the stock up into Devil Face's groin hard enough to lift him off the ground, sending him flying to land in a twisted moaning heap. The last ganger dropped his sledgehammer and started to run down the alley. Randy raised the shotgun then lowered it, not willing to shoot an unarmed man fleeing. Rhonda wasn't as charitable however, bracing her self , fist pointed towards the squealing hellion she let fly with a pulsed shot of the green energy. The fleeing felon was hit square between the shoulder blades, the energy lifting him off of his feet, sending him crashing into a pile of boxes. They didn't know exactly what kind of energy Rhonda released, but Dr Majias had assured them the worst she could do is knock someone out with it (and making them need a bath in tomato juice to get the smell out later), unlike the shotgun. He held onto that though as he checked on the fallen thugs with a professional eye, then opening the tool box in the back of the truck, got some nylon zip ties and secured the three of them together.

Rhonda was glad they were all right, even though they were going to try to rob them, she didn't want to really hurt them. The one hit in the groin by her dad though was groaning “GAAADD....wha the hell was that stuff...it stinks!”

“Guess you haven't seen skunks around here, a good bath in tomato juice will get rid of it” Randy said, wrinkling his nose a bit. From the tests done, they knew that she could be selective about who got hit with it, but there still was a bit of lingering scent about it. He looked over at his daughter “like I said, I'm going in, and you're coming with me. Grab a flashlight and lets go.”

Paragon City , like many older east coast cities, has an extensive sewer network. So extensive in fact that some areas are not even visited by maintenance workers but once in every couple of years. This fact is well known by those inhabitants of the city of a less than legal persuasion, several gangs, terror groups, cults and even aliens using the sewers as a base of operations. Randy and Rhonda Evans didn't know that, nor did they really care. All they knew was that something the police described as 'zombies' had grabbed the other two members of their family, and the cops refused to go after them, saying they had orders to wait for a 'hero'. The grate to the sewers was easy enough, the lock easily defeated by tools from the box in Randy's truck. He led the way, being he had the shotgun, stepping through into the dank smelling tunnels. Rhonda followed, armed only with a large Maglite flashlight, and whatever abilities the change she had gone through had given her. Inside at least the tunnels were well lit, lights mounted high on the ceiling, illuminating the green muck flowing downstream.

Rhonda tried to jump across the stream like her father did, only slipping and falling into the muck, the slime up to her waist, making her really regret having worn a skirt today “ick, mah shoes are full of this stuff!”

“don't take them off, don't want to step on what might be in here barefoot, you can get rid of them later”

She nodded, clambering onto the ledge that led through a doorway into the next chamber. Randy edged forward, moving tactically through the door, Rhonda following, flashlight held ready, so far unneeded, hoping her mom and even her bratty brother was all right.

Sharon was glad she and Jake were still all right, but didn't know for how long. They were gathered with a handful of other people from the city, who spent their time cowering and blubbering while being guarded by literally walking corpses, pieced together from other bodies with obvious seams showing, like badly made teddy bears of the dammed. From what she had managed to get out of one of their captors, the only one looking human, though with the blood stained apron and what looked like bones strapped to him they were all to be used for spare parts to make new ones, and as soon as some one in charge showed up it would begin. She was more angry than scared, it was just this one guy and the zombies, and she had already seen how fast they shambled, even with her bum leg from a car accident ten years ago she could out run them. But the other hostages, ok, victims, just blubbered and sat there, refusing her whispered suggestions to try to escape. She kept Jacob close, the boy was holding up pretty good despite all this. He looked up at her whispering quietly “they're gonna kill us aren't they mom? Make us into those things.”

She whispered back “they want to yes, I was hoping we could talk these folks into making a break for it, but they're too scared.”

“I'm not momma” he said, though he obviously was. She smiled reassuringly “we can run faster than they can, so we'll wait for a chance. Remember last summer when you accidentally kicked grandpa in the crotch?” she glanced back at the goon in the apron “well we'll see how good he is at chasing us or directing the zombies after one of those. Just be ready.”

He nodded and smiled up at his momma. Sharon thought their chances were pretty good, Jake had a good sense of direction so he said he remembered the way they were carried down, and the zombies were slow. She felt bad about leaving the other folks behind but if they didn't even try then what could she do? Besides, once out they could find help to send back. The Reaper turned away as he saw someone coming through the greenish mist down here, waving to them. This was it she thought, they had to go now before more showed up. She took a quick two steps and brought her knee up hard into the crotch of the reaper, causing him to squeal amusingly like a girl as he folded over. The Zombies didn't' react for a second, and that was all they needed, the two of them took off like a shot.

Rhonda suppressed a scream as she first saw them, it was one thing to hear the cops describe them as zombies, the actual truth was far far worse. They were corpses, reanimated and put together from different bodies, a Frankenstein but not the Herman Munster variety. She did throw up a bit, the stench and the flies swarming around them was a bit much. Randy looked a bit green too, but he had seen his share of corpses in his law enforcement career, still this just wasn't right. They hadn't seen them yet, just milling around in the corridor ahead.

“so how do we get past them? If we start shooting folks will know we're down here, and there must be a couple dozen of them.” she whispered to her dad. Randy thought “well there was a side tunnel a ways back, maybe it cuts around them...”

Jake ran like he never ran before, leading the way for his mom. The zombies had started shambling towards them, several of them vomiting towards them, he dodged one but another landed on his new jacket, the acid sizzling the leather. He bit his lip and kept going , glancing back to make sure his mom was keeping up. Sharon was , it hurt like hell but she could push it if she had to, and right now she did. She risked a glance behind and saw two more of the reapers arrive near their fallen comrade, and a woman oddly dressed from head to toe in tight fitting leather, even her face covered. She laughed “a woman and a boy got the best of you? Now really” she said, voice oddly distorted by the leather mask. She glanced right at Sharon and made a gesture, Sharon screamed as her escape was cut short, black inky tentacles coming out of the ground, immobilizing her.

The leather clad woman walked over to Sharon, looking her over admiringly “such a strong spirit in this one, I believe the Doctor can find a good use for a heart that stro-”her gloating cut short by 76 pounds of fury, Jake's small fists “LEAVE MY MOMMA ALONE!” he roared as he beat on the woman, surprisingly effective as she staggered. The reapers raised their crossbows then lowered them, unwilling to risk a shot that might damage their leader. One of the zombies wasn't as hesitant, a crashing backhand sending the boy flying off of the woman to crash against the sewer wall, slumping down.

“JAKE! NOOO!”

Down the tunnel, other ears heard the scream. Rhonda looked at her dad “Was that momma?” Randy just raised the shotgun “or maybe I get their attention and you get past them and help your momma” he said, firing a blast into the pack of zombies. As one they turned and started shambling towards him “Daddy no..you can't take them all-”

Randy kept firing , his teeth clenched “I said GO! I Can handle my self!”

She bit her lip and nodded, running fast and low along the side of the tunnel. All of the zombies were concentrating on her father, who kept firing over and over, one zombie with a weird pack on his back crouching down..as she rounded the corner the tunnel shook from an explosion behind her.

“DADDY!” She screamed, looking back, but smoke and zombies filled the tunnel. Choking back a sob she kept running like he told her. She came out in a large chamber, a hand full of zombies standing around a woman in black leather, in front of her,held in the grip of black inky tentacles was her mother, and Jake lay slumped and bleeding against the wall. As the leather clad woman raised a wicked looking knife, Rhonda's green eyes flashed, beams flashing out and hitting the woman square in the face as she snarled “GET AWAY FROM HER YOU BITCH!”

the woman snarled and shook her head, the shot having hit her pretty good “Take her!” she said to her minions. Rhonda didn't wait for them to get close, throwing more and more of the green radioactive pheromones at them, a swirling cloud of them around the feet of the woman. A few of the shots got through but she paid them little mind as she closed on the woman, her fist shooting forward and rocking her head back with a resounding crack.

Sharon was free from the imprisonment, able to move again. She saw Jake shaking his head and sitting up groggily as one of the zombies shambled towards him. Diving towards a fallen reaper, she grabbed his hand crossbow and let fly, the bolt burying itself in the back of the cadaver's skull, causing it to slump to the ground. By the time she had gotten to her son the fight seemed to be over, the remaining reaper, who she had kicked in the junk earlier was limping off down a tunnel as fast as he could go. She looked over Jake, other than a bump on the head and some bruises he wasn't in too bad of a shape. Turning to her daughter she watched as Rhonda's blasts took the leather clad woman down, her daughter straddling her and continuing to beat her head against the sewer floor. She went over to her daughter, grasping her by the shoulders “Thats enough baby, she's down, she's not gonna hurt anyone else” she said..”or eat solid food for a while” she thought, looking at the broken jaw of the woman in leather. Rhonda blinked as the fury faded, hugging her mother tight “We gotta go help daddy” she said, jumping to her feet “he was surrounded by zombies and he told me to to and he's-”

“Allright” said a weary voice from the chamber entrance. Randy was using whats left of the shotgun for support, bloodied and clothing shredded and burnt, but victorious “told ya I can handle myself..” he said wearily, staggering over. With a cry Sharon ran to him, hugging tight, now that the emergency was over letting her emotions out. Randy held her close, making room in the hug for the children. Rhonda thought back to the night with Raym and the thorns...concentrating a bit she began to glow green, the energy pouring off, her fathers burns and brothers bruises fading away.

“you know, if you could bottle that stuff we'd be rich, not that we already aren't” Randy teased his daughter. “and looks like it affects everyone nearby” he said as he glanced over, voice hardening as the leather clad woman groaned and got to her feet

“Foolsh! Yoush ar no mafch for me!” came her slurred shout, kinda hard to be intimidating when you're mising half your teeth.

Rhonda and Randy both took a step forward but Sharon was there first. Holding the barrel of the busted shotgun she swing mightily, the broken stock hitting her in the chin and lifting her off her feet, sending her flying into the wall to slump down unconscious again “and you can't beat my family bitch” she said. Dropping the gun she glanced at the hostages, no longer cowering and crowding around them “what do you say we get out of here?”

Outside, the police held off the press, still waiting for a hero to show up. One of the patrolmen by the sewer grate saw a movement inside, and went for his sidearm “Sir! We've got movement-what the?” he watched in stunned surprise as an 8 year old boy pushed the grate open, holding it for a small crowd of people. The former hostages streamed out as the tv cameras rolled, bright lights flooding the night.

Inside the tunnel Rhonda looked out a bit apprehensively “can't we go out another way?” her folks just chuckled “well if you want to go back through the tunnels , might be another way but may run into more zombies”

“humm...Zombies or reporters. Tough call” She grinned at them then stepped through followed by her parents. After being checked out by the medics they were met by a furious police Lieutenant “you again!” he said seeing Randy “I told you that this wasn't a job for civilians, we had a hero on the way-”

“and he would have been too late, so we got one of our own” Said Sharon, cutting him off. Rhonda was blushing, though with the light black fur it was sort of hard to tell. He fumed a bit then walked away, talking animatedly on the phone with someone, his superiors presumably. He returned a few moments later, not looking happy “I've been informed that you will not be charged with interfering in police business, IF she registers immediately.

“Fine whatever, ah just want a shower is all.” Rhonda grumped from where she was sitting. The officer just smirked “no, Immediately”

So the four of them plus escort found themselves ten minutes later in the city hall. They had at least been able to get some better clothes on, in Rhonda and Randy's case especially, but still smelled of the sewers. Rhonda filled out the forms, just wanting to do whatever the stupid local cops wanted so she could get out of here. She handed in the form, only to get it handed back by the lady behind the counter “I'm sorry dear, but you put your hero ID as Rhonda Evans”

“Well thats my name”

“but it's customary to have a different ID, to protect your identity from enemies.”\

“Ma'am? Look at me, do ah look like ah could have a secret ID?”

Jake tugged on his sisters sleeve “I got a name for ya!”

She turned to look at her brother, a bit wary, half expecting StoopidSistergirl or something like that” What's your idea?”

Jake had gotten to see his sister in action, saving his mom. Not that he couldn't have done better, being she was just a stoopid girl, her inherent cooties keeps her from being cool. But still, as much as he didn't' want to admit it, his sister was a hero. So she needed a cool name “Polekitty! Cause you got your power from being bit by a polecat, and you are a girl, so kitty.”

She thought about it then scratched through the first name on the sheet she turned in, and wrote it in “Polekitty it is then.”

Three months later.

Randy was waiting when Rhonda got out of school. Hero registration to the contrary , she hadn't done much in the intervening months. At least that she told them about. He knew that she had skipped a class to rescue some more folks from the Vhazilok, as well as stopped a group from the skulls by shutting down a drug plant. Still, it was time for a talk. She saw his truck as she walked out of school, waving to the girl she was talking to she ran over, opening the door and slipping in “hey daddy! What are you doing here?”

“hey pumpkin. Just figured we needed to talk. “ He put the truck in gear and pulled out, heading towards the Steel Canyon exit.

“your mom and I have been talking. And I know it worries us a lot when you go out. So we came up with three rules, so you don't have to sneak around anymore.”

Rhonda listened, blushing a bit. “one, you have to keep your grades up. Saving the world is fine, just make sure your homework is done.” she giggled and nodded “alright, thats easy enough. “which was true, she was having no problems in any of her classes, she was a good student before the change happened.

“two” he says, handing over a card “We don't want you to be running around alone. I talked with some folks through work, and these folks are highly recommended, and they have a branch of the team for folks your age”

Rhonda looked at the card, yellow and red logo on it “The Defenders of Paragon, ah've heard of them”

He nodded “the chairman , guy called Xanatos said he'll set you up an interview, meet the team, let them meet you. They'll also work with you to figure out just what you can do and help you grow with that.

She nodded, not really paying attention to where they were as she looked at the card excitedly. The Defenders, wow...if she could make it in...”Whats the third thing? “she asked.

Randy pulled in front of a building and shut off the truck. He grinned a bit “third.. is if you're really serious about this...you're gonna look the part” Rhonda looked up with surprise, they were parked in front of Icon, the store that sold outfits and uniforms to heroes. She squeaked and leaned over hugging her daddy tight “Thank you daddy!”

He chuckled “thank your momma. Besides she's getting tired of your clothes being ruined from zombie puke.”