Torquin

Name: Hoshino Turner
Birthplace: San Jose, California on July 3, 1985
Residence: Crimson Cove, Nerva Archipelago
Education: High School Diploma
Training: Dragon Kung Fu, Chakra, and Qi
Occupation: Small scale delivery, currently working with Titan Industries

Hoshino Turner was always a "girlie-girl", pink and pastels dominated her room as a little girl. She loved gymnastics and ballet. That's what made her just like any other girl growing up in California. Her parents Edward and Mia Turner always had a hard time keeping up with her, not because they were out of shape or too old, their daughter had an affinity in minor draining of the body's energies. A simple hug could hamper you for the rest of the day if you weren't careful. They both managed because of their love for their daughter and their will to see her grow into a woman.

Puberty was the blame for the accident. The minor drains turned into a near-death situation for her mother, Mia. Hoshino had no idea what was happening to her mother, but her father knew it was time to tell her what she didn't know. Edward sat her down in the waiting room, going into detail what she's been able to since he could remember. Telling her it wasn't a genetic alteration, but that has always naturally had it and he had the test to prove it. She wanted to runaway. Her father knew what she was thinking and told her, "We'll figure this out, it's okay." Her mother made an eventual full recovery, but it was always in the back of her mind who else she might possibly do it to.

The summer after the accident, her father knew that if a doctors weren't able solve her "problem", then some sort of spiritual/energy master could possibly help her. Finding the man known as only Master Long, this Chinese master of qi and chakra, had been a master and teacher for nearly a millennium. Money wasn't an issue, he had been doing it for so long he needn't a means for financial gain. It seemed daunting traveling alone and meet a stranger in a strange land. Her arrival to the small Tibetan town make it look as if she was just a lost tourist, surrounded by the lower ranges of the Himalayas. Duffel bag in tow she walked to the only temple in the city. A large number of young people like herself were moving fluidly on the large cobblestone courtyard. Pacing between the students was an odd looking man, he was green and scaly, with what little hair he actually had, was in the shape of a fu manchu around his fish like lips. His large reptilian eyes noticed her, she gulped. He said, "Ah, you must be Hoshino, please do not let my appearance alarm you." She stiffens and quickly bows staring at his wrapped feet, "Y-yes."

Spring had turned into a summer once more. Graduating from high school that year Hoshino could return to Master Long's teaching in China. The nervousness had passed and she could tell of the improvements over her control during her final year of school, but she knew she needed more practice in mastering her abilities. New faces appeared at the temple, and the friends she had made that past summer were there as well. Coming to the door of Master Long's quarters she said in a more confident voice, "Master, I have returned for my training."

"Ah, Ms. Hoshino, how long do you plan on staying this time," Long asked his student.

"Until I have completely mastered my abilities," she said.

"I see, so there will be no distractions this time around," he said, making sure she was true in her words.

"No, master," she said.

"Very well," he said, "please come in, we have some things to discuss." Sliding the door open Hoshino place herself in the floor, legs crossed before Long. He had a small piece of wood in his hands, no larger than a baton, both ends slightly larger than its handle. He flicked his wrist, two green beams of light arc from the wooden device. "Have you heard of the legend of Houyi, the great Chinese God of Archery?"

"No master, I am afraid I do not know of that story." she said. She sat and listened to Long explain the story of how the ten sun birds, the sons of Dijun, God of the Eastern Heavens had grown tired of their routine where one would travel the world in a carriage to bring light to the earth, they decided to rise on the same day. Drying up much of the land, shriveling crops and plants, lakes and river ceased to have water. Alarmed by this, Emperor Yao pleaded with Dijun to intervene. Calling upon Houyi, the God of Archery to scare his children so that they would never again cause such mischief. Houyi wished to do it peacefully, but at the sight of the land, he felt drastic measures were needed. He killed each one by one with his bow, Emperor Yao stopped him before he could kill the tenth son, saying that the world would be in darkness if he kills him. "There is more to this story, however I do not feel a need to tell you, because that isn't the point I want to make. You have a great ability to aid others whether you believe it or not," he pauses, "I will give you this, aptly named the Houyi Bow, in my belief that you will master yourself and aid many in your life."

Hoshino bows, "Master, I do not deserve such high regards." Long only laughs at her gesture saying, "Your humility will serve you well, but you must still remain confident," he taps the floor with his fist, "Dismissed!"

Hoshino's mastery took four years to complete, but upon return home; finding a job that would fit her expertise turned into a bit of a problem. People looked for education, more so than forms of martial arts training, limiting her on job possibilities. Thus began the odd job Ferris wheel. She started out at a local paper in home delivery. The hours were early enough that she didn't have to deal with much traffic, she actually RAN her routes instead of using either a bike or car. Eventually she had saved enough money to buy her first mode of transportation, a Vespa scooter so she could move across a larger expanse of the city. She switched to a pizza deliverer at small mom & pop's pie shop in the late afternoons after the paper in the morning. She was quite the sight to see across town and became a favorite as she delivered pizzas, doing gymnastic splits and ballerina poses as she drove to her specific destination.

One of her regulars, Mr. Roger Teems, a man probably in his early 40's asked her if she would be interested in some courier work with the company that he worked with and would probably pay a lot more. Knowing she probably couldn't live on the two jobs she already had, she asked him to let her sleep on it. He agreed. The next week the man ordered his usual and Hoshino was there to greet him at the door with his pizza. "Have you made your decision," he asked. She shrugs, "I guess, but I have to ask why not ask someone else that is already working there?"

"Well..." he paused, "it's sensitive work and the person I'm working with is wanting a middle-man, so to speak."

"Okay, do I need to put in some sort of application at the place you work," she asked.

"Wouldn't hurt, and I can probably convince our HR that we need someone like you," he said.

"This isn't illegal, is it," she questioned.

He could only laugh, "If it were I wouldn't have asked you to put in an application, would I?"

"You do have a point," she said smiling.

Two weeks later her application was process and she joined on as a small scale courier for Diablo Corporation named after the Diablo Range that is east of the city of San Jose. Though her job at DC would be short lived, only because of it changing hands about a month after her hiring. Mr. Teems was apparently aware of this absorption into another company and tried to protect as much of their assets as possible. About thirty minutes before Hoshino was to be at work he called, "Ms. Turner, this is Roger. Come into work like normal, but I do need to warn you what you're going to see when you get there. They're a combination of secret service looking men and women, guys in riot gear, and men armor clad suits. Says they're going to take us by force if we don't sign off merging with them."

"How is this going to affect me," she asked.

"This was part of the reason I hired you, to prevent these guys, Crey Industries, from getting their grubby fingers on much of my work," he said nervously, thinking he might be overheard, "... just don't do anything that might make you look out of place." The heels of a woman's feet could be heard coming closer to his door, "I think someone is coming," he set the phone down on its receiver, but not hard enough to hang up the phone. A female voice spoke, "Mr. Teems are you about finished?"

"Yes, sorry about that Ms., what was your name again," he asked.

"Mrs. Clarissa Crey, even though my husband Alphonso is deceased," the Countess said, "my business has very little patience if you don't act quickly in these sorts of matters Mr. Teems." She coyly smiled at the man, "Don't think I don't know what you've been doing with most of your work, I'm very thorough," she presses down on the phone on the desk and Hoshino heard the click of the phone. "You've got to be kidding me!" She slips the Houyi Bow and some black tampon shaped objects into her satchel and headed to work as usual.

Pulling into the facility, there were a number of riot gear clad men, with the circular C-symbol on their vests reading Crey. They intently watched her and any other employee that was entering the building. She showed her ID, so she could be let in and was immediately by two men in black suits, one was built a bit smaller than the other, with dark glasses and large communication pieces on their left ear. "Ma'am, we're going to have to check your bag," one asked.

Hoshino sighs, "I really don't have time for this, I have a meeting soon, but if you have to."

The larger man rummaged through her satchel finding things that any woman would have in her purse and a piece of wood, he pulls it out and looks at it, "What's this?"

"Good luck charm," she winked.

"Sorry, ma'am, just being thorough," he said as he put her good luck charm back into her satchel.

She smirks, "It's okay."

The larger man slightly blushes and smiles at her as she walked to the elevator door. The door slid open, she walked into the elevator and feigned as if she had lost a contact lens, "Could one of you help me find my contact," she asked. The thinner of the two came in and help her search for her contact. The door closed and were on their way to the 9th floor, more than enough time she thought. "Ah-ha, found it," she said raising up her fist into the man's face, he staggers to the back of the elevator. "Like what you see," Hoshino said to him as she does a full kick dropping him back to the floor of the elevator. She touches him at his face, he's out cold, she can feel the energy siphoning from his body into hers, her muscles tighten, pulse quickens, and her eyes sharpen.

The ding of the elevator sounded her arrival to the ninth floor. Peeking out into the elevator's foyer to see if she had a clear enough space to dispose of the thin man. Dragging him from his shoulders she drug him into a nearby janitorial room out of sight. She hears his comm comes to life with the voice of the large man, "Hey Joe, you should've been back by now." Hoshino clicks Joe's comm back on and fakes an orgasmic Oh, Yes!.

"Never mind my interruption," the large man said through his comm on the main floor, that lucky bastard he thought.

Walking down the hallway towards Mr. Teems office, four men were standing outside of his door, two similar to the ones that meet her in the main lobby, the others armor clad in a mix of metal, Kevlar, and reinforced plastic. Flashing her name badge at one, one nodded and she was able to enter his office. The large room was always sparse of furniture, only housing a desk with a phone and a chair with rollers. The rest of the room consisted of large touch screens where meetings could be broadcast around the world, blue prints could altered, complete access to Diablo's database and one wall dedicated to the windows. Mr. Teems was standing towards the large window, he noticed her in the reflection of the window but didn't say anything, looking out into the streets of San Jose and a woman was leaning on his desk legs crossed waiting and growing impatient.

"Morning, Ms. Turner," Mr. Teems said still staring at the window, he slightly cringed, "This is Mrs. Clarissa Crey, she will be our new boss shortly."

"I'd like to ask you a few questions, Ms. Turner," the Countess said.

"Okay," Hoshino said.

"What do you do for this company," she asked.

"Deliveries for the most part," Hoshino said smiling as she put a hand behind her head, "It's all can do really."

The Countess nodded as if it was sufficient enough for her to hear, though Mr. Teems was visibly shaken by her questioning, "So on these deliveries you make, how much do you usually know about what they are?"

"Very little, only if they might be dangerous and I need to handle them with more care than usual," she said.

"Really," the Countess quipped.

Yeah, really. I don't know a lot about any of this technical stuff, just do as I'm told because it's my job," she shrugged.

The Countess hesitated for a second, overhearing some chatter in her earpiece, "If you would give me a moment, I need to step outside."

"No problem," Hoshino said.

As soon as Countess Crey left the office, the two armor clad men from the hallway came and began towards Hoshino. She waited until they were in close proximity to her body and let off a burst of qi energy towards the men sending them flying into the wall like Velcro on either side of the door. Quickly taking out the Houyi bow and grabbing two black tampon, putting one in her mouth and flicked the other with her finger elongating it to the length of an arrow, before one could get himself unstuck from the wall and arrow struck his head and stuck to the exterior of the helmet. He grabbed for the arrow to only be met with an explosion a second later leaving a crater where his head once was. Mr. Teems was completely startled at what had just happen, "Ms. Turner...," he said. She squints her eyes and flicks the other compact arrow and says to the other armor, "Don't move unless you want your head to be gone as well."

She contracted the arrow and the bow back into her satchel crouched and lept towards the armored man landing her calves on both sides of his head snapping his neck and instant later. Squeezing her fingers through the wire and rubber that covered his neck she touched skin re-energizing herself telling Mr. Teems to hang on and hearing him say, "Are you nuts?" She grabs him and they flew through shattered glass and plummet almost nine floors before she pushes Mr. Teems off into an awning across the street and she grabs a light post and slides down with her hands landing perfectly on the sidewalk. "Don't worry, I promise I'll get all your work back."

Rogue Gallery to Come.

A small business card reads:

Do you have a package that you want delivered discreetly? Is it no bigger than a laptop? Does it weight less than 7 pounds? If basic delivery needs cannot protect your sensitive documents, prototype tech, or chemical bio fare. Pay me the right amount and if they all fall underneath those prerequisites I may be of service to you.

Torquin

P.S.: If you have this card, I already have your number.

California Gurls - Katy Perry

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Kung Fu Fighting - Carl Douglas