Why not? by Dru Perry White looked uncertain. "I don't know Clark. The prison officials claim that it was some sort of stealth helicopter attack." "It was her." "Why hasn't Superman made an announcement on television?" "You should have seen him, Mr. White. He's in no condition to make a public statement." The truth was that Clark couldn't get back into his shrinking super-suit. Without it, nobody would recognise him. "Well what's he doing about it then?" "He said he would call me." "Lois tells you that all the time," Jimmy joked, drinking a soda. He'd gotten them for everybody, but no-one else seemed to be thirsty. "Shut up Jimmy," Perry told the clumsy photographer. "Is that all he said, Clark? I hope this girl doesn't turn out like General What's-His-Name." "Zod." "Whatever. The point is that she could take out the whole city if all this is true. Superman must be able to do something." Clark looked down. "He's working on it." Perry leaned back in Jimmy's favourite armchair. "I hope you've got stiffer stuff than that soda, Jimmy." Emily was home in a flash. She'd left her bedroom window open before they'd left so she wouldn't have to damage anymore doors. The butler, concerned by the sudden noise upstairs, opened the door to Emily's room just in time to see her feet disappear back out the window. He raced over to see Emily arcing up into the clouds. It took no time at all for her to find the limo. The traffic was bad today and her father had gotten far on the way south. With a cloud drifting under her feet Emily focused through it on the long car. The metal faded to reveal the plush interior, and the men who enjoyed its air-conditioned comfort. With a little tweak inside her ears she was listening to them. "...ation will get out of hand, Breaker." "Nonsense. She's my little girl." "Not anymore," Kirkland observed. "Did you see what she did to those people?" Carlos grinned. "She's great, isn't she?" "She's too much." "Would you rather have Superman back on our case? Be grateful another mob didn't do the job on that tight-wearing retard, or we'd be in a very different position. Remember gentlemen, Emily's on our side." "Carlos, you're not thinking this through..." Just as the conversation was getting more interesting, a police car passed the limo going the other way. The cop driving it swang his head around, and Emily heard him read the number plate. The guy riding shotgun grabbed the radio and called the dispatcher. But as he let his finger off the button there was a flash and a spark from the centre console. Uncovering his eyes, the cop looked at the melted radio with his mouth open. "You don't think?" His partner never got to reply. Emily turned her sparkling eyes to the back of the car, looking through the boot to find the petrol tank. Another blast of her heat-vision ignited the contents, and the car exploded into a violent ball of fire that lifted the back tyres from the bitumen. The vehicle came down hard, the paint already beginning to char in the intense heat, and lurched into the other lane...colliding with a delivery van and rebounding back into the oncoming traffic. It rested in an insurer's nightmare, cars already backing up past the end of the block in each direction. Impressed by the mayhem caused by her steady glare, Emily caught up with her father. She flew along above the car, just high enough to avoid being seen, her eyes scanning the area for more cops. Marking them as she found them, she decided to make sure none of them saw her father's limo. If any of them got within a block of her father, Emily attacked swiftly and mercilessly. Lashing out with her destructive eyes every now and then she escorted her father all the way to the south suburbs. Realising she had made a pattern leading to this part of town, Emily looked west and blasted a few more patrol cars hoping to turn the immediate attention of investigations in that direction. Sam "The Lion" Leonard had been a boxer until he found a better way to make a living. The good thing about it all was that he still got to fight...and in his new field the rules of sportsmanship didn't apply. Being as good as he was had built a frightful reputation for him on the street (Which was as good as a Harvard degree when you worked for the Breaker) and Sam had been promoted quickly through the ranks of thuggery. By the end of a ten year period, Sam Leonard was as good as made. He was in charge of borderline territory, which was dangerous...and payed accordingly. But when Breaker had gone down, the opposition made a hasty assault. But they didn't come with guns un-holstered...they came with sweet-talk and hard cash. "We'll take twenty percent less of your income than Carlos," they had told him. That line of their long proposal got his attention. They closed the deal with: "Why make money for a guy in a cell, Leo? You and I need it more than Mr. Lahey." Now, not even a year since changing sides, Leo was on top of the world. His new contract gave him much greater freedom on his turf. The Lion was king of the jungle...well, part of the jungle...and his shit didn't stink. The local P.D. was paid off monthly, and the old boss was locked away for life. At least, he had been. But now Carlos was out...consequently Sam was on edge. And when he was on edge he always went to Marvin's for a choof. He didn't like to smoke up alone. "I'm telling you: Breaker will lay low," someone was saying. "The cops will be all over the place this morning looking for him." "That's not his style," another, older man disagreed. Sam's old boxing coach, who had grown up on the same street as Breaker, was the one who had introduced him to Carlos. The aging man, once unstoppable in the ring, had been disappointed by Sam's weak loyalty. That didn't stop him, however, from taking a huge pay-rise and moving south. "He'll come as soon as he knows what's been going on." "But Charlie," the young hood insisted, "This guy's the most wanted man in the country. He'll probably take off for Rio or Spain or something." "Are you finished chopping up?" Sam asked irritably. "Sorry, Boss," mumbled Marvin, getting back to his job. "If he comes, I'll kill him myself," The Lion declared. "His best guns are long gone, and the fat bastard's getting old." Charlie nodded his head. There was a real chance here for Sam to make the big time. The wise ex-coach had kept his ear to the ground ever since Sam cut his deal with the other devil, waiting for word of war. But Marcus Kirkland had effectively taken control of Breaker Lahey's interests (Neither of Carlos's two sons had any desire to enter a life of crime...they were both off at university somewhere) and the man was a number-cruncher...not a killer on par with his employer. Marcus had done a good job financially, but the physical side of Breaker's empire had been dwindling steadily. Even old Charlie had written him off. The break-out had come as a huge surprise, but Charlie thought it was too-little too-late. "Carlos has had his day." Suddenly there was a knock on the door. An insistent knock that made everyone look up. "Who the fuck is it?" "It's Dave, man! Open up!" One of the less stoned men unlocked the door, allowing a short guy with orange tinted glasses into the house. "Did you guys hear?" he asked excitedly. "Breaker Lahey just hit Grim Winkler's with an assault team! Mercenaries or something, man!" Dave shook his head. "Some real fucked-up shit..." "What? Where's this coming from?" "Reliable sources, Marv. My cousin lives out east...he reckons he lives three building up from this joint and he could hear hand-grenades and a shit-load of gunfire going off." Sam's eyes narrowed and he tensed his jaw. "Let's get armed and dangerous." Marvin pulled the key to his armoury out and tossed to one the bigger men. "Are we going to wait for him at your place?" he asked Sam hopefully. "No. They know where to find me here. I don't wanna have them shooting up my house." "There's nobody here," Emily heard Rudall saying. A search of the house where the limo had stopped with her super-senses told Emily that they were right. There was nothing moving in the place but roaches and rats. "If he's not here, there's another place I know. One of his dealers is just near here." "Let's wait for Emily," Carlos decided. He didn't want to go anywhere without his best bodyguard. She decided to let them know she was around, and whooshed down to land comfortably on the lawn. "I'm right here!" she told them. The back door opened and Carlos leaned his face into the opening. "Get in," he suggested, gesturing the movement with his hand. "I've been following you for ages. I might as well keep flying." Before she was finished her sentence Emily had her arms out and both her feet off the ground. "Let's go to that dealer's place!" she called down, clearing the powerlines and accelerating straight up. "How the hell did she know about that?" Kirkland wondered, looking at her growing smaller until she was a tiny dark dot above the clouds that he couldn't make out. There was a man at every window, even out back. Charlie had ordered a few out onto the street, and Sam approved it with a nod of his head. Everyone had three clips, and at least two guns. Marvin was wishing he had bought those hand-grenades when the dealer offered them, but it was too late to worry. They'd just have to use more bullets to make up for it. They didn't have as long to prepare as they had thought. "There's a limo!" one of the heavily armed gang members announced, jabbing his arm toward to the end of the street. "One limo?" Emily spotted a crowd on the lawn of a house nearby before the limo had even moved. She was almost sure it was the place, and when her dad's driver turned the limo into that street Emily was certain. "There sure is a lot of them," she mused, drifting down toward them. They all turned and looked down the street at the approaching car, lining it up with their guns. When Emily entered their line of sight the gang members were more than a little startled, all of them opening their eyes wider to the sight of a flying girl. The only person they had ever seen flying like that was Superman. "What the fuck?" and "Damn" seemed the only thing anyone could say as she slowed to hover over the road. "Haven't ever seen a girl before?" she asked the mob, drinking in their astonished faces with satisfaction. When she started blasting them into neat piles of ash with dazzling beams from her eyes, they started blasted her with their arsenal of weapons. Well, they tried to blast her. But Emily easily avoided the bullets, maintaining her own assault while she flashed all around them in blur. Landing on the lawn she watched her father's car pull up at the curb. The back window wound down. There was no sign of anyone out front of the house except Emily. "Come here a minute!" Carlos sounded urgent, so she crossed the sidewalk and leaned in the window. "Don't kill any more people, okay? These guys are gonna work for me, and they can't do that in body-bags...or ashtrays." "How am I supposed to protect you if I can't take them out?" "Just remember that these guys were on our side not long ago, and they will be again. I don't want to train a whole new workforce." So Emily wandered toward the house with these instructions in mind. As she approached the door, it was pulled open and man with a shotgun appeared. But as the pellets slashed into the air his target flashed out of their way then suddenly stood right in front of him. "That wasn't very nice of you, shooting at an unarmed girl." He raised the gun to her stomach, but her finger entering the barrel caused a backfire that ruined the gunman's hands and knocked him off his feet. Emily floated over him into the house, greeted by an expected hail of bullets. She took a shallow breath and turned her head around the room, gently knocking everyone off their feet. In less time than it took to drag the hair from her eyes, Emily darted about and disarmed all of them. A pile of mangled guns formed on the floor. She went through the house faster than a bolt of lightening, destroying every gun she saw. Breaker and his two henchmen entered a moment later to find Emily tapping her foot on the floor and watching her fearful group of hostages like a hawk. "Hello, gentlemen," Carlos grinned, taking a quick look around. "It's good to see all of you again. I believe you know my daughter?" Most of them didn't even know the Breaker had any children. Sam Leonard cowered as the Breaker turned a steely gaze his way. "What's this everyone tells me about you, Lion? I heard you had a new contract...that you've been giving my money to others." "Breaker...I..." "Oh shut-up. Nothing you say will save you now, you fucking weasel." Carlos looked at Emily. "Remember what I said before?" he asked her. "Well I changed my mind about this one." He pointed at Sam, who looked at Carlos's young daughter fearfully. Smiling back at him, Emily stepped up and reached down. She rose with the Lion dangling from her arm. He was having trouble breathing with her titanium fingers enclosed around his throat, but he still kicked and punched at her. Flicking his arm experimentally with her finger, Emily heard the bone snap. A quick grasp on each of his other limbs rendered them useless, and she tossed him into the far wall. The panelling parted and he landed deep in the next room. As poor sore Sam lifted his head, he saw Emily's foot rushing at his head. It was the last thing Sam "the Lion" Leonard ever saw. "I have a right mind to kill all of you," Carlos was saying. "But I look around this room and I see potential. You're all stand-up guys...you just had poor leadership." Carlos sat down. "There was a little misunderstanding between the Lion and me. But that won't affect our future business arrangements." He looked at Marv, who was staring at Emily with his mouth wide open. "Marvin, I think you'd be a good man to have on my team. You can have Leo's turf. What do you say?" "Thank you, Mr. Lahey." Marvin was unable to take his eyes from Emily. "Look at me, Marvin," Carlos demanded. "When you talk to me, you look me in the fucking eye." Marvin turned his head shakily in Carlos's direction. "Sss-sorry, Mr. Lahey." "Never apologise to me, Marvin. If I ever feel that I need an apology from you, you'll know...but not for long." "What do you want me to do?" Marvin asked, the question clearly one his tongue was used to. "I'm sending a few guys down this way tomorrow. Until then, I want you to remember my little rule. You get high on your own stash...no taxing the bag" Sirens slowly grew louder in the background. "Time to leave," Rudall declared. "Wait right here." Emily wandered out over the lawn and stood on the sidewalk. Listening to the sirens, she knew she wouldn't have to wait long. Two squad cars came tearing into the street, both of them travelling sideways. Emily stepped out onto the road, staring them down. When they pulled up, all four cops got out of their cars quickly. "Where's the gunfire?" one asked as they dashed over. Two were a little slower because they had to unclip the shotgun from the floor. "It's over now," Emily told them. One of the older cops was concentrating on the limo. "Hey! I know those plates!" he declared, moving over up to the drivers window and tapping. "Did you call the police, lady?" the cop near Emily pressed on with his questioning. "Why would I do that?" Emily asked. "Open the window!" he cap at the car door demanded, his taps growing more insistent. "Where did that blood come from, Miss?" "Well, it got on me when I did this..." Emily popped his head with a quick right jab, making all three remaining cops line her up with their weapons. The closest guy moved in quick and jabbed the butt of his shotgun at her temple. But Emily was much faster than the cop, and caught it firmly in her grasp. Giving the steel a squeeze she turned the gun into a sawn-off, then the palm of her other hand shoved the unfortunate man into the next life. He was dead before he crumpled into the house across the street. Bullets and pellets were coming at her wholesale as she regarded her next victim. There was little left of her second set of clothes for the day, but Emily was not the least ashamed of the flesh now being revealed. She closed her eyes, and relished the feeling of bullets bouncing off her skin. But then there was silence. "Out of ammo, are we?" Emily asked scornfully. "Pity." Taking a step toward one of them, she was taken by surprise as the other swung his shotgun like a baseball bat into the back of her head. She hardly felt it, the full force of the blow vibrated back up the weapon. She turned her head and blew at him through the corner of her mouth. He lifted from the ground and landed on the bonnet of his car fifteen feet away. The last cop was backing away, his radio in his hand. As he raised it to his lips Emily became a blur of colour, reshaping with her nose two inches from his face. The cop was suddenly aware of her warm hand on his forearm. "Give them the all-clear." "Huh?" Her hand closed, compressing his arm like he was wearing a blow-up sumo suit. Sweat beaded on the cops reddened face, a painful grimace absorbing his features. "Tell them you've got everything under control." Realising she could close her hand further without much effort, the cop told the dispatcher that it had been a prank call. As soon as the dispatcher confirmed his call, Emily destroyed the radio. Having such control over a man gave Emily a big thrill. "You feel like a water balloon," she told her captive, squishing her fingers around in his muscles and drawing screams from him. "I bet you'd come apart like a wet paper-bag." Tugging with inhuman speed and strength Emily turned him into a nightmarish fountain, and dropped the twitching limb to the ground. His screams amused her for a moment, but were soon silenced as she vaporised him. She did the same to the other dead cops, the ashes blowing away with the gentle breeze. Looking at the squad cars, she decided to test out her shapely new legs. Stepping up she drew back her leg and kicked the first one in the middle of the bumper. The steel twisted around her leg a bit, but she followed through and lifted the entire vehicle into the air. It soared high into the sky, crossing four rows of houses and snapping a tree before coming to rest in a pool. "Wow!" Grinning she walked over and booted the next car harder. It exploded in flameless ball of debris, pieces of cop-car flying in all directions. Very impressed with herself, Emily hopped up into the air and hovered back to her waiting father.