Fred Perry's Gold Digger: Resurrection FanFic by Russell Gaskin (Hilden) w/consultation by Mario Di Giacomo (mdg) 11:00pm Location Unknown "How long has he been in there?" "Since dawn..." "Without a break?" "None at all.." "He's a lot more powerful than we thought he would be. Considering the sacrifices we made, he should be. How can we be sure that he's ready for what lies ahead?" "He has to be. We cannot allow her to go on the way she is." The 2 figures soon returned their attention to the person in question, observing him from beyond a plexi-glass one-way mirror, as they watched him do battle with a small, (about 8feet tall) but powerful training droid. Its silver-laced claws rip the arena's floor to pieces, but never touch its fast moving target. Without hesitation, the figure dodges and counter attacks with a powerful hit to a pressure panel on the droid's chest, causing it to freeze, its claw inches from the attacker's head. "I have to be more careful. Even under extreme conditions I can't allow myself to falter, not if I'm to take care of her..." Sensing the droid beginning to go back online, the figure shakes the sweat from his fur and slams a furred fist into the machine's midsection, sending it flying several feet into a nearby wall. Joints flailing, sparks flying, it's head rolling into a pile where 5 other similar droids lay broken. His stance is balanced. His execution, perfect. "I'm ready......Britanny Diggers is as good as..." "Dead?!? But...but...." "Sorry, Ryan, but were-cheetah reflexes were made for the "Super Fighter's Instinctual Combat VII" game. By the way, is the controller supposed to break in two?" Ryan sighed deeply as he took the nearly shattered controller from Britanny's hands. "I'm gonna have to armor plate these things the next time you come over. Speaking of which, why did you want to visit me today? Id've thought you and Stripe would still be *ahem* consummating your new relationships..." he said with a sly grin. Brit smiled. "Well I decided to let him off for good behaviour, plus it gives me to do a little shopping for the both of us." "Sounds good, but what do need me for?" "Welllllllllllll, If its not too much trouble.... doyouthinkyoucouldmodelforsomeofStripe'sclothes for me? Pleeeeeeeeeease...Imeanyoubothareaboutthesamesize, exceptyou'realittle taller and he's a little thicker down...." "Alright!! Alright!!! I get the idea!" said Ryan slightly embarrassed. "Besides I, uh, need to get something for Gina as well." "Well what are we waiting for?!? Let's go!!" and before Ryan could register he was over Brit's shoulder and heading for the door. "Brit! Open the door! Open the--" *WHOMP* "Lemme guess: reinforced PETA plastic?" Britanny said rubbing her nose. "Gina had it put in last week. How'd you..." "When you run as fast as I do, you start to recognize the flavours of various doors..." As Brit and Ryan took off in the direction of the Georgia City mall, a lone figure watched from the shadows, close to the Talbot mansion. "I _will_ prove I am worthy of the title Daishi.... As soon as I wash my hands in the blood of Britanny Diggers...." Senior Digger's Current Location 1:25pm Theo Diggers was quietly and happily tending to his garden in the subtle afternoon heat. With his wife away on another realm (signs of which was present in his ability to actually move besides horizontally) and with little interruption from his children, he never felt more alive in years. Or alone. Shrugging off his depression, he cast a few mist spells to water his ailing plants that were taking their toll in the summer sun. "You can come out now, M. There's always a split second lack of noise before you arrive," said the Doctor, not turning around. "You always were difficult to sneak up on..." "Comes with being with an arch mage," grinned Dr Diggers. "What can I do for---" Theodore stopped abruptly as he turned around to greet his friend. He HAD expected to see his closest and oldest friend agent M, part of the paranormal investigation group he had retired from decades ago, and had also assisted him in citizenship for both his otherworldly wife and his daughter Britanny, a were-cheetah. He however HAD NOT expected to see what appeared at first to be a werewolf, but at closer inspection lacked both the size and certain features, plus the aura emanating from the creature was a virtual kaleidoscope of colors. In his past explorations he had found several individuals with an aura such as this, but whereas those had been either shapeshifters or aging mystics, this was indeed a were-creature, no more than 18 or 19. "What...who are you?" "My name is David Argos, Dr. Diggers, but right now I don't have time for a formal introduction or give a full explanation at this time. Right now, I think you should tell me where you're daughter is." "I'm sure you'd like me to," said Theo, regaining his composure. "But the question is, why?" "For the same reason that the aura around your hand is damaged, sir. Because of what happened 20 years ago in England. Because of Gothwrain." Georgia City Mall, 1:30pm Male Underwear Boutique-Ryan's translation:HELL "Let's see now, tight fitting Speedo with appropriate bulges in back and front, tight fitting thong with MAJOR bulge in the back or both?" "I wouldn't know anymore Brit, the last time I saw my pride, it was hanging out with my pants, which as nearly everyone in the mall can see, I"M NOT WEARING!!!!" pointing to the huge shop window where a crowd of females of diverse ages had gathered, while trying to cover himself up with his free hand. "Oh c'mon you know you love the attention.." said Brit teasingly, "..besides just a couple more and we'll be finished, OK?" "Rassum frassum thong....make a furcoat outta.." "Excuuuuuuuuuuse me?" "Hnh? Oh nothing, nothing..." "Thought so," she replied and returned to the counter to check and see if she missed any hot bargains. But finding those weren't the real problem. The real problem was between her and Stripe, mostly because they had seen very little of each other in the past few days, what with her protecting Gina, and Stripe's new "job" with Agent M. It was almost as if they were seeing less of each other now that they were married, and what did that say about their love for each other? Had it only been true and exciting before, watered down by their new outlook of each other, as husband and wife and not lovers? "NO," she thought. "Our love is even stronger now, and our new commitment to each other reflects that. Neither time nor distance and certainly no deranged priestess will EVER change that. She looked thoughtfully at the ring on her finger, both diamond and the rare Krynn metals shining bright and placed it over her heart. "I love you Stripe. Always. And when you return, I'll prove it to you again and again and....*sigh* you'd BETTER get home soon..." Britanny resumed her task and picked out a cute little tiger-striped number. The only thing better than seeing her husband naked was the illusion that he was naked. "Okay, Ryan, last one I promise!" Putting on her bubbly, "not a problem" face, Brit turned around expecting the very flushed half-naked Ryan trying to cover up. What she saw was a female ninja with a nasty looking sword in tow, clad exclusively in black, including her shoulder length hair, the only color being a long red slash leading from her shoulder to her waist, and also on her thigh high leggings. And she was also holding an unconscious Ryan by the hair. "RYAN!!!" "What I have done to your friend is nothing compared to what I'm about to do to you Britanny Diggers..." said the ninja in a voice more like a whisper, as she let Ryan slump to the floor. "Don't tell me..." said Brit assuming a ready stance. "You're lost and looking for directions to Quagmire, right? Well, don't worry Ms. Thang, you'll be there in no time when I finish kicking your ASS!!! Or are you some kind of Daishi rip-off?!?" Britanny watched as the face behind the mask grimaced in a scowl and then the smooth action as she quickly drew the blade from the scabbard on her back. What confused her was why she couldn't actually hear it. No scraping as it was withdrawn. Or even a heartbeat from her opponent. No sound was coming from her at all. "No, I am not Daishi," whispered the ninja again pointing the sword at her. "For now I am Mumei. I am nobody. But with your death and Galford's, I WILL become Daishi...as it was always meant to be..." Britanny's home 1:37pm A bright flash announced the arrival of Theo Diggers and his new companion at his daughter's new home. As they stepped onto the lawn and approached the house, he reflected back to how he had wished to spend his hours today. Working in his garden, reading a new Pratchett novel, and enjoying a mid-afternoon lap, leading to a more comfortable night's sleep dreaming of his wife. He had "not" however, expected to be visited by an old acquaintance and instructed to introduce the person accompanying M to his youngest daughter, whose appearance had created a number of questions for the arch-mage. Why had he no knowledge of this particular race's existence? Where had they been all these years? Why had they had now returned on what the young "man" had described as a mission of urgency? And had he left the iron on? A trivial concern but one could never be sure... At the same time David was quickly getting used to the sights, sounds and smells of suburbia. His training had prepared him various environments, Arctic Tundra, blazing deserts, but this was all too...mundane. Nevertheless, he had been trained since birth for this duty and he was not about to let a new environment jeopardize it. Concentrating, he focused on Britanny's scent and her individual aura traces, the scent being obviously female and not "human", which emanated from the house and also from a series of heavily depressed prints in the ground leading to the street. "Fast." He thought, "_Very_ fast. Still, not too difficult to track. Who knew she'd be this difficult to contact? I'm starting to think phoning ahead might have been a good idea." Turning around he walked towards the house where Dr Diggers was on the top step. "I've isolated her trail, sir. She headed due south then west a couple of miles. We should be able to find her quickly." "Impressive skills, son. But my daughter left a note by the door saying she was going to the mall with her friend Ryan." "Oh." "Look, son..." "David. Call me David" Theo sighed. "Fine. David. I'm not going to lie to you. I see no point in your being here. My daughter has faced everything from intelligent dragons to time travelling menaces and _survived_. I can understand that you have some obligation to protect her, but-" "No sir, you don't understand. Not fully anyway." David interrupted. " This goes way back even before you or I were born. This is as much about retribution and debt as it is about protection." He sighed and continued. "Look. I know you must not trust me, but I am on your side and your daughter's. All I ask is that you let me see her, and explain the entire situation. After that, whatever she decides I'll adhere to. That's all I ask. What happened to your hand is tame compare to what they want to do to her." Theo curled his hand into a fist. He always knew this day would come, but he always denied it. Hadn't the death of all but one of the were- cheetah clan been enough for him? From what was being insinuated, it was not, and would not, until Gothwrain was stopped or Britanny was.... No. "Not even a option. I'll finish what I started with you, Gothwrain. You won't win this time..." Relaxing his grip, he raised his arm and opened a new light gate. "Let's go see my daughter." David's body relaxed slightly at this statement, his tail sliding along his cloak, his ears drooping more than usual. Nodding in agreement, he followed the mage into the portal. Georgia City Mall 1:35pm War Zone Randall wasn't even supposed to _be_ at work today. But a check's a check and a little overtime never killed anybody. But from the looks of things now, it meant a lot of property damage. All due to some over aged cosplayer (who looked like she stepped out of Furcon and a wet dream) beating the stuffing out of what looked like generic ninja vol.6 except with a supermodel's dimensions. After watching his video store get reduced to the site of a trailer park after a tornado and with 6 hours left in his shift there was only one course of action. Slam his head on a nearby table, play dead, and hope for injury compensation. * * Whomp * "This could take awhile..." For Brit, fighting in the mall took on a whole new meaning today. Instead of the hair pulling, claw scratching fun that took place during a 50% off sale, she was now caught in an axe-kicking, foot-sweeping, sword dodging battle royal. Nothing she couldn't handle. But it was really pissing her off how this she-ninja was keeping her on the defense, mostly due to the range of that sword (which she was damn sure was silver) and the lack of spaces in the corridors of the mall's top floor. She needed room to maneuver, and she knew just the place. How to get her there was another. Stopping at a familiar intersection, she propped herself on one of the few intact shops in the mall and smirked. "Say Mummy.." "Mumei." "Fashion victim. I was just thinking. If you're so much better than pajama boy is, how come you need a silver edged sword to take me out? And that sound blocking thing? I mean, even he doesn't stoop that low." Britanny watched as Mumei entire face tensed under this razing, waiting for her next move. Her normal icy cold voice before had now become one filled with rage. "Unlike him, I fight to WIN!!!!!" and lunged at Britanny, forgetting all discipline and gave into pure blind rage, her sword brought around her back, ready to slash. They always forget hyper reflexes. Moving from her propped position, Britanny crouched, twisted her body to the left, shifted her weight to her right foot and leaped, quickly bringing her now extended left foot to meet the ninja's jaw. Back in high school on her soccer team, opposing teams and school newsletter had dubbed this move the infamous "Mach 1 kick". She was 17 then. At 22, it was at least a Mach 3. Britanny watched out of the corner of her eye as the villainess sped down the corridor and over the railing leading to the food court. Brit grinned. "Matrix is for kids. Silly ninja." After a quick survey, Brit leapt over the edge, near the position where her foe now lay sprawled, her sword a few feet away. "Damn, maybe I kicked her too hard," as she nudged the unconscious body with her foot. "Then again, that'll teach her to beat up my friends and wreck MY mall. Oh my gosh, Ryan! I forgot all about him! His pulse sounded OK at the time, but..aw man...." Brit turned to move, but suddenly felt something impact and explode on her neck. Wheeling about, she saw the outline of her opponent standing beyond a cloud of smoke, very much still conscious. "Still up and about, huh? Well you better fade fast before I really get..get.." Brit suddenly felt every muscle in her body turn to jelly, her legs suddenly collapsing beneath her into a kneeling position, her arms slumped at her sides, her head bowed. (W-What the hell's going on? Why can't I move?!?)She struggled to move, an arm, her tail, finding that the only left moving was her eyes, which watched as Mumei's split toe boots advanced on her. She grabbed Brit by the top of head and raised it to meet her eyes. "What's wrong?" she whispered, with a smirk that showed beneath her mask. "No clever quips? No name-calling? I guess you can blame my gas pellet for that. You see, it's a combination of wolfsbane and foxglove, enough to get past your little lycanthrope stamina, and induce a state of paralysis. An ancient trick used in dealing with "kemono" like you. It'd wear off in a about 20 minutes, but sadly, you won't live long enough to know." Propping Brit's head to rest on he shoulders; she bent down and picked up her sword, twirling it masterfully in her hand. "Oh. And Tanya sends her hate." And swung. Britanny's life flashed before her eyes. She saw her parents, both pairs. Her two sisters, her enemies, her friends, moments of her past. And especially, her husband. What she almost _ didn't_ see was a cloaked blur uppercut Mumei about 15 feet away, into rows of chairs and tables. Give or take a few feet. She breathed a quick sigh of relief, and looked up at the face of her rescuer. What she saw was a snarling visage that was completely unknown to her, but what surprised her was how quickly it changed, becoming more concerned, as if towards her safety, as the stranger bent down to meet her eyes. "Ms. Diggers are you alright? Are you injured?" "David, look out!!" Not even turning, he quickly hefted Britanny's frame into his arms and half jumped, half rolled their bodies sideways across the floor into a group of overturned tables, using his body as a shield for whatever attack had been coming. Glancing over Brit's shoulder, he saw the reason for Dr. Digger's warning. Seconds after they had arrived near the parking lot, (which was strangely empty especially for midday) Theo had witnessed David take off at an amazing speed in the direction of the mall's lower section, a look of both fear and anger in his face. Seeing mall patrons running out of the front entrance confirmed his fears. Using a "quick step" spell, he followed, just in time to see David kneeling by his daughter. He also watched as someone quickly rose up and tossed something in a rather erratic motion. No time to lose, he issued his warning as he powered up an aura burst, to both stop the incoming projectiles and perhaps incapacitate the individual as well. He realized too late that the objects were METAL shurikens. Even as most of them whizzed by him, one that had been in the general path of his spell easily sliced through it, embedding itself on the right side of the archmage's chest. Before he could deal with the pain, a bioelectric shock erupted from the object, causing him to slump to the ground unconscious, the spell fizzling before it reached its target. David watched horrified as the mage fell to the ground, his face tensing again, but before he could find out if he was all right, a voice rang out. "Give me Britanny Diggers, whoever you are. And perhaps I won't kill you too..." David looked down at Britanny's still paralyzed form and saw that she was staring. "I won't. I was sent here to protect you, Ms. Diggers and though I don't have your worded approval, It seems that I have no choice but to do just that." (Believe me,) Britanny thought, (If you can kick that girl's ass, you've got MY vote..) Removing his cloak and placing it over Britanny, he slowly rose and stepped out behind the makeshift barricade to greet his foe. Mumei was furious. So close. So close to one step of her journey towards a new and better identity, and some fool hero had nearly ruined it. She calmed herself. No matter. They would all die. Both Diggers', the hero and then Daishi. "No one can stop me." She watched as a figure emerged from behind the group of tables sideways, one eye kept firmly on her. Another lycanthrope it seemed. It's furred body a shade of reddish brown that peeked over its forehead, as well as covering a well-defined physique, and wearing only a pair of blue jeans and athletic shoes. It's ears uncropped. And rows of teeth that made her shiver for an instant. And then it spoke. "If your trouble is with her, it is now with ME." "And who exactly ARE you?" "David Argos, bodyguard to Britanny Diggers. Elite, of the Werehound clan." "Never heard of you." "Good. The less you've heard, the more of an advantage I have." And without hesitation, rushed her. Leaping back, Mumei barely managed to dodge the first blow before she had a chance to block a thrust kick that exploded in her abdomen, forcing her back a couple steps. Regaining her step, she immediately began a full assault on David, putting him on the defense. Stepping back in time with her motions, he twisted his body appropriately, dodging every punch she threw at him, ducking and parrying every kick. Then out of nowhere, he slapped her across the face. HARD. She looked up from the blow, at the werehound, who was standing with his arms crossed, a dissatisfied look on his face. "Some fighter you are." He said, shaking his head. "You need to cheat to win. I'm guessing you never even touched Ms. Diggers until you played some trump card. And the little force buffer around you? It may be able to take some of the power out of my punches, but I bet you're still hurting in there, aren't you?" She clutched her cheek, her hand shaking. The blow was merely a tap, but he had done it not to hurt her, but to shame her. And she knew it. How had he known of the talisman's power? How could he? It didn't matter. She had been humiliated once before. She was not about to let it happen again. With a scream of defiance, she kicked a nearby chair at David's head, who swept it aside with ease, leaving him open for her follow-up kick to his chest. The force of the kick sent him sliding back on his feet, and before he managed to stop completely, Mumei had somehow regained her sword and swung for his head. Twisting his body to a side, he extended his back foot, using it as a brake, allowing him to duck the arc of the blade. It also allowed him to elbow her in the solar plexus, with his left arm, and complete the attack with a palm heel strike to her abdomen, sending her sprawling to the floor. Using her sword as a crutch, she stood, exhausted, but not finished. David stood up, and looked at his opponent. "This fight is over. There is no honor in defeating someone like you. But make no mistake, if you come after Ms. Diggers again,I'll make sure you won't recover." And without another word turned to see if Britanny and her father were all right. Even if the scream had not warned him, the far off reflection would have. Dropping onto one knee and spinning around he caught the descending blade, between the palm of his hands, his head bowed. As his hands began to burn, he looked up slowly and met her gaze. What happened next defied imagination. As he twisted the sword out of Mumei's hand, his hands became enclosed in a powerful blue aura, and as he moved forward, Mumei could only watch helplessly as the hound began to hit the villainess with a series of punches, that not pierced the "field" surrounding her, but slowly pushed her across the room. His rage dying down, David finally finished it with a wind up punch, sending her flying into and through the glass doors of the mall exit. Her body nearly broken, and on the verge of blacking out, she looked at the talisman she wore around her neck, it's precious symbol now broken and without power. She also saw that David was walking towards her. Turning away, she curled herself up and using her good arm reached for her belt and triggered another talisman. David stopped in his motion as he saw Mumei's sword slide across the floor as if on a wire to return to it's mistress' hand, and in the next moment transform into a black mass that stretched for an instant, then disappeared. He wanted to savor this victory, but it was hollow, not only because she had been half-beaten already, but also because he had let his rage control him. But he had done what he had been trained to do. Wincing, he suddenly remembered the pain in his hands, caused by the silver. Looking at the palms, he closed his eyes and meditated, slowly curling the fingers to meet the palm. When he opened his eyes again, the wounds were healed. He quickly remembered that they were two others who needed help. He turned around to the image of Britanny kneeling by her father's side. He had regained consciousness and was breathing normally, as his daughter was lovingly stroking his head. The wound in his shoulder wasn't as deep as it had appeared, but it was bleeding slightly. He walked over to them. "I'm fine, dear, really. Though I can't say the same for the pocket planner Gina gave me for my birthday," said Theo pointing to the device which had skewered by the shuriken, a small, single point protruding. "We'll let the EMT's decide that, I can hear them now." "You seem to forget who has a Ph.D." Theo grinned. Britanny smiled weakly, trying to hide the tears, "Well so does Gina, and she still needs me to put on a band aid." "Ms. Diggers?" The two of them looked up at David. He was holding his cloak from before, and now used it to cover Dr. Diggers. With a brief moment of hesitation, he finally got the words out. "I don't know if you heard what I said just now, but its true. There's still a lot for me to explain but-" "David?" "Yes ma'am?" Britanny took his hand in hers and squeezed it gently. "You saved my life, and probably saved my father's as well. Right now, I'd rather be grateful for your help, than be suspicious. You can tell us the reason." Theo nodded in agreement. "Right now the three of us need to..ohmigosh! Ryan!! I left him at the male lingerie store after that ninja whatsherface knocked him out! I.." David stood up and stopped her in midsentence. "You stay with your father, Ms. Diggers. I'll backtrack your scent and see if he's all right," and began to head up the stairs. "David!" He swung around, tensed and ready to fight. "Yes?" "You'll find its MRS. Diggers. 'Gia in fact." "Oh. Sorry." Heading up the stairs, he couldn't help but feel that he taken a great step this day. Everything he learned from his clan had worked, and he could actually use it efficiently, right down to the "no shadow fist", and his ability to heal silver wounds. Two questions puzzled him. How would Britanny react when he finally told her the truth? And what the heck was lingerie?