Eclipsed

"West?" She spoke into the phone with uncertainty. She recalled turning right. Her eyes rolled back into her head, picturing the sun. "Yeah, west. Definitely west." Bliss paced around the room while the conversation continued. "What happened to that man; was that a business related meeting the two of you had?"

"You could say business," Gregor said in a slightly sarcastic tone. "He's had it out for me since I outsmarted him in his attmept to destroy Chicago. Yeah, destroy Chicago, it's a long story." Gregor made his way west, spotting street signs, finally coming across a subway bench with a map of the nearby city streets. He quickly found the one he was looking for and spoke to Bliss on the otherside of the line, "Found a map I think I got the street down. I'll see you in a bit." Gregor broke into a slight jog, heading towards Meadow.

"My, my, that seems awfully dangerous." Bliss spoke in a tone of playful amusement. The smell of vanilla took the room, as the match flickered between her fingers. She blew out the flame and placed the match head down in the wax of the candle. "I've never been to Chicago; I guess I should see it while its still there." She held out her hand towards the coffee pot and attempted to pick it up. Her hands felt normal; she could no longer feel the pulse that usually flowed down her arm. She clinched her teeth as she tried pulling on it.

The silence broke in the apartment as Ashley walked into the room. She held herself against the frame of the door, poking her head into the living room."I'm going to bed; if you need anything, do it for yourself and don't wake me up." She straightened her arm, pushing herself back into the sitting room and turning to go to her room. Bliss turned and blew her a kiss as she walked away.

"Walking down the streets isn't as safe as it once was, so the sooner you get her the better." Bliss leaned against the open counter that separated the kitchen and the living room. She smiled slightly, but didn't feel happiness. "You never know how much attention others are going to bestow upon you."

"Hopefully not much more than they already have. I'm gonna go, easier to move when I'm not distracted by a pretty girl. Tell me your number real quick though so I can call your phone." Gregor waited for a response before hanging up and moving at full speed, through back alleys and across city streets.
{{SKIP}}
Gregor arrived a short time later on Meadow Drive. Pulling out his phone he called Bliss back.

"Well, I guess you deserve my number." She delivered her number and waited for him to return the answer.

Bliss sat in front of the vanilla scented candle, breathing in the aroma. She held her hand over the flame and slowly allowed the flame to scorch the tips of her fingers. The slow burn swept across the tip, coaxing the skin softly. A knock came at the door, erasing the feeling of control over pain she felt. Gregor must want in, she thought to herself.

She opened the door with a smile. Before her stood the other man from that evening; his large figure stood over the smaller Bliss. He threw the back of his hand towards her and knocked her to the floor. Wasting no time he made his way in and slammed the door. Bliss tried her fasted to scramble to her feet, but was thwarted by the man throwing her to her back and placing his hand over her throat. She choked on her gasps for air while frantically trying to make an escape from the prone position.

Her phone began to ring from the counter where she left it. The vibration moved the phone along the counter and slowly made its way to the end of the counter. She would give anything for any of her powers to return right now. His arm moved to pin her head to the ground, making any swift movement she would try futile. In a desperate attempt she wedged her arm in between her throat and his arm, allowing her a much needed breathe. The phone fell to the ground and bounced off the carpeted floor. Bliss rarely found herself at odds with combatants in hand-to-hand, but fending off a ground and pound from some one so much stronger gave her a challenge. He corralled her legs together with his empty arm and held her to the ground in a very dominant position, maintaining his choke hold over her. He shifted positions to put himself closer to her face so he could shift her body so she would not only fight him, but gravity. As his face began more exposed to her, she thrust her fingernail in a stabbing motion towards his eye and continued the vivacious assault to remove him from herself. In a terrible pain, he thrashed backwards. Bliss freed her legs and brought her feet down upon his forehead, giving her momentum to flip backwards and regain her feet. He brought made a quick jar to brace himself and return to the fight, but Bliss delivered a kick to the head sending him into the wall.



"Keep it down." A low moan came form Ashley's room. Bliss reached down and grabbed the phone, hitting the dial last button and calling Gregor.

Gregor's phone was already open, dialing the number for Bliss's phone when the call came in. "Why hello there stranger. I was just about to call you. Which flat is it?" That's when he heard the commotion in the background. "Are you okay Bliss? Who's there?" Gregor picked up pace listening intently to each building as he passed them, hoping he could pick out the flat by the noises that eminated from it.

Before she could get her answer off the man grabbed her head slammed her into the wall. The phone dropped to the ground a few feet away from Bliss. She reached out to grab i the phone, but the man's foot landed squarely in her chest, forcing an exhumed breath from her. As the man looked to bring his foot down on her head, Ashley erupted onto his back. Bliss grabbed the phone. "Room 2. We should have it under control in a few minutes, but feel free to let yourself in." He threw Ashley off his back and into Bliss, pinning her under her pajama clad coed.

"You two have given me enough trouble tonight. We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"Hard." Bliss shot up as she lay beneath her friend.

"Fine." He pulled a roll of duct tape from his pocket and stared down at the two girls.

Gregor had found the building, the ordeal not being a quiet exchange. He quickly made his way up to the room, more sounds of violence penetrated the walls. Gregor exploded through the door and into the man that was attacking the women. The man looked up at the new comer with shockingly white hair. "Your kind really pisses me off. Did your mother not tell you that you don't hit women?" Gregor spun his large revolver in his hand, ending with it pointing at the man. "Either of you ladies care if I just take care of him?"

"You make a mess you clean it up." Ashley rolled off of Bliss.

"Yeah, it's a rental, so do what yo got to do and but be tidy." Bliss stretched out her leg and braced herself up with her arms. The man swung violently at Gregor trying to knock the revolver from his hand. His attempt failed and escape looked like his only objective now, but Gregor would need to be removed from his path first.

Gregor delivered a kick to the man's chest, knocking him back. With a kind of graceful turn and with a show of strength one wouldn't have thought stored in Gregor's rather bland physique, Gregor had the other man pinned against the wall with Glanzender Teufel. "I suggest you don't move. If I want, everyone else is going to be smelling your cooked brain. I'm gonna let you go with a warning. But if I ever see you trying to pull this again, I won't be so nice. You understand?" Gregor was bluffing a bit now, he didn't have that much electricity stored, but it was enough to render the man unconscious.

The man put his hands up and walked past Gregor avoiding contact. As soon as he cleared the door he took off.

"Thanks, you saved our asses." Ashley stood up and gave the man a brief hug, before walking away.

"I had him where I wanted him, you know." Bliss got off her butt and stood to her feet. She swept the dirt off of her skirt and tights before giving a smile to Gregor. "It looks like the directions I gave you were good enough to get you over here." Bliss walked over to the couch and took a seat. She motioned for Gregor to take a seat next to her. "So, hows the crime fighting business?"

Gregor watched intently as the man left. The women seemed strangely at peace with the idea of the man dying. He wasn't sure if it was just a scare tactic to get the man to leave or if they were actually alright with it. At any rate, Gregor was tired, he ached, and there was a beautiful girl offering him a seat next to her. With whatever reserves of grace and energy he had left, Gregor hopped over the back of the couch and landed next to Bliss. Some quick adjustments to his gauntlet and the strap on his back, Gregor had disarmed himself, removing both Glanzender Teufel and Auflammande Konig, setting them carefully on the coffee table in front of them. Finally getting the chance to rest, he slid his arm around Bliss's shoulder and smiled at the question she had asked. "Not as profitable as I would like, I'm settling for the 'warm, fuzzy' feeling I get when I help people at this point." He leaned in close and asked her a counter, "How's your whole secret life?"

"You mean the burning cyclone didn't make you feel warm? I hardly keep it secret; I'm just an after thought to most people. Being irrelevant can sometimes be more of a secret than an identity." Bliss gazed over and then brought her stare back in front of her. The lights in Ashley's room flicked off. "It's been a pretty long day. I can't really remember where we were in our conversation, but these gauntlets are nice to have. What technology do you use to make them?"

"Well you were a fore thought for me. Your safety was more important than my own, I assure you." Gregor smiled and brushed his hair back. "As for the gauntlet, and in fact the gun and sword, I make everything I use. Usually make prototypes from scrap, then buy higher quality parts for the finished versions." Gregor was proud of his work but didn't want to begin bragging. That's when his phone went off. He groaned slightly at his luck, but he checked it anyway. It was from Gunslinger, a fellow mercenary for hire, a 'business' partner, and a friend of 3 years now. Gregor rubbed his eyes as he read the message, it wasn't good, in fact it looked like it was typed so hastely that Gunslinger, being the intelligent person he was had misspelled several words in his hurry. "SOS MAYDAY. HELP IHAve been attack by the militia in the Arixona desert. I am several miles west of my lab, in a deserted gost town." At the end it was signed in Gunslinger's normal signature, present in all of his e-mails. Gregor leaned over and kissed Bliss on the forehead. Gregor spoke in the most serious, yet calm manner he could muster, just enough to show that he was being serious, "I'll see you later. I have a crisis back in the US." With that, Gregor strolled over to the window and opened it. He hurriedly made his way down the fire escape and took off running. After a short jog he made his way to a fairly abandonned lot. A few buttons pressed on his phone and he stood waiting for the autopilot in his helicopter to find him.

Bliss listened intensively on the technology that Gregor brandished. It amazed her at how he did it. She felt like asking him about the whereabouts of the technology he acquired and how he could conjure up such amazing pieces of work, until his phone silenced her. It seemed important; important enough for him to reach over, kiss her, and leave through the side window. Bliss laid her head back against the tuft of the couch and pulled her knees to her chest. She laid by herself for several minutes. She closed her eyes to go to bed, but felt a chill come in from the open window. Bliss threw her legs over the side of the couch and walked slowly to the window and pulled it shut. The cold sat upon her neck as she dragged her tired legs to grab a blanket and walk back to her bed.

The bed felt warm to the touch, and after she changed into a pair of blue, cotton pants and a white tank-top. A long day's faded into a well earned night's sleep. Tomorrow would bring new revelations, and they weighted heavily upon Bliss. She hoped the fatigue would keep her mind off the troubles of the day, but the lack of mental resolve she could put up feinted and only exacerbated the distress within her. A tear rolled down her cheek and sat on her pillow. The puddle grew larger and larger. Finally, in a moment of lull, she fell to sleep.

The aroma of coffee broke into the cold, damp room, ushering in the morning. Bliss pulled the heavy comforter off of her and walked into the living room. Ashley had been up for what seemed like a while; she was fully dressed in dark, blue jeans, a sleeveless brown shirt with a black scarf, and black half-calf boots. She curled her hair and pulled it back into a ponytail. Bliss lazily walked to the table and sat down in front of a plate of eggs and pancakes. "How long have you been up for?"

"A few hours ago." She pulled out her chair and sat down across the table from Bliss. "We have work today." Ashley brought a fork loaded with eggs to her mouth.

"Are we going to that opening tonight?" Bliss poured a monsoon of syrup onto the pancakes and began to cut into them. "Did you find someway in?"

"Yes." Ashley corrected her posture into a very straight position. "I told my new boss how much I love openings, and he never goes to the things..."

"So he gave them to you?"

"No, I stole them. Didn't you hear me? He never goes."

Bliss's eyebrows lowered at the comment. She brought her fork back down to the plate. "When did you see him?"

"This morning, I went to see him at his office and there in his trash bin were two passes to get in." Ashley smothered a pancake along the plate, collecting all of the syrup on the piece of pancake.

"What time is it?"

"It's eleven-thirty. What time did you go to bed?" Ashley brought the loaded piece to her mouth as Bliss responded.

"It was late. I know that. That guy crawled out the window and left." Bliss rested her arm on the edge of the table and tapped her fingers on the wood.

"Sketchy." Ashley commented.

"No, not really. Not for me." Bliss sighed and lowered her head. "What do we have to do today? We have the opening tonight, but what about today?"

"We need to get ready for tonight. We need to be stand outs to find this Duke guy."

"Is standing out really a good idea? Shouldn't we lay low and gather information on him."

"No, we're going to find this guy and get him alone. Then we can find out everything we need to know. Do you have your powers back yet?" Ashley sat back in her chair and looked at Bliss.

Bliss tried bringing her coffee cup to her face. It vibrated gently but failed to do as she wished. "No good."

"That means I'm the point man. Just follow my lead and we'll be fine in there."

Bliss let out a large yawn and stretched before lowering her shoulders and slumping forward. Her arms sat upon the table and she blew a loose hanger of hair out of her face. "Try to keep some restraint this time. This is important."

The rain stopped outside. It was far from dry, and water continued to drop from the gutters, but it looked as though today might have some clarity.

The Duke's appearance at the gallery left plenty of opportunities to the girls if they executed their plan seamlessly. Details fell upon the shoulders of Ashley, who spent most of her life meticulously planning every aspect of her life. Ashely curled Bliss's hair and pulled it back into a ponytail, leaving her with bangs, as she threw a green dress onto Bliss's lap.

"So, it's understood then? This will work, if we stick to it." Ashley snapped the back straps of her sleeveless, black, turtle-necked dress. It hung just above her knees in length, leaving plenty of distance between it's end and the black strapped heels she wore.

"It's still really risky. There's a lot of uncertainty, and we have a lot of disadvantages." Bliss picked up the dress and walked over to the bed. She disrobed and pulled the dress over. The green dress haltered at the top and progressed down into a rippled flow that ended slightly past her knees.

"It's not that risky. We have a good cover plan. The details will fall into order as we see it, not the other way around. Just keep telling yourself it will be fine." Ashley adjusted Bliss's dress to make sure it sat straight.

"That's what Vladimir Lenin said." Bliss rebutted as she lifted her arms for the adjustment.

"Don't over think. And don't wing it." Ashley stepped back and checked her dress. "We definitely look the part."

The drive over consisted of Bliss looking over images of the art that would furnish the walls of this gallery. An avant-garde artist choose London to premiere his latest line of abstract work. She put to memory the names of the pieces and the names. She felt like a college student again trying word associations to remember the different pieces. "Just focus on the art, and let me worry about everything else." Ashley assured Bliss.

They pulled to the side of the street; Ashley handed the keys to a valet as the two girls strode to the entrance of the building. Ashley flashed the passes to the doorman and the two entered into the exhibition hall. Shaped sculptures littered the room. Admirers and critics roamed the floor paired together taking in the experience.

"We should make our way to the back to meet that guy now." Bliss picked her pace up to leave the crowded hall with Ashley in tow. Bliss made her way to the antechamber of the rotunda where the man Ashley contacted asked them to meet. They turned the corner abruptly, and came face to face with Dr. Fokukama.

"Bliss." A hint of settlement cracked from his voice. "I didn't expect you."
"Just shut-up. You have something I finally want, so give it to me." Bliss let her eyes intensify in proximity to each other. "I want to know who the Duke is, and why he's after me."

Dr. Fokukama held back more than words against his daughter as he summoned an uncomfortable moan. "It's not safe..."

"When's the last time you cared about my safety."

"Fine, you want to do this on your own? Look for this man." Dr. Fokukama sent an image of the Duke to Ashley. "His name is Oliver Brunts and he deals in underground trade of chemical enhancement. If you kill him you'll do both us and the world a favor."

Bliss fought the urge to tell her father the favor she would do the world if she killed him, but kept it in. "You need to leave. If he sees you, he'll kill you and that could lead to me."

"You need to meet me at this address if you can steal the hardrive from his computer." Bliss's eyes perplexed slightly. "He has a drive here, for a business transaction. It's somewhere on the second floor. If you can get it, you can turn it over to the authorities, but first, I need it to know who I can trust and who I can't." He reached out and grabbed Bliss by the shoulders. "If there is one ounce or shred of family between us, you will get me that hardrive."

Bliss stepped back and pushed the man aside. "Pay for your own crimes." Bliss walked aside, as her father walked to the side entrance of the building.

Bliss saw Ashley begin her move onto Oliver by making small chat about the exhibit with him. She laughed at his little jokes; too hard of course, that way he knew she wanted more than laughter. Bliss saw the stairs leading to the second floor. A small exhibit had been set up there for show. Ashley wanted Bliss to give her back-up, but the plan changed.

Bliss made her way up the stairs and examined the surroundings. Patrons barely examined the art, this room seemed to be an escape from the noisy settings of the show downstairs. If you walk with confidence, no one will ever suspect you being in the wrong place. Bliss applied this to walk through a door marked private, and into a small hallway consisting of three doors. At the sound of the door opening a properly dressed man walked out to see who entered. The tips of his brown hair were growing gray with age and the lines on his face marked his age with stress.

"Who are you?"

"I'm here to see the Duke. I a potential client." Bliss walked up to the man and pulled out a roll of cash from her purse. The roll consisted of two one-hundred dollar bills wrapped around twenty ones, but he didn't need to know that.

"He's down stairs." Another man walked out. Slightly smaller but younger in age, his white shirt made his blonde hair look lighter in comparison.

"Is it just you two up here? Watching the business while the boss is playing." Bliss tossed the stack of money at the blonde man. As it diverted their attention Bliss swung her leg around and landed squarely in the man's stomach. She flipped over him and threw the blonde man over her shoulder into the ground in the next room. The blonde man crawled on the floor, while Bliss walked back and grabbed the graying man by the hair and pulled him back into the room. She tossed him down on the blonde man and delivered a blunt kick to the head, bludgeoning the two to unconsciousness.

She made her way to the computer and went to work. As she began to hack the system the network seemed too easy to get through. The desktop opened to a setting that read: "London Historical Society." Bliss realized the error of her mistake as she turned around to see Ashley pushed towards her.

"I told you not to wing it." Ashley said as a middle-aged woman stood behind three men with guns trained on the two.

"I'm the Duke." The woman spoke. She wore a black suit with her blonde hair was pulled back out of her face. "Are they safe?"

"We neutralized both their powers last night." One of the suited body guards told her.

"You don't have your powers?" Bliss looked over to Ashley in confusion."You should have told me they took your powers, too. That would have changed everything."
"You shouldn't have winged it." Ashley shot back, lifting her hands.

Bliss followed in action.