You Shouldn't Turn People Into Cyborgs (Quest)

Ellie Wong. Most people know her by now and her passage in public always manages to cause a stir, hence why she booked an early morning flight at the International Airport with most of the people still extremely sleepy to notice a multi-billionaire checking in for a business class flight. Despite having her own plane and her own airline, Ellie still liked to be a passenger- it was her nature to be low key. She wore a simple, snappy business suit, wearing a skirt and low heels, and carried her usual all-purpose suitcase.

The yawning check in attendant readily receives Ellie’s passport and frequent flier card. Her eyes go wide at the name. “Good morning... Miss Ellie Wong! It’s always a pleasure to have you flying with our carrier.”

“Why yes thank you. I’d like a seat near the exit please.” Ellie said, taking off her glasses to verify her identification. She was friendly and smiling to the attendant.

“Of course. So, if you don’t mind me asking... why not fly on your own?” The attendant asked, chatting up the woman as she performed her duties behind the counter.

“Oh, it’s nothing really; imagine eating at one’s own restaurant... or clothes shopping at one’s own boutique. My pilots are on vacation as well.” Ellie gave a simple excuse, not wishing to waste too much time on the topic.

“Haha of course. Here you go Miss Wong, window seat, 1st row... wait a minute...” The woman was about to confirm Ellie’s booking when the computer registered an error.

“Is there a problem miss?” Ellie asked. She could scarcely believe the hold up; trying to imagine what caused the glitch. The airline was still independent, but they were using her computers now. It wasn’t a hardware problem, so it was something else.

“It says here you’re... banned from flying.” The attendant showed Ellie the screen, and showed her to be banned from flying due to a warrant of arrest from the FBI.

“What?” Ellie was genuinely surprised, and slightly angry. Then she realized something was very wrong.

The airport lobby’s television was tuned into the news channel, as the regular program was replaced by Breaking News. On the television was Bernadette, dressed in civilian clothes, speaking with the news anchors.

“I’m Captain Bernadette St. Croix of the Danger Divas mercenary company. We’re here to tell you a secret, a secret we’ve been protecting. Elisheva Wong, CEO of Wong Enterprises, is the Terrorist and Arms Dealer, Red Scorpion. She’s been sowing chaos abroad for years, financing civil wars and genocides, arming tyrants and is responsible for the death of millions in Africa, South East Asia and the Middle East. She’s been selling American secrets to the Russians and the Chinese. She’s been actively engaged in metahuman studies. Also, she turned me into a BLOODY CYBORG!” Bernadette rolled up her sleeves to show everyone the change that had happened to her, eliciting gasps from the people at the airport watching.

Eyes began to fall on Ellie as the news went on. “The FBI has blacklisted Elisheva Wong from exiting the country and a warrant of arrest has been issued, on charges of Espionage, Treason, Terrorism, Illegal Arms Dealing, and several hundred charges of murder. If you see her, do not approach; she is considered to be armed and dangerous. The FBI has already posted a $50,000,000 reward for her capture.”

The News panned to multiple shots of Ellie’s Enterprises offices around the globe, showing many of her managers and regional directors being taken away by local police, from all across the United States, to Europe, to the Middle East, and especially in Asia. “In other news, dozens of offices and hundreds of managers around the globe working for Wong Enterprises have been arrested, about to face charges.”

“Miss Wong... I’m... I’m sorry...” The check-in attendant said. All eyes were on Ellie in the airport right now. Nothing short of pure, undiluted rage bubbled up behind her calm veneer.

“It’s not your fault... but I should be going.” Ellie was already moving as she looked around, already spotting some Men in Black coming her way. They weren’t airport security, and they weren’t operating like anyone Ellie knew from any government organization. She starts making her way to the basement parking...

In a large armoured van, on the way to the Airport...

A small squadron of anonymous metahumans and mercenaries were huddled together, while a uniformed and battle ready Bernadette remained standing, her robotic hand on the grab bar. They sped past traffic, the ride not so smooth.

The biggest one, who was bald with gray skin, nudged his seatmate. “Can you believe this? Ellie Wong is the Red Scorpion? Ha! Somebody in Washington must hate her.” He said his voice deep and gravelly.

“I know what you mean. The lengths politicians will go sometimes for greed... but, can’t say no to that sweet, sweet reward. Plus, this time, we’re doing it for the good of America. Feels good to be a patriot today, doesn’t it?” His seatmate responded, a woman in military dress carrying a sniper rifle and carrying a pair of machetes on her belt.

Bernadette broke her silence and interjected on their conversation. “You’ve all been briefed on the target. Don’t let her public appearance fool you. She’s one of the most dangerous fighters, assassins and spy on the planet. If you let your guard down she will take you out hard.” She said, with an air of complete seriousness.

“So wait a minute. You were in Washington about a month ago and nearly died fighting metahumans... Ellie saved your life and now you want to arrest her?” a third metahuman said his costume all black and tight fitting, showing a well toned musculature.

“It’s not about me. It’s about the lies she’s built her business on... the people she’s killed... the lives she's destroyed, all for the sake of money.” Bernadette said, rather blankly.

“You bitch.” The sniper lady said, simply laughing at Bernadette’s betrayal.

“Anyone else have questions? we're still five minutes from the Airport.” Bernadette asked the remaining metahumans in the truck.

Karah was standing on an airplane parked some ways away from where Miss Elisheva wong was located.  She had been briefed on the situation minutes before it was aired on the news and knew that this "Red Scorpion" was not going to make it past the ticket booth.  She looked at the faces of the people as she assumed the news had just went live across the nation.  As karah watched Elisheva she got a call from Roseria.

"have you found her."  Roseria asked calmly.

"Yeah she's trying to escape the airport at the moment."  Karah said laughingly.

She watched as the lady disappeared from view, likely heading to the parking lot below the airport.  Just as she disappeared and armored van zoomed into view and was rushing towards the airport. Karah stood up on the plane and jumped off with grace.  Below her was a bright blue and white motorcycle.  She landed on it and instantly cranked it to life.  The bike revved to life and popped a wheelie as it lurched forward beginning it's approach on the target.

"I'll talk to you later." Karah said as she hung up the phone and increased the speed of the bike.

Her red hair whipped wildly in the wind as she blurred out of vision.  She was easily pushing well over 90 miles per hour and she had no intention of slowing until she was within range of her target.  Her giant broad swords clanked together as they flew behind her in the wind. She quickly followed suit behind the van and rushed towards the airport. As her speed reached its limit she overtook the van and rapidly approached the entrance to the parking lot. She kept her face straight ahead and was oblivious to whatever was in the van, to her it was nothing of importance so she took no real notice to it. However she did notice that the van was vandalized with the image of a braless woman holding a glass bottle of bud light. Ew she thought to herself as the image scarred itself into her mind.

As she did this her mission for the day replayed itself in her head.  Roseria's words hung in the air like a meteor in the sky. "You must try to get the woman to safety, this will put her in your and ultimately my debt.  If this mission goes how it should and we're able to somehow fix her crisis, this will put a valuable ally on our side which we could use at this point in time.  However should she not be able to trust you and tries to attack, then we will arrest and/or eliminate her and claim the bounty hanging on her at the moment."  She said through the phone as karah walked the City streets.

One Week Prior

A pair of thugs run through a dark alley in Chicago.  They step in murky puddles, left behind from the recent rain period, looking over their shoulder as they dodge and weave around every corner.  Something pursues them from overhead, hopping along fire escapes and dashing across building walls to acrobatically gain the upper hand.  "Man, I told you not to shoot anyone!  This place has been freak city since New York got totaled!"

"Just shut up and run!"

"Run?  Where are we running?  Can I come?" the pursuing shadow says as it lands in front of them.  Then, without missing a beat, it lunges forward into the light, punch the first crook in the jaw, then leap frogging over him and kicking the second in the gut before swiftly bringing a spinning kick around that slams them both into a wall.

She leans over them as they sit there, holding her arms behind her back.  "Huh.  All running does tire ya out, huh?  Yeah, okay, you take a nap now."

It's only after busting these two, that the girl hears it amidst the silence of the streets at this ungodly hour.  A beeping sound rings in her ear.  Tracing it, she finds a tiny device clung to her outfit.  "Hello.  What're you, a tracking device?  Ooh, fancy."

"You're a difficult woman to get a hold of, clown," a man says as he steps around the corner.  "Even harder to keep up with."

"Am I under arrest?" the girl blinks.

"That depends on your response to what we're about to say.  We think you'd be interested in a little task."

Later

"If you want my advice, Miranda, and I know you don't, I'd say you just do it."

"Why?  I checked.  They aren't still tracking me or anything."

"No, but the next time Spry has an outing, they'll find her and haul her in.  You could use the pardon."

Miranda shrugs and continues juggling.  "And the circus could use the money."

Miranda drops what she's doing and salutes.  "You got it, boss!"  She says, cartwheeling away.

Now

Spry sits next to Bernie in the van.  She wears no seatbelt and sits Indian-Style, poking at one of Bernie's cybernetic limbs like an eight-year-old.  "Coooool," she says.

Nearing their destination, the large bruiser eventually takes off his shirt to reveal his ash grey body. His muscles bulging would’ve been torn his shirt to pieces.

“Ever think to wear a bigger shirt?” The sniper lady asked, looking away.

“Heh, you want me.” He chuckled. Everyone else was quiet, simply staring at the bruiser. The blonde metahuman simply continued chewing his gum and shrugged.

Bernadette simply stares at Spry’s strangeness. She begins to wonder how these metahumans came to be recommended. She peers out the window and spies Ellie’s expensive sports bike, the only thing that stood out in the businesswoman’s deliberately nondescript possessions.

“That’s a sexy bike. Maybe I can have it after this is all over.” The sniper lady remarked, following Bernadette’s line of sight. Right on time, Ellie came down the stairs and headed for her bike.

The van parks inside the airport’s basement parking, a stone’s throw away from where Ellie’s bike was. Bernadette opens the van door and gives a last minute briefing. “We’re here. Bruiser and Spry, you take Ellie. Whatever happens, don’t let her talk, don’t listen to what she has to say. Knock her out as fast as you can. Sniper, you go do your assignment, I and Racer will head to the security center.”

"Oh, one more thing. Wear these." She hands Spry and Bruiser head-mounted communication pieces with cameras.

The mercenaries go their separate ways. The grey bruiser laughs at an internal joke, and chatted with Spry. “She doesn’t look so tough. Well... let’s go then... Spry.” The bruiser circles around the cars to take a longer way, as to flank Ellie. The woman in question was already retrieving her bike keys and starting her machine.

Karah was a little too late. As she speed up to the location of Miss Ellie a black van pulled up and people began to fall out and surround her target. Karah sighed as she watched the events transpire. She was still kind of new at the whole save a chick and fight a metahuman thing. Most metahumans were stronger than her too so she knew that her best shot at getting to Ellie would be to just surprise the whole group and get the woman to run as fast as she could.

"Here goes nothing." Karah said as she reeved her bikes engine.

She busted onto a ramp and flipped into the air spinning the bike so that she was looking down on the people. Without hesitation she opened her mouth revealing a green light and then several bullets of solvis energy erupted onto the ground below releasing bright flashes onto the ground. Her bike hit the the ground again on the front end of the van and she looked at Ellie.

"Go!!" She yelled hoping that her breathe was wasted and the women had already taken the advantage to leave.