California Dreaming (Prodigy)

For some reason Xiao just could not keep her chest from bleeding, getting stabbed, and continuing to inflict pain upon herself. But, a chest injury still beat out a straight up heart injury. Another pop star flew through the air with a bone snapping agony to her scream. "Xiao, there's nothing- well, good about breaking every bone in multiple people's bodies." Breaking bones would be the least of Danny's problems. "Dammit. Letti get off the boat. Xiao got her powers back and is far more dangerous to everyone now."

"Um?"

"Get off the boat!" Any number of bad things could happen before Xiao took her monstrous form. Now one of one bad things could happen. "Take those two in the creates as well. Throw them in the back of your hummer and I'll be right out."

Lettie took off after she loaded the crate filled with Korean popstars and power stealing fortune tellers off the trawler. One less thing Danny needed to pay attention to. Trawlers ran into problems with mechanical problems at sea causing them to occasionally need to put out fires, giving Danny something she could use. Danny went to the controls in the bridge, delving into the protocols of the ship until she found a red button linked to the fire control systems. Water began to burst out from the ship's sides to pout into the ship. Saving the ship did not concern Danny at all. She wanted to some how pull the dragon back to the ground.

Once the power to the fire systems came on, Danny ran towards the power hose and turned it towards Xiao's giant dragon mouth, trying to rain on her parade of destruction.

Dragons' fire burned white and hot, mercilessly tearing down metal like it was paper. Water alone could scarcely put it out, as the very sea itself was ignited by this mighty flame.

Dragon form did not necessarily mean that injuries accrued would heal. Infact, Xiao's health made her transformation incredibly painful and short. Xiao was caught off guard when Danny blasted her with high powered water, causing the dragon to staggerdly fly towards a warehouse, levelling its entire front facade. Xiao crash landing was cushioned by a bunch of luxury cars. This time she was down for the count. No backsies, no recovery. She was out cold, lying on a demolished Aston Martin.

Meanwhile...

Tamchon slipped into the water when the fire began to spread. Pain seared through her body as she could feel most of her muscles and bones pulverized, the body unwilling to move. Yet she had the misfortune to survive all this, and be conscious as the breathe left her body. A dark, watery grave below, a fiery inferno above her.

At some point it was serene. Her body now grew cold. Everything seemed to slow to a fraction of a second. Tamchon's mind was not in the water. She was back in her preschool, with all her friends and classmates, learning about the great deeds of their Dear Leader. She was in elementary, conducting marching drills with the children, reciting their pledges. She watched as the 'weak ones' were 'transferred to another school'. She remembered all the national songs and holidays and heroes, and one day wishing to become one herself.

She remembered the recruiters coming to her home and speaking to her parents. Tamchon was special. Tamchon would serve Dear Leader. Tamchon would be a hero. She remembered her black belt in Taekwondo, beating a classmate to death as a final test. She remembered the dresses, the make up, the rehearsals.

She recalled Dear Leader glancing at her. Her! She felt like her life was complete that day. She was so sincere when she swore the oath- her life, her body would be for Dear Leader, for the great People's Democratic Republic of North Korea! And now, here she was, having done that. Spent her life.

"Dear Leader, let me die... bring me to your side..."

Something impossible then occurred. Tamchon could feel a fire in her, a fire that seared like a pain unlike anything she'd ever faced. The muscles and bones set themselves with force, and she began to transform. All the thoughts of death, of the end, were cast aside by only one instinct- swim to the surface!

SURFACE

ROOOAAAAAR!

Minutes after Xiao had crashed, a new dragon arose from the water, with a triumphant birth ROAAAR!. It was a mighty bellow that shook the windows of the warehouses, a being that was not supposed to be had come to pass. Dragonchon soared into the sky, seeing the flames; she came in for a fly-by and breathed freezing breath upon it, encasing the ship in rapidly forming ice.

Dragonchon ROOOARR'd in triumph, but also in pain and confusion. Her body was not yet whole, her being an unnatural occurence. She flew away out to sea, towards her home.

At least the dragon no longer sprayed its fire breath against the trawler. No, now it spewed fire all along the dock district from a warehouse. "Get in the car."

"But, what about-"

"Get in the car." The fires swelled in the background, but it looked like the inferno died down. Only the scattered flames would serve to burn down the rest of the dock. At least docks had a good amount of water nearby.

"Hummer. I don't drive a-"

"Get in the car and make sure the North Koreans are-"

"They're gone." The ropes and cables used to keep the North Koreans tied up all stayed behind, but no trace of any other adversary could be made out.

"All of them?"

"I don't think they would leave any of their girl squad behind." Letti loaded the fortune teller into the back of the Hummer as she began to try and lift the other crate.

"Well, that' not entirely true." Danny looked down to the crate they brought with them.

"Isn't this kidnapping?"

"Superheroes capturing villains isn't kidnapping as much as putting into captivity for the sake of society. We have a responsibility."

"Since when are you a superhero?"

"Get in the car."

At a Wong Enterprises affiliate Hospital in L.A.

The next time Xiao regained consciousness, she found herself in a hospital ward, a British lady in military dress and red beret sitting beside her watching the news of her latest destructive rampage. Her hands - and indeed the rest of her- were cybernetic, and various metal studs were seen on her face.

Outside the one way glass door two heavy, power armored soldiers with laser rifles stood guard. Xiao felt... uneasy. These were Metahuman Response soldiers.

Bernadette raised her hand in a British naval salute to Xiao, while seated and cheekily grinning. " 'Ello, luv. Been playing hero again?"

"Bernadette! Oh no. Did I... hurt anyone? Oh no... that north korean soldier. I didn't want to... she made me do it." Xiao let out a weak cough when she tried to get up. She was aching all over. Her body rebelled against her wish to move.

"That's only natural in a combat situation luv." Bernadette said, patting the dragon girl on the head.

"Danny?" Xiao asked again, realizing she'd been separated from her teammate.

"Your friend got away with the Uber driver."

"Have to let her know I'm alright." Xiao tried to reach for her phone. Her side protested. Not happening.

"We'll have a pizza sent. Lie down and rest, Luv. You're not going anywhere. If you'd like anything, I've left some food money with your guards. I have to speak with the staff. Rest easy." Just like that, she was out the door.

Xiao laid back and closed her eyes. She inspected her chest wound and saw that it had been stapled shut using that special alien alloy. At least she'd stop bleeding.

Letting out a sigh, she grabbed the remote to watch some Cartoons.

Pyonyang

Night time. The transport helicopter flies over the dark city, as it was lights out throughout. Reaching its destination, the chopper lands in the well lit clearing at the military base. The vain and proud Major Gas, dressed up in his SS inspired military outfit, checking his appearance in a hand held mirror and accompanied by a squadron of glassy eyed female bodyguards, went to personally meet the female commandos rescued from their mission to America.

"The american superheroes took one of ours, Major. Everyone else is alive. I found Tamchon out at sea, thanks to her transmitter." A smaller korean girl said timidly as she exited the chopper. She averted her gaze from Gas, not wanting to draw too much attention to herself from... him.

Gas stood quietly, one arm length away from the girl. His cold, unfeeling gaze glanced over the failed commandos as they passed by, one by one, on stretchers carried by base medics. His attention went to Tamchon, who had somehow made it out to open Ocean and survived. His hands slowly caressed her cheek and neck, inspecting her like some wonderful tool or weapon- his bodyguards made no reaction. The teleporter girl, forced to wear a short skirted school girl uniform, couldn't watch.

"Interesting. Tamchon's survival." He said, pulling back Tamchon's collar down to her chest, revealing the gills that developed on her neck. "It seems we did not leave empty handed. Take her to the laboratory for testing! the rest, debrief them."

"The Leader will be pleased to hear of this." He said, gesturing for the unconscious Tamchon to be taken away. He glanced over at the discomfort of his teleporter.

"That will be all, Torii. You may return to your barracks." He said with a grin, letting the suspense and silence eat away at her. The girl sighed in relief, and opened an energy gate in the appearance of a Torii to return to her bunk.

((End of thread))