4.32 – Flight without wings

“I don’t have much money left, but I’m sure we’ll figure out a way across the bay soon enough. You look really nice, by the way, Mocha.  That costume was nice, but you look better in casuals,” Leona grinned while complimenting.

Mocha smiled in return. “It’s strange to wear clothes like this, actually.  Some of my classmates thought that I was too old-fashioned.  All I had was the clothes from… well.. It’s strange to hold a girl’s friend like this, though it’s… n-nice to have any arm to hold,” Mocha flushed, adding.

Leona smiled as they made their way up the busy street towards the sea in the distance.  There was a tram that went across, but the heroine wasn’t sure that she could afford tickets with the small amount she had left.

”I’m glad,” Leona said, “I can see how strange it would feel.  You were raised in a different time.  If the people who teased you saw you now, they wouldn’t call you names anymore.  I’m sorry they’re cheap, but you look totally normal.” Leona smiled, winking and changed the subject, asking a question, “ So, what was your school experience like?”

Mocha laughed and nodded her head as she answered, “Oh… I went to a private school.  That was the most peaceful experience I’ve had so far, but it lasted only a year.  I can’t stay in one place longer than a year with this unchanging face thanks to the disease. Anyway, the girls didn’t bother me all that much, since there was a required uniform.  After that, I went to a public school and that’s where I was teased the most.  My best clothes are from the sixties, so you can imagine how I felt when everyone was wearing these tight-fitting and drab clothes they do these days. They thought my dresses were so… well, they started referring to me as ‘the doll.’” Mocha flushed as her lips twisted.  “That’s why I left school.

“Honestly, what surprises me most about this age is how amazingly popular African Americans have become in movies and television! It’s wonderful to see that we’ve gotten past a few issues.”  Leona listened smiling, charmed by Mocha’s grin as she spoke, “I’ve learned how to deal with others today by watching a lot of Youtube.” Mocha said proudly, winking.

The two girls got a few looks as they talked from adults passing them on the street. It dawned on Leona that she had been forced to leave school earlier today.  Checking time on her personal  cell phone, Leona sighed in relief.  It was 4pm, so there was no risk of being stopped over playing hooky.

After a long walk up the street, they reached the tram that spanned the bay.  Mocha had replaced her new clothes in the bag with her bodysuit that was balled up inside.  They walked up to the ticket machines and Mocha’s face shone as she looked at pictures of the tram. “I love it! It’s not a trolley, and the technology is more advanced, but the car… did they recycle the vehicles used in the old system, or maybe they just used them as models?”

Leona grinned, pleased that Mocha was happy as she checked the ticket prices. Leona sighed, resigned to spend the rest of her money.  The alternative was to walk to the highway and cross on the bridge, which would take too long.  Pulling out her remaining bills, Leona made the purchase, getting them one-way tickets to San Isidro, but afterwards she looked wistfully down at them, saying goodbye to the last of her allowance until it was replenished.

“I’m sorry to be so much trouble, Au… auhm…” Mocha coughed, eyeing the mournful look Leona cast down at the tickets.

“No problem,” Leona couldn’t help also thinking about Quinn. This situation reminded her of back when she took the bus with Quinn on the various errands she went on and sometimes just to go shopping or hang out with her sister.

Mocha took Leona’s arm and tugged it gently as she asked, “Are you alright? That look on your face… is it about more than just the money you’ve had to spend on me?”

“Oh…” Leona answered, looking into Mocha’s eyes, “I was just thinking about my sister, actually. We rode the busses off and on again, and taking this tram reminds me of those times. Anyhow, my sis is off in college now.  Things aren’t so exciting these days back at home as before with her.”

“Well, if she’s in college,” Mocha suggested gently, “you could visit her at least, um… I should probably call you something…” she added quietly, “... since we’re disguised, right?”

Leona grinned, nodding.  She might visit Quinn sometime, since she didn’t hear a lot from her sis.  “Hmmm… for now, call me Leigh. That will do.” It was close enough to her real name, but not so close that it would reveal everything.  She’d shown how she looked normally, but… Leona wasn’t sure why she’d hedged when she already gave away so much.

“Okay, Leigh.” Mocha nodded. It was almost spooky how informal Mocha spoke outside her costume. It kind of resembled Leona when she transformed to Aurora.  Using bigger words made her feel and look more adult to others, or so she reasoned. Where Mocha was concerned, she didn’t use all of the dramatic speech patterns she somehow ‘learned’ from her ‘father’ while she was Mechanica.  Mocha interrupted Leona’s thoughts with a bubbly and psyched declaration, “I’m sooooo excited to ride this vehicle! I imagined electromagnetic trams and monorails in my… future,” she giggled nervously.

Leona giggled with Mocha. “In that case, you have a talent for fortune-telling.” Leona winked at Mocha. “Well, there’s a nice long and fun ride awaiting us. I’m interested too, since I’ve never been across the bay this way, so it’ll make for a fun first for me too.”

Mocha grinned, her eyes widening.

After waiting a short time for the tram to come to a stop this side of the bay, they got on board in turn. It was pretty cool, although the inside of the car was a little dingy and vandalized.  Once inside, Mocha didn’t comment, kneeling on a seat as she pressed herself against a window, eagerly awaiting when they’d embark. Her obvious and giddy excitement was infectious.

The car started in several minutes, shuddering into motion across its system of cables.  When they were over the ocean, a flock of seagulls exploded up from below as they cawed.  Mocha pointed at them with wonderment, giggling.  Some time later when they neared the midpoint, the tram swayed in the wind and Mocha gulped nervously.

A short time later Mocha’s tension increased when the tram stopped.  Mocha reached out and grabbed Leona’s hand for some reassurance. Leona nearly cried out in pain, feeling as though her hand was being crushed.  Tears leaked from her eyes, but she didn’t want to call attention to them.  Mocha let go after a moment and sighed in relief when the tram continued on its way and she realized that it wasn’t falling from its cables.

Leona nursed her hand gingerly, eyeing Mocha who was still cutely staring down in wonderment.  “Oh! A dolphin, I think!” she exclaimed.

The ride took twenty more minutes and it was a little less fun for Leona from that point in with a hurt hand, but she still smiled for a happy Mocha.  They got off when the trolley stopped in San Isidro. Mocha was still bouncy from the exciting ride. “This was very fun, Leigh! Thank you…” Mocha hesitated for a moment and then nodded. “Really, thank you.”

They walked out from the station on the other side and suddenly a guy ran out of nowhere and ripped Mocha’s bag from her hands and started running.  Mocha scowled, taking a deep breath, she looked like she was wanted to chase after the theif, but Leona stopped her with her aching hand and shook her head negatively. “Don’t bother.” Leona giggled. “You needed to get rid of it, anyhow.  Such a helpful guy.” Leona winked. “Unless there’s something special in the bag, that is? If there is, I can… you know…”

Mocha blushed and fidgeted. “I can rebuild anything in it, but the rest of my panties were inside it.”

Leona shook her head and grinned.  “Well, I guess we’d better chase the guy down and recover the lady’s panties. Spotting a row of porta-potties just outside the station on the docks, Leona ran into the first vacant one and transformed.  She ran out as Aurora and leapt into the air, scooping up Mocha in her arms, simultaneously dropping her weight-nullifying aura onto her. Now that they were outside Seaside City, it was kind of safe to be Aurora again, and she’d have to be when she met the Society of Sentinels, anyhow.

They flew after the guy and when the people he passed pointed at Aurora and started taking pictures, the thief looked over his shoulder and did a double take seeing the angel hunting him.  When they passed him above, Aurora dropped Mocha in front of him.  The quick gynoid spun and assumed a fighting stance. He tried to push past the seemingly weak Mocha, but she seized his arm and slammed him down.

“Y-yo… Here’s your stuff. I think my finger got hooked in it by mistake when I ran past.  When I run, I just can’t stop… y’know… exercise idn’t any good if you don’t keep goin’.” he groaned, laughing lamely as he dropped the bag.

Aurora landed beside Mocha and pulled the thief’s arms behind him to cuff him with a halo construction as she hauled him up onto his feet.  He wobbled weak-kneed.

“Yeah… no.” Aurora chuckled, happy that her hand stopped aching when she transformed. She hoped that the guy didn’t have a fracture.  Mocha needed to learn how to hold back, maybe.  “I think maybe a few days in jail will help cool your heels a bit, right?  That is, unless the lady here forgives you for stealing her panties.”

“HEY!” Mocha blushed and pouted and actually puffed her cheeks at Aurora. “Ahem… as a rule, I tend not to forgive criminals who dare to rob in broad daylight, even!” she said imperiously, swiping a hand for effect. “I should give you another taste of the mystic east until you’re full, but I’ll settle for my bag.”

The guy looked at Mocha dizzily as if she’d sprouted another head as she reached down and picked up her bag with a smile.  “Uh… sure… whatever you say. I can go now, right?”

“To jail, maybe,” Mocha said sourly. “Be lucky there aren’t any enforcement units at hand to incarcerate you!” she declared.

“Like-- you mean cops?” the guy asked cluelessly, blinking. “Yo, this girl here talks funny.”

Aurora grinned. “She’s a champion of justice too. You’re lucky she didn’t do more to you with that super strength.” Aurora’s hand started aching again probably in sympathy. “A little pipsqueak like you wouldn’t wake up for a good while if she was serious.” Aurora looked at Mocha seriously. “If you feel so strongly about this, we can probably make a quick stop over at the precinct where a friend is and leave this guy.  He’ll take good care of him.”

Mocha responded, “I can wait if it’s a problem.  I won’t go anywhere.”

Well, that might be for the best, but just in case, Aurora smiled. “I’ll leave you on a nice rooftop on the way and get you when I’m out.” Aurora dropped her aura on both, slung the guy on a halo tether and put her arm around Mocha as she jumped and took off. The guy shrieked as he was dragged after.  Aurora took a moment to drop Mocha off on a rooftop when they got near to the precinct.  The thief tried to run the moment they set down, but he couldn’t break free.

Aurora flew down and over to the precinct building, bringing with her the petty criminal.  The same desk sergeant from earlier was still manning the front desk.  He waved to Aurora as she appeared, pushing the guy in first. The officer spoke, “Hey, Kirby said he needed to see you if you stopped in. I’ll give him a call.”

“Sure, but take this guy in for purse snatching,” Aurora undid her construction as an officer rushed forward to arrest the man.

At that moment, Kirby ran in through a door from his office with a worried expression.  He rushed to Aurora and quickly took her arm, tugging her away. “We need to talk right now,” he said, sounding both worried and frustrated. Once they were out of earshot, he turned his eyes on Aurora. “I got a call from Ruffino across the bay.  Do you have the fugitive with you?”

Aurora nodded. “I do have her with me, but she’s a robot, and it’s not what you think.  The girl’s human as anyone, personality-wise, with emotions and everything.  She’s Mr. Mechanical’s daughter. Truthfully, she was being manipulated by her father’s robots.  I’ve called in the Sentinels to intervene.  The alternative is letting Extensive Enterprise have her so they can tinker with and reprogram her.  You know they’re up to no good.  I have to get her name cleared and get her some rights.  We’re going to see what we can do, but I need you to trust me, my friend.  Mocha hasn’t hurt anyone.” Aurora flushed slightly when remembered what she’d done to Utility, but she didn’t kill him, even if it would have taken a while to heal if Aurora wasn’t around.

“I’ve assessed her morality and found it so upstanding that she could become a hero, even if she doesn’t trust them yet because of the propaganda her father fed her.  Heck, she insisted that I take this purse snatcher to the proper authorities for punishment, knowing that it would slow things down.  She’s that kind of a person.”

Kirby frowned and paced. “Ruffino’s screaming for your blood, Aurora, and honestly, with all the robot problems we’ve been having, I’m having a hard time disagreeing with her, but… I trust you.” He stopped and looked into Aurora’s eyes fiercely. “I’ll cover for you, for now, but whatever you’re planning on doing has to happen pretty quickly to make this go away, OK? Officially, you and I haven’t seen each other today, so whatever you’re doing, get it done.  I’ll trust you to handle this and won’t ask for updates. Clear?”

Aurora smiled warmly at Kirby.  “Thank you, my friend.” She gently squeezed his shoulder. “Mocha’s worth the time and effort.  If you could have seen her on the way here, you’d agree.  Behaving like a sweet and cute totally normal girl on the way.  You wouldn’t know who her father was.  He gave her the power to decide her own future, even if he left his robots to try to guide her to follow his footsteps.  Hopefully the Sentinels will clear this up for us. MA’s getting all the big hitting Sentinels gathered for this.”

Kirby nodded. “Okay, get going.  Let me know if something changes, but don’t call until this is over, understand?” He forced a smile to reassure Aurora. “Stay safe and don’t go North for a bit.” he clapped Aurora’s shoulder and left the stairwell. Aurora ran upstairs to the roof and glided across to the roof where Mocha was waiting.

Mocha was pacing around anxiously.  When Aurora arrived, Mocha frowned a little as she rushed over and put her hands on Aurora’s shoulders, exclaiming, “I hadn’t thought how nervous I’d be up here… so exposed.” She let go and hugged herself. “Being outside like this… by myself… I wasn’t like this when I was younger, but… I’ve grown so accustomed to being inside.  There rarely were windows to look out.  It feels a little unnerving when I’m alone. Can we continue where we’re going, please?”

Aurora impulsively hugged Mocha, putting her aura around her, she flapped her wings and took them up and over to the Society of Sentinel’s clubhouse-to-be location.

“You’ll like where we’re going if you’re a little afraid of open spaces when you’re alone. There are no windows. “I trust you, so you’ll see where this base is located. I want to be as open with you as possible so that we’ll be good friends. A lot of things are up in the air where your future is concerned, and my career with it.  But I think the Society will be behind us. We’ll discuss everything together, soon.”

It didn’t take long for them to get to the clubhouse.  Aurora landed in the burned out storefront, likely left over from Gravitas’ attack, a long time ago but it was never repaired.  The hidden entrance in the floor opened instantly, having detected Aurora’s presence.  Setting Mocha down, Aurora pointed downstairs with a wink. “It’s a bit spartan inside, but you’ll be comfortable.”

They walked up the passageway into the base and Aurora sighed once they reached the base. Aurora was eager to sit and relax for a bit. Mocha looked around and commented as she gazed in wonderment, still more than a little nervous.  She gasped as she poked around, commenting, “It’s not at all what I expected.”

She turned and smiled sympathetically at Aurora as she said, “Does any of this equipment work? Hmmm… I… might be able to fix some of this up for you.”

Someone spoke, drawing the attention of the two girls who turned to see who came in after them, “It’s probably best if you don’t touch anything, young lady.”  It was Vanguard! He stepped from the shadows with his arms crossed across his chest to stare at Mocha with an authoritative and stern gaze that he rarely wore.

What? Weren’t the Sentinels going to support Aurora with rehabilitating and helping Mocha? Just because her father was a criminal, did that determine her future? Who she had to be?

Mocha hissed, “Vanguard!” Her posture was tense as she dropped into a martial arts stance as her lips pulled back slightly to reveal gritted teeth....

The villain who called herself Mechanica seems to have good intentions, but don't’ forget where the road paved with good intentions can lead. Can Aurora’s heroic heart lead Mocha away from that road, or is her cause already lost? Can she weather the disdain of Inspector Ruffino and will the Sentinels support Aurora, or will they insist that Mechanica is simply the last cog in a great machine of villainy?

Looming is the threat of Onslaught and Big Evil. But if they’re fighting one another, over what? A powerful and ancient secret hides.

What can be more powerful than Onslaught and the Demon of Disaster, Big Evil and his allies in the Tenebrous Concordat?

Are you eager to find out the answer to these questions? Let’s see what happens next...