Fluff

Chapter Forty-Two - Bad Vibes

Emily glanced back to check on Rattles, then locked eyes with Maple's. Her little sister was running over as quickly as she could while hugging their trump card close to her chest.

It was a black, cylindrical object, covered in dials and buttons and a single blinking LED at the top. And a few stickers, of course. Emily wasn't sure if the dinosaur stickers were decorative or if they were an integral part to the device's functioning, but in either case she wasn't going to test it.

"I have it!" Maple gasped as she came closer and held the device over her head.

Emily nodded. Now they could put the plan into action.

It wasn't much of a plan. They'd discussed how to take out Rattles for some time. The villain was, Emily suspected, stronger than any one of her sisters.

He wasn't afraid to tangle with heroes that had years of experience, or to face off against the HRF right next to their headquarters. She didn't expect to be able to win in a straight-on engagement.

Rattles wasn't exactly super strong, or super tough, but his abilities made him nearly untouchable. But Rattles was all alone, and they had Maple.

"Just click?" Emily asked, just to be sure.

Maple bobbed her head in a nod. "The red button! It should work in a big sphere," she said as she handed the Anti-Vibrator up to Emily.

She grabbed it, switched it from one hand to another, then patted Maple on the head. "Thanks," she said. "Get behind, with Trinity, just in case. You have stuff to tie him up?"

"I have stuff," Maple agreed with a big nod. She patted the pockets of her lab coat, which did look like they were quite stuffed.

Emily paid more attention to the fight. Rattles was still arguing with the people coming out of the bar still. He was distracted, though maybe for good reason. Teddy was splayed out on the ground, legs stretched out every which way as she tried to stand up with some difficulty.

Emily clenched her fingers around the Anti-Vibrator, feeling the contours of the device dig into her palm. The crowd coming out of the bar was growing louder, a cacophony of disapproval, and even Rattles looked a little daunted by all the booing.

She walked towards him, then stopped as she slipped into the range of his ability. She didn't think his power had a fixed range, exactly, but it felt like she'd gone from stable, to suddenly being shaken, very slightly, from all over.

She was struck by a sudden memory. Her dad owned an old acoustic guitar, and at one point Emily had wondered if learning how to play it could inadvertently lead her to having friends. The vibration she felt now was similar to the warm rumble that the guitar made when she'd hugged it close.

It wasn't the time for hesitation or second thoughts. It was now or never.

She pressed the button on the Anti-Vibrator with a crick-click. Instantly, a low hum emanated from the device, almost too soft to hear. Emily watched as the asphalt on the road, still rippling from Rattles' power, stilled almost instantly.

This was it.

"Plan B, round two!" Emily shouted.

Teddy, picking herself up from the ground, roared again. This time, the sound reverberated strongly; the Anti-Vibrator didn't mute it. Teddy's growl was almost happy as she charged at Rattles.

Rattles spun around and stomped a foot down.

He had just enough time to stare down at his foot accusingly before Teddy shoulder checked him.

Emily had never seen a grizzly bear shoulder check anyone before, but it was an impressive sight. Rattles coughed and was sent sprawling back onto his rear. He tried to stand, but Teddy planted a foot down on his chest and pushed into him, finger-length claws pressing into his shirt.

"Don't, move," Teddy said.

Maple rushed forward, pulling zip ties and other restraints from her overstuffed lab coat pockets. She was halfway through binding Rattles' hands when he chuckled.

"You think this will hold me?" he sneered.

"Shut up," Teddy growled.

"It's over, Rattles," Emily declared, clutching the Anti-Vibrator in her hand as if it were a trophy. "You underestimated us. You thought you could waltz in here and—"

She was interrupted by a soft, buzzing sound.

Maple stopped to stare, but Emily was quicker. She rushed over, grabbed Maple by the shoulder, and ripped her away from Rattles.

It was just in time. The villain squirmed around and planted a boot into Teddy's chest. It shouldn't have done anything. A kick from such a poor angle, in the chest of a huge bear? But his foot was humming. It looked more like a blur than anything else, and she watched as Teddy's fur was displaced around the foot.

Teddy grunted, then lunged her head down, jaws opening wide to bite.

Rattles stopped vibrating, but there was a single loud pop and Teddy was sent reeling back, a large patch of fur missing from her front. Meanwhile, Rattles was pushed in the opposite direction, skidding and scraping his back across the asphalt as he slid away, out of Teddy's reach.

"No!" Emily cried, and ran as fast as she could towards Rattles. She wasn't sure what she was going to do once she reached him. Kick him, maybe?

It didn't matter. Rattles had climbed to his feet with a groan. The glare he turned on her froze her mid-step. Then Rattles was running towards her, and Emily found herself backpedalling away.

Not quickly enough.

The villain slammed a palm towards her, his entire arm humming as it vibrated.

It struck her in the chest, and Emily gasped as the air was rammed out of her lungs. She saw stars, then the grey sky above.

"Boss!" Trinity roared. There was a chorus of screams as she charged at Rattles.

Emily tried to call her off, to tell her not to, but at the moment she couldn't get air into her lungs and her chest was radiating an intense pain that was burning through her.

She gasped, lungs finally pulling in air as she rolled onto her front. The ground was vibrating.

Emily looked up.

Rattles was fighting Trinity off with ease. Smacking her into oblivion with casual backhands even as the ground started to vibrate again. The Anti-Vibration machine was on the floor to one side, clearly crushed.

Rattles cursed as Trinity bit his hand, drawing blood. "You are so annoying," he spat.

Then a beer bottle shattered in the air above rattles, raining down bits of glass onto his head.

Rattles bent forwards shielding his head before he turned towards the bar. There were more people out, big men and women in leather coats that didn't look pleased at what they were seeing.

Another bottle sailed just past Rattle's head and cracked apart on the road behind him.

Rattles hesitated, weighing his options. His eyes darted between Emily, who was standing with Maple's support now, the rest of her sisters, and the crowd. There was a Trinity still latched to one of his legs, chewing as hard as she could on his boot.

He let out a growl of frustration and, leg vibrating intensely, kicked Trinity off so hard she poofed on impact and reappeared next to her other self. "This isn't over," he yelled. "And this is my city. Whether the idiots living here want it to be or not."

Rattles stomped towards the bar and the crowd screamed as the air thrummed with his power. Glass shattered and the bar's sign rattled out of its frame and crashed to the ground, sending bikers scattering every which way.

He started towards the line of parked bikes, then cursed again and ran off to dart down a nearby alley..

Emily tried to stand straight, then she gave up as the pain in her chest grew. "Are you okay?" Maple asked.

"Ye-yeah," Emily gasped.

Teddy shifted back into her human form and staggered over, looking like she was a little drunk and topsy-turvy. She immediately proceeded to bend/double over and puke all over the sidewalk.

"Oh, that's no good," Maple said.

"Teddy," Emily staggered over. She patted Teddy gently on the head, healing her a little. Hopefully enough to undo any damage done by Rattles' attacks. "Why didn't... uh, why didn't it work?" Emily asked, turning back to Maple.

Maple swallowed. "I think it did? But not on him? Um. It stopped the vibrations outside of him, but not those in him?"

"Mmm," Emily said. She supposed that made as much sense as anything.

"Heya, Boss, you good?" Sam asked as she jogged over.

Emily nodded, still not sure if she could straighten herself up, and her chest was throbbing and aching terribly. She glanced around herself. Her sisters had all rushed closer. Trinity looked like a mess, but seemed otherwise okay. Athena and Maple were unhurt, and beside her Teddy was looking a bit better. Emily herself was the one with the worst injuries, it seemed.

"You think we should go to the hospital?" Sam asked.

"I'd really rather not," Emily said. The day was bad enough, and she didn't feel like adding unfamiliar nurses and doctors examining her, prodding, poking, asking sensitive questions, all whilst possibly in a crowded room or ER, on top of everything right now.

The street was a mess. Broken glass everywhere, cracked sidewalks, and the road was even cratered in a few spots. All from a fight that had probably lasted no more than a minute or two.

She wasn't looking forward to explaining this one to the police.

***