Author: Crofton77

Chapter Seventy-Three: The Haunted Maze Troupe

Written by Crofton77 on . Posted in The Story.

Chuckles and Giggles
faced the cloaked man or woman who was in the middle of the street.
Around them lay several police, all of them completely zoned out.
“Don't get too close,
they've got a powerful drug on them and if you breathe that in you'll
be out like those police.” Chuckles warned.
“I'm wearing a
helmet, Chuckles.” Giggles groaned.
“And a very nice one
too.” Chuckles grinned.
The man/woman in the
cloak said nothing. His/her face was covered with a mask that looked
like a baby, only the entire thing had been painted blue. Around the
city, there were more people wearing the exact same mask, only
painted in different colours.
Giggles kept the Lucky
Seven Gun trained on them, while Chuckles had the Lions Claw Blade at
the ready. The person in front of them didn't move, they just stared
blankly ahead.
“Who are you?”
Chuckles tightened his grip on the Lions Claw Blade.
No answer, just silence
and the same blank stare.
“I know who they
are.” Giggles said quietly.
Chuckles tensed up.
“Another one of the old crime syndicates come back from the dead?”
“Yup.” Giggles
replied. “I'll bet you any money you like that the Haunted Maze
Troupe is back.”
“Very good fool!” A
male voice said, before the cloaked person attacked!
He pulled two knives
from his cloak and went for Chuckles. Chuckles blocked the attack
with the Lions Claw Blade, and Giggles grabbed him before he could
inhale any of the drug. She fired the Lucky Seven Gun to stop the
Trouper from following them.
“That was too close.”
Chuckles gritted his teeth.
“If only we knew how
he was putting out that drug.” Giggles sighed.
Chuckles took one look
at the man and bolted back at him.
“When will I learn?”
Giggles groaned. She flew after Chuckles to provide support.
Chuckles had noticed a
bit of smoke around the knives of the Trouper. Using the Lions Claw
Blade for distance, he slashed at the Trouper, knocking one of the
knives free. The Trouper quickly backed off.
“Don't follow him
Chuckles!” Giggles cried, but it was too late. Groaning, she flew
to rescue her friend, just as the Trouper detonated a small smoke
bomb.
—
Chuckles awoke on the
side of the street, head throbbing.
“I can do without
THAT happening again.” He groaned, before realizing where he was.
He quickly jumped up, the Lions Claw Blade at the ready. However,
there was no one around.
Chuckles felt confused,
then worried, then angry, then confused again. It was peak hour in
Pleasantville, where WAS everyone? Where was Giggles? Why hadn't the
Lions Claw Blade ben taken while he was knocked out?
“Hello?” He called
out. His voice echoed eerily around him, almost unnaturally. Keeping
a firm hand on the Lions Claw Blade, he reached to his hip where his
grappling hook and rope were ready. With a bit of work (“This is SO
much easier with Giggles to fly me up!”) he managed to get to the
top of a building. He then used to grappling hook and rope to get up
to the tallest building in Pleasantville, where he looked around and
saw no one.
“This is wrong. This
is VERY wrong. What have the Haunted Maze Troupe DONE?” He
wondered. He began to worry. What about the Knights of the Last
Order? What about his employees? Their families? HIS family?
What about Giggles?
He slapped in the face
of his watch, hoping at least SOMEONE would still be around to see
it. Then, in a small moment of inspiration, he decided to head
towards the tip. Maybe everyone had met up there.
—
“Giggles! Hey
GIGGLES! Wake up!”
Giggles felt groggy as
her father shook her awake in the Council building break room.
“Are you okay
Giggles?” Peter Masters looked at his daughter, concerned.
Giggles was about to
answer, when she noticed that her helmet was still on.
“I'm fine. I need to
go and find Chuckles.” She said, trying to get up. Her head hurt,
and she was dizzy.
“You need to rest.
Get that helmet off and I'll bring you something to drink.” Peter
told her, before heading into the kitchenette.
Giggles took the
opportunity to get out of there. Clearly, there had been something in
that smoke bomb that was messing around with her head, and now she
was hallucinating. Why else would her father have called her Giggles
and not removed her helmet?
Sure enough, the entire
Council building was empty, and the city appeared deserted. A LOT of
things were wrong with this scenario. What was in the smoke that was
in that smoke-bomb? Was it addictive? Would their be any long-term
side effects? What was going on in the real world? Had they already
been unmasked and arrested?
“So many questions,
and I don't think I'm ready to give you the answers.”
Giggles spun around.
The Haunted Maze Trouper was standing there, ready for a fight.
“What have you done?”
Giggles asked.
“Aren't you going to
draw your weapon?” Asked the Trouper.
“Not when I'm under
the influence of your drug. I could accidentally hurt an innocent.”
Giggles replied. “What is this drug?”
“It's a
joint-hallucination compound. Something we found overseas which we
thought would be useful in getting Pleasantville to bow to us.” The
Trouper told her.
“You were hoping
either Chuckles or I would accidentally reveal ourselves.” Giggles
growled. “Where is he?”
“Depends. You see, as
long as I have this,” The Trouper held up a small device with
several buttons. “I can do anything to your reality that I like.”
He pushed a button. The
buildings began to shimmer as a low sound came from the device.
“It influences the
brain with sound.” Giggles smirked. “I guess I have the
advantage, I didn't breathe in as much of your drug because of my
helmet, and the helmet also blocks most of the sound too.”
The Trouper moved his
head slightly. “It doesn't matter, your friend copped the full
blast, so he's much easier to manipulate.” There was annoyance in
his voice, but certainty too.
“Chuckles isn't
stupid.” Giggles fired.
“Maybe. Maybe not.
Depends what we do to him, and if you can find him in time.” The
Trouper chuckled, before pressing some more buttons.
“Darn it!” Giggles
groaned, as the city around her began to flicker into a thick jungle.

Chapter Seventy-Two: The Romance of Chuckles and Giggles

Written by Crofton77 on . Posted in The Story.

“And THAT, my good
fellows, is how Sir Lionheart conquered the heart of the fair
Sidewinder and got himself a pretty decent new girlfriend.” Daniel
bragged as the Noble Knights of the Last Order played a game of
cricket by the creek (I think we all know where this is going).
“After we talked about me being a Noble Knight and her being a
Mobster, she agreed to at least not work against us. I think I'm a
genius.”
“I'm happy for you.
Now will you bowl please?! I don't want us to get done for slow over
rate!” Sammy groaned.
“You're already two
overs behind.” Petunia deadpanned.
Annoyed, Daniel bowled,
nearly taking off Tammys head.
“WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!”
Sammy was ready to strangle Daniel.
“Are you okay Tammy?”
Sunny rushed to her friends side.
“Guys, break it up!”
Patrick tried to stop Sammy and Daniel from destroying each other as
Melody laughed. “Seriously, you're as bad as Belle and Charlie!”
“Don't compare us to
those two lovebirds!” Sammy jumped back.
“Well, stop
squabbling.” Patrick said firmly.
“Are they even a
thing yet?” TJ asked. “I mean, it's fairly obvious they're into
each other.”
“They're 'best
friends', remember?” Sunny said, the slightest suggestion of
jealousy in her voice. She picked up Melody and hugged her.
“They awfully close
for 'best friends' though.” Daniel sat down. “Have you ever
noticed how affectionate they are with each other?”
“They've always been
like that.” Tammy pointed out. “They're both from naturally
affectionate familes.”
“True, I mean, have
you ever known Belle to turn down a hug? Or Charlie for that matter?”
TJ mused. “But still, they're extremely close.”
“Maybe all they need
is a little push. It WOULD be lovely if they were together.”
Petunia smiled.
“Maybe…” TJ
agreed. “After all, didn't we need one?”
“You two needed to be
glued together before you got it.” Sunny said dryly, earning dirty
looks.
—
Belle had her nose
firmly planted in a book while her pumpkin soup cooled off. Across
the table, Sunny, Tammy and Petunia watched her.
It was a beautiful
sunny day in Pleasantville, and they could have been outside, except
that Belle wanted to read. So they were at Bills Resturant, and the
girls were trying to figure out how to broach the subject of Charlie
to Belle.
“So, read anything
interesting?” Tammy started. Sunny and Petunia looked horrified.
Belle slowly lifted her
head from the book, and looked suspiciously at Tammy.
“I mean, surely
you've come across something that WON'T put us to sleep, right?”
Tammy tried to dig herself out of the hole she'd gotten herself in.
Sunny groaned. Petunia
rolled her eyes.
Belle returned to her
book.
“Seriously
Belle-Belle, can't you get your nose out of that long enough to
acknowledge our existences?!” Sunny groaned.
“We spent the last
hour gossiping!” Belle fired back, exasperated. “And before THAT
we spent two hours shopping, with a brief scuffle with the Crusaders
to make things fun.”
(Seriously, don't try
and destroy a shopping mall when there's a 50% storewide sale on. You
will lose.)
“It's just that we
feel like we don't spend enough time together, us girls.” Petunia
said, trying to get the conversation back on track.
“We see each other
literally every day.” Belle narrowed her eyes again.
“Yeah, but even when
you're with us most of your attention is on Charlie.” Tammy
muttered.
“We've been best
friends since we were little, we're next door neighbours AND our
fathers are best friends, AND his sister works for my uncle.” Belle
rolled her eyes, putting the book down and testing the temprature of
her soup. “Oooh, yummy.”
“You ARE pretty
close.” Sunny said wistfully.
Belle glared at her.
Tammy and Petunia tensed up. Not this argument again!
—
Meanwhile, the boys
were also out and about. They were still shopping.
“Tammy LOVES this
Chocolate River colour, and Lizzy often goes for Strawberry Wishes.”
Sammy held up two containers of lip gloss.
“'Tuney loves
Blueberry Passion. Goes with her rotating hair colours.” TJ held up
a lip gloss that looked purple and blue.
“Do you know what
Belle wears Charlie?” Daniel asked innocently, looking at some
eyeshadows for Judith.
“No idea. I don't
know why she wears makeup anyway, her face is always buried in a book
or paperwork.” Charlie laughed.
“Don't you wish she'd
get out of those books sometimes?” Sammy asked.
“Nope.” Charlie
shook his head. “Even though I roast her about it, I know that the
knowledge she's getting from those books is going to save
Pleasantville one day. Count on it.”
Charlie went back to
looking at shoes while the others looked at each other, defeated. How
on earth were they going to get Charlie to talk about his feelings
for Belle?
“I guess you'd know
better than any of us, you two spend a lot of time together.”
Daniel decided to go a more direct approach.
“Well we ARE best
friends. We also live next door to each other. Our fathers are best
friends, plus Lizzy works for her uncle.” Charlie pointed out. He
looked at a pair of high heels. “How Marion can be a competent
swordswoman in these things I'll never know.”
Daniel looked at TJ and
Sammy. Sammy shook his head and TJ shrugged.
It was IMPOSSIBLE!
—
“Well, we had
absolutely no hope with Charlie, how about you guys?” Sammy flopped
down on the sofa in Sunnys house.
“Belle had her nose
in a book.” Petunia sighed. “And Sunny nearly started a fight.”
“REALLY Sunny?”
Daniel groaned.
“I didn't mean too!”
Sunny sighed. “It's just that I still get a smidge jealous
sometimes and even though I try to hide it, it still leaks out a
little bit.”
“It's okay.” Tammy
put an arm around her. “But we're still at square one when it comes
to the romance of Chuckles and Giggles.”
“They're just
impossible!” Petunia groaned. “They're so smart when it comes to
fighting crime, but bloody thick when it comes to their own love!”
“What are we going to
do?” TJ sighed.
“Maybe we need to
switch things up a bit.” Daniel suddenly had an idea. “I mean,
Sunny and Belle have history, and Sammy is dating Charlie's little
sister. Maybe we can swap teams for the next assault.”
“Or, y'know, we could
let things take their natural course.” Tammy pointed out.
There was a brief
silence.
“Nah.”
Suddenly Daniel got a
message on his phone. “Guys, problem, apparently the city has been
brought to a standstill by weirdly dressed guys standing in the
middle of the street.” He flicked through the message. “Multiple
streets even.”
“Who NOW?” TJ
groaned.
“Nevermind who, let's
go Knights!” Daniel commanded.
The Noble Knights of
the Last Order headed to the tip, suited up, and headed to face
Pleasantvilles newest threat.

Chapter Seventy-One: I'm your SISTER!

Written by Crofton77 on . Posted in The Story.

“What are you talking
about?” Mobster Marion raised her eyebrow at her sister.
“It's Chuckles and
Giggles!” Judith Jofrey cried. “They're Charlie Begly and Belle
Masters!”
Mobster Marion blinked.
Master Revolver cleared his throat.
“And how did you find
this out?” Mobster Marion asked, sipping on her champagne.
Judith gulped. She
couldn't tell them that without revealing that she'd been caught as
Sidewinder.
“I just know, okay?”
She snapped.
Master Revolver gave a
small cough. He got up and walked to the rumpus room. Mobster Marion
motioned for Judith to sit down. Judith sat on the sofa across from
Marion, who poured a drink for her sister.
“I'm telling the
truth.” Judith tried to convince her sister.
“Could you be
mistaken?” Marion asked gently. “Belle Masters especially is the
LAST person you'd expect to by flying around Pleasantville. She's too
bookish.”
“I know, okay?”
Judith groaned. “But I swear it's true!”
Marion sighed. She
loved her sister, and knew that her judgement was usually sound.
However, recently she'd been…troublesome.
“Judith…” She
sighed again. She wanted to believe her sister, but there was simply
no way that Belle Masters, junior lawyer, could be the agile
gunslinger Giggles. There was no way a blacksmith like Charlie Begly
could be the deadly swordsman Chuckles.
“We'll talk about it
tomorrow, okay?” Marion smiled. Judith pouted. “C'mon, I have
some gold chocolate truffle you'll absolutely LOVE.”
Judith sighed, and
sipped at her drink. Maybe sleeping on it would be a good idea.
—
Belle Masters had her
nose firmly in a book as she walked back to her desk in the
Pleasantville Council building. Mobster Marion watched her.
“See Judes? No way
could Belle be Giggles, she hasn't crashed!” Marion chuckled.
Belle pricked up her
ears. Oh no…
Marion patted Judiths
arm, before walking back into Mayor Jones' office, while Judith
Jofrey followed behind dejectedly.
Of course, right after
they walked into the office, Belle completely missed her chair and
ended up on the ground.
“That's not really a
reason why Belle can't be Giggles.” Judith frowned as Marion helped
herself to Jones' whisky stash.
“Judith…” Marion
was starting to get irritated.
“Besides, everyone
knows Belle is a regular at the shooting range.” Judith tried,
almost pleading.
“So is half the
bloody city!” Marion snapped. “I've tried to be nice about this
Judes, but you're really pissing me off.”
“You're pissing ME
off! I'm your SISTER, remember?!” Judith fired back.
“Keep it down idiot!”
Marion hissed. “Do you want anyone to find out who you are?!”
Judith went slightly
pale. “I'm sorry.” She swallowed. “But-,”
“Enough.” Marion
snapped. “Do you want me to take you to the metalworks? You can see
how Charlie Begly lumbers around carrying metal, without any of the
finesse required to wield the Lions Claw Blade?”
Judith grimaced and
stalked out of the office. Marion raised her eyebrow at her
retreating form. For whatever reason, she'd gotten this idea in her
head. If she would just tell Marion where the idea came from then she
might be inclined to believe her. For some reason though, Judith was
keeping mum on the subject.
Not for the first time,
Marion wondered if Judith was plotting to take over the Mobsters of
Misneach, breaking up the Death Valley Mobsters. It would spell
disaster though, surely Judith wouldn't be that stupid? Maybe Judith
was thinking of taking the Mobster assets for herself?
Marion knew that her
Uncle had been killed because he'd wanted more power than he was
owed. He wanted to keep the assets for himself, and not hand them
over to his niece. She didn't want to have to get Master Revolver to
kill Judith, least of all because she didn't have an heir yet.
There was also another
issue brewing.
“Demon.” Marion
narrowed her eyes at Mayor Jones as he walked into his office.
“Marion.” The Mayor
of Pleasantville, Demon, glared back. “Do what do I owe the
honour?”
“I want to know why
Mark and Roger were in here.” Marion got straight to the point.
“What business to you have with the March Hill Crusaders?”
“Nothing that
concerns you.” Demon sat at his desk. “Now get out of my sight.”
“I warn you, if you
betray us, you lose half of Pleasantville.” Marion warned him as
she walked out.
Demon watched as the
door slammed behind her.
—
“I have good news and
bad news.” Belle ran to her friends after work that day as they sat
at the tip. “Judith's figured out who we are, but Marion won't
believe her.”
“WHAT?!” The others
cried.
“She must have
recognised my voice!” Daniel cried.
“And then she put two
and two together, which helped her recognise my voice.” Belle
groaned.
“But you said Marion
didn't believe her?” Charlie raised an eyebrow.
Belle couldn't help it.
She started laughing.
“She was after me all
day, trying to prove it without giving it away to me that she knew.”
She grinned. “But she didn't realise I'd overheard Marion flapping
her gums!”
Everyone else saw the
funny side of it too.
“Is Marion REALLY
that idiotic?!” Sammy laughed.
“The power must
really have gotten to her head if she's being so arrogant as to
ignore her sister!” Petunia added.
“I wish I'd been
there!” Charlie slapped Belle on the back.
“You should have seen
Judith's face when she realised no one believed her!” Belle roared
with laughter.
“She's probably going
to try following us around with cameras now.” TJ grinned. “And if
she does, we just remind her what's at stake!”
“She's gotta be
furious.” Tammy grinned.
Sammy was about to join
in, but then he noticed Daniel looking a little distracted. “Dan?
What's up?”
“Nothing.” Daniel
said, not paying attention.
“You seem very
interested in that old car.” Sammy pressed. “Going to try and put
us a vehicle together again?”
“After last time? We
don't need another Chuckles and Giggles annoying us.” Daniel
quipped.
“Don't be a dork!”
Charlie shoved him off the bonnet he was sitting on.
The group laughed.
“I'm thinking if I
can patch things up with Judy, if I can somehow influence her, and in
turn, Marion.” Daniel told them. “They own half the city and if
we can get them to turn on Demon, he's in big trouble at the next
election.”
“It'll be difficult
though. It's really hard to go against your family.” Sunny said, as
Melody slept against her chest. “Especially when it's what you've
been raised to believe.”
“And yet you did it.”
Belle put an arm around her friend.
Sunny shook her head.
“I was…I was being
abused. It's easy to turn on someone when they're mistreating you.”
She sighed. “Judith and Marion are close. It's going to be really
hard to get between them. I mean, if it were easy, I could have
talked Dad around before he took over the city…”
“It's not your fault
Demon is a jerk.” Charlie said. “Just like it's not your fault he
killed my grandfather.”
Sunny looked at
Charlie. That wound might have healed, but it had left a very painful
scar. Sunny had to marvel that he'd even considered dating her at one
stage after what her father had done.
“Push comes to shove,
Danny'll just have to knock Judith up.” TJ grinned.
That suggestion was
greeted with loud boos and jeers. Stay classy TJ.

Chapter Seventy: Busted!

Written by Crofton77 on . Posted in The Story.

Judith Jofrey narrowed
her eyes at the pair who stood on the train. Chuckles and Giggles
both glared back, pointing the Lions Claw Blade and the Lucky Seven
Gun respectively at her.
“We have proof. Your
family and their little scheme of keeping one member of the family
separate to hold a legitimate front.” Lady Courage walked towards
Judith.
“Buying businesses
after they've been crippled by the criminal families, when the owners
have no choice but to sell to survive.” Sir Hyper added.
“Tightening your
control over the city piece by piece.” Sir Lionheart growled.
“Then passing on the
control to your niece or nephew.” Lady Luck joined her fellow
Knights.
Judith raised an
eyebrow. “Fantasy.”
“You sure about
that?” Giggles asked. “Do you want to see our notes?”
“Anyone with half a
brain will see the connection. All the information is in the Council
building, where anyone can see it.” Sir Dark pointed out.
“And it's also kept
in a vault in Brisvegas, so there's no destroying the evidence.”
Chuckles grinned.
Judith let out a low
growl. The gig was up. If Marion knew, she'd make sure to get rid of
her sister.
She backed towards her
car, where she opened the door and reached in, grabbing her Mystic
Eight Gun and the Dragons Scale Scythe.
The Noble Knights of
the Last Order closed in as Judith removed her wig, revealing her
long blonde hair. She stood before them, and there was no doubt that
Judith Jofrey was the sister of Mobster Marion, the Emerald Mobster
dubbed Sidewinder.
“Well done. Now die!”
She attacked, firing rounds at Chuckles and Giggles while swinging
the Dragon Scale Scythe at the Knights.
Alas for Sidewinder,
she didn't have her Emerald Suit, so she was at an extreme
disadvantage. Without Emerald Power to fortify her weapons and
attacks, she was easily overwhelmed by numbers. Chuckles and Giggles
didn't even need to get involved as the Noble Nights of the Last
Order overpowered Sidewinder, disarming her and forcing her back
against one of the trains.
“You won't kill me.”
Sidewinder hissed as the group surrounded her. She didn't sound so
certain though, and looked especially wary when Chuckles and Giggles
landed in front of her.
“Nah,
we won't kill you.” Giggles said. “As long as you behave
yourself.”
“And
what is THAT supposed to mean?!” Sidewinder snapped.
“Lay off
Peter and Belle Masters. Stop trying to scare the city into
submission.” Sir Lionheart told her sternly.
“Like
hell. You won't get me to turn on my family.” Sidewinder shot. She
looked carefully at Sir Lionheart, something familiar about him.
“If you
don't, you'll be exposed, and your family will lose everything.”
Giggles snapped. “I happen to know your balance of power is in big
trouble as it is.”
“You
know nothing!” Sidewinder scoffed.
“Try
me.” Giggles glared back.
“Face it
Judith, you either behave or you lose it all.” Chuckles said.
“And we
have eyes everywhere. We'll be watching you.” Sir Hyper warned.
“Count
on it.” Lady Courage added.
Sidewinder
growled in uncontrollable fury. How DARE they?! How had they found
out?! How had they gotten proof?!
She took
one last look at Sir Lionheart before snatching her weapons off Sir
Dark and Lady Silent and storming back to her car. The tyres
screeched as she sped off.
“I think
she took it well.” Chuckles grinned.
Judith
could barely breathe she was so furious and upset. How DARE they?!
She could
hear their mocking voices. She could see them looking down on her, so
certain they'd won, because they had. Hundreds of years of the
Mobsters of Misneach, and it was all going to end with her.
She HATED
them! She hated each and every one of them!
Realizing
she probably wasn't the safest driver in the world at that time,
Judith pulled over near Pleasantville Dam. She stepped out of the car
and onto the walkway to watch the water and calm down.
I'm
sorry Marion. I'm so sorry.
Judith felt hot, angry, guilty tears run down her face. She had
failed.
“How COULD they? How could they have known? How could they have
found out? How could…”
Suddenly she remembered their voices. She remembered Sir Lionheart.
Hadn't she heard his voice so many times before? On dates with
Daniel?
Her blood started to run cold. He couldn't be. He wouldn't.
Then she remembered Giggles. Her voice. Her voice that sounded
EXACTLY like that meddling Belle Masters.
That would make sense. Belle was smart enough to figure it out, and
if Daniel was Sir Lionheart, he'd already seen her at the timber mill
getting changed.
Judith gasped. She'd figured it out. She knew who her adversaries
were.
She had to tell her sister!
—
“You're joking. I
can't believe he'd do that!” Mobster Marion narrowed her eyes at
Master Revolver.
“Well, he's done it.
I saw them come out of his office.” Master Revolver replied,
looking serious.
They were sitting in
the Misneach living room, which was quite ornately decorated in
white, black and gold. Suddenly, Judith Jofrey burst in, looking
harried.
“What's the matter
with you? Did something go wrong with the insurance assessment?”
Mobster Marion raised her eyebrow. “You look like you need a bath
and a champers.”
“You're not going to
believe it.” Judith panted. “Just wait until I tell you what I
found out!”

Chapter Sixty-Nine: Patience

Written by Crofton77 on . Posted in The Story.

“I don't get it.”
Giggles frowned as she hid behind a train.
“I don't either, but
apparently Judith is going to be here soon.” Chuckles shrugged.
“Something about insurance inspection.”
“And Lionheart
thought we'd catch her here?” Giggles shook her head. “I don't
like the idea of some insurance assessor getting involved. They might
blab if they hear anything.”
“Hey, it's better
than nothing.” Chuckles pointed out.
The pair looked over to
where they knew Lady Silent and Lady Courage were crouched low out of
sight. Lady Silent, using her ability to blend into the background
and hear things that she shouldn't, had overheard Mobster Marion
talking about the train yard being insured and needing inspecting.
She had relayed that information to Sir Lionheart, who had casually
asked about the destroyed train yard on a date one morning. Through
that, he had found out that Judith Jofrey, the sister of Mobster
Marion and the Emerald Mobster known as Sidewinder, was going to go
through the property with an insurance assessor that afternoon.
Sir Lionheart was lying
beneath a train carriage with Sir Hyper, who, as usual, wouldn't be
quiet.
“I don't know what
you see in her anyway.” Sir Hyper babbled on, as Sir Lionheart (who
usually didn't mind Sir Hyper constantly talking) groaned. “I mean,
okay she's not a murderous psychopath like her sister, but she's
still a Marion-enabler. She's still a Mobster.”
“She's not though.
She's starting to get thoroughly sick of her sister.” Sir Lionheart
pointed out.
“I mean, we lucked
out with Lady Courage, but I don't think lightening will strike
twice. Could you imagine Sidewinder being a Knight of the Last
Order?” Sir Hyper continued.
Sir Lionheart didn't
even want to think about it.
“I don't know how Sir
Dark and Lady Luck do it. They must worry about each other a lot.”
Sir Hyper mused.
Sir Dark and Lady Luck
weren't worried about each other at all, as they were both hidden
quite comfortably in the guards shack, where they'd be able to
coordinate their friends once Judith and the insurance assessor
arrived.
“Hmmm…” Lady Luck
scrolled through her phone. “Pasta or rice?”
“Well, we had risotto
last week, so pasta this week.” Sir Dark replied. He smiled at her.
“You're the best food-prepper I know. How you can make the same
meal taste awesome for an entire week…”
“It's an acquired
skill.” Lady Luck smiled back at him. “Especially when you're
trying to stay healthy.”
“You make it easy.”
Sir Dark told her.
“Are you SURE there's
going to be an inspection? We've been here half an hour already and
there's no sign of Judith or any insurance guys!” Lady Courage
complained, bored with the stakeout already.
“I just found out
this place was insured. It was Sir Lionheart who found out the
inspection was today. Go and talk to him.” Lady Silent grumbled
back, starting to get sick of Lady Courage complaining.
“I could have gone to
my hair appointment.” Lady Courage groaned. “Melody and I were
supposed to do a Mummy/Daughter day!”
“Isn't Melody a bit
young for that?” Lady Silent asked.
“She's three!” Lady
Courage protested.
Lady Silent raised an
eyebrow.
“And it was only a
few years after THAT, that Lone Revolver defeated Crusader Roger and
finished off the March Hill Crusaders for good…at least, until
Rogers great-grandson revived them with the help of ex-Mobster Mark.”
Giggles was lecturing Chuckles, who looked ready to take the Lions
Claw Blade to his ears.
“WHY do I need to
know this rubbish?” Chuckles asked.
“Because it's our
city history!” Giggles protested.
“C'mon, c'mon,
c'mon…!” Sir Lionheart and Sir Hyper were watching the BrisVegas
Leos play the Silver Coast Sharks on Sir Hypers phone. The siren
sounded to end the quarter, and the two men grinned at each other.
“I can't believe we
actually kicked straight for a quarter.” Sir Lionheart said.
“Good thing too, we
only got one scoring shot!” Sir Hyper agreed.
“Judith is a Leos
fan. I wonder if Marion is?”
“I highly doubt it
mate.”
“And if we pay the
phone this week, we should have enough for the mortgage and the water
bill next month.” Sir Dark was going through his phone, looking at
bills.
“I'm SO glad we went
with solar power. That cuts at least one bill.” Lady Luck breathed
a sigh of relief. “Even if it did cut into the wedding budget.”
“We still had a
lovely wedding though.” Sir Dark pointed out. “You looked
stunning, I swear I forgot how to breathe when I first saw you in
that dress.”
Lady Luck blushed
slightly. “You're always handsome.” She replied softly.
“So BORED!!!!!!!!!”
Lady Courage groaned. She looked at the control panel in front of
her. “If it weren't for the fact that I know this train is
half-blown up, I'd be temped to give it a whirl.”
“Yeah…I don't think
there's any working trains left here.” Lady Silent sighed. “Even
if there were, can you imagine the hell that Lionheart and the others
would put us through?”
“Yeah, I know.”
Lady Courage looked out the window in front of them. The drivers
cabin of the train had been interesting for about fifteen minutes,
but now an hour and a half had passed and it was really getting
monotonous. “How is your course going?”
“Pretty good. Soon
I'll be ready for work placement. I can't wait to see how I go.”
Lady Silent beamed.
“Good to hear.”
Lady Courage smiled. “I've actually been thinking about getting
into work, I've only done bits and pieces since Melody was born.”
“Seriously? That
would be awesome.” Lady Silent approved.
“And we won't even
begin to get into what the Mob and the DVG did to Laker Barrett and
the rest of the Silent Lake Gang.” Giggles continued on, oblivious
to the fact that Chuckles was pretending to be asleep. “Sir
Lionheart told me his parents were killed in the crossfire, so I went
and had a look. 32 innocent people were killed that day, 5 of them
children.”
Chuckles yawned loudly,
desperate to make his point. Then he saw two cars approaching the
train yard.
“We're on!” He hit
the face of his watch to alert the others. Lady Silent and Lady
Courage dropped down so they couldn't be seen through the window of
the train. Lady Luck and Sir Dark hid in an old cupboard, waiting for
someone to walk in.
The cars parked in the
middle of the train yard. Out of the nicer car stepped Judith Jofrey,
and out of the old station wagon stumbled a portly man with a
prominent bald spot who was sweating profusely. He pulled out a
briefcase full of paperwork and struggled to catch up with Judith,
who was looking sadly at one of her trains, now ruined.
“We'll need to check
the serial numbers of all of these trains and do a count.” The
assessor said.
“Fine.” Judith
reached out to the train, where Lady Silent and Lady Courage were
hiding. Her fingers touched the cold, charred steel, her fingers
trailing sadly down the remains of one of her beloved trains.
She walked to the nose
of the train, and called out the number that she read there. The
assessor ticked off his pad, and they walked over to the train that
Chuckles and Giggles were hidden behind. Judith read out the number
again, and again it was ticked off. Then she walked over to another
train that didn't look too badly damaged, but would never move again.
“We're going to wait
until they're finished, aren't we?” Sir Hyper groaned as Sir
Lionheart buried his face in his hands.
“I don't see that we
have any choice.” Giggles sighed in reply to Chuckles whining.
“You've gotta be
kidding. Every single train?!” Sir Dark couldn't believe it.
“I'm going to die of
boredom before they're done!” Lady Silent let her head fall on Lady
Courages shoulder.
Judith called out
another train serial number. This time the assessor shook his head.
“From our report, that train was just coming out of BrisVegas when
the attack happened.”
“Are you kidding
me?!” Judith rounded on the assessor. The hiding Knights and
Chuckles and Giggles groaned. “Check your bloody paper again
dingle-brain, your figures are out!”
“She reminds me of
Marion when she gets angry.” Lady Courage sighed as Judith verbally
beat the poor assessor into submission.
“I don't know what
Lionheart sees in her.” Lady Silent agreed.
“Are they going to
spend forever arguing over every little mistake?!” Giggles groaned.
“It's not so much an
argument as it is a complete and total destruction.” Chuckles
replied dryly. “She rants longer than you!”
“What was that
noise?” The assessor heard what sounded like a yelp of pain.
“It was a stupid
animal, will you focus on these trains?!” Judith thundered. She
then stormed up to another train and read out the serial number.
“Make it end.
Please.” Sir Dark groaned. Lady Luck just sighed.
“RIGHT, now that
we've finished getting the serial numbers, let's assess the damage.”
Judith finally finished checking the trains. The assessor was near
tears. “I think most of these are write-offs, although the ones
over here could possibly be repaired.”
“You'd need a
technician to look at them, but from here they look salvageable. Just
let me just double-check their serial numbers.” The assessor
quickly composed himself. They walked towards the trains that looked
like they could be repaired. Seeing the coast was clear, the Knights
of the Last Order quickly converged with Chuckles and Giggles.
“This is STUPID,
we've been here forever and there's no telling if we'll even get a
chance at her!” Lady Courage complained.
“It doesn't look
likely.” Giggles added.
“Look, we have to
confront her eventually, it might as well be sooner rather than
later.” Sir Lionheart grumbled.
“Look, I know she's
your girlfriend and you don't want her to be a bad guy, but you can't
drag us all into your emotional problems.” Lady Luck put her arm
around her friend.
“Actually he's moody
because the Leos are losing again.” Sir Hyper looked dejected.
There was a collective
sigh of defeat around the group.
“Look, if I'm wrong,
I'll shout everyone dinner. With dessert.” Sir Lionheart promised.
“You'd better.”
Chuckles grumbled.
“I will!” Sir
Lionheart protested.
“Scatter!” Lady
Silent saw that Judith and the insurance assessor were coming back.
The group scatted as the pair returned, deep in conversation.
“So you'll put in a
request for a tech? Completely covered?” Judith asked.
“Provided at least
one train gets back on the tracks, everything will be covered.” The
assessor made some notes on his pad. “We'll also cover any product
that you produced that was destroyed.”
“Thank you.” Judith
looked prim.
“We just need a few
signatures from you.” The assessor was about to set his pad on
Judiths car, until she shot him a filthy look. He moved over to his
car and put the pad there instead. He pulled a shiny silver pen out
of his pocket, and handed it to Judith. He pointed for her to sign a
page, and she did, with a careful signature.
“This is getting a
bit beyond a joke, even for me.” Chuckles hissed to Sir Hyper, whom
he was now hiding with. “How long does a few signatures take?!”
“A while,
apparently.” Sir Hyper said dryly.
Meanwhile, Giggles was
with Sir Lionheart.
“I just want you to
know that even though I've found this afternoon as boring as
anything, I still believe in you.” Giggles said as they watched
Judith sign even MORE forms.
“Thanks. That means a
lot.” Sir Lionheart replied.
Finally, Judith
finished signing the forms. The assessor took back his pen, put the
forms away neatly in his briefcase, placed the briefcase carefully on
the back seat of his car, turned and shook hands with Judith, got
into his car, adjusted the air conditioner and the radio, and slowly
backed out of the ruined train yard.
“He's almost gone!”
Lady Silent and Lady Luck pressed their noses to the window of the
small hut they were hidden in.
Judith turned and
sighed. She placed her hand against another train and bowed her head.
“If only she hadn't gone mad, maybe then there wouldn't be any
Crusaders and my beloved trains would still be here.”
“And he's gone!”
Lady Courage grinned at Sir Dark.
“If only I had been
stronger…If only they didn't always bow to her demands, getting her
that dumb tank. If only…”
Suddenly, Judith found
herself surrounded by the Noble Knights of the Last Order. She spun
around, suspicious and confused.
“To what do I owe the
pleasure?” She asked cautiously.
“You know what we
want, Sidewinder.”
Judith looked up to see
Chuckles and Giggles on the train above her.

Chapter Sixty-Eight: And now, a plan.

Written by Crofton77 on . Posted in The Story.

“I already know.”
Daniel deadpanned after Tammy told him what she'd found out about
Judith Jofrey being Sidewinder.
Silence reigned over
the tip. Charlie opened his mouth to say something, but then thought
better of it and closed his mouth. Soon after, Sammy had a thought,
but decided not to share it. Belle raised her finger ready to say
something too, but even she couldn't bring herself to make a noise.
Awkward factor times a
million.
“This is okay. We can
work with this.” TJ finally said.
“Totally. Especially
as Danny is dating Judith.” Petunia agreed.
Everyone nodded.
“You guys ARE allowed
to be mad at me for keeping it from you.” Daniel rolled his eyes.
That's when it started.
“How COULD you Dan?!”
TJ cried. “Sammy and I are you brothers!”
“I know you think
she's hot, but she's MARIONS SISTER!” Sunny fumed.
“She's TRIED TO KILL
US MULTIPLE TIMES!” Sammy yelped.
“Hang on guys.”
Belle looked thoughtful. “Let's roll back a bit and think.”
“What's there to
think about?!” Petunia wailed. “Danny KNEW that Judith is Mobster
Marions sister, he KNEW that she is Sidewinder, a woman who has tried
to kill us, and he didn't tell us?!”
“How would you feel
if someone you were starting to grow feelings for was suddenly
revealed to be one of the bad guys?” Belle asked them. “Remember
Webster and Tate?”
“Wasn't THAT a
complete and total trainwreck and three quarters.” Tammy muttered
to Petunia.
“At the very least
Dan hasn't started brutally murdering people en masse.” Belle
pointed out.
“Like I would!”
Daniel looked insulted.
“See?” Belle said
triumphantly.
“Besides, getting mad
isn't going to get us anywhere.” Charlie pointed out. “We need to
figure out what to do with this information.”
“We should probably
talk to my Dad.” Belle suggested. “He'll know what to do.”
—
Evil gleamed in the
eyes of Peter Masters.
“Dad, we're the good
guys remember?” Belle tugged at his sleeve as he sat at the Masters
table. “No blackmailing your boss with what we've just told you.”
“You ruin everything
Beauty.” Peter sighed as Meow jumped up and licked his face.
“Still, it's
partially a good idea.” Bill pointed out as he wiped a glass and
put it away. “If Sidewinder gets wind of the fact that the Noble
Knights plus Chuckles and Giggles know that she's Judith Jofrey, then
it might be enough to keep the DVM under control.”
“It might be.”
Peter mused. “Then we have Jones under our thumb too. It could be
our chance to re-educate the people of this city without the fear of
retribution undoing all of the good work.”
“We finally have our
break!” Charlie grinned.
“If she doesn't try
to kill us first.” Belle deadpanned.
“It'll be fine.”
Charlie patted her head.
Naturally, she bit his
elbow in retaliation. Being short isn't funny. Please don't pick on
your short friends.
“Belle, spit that
out, you don't know where it's been.” Sunny chided her. “You're
as bad as Melody.”
“One thing though,
how are we going to convince Sidewinder we have proof?” Peter
rubbed his chin as Belle spat out Charlies elbow. “We don't want to
implicate Dan.”
“Otherwise they'll
just retaliate by telling everyone who we are, then we're dead.” TJ
frowned, sitting in front of the couch where Sammy lay, reading a
comic.
All of them pondered
the question for a minute. Belle got up and grabbed a book.
“Belle, honestly,
can't you stay focused on current issues for a minute?!” Charlie
groaned as Belle started investigating the book.
“Hush, pleb.” Belle
fired, shutting Charlie up. “I think I might have an idea.”
“Going to share it?”
Petunia asked.
“What, and spoil the
surprise?” Belle flicked a page over.
Everyone groaned.
—
While we wait for Belle
to finish reading, let's have a look at the latest spat from Mobster
Marion.
“No flowers, no
appreciation, no support, no love, no NOTHING!” She broke another
sword against the tree, which was looking much worse for wear.
“You still haven't
done anything about getting payback for my trains!” Judith Jofrey
growled angrily.
“Why should I? No one
gives ME what I want!” Mobster Marion threw the broken sword away.
“Demon's been cagey recently and it's making it hard for us to rule
this city!”
“If you weren't such
a greedy guts with the fuse of a toddler then there wouldn't be an
issue!” Judith snapped. “But noooo, because YOU can't control
your constant gluttony, you're constantly at the mercy of Chuckles
and Giggles. No wonder Demon wants us out.”
“Excuse me?!”
Mobster Marion rounded on her sister.
“The only reason he
has anything to do with us at all is because of what I own. The
moment I lose our legitimate assets the Mobsters of Misneach and the
Death Valley Gang will be going the way of the crime groups of old!”
Judith advised her sister snidely. “And you know what the March
Hill Crusaders are capable of.”
“They haven't proven
a thing.” Mobster Marion shot back. “They can't even get rid of
those punks and the Noble Knights of the Last Order.”
“Lucky for you they
can't.” Judith muttered.
—
“So, what you're
saying is we can follow all these links through history back to the
Mobsters of Misneach?” Petunia looked over Belles shoulder.
They were sitting
around a table at Bills restaurant, eating nachos and listening to
Belle.
“It was almost their
signature move back when they first established, if anyone had
bothered to connect the dots.” Belle pointed to the page she was
on.
“Raid a business,
lower it's value, then have someone who looks completely unconnected
to the Mob come in and buy them out.” Charlie looked disgusted. “No
wonder crime managed to get such a foothold in this city.”
“They own most of the
businesses here, although the last few generations haven't been so
wise. Mobster Marion seems to get her issues from her father.”
Belle mused.
Daniel looked at one of
the pages Belle had scribbled on. “And it looks like we have
further proof. Judith said that she inherited everything from her
Uncle. Officially though, it says he was her father. So there's a lie
we can catch her on.”
“From what I've read,
the second child of the family was raised seperately from the oldest
one, with the oldest getting the Mob and the youngest getting the
assets. Then when the next heir to the Mob was born, their younger
sibling would inherit the assets.” Belle showed everyone her notes.
“Of course, there were a few false starts with siblings getting
resentful, but they were often murdered by the Death Valley Gang as
part of the agreement with the Mob to take out the March Hill
Crusaders.”
“Wow. Just…wow.”
Peter looked through the notes. “So what's the plan?”
Everyone looked at
Daniel.
“Why do I have come
up with the plan?!” Daniel cried.
“Because she's YOUR
girlfriend.” TJ said.
“Because YOU know her
best.” Tammy added.
“Because YOU'RE the
one with the most contact with her.” Sunny pointed out.
“Because YOU'RE the
oldest.” Sammy grinned.
“And because YOU'RE
our fearless leader.” Petunia finished.
“Technically he's not
our leader.” Charlie pointed to himself and Belle, who nodded.
“Guys, please. You'll
go along with whatever Dan decides, because Dan's got this, right?”
Sammy looked up at his hero.
“Yeah!” The Noble
Knights of the Last Order crowded around Daniel, who looked pale.
“Uhhh…”

Recovery

Written by Crofton77 on . Posted in eatsaroundaustralia.

So, we've completed treatment.
No more chemo, no more radiation.
Except that Dr Doom says last week – did Tim talk to you about ongoing chemo treatment?
WHAT THE F*CK???????

at this stage of the game there is no way in hell I would have more chemo!

Still struggling with nausea, cramps and fall out from the radiation 'burns'.
Maybe once all this goes away I can make a better decision lol.

It's not a lot of fun this recovery.  I think maybe they could just knock me out for a week until everything heals so it wouldn't hurt.

One of the biggest issues is the emotional roller coaster leading up to getting the results after recovery.
What if the treatment hasn't worked? What then? What if it has but it is remission and it could come back any time?
How do you plan for a future you might not have? and how do you plan for a future you may have around these extra bloody chemo treatments?

So now we are 7 weeks into recovery, and I have been for a scan and seen my specialists.
The news is on the good side. There will be a need for another scan and visit to confirm the goodness.

I have learnt so much on this journey and at some stage I hope to share some of my insights.

Thank you for being with on my road.

Chapter Sixty-Seven: So am I

Written by Crofton77 on . Posted in The Story.

Tammy walked dejectedly down the street. People pushed past her, not even noticing she was there. She was invisible, a nobody, a nothing. Why was she even a Knight of the Last Order, no one noticed Lady Silent, no one cared if she was there or not. 
She was just Sammys shadow, an echo of her younger, more boisterous twin. She reached for the scar on her throat, that her stupid drunk uncle had caused. She hadn't been strapped into the seat properly, so when the crash happened her throat paid the price. She had paid a high price for her uncles stupidity.
Hey, that's not fair. Sammy has suffered too. She tried to tell herself. Sammy is terrified of water now. 
But Sammy still had a voice. He was still heard. People still acknowledged him.
She shuffled dejectedly past an alleyway, where she overheard some March Hill Crusaders talking about destroying a local florist who they suspected as being a front for the Death Valley Mobsters.
Swell. More work for us.
Tammy made her way to Bill's restaurant, and pushed her way through the doors. Suddenly, she was knocked aside by her brother, who raced out with Daniel, TJ and Charlie on his heels.
“Whoops, sorry Tam!” Charlie grinned at her before shooting off, laughing. Tammy sighed, and sat down where Petunia had Melody on her lap while Sunny desperately tried to get some food into her daughter.
“Kiddo, I love you dearly but will you just EAT!” Sunny tried to poke a spoon full of mashed pumpkin into her daughters mouth.
“'Ucky!” Melody spat it right back out again.
Tammy sighed as she watched the two women get overpowered by a baby.
“Oh, sorry Tam, didn't see you there!” Petunia looked over at her best friend while she tried to hold the squirming baby. “Melody, please!”
“I give up. Starve to death for all I care kiddo.” Sunny gave up, putting the spoon back into the bowl of mashed pumpkin. Melody immediately grabbed the spoon and began feeding herself. 
Petunia laughed while Tammy smiled. Sunny groaned, but it was obvious she was amused too.
“What are you up to today Tammy? You look a little glum.” Petunia noticed the younger girl was a bit down in the dumps.
Tammy bit her lip, not really ready to talk about her problems with being a shadow. Thankfully, a convenient excuse came up.
“While I was walking here I heard a couple of Crusaders talking about taking out a florist. The last thing we need.” Tammy stretched.
Petunia and Sunny glanced at each other, before quickly smacking their watch-faces.
“This had better be good, I was in the middle of a really interesting chapter about the Quadroon Four and the Elephants Tusk Spear!” Belle stormed out of the kitchen, clutching at her book.
“Tammy overheard some Crusaders planning their next move!” Sunny told her.
“Yeah, I'd say that counts as good. Let's go!” Belle shot off towards the tip, ready to don her Giggles outfit once more.
Tammy sighed again, and slowly got up, feeling more invisible than ever until she heard Sunny.
“Nice work by the way Tammy. You have a real knack for being in the right place at the right time.”
Sunny was right. Chuckles, Giggles and the Noble Knights of the Last Order were able to head off the attack before it even got started.
“You mean…awww.” Crusader Mark looked dejectedly at the crowd that was standing in front of the florist, ready to defend the flowers. “Can I at LEAST go in to by my mother a birthday present?”
(He ended up getting her roses)
—
Feeling more confident after her success that day, Tammy decided that she was going to approach her chestnut-haired beauty and see if she could at least make a new friend, if not score a date.
After she got home to her apartment and had a good, quick shower, she had kept an eye on the window and waited until she saw her crush walking to the laundry again. Sure enough, the young lady had washing to do. Tammy waited until she was inside, before grabbing her own laundry and making her way down to the laundry room.
Tammy walked into the laundry room trying to look as invisible as possible (“Should be easy enough.” she thought bitterly) and put her washing in the machine closest to the door.  She then settled down on the nearby bench with her mystery book. 
“I really didn't plan this well, did I?” Tammy groaned inwardly. The chestnut-haired beauty was even more beautiful up close, and Tammy found it hard to muster up the courage to speak to her.
So, naturally, she hid in her mystery book.
“You read mysteries too?”
Tammy nearly fell off her seat. 
“Y-yeah, I love mysteries. It's a nice change from textbooks.” Tammy tried to joke with her new friend.
“My name is Rose. I live on the first floor.” The chestnut-haired beauty introduced herself.
“I'm Tammy, I live on the second floor.” Tammy put her book down.
“I know. I've been…well…I kinda noticed you.” Rose went a little pink.
Tammy couldn't help but smile. Maybe she wasn't so invisible after all!
—
A few days later, Tammy had finally managed to shake her twin off, begging Lizzy Begly to take Sammy out for a while. Lizzy, being a twin herself, understood completely and was happy to take her boyfriend out for the day.
So Tammy had a full day at the library, and she was relishing the peace. 
Tammy had done a lot of thinking over the days since Sunny had told her she had a knack for being in the right place at the right time. Tammy knew she would always resent being invisible, just a little bit, but that being silent was her greatest strength – Lady Silent could find out things that her louder, more noticeable friends would never be able to, and she planned to use that to her advantage as much as she could.
But first, her education.
She'd gotten one of her assignments out of the way, and was trying to focus on another one when Judith Jofrey slithered in.
Tammy watched the older woman with interest. Judith looked her way, and for a second they made eye-contact. Then Judith went to the back of the library.
Tammy tried not to scream with frustration. She was one of Daniels BEST FRIENDS, how could Judith not recognise her?! How did Emerald Mobsters not recognise Lady Silent?!
Hold it. She settled herself. This could be your opportunity to find out what's going on with the Council. Head down, tail up, don't draw attention to yourself Lady Silent.
Tammy focused on her studies, keeping half an ear out for anything interesting. Soon enough, she got it. Two Emerald Mobsters walked in, trying to keep themselves inconspicuous. 
Hard to keep a low profile when your street clothes barely cover the Emerald Suits. Tammy thought snidely.
“What do you want?” Judith said quietly, looking harassed.
“Your sister is getting annoyed at your insistence on getting into trouble.” One of the Emerald Mobsters said. 
“Me? I've been good recently.” Judith looked as innocent as possible.
I thought Judith said that she didn't have anything to do with her sister? Tammy found her brain ticking over. Why did the Emerald Mobsters know Judiths sister? Why did Judith lie about it?
“She knows you're planning something.” The other Emerald Mobster said.
“I want a bit of payback for losing my trains. Is that so bad?” Judith leaned back in her chair. “Go away. I'm trying to read.”
Something isn't adding up here. Tammy thought furiously. What is Judith hiding?!
“Marion isn't going to be happy.” The first Emerald Mobster pointed out.
Tammy nearly fell off her seat. She buried herself in a book. It can't be. Sidewinder has blonde hair, Judith has dark hair. It's impossible.
Then Tammy looked closer at Judith, who was getting annoyed. She saw a stray wisp of blonde hair that had come loose and had to choke back a gasp. That…that's definitely a wig! No! It can't be! 
“My sister is never happy. Now go.” Judith ended the conversation.
Tammy felt sick. Judith Jofrey was none other than Sidewinder, the sister of Mobster Marion and currently the biggest threat to the Noble Knights of the Last Order.
Daniel is NOT going to be happy when he hears this!

Chapter Sixty-Six: Can You Hear Me?

Written by Crofton77 on . Posted in The Story.

"Danny!" Sunny waved as Daniel approached the hideout of the Noble Knights of the Last Order. In her lap was Melody, and next to her was Patrick, who was looking pretty happy. "Look at what Patrick and Tammy were able to do!"
Tammy grinned. "It wasn't much, but we managed to make better armour for everyone!" 
"With some help from Teej of course." Patrick motioned to TJ, who took a small bow.
"He managed to get some old bullet-proof vests for us all." Petunia smiled up at her husband.
"And with the Beglys help, we worked it all into some new armour so you guys don't look like complete junkyard rejects anymore." Patrick laughed, earning him six glares. "What? You did!"
"ANYWAY." Tammy quickly stepped in to diffuse the situation. "We can debut this stuff next time the DVM or the Crusaders decide to start trouble."
"Or the next time you guys decide foot-faults don't exist." Sam muttered under his breath.
Cue pointless argument about cricket that in no way advances the plot whatsoever.
"ANYWAY!" Tammy growled loudly. "You guys should try on your new outfits to make sure they fit."
Unfortunately, her voice is still several decibels below that of a normal human being. The argument raged on, with insults ranging from being compared to the Great Nations team of well, forever, to being called another Ian Chappell.
Tammy sighed. She supposed they'd have to notice her and her work eventually, but it still sucked to still be so quiet that she couldn't be heard.
—
It played on her mind one day as she sat at the library computer doing her Disability Studies degree. The lecturer was talking about "being a voice for those who don't have one."
How could someone who couldn't be heard be a voice for someone else? Who could she fight for when she wasn't a fighter?
Her thoughts mingled with the tapping of her pen, when she noticed Judith Jofrey walking past. The two women shared a stare briefly before pretending they hadn't seen each other. Despite what she knew about Daniels feelings for the City Councilor, Tammy could not bring herself to trust Judith. The older woman was hiding something, and Tammy worried that whatever it was would hurt Daniel.
Daniel had been her brother for as long as she could remember. The five of them had been inseparable from such a young age, all of them against the world. When they had formed the Knighthood, that bond had only gotten stronger.
"Hey Tammy!" 
Tammy cringed as she heard her loud brother make his way through the library. She could imagine the filthy looks he was getting and could hear the librarian shushing him.
"Sorry." He grinned sheepishly. He turned to his sister.
"We're going out to the movies, come on!" He began to pull her arm.
"Sam, I've got assignments to do!" Tammy tried to resist him. She wanted some time to herself.
"You can do that any time Tammy, come on!" Sammy started to pack up her stuff.
"Sam!" Tammy gave up. She felt so small and powerless compared to the big personality of her brother.
As she was dragged from the library, she noticed the look of pity from Judith.
Just what she needed.
—
After that unwanted trip to the movies, Tammy finally retreated to her apartment, glad to have some time to herself. It wasn't that she didn't love her brother and her friends, it's just that sometimes she needed time to herself.
She dumped her bag on the counter and settled down on her futon with a good book. She would never be the bookworm Belle is, but Tammy was definitely always in the mood for a good mystery book.
She was just getting to the part where the heroine fell in love with a character who Tammy was pretty certain was the murderer, when she noticed something out of the window.
It was the chestnut-haired beauty from downstairs heading to the shared laundry. Tammy watched her as she carried her washing-basket across the courtyard, wishing like mad she had the courage to say something to the gorgeous young lady.
Tammy sighed as the figure disappeared from view. She returned to her book. It wasn't like anyone would ever notice Tammy anyway. Not when she was nothing but a shadow of her brother.
—
"REVOLVER!" Giggles roared as she flew after the gunman. "Give those watches back!"
"MAKE ME!" Master Revolver shouted back, firing his gun erratically.
"DON'T MAKE ME COME OVER THERE!"
"JUST TRY AND CATCH ME!"
"I LOVE your new outfits by the way!" Mobster Marion said as she parried blows from Sir Lionheart while Chuckles pulled a splinter from his foot.
"Really?" Sir Lionheart asked.
"Of course not. You're still idiots!" Mobster Marion used her sword to lever the scythe from Sir Lionhearts hands. Her killing blow was only deflected by the riot shield of Sir Dark, who had thrown himself in front of his best friend.
"Oh groovy." Mobster Marion groaned as Sir Lionheart ran to get his scythe. She blinked as Chuckles poked her lightly with the Lions Claw Blade. “I'm not even going to dignify that with a response.” Mobster Marion stormed off.
Lady Silent sighed, and watched the scene in front of her. What was the point of her being here? What did she contribute?
She was fiddling with her watch when she overheard a few of the Emerald Mobsters talking.
“Do you think the others are finished with the lolly store yet? This is getting boring.” One asked.
“I hope so, this is getting embarrassing.” The other replied.
Lady Silent felt her eye twitch.
“I'm right HERE, I can HEAR your stupid plans!” She cried in fury.
“Did you hear something?” The first Mobster asked. 
“I think so…?” The other replied.
Lady Silent roared in anger before storming off.
“Wait, isn't that one of the Knights?”
“I dunno, which one?”
Lady Silent wanted to scream, but she knew no one would hear her, because she was silent.
— 
“Are you quite pleased you ruined my investment?” Sidewinder glared at her sister across the table where they sat.
“How was I supposed to know you'd gone and bought a lolly store?” Mobster Marion twirled her glass of wine around, admiring the deep crimson colour. “And why would you do such a thing?”
“Without legitimate business to keep this city afloat, YOU would be in big trouble.” Sidewinder growled. “Do you think you'd be allowed to ply your trade in Brisvegas so easily?”
“Quit worrying brat, we'll be fine.” Mobster Marion brushed her younger sister off. “Just make sure to stay out of our way in future and your little investments will be fine.”
Sidewinder fumed. How dare her sister just cast her concerns aside like that?!

Chapter Sixty-Five: Until Someone Gets Hurt

Written by Crofton77 on . Posted in The Story.

"Did
you kiss her?"

"No."

"Did
she kiss you?"

"NO."

"Was
there any kissing at all?"

"NO!"

"Second
date then?"

"It
WASN'T a date!"

"Pretty
sure it was a date."

"It
WASN'T!"

"Then
why are you going red?"

"Will
you lot quit it already!" Daniel groaned as his fellow Knights
of the Last Order grilled him about his lunch with the Councillor
Judith Jofrey.

"She
looked like she was really enjoying herself." Sam volunteered.

"Yeah,
she was smiling and looked really interested in what you were
saying!" Petunia agreed.

"Just…drop
it, okay?" Daniel frowned at them. "Besides, you guys ran
off half way through lunch, what would you know?"

"We
got back in time to see you escort her out." Sunny pointed out.

"Thanks
for ditching us by the way, oh-fearless-leader." TJ deadpanned.

The
group were sitting at the tip again, on a bright and clear Saturday
morning. They were waiting for Belle and Charlie, and then they were
all going to go fishing together.

"Speaking
of Judy…I kind of invited her to come out with us today."
Daniel finally admitted.

Dead
silence. Then:

"WE'RE
GOING OUT WITH THE MASTERS CLAN AND YOU INVITE HER?"

"Daniel
Lightheart, what WERE you thinking?!"

"Are
you INSANE?"

"There's
going to be arguments!"

"And
she's not fond of the Begly Clan either!"

"It
will be FINE!" Daniel tried to calm his friends down. "She's
promised she won't say a thing about work."

"It
still won't end well." Sunny warned.

—

If
there was ever any doubt that Belle was Peters daughter, they were
instantly put to rest that day. Both of them wore identical scowls
and twitching right eyes.

The
little girls Melody and Madeliene were splashing by the shore under
the watchful eyes of Ozzie and their mothers. TJ and Petunia were
diving for mussels, which they were handing to Thomas who was putting
them in a bucket. Lizzy and Tammy were trying to badger Sam into
getting into the water (which he was still scared of) and Daniel was
gently trying to teach Judith how to fish.

"I
can NOT believe he thought this was a good idea." Belle
glowered.

"Tell
me about it. It's just sucked the fun right out of today." Peter
also glowered.

"LOOK
OUT BELOW!" Charlie swung past them on the rope swing, flying
into the creek with a splash. "Will you two sad sacks cheer up
and join in the fun?" He poked his head out of the water.

"No!"
Was the sullen reply.

"It's
only because he thinks she's hot." Charlie tried to explain.

"Bloody
idiot." Peter shook his head and sat down on one of the picnic
rugs. "This is like working on the weekend, an absolute
travesty."

"Tell
me about it." Belle sat down next to her father and started
pulling the grass out of the ground.


"It's
all in the wrist action." Daniel was demonstrating how to cast
the fishing line. "A quick flick-," His line expertly flew
across the air into the creek. "And then you sit back and wait."

"You
make it look so easy." Judith admitted. "I've never been
fishing before."

"Are
you serious?" Daniel looked surprised. "Why not?"

"Too
busy studying." Judith admitted. "Also
my parents never had much time for me as the second-born."
she silently added.

"We go fishing
all the time together. You should come with us more often."
Daniel smiled at her.

"Really?"
Judiths cheeks went pale pink.

"NO!" Was
the loud objection from the Masters clan.

Just then, Peters
phone began to ring. "Hey Bill. You're kidding me…the truck
yard? I'll tell Judith."

He couldn't help but
smirk slightly. This meant that annoying Councillor would have to
leave! On the down side it meant that the others would have to go to,
but if it got rid of Judith, it was worth it.

"JUDITH! Your
truck yard is under fire from the Crusaders!" Peter yelled.

"What?!"
Judith dropped her fishing line and bolted towards her bag. She
grabbed out her phone and made a quick call, which involved a lot of
language unfit for print.

"I'm sorry
guys, but I have to go sort out this mess. I'll see you later!"
Judith grabbed her things and ran off, much to the satisfaction of
the Masters Clan.

Daniel ran over to
the others as soon as she was gone. "I have to go and get the
scythe from the timber mill, I'll see you guys at the truck yard?"

"Absolutely."
TJ nodded. "Let's go Knights!"

Daniel got into his
beat-up old ute and drove to the timber mill, cursing his poor
planning. If only he'd known…

—

Daniel tiptoed
through the timber mill, feeling like he wasn't alone. He tried to
shake it off, thinking it was adrenaline from being prepared for
another battle.

He opened up his
locker and pulled on his old "armour", which was nothing
more than old bits of steel salvaged from the tip and fashioned by
Tammy. It was badly worn by time and repeated blows from the Lucky
Seven Gun and the Lions Claw Blade when they were in the hands of
Master Revolver and Mobster Marion.

It was definitely
time for an upgrade.

He was about to pull
on his helmet when something crashed in the office upstairs.
Judiths office.

He pulled on his
helmet and crept up the stairs, trying his best to be quiet. If the
March Hill Crusaders were here, he was doomed. There was no way he
would survive long enough for the rest of the Knights to arrive.

He made up to the
top of the stairs and was about to open the door to Judiths office,
when it was flung open from the inside and the Dragons Scale Scythe
held at his throat.

"SIDEWINDER!"
Sir Lionheart groaned. He tightened his grip on the replica scythe.
"What are YOU doing here?"

"I could ask
you the same thing Bucket-Head." Sidewinder snarled. She lurched
back to slash the Knights throat, giving Sir Lionheart time to get
his scythe up to block the blow. He forced Sidewinder back into the
office with his brute strength, hoping to get her off-balance.

"Why were you
in Councillor Jofreys office?!" Sir Lionheart demanded.

"None of your
business, peasant." Sidewinder pulled out the Mystic Eight Gun
and fired, clipping Sir Lionhearts bucket-helmet. He was able to
dodge, but the distraction enabled Sidewinder to stab him with an
Emerald Shard in the chest.

Gagging, Sir
Lionheart stumbled back. Sidewinder tried to shoot him again, but Sir
Lionheart was able to recover fast enough to knock the gun from her
hand.

He prepared to
strike her chest core, when he saw it.

Judiths necklace.

The one her sister
had given her.

He looked into those
violent blue eyes. There was no doubt.

Sidewinder was
Judith Jofrey. He had no idea how she fixed her hair to make it short
and brown, but he knew that he had to get out of there.

He bolted out of the
office and ran down the stairs. Bullets from the Mystic Eight Gun
riccocheted around him, and he dodged them all before making it out
of the building.

At least Sidewinder
couldn't fly without the help of the Ruby Suit, Sir Lionheart thought
bitterly. He felt betrayed and angry and confused.

No wonder Judith
didn't want to talk about her family. Her father had been Mobster
Marcus, killed when he'd tried to overrun a bank. Of course she'd
been there for the battle of Silent Lake. Between her family and the
Death Valley Gang, they'd brutally slaughtered the last of the Silent
Lake Gang before turning on each other.

Sir Lionheart looked
to the sky as he headed out to the other battle, which he now had no
desire to join. What a mess.

What a complete and
total mess.

© 2021 Kezzstar24