Powered Marines

Mantis Kung-Fu

The Youth Center seemed strangly lively today, full of energy, and yet Trinity felt as if she was missing some important bit of data. Cautiously she reached into her hair, insuring herself the wig was still firm. The growth had only covered a portion of her scalp now, and with it some of her follicles had fallen out. She had shaved off the rest. Though she wasn’t sure it it was for the vanity of a uneven scalp, the visible machinery that replaced it, or the logical acceptance of what was inevitable. Malcom was seated across from her in a black tee and jeans while she was firmly wraped in what she calculated was a stylish scarf and long sleve shirt. They effectively covered the growths though.

“Earth to Trinity!” Malcom finnaly said, drawing her attention to his words.

Snaping back to the conversation she smiled weekly as she looked to where Malcom indicated.

“So?” he asked curiously.

Trinity flustered searching her memories for the conversation sequence. Something about the new martial art’s exibitioers in the youth center. Like a steel trap she found the topic of discussion. Mentors from several different private martial arts schools were in town looking for new recruits and Malcom had asked about her thoughts on their styles vs the more general marital arts of the team or even his own coporea variation.

Looking to the main floor of the center she zeroed in on the black clad gi, or robes, of the 5 new teachers. One was trimed in red with a flame above his heart, Another had wavly line and a blue trimed robe. The third had speckles like gravel or dust in gold. The fourth was a cresent and green trim while the fifth was trimmed in orange and had a triple slash mark. The similarity of their uniform bespoke divisions of a whole.

“Hummmm…” Trinit mused “Your styles are sort of a mix of the comerial arts, and your Coporia is very drnamic but these five seem to be incredibly specialized. The blue one almost reminds me of water, smoth motiongs with a lot of evasion and reaction to attack with suprising fluidity as he moves into attack. One move flowing ino the next. Seems like a good defensive art and I think Claire would do well as a student if she wanted to persue it. The red one seems kind of odd, it has a lightness of almost wind but their a fierceness to the attacks and rapid moviements like a raging fire. I think Tara or Micheal would be xcelent students. The gold one seems a perfect fit for Kenny with a focus on strong blocks and devastating counters it would work well with his more cerebral approach to things. You I think already have a well defined style while I think Jason would fit well under the orange one who seems to move more like a animals with a lot of sweepts and motions from a crouch.” Her voice droped to a whisper then, “And not because of Jason’s lupine characteristics.”

Her voie rose to normal again, “Jason trikes me as the kind of guy who would work well with a style that is optimized for both crouched and standing combat.”

“Wow you really were paying attention, what about you Trinity?”

“Hummm…I like the green one. Theirs a precision and swiftness to his movements that I feel drawn to. I’m not a big bug fan but it reminds me a lot of a praying mantis.”

Malcom rose, helping Trinity out of her seat as he shoved her stemblign toward him. “Well then introduce yourself, they won’t be here all day.”

Trinity took a moment to focus her self and then aproched the teacher in green who was just turning away from a couple other teens. His gaze seemed to appraise Trinity like a hunk of beef before her gave a small bow and extended his hand.

“I am the current Exemplar of the Mantis, how may I be of service?”

“I saw your demonstration, and well, it spoke to me.” Trinity took the hand and bowed in response after.

“I sense that in you, but I sense something else. The Ways are not like other martial arts, our students must be willing to come to our academies. They are set near a few cities but none here. And I sense there is something here you must complete.”

Trinity nodded.

“But, you have the promise to be a fine mantis one day. One of my students is here with me. I’ll contact her and she can give you some basic lessons if you like while were here.”

Trinity smiles, “Thank you.”

Trinity soon met the student and their training began in earest, consisting mostly of posture, stances, and reflexive actions it proved a enlighting few days, and effectively distracted her from her other problem. Reeva had held off on attacking in that time but that only increased the tension in the air. A attack was coming and the city could amost feel it. The break however did provide our heroes with a small moment in time to simple enjoy being teenagers and not warriors.

So as Trinity retreated to the mountains to continue her practicing she was almost caught off guard by the sudden appearance of a eight foor tall mantis monster. Its’s mandibles clicked for a moment before its large sword like arms lashed out at Trinity, the chitonous blades cu deep into her shirt b scraped against eh metal that covered most of her right breast (the one opposite her heart). Commign up to her knees her mind locked onto her recen traning pullgn her arms close to her ches and her wrists down, and she stay low on her knees almost mimicking the posture of the insect.

“Let us see,” the creature chattered, “Which is greater, the mantis or the martial artist impersonating the mantis?”

“Your logic is flawed,” she found herself saying uncontrollably, “You are but a construct, and like the others will wind up the same.”

Trinity charged low, keeping her knees bent and her head down, her left arm snaping out straight like a scissor or whip to smash into the monster’s chest with an open palm. It stumbled back from the blow, recovering just as Trinity ducked around landing a side kick to the insect’s mid-section. It’s second set of limbs twisted at a unnatural angle and lashed at her from the side, this time drawing blood from the wound across her chest. Rolling Trinity makes her way toward her bag but the mantis strike cutting deep into her leg. Bouncing on her one good leg she turns to fight the mantis again, he lunghes and she snaps her wrist again to throw him off balance. They dance around eachother dodging sissor strikes but the tough armor of the monster weather more damage then Trinity’s flesh can take. She makes another break for her bag when a sudden rainbow flahs of light has the marines standing before her. In another flash she is in the command center leaving the battle in her friend’s hands. Cautiously Rotoscope removes her clothes as he sets about banadaging her wounds. The visor that served as his eye seemed to almost blink as he saw her machinery.

Trinity sighed as the other returned shortly durring her bandaging and powered down sraring at the cloplex circuttry that wove though her flesh.

“I can explain…”

And indeed she would have to. As Rotoscope continued to bind the flesh and treat the wounds Trinity took a deep breath, followed by a wince.

“After my mind control was broken I noticed theire were these silver veins in my chest. Nothing came of it so I didn’t dwell on it. But after the golden spider was broken and I took on my more…rodent features it began to spread with each time I transformed.”

“It almost looks like your powered form.”

“Affermative,” she stated flatly. “I’ll be alright, if Jason can live with being half wolf and Tara can live with being turned into that thing to be able to keep on fighting, I can live with inevitably being stuck as the silver knight.”

That got Kenny thinking, “What is Tara upto anyway?” And then he turned to Jason. “And if your power is beign stolen shouldn’t you being having more power crashes. You seem a little weaker but still stable.”

It hit everyone then just what Tara was up to.

“She couldn’t…”

“She wouldn’t…”

Jason took a deep breath, “She did, she became that creature to preserve my power, and she is still finding ways to pop in as her own marine form to boot.”

Trinity was the first to hang her head, the other a moment later. “We need…”

“Need to find a way…” Micheal started.

“She needs to…” Claire added.

“Come home.” Kenny finished the thought.