Baseball, America's Favorite Pastime

Summer 2021, Week 3

Wednesday morning

Roc' N Bloc' Gym, The Wards

Valentine

In the aftermath of such an eventful night, the next day seemed boring. The whole time spent sweeping up debris, piling blocks of concrete in the middle of rooms, putting discarded equipment into neat little piles, and eventually stomping out any rats that managed to stray inside. It made a bigger mess which Val immediately got more annoyed with, but it was satisfying to do in the moment prior to that realization. Shhhsk, shhhsk, shhhsk, the broom raked across the floor, the tattered bristles knocking around the heavier bits to make it easier to clean once she got proper equipment. She might have been a criminal, but she still needed a decent place to sleep. "I'll get it in working order, but I gotta get some real equipment first." The towering woman groaned as she put the broom aside, her gaze flickering towards an already rattled column. Clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth, she approached the particularly interesting construction, still standing and doing its damnedest to bear the weight of a broken structure upon it. Decoration or actually meaningful? She wondered, a bout of boredom driving her to drop into a low stance with her fists brought up over her face in a defensive posture before. Crack, crack.
Fists padded by weaving strands of sinewy flesh and reinforced by her own unnatural strength slammed into the pillar sending spiderwebs through its surface and rattling the column. Dust shook loose from the ceiling and pieces of rubble clattered noisily to the ground as an onslaught began. One fist in front of the other, faster and faster, wailing upon it like an enemy. No remorse, the sensation of pain numbed as she poured her focus into slamming her knuckles into the pillar in a cascade of movement. She lost count of how many times she'd punched it, but by the end her knuckles had been rubbed red and raw. Thin webs of red peeking between dust covered cracks in her skin as her appetite only grew more. "A night on the town sounds nice."

[Type 1: Minor Action, -1 EP | Type 2: Minor Action, -1 EP]

---

Hartshorne, The Heights

Storyteller

In the dead of night there was scarcely a sound within Hartshorne, an up-and-coming district once deep within the clutches of poverty but liberated by an influx of young couples making the region spiral into a new light. It wasn't the highest of class, but it was comfortable and safe despite its borders with the Wards. A haven sequestered away from the usual hustle and bustle of city life. Plenty of accommodations and shops to keep their little community running sufficiently on their own without need to venture too far beyond their means. It was home to many and virtually untouched by the traumas now plaguing the once peaceful city of New Victoria.
Yet there was one disturbance among few that night in Hartshorne. A figure clad in shabby, dark clothing. Hulking as they lurched through it as if ripped straight from the big screen and moving with purpose throughout their neighborhood...

[Content Warning: Gore.]

Valentine

Heavy duty boots crunched beneath each of her footfalls as the remnants of her gym cleaning venture clung to her in every breath and movement. Can't escape the monotony it seems, Val drawled within her own mind as the glittering stars of glass were left behind in her wake and catching the occasional flash of a streetlamps light. It was hard to see through the makeshift mask she'd haphazardly threw together for the antics that the night had brought. She could hardly contain herself as she felt the telltale herald of energy rattling through to her very core as her hands began to shake with anticipation, her fingers curling into tight balls. There was little in this world that motivated Val as much as the prospect of violence did, and for so long she'd been locked away for simply doing her job. Now it was time to make everyone bleed for their crimes against her. The sound of sneakers squeaking among trash caught her attention, her head snapping immediately to the side as the moonlight caught the whites of tiny, beady eyes open wide.
For one long, dreadful moment Val came to a crawl as she stared daggers into the eyes of a child out past their curfew staring upon her wrapped in the tattered garb of nightmares, the last mementos of a past life. It’s as if time froze between the pair and as her shoulders tensed, her body lurching forward, the child scrambled down an alleyway and into the darkness away from her reach. It wouldn't be any fun, the former soldier assured herself as her icy gaze fell upon her first of two targets for the evening. She brought both of her hands up to her chest, one balled into a fist and the other eclipsing it as she cracked her knuckles in preparation. Tilting her head back and forth, sympathetic cracks of bone on bone filled the air as her body became more limber with the stars as witness.
"Let’s get this show on the road."
On cue the distinct feeling of slithering and crawling began to burn across her arms, back, neck, and face; the near entirety of her upper body erupting in muted pain that sent a shot of adrenaline and delight through to her very soul as sinew erupted from her skin. Waves of muscle pouring out, overlapping, and intertwining with one another to form dozens of ultra-dense layers of augmented musculature to exacerbate her already impressive strength.

[Type 1: Normal Action, -3 EP | Type 2: Normal Action, -3 EP]

Storyteller

Sporting Supplies Premium, a local owned and ran business that'd manage to weasel its way into the Heights prior to its explosive rise away from the rot of the Wards. It had allowed the owner to expand freely, tearing down own ramshackle homes in favor of expanding his favorable brand, gaining popularity and dominating the small section of New Victoria before a more prominent national brand was able to take root in the comfortable neighborhood once its value sharply rose. It was a pristine building, less monumental than some of its sport supply counterparts, but a sizable business that anyone might be proud to own with a sizable stock, good revenue, and friendly staff. All such accolades were forgotten in the fact of a blind juggernaut as the scarce night staff were greeted by the sounds of grating, screaming metal as automatic doors were bent and pried apart by excessive amounts of physical power. The rough entry immediately sending an alert to the police department of the sloppy break-in, but for those inside it was likely their fate had already been sealed.

Valentine

Taking a step inside, Val took a moment to soak in the atmosphere of the dark store, inhaling deeply on the distinct smell of fresh sporting supplies muddied by the palpable fear of the minuscule staff that'd been finishing up for the night. Step-by-step she picked her way through, her gaze scanning wide over the spacious store as she made her way to the baseball section palming two baseballs in one of her large hands while beginning to rifle through the duffle bags. Squatting down, she took her time accessing each of the bags and picked only the largest she could find.
This search, however, was quickly interrupted as the sound of sneakers squeaking against the freshly polished sales floor caught her attention and immediately, she surged to her feet, spinning on her heels, and cocked an arm back. "Batter up!" The former soldier screamed as the storm of muscles tensed and sang as she cut through the air with lethal speed, sending the baseball hurtling through the air before it cratered the unfortunate night worker's skull from behind as their spasming body collided with the now malfunctioning, sundered doors. The constant shuddering of the door managing to further distort the worker's face while dislodging the brain matter splattered baseball from their skull over the course of Val's pillaging of the shop. "Fuck, that was a gusher. Hadn't seen someone pop like that in a hot minute! Shiiiiit, nothing can beat that!" The deranged criminal called out to her hapless audience, beginning to religious fill the many duffle bags with anything of interest she could find jerseys, baseball bats, baseballs, weights, cash trays from registers, football gear, and so much more. She even took the liberty of taking the most expensive helmet and pressing that down atop her head alongside her haphazard mask.
By the time she'd finished packing up all the bags, the distinct colors of red-and-blue began pouring in from the outside accompanied by the telltale wail of sirens.
"Finally, the main course is here. I'm tired of these shitty appetizers!"

Storyteller

Expecting a routine burglary, only two police vehicles with two officers each had been dispatched to the location. Each of them getting out of their vehicles after coming to a screeching halt, the four officers taking positions behind their vehicle, only to be blindsided by the presence of the cratered skull of one of the workers. "We've got one confirmed fatality at the Sporting Supplies Premium on Fair Passage. Assume suspect is armed and dangerous, requesting reinforcements." The sergeant canted his head towards the side of the building, "Get eyes on the emergency exit, we don't want to lose 'em. Go. We'll cover the front." Offering curt nods of acknowledgement, the officers thinned their ranks to cover more ground while the sergeant got onto the intercom. "We have you surrounded, come out with your hands up! We will shoot if you do not comply."

Valentine

The distinct rapport of rubber skidding to a halt just at the edges of her hearing was music to her ears, freshly polished boots hitting the ground and radiating out just above the ambient noise of the chaos she'd caused within. "I've been itching for a fight!" She bellowed out as she surged forward towards the exit, palming another baseball while rattling with the heavy load she bore upon her back. As the light shining into the store hit her, her arm was already flying as two more baseballs were sent flying at ludicrous speeds forcing the officers to duck after firing a single potshot each, one losing their hat in the process as it was sent across the street for its trouble. As they began to rise from cover to open fire the entire police vehicle lurched as charged into the side of the vehicle at full tilt forcing it to crash into them. The heavy, sudden crash forced them both onto their backs, skulls set to rattling as their heads bounced off the pavement.
The odd herald of a dozen bags hitting the ground came before darkness fell upon them, the hulking figure of Val's body looming over them as she stood atop the hood of the vehicle. "Come on! Fight! FIGHT! Fight like your life's on the line!" She screamed. For her troubles the rattled officers leveled their guns upon her and fired. Bullet after bullet pouring out from their handguns until the click of an empty magazine greeted their ears.
And just like that, it was over...
Yet Val still stood, not wavering as beady blue eyes were wide and bloodshot behind her mask and football helmet. Hungry. as the pain rattled through her as the pressure and heat of bullets dug into her hyperdense musculature enwrapping her form acting more like a bulletproof vest than muscle, only the faint trickles of blood dripping down onto the hood of the vehicle and ground beneath rather than the red rush that had been expected.
"Is that really a way to thank a veteran?"

Storyteller

Alerted by the gunshots of their allies, the other two officers began rushing back to the front of the store with their weapons drawn, their breathing heavy as their voices crackled over the radio. "Sergeant, come in, is everything alright? Sergeant, I repeat is--" the officer's voice came to a shuddering halt as the wet tearing sound of muscle being wrenched apart filled the air accompanied by the definitive crack of bone. Not seconds later the dislodged head of their Sergeant landed at their feet, gouts of blood bursting free from where it should've been connected to its body. Eyes shuddering, blinking, and mouth twisting as if to speak but only the wordless sounds of his death throes coming out. It was an act of cruelty beyond even what they'd imagined, and it had happened so quickly. Both had been momentarily shocked, the younger of the pair practically frozen in place. It was the one who'd reached out to the Sergeant not but moments ago that tore her gaze away just in time to catch the glint of metal sailing through the air. "Watch out!" She screamed as gunmetal blue sheen of a handgun now sprouted from the younger officer's eye like a fresh bloom, "Aahaa..." Was all he could muster before he collapsed.
Turning her sights back upon the colossus now hunkered atop the police cruiser and standing back to their full height, she fired. One fateful shot that pierced the night with silver as it planted itself squarely between the suspect's eyes, leaving them lurching back as if about to collapse beneath their own weight. A high-pitched hiss escaping their throat.

Valentine

Fury blinded her then as the feeling of hot metal dug at the muscle veiling her face in a grotesque, protective shroud. Slowly she began to right herself again, the bullet falling away and its clinking resounding against the car's top. Tink, tink, tingalingaling before its sound was snuffed out by shot after shot from a handgun. And just as before, the bullets bit into her flesh allowing only the faintest hints of red streams to blotch her body and stain the scene. None, however, ever slayed their mark as the cruiser shifted and rattled as the criminal propelled herself forward through the night and past the woman as she clotheslined her with an immense, muscle wreathed arm immediately snapping her neck and slamming her skull into the concrete below.
"Try better next time." Val drawled out as she slowly began to rise as bits of flesh stuck to her nails after having bit into the officer's face not moments prior. The wailing of more sirens was drawing closer then forcing a low sigh from Val, "Fuck, come on! That was a good one liner too!" Fueled by rage she hauled off and sent a kick into the dead officer's side, sending the limp body a couple of feet before it settled in a bloody heap once again.
"Whatever, wait--maybe... Maybe these next ones will be motivated to get me. Yeah! Fuck that's good, and that gives me time for the gym." Clapping her bloody hands together she grinned beneath her mask as she gathered up her discarded duffle bags, "Maybe those ones won't be boring." She almost sounded... Sad.

Storyteller

Left with the gruesome aftermath of her escapades, the reinforcements that had been requested had arrived too late on the scene. Left with the discarded bodies of their companions, many stolen goods, and the fractured peace of a once quiet neighborhood. More and more officers were called in, combing the streets throughout the night in hopes of finding some trace of the brute that'd harmed so many in such little time.

Type

Record, Historical

Medium

Digital Recording, Text

Authoring Date

July 7, 2021

Authors

• Achilleas “Val” Valentine