HOME | DD

Description

Whysper ground her teeth together and focused her will. This would work. It had to work. She stole a glance at the stone façade of the Olympia Building, watching it race by as she, her sister, and her cousin fell to the ground. They were slowing… weren’t they?

A sudden updraft struck the falling trio of crime-fighters and shattered her concentration.

Whysper gasped.

Strykana cursed.

Valkyria let out a grunt as she desperately clung to her cousin’s wrist.

Then the wind swirled around them, churning and twisting them around in a dizzying circle. The motion was powerful, disorienting, and wrenching.

Valkyria lost her grip on Strykana.

“NO!” the young heroine screamed. She clawed at the air, desperately reaching, trying to regain a grasp on any of her cousin’s limbs, even some part of her costume, anything...!

“JESSIE!” Whysper cried out.

“Hey now,” they heard another woman’s voice calmly addressing them over the roar of the wind—amplified by it, in fact. “No real names. Even in a moment of desperation.”

Whysper watched in amazement as the newcomer hovered into view, held aloft by the same wind that had struck them a moment before. The red-headed young heroine noticed that their deadly descent had not just slowed—it had halted! Then she heard her big sister let out a girlish squeal of delight.

“DUSTER!” Valkyria yelled happily. “Boy, am I glad to see you!”

“I’ll bet,” the older heroine said with a smile. “I gather you three weren’t BASE jumping.”

So this was Duster. Katie had described the veteran crime-fighter to Stephanie; she’d expected to meet her someday, but under less… frantic circumstances. The wind the heroine controlled tousled Duster’s rich mane of auburn hair. On her face, Whysper saw a jade-colored visor covering the woman’s eyes and concealing her identity. A skin-tight dark green leotard with gold trim clung to her ample curves; the costume bore a stylized red and yellow D over her left breast. She also wore yellow leather gloves and boots, and a long, dark brown leather coat—a duster, appropriately. Whysper silently theorized that the billowing coat helped the airborne heroine catch and control the wind.

“We had to escape a bomb,” Valkyria said.

“That’s one way to do it,” Duster said as she stole a glance up to the Olympia Building’s 42nd floor, where smoke still spilled out of the window the trio had used for an impromptu exit. “As luck would have it, I was close enough to hear the explosion. That’s what brought me here.”

“But what are you doing back in Parthenon in the first place?” Valkyria asked as she and her sister and cousin floated and tumbled in the powerful whirlwind Duster controlled.

“Following up on something M.A. found on Sterling’s hard drive,” Duster said, referring to the events that had first brought her and Valkyria into contact. “I tried calling you, but apparently you were…”

“Yeah, busy,” Strykana interrupted, her voice tight and sharp. “I’m glad you two are enjoying your goddamn reunion, but could we get down to fuckin’ street level? If I keep twirling around up here, I’m gonna fuckin’ hurl, and in this homemade tornado of yours that sure as shit ain’t gonna be pretty!”

“My cousin, Je… er, Strykana,” Valkyria said with a bemused grin. She thrust a thumb over her shoulder. “And my sister, Whysper.”

“A pleasure,” Duster said with a smile. She clapped her hands together. “Okay, kids, keep your lunches down, ‘cause the ground floor’s comin’ up!”

“Wait, not so fuckin’ FAAAAAAAAAAAAST!!!” Strykana yelled as the four heroines descended to the street.

Free Fall is one of my favourite combination images/short stories by . No surprise, then, especially given its circumstances, that I wanted to do a sequel with my girl conveniently saving the day (and the Ashes). Maybe this story will continue, maybe it won't. You never know what might inspire Nathan or me.

Another entry in Nathan's Ashe Jam !

Description

Whysper ground her teeth together and focused her will. This would work. It had to work. She stole a glance at the stone façade of the Olympia Building, watching it race by as she, her sister, and her cousin fell to the ground. They were slowing… weren’t they?

A sudden updraft struck the falling trio of crime-fighters and shattered her concentration.

Whysper gasped.

Strykana cursed.

Valkyria let out a grunt as she desperately clung to her cousin’s wrist.

Then the wind swirled around them, churning and twisting them around in a dizzying circle. The motion was powerful, disorienting, and wrenching.

Valkyria lost her grip on Strykana.

“NO!” the young heroine screamed. She clawed at the air, desperately reaching, trying to regain a grasp on any of her cousin’s limbs, even some part of her costume, anything...!

“JESSIE!” Whysper cried out.

“Hey now,” they heard another woman’s voice calmly addressing them over the roar of the wind—amplified by it, in fact. “No real names. Even in a moment of desperation.”

Whysper watched in amazement as the newcomer hovered into view, held aloft by the same wind that had struck them a moment before. The red-headed young heroine noticed that their deadly descent had not just slowed—it had halted! Then she heard her big sister let out a girlish squeal of delight.

“DUSTER!” Valkyria yelled happily. “Boy, am I glad to see you!”

“I’ll bet,” the older heroine said with a smile. “I gather you three weren’t BASE jumping.”

So this was Duster. Katie had described the veteran crime-fighter to Stephanie; she’d expected to meet her someday, but under less… frantic circumstances. The wind the heroine controlled tousled Duster’s rich mane of auburn hair. On her face, Whysper saw a jade-colored visor covering the woman’s eyes and concealing her identity. A skin-tight dark green leotard with gold trim clung to her ample curves; the costume bore a stylized red and yellow D over her left breast. She also wore yellow leather gloves and boots, and a long, dark brown leather coat—a duster, appropriately. Whysper silently theorized that the billowing coat helped the airborne heroine catch and control the wind.

“We had to escape a bomb,” Valkyria said.

“That’s one way to do it,” Duster said as she stole a glance up to the Olympia Building’s 42nd floor, where smoke still spilled out of the window the trio had used for an impromptu exit. “As luck would have it, I was close enough to hear the explosion. That’s what brought me here.”

“But what are you doing back in Parthenon in the first place?” Valkyria asked as she and her sister and cousin floated and tumbled in the powerful whirlwind Duster controlled.

“Following up on something M.A. found on Sterling’s hard drive,” Duster said, referring to the events that had first brought her and Valkyria into contact. “I tried calling you, but apparently you were…”

“Yeah, busy,” Strykana interrupted, her voice tight and sharp. “I’m glad you two are enjoying your goddamn reunion, but could we get down to fuckin’ street level? If I keep twirling around up here, I’m gonna fuckin’ hurl, and in this homemade tornado of yours that sure as shit ain’t gonna be pretty!”

“My cousin, Je… er, Strykana,” Valkyria said with a bemused grin. She thrust a thumb over her shoulder. “And my sister, Whysper.”

“A pleasure,” Duster said with a smile. She clapped her hands together. “Okay, kids, keep your lunches down, ‘cause the ground floor’s comin’ up!”

“Wait, not so fuckin’ FAAAAAAAAAAAAST!!!” Strykana yelled as the four heroines descended to the street.

Free Fall is one of my favourite combination images/short stories by . No surprise, then, especially given its circumstances, that I wanted to do a sequel with my girl conveniently saving the day (and the Ashes). Maybe this story will continue, maybe it won't. You never know what might inspire Nathan or me.

Another entry in Nathan's Ashe Jam !