Thatberg Profiles

Chapter 2

It was a chilly autumn morning. Tsukinomi looked up as he heard a familiar voice. He was sitting in what can be called a "smoking pose" (he wasn't actually smoking, he just likes sitting like that). He slouched into the curve of the bench. His legs crossed, a lollipop rested between his fingers. He watched his breath crystallize and be scattered through passers by.

A familiar Texan accent pulled the professor out of his thoughts. "Hey doc, y'all right?" asked the lady concernedly. "More or less" he said, gesturing to the bandages around his waist. The lady in question was a cop, not quite officially hired but still operating. She was sent to Thatberg as her skill set was suited less for bureaucracy and crowd control and more suited to handling the new types of problems that require less paperwork and more violence. She had always had a deep hatred for villainy ever since she was young, which led her to be kicked out of many schools for beating up bullies. Emilia was a deeply caring person, but if you hurt her friends or break the law, she will show you no mercy.

Tsukinomi and her were good friends, not just because they were both huge dorks, but also because of their shared interest in women.

"What brings you to this end of town? I thought university was for nerds?" asked Tsukinomi, putting his loli back in his mouth. "I had to check out the damage done to the university, so I thought I'd check up on you." said Emilia earnestly. Fair enough" said Tsukinomi, standing up stiffly. Pushing his hands into his pockets to guard against the morning chill, he began walking beside Emilia on the pavement.

While in the heat of an argument whether you could win a gunfight with a knife, they bumped into a small group of students. The only issue with being a tall guy was that Tsukinomi often bumped into people. "Oh god,I'm so sorry" said the professor apologetically, his polite English genes kicking in. Being the gentleman that he was, he knelt down to help the girls pick up their books.

Just as Tsukinome was about to stand up three trucks pulled up by the pavement, the screeching of the brakes and the sound of many footsteps filled the otherwise empty street. He put his hands up as the barrel of a gun was pressed up against the back of his head."so, you found me huh" said Tsukinomi, his voice sounding relaxed but his hands were shaking. Emilia tried to run at them, but was held back by guards, they both smiled evilly. Two other men made the arrogant mistake of kicking Tsukinomi, laughing while they did it. Not realizing the grave mistake they had made, they proceeded to throw the scared professor into the back of one of the trucks.

Emilia slowly took off her sunglasses, her hand shaking in rage. "You, little, shits" she spat, her words full of venom. The two soldiers standing near her were on the brink of taunting her, only to find themselves hitting the ground, hard. One man rushed her, a riot shield held in front of him. He felt a rib snap dig into his lung as her foot went straight through his shield. A fist immediately followed, obliterating the soldier's plastic visor.

Grabbing the barrel of a gun, she shoved it into another soldier's stomach, winding him. Placing a hand on his head she brought his head to her knee, over and over again.

Seeing the short work Emilia had made of the rest of his troops, the last man jumped into the front of one of the trucks and floored the pedal.

He was almost in the clear when a car rammed into the side of the truck, the shrieking of metal and the ringing of shock where all he could hear. As the smoke cleared, all he could see though the blood running down his face and the broken glass was a woman, walking away from the broken car, clutching her bleeding stomach. "M m MONSTER!" was all he could scream. Despite how much pain she was in, the only expression she wore was rage. Almost ripping the door of, she opened the front door of the truck to pull a very scared looking Soldier from the pilot seat.

She pulled back her fist slowly. The man, realizing his days were numbered, began crying, not a reserved crying, but a full on slobbering. Her face full of disgust, Emilia threw him to the ground and began walking round to the back of the truck. Pulling the doors of their hinges she pulled Tsukinome from his seat. His face was a mix of absolute relief and worry for his friend. "You ok?" she asked, snapping back to her senses now the course of her anger was gone.

"You should be more careful," said Tsukinomi, wincing as a rib poked his lung. He acted aloof but she could tell he was shaken, to the point of tears. In the smoke of what had happened, surrounded by the smell of burnt rubber, she clutched him into a hug and tried to comfort him. She didn't know the full reason he was so scared, but she knew enough to know he was traumatized. "Thanks for being here." Tsukinomi said weakly, wiping away the tears. They sat there for a few minutes, Tsukinomi let out the occasional sob.