NOT YOUR KIND OF PEOPLE: THE SCUM OF BEAUTY

Chapter 3: The Rock City Blues[contains tactical espionage action]

I.                   The Rock City Blues

‘Waky, waky, Velisity,’ said the narrator.

I had awoken to a cool room and was well rested. I got dressed and began to head for the elevator. I was in my well-thought-out outfit, well-thought-out human form, and was anticipating the unexpected faces to see me in this form. The thought of humanities dumbstruck faces made me feel all tingly above and below the waist. In human form, I love being the drama queen and love seeing Kladikus’ distraught face whenever I acted out my desires. I could already imagine his pitiful face, and the words that will spew from his crusty lips when I see him again. The bastard really could use some damn chapstick, Jesus. Back in the lobby, I saw Isabel busy on the phone. She waved at me and said “it’s getting pretty crazy out there.” I wasn’t sure what she meant by that until I exited the hotel to quite a different sight from when I first entered. The hotel was right off 5th avenue on 59th street. Across from me was Central Park, which was eerily empty and quiet. I casually strolled down the sidewalk and saw a few people walking with a bit of pep in their step and worry in their eyes.

The late afternoon was cold and hazy with clouds slowly beginning to form. It was an odd 50 degrees on a summer night. 59th street turned from noisy and raucous earlier in the day to just the sound of silent people walking with an uncanny sense of urgency to get to where they were going. Above the park, what seemed to be a black combat helicopter flew around the outskirts of the park and slowly began to hover around. When I turned the corner onto 6th avenue, I immediately stopped and could hardly believe my eyes. The NYPD had closed down all intersecting streets from 50th street all the way up to where I was standing with heavily armored vehicles. ‘Alright ladies and gents, keep it moving this is just a precaution,’ she overheard one cop say.

‘I told those human sons and daughters of AIDS infected bitches no tricks!’ I said to myself.

I wanted to get a closer view of the action on 6th avenue, so I took an alleyway on 58th street and hid behind a dumpster. There were heavily armored rifle-laden guards with M4 assault rifles (possibly SWAT) and regular beretta-carrying officers that walked around as though they were relevant. I wondered if I was being setup or whether this was truly just an insurance policy. Insurance policies just to make sure I didn’t blow shit up and start stabbing away at Lilith Littleton’s neck, with a plastic butter knife. I couldn’t blame the police, especially with the dramatic landings and takeoffs I’m prone to doing. They must have been expecting me to fly in like a bat outta hell. A man stood in the center of the street that seemed to be in charge. He kept looking up into the sky and saying something to his subordinate standing next to him. The man appeared to be holding a loudspeaker.

I’m limited to shape shifting abilities in human form and not much more. I can also fly but not at break-neck speeds with wild maneuvers. The best I could do in my current form is simply glide and coast at a steady speed. As White-coat, the coat disguises my natural form and not my human form. I could do all of my abilities, including flying like a bat outta hell in my natural form. However, I wanted to stay in human form, and I always get what I want. A few choices were available to me but none of which I wanted to do, so I didn’t bother talking about it to myself.

I sort of saw this as a little game of espionage, with the goal being to sneak into the building without compromising my human form, forcing me to change into something greater. Actually, I could play the “clumsy-girl-that-just-so-happens-to-be-at-the-wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time” persona if I got caught. But, there is zero fun in that.  If there is one thing I absolutely hated, it is being forced to do anything. I like to play things out on my own terms without having to go to extreme measures. Not only did I want to stay in human form, I also pride myself on being a tactician, figuring out ways of doing more with less, and avoiding conflict whenever possible. In this situation, I believed there was a way to avoid conflict and show up to a surprised Lilith Littleton at exactly 8pm.