Battle of the Birds: a DC Comics Fanfiction

Chapter 3

Penguin makes the first move. His eyes bulge a little as his sucks in a quick breath and jabs forward with his umbrella. Magpie easily side steps his attack and grabs his umbrella, crumpling its fabric in her grasp. She gives the umbrella one tug and wrenches it from Penguin's hands. Magpie whirls the umbrella above her head with a cackle and slams the hilt right onto the side of Penguin's head with a crack.

The old bird drops like a sack of stones and clutches a white-gloved hand to his temple. A spot of blood comes away to stain the fabric. His long nose dips over his scowl just as Magpie throws the umbrella aside and jumps onto Penguin. She grasps his collar and uses her momentum to knock him onto his back.

"Oof!" Penguin gasps. His head bounces of the ground with a thud and his legs kick up, finding only air, like a turtle caught on his back. Magpie pins him down. She straddles him with her long legs and winds up her arm, grinning as she does so.

"Did you really think you could keep your shiny-shiny away from me?" she asks. She smacks him across the face with an open palm. Penguin's eyes squeeze shut as he yelps in response. Magpie hits him again, this time curling her hand into a fist and slamming her fist into his cheek, pulverizing his cheekbone.

Penguin kicks and squirms, one of his hands uselessly slapping Magpie's thigh. She kneels onto his arms and shakes him roughly as blood trickles out of his mouth. A deep bruise is already coloring his left cheekbone.

"Cat got your tongue?"

Magpie hits him again and again, each time her knuckles impact with a resounding thud. Penguin begins to whimper and drool blood as he attempts to buck her off. Magpie hits him one more time before finally relenting. She stands up and kicks him solidly in the ribs, forcing the fool to curl up onto his side and tuck into a ball. Magpie places one more kick and then steps away, after her enemy has been handled.

The safe behind the desk is no larger than a microwave or a small toaster oven. Magpie touches the cool dial and spins it, listening to the ticking of the lock. Before long, the most beautiful diamond in the world will be hers. What shall she do with it when she has it? It's almost too gorgeous to part with, once it is in her hands. She imagines the weight of it, the shine it must have. It will be incredible!

Magpie taps her nails on the safe, tracing the numbers along the dial.

"Hey, Penguin? What's the code?" she asks.

He doesn't answer.

"Penguin?" Magpie asks again.

Suddenly, a shadow moves on her right, and an umbrella swings towards her face with a long dagger extended from the tip.

"Ack!" Magpie leans backwards, barely dodging, as the dagger swipes past her face. She drops to the floor and tucks into a backwards somersault and springs back up in the middle of the room.

Penguin, bloody and panting, stands by his desk with one hand behind, reaching for a drawer. He must be looking for a weapon but his hand returns to the umbrella he is holding, and a calm confidence warms his face again.

"Are you looking for another beating?" Magpie asks. She licks her lips and stretches her hands into the air. The feathers around her collar ruffle and twist to tickle her face. "I can arrange that."

Magpie jumps forward and leaps over the desk, vaulting towards Penguin. Penguin jumps away and runs to the middle of the room, pumping his arms as fast as he can in his escape. Magpie lands and bounces back over the desk, quick in her pursuit.

"You can't get away that easy!" she yells. She runs up to Penguin and ducks low as he makes another stab. She twists her body as to wrap both arms around the umbrella and easily takes it away again. Magpie whacks Penguin with his own weapon and then kicks him square in the chest, sending him head over heels onto the floor.