Hazel
Chapter 5 "Showdown"

Hazel’s confidence was once again high as she went over in her head just what she would do. It was a simple but effective plan; she would meet Jose and take him with her to the harbor. Make him and his Fixed Ideas wait for her signal. When Cybersix arrived she would use her information to make her surrender. This would be an empty threat, however, as she would never tell Jose.

She saw one flaw in the plan: If this didn’t work then she and the Fixed Ideas would have to fight Cybersix. She felt sure if she had their help she would win.

She came to her hotel window and landed like a cat on the carpet. She reached for a brush and ran it through her hair while she logged into the Internet. She whistled, "Wow, this was going to be cutting it close."

Days began to move very slowly for Hazel. She couldn’t have been doing
as bad as Cybersix however. Her stress levels were high and Hazel overheard
the school nurse asking Adrian if he was all right.

It was about 3 days before the big meeting. Hazel was sitting in class
staring into space as Mr. Sidelman droned on. As he handed out some tests he
gave Hazel a look that Hazel couldn’t quite decipher.

As she was walking back to her hotel, she heard someone hiding in an
alley. She took it as a kid hiding from the bullies that seem to be at every school.
Hazel didn’t realize it until it was too late. She was being followed. She ducked
into the shadows and began making her way around back. Suddenly she was
grabbed from behind by some passably strong hands. Acting on instinct she
flipped the person over her shoulder. He landed on the ground with a grunt.
Hazel saw she was surrounded. Lori came out from the back.
“You stay away from Sidelman,” she said in a tough girl voice.
“Huh>” was all Hazel could say feeling very slow, “What are you talking
about?”
“Don’t play innocent” she hissed, “I’ve seen you following him around school
and making small talk.”
“Oh you think that I…” The situation was coming into focus for Hazel and she
had to fight to keep her laughter down, “Don’t worry! He’s all yours!” Hazel
said as she got control of herself.
“This is your only warning!” Lori continued menacingly. The guys around
her immediately began to move in. Hazel went to a fighting position.
“I wouldn’t” Hazel warned. The guys didn’t pay any attention. Hazel’s
desire to fight and win came back to her. The first guy lunged at her in a rather
inexperienced fashion. She easily avoided him, throwing him easily against the
wall, making it look like something a human could do. The other boys were
rethinking their course of action. Lori’s aura showed that she was a bit put out
by this. Hazel wondered if Lori was going to remember the $100 Hazel had
given her. She hoped not.
“Look”, said Hazel, “I’ll stay away from Sidelman as long as you stay away
from me”.
Lori nodded but put in her two cents, “But it you don’t...”.
Hazel got the message.

The night of the meeting, Hazel saw Jose, as they had planned, at
Westside Avenue. Nothing had changed, and they were going to go through
with it.
“So where’s Cybersix?” He said instead of a greeting.
“Well you may have to help me do the actual capture, but she’ll be here
tonight, and I think she’ll surrender.” Hazel smiled.

Cybersix did indeed show at exactly 1:00am. She stood looking around
her when Hazel dropped down from seemingly nowhere.
“Change of plans” Hazel announced as Cybersix pulled out the sustenace.
Cybersix sighed, “I don’t have any more on me right now”.
“Oh” Hazel went on, “I don’t want that any more! You see, I have a better
deal going, but it DOES involve you.”
Cybersix didn’t say anything, but she was listening, her face set.
“You have to give yourself up to Jose or…” Hazel shrugged. Cybersix didn't look well: her aura was rather weak. Hazel figured she must have cut her own sustenance short to mske this delivery. This should be easy Hazel thought.
“No!”, came voice from somewhere above them before Cybersix could
respond. All of a sudden Cyber24 jumped down near the party along with
Data7.
Uh oh, Hazel thought. Time to go to plan B. She stamped her foot, the signal
for Jose to appear. He did with his Fixed Ideas and Quaren! When did she
come? Oh well, Hazel thought, it would only improve the odds, which at the
moment were about 15 Fixed Ideas, Jose, Quaren and Hazel vs Cybersix,
Cyber24 and Data7.

Hazel didn’t move: she always waited for the other person to make the first
attack. The same cannot be said for Cyber24, for she jumped Quaren and what
resulted was a lot of snappy remarks and blurs. She heard Jose scream at his
Fixed Ideas to get in there. Data7 seemed to have chosen them. Hazel turned
back to face her opponent and her heart sank.

Cybersix had tired of waiting and rushed Hazel with amazing speed. Hazel
felt Cybersix's foot contact with her

jaw. Her world began to tumble. She stuck out her hands and more by luck
then anything else felt the Earth. A little awkwardly she turned her tumble into
a flip. Cybersix was coming back with a second attack, this time with her fist. Backing away Hazel studied her aura as a Fixed Idea fell in front of Cybersix, slowing the
woman down slightly. Her left arm showed a weak spot. As Cybersix drew
closer, Hazel tensed her muscles, waiting. At the last second she grabbed
Cybersix's arm. Hazel called on all the considerable power in her legs and did a
full
body front flip so she was now behind Cybersix pulling her left arm over her right shoulder.
Cybersix seemed a little shocked by all this, being used to fighting Fixed Ideas
apparently, but she was recovering quickly. Wriggling around Cybersix tried to grab Hazel somehow with her free right hand. Hazel dodged it, knowing cybersix would soon make a mistake. It happened a second later when she reached over her left shoulder. Hazel grabbed her forearm and pulled hard. Hazel hadCybersix's other arm
so now her arms were crossed in front of her in an X shape. Hazel backed up until she felt a wall.
She then planted a knee in Cybersix's back, stretching her body and preventing
escape.

Hazel looked around her captive to assess the battle going on around
her. Jose and the Fixed Ideas were dueling it out with Data 7; Cyber24 and
Quaren looked to be fairly evenly matched. Hazel knew she was going to have
to do something with Cybersix soon. She looked at Quaren for a moment
longer, wishing for lady luck to be on her side. Quaren did look up and saw
Hazel and Cybersix. Cyber24 at that moment was preparing for another attack.
Quaren ended the fight quickly by ducking and rolling into Cyber24. Cyber24
turned the spill into a roll, but rolled off the pier. From the sounds she was
making, it appeared that Cyber24 was not the best of swimmers and it would
take her a while (by cyber standards) to get out. Everyone heard the splash
and stopped briefly to have a look around.

Quaren ran up to Hazel and Cybersix, pulling out her knife as she did so.
Hazel had never seen anything like it. It was blue with little chips in it; Quaren
handled it with expert ease. Cybersix still wasn't going down easily, still
struggling but in this hold her power was cut in half and she was already weak.
"We had a deal" she hissed.
"Yes we did, and if you notice, I kept my end."
"What are talking about?" Cybersix asked as she shook her head.
"We had a deal and I kept my end, then I was offered a better one" she
explained in a manner similar to explaining that one plus one made two. Quaren
was keeping Data 7 at bay as she held the knife in front of Cybersix; they kept glaring at each
other, silently challenging the other to make the first move. In the end, Data 7
backed down with his sister in such a delicate situation.

Jose was yelling at his Fixed Ideas as they brought in a cage that looked as if it
were meant to hold a small dinosaur rather then a young woman who looked to
weigh all of a 120.
Hazel knew what she was supposed to do; she started to ease herself
away from the wall. Unfortunately Cybersix also knew what Hazel was supposed
to do and was still intent on getting away. As Hazel made for the cage Quaren
backed up slightly. Without warning Cybersix pulled away and lashed out with
her foot catching Hazel in the stomach. Hazel groaned as the air was knocked
out of her, she couldn't breathe. She faintly heard a splash of water as
Cyber24 climbed out. Knowing this would be her last chance, Hazel lunged at Cybersix, hitting her in the back and shoving
her toward the cage. Quaren helped with a kick,
then slammed the cage door shut as Cybersix tumbled inside.

Hazel lay on the ground and didn't get up immediately; she could hear talking but was
too intent on catching her breath to listen. She felt her breathing becoming
normal again and opened her eyes. Quaren stood next to her, looking down
her nose. The cage, Data7 and Cyber24 were nowhere in sight. She must have
been lying there longer then she thought.
"Are you coming?" Quaren asked.
"Yes" Hazel answered pulling herself up. Quaren went to turn away.
"Thanks" Hazel almost whispered. Quaren looked a little surprised, then
offered a small smile as they walked toward the vans. Hazel climbed in next to Jose, not keen on letting him out of her sight.
“Where exactly are we going?” she asked while doing up her seat belt.
“Home, to see Father”.
Again Hazel felt her breath increase, but she ignored it. She felt she would do
anything to be free of sustenance,
“You remember your end of the deal?” she asked in what has come to be her
business voice.
“Yes!" he said impatiently, "I will free you of sustenance!”
Again, he was not lying, so Hazel leaned back against the seat, wishing she
could go to sleep. They didn’t talk any more as the van ran along the road that
would eventually end up at Von R’s laboratory.
 

End of Chapter 5

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