Rhett was standing in a toy store. It looked odd that was for sure. A grown man well into his forties staring at action figure packages in an isle. Hmm... The Undertaker. Creepy little fucker. He thought staring at the packaging of a wrestling action figure toy. There were a lot of different ones to choose from. Wrestlers, G.I Joes, teddy bears and Barbie dolls, it was like going Christmas shopping. Rhett ripped open The Undertaker's packaging and set him on the floor.
Smiling he pulled out a cigar in the store and lit it up. Looking down at the tiny little wrestler dude he blew out a cloud of smoke. "Well. Ain't ya gonna get your friends?" He asked rather amused. Rhett didn't need to actually speak out loud for his telepathic commands to be followed, but he was a fan of theatrics. With a single thought The Undertaker started walking down the isle. He walked at a slow pace dramatic and theatrical for the tiny plastic toy. The Undertaker was wearing a long black trench coat and a big hat. He walked down the gigantic isle as if he owned it.
Rhett took another puff of his cigar an blew out the smoke with a big grin on his face. It's about to get fun in here. He thought with the grin growing wider. Rhett watched as The Undertaker stood in the center of the toy isle. Giving a look back to Rhett almost as if asking permission, Rhett gave the go ahead with a slight nod of his head. "Rise my brothers! Do your master's bidding!" The Undertaker action figure said. He wasn't really speaking. It was Rhett's subconscious thoughts emanating from the toy, but the voice was only in Rhett's head. Rhett thought the action figure was speaking, though in reality he was the only one that could hear it. Rhett was getting a kick out of this. He watched as all the toys in the isle came to life. Or at least all of the smaller ones.
Rhett watched the other wrestlers rip out of their packages and hop to the floor. Rhett watched horror movie icons Dracula, Frankenstein, The wolfman, Jason Vorhees and Freddy Kruger action figures all coming to life before his very eyes. Well, cheaper than hiring thugs. HAHAHAHAHA! He thought. Just then some woman walked by and stared slack jawed at the toys animating before her. Rhett turned to her and took his cigar out of his mouth. "Batteries included." Rhett said sarcastically. She ran off screaming. Apparently not buying his weak excuse.
Rhett watched as Barbie dolls and action figures starting falling into lines. Neat little columns and rows of soldiers for his toy army. Rhett was controlling all of them. Telepathically giving them a single command. Free yourselves and follow. "Try to keep up you little plastic jerkoffs." Rhett turned and started to walking out of the store. Following him out were hundreds of action figures and Barbie dolls, a few teddy bears and a ventriloquist dummy that had a few scuffs and chipped paint. He was returned to the store, but not before going home with some abusive neglectful toy owners. Rhett was heading right out of the store with his new soldiers; turning heads and inciting people to scream in horror and confusion along the way. He lead them to the front of the store like the pie freaking piper!
Rhett moved with a cocky confident swagger. There was a slight swish sound as he walked. The material of his pants rubbing his legs. The sound of his dusty old cowboy boots clicking on the tile floor. Each step sounding more confident than the last. Rhett could hear whispers; and screams but he didn't care. He knew he was putting on a show. That was kind of the point. When he got to the front door he walked past a woman who actually spoke to him. Most were going out of their way to avoid him. This woman threw a lightweight jab at him. "Thief!" Hmm.. He thought as his eyes instinctively danced over her. He was a pig, but that wasn't his fault. He blamed his upbringing.
The cigar was still sitting in the corner of his mouth. Rhett took it out of his mouth and smiled. "Oh, you got me all wrong doll. I'm not taking them. You see. I'm the head of the laborer's union and these are the toy store employees. We're on strike until Jeb's Toybox (The name of the store) meets our demands. We want smaller counters and shelves for easier access, we want more imaginary tea and cookies for their breaks in the break room. And.... Dental. Dental is important. HAHAHAHA."
Anyone with two eyes might deduce that Rhett was crazier than a shithouse rat, but he had a flare for presentation and style. He seemed like a fun guy to be around even if he gave you the creeps. He just lived life to the absolute fullest. He wasn't about mutant pride, or human mutant equality. He didn't give a crap about that. All he cared about was having a good time and making sure that life was never boring. Rhett took a quick puff of his cigar as the toys continued to march out the door. He was still telepathically moving them in single file line out the door. He was doing this while he talked to the young mutant before him. Looking down a bit he shifted his weight on his back foot.
Leaning on the door frame of the automatic doors. Rhett watched his toy army moving over to his Dodge Charger in the parking lot. He watched as they started stacking themselves on top of one another. His telepathic commands such a trival matter that he didn't really even have to think about it anymore. His subconscious thought was always in control. The back of his mind telling his toys what to do. Rhett watched as they reached the door handle and opened the car. Rhett looked back at the young mutant. Outside his new toys found the latch to pop the trunk and were now following orders to climb into the trunk.
Andi rubbed her head with a painful groan, the sunglasses cloaked her red eyes from the blaring sunlight as the consequences of a night well spent dove at her painfully. Thankfully the rich kid begging for attention was fool enough to fund her drinking endeavor and although the night proved exhilarating the morning air greeted her with a piercing headache and her throat tasted like burnt cigarettes and expensive whiskey. She had nothing particular to do for the day, her only aim was to make it to the affordable motel she spotted the previous day in hopes of a good hot shower and a bed for her aching limbs. The leather jacket over her shoulders was a welcoming touch to her shoulders and perhaps the dismissive glance at curious onlookers was just the combination to keep them from questioning the dark bruise on her cheek.
Although the swollen cheek wasn’t attributed to the night spent in Johny’s bar three blocks back it did remind her about a foolish remark in a rowdy pub a good three nights back. Still, it stung like hell but she’d grown accustomed to the touch, her lifestyle wasn’t exactly begging for luxury and safety. Still, she preferred it as such. Andi’s shoulder unintentionally bumped into a bulky stranger who wore a hairless scalp and mean eyes. She wanted to ignore it, move on and pretend the asshole’s glare meant nothing more but a momentary rage. Instead, she felt the harsh tug of his grabby hand on her wrist. Her eyes rolled almost automatically as she turned to face him with a nonchalant smirk.
“Back off”, he chuckled incredulously stepping closer to her with a furious glare. He easily towered over her in height but he didn’t know the blatant disregard for his safety unaware of her unique talents. Andi ripped her wrist from him and turned to walk when she spotted a small toy army bouncing over the parking lot before stacking on top of each other like a creepy ladder she never imagined. Nevertheless, the stranger didn’t budge and stepped in front of her with another angry glare and a dangerous idea brewing in his eyes.
“You dumb bitch! That’s the problem with your fucking generation – no manners! Maybe it’s time someone beat them into you”. Andi shrugged nonchalantly glancing for the owner of the Dodge Charger in hopes of buying a ride, she didn’t want to stay and see the onslaught of the audience when she rebelled against his harsh grasp.
“I said – Back off”, her tone was light and carefree as it normally was. The skin of her fingers grew hotter as fire tickled over her slender palms and a bright burst of energy tossed the bulky stranger a few feet back. His shirt was torn from the fiery touch and he looked shocked, fearful and furious. At least he didn’t pursue his useless bark at her manners and backed away cautiously.
Andi stepped up to the toy army with intrigue, “What’s a girl gotta do to get a ride around here?”, she wasn’t entirely sure who the owner was but she hoped he’d be crazy enough to spare a ride for a hungover girl with a fiery temper.
Rhett's toy army was comprised of many variety of toys. There were barbies and little green army men. There were action figures, dolls, teddy bears, little creepy trolls with the wild hair. Didn't matter to him. Jeb's Toybox was very generous. Rhett leaned by the door watching carefully the exchange between the pretty girl and some hard to love grouch. He was wearing sunglasses of his own and kept his interest hidden away behidn the dark shades.
Though he watched with the growing raise of a single eyebrow. Rhett commanded his toys with background thoughts. Somewhere in the back of his mind he was still paying attention to his army as they crawled in the trunk one by one. The ventriloquist dummy walked over to him. Because Rhett thought about him walking over. Rhett's mind was a special one in any case. He was very talented and very capable of multi tasking.
The dummy looked up at Rhett with cherry lipped hand painted smile. The ventriloquist dummy was made of wood. It was hand carved with big, blue glass eyes. It's lips were curved upward in a creepy smile. It's hair sat messy on it's head. It had an eternal case of bed head that kind of worked in it's favor. It's jeans were torn at the knees and it wore an AC/DC shirt over a long sleeve button up flannel t-shirt.
The truth was, Rhett was kind of a bad guy. It didn't matter the company he kept. He stole things that didn't belong to him. He was wanted in six counties for armed robbery. He was on the lamb in 12 cities for blackmail. He had bounty hunters out chasing him for skipping bail. Rhett wasn't a criminal because he was greedy or because he lacked humanity. He simply did not give a damn. Rhett was all about what was fun in the moment. He had based his entire life off of that philosophy. As the last of the toys piled into the trunk Rhett walked over to it and slammed it shut. The voices across the parking lot were growing louder. Rhett turned in time to see the girl send the man flying with a fireball.
Interesting. So she was a mutant too. He was surprised his toys were getting more attnetion then they had. He wasn't exactly being shy about their ability to move on their own. Rhett looked down at the ventriloquist dummy who looked back up at him. "You need a name." He mumbled to himself. He was more just thinking outloud than anything. Rhett was pulled away from his thoughts as the attractive redhead started to actually walk up to him. Or rather up to his trunk.
She peered inside at his toy army with intrigue. The toys in the trunk were all standing. They looked back up at her with plastic eyes that didn't really see so much as they did follow telepathic commands. One of the dolls in the trunk cried out. "Mama." In typical baby doll fashion. Rhett made her voice box cry out just for the comic relief in the awkward tension.
She asked for a ride. He considered it. Pulling out a cigarette he stuck it between his lips. Rhett took off his sunglasses and stared at her a moment. He slide them down into his pocket. His old gristled eye studied her carefully. Over one eye was a long scar that traveled all the way through his eye. Starting above his eyebrow, the cut ended below his eye. He got it in a sword fight with a mannequin. It was kind of like playing chess with yourself in all honesty. "Sure thing." He said.
It would be interesting to learn more about the girl with the fire coming out of her hands. At any rate he might be able to use her powers to help him out. "You mind?" He asked looking at her hands. He didn't exactly have a lighter handy. Maybe she could light it for him. "I.... Am the Puppeteer. What might i call you?" He asked. Hitchhiking with a strange mutant? He figured she'd want to keep things on a code name basis.
Andi had to remind herself that the puppet wasn’t a homicidal spirit trapped inside a dumb old toy but she jumped slightly at the sudden “mama”. It was quite a talent this man had, a little creepy albeit but she found it somewhat intriguing. Her eyes rolled at the doll before looking up at the man. He looked like the wrong kind of person you’d want to get involved with which loosely translated to her kind. Andi wasn’t the worst criminal but hell, she’d rather go down for something wicked than be praised for something good. The craved the taste of a cigarette but decided her aching throat wouldn’t agree, nevertheless she watched the man curiously.
“Thanks”, she replied nonchalantly glancing at the ventriloquist dummy with a slight glare. “Creepy talent you’ve got there. Fun, but creepy. I like it”, she looked down at the heat sizzling off her skin with a curious glance. The high she got from the fire was as intoxicating as drowning her sorrows in a bottle of whatever she could get her hands on.
Andi chuckled lightly snapping her fingers until a small flame danced at the tip of her skin and held it to the cigarette. Perhaps she had more common uses than a ticking time bomb, it was more amusing than she thought it’d be. The puppeteer, she felt her mind twist in thought wondering what alias she’d give him. In haste she decided to use the name her brother donned her with, the same alias she gave everyone else.
“Spitfire. Mind if we get outta here” she glanced over her shoulder at the grouchy bastard stalking closer with cautious steps. “Doesn’t matter where”, slowly the heat on her skin grew quiet and she couldn’t help but grin at the opportunistic moment she found herself in. the headache didn’t seem to prominent now and she found herself thoroughly amused by the way the day turned out.
Andi wasn’t known for making good choices in life, hell she was lucky no one killed her yet but her chances with a strange mutant she just met were looking better than the onlookers who wouldn’t greet her with open arms. The last thing she needed was another mundane hunt for her head, which of course was a slight overstatement but dramatic flare was a prominent praise in her resume.
Rhett smiled at her. Spitfire huh? He thought quietly. He rolled the name around in his mind for a few moments as if he deeply considered it. Leaning into the flame he allowed her to light his cigarette. Off to the side the man was lingering. Staring. Like he had never seen a couple of mutants before. The ventriloquist dummy walked over to him slolwy. It's tiny wooden feet clicking against the asphalt as it moved closer. Once the man realized the doll was coming after him he took off running. The look of fear and pure panic on his face was enough to make Rhett lean over and hold his stomach with laughter.
The dummie's wooden jaw fell open. It seemed to scream but no sound came out. It's large glass eyes looking intently ahead, it's brightly red painted lips smiling with evil intent. Outside a crowd was starting to form. People from the toy store looked out from the windows at the man who brought toys to life. They wanted to run away, they were just afraid to go outside. Rhett was not a bad guy, he just wans't a very good one. He wasn't interested in much. All he cared about was having fun in the moment. What ever caught his interest was what he was doing.
"Sure lets spin some rubber." He said with a grin. Rhett walked around the car and slammed the trunk closed. With a innocent thought he brought the dummy back to him. It turned around slowly and walked to him. One foot at a time. It walked mindlessly like a zombie now. It's little arms hanging at it's side. It's wide painted smile still smiling, slowly it's jaw closed. It turned it's head slightly to Andromeda. Rhett was thinking about her inside his head. So naturally his puppet turned to look at her. "You'll have to ride in the back, I'm afraid." Rhett said cooly.
Walking around to the passenger's side he opened the door and pulled the seat forward. Rhett leaned inside to dust some shit off the backseat. The dummy started to run towards the car. Rhett was getting anxious, eager. The dummy ran towards the car and climbed in the backseat while Rhett was still cleaning it out. "Easy you little shit!" Rhett turned to Spitfire and motioned for her to get into the backseat. Never get into cars with strangers. He wondered if anyone had ever told her that. He was mostly harmless, but she didn't know that. Rhett greeted her with a wide smiling toothy grin.
Sitting in the driver's seat was a mannequin. It was wearing a black and grey suit with a red tie. It's face was absent. It had not defined features. Just a blank face and no eyes. The shape of a nose and the hint of lips. It was pearl white and it's hands were covered in leather driving gloves. It's fingers gripped the wheel tightly. As Spitfire got in the car it too turned to look at her. It turned it's head to the backseat. In the backseat the dummy; who Rhett would later name Ryder, turned to look at her too. It's mouth fell open again in quiet awe and wonderment. As it's jaw fell open there was a wooden clack sound. Rhett slammed the seat back into place and climbed in the passenger's seat.
"Take us home." He said sticking his cowboy boot clad feet on the dashboard. Rhett dangled his arm with the cigarette out of the window. the mannequin obeyed and turned the car on. It put the car into drive and pulled out of the store parking lot. There was a mannequin driving. Rhett had made it walk right out of the mall, still wearing the clothes it was wearing in the department store window. Now it was his personal chauffer. Rhett was all smiles and glad tidings as the wind from the open window pushed his hair around.
He lived in an abandoned mannequin factory on the edge of town. They had a bit of a drive. Plenty of time to learn about his new friend with the interesting powers. "So tell me about yourself." He asked genuinely curious. Rhett took another puff and looked in the rearview mirror. The dummy in the backseat turned to look at her again as well. It's mouth still hanging open in it's silent scream. It's glassy eyes wide and curious.
Andi found herself laughing genuinely at the pure and raw shock on the bulky asshole’s face at the sight of the dummy. Hell, if she wasn’t a mutant herself she’d probably be pissing her pants right about now. Still, if she didn’t like the creepy ventriloquist dummy before, she did then. Still, for all she knew this man and his unique talents could end up tossing her corpse in a ditch. She should have cared or worried but instead she shoved a whole lot of confidence into her own abilities hoping they were enough to get her out of a sticky situation should he end up being a nutcase.
She watched the approaching dummy curiously, a slight grin touched the corners of her rosy lips as the puppet watched her. Hell, he was a little adorable, maybe she attributed the liking to the little guy for his sneaky debut towards the bastard that took off running. She glanced at the truck for a second, driving in the back was a small price to pay for a ride out of there.
“I’m easy going”, her shoulders shrugged nonchalantly stepping closer to the passenger’s side as she waited for Rhett to finish his quick attempt at a clean up. She didn’t mind the mess, it was cleaner than most places she went to which wasn’t necessarily a good thing. Still, she craved chaos and chaos didn’t come in clean, fancy packages. She chuckled at the quick exchange between him and the dummy, who would have thought a hungover walk would end up like this.
She eased herself into the backseat with a slight smirk before tugging the backpack over her shoulder and setting it between her and the dummy. Looking between the faceless mannequin and the dummy to her side she decided that she preferred the latter. Albeit she didn’t hate either.
Home. She wondered what kind of a home this guy had, still it had to have something worth drinking. She’d repay him with the stolen wallet in her bag before she moved on to the next town. She hadn’t been still in one place since her brother vanished, it wasn’t the worst thing but it didn’t exactly benefit her pocket or her safety. Nevertheless, she was capable and well adept at surviving the world around her.
“Not much to tell, I like whiskey and I set fire to people I don’t like. I’m one hell of a pickpocket though”, she grinned at the thought before reaching out and tucking her index finger under the dummy’s open jaw before closing it with a pointed look. “What’s the deal with the toys in the back? Are you some nutty serial killer with a weird fetish cause I gotta warn you, I’m no easy prey”, there was a joking carefree tone to her words as she looked into the rearview mirror. Her fingers drummed a silent beat on the soft touch of her ripped jeans.
Rhett sat there and listened. She was modest, or shy, or she didn't want to tell him much about herself. That was understandable. He was a stranger. There was only so much trust you could put in a stranger now days. The car swung around and ended up in a drive through at a fast food place. "Welcome to Chucky's chicken can i help you?" Rhett leaned over the driver's seat. "Hey I'll have the number six family meal!" The lady asked if there was anything else. Rhett assured her that there was nothing else he needed. "$22.45 please drive around." She said. Rhett was doing his best not to laugh.
The dummy pulled up to the window and sat silently staring forward. Rhett was grinning like an idiot. This always freaked people out. the window to the fast food place opened and the lady leaned out of the window with the bag. "That will be..." She stoppped mid sentence seeing the mannequin. It didn't make any sense. What the hell. She screamed and lost her shit when the mannequin turned and snatched the bag of food from here. She went screaming in the other direction and Rhett gave it a telepathic command to drive and drive fast. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA" Rhett roared with laughter.
Rhett started digging through the bag he snatched from the dummie. He made sure the took his eyes on the road. He wasn't driving with his hands but with his thoughts. He glanced down every so ofen to rummage through the bag, but for the most part Rhett kept his eyes on the road. In the backseat Spitfire's question about the toys had gone unanswred. He had put a finger in the air as if to say 'one moment.' before driving into the fast food place. Now he sat in the front seat eating a piece of chicken.
"I control dolls, toys, puppets, shit like that. Now, practically..... Not very useful. Thematically though! You can scare the shit out of people when they see a bunch of dolls coming to life." Rhett spoke between smacking lips and loud eating noises. He didn't exactly have manners. Twisting a chicken bone in his greasy fingers he finished the bone and tossed it out the window. "Truthfully, I rob banks. I have thugs like this guy here help me out." Rhett pointed at the mannequin. He paused and his voice grew very serious as he turned around to face spitfire. "I'm not a very good guy. But alas, i am a very fun guy! HAHAHAHAHAHA."
Rhett offered her some chicken, but before she could say yes or no they were pulling up to a warhouse. It was the old mannequin factory. "Home sweet home. Come on in, meet the family!" Rhett cried excitedly as he climbed out of the car. The mannequin handed Rhett the keys as he left. The dummy fell lifeless and stared straight forward. Rhett's mental influcence was gone.
He was just a dummy again. Rhett ran up the metal steps leading up the side of the building and entered a door on the second floor. He disappeared inside leaving Spitfire to either follow him or not, but she left him with the lifeless bodies of the dummy and the mannequin. Perhaps she would rather join him than sit out in the car all day.
She looked out the window curious about their abrupt stop, the thought of food sent her stomach into an uncomfortable churn and she recalled thinking she’d suffer for her alcoholic endeavors. Her brow lifted patiently as she listened to him order, the poor fool on the other side of the window was about to get one hell of a scare. While she didn’t want to be on the receiving end of a mannequin scare she didn’t exactly despise the idea of a front row seat. Her back pressed comfortably into the seat as she chuckled loudly at the fearful scream. Hell, at least he got free food out of it.
“Never seen anything like it before, makes for one hell of a party trick”, she agreed nonchalantly with him glancing out of the window for something worth looking at besides the dummy or the odd driver. She turned her head back to Rhett at the mention of bank robberies and she couldn’t help but grin at the thought. Figures she’d get in the car with a criminal, she wasn’t far from one herself. Albeit she didn’t rob banks but a petty theft here and there were a casual way to spend her time.
She leaned forward with both palms pressing into the seats in the front as she glanced at the warehouse quickly approaching. Better than the cheap motel she spent Christmas in the year before or the abandoned hotel she slept in for a week before she left Detroit. Andi debated if she should turn her back on the curious man and opt for a more sane ride. Her cautious side was easily overruled by her raw curiosity as she followed after him.
One more glance at the lifeless puppets put a haste in her step as she followed up the metal steps. Her hand grasped the handle of the door with a quick glance to the sky before she stepped inside. She stopped for a second just inside the threshold.
“You’re not setting me up for a heart attack are you?”, she was wary of a sudden mannequin appearance in fear she’d yelp out of surprise. The last thing she wanted to do was lose her shit in front of someone she barely knew.
“Nice place”, her lips tilted into a slight frown looking at the mannequins. She wasn’t fond of dolls and she didn’t dislike them either, a slight breeze was a comforting touch to her ever warm skin. She kept a curious eye out for the puppeteer.
The place was covered in a light layer of dust. Dear old Rhett wasn't the cleaniest of house keepers. Truthfully he was rarely ever here. When he was home he normally went straight to the back and crashed on cot. Rhett headed quickly down the stairs when he entered the warehouse. All around him was the half assemebled parts of mannequins. Some of them were fully assembled, more than half of them were 'assembly required.' Rhett was smiling. "Isn't this place great?" He said out loud. He couldn't believe his luck when he found this place.
The place was abandoned. It was far enough on the edge of town that most people didn't snoop around. Hell, even the cops didn't really like to come out this far. Rhett picked up a severed mannequin hand and looked at it thoughtfully. "I'm building an army!" He laughed excuberantly. The fact was..... This was all he needed. Cheap thugs, free and ready to die for him by the truck load. Rhett used the mannequins to man the hostages while he emptied the vault. He had one waiting as the getway driver. He had no need to split the take, he controlled every aspect himself and if things got dicy, human shields to go down in a blaze of gunfire for him.
"Small confession my dear, this isn't exactly home.... It's more of my evil layer." He grinned. He was fully aware he was starting to sound like a comic book cliche, but he was okay with that. It was so deliciously hammy that he just rolled around in the idea of it. The Puppeteer! The most notorious super villian known to man! Proably not, but at least he could cause one hell of a bit of chaos. "Check this out!" Rhett said. He excited licked his lips and ran across the room. Diving into a rolling chair he allowed himself to slide across the room on the rolling wheels. He stopped when his chair slammed into a desk covered in papers.
There was a mannequin standing beside his work table. Rhett brushed some papers aside with his hand and there, sitting on his table was a bomb vest. "Don't worry this puppy is stable as a chemical reaction. Hair triggered. Remote detonated. Single circut failsafe mechainism. Top of the line!" Rhett was speaking proudly. It was only used for securing hostages during his robberies.
"You see while I'm in the vault cleaning out the shelves.... My associates here keep the hostages nice and cooperative. Nothing says mind your manners like a room full of explosion!!!!" Rhett was practically laughing. He finished adjusting the bomb vest on the mannequin and looked at Spitfire. "You've never done anything wrong your whole life have you?" He accused. Sure, her eyes lit up when he mentioned robbing banks, but he seriously doubt she had ever actually dipped her toe in those dangerous waters.
Andi ran her slender finger over a layer of dust as she walked by, her initials stared back at her in a clear indentation. She assumed he’d head down the set of stairs and with a slight cautious thought tossed to the back of her mind she followed into the warehouse. Her history of horror movies didn’t allow the creepy thoughts of killer mannequins go unnoticed but she didn’t pay their assembled parts more than a single glance. He was obviously proud of his little bat cave and she didn’t blame him, it was the perfect place for a puppeteer. Andi supposed if she had anything of the sort she’d prefer somewhere heated, where the fire inside of her could be outmatched by the hot, desert air.
“How big an army?”, she leaned back against a dusty table already imagining the dirty lines on the back of her jeans when she stood up. Andi watched him closely, she was curious how much he’d accomplished with his unique and strange ability. She had to give him credit for a good plan, an army that couldn’t be bought by the highest bidder and soldiers with undying loyalty to their master was about as close to perfect as it got.
“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised”, she held her fingers to her side where small flames trickled from her skin in an almost melodic rhythm. She stood up curious and followed his energetic slam into the table with a more composed walk. The fire still trickled out of her finger while she walked, it was calming and comforting. She looked over the bomb vest with raw curiosity as the fire on the edge of her skin died down, the last thing she wanted was to send them both into a thousand bits.
“Damn, what a toy”, she liked it but perhaps that could be attributed to her deep desire for chaos. Chaos was the perfect world for her, somewhere her heated abilities thrived. “How many banks have you robbed?”, she was genuinely curious. How much money did this guy have stacked in some dusty corner somewhere?
“Like I said, I’m one hell of a pickpocket. I’m good at poker and I can hold my beer. But as far as major crime goes, its hard to indulge when you’re always on the run”, she stepped back from the vest finding herself leaning on the same table with her legs crossed over one another.
“You don’t maybe have an extra bed for the night, do you? I’ll pay”, she pulled the wallet from her bag and tossed it into his lap. Perhaps asking a stranger she just met for a place to sleep wasn’t the smartest choice she’d make all week but then again, it was easier than hiking back to town for a motel. Beside, he seemed harmless so long as she didn’t turn out to be a bank.
"I've robbed quite a few." He admitted. There was a certain proudness in his voice. He was proud of the things he had done. For better or worse, Rhett was who he was. He liked being a crazy asshole with no morals and no real plans. He lived life moment to moment and it suited him just fine. One minute he was holding up a liquor store. The next he was tossing bags of money off a bridge into the water below. Rhett didn't steal for the money. He didn't care about something so trival. Not really.
The only thing money was good for was buying more bullets. More explosions. More things to go boom! Rhett picked up a screwdriver and began making adjustments on one of the bomb vests on the table. He listened to the girl talk as he worked away. She had never been in any serious trouble. Petty shit mostly. Everyone's gotta start somewhere. He was sure that he could take her from the minor leagues to the big leagues with no real problems. She said she was a good pickpocket. He could use that skill as well.
"Sure, there's bed in the back. Queen size. She's all yours. Stay as long as you'd like." He offered. "As great as manipulating a toy army can be.... As you can imagine it gets kind of fucking boring. These fuckers don't talk." Rhett mentally commanded one of the mannequins standing in the row to come forward. It walked right up to the desk in front of him. "It's nice having someone to talk to. Sometimes i want to blow my own brains out." Rhett laughed. With a raise of his eyebrow the mannequin picked up a gun from the table and put it to his temple and pulled the trigger to demonstrate his master's point.
The force of the bullet was so strong it knocked it over. Rhett pulled his mental influence from it and allowed it to fall over with a hole in his head. Rhett smacked his lips together and sighed. HIs eyes grew wide with fake surprise as he acted as if he was surprised at the mannequin's sudden suicide. "He had so much to life for." There was a pause before Rhett errupted in a fit of laughter. Rhett had to wipe tears from his eyes he was laughing so hard. After a while the laughter died down.
If you were to give Rhett an IQ test, his score would be off the charts. Rhett was actually a genius. Though the lines between genuis and madness are often blurry aren't they? Rhett thought about the dummy outside in the car. He thought about him opening the door and heading inside. Over by the warehouse door the door quietly opened and a little wooden dummy pushed his way inside. He crawled down the steps, moving unseen in the shadows. Rhett smiled. There was his little buddy. Rhett turned back to Spitfire.
"If you want you can even get a shower. There's a chemical burn wash station that acts as a shower. Apparently these mannequins were made with alot of chemicals and chemical burns were a big problem at the plant." Rhett sighed. rolling up his blueprints he shoved them in a drawer and turned to face Spitfire completely. He clasped his hands in his lap. And with a big beaming smile added. "You should rest... I got a busy day planned for tomorrow, i think you're going to like it."
A proud thief, now there was no surprise in the smugness in his voice. Hell, if she’d accomplished anything quite like it she’d be just as proud. For the moment though, she was optimistic about a good hand in poker. At least this crazy guy she stumbled onto had some stories to tell, although she wasn’t sure the puppets around him were the best recipients for a narcissistic conversation. What she wouldn’t give to drown in a pool of cash.
Her brow lifted to his quick and easy tinkering of the vest and she couldn’t help but wonder how long she could shield herself with her unique abilities before an explosion tore her inside out. Andi could hold her own when it came to cars thanks to her father’s insight, but anything more technical like a bomb was way above her paygrade. Even then, she wasn’t sure stepping behind a bomb was a smart move for her, she was a ticking one herself practically waiting for the fuse to set her off.
A bed was all she needed, the rest she’d figure out when the time came. She nodded gratefully, a good night’s rest would do her nothing but good. Andi pulled her legs onto the table before crossing them over one another with complete disregard for the dust beneath her. She couldn’t help but chuckle lightly at the puppet’s suicidal act and out of pure experimentation of her abilities she tossed a small ball of raging fire onto the dead mannequin. The smell wasn’t the nicest but she appreciated the waves of fire.
“You’re doing me a favor and all but keep the little guy outta the room when I sleep. He’s cute but I’m pretty sure I’ll piss myself if I saw him in the middle of the night”, she rolled her eyes as if she begged life to toss the dummy into her peripheral when he stepped inside the threshold. She barely caught the movement in she shadows but by the looks of it the only thing moving was another of his soldiers.
“At least tell me you’ve got something to drink?”, she glanced about the warehouse with a curious glance. Although she was perfectly capable of functioning without the touch of alcohol to her lips she preferred a somewhat constant state of numbness. Even then, hopefully she’d see something exciting in this guy’s company.
“My name’s Andi by the way”, she tapped to a silent rhythm with her open palms against her knees as she looked at the puppeteer. She didn’t trust him, she hardly ever trusted anyone but she supposed using up his space was enough to call out her real name. Besides, there wasn’t anything he could do with a partial of her name.
Rhett stood up from his chair. He moved to a work bench across the room. His dusty cowboy boots echoed in the silence as he walked. There was the slight sound of a jingle as he stepped. He had spurs on his boots. What kind of crazy asshole wore spurs? Rhett liked them. He wore them and walked jingling his way over to his stash of alcohol. Opening the bottom drawer he pulled out a bottle of whiskey. He wasn't a super hard drinker. When he did though, he liked the hard stuff.
"Name's Rhett. Rhett Diggler, as long as we're being formal." There was a couple of glasses nearby. He grabbed them and poured a little whiskey into each glass before setting the bottle down. Ryder, the ventriloquist dummy watched in silent fascination. It's mouth hung open in that wonderous expression that seemed so creepy. It looked between Rhett and Andi and then back again. Somewhere in Rhett's mind he was wondering what was going on between the two of them.
What exactly was keeping this girl around? He was sure he did not know. Rhett was not a young man. He wasn't horribly old, but he was old enough to be her father. With a modest laugh he handed her a drink. Was it the promise of danger? The excitment of a score? Was it just that she was desperate for a roof over her head? Rhett didn't know. The only thing he knew was that he wanted to see her really let go. He watched the mild flames licking at the palms of her hands and he wondered just how much heat she had in her.
Ryder walked quietly across the room. Rhett looked over his shoulder to offer the dummy a slightly interested glance. He watched as the dummy opened a large trunk and climbed inside. It slowly lowered the lid on top of itself before resting lifelessly inside the trunk. He put himself to bed. Good. Rhett thoguht. He didn't want things to get awkward. Rhett wasn't all together there.
Sometimes he was completely aware that he was in control. Other times, his subconsious thoughts ran away with him and he didn't realize that he was really the reason things moved on their own. Sometimes he truly believed these things to be alive. Sometimes it scared him. He took a sip of his drink. There was a long thoughtful pause before he spoke again.
"Come with me." He said quietly. He walked out of the room and towards the back of the warehouse without another word. Rhett quietly mulled over everything that had happened. His face was twisted into an unpleasent grimace. He looked as if he had much on his mind. He flipped on a light in a back room. It was a large empty room. Aside from the few scattered mannequins collecting dust in the back there was nothing. Rhett waited for Spitfire to join him. When she did he brought to life a few mannequins for target practice. He motioned towards them with one hand. "Show me what you can do." He said. As the mannequins closed in on the girl.
Andi debated if she should follow him when he moved from the chair to a work bench, deciding against it, she simply relaxed back into the dusty surface of the table beneath her. A happy grin lit up on her lips seeing him pull out a bottle of whiskey. She wasn’t exactly an alcoholic but she drank more shots than she did on a weekend. Andi knew full well she could continue without it but it sure helped make life a little more interesting.
Andi spared the dummy a brief glance taking a glass from Rhett, she held it in her palms for a second before sipping on the dark liquid. It left a soothing taste on her lips and a slight burning sensation down her throat, she didn’t mind it at all. Andi set the glass down to her side hoping to keep it from getting too warm in her grasp.
Her gaze was drawn to the dummy’s almost cute method of putting himself away in the trunk. She wondered for a second how much Rhett needed to concentrate to put life into a lifeless puppet. It was certainly the weirdest ability she’d come across, then again, meeting up with other mutants wasn’t an every day routine for her. She knew her brother, a guy down in Boston that could bend spoons with his mind, a clairvoyant girl in Seattle and Rhett. More often than not, she didn’t disclose her own abilities and the clairvoyant girl still thought she was just a temporary roommate with a slight fever.
A slight pause of silence was almost deafening but comfortable and almost serene, when he requested she follow she didn’t argue. Andi chugged the last of the whiskey with a happy sigh before hopping off the table and followed behind him to the back of the warehouse. She was curious what would follow, maybe he just wanted to show her the room she’d sleep in. last thing she expected was an audience of mannequins waiting to die for a fiery demonstration.
Andi glanced at the mannequins and spared him a cocky smirk before lifting her palm as if she was grasping something delicate. Flames flickered to life on her skin and she felt the seduction of the heat draw her strength. “I haven’t let go in a while”, her shoulders moved slightly as if the muscled in her body ached for a release. Fire jumped from her palm in a steady stream and devoured a mannequin. The lifeless pupped slammed against the wall with a hard thud and she couldn’t help but smile.
Andi pulled her other palm to her chest, it grew alive with beautiful flames and she looked to Rhett for a second. what she was about to do wasn’t entirely safe for the both of them. Nevertheless she allowed the fire to erupt from her and several of the mannequins were ripped to shreds, they burned in the ashes of her touch. Before her flames could lick out and taste true flesh from Rhett she reached out a palm and pulled the fire back to her in a practiced effort to control the impact radius.
Taking in the destruction she caused Andi felt the beads of sweat on her skin. It was exhilarating, intoxicating and she loved every touch of her ability. “Theatric enough for you?”, she faced the puppeteer with a curious glance and her arms folded over her chest.
Rhett was grinning ear to ear. It was simply spectacular what she could do. It was like hiding a flame thrower in the palm of your hand. Oh what he wouldn't give to be able to burn cinders with a snap of his fingers. Rhett's tongue dashed out wildly and licked at the corner of his lips. His forehead was beaded with sweat. His eyes were alight with excitment. He stepped further into the room and examined the melted puddle that was once his puppet.
He kicked at the melted plastic with the toe of his boot. His boot made that comical jingle sound again as he made a face. Bits of beige plastic stuck to his boot as if he had stepped in some mushy pinky gum. "Eww." He groaned with a smile broadening on his face. "You turned my toys into pudding!" There was an obvious delighted tone to his voice as it rose higher at the end of his sentence.
Rhett was well in the center of the room by this point. He looked up at his young mutant comepanion. "You know.... It's been a good long while since I've had a good fight." Rhett admitted. Without warning more of his toys stormed into the room. Not just mannequins, but dolls, action figures and toy robots! Rhett smiled broadly.
"You think you can fend them off?" As the words spilled out of his mouth his toys began arming themselves. This factory was Rhett's playground. He of course had dangerous things all over the place. One of the mannequins grabbed a pipe and ripped it off the wall with surprising strength.
Another mannequin picked up a pistol off the table. There were dolls holding knives and action figures scurrying across the room to retrieve a piece of loose wire that hung from the broken ceiling tiles in this room. Rhett was arming his puppets with his mind. He never took his eyes off of the girl. It was all in good fun.
A friendly sparring match. There was one thing he loved more than chaos....And that was something that presented a challenge. "Ready? Go!" He laughed. With that his toys set in upon her. The mannequin with the gun pointed it at her and started to pull the trigger. It followed her around the room trying to land a shot on the agile and hot tempered girl. Pun intended.
Somewhere from the shadows a very special doll watched. She was dressed in a long elegant gown. Her hair was black as raven and softer than silk. Her skin felt as real as yours or mine! Her lips were pouty, perfect. She had big brown eyes that seemed to follow you around the room even when she was not moving.
She peered into the room from across the warehouse. Her name, was Nina. She was made of silcone. Her skin was warm to the touch. Rhett's telepathic thoughts caused heat, with her and her only. She was very special. In all actuality she was a sex doll. She was the one creation that Rhett never had to think about controlling. She seemed to control herself. It was not true. She was purely Rhett's creation, but he believed her 100% alive.
She peeked out from behind a heavy door that was locked by a chain. The door opened just enough for her to see out. Rhett happened to glance over and see her peeking out from the room which he kept her and he had a sudden flash of anger register on his face. Rhett slammed the door to the room he was in. Casting Nina out. Spitfire did not need to know about Nina. Nina did not need to know about Spitfire. Rhett turned his attention back to the fight in time to see the one mannequin getting melted. He felt a burn on his skin. His mind was telepathically linked to his minions. He felt their pain, though it was lessened. It still hurt.
