Nyx
Ch 1: Inara Valentine

I dived behind a large teller's desk to the right side of the room as I heard the sound of lead hitting wood. Although it hadn't hit me it had skimmed my arm and that hurts. I added the scrape to the list of thousands of aches and pains I had 'acquired' tonight.

My after-school job was not a normal would-you-like-fries-with-that job. I was Nyx, The Nightstalker, the only thing standing between this city and destruction (I'm humble too). No I wasn't getting cocky; the law enforcement around here was so corrupt that the jails had been practically empty when I started this job. The only honest person in the police office was 'Sheriff' so to speak. His name was James Hothorn, and he and I had been working together for the past year trying to get the crime under control.

::Yeah, like that's ever gonna happen.:: I thought to myself.

"Where'd ya go swee'heart?" Came a voice from behind the desk. "I was jus' startin' to 'ave fun!" That made my blood boil; no one ever takes girls seriously. My only consolation was that this guy was not going to get the chance to underestimate me twice; I was going to make sure of that.

I imagine that robbing five banks across the country was not the easiest thing in the world to do and still keep a normal perspective on things. But this guy really believed he was invincible. The depressing thing was that as far as the police were concerned, he was. He had so many connections that the police hadn't even thought of catching him.

Unfortunately for him, he had picked the wrong bank to knock over. Within three minutes of his arrival I made my entrance, stalling for another ten minuets while the police force reluctantly surrounded and isolated the building. Now he was like a trapped rat and all the more dangerous for it.

"Listen, buddy, you're surrounded with no escape. I suggest you give yourself up now, the punishment will be more lenient if you do." I shouted over the counter realizing too late that I had just given away my position.

I started to scramble to my feet but I felt a large hand grab a handful of my hair and yank me up and over the desk. He wrapped his elbow around my neck and started to squeeze off my air supply. I struggled with him as hard as I could, but after a while I could feel my strength fading away. I had to think of something quick or I'd be dead meat in no time flat. Then it hit me - I'd use my Power to throw him off.

This Power is nothing to laugh about. Basically the principal is that everyone and everything has a certain Power inside him, her or it. Based on whether the person believes they have it or not, it can be cultivated to do literary anything. Most people were blissfully unaware that this terrible Power resides within them - and maybe that was a good thing - but I had discovered my talent when I was very small. Ever since I had practiced the use of my 'energy' and I could just about use it to its full extent.

Without preamble I gathered my inner Power into a board beneath my feet and, putting my feet out in front of me, moved both the robber and me backwards. I slammed my back right into a wall - luckily the robber (being the gentleman that he is.) was there to break the impact - and I flung my leg over my head so it connected solidly with the cartilage in his nose. With a grunt, he let go of me, moving his hands to stop the blood coming in a fine mist out of his nose and falling to his knees. I used the opportunity and took him down, pinning him to the ground with all my strength - and a little help from my Power. With a cord I always carried in my pocket just for such an occasion, I started to rope his hands together.

"I'm placing you under citizen's arrest. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say or do can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney - Ahhrg!" He had regained his wits quicker than I had calculated; rolling over he brought his feet up under me and flung me against the opposite wall.

The impact knocked all the air out of me and made the swirl a little, but I managed to put that aside when I saw the big man, twice my size, coming at me with murder on his mind. The site scared the more sensible part of me witless but luckily, my body knew exactly what to do.

With a few well-placed kicks he was on the floor again and I was on top of him; this time I managed to get him pinned long enough to tie him to a thick pillar connected to the ceiling.

Exhaustedly, I rolled off him and propped myself up against the wall taking deep breaths and getting my heart rate back down to normal. Before I had time to realize how much I had really hurt myself I got up and walked outside to where all the police cars were lined up in rows, milling around, not really wanting to go in incase they actually caught the robber. Sighing, I waved for them that all was well and told them that it was safe to go inside, wondering what formality they would find that would make them able to let the man go.

I walked out, away from the building and stopped at the first police car, leaned my full weight on it and just starting to feel the injuries that just minutes ago had been so easily ignored.

"Had a rough day?" Asked James, the Captain of the Police, who had been waiting outside the bank.

"I've had better." I responded. Accepting the hot stimulant he handed me.

"Yet again the Police Force has been out done by a teenager. That makes me proud." He said laughingly, with a wry smile on his face.

"Hey, don't knock teenagers, we're perfectly good human beings. And since I know you were born at age 50 - give your mother my sympathies - I feel obligated to tell you that." Then, after a moment's thought, I laughed at the normalcy of my next statement: "Well, I have a test to study for so I'll see you next emergency." I smiled and waved, leaving him shaking his head in silent mirth.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Before going home that night I stopped by the doctor's office. One look at me, and he locked his office door and put a 'Back In Five Min.' sign on it.

"What have you done to yourself this time, Valentine? Really, it's like every time I sew you up you go out and get beat up again!" he looked at me with concern.

Dr. Banks was a very compassionate man of about his mid thirties, and the only person in the city who knew I was the Nightstalker. He had never told my parents what I did after school or how I got so banged up, quite the opposite, he told them that I was helping him around the clinic - he was always short on hands. I think that if he hadn't had so many medical problems (he had a mechanical leg - he never told me what had happened) he would be out there helping me. Instead he sat in his office worrying, not the most relaxing pastime to say the least.

I told the Doc what happened as he bandaged me up, pausing only to shift positions as needed. At around three I snuck into my window on the third story of my house and crawled into bed, falling instantly asleep. It had been a long day.

A/N: well I'm just posting all of the stories I have lying about. Most of them are only one chapter so far and I would like to know which one the people want me to continue. So please place your vote and I'll get down to typing. ^_^