Flight

The car landed in the streets in Moscow and Evelyn hit the wheel, pulling into a vacant and out-of-the-way parking lot. She parked the vehicle there. All around the classic Russian architecture surrounded them. It was glorious, but they were on a mission and it wasn’t that intriguing at the moment. She spun around in her seat and took in her friends.

“That’s the quickest way to get here! So, uh, where are we going in Moscow, did Spencer tell you where we should go? Where’s the lair? Where are they holding my baby Blackhawks?” the redhead asked, fire and passion burning in her eyes.

“Evelyn, please, we know. But, no, Spencer said he couldn’t figure that out,” Brooke said.

“I can find it!” Kelly squeaked. “I think?! I can use my telepathy and wand right?” She screwed her face up in perplexment.

“Best not...and telepathy wouldn’t exactly work anyway, Kelly.” Evelyn laughed.

"Why not?" Kelly whined, folding her arms over her chest.

"Because we are in Russia, you wouldn't be able to understand anything! Unless you've been studying Russian or something, which I highly doubt."

“But I thought it might work. I could force them to “talk” or something kinda like that.” Kelly cocked her head to the side. "Please."

“No, no...we’ll find it without having you blow your head open.”

“Okay. Fine,” she sighed rather heavily and dramatically.

“Let’s leave the car here and ask around first,” Brooke suggested.

The redhead heroine shook her head. “No, we can’t waste anymore time. With Jonny, the bad guys seem to have the complete package for their plan and they won’t screw around. We need to find them now!”

“What about using, uh, Hawk Vision?” Val spoke up, cracking a classic “Nichy” grin.

Evelyn looked at him, unblinkingly. She smiled and slowly considered his idea. He had a point. She had that power and it would be useful. However, she couldn’t use it without knowing the radius, but it could still be useful, especially if the lair was nearby. Normally her vision covered a mile, but her hearing covered a good couple of miles, such as the distance from Boston to Chicago.

“I’ll give it a college try, but no promises.”

“Great!” Val clapped his hands together, excitedly.

The superhero emerged from the driver’s seat and walked a few feet away from the car. She closed her eyes and tapped deep inside of herself. When she opened her eyes, they glowed a beady red color. She focused forward, looking at or rather through a massive Russian castle building.

After seeing nothing and no Jonathan Toews, she spun around and looked in every direction, but she still got nothing. She sighed in defeat and walked back to the car. Brooke, Kelly and Val looked at her, eagerly awaiting the news.

“Nothing. I didn’t see any Blackhawks or Russian villains!” she explained. “But they’ve got to be around here somewhere!” She looked around. “Spencer didn’t say where in Russia? Is the villain hideout even in Moscow?”

“That’s what Spencer said!”

“Well, I’m not seeing him, but I can take to the skies and check it out.”

“Yeah.”

“Kelly, please remain here and keep an eyes on Val and Brooke. I can’t come to everyone’s rescue. My assignment has always been Jonathan. I can’t take on much more.”

“Right! You can count on me,” Kelly chimed out, raising her wand up and saluting her friend.

Evelyn nodded. She pressed her watch’s button and activated her powers. Instantly wings protruded from her and mortal Evelyn O’Reilly became superheroine Black Hawk. She glowed brightly, before the brightness faded and she zoomed up into the air. She got to her altitude and hovered in the air, seemingly scanning the ground below.

When she was finished, she shot back down to them and landed with a loud thud on the ground, like she always did. She slowly rose up into a straight position, her eyes still glowing the beady red color. But they gradually faded back to normal.

“Found ‘em!! C’mon!” she stated, preparing to turn around and lead the way.

But before she could, a fist made contact with her face. She collapsed on the ground, but snapped her head up. There stood a man dressed like one of the Canuck Green Men, but this guy had a big letter “V” was plastered on his front to distinguish him from the Vancouver "fans." And he was dressed in all black.

“Now its my turn to meet the world’s - er NHL’s - greatest superheroine, eh?” the guy slyly remarked.

“Thomas Vanek, right?!” Evelyn hissed.

“That’s right, Hawkgirl!” Vanek sneered. “But I go by just Vanek now.”

“It’s Black Hawk, you sniveling snot-nosed kid! How many of you are there anyway?” Evelyn spat.

“Four including me. Kaleta’s the leader. We hate the NHL and what the league has become. And I’m here - before you bring that little question up - because I need him!” The evil villain pointed past Evelyn at Val.

The Dallas Star forward was instantly grabbed into a hold by Brooke and Kelly. He let them protect him. Evelyn stepped forward into the path to protect her friends. "Not a chance. I won't let you hurt my friends!"

Vanek folded his arms and chuckled heartily. “Okay, so here’s the plan. I can go through you and your little girl friends, or we can make this easy…”

“I don’t think we can do easy, bud. We’re past easy. But I welcome you into attempting trying to get past me!” Evelyn’s wings flapped behind her, beckoning him to try.

Instead he unfolded his arms and swung a fist out at her. This time however, she was prepared. She grabbed him easily and flung him around. Then she let out a hawk screech. Vanek recovered and launched for Val. But she saw him and darted forward as well.

“Нет! Уходи! Не трогайте меня!! (No! Go away! Don’t touch me!!)” Val shrieked.

Vanek was an inch from him, before Evelyn slammed herself into him, sending him backward once more. He hit the ground with a thunderous thudding noise. Evelyn, irate, flew over to him. She gripped his outfit in her talon fingers and lifted him into the air.

“What do you want with Val?”

“Nothing I can tell you, Dearie!”

“Tell me why you want Valeri Nichushkin or I’ll slam you into the ground and kill you!!”

“Do it. There’s a reason why you don’t know the answers yet,” Vanek continued. “And yet, you won’t do it, cause you need me. Surely you saw what the Legend of Doom has done with the two Blackhawks. Kaleta told me you’d know.”

“What does Kaleta want with them and Val?? If that son of a--if he has a problem with me, then he should come out and fight like a man, instead of sending his minions out to do his dirty work!”

Vanek suddenly kicked her in the shin and she lost him. He plummeted downward, toward the ground and slammed into the concrete hard, but vanished in a cloud of smoke below. Evelyn recovered and her wings flapped twice as fast now. She hit the ground, and as soon as she did, she snapped her head up and spotted Brooke and Kelly on the ground shaking their heads. Val was no where in sight.

Frantically, Evelyn looked around and activated her vision. She glimpsed Val struggling in the hold of Vanek a little ways away. She shook her head and zoomed toward them. She could see Val pulling and kicking and screaming. She tore through the cloud of smoke and then reached out and yanked Val free. “Not so fast, Vanek!”

“Don’t take anything for granted, sweetheart. The LOD will get the Russian and we will succeed in our glorious vision! And you can’t stop us!”

“Touch Val again and I’ll really make your head spin!”

“Go on!”

Vanek did some gymnastic moves and then whipped around and hurled a glowing ball of compressed yellowish energy at the heroine. It landed at her feet and exploded. She was shot backward, tearing free from Val.

“BLACK HAWK!!” Val screamed. “Не оставляй меня!! (Don’t leave me!!)”

Vanek laughed and stalked back over. “Come here little baby Russian hockey player!”

Val started running away, but he didn’t get far, before the villain grabbed his arm and halted him. But the Russian began to fight back and Vanek was shocked. It was clear he wasn’t a fighter. He was overpowered still by the villain. His wrists were bound together with rope and he was dragged off once more.

Evelyn recovered and zoomed after him though once more. She was determined not to give up or give in. She would save her friend. She jumped on top of Vanek and this time gripped him tightly in her talon fingers and lifted him into the air and then flung him across the city of Moscow with fury. So much fury, she screeched again.

The Dallas Star was in awe, as he worked to get his wrists unbound from the rope. But he couldn’t.

Then Evelyn landed on the ground and helped to free his wrists and she scooped him up and carried him back to the girls. Kelly was flicking her wand at Brooke, who was bleeding. And then in one flick, the red was gone.

“Wow, that’s amazing!” Brooke exclaimed. Her eyes landed on Val, as Evelyn set him back on his feet. “Oh Valeri, you’re okay!!”

Val and Brooke hugged one another.

“Big mean Thomas Vanek try to take me, but Eve save me!” Val cheered, wearing his classic clueless expression.

“Don’t get used to it, Nichy, I’m Jonathan’s heroine, okay. But I’ll gladly help you out, but please don’t make a habit of it.” She giggled.

“Да, Black Hawk. Я понимаю. (Yes, Black Hawk. I understand.)” Val dropped his head and looked at his feet. He really wanted her to be his heroine. For that one moment, he had enjoyed himself. He was jealous of the Chicago centerman, but there was nothing he could do. She had been assigned to the Blackhawks and more precisely, Jonathan Toews. He had to live with that truth.

“Good boy, now let’s get to the LOD’s lair and save some Blackhawks. And if anyone has any issues, holler. But hopefully we can stop wasting time. Now, c’mon!”

Evelyn led the group away from the car. They walked for about four miles, before they came upon an abandoned KHL arena.

“This is where you saw them?” Brooke asked.

“Yes. Unless this Kaleta guy is smarter than me and knows about my Hawk Vision and can manipulate it, this is our lair.”

“Where did Vanek go?” Kelly questioned, looking around.

“I don’t know, but he hasn’t shown up, so either I killed him, he’s unconscious still or he gave up. Whatever the case, I want my Jonny back and I want this to be over.”

And with a deep breath, the superheroine pushed open the double doors to the arena and walked inside. The other three followed her, jumping inside behind her. They instantly froze in place, unable to move or do anything.

Notes

Thomas Vanek..... >:( Hands off the Valeri, or I'll chop 'em off!! Darn you, you Bruin killer!! Grrrr.
(As you can tell, I'm not a Vanek fan, never have and never will. I'll take Sid over him any day!)


Next up: Uh...backstories and what's in the building!!