S.L.U.T. : Smoque

"How do I always get myself into these situations? Waist deep in an overrun alligator swamp, searching for a kidnapped heiress." Smoque thought. For the millionth time she cursed not being able to fly around this mosquito infested backwater toxic wasteland, but the last hero who thought he could fly directly to Big Mama Marsh's hideout got hit with a human bug zapper.

That's when the girl's mother called on S. L. U. T. Smoque hated when parents get on the news begging for help. It removed the element of surprise.

Luckily, Mrs. Daltonshire was smarter than that. She wasn't sure how the woman found her contact. But she supplied a rather nice incentive for the safe rescue her daughter. 

Is it wrong to accept payment for superheroing? There was an ongoing debate in the major circles, but not all heroes have money coming out of the capes, and she was going to need to burn this costume when she get out of this swamp, because the smell will never come out and hero costumes are not cheap. But Silkworm does the best job. So it's worth every (sometimes literal) bloody penny. 

Back to the problem at hand, Smoque could feel movement in the water. The alligators were easy. She had her guns strapped to my back and had no qualms with using them on something that was trying to eat her. Besides, it was the piranhas that bothered her. They swarm. And there was a school of them guarding the underwater entrance. She knew because of Takwesha. In the field, they called her Clockwork.

"Smoque, can you read me?"

"Yeah, I'm still here. Getting septic shock from this damn swamp water and-" just then a giant thwak sent her flying. 

"Smoque?!"

She crashed into the water down river grateful her helmet kept her from getting too much of the filthy swamp water in her mouth and bashing her head on the shallow floor.

"Busy!"

She reached for her weapons, only to find both her guns gone.

"Son of a-"

THWAK!

This time she was being held underwater, which isn't something alligators normally do. Luckily panicking isn't something Smoque normally does. She reached into her boot and grabbed her knife. She stabbed the giant tail that held her down, wrapping herself around it, so the thing couldn't swim off and attack her again. 

When the tail rose out of the water, she was face to face with Bubba Joe. Big Mama's second in command, who happened to be a giant genetically altered alligator.

"Hey there, Bubba Joe. You wouldn't want to just tell me where the heiress is so I don't have to hurt you, would you?" 

He chuckled and grinned. He spoke in a thick deep gravelly Cajun accent. "De only one gettin' hurt 'round here is you." He then attempted to snap his jaws around her. At the very last second she let go and fell back into the water. When she came back up the gator was howling in pain, from having bit his own tail. 

"See, you say that..." she knew she shouldn't tease him but he's just so dumb, it's almost cute.

Or at least he would be if he wasn't trying eat her.

She turned and ran to the bank hoping to able to level the playing field a bit.

As she climbed out of the water and saw her TEC-9's lying near a moss covered tree. "Oh good. You flew off of me and onto dry land. Thanks guys."

"You know those guns can't talk."

"Yes, Clockwork, I know."

"What's going on?"

She grabbed the guns and fired at Bubba Joe as he lunged at her. He flew back and splashed into the river as several bullets pierced his soft underbelly. When he didn't come back out of the water, I knew he was up to something. He was down but he wasn't out. He'd heal sooner than she'd like and be at her heels again.

"Bubba Joe. That's what's going on. He tried to eat me. Again."

"Did you shoot him?"

"Of course I did."

"He's gonna be pissed."

"He usually is."

Bubba Joe was quieter and faster than someone of his size should be. Smoque kept her guns up looking quickly, but calmly in all directions. Her position was too out in the open for her liking, but there wasn't much to be done. Climbing the tree behind her could get her trapped and flying would get her zapped.

"Are you getting anything?"

"No but he is cold-blooded, so that's to be expected."

"Flying solo then am I?"

"I'm working on a way to track amphibians. Till then...you're the meta-soldier. Listen for him."

"I am not a meta anything. I'm a science project. Now, shush so I can do what you said and not get eaten."

Smoque focused on her hearing. Her own heart rate slowing, blocking out the digital noises of her equipment, listening for the heartbeat of her adversary. She heard his claws scratching into the earth as he prepared to tackle her from behind. She pivoted to the right, crouched down and sprung backwards, firing her weapons while airborne. Bubba Joe grunted as he blocked the bullets and crawled towards her fast a rattlesnake, bullets bouncing off his thick scales creating more of an annoyance then slowing him down. 

Smoque expertly dropped the empty clips from her weapons and slammed two fresh ones in from her utility belt as she turned to run.

"I knew I should have brought my swords." She thought, cursing her shortsightedness. But a moss covered cypress gave her an idea. She slowed her pace to let Bubba Joe think he was catching up, burst into a sprint, ran up the trunk, and somersaulted over him to land on his back. He reared in protest and proceeded to attempt to buck and shake her off. Which was fine by Smoque, she stuck a tiny but powerful explosive under his arm then let go. She pressed the detonator and he went flying back into the swamp.

"Clockwork, I love your bombs."

"Thank you. Is he done?"

"For now.”

“Good.”