"Just watch out for sucker punches," Karis joked.
"I'm not ready to get a hit like that again," Diz agreed.
Karis took off and looked around the area. Based on his vanishing acts, Mornigan could be anywhere, including in the air. She flew in an erratic pattern while searching their foe.
Diz had searched the whole forest three times in the time it had taken Karis to get her search started. He wasn't having any luck either. He messed with the squirrels by snagging the food they were after before they could get it.
After several minutes of searching they reconvened at the spot where Diz had been assaulted.
"So what do we do now?" Diz demanded. "We can’t just let this guy go."
"What else can we do?" Karis countered.
Before Diz could respond, Mornigan appeared in front of them. He raised his hand as they moved to engage him.
"There is no need for petulance," he announced. "We can be friends."
"When are you going to get the message?" Diz protested. "We aren't interested in whatever you are offering."
"I'm offering you a chance to work with me of your own volition. I can force you if need be."
"You do not have that kind of power," Karis debated.
"Very well," Mornigan threatened as he reached for a button on his glove. "With a push of this button, you will obey me."
Diz and Karis moved to stay his hand, but they weren't fast enough even with Diz's speed. Mornigan pushed the button and they stopped moving and waited for a feeling of change.
"Now come here and bow before me," Mornigan ordered.
Karis considered his order, and didn't feel compelled to obey. Diz was even less inclined to obey; in fact he wanted something else. Diz ran towards the enemy and ran around him landing blow after blow.
"What is the meaning of this?" Mornigan barked. Mornigan grabbed for the Diz but could not get a hand on the speedster.
"It means your little toy doesn't work," Karis gloated. "Perhaps you need to send it to the shop."
"We will see who has the last laugh," Mornigan quipped as he vanished from sight.
"Do you think he could have done it?" Diz wondered.
"I don't know," Karis admitted. "He seemed quite confident about that button."
"So what do we want to do about this guy, and how do we find out more about him?" Diz mused.
"Let's not worry about it right away," Karis dismissed. "Do you want to go on a date with me?"
Chapter 14
Karis took a moment to consider her outfit. She hadn't been a woman for very long and she didn't really know what to do or how to act. She had gone shopping and bought a long purple dress and a pair of matching heels that had been a suggestion of one of the salesladies at the shop she had visited. She let her long red hair fall naturally, although since the change there really wasn't much that was natural about her hair. She added a necklace and a few bracelets and rings from Cacy's collection.
Diz put on a blue shirt and yellow tie to go along with his black pants and shoes. Diz thought about how limited men's fashion was compared to women's fashion. He walked out of Gavin's bedroom and waited for his date.
When Karis arrived, Diz stood and after a few moments of moving his hands awkwardly, finally put them in his pockets.
“Do you like what you see?” Karis asked as she turned around and floated a little off the ground.
“You look amazing,” Diz replied and he moved closer to her as she landed.
“You look pretty good yourself,” Karis replied trying to fight against the blush that was building on her face.
"So what do you have planned?" Diz asked as he took her hand.
"I thought we should go to a nice restaurant and decide what to do after that." she replied.
"Any place in particular?" Diz pressed.
"I was thinking about this Italian place I've seen from time to time."
"Sounds wonderful," Diz agreed. "I was thinking about tonight."
"I have been too, honestly."
"What I mean is that we need to be careful," Diz whispered in her ear.
"What do we need to be careful about?" Karis whispered back.
"These are our secret identities," Diz continued, "we can't let people know who we are. I don't have red hair when I'm in my own body."
"Do I need to cover it up?" Karis asked as she reached up to her head.
"I don't think so," Diz amended, "but you do need another name. Everyone knows who Karis is, at least when there is trouble."
"I suppose you're right," Karis admitted. "You need a new name too. There can't be many people around with the name Diz. At least Karis is an actual name."
"Touché," Diz said with a bow. "I will go by Anthony."
"And you can call me Tiffany," Karis added with her best attempt at a curtsey.
With that settled, they headed out the door and down the street to the restaurant. They took the subway, and they chose to keep from complaining about how much easier it would be to get everywhere if they used their powers. Tonight was about the illusion of normalcy. The trip to the restaurant was uneventful, and they managed some simple conversation without talking about their super-powered existence.
At the restaurant, they were seated at a comfortable table near a window. It was nice to see the city life without any dangers and to share some time without having to race off for a disaster.
"This is pleasant," Karis mentioned as Diz held the seat for her.
"Why didn't we do this before?" Diz wondered.
"Perhaps we were afraid of what might happen," Karis suggested putting her napkin in her lap. "We do have a terribly complicated relationship."
"Not terribly," Diz argued.
"I don't think we can safely talk about that," Karis mentioned. "We are trying to keep a low profile."
"That is true," Diz admitted. He took a moment to unroll his silverware and pretended to tuck his napkin into his shirt before putting it back on the table. "What can we talk about?"
"The weather?" Karis opened.
"That was some crazy weather we had last week, wasn't it?" Diz responded.
"Snow in May isn't usual," Karis replied.
"What about that metal-headed maniac, Mornigan?" Diz continued, "This city is getting more dangerous than I've ever seen it."
"We've only been here for a couple of months," Karis argued.
"Still," Diz debated, "you can't deny that it is more dangerous than we have ever seen."
"Fine," Karis accepted, "I'll concede the point. You certainly seem to be focused on one topic. The city has changed a great deal since Karis and the Diz appeared on the scene."
"That is for certain," Diz agreed. "I don't know about you, but I find Karis to be an extremely beautiful woman."
"I'm more interested in talking about the Diz," Karis countered. "It's a shame he hides his face under that helmet."
"I'm sure he has a reason," Diz objected. "He must get a lot of bugs in the face running that fast."
"And you don't think that Karis gets bugs in her face?" Karis demanded.
"That's a good point," Diz admitted. "Maybe she needs to talk to whoever is taking care of their costumes."
"Maybe she does," Karis agreed. "So what are we going to order?"
"That all depends on the waiter actually showing up," Diz sneered.
"You're much harsher when we're like this, aren't you?" Karis observed.
"And you're a little more sensitive," Diz retorted.
"How do you feel about me, though," Karis wondered.
"It's complicated," Diz said trying to avoid the question.
"We mentioned that," Karis argued.
"I suppose you're right. I like you just as much as I ever did," Diz confessed.
That was the moment the waiter finally decided to come to the take their order. He came to the table holding his notepad and looking down at it instead of the customers.
"Hello, I'm Dave," he mumbled, "I'll be your waiter. What can I get for you two tonight?"
"I'm not really sure," Karis answered.
"Isn't that just like a girl?" Dave joked.
"She might have an easier time choosing a dish if someone gave us menus," Diz sneered.
"Wasn't I here already?" Dave asked. "I'm so sorry."
Dave rushed to get the menus while Diz and Karis watched him go.
"Would it be out of line for me to pants him?" Diz wondered.
"Yes it would," Karis insisted. "We made a deal for tonight. It doesn’t matter how rude he was."
"I suppose you're right," Diz relented. "I can always pants him another time."
Karis tried to stifle a laugh as Dave returned to the table with the menus. When he actually looked at his customers, he dropped the menus on the ground.
"You're Karis!" he shouted.
"I believe you are mistaken," Diz asserted.
"You saved my life last week," Dave insisted. "I'm so sorry about earlier. I didn't know I was serving an angel."
All of the customers were looking at the table now. There were muttering, but neither Karis nor Diz could catch anything specific.
"I don't know what kind of drugs you are using," Diz whispered, "but I am Anthony, and this is my date, Tiffany. We were hoping to have a simple quiet meal in peace, but you have insulted my date and disturbed our evening."
"But I know who you are," Dave ranted. "Why are you trying to deny it?"
"I insist on seeing your manager," Diz yelled. “I will not put up with this nonsense.”
"What seems to be the trouble here?" an older man with grey hair in a blue suit demanded.
"Your waiter is harassing us," Diz reported.
"This is Karis," Dave squealed. "She saved my life."
"I don't know what he is talking about," Karis insisted. "We were just trying to have a quiet meal. This man insulted me and has been ranting like a lunatic for several minutes now."
Can I get your autographs?" Dave begged.
"I think we will just leave," Diz suggested.
"We do not want to lose your business over a simple problem," the manager insisted.
"Thank you, but we have better things to do with our time," Diz growled as he grabbed Karis' hand and led her out the door.
Chapter 15
Look at these two love birds, sitting down to a nice meal. It’s hard to believe that they have all of the hopes and dreams of the city riding on their backs. Look how passionately they stare into each other's eyes. Isn't it just too cute for words?
These were the comments from Tammy Truheart, the main spokesperson for Celebrities Exposed, a late night show filled with celebrity gossip.
It's nice to see that Karis can maintain her fashion sense off the battlefield. Aside from that one photo that appeared from Upstate, she has managed to be an icon of fashion. I mean seriously, orange and pink with hair like that? Fortunately someone must have sent that girl a memo.
Cacy picked up the remote and looked at it a moment before throwing it back on the couch.
I have long expected confirmation of a romantic relationship between these two heroes, and I think that this will prove that notion, won't it? Perhaps in the future we will see something more exciting. It's just a shame that waiter chased them away before we could capture more exciting footage. The waiter did have this to say...
"They weren't as nice as I expected, but I guess I could have handled it better. Karis saved my life, though, she really did. She caught me when I was falling off my apartment building. She's an angel. I'm hoping that she will marry me some day."
Regardless of other crushes, I think that it is safe to say that our young heroes are in love. Hopefully they won't let their romance get in the way of saving our fair city. After the break, find out which movie star was found in a motel with a copy of Twilight. This is Tammy Truheart for Celebrities Exposed.
Cacy turned off the television as Gavin stepped out of his room with a green towel draped over his shoulder.
"So I've got a secret admirer," he muttered as he started drying his hair.
"I'm sure you've got plenty," Cacy chuckled.
"Of all the annoying people to fall in love with Karis," Gavin moaned throwing the towel at her.
"I wonder if Diz has any fan girls," Cacy mused.
"Why, are you looking for a new partner?" Gavin asked with a mock hurt tone.
"We don't know how we got our powers," Cacy argued, "so how do I give any to anyone else?"
"Is that supposed to be an apology?"
"It's as much as you are going to get,"
"I guess it will have to do," Gavin laughed.
He sat down on the couch next to her and put his arm around her shoulder. She snuggled in close and hummed happily.
"I'm tempted to ask you out again," Cacy suggested as she poked his nose gently, "but our track record hasn't been very good so far."
"That's an understatement," Gavin declared. "It doesn't seem to matter if we go out as Gavin and Cacy or Karis and Diz."
"Anthony and Tiffany might have been a bad choice," Cacy suggested.
"Especially now that the waiter knows those names," Gavin pointed out.
"Maybe we'll have to try something different," Cacy mused.
"Let's worry about that later," Gavin pressed. "How long has it been since we've heard from Mornigan?"
"So long that I’ve lost track," Cacy noted.
"Perhaps we need to visit Michaels and see if there are any new developments." Gavin prompted.
"It's late," Cacy mentioned. "Do you think he'll be there?"
"Does he seem like the kind of guy that ever leaves the office?" Gavin laughed as he took her hand.
* * *
Karis was reluctant, but she had allowed Diz to carry her to the headquarters of the men in the grey track suits. It was interesting to see the world from that perspective. She could move at this speed, but she didn't have the ability to distinguish objects and people at the rate at which Diz reported that he could. A few moments after leaving the place where they hid their costumes, they were at Michael's office. Michaels didn’t seem to be around although there were several track suits milling around.
"Is Michaels here?" Diz demanded one of the workers with dark hair with streaks of grey in it.
"He had to step out for a little bit," the man replied with no further explanation.
"Can you tell us where we can find him?" Karis asked.
"That is confidential," the man answered curtly.
"So what are we supposed to now?" Diz demanded.
"Perhaps Smith could help you with whatever is on your minds," he suggested.
"Where do we find Smith?" Diz pressed.
"Follow me," the man replied and headed down the hallway.
He led them down several corridors that they hadn't seen yet, but then again, they hadn't really seen much of the office space. They took a left and then two rights before they reached a door labeled 'Smith 3." Their guide knocked four times in rapid succession and a voice on the other side of the door shouted for them to enter.
The door opened and they saw Smith seated on the floor like he was doing a meditation, but aside from him, the office was empty. Smith sat cross legged in the room almost oblivious to the trio that had just entered. He was muttering something in a language neither of them recognized.
"Why are you disturbing my meditations," Smith insisted without breaking his pose.
"Miss Karis and Mr. Diz are here to see Michaels," the man stuttered.
"They why don't you take them to his office," Smith growled.
"Michaels is out at the moment," he answered. "He was called away on a very important matter."
"That is very strange," Smith grumbled as he got up from the floor. "So what is so important that the two of you had to interrupt me?"
"We want to know if there is anything new on Mornigan," Karis asked.
"I believe that you were told that we would be in touch when we knew more, but to answer your question, no, we haven't heard anyth
ing new yet," Smith responded coldly. "Perhaps he has gone underground and has given up on his plans."
"I don't believe that for a moment," Diz retorted. "That maniac doesn't seem like he's planning on giving up. We certainly haven't scared him much."
"So you feel that he is still working on something?" Smith queried.
"You read the report about him saying he could control us?" Karis asked.
"Yes," Smith replied as he sat back down on the floor, "I do seem to recall something about that."
"He was very distraught when it didn't work," Karis continued. "I think he is working on something to do with that."
"That could very well be the case," Smith agreed as he stretched forward. "We will have to give that matter some consideration."
"Sir," a young man in a track suit called as he ran down the hall with a piece of paper, "there's a hostage situation. I figured since Karis and Diz are here they might be interested in lending a hand."
"Let me see that paper," Diz said as he moved from his position to next to the young man. "I'll try to leave you something to do."
With that, he rushed away leaving the paper floating in the air. Karis rushed over and grabbed it.
"I hate it when he does that. I'll see you later, Smith," Karis shouted as she flew away.
* * *
Diz arrived at the scene and found several police cars surrounding the building. There were spot lights illuminating a window, and an officer had a bull horn that he was ready to use.
"Could you use some help?" Diz asked.
"Where did you come from?" the officer asked as he turned in surprise pointing his gun at Diz.
"Sorry," Diz replied, "I tend to sneak up on people like that without even trying."
"You're the Diz, aren't you?" the officer realized.
"That would be me," Diz gloated.
"You saved my buddy's life a couple of days ago, pulled him out from in front of a bullet and everything."
"I guess I did," Diz said shrugging his shoulders, "it's hard to say. I end up saving a lot of people, and I'm not sure who you're talking about."
"That doesn't matter. I'm Karl Jones. Anything you need, you let me know."
"Well, Officer Jones," Diz said, "can you tell me what's going on here?"
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