Elemorts

Chapter XI - Pinz

Planet Felitty

Pinz Ailoraw put her palm to the ground as her leather boots slid backward over the glass floor of the research facility or museum or wherever it was supposed to be. She lifted her head as she came to a halt to face her opponent — a mobster with a shaved head, tattoos snaking down his arms, and a featureless, latex mask concealing his visage. The floor was studded with dim LED lights that illuminated him from underneath, outlining him in an eerie green glow.

"Give up, girl, you're making me feel embarrassed for you," the mobster growled.

"Let me save you from your embarrassment!" Pinz snapped back.

Pinz rose and charged toward him, her boots clacking against the glass panes, her shoulder-length, twin pigtails flapping behind her like a pair of little, jet-black wings. She spread her arms to her sides, extending dark-orange claws from her fingertips just as the mobster crossed his arms and sprouted claws of his own. She performed a couple of handsprings successively, rapidly leaping past several workstations and showcases. After swinging back to her feet one more time, she took a swipe at her opponent's face.

The mobster interposed his claws to deflect her attack and parried with a stab directed at her gut. Pinz hunched her back to stay out of reach and then dug her hands into his shoulders. She vaulted over his head to land behind him and used the momentum to pull him overhead and slam him to the floor. The pane cracked under him with a crunch, and the light underneath went out with a spark. Did I throw him a tad too hard? Pinz wondered.

Her concern quickly evaporated as she felt the mobster's legs striking her ankles. Her legs gave way, and the floor swiftly rushed up to meet her. Her face mere inches from the floor, she braced her hands against the floor to break her fall and then cartwheeled toward the mobster. She landed on top of him and pinned him to the ground with her knees.

"Is it still me you're feeling embarrassed for, huh?" Pinz scoffed, threateningly pointing her claws very close to his eyes.

The mobster's eyeballs shifted rapidly from the claws hanging over them to Pinz and back. He closed his eyes.

Pinz let out a laugh. "That's right, go to sleep, and I won't hurt you anymore."

She retracted her claws, got up, and turned to go. Just as she took a step, she heard a gun cocking. "Don't move," the mobster croaked behind her.

Pinz froze for a second. Then, gradually, she turned around. A dark-orange and chartreuse gun was aimed at her.

"Goodbye," the mobster said and pulled the trigger.

The weapon discharged with a loud zap, and Pinz clenched her eyes shut as the dark-orange light blinded her. Everything went silent for a bit except a faint ringing in her ears.

Slowly, she opened her eyes. The mobster pulled the trigger again, twice.

"You can drop your toy, Kalin," Pinz said unfazed.

The mobster looked back unbelievingly. "But... how... what are you?"

"Oh, just a mer. Although one whose skeleton and skin has been infused with tensimax nanotrons, which means your puny weapons won't work on me," Pinz said, crossing her arms. "I am... an Elemort!"

"And cut!" the assistant director yelled.

Bastelle got up from the director's chair and cried out, "And we have it!"

Everyone in the studio burst into applause as Pinz took a deep breath. Overhead, some extra lights on the fixtures flicked on to life, revealing the world beyond the set. Pinz meekly put up her hands to join in the clapping. The stunt double sprang up from the ground and joined in as well, clapping much more excitedly. It took a whole minute for the applause to cease.