'Madame, I—'

My whip cracks with a loud snap, hitting flesh, leaving a red welt.

He winces but doesn't utter a sound.

'Why didn't you bring me information yet?' I turn around, slowly, looking him up and down. He is shaking like a twig caught in storm.

'He is refusing to open his mouth. No amount of inflicting pain is working. Even the electric chains failed.'

'What?' my interest piques, 'No one has been able to resist the electricity. Is his strength derived from elemental lightning?'

'I—'

'Get lost!' I bark, 'I'll deal with the menace myself.'

'But, Charlynn, it's dangerous. You revealing yourself to them. Our entire plan of using you as a decoy will be foiled. No one will fall for the damsel in distress drama we stage again.'

'Rudolf, I am interested in this insolent brat. It'll be a nice exercise to break him piece by piece till he has no confidence left.' I look at my partner with disinterest, cracking my knuckles in boredom.

'Your loss,' he makes a face, storming off into the darkness.

~~~~~~~~~~

'Your name, warrior?' I ask again, my voice rising an octave.

'My lips are sealed. Ask your men if all the low quality crap, your so called torture devices, could break me.' he smirks against a layer of caked blood on his lips.

I stare in disbelief at the tall, well built man, sprawling on the floor in front of me, chained to the floor with iron shackles. His shoulder is hunched and he looks haggard, but there is a certain sense of self dignity in him.

He looks straight into my eyes, daring me. I kick the iron shod toes of my stilettos into his stomach as the breath leaves his body.

'Beat me up, will you? Try it.' he pants against the exhaustion of his body.

'You're a tough nut to crack,' I hiss, grabbing his shirt and pulling him up from the ground. 'I show no mercy. Now tell me who you are.'

'Fine. I'm the ranger bestowed with the element of lightning. Who are you?'

'Dame Devil at your service,' I let go off his collar, running my long, manicured nails slowly across his jawline.

'That's not your name. I'm asking who you really are.'

I stop for a second. No captive has ever asked that to me before. To them, I was always a threat, a symbol of torture.

'What's yours?' I ask instead.

'Matthew! Matthew Stanfield.' he says, without hesitation, and then adds, 'Your turn.'

'I didn't know we were having a deal?' I cock my head to one side, giving him my death stare.

'I think it's only fair.' he chips in again.

I bend down so that my lips are at his ear as I whisper, a dangerous undertone to my voice. This man is annoying and I struggle to keep myself calm. My hands are shaking and once I lose control of my emotions, my rage wrecks havoc.

'Why do you care? I'm the daughter of darkness. I'm pure evil.'

'The absence of light is the dark. And nothing is pure evil. It is just your perception. My own sister joined hands with the netherworld, but I don't hate her.' he throws a challenging look.

'Do you hate me? After all I did?' I don't know why I ask. 'Before you judge, I've killed seventeen superheroes till now.'

'No, I won't hate you even if you kill me. Evil is born out of injustice. You must have had a past, something —'

'Enough!' I bark, 'My past is nothing that we discuss in my lair.'

'You can't run away from your past. But you can face it, destroy it and move forward.' he nods grimly.

I don't reply to the zen talk. I've heard words of wisdom enough in my life.

'Leave him alone and pass him some morsels to eat. I need this one alive,' I say instead and lock the door on him, stomping off.

~~~~~~~~

'I asked a simple question, Matthew. Where is the base? Give me the answer and you'll be free to go.' I shout, exasperated.

'You won't get that out of me till I am alive.'

'Oh really?' I give a smile, 'We have ways to extract your memories and I promise that it won't be a very enjoyable procedure,' I mutter.

'You're hiding behind a mask and throwing big threats. You're a coward,' he spits.

My hands move involuntarily to my devil's mask, adjusting it unmindful of my surroundings.

The words of the Lord of Darkness, play in my head.

'Dame Devil, you disappointed me. You couldn't get they puny Electric Ranger to speak?'

'I'm sorry,' I keep my head down, still kneeling, 'But he's a really tough.'

'Oh, just do away with him if he's of no use. Or wait, I'll extract his brain and —'

'No,' I cry in horror, earning a pointed glance from the High Lord. 'I meant, that won't be necessary.'

I pick at my dress, praying that he doesn't notice the slip. What am I supposed to do? I don't know why the thought of harming those gorgeous woodland eyes, makes my stomach crawl. I have nightmares of those bottomless depths looking into my soul. I feel vulnerable with him, so I don't go myself for interrogation.

'Fine. I want answers,' he waves his hands, dismissing me.

'Earth to, madame.' a voice pierces through my daydream.

'See your nerve,' I retort, 'You're still at my mercy.

' And you won't kill me.'

'Not so fast,' my unsheathed sword is at his neck, it's edges gleaming blue with dark energy.

'Go ahead, do it.' he grimaces.

'Kill him,' Raphael, my minion, comments from the side, 'The Dark Lord wants it.'

My sword changes direction and is at Rachael's throat before he can react. He goes pale, his eyes widening. 'I'm still the leader around here, and you don't teach me my duties.'

Raphael whimpers as the sword goes back into my belt.
Matthew chuckles.

'He's a valuable hostage. We'll bargain with him,' I announce.

'No one will come for me. It's always the Institute first. We're just soldiers, weapons in the hands of the Grand Masters sitting in air conditioned offices.' he shrugs.

'And pulling the strings of his puppets?' I ask.

'Yes.'

'Join us. We could use you,' I offer.

'Maybe my ghost can join you.' he gives a full throated laugh.

'I'm Charlynn,' I say, 'Just Charlynn. It means darkness.'

'Huh!' he looks genuinely flabbergasted and I feel sorry for him, almost.

'You wanted to know you I am,' I turn away and lock the cell behind me.

'Oh!' I turn back, 'One little advice. If you can't sleep at midnight, look out of the window. Oops! Too high. Maybe if you're not chained then—' I give the laugh of pure evil.

His eyes study me intently,trying to look through my disguise. I fasten the scarf around my neck tighter, suddenly self conscious.

'Will wait for the moon,' he shrinks back into his chamber.

~~~~~~~~

I swipe the laser torch at the steel bars of the high window, slicing through it smoothly, as the pieces drop silently.

With a press of a button, my whip turns into a rope, with a knife on its tip. I aim precisely as the knife embeds itself on the concrete wall.

Pulling out the remote, I press the button, hearing a soft click. I pause, waiting for any other sound, but the night is silent as death.

I hear a scraping and a rough movement against the wall. A silhouette appears against the dim blue outline of the window.

Effortlessly the figure jumps down, making his way to me, gracious as a cat.

'Why'd you save me?' I can hear surprise in his voice.

'You saved your own stupid ass. Now go away before I change my mind and drag you back in. Their wouldn't shake to disembowel you.'

'But yours does.'

'I don't like boys who blabber too much,' I turn away, willing him to go.

'Show me my savior.' he demands.

'You'll be disappointed. I'm nothing like the fairy from heaven.'

'You're my guardian angel.'

'More like a guardian demon,' I say, removing my mask.

'You're the girl that called for help, didn't you? And then your men trapped me.'

'Exactly yes.' I meet his gaze, unflinching.

'And still you have your face covered. Why so much secrecy? Bad girls are ravishing, as far as I know,' he gives a tug at my veil, taking me by surprise. The loose fabric is ripped apart, leaving my scar bare.

'What no—' I try to cover my face, feeling utterly exposed.

He catches both my arms in his as I try to pry away from his grip.

'Look at me. There's no point in hiding,' his voice is soft.

My eyes meet his, my gaze frightened like a deer in a headlight.

I watch his face fall open and something wrenches at my heart. I had expected disgust, revulsion, but what I find in those eyes is pure worship.

' You are gorgeous,' he breathes.

'Maybe you haven't noticed that half of my face is gone,' I say pointedly. Admitting that out loud, still hurts. 'He threw acid on me, just because I had refused his carnal advances. He ruined everything I had. They didn't want me in my job, my home or my friends circle —'

'And you call the Dark World your family now?'

'The Dark Lord maybe a crazy scientist, a cruel psychopath, but he saved me from starving. He knew I was gifted. Super agility and telescopic vision, that's my strength.' I admit, feeling warm tears on my cheeks.

I turn around abruptly.

'You have me now.' his hands cup the side of my face. 'Never hide your tears. They show your strength, not your weakness.'

'Don't flatter yourself by thinking that I want you,' I smile through my tears.

'Oh, believe me, you do! Lots of girls are dying to be with me.' he grins.

'Am I one of the lot?'

'No. You are the one.'

My heart skips as beat as his lips find there way to mine as I devour his with equal fervor. I knot my fingers in his hair as he wraps a hand on my waist, dragging me closer. We melt into one in the heat of the moment. It's me that breaks the kiss, pushing him away.

'Forget that. It wasn't meant to happen,' my voice is shaking. 'You should grab your freedom.'

'But Charlynn—' he argues.

'Leave before I call the troops.'

I guess he senses the threat in my voice, backing off.

I walk away from him, unsure of my feelings. There is an all consuming void in my chest, pressing down with heaviness. I just walked away from the only chance of love in the bleak world.

~~~~~~~

'How can he escape?' Rudolf grits, his teeth, his hands forming into fists. 'What were you guards doing?'

He unleashes his power as sparks fly in the air, reducing a few of the troops to dust.

'Control your emotions, Rudolf.' my voice is back to ice again. 'I don't want a ruckus  in my area, early in the morning. He was of no use anyway, just being a burden to us. We'll set out on a mission soon.'

'Fine,' his blazing eyes cool down.

'Think of Martha!' I breathe, patting his shoulder.

'They fucking killed her. I hate the world.' he hisses.

'So do I. But we don't lose cool. We plan, we execute. We play with our heads and not hearts.'

'You're right,' he sighs, moving away from the crime scene.

'Matthew,' I look at the open sky through the broken bars, 'We'll meet soon, somehow, soon.'

But our worlds are never meant to be one. They would clash at one time or the other and then we have to make sure that he real choice, not necessarily the tougher choice, but the right choice definitely.

2000 words completed.

A/N Written for the contest by superhero and Romance