Eagless 112

Franklin FD Saves Household

The Franklin Fire Department saved a household of three sophomores and their dog late last night from a house fire across the street from campus. Their courage to rush into harm’s way to protect the innocent should never go unrecognized, so we thank these brave men and women. Some eyewitnesses report that a masked woman was also seen on the premises, but the Daily was unable to confirm those reports.

“I’m sure you were,” Ashley grumbled under her breath as she set the paper down on the bench next to her at the airport. Nicole had dropped her off on her way to her hometown, a little place north of Duncan called Brookstone. Ashley was also heading home, but the trip to Hamilton, Michigan wasn’t a short drive, so flying it was. She grabbed her bag and boarded as her group was called.

The three days she spent in Hamilton dragged by. She loved her family, but after being away for the last year and a half and the freedom she’d found as a vigilante, the house felt a little suffocating, especially when the conversation switched to her future career. Her older sister had gone into their father’s optometry practice, and her brother was in the process of joining them as he finished up medical school in Hamilton. She was expected to join the family business as well, once she finished up her time away in Franklin. She was the first in the family to not go to college in Hamilton, and her soccer scholarship was the only way she had avoided it. Even after her month away from classes—an absence no one in her family needed to know about—her grades were still unblemished, and her acceptance into Hamilton’s medical school was a foregone conclusion. For now.

Her family dropped her off at the airport with promises to come to more games this spring than they had the previous year, and Ashley did her best to act like she believed them. She took a deep breath as she settled into her seat for the return flight, the first real breath she had taken since she had gotten off the last plane. Back to business.

After a few days off, she didn’t bother with the staff her first night back in Franklin. She wasn’t even really going on rounds as much as she was going for a jog to loosen back up. The night passed quietly, as she’d figured it would. The next three were all equally silent as she watched from her perch on the building she and Lance had staked out.

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The silence was shattered the next night as everyone still in Franklin over the winter break celebrated New Year’s Eve. Ashley had almost as many encounters that one night as she had experienced in the last four months of doing rounds.

The night started early as she left for her perch at the same time Nicole left to go to a party at a friend’s house.

“Be safe out there tonight,” Nicole told her as they locked the door behind them. “There’s no telling what’s going to happen tonight. Keep your guard up.”

“I will. I’ll make sure to check on your party every so often to make sure you’re safe and no shenanigans are going down to put you in danger.”

“That would be a waste of your time,” Nicole laughed, motioning to her sweatpants and sweatshirt before waving the fuzzy slippers in her hand in Ashley’s direction. “I think our plan is just for the five of us to eat a pizza, watch a movie, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I was asleep by eleven. You stay focused on areas that need you more.”

“I’ll compromise and do both. You should head out. I’ll see you in the morning!” Ashley waved as her friend drove off, then she picked up her staff and made her way to campus, keeping the staff as hidden as she could.

She only sat on top of her usual building for ten minutes before a voice cried out from the street below.

“I’m going home,” the woman declared, ripping her arm away from the man.

“You’re going where I say you’re going,” he answered, grabbing her again as Ashley made her way back down the fire escape. “It’s only nine o’clock. We have places to go and people to see. You can go home at one. For now, you’re going where I go.”

“That wasn’t the deal. You said we were just going to get something to eat and call it a night. That nothing else would happen.”

“Well, I lied.” He lowered his voice, and Ashley had to strain to hear him even now that she was on the ground. “I paid good money to spend the night with you, and I plan on getting my money’s worth. That is, unless you want it to become public knowledge that this is your ‘college job’ that’s been paying your rent. I’m sure your mother would be thrilled to—” His threat was cut off by his scream as Ashley brought her staff down across his back, sending him tumbling forward to the ground.

Ashley kneeled on his back, pinning him to the ground. “And I’m sure your mother would be thrilled to find out you were extorting and abusing college girls.” She dug her knee deeper into his back as he whimpered. “You’re going to leave her alone now. This is a warning. You won’t get another one.”

He clambered to his feet and sprinted away as Ashley removed her knee and stood.

“Thank you so much.” The woman turned to her as the man fled. “How can I repay you?”

“Just stay safe out there tonight and pay it forward when you can,” Ashley responded, as she jogged backwards as she returned to the alley and her spot on the roof.

The night wore on as first ten o’clock passed, and then eleven, as Ashley stood watch on the roof. Voices sounded out below as she peered over the edge. Two men were stumbling across campus, holding each other up. They were cutting through the alley below her building, heading towards a street that had seen pretty consistent traffic throughout the night. Better to be safe, she thought as she climbed down the escape route to follow.

Ashley hit the ground as they exited the alley, heading straight for the road. She jogged to catch up, but it was too late. They’d already entered the road as horns began honking. Her jog turned to a sprint as she dropped her staff to chase after them. They stopped on the road as the horns honked around them, and Ashley got there in time to pull them off the road before the next car drove by, though that didn’t stop the driver from hurling obscenities out the window as he passed.

“Yo, you saved us! You’re a hero!” the first guy mumbled as they got back on the sidewalk.

“That’s what’s up.” The other nodded along.

“I’m trying to be anyway,” Ashley responded, looking around as the cars passed.

“That’s what’s up,” the second man repeated.

“You two wait right here. I’ll be right back, and we’ll get you home,” she told them as she jogged back to retrieve her staff.

“Cool, cool, cool. We will wait right here,” the first man answered as she left.

“That’s what’s up,” the second guy greeted with a point to her staff as she returned.

“Sick staff, dude,” the other man agreed.

“Right. Well. Where are you two trying to get to?” Ashley responded.

“Just across the street and down the block,” the first guy answered.

“Great. Let’s get going then,” she said as she led them to the crosswalk and across the street. She got the two men to their door shortly after without any more issues.

“Thanks again, dude. We’d have been roadkill without you. Keep on keeping on with your hero stuff. Campus is better this way.”

“Of course. You two stay safe, alright?”

“That’s what’s up.” Came the response as they went inside with two peace signs thrown up over their heads. Ashley shook her head and started heading back to campus before a scream stopped her in her tracks.

“It’s over!” the voice yelled before screaming again. Ashley sprinted back into the neighborhood towards the sound before sliding to a halt and taking cover. It’s them again. Her heart dropped as she watched the man and woman who had twice ambushed her standing out in front of a house. Frantically, she turned, searching for the rest of their gang, but there was nothing in the streets.

“Just let her leave, man.” A few of the other guys who had been involved came out of the house to talk to them. “Let her go home, and we can keep the party going. You two can talk it over tomorrow.”

“There’s nothing to talk over. She’s staying,” the man answered, grabbing her by the arm.

“I’m not staying!” she asserted, trying to slap at his arm to no avail. “Let me go!”

“Let her go, dude. This ain’t cool.” One of the guys stepped forward to try to separate the two, but one swing later, he was lying in the grass, moaning and unable to stand. Three others rushed the attacker as their friend was strewn out on the lawn. Their leader threw the girl to the ground and started swinging as they approached.

Ashley leapt from her hiding spot and sprinted towards the fight. The men had landed a few shots, but one of them had already been knocked out, and the other two were laboring. The girl stood and kicked at the back of the leader’s knee, leaving an opening for one of the men to connect with a face shot before he, too, was knocked out. The leader turned and lifted his arm to strike the girl who stood small next to him as she flinched, raising her arms to prepare for the blow. It never came. Instead, the man cried out. Ashley had whipped her staff into the side of his skull. He roared and rushed her, but Ashley dodged and rapped his knee as he ran by.

Limping, he turned back and snarled, “This will be the last time you put on that mask, girl. Your time on this campus is over. Let’s get her.” He motioned for the two men still conscious and the girl to join him, but they all stood still. “Cowards,” he spat. “Fine, I’ll do this myself then.” He ran the back of his hand across his mouth and nose and then charged Ashley again with a yell. She stepped forward, swinging her staff at his feet. He leapt, but Ashley continued her spin, using the momentum to catch him across the chest as he was still airborne. The sound of cracking wood filled the night sky as her staff broke across his chest. He fell to the ground with a thud and a groan. Blinking heavily, he leaned his head up only to be met by Ashley’s fist, knocking him unconscious and causing his body to fall limply on the grass.

“Happy New Year,” she whispered down at him. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she added, “punk.”

It was done. She’d beaten him. All on her own. She looked up to find the two men leaning on one another and the girl standing over her.

“Thank you,” the girl said quietly as sirens blared in the distance and more partygoers came out from the house.

“You should get out of here, man,” one of the guys told her. “We’ll let the cops know you saved the day. You can’t let them find you out here. And we’ll make sure Travis doesn’t bother you again anytime soon.”

“My dad won’t keep him out of jail this time,” the girl said, staring down at Travis.

“Stay safe out here,” Ashley told them with a nod that was returned by all three of them before she took off away from the sirens, taking a detour to ensure she wasn’t being followed before calling it a night and returning home.

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SOMEBODY ONCE T—

“Mmmrrungh,” Ashley groaned as she turned off her alarm. It had only been about five hours since she’d collapsed in her room after last night’s excitement. Still, she had to stay consistent. She pulled on a pair of sweatpants, threw on a sweatshirt, and tied her shoes as she prepared to go for her run. She stretched out as she went about brushing her teeth and filling up her water bottle. Ashley yawned as she stepped out of the door and onto something that had been lying on her front porch.

She lifted her foot to find a plain envelope waiting, with her name on it. She bent down to pick it up. Inside, she found a letter along with a key.

1643 W. Forest Lane.

Unit 3C.

You earned it.

WK

Ashley’s heart started racing as she realized what the key was. 1643 W. Forest Lane. That’s only like a ten-minute jog down past the apartments on the southwest side of campus! Ashley carefully put the letter and key into the envelope and then into her pocket before starting her jog at a quicker pace than usual. Suddenly, her fatigue and soreness from the night before seemed lesser.

It wasn’t far, but her heart pounded, and she panted as she slowed to a stop at the entrance to the storage facility. She walked through the gate and down to the end of the second row, coming to a stop in front of 3C, where she pulled out the key. She inserted it into the lock, closed her eyes, and turned the key, pushing the door open as she released a deep breath. Opening her eyes, she stepped in and flipped on the light. It was just as she remembered it.

She smiled as she closed the door behind her, taking in the space. The sparring pad sat in the center of the room with the weights on one end and the weapons rack on the other. The bench sat along the door-side wall and further on in, there was the training table bed she’d first woken up on. The area to the left of the bed was empty, but on the right, there was a worktable with four wrapped gifts on it.

She lifted the first box from the table and looked at the card.

To: Ashley

From: Taylor.

Ripping the wrapping paper off, she opened the box to find a letter on top of a tablet. It was Taylor’s handwriting.

Hey Ashley,

Congrats on your success as the new campus vigilante! The White Knight team couldn’t be happier about who picked up our mantle on the campus we all love so much. There’s a lot of trial and error when it comes to being a hero, and hopefully, this gift will allow you to have an easier go of it than Lance had starting out. This tablet is set up to receive transmissions from every security camera the university has put up, as well as all the feeds we set up ourselves. You’re still free to patrol as often as you like, but this should help you be more efficient in your time, as you can see where trouble is happening from your home or your new base you’re standing in. The rent is paid for through your time at Franklin, so don’t worry about that. Hopefully, this gift will save time and energy, and you can get some better rest than Lance had in the beginning. You can relax a bit, knowing that it will allow you to be in the right place at the right time much more frequently. We’re always just a call away.

Taylor

Ashley turned on the tablet to find only one app on it. Opening it, she found a screen with four different camera feeds from across campus and a list in a sidebar of other feeds to watch. Ashley’s second thought was, This is a game changer. Her first thought was, Nicole is going to love this.

Reluctantly, she set the tablet back onto the table and picked up the next gift, this one from Jason. His letter was on the outside of the wrapping, so she read that first.

Hey Ash,

I kept the blue the same but added some white to go with it. Now that you have the tablet and can be more selective in when you’re out and about, you don’t have to be fully dark. The jacket is made from a Kevlar blend that will stop bullets but won’t fully protect you from the impact, so try not to get shot because even if they won’t go through you, they’ll still hurt. It should weaken the impact of fists or pipes and other things of that nature pretty significantly, too. The pants are the same material, and I kept the same color scheme as the jacket. The boots are a new design I’ve been working on that turned out really well. They have sensors that can detect if your foot is moving in a way that it shouldn’t, and they can harden in response in the right places. Please take care of them. They are very expensive, and I love them like they’re my child.

Up top, I wasn’t sure what you would prefer, so I came up with some options. You have two styles and two colors in both, since there wasn’t a ton of material needed. First, there’s a pretty form-fitting helmet, if it can even be called that. It will cover everything but your mouth and nose and will connect to your suit to keep it in place. It’s made out of the same material as the jacket and pants, so it should help soften normal blows, but if you get shot in the head, it would probably kill you still, so keep that in mind. I was also given feedback to create an opening for you to let your ponytail out, so I added that as well. The other option is an eye mask like you’ve been wearing. Both styles come with a microphone, an earpiece, and a camera to connect you with the tablet, and you have blue and white options for both, depending on what you’re feeling that day. Let me know if you need anything else. We’re all on the same team now.

Jason

Ashley ripped into the package as she dropped the letter and pulled out her new suit. She lifted the jacket and took it all in. Navy blue on the shoulders and on the top of the sleeves, with white on the undersides of the arm and in a stripe across the chest where there was a small circular recess in the white. The rest of the jacket was navy. The pants were also navy with white stripes down the side. Matching shoes and gloves were packed in as well. The full masks would take some getting used to, but could definitely come in handy in more dangerous situations. The regular masks, though, were beautiful. Much better than the one she’d ordered online. And having Nicole be able to talk to her and see what she was seeing would make rounds a lot less terrifying. She was tempted to try on the suit right then, but couldn’t resist moving to the next gift, Lance’s.

Ashley,

I worked with Jason to create a weapon for you that would be best suited for your style. I noticed that when we’d go out, it was difficult for you to keep a low profile because of the size of your staff. So, we went with a customized look for your new weapon. You will find two escrima sticks in this box. I know you’re able to fight well with these, and, in close confines, these will serve you well. They have an easy lock mechanism that will allow you to connect them to make one rod. There are two buttons on the rod. One will make the ends light up with electricity. We’ve found that to be a very useful addition to our weapons. The other button will lengthen the ends, giving you a full staff to use. Our hope is that this will allow you to travel undetected in a way a staff wouldn’t. The back of your jacket has slots on either shoulder that will perfectly fit each stick. They will cross behind your back to make retrieving them easy. I expect to have to resort to dirty tricks next time we spar because you already had me against the ropes when you were using a simple wooden staff. I look forward to being your sidekick again sometime soon.

Lance

Ashley unwrapped the gift and pulled out her new weapon. It was the same navy as her suit, except for the buttons on each, one white and one yellow. Ashley connected the two and pushed the yellow button, sending sparks of electricity to either end of the rod. Whoa. She released the yellow button and pressed the white button, and the rod doubled in length as the ends shot out. Twirling it in front of her, she smiled even larger as she felt that feeling of extension again, stronger now than the first time she had held a staff. She moved on to the final gift.

From: Hailey (and Gwen)

To: Ash.

She opened up the gift to find a letter on top of a newspaper.

Ash!!

We’re very proud of what you’re doing in Franklin! I used the camera set up around campus to get a picture of you. Gwen wants it known that she helped with the name. Check out page 1D of this morning’s The Daily Duncan. We need to come visit soon! Keep up the good work!

Hailey

Ashley quickly opened up the paper and dug through to find 1D.

There she was. In the center of the page, right below the fold, a photo of her in her mask and jacket with her staff in one hand, walking back across the street as the partygoers all stood behind her. Her eyes darted to the story below.

 New Hero Soars in Franklin

A new hero has taken up the mantle left vacant when the White Knight brought his heroism from Franklin to Duncan. Reports have been steadily increasing over the past two months, with just the last week bringing in multiple sightings. After rescuing three women from a house fire last week, last night on New Year’s Eve, she saved a woman from extortion, prevented two men from being run over, and took down an abuser who is finally answering to the law. The boys will have to make room at the superhero table because Eagless is here to stay.

Ashley dropped the paper on the table and interlocked her fingers behind her head. A superhero! She could hardly keep herself from crying. Eagless. That’ll work. She thought with a smile. There was one last thing in the box from Hailey, a white circle. It felt like the same material her suit was made from. A chill coursed through her as she turned it over to find the blue outline of an eagle’s head. Turning back to Jason’s gift, she carefully placed the emblem into the circular impression she’d noticed earlier. It clicked into place and finished the suit.

Ashley smiled to herself. I love college.

Eagless will return for Season 2.

For more stories set in this world, buy my books, The White Knight and SAMSON – OUT NOW! Or read my short story series The Street Rat for free like Eagless!

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