Dark on the Waters [Dark Data]

[Blink]

Now this was a ragtag bunch if Blink had ever seen one, and she was what one would call an expert at ragtag groups. The five all moved in close to each other, their backs to the center of the make-shift circle as shadowy figures moved around them. Blink was next to Vision, the cybernetic Avenger she had previously met. Around them were others she had found temporary companionship in: Cole the acrobatic gunslinger, Proto Man the robot boy and Cloud the spikey-haired swordsman. Above them somewhere was a pilot that Blink hated to admit had saved their lives more then once so far. There had been no warming up period to this fight. They had all found each other in the midst of trying to find the source of the darkness, and it was non-stop action every since.

"Are you freakin' kiddin' me?" Blink asked, but did not expect an answer. She had already summoned two pink knives in her hands, moving into a defensive stance. Around the fighters, the shadowy figures moved in closer to reveal a sinister looking bunch surrounding them. They were pirates, in about as classic a sense as you can get, but something was off about them. They all looked glowed a strange black-purple hue, which somehow made them look more pirate-y then they already were. "Pirates, now? We're gonna fight pirates?"

"Sounds fine to me," Cloud said matter-of-factly. It did not sound like he was kidding.

"Ms. Ferguson," Blink heared next to him. She looked up at him, as he towered above her even just standing (and now he was floating). "The portal is that way." He pointed down the sandy path in front of them, which was currently blocked off a line of shady individuals.

Blink looked in the direction of his hand and immediately understood his meaning. She smirked at him. "My name is Claire." She said, giving him the softest of smiles she could. It was the first hint of friendliness she had given in a long while.

"No, it is not," Vision told her.

Without bothering to argue the point, Blink disappeared into one of her signature pink portals. She came out on the other side further down the path, where she could actually see the portal that their bracelets had told them about. It was a dark blue color, almost the complete opposite of her warm, feel-good fuschia gateways. It was surrounded by branches and leaves, suggesting it was created from corrupted the island itself. Unfortunately, that was not the only thing she found. She found herself standing face-to-face with a handful (five? six?) pirate goons. The woman in front was bigger then you'd expect from a sword-wielding scallywag, but she none the less still looked threatening.

"There's one of them now!" The woman bellowed. She pointed her scimitar at the teleporter. "Cut her down, in the name of Tilda Jolly!"

Before Blink could ask what kind of name that was, her posse of pirates rushed forward. As was her trademark move, Blink disappeared again into one of her little rifts. She appeared behind the woman who declared herself Tilda, but instead was greeted with the wrong end of a flintlock pistol.

"It isn't going to be that easy, lassy!"

The pistol's muzzle exploded in a bright white blast of gunpowder. Blink had only a split second to concentrate the teleportation energy, making her glow emerald for a short time as the pistol phased right through her. She blinked her eyes. Tilda did too. Both were confused.

Before Tilda could question what happened, Blink back-flipped to kick the pistol from out of her hand.

606/1200 words.

Blink has teleported closer to the portal and run into another group of pirates. Her portal will stay active about a dozen seconds if anyone chooses to follow. She is now fighting the notorious overweight pirate, Tilda Jolly, in front of the big portal!