Match 22856 Fright vs. Anaconda (Blanche Sitznski)

[JohnnyChany]

THE SERPENT SOLUTION: A GANGLAND SIDE STORY: Part 3

 

CONTINUED FROM PART 2

 

The alley behind the Iceberg Lounge had become eerily quiet. Only moments earlier it had echoed with cutting blades, ricocheting playing cards, and the sharp sound of knives striking brick walls. 

Diamondback wiped a thin line of blood from the corner of her mouth. Across from her, Casino leaned heavily against a brick wall, breathing hard. The silver-haired assassin's tailored brown jacket had been sliced in several places. One of Diamondback's throwing knives had pinned the sleeve of the jacket to the wall only inches from her shoulder.

Casino smiled despite herself. "You've got good hands."

Diamondback twirled another diamond-shaped knife between her fingers. "I've been told."

Casino suddenly flicked three playing card shaped knives. Diamondback dropped into a low crouch. The cards flew over her head. She sprang forward before Casino could draw another hand. Casino met her halfway. Their forearms collided. Casino attempted to trap Diamondback's wrist, but Diamondback twisted free, driving a knee toward her opponent's ribs. Casino absorbed the impact, retaliating with a spinning backhand that narrowly grazed Diamondback's cheek.

They separated and circled each other, each woman searched for an opening. Casino reached inside her sleeve again and tossed out explosive dice. But Diamondback was back on the move and already inside Casino’s guard. A sharp elbow to the midsection folded Casino forward. Diamondback caught her by the shoulder, pivoted, and used Casino's own momentum to send her sprawling onto the pavement.

Casino tried to rise. Diamondback's final strike, a precise blow to the side of the head, ended the fight. Casino slumped unconscious against the wall.

Diamondback let out a slow breath and rubbed her bruised shoulder.

"Y'know..." She looked down at the unconscious assassin. "...all you had to do was say you weren't interested. "No reason to make such a production out of it."

 

 

She glanced toward the front of the Iceberg Lounge.

"I hope I’m not the only one having an exciting evening." A grin spread across her face. "Come on, Mamba, Asp, don't make me rescue you."

With that, Damondback disappeared into the shadows of the alleyway.

Several minutes later, the rear door of the Iceberg Lounge burst open. Penguin strode into the alley with half a dozen armed hoodlums following behind him.

His umbrella struck the pavement angrily with every step.

"There!"

One of the goons pointed. Casino remained motionless where she'd fallen.

Penguin frowned. "Wake her."

One of the men knelt beside her and gently slapped her face.

Casino groaned. Her eyes slowly opened. She sat upright, wincing as she touched the swelling near her temple.

Penguin glared. "What happened?"

Casino looked down at the torn remains of her jacket before answering. "...She was better."

Penguin's eyebrow twitched. "What?"

Casino sighed. "I underestimated her. She fights smarter than I expected. I won't make that mistake again."

"You won't be making any mistakes here ever again,” Penguin declared.

Casino looked up. “What?"

"You're fired."

Casino’s head dropped.

Penguin jabbed his umbrella in her direction. "You sold yourself as a world-class assassin. You couldn't eliminate one union organizer I don't reward failure."

Casino slowly stood. Her pride seemed more wounded than her bruises.

"I'll remember that” she stated. 

"I'm sure you will." Penguin turned on his heel. "As of this moment, your services are no longer required."

Without another glance, he stormed back toward the Iceberg Lounge. Casino watched him leave and shook her head. Penguin pushed through the Lounge to the front entrance. Casino had failed him, but surely the Kabuki Twins had not. He expected victory, instead he found further embarrassment.

Near the entrance, the Kabuki Twins lay slumped against opposite walls. Their breathing was steady, but sluggish. Asp's poison still coursed through their systems. Faint ribbons of unnatural darkness clung to the floor and walls where remnants of Black Mamba's Darkforce energy slowly dissipated into the air.

Penguin stopped in his tracks; his monocle nearly slipped from his face.

"No..." He stared at his elite bodyguards. "...You're kidding."

One of the hoodlums quietly cleared his throat. "They... uh… They lost."

Penguin slowly removed his top hat, massaged his forehead, then replaced it.

"My elite guards," He looked from one unconscious twin to the other. “Have been defeated by snake-themed union organizers."

No one dared respond. Penguin let out a long, defeated sigh. Then marched back inside and disappeared into his private office. He slammed the door, picked up the telephone, and dialed.

Up north in the theatre district, Linda Friitawa, Fright, stood in the dim basement of an abandoned theater. The lone lightbulb overhead flickered. A terrified low-level hoodlum knelt before her, with sweat poured down his face. Linda adjusted her dark sunglasses before calmly removing a small syringe from her coat pocket.

"I'll ask one more time." Her voice remained calm "Where is the man who disappeared with Jay, Lark, and Raven?"

"I…I don't know!" The thug shook violently. "I swear!"

"I never worked for Big Boy "I never even met him!"

Linda exhaled some nerve toxins from her mouth. Within seconds, the thug's muscles locked, and his breathing became ragged. He whimpered in fear.

"My nerve toxins," Linda explained almost academically, "allow me to evaluate whether subjects are telling the truth."

She leaned closer. "They also become progressively more unpleasant."

"I'm telling the truth!" The thug cried out.  "I don't know anything!"

Linda watched him carefully. His biological responses suggested he genuinely believed what he was saying.

She sighed. "Disappointing."

Her phone rang. Linda answered.

"Yes?"

Penguin's irritated voice immediately filled the receiver. "Drop whatever you're doing. "I have another assignment."

Linda glanced at the frightened thug. "This is a poor time, I'm making progress."

"So am I." Penguin snapped. "And I need your expertise."

"What do you want?" asked Linda.

"I want to know everything there is to know about Serpent Solutions. The organization, the leadership, their operations."

Linda raised an eyebrow. "We have a mutually beneficial arrangement, Oswald. But I should remind you, I am not your errand girl."

Penguin forced himself to sound calmer. "I'll make it worth your while."

Linda waited.

Penguin continued. "Whatever members of Serpent Solutions we capture, they're yours."

A faint smile appeared on Linda's face. "My test subjects?"

“Some of their unusual reptilian biology, their mutations I imagine you'd find that fascinating.” Penguin reasoned.

Linda considered the offer. The frightened thug watched the conversation nervously, unsure whether to hope or fear the outcome. Finally, Linda smiled.

"A tempting proposal." She answered, "I'll begin looking into Serpent Solutions. But understand this Oswald, if I discover something more scientifically interesting than your missing employees, my priorities may change."

Penguin sighed. "I expected nothing less."

The call ended. Linda Friitawa lowered the phone from her ear. The basement fell silent again. She looked down on the terrified hoodlum who remained on his knees. She used her enhanced strength to fling him against a nearby wall. She turned to leave when something white caught her eye on the floor near where the man had been.

 A business card. She bent down and picked it up. A green serpent wrapped around a coiled rope. Across the front, elegant silver lettering read:

SERPENT SOLUTIONS
"Protecting the Working Villain."

Linda slowly looked back toward the trembling thug.

“Where did you get this?"

He looked from the card to her sunglasses. "I was supposed to meet them tonight."

Linda tilted her head. "You had a meeting?"

"Y-yeah. They've been trying to recruit people. "I figured it couldn't hurt to listen."

Linda smiled. "Where?"

He hesitated. She casually cracked her knuckles.

"The Velvet Backdrop. The old rehearsal warehouse. They told us to come through the backstage entrance."

Linda tucked the card into her coat. "Good."

The Velvet Backdrop had once stored elaborate stage sets for Broadway style productions. Now it stored something far more valuable, privacy. The abandoned warehouse sat tucked behind several active theaters, hidden beneath faded billboards.

About a dozen nervous-looking hoodlums occupied folding chairs arranged before a small wooden stage. Some worked for neighborhood rackets, some worked for smugglers, and several recognizable faces belonged to the Nefaria Crime Family and worked for Madam Masque. Amongst them was Alexander Gentry, Porcupine.

He sat in the back with his light brown, quill-covered armor stacked neatly beside his chair, wearing only a black T-shirt and cargo pants while listening quietly.

The blonde woman on stage, Blanche Sitznski, better known as Anaconda, planted both hands on her hips. She towered over nearly everyone in the room. She was broad shouldered a powerfully built. Her confidence filled the warehouse before she even spoke.

 

 

"Alright!" She clapped loudly. "Listen up, ya bunch of future success stories!"

Nobody reacted.

Anaconda grinned anyway. "I know what you're thinking. Who's the loud broad? Why's she talking about snakes? Can I leave before she asks for dues?'"

A couple of reluctant emerged from the small crowd.

"There we go! See?" We're making progress already."

She paced across the stage. "Look around Gangland. Crime bosses everywhere. They get richer, you get shot. They buy another mansion; you buy another bandage."

A few men nodded.

"Now I'm not saying quit crime." she declared. “I'd be outta work if everybody suddenly got honest."

More laughter.

"I'm saying start demanding some respect. If your boss sends you into a gunfight, you oughta know somebody's gonna look after ya,” said Anaconda.  "If you're good at what you do you deserve to get paid like it."

"And if your boss treats you like disposable garbage..." She pointed dramatically toward the audience. "...maybe you oughta work somewhere else."

One thug slowly stood. "Uh, I think my boss already pays me okay."

Another followed him. "I probably shouldn't be seen here."

Within moments, chairs were abandoned, one after another, the audience quietly drifted toward the exit.

Anaconda watched them leave. "Huh? That didn‘t go the way I expected. This is why we should stick to Diamondback for bolstering our ranks. She’s got the speeches.”

Only one man remained, Porcupine.

“New to recruitment?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Anaconda answered. "This is usually Diamondback's thing. She can get things done with words. I mostly solve problems by squeezing 'em."

Porcupine smirked.

"I could tell." He stood and picked up his armor. "I appreciate what you're trying to do." He hesitated. “I was hoping you had more answers that I was looking for. I don't know where I fit. I don't even know if Madam Masque really wants me working for her. "I used to work for her father; things didn't end well. I suspect she's still carrying that around."

Anaconda looked him up and down "You've got plenty to offer."

"You think?"

"I know."

She pointed toward the spikes covering his armor. "There could be a spot for you with us. But, if you wanna be more than another hired gun around Serpent Solutions, you're gonna have to rethink the branding."

He blinked. "My branding?"

She grinned "We're snake people. You're literally a porcupine."

He couldn't help laughing. "Fair point."

"I'm serious about the offer,” Anaconda reiterated. "You don't gotta become a snake tomorrow." But maybe think about updating the image."

Porcupine shook his head with an amused smile. "I'll….think about it."

Blanche tossed him another business card." You know where to find us."

He tucked it into his pocket. "I do."

Without another word, Porcupine departed into the Theatre District night.

Anaconda watched him leave. "I kinda liked that guy."

A voice answered from behind her. "I wouldn't become too attached."

Blanche turned around.  Linda Friitawa stood in front of her with her long coat and unreadable expression.

"I'd like to speak with the individual running Serpent Solutions here in Gangland," said Fright.

Anaconda rested one hand on her hip. "If you're looking to join, you can talk to me."

Linda smiled faintly "The only thing I'm interested in joining is the effort to dismantle your organization."

She took a low step toward Blanche.  "However, I'd much prefer speaking directly with your leader. I'm very convincing."

Anaconda laughed. "Oh?" You and what army?"

"Myself." Linda answered. "I've found that's usually enough."

Without warning, Anaconda's arm shot forward. It stretched impossibly across the room like a massive serpent, slamming into Linda's shoulder and forcing the scientist several steps backward before the limb recoiled to its normal length.

Anaconda cracked her neck. "Well? Go ahead and try to convince me."

Linda's eyes widened behind her sunglasses. She wasn't angry. She was fascinated.

"Remarkable..." She slowly circled Anaconda. "The elasticity, the muscular density, the cellular adaptation. "I cannot wait to study you."

Linda continued to close the distance between them.  "When I'm finished extracting information, you'll make an extraordinary research subject."

Anaconda rolled her eyes. 

"Oh great. One of those scientists." She planted both feet firmly. "If you think I'm selling out my crew. you're in for one rude and painful awakening."

Blanche clenched both fists as her forearms began lengthening again. Linda calmly exhaled toxins as she went after her target.

 

[Callisto]

Learn More About
Fright
Read more about Fright at Wikipedia
Official Site: DC Comics Links: Wikipedia Batman Wiki Comic Vine

Anaconda (Blanche Sitznski)
Read more about Anaconda (Blanche Sitznski) at Wikipedia
Official Site: Marvel Links: Wikipedia Marvel Database Marvel.com

[Venom 2009]

Good match. I'll vote for the woman without pants. 😋

[leroypowell3]

18 hours ago, Venom 2009 said:

Good match. I'll vote for the woman without pants. 😋

That sounds so bad...😅

[Callisto]

Match Final Results

Member Ratings:
5.00 - Boratz
5.00 - Venom 2009

FPA Calculation:
2 Total Votes cast
10.00 Total Combined Score
10.00 / 2 = 5.00 Final Rating on the match

MATCH SCORE
Fright: 1
Anaconda (Blanche Sitznski): 2