Who: Tawny Strange (and Ainsley Kennedy, from a distance). What: Stalkin' like a boss. Where: New Jersey – the parking lot of a grocery store. When: Mid-morning Wednesday, October 13, 2010. Warnings: Pretty mild, actually. But it's still Tawny.
It had been one month, two weeks, and one day since Eli had died. Not that Tawny was counting. It was just hard to forget. She hated Eli for that. Hated herself, really. She was the one who had let him in. She was the one who had gotten attached. Stupid. Well, at least she knew better now. No way in hell she'd be making that mistake again.
Instead of mourning, she had taken up a project. (Or maybe this was her way of mourning. She didn't know. Grief was something that happened to other people.) She was biding her time, just like he told her. No need to rush perfection. Meticulous is our middle name. Kinda funny, coming from a guy who considers himself an agent of chaos. You know what they say about the best-laid plans. Does it look like I give a shit? That's my girl.
She shifted her weight on her motorcycle and patiently stared at the doors of the grocery store. No sign of her prey yet. Everything was tinted purple thanks to her helmet, but that had stopped bothering her a long time ago. Her perception of the world was already askew. What did a little overlay of color matter to her? If anything, it made her vision clearer. In order to see, you had to know what you were looking for.
She wasn't just looking for revenge. That was too base. Too human. No, she was looking for an in. The easiest and most effective way to cripple a legion of superheroes who clearly thought themselves invincible. Their loved ones untouchable. Tawny Strange begged to differ.
Her eyes narrowed. Pushing her month-old baby in a plain stroller, the mother finally exited the store and headed to her car. She was carrying a newly-purchased bag of diapers in the crook of one arm while the other one disappeared awkwardly into the carriage. Tawny imagined small fingers clinging to a larger one. Then she imagined the larger one broken.