Bat Outta Hell - Shaded Hallow 10

"Vera!" The woman in the salmon blouse called out to Veronica as she sat on her porch playing with her phone. Veronica looked around, trying to find the source of her name, when she saw the woman coming towards her. "Vanny!" She called back, standing up and embracing the new woman in a hug, "Where the hell have you been?" "You remember Milo?" She asked. "The guy with the missing girlfriend? Yeah, why?" Veronica asked her sister. "Well, she's not missing anymore," Vanessa said with a smile, "Let's go inside and I'll tell you and Jackson all about it."

Vanessa had tracked down where Milo's girlfriend, Betty, had ended up, or rather, where she was taken. Betty was kidnapped by a scientist, destined to combine man and animal, a crazed desire that ended with his exile and blacklisting from any and all genetic labs. Being the crazed lunatic he was, he didn't take the hint and decided to continue his research deep in the heart of the Amazon, away from the prying eyes of 'ethics' and 'morals'. He had his own lab built in the jungle, sparing no expense from his seemingly endless budget. He hired mercenaries to 'volunteer' people for his experiments based on a list of prerequisites, which is what led to poor Betty being taken from Shaded Hallow.

Vanessa had breached the lab, something that was easy given her supernatural reflexes and strength, which was shared with her sister. She had chewed through countless guards, subduing each one without ending their lives despite how desperately they wanted to end hers. She had made her way through the twisted corridors lined with vats of things she couldn't even begin to describe. She ignored the blasting klaxons as she reached a large sealed door, no doubt the nerve center of the kidnapper's lair. She squeezed her fingers into the door's seam and pulled, forcing the door open. With each inch of ground gained, it became easier to open until the shrieking of the metal stopped and an opening wide enough for Vanessa was revealed.

"How the hell did you do that?" The scientist shouted, looking up from the computer he was scrambling to delete things from. "You're questions aren't welcome here," Vanessa said, stepping towards him. He suddenly pulled a handgun from under the desk, pointing and firing off a few rounds, but between Vanessa's speed and the man's shaky, terrible aim, she dodged each one. "H-how the hel-" he tried to say before his jaw was shattered by her fist, knocking him to the floor in a single blow. "Kill me," he pleaded through broken teeth and blood, "You've already taken my life's work, now take my life." "Death is too good for you," she spat, "Not that I kill anyway."

She tied the man up and walked back over to the computer, where she unlocked the cell in the room. "Betty?" She called in to it as it slid open, a figure stepping out of the water vapor from the door, "Is that you?" The silhouette grew wider as a set of wings unfurled from its hips, a set of tall ears popping up. "Who are you?" The figure called out in a cutesy voice, "And where's the doctor?" "I'm Vanessa, Milo sent me," she told the silhouette, "The doctor has been subdued." With a burst of speed, the figure shot out of the fog, its wings sending it soaring at Vanessa like a rocket. Not expecting a sudden attack, Vanessa wasn't on guard and was hit by the full force of the figure, except that the only pain she suffered was from being squeezed. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," the person whom Vanessa recognized as Betty said, albeit with a set of bat wings and ears.

"What did he do to you?" She asked, looking at the bat-girl hybrid, "How do you feel?" "I feel great," Betty said as her eyes landed on an apple. She darted for it, using her newfound speed to grab and consume the apple in seconds. "Although I can't control myself around fruit anymore," she said sheepishly, spitting out a few apple seeds. "There's gotta be something in here about reversal," Vanessa mumbled as she returned to the computer, rummaging through files. "No!" Betty shouted, trying to pull her from the computer, "I want to stay like this!" Vanessa looked at her, shocked. "Firstly, I can fly," she giggled, "And also I've never felt better in my life." "Are you sure? Once the authorities get here, there's no way you will be able to get any of this stuff once it's classified as evidence without miles of red tape." "I'm sure," she stated with a nod. "Now, can we go home? I miss Milo."

"Wow," Veronica exclaimed, "I've just been here dealing with the normal amount of weird." "It's nice to get out of town sometimes," Vanessa replied. "How did the reunification go? Did Milo freak out?" Veronica asked, "He was a bit shocked, but he quickly adjusted, it was true love after all," Vanessa sighed, downbeaten. "Oh my gods," Veronica laughed, "You have a crush on Betty, don't you?" Vanessa blushed, "N-no, but even if I did, I would never break up a couple just for my own gains, no matter how cute the girl was." Veronica slapped her sister on the back, "There's someone out there for you, sis. In the meantime, though, a lot of stuff has happened, so I think I should catch you up on recent events." They both sat back down, ready for another story.