"HELP!"
 
 The shrill cry pierces the air. In a dark alley lays a woman huddling in fear. A man with glasses thicker than the fog runs through the streets a coloured scarf trailing behind him.
 
 "Hah Yes Success!" He fist pumps into the air  "That will show her to carry around her secret feminist documents in a purse! Just have to make it back to the bunker!"
 
 He slows a bit enjoying the night and opens the purse rummaging inside "Soon the plan will be complete"
 
 As he rummages through the purse throwing out spare change, napkins, a collection of copper nuts and bolts laced into a ribbon he hears and odd sound in the distance. Focusing he can make out what seems to be the repeated clacking of bronze on bronze.
 
The man stops in the middle of the street and listens. Yes there it is, bronze on bronze with the occasional hiss of steam releasing into the air. Then as quickly as he heard it, it's gone.
 
"Who is there?" He yells into the night. He slaps the side of his glasses and they spring to life casting light in the direction he is looking.
 
"Come out whoever you are?" He commands the dark "I warn you, I am trained in all sorts of Thai Kung Pao, maritial arts, and kung lao!"
 
As brave as he is trying to seem he can't stop the shaking in his legs.
 
Suddenly he hears gears start to spin "Where are you?" He whispers to himself as the gears spin faster and faster. Then suddenly a loud hiss of steam erupts and before he can react a blur of metal, woman, and steam slams into him knocking him across the street and into the nearby wall of a building.
 
His body makes contact with the building and he lets off a painful gasp. The man slumps down, crumbled into a little ball as he looks at his attacker. A woman stands before him. Her face concealed behind a bronze mask in the shape of a crow's beak. She is short and built like a track star, her hair hangs in twintails, that are tied up by two little copper nuts, and she is hoping back and forth on her legs, or as the man notices, her prosthetics.
 
The woman's legs are missing a couple inches below her knees, and were her legs would be there are instead bronze prosthetics in the shape of legs. Two valves seem to release small puffs of steam at regular intervals.
 
"W-w-who...who are you?" The man says amidst wheezes and gasps of pain.
 
"Me?" She says in a cheery voice "I am Springheel! Silent arbiter of the night, defender of righteousness and justice. I stalk the night like the bird's of old would stalk their prey and I defend those know need my help!" She finishes her monolouge with a loud CLACK as she stomps her foot.
 
"R-r-really!" The man lets off a small laugh "You sound more like a feminist villain. You vile woman!"
 
Springheel pays him no mind as she recovers the woman's stolen purse and belongings.
 
Slowly the man pulls a gun from his scarf "and now you die" He whispers.
 
He pulls the trigger and a bullet makes its way to Springheel, but it never connects. In a jawdropping display of agility she straightens up and delivers a quick kick to the bullet sending it spiraling into the ground.
 
"Nice try" is her only response as she hops away leaving the man hunched over and broken.
 
Broken, bruised, hurt, but grinning.    
                                                        ****
 
Somewhere in a workshop a man paces back and forth, his science coat fluttering behind him.
 
"She is late again, she knows she shouldn't be so late, it get's dangerous, and with the scarfed men everywhere she could be hurt, what if she is hurt, what will I do, oh this is my fault!" He pauses to catch his breath and looks over at his workbench.
 
Sitting down he begins to tinker with an unfinished radio device "I should've finished the radio before sending her out to test the prosthetic." He mutters to himself "What a fool I am!"
 
"You worry to much" a woman says from besides the door
 
Springing to his feet the man rushes over to hug her "OH EMI! I was so worried about you!"
 
She pulls away looking concerned herself "Yes I know Hisao" She says tapping his heart "you shouldn't though. It's dangerous."
 
"Yes I know" the man says. Looking under his lab coat he can see a small copper and tin device struggling to keep his heart at a steady rate. "Anyways" He says looking back at Emi "Let's take a look at the prosthetic. How'd you feel em?"
 
As Emi begins to remove her legs and hand them over to Hisao she tells him of the nights events "You should've seen me, I was faster than anything I've ever seen! Oh and the Mask it's amazing! The agility augment really helped with kicking that bullet!"
 
"BULLET!" Hisao looks up a worried expression "I told you to.." *DING DING DING DING* "Oh who could be at the door this late?" He says as he makes his way to the front of the workshop.
 
Opening the door Hisao sees a broken, bruised, and battered man holding a satellite dish connected to a datapad. He is looking intently into it and barely notices the door open.
 
"KENJI!" Hisao screams out
 
He looks up and takes a step back shocked yet quickly regains his composure and says "Hisao? Why are you here?"
 
 
                                                                                                     ~Gear