Black Betty

betty (noun, beh-tee): Slang term used to describe a female who associates with the punk rock/alternative/hotrod subculture(s). The term originates from pin-up model Bettie Page's signature haircut with short bangs, a common fashion trait for girls in these subcultures.   "Well aren't I just the prettiest picture this evening", she laughed at her reflection.    Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail and a black bandana lie flat against her skull tied as a headband to catch her sweat. Her  coveralls were gray and worn, covered in grease and every other sort of automobile fluid you can imagine. Her hands were practically dyed black from oil and dirt and so was one of her eyebrows where she had at some point had an itch. She had 20 minutes to clean herself up before her first ever blind date; well as blind is it could be with internet access. The shower was running hot and steam filled her small bathroom. She unzipped her dirty clothes and stepped into the claw-foot tub.   She had no idea what to expect about this guy other than that he was super hot and into cars, much like every other guy she went out with. Most of them were more into being under the hood of something than being under her....for more than a night anyways. She didn't blame them, she was pretty in love with hot rod culture too, but she was getting older and knew that she couldn't fall asleep at night next to her '51 Mercury (whom she had lovingly named Pearl). Plus, she wanted little baby greaser boys in rolled up dark denim and white t-shirts. She thought about her last serious boyfriend Jacob and the nights they lied awake talking about what their kids would look like and who got to pick names. She missed him. She should have died in the car with him that night and sometimes she wished she had.    She sat impatiently at the table of the restaurant her new beau had picked. It was some new sushi place whose name she couldn't pronounce and she had already cracked open every last edamame from the tiny little bowl given to her 5min ago. She was starving and really wished he had picked a place that served heaping plates of something made predominantly of carbohydrates.   "Betty?" a deep, strong voice said from behind her.   She turned around quickly not sure if she should stay seated or stand. She stood.   "Hi...Lucas," she extended her hand and smiled. "Nice to meet you."   He was exceptionally handsome, more so than any online picture could do justice to. His hair was practically black and well kept, short on the sides and blending up into a sort of faux mohawk. His eyes were strikingly green and his jaw line was like that of a god. He was wearing a fitted black button down pearl-snap, snug black jeans and oxblood Dr.Martins. Head to toe stunner. Watching him take a seat across from her she immediately felt insecure and was embarrassed by the bowl full of edamame shells.   "So, have you been here before?" Betty asked in attempt to start conversation. "Yeah, actually. I live in the apartments right upstairs so I was here pretty much the moment they opened the doors. I love sushi, and they have the best I have been able to find in town."  "Well I hope they aren't charging for the edamame because I definately didn't save you any." Lucas looked at the bowl and smiled. "No worries, I don't like much of anything green."   The conversation took off from there. They got so into talking about her job at the shop and his as a data entry clerk (so weird), an hour passed before they even got around to ordering. They shared a couple of rolls and 2 orders of sake before he invited her up to his apartment. Typically she would have declined, at least until date number 2, but this guy was smoking hot, laughing at her jokes and she didn't even have to drive to get back to his place. She quickly accessed the pros and cons in her head (cons-0) and agreed. From the moment she stood his hand was on the small of her back, and it remained there until she found a seat on his couch. His apartment was pretty much what you would expect of a bachelor/gear-head/data entry guy. The walls were covered with posters of everything from cars to half naked girls with cars to Einstein sticking his tongue out. He had a desk in the corner of the living room that was stacked high with papers and an open laptop. Work, she figured. He had run to the corner store to get them beers and she made herself comfortable, picking up what looked to be some thick, artsy coffee table book. She opened it up and realized the pages had been cut out to form an opening. She knew immediately she should shut the book and mind her business but something caught her eye. It was the corner of a photograph and she recognized the tile in it. It was her bathroom tile. She picked up a stack of papers and found underneath a stack of photographs, all of her. Her at work, her in her car, her at the grocery store, her in her living room cuddling with her cat. "What the hell is this????" she mumbled She dropped the photos and being sifting through the papers speed reading in an attempt to understand what the hell was going on. She found a cover sheet and read in astonishment. Client: Betty Roman a.k.a. Black Betty Powers: mind; photographic memory, ability to see into the future, move objects and cause thoughts in individuals which they would not have otherwise had. Client may or may not have super strength when needed. Threat: High; client believed to be working for Su Yan a.k.a The Machine. Assignment: Find and kill. Body is to be taken to headquarters for examination. The door opened and Betty quickly slammed the book and placed it on the table.  "I'm back!They didn't have any of the IPA you said you liked so I just got some other random expensive micro-brew. I picked the one with the coolest label." Lucas smiled and held up the 6 pack. She quickly assessed the situation, his build, his pockets, the exit. "Oh, yeah thanks. I've had this one before it's really good..." she stood and pulled a bottle from the pack.  Lucas turned to his left to sit the rest of the beer on the side table and she quickly hit him over the head with her bottle. The smell of beer hit as Lucas, now drenched, stumbled backwards towards the door. She took 4 large steps back and looked at the couch. It moved across the room blocking him from getting to her. Next was the entertainment center and his crappy little box tv. As she followed them with her eyes they stacked themselves atop the couch. Everything she looked at made its way to the pile from the radio to his desk which sent papers flying everywhere. In less than a moment everything in the room was in front of him. "Who are you?!?" Betty demanded She couldn't see his face through the pile.   "WHO ARE YOU?!!?!?" she screamed.  Lucas laughed, lifted his hand and touched the items she had stacked in front of him. They immediately disintegrated into a pile of dust. "Grey Ghost." she said as she looked into his eyes, no longer green but the color of ash. He made a leap towards her as she searched her mind for the image of the closest exit. She remembered the window to the left of the couch and turned towards it. They were 5 stories up and she knew that even super strength wouldn't save her from the damage of that fall. Before she had a chance to consider another option Grey Ghost had tackled her. She quickly pushed him off using every bit of strength she could muster and sent him flying across the room. His head hit a corner cabinet and for a second he was almost unconcious. That second was long enough to allow her to get into his head.  "You're confused, you have forgotten where you are and what you are doing. You have no recollection of any assignment and you've no idea who I am," Betty whispered under her breath as she glared hard enough at Grey that it was as if she was looking through him. His eyes fluttered. He struggled to get them open and quickly attempted standing, although it took a few tries.  "What the hell is this? What is going on? Who are you?" he muttered, looking around confused and agitated. Betty smiled. She knew it wouldn't be long before his memory came back and she didn't want to be around when it did. She grabbed the coffee table book off the floor as she headed towards the door.  "HEY! WHERE AM I AND WHO ARE YOU AND WHY IS THIS PLACE SO WRECKED???!" Grey Ghost yelled from the back of the room. She didn't turn to answer him, and the moment she was out that door she was running. The only person who wanted her dead shouldn't know she was alive, much less where she was living. She knew all that she had accomplished with The Machine was now in jeopardy, as well as the lives of anyone involved. It was going to be a long night.