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As a captain, it was becoming distinctly more and more boring to hunt down star seeds. Normal humans weren't much of a challenge, and you really didn't see beefy bodybuilder men in the middle of the night hanging around Meadowview High. At least, not at night. What the ***** did during the day was not something that Captain Linarite was able to act on very much.

The bluenette had been forced to spread out into the city block surrounding the public school, hunting down potential targets. Why was she in this part of town, and so eager to stay nearby? Well, simply put, she was hunting Zodiacs. Nealite had given her a mission, in concert with Tanzanite, to hunt down the Barren Pines saboteurs and their princess. Unfortunately, to do this, you first had to find a Zodiac. It hadn't been hard to get into the office and figure out that the public school had the largest concentration of BP 'survivors'. It stood to reason that Chronos was among them, somewhere.

This logic also followed down the path to the idea that they would defend their turf. The last time Lina had done anything around her high school had ended with Regulus and his slices into her side that had scarred wretchedly due to the fact that she had not put enough Neosporin on them. Tonight was much better and kicking a the body of a random homeless wanderer into the shadows against the wall, she sighed. "This is incredibly boring." Not a single challenge? It was losing its luster fast!

Linarite had been doing nothing more than idly twirling a stick in her fingers, testing her manual dexterity without scaring off any would-be victims. Her outfit was odd, certainly, but it wasn't enough to cause avoidance. The six-foot long metal and wood staff, however, was such a tool. You generally didn't go near someone who was exhibiting like a martial arts master in the middle of the sidewalk, no matter how adorable they were. So when the word 'negasleeze' hit her ears, dark copper eyes lit up and she giggled.

"What, this civilian?" She kicked the comatose body at her feet out into the light, where the lifeless eyes were easy to see. "Sorry, I think you're a little too late. I've got a few more, if you want to try and rescue them for the coma ward too. I'll warn you though, they're rather smelly." Stepping up into the light, eyes assessed the purple-haired senshi in front of her. Didn't feel like a Super, which boded well for the Captain. She was a bit rusty, but smarting from the disgraceful loss to the kid who'd flung sand everywhere.

But that was alright! She had another senshi to take it out on, and generally one was the same as the other anyway.

Already this senshi was registering high on Linarite's 'satisfactory opponents' scale. She didn't seem to mind the fact that she was obviously, hopelessly outclassed and she wasn't wasting time with small talk. It was hard to not approve of such a businesslike attitude! Obsidian liked to talk and play with his victims, Nealite never shut the hell up, but Lina was different. She simply wanted them done and gone before you they could think, before that look could come into their eyes that you were a monster. The teen didn't get off on fear like some of the others, she simply did her job.

Did it feel good? Absolutely. Did she enjoy it? Not even a question. But you didn't take forever, it was simply inefficient!

It wasn't hard to see the glowing hairpin flying right for her, and having never fought anyone but offensive senshi in the past, Linarite made a critical error in assumptions. Settling her stance, she treated the thing like it would slice and shock her when it hit, and smacked at it with the metal of her weapon. It connected, and then her vision went white as the thing all but exploded in her vision, like looking straight into the sun too long. When it faded, her eyesight was all but gone, dotted here and there with dots.

Immediately Lina's body braced and switched her stance to defensive, hopefully in time before another attack landed.

Feeling the boot connect with her midsection, Linarite crumpled only slightly as the air rushed out of her lungs in a strangled noise. Yup, there it was, the attack. But it also meant that the senshi was within her reach, and that was definitely the most dangerous part. In a flash the staff was whipped around her body as the captain tried to regain her breath, the dots fading slowly from her eyes and night vision returning.

She could overcompensate in about half a second if she felt like it, really, her power touching the edge of the Negaverse that housed her delightful Orgel. He was terribly clumsy though, and she didn't really want to destoy the school, not so close to graduation. Or did she. The idea was tantalizing as again the staff swept out, seeking the senshi's body and finally contacting. It felt squishy on the other end, and squishy was always good.

"Aha! There you are, senshi!"

The shoulder connected and sent Lina reeling back, and into the wall, however not as hard as the senshi would have liked, their strengths were not quite the same. She was still in that defensive stance, lashing out from it in quick windmill swipes, which shifted when her back met brick with a grunt. There was nowhere else to go except perhaps leap on the wall, and that was just begging for a cheap shot. She'd fallen off enough things recently that the captain didn't care to repeat the process and explain to her parents the other break.

So Lina went on the offensive entirely, blinking rapidly to remove the dots that were getting smaller and smaller, almost now nonexistent in front of her face. She could at least see the senshi, and that was the important part! Swapping her grip, the windmill swing turned almost into like she was batting a thousand on hitting senshi, and the metal connected solidly with Argo Navis' torso, throwing her to the side. Another swing, this one aimed at her head. That would be the important connection!

A very good question indeed, and rife with success, Linarite simply laughed again and advanced on the staggering senshi. She was moving now like she was drunk, and that was perfect. With any luck she was bleeding as well, and the captain could have her down on the ground and bereft of her star seed within a few moments. The look on Nealite's face when she returned with a powered seed all on her own would be priceless! The orange-haired lieutenant hadn't even tried yet, not that Lina was aware of.

"Any last words? You're done kid." Well-done, like charred steak more akin to leather than anything else. Orgel hadn't even been required, and that was the true victory, returning all the dignity lost when Taranis had scrambled all over her in that alleyway not more than a few days ago. She'd get him one day, maybe after she chomped on this lovely girl's seed! A hand stretched out, intent clear.

Argo Navis had to do something fast, or she really was done!

Goddamn ******** ********! Linarite's howl of rage and denial was unmistakable as the pins exploded in her face before she could squeeze her eyes shut. The whole world was white in the middle of the night, any vision through the dark utterly gone. The ground rumbled and Orgel burst from nothingness on the street in front of Meadowview, but before he could even get a bearing, the senshi was gone.

Lina could feel and hear her pet youma thundering around the street and reached out a hand. "Orgel, get over here you idiot brute." Her voice was sullen and betrayed by the victory she felt she should have had, oh if only she'd moved just a little faster! It was always about moving faster, which was amusing as little Linarite was one of the fastest in the Negaverse. One day, she would shove her hand into one of those tiny little chests and pull out a powered seed, and it would be delicious.

"C'mon Orgel, we're done here." Putting a hand to her youma, both the girl and monster vanished as if they'd never been there. Except, of course, for the small pile of men just around the corner from the Meadowview public high school. When they were discovered the next morning, Audrey Collins had nothing but a cursory glance at the crowd, before heading inside. After all, she had a delicate constitution!