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The streets of Destiny City regarded her silently, filling her with a sense of foreboding. She looked to every shadow, scanned every crack and crevace in the looming buildings, darted between narrow openings to avoid prolonged exposure.The apprehensive senshi resumed her patrol with hypervigilance, and often blanched at the movements of nary a mouse. That evening, beneath the stars and silent moon, she crept through the alleys and slinked past the darkened buildings in hopes of avoiding any confrontation with the enemy.

Leda fully intended to pass the night fulfilling her senshi duties, and maintaining her nonviolent stance with the Negaverse. Whether that intention became reality or not was out of her hands.

The senshi of steam drew to a stop and leaned against a rusted dumpster, breathing a heavy sigh. All the creeping and hiding with bated breath wore her out. Her nerves were frayed; she wasn't cut out for patrols, nor battling. Even the thought of confrontation had her at wit's end. "Ooh, I don't even know how I got to be a senshi..." She bemoaned her misfortune. "I'm no soldier." Even though she hadn't been in any serious danger yet, she didn't want to continue patrols and run the risk of stumbling upon real trouble.

Leda sank to her knees and glanced about. She sat at the crossroads of two alleys, roughly concealed by the dumpster, and the street was far from view. She felt safe enough here; it looked as though no one's even been through this stretch of the alley in the past day. She also hadn't felt any powered presences approaching, though she desperately needed practice with sensing auras. No, she felt secluded here, secluded and safe enough to take a breather.

She folded her arms and laid down, resting her head against the soft bracers of her uniform. Leda closed her eyes for but a moment; she didn't want to fall asleep, but her eyes felt irritated, and her head pounded terribly from several days' worth of poor sleep. So, perhaps if she just closed her eyes and relaxed for a few moments, her headache would subside and she could continue her hopefully anticlimactic patrol through the bowels of the city. Afterward she could return home and finally catch some sh

---

Dawn scraped across the sky in pale grey hues by the time Leda awoke. She felt groggy; her head still pounded despite the meager hours of sleep she caught on the grungy alley floor. Her joints ached and her uniform looked dirtied from lying across the ground. Still, something seemed wrong.

Leda backed up across the floor, eyes widening in surprise. Her pulse quickened, her hands clamored to find something to grasp onto. She stood quickly, with the help of a nearby fire escape, and braced herself against the wall. "U-um," She began, grasping desperately for words. "No I won't!" It was a far cry from a confident challenge, but being faced with a giant dumpster in the hands of a gargantuan man, she had little time and mental resources to devise a better comeback.

Without waiting for a response (or an airborne dumpster), Leda rocketed down the crowded alley, and slipped behind another equally sturdy dumpster. She crouched, huddling as tightly as possible, while she considered her options. She could turn around and fight, actually stand up for herself and her senshi allies, but she had so little practice with aiming her attack, and if she stood up she could get hit by that massive dumpster and end up mulched, or she could actually hit him with it and then he'd drop the dumpster on himself and get mulched, and then she'd feel absolutely horrible for causing someone's death, even an enemy.

None of those options sounded particularly appealing. Quite the contrary.

It was about time for her to give the Negaverse a run for its money. As a senshi, she had the power to combat its minions and dust their youma. She had allies, and some experience to fall back on in terms of battle. She's seen others fight. She had it in her to match their strength and will. She could do this. Leda could show this officer why he shouldn't mess with the White Moon senshi.

Besides, she didn't have all day to draw conclusions about her potential moves. instead she stood, braced herself against the nearby wall, and concentrated her efforts into her attack. With one last pause to aim, she let loose one of her swirling steam attacks and watched, with much dismay, as it connected with the dumpster above his head rather than his face.

"Time to run!" She muttered aloud, before turning tail and bolting down the alley.

Led squatted down and covered her head with her arms when she heard the dumpster sail through the air. What kind of inhuman strength was that? It was like she was running from the human wrecking ball here! How was she supposed to stop that with her spindly little legs and weak steam attack that she, regrettably, missed with? It seemed an impossible feat. She's simply better off running from foes like this, and hoping that they tire themselves out looking for her. In this guy's case, he was likely to tire himself out by throwing dumpsters around the alley and breaking walls and such.

And hopefully not breaking her.

When the dumpster landed in front of her, she scrambled toward it and leapt over its twisted form, hoping she might be able to outrun the man. It seemed unlikely; the lieutenant was highly muscular, and if he was capable of hurling large steel objects, then he was capable of catching up to her. She needed some kind of a plan, and she needed one now.

"No way!" She yelled, into the alley rather than back at her pursuer. She didn't want to take the time and turn, only to have him catch up to her and break her legs off and beat her with them.

Unfortunately, her only immediate choice was to run, and run as fast as her legs could possibly take her. She needed to dart around corners, to duck into narrow alleys, to slip into-

Yes, that's it.

The sewers.

The nearest manhole would be in the street, and she had a lot of ground to cover to get there. Still, it was either duck into the winding passages of DC's sewers, or get crushed by flying dumpsters. The alternative seemed every bit as smelly and grim as her plan, but at least crawling through the dank tunnels didn't involve exorbitant amounts of pain and misery.

Leda heard something whiz through the air while she pried open the manhole, and a quick glance to the side revealed a rather pathetic foam hammer lying in the street. It was taped together with silver ductape, thus establishing it as the most ridiculous and makeshift weapon she'd ever seen. If he could throw dumpsters, why was he bothering with lugging around a foam hammer? Maybe this guy was a little nutters.

The sewer smelled rank, and the sound of rushing water filled the passages. Sometimes, as she ran, she heard her heels collide with an unknown slushy substance, and her stomach churned as she considered its origin. The rounded walls were caked with grime and a filmy buildup from years of neglect, and the excrement flowing through small rivulets did nothing to quell her revulsion. Just the thought of the word disgusted her, but to find herself here...

She would never, under any circumstances, visit this place. The only exception to that rule was if her life was in danger, and she considered a man throwing dumpsters at her to be a threat to her survival. She didn't even want to know how he had that kind of power. He must be a general or something, because she didn't think that was humanly possible, even for an average Negaverser. Then again, she was told they were stronger than most senshi.

Still, flying dumpsters are pretty damn threatening.

As Leda tried to round the corner, her hells slipped in a pool of muck and sent her skidding against the surface. She winced when she felt the cold, viscous liquid cake onto her face, and wrinkled her nose when the smell hit her. Her gag reflex engaged, and her empty stomach heaved in protest against the stench. Still, she had to keep going. After wiping her face with the back of her sleeve, she scrambled to her feet and attempted to take off at full speed.

She hadn't spared a glance behind her to see if her pursuer was hot on her trail. Given all the time she'd lost by slipping in the muck, he was probably close to seizing her and breaking her legs off.

She was rather fond of her legs, too.

"Get away from me!" Leda yelled, wincing as it echoed loudly in the narrow passageways. "I'm warning you! Or I'll, um... Melt your face off with steam!" She didn't think she could pull off another of those attacks without becoming exhausted, but her attacker didn't need to know that. The least she could do was bluff, or else she'd take a dumpster to the knee.

As Leda was scrambling to her feet from falling into the sewer muck, she felt a heavy object collide with her back, sending her straight into the sludge once more. She let out a muffled grunt and once again tried to pull herself upright. Her back throbbed, right between her shoulder blades. She must've been bleeding; a cooling fluid slowly eked down her back, from the point where that object tore her skin. Considering the dismal lighting of the place, she couldn't even make out what hit her. She didn't have time - if she didn't scramble to her feet now, she'd be caught by the lumbering giant and dragged off to who knows where.

And she certainly didn't want to become a Negaverse capture.

Swiftly she scooped up some of the thick muck from the floor, and turned to toss it at her opponent. He was only a gargantuan shadow, swelling quickly as he closed the gap between them. She aimed as best she could and hurled the ball of sewage at what she presumed to be his face. "Leave me alone!" It was the best response she could come up with in so short a time span. After crab crawling backward a bit, she leapt to her feet despite the sharp ache in her back and sprinted down the tunnel.

Her feet skidded heavily as she padded down the slippery walkway. There was hardly any traction; if she had to make a sharp turn of any sort, she'd surely slam into the wall without any means of stopping herself. Sure enough, a smattering of holes in the ceiling let in enough light for her to discern a ninety-degree corner in the distance, and with the pace she ran at, she wouldn't have time to slow down. Even if she did, Sir Ginormous would likely slam into her and then sandwich her into the wall. Either she'd be a pancake at that point or a blood smear.

What could she do? Maybe she could reach the occasional ladder from a manhole in the ceiling and hoist herself up, but the man could just as easily seize her leg and pull her down. If she tried to make the corner, she'd have to slow down greatly, and he could still nab her. Either way, she felt stuck. She couldn't make a move that wouldn't end in her capture, and she knew that would almost certainly mean death by dumpster to the face. She had to do something, and fa-

All thought halted as her head collided heavily with a pipe running across the ceiling. The resounding clang filled the tunnel, fading slowly as the vibrations ceased within the pipe. Leda herself fell backward and slid down the tunnel on her back, dazed and temporarily stunned. If there were enough light in the area, she would identify two distinct images struggling to unite as she stared at the ceiling hopelessly.

Leda struggled to her feet once more, but the dizziness and throbbing pain from her forehead prevented her from moving quickly. Still, she had to move, or else face imminent doom at the hand's of the Negaverse's grim version of the Hulk.

Leda heard the groan of twisting metal, which abruptly snapped. What just happened? Whatever it was, it sounded close behind her. It must've had something to do with the gargantuan man hunting her down.

Suddenly, it dawned on her.

He intended to beat her to death with that metal pipe.

She had to move. She had to get out of there. She didn't want to suffer an untimely demise between dumpsters and lead pipes. Neither of them sounded inviting, and the whole prospect of succumbing to the Negaverse's violence made her uncomfortable. She really didn't like the sound of that pipe. No, she much preferred running through the sewers and falling on her face to being beaten to death.

Leda struggled to stand up, despite the dizziness from striking her head against the pipe. Her legs shook with adrenaline and exhaustion. The only way she could win this is if she used her power, and she already wasted it topside on that dumpster. Now she was a sitting duck in here - she couldn't move very quickly anymore due to the injury she sustained, and the lumbering giant could still make it through the sewers without getting his shoulders lodged in a narrow passageway. Her grand idea wasn't working to her advantage at all. Rather, it was working against her, and the not-so-gentle giant was closing distance quickly.

"Um, um..." She tried to think, but the constant pounding in her forehead prevented her from doing so. "Wait, just wait!" At least that would buy her some time. If she acted like she was going to surrender, that would help right? But she didn't want to lie to the guy - he was only doing his duty. After all, she was sure it would be no hard feelings if they were allies. She hoped.

Carefully she stood, with the help of the wall. "Um, you want me to go with you right? Do you promise to like, not beat me to death with a dumpster or anything?" She'd absolutely hate feigning surrender if it ended in a rain of fiery dumpsters. No, she desperately wanted to avoid that outcome. "And, um, no pipes... They kinda hurt." She was sure he'd heard the sickening clang it made when she ran headfirst into it. Perhaps he'd show a little mercy and kindness and walk her to the surface so she could try her hand at escaping again. Maybe she should apologize afterward... It was pretty mean-spirited of her to trick the poor guy.

Suddenly guilt welled up inside of her, threatening to force her into apologizing.

"Um, okay, I can do that." She dusted herself off, though it did her no good. Her gloves were slathered in the sludge that painted the sewer walkways, and it only smeared more of it across her uniform. Perhaps she was lucky that the majority of it was brown. Still, the stench would clue others in to her subterranean escapades. "And, um, I'm sorry I dragged you into here. The whole... dumpster thing, flying out of nowhere, kinda scared me and I didn't know what to do." Leda wasn't sure why, but she felt she had to apologize for the actions that took them to such an atrocious place. No one wanted to go swimming in sewage, did they?

Did she really have to drop to one knee? He was aware she wasn't wearing any pants, right? He was really asking her to kneel down and immerse her bare skin in the muck? What if she slipped and cut her knee? Would she get a horrible staph infection and die? Did he think of that? What would he do with her if she just keeled over from something horrible like that? Would he feel guilty for basically killing her by demanding that? Leda's mind swirled with questions and tangential speculation, before she finally realized she should simply give in and play the part of a willing prisoner. Besides, maybe she'd get lucky and not cut her knee and contract some horrible disease.

Finally she knelt down into the muck and repeated what the gargantuan man asked for. "Um, I surrender, mister... um, what's your name?" She didn't even know what to call them. It wasn't like he allowed her much time to make introductions. However, she didn't want to linger in the sewage, so she stood up as quickly as she could manage.

Unfortunately, doing so made her head spin. It still throbbed painfully from the collision with the pipe, even though she got her revenge through her opponent. "And, um, do you see any way out of here? I... can't really see my hands in front of my face." Maybe it had something to do with hitting her head, but she doubted it. It was awfully dim in there.

Leda rubbed her aching head before stepping closer to the unusually large man. "Um, yeah... Girl is a little, um, vague, isn't it?" She smiled bashfully. It was almost like they were friends now. She was about to betray a friend. The knot of guilt in her stomach tightened mercilessly. If she got sick all over the sewer, she could certainly cover it up as a weak stomach to these kinds of things. "Oh, I'm S- uh, Leda!" She considered offering her hand, but considering what they've been wading through the whole time...

At Titan's behest, Leda paused underneath the laundry line. It smelled significantly better than the rest of the tunnels, despite being just as murky. He was right about it doing them some good in a pinch, but now she was soaked and certain to freeze when she felt the outside air. Maybe if she could get away quickly enough, she could power down and smell slightly less horrible.

There's that though again... Treachery.

As they continued through the dank sewer passage, she slipped occasionally and was instantly grateful for Titan's hand. Even though he was immensely huge and intimidating, he was as solid as a brick wall. In fact, he could probably just punt her to the moon if he felt the need. Leda grimaced; she hoped she wouldn't be faced with that fate. She'd rather avoid getting her tailbone kicked into the back of her skull on a surprisingly short journey to the moon, and she was sure that's what this man might intend once he finds out about her duplicity.

Once Leda's hand brushed against a vague ladder shape, she practically squealed with glee. Immediately she began bouncing with energy, and shared her excitement with her new 'friend'. "Ooh, I found it! I found it!" As soon as she finished her exuberant exclamation, she began ascending the ladder. She immediately found the manhole by knocking against it with her head, which now throbbed in two places. With a frustrated groan, she pushed the manhole out of its setting with relative ease. At least now the pair could enjoy some fresh air.

She waited outside until the gargantuan man could fit his girth past the rather small manhole. "Um, Titan...?" She feigned an uncertain, worried expression. "Is that a friend of yours?" She pointed just beyond him, towards the alleys lining the street. Maybe he'd fall for it. If he did, at least she had a small window to escape. Still... She'd have to apologize to him if they ran into each other in the future.