by Hannah Cummings
Amanda Delay had a mission today. She wanted trouble, or rather, she wanted to cause some. She was dressed in a rusty orange coloured coat, black ripped jeans, and a white shirt, all paired with black boots. The red headed woman approached the building with a smile on her face, her green eyes glancing around at the civilians mingling out front. Amanda Delay had a powerful stride and an even more powerful grin. She knows what she wants, and she wasn’t about to let someone stop her.
Stan had been the terrifying Tiger-Man for a little over a year. In that time he had learned a lot about the superhero trade and Stan felt like he was doing a pretty good job, all things considered. Tiger-Man was out on one of his nightly patrols, searching for crime and wrong-doers, and his travels took him down towards Queens Botanical Garden.
The Botanical Garden Visitor Center was a large building, inside it was various gift shops, a plant store, a snack station and an information desk. The sun was starting to set, so it wasn't easy to spot The Tiger-Man crouched on the roof of the building.
As he always did, Stan wore his traditional Tiger-Suit. It was composed of yellow and red colors, he had glowing green eyes and razor sharp claws. Stan hadn't yet noticed Amanda. As for now he was a silent guardian waiting for his moment to strike.
Given the time of day, everyone was starting to leave the building and the surrounding area to go home- all except Amanda. She sat on a bench out front, waiting until everyone was gone- or so she thought. Delay hadn’t noticed Stan the Tiger Man. She had no idea she was being watched- rookie mistake.
After the area was cleared out, the red headed woman stood up and slipped into the building. This action was very out of place, considering everyone beforehand had been traveling in the opposite direction.
Amanda used the darkness outside to her advantage. She hadn’t tripped any alarms or anything, rather the building was calm and quiet. Almost too quiet.
After most of the people had cleared away, it was easy to see the one individual who was walking towards the building. Using the on-board AI system in his cowl, Stan zoomed in on the approaching woman. "Looks like someone doesn't know what closed means," Stan said to himself.
After Amanda entered the building, Stan followed. He watched her for a few moments before dropping down behind the young woman. "It's after hours, ma'am. It's best that you leave."
Stan took a few steps closer towards the young woman, his yellow and red Tiger-Suit making him relatively easy to see despite the darkness which engulfed the building.
Amanda’s large green eyes reflected the moonlight showering in from the glass ceiling above the atrium. She was assessing her next move when Stan made himself known. The woman spun around on her heel to face the man that spoke to her.
“Ah, that’s alright. I seemed to have lost track of time,” Amanda replied, her voice light and calm. It was soothing in a way- trustable even. She looked harmless, however the inner workings of her mind would prove otherwise. “Silly me.”
Amanda took a moment to look the man up and down. All she could see was his brightly coloured suit. “Yellow and red stick out you know,” Amanda said, taking a couple steps toward him. “I could help you with that…I’ve got a little bit of fashion expertise.”
"Lost track of time?" The Tiger-Man asked with a tilt of the head. "The lights are out and the door is locked. Forgive me if I have a hard time believing you," He said before crossing his arms.
"Sorry lady, but a tiger doesn't change his stripes," Stan replied in a rather smooth way. Truth be told, the suit wasn't exactly designed to be stealthy. It was about sending a message, and maybe a bit about looking cool.
"If you want to help me…then you can tell me why you are here." Stan probably wouldn't have been so invested in what Amanda was doing if it had been a more busy night. Truth be told, it had been pretty boring for Stan, up until this point.
“I guess I didn’t notice,” Amanda said, shrugging playfully. The woman walked a circle around Tiger Man, clearly not caring that she was trespassing. Rather, she found this encounter entertaining. “Mm, that’s a shame.. say, what’s under that mask of yours?” Amanda said, approaching Tiger Man closer this time, “Are you a man or a machine?”
Amanda wasn’t going to tell him anything just yet. She found pleasure in keeping her business anonymous. “I think I’ll pass. You’ll have to figure that out on your own, hot shot,” Amanda replied, cracking an enchanted smile. She may be up to no good, but she looked good doing it.
Stan rolled his eyes. The woman was clearly stalling, but it's not like Tiger had anything better to do this evening. "Trust me, a machine can't do the things I can." He told Amanda.
Quickly a set of silver claws descended from Stan's fingertips. And he swiftly moved to grab the wrist of Amanda before attempting to push her against the wall. Given his strength this should be an easy feat.
"My patience is starting to run thin." The Tiger-Man said as his eyes narrowed, glaring at the woman. "This building houses many expensive and rare plants. Plenty of horticulture freaks would kill to get their hands on them. It's time for you to leave.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Amanda taunted, raising an intrigued ginger brow. The ends of her rose coloured lips curled upwards, creating an irresistible grin.
Amanda was caught completely off guard when claws appeared at the man’s fingertips. Her eyes darted to them, trying to comprehend what was happening, though her train of thought was completely cut short as she was pushed against the wall. “Mm- I believe you,” Amanda replied, groaning slightly.
“But we were just getting started, darling. Don’t you want to see this through?” Amanda asked, her voice practically laced with poison, “I’m not going anywhere. Not until I get what I want. Now, let’s dance, shall we?” A plant tendril came slithering out from underneath her sleeve and aimed to take hold of the arm that he used to grab her.
It was hard to say that this woman wasn't interesting. Hell, she was downright intriguing. But that didn't mean Stan could just look the other way. He didn't see himself as a crime-fighter, merely he saw himself as a protector of the people. And the way he saw it, what Amanda was doing here could very easily ruin someone's livelihood. There was also the possibility of someone getting hurt. "For now you'll just have to take my word. If you go easily now then I'd be more than willing to speak as a character witness at your court hearing."
Stan's glowing emerald eyes glared into Amanda's devil's pupils. Her suggestion for a dance might've been something that Stan took her up on if they had met under different circumstances. The mystical energy of Amanda was enough to drive the vicious vigilante into his thoughts for a moment. "It just occurred to me that I haven't asked for your name y-.."
Before the Terrible Tiger-Man could finish his sentence, he was taken aback by the plant tendril which had taken hold of his arm. "Unhand me, vixen!" Stan exclaimed as he raised his free clawed hand, and struck the tendril with mighty force.
Amanda stared up at him and laughed softly. She wouldn’t be going to any sort of court hearing- not on her watch, at least. “Trust me, I won’t be needing that. Although, I’ll take your word for it. It’d be fun, wouldn’t it? A court hearing for little me, a woman who just wanted to stop and smell the roses. It would make for a fun evening,” Amanda replied, her playful little threats coming with ease.
“Oh, you can call me Delay. Amanda Delay.” The red headed woman laughed, not necessarily in an evil way, but something close to it. The plant tendril would recoil and break apart as he clawed at it. “You haven’t given me your name either. Might as well tell me now, doll, because I know this will not be the last time I will see you,” Amanda said, a mischievous grin spreading on her lips.
Amanda would try to twist her wrist out of his hold, but her desperate attempt would serve very little purpose compared to the man’s strength.
Stan let go of the woman to put some distance between himself and the dangerous looking plant tendril that the woman now welded. "I knew that you were up to no good." It was true, Stan was jumping to conclusions. It may be odd, welding plant tendrils wasn't exactly a crime. A lot of people didn't realize that Stan was still pretty new to this whole 'super-hero' beat.
"They call me the Tiger-Man..." Stan told Amanda as he positioned himself in a fighting stance. The silver claws of both hands descended as the Tiger-Man struck a particularly threatening looking pose. "You won't be seeing anyone aside from the prison guard and your cellmate for a long time." It was clear that Stan was a bit too uptight. He was trying a little too hard to be a superhero.
Tiger-Man then performed a rather elegant backflip and he landed on top of a small information booth within the building. He looked down at Amanda and gave a small tilt of his head. "I'll tell ya, I find it hard to buy the whole 'lost and confused' girl bit. If you were really as innocent as you're saying then I doubt you'd be putting up this much of a fight," He reasoned.
Amanda couldn’t help but shrug and laugh. She raised her hands up like she was being taken in by the police. “Well, it looks like you’ve caught me. Bravo!” Amanda said, watching as he put distance between them.
Amanda cocked her head to the side and a couple more plant tendrils sprouted from the ground. “That really is a shame, Tiger Man. You see, I was really beginning to quite like you,” The woman replied, “Relax, why don’t you? I won’t hurt you. I haven’t even laid a hand on you yet. Are you afraid, Tiger? Afraid of this little rose?” As the woman spoke, a rose formed within her cupped palms. She tossed it over to him, hoping to get some sort of a reaction. Nothing was wrong with the rose, in fact it was quite normal. The only thing that could hurt him were the thorns.
“I don’t belong in jail, Mr Tiger. I belong here, with my plants, watching over them, making sure that they’re properly cared for. That’s not so bad, is it? Who do you think I am? A murderer? I’m simply a gardener. Think of me as a rose; sweet and beautiful, yet a little dangerous. Wonderful imagery, don’t you think?”
Amanda watched him backflip himself onto higher ground. She approached the booth, her plants following. The vines slithered on the floor like snakes, following their creator. Amanda looked up at him and rose herself to his height with the help of her plants. “Trust me, I’m not lost. I’m right where I belong. I may not be as innocent as you, Mr Tiger, but I prefer to live on the dangerous side. It just makes things more fun,” Amanda replied, her voice dropping almost to a whisper.
"I wish I could say the same about you," Stan replied to Amanda's comment regarding her growing fondness for the man. His eyes narrowed into daggers as he glared down at the increasingly dangerous woman. "Fear and caution are two very different things, ma'am. This isn't my first rodeo."
It was easy to catch the rose considering Stan's cat-like reflexes. "So that's your deal then?" The Tiger-Man asked as he inspected the flower. "Plant manipulation? I suppose that makes sense in hindsight." He muttered to himself. "Look lady, I have no doubt you are crazy about plants. But if you really wanna take care of them here then you probably should've sent in an application."
As Amanda's plants lifted her to the same level as Stan, the pair locked eyes. "Well how dangerous is this?" With that, Stan leapt towards Amanda with his claws extended.
Amanda frowned slightly, “Ouch. This isn’t my first rodeo either, believe it or not. Makes for an interesting outcome, don’t you think? And please, call me by my name, if that isn’t too hard.” Amanda watched as he inspected the rose. He really was like a tiger, examining his prey- Amanda- and her flower that she handed him. “I don’t need to sign a silly application. I do what I want,” Amanda scoffed slightly.
Amanda’s big green eyes stared back at him intensely, though the moment was cut short as he lunged at her, claws extended. Her eyes widened immensely as she attempted to duck. Amanda was nicked on the shoulder and stomach, drawing blood in a claw like tear in her skin. The red headed woman yelped in pain as she was sent tumbling to the ground, but she had to shake it off. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of displaying pain.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” Amanda groaned, her teeth clenching in pain. She extended her non-injured arm in his direction, and large thorny plant tendrils followed. They attempted to hold the man’s arms in place, to hopefully keep him from clawing her again.
“So you are a dangerous one, Kitty. I must admit, you’ve got me there. Drawing blood? Red stains easily, you know. It’s a shame, I quite liked this shirt too,” Amanda said, slowly standing herself up. She approached him at a distance and added, “Give up the act and I won’t hurt you.”
After slashing Amanda across her stomach, Stan rolled from his shoulder to waist before popping back up onto his feet. "If you're smart, you'll stay down." Stan told Amanda as he took a few steps closer towards the downed woman.
Stan was caught off guard when the tendril snatched him up off the ground. "Damnit..." The Tiger-Man muttered under his breath. It was clear that Stan was new to this whole hero-thing. He wasn't all that good just yet.
"What can I say? This cat likes to scratch." Stan retorted. Although the Tiger-Man's arms were being held above his head, he still had control and mobility of his legs. Tiger-Man rolled his eyes as Amanda threatened him and waited for the right moment to strike. When Amanda was just close enough, Stan flipped up and kicked the woman in the nose with powerful force. "Unfortunately, there is no act to give up."
Amanda chuckled as she stood, “Well, consider me stupid because this flower isn’t going to wilt any time soon.” She crossed her arms across her chest and examined her work. It was a relief to have his arms restrained, though this moment of triumph would soon end.
Right when she thought she had won, everything came to a crashing halt as he kicked her right in the nose. Amanda yelped loudly, and stumbled backwards. She brought her hands up to her nose and gasped as she realized his kick had drawn blood. “Curse you, cat!” Amanda growled, wiping her nose with her sleeve. “Such a low blow, going for my face.” Amanda cherished her beauty very much, so it hurt even more knowing her perfect little nose was going to hurt for a long while.
With a wave of her hand she summoned up more vines, and this time she wanted to restrain his legs. She didn’t want any more of this kicking and clawing nonsense. The vines would reach up at him, aiming to take hold of his ankles. “Your claws and limbs are no use tied up. Give up, kitty cat. Although, before you make up your mind, allow me to give you a gift in return,” Amanda said. The woman walked up to him and would attempt to deliver a blow to his abdomen. She would send her knee flying into his gut, hoping, just hoping, it would get some sort of a reaction out of him.
When Amanda told Stan that he could consider her stupid, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Lady, you took the words right outta my mouth." He replied in a rather snarky tone. "You only have yourself to blame." Stan explained to Amanda. "I gave you a chance to walk outta here with no punches thrown!" He explained, referencing the many chances he had given the woman to surrender and explain herself.
As the vines took hold around Stan there wasn't much that he could do to free himself. This was certainly a less than desirable position to be in. All that he could do was grunt and groan as he took each of Amanda's blows. Just to spite Amanda, the Tiger-Man began to chuckle. "You wasted too much time…"
Soon after that, three police officers kicked in the door. Stan had made a call to the police station before the encounter began, but the cops just seemed to have arrived. "Stand down!" They shouted while pointing their guns. "You'd better listen..." Stan warned her in a hushed and taunting tone. "They don't have nearly as much patience as me."
Amanda did not like his comment very much about her level of intelligence. She really had herself to blame for that one. “You’re lucky I don’t take the breath out of your mouth,” Amanda snapped.
“There’s no fun in running away, doll face. I rather like a fight, just not the parting gifts that come with it,” Amanda replied, pointing to her scratches. She kicked him in the groin for good measure. “For you to remember me by,” The woman explained sourly. Her eyes narrowed and her brows furrowed when he began to laugh at her. She turned to see what he was chuckling at, and her eyes widened in both anger and fear.
Amanda turned to look up at Tiger Man, her eyes burning in rage. As the cops entered the building, she didn’t take her eyes off him. Her gaze pierced at the two glowing eye spots on his mask. When the cops addressed her, she pried her gaze off of him and turned to face them. Amanda slowly raised her hands and her vines let go of the man.
In the crime fighting line of work, sometimes you had to take a beating. And that was true even for the terrible Tiger Man. However, Stan was able to escape and the police were left to try their best with Amanda.