MISC: GODLING # 66 Soap Opera by J. Vandersteen

[Jochem Vandersteen]

– GODLING – THE ONE MAN PANTHEON:  Soap Opera by J. Vandersteen

Two men are counting money that is on a dinner table. They are in an apartment, a silhouette can be spotted at the other side of the window.
    One of the men says, "Such great idea to keep just five dollars every deal. With the amount of deals we made that stacked up and Mancuso is none the wiser."
    "Yeah," the other guy says. "Good thing too, because he'd have our heads if he ever found out."
    The window smashes, the silhouette jumps through. It is an athletic looking woman in dark purple spandex. She is wearing a hood that obscures her face. There are white Japanese letters on her chest. She is holding a large, spearlike weapon.
    "What?" one of the guys says."Who are you?"
    The woman sommersaults, and gets up. "I'm Naginata. And this is where I got my name from." She points her spear the two criminals.
    "Mancuso sent you, right?" one of the guys says. "I was afraid of that. Here, take all the money."
    "I'll take your heads instead," Naginata says.
    SLASH! SLASH! The blade on the spear cleaves through their necks, decapitating them.
    "You should better than cross Mr. Mancuso," Naginata says, kicking one of the heads.
*

Quentin Alexander walks around the campus grounds. He thinks, "I just can't believe what happened yesterday. Hudson walking in on us while nothing was really going on has probably really destroyed any friendship I had with him."
     His head is so in the clouds he bumps into a teenage girl who is checking her phone. She is knocked on her ass.
     "I'm sorry!" Quentin says.
     The girl, a perky blonde with pink shorts and a Nirvana T-shirt looks up at him. "I wasn't either. You are way sturdier than you look, professor Alexander."
     "Do I know you?" Quentin asks.
     "It's me, Liv. I used to be in your class, two years ago."
     "Now I remember you. But weren't you... Errr..."
      "Fatter? Yes I was. I lost some weight."
      "Ah, I see. Okay. Well, sorry," he said and extended his hand, helping her up.
      "It was all my fault. I shouldn't be so distraced by my phone. How's about I treat you to some coffee to make for it."
      "No, no I don't thinks so," Quentin said. He thought back about how student Amanda Reese had gotten him in trouble before (way back in #10), accusing him of raping her.
      "Just a quick coffee, why not?" Liv asked.
       Quentin shrugged, "All right, why not?" And then he thought, "What could one coffee hurt, right? In a public space."

*
"She's prettty," Aphrodite says to her husband Hephaestus as she is watching Quentin and Liv in her scrying mirror.
     "She is. Bit young for the professor," Hephaestus says.
      "I'm sure it is just platonic. He loves Monica. And with her falling out with Wade there are definite possibilities there."
      "I don't believe it. He's had his chanches more often. Hear me talk, now you've gotten me invested in this little soap opera as well. Why don't we have a look at what Mark Brant is doing. Way more exciting."

*
Mark Brant was running down the streets of Hollywood. "I can't be late again for this audition. I've botched way too many already."
      He pushes several people who pass by away from him, clearing his path. He finally arrives at a large building. He goes to the reception desk.
      A good looking, young black woman is behind the desk. She gives the sweaty visitor a disdainful look. "Yes?"
     "I've got an appointment with Mr. Tower."
     "You're late," the receptionist says, checking the calendar.
      "Just a bit. Please, call him. I'll take you out for some coffee afterwards to thank you."
     "Is that a threat?"
      "I must be losing my charm. But please, it will mean a lot to me."
      "No. Get out or I call security."
      "You don't know what you're missing, baby," Mark says and walks out.
      Outside he thinks, "That was annoying. I really need to vent some anger. Great time for some more Thespian." He takes his Thespian mask out of his jacket.
      The mask transforms him into Thespian, he doesn't even pay much attention to his surroundings. He walks into a bar a few streets away. Motorbikes are parked in front.
      The bar he walks in is filled with tough looking bikers who look up from their beers an pool tables, surprised to see a man in spandex walk in.
      "Hello, suckers," Thespian says. He grabs a beer from one of the bikers, just snatching it from his hand. He empties it on the biker's head.
     The bikers are amazed. But quickly their amazement is replaced with anger. The biker whose head Thespian just got wet raises his fist.
     That's when Thespian suddenly is wearing a gi, like a martial artist. "I played quite some martial artists," Thespian thinks. He uses his power to become any role he played and downs the biker with one karate chop.
     The other bikers come to his help. They carry their chains, knives and pool cue over to Thespian, crowding him. Thespian just laughs.
     A spinkick takes out the first biker. A punch another one. He breaks a pool cue with a karate chop and takes one half of it, wielding it as a baton. He starts to crack heads with it.
    After some time there are only unconscious bikers left, Thespian victorious. He drops the baton and says, "I needed that."

*
Quentin is having coffee with Liv in the campus cafeteria. 
     "How did you lose so much weight? Workouts? Diet?" Quentin asks.
     "Why the interest?" Liv asks. "You certainly don't need to lose any weight yourself. You are in really, really good form." With those words she squeezed Quentin's biceps.
     "I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" Monica Sawyer says, suddenly standing next to Quentin.
     "Huh? Sorry! I didn't notice you," Quentin tells Monica.
     "I noticed that," Monica says and walks off.
     "What was that all about?" Liv asks. "She sounded annoyed. I didn't make her jealous, did I? It's not like you're an item, right?"
     "No, no I don't thinks so," a befuddled Quentin says.

*
Mancuso is sitting in the swimming pool of his villa. Several bikini-clad ladies are in there with him. He is having a drink.
     Naginata enters the scene. She throws two heads on the floor, the roll down into the pool. The bikini girls scream and leave the pool.
     "Naginata! Was that really necessary?" Mancuso asks.
     "Those bimbos annoy me," Naginata says. "And I wanted to show you proof I delivered on the contract."
     "A picture might have sufficed," Mancuso says. "But well done, I guess. I have a new job for you."
     "Just tell me who to kill," Naginata says.
     "I want you to kill the masked vigilante they call The Thespian," Mancuso says.


NEXT: Naginata strikes again!