Chapter 6: Partners

"Terrell, you've either got balls the size of church bells," the burly thug threatened in a very unoriginal manner, not even drawing his gun yet, but no doubt feeling safe because of his two buddies. That, and the fact that Terrell had already been searched twice now and wasn't packing. "Or you're the dumbest fuck in this entire universe. I'm betting on the latter."

Terrell just smiled softly. These dumb brutes didn't have a clue just what all this entire Universe contained. "All I want is what's mine, and I see you've brought it."

"Yeah, we brung it," a second thug chimed in, missing the frown as he verbally stepped onto his boss's words. "But you ain't getting any of it. All you're getting today is the wacking you should'da had last week."

With that he drew his large caliber pistol, forcing the other two to pull theirs as well just so no one looked left behind.

Then with an evil smile thug number two added, "Terrell, you never should'da messed with my woman, or my stuff," and squeezed the trigger.

In the fraction of a second before the hammer could fall, ignite the powder column, and send first of a stream of heavy slugs across the twenty feet of empty space, there was a blast of air. Faster than the eye could pickup the motion, Ursa's invulnerable body interposed itself between her man, and the bullets trying to take him from her.

She took a dozen hits without seeming to notice. It was that long before the three thugs registered that something wasn't right and stopped firing for a moment.

"I think you missed, guys," Terrell taunted them with from the safety of her bulletproof shadow.

A dozen rounds more had equally no effect.

"Now you're only pissing her off," Terrell derided them.

Frustrated and goaded they emptied the remaining rounds in their magazines at his voice, to no further effect.

"My new girlfriend hates two sorts of men," Terrell's mocking voice informed them. "Dumb, and slow."

On that cue there was a flash as Ursa's superspeed allowed her to dash over, take each gun away, and return to her protective position in front of Terrill before any of the crooks could blink. Each was left now with broken fingers on their gun hands, since Ursa hadn't used any special care in how she'd removed their armament. She handed her booty over to Terrell.

"Oh, gee," he said, stepping out from behind her now and pointing one of the empty guns back at his disarmed antagonists. Centering the sights on the boss in the middle he pulled the trigger, hearing only the click as it fell on an empty chamber. "And I like loud noises so much, too."

In truth, Terrell would have liked to mow them all down this moment. But he didn't feel that would play right with his newest ally.

Casually tossing the useless gun away he addressed them once more. "I think you should go now, and leave me with my rightfully acquired possessions."

The subordinate thug, the one with the personal vendetta, seemed about to protest this. Even as he cradled his damaged hand he opened his mouth.