Liberty Girl: The Equalizer (Episode Two)

Liberty Girl has defeated the Equalizer (for now), but a new threat to her life and crimefighting career is rising.  And it's taking the shape of an old friend... One who might already know Liberty Girl's most closely kept secret...

SCENE ONE: Liberty Girl, in her civilian identity as Denise Kingston, sits at a restaurant, eating lunch with her friend, Megan Malos.  When we last saw our heroine, she was fighting the Equalizer, and over the course of that fight, her secret identity appeared to have been revealed to a person over the phone.  That person, of course, was Megan Malos.  This is not known to Liberty Girl.

Megan: It’s been just too long, Denise.

LG: Tell me about it.  But it’s so good to see you, Megan.  You still working as a reporter?

MM: I am!  It’s fun work… Putting pieces together, solving mysteries.  What have you been up to these days, Denise?  What about your life is just SO important that you can’t hang out with me anymore?

LG (chuckles): Oh, you know.  Work.

MM: You’re not, like, fighting crime, are you?

LG (chuckles): Nope.  I leave that to the experts.

MM: You mean to sluts like that bikini bimbo, Liberty Girl?

LG: Yes, people like Liberty Girl.  Though I don’t think she’s a slut.

MM: Really?  Always parading around town in that skimpy little outfit.  I think she’s ridiculous.

LG (with a look of consternation on her face): Wow.  Strong feelings, huh?

MM: I can’t wait for the day when she gets her clock cleaned by some average Joe.  That’ll teach her to be so cocky.

LG: Oh come on, Megan.  Liberty Girl isn’t that bad.  I think she’s doing good work for this city.  She’s taking out the garbage.  She’s doing things that the cops can’t do.

MM: So you’re a fan of vigilante justice now, Denise?

LG: I didn’t say that…

MM: Because that’s what Liberty Girl is.  Judge, jury, and executioner.  You really agree with that?

LG: I just think there are times when we need more than the law to keep our city safe.

MM: More than the law?  Really, Denise?  Aren’t you a clerk or something?

LG: I guess we’ll agree to disagree, then.  (she’d like to change the conversation…)

MM: You kind of look like her, don’t you?

LG (eyes widen): What?  Who?

MM: You look like Liberty Girl.

LG (blushing): What?  No!  Are you kidding me?

MM: Yeah.  Same long dark hair.  Bout the same height and build.  Nice rack.

Liberty Girl is blushing.

MM: Nice big ol’ round butt.

LG: Well… I guess we do have some things in common…

MM: That’s quite a few things!

LG: Lots of people have long dark hair, Megan.

MM: Whoa!  No need to get defensive!  I’m not accusing you of anything, Denise!

LG: I’m not being defensive!  I just…

MM: I’m a reporter, so I have to ask: Are you Liberty Girl?

LG: No!  Absolutely not!  I have no idea what you’re talking about!

MM (laughing): Wow.  Okay.

LG: I’ve never heard something so ridiculous.  Me, as Liberty Girl?  I can hardly throw a punch.

MM: In fairness, neither can Liberty Girl.

LG (frowning): Have you ever seen what she does to criminals?

MM: Yeah.  She’s okay.  I think she gets lucky.

LG: Huh.  You don’t go out and do what Liberty Girl does every night and get lucky.

MM: She’s got to have some kind of… I don’t know… power source.  Something that gives her an edge.  Because I’ve seen her fight.  And she’s not that good.

LG: So you think you could take Liberty Girl?

MM: I do!  We’d just have to balance the scales a little bit.

LG: Well, I wouldn’t go getting any ideas.

MM (grinning): It’s funny we should be talking about this.

LG: You brought it up.

MM: The other night I called your house, and a man answered.

The gravity of the situation begins to dawn on Liberty Girl.

MM: He said you and Liberty Girl were one and the same.

LG (worried): That’s… Odd…

MM: When he picked up the phone, he said, “LIberty Girl’s residence!”

LG: Oh.  That was… Umm…

MM: So what’s up with that, Denise?

LG: I don’t know.  I just.  I can’t remember… Did you dial the wrong number?

MM: No.  I dialed your house.  And a man picked up.  Who was that man?

LG: That was… My brother!  Yeah, my brother came over!

MM: Your… brother?

LG: Yeah, he’s always playing practical jokes like that.  He’s like you, and he thinks I look a little like Liberty Girl, so…

MM: So your brother picked up the phone, said “Liberty Girl’s residence” as a joke, and hung up afterward?

LG: I guess so!

MM: And he never told you that I called?

LG: This is the first time I’m hearing about this!

MM: Huh.  I didn’t know you had a brother, Denise?

LG: I do.

MM: What’s his name?

LG: His name… Is… Uhh… Travis.

MM: Travis Kingston?

LG: Yep!  My older brother Travis.

MM: He’s got a weird sense of humor.

LG: He does!

MM: Hehe.  I thought I had you there, Liberty Girl.

LG: I’m not Liberty Girl!

Megan Malos laughs and the scene fades.

SCENE TWO: Denise is at home watching TV.

TV Anchor: Tonight, Ned Jedson, the criminal otherwise known as the Equalizer, was released from jail.

LG: What?

TV: In a bizarre series of incidents, jail psychiatrists determined that Jedson, who recently contracted amnesia due to blunt force trauma, is no longer a threat to society.

LG: So he lost his memories… That’s good.  Still.  I don’t trust that guy one bit.

TV: To speak about this and other topics, we have Megan Malos, a reporter for the Gazette, on our program tonight.  Megan, how are you?

MM: I’m good, thank you.

LG: Well if it isn’t my old “friend.”

TV: Megan, why do you think the court has made this decision?

MM: I don’t care, honestly.  What I want to talk about tonight is our city’s greatest existential threat: the costumed superheroine known as Liberty Girl.

LG (rolling her eyes): Go figure.

MM: Every night that Liberty Girl is allowed to roam free is a night without justice in our city.

Megan mic cuts.  The TV program cuts away for a moment and then returns.

TV: We apologize for that, folks.  

LG: She’s losing her mind.

The phone rings.  Liberty Girl picks it up.

LG: Hello?  What?  Megan Malos is holed up in the studio with a gun?  I’ll be there in a minute.

She puts the phone down.

LG: I can’t believe this.  But oh well.  More work for Liberty Girl…

Fade to black

SCENE THREE: Megan Malos is in an office building, alone, waving a gun around wildly.  She speaks in a loud and deranged fashion.

MM: Where are you, Liberty Girl?  Come on!  Face me!

Liberty Girl bursts through the door.

LG: You called?

MM: There you are!  What took you so long?

LG struts up to Megan confidently.  Megan trains her gun on Liberty Girl, but our heroine is unfazed.

LG: Put the gun down, now.

MM (laughing): Absolutely not, Liberty Girl!  Or should I say… Denise Kingston?

LG: I don’t know what you’re talking about, missy.

MM (more laughter): Oh, I think you do, Denise.  You psycho.

LG: You’re the psycho, Megan.  You’ve lost control.  Now put the gun down.  If you go quietly, we can be done here in just a second…

MM: I’m not putting the gun down.  No way.  Not until you remove your power source.

LG: Well, seeing as I don’t have a power “source” (Liberty flexs her fingers in air quotes), I can’t do that.

MM: You’re lying!

LG: You’ve had your chance.  Put the gun down, NOW, or I’ll put it down for you.

MM: Nope!

LG: Have it your way.

Liberty Girl struts over to Megan.  As she nears her foe, Megan reaches out for the office’s light switch and flicks the power off.  The room is completely dark.

LG: Hey!  What?

The room is silent.

LG: You’d better turn that light back on, Megan, or I’ll…

A loud CRACK!  Followed immediately by a small cry from LG, then a large THUD.  The lights come back on.  We see Liberty Girl on the ground clutching her head.  Megan stands over her with the gun, grinning.

MM: I guess night vision isn’t one of your superpowers, is it, bitch?

She holds the gun to LG’s head.  Liberty Girl winces from the floor.

MM: Now, I think I’ll be taking this…

Without changing the position of the gun, Megan removes Liberty Girl’s lasso from her boot.  Liberty GIrl can only look on.

MM: It’s time we have a real chat.

Liberty Girl whimpers, still reeling from the pain of the blow to the head, as Megan wraps the lasso around her body.

MM: I’ve seen you on TV using this rope, Liberty Girl.  And I know it forces people to tell the truth.  Am I right, Liberty Girl?  Does it force people to tell the truth?

Liberty Girl cannot resist the magic lasso’s power.

LG: Yes.

MM: Perfect.

LG: Megan, you can’t… You can’t do this…

MM: Let’s play truth or dare, Liberty Girl.

LG: You must… untie me…

MM: I dare you… to stand up.

Under the influence of the lasso, Liberty Girl clambers to her feet.

MM: Well done!  Now… time for truth.

LG: You… Ugh… Don’t…

MM: Liberty Girl… Who are you really?  What is your secret identity?

LG: Denise… Uhh… Kingston.

MM: HAHAHAHAHA!  I knew it!  I just knew it!

LG: You… Can’t tell... Anyone…

MM: You look the same!  You talk the same!  Oh, this is just rich!

LG: Megan… Please…

MM: Denise, I HAVE to tell EVERYONE this, don’t you understand?  I’m a reporter!

LG: But…We’re… Friends…

MM: We once were friends, Denise.  But I could never be friends with someone like you.  A freak who wanders around the streets in a flag bikini beating poor people up?  You’re a monster.

LG: Ugh…

MM: I’m taking you out tonight, Denise.  You can’t be allowed to Liberty Girl… Not ever again!  And with that in mind… I must ask… What is the source of your power?

LG: My… Magic… Belt…

MM: Just as I thought.

With one deft motion, Megan rips LG’s magic belt from her waist.

LG: No!

MM: So, to be clear… Without this magic belt, you’re powerless?  You’re only as strong as a normal woman?

LG: Yes… Without… My magic belt… I’m just a… Normal woman.

MM: So if I punched you in the face right now, you’d fall over?

LG: Uh… Go ahead and try it… Bitch…

Megan socks Liberty Girl in the cheek.  She collapses to the ground; the lasso unravels and falls to the floor.

MM: You got a glass jaw, Denise.

Liberty Girl slowly rises to the floor.  She assumes a fighting pose.

LG: My name…. Is Liberty Girl.

MM: Funny… That’s not what you said under the spell of your little rope there!

LG: I’m done playing.

MM: You wanna fight me, then?  Come on!  Come and get me!

LG: With pleasure.

Liberty GIrl runs at Megan.  She winds up a punch, but as she nears he foe, Megan throws out her arms and shoves Liberty Girl to the ground.

MM: Hahahaha.  Nice try, Denise.  But you’re no fighter.  No without this magic belt.

Megan kicks the grounded Liberty Girl.  She winces in pain.  Seeing an opportunity, Megan sits on top of Liberty Girl’s stomach.  She then leans forward and faces her.

MM: I’ll kick the shit out of you.

Megan throws wild punches at Liberty Girl.  She connects with our heroines arms, body, face, neck.  Liberty Girl is able to deflect a few of the hits but most of them land, weakening her slowly.  Finally Liberty Girl stops resisting.  Her arms fall to the floor and her head slumps.  Laughing, Megan rises from the ground.

MM: God, this is fun.

She steps back and aims her gun at Liberty Girl.

MM: I’m afraid that all good things must come to an end, though.

Liberty Girl can barely move.

LG: Megan… Ugh… Don’t…

MM: Tata, super-slut…

Just as Megan goes to pull the trigger, the lights go out again.  There’s another CRACK, followed by a cry and another THUD.  The lights flick on to reveal a man looming over a grounded Megan.  Liberty Girl remains on the ground in obvious distress.

Stranger: Liberty Girl!  What happened?

The man rushes over to our heroine.  He slowly pulls her from the ground.  She begins to regain her strength.

LG: Ugh, I got in some trouble.

Stranger: I was watching behind that desk the whole time!  That woman kicked the shit out of you!

LG: Yeah, I know.

Stranger: She was gonna kill you!  I had to knock her out!

LG: Yeah, thanks for that.

Stranger: She had you in your own lasso!  And she made you reveal your secret identity!

LG (in shock): You saw that?

Stranger: Yeah!  Your name is Denise Kingston!

LG: No!  I, uh, made that name up.  It’s a fake name I use.  When I get into trouble.

Stranger: Wow, really?  That’s crazy!  That was some impressive acting, Liberty Girl!

LG: Gee, thanks. (Liberty Girl still clutches at her body in pain.)

Stranger: But she made you weak, too!  She took away your magic belt!

LG: Oh, uh, this old thing?  (Liberty Girl picks up the magic belt and puts it on.)  This is just, uh, a decoy.

Stranger: Really?  Because she really, really beat the hell out of you after she took it away.

LG: Okay.  I get it.  She beat me bad.  Could we move onto another topic now?

Stranger: Oh, alright.  Sure.  So.  Umm.  What are you gonna do with her now?

LG: Just a little lasso trick to make her forget all about this.

Liberty Girl wraps the lasso around Megan, who has been slowly regaining consciousness.

LG: Megan Malos, I command you to forget everything that happened in the last hour.

MM: Yes.

Liberty Girl unties Megan.

LG: Alright, that should do it.

Stranger:  Wow!  That was awesome!  You really are a superheroine!

LG: You are so right, sir.

THE END