Chapter 1
To say things have changed for Melbourne is an understatement. It had only been one year since the battle of Eureka Tower, and Master Kointant, the leader of the Mercecci crime family, had been defeated and was being sent to prison.
The city knew that it was The Vigilantes, or how they now like to be known as the Gemstone Sisters, as they also wrote ‘The Gemstone Sisters’ underneath their symbol of a broken heart with a sword in the middle.
But it was not just the city that changed. The sisters gained two new members, and all their appearances had taken a toll on them.
Magenta, the team leader, still had purple skin, jet-black hair, violet eyes, and huge biceps, but now her hands were diamonds; she had onyx shards in her arms and pieces of metal and diamonds in her legs.
Ruby, the smartest on the team, still had her red skin and green eyes, but now her hair was half lava, half orange, and lava ran through her face, arms, and legs, with pieces of molten rock embedded in her legs. She also had a small watch on her that converted into a computer and glasses that could scan anything.
Emerald, the fastest, still had green skin and yellow eyes, but her hair was a full bush of poison ivy, she had moss all over her legs and face and had pieces of earth that were embedded in her arms.
Pearl, the youngest, still had her blue skin and lilac eyes, but her hair was now half water, half snow-white. She had lightning bolts embedded in her arms and would light up whenever she felt a strong emotion, and clouds surrounded her legs all the time.
The two new members who were added to the team were twins Opal and Luna. They had only found out they were not human and had the power to heal, but lived normal lives until they met the sisters.
Their father had died when they were seventeen, and their mother, Sonia, had died, fighting the Kointant one year ago.
So they joined the Gemstone sisters, and they no longer looked human.
Opal had healing marks over her body; she still had her father’s crystal blue eyes, but her hair was now snow-white, she had rose pink skin and had quartz embedded in her arms and her legs.
Luna, like her twin, had healing marks over her body, her father’s crystal blue, yes, her hair was also snow-white, she had lavender skin and had moonstone embedded in her arms and her legs.
They lived with Master Shenai, who was the one who found Magenta, Pearl, Ruby, and Emerald as babies and had raised them.
She now looks after Opal and Luna, and they help the sisters continue to protect the city from minor crimes.
The one crime that had been on the rise lately was robberies.
They were from banks, museums, charities, or anything that had any money or anything historic.
One night, the girls were out on their evening patrol when they stopped on the rooftop of a building to hear screams and glass smashing.
“Ruby, can you pinpoint where the screams came from?” Magenta asked.
Ruby scanned the area.
“Coming from the National Museum,” Ruby replied.
“Another robbery again!” groaned the twins.
“How many is that this month?” Pearl quipped.
“Seriously, do criminals have anything better to do?” grunted Emerald.
“Well, duty calls,” Magenta shrugged.
“Let’s get them before they do any more damage,” Ruby said.
The girls all leapt from the building and went from rooftop to rooftop.
At the museum, there were about fifty soldiers, all in masks, carrying boxes of different crystals, World War 1, and World War 2 weapons.
A tall woman then arrived and struck fear into the soldiers.
The woman was Lieutenant Mozka. She was very tall, with sleek blonde hair, piercing green eyes and walked with poise and grace. She was also Lieutenant Corona’s oldest friend before she died, and Mozka took over from her.
“Hurry up with those weapons and crystals!” Mozka ordered. “Master Rosaline will have your head if we’re late with the shipment.”
Suddenly, a diamond is thrown right at Mozka’s face, but she dodges it.
Soldiers put their guns up and pointed to where the diamond came from.
“We know you’re out there, Gemstone Sisters,” taunted Mozka. “Why don’t you come out from the shadows and stop hiding like the freaks and monsters that you are?”
The girls then all jumped down and revealed themselves.
“Even uglier in person,” Mozka sneered.
“Gemstone Sisters’ attack!” Magenta ordered.
The Soldiers then went after the sisters.
Emerald shot vines at the soldiers and infected them with her moss. Ruby sent molten rock from her legs and lava from her hair. Pearl used the lightning from her arms and summoned a storm directed at the soldiers, and Opal and Luna sent their healing marks at the soldiers, which they had been trained to attack anyone who was a bad person.
Magenta was in an all-out battle with Lieutenant Mozka.
“You know, you could join us,” Mozka said.
“Why would I help out criminals?” Magenta snarled.
She knocked Mozka into a truck and was about to finish her, but the car got away with the weapons and crystals.
The others came over to Magenta and saw the truck go away.
“We’ll get them next time,” Ruby said.
“Um, guys, you might want to come over here!” Opal called.
They went over the front of the building and saw something they never thought they would see again.
It was a black wolf with blood red eyes and a sword clutched in its mouth. It was the mark of the Mercecci’s.
The girls immediately went back to their base, and they interrupted Master Shenai’s meditation. Again.
“How many times have I told you, girls, not to be so loud when coming in?” Shenai sighed exasperatedly.
“Sorry, master,” the girls apologised.
“It’s alright,” Shenai replied.
“Master, we need to tell you something,” Magenta said.
Shenai met her daughter’s eyes and knew something was not right.
“You saw what?!” Shenai gasped.
“It was the mark of the Mercecci’s, as clear as day,” Ruby said.
“How can this be?” Shenai said. “Kointant has been in prison and is being transported to a stronger facility tomorrow night.”
“Umm, guys, you might want to check this out,” Pearl called.
The news channel was on the TV, and it was reporting from the museum.
“Just earlier, the museum was attacked and robbed, and the mark of the Mercecci’s was left behind. What does this mean for our city? Will Master Kointant escape from custody? And will the Gemstone Sisters be able to stop her like last time?”
“Ruby, can you look up the crystals and weapons that were stolen?” Magenta asked.
She got to the computer and gasped.
“The weapons are known for creating big machines, and the crystals for transportation between one place and another,” Ruby said.
“The Mercecci’s must be planning to use the crystals and the weapons to transport Kointant from her prison back to their base,” Magenta said.
“But how?” Emerald asked.
“Yeah, if the Mercecci’s plan on doing it tomorrow night, they can’t, as she’s being transported by vehicle,” Pearl said.
“They must be planning to do it on the road. Easier to do as there will only be one officer driving the car,” Opal said.
“We strike tomorrow and make sure Kointant stays in the car and does not get transported,” Magenta said.
It was 10:00 pm the next day. Kointant was in an orange jumpsuit, with chains across her chest, her hands handcuffed, and her legs shackled. Her once long, sleek black hair was now cut short into a bob. Her posture was now hunched, and she no longer walked like she owned the place, but her ice-cold blue eyes still sent fear into everyone.
She was placed in a chair in the back, which chained her.
The driver was Officer Maria Daniels. She was new, but the best driver on the squad and one of the best fighters, being trained by the infamous Master Shenai before she disappeared. She had short blonde hair, blue eyes, tanned skin and always had a warm presence around her.
“You know where to go, Officer Daniels,” Chief Bulstrode said.
“I do, chief,” Maria replied.
“You do this safely and without any problems, and you might get promoted,” Bulstrode said.
Maria smiled. She has only been here for 6 months, and she might get a promotion.
She sped off and was on her way.
