–Graveyard of the Trinity Church, 8:47 PM–
Sel had decided to stop at Wilson’s grave, feeling guilty about not being there to help him when he had really needed it. As she pulled over at the wrought-iron gate to the graveyard, turning off the rented motorcycle, she looked into the graveyard and thought she saw someone or something moving near the still-fresh earth of Wilson’s grave.
Frowning, she got off of the bike and walked into the graveyard, easily keeping out of the sight of the being near the grave. Sel reached into her jacket, slowly and carefully removing one of the magnums from the underarm holster before aiming at the back of the crouching form. Just as she flicked the safety off, Sel looked through the small scope mounted on the gun and realized that it was nothing more harmful than a little old lady with a bunch of flowers.
Sel blushed up the her hairline, and safed the gun before replacing it in its holster. Sel then started moving towards the grave, watching carefully as the old woman slowly bent over, obviously painfully, and gently placed the small bunch of flowers on the ground in front of the grave. Sel moved next to the woman and helped her stand.
The woman looked up at Sel, a few tears gathering in her cloudy eyes. She slowly reached out and patted Sel’s forearm, so gently that Sel could barely feel it. The woman smiled, making her face crinkle into a sea of wrinkles and laugh lines, and making her look even more like a great-grandmother.
Sel smiled and leaned over, gently planting a kiss on the woman’s right cheek. Whispering, she then said "Thank you. He was a good friend." The woman smiled again and slowly hobbled towards the gate, using a long cane to keep upright.
Sel watched the woman walk out into the darkness of the city, then turned to the simple marble stone that had been carefully etched engraved. She slowly knelt onto the moist ground, feeling the dampness of the grass begin to soak through the knees of her pants almost instantly. "Hey Will. Well, I haven’t really tried to talk to anyone upstairs lately, and I’m not really over what had happened to you. Still, I’m trying to kick the asses of the ones who actually managed what six different armies over the last eight years failed to do. Hey, if you’re watching, try to root for the good guys, huh? I think I want all the luck as I can get over here. I miss you, and so does Sebena. If it’s possible, try to visit somehow."
Sel stood up, looking down at the grave. As she did, she realized that there were close to sixty bunches of flowers lined up on the ground. Some flowers were older and slightly withered, but most of them were new and still bright. Sel smiled slightly and stood up. She then walked back to where the bike had been parked, and didn’t even swear when she saw that some little bastard had stolen the damn thing. Instead, she started walking towards the Sentinel’s impressive spire.
–Sentinel Hotel, 9:00 PM–
The digital clock in the hotel parking garage hit 9:00, and less than three seconds later, all sixteen of the doctored pillars blew up, perfectly synchronised with each other. The effects of the blasts were compounded by the close confines of the parking garage, battering the surviving pillars and producing huge chunks of concrete that simply flaked off from the rebars, warping the high-tensile steel. Less than five minutes later, as most of the tenants were beginning to evacuate the building, the weakened pillars finally gave way, severing all the supports for that level of the garage.
With a crackling groan, sounding almost like bones being stressed too far, the entire building lurched straight down by about twelve feet. Of the people in the lobby, almost all of them were either impaled upon the jagged spines of rebar that suddenly smashed through the floor or crushed when the second floor pancaked onto them. The exterior of the hotel was actually built to survive getting whacked by a 747 jumbo, but the lurching impact into the ground, followed up by the (comparatively) minor collapse of the second floor managed to weaken almost all of the structural braces holding the building together.
Most of the people on the top floors, namely Sebena and the swarm (her name for them) as well as several smarter tourists, had decided to go to the roof so they could at least figure out a way to get out of the building before it collapsed. Jenny was currently the most precariously balanced, as she was standing on the top of the parallel bars that made up the fence, looking down towards the nearest building below her. Looking back towards the rest of the team, she grimaced as another tremor rattled through the building, making her think that five more floors had decided to visit the lobby.
Jenny hopped back to the slowly buckling roof and looked at the cluster of people on the roof around her. Sebena was looking down at the streets almost two hundred feet below, then suddenly scrambled backwards as a form easily vaulted up and over the railing, landing with a dull thud in the middle of the roof. Less than a second later, a large panther also managed to vault over the rail, making everyone there go for their guns, most of which were most definitely modified.
Instead of attacking, the woman stood up, letting the moonlight reflect off of the large, slightly floppy fedora she was wearing, Sebena recognised her first, and dashed out of Jenny’s protective embrace, hugging the woman. She then turned to everyone with a gun out and said, quite loudly; "This woman saved my mommy, so you’d better be nice now."
Six smiled slightly, bent over to Sebena and whispered something to the child. The reaction was slightly shocked, but Sebena was already grinning at the anticipation. Six said, just loudly enough to be overheard by Jenny; "He’s got a soft spot for kids. Trust me, okay?"
Just as Six finished speaking, Something else vaulted over the railing, landing less than two feet from Six when she did. Sel just shook off the clinging dust that was stuck to her hands, looked around, and produced her trademark ‘Glare of Chilling Death’ She then shook her head. "Now, could anybody here tell me why the only person getting people off this roof isn’t a team member?!? Get your gear ready, grab a civvie, and follow her." Sel pointed at Six, who was already clambering over the railing, in preparation to jumping off.
Jenny grinned as Sel easily took command of the situation, but paused when Sel actually went back down into the hotel, seemingly looking for something. Jenny tried to contact Sel through the integral radio system in her own armour, but didn’t get a reply. However, less than five minutes later, Sel reappeared, easily carrying a large case in one hand. She didn’t even shake her head when she realized that only herself and Jenny, the rest of the team having taken Sel’s orders nicely and left the building.
Sel tossed Jenny the case, looked for Sebena for a second before remembering that the big panther had carried her daughter away from the roof at an amazing speed, and started clambering down the building, dropping easily from spar to spar. Just as Sel and Jenny reached the fifteenth floor, they ran out of spars and the building tried to fall over onto them. Sel jumped first, free-falling the hundred-fifty feet towards the ground seemingly without a care in the world. However, just as she reached the fifty-foot mark, followed quickly by Jenny, Sel simply extended her left arm, letting her trademark jagged spike extend from her wrist right before plunging the reactive metal spine into the wall, slowing her descent.
Even with the assistance caused by the spike, Sel knew she was about to get squished by the debris that was beginning to be thrown out of the building as the bottom fifteen floors began to buckle under the weight of the upper fifteen. Sel pulled her arm out of the wall, dropping the last twenty feet unassisted, and immediately tore away from the cloud of wreckage that was trying its gravity-enhanced best to squish her like a bug.
Sel just managed to skid around the corner of a five story building, sheltering herself as well as yanking Jenny behind the brick wall when the Sentinel hotel finally collapsed, sending concrete and steel flying all over the place. Almost thirty seconds elapsed before the remains of the building settled down to nothing more than a cloud of dust and papers, Sel stood up from where she had ducked and covered, wincing as chunks of concrete bounced off of her shoulders and back. *Oh, now I’m pissed. Nobody, but nobody tries to kill me, and even Satan wouldn’t want to fuck with my family. Whomever decided to pull that stunt is going to die a horrible, painful death.*
Sel looked to the side at Jenny, who was looking totally shocked, then heard a rumbling purr from her other side. Sel turned and looked down at the beaming face of Sebena, who was still sitting astride the big panther. Sebena hopped off the panther, hugged him, and dashed over to Sel, latching onto her legs with an iron-like grip. Sel slowly knelt, feeling her joints crack as she shifted position. "Hey, it’s okay. We’re safe."
Sebena didn’t let go, and Sel gently pried her daughter’s hands free from around her waist. "Look. I really don’t want to do this, but as far as I’m concerned, all the craziness in this city has gone on for way too long. I’m going to end this, then I’m definitely going to retire. How’d you like to see me at home after going to school, instead of wondering where I’ve gone off to?"
Sebena looked up into Sel’s eyes, tears streaming down her face as she tried to smile. "Promise?"
Sel smiled. "Cross my heart. Now, let’s get to the hospital, so we can be given clean bills of health before I find the person who did this and turn him into a squishee."
Sebena smiled, then heard the sirens of the police cars, ambulances, and fire engines converging on the fallen building. The two slowly walked out to the street, where they were almost immediately surrounded by the rest of the team, most of whom were nursing bumps, scrapes and bruises from the building’s collapse.
The entire group headed towards the hospital, with the exception of Sel, Jenny, and Tsier, who stayed behind to try and help with the rescue operation. Hidden in the shadows, Six looked at Sel, looked at Data 7, and let a small smile creep across her face. "Penny for your thoughts brother?"
Data 7 looked up at his older sister, then growled deep in his throat, sounding more like an engine of destruction than a loving person trapped in a panther’s body. Six knelt and hugged him. "Yeah, I thought the same. Jose is going to die."
–Dr. Zack’s House, 11:07 PM–
Dr. Zack had just put away his research notes for the day, and was leaning back in his favourite armchair. After filling his pipe, he turned on the TV so he could find out about the local news, which was unique, to say the least.
The first article, which was about the spectacular collapse of the Sentinel Hotel less than two hours ago, nearly caused him to bite his pipe-stem in half. The reporter, obviously some rookie, was crowding one of the rescue workers, who could easily be distinguished by the pale hair that ran down her back in a dusty stream. The reporter, obviously trying to figure out the body count, kept on pestering the person, who finally turned around, pulled a gun from somewhere, and threatened to add him to the body count if he didn’t shut up and help in trying to rescue the ones who were still trapped.
Dr. Zack chuckled slightly as Sel’s abrasive personality shone through, even as the extremely cowed reporter said something, put down the microphone, and started clearing rubble. Dr. Zack’s response was to turn off the TV, lean back in his chair, and think for a few seconds.
Instead of getting the mental answer he wanted however, all he got was a flurry of thoughts, mainly dealing over whether Mel would survive the coming conflagration, and how all the good sustenance-based beings would get enough to survive, but that was all overtaken by one overriding statement. *Jose is going to die.*
–Jose’s Mansion, 11:50 PM–
Jose had just finished watching the news, including an amateur video of the tower collapsing, when he realized that at least three members of that accursed team were still alive. "Dammit! That woman has more lives than a cat, and is tougher to kill than a cockroach! What does it take to kill her? Hell, even CyberSix is easier to injure, and this one’s going on like the energizer bunny!"
Jose fumed for a few more minutes, then smiled slightly. He turned towards the last two AFIs that were still active, and he pointed at the TV screen, which was showing a paused image of the woman. "You two!" He waited for the AFI’s processors to pick up on his motion and the fact that he had addressed them, then continued. "You see that woman on the TV? The one with white hair? I want her dead, and you two are going to kill her. She’s probably going to be at this address, so go there and wait for her. When you see her, rip her to pieces."
The two AFIs stood for a few seconds, scanning the slightly grainy image on the TV, then looked at the address Jose had hastily scribbled onto a piece of paper. They nodded at the same time, then turned and clomped their way out of the mansion, pausing only to get some weapons.
–Meridiana General Hospital, 3:20 AM–
Reba had been run ragged with the sudden influx of injured and almost-dead people from the collapse of the Hotel, and she was ready to collapse when Sel walked in, carrying a young boy with half his face ripped away, most likely from a chunk of masonry. Sel carefully placed the boy on a waiting stretcher, then yelled at two interns who were slouching against the wall.
The interns immediately set into motion, getting the boy into one of the examination rooms and trying to stanch the blood flow. Reba moved slowly towards Sel, who had slouched against the wall to try and regain her breath. "Damn that gridlock sucks. That’s the eighth person I’ve literally ferried here because of half the population rubbernecking at the debris field. They could at least help instead of standing there hawking cheap trinkets. So, going home Doc?"
Reba nodded, looking at her reflection in the chrome bumper of a nearby ambulance, then grimacing. "Well, because I look like a true zombie, instead of the Halloween variety, I do think I’d better crash sometime soon."
Sel smiled slightly, absently brushing at the blood staining her armour’s right side. "Considering that I called Dr. Zack’s a little while ago to let my daughter sleep there, I don’t think the doc’d mind too much if you guested there as well. Care to join her?"
Reba looked tempted, but smiled and shook her head. "What about you? I don’t think Dr. Zack would want to have three ladies in his house."
Sel chuckled, then pushed herself off of the wall. "He wouldn’t mind two people that appear to be under the age of ten, so long as they stay out of the basement. However, considering that he probably thinks that I’m either insane or just pure nastiness, he’d most likely object to me hanging around."
Reba smiled slightly, as Sel seemed to be perfectly sane, if a bit bloody from her trying to save several seriously wounded people. "Well, I wouldn’t say you’re insane, a serial killer, or just nasty. Personally, I think you’re just like any one of us: fighting for survival in an unforgiving and cruel world. You just have the advantage of being stronger, tougher, faster, and having bigger guns. Look, I’m pretty tired, so I’ll be heading off now. If you ever want to shoot the shit with me sometime though, here’s my cell number."
Reba handed over a business card, which Sel took, placing it in one of several pockets that seemed to pop up whenever they were needed. Then, as Reba watched, Sel gathered herself, slowing down her breathing as her armour recovered her face and arms. When the armour finished rippling into shape, Sel crouched to Reba’s height, reached out and ruffled the growth-retarded doctor’s hair, and jumped to the rooftop.
Reba sighed, shaking her head to let her hair fall back into its normal position. Due to her enhanced hearing however, she heard a muttered ‘enough is enough’ before a dull thump echoed up from the rooftop. "Have a good night, and try to be careful." She then shrugged into her custom-tailored trenchcoat and started walking to her apartment, careful only to mutter "Jose’s going to die" and not burst out laughing.
–Meridiana General Hospital; Psychiatric Ward, 4:10 AM–
Mikae woke up, but didn’t open her eyes. Breathing deeply, she slowly flexed her arms, feeling how much give the restraints had before they started creaking. She opened her eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the darkness of the room, then yanked her right arm up and forwards, snapping the restraint without too much effort. Just as the leather snapped, a small red light blinked on, activating a silent alarm that locked down the entire ward. All that could be heard in the otherwise silent ward was the dull clicking of the locks and several echoing booms when the thick metal doors slammed shut, barricading the ward from the rest of the hospital.
Mikae didn’t react to the echoes reverberating through the ward, as she was busy removing the restraints from her left hand and feet. She then stood up, and ignoring the fact that she was wearing only one of the hospital gowns with a pair of ties in the back, she walked over to the door leading to the hallway and simply kicked it off its hinges. Then the loud alarms totally went spare. Just about everything that could have made noise was seemingly doing so, and at such a decibel count as to totally disable the average person in just under thirty seconds.
Mikae, however, is most definitely not normal, and that didn’t even account for the chemical injection that had rewired her brain into a neurological time bomb. She just ignored the noise, despite the fact that it could best be described as torture of the worst order, and simply walked down the hallway, pulling doors off of their hinges as she passed them. Most if the other inmates were too tranquillized, incapacitated by the noise, or too afraid of her to leave their rooms though.
Mikae continued on her destructive rampage, at least until she found a pair of jeans that she put on without too much trouble, even though the pants were obviously several sizes too large. When she had deemed herself clothed, she then walked to the nearest of the massive steel doors that had locked down the ward, and started hammering on the door, pounding several dents into the foot-thick steel plates. Eventually, one of the thick doors had warped enough to shift off of its track, and Mikae soon created enough space to slip through by shoving and punching the heavy metal until the door finally slipped open.
Less than five minutes later, Mikae had totally disappeared, leaving only the destroyed doors, a small puddle of blood where she had been hammering on the steel door, and the alarms still hooting at high speed.