A/N: I know its been a while but the holidays have been CRAZY around here with relatives going in and out all the time. Literally had no quiet time to write anything. But I've seen a lot of people I follow leaving their readers with something before the year is over, so here is what I can give to you.
It's not as long as I would've preferred but I'm at the final stages of being sick. I wish all of you a Happy New Year and good luck to 2018.
Jade promptly jumped out of the back of the ambulance to not get in the way of the EMT's wheeling Tori out of it toward the emergency entrance. Flashing blue and red were soon replaced with stark white illumination. Jade never cared for how unforgivably bright hospitals were.
"Are they trying to disorient people on purpose?"
Given the incapacity of the patient and how Jade wasn't next of kin, paperwork was bypassed for the time being as they rushed Tori into triage.
A police car followed the ambulance over and the officers found Jade and started asking her further questions, this time focusing on her relationship with Tori and what she means to Leopold Kermer. They wondered if him and Tori had a previous quarrel, suggested by the viciousness of the assault. Jade knew that she did but kept that bit to herself, giving the cops as much factual information as she could without incrimination Tori or her.
In the back of her mind, Jade was worried that if Kermer squealed to get a reduced sentence if he helped hand over a notorious assassin, that would be it as far as Tori was concerned. Technically what she did was against the law but seeing the pondscum she had gunned down, they ought to present Tori with a medal.
But none of that matters if Tori isn't alright.
"Jade?"
The brunette turned away from the departing policemen and was face to face with a person she didn't expect.
"Cat? What are you doing here?"
The redhead looked around, temporarily distracted by the commotion of the ER. Jade instinctively took Cat's face in her hands to check on her bruises. The swelling in the one eye had gone down.
"Are you okay?"
"Doing better," Cat replied.
"So why are you here?" Jade asked again.
"Cops called me in to properly identify the guy who attacked me. Apparently, they had to clean him up somewhat before I could make a positive ID."
Jade raised an eyebrow.
"That bad, huh?"
Cat folded her arms and smirked, "His jaw had to be wired."
"Good," the brunette quipped.
The redhead sighed at the relief from seeing such a familiar and comforting friend. Its been a long day.
"And what brings you here?" Cat queried.
"Remember that woman you said you saw save you?"
Cat nodded, "Uh-huh"
Jade's body began fidgeting, certain that what she was about to say was going to sound insane.
"She kind of asked me out on a date and I said yes," she sheepishly answered.
"So...hospital..." Cat observed. "Did it go that bad...?"
The brunette plopped onto one of the nearby chairs.
"Worse."
Cat took the seat next to Jade. "What happened?"
"It's a long story."
Tori was on the table, doctors checking her eyes with the pen light. She was responsive, which was a good sign. It showed that Tori would likely recover; head injuries can be tricky. The slightest change in impact could be the difference between a minor concussion and a vegetative state.
In the half-Latina's case, she sustained a crack to the skull as proven by the x-ray. It was small and would heal completely in a few weeks with some antibiotics. The head wound itself from the blunt object (here, a chair leg) was wrapped up to keep the bleeding under control.
Once she seemed stable, doctors ordered Tori to be taken to one of the empty rooms in the ICU with a green flag. This warned the nurses that she was a falling risk.
"Oh man," said Cat. "That's some story. Well, can't say she didn't warn you that knowing her was going to be less than boring."
Jade exhaled. "It's funny, she swore she wanted to leave her violent life behind her. For me. Pretty crazy huh?"
"Its only crazy because you're suggesting you're not worth it."
Jade smiled at her dear friend.
"I still can't believe Leopold..." Cat mused. "I mean I got him coffee so many..."
"SHIT!"
"What?" the redhead asked, concerned.
"He asked about...something my dad worked on. Very secret."
"Dangerous?"
Jade shrugged, "Enough to kill for apparently. I better go." She stood up.
"Wait, why?" Cat asked, still seated.
"I need to get to the lab. I have to make sure its okay." Jade's posture then slunk. "But Tori...I can't just leave her here."
"I'll watch her."
"You would?" Jade asked.
"Of course. Just hurry back soon, because if she comes out of it she'll be asking for you."
"Thanks," Jade sighed and rushed out of the hospital.
"I'm not gonna ask again, doc. Where is it?"
Sikowitz looked up to his gracious host.
In his best Sean Connery voice, the scientist defiantly joked, "I left it with junior. With the benefit of hindsight I should have mailed it to the Marx Brothers."
The large fist that railed against his cheek sent the man flying across the room, spinning helplessly in the chair he was duck taped to. He finally stopped when he literally hit a wall. They made good on their threat to beat the information out of him if he refused to cooperate.
And Sikowitz wasn't planning to start now.
"Your insolence is tiresome."
The man in black marched over to the tied up man in white.
"See, that's why I think your boss picked you" Sikowitz smiled. "You got people skills."
Suddenly he felt himself being picked up, chair and all. Then he was swiftly tossed. That time Sikowitz landed on a metal table, banging his head.
"Wowwee, you're strong...and kind of blurry."
His eyes bulged out when the suited man grabbed him by the throat.
"What are you, crazy?"
"Well," he wheezed through his limited breathing. "I did spend three days in a sensory deprivation tank. True story, my assistant left and forgot he put me in there...
CLAPH!
Sikowitz figured the man wasn't charmed by his stories when he started squeezing tighter.
Jade stopped at Westbound Tower and swiped her card at the entrance. A screen flashed with a white space and a digital keyboard below. Jade typed in her secondary password and the door unlocked.
She entered the elevator and took out her phone. Jade was concerned because she tried calling Sikowitz the whole way over and got no answer.
One of the unique things she had programmed into her private phone was an app that accessed the security system. She could see cameras and check records of who entered the offices. Jade pulled up the surveillance feed in the lab but found little going on, except what looks like the arm of some large man. Clearly not Sikowitz. Then Jade pulled up the history of the lab, who went in and out and when. And according to today's log, the last person to enter was Leopold Kermer.
The time stamp on the entry didn't mesh with the time of his attack and arrest.
Somebody made it in there...somehow. And Sikowitz not returning her calls has Jade deathly worried.
She was through with tonight's insanity and violence, but tonight might not be through with her.
"Okay, okay, I'll tell you!"
The man relaxed his grip, allowing the scientist to breathe normally once more. He picked him up and set him onto the floor as he was before.
"See that box over there?" he asked, flicking his head in the direction.
The guy turned around and picked up the device.
"This thing? This is Project Ghost?"
Sikowitz winced and reluctantly replied "Yes."
"Bullshit!"
"What?"
"It looks like a cable box."
"I assure it isn't," the bald man rolled his eyes. "I can prove it."
The mountain of a man examined the curious and unassuming little black box. Maybe its inventor intended on making his device look so ordinary. What better way to keep something safe than making it appear common and valueless.
"Okay, doc. How does it work?"
"Look, the thing is...I've only just gotten the thing. I was still learning how it works. I haven't exactly tested it yet," he lied.
"Really?"
He gently put down the machine and gripped what little hair remained on the scientist's scalp.
"Then I guess we're going for a ride. Looks like you bought yourself a little more time."
"I don't think so," came a female voice.
The well-dressed muscle turned around and was quickly met with a sucker punch to the jaw. He went down like a ton of concrete, causing the floor to shake with his landing.
Jade briefly checked the toppled bad guy. He appeared to be knocked out, for the moment. She knelt down and commanded the armor to turn her right hand into a razor-sharp wedge. That was enough to cut Sikowitz from his restraints.
"Jade?"
The armor receded from her face, revealing it was her.
"Oh, thank the coconut maker; I'm happy to see you!"
"Man, you look like hell" Jade remarked.
"Hey, you'd look bad too if Lurch over there was jerking you around like a Frisbee."
Jade peeked back at the man. Still not moving.
"What happened?"
Sikowitz rose to his feet, cracking his neck and grateful to be free of his predicament.
"I was working on some research about the...you-know-what...and then he crept up behind me. He had a gun. Then again, had I known he was as strong as he was, the piece would've been unnecessary."
"What did he know?" Jade asked.
"Not much, I think" Sikowitz replied. "He knew the name and that it was here but that seemed to be it. Whoever the leak was knew less than we do." He rubbed his head, examining the situation. "I still don't know how the hell he got in here."
Jade held up her phone from a temporary hole in the armor that allowed her to access her pocket.
"It was Kermer. That was the access used."
Sikowitz pointed to the table to Jade's immediate right.
"Oh, so that's whose hand that is."
"Eww," Jade winced. "Happen to get any info out of mongo here between punches?"
"Nothing. He wasn't dumb but he was hardly more than a lug, a muscle. Someone else is pulling the strings."
"Someone powerful enough to scare a scumbag like Leopold," Jade added. "You should really see a doctor. You might have hurt your head badly. Wish this wasn't the second time I thought that tonight..."
ARRRRRRGHHGGGH!
Jade was struck at the base of her neck between her shoulder blades. The force was enough to make her lose her senses and fall down. She gazed up at the seething goon who has made a speedy recovery.
"Ah, shit" Jade breathed.
The giant attempted to step over Jade's body to get back at Sikowitz but Jade ordered the armor to wrap itself around the man's legs. It stopped him but he proved strong enough to drag Jade. She had to get her wits about her or she was going to lose this fight.
Jade withstood bullets and now was the time to put the armor to the next test. How would she fare against an immovable object?
She got up and stepped between her and her friend. The bully grimaced and threw a punch but the armor absorbed it. Jade knew she had to sacrifice her protection in the rear but had to further strengthen the barrier up front. The microscopic nanobots joined forces with the rest of the north side of the human suit and made it thicker than before. It was Jade's only shot.
He landed blow after blow and nothing was happening. And for whatever didn't land, Jade managed to dodge. As the man moved, she moved along with him. She thought back to when her and her father watched the main event on pay-per-view. Jade learned classic techniques boxers used when they wanted to tire an opponent out. He would dance around, rope-a-dope; anything to make the other guy get exhausted while protecting his own self from injury.
As the punches were noticeably getting less forceful, Jade knew her strategy was working.
BLAM!
The big man fell forward, causing Jade to jump out of the way. She looked up, confused and saw Sikowitz brandishing a pistol.
"You shot him?"
Sikowitz shrugged, "That was starting to get boring. Besides, asshole threw me across the room and was very rude."
Jade sighed and threw up her hands.
"Well, as Cat would say, I'm a little funned out today."
Tori opened her eyes, overcome with the mother of all migraines.
"Lay still," a voice calmly ordered.
Unwilling to move her head for fear of exacerbating the pounding in her brain, Tori moved her eyeballs sideways to find the source of the words.
Sure enough, a petite redhead was by her bedside. But not just any redhead, the very one who she helped back in that dingy apartment building the other night. Impossible.
"What the...where is Jade?" she whispered.
Cat sat down to be closer to eye level with Tori.
"She had to quickly take care of something," Cat replied. "I guess it couldn't wait."
She could tell the tan woman's face was of concern and disappointment.
"It isn't like that," Cat reassured her. "She wouldn't go until I promised to watch over you. And after telling me who you were, I was happy to."
"Oh," was all Tori managed to say.
"I'm glad to meet you," Cat said, taking Tori's limp hand. "Thank you...so much."
"It's nothing," Tori sighed.
Cat's eyes widened. "Not to ME it wasn't."
Tori let out a small smile. Jade was right about her spunky little friend.