Chapter 15-Emergence
The sun was bright and warm as it shown down on the track field, unencumbered by clouds for once. The weather was warm for once, but only just so, for as it got deeper into autumn it would soon get colder. Still, it was a welcome relief to the track team of Heartsgrace Middle School, who were in the middle of practice. The runners of the girls team were exhausted, but were willing to push through for their last run.
Brittany got into position, her tall, lean body tight with tension, muscles coiling up for that upcoming explosive burst. Like a big cat of the savannah, she focused on nothing else, not the other racers, not the handful of people in the bleachers, and certainly not a certain one-eyed girl cheering her on. Then she heard it.
BANG!
Like a snake using every muscle in its body to attack, the muscles in Brittany's legs uncoiled and she shot off with the other racers. It was almost instinct at this point, her body leaning forward while her legs reached out in long strides to gain as much traction as possible. Brittany was already in the lead by a close margin. A minute passed as the racers ran around the entire track, and it was already clear who was winning.
In a heartbeat, Brittany ran across the finish line and skidded to a stop, breathing heavily, though not as heavily as the other girls. The coach looked at her stop watch and smile.
"A minute and three seconds, just a second under your time last week. A new record, Brittany!" The coach smiled. "You're really getting better."
Brittany, having already caught her breath, gave the coach a tired smile. "Thanks, coach."
"All right, girls, you all did great today. We're going to keep this up for the rest of the week, so I hope you girls are up for a long run. Now get dressed and have a safe trip home."
The other girls broke apart and went to the changing room to get their things. Brittany went for her bag, but was roughly pushed aside by another girl.
"Good to see you're such a sore loser, Indigo." Brittany huffed.
"Stuff it, golden girl. Unlike you, we underachievers actually have to work for our victories." Indigo sneered.
Brittany rolled her eyes. "Whatever."
It was no surprise that some of the other girls were jealous of her. Brittany was too good at what she did, and frustration and wounded pride can make some girls catty. Indigo was the worst of them, having once been the star of the track team before Brittany moved to Tranquility.
Once Brittany got her things, she left the locker room and quickly spotted the one person who was waiting for her after school.
"Annie!" Brittany called out to her.
Dressed in a thin shirt and shorts for the mildly warm weather with a long black glove on her left arm, Annie looked rather unsuited for the fall weather, but hardly looked affected by the slight chill in the air. Hearing someone call her name, Annie turned and smiled at Brittany, her lone eye shining.
"Hey, Brit!" Annie said as the girl walked over. "You were great out there!"
"You actually stayed behind to watch me practice?" Brittany questioned with a raised eyebrow.
Annie shrugged, getting a slight blush on her cheeks. "Yeah, I did. Figured you could use some support and…stuff."
Brittany giggled and took Annie's leather clad hand, noting how hard the limb felt, and led her new friend down the hallway. "Don't be flustered, Annie. I appreciate you staying after school for me."
"I'm not flustered! I'm just feeling a bit hot, that's all." Annie huffed. "But you're welcome anyway."
Brittany smiled and squeezed her hand tighter. It was always a joy for her to spend time with Annie, one of the few friends she was able to make in this school. She was quite a different girl to spend time with; Annie had a refreshingly rough and tumble attitude that just…drew Brittany to her, and a hidden cute side to her that she just adored. A far cry from her old school down in the Sunny-side south, where most of the girls were sarcastic mean girls without a hard working bone in their bodies.
Moving to Tranquility was hard, but necessary. More and more fights between the local esper gangs and police were occurring on a monthly basis. After a particularly dangerous gun fight between the ERD and a Karaba cell near her school that left a lot of civilian casualties, her parents decided that it was time to move. Tranquility was isolated, out of the way but modern enough to not feel like the boonies. Granted the kids at school were…different.
There was the rich and spoiled Mandy, the haughty but ultimately nice Penny, her boyfriend Kevin who had to be the coolest guy she ever met, the cute couple consisting of Darren and Gina…and the headstrong Gina. Brittany couldn't understand how she and Annie could mesh so well despite being total different in personalities and hobbies, but she was grateful for her family living only two houses down from the Radcliffes.
"This indigo girls sounds like a bitch." Annie said.
"You don't know her?"
"I don't know everyone in my school, rit. Tranquility isn't that kind of community. We're sort of a mix between a city and a town when it comes to size. I'm pretty sure our mayor doesn't even know what to call this place anymore." Annie remarked, making Brittany laugh.
The two girls exited the school and continued talking as they crossed the schoolyard, but as they left the yard, they were greeted by loud, voracious chants outside the school gates.
"Espers are death, man!"
"Down with those filthy SOBs!"
"Espers made my dad lose his job!"
"It's all that freak's fault that my girlfriend broke up with me!"
"Yes, my friends, that's right. Espers are a huge problem, but don't worry, we're here for you." Said a young man dressed in a black dress shirt, pants and a light coat with an "HF" armband around his bicep. He was a senior at the local high school on the other street. "The Human Front will bring humanity back into the light, just believe in us, have faith, and stand strong. Espers are weak without their powers. They may try to bring us down, but we will rise."
There were loud cheers from the assembled group, with other people just trying to go along with their day. Many students just barely gave them a glance as they rushed on home or to the mall.
"They've been going on about espers for half an hour. I could see these assholes from the science lab." Annie muttered as she looked right at them. "The natives don't look too friendly."
"I thought this was a school, not some skinhead rally." Brittany growled, disgusted at the rhetoric being spouted.
The presence of the Human Front activist group had spread across Osea significantly, finally reaching Tranquility about a month ago. Most of their ramblings focused on espers, as usually, but with the advent of the Autobots and the last two conflicts with the Merfolk, the group was at their most vocal in years. The mini-rallies they had in front of the school were held by people Annie had talked to on occasion before!
What was even more disturbing was that with the emergence of espers that have manifested in Tranquility, many were suddenly disappearing and were later found dead or severely beaten. A boy with green scaled skin found lynched in the next town over. A girl with insect antennae left beaten in an alley. A woman who could breathe fire strangled to death. All murders oddly coinciding with the arrival of the Human Front to Tranquility. No accusations had been made yet, as nothing was concrete, but you'd have to be blind not to see the connection.
"You'd think they have the sense not to do this in front of a damn school." Brittany said. Annie shrugged.
"You know what they say, Brit. Common sense isn't common." She said. "Come on, let's scram before-"
"Hey there!" A jovial voice greeted them from behind. The girls turned to see another high school student walking up to them. "Oh, hey, Annie! You interested in the rally too?"
"No, Malcom, we're just trying to block out that dimwit's ranting." Annie said dryly.
"Annie, be nice. He's just trying to spread the message." Malcom said defensively.
"By doing it in front of my school? That's smart." Annie rolled her eyes.
"Who's this?" Brittany asked.
"Brit, this is Malcom. He's a high school freshman who just graduated from Heartsgrace. Malcom, this is Brittany, the new girl in town." Annie rushed through the introductions without a care, wanting to get this over with.
"Charmed." Malcom said, smiling. "You two here to apply for memberships? These guys are pretty cool with kids joining."
"No thanks. I'd rather not have my name stuck on the roster of the Belkan Purist rejects." Annie crossed her arms as she looked him over. "Don't tell me you actually joined these yahoos, Malcom."
"I'm sorry, Annie, but these guys make some good points. With all the craziness with Karaba, dangerous espers are popping up every day." He said.
"I'm sure the esper baby that was almost suffocated to death by his own mother was a total danger to society." She retorted. That threw him off.
"L-Look, the world's getting shittier by the day, okay? We've got alien robots, fish people…really crazy stuff." Malcom stammered. "Besides, all we're doing here is protesting. We have freedom of speech."
"For now." Annie snorted.
"Malcom, what seems to be the problem?" The man who spoke to the crowd walked up behind Malcom with a smile that could give a business tycoon a run for his money. "And who are these young ladies? New recruits?"
"You wish." Annie said rudely, earning a nudge from Brittany.
"Louis, these are some…friends of mine. I've been trying to explain to them our message, but they don't want to listen."
"I see that you ladies have been blindly following the bad press the news is giving us. Contrary to what you might be hearing on television, we're simply looking for bright young minds to help bring the human race forward." Louis said slickly and held a pamphlet out to them. "You're welcome to join the Human Front as junior members."
"There's a junior membership?" Brittany scrunched up her face. "My god."
"You want us to join?" Annie asked.
"We welcome all humans, no matter what gender, race, ethnic background or sexual preference." Louis said. "As a race, we all must stand together as monsters from space and our very oceans try to take our world from us."
"Sorry, not interested." Annie cut in. "Now if you'll excuse us, we need to get home."
She turned to leave, but Louis grabbed her left arm forcefully.
"This is a matter of racial pride, girl. Deny our help and you're no better than those traitors in Providence." Louis growled.
"Too bad I don't care what you think about me." She replied.
"Yeah, we're not interested in any of this." Brittany said. "All you're doing is making people upset."
"People have a right to be upset. Humanity is losing its grip on this planet t all sorts of monstrous threats, and yet you people won't see the truth for what it is!" The man was losing his patience now. "Any human who isn't with us, is against us."
"So anyone who doesn't agree with you is an enemy? Then you nimrods must have a long naughty list if that's the case." Annie remarked, glaring up at him. "Now, this is the last time I'm going to tell you this—let me go."
"Perhaps you girls don't fully understand the dangers our race currently face." Louis said. "Allow us to properly educate you—"
Annie's prosthetic right hand shot up and punched Louis square in the cheek, spinning him around before he fell to the ground. Everyone who saw the altercation was shocked at seeing a little girl lay a grown man flat on the ground in a single punch.
"Annie," Malcom exclaimed. "How the hell…"
"You shouldn't have done that, girl." One of the HF members growled.
"Um, Annie…" Brittany said nervously, noticing some of the angry looks on the supporters' faces.
"You guys want me to drop you too? I'm happy to oblige!" Annie grinned, cracking her knuckles.
"Hey, what's going on here?"
It was the school security guard, who had caught a glimpse of what was going on out front. Seeing her opening, Annie hopped onto Grindor and pulled Brittany along with her, signaling the Minicon to go.
"Duces!" Annie laughed as the girls sped away on the skateboard that was a robot in disguise, leaving behind a confused Malcom and a bunch of angry HF members.
XXXXXX
Grindor drove the girls all the way back to their neighborhood without having to stop along the way. Brittany held onto Annie's waist, wondering how such a large skateboard could not lose speed for so long.
When they reached Brittany's house, the girl hopped off and gave Annie a glare. "Annie, I can't believe you did that!"
"I told him to let go." Annie shrugged. "Not my fault he doesn't know how to keep his hands to himself."
Brittany tried not to smile at Annie's no-shit attitude. "Honestly, Annie, try not to start anything with those racist pigs. They're not afraid to make people's lives hell for going against them."
"Don't worry, Brit. I'll be fine. I've been through…worse situations than this." She said and smiled. "I'm a big girl. I can handle them."
Brittany smiled at Annie's courage. "If only other people were as courageous as you, Annie. Then maybe those HF freaks wouldn't have their way all the time."
"Ha…" Annie blushed at the adoring look in Brittany's eyes. "T-Thanks. First time anyone's really praised me for punching someone out."
"You were well within your rights for doing so, Annie. I would've done so myself in your position." She said. Then Brittany winced and put a hand to her head.
"You okay?" Annie asked.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. It's just a headache. I've been having them a lot lately." Brittany gave Annie a smile and ran over to her house. "I'll see you tomorrow, Annie. And I promise we're going shopping right after school tomorrow."
"Yippe." Annie drawled playfully.
Brittany giggled and waved the girl goodbye before slipping into her house. Once she shut the door, Brittany leaned against it and sighed, running her hands along her face.
'My god I'm a mess.' She thought.
"Brittany, is that you?" Brittany's mother poked her head out of the living room and smile. "Welcome home, dear. How was school?"
"It was okay. I didn't have too many headaches today, so that's a plus." Brittany said, walking into the living room. "Only one."
"That's good." Cyan sighed in relief, pulling her daughter in for a hug. "I'm still worried for you, though. These headaches…they're caused by something, and I'm sure it's not stress."
"If that's the case, then you know more than the doctors." Brittany flopped onto the couch and watched the TV, which was showing another news broadcast.
"Another clash between the esper vigilante group known as the Neo Knights has occurred with the religious activist group called the Purifiers, after the group attempted to assault two teenage espers. Though the assailants are in federal custody, the Neo Knights are still at large. Katie Mannequin of the ERD has this to say…"
"Must be nice being a hero." Brittany muttered. "Saving people who hate and fear you. Strong people…just like you, Annie."
Brittany raised her hands and looked at her nails. They were sharp, sharper than normal human nails, like claws, and the backs of her hands and arms had a small barely noticeable coating of fuzz—fur. She sighed and leaned back on the couch.
"Just like Annie."
XXXXXX
"Primus this is boring." Rodimus sighed. His holo-avatar mirrored his boredom as he drove down the streets of downtown Tranquility.
It was his turn to run patrols around the town for the next few days, a duty he accepted begrudgingly. It was a precautionary measure; Optimus assigned a two-Bot team to regularly patrol Tranquility for any Decepticons or OZ agents lurking about to avoid the children being targeted and attacked again. After the mess with Darren and Sunstreaker, no one was taking any chances.
Rodimus didn't mind the job. After getting his ass handed to him by Thornment, he needed the vacation…and some time away from Sunstreaker. The mech had been suspended from active duty after he torched that revolutionary camp in Verusia and was getting harder to be around every day. Sunstreaker was turning into something he wasn't liking, and he didn't want to be around the guy when he got all negative.
'Maybe some time off this planet might do some good for him.' Rodimus thought. 'That is, if we can convince him to leave.'
He drove away from the noisy afternoon rush into one of the quieter areas of the town, lazily running a few scans for cybertronian biosignatures. When he drove down a deserted street with a park next to it, he stumbled upon a troubling sight.
"Where's the lunch we told you to get for us, freak?"
"Yeah, are you deaf as well as ugly?"
Rodimus saw three girls crowding around a fourth girl, who was cowering against the wall of a house in fear. The terrified look in her eyes was hard to ignore and it got his engines roaring angrily.
"I-I'm not buying lunch for you anymore, Lucy." The girl stammered, looking down at her feet. "I b-barely have enough for myself and—"
She yelped as the older girl pulled on her long auburn hair painfully and led her forward like a dog on a leash.
"If you're going to try standing up to us, try to do it without stammering like a retard, you ugly little bitch." Lucy growled, yanking hard on the girl's hair. "Now you're going to apologize for wasting our time and—"
"She's not doing anything, brat."
Lucy and her posse looked back to see a handsome young man wearing a bright red and orange jacket standing over them with his arms crossed. Lucy scowled and let the girl's hair go to turn to him.
"Who the hell are you?" She asked snidely.
"Just a concerned adult stopping what I clearly see as bullying." Rodimus said.
"No one's bullying anybody here. See?" Lucy wrapped an arm around the cowering girl's shoulders and aggressively pulled her in close. "We're all friends here. Right, Justine?"
Rodimus clearly saw the fear in Justine's eyes, even as she was forced to nod along with the girl's plan. "Y—Yes, we're friends."
"It's not smart to lie to an officer of the law, kid." Rodimus held out a (fake) police badge with a smirk. "And for the record, I heard your little threat towards this young lady, so you better let her go and leave right now before I report this to the principle of your school."
Lucy's eyes narrowed into slits and she huffed, trying not to act scared as she pushed Justine away and walked away with her friends. "Whatever. She's useless anyone. Come on, girls, let's head to the mall."
Rodimus watched them go with a frown before turning back to the other girl, Justine. "You okay, kid?"
"Yes, I-I'm fine, thank you." Justine muttered.
"I'm guessing this isn't the first time this happened, huh?" He asked.
Justine's silence was enough of an answer for him.
Rodimus sighed and knelt down in front of her. "Hey, you don't have to worry about her anymore. She's gone now and—"
"She'll come back." Justine whimpered. "People like her always come back…like cockroaches!"
"W-What?!" Rodimus stammered, not expecting that outburst. This girl's attitude did a complete 180 real fast!
"You can send them to jail and they'll still come after me. People like that never learn a damn thing!" She growled, her eyes flashing. Rodimus heard a loud metallic screech behind him that knocked Justine out of her haze and her expression turned into one of horror. "Oh god, I-I'm sorry, officer. I'll go now!"
"Hold up!" Rodimus tried to stop her, but she was already running away from him. "Scrap."
Rodimus sighed and turned around, only to jump back when he saw the surprising sight behind him.
The lamp post right next to his vehicle mode was twisted and deformed, as if someone had twisted it out of its shape with their bare hands.
XXXXXX
Brittany's migraines were only the start of her problems as the week went on. For the past few days, she began noticing that her body was undergoing a few…changes.
First it was her nails. They had been slowly growing and sharpening into claws, and no matter how much she filed them down, they'd grow back within a day. Second was that her sense became more acute and precise, the world becoming clearer in a sense, as if she turned her senses up to a hundred. She could hear better, see clearer, smell things more acutely, the whole package.
Third was that her body began feeling stronger. Being part of the school's track team meant that she was already athletic to a degree, but over the last week she started feeling like she could bench press a car or something. She felt more active and rarely got tired. Hell, she even grew a couple of more inches. It was all so strange and these changes were starting to scare her.
It didn't take a genius to know what was going on. She was an esper, or at least in the process of becoming one. Only her parents knew about what was going on, and she didn't dare consider telling her friends, especially Annie. The fear of how people will react…she couldn't go through that stigma, let alone what the more radical anti-esper people might do. Gods forbid what those HF goons might do if they learned of her.
So Brittany kept it a secret, acted as if everything was fine and went on with her life. She kept doing track, she hung out with Annie, and she went to school like every other normal girl. But as she looked in the mirror and started seeing the visible changes in her body, she knew that all she was doing was ignoring the inevitable.
Brittany Indigo was an esper, and the world seemed dead set on reminding her of that fact.
XXXXXX
"Hey, Annie."
Annie looked up and saw Brianna standing next to her on the bleachers. "Oh, hey, Brianna."
Annie waned to ask why Brianna was here, since she seemed to practically gravitate towards Darren and Gina most of the time when she was not with Justine. She had nothing against the girl, but they never really had a chance to talk one on one.
"In case you're wondering, Gina dragged Darren out of the building before I could say hi to them." Brianna pouted. "I think Gina doesn't like me."
Annie chuckled. "No, it's not that. Gina's just…possessive. You know, since that Batgirl cosplayer called Darren cute at a comic convention."
"Seriously?" Brianna snorted.
"Yeah, she was absolutely livid."
The coach blew the whistle and the girls were off. As usual the ones in the lead were Brittany and Indigo, who was trying extra hard today. As the girls ran their first lap, Indigo kept inching closer and closer to Brittany, far too close than was allowed. Before Brittany knew it, something caught her legs and she stumbled, falling forward onto the ground and hit her face.
"Hey, coach, that's a foul!" Annie yelled. "That bitch tripped her!"
The coach blew the whistle and glared at Indigo. "Indigo, get off the field."
"What did I do, coach?" Indigo said, smirking back at Brittany. "It's not my fault she's so clumsy."
Brittany growled, the noise deep in throat, and shot to her feet. Almost faster than anyone could see, she sprinted forward and rammed into Indigo, knocking her to the ground. She pinned the girl into the gravel and hissed in her face like a cat.
"You little bitch!" Brittany snarled. "You think you're so clever, don't you? Well you're nothing compared to me, second place!"
"Brit, stop!" The other girls shouted. The coach tried to pull Brittany off, but the girl barely budged.
"Get off me!" Indigo cried out.
"Brit, let go!" Annie ran up to Brittany and tried to pull her away.
Brittany growled and swung an arm at Annie, who surprisingly caught her wrist and held tight onto her limb. Brianna also jumped in and helped Annie pull Brittany off Indigo. The girl was still struggling, though not as much now as Annie's voice got to her.
"It's okay, Brit, she's not worth it." Annie whispered. "I'm here."
Brittany slowly calmed down and relaxed in Annie's arms, though the looks the other girls were giving her were unsettling. She thought it was because of how she attacked Indigo, but it was clearly something else about her.
"Brit," Annie said, also staring at her with wide eyes. Brittany tried to ignore how close she was to her. "Your eyes."
Brianna took out a pocket mirror and pointed it at Brittany, who took one look at her reflection and gasped. Her eyes were a solid green, her irises almost completely eclipsing the light of her eyes, like those of a cat.
XXXXXX
In the end, Brittany and Indigo were suspended from practice for fighting, but the coach had made it clear to Indigo that one more incident like that will get her kicked off the team. That didn't stop Indigo from throwing Brittany nasty looks, and the rest of the class looked like they were walking on eggshells around her. Annie and Brianna stayed with Brittany to keep her company, which she sorely needed after the shock of her eyes. However, her troubles didn't end there.
As the girls left the school, they were met by Malcom…and Louis. The man looked as pleasant as ever, fresh off of completing another rally to increase HF membership in Tranquility.
"Dear god, what do you two want?" Annie grunted.
"Chill, Annie, we're just here to apologize for yesterday." Malcom said.
"Yes, it seems we got off on the wrong foot yesterday, and I lost my temper a bit." Louis said smoothly.
"Well, you apologized, so everything's cool now." Brittany said, walking past him. "Annie, Brianna, I'm going home. See you two tomorrow—"
"I said that I'd apologize, but what about you?" Louis said, glaring down at her.
"Excuse me?" Brittany growled.
"I admit that I came off as very abrasive yesterday, but you should also apologize for your words against the Human Front's noble cause."
"Noble cause? What's so noble about initiating witch hunts against innocent people like you're the Inquisition?" Brittany replied. "All you're doing is inspiring fear and hatred just to spread your word and get famous."
"We're trying to inform mankind of the growing danger hidden in plain sight. This planet belongs to humanity and it must stay that way!" Louis growled.
"Dude, just let it go. You apologized, that's it. Now leave us alone." Brianna said firmly.
"Louis, come on, man. Don't start this up again." Malcom whispered, looking around at the growing crowd of onlookers. "You're attracting attention."
"Malcom, if you ever want to be one of us then you must be prepared to defend your beliefs against people who'd rather support mechanical monsters and genetic freaks."
"And if I don't apologize, what are you going to do?" Brittany showed no fear as she stared Louis down. "Are you going to kidnap and lynch me just like those espers your people tortured?"
"How dare you!" Louis reached out and roughly grabbed her arm. "I'll teach you to respect—"
He was cut off when Brittany grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm, throwing his body over her shoulder into the ground. When one of the other HF members tried to attack her, Brittany actually growled and kicked him in the chest, knocking him into the front gate.
"Brit, stop!" Annie yelled.
Brittany sung around and swiped at Annie with her claws to keep her away. She grunted and stumbled before falling to her knees. Annie, Brianna and the other students could only watch in shock and horror as they saw Brittany's body begin to change.
The girl's lithe body began to grow larger, her muscle mass increasing slightly. Yellow fur sprouted along her body, dotted with black spots along her arms and legs. A tail emerged from her tailbone, sliding out from under her shirt. Her teeth grew sharper and her limbs longer to match her growing musculature. Within seconds, Brittany had undergone a change from a young girl to a humanoid cheetah.
"W-What's…" Brittany looked at her furry arms and legs in shock. Her clothes sported numerous rips and tears from her increased size and looked to be barely holding itself together. Her face was still human, but her nose was like that of a cat's, with whiskers emerging from her cheeks. "What's going on?!"
"Y-You…" Louis whispered, glaring murderously at her. "You're one of them!"
Brittany spun around, seeing the other kids stare at her like she was some sideshow attraction. Even Annie and Brianna were staring at her in horror. Unable to handle the stares and mutterings, Brittany ran down the street, faster than any human could on their own.
"Brit, wait!" Annie called out to her, but her friend was already gone.
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Justine was a girl who hung on the edge every day. As a girl living with a highly religious single mother, freedom was but a pipe dream as the woman acted more like an overzealous nun than a mother. It only got worse when she found out that Justine was an esper.
Her power was nothing special, just rudimentary telekinesis she found out, however her mother treated her as if she were one of those physically altered espers that could snap at any moment. Her mother's constant crying and screaming at her made her home life terrible, and she had no friends at school, which wasn't a surprise. After all, who'd want to be friends with her?
The other kids treated her like she had a plague, and the teachers deemed her as not worth stepping in to protect, and ignored her plight. Between being ignored or being treated like trash, it was an endless cycle that she got sick of. She just wanted it to stop. Was that too much to ask? What had she ever done to these people?
Learning that Darren was an esper just like her made her feel better, and having Brianna support her in a way no one else would was a breath of fresh air for her. Whenever they had time, she and Darren would practice with their powers in their very own secret spot, with Brianna watching from the sidelines giving them her support. Those days she spent with them were moments she always cherished and made the best of.
But today was not one of those days. Darren had his own business to take care of, and Brianna was also occupied with an issue that came up with another one of her friends. This left Justine with nothing to do until her mother came home and the cycle started anew. So, she idly wandered the streets of Tranquility until the sun started to set, and she found herself standing atop the bridge that sat over the river. She stood at the edge of the barrier, looking out at the sunset.
'A drop from this height into the water would be like falling headfirst into concrete.' Justine thought. 'Would it be quick, or would fate give me a slow death?'
Justine didn't give her morbid curiosity a second thought as she contemplated jumping. Would her powers flare up to save her? Was she strong enough to make a safe landing?
Just one step and she'd either be a cold body in the water or she'd have reached a new apex of her powers.
"It's a long way down."
Justine squeaked and spun around to see that undercover cop from yesterday standing there, his obscenely ostentatious car parked behind him on the bridge.
"I know." Justine replied, trying to remain calm. Dear god, was he going to arrest her for being an esper?
The still nameless man took a step closer, slowly as if trying not to frighten her away again. "Look, I know you're an esper, but I'm not going to sell you out or anything. I was just passing by when I spotted you, and, um, if you're thinking what I think you're thinking of doing, please don't do it. I imagine it'll make a lot of people sad."
Justine thought of Darren and Brianna, and she knew they'd be sad if anything happened to her. but then her mind flashed to all the other people who made her life hell and she scowled.
"Who, exactly? My mother, who calls be a devil spawn every night? Or the kids at school who treat me like dirt?" She spat.
"Well…" He found it hard to reply to that. "I'm here. I'd care if you die."
"You're a cop. This is just a job to you." Justine said.
"I'm not a cop." He said, surprising her. "It is my job to help people, though. To make sure that people like you are safe."
Justine shook her head. "Of course you're not a cop. What police officer in t-there right mind would try to talk to an esper instead of s-shooting them on sight?" She gritted her teeth. "I don't care! I'm going to jump and whether or not I live is not your concern!"
"Wait!"
Justine jumped over the railing and leapt over the side, allowing gravity to take hold. As she began to fall she heard metallic clanging behind her and screamed as a large metal hand wrapped around her body. She no longer felt herself falling, now in the grip of a large red and orange robot that hung off the side of the bridge with one hand.
"See?" Rodimus grinned at her. "Told you I'm not a cop."
XXXXXX
"She didn't come to school today?" Annie groaned.
Darren nodded. "Yeah, I didn't see her at all this morning and she didn't come in late. I think you can guess why, though."
Annie had a good guess. She barely got past first period before hearing the whispers spreading throughout the school. Brittany was an esper, one hiding in plain sight and had attacked a man in front of the school. Most of the students were still in shock at the sudden appearance, but some had less than pleasant remarks about the unfortunate girl.
As if that wasn't bad enough, Brittany was being accused by HF for attacking that protestor…with Annie being called in as a witness. That had been a fun afterschool party.
"Annie, I'm not accusing you or your friend of anything, but when a student of this school attacks someone—"
"She didn't mean to!" Annie growled, not caring if she was being rude. "Brittany was angry and afraid. Did you even talk to that asshole about how he was harassing us yesterday and today just a few minutes before the incident?"
"Please lower your voice, Annie." The principal said. "And thanks to some other accounts from the students watching the altercation, I'm well aware of Mr. Lancaster's behavior towards you and your friends, but now we are talking about your friend's…transformation outside the school. Did you know she was an esper?"
"No, I didn't, and neither did she because her powers hadn't manifested." Annie said. "She was just having a bad day already and that stooge wasn't helping. Please don't condemn her for that."
"I'm inclined to believe you, Annie, but I need to hear Brittany's side of the story first. Is there any way you can contact her?" He asked.
"I'll try to call her up and get her to come back, but don't expect her to feel safe with those racists running around." She sneered and stomped out of the office.
Annie spent the rest of her day in a foul mood. Everywhere she went she heard people talking about Brittany. And seeing that bitch Indigo act like the victim was absolutely infuriating to her. All she had on her mind was Brittany and the terrified look she had before running away. It was an expression she used to see on Darren's face.
When school ended, Annie left the school without waiting for Darren and Gina, ignoring the even larger HF rally that was being held near the school. Men and women clamoring over each other like wolves over the fact that an esper was going to school with their children. Clutching Grindor tighter in her arm, Annie marched past the crowd and down the street.
"Annie!" Malcom ran up to her, clad in his black Human Front t-shirt. "Annie, I need—"
"What do you want, Malcom?" Annie growled. "Haven't you and your friends done enough damage already?"
"Lay off, Annie. I can't control what Louis does." Malcom said. "He's just overbearing like that."
"Sure, keep making excuses for him." She rolled her eyes at him and kept walking.
"Wait, please." He pleaded. "Did you…know that Brittany was one of them?"
"You can say the word, Malcom. She's an esper, and no, I didn't know until yesterday." Annie sneered. "It's not exactly something you can just blab to your friends about."
"You, Malcom, Louis wants to see you!" One of the younger HF members ran up to Malcom. Upon seeing Annie, he scowled. "What are you doing here, freak lover?"
"Hey, leave her alone. She hasn't done anything!" Malcom scolded.
"Don't worry, I was just leaving." Annie said and turned away. "Enjoy your discount skinhead rally."
"Yeah, you better walk away!" One of the other members yelled. "Once the Esper Control Bill is passed, those freaks and race traitors like you better run!"
XXXXXX
"That guy was a bitch." Grindor said as Annie rode him over to Brittany's house.
"Him and many others, Grindor." Annie said.
"I wish he could've said that if I was standing near him. I could've broken every bone in his body." Grindor said.
"What did I say about violence against humans, Grindor?"
"Um…it's not attempted murder if you shoot below the waist?"
"Exactly, so hit him below the belt and they can't convict you." Annie said.
Let it be known that Annie was a bad influence on aliens learning self-defense against humans.
After riding along the sidewalk for a few minutes, Grindor asked, "Annie, what's the Esper Control Bill?"
"Some stupid law Senator Cordell brought up. Basically it authorizes the nation to use deadlier force on espers to control them outside the boundaries of human rights. Long story short, it allows local authorities to do whatever they want to espers under the grounds of self-defense without having to worry about violating human rights."
It was a proposal riding on the coattails of the Esper Registration Bill that was previously proposed to the senate senator Cordell's belief of espers posing a danger to the public held sway with the government, but President Flagg approved of it as long as it was a voluntary act. He had the foresight to know that forcing espers to register with the government might not end well in the long run and further provide Karaba with more ammunition against him.
But Annie knew it was only a matter of time. The Esper Control Bill was made to essentially put a leash on espers to avoid increasing Karaba's ranks. That meant they could make registration mandatory, put espers in prison under grounds of public endangerment and do a very accurate rendition of the Belkan prison camps from the Belkan War. Annie had a low opinion of humanity in general as it is, but this would truly make her lose faith in humanity.
'I'll be damned if I let that happen to Darren and Brittany.' She thought. 'I'll kill each and every one of them that tries that on my friends!'
Annie and Grindor reached Brittany's house, where they went to the front door. After a few knocks, Brittany's mother, Sera, cracked open the door, looking more stressed than Annie had ever seen her.
"Y-You're one of Brittany's friends. Annie, right?" Sera whispered. Annie nodded.
"Yes, I just came to see how she was doing. I was there when she changed." Annie said.
"Oh," Sera's face fell. "I see. I'm sorry, but Brittany isn't seeing anyone right now."
Sera went to close the door, but Annie quickly stopped her, easily halting it with her mechanical hand.
"Ms. Ceres, please, I'm really worried about Brittany. I know she's scared and confused, and I just want to help her. She might open up to someone who…understands her."
Sera looked at Annie before opening the door wider and letting Annie in. "She's upstairs. She hasn't come out since yesterday. If you can at least get her to come down…please do your best."
Brittany's room was right down the hall from her parents' bedroom. It wasn't hard to miss, with pink hearts all over her door and a sign that said "Brittany's Room" written childishly in bright crayon. Setting Grindor down by her feet, Annie softly knocked on the door."
"Brit?" She said softly. "Brit, I know you can hear me. Please, talk to me."
A soft "go away" came from the other side of the door.
"I'm not leaving you when you clearly need help. I'm not going to hurt or judge you. I just want to help."
"How can you help me?" Brittany's muffled voice cried. "You aren't an esper! Your life isn't over!"
"Brit, I may not be an esper, but I have my fair share of secrets…and scars." Annie rubbed her gloved hand. "Brit, would you be more willing to speak if I told you that I knew a few espers myself. Espers like…Darren?"
Annie held her breath when she didn't hear anything behind the door. Then the door slowly opened and a bright green eye peeked out at her.
"What did you say?"
XXXXXX
Brittany's room was definitely girlier than Annie's. It was full of clothes, trendy boy band posters and what looked like a diary on her computer table (Annie almost giggled at that, but she held it in for Brittany's snake).
As for the girl herself, she was covered by a blanket that obscured her entire body, even her face. Annie hoed Grindor wasn't going to get on her case for spilling the beans, but she trusted Brittany to keep the secret.
"You said your brother is an esper?" Brittany asked underneath her covers.
"Yeah, he's a telekinetic. Born an esper." She said. "And so is Kevin. Penny was the only one that knew, but he told us too after a camping trip gone wrong."
Brittany was silent, so Annie took that as a sign to continue. "Brit, you aren't the only esper in school. You're not alone. You have Darren, Gina, Kevin, Penny…and me. You don't have to hide, not from me at least."
"Annie, I'm not…" Brittany hesitated. "I don't look normal. As in I look very different now."
"Well, I'm not normal either. You know the accident that took my eye? That wasn't all I lost." Annie reached under her shirt and pulled off the leather glove to reveal a smooth arm of black metal that glinted in the sunlight. Annie gave the shocked Brittany a sad smile. "Let me tell you how I got this little gem."
XXXXXX
Justine had never felt so out of her element in her life, and that was saying something. Of all the people to stop her from committing suicide (she really wasn't going to do it, but her morbid curiosity to see if her powers could keep her alive almost drove her to do it anyway) it had to be an Autobot. There were children at school who practically worshipped the Autobots, and here she was talking—well, not exactly talking but sitting next to one.
They were sitting together on the riverbank under the bridge in silence. Rodimus said nothing, knowing that she needed some space to think. He had no experience with these kinds of situations but he was astute enough to know that people like her were extremely delicate.
"So, you feeling okay now?" Rodimus asked.
"D-Depends on your definition of okay." Justine remarked.
"Okay then." Rodimus sighed and looked at the evening sun. "Look, I'm no expert on the human psyche, but I know you're having a very dark time right now."
"Then why don't you just leave me alone?" She whispered.
"Considering what you tried to do, I don't think that's the right thing to do right now." He said.
"I'm sure you have more i-important things to do than watch over a little girl." Justine looked away.
"Justine, I'm an Autobot. Saving lives is what I do." Rodimus grinned.
Justine just shook her head, tears stinging her eyes. "Why would you even bother? I'm just one girl, an esper…a freak."
"You aren't a freak. You're just different, like every other esper on this planet. Doesn't mean you don't deserve to live any more than anybody else in this town." Rodimus said firmly. "Look, I know we literally just met, right? But you have a right to live, no matter what species you are. If I think you're worth saving, then that clearly means something right?"
"…I guess so." She muttered.
"Chin up, girl, you've got your whole life ahead of you." Rodimus smirked at her. "Let's start over. The name's Rodimus. Nice to meet you."
Justine smiled a little. "I'm Justine."
XXXXXX
Huddled up in her cocoon of sheets, Brittany stared at Annie in shock. Standing off to the side was Grindor, in his robot mode, nervously twiddling his fingers as the girls talked. Once Annie was done with her lengthy explanation of how she lost her arm and eye, Brittany couldn't barely think of anything to say.
"This is…my god." Brittany gasped. "You've done all those things, seen all those places…I can't believe it."
"Yeah, sometimes it seems unreal to me too." Annie smiled. "But then I look in the mirror and see that it's all real."
"Suddenly my problems seem to miniscule compared to what you've been through."
"No, your problems are no less important than mine. I've dealt with most of my demons, and now let me help you with yours." Annie sad, holding out her prosthetic hand.
Brittany paused for a moment before the sheets rustled and a hand reached out to grasp Annie's. Her hand was covered in golden, black-spotted fur and her fingers tipped with sharp claws. Gaining some courage, Brittany all owed the bedsheets to fall off her body to reveal her new appearance.
In Brittany's defense, she didn't look any different from when she was human. Her entire body was covered in a light coat of golden yellow fur with black spots, like a cheetah. Clad in only a thin tank top and shorts, Brittany's athletic figure was more muscular and defined, and her facial features, while still human-like, sported several feline features like cat ears, large green eyes and a flat nose. Even sitting down, Annie could tell that she was larger, probably about the same size as Gina.
"…What do you think?" Brittany asked nervously.
"Honestly?" Annie reached out with her real hand and grasped Brittany's furry one in hers. "Circumstances aside, I think you look really cool. In a cute, catgirl kind of way."
Brittany chuckled, wiping away a happy tear before it could fall, and reached out to take Annie's prosthetic hand in hers, feeling the smooth metal in her furry palm.
"If it's any consolation, I think you're robot arm is cool too." She said.
Grindor quietly transformed to his alt mode and rolled out of the room to let the girls have their moment.
XXXXXX
In the end, Annie and Brittany agreed that the latter will return to school in a few days. Brittany, her mood drastically improved after her talk with Annie, wanted to wait a bit to see if her new abilities had stabilized yet before trying to be around large groups of people. Walking into school looking like a humanoid cheetah would draw too much attention as it is.
After a reluctant goodbye between the girls, Annie and Grindor left a cheerful Brittany and her thankful parents behind, assured that things were going to work out for the most part.
Unfortunately for them, things were never that easy.
Not even a day later something happened that put everything to a screeching halt.
"Annie, Annie, wake up!"
Annie jerked awake to Darren yelling in her face, and she immediately knew that it was nowhere near time to wake up.
"Darren, it better be important or I'm shoving my robo-fist right up your—"
"It's Brittany." That was all it took to get Annie's attention. "Her house was just attacked down the street. The police and ambulance are there right now!"
XXXXXX
No one knew exactly what happened, only that a group of armed men stormed the house and took Brittany right out of her bed. Her parents tried to stop them, but her father was brutally beaten down while her mother was knocked unconscious. Brittany was dragged screaming from the house and thrown into a black van before being taken away, but not before the assailants threw a Molotov into the house and nearly starting a fire.
Annie, Darren and Debbie stood outside with the disguised High Wire and Grindor along with the other people in the neighborhood that had formed a crowd outside the vandalized house. Brittany's father was loaded into an ambulance, along with his sobbing wife. Annie looked over at the house and saw some smoke coming from the window on the first floor. Thankfully the fire hadn't spread, but there was still some damage.
"How did this happen?" Darren whispered, shaken by the incident. "We've never had violence against espers in Tranquility before."
"At least until those HF bastards rolled up into our town." Annie growled. Darren and Debbie looked surprised from the expression of pure anger on her face. They hadn't seen her look this enraged since almost losing Bulkhead to the insecticons. "They did this. They kidnapped Brit and now she's in trouble!"
"Hold on, Annie," Debbie said. "How could the Human Front even know where Brittany even live?"
Annie glared at her sister with a look of absolute hate. "I have an idea."
XXXXXX
Though there are many anti-esper organizations centered in Osea, the Human Front is the oldest, having its roots in the days where espers were a newly revealed public secret.
Forming twelve years ago, the Human Front had been a collection of intolerant thugs banding together because they were frightened of what the espers represented. As flashpoints of esper activations in large population centers in various states in Osea and cities across the world grew, fear of powered humans grew drastically. Crimes capped by designated PwPs (Persons with Powers) became all too common. And so, the League of Nations created the Esper Response Division to police espers in member nations as their numbers grew. And, of course, the senate drafting the Esper Registration Act and the eventual formation of the Esper Control Bill.
But this didn't deter the "righteous" cause of the fledgling Human Front.
It began with the death of an esper boy in Osea's Midwest—strung up, skinned, blooded and left for dead. From there it caught fire, at first only turning gangs of bigots into cells of organized fanatics. As their ranks bolstered, so did their access to resources. Eventually the Human Front grew from pockets of angry, non-powered zealots into a thriving, dangerous regiment of well-armed militants. The Human Front took root in Osea and spread across the world, attacking espers they felt were undermining humanity, with varying degrees of success. Espers fought back utilizing help from local, federal and global authorities. Karaba fought the Front and racked up a rather large kill count.
Those who survived decided to reinvent the group. As the world marched away from revolution and rage, it donned the suit and tie in order to reassert itself in boardrooms across the nation. So, too, did Melaine Crane. He redesigned the Front's sigil-a fist with a snake coiling around it—into a slick corporate logo, polishing the edges and retaining the fist. He put his people to work in dragging petitions, influencing legislation, and organizing in communities—a quieter form of infiltration, possibly even deadlier than the first. All of it was run by a man who, if he and the backward revolutionary drones shuffling through the Human Front offices had their way, would not hesitate to euthanize the entire esper population and order lunch.
Malcom personally had nothing against espers, but he knew of how dangerous they were, or could be. Men and women who could shoot energy blasts, read minds, turn into animals or even walking pillars of stone were people to look out for. Already there were many espers who abused their powers for selfish gain despite the measures taken to police espers by Osea and the world. it was hard to differentiate between who was good and who was bad.
For others like him, there was no difference. All espers were a danger and needed to be strictly controlled…or eliminated.
He heard what happened to Brittany Ceres. Abducted in the night by armed thugs. He heard whispers from people, that the HF did it, just like the murders. He didn't think his group had a hand in it, after all, the Human Front went to great lengths to distance themselves from death squads and work within the law. That didn't stop people from giving them a wide berth, like he was going to lynch them on the spot for saying something nice about espers or something. It got annoying really quick.
'They can talk all they want, it's not like they can prove anything.' Malcom thought bitterly. 'I'm completely guiltless.'
When school was over, Malcom anxiously left the building, a bit distracted by a sense of dread that had been creeping up on him all day. He thought he was just being overly paranoid…until he saw Annie standing at the front gates with a large, heavyset man standing behind her.
"Malcom," She said in a dark tone. "We need to talk."
XXXXXX
Malcom's back hit the brick wall hard from Annie's unusually strong push. He coughed a bit and glared at her.
"You HF freaks really don't learn, do you?" Annie said. "First you harass my friend and I, then you have the balls to actually go up and kidnap her? As if you people couldn't be any more backwards."
"Shut it, Annie, we didn't do anything!" Malcom growled.
"Not you personally, but you know what's going down." Annie leaned in, glaring down at him with eyes like sharp emeralds. "I've heard that the Human Front is having a little get-together tonight for something special. You know anything about that?"
"How did you—"
"You idiots probably shouldn't talk so loudly at your hot spots. Now answer the question, do you know what happened Brittany Ceres?"
"No, I don't. Seriously, Annie, the Human Front doesn't do stuff like that anymore." Malcom said.
"Not on the surface, no." Annie said.
"And I'm not going to blurt out HF secrets just because you're worried for your girlfriend. I'm sorry, but—"
Annie's hand grabbed his arm and squeezed painfully. Malcom screamed and fell to his knees as she continued squeezing on his bicep to the point where it felt like she was going to break bone. Annie's face was stone cold as she brought a boy taller than her to his knees.
"Don't worry, dimwit, I'm not going to rat you out to your boyfriend. But even you're smart enough to know that this is serious." Annie increased the pressure on his arm, making him scream louder. "My friend was just kidnapped by a group of armed thugs with a history for brutally murdering espers. If Brittany dies and your group is responsible, you better ran as fast as you can. Because whatever you skinheads did to her, I'll do to you tenfold."
Malcom shivered from her tone. Annie was going to make good on her threat. Weighing his options, he told her what he knew.
"I-I heard my friends talking about an HF rally for senior members of the group. I think it's down in the old factory district." He grunted. "That's all I know, I swear."
Annie hummed and let go of Malcom, pushing him to the ground. Just before she left, Annie looked down at him and said, "Breath a word of this to anyone and what I do to you will be on the 10'0 clock news for months. Got it?"
Malcom nodded, holding his still numb arm gingerly. With her work done, Annie walked away, already formulating a plan to save her friend.
XXXXXX
"Annie, this is beyond dangerous." Said Bulkhead. The girl in his driver's seat wasn't deterred from her course.
"No more dangerous than what we usually do, Bulk." Annie muttered, clad in a black bodysuit with a mask covering her mouth.
"I know, but this stuff is a bit too close to home. If they see your face—"
"They won't see a thing, Bulk. Just drop it."
"But—"
"Save it, Bulkhead. She's dead set on this." Darren said, also wearing a black bodysuit.
Bulkhead could only sigh and keep driving.
It was late at night as Bulkhead drove through Tranquility's factory district. Darren and Annie were in the front seat, full prepared for their first covert operation that wasn't on the books.
Wanting to involve as little people as possible, Annie only told Darren and Bulkhead of her rescue plan. She left Grindor and High Wire to cover for them to keep Debbie off their back. Bulkhead was reluctant to help them, of course, not very eager to get involved in human matters, but Darren agreed to help her with no hesitation. He knew how serious this was and how much this girl meant to her. She needed their help and she was going to get it.
Darren looked down at the golden hammer strapped to Annie's waist under her coat. "Isn't bringing Mjolnir a bit overkill?"
"Nope." Annie said and left it at that.
Bulkhead pulled up to the meeting place for the rally. It turned out to be a large factory building located near a couple of unused warehouses. He drove near the back entrance of the warehouse and let the twins out.
"I don't like this one bit, I know you two will be careful. If something goes wrong, I'm busting in for you, secrecy be damned!" Bulkhead said.
"I know, Bulkhead. We'll watch our backs." Annie said and got out with Darren.
The twins fixed their masks over their mouths and raised their hoods before giving each other a nod and running into the darkness.
XXXXXX
The twins snuck in through the back entrance, easy with the assistance of Darren's powers. Mjolnir felt light against her waist as Annie ran down the hall on the second floor to the main hall where the rally was taking place.
The factory floor was packed wall to wall with people. They were all facing a stage set up at the far end of the factory where machinery would normally be placed, eagerly waiting for the show to begin. Darren and Annie stood hidden on the upper scaffolding watching the crowd from above.
"I never knew Tranquility had so many people who hated espers." Darren whispered.
"Well now you know who to look out for." Annie said.
Suddenly the crowd cheered as someone walked onto the stage, wearing all black with the Human Front logo on his jacket. It was Louis. Annie's hand clenched tightly into a fist as the man calmly walked onto the stage, wearing that same infuriating smirk. He waved to the crowd and began to speak.
"Welcome, brothers and sisters of humanity. I hope you've all had a wonderful night, because I certainly have." Louis said. "Our quest is for humanity's liberation from the nonhuman menace that seeks to dominate and destroy us. We constantly hide in fear of espers and our government is too busy handing our planet over to alien invaders to care. So it falls to us to defend our rights as human beings and fight back the nonhuman scourge!"
The crowd roared their approval as Louis smiled and took a step back.
"Our fight against the espers will be a long one. Already they invade every aspect of our regular lives. Not even our schools are safe from them, as several espers have appeared in schools all over the mid-west, including Tranquility. One of whom has already assaulted me in public." He continued. "We must stop this infection at the source before they corrupt our youth and feed their heads with lies!"
Annie growled and nearly threw Mjolnir at him had Darren not held her arm to keep her still. Louis retreated a bit as more HF members armed with assault rifles and shotguns dragged three people out onto the stage. One was a terrified high school student with large bat wings, the second was a girl that was wrapped in heavy chains and gagged, and the last was…Brittany!
Annie's heart froze. Brittany was back in human form, her clothes hanging off her in shreds, stretched from her abrupt transformation. It was clear this wasn't voluntary as she appeared to be struggling with a small metal collar on her neck.
"That's an inhibitor collar. I've seen the ERD use them to restrain espers. Those things are very expensive to make and are regulated by the Department of Superhuman Defense." Darren whispered. "What the hell are these nutjobs doing with them?"
"Who cares? Brit's up there and in danger!" Annie hissed and moved, only for Darren to push her back.
"Annie, we need to wait. It's two of us against those guys with assault rifles and I'm just barely good enough to handle multiple gunshots from all directions. We need a distraction." He said.
Down below, Louis continued his speech. "These freaks of nature are only a small fraction of the esper scourge seeping into our schools like a festering disease. This young man sports the typical features of a devil, wings and all, just like the monster he is." He pointed to the girl. "This little girl has the strength of ten men a walking danger to young children everywhere who can easily break your bones in a heartbeat."
He walked over to Brittany, who glared up at him hatefully. "And this girl can change into a cheetah, savage and uncontrollable. So strong is her urge to kill that she attacked me in front of a school!"
Brittany's head shot up and slammed into his nose. Louis stumbled back and backhanded her across the face, blood leaking from his nose. The crowd booed at her, yelling heinous insults and jeers. Annie wanted to rip his head off.
"Tonight, we will rightfully purge this town of its infestation and show this proud nation that we have nothing to fear from espers!" Louis bellowed. The three kids were forced to their knees as the gunmen got into position behind them.
"Annie, see those pipes over there?" Darren pointed across the factory to a row of huge, cast-iron power turbines lining the wall near the stage. "I'm going to make them explode and create a steam cover for us. You go get Brittany and the others, then have Bulkhead call the police."
Annie nodded. "Works for me."
They split up. Annie made her way towards the stage while Darren quietly jumped down to the first level and pushed his way through the crowd to reach the turbines. Once he was close enough, he reached out with his senses and focused on the turbines. A quick burst of power caused the pipes to rupture, releasing water and steam into the air. Darren telekinetically guided the steam to spew out all over the panicked crowd, covering the entire area in a thick cloud of mist.
Confused and blind, the people began to panic, pushing and shoving each other as they ran for the exits. On the stage Louis scowled as he was also obscured by the thick cloud of vapor and quickly left the stage with his security detail.
Annie knew that it was now or never. She jumped onto the stage and released Mjolnir, throwing it at the first person she saw. The hammer slammed into the man's chest, shattering his rifle like glass and sending him into the guy behind him. The third man took aim at her but a quick command to Mjolnir sent the hammer slamming into his back, throwing him forward right into Annie's boot.
Brittany and the other two espers stared at their savior with shocked expressions, totally not expecting that dazzling display of efficient brutality. Annie holstered Mjolnir and ran over to them.
"Let's get started on ditching these things, shall we?" Annie said and got to work on breaking Brittany's collar. While she worked on it, Brittany managed to get a glimpse under her hood and spotted those vibrant green eyes that she recognized immediately.
"Annie?"
A big smile spread across Brittany's face and as soon as her cuffs and collar were broken she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around the younger girl.
XXXXXX
Once Annie got the prisoners free, she, along with Brittany, Molly (the super strong girl), and Thomas (the devil boy) left the steam filled factory through the side entrance that the twins entered through earlier. Leading the espers down the fire escape, Annie led them down the alley when she heard a shout from behind.
"Freeze!"
Annie and the espers froze and turned around to see Louis standing at the mouth of the alley with six armed gunmen. Annie cursed, knowing that even with Mjolnir there was no way she could take them all down without getting shot.
"Did you think I'd let you just run off after ruining my execution?" Louis growled, pointing his handgun at Annie. "I don't know who you are, but you're a damn fool for interfering with the Human Front's noble work!"
"There's nothing noble about murdering innocent people. You're sneaking about in the shadows kidnapping and lynching people for god's sake!" Annie shouted. "You're going against the law!"
"It's not illegal if they're not human. I'm just preserving the human stock of this town by eliminating the genetic mistakes that threaten the good people in this town." Louis replied. "I'm hardly the only one doing it. I share my mission with people all over the country who are sick of being oppressed by these monsters."
"You're just a racist who thinks he's accomplishing something." Annie snorted. "You think you're getting away with this? The cops are already on their way as we speak!"
The gunmen looked at each other nervously, not expecting that response, but Louis wasn't perturbed. "You filthy little race traitor! I can still get away and I'll put you and those freaks down before then. You need to understand that there's no place for espers in this world!"
The ground under the gunmen suddenly exploded, large chunks of rock throwing them in every direction. Sheets of metal speared from the windows and wrapped around them, pinning them to the ground or to the walls. Louis stumbled and spun around, firing his gun wildly as he tried to see who attacked them.
"Where are you?" Louis growled. The gun in his end suddenly exploded, embedding sharp pieces of plastic in his hand. "Gah!"
Seeing an opening, Brittany sprinted forward, her body shifting into her hybrid cheetah form as she leapt at Louis and kicked him in the chest. The blow was hard enough to crack stone and the man bounced along the ground twice before rolling to a stop, already knocked out from the impact.
"I wouldn't count us out just yet." Brittany said, standing over his bruised form.
XXXXXX
"I would miss the action while I'm in town." Rodimus grumbled as he sat on the riverbank by the bridge.
He heard about the craziness that occurred the previous night. The police arrested several Human Front members after a failed public execution of kidnapped espers in the factory district. Accounts from the rescued esper children and a rather conveniently placed recording of Louis's speech practically confessing his association with and his intent to murder these children were enough to put him behind bars for a long time. This was on top of illegal possession of weapons and ERD devices. The espers were reunited with their families, but no one could find the two brave souls who saved them anywhere.
"Gotta say, those twins are crazier than me." Rodimus sighed. "And that's saying something."
"This…Darren and Annie were able to do this?" Justine said softly. "All by themselves?"
"Of course? Those two are a handful. Hanging out with us tends to make people a little unconventional in several ways." He said brightly. "It's nuts when you think about it."
Justine looked down at the river, thinking back on the story. Darren and Annie, two children, were able to fight off multiple armed thugs all by themselves, and Annie didn't even have any powers. And yet here she was, sporting more raw power than Darren and yet she was barely able to control it.
The next time she saw him, she needed to learn more from him. Just learning how to control her powers wasn't enough. Justine wanted to learn how to defend herself with them. She didn't want to be a victim anymore.
"Hey," Justine looked up at Rodimus. "What are you thinking about so hard down there?"
Justine looked out towards the river and smile. "How to make myself stronger."
XXXXXX
Afterschool the next day, Annie visited Brittany's house. It was still being fixed up, but things were already looking up for Brittany and Ceres after knowing that her father was going to be alright.
The girls spent their afternoon in Brittany's room, just having a private moment to themselves with no boys (human or Minicon).
"So you still plan on going back to school?" Annie asked. "It's going to be hell, you know. Everyone's split on you being an esper, and a lot of kitty-related names are going to be thrown around."
"I know, but I'm not running away from this. I think I can handle a few kids now that I'm stronger and faster. These muscles aren't just for show, you know." Brittany flexed her biceps with a wink at Annie, who laughed.
"I can see that." Annie said appreciatively.
Brittany smiled and took Annie's hand in hers. "Annie, I can't even begin to explain how thankful I am. Last night I thought I was going to die, and then you and your brother just swoop in like…like the Neo Knights!"
"I'd say the Neo Knights are actual professionals in this stuff. Darren and I are a semi-coherent unit at best." Annie said modestly, a first for her. "I'm just glad you're safe. I—I mean I'm glad everyone's safe, really! Including you…especially you."
Brittany laughed and pulled Annie into a strong hug. Blushing furiously, Annie hugged her back, trying not to focus on how soft Brittany's fur was as she felt a strong flutter in her chest.
'Was this what Gina felt like when she was in love?'
I loved writing this chapter. Not often you see Annie's softer side. Justine makes a new friend and realizes that she needs to be stronger if she wants to make it through in this world. Next chapter will on Gina and Sureshock as they uncover the origins of Gina's horrid nightmares. Be sure to check out the official Transformers Titan website on Wordpress. Thanks for reading and please leave a review.