Dockyard Park, Metro City
Kara and Lauren had left the maintenance shed to become spectators as the battle in the park began. Juri's initial success gave Kara a reason to cheer, though she watched in horror when the street fighter was thrown seemingly headfirst to the ground. She resisted the impulse to grab the kukri knife that was still in her handbag.
"Damn it, she was just recovering from her initial injuries. Ok, she's back up. I wish there was something I could do!"
Lauren jumped up and down and let out a soft cheer when Maya went onto the attack. Her initial elation shortly turned to dread when her mother wound up being a punching bag. She let out a moan and placed her hand over her mouth.
"Oh no, mom! Get up!"
It was difficult to keep track of both fights at the same time and the two women's heads swung back and forth as the actions unfolded. Kara decided to keep her eye primarily on Juri. Her hands were now laced together and resting on top of her head.
"This isn't looking good. Shit, I feel so goddamn helpless right now! Maybe we should do something."
Lauren hesitated for a moment before answering.
"I get it, but I think we'd wind up dead pretty quickly if we got involved. Besides, mom knew what she was doing when we were told to stay put."
Kara watched with rapt attention as Juri played keep away from the Q. Although she didn't want to consider it, an unwanted idea sprang into her mind. What if Maya, Juri and Ran lost this fight? Perhaps lost wasn't the best word, but Kara couldn't bring herself to say what the implications of that word really meant.
'If that happens, we'll be next,' Kara thought with certainty. She dropped her hands from her head and unzipped her handbag. Lauren glanced over and frowned. She took her eyes off the fights to face Kara as the latter fumbled around in her handbag with trembling hands.
"What are you doing?"
Kara felt her shaking hands start to close around the blade and pulled back, chastising herself.
'Stupid Kara, keep calm. You're going to wind up cutting your hand if you're not careful.'
She looked up at Lauren when her hand found the hilt.
"Well, if worse comes to worst, I want you to take off. I mean haul ass out of here."
Lauren stared incredulously at Kara with her arms partially out, palms facing upwards.
"Wait, what the hell are you gonna do? Charge in there? You'll get killed!"
A triumphant look formed on Kara's face as she produced the kukri knife from the handbag.
"Not exactly. I have this though. Maybe I can hold it off long enough for you to escape. Jesus, I can't even believe I just said that."
'Yeah right, who the hell am I kidding? I'm acting just as crazy as Juri right now!'
Lauren's eyes bugged when she saw the size of the knife, then shook her head in disbelief and choked out a reply.
"What the fuck?! Do you even know how to use that?!"
Kara's face suddenly felt warm. She knew her face was red. Was it from embarrassment? Excitement? Perhaps both?
'Well, what did I expect when I decided to tag along with Juri? This situation will likely be a typical day for me from here on out.'
"Kind of...I mean it's a knife. Look, I'm just considering the worst-case scenario. At least it's something to fight with, anyway."
The argument came to a screeching halt when a flash caught their attention. Both noticed the Q that was fighting with Maya and Ran become engulfed in flames while electricity briefly coursed through it at the same time. Then Lauren heard something coming in from the seaside. She looked up in that direction to ascertain what it was exactly.
"Hey, do you hear that? It sounds like a helicopter."
Kara cocked her ear slightly to hear better and nodded a couple moments later. Her eyes caught a decent sized silhouette with several small winking red lights. It was coming in low from the seaside just above the trees.
"Yeah, that's definitely a chopper. Maybe it's the police. That might complicate things."
The silhouette quickly morphed into a sleek looking helicopter as it swooped in low once it cleared the tree line. It slowed to a hover near Juri to drop off three figures. The grass around them swayed from the whirling chopper blades. Kara could barely make out who they were since they blended with the darkness even with the moonlight. She assumed they were soldiers of some sort due to the moonlight glinting off the swords they were now wielding.
Both Kara and Lauren's eyes followed the chopper as it shifted sideways, closing on Maya and Ran before another figure dropped out and landed on one knee in front of the Q. Kara noted that the individual was a woman who now appeared to be challenging it.
Maya suddenly shouted a warning, and the three sprinted away. The Q tried to follow, but stopped, glowed orange and then exploded.
Kara and Lauren gasped and instinctively recoiled at the bright flash before being knocked backwards by the resultant shock wave.
"Woah!" Lauren yelled as the two barely managed to keep their balance.
"Yeah, no kidding!" Kara replied while looking around. What the hell was she missing? "Wait, what happened to the other-"
The words died in Kara's throat. She noticed a pair of glowing yellow eyes staring straight at her a short distance away. It was the other Q. In fact, it was charging towards them and closing fast.
"Oh...shit," she breathed. Lauren followed Kara's gaze and yelped. Then she let out a scream but didn't move. Kara hurriedly shoved the kukri knife back into her bag.
"Um...run!" Kara yelled, roughly grabbing Lauren and shoving her away from the onrushing Q. "We need to go!"
{*}
Juri heard the screaming as she dusted herself off from the explosion. Her bionic eye locked onto the direction of the cries. A curse in Korean left her lips as she saw the surviving Q chasing down Kara and Lauren.
"Damn those idiots," Juri snarled. "They were supposed to stay out of sight! If those two jeopardize my getting that info from Maya by getting killed..."
Juri activated her eye, leaving Satsuki and the other ninjas in her wake as she raced across the park. She knew it was a long shot catching up to the Q before it could wreak havoc. Her shoulder injury caused her to run awkwardly. It slowed her down even with the augmented speed from the feng shui engine.
She witnessed Kara and Lauren tearing across the parking lot towards the dockyard tree line. The Q was lumbering behind and drawing closer despite its injuries. How it could shrug off the damage Juri had inflicted and keep moving so fast was mystifying.
The two women cleared the parking lot and disappeared into the trees. The Q followed moments later. Juri had no idea what was going on from that point but kept running. Her shoulder was protesting mightily from her exertions.
She spotted Maya flying along the ground with her jet boots. Just before the CIA agent reached the tree line, she dropped lightly to the ground before heading into the brush.
Juri had just cleared the parking lot and was almost to the tree line when a fireball slowly erupted further in. The sound of snapping wood and several screams could be heard just ahead of her. In the brief flash that followed, Juri was knocked backwards by the shock wave. She heard a squeaking sound behind her and turned her head. Kara's car on the far side of the lot was rocking, though the windows remained surprisingly intact.
The timer on the feng shui engine completed its cycle and time sped up around Juri as she headed into the tree line.
'The shock wave wasn't too bad by the time it hit me. Wait...oh shit, Maya was further ahead when that Q went off...
She picked her way through the underbrush, determined to reach Maya. There was some smoke wafting through the air from burnt leaves. She had to find out if Maya was still alive. If she wasn't, Juri would have a tougher time finding a place to get her new eye installed. She snarled in frustration.
'I knew that I should have insisted on getting at least one location before agreeing to that deal last night.'
Several trees up ahead were leaning on others from the blast. A few flames licked the ground, but a larger fire was fortunately prevented due to the heavy rain that fell in the area the last couple of days. The wetness on the bark prevented the trees from becoming torches.
To Juri's relief, she found Maya alive and leaning against a slightly blackened thick tree. Some of the branches had been torn off, but the trunk looked stable.
Maya was gulping air and sobbing. A portion of the hair on the right side of her head had been burned off with other areas singed and still smoking. Her hands were blistered and red, along with the edges of her face. Her suit had prevented any damage to the rest of her body. Juri guessed that Maya was at the edge of the blast zone, otherwise, she would have been roasted.
There wasn't much that Juri could do for her since she had no first aid kit on her. Hell, if she had one, she would have helped herself first. Which reminded her; what the hell was she going to do with her injuries now that Kara was burned to a crisp?
Juri let Maya be for the moment, finally resolving to find out where the other two bodies were. She could always hang around to ask for the info from Maya later. If Maya was burned just from the edge of the blast, then those two were, at the very least, barbecued.
Without saying a word, Juri continued towards the spot where the Q had exploded. There was a road just beyond the trees with a ditch on the far side. There was nothing left of the Q, though a small, blackened depression indicated where it had stood. Flames still flickered on several nearby trees.
She took a deep breath and prepared herself for the worst. Given the spot where the Q had blown itself up, it was very likely that the two were in the nearby ditch. She reluctantly pressed forward. Charred corpses weren't exactly a pretty sight.
'Well, Kara, it was fun while it lasted, I guess,' she thought, venturing across the road towards the ditch.
{*}
When Maya had heard the screams from across the park, her instinct overwhelmingly became one of protecting Lauren.
"Maya, was that your daughter?" Karin asked with dread as she stared across the park.
Maya nodded rapidly but said nothing else as she checked her boots. She hadn't used them during her emergency attack, so the jet boots had reactivated first.
She turned them on and shot across the park. She could see that Juri was rapidly but awkwardly running towards the action as well.
'She must have activated her eye,' Maya thought as she turned her attention to the other Q.
Maya saw Kara and Lauren racing across the parking lot with the Q close behind them. A rising dread filled her as she immediately grasped what the Q was attempting. It was going to do the same thing as the other had done moments before, taking Lauren and Kara with it. It was the only thing that made sense to her. The physical pain of her injuries took a backseat to the desperate adrenaline that surged through Maya as she rocketed towards the tree line. A burning rage filled her at the thought that Lauren was being targeted this way.
She saw that Kara and Lauren had cleared the lot and disappeared into the trees. The Q followed moments later.
Maya cursed as she neared the tree line. She had been so close to intercepting the Q in the open. Now she'd have to go in on foot through the trees. Her jet boots would cause more hindrance than help in that undergrowth. Unfortunately, the boots were still the only things working on her suit. If she caught up with the Q, she would be fighting only with her natural abilities. Though formidable, her skills would be negated by her earlier injuries.
It didn't matter. If Maya had to sacrifice herself to save Lauren, she'd do it in a heartbeat.
Fortunately, the vegetation wasn't too wild and she moved easily among the trees. She could hear Lauren and Kara cry out just up ahead.
Then she saw the Q standing on a lip on the other side of the tree line. It began to glow orange. Lauren and Kara couldn't be seen, but their cries of panic could clearly be heard.
"No!" Maya cried out. She had been so close!
'Not like this,' she begged silently. 'Please, not like this!'
The blast smashed into her and threw her backwards through the air. A scream escaped her own lips as she shielded her face with her hands. Searing heat washed over her before she landed on the ground, skidding a couple of feet before rolling against a tree trunk. A sharp groan left Maya's lips as her upper back smacked against the tree.
Maya lay sideways on the ground, unable to move for several moments. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. The suit had protected most of her body from the blast, but waves of pain ebbed and flowed across her exposed hands. A slight sulfur odor filled her nostrils. She put a hand to the side of her head. She could feel bare skin where there had been hair before. Her ears hurt as well.
Maya pulled herself up against the tree that she had hit. She groaned again when her back touched the rough bark. Then she checked her shaking hands. Not surprisingly, they were red and blistered. Second-degree burns from the looks of it. Maya was still in shock when she noted that she had been at the edge of the blast. She considered herself lucky that it wasn't worse. Then Lauren entered her thoughts. Her heart froze as the shock started to wear off.
'Lucky? My daughter is dead!'
Maya vainly tried to choke back tears. She had always hated letting intense emotions out in front of others. It showed vulnerability, which could be exploited. It wasn't the thing one desired in her line of work. Lauren had been one of the few people she showed her softer side to. What did that matter now? The tears flowed freely down her face as she shifted her back against the tree to make herself more comfortable. Her upper back ached badly from rebounding off the tree.
A startled thought crossed Maya's mind. She quickly tried to move her legs. They responded accordingly.
'At least I'm not paralyzed.'
She heard several broken branches snap nearby. Maya declined to look up. She knew who it was from the footwear. It was Juri, though Maya ignored her, lost in her thoughts. After several moments, the former turned without saying anything and walked slowly towards the carnage further ahead. Maya was too busy thinking about her new reality. One that her daughter would not be sharing.
'Everything important to me has been taken away.'
She started to pound her fists against her legs furiously. More pain shot out as she did so. A cold, grim resolve filled her now. G would be made to pay for this, of that she was certain. But Lauren would still be dead.
Distant shouting that grew louder behind her broke into her thoughts. A helicopter moved slowly overhead. Then the rest of the group reached her location. Karin and the others had finally caught up. The voices grew silent as they all surveyed the wreckage around them. Ran knelt beside Maya. Karin nodded to Satsuki and the other ninjas, who had pocket-sized first aid kits on them. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. The started to remove bandages from the kits to place on her exposed hands.
"Maya, I..." Ran began but trailed off and lowered her head. She didn't really know what else to say.
Maya looked up at Ran with red and puffy eyes as tears streamed down her face. As Maya fumbled for a reply, Juri called out from a short distance away.
"Maya, get over here!" Juri barked.
{*}
Both Lauren and Kara weaved around the few trees in front of the shed and headed towards the open parking lot. Lauren led the way while Kara trailed just behind, her handbag bouncing on her shoulder. Any thoughts of the latter staying back and holding off the Q were gone. Kara was pretty certain that the Q intended to blast itself into oblivion, taking both of them with it.
'Yeah, like hell that's happening.'
Both picked up speed as they hit the pavement of the lot. Kara looked over her shoulder. The Q was gaining.
"Head for that tree line! Maybe we can slow it down in there!"
Lauren didn't respond verbally but veered slightly to the left. Kara momentarily considered splitting up, but for some reason, she didn't think the Q was really after her. No, she'd stick close to Lauren and hope for the best.
The moon ducked behind a passing cloud, dimming the ground around them. Kara and Lauren were now out of the parking lot as the tree line loomed ahead of them. The undergrowth throughout the thinly wooded area didn't slow them down much. Unfortunately, their pursuer didn't have any problems either as it smashed its way through the thicket.
The cloud that was covering the moon passed by and the ground was again illuminated under the moonlight. Kara wasn't feeling too winded, but her bouncing handbag continued to aggravate her running and it was clear from Lauren's huffing that the college student wasn't used to sprinting long distances. The chase reminded Kara of her flight from the gang a few nights ago. However, this time, the pursuer was far more dangerous and didn't seem to tire out. Sooner or later, Kara felt that the two would have to make a stand, regardless of the Q's ultimate intentions.
The two women finally broke through the tree line and into the open just beyond. A small, unkempt grassy field separated the dockyards in the distance, but it was separated by an old, barely used dirt road and an earthen drainage ditch. They started to run along the road. The drainage ditch was too wide to jump.
Then disaster struck. Lauren's left foot clipped a large rock embedded in the ground on the side of the road and she fell forward, letting out a cry of dismay in the process. She tried to regain her balance, but Kara couldn't slowdown in time and plowed into Lauren's back. Both pitched to the ground and tangled together before rolling into the wide ditch next to the road.
They both lay face down for a moment, stunned and out of breath from the run. Their hands, arms and legs had scrapes from the fall. They shook it off and started to get up but heard wheezing on the lip just above them. The pair froze and peered upwards, their eyes wide with terror.
The Q stared down at them for a moment and took a step closer. A bluish energy briefly covered him. Then it uttered something from beneath its mask. It was a gravelly, growling voice, but for a moment, it sounded like it was trying to speak.
"I...am...abom..." it grunted, the rest of the sentence becoming increasingly incomprehensible. It threw its hands outward and took one staggering step backwards.
Both of the women continued to stare at the Q in horror as it glowed orange, its face turning skyward. They both screamed as it did so.
"Shit!" Kara cried, before instinctively grabbing Lauren and shoving her face down. Kara covered herself on top of Lauren in an attempt to shield her. She knew that it was a futile gesture. The fireball would consume them both.
'We're dead,' Kara realized, squeezing her eyes shut as the Q exploded above. Her shaking hands clenched tightly into fists while her heart pounded in her chest. Her final thought was that she wished she could have done more with her life.
In that moment, Kara remembered a widely held belief that when people are about to die, their entire life seemingly flashes in front of them. This idea suddenly became crystal clear to her as the Q detonated. However, instead of her entire life, one memory shoved itself to the surface amidst a myriad of recollections.
It was the moment in high school when Kara had unexpectedly won in the track and field sectional finals of the 400-meter dash as a senior. The feeling had been at the time as if she were on top of the world and one of the high points of her life. Her father was in attendance.
It had been very close, only a couple of steps separated herself from the closest runner, who had been the favorite to win. She recalled the words that her father spoke afterwards as he gripped her shoulder tightly. It was almost like she could feel his hand on that exact spot again.
"Remember this, Kara. No matter what happens for the rest of your life, no one can ever take this moment away from you. Hold on tight to this accomplishment."
Then an icy calmness overtook her, enveloping her body. At the same time, her heart felt like it would burst out of her chest. She had never experienced anything like this before in her life. Kara held her breath, trying desperately to cling tightly onto this strange feeling as time slowed to a crawl around her. She couldn't understand why it was so important for her to do this, only that if she held on, everything would be all right.
Lauren screamed slowly beneath Kara as the flash lit up the ditch. The roar of the explosion deafened her ears. The fiery inferno washed over them for several moments, though it felt like minutes had passed by. But it didn't seem like the flames were touching either of them, though she could feel the intense heat on her back. She wrapped her arms protectively around Lauren to pull her closer.
And then, time sped up again and it was over. Kara took in a deep gulp of air and breathed heavily for several moments. Her body was shaking badly all over and refused to respond as exhaustion overtook her. When Kara opened her eyes, she thought she noticed a faint silvery glow just above and around them fade into the darkness that enveloped the ditch.
Kara released her hold on Lauren and groggily sat up, trying to focus her eyes as the ditch spun slowly. Did she just imagine seeing that? What was it? Did Lauren see it as well?
Now that Kara had pushed herself off and away, Lauren was able to sit up. Her eyes were bulging out.
"What the hell was that?!"
Kara responded with a tentative question herself, her chest rising and falling heavily.
"You...saw something?"
Kara tried to regain her breath and fought to control her dizziness. It gradually wore off as she stared around the ditch. What was she missing? Kara finally found what she was looking for and reached over for her handbag. It had fallen off her shoulder when they fell into the ditch.
Lauren's eyes were wide as she shrugged. She looked around before blinking several times.
"I thought I saw some silvery glow around us for a second, just now. Holy shit, we're still alive, right?!"
Kara frowned, slumped her shoulders then nodded. Why did she feel so drained now? It felt like she had run a double marathon.
"I...I guess so. We're definitely not dead."
Then the two heard some movement on the lip above and they froze again. A familiar face popped into view. Juri's eyes widened for a second and then she gingerly put her hands on her hips. She snorted and shook her head.
"Well, I'll be damned," Juri remarked as she stared down at the very much alive pair sitting awkwardly in the ditch. "Not even a freaking burn mark. Maya, get over here!"
A minute later, Maya and the rest of the group reached the lip of the ditch. The CIA agent's eyes were still swollen and red from crying. She instinctively put a hand to her mouth and stifled a moan when she saw the two women below. Lauren waved to her and picked herself from the ground. Kara stood up groggily and almost fell back over.
"Hi mom," Lauren said and clambered out of the ditch and into her mother's waiting arms. "I guess we're ok!"
Kara got her bearings and started to scale up the shallow slope. It felt like a mountain to her. Juri reached out with her left hand and helped pull Kara next to her. Juri was staring hard at her with narrowed eyes and pursed lips but said nothing. Kara regarded Juri in return, shrugging her shoulders resignedly. She wasn't sure how to explain what had happened. She didn't even understand it herself!
Maya held Lauren tight, rocking her back and forth, ignoring the physical pain she was in. For the moment, she didn't care about her injuries. Her life hadn't been turned to ashes after all.
The helicopter that had transported Karin and the others touched down in the grassy field nearby and a well-groomed, spectacled man in a black suit stepped out gracefully and bent over slightly to avoid the whirling blades overhead before hurriedly reaching the group.
"Miss Kanzuki, those explosions have alerted the local law enforcement," the man explained, bowing slightly. "They're on their way and will be here very soon."
Karin, turned to face her household steward and nodded gratefully. Shibasaki could have sworn that his mistress was blinking back tears for a moment. She recovered quickly.
"Thank you Shibasaki," she replied, nodding quickly. "We'll be on our way momentarily. We'll figure out what happened here later. Right now, I'd rather not give Mayor Travers more trouble over this. He has enough problems here as it is."
Karin didn't have to give any orders. Ran, Satsuki and the ninjas turned and wordlessly jogged back to the helicopter. Maya was still holding her daughter tightly against her, refusing to let go.
"We need to go Maya," Karin urged gently. "Your injuries need to be attended to."
Maya slowly turned, nodded and sniffed before letting go of her daughter. Lauren followed Shibasaki to the chopper. As Maya turned to leave, Juri held up her left hand.
"Woah, hold on a sec," she said. "Maya, aren't you forgetting something?"
"What? Oh yes, I did promise," Maya answered, nodding absentmindedly. She pulled a smartphone from her pocket and gingerly typed with slightly shaking fingers. It hurt to touch the keypad. She was surprised the phone was still working after all that had happened. Karin gave her a questioning glance before frowning towards Juri.
"There, check your mail," Maya announced. "Any one of those locations on the list will get you what you need."
Juri pulled her own smartphone out, typed a password and checked her mail. She opened it, scanned the contents quickly and grinned widely.
"Cool, the deal's done," she said, pocketing the phone. "Good luck with your little war, or whatever the hell it is."
"Are you sure about not going with us?" Maya asked. "Your skills could be helpful-"
"Save it," Juri replied, putting up a hand. "I'm not interested in your dumb little crusade. I've got better things to do with my time."
Karin's eyes became slits as she glowered at Juri, who gave her a bored look in return. Maya's forehead wrinkled slightly at the rejection before turning to Karin.
"Ok, I'm all set," Maya advised Karin before turning to leave.
Karin nodded and helped Maya along back to the helicopter, but not before she turned her head. She shot Juri a last glance and a let out a disdainful sniff. Juri rolled her eyes and brought up her left hand, but Kara stepped in front of Juri before the former could give Karin the middle finger.
"Juri, we need to go," Kara insisted tiredly. "We still need to actually drive away from here, remember?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Juri muttered. They half jogged/half stumbled back through the wooded area to the car. Kara forced herself to stay balanced as they made their way to the lot.
As they reached the car, Kara could hear sirens in the distance. It would only be a matter of minutes before the place was crawling with law enforcement. Juri let out a pained grunt as she tried to get her seat belt pulled over her and into the socket. Kara helped her with it before starting the car. She gunned the motor in reverse and then twisted the wheel hard as she put it in drive. Juri let out another grunt as she was yanked backwards in the seat. The car squealed as it turned and exited the small parking lot.
She continued to speed down several streets before Juri snapped.
"Slow the hell down, you don't need to go this fast!"
Kara kept her eyes on the road but kept her foot down on the accelerator.
"You realize that we need to put some distance between us and that park, right?"
Juri growled and resisted the urge to reach over and choke Kara.
"And you realize that if you're speeding when the cops pass by, they're going to notice, right? Slow down already. If you drive normally, you won't raise suspicions, dumbass!"
"Something else I never thought I'd be doing," Kara grumbled tiredly as she took Juri's advice. "Trying to actively avoid the cops."
Juri's caustic advice was timely. Several police cars shot by on the opposite side, lights flashing and sirens wailing. Kara breathed a sigh of relief as the vehicles kept going. It looked like they were in the clear. She glanced over to Juri.
"I'll look at that shoulder when we get back. Don't think I didn't see that spill."
Juri didn't answer, opting to petulantly stare out the passenger side window. Her thoughts wandered back to the scene at the drainage ditch. Juri had an idea on how the two women survived that explosion. She intended to get some answers when they got back to the apartment.