Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Wayward Baby

by RobynRider

In the year 2009, Shizuka Joestar begins to have questions about her past. In her search for answers, she finds herself knee deep in a conflict she never bargained for. Secrets are revealed, friends are made, and the fate of the world is at stake. Typical week for a Joestar. -Edited by Pianolote. Originally posted with art and designs on Archive of Our Own. Cover by "tsundenials."

48. The British Invasion

In the sprawling depths under the city that never sleeps, Blondie's heels clicked against the damp concrete. She made her way through the halls with a pleasant smile on her face. Honestly, she couldn't remember the last time she'd been this happy. The one thing that troubled Blondie in the past was the unfinished story of Tsuru Nishioka. That tragedy was finally finished. No longer would she be plagued by doubt and anxiety. Tsuru wasn't lurking in the shadows with some genius plan to take Blondie down anymore… No, Blondie ended that long, contrite story with her own two hands. With how pathetic Tsuru's little attempt was, Blondie almost felt silly for giving the woman any mind over the years. Yes, she really was unmatched!

Blondie opened a large metal door and flicked the nearby light switch. This cast a dim ray of light onto the living corpse that waited for her inside. The woman grinned, her tongue dragging over her crimson lips as she flashed her pearly white teeth.

"Sabella, pet?" She hummed.

The woman in question looked more like a gross imitation of a human than anything else. She was over seven feet tall with unnervingly long limbs and ragged red hair. She never kept her clothes on right, so Blondie gave up on dressing her properly years ago. Sabella wore a black dress that probably looked beautiful once upon a time. Nowadays, it hung loosely from her decrepit form due to all the ways she'd twist and stretch herself throughout the day. There was a slight rip in the chest, and the two dark straps barely managed to cling to her shoulders as she squatted in the corner. Her breasts were fully visible, as she'd never keep a bra on no matter how hard Blondie tried to correct her. In fact, the torn, dirty black dress was the only thing covering that pale, inhuman body.

Sabella was squatting with her arms outstretched in either direction. Her golden eyes reflected the dim light in the room and carried hints of a burning lust within. She nearly lunged toward Blondie, but two dark hands emerged from her back at the last minute and gripped her leash. She wore an enormous black rope around her neck, and whenever she misbehaved her Stand would yank on the leash to keep her in check. She gagged herself on the rope, eyes bulging in surprise as she continued to push herself forward regardless.

"Y-Your grace…" She managed to spit out as she crawled on all fours toward Blondie.

The woman let out a quiet sigh. Sabella had been an ambitious dream, one that Blondie was rather embarrassed to think about. The experiment was an absolute failure. She managed to salvage some important data for later tests, but Sabella would never function without ruthlessly killing everything in her path. That's why she entrusted the pet to Mortimer. He was the only person who could keep Sabella in check without being killed every time she got annoyed.

"Easy, pet… Easy." Blondie approached the eager thing and bent down with a smile.

The moment she was within reach, one of the dark hands sprouting from Sabella's back let go of the leash and lunged right for Blondie. Its palm slapped onto her face and gripped it without hesitation. A powerful force of energy blasted out of the hand, blowing Blondie's hair back and causing the woman's body to flinch. Sabella looked panicked and confused as the arms in her back attacked her goddess. This always happened, and she never knew how to control it!

Blondie kept her composure, allowing the hand to grip her as it wished. After a moment, she opened her eyes and let them glow a brilliant amber. The hand was blown back by her will, its palm simmering with a burn wound as it pulled away slowly. Sabella watched in awe as Blondie withstood the wrath of her strange arms. How did the woman always come out on top whenever she was attacked by Tragic Kingdom? Everyone else burst into colorful goo, but never Blondie!

The woman let out a tired sigh, fixing her hair for a moment before directing her attention back to her pet. "Okay, dear… Did you get it out of your system? Does your Tragic Kingdom remember who I am?"

Sabella nodded meekly. "I'm sorry, Your Grace… I don't know why I did that."

"It's because you're strong, pet… Don't worry." Blondie smiled, squatting down to Sabella's level. She cupped the woman's chin in one hand, analyzing her features for a moment as she pondered what could have been. "I'm stronger, so you don't have to worry about accidentally hurting me, right?"

"R-right, Your Grace…" Sabella nodded again.

"You've been so patient, pet... I know how hard it is to resist your urges." Blondie purred, patting the woman's cheek a few times.

"It is, Your Grace…" She admitted. "The arms do whatever they want."

"What have I told you, Sabella?" Blondie sounded almost like a disapproving mother. "The arms are an extension of your fighting spirit. They are your will. The arms cannot do something that you don't approve of."

"But, Your Grace!" The woman frowned. "Why do they always attack you, then?"

Blondie chuckled. "That's your strength, dear. It wants to prove itself."

Sabella didn't seem convinced, but she would never question Blondie. Still, she felt like her arms were sinister in nature… They killed people! Sabella didn't like killing people. Anytime she got annoyed by someone, those arms of hers would make them go away… Everyone but Blondie, of course. And Momo, he never seemed to annoy her either!

"Yes, Your Grace…" She conceded.

"Good girl." Blondie pet the woman's cheek gently for a moment. "Now, it's time for you to come out and play. How would you like free reign of these tunnels?" Blondie asked, as if she were hyping up her dog for a ride in the car.

"F-Free reign!?" Sabella gasped. "You mean with Momo, right?"

Blondie shook her head. "No, my pet. I think you should take a walk on your own for once. There's something in these tunnels I need you to find for me."

"Anything, Your Grace! I'm good at finding things!" Sabella eagerly nodded.

"Good girl!" Blondie clapped her hands. "It smells like I do, okay? It also smells like you… It's the feather of a very powerful being that died a long time ago. We both have the cells of this being's species in our bodies… The feather has those cells too. I need you to find this black feather and bring it to me."

"Yes, Your Grace! I'll sniff it out in no time!" Sabella giggled.

"Oh, one more thing…" Blondie rested her cheek in her palm with a fake pout. "Other people are looking for this feather too. You can't let them have it. If someone beats you to the feather, I want you to use your arms to take it back. Okay, pet?"

Sabella frowned, staring down at the floor. "Yes, Your Grace… I'll get the feather no matter what."

"Good girl. Don't be long! I have big plans for that feather!" Blondie ordered as she stood up.

Sabella's arms tugged at her hair and slapped her cheeks repeatedly in an attempt to get her moving. She groaned in pain, dragging herself across the floor. Blondie watched as the poor creature made its way out of the room. She couldn't help but sigh. What a disgrace… When Sabella brought her the feather, it might be time to put the girl out of her misery. In the meantime, she had so much to do.

Marina really wished she had a flashlight as she walked carefully through the dark halls. Josuke was leading a few steps ahead while the twins meandered a bit behind. She was worried about Shirlie's ability to fight at the moment. The city was already making her sick to her stomach, but all of the terror and panic from the explosion was seeping through the walls. It was pretty dark, but Marina could tell Shirlie was deathly pale.

Pepsi didn't have a very powerful ability for their current situation either. The ability to disappear wasn't particularly useful in a dark hallway, and their Stand had no offensive capabilities. That left Marina and Josuke as the heavy hitters. She picked up the pace a little so she was walking right beside him. After glancing over her shoulder at the twins, she put her hands in her pockets.

"Maybe we should start punching through walls until we get out of here?" She mumbled.

Josuke shook his head. "We're trying to lay low. That would broadcast our location to anyone Blondie's sent looking for us."

"I guess there's gotta be a way out sooner or later, but doesn't it feel like we've been walking in circles?" She sighed.

"This place wasn't designed for public traffic. It's meant for professionals who know exactly where they're going. It makes sense that it's a little hard to navigate." Josuke shrugged.

Marina just shrugged. He was probably right. After another minute or so of silent walking, she decided to break the silence.

"How was the trip for your group?"

"Uneventful. The turtle kept us hidden the entire way." Josuke sighed. "How about you?"

"Uneventful? That's some bullshit right there! We fought two Stand Users a day trying to get here!" Marina laughed.

"W-W-Whaaaaat!? That's exactly why we told you guys to stay put! Was Shizuka okay!?" Josuke gasped.

"She took care of half of 'em herself, don't worry." Marina waved a dismissive hand. "I'm sure she's somewhere in this station looking for us right now… You can't contain a kid like that."

"Yeah… She's really something." Josuke frowned.

They both knew the reality of the situation. If Shizuka was brought to this station, it was likely by force. They had very little to go off of, but the odds of the girl being alive and well were incredibly slim. Perhaps that's why Marina decided to focus on Shizuka's strength? She was just trying to keep them optimistic…

"Pepsi," Josuke quietly called behind him. "Do you think you could keep us all under Mist's shroud? It would make this a lot safer."

"Power gets nervous in the shroud. He doesn't like it when he can't feel the emotions of the world around him… With Shirlie's current state, I don't think we should risk shrouding any of us. Our familiar wavelengths might be all that's keeping Power sane." They muttered.

"Great…" Josuke sighed through gritted teeth. "So we can't plow through walls, and we can't travel silently…"

Shirlie stopped in her tracks. She held her clasped hands against her chest, eyes flicking wildly between the two directions in the hall's upcoming fork. She couldn't bring herself to move, nor explain why she was so distressed. Pepsi noticed this unusual behavior and put a hand on their sister's back.

"Shirlie…? What is it?" They asked softly.

She just shook her head.

That's when Josuke felt the hair on the back of his neck standing upright. He shot a look at Marina and could tell she was feeling it too.

"Something mean is coming down the hall." He whispered.

"It feels like I'm being watched by a tiger in the grass… What's happening?" Marina asked.

"That's the intent to kill in the air. Most emotions are so faint in the air that you have to be like Shirlie to sense them… The desire to kill another human being is different. It's the nastiest, thickest energy someone can put into the air around them… Nothing hits quite like the sense that someone wants to kill you right here, right now."

"I've never felt it like this…" Marina shook her head.

"No, me neither." Josuke admitted. "Powerful Stand Users can have an even stronger intent to kill… I once fought a serial killer back home. He loved to inflict misery, so his desire to kill me was almost gut wrenching. I felt like I was going to puke."

"What kind of person would want to kill someone this intensely?" Marina bit her lip.

"I know her." Shirlie cleared her throat. "Paris… She was there."

Pepsi looked surprised. "You mean… all that goo?"

"I'm sorry, we're discussing goo now!?" Marina spat.

"Mr. Joestar's friend, the doctor lady? We went there to heal Josuke. When we got to her place, all that was left was a room filled with blood and goo." Pepsi explained.

"Since it was the site of a recent death, I could sense the emotions staining the area. I felt her death. It was the most empty experience of my life. Every ounce of Shirlie was pulled from my body and left something completely hollow in its place. All it took was one touch… It was over in less than a second."

"The person who did that is here?" Josuke questioned.

"I'd never forget her stench." Shirlie nodded.

"Which way is she coming from?" Marina bit her lip. "Left or right?"

"I don't understand." Shirlie kept swinging her head in both directions. "N-Neither… But she feels so close!"

Neither direction? That didn't make any sense! Josuke had felt it coming! That's when his stomach sank… Perhaps it wasn't coming closer. What if they were simply getting closer to it. He bit down on his lip hard, swallowing heavily as he forced his eyes to drift up toward the ceiling. When he tilted his head, he was met with a horrifying sight.

A woman was clinging to the ceiling in an impossible position! Her arms and legs seemed to extend much further than their bones would allow in order to hold her body up with the walls. Her wingspan had to be well over eleven feet to allow for such a thing! Not only that, but she was facing the ceiling. Or… her body was. The woman's neck twisted and coiled like a spring to allow her head to face the floor. The skin stretched and strained like something out of a horror movie, but it didn't tear. Her eyes were bulging wide like she wanted to scream. Unfortunately, a large arm was phasing out of her back and covering her mouth with a firm grip. It held her mouth shut and clenched her cheeks tightly.

"W-Wha…?" He took a step back, but he was still directly below the woman.

For a moment, he wondered if she was the victim of some horrible Stand attack. Was the arm coming out of her back an enemy Stand!? He knew better, though. That intent to kill in the air he'd noticed from earlier was absolutely emanating from her eyes. Despite the fear and confusion behind her gaze, Josuke could also feel the unquenching thirst for blood and suffering screaming behind those yellow orbs. She wanted to kill him… She wanted to kill him so badly. It was clear in her eyes!

By that point, everyone was staring at the ceiling in silent horror as the woman gazed back down at them. The hand slowly fell from her face, dangling in the damp air as she licked her lips nervously. They always got so dry when the hands gagged her for long periods of time.

"W-Which one of you has the feather?" She asked in a nervous, yet exasperated tone. "No one has to get hurt if you just give me the feather."

This was about the time when Marina would come up with some colorful insult to sling at her enemy, but she was coming up short at the moment… She felt such a primal fear in the back of her mind as she stared at the unnatural woman up above. Every fiber of her being was telling her to run for her life! Her fight or flight kicked in, and she felt the unyielding desire to abandon the entire mission and live. She'd only experienced this one other time in her life. It was when she stared down Blondie in the Speedwagon Foundation's hangar. She felt this nagging fear then, too…

"Nobody?" Sabella sighed. "I know that's not true… I can smell it… The black feather that her Grace wants… I need to have it."

Sabella's head corkscrewed three times, revealing a pair of sickly green eyes after the final rotation.

"They're lying… That means you can kill them for it. Those are the rules!"

The head swung back to its original level of twisted horror after that, and her eyes returned to their yellow haze.

"She wants to kill you…" Sabella warned. "I don't want her to… But-" The hand covered her mouth once again, and her eyes went wide with anger. She tried to speak, but the Stand had her completely muzzled.

"Kids, back away." Josuke ordered in a stoic voice.

The twins did so without argument, but Marina was hesitant to leave Josuke alone against such a dangerous opponent. Shirlie said one touch was all it took for the crazy bitch to do her thing! She couldn't risk Josuke's life just to protect her own! He was the one who took a nearly fatal blow last time they fought together! Blondie should have killed him, but by some miracle he managed to hold on. Would he be so lucky twice?

"Marina, move!" He barked.

At that moment, Sabella's left arm snapped and flung itself toward Marina's throat. Josuke was right! This monstrous woman was able to contort her body in impossible ways like it was nothing! He winced at the brutal cracking and snapping sounds that were produced by the sudden lunge, but that was the least of his worries. Her arm looked skinny and malnourished, though it carried a supernatural strength nonetheless. The hand lifted Marina up by the throat, and Josuke watched as the Stand's arm moved toward the girl.

"DORRRRRRRRA!" With a single punch, Josuke struck the woman's elbow hard enough to break the arm right off from the joint!

Sabella let out a wail behind her gag as she felt her arm being shortened by half! It let go of Marina's neck and slammed into the wall beside her. Sabella waved the stubby remains of her arm furiously as Josuke threw Marina back toward the twins. The man panted heavily as he assessed the situation. Sabella was still clinging to the ceiling with her remaining limbs, and the severed arm laid lifelessly beside him. He lifted a hand to his face, feeling a bit of blood on his cheek. This caused him to let out a groan.

"Great." He growled. "You got blood in my hair. You're really going to regret that."

—

There was quite a bit of panic as Hol Horse stumbled out of the maintenance door with Ezra in tow. Nobody knew where the explosions had come from, so everybody was rushing around like chickens with their heads chopped off. The few cops unfortunate enough to be hanging around were struggling to manage the utter pandemonium, and nobody was acting rationally. Hol Horse panted as he rested Ezra on a bench. He'd found a small nook that mostly avoided the chaos around them. The woman had used her shirt to defend them from the explosions, so Hol Horse did his best to avoid looking at her chest. He was a damn gentleman, after all!

Fugo wasn't too far behind, though he wouldn't have been able to carry Ezra either way. That's why he entrusted the job to Hol Horse. He sprinted over to the bench and fell onto one knee before Ezra. The man wasted no time feeling for a heartbeat, sighing with relief when he found it. Fugo rubbed his forehead clean of sweat and shot a glance at Hol Horse.

"Did she say anything?" He shouted.

"Wha!? No! She's out!" The cowboy nodded.

"Alright. We need to get her out of here. She's clearly reached her limit." Fugo sighed, standing up.

A gloved hand slapped against Fugo's wrist a moment later. Ezra squeezed the man's arm, struggling to sit up as she shook her head.

"I have not." She sternly insisted.

"Boss- Ezra!" Fugo grabbed her hand and got down onto one knee once again. "What the hell!? Do you have any idea what I was told on the phone?"

"That I'm dead, most likely." Ezra groaned.

"What are you doing in the U.S.? Why did you let me go a whole week thinking you were dead!?" Fugo worked himself into a tizzy.

"Fugo." The boss's tone cut through the roaring crowd and silenced the man's protests. "Can you fight?"

The strawberry blonde hesitated, swinging his head around to take in his surroundings. "Here? No… I could kill hundreds of people."

"What about somewhere quiet? Can you use your Purple Haze Distortion?" She demanded.

"No."

Ezra nodded, refusing to waste another moment on the issue. She looked up at Hol Horse for the first time.

"What can you do?"

The cowboy blushed, summoning his Emperor and allowing it to twirl around his index finger. "Well, Ma'am, I've got a pretty good shot!"

"You'll have to do… I need some time before I can use my Stand again." Ezra groaned.

"What on Earth was that back there? I've never seen Gold Experience do anything like that." Fugo frowned.

"Something new… I came up with it this morning. Seems like it works." She grinned wearily.

"This mornin'!" Hol Horse shouted. "You risked our lives on somethin' you've only been practicin' since this morning!?"

"I hadn't practiced it at all. That's why it was so sloppy. I should be able to refine it. I just need to let my life energy replenish a bit…" Ezra nodded.

"Is there really a point in being Ezra when you just used Gold Experience in front of the enemy?" Fugo asked.

"We don't know if Blondie saw. It was pretty crazy in there. I'm not ready to call it quits on the plan yet."

"The plan…? You don't mean-" Fugo gasped.

"I asked her for a favor, yes. In return, she gave me a detailed roadmap to victory. It all depends on Shizuka Joestar. She's the one who beats Blondie." Ezra explained.

"The kid!? Boss, even by our standards, that's insane." Fugo shook his head.

"Fugo, you've never been able to see the world in the way I do… That's why you left, remember?" The boss brought up that incident for the first time in years. "Stand by my side. I will get us through this."

Fugo closed his eyes as he felt the shame of his past wash over him yet again. He knew the boss wasn't bringing that up to hurt him, but to remind him of how wrong he'd been before. He didn't see a single viable path to defeating Diavolo, yet there they were… If Giorno believed, that's all that mattered. Fugo nodded with conviction.

"I don't trust her, but I trust you." He admitted.

"That's all I need." She smiled. "Let's go up. Blondie has to surface somewhere."

—

As Josuke stared the monstrous woman down, he tried to understand her a little better. She seemed to be operating with two separate personalities… One was represented by the yellow eyes and the other was green. The yellow one said that "she" wanted to kill them all… Was the green one violent, then? Could it be the one in control of the Stand's arms? He needed to figure this out quickly. There was still a slim chance that the yellow-eyed woman was a victim. Sabella couldn't keep her eyes off of the stump of her arm. They bulged in shock as she wiggled the stub around.

"I can't believe he did that…" She whispered. "I seriously cannot believe he did that to me…"

Josuke took another step back, extending an arm to ensure the kids stayed behind him. He didn't like any of this, not one bit! This woman was more disturbing than anything he'd fought before, and that was saying something!

"Use Mist." He ordered. "Get out of here. All of you."

When he glanced over his shoulder, the twins were gone. Josuke was furious to see Marina standing right behind him with a hand on her hip.

"Marina!" He shouted. "I can't protect you from an enemy like this!"

"Who the hell said I need protecting? You haven't seen what I've gone through this week." She stomped forward with both hands in her pockets.

Bubblegum Bitch twirled its bat around before slamming it against its shoulder. The Stand posed right in front of Marina with one arm extended toward Sabella.

"You hit hard, right?" She asked.

"Y-Yeah, why?"

"She's gonna be vulnerable in a second. I can't say for how long… Give her all you've got." Marina dragged her tongue over her lips, coating it in a glossy black shine as her Liquor Liquor Lips activated. She bit her tongue off a moment later, chewing it up as quickly as she could. After infusing her tongue with a special instruction, she decided to try something new.

Marina spit her tongue into the air and readied her bat. Bubblegum Bitch swung with all its might, striking the tongue in midair and sending it flying directly toward Sabella.

CLINK!

The bat roared as it connected to the tongue. The black ball hurdled through the air and hit Sabella right in the spine. She tensed up, but soon she was completely stuck. Marina had combined the power of her bat with Liquor Liquor Lips and created a new ability! She could stick things in place from a distance! Despite that, she knew it wouldn't last long.

"Now, Josuke! Get in there, you're completely open!" She shouted.

If there was one thing Josuke knew about Stand battles, it was that you have to trust your allies with one-hundred-percent conviction. If they said to stop, you stopped. If they said something was wrong, you took it seriously. And if they said to attack with all you've got? Well… You needed to listen to that, too. It could be the difference between life and death. He sprinted forward in order to place himself directly below Sabella before throwing his fist up and extending his index finger.

"Crazy Diamond!" He cried.

"Dora dora dora dora dora dora dora dora dora dora dora!" The Stand sent hundreds of lightning-fast punches directly into Sabella's body.

The woman cried out in pain as her body rippled and thrashed from the intense assault. She was unable to pry herself from the ceiling, so the punches only drove her further into the cold concrete. In the frenzy, Josuke barely saw one of Sabella's Stand arms rip from her back and reach right for him.

"Not happening!" He shouted, stepping back and leaving the Stand's range.

They watched as Sabella's body convulsed uncontrollably on the ceiling. Blood began to pour by the pint from her gaping wounds. Crazy Diamond really did a number on her in such a short period of time. Soon, Bubblegum Bitch's ability wore off. This allowed Sabella's body to slowly drift away from the wall before eventually plopping off and schloping against the floor in a pool of bloody, messy skin and paste. Her body was absolutely falling apart. Marina tried to keep her dinner down as she watched this horrible display. Josuke was accustomed to crime scenes, but he rarely had to look at things like this.

Just as Marina was about to step toward the body, Josuke threw his arm in front of her stomach and stopped her. He narrowed his eyes and felt his stomach sink as the pile of blood and skin began to bubble. Josuke bit into his bottom lip and knew this wasn't over. Sabella's neck twisted four times and swung her head to face her opponents. Her eyes were a sickly green as she hissed at the humans before her.

"Hungry…" She moaned.

Neither of them could've reacted in time… Bones cracked and snapped into place, and soon Sabella's remaining arm lunged across the room and stretched itself impossibly thin. The skin tore and ripped itself off, but she didn't care. Her fingers embedded themselves in Josuke's neck, bulging his veins as they sucked his blood and life force at a terrifying speed. He tried to cry out in pain, but the wind was stolen from his lungs.

Marina watched in horror as Sabella's arm-stump began to throb and pulsate. It quickly sprang into a fully realized limb, replacing the arm Josuke broke off like it was nothing! Was she somehow replenishing her own vitality by siphoning Josuke's blood!? Did that make her some kind of vampire? Or worse? This situation felt all too familiar. She was trapped underground in a concrete hall with a terrifying monster! She was mistaken when thought she'd only felt this level of terror once before. There was an additional time…

Santana.

She felt this level of terror against Santana as well. He was an unkillable god who drank blood and crushed bones with his bare hands. Sabella had been reduced to a mushy paste of organic matter, but all it took was a bit of human blood to repair her! She was like him… She was the same kind of monster as Santana!

"Josuke!" She shouted, striking Sabella's wrist with Bubblegum Bitch's bat. She heard the bone crack, and this finally forced the monster's hand to pull back.

Josuke fell back and gripped his neck in pain. He heaved as hard as he could, eyes wide as he struggled to stay on two feet. Marina held his back and tried to support his weight, but he was a pretty big guy.

"Hey, hey… Are you okay!?" She questioned as Josuke tried to sink to his knees.

"She… She took my energy." Josuke managed to growl. "Look. She's healing right now."

"I know." Marina bit her lip. "We're in big trouble. This is just like the Pillar Man we fought under Washington, D.C. Not even Jotaro could keep him down. The only thing that worked was Gramps's Hamon."

"Hamon, eh?" Josuke sighed. "Great."

"I don't suppose you're a natural?" She laughed.

"Do we look that lucky?" Josuke sighed.

"Maybe we are… Star Platinum struggled to break Santana's skin. Your Crazy Diamond turned this one to mush in seconds. She doesn't seem as strong as Santana… We might be able to make this work." Marina bit her lip.

Sabella's body creaked and snapped as it worked itself back together. Her eyes stayed green as she glared at the humans with disdain.

"Never fought before… Don't like it. Die now." She muttered.

The monster shot her hand forward like a blade once again. Before she could grab Josuke, Marina stepped in front of him and allowed the fingers to plunge into her own neck. She grinned through the pain, flexing her arms and waiting for the right moment.

"Marina!" Josuke protested.

She just raised her hand and gestured for him to wait. After a moment, Bubblegum Bitch appeared and swung its bat into the monster's wrist once again. This made a horrible cracking sound, but the hand didn't pull away this time. It jerked and trembled, but couldn't leave Marina's neck. She let out a weak laugh.

"W-what's the problem? Too sticky…?" She coughed. "Josuke… Hit it."

The man was still drained and weak, but he had enough energy for this. Crazy Diamond rested one hand on Marina's shoulder and healed her as Sabella attempted to siphon her energy. With his other hand, Josuke punched the arm as hard as he could. He was weaker than before, so it didn't come right off. Marina's eyes fluttered, and she felt like she might lose consciousness. Even as Josuke healed her, the monster was draining her at an equal rate.

"You…" Sabella growled.

Before Josuke could strike the arm again, Sabella decided to recall it. This caused Marina to fly through the air as she was still stuck to the fingers. She undid her stickiness, but at this point the fingers were gripping her on their own. She cried out in pain as her body flung helplessly in the air. Sabella held the blonde above her with a wicked smile, nostrils flaring as she leaned closer.

"Smell it… You have it. Where?"

"Eat my ass, you Eldritch whore…" Marina managed to whimper as her legs dangled in the air.

"Fine. It won't explode with the rest of you. Find it then." She licked her lips.

A hand rose from behind the monster, hovering cautiously before Marina like a predator. She kicked her legs helplessly as the life was drained from her. She couldn't muster the strength to summon Bubblegum Bitch. Her vision faded as she watched the hand approach. Was this really the end? Was she going to explode into a puddle of goo like Shirlie said? The hand slapped against her face, and Marina felt it…

Words couldn't appropriately describe the sensation. Her very self was being ripped from her body. There was a slight resistance as her will tried to fight back, but it was a losing battle… Marina had never been aware of her soul in her body, but now she was incredibly cognisant of its presence. It was being torn away from her! No… That wasn't right. It's like she was being ripped in two on a spiritual level… Body and soul should never be separated, yet there she was.

"DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORA!" Josuke punched directly through Marina's stomach and plunged his fist into Sabella.

The blonde gasped as she felt Crazy Diamond's ability activating. The slight resistance that her own will had exerted against Sabella's soul siphoning ability was aided by Crazy Diamond's fixing ability! Suddenly, it didn't seem like such a losing battle. She closed her eyes and focused all of her will on keeping her soul. She knew her body would violently explode if she failed!

As her eyes closed, Marina was greeted with a white haze. She'd expected to be engulfed in blackness. Instead, the light was almost blinding. Was this the light everybody always talked about? Was she dying…? No, that wasn't right. She didn't have the right word for her current sensation, but the closest comparison was that it felt like peering through a window…

A gentle wind blew against her skin. That wasn't right… She was underground. She could also smell the outdoors with shocking clarity. Maybe she really was dying, but this didn't feel like the other times she'd knocked on death's door. Something was beginning to dissolve through the white veil that covered Marina's view. For a moment, she couldn't make it out. She squinted her "eyes" as best she could, but she wasn't actually using her eyes to see this at all. It was all in her mind's eye.

A woman's face became visible in the white fog. Marina hitched her breath when she saw it. The face was… oddly familiar. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she knew she'd seen it before! This wasn't just a vision, though. The face could clearly see her as well. The mysterious woman's eyes widened in shock. Their faces were so close… Marina's soul was slowly drifting even further from her body as she lost focus. This brought her even closer to the woman.

"Who…" Marina mumbled.

"I'm sorry…" The woman's voice was harrowing. She held genuine sorrow in her voice, but she also seemed resigned to the events at hand. It was the same attitude an executioner might hold after years on the job.

"You're… not that woman." Marina whimpered. "Who are you?"

"I am the drum on which God is beating out his message." She responded.

"W-Wha!?" Marina shook her head in confusion. "What does that even mean?"

"All battles are first won or lost in the mind." The woman whispered.

At that moment, Marina's eyes shot open in the real world. She stared at the dark concrete ceiling as Crazy Diamond's arm pierced her body. There wasn't a trace of pain due to the Stand's ability, but it was still an odd sensation. Josuke successfully pulled the girl back with a grunt. He tossed her down the hall, keeping her as far away from Sabella as possible. Just as Josuke stared to back away, Sabella lashed out and cut his leg with her sharp nails.

Josuke screamed in pain, falling onto his back and banging his head on the concrete. Fortunately, Sabella seemed too shaken to finish him off. Instead of looking at the prey right in front of her, the monster fixed her gaze on Marina.

"How?" Her eyes flashed yellow. "How? How? How? How? How?"

"Josuke! Are you okay?" Marina propped herself up on her elbows, her head throbbing as she recovered from whatever the hell happened with her soul.

Sabella slowly raised her index pointer toward Marina, jaw trembling as she lost the ability to speak. Her mouth hung open, and she let out a piercing, monstrous cry at the top of her lungs. It sounded like a dying animal, or maybe even a dinosaur. Josuke threw his hands over his ears as his teeth rattled from that horrible cry.

Pa-Pa-Power appeared behind the monster and punched her as hard as he could in the back of the head. After this, Pepsi swept around the woman and plunged their brass knuckles into her jaw. Pa-Pa-Power drove both of his fists into Sabella's head, squeezing the woman between both of the Stand's boxing gloves.

"Shhhhhhhhhhh… Shhhhhhhhhhh!" Shirlie hissed, closing her eyes and overpowering the monster's distress.

Pepsi used the opening retreat. They grabbed Josuke and dragged him to safety.

"It's okay, it's alright…" Shirlie purred as she held Sabella between Power's gloves. After a moment, she flexed her Stand's muscles and swung both of his arms to the right. Power let out a silent roar, throwing Sabella down the hall and dusting his boxing gloves off against one another.

"Kids!?" Josuke shouted. "I told you guys to run away!"

"We wanted to!" Pepsi shouted. "Who wouldn't want to run away from that thing!?"

"But we couldn't leave you to fight it alone… So we waited for the perfect time to strike." Shirlie smiled.

"You two need a new bit… This one's getting old." Marina smiled wearily.

Josuke watched as Sabella squirmed on the floor down the hall. She was lying face down and showed no intention of getting up. Pepsi was already tending to the gruesome wound on his leg. They cut his right pants leg from the knee down and used the material to apply pressure to the wound. He ground his teeth together in an attempt to fight through the pain.

"What did you do to her?" Josuke asked. "The monster… She completely freaked out."

"A kind of emotional sedation… She's experiencing so much anguish, it's insane. She wants to be calm, she really does. I clung to that desire and helped her get there… It wouldn't work on someone who wasn't willing."

"Did you feel another mind in there?" Marina seemed unsure.

"Another mind?" Shirlie raised a brow.

"Like… A different woman? Are there multiple people in there?"

"That's not how it works. Just because her heart's in turmoil doesn't mean she's multiple people. She's just at odds with herself… Something's been done to her, but she's resisting it with all her will." Shirlie frowned. "It breaks my heart."

"I saw her." Marina insisted. "The real her. She had a completely different face… It's when she was tugging on my soul. I think we might've connected somehow."

"That's probably the part of her that existed before all this. Whatever's been done to her body, it might not have been as effective on her soul." Shirlie shrugged.

"I wanna do it again." Marina stood tall, squaring her shoulders.

"W-W-W-hhhhhhhhhhha!?" Shirlie shrieked. "Again!? Marina, you felt what she does to you! It's horrible! It's- It's just…"

"It's like you said, Shirlie. Part of her wants to be calm. I spoke to it, to her. If I can speak to her again, maybe I can convince her to calm down." Marina nodded in certainty.

"Nothing we do seems to keep her down." Pepsi pointed to the monster as it started to recover from Shirlie's empathy attack. "It might not be a terrible idea."

"I don't think I can walk on my own." Josuke grunted. "She cut my leg to ribbons…"

"If Josuke can't fight, we've got to go with my plan." Marina bit her lip.

"You'll have to have total dominance, Marina. Touching souls like that… It's dangerous! I'd never do it! Who knows what could happen?" Shirlie frowned.

"Look at her. She's got the mind of a beast. I can beat her. I know I can."

"No." Josuke clenched his jaw. "I'm not letting three kids throw themselves at that monster on my watch. We should break through the walls and get out of here."

"We're in the New York subway, Josuke! If she gets out, who knows what she'll do!? She could blow dozens of people into goopy messes. We have to stop her here." Marina ordered.

"I can help…" Shirlie bit her lip. "If I keep her calm with Pa-Pa-Power, that might give you a better chance to keep control."

"And Crazy Diamond will help keep my soul in my body for as long as possible." Marina nodded. "Josuke, we've gotta do this."

The man hung his head in resignation. "I know you kids can do it, but you shouldn't have to… I'm sorry that we've been pushed to this."

"We'll be okay, Josuke." Shirlie smiled. "Keep us safe, alright?"

Sabella managed to stumble onto one knee, snarling as she glared down the hall. Her nostrils flared, and she let out a low growl.

"You…" Her eyes flashed green. "You were mine,"

She got on all fours and bounded across the hall at a startling speed. Pepsi and Shirlie vanished, but Marina stood firm. She prepared herself for whatever came next. This was her last stand… If she was going to make it to Blondie, she had to take this monster down. She'd already let Pepsi and Shizuka wager their souls on this journey… Now it was time for her to put her own soul on the line. She wouldn't lose.

She had a date on Monday.

The blonde actually smiled as Ripley crossed her mind. The agent would probably be furious if she knew Marina was taking a risk this drastic. It didn't matter… She was doing this for Ripley, too. Sabella couldn't continue to crawl through these halls, she'd kill everyone she encountered. Marina was going to keep them all safe. She was going to find that woman inside Sabella's mind and bring her screaming to the surface, even if it cost her soul.

—

Ezra, Fugo and Hol Horse managed to slip out of the subway just as police were rushing inside. People were still frantically running out of the underground frenzy and flooding the jammed streets. Traffic was at a total standstill, which evoked a symphony of angry New Yorkers honking their horns in E minor. The NYPD would soon have the entire area taped off and evacuated until Homeland Security could roll in and assume authority over the conflict.

"They said your body had a gaping hole in its torso." Fugo mumbled as he helped Ezra walk. "Never seen anything like it… There were even strange fluids oozing from inside."

"Blondie wasn't the real threat. She never even planned on fighting me." Ezra groaned. "She used one hell of a diversion. One of her elites, I believe. He started to approach me, and Gold Experience Requiem completely freaked out. Not even I know what Requiem is thinking in any given moment, but I could tell that it saw him as an enormous threat. That left me caught between a rock and a hard place. Blondie was an enormous danger, but my Stand was focusing on the man in the shadows."

"Which one ended up getting you?" Fugo asked grimly.

"Neither. There was a third Stand in the mix. I didn't know until it was too late. Gold Experience Requiem was busy setting the man's action to zero, so when that third Stand grabbed my ankle, it was all over."

"I always thought your Requiem was invincible, Giogio…" Fugo frowned. "How could a sneak attack get you?"

"Nothing's invincible. Not Blondie, not my Requiem, and certainly not this surprise ability. Even a seasoned blackbelt could lose a fight if he was jumped in a dark alley. The strongest man in the world could lose an arm wrestle if a little girl slammed his fist down when he was sipping his coffee. I was taken by surprise, and I lost. It's as simple as that."

"It's just hard to imagine you losing." Fugo admitted. "What did the third Stand do?"

"It was the oddest sensation… There was a pressure of some kind, and I felt like I was being pulled out of my body. I've experienced that sensation once before, when my soul slipped from Narancia's body back into my own. The soul is never meant to exist outside its living body… It felt wrong." Ezra explained.

"But what caused your chest to burst?"

"I fought like hell. It all happened in a split second, but it felt like hours. The Stand kept trying to tear my soul away, and I wouldn't let it. I held on for dear life, and then…" She paused.

"What…?"

"I popped. I suppose that's the cruel nature of the Stand. I had two choices: Die by having my soul torn from my body, or die as my body bursts from the trauma of slowly losing its soul."

"You really died?" Fugo was in disbelief. "How are you here? It's not like Bucciarati, right? You're not a walking corpse?"

"No, I was revived by…" Ezra looked around and decided to stop. "I'll explain everything when we get through this, okay? It was a one-time deal. We can't rely on it again."

"So what's the plan, Ma'am?" Hol Horse rubbed his chin nervously. "Or, er… Sir? I'm honestly pretty confused about all this, but I'll call anyone whatever they ask."

"The plan is to find Shizuka Joestar and provide backup against whatever Blondie throws at her." Ezra explained.

"You really think the Seer wasn't playing you for a fool?! With how much she has to gain from seeing you killed, I re-" Fugo protested, but was interrupted.

"She has nothing to gain from Blondie accomplishing her sinister plans. Think about it, Fugo, what were you doing in the subway before you ran into us?"

"We've been in town for two days, we were heading to Times Square for Hol Horse's bucket list." Fugo groaned.

"See! You happened to run into us when we could've been anywhere in the city! This isn't just chance, it's fate. We're going to fight Blondie, and if the Seer's right, we're going to win." Ezra crossed her arms.

"Okay, okay… I really don't trust the Seer, and being indebted to her is going to cause a lot of trouble, but I'm willing to kick that can down the road and deal with it later." Fugo sighed. "How can Hol Horse and I help?"

"We need to predict Blondie's next step… We lost her in the subway, so where would she go next?" Ezra mumbled.

"Well, what do we know about her? She's a native New Yorker with an eye for showmanship, flair, and drama…" Fugo nodded.

"She's probably waiting for her lackeys to kill us all in the subway and deliver her the feather… She killed me in Notre Dame, what's a historic and dramatic place close by?" Ezra rubbed her chin.

"Er… Fellas?" Hol Horse cut in. "Now I know I might be biased, but… D'ya think she might be waiting at Times Square?"

Ezra and Fugo exchanged knowing glances.

"Let's go."

—

Sabella practically frothed at the mouth as she dragged herself across the cold, damp floor on her way to Marina. Her body bent and contorted in disturbing ways to allow her a high running speed on all fours, and she was using it quite well. She'd never been given total free reign before, and she didn't know if she'd be able to go back! Her green eyes emitted a dangerous glow as she grew closer to her prey. Any minute now, Marina would be hers…

The blonde took a deep breath as she watched the monster getting closer and closer. For the first time in her life, she knew how a matador felt as he was stormed by a raging bull… Marina didn't have a cute cape, though, and she didn't plan on jumping out of the way of this stampeding creature. No, she was going to take it head-on.

Sabella stopped just short of Marina and sent Tragic Kingdom's arms right for the woman's face. Marina kept her position, putting her fate in the hands of her friends. Just before the hand enveloped her face, she saw Shirlie appear behind the monster. Pa-Pa-Power grabbed Sabella's head just as Tragic Kingdom began to tear at Marina's soul. Crazy Diamond lunged forward and "fixed" Marina as she was torn apart by the terrifying Stand. Marina tried to focus on the feeling from before. She only had one shot at this. Even if she didn't explode, the others probably wouldn't risk a move like this twice. One chance was all she needed.

The world went white once again, and Marina strained her eyes to see the woman's face in the void. She still had to focus some of her energy on keeping her soul in place, but between Josuke's ability and Shirlie sedating Sabella, it was much easier this time around. Slowly but surely, Marina began to see the face of that familiar woman fading into view. The woman seemed to be experiencing a mixture of surprise and concern.

"You're… back." She said.

"Bet you never get double-dippers around here. I always call in the morning, though. I'm never the type for one-and-dones." Marina smirked.

"I don't understand. How are you back?" The woman questioned.

"I need you to let me in, alright? We don't have much time…" Marina insisted.

"In?" The woman sounded surprised. "What do you even mean?"

"Your body is trying to kill me right now. I doubt that's what you want, though… You don't have those eyes. I think you're just as miserable as I am! So let me in!"

As Sabella's body weakened, more and more of the woman's body became visible in the void. Soon, both she and Marina were hovering together. They weren't themselves, though, rather they were reflections of their souls. Marina's body was glowing, and she was completely naked. The other woman's body was hazy and impossible to perceive. It was like she was trying to hide it from something.

Marina hovered closer, grabbing the woman's cheeks with her glowing hands. "I feel you." She whispered. "Clearer than I've ever felt anyone. Open up… Let me in."

She placed her forehead against the woman's, and that's when everything changed. The bright glow of Marina's soul filled the space around them. This caused the woman's body to tremble and thrash. Soon, a darkness started to seep in from all directions. It blocked out Marina's light and undid her progress. The darkness grew closer and closer to the women, but Marina didn't budge. She held the woman as tightly as she could, gritting her teeth.

As the darkness approached, Marina felt that emptiness Shirlie spoke of earlier. Was her soul being torn from her body? Was she losing…? Just as she felt a moment of hesitation, Marina found herself in a black void. For a moment, she felt nothing. Then, like waking up from a dream about falling, Marina shot up gasping for air.

She was lying in the grass… What happened? Her heart pounded out of her chest like she'd just woken from a nightmare. She could barely remember what led to this, but she could vaguely recall a fight with Sabella. The words the woman spoke earlier echoed in her head.

"All battles are first won or lost in the mind."

Marina looked up at the sky and noticed that it was green… She recognized that sickly shade of green, it was the same shade that Sabella's eyes flashed whenever she became violent. She ran her fingers through the grass before glancing down at it as well. The grass was a bright yellow! Okay… This was not the real world. She was sitting in a field of yellow grass with a green sky overhead.

"Okay…" She mumbled, pulling herself up to her feet.

The young woman walked up the closest hill in hopes of getting a better view. When she got to the top, her jaw nearly dropped. The sprawling field before her was nothing short of a battlefield. She saw flags scattered all throughout… One of them was very familiar to her… It was the old version of the English flag. It was a simple red cross with a white backdrop. The other flag was a little harder for her to pin down. It was a deep blue with multiple yellow symbols. She could almost recall the symbol's origin, but couldn't put her finger on it.

The battlefield was ragged and worn… The fighting seemed to be over, but Marina saw soldiers of both sides lining the bloody grass. She took a few steps down the hill, taking in the gruesome sights around her.

There was a lone soldier standing among the corpses. They held a blue flag in their hands and stood with their back to Marina. As the woman approached, she noticed that the soldier was rather short…

"Uhm, hello? Sorry to bother you… Looks like you're having as bad a day as I am right now… At least you won." Marina laughed nervously.

The soldier turned their head, revealing themself to be a shockingly young woman with red hair peeking out of her helmet. She kept her back to Marina, eyes staring a thousand yards past the girl as if she wasn't even there.

"Is there a single piece of land that's holy to the English? I'm not even safe from you within my own mind?" She asked in a bitter voice.

"Oi!" Marina spat, her voice ripe with indignation. However, she decided to bite her tongue and reel it back at the last minute. "I mean… I can certainly see where you're coming from. S-Sorry for intruding."

"It's fine. You're not the first." The woman sighed. "I only want to rest, yet here I stand… My existence is a battlefield. Every day, I fight to keep a shred of my mind… Someday, I believe I'll lose. By then, that monster on the outside will destroy all."

"You mean the freaky bitch with yellow eyes? I'm fighting her right now… What are you doing in her body?" Marina frowned.

"I'm amazed by you, foreigner." The soldier admitted. "The other one catches glimpses of me, but she's never been able to hold the monster back long enough to carry a conversation… I can tell she really wants to."

"Who's the other one?" Marina was already exhausted from battle, and this conversation wasn't helping.

"Another woman… Blonde, like you. A little taller, and a fuller form." The soldier explained. "She wears clothes when she's here… You might hazard to try it."

"Wait, another woman? That sounds like…" Marina's cheeks flushed when she was called out for being naked. "Wait! I- I mean! This is like a soul realm? I didn't realize I needed clothes…" She focused for a moment, and her clothes appeared over her form.

"Your body is just a projection of your soul. You can dress it however you like." The soldier sighed. "The monster is tired. Is that your doing?"

"Yes! Well, mostly! How much do you know about what's going on outside?"

"I see what her eyes see… Though most of the time, I try to ignore it. It's always a terrible sight… Blood, gore, sex and sin… Despite living with his favor, I seem to have been damned to hell by the lord I devoted myself to."

Living in his favor? Marina took a moment to put the pieces together. A female soldier with an old, familiar flag? She looked young, too, around twenty or so. Not only that, but she had a connection to the lord? Marina had read about this, but it simply couldn't be! She'd accepted some bizarre truths over the past few weeks, but this might actually be a bridge too far.

"Are you…" Her eyes widened. "Joan of Arc?"

"Jeanne d'Arc." The soldier corrected. "Though Joan will do."

"I… don't understand. You're dead! You've been dead for like, almost a thousand years!" Marina shook her head. "What the hell are you doing inside of this monster!?"

"I am this monster." Joan admitted. "The other woman made this body and forced my spirit inside… She was hopeful at first… I think she wanted me to be a sort of partner for her. She spoke of the grand things we'd accomplish together. But I was never fully in control. Over time, the body began to act on its own will. Soon, I was forced into the deepest corners of its mind. Now, I fight for my mind's continued existence at every turn."

"That crazy bitch stole Joan of Arc's ghost and put it inside an artificial body?" Marina shook her head. "I know she did some crazy experiments, but this takes the cake. And what do you mean partner!? This is wrong on so many levels."

"May I ask you a favor, foreigner?" Joan asked.

"It's Marina, and you may."

"If you're able, please kill this body. I belong in France, the place my soul has protected ever since my death. The monster's continued life serves as the bars of my prison. If you can kill it, I'll be free."

"Uhm, that's a tall order!" Marina blushed. "Your body's kinda nuts, to be honest. I came here to ask for your help… If you've got no control, I don't know what to do."

"I can fight it." Joan gripped her flag with pride. "I've been saving my strength in order to keep the monster at bay, but I know how that ends… Eventually, I'll be snuffed like a candle. If I use all my strength, I might be able to make a final stand."

"What do you need me to do?" Marina asked.

"I need you to kill the body. If you can get it close to death, I might be able to stop it from healing. The regeneration process isn't automatic. If I can hold it back long enough, it should die."

"Great… I just need to find a way to kill her before she blows me up." Marina laughed nervously.

"The arms shouldn't be fighting you while they're in here battling me. That means you'll only have to worry about her physical form." Joan sighed. "It's still incredibly dangerous, but it's all I can do for you."

"I understand." Marina bit her lip. "You know… You're kind of an icon these days. Young girls all over the world hear about your bravery… The way you faced down death without batting an eye."

"I was absolutely terrified." Joan admitted. "That didn't change anything. You're the same, Marina. I wish I could have heard stories of you when I was growing up."

"Oh holy shit." Marina fanned her face nervously with her hand. "Joan of Arc just said I was an inspiration… Literally nobody would ever believe me, but I'm letting myself have this."

"Are you ready?" Joan prepared herself.

"I am… Good luck." She swallowed heavily.

"Don't worry about me. I'm not afraid. I was born for this." Joan smiled.

Marina let go of the connection, and the world around her quickly disappeared. For a moment she found herself back in the void. She recognized the face before her to be Joan's. Their souls were still entwined, and Joan even seemed to be smiling at her. The soldier ran a hand through Marina's hair before giving her a reassuring pat. This caused the blonde's soul to radiate an embarrassed glow as she realized she was once again naked…

She exchanged a nod with Joan's soul, closing her eyes once more and feeling the white void slipping away. A moment later, she felt like her head was yanked out of cold water. She gasped for air, eyes shooting open as Josuke pulled her away from Sabella. The woman stumbled back, nearly falling to her ass in the process. Luckily, Crazy Diamond held her by the shoulders.

Joan would probably need a minute or two to fight Sabella on the inside. If Marina didn't time this perfectly, she was screwed. She needed a way to delay this, but how? Sabella was faster than her, stronger than her. Even with Tragic Kingdom's arms preoccupied by Joan, what chance did Marina have? She'd get her blood drained and that'd be the end of it!

Josuke was too hurt to fight, and the twins didn't have enough raw power to keep Sabella at bay. Granted, Marina didn't have that power either! What was she going to do? There had to be a way to keep Josuke and the others safe.

She chewed her tongue subconsciously, preparing to act. No matter what she did, she had to do it soon… Last time, Sabella charged her the moment they broke the connection. This was personal now. The body was furious with Marina. Honestly, she felt the same way. If the monster wanted to sprint right for her, maybe she'd let it? Marina prepared her tongue, waiting for Sabella to move.

The monster locked eyes with Marina and began to sprint across the hall. Marina took a few steps back, waiting for the perfect moment. Just as Sabella was upon her, she spit the tongue out with a special instruction. The tongue slapped Sabella's cheek, sending all of the kinetic energy into the monster's body and giving it a single command.

Slow.

With that, Marina turned her heels and ran. She sprinted down the hall and made a sharp right. There was no use endangering the others if Sabella only wanted Marina. Besides, she wasn't fighting alone. She had one of the most legendary female warriors on her side! That put a spring in her step as she bolted down the hall. All she needed was an exit… If she could find something to use, something to even the odds, she'd be okay! For a moment, she considered throwing Sabella in front of a train, but the tracks would most certainly be shut down after the explosions earlier.

She'd find something a little less flashy, then! Marina glanced over her shoulder as she ran, laughing to herself as she saw Sabella slowly dragging herself across the hall after her. It was like the woman had been set to slow motion! Marina really outdid herself this time. She swung around another corner and saw an exit sign. The blonde flung the door open and found herself back in the subway. It was mostly empty at this point, save for a few police officers with K9 patrols sniffing for bombs.

"Hold on, who the hell are you?" One of the officers rested his hand on his holster.

Marina threw her hands up, but she knew she couldn't stop for long.

"Officers, you have to help me!" She panted, channeling her very real fear into a very fabricated tale. "I was taken by a bunch of hooded men off the subway and into those dark halls! They kept mentioning bombs and hostages!"

This seemed to ease the tension quite a bit, as all three officers let go of their holsters all at once.

"Clarke, get her story. Simmons, round up some men and get them into those maintenance halls ASAP. I need the bomb squad, SWAT, K9's, anything you can throw down there." The sergeant ordered.

"Uh, I dunno guys! I think we should maybe get out of here? What if there are more bombs?" Marina bit her lip, glancing over her shoulder.

Officer Clarke walked up to Marina and smiled. "Ma'am, you can leave everything to us. Just follow me."

He put a hand on Marina's back and guided her away from the door. It took everything in her to resist slapping that hand away and telling him off. These men were in huge danger, but she had no way of warning them. They were preparing to run head-first into a tunnel looking for bombs and terrorists! The testosterone was pumping at too high a rate to reason with them.

"Really, this isn't a good idea… We're all in danger…" She frowned.

"Get the woman out of here." The sergeant waved a dismissive hand. "I don't need hysterics right now."

She bit her lip so hard she worried it might bleed.

"Sarge, do you hear something?" Simmons pointed his flashlight toward the hall Marina came from.

"There are dozens of cops crawling around every corner of this place, Simmons. I'm gonna need you to be a bit more specific."

Marina focused her ears on the hall. She heard the faint huffs and growls of Sabella as the monster's hands and feet pitter-pattered against the concrete. It sounded like the freak wasn't in slow motion anymore.

"Hey dude, back away from the door." Marina warned Officer Simmons.

"Get the woman out of here." The sergeant barked.

"The woman is trying to save your ass, pig!" Marina barked right back.

"Guys, seriously! I hear something!" Simmons cried out, but it was too late.

Sabella leapt out of the dark hallway like a panther, tackling Simmons to the floor and taking a bite out of his neck like a rabid animal. Blood began to spray from the wound, but she didn't care. She buried her face in the mess and ate as much as she could. Her eyes were a bright green as she feasted on the flesh of Officer Simmons. Soon, his horrified screaming turned into desperate gurgling.

Clarke raised his weapon, but Marina managed to shove his arm back down. Before he could protest, the sergeant fired three rounds into Sabella's back. The monster let out a bloody gurgle, her mouth filled with Officer Simmons's live flesh as she tried to scream at her attacker. Joan needed to hurry! What was Marina supposed to do!?

Sabella hissed, breaking and cracking her right arm before sending it flying over toward the sergeant. Her index and middle finger plunged right into his eyes, curling and getting a good grip on his skull before YANKING him over to her. His screams were blood-curdling as he kicked and thrashed against Sabella's strength.

"W-What the fuck is she!?" Clarke shrieked at the top of his lungs, raising his handgun once more.

Marina slapped it out of the man's hands. "Run! Live! I'm going to take care of her."

Her tone had completely transformed from the scared, overly feminine voice she'd used while begging the officers for help a moment ago. Clarke was a bit more perceptive than his fellow officers, and he immediately picked up on her change in demeanor. All he could do was nod helplessly as a few whimpers slipped past his quivering lips.

The monstrous woman had drained both bodies by the time Clarke sprinted away. Marina held her ground for a moment, preparing to spit another tongue the moment Sabella got close. The monster started to prowl closer, circling Marina slowly as she eyed the blonde with angry green eyes. Just a little bit closer… Marina needed to wait for her to get a little bit closer…

Sabella lunged toward Marina, and she knew it was time to spit! The blonde fired her tongue right for Sabella's center mass, but she was met with the horrifying sight of Sabella's body literally forming a donut hole right in the center of the torso. The skin and bones contorted horribly to allow for such a thing to occur, and soon the mashed up tongue passed harmlessly through the opening in Sabella's chest. She was learning!

Marina felt her life flashing before her eyes as Sabella reached point-blank range. She didn't have another tongue to fire! It would take a minute to get a backup! Her heart pounded as she ran through a list of possibilities in less than a second. In the meantime, Sabella reached up and dug her fingers into Marina's left arm. The woman cried out in pain as those razor sharp nails embedded themselves in her skin. She didn't have time! Without Crazy Diamond to heal her, Marina would be done in by a few seconds of draining!

Certain animals are known to be capable of gnawing off their own limbs in order to escape dire traps. It's a survival instinct that many cannot fathom until their lives are in immediate danger. Sometimes, when all hope is lost, the only chance to survive is to do something unthinkably drastic. This was absolutely one of those times. Marina didn't even think, she couldn't have done it if she was thinking. In a single swift movement, she summoned Bubblegum Bitch and let her survival instincts take over.

CLANK!

The Stand swung with enough strength to tear through Marina's arm like a knife. She lobbed her own arm off to escape this horrifying monster. Marina watched as her arm plopped onto the disgusting subway floor, but she couldn't waste the opportunity this gave her. There was no wound, thanks to the sticky properties of her body. Since she amputated it herself, she had the time to make her arm entirely gum-like in nature. Now she had a sticky stub in its place… Only an inch or so below the shoulder remained.

Marina took this opportunity to slam her bat against Sabella's face. She felt several parts of the monster's skull cracking from the blow as Sabella was thrown across the room. The ragged, frenzied woman landed face-first on the concrete and found herself unable to pry herself up. She was stuck!

Of course she wanted to grab her arm, but Marina didn't waste any time. She booked it toward the exit, desperate to escape Sabella's fury. She needed to find a way to destroy the body, but what chance did she stand now!? Bubblegum Bitch only had one arm, which meant it couldn't swing nearly as powerfully as before. Her legs felt lighter than ever as she made her way up the steps.

A few police officers were standing at the top of the stairs, but they quickly stepped out of the way when a one-armed woman screamed for her life at them. They didn't even have time to chase her before they heard Sabella roaring down below. The monster bounded around the corner and ran up the steps on all fours. Her face was in the process of healing after she tore it into bits from the concrete floor, but she didn't care. All she cared about was Marina. It was her obsession at this point.

Sabella jumped like a tiger, grabbing onto two officer's faces and holding them in place. She positioned her feet on top of their heads and kicked off of them to jump through the air, instantly breaking both of their necks. Marina ran through the halted traffic as she searched for anything powerful enough to put Sabella down. She glanced over her shoulder and nearly shrieked like a child when she saw the monster flying through the air and coming directly for her. Marina hit the deck and crawled under one of the cars.

The monster wasn't fooled. She reached down and hoisted the car into the air without second thought. Her eyes widened when she saw that Marina was nowhere to be seen! Sabella checked under the closest few cars before she was completely stumped.

Marina had stuck herself to the bottom of the car, and it paid off. She carefully climbed up onto the trunk, nearly losing her balance as she stood upright. Sabella twisted her head up and saw her prey standing right before her! Unfortunately, she was using both hands to lift the car! This angered her immensely, causing her to throw the car twenty feet across the road.

Marina unstuck her feet from the car at the last second, causing her body to fly freely through the air. She landed on another windshield and instantly cracked it. The woman groaned in pain, wondering if she'd broken a rib. Just a second later, the thrown car landed on another vehicle down the road. It bounced off of the first car, killing both drivers instantly. The car then rolled over three more cars, causing horrible grinding and screaming to fill the busy road. At this point, people really started to panic. Despite traffic being bumper to bumper, many cars began to hit the gas at full speed. This caused dozens of crashes all around Marina. Even the car she was lying on got rear-ended. She nearly fell off the hood, but stuck herself to the car at the last minute.

All of the death and destruction that surrounded her was on her hands… She was the one who led Sabella to the surface. She brought Sabella into a crowded road and even hid under an innocent man's car! These people were dead because of her choices. She needed to get the hell out of here before anyone else got hurt.

Sabella shoved her hand through a car's windshield and pulled a woman through it without an ounce of mercy. This turned the woman into a mangled mess, but Sabella feasted on her nonetheless. She was fueling up on blood and vitality! The more she ate, the stronger she'd get! Could Blondie do this if she wanted to? Marina didn't even want to imagine. Fighting Blondie after all of this felt like a distant dream. She just wanted to go to bed. Despite that, it was her responsibility to protect these innocent people. Marina stood up on the hood of the car and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"JOAN!"

Sabella's head twisted unnaturally to face Marina with a yellow stare. Marina lifted Kars's feather into the air with a playful little wave.

"You want it!? Stop stuffing your face and come get it!" She ordered.

Sabella shoved the closest car onto its side before running toward Marina as fast as she could. Marina hopped onto the back of her current car and jumped onto the next. She leapt from car to car in order to reach the closest sidewalk. Sabella needed to get as far away from the road as humanly possible. That was Marina's primary goal. The woman jumped off of the last car and rolled onto the sidewalk. People were still running and screaming all around her. Everyone had gathered around the entrance to the subway in hopes of hearing news about the attack, and this led to a densely packed crowd of potential victims.

Marina desperately searched for any options at her disposal… She left her team to protect them, but that only ended up getting other people hurt. Joan needed more time, otherwise she'd be taking over, right? How could Marina get this monster away from all the civilians? They were everywhere! Any direction she picked had hundreds of innocent people screaming in horror. That's when she looked up… New York had such a towering skyline. There might be people on the ground, but in the air? That'd be different…

She ran toward the closest building and jumped onto it with both feet. Her shoes stuck to the concrete, and she was well on her way. Marina ran up the side of the building in hopes of baiting Sabella higher. Maybe she could even knock the woman off at some point? That might be Joan's chance! Sabella let out a piercing wail as she ran right for Marina's building of choice. This caused the woman to run even faster.

Gravity was trying to tug her back down, but Marina managed to shove her foot higher with each step. She looked down and felt a bit of whiplash from the perspective. The wall looked like the ground! She struggled once again to keep her dinner down, knowing it'd be seriously gross if she threw up onto someone down below.

Sabella pounced onto the building and dug her razor sharp claws right into the concrete. Her filthy feet slapped against the wall as she tried to stabilize herself, though eventually she opted to rely solely on her hands. The monster cried out in furious anguish as she dragged herself up the building after her prey. Sabella dislocated her arm and flung it ten feet higher up the building, digging her nails into the foundation and using it to pull herself even higher.

Marina gasped as she realized that Sabella might be able to climb even faster than she could! This caused her to run even faster, though she remained cautious about falling. If she misstepped, she'd be nothing but a sticky puddle splatted against the sidewalk. At that point, she'd be doomed.

The very concept of a plan had fallen out of Marina's mind long ago. All she focused on was climbing the building to escape the immediate danger of Sabella. She didn't know what she'd do upon reaching the top, but at least it would provide her with a moment's respite from the terrifying creature. Her adrenaline was pumping too furiously for her to focus on anything else.

By the sound of Sabella's climbing, Marina knew her lead was diminishing rather quickly. She clambered her way up the building desperately, but it might have been futile. She didn't have a way to kill this monster! Was it all over…? No! She'd keep running! So long as she had legs to run with, that's what she'd do! Just as she was about to reach the top of the building, she felt a hand digging into her leg. Marina fell forward, grabbing onto the roof with her remaining hand. She cried out in pain, gritting her teeth as those claws burrowed into her flesh. Her vitality began to fade, and she knew what she had to do.

CRACK!

Bubblegum Bitch broke Marina's leg off from the knee down, sticking her wound shut to mitigate the bleeding. This freed her for a moment, but things were looking extremely grim. Marina managed to hoist herself onto the roof as she powered through the pain of losing yet another limb. At this point she was running on pure adrenaline. Bubblegum Bitch's bat drove into the ground to act as a crutch for the one-legged woman. She hobbled across the roof of the tall building, knowing she was too slow to escape the predator at this point. As long as she had her bat, she could limp. If she lost her other arm, she'd hop! If she lost her last leg, she'd drag herself across the roof with her chin.

Marina was about halfway across the roof when she heard Sabella leap up and slam her feet against the concrete. The monster was practically frothing at the mouth. Her little grunts and huffs were like nails on a chalkboard to Marina as the blonde hobbled her way across the roof.

"Marina!" Sabella screamed at the top of her lungs.

She reached the end of the roof and took a moment to stare at the vast scale of the beautiful city… Even with death looming just behind her, Marina couldn't help but appreciate the sights. She felt the feather in her pocket and took a deep breath. Was she an adequate protector for the invaluable object? Her mother and father entrusted her with the precious feather, but she couldn't keep it safe anymore. She couldn't even keep herself safe.

The woman was grabbed from behind, spun around and thrown onto her back by the grunting beast. Marina slammed the back of her head against the rim of the roof's edge, feeling a bit of blood pooling against her hair. Marina's vision was blurry as she looked up at the towering woman. The adrenaline in her system started to fade. Despite her best efforts, she felt a different sensation brewing in her stomach.

Acceptance.

Sabella fell onto her knees, straddling Marina with a sinister grin. She slapped the woman across the face, scraping her with those nasty claws.

"Marina…" The monster growled. "I ate your arm, you know…"

The woman's face twisted in disgust as she imagined such a sight.

"I ate your leg, too… You keep making me stronger every time you lob off those tasty limbs…" Sabella licked her lips, revealing that even her tongue was unnaturally long.

"Joan…" Marina whimpered with what little strength she had left.

"Quiet!" Sabella's eyes flashed green as she covered Marina's mouth with her leathery hand. "It's time for me to eat, Marina… Eat Marina. Yes, eat Marina…" She giggled.

It was time. Marina wasn't afraid of dying. Her entire family was dead, after all. There was just one more thing she needed to do before she'd allow herself to go. Marina slung her remaining hand over the edge of the roof, looking Sabella in the eyes. The monster was confused for a moment, but her nostrils began to flare in recognition.

"Wait… What are you doing!?" She growled.

"A leap of faith…" Marina smiled weakly. "I hope this reaches my friends before your bitch of a boss can find it…"

With that, her fingers released the feather she'd protected with her very life for weeks.

"No!" Sabella shrieked, her grip on Marina weakening as she tried to grab the feather out of the air.

Bubblegum Bitch slammed its bat into Sabella's head with all its might.

"Oi! Look at me, you dumb bitch! We're not done yet!" Marina roared.

Sabella's monstrous eyes snapped back to her prey. She was right… They weren't done yet. She'd sniff out the feather after she ate this feisty woman… Then, maybe she'd eat another dozen people before bringing the feather back to Blondie… She began to drool at the thought, globs of saliva falling onto Marina's collar. The blonde winced in disgust.

"You're right, Marina… You're so right! In fact, you gave me a little idea! But first…"

The monster drove her hand right into Marina's stomach, causing the woman to bleed profusely. Marina screamed in agony, her cries turning bloodcurdling as struggled under the heartless creature. Her remaining leg kicked all it could, but she didn't have the tools to get herself out of this. Blood poured from her wound like a river, and she knew this was it. Marina was going to die.

"There! Now you're not going anywhere! Where were we?" Sabella giggled with the cadence of a school girl. "Eating you bit by bit was so fun earlier! It was even cleaner than the others… Maybe I can do the same thing to your soul."

Marina's eyes flashed with a mix of confusion and terror at the implication. That's when Tragic Kingdom's arms emerged from behind Sabella. No! That was impossible… Did Joan fail? She was supposed to be fending off Sabella's spirit. Marina rested her head against the ledge and coughed weakly. She'd hoped to go out with a bang, but being eaten by a crazy bitch wasn't what she had in mind.

Tragic Kingdom's right arm lowered to Marina's side, grabbing onto what seemed like thin air beneath the woman's shoulder stump. That's when those fingers gripped something else… Marina's eyes widened as she experienced the same sensations as before. Thanks to Josuke's help, she was somewhat accustomed to fighting it. Still, she probably wouldn't be able to fend it off for long. Sabella wasn't holding the arm that Marina broke off. She was holding the arm of Marina's very soul.

"Mmmmm… Now let me…" She used Tragic Kingdom's other hand to slice the arm at the shoulder, breaking off a piece of Marina's essence.

Marina let out a silent little gasp as she felt a piece of her soul being removed by the fearsome Stand. She was smaller than before, a little emptier… Not only that, but she felt like her Stand Power was lessened by the blow. Perhaps that was just a side effect of her blood loss, though.

Sabella raised Marina's soul-arm into the air with her Stand and moaned in pure bliss. Soon, she'd fully absorbed the limb, and there was no way to get it back.

"Mmm! Now your strength belongs to me…" She licked her lips. "When I eat a soul, I get all of its energy! You're so tasty, though… I like you…" She dragged Tragic Kingdom's hand across Marina's cheek, resting its thumb on her bottom lip and gently rubbing it. "I think I'll savor every bite."

Marina snarled, but then she thought about what the monster said. Sabella took a part of Marina's soul and absorbed it with Tragic Kingdom…? Perhaps she was just eagerly fantasizing about a better world, but that gave her an idea. She could feel that bit of her soul inside Sabella. It hadn't been erased, just moved.

"You took my strength… inside that messed up soul of yours?" Marina flashed a snarky grin at the monster.

"Why're you laughing?" Sabella's eyes flashed yellow. "You're dying… This isn't funny, so why are you laughing about it!?"

"Please…" Marina closed her eyes and focused for a moment. "Please, please, please…"

"Hey! Stop it!" Sabella slapped Marina across the face once again. She took a bundle of hair into her fist and forcefully lifted Marina's head by it. "Look at me! Dead! You are dead D-E-A-D! What's so hard to understand!?"

"You were too strong for her." Marina groaned. "But with even a taste of my strength in there…? There's no way you could stand up to us both."

"What are you talking about!?" Sabella hissed.

Without warning, Sabella's face cracked like a pane of glass. The fracture slowly spread through her skin, but it didn't break. Marina stared in awe as a thin light managed to slip through the cracks in the monster's skin. It seemed like an immense power was bubbling just under the surface. Sabella let go of Marina and held her own cheeks in confusion. The light pierced through the slits between the woman's fingers, cutting through the night. Even though it was merely a light, Marina was familiar with the source. That light was Joan…

"You're finished." Marina glared into Sabella's eyes.

"Please…" The monster's voice broke as she tried to hold her cheeks together. "I- I'm scared…"

Despite everything, that managed to tug at Marina's heart strings. Sabella didn't want any of this… She was an abomination, but she didn't ask to be born. It's not like she could help the bloodlust that her monstrous body experienced. Marina was sure that a part of Sabella really was innocent in all of this, and she certainly pitied that fragment.

"Close your eyes." She tried to soothe the creature. "Just close your eyes, okay?"

Sabella nodded with a shocking level of lucidity, closing her eyes and holding her breath. Marina could do nothing but lie there and wait… After five seconds, Sabella's eyes opened with an intense resolve. They weren't yellow anymore, nor were they green. Instead, they were a pure baby blue. Marina was startled by the monster's eyes… There was no malice behind her gaze, no bloodlust… If anything, they seemed like the fiery eyes of a soldier.

"Joan…?" She grunted.

"Do it." Sabella ordered.

That's all she needed to hear. Bubblegum Bitch appeared in a wavering, ethereal form. Nothing from the waist down managed to hold itself together, just wavering energy and colors. One of its arms was missing like before, and there was even a nasty red glow around its shoulder. It looked like something had been forcibly torn from it. Would Bubblegum Bitch ever recover from Tragic Kingdom's attack? Marina didn't have time to care! One arm was enough!

With a cry of passion and adrenaline, Marina drove Bubblegum Bitch's bat right through Sabella's chest, breaking through the monster's weakened skin and blowing its heart right out through the back. The heart bounced and rolled across the pavement of the roof, still pounding with an unreal level of tenacity. Marina kept her bat inside, knowing she'd given that attack everything she had left… Her body relaxed after that, likely for the last time.

Sabella let her head fall back, those striking blue eyes staring into the night's sky. A smile grew on her face, but it wasn't a wicked grin like before. Instead, it seemed like she was at peace. Her body gave out, causing the woman to fall right on top of Marina. The blonde grunted in pain, but she didn't shove Sabella off. She just rested her head on the monster's shoulder and sighed. Sabella buried her face in Marina's chest, coughing softly.

"Thank you…" Sabella's voice was one of pure relief and bliss. She was free.

"Rest in peace this time… Okay?" Marina smiled weakly.

"I will, but what about you?" Sabella whispered.

"Heh, I think that ship's already sailed… Remember the hole in my stomach?" Marina groaned as she stared into the night sky. "I can't even see the stars…"

"I'm sorry. I tried to stop her." The woman felt ashamed.

Marina managed to laugh, but it quickly devolved into raspy coughs and wheezes. "It's okay, Joan… I'm not afraid. I think I'm okay with this."

That's when Sabella lifted her head and stared at Marina with a new resolve. "Marina, do you want to live?"

"Babe, you're killing me… Literally." Marina's voice grew softer, and her skin looked so pale. She wasn't even looking at Sabella, instead her hazy eyes stared into oblivion.

"Do you want to survive this?" Sabella asked again, gripping the woman's collar and shaking her gently. "Tell me."

"Y'know…" Marina closed her eyes. "I think I would… I've got a date on Monday, y'know."

The spirit knew what to do. She plunged her fangs into her own wrist and pierced a vein. This caused a great deal of blood to spurt from her wound. Sabella shoved her hand back into the hole in Marina's stomach, causing a deflated moan to slip past Marina's lips. The monster's blood flowed directly into Marina's body, joining the blood inside the blonde's wounds. With that, and the intent behind Sabella's will, it began.

Sabella cupped Marina's cheek with her free hand, trying to catch the woman's gaze. Slowly but surely, Marina's eyes opened back up. Instead of their natural green tone, her eyes were entirely silver. It was more than that… They had life behind them once again. She looked into Sabella's eyes with pure confusion, feeling the wound on her stomach growing smaller and smaller.

"What… What's…" She was at a total loss for words.

"Your song has so many verses left to sing, Marina." Sabella rubbed the woman's cheeks with a tender smile. "Part of me wishes I could sing it alongside you… But I think you've got some lovely company already."

"J-Joan…?" Those silver eyes grew wide as she felt her vitality returning as well. Mere moments ago she was on death's doorstep! She'd made peace! How was this happening? The blurry, hazy veil of death was leaving her, and she could finally see clearly. "What did you do to me?"

"A gift, I hope…" Sabella seemed like her body was falling apart. It withered and wilted before Marina, slumping lower onto the woman by the second. "Just this once, I give life."

With that, she collapsed onto the woman. Marina stared into the stars as she lay in a pool of blood. Her newly silver eyes could see clearer in the dark. In fact, she saw things like she'd never been able to before.

"Thank you… Thank you… Thank you…" Sabella's voice drifted off, and soon it was gone.

Marina no longer felt that powerful spirit that dwelled in Sabella's body. Joan, the fragmented personalities of Sabella, they were all gone… All that remained was a grotesque husk of a woman who should have never been born… Still, Marina couldn't hate her. Whether that was Sabella or Joan in the end, she wasn't sure… Either way, the crazy bitch somehow saved Marina's life. The girl's nostrils started to flare instinctively, and her eyes darted to her right. She smelled something… How on Earth was she smelling anything other than the blood in the air? A minute ago she could taste the copper in the back of her throat, but now something much more poignant graced her pallet.

The feather…

She knew where the feather was. Even though she'd dropped it off the roof, she knew where it had landed! What kind of "gift" was this? Marina was already on the verge of losing her mind, so she really wasn't ready for the odd bubbling noise that came from her severed leg. Just under the kneecap where she'd broken the limb in half, Marina felt her skin rumbling. There was a build up of pressure, and she felt an extraordinary energy getting ready to blow. She howled in shock and pain as a new leg tore itself out of the stump, a brand new foot wiggling its toes in the moonlight. Her jaw dropped as she witnessed her leg's return… The woman gawked at it for a solid ten seconds before she decided to brush Sabella's body off and stand up.

Marina stood tall on her new foot. It was a perfect fit! Sure, her pants were ripped to high hell, and her white shirt was absolutely soaked crimson in a mix of Sabella's and her own blood… But she was in pretty good shape, all things considered. The woman glanced at her missing arm with a curious expression. Would it sprout back into existence as well?

She gave it a minute or two, but no luck. She frowned, shrugging it off for the time being. Marina felt like a new woman, and the weight of that battle had been entirely lifted from her shoulders. She felt like a million bucks, actually!

First thing's first. Her silver eyes drifted toward the street below once again. She needed to get Kars's feather before any of Blondie's goons scooped it up with their grubby little paws. She snarled at the very thought, revealing a fang behind her full lips. Filled with adrenaline and a supernatural energy, Marina got a running start and jumped off the building. There wasn't any time to waste.

As Sabella's corpse rested on her side, the wind blew through her ragged red hair. The distant honking and hollering of a busy city seemed so far from the peaceful rooftop. Even though she was covered with blood, missing her heart and beaten to a pulp, there was still a smile on her face. She found peace in the end.

To be Continued…