City Escape

Annabelle Lee was not a good person. She knew this and she accepted it, even if she wasn't exactly proud of it. For starters, she had a vicious temper, and was not above using physical violence to achieve her aims, even if those aims were as petty as "Make the annoying person shut up already." And she could be downright ruthless when it came to her ultimate goal of escaping this shittastic excuse for an afterlife.

However, it wasn't as if she were a particularly bad one either. She had her redeeming features, her occasional moments of empathy and kindness, sometimes even for people other than her sister. She didn't go out of her way to be malicious (save for when someone had really pissed her off) and didn't necessarily get off from being cruel. All in all, she was just a person for whom life had done no favors whatsoever (except maybe for the whole flying thing. That at least was cool) and was incredibly bitter about it.

But even she would have to admit that the warm, fulfilling feeling of satisfaction that filled her as she watched Kyoko Sakura slowly slump to the ground probably wouldn't do her case any favors. She didn't care though. Some things were meant to be savored.

"Finally," she breathed, excitedly rubbing her palms together. She nodded to Arzt, who had been responsible for their acquisitions' unconscious state. "All right, let's get her bagged up."

Arzt tossed her a large, black duffel bag, and working together they folded Kyoko Sakura up and put her inside. She was rather thin and wasn't especially tall, so she fit rather snugly. From there, Annabelle Lee slipped her arms through the bag's handles and stood up. Witches fortunately retained the enhanced strength they had as Puella Magi, and Kyoko wasn't much heavier than Ticky Nikki, so the weight didn't bother her at all.

From there, they saw to Oktavia von Seckendorff. They straightened her up, closed her eyes, and folded her hands in her lap. To any chance onlooker, she would appear to be nothing more than a sleepy mermaid taking a nap.

"All right," Annabelle Lee said as she took the handles of Oktavia's wheelchair. "Now, go deal with their buddies. Watch out for the blonde one's magic guns though."

"Don't worry about me," Arzt told her. With that, she was gone, off to tie off a couple loose ends.

Annabelle Lee spun the wheelchair around and moved it toward the nearby exit. The Madam had really come through for them. A pity she couldn't transport them out as easily as she had gotten them in. Unfortunately, teleporters capable of moving others over long distances were extremely rare, with the Matriarch being one of the most powerful examples, and even she had her limits. The one employed by the Madam had been more than capable of sending them close to Cloudbreak, but bringing them back was beyond her means.

Fortunately, other arrangements had been made. Once she had left the resort, a few hops through public transportation would take her to the elysian they had waiting. And once they were in the nearest settlement outside of the Alliance, they would call up the Withering Lands, have the Matriarch come pick them up, and they would be done, in every sense of the word.

The very thought of it made Annabelle Lee feel giddy. It was so nice to have things working in her favor for once.

…

"You've been to Pinespire?" the German girl said with a wide smile. "Oh my God, I've always wanted to go! What's it like?"

"Oh, it's very lovely," Mami said, though even her friendly smile was starting to strain. "We go every Christmas, and there's always lots of snow."

"Snow?" said the Swedish girl. She jumped up and down and clapped her hands excitedly. "Oh, snow's wonderful, we love snow! What's it like?"

"I…" Mami blinked a couple of times, unsure of how to respond to that. She glanced to Charlotte, but it seemed that she was at as much of a loss as Mami. She just shrugged and turned to go look at a habitat filled with larged-eyed, leaping hoobers.

A few minutes ago, they had been approached by a pair of European businesswomen, one originally from Germany and one from Sweden, if their accents were any indication. And after asking Mami to take their pictures, they had immediately struck up a conversation. At first, Mami had been glad to make friends, though Charlotte was a little put off by their forwardness. But after the third or fourth round of increasingly insipid questions, even Mami's patience was starting to fray.

"Well, i-it's, ah, cold, and white," Mami said, unsure of how else to describe snow to someone who apparently loved it but didn't know what it was like. "It falls from the sky, and crunches when you walk on it."

"Oh, that sounds lovely!" exclaimed the German. "Did you bring any with you?"

"I-er, no." Mami shot another glance at Charlotte, who, though her back was still turned, was visibly rolling her eyes. "Snow…melts. And it's not hard to make if you really want some. It's just powdered ice, really."

As she spoke, Mami idly reached up to scratch an itch on her neck.

That was what saved her.

Her fingers brushed against something long, needle-thin, and metal. Instinct took over and she whirled around to see yet another European businesswoman extending her hand toward Mami's neck. Though calling it a "hand" was being generous. All of the fingers had been replaced by metal syringes, filled with some kind of vibrant green fluid. There were glowing lavender shimmers around her wrist, indicating the presence of a dropped glamour.

Mami, who remembered well Oktavia's description of the Void Walkers that had attacked them, quickly reasoned that she was probably now in a lot of trouble.

"Get away!" she cried, dropping low and driving an elbow into her assailant's gut. The disguised Void Walker let out a loud oomph! and staggered back, clutching at her stomach.

Charlotte turned in her direction. "Mami, what are-Oh jeez!" She moved forward to protect her wife, but then the Swedish tourist was suddenly behind her.

"No, no, no," the tourist whispered into Charlotte's ear as she looped an arm around her neck. Charlotte gasped as a nasty looking knife slid into her back. "Bad monkey. Go down."

"Charlotte!" Mami screamed. She started to pull out one of her muskets, but then the German girl was there, pointing a pistol at her forehead.

"Yeah, don't," she said, her accent disappearing. "You got lucky once, but make one wrong move now, and I shoot you down while Nikki over there carves steaks out of your girlfriend's back." She tilted her head to Charlotte, who had fallen to her knees and was whimpering piteously as the faux-Swede continued to hold the knife in place, a bloodthirsty grin on her face.

Mami stared at the pistol's muzzle, her eyes crossing to focus on it. She slowly pushed the musket back.

"Good." The faux-German's eyes flickered to the girl with the syringes. "Arzt, sweetie, I think it's time to-"

Mami's hand twitched, and ribbons suddenly appeared, wrapping around both the Swede and the German and yanking them back. The Swede yelped in surprise as she was hauled away from Charlotte, but the German managed to keep her head. Even as the ribbons pulled her away, she managed to reorient her aim and send a shot through Mami's forehead.

…

All things considered, Charlotte's life was pretty easy. Sure, kelp harvesting was physically demanding, but she was young and strong, and always will be. And though she was reasonably sure that she had endured horrors unimaginable when she had been a Puella Magi, all those memories had been wiped away. As such, the two most awful experiences she could remember were having to enter the barrier of a friend that had regressed back to being a full witch and being attacked by a particularly vicious alien predator that had somehow wound up on one of Freehaven's beaches.

So all in all, she wasn't exactly the experienced veteran Mami was, nor was she accustomed to pain. She took self-defense classes and could handle herself, sure, but that was a far cry from being injured in an actual fight. And so having that knife thrust into her back nearly paralyzed her.

But then that fake German bitch shot her wife, and the pain suddenly didn't feel so important anymore.

Grimacing, Charlotte reached back with shaking hands to grab the knife still lodged into her back. And with a sharp intake of breath, she yanked it out. It fell clattering to the concrete.

As soon as Mami had fallen with a seeping hole in her head, her ribbons had withered and died, freeing their attackers. The crazy one that had stabbed Charlotte seemed quite beside herself, but the one with the pistols was already getting to her feet.

Gritting her teeth, Charlotte staggered up and launched herself at her. She hit the fake German with a flying tackle to the stomach, knocking her down. The back of the other girl's head bounced off the ground, and her eyes went wide with shock.

Charlotte was not interested in letting her recover.

"She's! My! Wife! Not! My! Girl! Friend!" Charlotte snarled, punctuating each syllable with a punch to the scumbag's face.

"Get off of her!" cried the syringe girl as she grabbed the back of Charlotte's collar and hoisted her up. She moved to jab those pointy needles of hers into Charlotte's stomach, but Charlotte managed to get her by the wrist and twist her arm around so they couldn't touch her.

But that just gave the crazy girl the opening she needed to leap in and stab Charlotte through the neck. And with that, the fight was over.

Charlotte slumped down, her mind nearly overwhelmed by the pain and her vision fading. She looked to her wife, who was still lying motionless on the ground.

I'm sorry, Mami, she managed to think. I tried. She tried to reach for her, but Mami was so far away, and her arm felt so heavy.

And then there was a confusing muddle of sounds and bright flashes. At first Charlotte thought that was just her mind shutting down, but then the knife in her neck disappeared, and something cool and soothing was pressed against her wounds. She rushed back to full consciousness with a gasp, and found herself being tended to by a bunch of girls she didn't know.

"Easy, take it easy," said the girl with short green hair that was tending to her. "You're okay now."

"Mami," Charlotte mumbled, reflexively trying to shake her off. "Where's…" Then she saw her lover, being similarly treated by two other girls. Mami was already moving, albeit a bit groggily, but she looked to be all right. Charlotte slumped with relief. "Thank God," she whispered.

"Don't worry, you're safe now," her rescuer told her. "We saw those guys attacking you and drove them off. They got away, but we'll call the marshals. They won't get far. So it's all okay now."

"Thank you," Mami breathed. "I don't know what we would have done without-" Then she stiffened. "Oh God, Kyoko and Oktavia!"

Charlotte and Mami stared at each other for a moment, and then, their weakness forgotten, they pushed away their confused helpers and rushed to their feet.

"Kyoko!" Mami screamed as they half-ran, half-stumbled down the path their friends had gone. "Oktavia!" They ran around the exhibits, calling out their names, but to no avail.

"What's going on?" said the green-haired girl as she caught up with them. "What happened?"

"Our friends!" Mami said, still desperately looking around. "There were two of them! One had long red hair and a green jacket, and the other was a mermaid in a wheelchair with short blue hair! She had blue hair, I mean!" she clarified unnecessarily. "Not the wheelchair."

The greennette blinked at her. "A mermaid?"

"Yes! Witch! Have you seen them?"

The girl shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not. There was just you."

Charlotte rushed over to another group feeding a trio of silver, long-necked birds. "Hi, sorry, but did any of you see a cranky looking girl with long red hair and a mermaid in a wheelchair?" she gasped out.

They looked at her in surprise. "Uh, no, sorry," one of them said.

"I think I saw the mermaid though," said another.

"You did?" Charlotte's head snapped toward her. "Where?"

She pointed down a path. "Someone with a big black bag was pushing her wheelchair that way. She looked like she was asleep."

Oh, that could not be good. But why take Oktavia and leave…wait. "Ah, how big was this bag?" she asked, though she was afraid that she already knew the answer.

"Uh, pretty big, I guess. I don't know, I wasn't paying attention."

"Could you fit a human inside?" Charlotte pressed.

"I guess, if they were small, but why-" Then the girl's eyes went wide. "Wait a minute, are we talking about a kidnapping?"

Charlotte didn't answer. Now that she had the information she needed, her attention was elsewhere. She shot off a brief "Thanks!" before rushing back over to Mami.

"This way!" she said, pulling on Mami's sleeve and pointing down the indicated path. Mami nodded, and they two of them head down it as fast as they could, leaving their bewildered rescuers behind.

…

The tram slowed to a stop, and its doors opened, allowing a handful of passengers to disembark and a few more to replace them. Annabelle Lee was among the latter. She wheeled Oktavia von Seckendorff to an empty corner, readjusted the bag's weight, and settled in to wait. The other passengers meandered ever so slowly to their positions, and the tram started moving again, following the railing down to one of the lower levels.

Annabelle Lee inhaled deeply and slowly let it out. She was torn between shaking with nervousness and singing with joy, and had to repress both urges. This was the most dangerous stage of the operation, and she couldn't afford to attract attention to herself. But it was so hard! She was close now, so close to success. She just needed to play it cool. Nikki and The Twins would put down Kyoko Sakura's friends and rejoin her momentarily. And then they would be on their way.

Then she became aware of a nearby presence. Glancing down, she saw a little dark-haired girl staring up at her. Or rather, up at Oktavia.

Annabelle Lee's hackles rose. Damn it, had she been found out? Was this girl an agent of the Senate? She was sure they had gotten them all. But if something had been missed, it could bring everything down around her ears.

Then the little girl leaned over and said in an excited whisper, "Is she a mermaid?"

Oh. Okay. Annabelle Lee relaxed a little. So it was just a kid being a kid. "Yes," she whispered back. She brought a finger to her lips. "She's a mermaid witch. But keep it down. She's sleeping."

The girl grinned and nodded. "Cool. Okay."

Eventually the girl's attention waned, and Annabelle Lee went back to fretting. Damn it, why couldn't this tram go faster? Okay, so it had to keep to the schedule, fine. But this was an emergency! She glowered down at the unconscious mermaid. If it weren't for her awkwardly big tail, she could have just stuffed her into the bag with Kyoko Sakura and flown down herself. Yeah, it would've been a tight fit, but when she had been stationed at the Silent Mill, one of the only entertainments they had there had been an old Tetris machine, which Annabelle Lee had spent a great deal of time with for lack of anything else to do. It was the same principle, really.

To distract herself, she looked out the window. Okay, credit where it was due, Cloudbreak really was a beautiful city. As she had only known places like Genocide City, the various bleak Withering Lands cities, and the scumpit that was Bertha's Brothel, she had been more than a little dazzled upon arrival. And to tell the truth, she still kind of was. This place was the polar opposite of Bertha's Brothel, rejoicing in peace and beauty as much as the other had wallowed in filth and depravity.

But as pretty as it was, Annabelle Lee still didn't like it here. Something about it made her skin crawl. It was like these people were so bound and determined to stick it to Oblivion that they had built this superficially magnificent capital in the clouds to distract themselves from the fact that they were trapped there permanently. Annabelle Lee wondered where they kept their undesirables: those who had been broken by the long trek of years but were unable to free themselves. Maybe there was some kind of asylum you were sent to once your behavior started to get too erratic. There were other settlements outside of the Alliance that were known to do that.

Though speaking of asylums, was that Ticky Nikki? Frowning, Annabelle Lee leaned in closer to the window. Sure enough, there was her sister rushing along a nearby platform, with The Twins close behind. Something seemed to be wrong, as they kept jumping up and down and waving their arms.

Oh, that couldn't be good.

After checking that no one was paying direct attention to her, Annabelle Lee lifted her hand to tap the tiny mic in her ear. "Hey, you guys remember that you've got mics, right?" she hissed. "Stop making a scene!"

They stopped jumping, thank God. But when Nikki's voice came through, she still sounded frenzied. "Mayday, mayday!" she screeched. "Trouble!"

Annabelle Lee winced at the auditory assault. "Keep it down! God, are you trying to blow out my ears?"

"Never mind your ears, we're in trouble," said Arzt's voice (or was it Nie's?).

Annabelle Lee felt a cold shiver go down her spine. Cupping her mouth, she turned her head and mumbled, "Uh, you guys didn't drop the ball, did you? I mean, you did, er, do your jobs, right?"

"It's not Nikki's fault!" her sister wailed.

Oh shit. "What happened?"

"Long story short, Blondie and Pinkie got some surprise help at a really bad time," one of The Twins said shortly. "We got ambushed and chased off before we could put them down."

Annabelle Lee froze. "What," she said flatly.

"So yeah, we really should clear out. Like, now."

Annabelle Lee stared at her idiotic compatriots until the tram had descended below the platform they were on. Her hand fell from the mic to grasp the wheelchair's handles. She wanted to scream and curse, but she was surrounded on all sides by potential enemies. So instead, she mentally composed a list of all the nasty things she wanted to call those idiots and put the best ones in the most effective order.

…

Mami and Charlotte burst out onto the sidewalk and looked frantically around. A sheer drop was directly in front of them, and other platforms spun lazily all around. Everywhere, people were walking, floating, or skittering about their way, blissfully unaware of the Void Walkers in their midst.

And why should they be? Humans rushing this way and that in parkour fashion were nothing new, and the fleeing kidnappers would not raise eyebrows. Cursing herself for time wasted, Charlotte sprinted to the edge of the platform. Grabbing one of the many glass rails that connected the city, she leaned out as far as she could, trying to catch some sign of their quarry.

"Do you see them?" she called to Mami, who was doing the same thing a few meters away.

Mami despondently shook her head. "No. They've disappeared."

Charlotte cursed under her breath and abandoned her post. She ran over to her wife and joined her search. "Well, on the upside there's a Militia office not too far," she muttered. "So it's not like the marshals will have to go far to find them."

At that, Mami's face turned white. She quickly turned away, coughing into her fist. Charlotte knew her well enough to be worried. "Uh, Mami?" she said, leaning over to look her in the eye. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

Mami bit her lower lip. "Charlotte, I don't think the marshals are coming."

"Huh? Why not? I mean, after that row, someone has-"

"Because I asked those girls not to call them," Mami said. "Or rather, begged them."

Charlotte's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"I told them that we knew who our attackers are, and that involving the marshals would only make things worse." Mami averted her eyes, unable to meet Charlotte's gaze. "So I thanked them for saving us, and pleaded with them to let us handle things."

"Uh…" Charlotte was trying very hard not to become angry, but her success was marginal. "Care to explain why?"

"Charlotte, I-"

"I mean, I know we're about to-" Charlotte cut herself off. She glanced around at the passersby, lowered her voice, and pulled Mami aside so that their backs were turned to the crowd. "I know we're gonna do something majorly illegal, but we kinda haven't done it yet. Plus, everyone knows that Oblivion's after Kyoko, so it's not like they'll ask questions. So why in the hell shouldn't we call the marshals?"

Mami grimaced. "Because of Freehaven."

"Freehaven? The hell does Freehaven have to do with this? The hell does Freehaven have to do with anything?"

"It has everything to Freehaven!" Mami cried, roughly pulling away. Startled, Charlotte drew back, blinking.

Tears were forming in Mami's eyes, but she didn't turn away. "Charlotte," she said, her voice nearly cracking. "Those girls. Who attacked us. They're…"

"I know who they are," Charlotte said before Mami accidentally dropped the words "Void Walkers." "So?"

"So? What do you think will happen if they're caught by the marshals?"

"What will happen?" Charlotte threw her hands into the air. "Whaddya mean, what will happen? Our friends will-" She noticed a couple ai'jurrik'kai looking at them curiously, and, with some effort, managed to put a lid on her emotions. Dropping her voice, she hissed. "We'll get our friends back, that's what will happen. To you want them to be taken by Oblivion?"

"Of course not! But what will happen then?"

"Well, I guess-"

And then Charlotte got it.

If several Void Walkers were to attack citizens of the New Life Alliance, the Alliance would take it very, very seriously. That was what the Compact was supposed to prevent, after all. And if that attack were to take place in Cloudbreak, the capital of the Alliance itself, war would be declared, no ifs, ands, or buts. While the Senate may be divided on how to deal with Oblivion stalking a free agent, an attack on their own citizenry in their own capital would instantly unite them. After all, The Free Life Compact meant nothing if it were not enforced. And this was a violation of everything it was supposed to prevent.

But what then? During the first war, the Withering Lands had suffered the most harm, and Oblivion would not sit idly and wait for the first attack. And Freehaven was the nearest Alliance territory to the Withering Lands, practically sitting on its doorstep.

It wasn't that Freehaven was without defenses. Quite the contrary, a significant portion of the Alliance's military was housed there for such an occasion, carefully kept out of sight of the tourists. Should war be declared, the place would become a veritable fortress. The Void Walkers would have to knock very hard should they wish to break that door down.

But the Withering Lands was one of the largest and most powerful nations in the afterlife. And they had some very heavy hammers. Ever since the last war, they had been building there own military, and by now the forces Oblivion had at her disposal were downright frightening to think about. Even if Freehaven survived, it would be a near ruin. Homes would be destroyed, Charlotte and Mami's friends would have their livelihoods crushed, and many would suffer, both in the war and in the aftermath. If Freehaven survived.

Charlotte had met a few veterans of the first war. Even the ones that had managed to readjust still carried the scars with them, even if they weren't visible. She had seen that haunted look in their eyes. She couldn't let that happen to their friends, not even for Oktavia and Kyoko's sake.

Taking a deep breath, she muttered, "Okay. I get it. Okay."

"I'm sorry."

This time it was Charlotte that couldn't meet her wife's eyes. "Let's just find them," she muttered.

Mami nodded, and the two of them threw themselves back into the search.

…

The tram arrived at its destination, and Annabelle Lee disembarked, pushing the comatose mermaid along as dutifully as a nurse. Her face was emotionless, her eyes calm, and her hands steady. Before her was a long walkway, bordered by slanting windows. She moved along at a brisk pace, ignoring the curious glances she received from everyone who knew what a mermaid was.

At the end of the walkway was an elevator, housed inside of a glass cylinder. Annabelle Lee headed toward it, trying to look unconcerned and unhurried, a difficult task when you keep expecting marshals to drop out of the sky at any moment.

However, none did, and Annabelle Lee reached the elevator unmolested. She pressed the down button and waited.

"Annabelly!" Nikki's voice screeched, making Annabelle Lee cringe. She turned and saw that, sure enough, Tikki Nikki and The Twins rushing toward her. "We're in big trouble, not Nikki's fault, totally their fault, so don't think that-"

"Nikki, shut up." She turned toward The Twins. "You two? Also shut up, and get in."

Mercifully they obeyed, and soon all four ex-Void Walkers and their oblivious prisoners were inside the glass elevator heading down. As soon as the doors had slid shut, Annabelle Lee took a deep breath and said, "Okay, just throwing this out there. The only reason why I'm not cutting the three of you into pieces is because this thing is made of glass and we're in public."

Nie opened her mouth to say something, but Annabelle cut her off. "Also, you're all a bunch of gutless, disease-ridden, foul-breathed, competence-challenged, mentally deficient, evolutionary throw-backs with about as much usefulness as an assless chair." Nikki raised her hand, prompting Annabelle Lee to clarify, "Yes, Nikki, even you. That's how mad I am."

Nikki's face fell.

Redfaced with indignation, Arzt snapped, "You can't-"

"Shut up, Arzt. I'm blaming you the most. I mean, what happened? It was a simple distract and drop job! You've done it a hundred times! How did-" Growling, Annabelle Lee closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and counted to ten. She got as far as four before snarling, "Fuck it, no time. Just tell me if the marshals are after us."

"We don't know," Nie hissed. "We didn't stick around to find out."

"Well. Maybe you should've."

"Like I would allow Nie to put herself in such a dangerous position," Arzt said, placing herself between her lover and Annabelle Lee. "And by the by, so long as we're putting things out there, keep this up and we might take offense. And if we do, it'll be two on two, and you're encumbered. So, do keep that in mind."

"Hey!" Nikki shoved herself in front of Arzt, which, given the elevator's cramped space, meant that they were nearly nose-to-nose. "Don't be threatening Nikki's sister, or she sticks you."

"Nikki, no." Annabelle Lee took her sister and pulled her out of the way. "Stick them later. Right now, we've got bigger problems. Are this idiots' friends coming after us or not?"

…

The damnedest thing about Cloudbreak was how easy it was to get lost. You could be looking directly at the platform you wanted to reach, but somehow get turned around and end up three levels below it or on the far side of the city in the process of getting there. Trying to catch a moving tram while navigating the rat's nest of glass rails just made things worse, especially with all the ai'jurrik'kai getting in the way and the fact that there were several identical trams moving about.

Needless to say, it didn't take long for Mami and Charlotte to realize that they had lost sight of the tram and were now clinging to several thin glass poles hundreds of meters in the air.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it," Charlotte muttered as she gingerly adjusted her position. She shaded her eyes and squinted out at the city for a time, and then announced, "I don't see them? Do you see them?"

Mami was using a makeshift pair of binoculars, courtesy of her magic ribbons. It wasn't a design she used often, but the basic idea was simple enough to replicate. "No," she said, an edge of desperation in her voice.

Charlotte was silent for a time, and then said, "Mami. They're not getting away. You understand that, right?"

Mami couldn't look at her.

"They're not taking Oktavia and Kyoko. We're stopping them any way we can. Even if it means calling the Militia. You know that, don't you?"

No answer.

"Mami, look at me!"

Wincing, Mami reluctantly turned toward her wife, who was clinging to the rails a few meters above her. Charlotte glowered down at her, her face resolute. "They're not taking them, Mami," she said. "Even if we have to call the marshals. Got that?"

Mami didn't respond. Her attention had refocused on a point beyond Charlotte.

"Mami? Hey." Charlotte waved her hand. "Are you listening to me? Because I'm being serious here! There's no way-"

"L-look!" Mami choked out, thrusting a finger out. Though perplexed, Charlotte as she said, and when she saw what Mami was pointing at, she very nearly let go from surprise.

At the far end of a very long expanse were the Void Walkers. They were in a tube elevator that was making the long journey down to the city's lower levels. And though it was difficult to tell from such a distance, and even though the Void Walkers kept getting in the way, they could just make out a flash of blue hair.

"Holy cow, it's them!" Charlotte blurted out. "Um, ah, okay. Lecture is now obsolete, and-"

"Save it," Mami said as she scrambled up to her. "Let's just concentrate on getting there."

Charlotte frowned. "Yeah, but how?" She nodded toward all the empty space between them and the elevator. There were no platforms close enough for them to close the distance, and only one rail stretched far enough to be of any use, and even that was a pushing things. An ai'jurrik'kai could traverse it without much difficulty, but humans, even magically enhanced ones, didn't have a chance.

"Uh, I'm not really sure how," Charlotte admitted after running a few calculations through her head. "I mean, unless you can use those ribbons of yours to make a helicopter, we're kind of out of luck." She glanced down and regretted it immediately. Directly beneath them was nothing but clouds. "I, uh, guess we could try climbing down and hope we find them again-"

"No," Mami said, focusing on the rail. She snapped her fingers, and yellow ribbons snapped into place, two of them looping over the rail and more binding those tightly to her body.

Charlotte's jaw dropped. "Oh my God, you're seriously not suggesting-"

"Climb on," Mami said, her feet balanced precariously on the webwork as she readied to spring. When Charlotte hesitated, she glanced at her and frowned. "Well? Didn't you just say we're stopping them any way we can? Now get on!"

Grimacing, Charlotte climbed onto Mami's back, clinging around her waist with her legs and hugging her neck, careful not to obstruct the flow of air. "This is insane, you know that?" she hissed as more ribbons appeared to bind them together.

"You'd better get used to it," Mami said, but she flashed an encouraging smile over her shoulder. "Besides, I used to do this sort of thing all the time."

Yeah, and look how well that ended, Charlotte thought grimly. She squeezed her eyes shut.

Mami crouched. Then, after making sure that her makeshift harness was tight, she leapt.

…

Inside the elevator, the dissension within Annabelle Lee's ranks continued to grow.

"Of course they're after us!" Nie snapped. She thrust a finger out at the city. "What, do you think they'll just brush off being attacked as a case of mistaken identity or something? Odds are half the city are looking for us by now!"

Nikki peered out, pressing her hands and face to the glass. "Half?" she said in confusion. "This city only got four people, ticky-ticky?"

"Which wouldn't be a problem if you had just done your jobs!" Annabelle Lee yelled back. She turned to the other Twin. "For Chrissakes, Arzt! You're supposed to be Mrs. Stealth! How in the hell did you botch this up?"

Arzt's golden eyes flashed with anger. "They got lucky," she said.

"Because there really looks like more than four," Nikki remarked, still looking out. "Nikki counts…seven, twelve, two more, no! They're moving too fast!"

"Lucky? Lucky!" Annabelle Lee shrieked, spittle flying from her mouth. "Oh, I'm sure Lord Reibey will be just fine with that explanation. They got lucky."

"Excuse me, but who was actually doing something, and who was just hanging back? I'll give you three guesses. The only reason you weren't there getting your flat booty kicked with the rest of us was because you buggered out!"

"Two plus two is four, right?" Nikki wondered. "So, half of four is two, right?" She shook her head. "That doesn't make any senses. Nikki doesn't think two is half of city."

"Well, great!" Annabelle Lee spat. "Just fucking great! And odds are, they've contacted the marshals, so there's that too." She slammed her fist against the wall. "Here we are, in the middle of the Alliance's goddamned capital, with everyone knowing we're here, and we're stuck in a transparent glass tube for everyone to see!" She repeatedly jabbed her finger at the Down button, as if that would make the elevator descend faster. "All right, as soon as this opens, we run. The hanger's not far, so if we go fast enough-"

"That's assuming there isn't a squad of marshals already there waiting for us," Nie pointed out.

"Christ," Annabelle Lee muttered. She slammed her fist against the wall again. "Damn it! Damn it damn it damn it damn it!"

"Maybe everyone else is tourists, and only four people actually live here?" Nikki wondered out loud. "But that don't make senses either. Annabelly, how many peoples lives in big floaty city anyways?"

Annabelle groaned. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Yup, there was one whopper of a headache on the rise, the sort that only Nikki could provide. "Nikki, please stop talking. This really isn't the time."

"But Nikki's confused!" her sister wailed. "Shooty Sameface said half of city is chasing us, but only two actually are! Two isn't half of city!"

"Oh, for crying out loud. That was hyperbole! She didn't actually mean-" Annabelle Lee stiffened. "Hold up, what?"

Nikki pointed. "Nikki said, only two peoples are coming at us, but that's not enough for-"

Annabelle Lee hurriedly pushed her out of the way to look. Then her eyes slowly widened as she saw two swiftly approaching pairs of feet heading straight for them.

…

Charlotte was actually pretty okay with heights and fast speeds. She could walk around Cloudbreak without trouble and had even tried out windriding a couple of times. But even she had her limits. Sliding swiftly down a thin, glass rail with nothing to support her save for a few ribbons toward the side of a building with absolutely nothing below her two kilometers above the ground was a bit beyond those limits.

She tried to keep from screaming, she really did. But once Mami dissipated the ribbons binding them to the rail and surrendered the two of them to the grip of gravity, the decision was taken out of her hands.

Fortunately, that part was over in seconds. Then there was a horrible jolt, and they were clinging to the outside of the elevator tube, with more ribbons securing them to the building. Charlotte released the breath she had been holding and started hyperventilating.

Mami seemed unaffected by their close brush with freefall and was already getting ready. She had timed their drop to take them just below the descending elevator. So, before it came into view, she pushed back with her legs, stretching the ribbons taut. Then more ribbons twisted in front of her, becoming an elegant silver crossbow, of a similar style to her muskets. One bolt was already loaded, with six more clipped to the wings.

"Here," she said, handing it to Charlotte. "They'll cut through the glass, but imbed themselves upon hitting flesh, so be careful what you aim at."

Charlotte's eyes widened, but she took the weapon. Mami summoned one of her muskets and held it at the ready.

Just as the elevator passed into view, more ribbons appeared, crisscrossing below it and jamming the mechanisms, bringing it to a stop. At the same time, everyone aboard (save for the unconscious Oktavia) suddenly found themselves bound tight and unable to move.

"Hold it right there," Mami said, aiming at the girl that had a hold of Oktavia's wheelchair. Charlotte pointed her crossbow at the fake Swede. The crazy ones were always the most likely to attack.

The four disguised Void Walkers complied, though they had little choice. None of them looked happy though. The one Mami was covering was literally shaking with barely restrained rage.

Once she was sure that she wasn't going to be interrupted, Mami said in a slow and clear voice, "All right, here's how things are going to work. You are going to return both of our friends at once, and if they've been infected with some sort of poison or drug, you will also provide the antidote, and nothing else. The four of you will then exit this city and take with you any other associates and/or accomplices that may not be currently present. You will then return to the Withering Lands and tell Oblivion that if she tries something like this again, there will be war. Do so now, and the marshals need not be involved. Refuse, and we will shoot you all and call the marshals to sweep up whatever's left. Do I make myself clear?"

Charlotte had to admit, she was a little taken back. Sure, she knew that Mami was a veteran who had fought numerous battles, but she hadn't expected to see her become such a stone-cold badass. It was all she could do to keep from cheering.

However, the Void Walkers were not exactly motivated by her threats. They exchanged looks, the Swede growled a little, but they said nothing.

Mami's finger tightened on the trigger. "You are running out of time. Comply now, or we will open fire."

Another short silence passed, and then the one Mami was aiming at, presumed to be their leader, cleared her throat and said, "So…I take it's just you two, and the marshals haven't been called already?"

Mami faltered at that, but she recovered. "It doesn't matter. Our terms have been laid out. You have five seconds to answer."

"Okay," said the leader. She glanced to the Swede. "Nikki. Fetch."

What happened next can only be described as a whirlwind of blades. The ribbons binding the Swede were suddenly shredded, and she was lunging toward Mami and Charlotte. Taken by surprise, Charlotte's finger instinctively tightened, and an explosive bolt shot forth at the Swede's head.

And then the Swede's body literally came apart and dissolved, and the bolt flew right through the empty space where her head had been. And out leapt a little girl wearing an adorable pink outfit wielding two sharp-edged knives and grinning like a maniac.

Several things happened at once. Charlotte's bolt hit the control panel on other side of the elevator, causing an explosion of sparks. The little girl identified as "Nikki," no doubt the same one that had given Oktavia so much trouble, smashed through the glass tube and threw herself onto Mami. Mami tried to pull back and bring her musket into range, but it was too long. Cackling wildly, Nikki slashed out with both knives.

Both Mami and Charlotte winced, but the expected burst of pain never came. Surprisingly, Nikki hadn't been attacking them at all.

But the ribbons tethering them to the elevator weren't so lucky.

The three of them fell, two screaming and one screeching deranged laughter all the way down.

…

Though the Madam hadn't provided much in the way of her infamous hi-tech weaponry, she had at least upgraded Annabelle Lee's trademark wrist-blades. Now instead of two large scythes tied to either wrist, they were thinner, longer, sharper, and contained within spring-loaded sheathes. Annabelle Lee approved of the design, as they were much more efficient, and made cutting herself free of those damned ribbons a lot quicker.

Once she was free, she quickly set to slashing away at The Twins' restraints as well. They instinctively sought solace in each other's arms, but Annabelle Lee had no time for their usual shenanigans. "C'mon, not now," she said, hauling them apart and pulling them to their feet. "We've got to move. Now."

"Where?" Arzt demanded, holding Nie close. "If the marshals weren't after us before, they sure are now!"

"I know. Which is why we got to move!"

"Oh, so observant she is," Nie murmured, nuzzling Arzt's cheek. "In case you haven't noticed, this elevator is jammed, so unless you want to waste time getting under it and-"

"No, fuck that, and fuck the elevator." Annabelle Lee pointed at the shattered glass wall. "Nie, clear the rest of that away."

Nie stared. "You cannot be-"

"Do it!"

This got her another dirty look, but Nie complied, pulling away from Arzt and drawing her pistols. A few shots here and there, and the hole Nikki had made was expanded.

"Right," Annabelle Lee said as she slipped the bag containing Kyoko Sakura from her shoulders. "At the bottom are the safety repulsors. Our hanger isn't far. Keep close to me and don't slow down for anything."

With that, she hurled the bag through the hole and into the open air.

"This is insane," Nie said, with a note of resignation. "Even by your standards."

Annabelle Lee didn't waste her breath arguing. She was kind of right, after all. Instead, she shouted, "Clear a path!" Once The Twins had reluctantly gotten out of the way, she shoved the wheelchair forward and dumped the whole thing, mermaid and all, out of the elevator. "Keep moving, keep up, because if you get caught, I'm not coming after you!" she shouted at The Twins. And without waiting for an answer, she dove through the hole and plummeted downward.

…

Rolling around at the speed of sound! Got places to go, gotta follow my-

(gets crushed by a falling black GUN truck)

So yeah, was gonna include a little more of the chase/fight thingamajig, but as I was working on the next scene, I realized that it made for a great opener for the next chapter. So, it got bumped to next chapter. And…that's all I really wanted to say.

Until next time, everyone!