The Cat.

Chapter 2: When Psychics and Cats Clash.

Nikki looked in the mirror, she'd not really done much patrolling, as Raph had put it, since before her party and with her parents leaving tonight it would be a good excuse for her to go out again but it didn't mean she liked being away from them even if it had been her that wanted to go back to New York. Her eyes went wide as she heard a shot fired and she turned to look at the closed door that would lead her to the restaurant, she slowly walked over to the door and hoped to what ever deity was listening that it had just been a particularly loud Champaign cork popping that she'd heard. She opened the door keeping her body against the wood and doing it slowly enough so that anyone there would not notice, hopefully. She crept out of the restroom and walked along a short corridor, she heard whimpering and a man telling people to 'shut up or he'd hurt them too'. Nikki bent down and took her heels off so that she could walk silently and peered around the corner into the room. At what she saw she pulled herself back behind the corner out of sight and slid down the wall trying desperately to compose herself. In the room were the same uniformed men who grabbed her and Raphael at her party, plus the Tiger monstrosity that attacked them and some new guy she didn't recognize. That was bad enough but her mother was on the floor with a gaping hole in her chest, her eyes were frozen in the final look of shock she had worn before the bullet had hit, but now they had a glassy look to them. Nikki felt bile rise to her throat, she buried her head in her knees and really wanted someone to wake her up from this nightmare but doubted that would happen.

"We know you're here somewhere little girl," Nikki lifted here head up at the sound of a man's voice, "come out and we won't pop off the rest of the saps here." She heard frightened murmurs coming from what was left of the guests and what she assumed must have been the staff. "Besides our friend wants a rematch with you girlie." The voice was slightly southern sounding and she recognized it from somewhere but couldn't quite place it. Nikki took in a deep breath and tried to pull herself together, as she did she heard heavy footsteps, sniffing and then a growl. She stood back up and stepped away from the corner and crouched ready to defend herself letting her anger filter through and suppress the grief she was feeling until she could release it at a more opportune time. As soon as the Tiger stepped around the corner she attacked, this time she was a little more prepared, already knowing he could take and throw back most of her relatively ordinary attacks she decided she'd get a little more deadly and use some attacks taught to her only as a last resort. She leapt at the Tiger, doing a flip in the air she grabbed his head with her hands and twisted her entire body, in turn twisting his head around, which would effectively break any normal persons neck and kill them, but this guy was not normal and although he howled in pain it was no where near as effective as she'd wanted it to be and he swiped around with his claws. She dodged out of the way and flipped over to a nearby table, grabbing a knife Nikki slit her skirt up to the waist to give herself a little more maneuverability, never taking her eyes off the Tiger.

"You'll regret hurting my family monster!" She spat at him from her battle stance. He simply made a growling sound in response and advanced on her again. He swung out with his left and she blocked him, then she twisted round and performed a round house kick with her left leg, he caught it but she was ready. She used his strong hold to pull herself up and first kneed his face with her left, then her right then as he fell back she finished the kick her right leg had started and he fell to the floor. A somber smile met her lips at the sight or blood dripping from his nose, "so you're not invincible monster." she thought.Nikki ran at him and leapt intending to land in full force on top if him punching him as she did so, but something grabbed her. She glanced around but saw nothing and gasped as she was flung against a wall by no one at all.

"Ah, ah, ahhh, red now that's not nice at all." Nikki looked over to see who the voice belonged to and was met with a dark eyed and black haired guy dressed all in black. "Let's see how the Cat deals with something a little more challenging than some backward Neanderthal." He stared at her and Nikki couldn't help wondering if this was some kind of joke but then her body was struck with more pain than she'd ever felt and she heard herself scream as her mind all but exploded.

Christina flew through the air towards the building where she sensed Nikki, it unnerved her that she no longer sensed Eileen, but didn't press any further the moment she felt another Psychic's presence. If the psychic was an enemy there was no way Nicole could possibly fight him or her which meant she had to get there fast. She didn't stop to find a way in she only slowed enough to check no one would notice her and, placing a psy-shield around herself smashed through a window on the top floor. Once in, she mentally reached out and found where she had to go and made her way out of the room she'd found herself in. The closer she got she heard someone's screams getting louder, Chrissy walked down a corridor and down some stairs into a kitchen, then she walked through a door on the other side to find the owner of the screams.

"Goddess help me," she whispered to the air and flared her powers blocking the opposing psy throwing him into a few men holding guns, "pick on someone who can handle you creep or can't you face one of you're own." "Christina, why the hell are you taunting him, now he's going to literally kill you!"

"Christina?" Nikki asked getting up, holding her head.

"Hi Nik," she looked over at the red head and smiled reassuringly, "I thought you could use a hand, so here I am," Christina scanned the room quickly, her brave look faltered slightly as she saw Eileen but it soon returned when she saw the Tiger eying both herself and Nicole, "how about you handle ugly over there," she pointed over at the monster, "and I'll deal with the psychic wannabe." She didn't expect an answer and watched as Nikki attacked the Tiger ferociously out of the corner of her eye then turned her full attention back to the now rising psychic, "looks like it's just you and me now mister."

"He bring it on psy-witch!" He said mockingly. He created a dark green ball of energy in the palm of his hand and threw it at Christina, she smiled. They thought she was a push over at the lab and this guy hadn't been told anything different, of course now it was time to show them what a member of the Fae family could do. She caught the green ball and dispersed it sending one of her own electric blue balls back. He dodged it and looked at her shocked.

"What?!" She asked him innocently, "can't a girl kick butt too?" She grinned as he lost it and threw a huge amount of psychic energy her way, she didn't have time to dodge it and it was too big to catch and disperse so she knelt down and created another psy-shield that looked like a delicate bubble around her. She bit back a laugh as she saw him gapping like a fish at her when the shield easily deflected his blow, then she stood up, threw both arms in the air and concentrated her energy into the space in between her hands when she was satisfied there was enough she brought her arms down and threw the energy at him blasting him through the wall. "Guess we're getting some air then." she said as she flew out after him.

Nikki was tiring now, but so was her opponent, she had one more move to try and it would be fatal, it had to be or she'd be the one dead. He charged her and she followed suit, charging him, when he was within arms distance and before he knew what was happening she did a hand stand on his shoulders, she twisted around again but this time instead of just letting go she bent her body and wrapped her legs around his neck forcing it right back against his back and heard an almost satisfying snap as she landed in a kneeling position with him underneath her. Nikki got up, panting a little and checked his pulse, it was still there but slowing which meant it wouldn't be for long. She sighed and looked around.

"Shouldn't have done that my dear," said the man with he sudden accent, "men take aim." Something in her mind clicked and she knew who it was.

"Justin?" She looked closely at him.

"Took you long enough," he then looked over at the hostages and addressed them, "no offense by the way but I can't have any witnesses," he paused, "you understand." The men took aim and fired. Nikki ran but as strong as she was she couldn't fight bullets and the hostages fell. She stood looking at them not knowing what to do, "good bye my dear, you were quite a creation Cat but as I told you I have no use for you now."

Tia ran for the restaurant and hoped that Christina was just being a worrier. She ran through the front door and towards the main room, where she'd been with Nikki. However she stopped dead in her tracks at the sound of gun fire and footsteps. She dove behind a counter and hoped whoever it was would not find her, she wasn't any use to her friends dead. Tia heard them leave through a door to her right which she knew lead to the underground parking and waited until she was sure they had left. Carefully she rose to her feet and made her way over to the door and looked inside what she saw she definitely could not take. She turned away and ran over to a waste bin and deposited her last meal into it. She took a deep breath and went back inside. She was confronted with a blood bath, along one wall were about fifteen to twenty people shot to pieces and most definitely dead. She felt the tears start falling when she recognized the corpse of Eileen Roberts lying to her left but she physically cried out when she saw a familiar red head sprawled on the floor to her right, her back a bloody mess.

"NIKKI!" Tia ran to her best friend's side and gently pulled her over to her side and opened her airwaves wishing for a miracle and got one when she found she was breathing, just, "Don't you dare die," she sobbed, "Raph and you're dad, not to mention mine will kill me if you die, so stay with me okay?!" Tia did her best to make Nikki comfortable and reached for her mobile and dialed 911.

"Hello," answered a woman's friendly voice, "emergency services which service would you like?"

"Um, I . . Ambulance and police I. . I . . think." Tia barely got out through her tears.

"What's the problem miss?" The voice now sounded concerned.

"I . . my friend she's been shot, and uh there's others too but I think they dead, please hurry lady she's barely breathing, she can't die she just can't!"

"All right miss where are you?"

"The Alfancé restaurant."

"It's okay miss, some one will be right there with you. How many are down?"

"At least fifteen maybe twenty, her. . . her mom's dead too."

"Please try to calm down miss and some one will be there soon, why don't you tell me about you're friend."

"Like what?"

"Like how you know her and where you two hang out, that sort of thing."

"Oh uh right, um well. . ." Tia told the woman everything, except that Nikki was the Cat and other details that needed to be kept secret. Oddly enough telling this woman made her feel a little bit calmer and before long there were various police officers and paramedics taking over. Two came over to her, one wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and steered her outside to an ambulance the other took over with Nikki. Tia didn't know whether it was from shock or what but before she knew what was happening hours had shot by and she was in her fathers arms crying her heart out and waiting for Nikki to get out of theater. Waiting to see if her best friend would live or die.

Okey kokey, well this was another rather long winded part but I thought this was a good cliff hanger and I couldn't resist. That and again it's getting rather late and I have to get to work even earlier tomorrow, work sucks, that and I'm sooooo boring! I hope you're still enjoying it please keep reviewing I love to hear everyone's opinions good or bad otherwise how do we writers improve. Anywho, toodles Angel x x x.