Chapter 17: Backlash - Part Two
I sat there in silence next to my human (or at the very least, humanish) nightlight while my head span. For some reason, the fact that I was sitting next to a woman who was glowing like an angel was a lot less disconcerting than I thought it'd be, but I put that down to a mixture of shock, adrenaline, and the lingering effects of Clint's Asgardian super-booze. Besides, it wasn't as if I didn't already know; even if I hadn't called her on it the writing had been on the wall for quite some time. The first time we'd met she'd dropped two storeys and landed like a cat, and while I'd been staggering around a pitch black warehouse being spooked by creepy mannequins, she'd positively skipped through it as if she were frolicking in a summery meadow. If Clint and I hadn't spent all our time focused on Thera and his unnatural abilities, we might have put two and two together…
"Okay. Break time's over," Vi said grimly, dragging me out of my ruminations, "Give me a moment to grab some gear and we'll go see Summers. I'm in the mood for something sharp. Very sharp."
"Be quick," I said, and leaned away from Jack's dead, accusing eyes. A mixture of saliva and dark, thick blood was slowly draining from his mouth onto the floor, and I gagged as a faint coppery taste mixed nauseatingly with the already-pervasive smell of burned meat, "Is it...always like this?"
"What, nasty, brutish and short? Yeah. What did you expect?"
"I don't know," I admitted, as I slowly inched my way out from under the table, "Part of me thought that it would be more...choreographed?"
"You mean like in a movie? Really?"
"Yeah," I said, "And believe me, I know how stupid that sounds."
"That's because it is stupid, sweetie," she said bluntly, "But...surely Clint's talked about his experiences?"
"Are you kidding? Clint's even worse than a movie! You should hear the stories he tells the children," I said, with a slight smile, "He makes the Avengers sound like a group of swashbuckling pirates."
"Doesn't surprise me. He seems like he'd be good with kids," Vi turned over Cody's body with her foot, revealing blackened, charred skin around a blasted eye socket, "Goddess, what a waste. What a bloody waste."
"He had a knife, Vi," I said. The sadness in her voice was subtle, but it was there, "And you were defending yourself - defending us."
"Yeah, I know. It's just...he gets a second chance against unimaginable odds, and this is how it ends? A damn scrap in a Blip Centre conference room, on the orders of someone who probably didn't know he existed and certainly won't care that he's dead."
"You'd prefer it be us?"
"Of course not! But that doesn't make it any easier," she said, and then her gaze fell on something that was just out of view, "Oh, hello. What do we have here, Kostas? Never mind something sharp-"
Kicking a chair to one side, Vi moved with quick, purposeful steps towards the burned, broken man in the centre of the ruined circle. She stooped, and I heard a faint rustle of clothing and a whimper of pain.
"I know," Vi said, in a surprisingly gentle tone, "And I'm sorry, but you did kind of set us up and you did bring these- what is this?"
She beckoned me over. In one hand she was holding a small snubnose revolver, fully loaded, while in the other she held a familiar, flowerlike gadget. Unlike the device we'd taken from Caleb, though, this one was undamaged and even seemed to be functioning. Its silvery petals shone brightly in Vi's glow, and a small green light pulsed gently deep in the centre of its dark, central bulb.
"No wonder he's staying down," Vi observed, and tilted it so I could see the rich, red blood smeared around the razor sharp tips, "I've landed on my keys before, but this must have been like falling on a cookie cutter."
"That's a Muffler!" I exclaimed, and she raised a luminous eyebrow, "I told you about them, remember? It completely soundproofs a room."
"Oh, right - the acoustic dampener," she looked down, "So we couldn't call for help while you were torturing us, eh Kostas? Not exactly cricket, is it."
The young man moaned quietly, but said nothing in his defence. It wasn't that surprising; now I was close I could see where the Muffler had bit hard into his side, and blood was slowly seeping through his cotton top. I caught Vi's eye, and she nodded ever so slightly.
"Becky?" she called, and there was a sound of a chair shifting, ever so slightly, "When we're gone, you're going to come over here and put some pressure on this wound while Erin and Juan get an ambulance. I don't want to come back here and find that the death toll climbed any higher, right?"
There was a tense silence, and then a faint, hoarse 'yes' floated out of the darkness.
"Good," Vi said, "And just so's you know? From now on you guys are gonna be my very bestest friends here at the Blip Centre. When Thera and I come back - and I assure you, we will come back, I expect this centre to have pulled together and started acting like a community. You know, one where you look out for each other instead of sitting in your containers griping about how the world hates us and you're better off without them."
"But-"
"Shut up, Becky," Vi said, "You want your death to have meaning? You ain't gonna find it working for someone like Keame. There are people here who need someone to give them direction. There are children. Go and do something that doesn't involve trying to beat the shit out of a pair of women because you don't like the idea that we might actually be able to get some people back to their families. You never know; one day it might be your mum at the gates."
There was more silence, but it seemed to have acquired a distinctly contemplative edge.
"Think about it," said Vi, "And I really hope you do, because if you don't? Well, I might be forced to...reevaluate my decision to let you live, and unlike Keame I take very personal responsibility for my actions. Any objections…No? Very wise."
Vi turned away and handed me the Muffler, before giving the revolver a quick once over with a thoughtful look on her face. After a moment she sighed, snapped open the cylinder, and transferred the bullets to a pocket before snapping it shut again.
"Alright, Laura," she said, "Keep that Muffler thing close to you and make sure it stays on. Let's go pull on that thread."
Without another word the glowing woman walked briskly to the door, leaving me to trail behind with the bloodied Muffler. I tilted it this way and that, looking for a switch or some means of turning it on or off. Sure, it looked like it was working, and nobody had come to investigate even when Jack had been smashed against the wall, but...maybe they were just biding their time? I had no way to tell.
"It'll be fine, I'm sure," Vi said, apparently catching my expression, "Let's focus on Summers for now."
"Right," I said, "So...how are we doing this?"
Vi paused for a moment, her hand on the lock, "Brute force intimidation, I think. No need to get clever with her. Just follow my lead and we'll be back at the warehouse with that master list before you know it."
"You seem pretty confident about this," I said, and gave her an accusing look, "Do you do this often?"
"You'd be surprised," she grinned nastily, "Sometimes Thera and I cop for the Friday night shift, and if I can scare a six foot four drunken adonis into teetotalism I'm pretty sure I can break our haughty friend out there. Like I said, just follow my lead."
"Okay."
"Good. Ready?" she pressed herself beside the door, and I took up a position just next to her, "We'll go in three...two...one...now!"
Vi's light flared and then winked out, plunging the conference room back into complete darkness. I heard her pop the lock, and then in a single smooth motion she wrenched the door open and burst through into the room beyond.
"Miss Doe!" I heard Summers' cry, "What in the world do you think you're-"
The cry ended as a shriek, and as I left the conference room Summers' headphones came whipping past me and shattered against a wall. With brutal efficiency Vi swatted aside Summers' feeble attempts to shield herself and wrenched her arm viciously up behind her back, pinning her hard against the desk. There was a brief, futile struggle, but Summers suddenly froze as Vi gently brought the revolver to rest against the back of her head. The 'click' of the hammer echoed around the room.
"What are you doing?" Summers hissed, "Have you gone completely insane?"
"Me? Insane? Oh, no," Vi said congenially, "I even have a certificate saying I'm sane! I mean, it's mostly written in crayon and drool, but I think we're all prepared to overlook that fact, right Laura?"
"Oh, um...yes?" I said, a little weakly. She gave me an annoyed look and mouthed 'play along!'.
"So what do you want?" demanded Summers. Given her current position, I had to admit she was displaying an aggressive degree of composure.
"Nothing much," said Vi, "I just wanted to relay the minutes of the meeting we just had. It was very productive, I have to say, very productive. Offers were made, offers were rejected, and Laura here hit Erin in the face with a doughnut, which was something I've never seen before."
"You-"
"Anyway, we've got a couple of actions for you under AOB," Vi went on casually, "Specifically, to arrange the funerals of Jack and Cody. It's very sad, really, but Jack hit a wall at eighty miles an hour and Cody? Well...his eyeball just kind of spontaneously exploded. Very odd."
"Jack and Cody are dead?" Summers whispered, and her face went pale, "But-"
"But this is where it gets really interesting," Vi said, and with a sudden jerk she spun Summers' chair around so she was facing her, "It appears that you've been holding out on me, mate, so we're going to see if we can't get that sharp little tongue of yours wagging."
"I...I…" Summers stuttered slightly, apparently still attempting to get her head around Vi's casual description of her fellow inmates' demise.
"Yeah, I hear that a lot," Vi replied, and held up the revolver for her to see, "So... I found this on Kostas, fully loaded no less. Honestly, he's lucky it didn't just go off in his trousers, but-" she snapped open the cylinder again, "-you'll see I emptied it. Well, no longer."
With a small flourish she produced a bullet and placed it quickly in a chamber, covering it with her hand so neither myself nor Summers could see what position it was in. She closed the revolver, this time with a careful 'click', and trained it on Summer's breastbone.
"I'm sure you know what we're doing, right mate? I don't need to explain what's going on," she said calmly. The other woman had gone stock still, and I could see a faint bead of sweat forming on her forehead, "You know, I read once that someone tried to do this with a semi-automatic. Didn't end well."
"You're not serious-" Summers began, and we both flinched as Vi squeezed the trigger. There was a loud 'snap' as the hammer slammed home.
"What makes you think I'm not serious, Summers?" said Vi, in a suddenly dangerous tone, "At best you've got another five chances. I suggest you don't waste them grandstanding."
"Vi, wait-" I began, but quailed as she shot me a deadly look.
"Laura? Be quiet," she said icily, "This is between myself and my colleague here."
"You can't...I can't let you kill her!"
"Oh, sweetie; did that drinking session of yours destroy your short term memory? How would you stop me?"
"But this isn't what we agreed-" I stopped as Vi's finger tensed around the trigger.
"Summers, would you like my friend here to stop talking?" Vi said sweetly, and Summers nodded, slowly, "Good choice. Now, could you look at the object that Laura's holding and tell me what it is?"
"It's...it's…" Summers jumped and gasped as another 'snap' echoed through the air.
"Oops! I'm sorry!" Vi laughed gaily, as she cocked the hammer once again, "My finger slipped! Honestly, you would've thought that eighteen years of training would've taught me better trigger discipline! Four chances max, Summers."
I looked between Summers and Vi, and felt a deep sense of fear pool in the pit of my stomach. This wasn't an interrogation; this was an execution, and Vi had all the air of a cat playing with a mouse before delivering the final blow. From the expression on Summers' face, I could tell she knew it too.
"Are you really going to be party to this, Laura?" said my inner voice, "Jack and Cody were self-defence, but this would just be murder. It'd be no better than what Caleb did to Bulgakov."
"Vi-" I began, but Summers shot me a pleading look.
"Laura!" she said, in a short, breathless tone, "Please! Stop talking!"
"I'd listen to her, sweetie," Vi added firmly, "So Summers, what is this thing?"
"It's a Silencer!"
"Close enough. Why is it here?"
"I don't know!"
"Nope! Try again," Vi said, and pulled the trigger. I felt a jolt as the gun went 'click', "Three left, Summers. Why is it here?"
"That Johnson boy brought it!"
"You mean the man posing as Caleb Johnson?" Vi said sharply, "Who let him in? Where is the real Caleb Johnson?"
"I-I don't know! I swear!" Summers pleaded, "After Thera gave him that examination, he just...walked out! Then Kostas let th-the boy in - it wasn't my fault!"
"I suspect I'm going to be hearing that a lot over the next week or so," Vi said grimly, "But you still knew that Caleb had tortured Bulgakov, didn't you? Don't bother denying it; Laura heard it too."
"I...yes," she said, "I don't know why they did it, Vi. I really don't! When I saw the pictures I threw up, but…I was told I had to make the rumours go away!"
"So that explains the whole 'keep out the non-Lost' thing you've got going on," said Vi, "How about the blackmailing, then? How did you get Erin to join that meeting?"
"I didn't-" her objection was cut short by another nasty 'click', "-oh Jesus!"
"Well, aren't you lucky!" Vi sounded almost disappointed, "Based on the law of averages, there should now be a large hole in your sternum. Oh well, there's always next time. Or definitely the time after that!"
"Laura!" my inner voice urged, "You have to do something. Anything!"
"She mentioned you by name, Summers!" snapped Vi, "Don't lie to me! We both know that Erin couldn't murder her way of a paper bag! What do you have on them?"
"Nothing! I mean, I don't have anything on them!" she said, "It was Kostas' idea! Once he worked out what had really happened with Bulgakov, he just got...obsessed with Thera. He really thought that being Blipped gave some people superpowers."
"You don't believe it?"
"Three and a half billion people got Blipped," she snorted, "If it did, don't you think we'd have heard about it by now? He was just trying to give people hope!"
"And suck up to his 'bosses', right? I heard they weren't happy with us."
"They weren't happy to hear that you were setting yourselves up as an alternative to the Foundation. They didn't want the competition."
"Yeah, because otherwise people wouldn't be willing to pay their price. And once you're in debt to them, you're not getting out again," Vi shook her head, "Goddess, Summers, how could you have been so stupid?"
"Stupid? We had no choice!" Summers snapped, "You know just as well as I do that neither the government nor the army gives a damn about us! They've just left us here to rot! Keame was the only one who stepped up, and we were desperate!"
"Desperate?" Vi said scornfully, "You think I'm not desperate? I've been cut off from my home, my friends and my family! Just 'cause I'm not arranging torture sessions or luring people into death traps doesn't mean I don't lie awake at night worrying about them!"
"I'm a grandmother!"
"And I'm an aunt! I assume you want to see your grandchildren again, right?"
"Yes!" Summers said, "Of course!"
"Then give me the master list!" Vi snapped, "I want to know the names of every kid in every Blip Centre in Missouri, today!"
"We...we don't have it!"
"You don't?" I said, and Vi suddenly looked chagrined, "But-"
"I'm sorry!" Summers wailed, and then burst into tears, "We don't have the master list! Kostas just said we did because they wanted you and Thera to come here. Please don't-"
Vi's eyes narrowed, and she squeezed the trigger hard.
"Oh, you are unbelievably lucky, Summers," Vi said irritably, as the woman screamed and collapsed into a near catatonic state, "Last chance to tell me something useful."
"Vi! Wait!" I said urgently, before she could shoot again, "Even if she doesn't have it, she might know where it is!"
"That's true," she conceded, "Hear that Summers? Laura just saved your life. Now where do you think that list might be?"
"I...I don't know," Summers babbled, "Maybe Keame has it? He must do!"
"She's right, Vi. This whole plan of his depends on him keeping his hands on that list," I said, "If someone steals it or copies it he can't blackmail anyone! His whole power base would collapse overnight."
"Interesting," Vi said, and for just an instant a sly grin flickered across her face, "Do go on."
"And...if we could get our hands on it, it wouldn't just be Poppy or Alvin we could help; it could be everyone in Missouri! We could reunite everyone, Vi!"
"You don't say."
"And...I get the feeling I'm telling you something you already know."
"Not at all," Vi said, and turned back to regard the sobbing woman, "But still, we have this loose end to tie up. I'm not sure we can risk her reporting any of this back to her 'superiors', so…bye, Summers."
In just that instant time seemed to slow down, and I saw the terror in Summers' eyes as Vi lifted the gun slightly and aimed carefully down the barrel. Her expression was calm, almost serene, but determined.
"It's now or never!" said my little inner voice. Before I really knew what I was doing I lunged forwards with a desperate 'No!' and hit the revolver with the palm of my hand, knocking it to the side just as she pulled the trigger.
There was a 'click'.
In the horrible silence that followed, I closed my eyes and braced myself for Vi's inevitable, dreadful outburst. What had I been thinking? I knew what Vi was capable of! Maybe if I was lucky she'd just explode my brain, like Cody-
A hand fell gently on my shoulder, and I tensed almost involuntarily.
"That took guts, Laura," Vi said softly, "For what it's worth, I'm proud of you."
"You're...unbelievable!" I spat out angrily, "I saw you load that gun!"
"It is a bit of a puzzle, isn't it?" she said, and flipped open the revolver to show six empty chambers, "I wonder where the bullet went?"
"I-"
"Say, Summers, is there something behind your ear?" Vi frowned and leaned forwards. There was a flash of brass, and then she was holding a short, stubby bullet up to the light, "Oh, there it is! Goddess, I'll forget my own head next!"
The middle aged woman looked between us once again, and then broke down sobbing.
"Oh, Summers, why are you crying?" Vi asked, in a curious tone, "I don't recall any tears when you let us go into a meeting with a bunch of murderers without any warning, do you, Laura?"
"I...think you've made your point, Vi," I said, and felt a twinge of sadness as I looked at the pathetic, weeping heap, "Hell, I think you may have broken her."
"If I did, she deserved it," Vi said bluntly, and knelt down beside Summers, "I'll be holding onto this bullet, so that you know exactly what'll happen if you cross me again. When we're gone, you're gonna go in there and help the rest of your traitorous bunch deal with Jack and Cody. After that you're gonna help them make this place the very Blippiest, Keame-free place it can be. Understood?"
The woman nodded slowly, and then motioned Vi in closer. As she whispered something to her, my phone suddenly buzzed in my pocket.
"Has it really been half an hour?" I said, and looked briefly at the clock as I took out my phone. My stomach lurched as I saw the first text.
DO NOT RESPOND TO TXTS
It was quickly followed by another, and I felt my blood suddenly turn to ice in my veins.
6 black cars arrived 30 men all armed w rifles & armor
"Vi!" I cried in alarm, and her head snapped around, "The warehouse!"
Maybe plastique too
"I know," she said, and gave Summers a nasty look, "Left that one a little late, didn't you?"
Taking Thera to forest to hide. DO NOT COME BACK
DO NOT RESPOND GOING DARK
"What do we do?" I said, as my heart raced in my chest, "He says there's thirty men with armour and rifles!"
"I guess this is why Kostas was so annoyed Thera wasn't here, eh? They wanted to ransack the warehouse while we were away!" Vi said angrily, "Goddess, I've been played twice today! C'mon, we're leaving."
"But…" I paused, "He said not to come back!"
Vi stopped, "Laura, the last time I checked I was the one calling the shots. If I say I'm going back, I'm going back."
"But what if we make things worse?"
"Oh, I intend to," said Vi, as she strode towards the door, "Much, much worse."
We dashed to the car as quickly as we were able as the gates ground open in front of us. As soon as I judged there was enough space I put the pedal to the metal, and with a howl of abused electrics the car took off like a rocket, barely missing the gates as it shot onto the approach road.
"Good acceleration," Vi remarked. She was slowly and carefully loading bullets into Kostas' revolver.
"Yeah," I said, and then added, "Do you feel sick? I think I feel sick."
"I'm not surprised."
"So...what's the plan?"
"The plan?" Vi's brow furrowed slightly, "The plan is that you drop me off somewhere nearby and then head for home while I turn everyone into bolognese. I'll call you when it's safe to come back."
"No!" I said sharply, "I'm coming with you!"
"Oh, really?"
"Really! I'm not leaving Clint in danger!"
"Clint's job is to be in danger, Laura! How is this any different from any time he's shipped out with the Avengers? Or when he was...doing his thing?"
"Because I couldn't help him then!"
"You can't help him now!" Vi snapped, and then she sighed, "Look, Laura, I'll admit you're a lot...scrappier than I expected, but those are likely professionals out there, with professional equipment. They aren't like Caleb or Erin."
"I'm not afraid!" I lied.
"Of course you are, sweetie," she laughed sardonically, "I can see it written all over your face."
"Okay, so maybe I am," I said, "But I don't want to be a coward anymore! I've spent half my life hiding from my life, for Christ's sake!"
"And what, you think that taking on thirty heavily armed men is bravery? It's reckless stupidity!"
"So you're a reckless idiot?"
"Yeah, but I know what I'm doing!" she said, "Eighteen years experience, remember?"
"I heard you earlier, but really?" I said dubiously, "Because I'm pretty sure you're only about thirty! Otherwise-"
"Thirty-one in May," she said quietly, "And...yeah, it means exactly what you think it means."
There was a long silence while I desperately tried to think of something to say. Nothing was forthcoming.
"Oh," I said eventually, "So you would've been Lila's age when-"
"Yeah."
"But didn't your parents-"
"No," she said, brusquely, "Arson."
"My god, Vi! Was there...did you at least get justice?"
"Of a sort," she looked out the window, "Yesterday I told you that 'hurt people hurt people', right? They paid for what they did, but I learned some very harsh lessons about revenge. Almost lost everything."
"I'm...I'm sorry-"
"Don't apologise, Laura," she said firmly, "I've already cried all the tears all I'm going to over what happened. It's just... part of who I am now, and right now it's the part that's going to pull your husband and my fiance's feet out of the fire and look good doing it."
"I just wish you'd said something earlier. It...explains a lot."
"No doubt," Vi gave me an arch look, "But I don't go around telling that to just anyone. Now will you please just sit this one out?"
I thought about it, and finally shook my head, "No. If you want me to stay out, you'll have to knock me out. Or kill me. I'm not leaving my husband in danger."
"Goddess, you're stubborn!" she flared suddenly, "What makes you think I won't knock you out."
"Because you won't."
Vi's face worked as she tried to come up with a retort to that, but finally she threw up her hands and said, "Fine! Just stay back, stay down, and don't blame me if you catch a bullet between your eyes! You've already had your do-over!"
"Duty noted," I said, "Now, how're we going to get in there? You've only got six rounds, and Clint said they're wearing armour."
"Not sure this revolver will really cut the mustard, then," Vi thought about it for a moment, "We'll want their gear."
"And how're we going to get it?" I paused. She was giving me an appraising look that I was quite sure I didn't like, "And why are you looking at me like that?"
"You know what? I think I just might have a use for you," she said, with a nasty little smile, "Listen up..."
The journey between the Blip Centre and the warehouse normally took about fifteen minutes. I managed it in eight, most of which was spent sweating as I stared at the speedometer and prayed that no police cars would spot the black SUV haring down the interstate at over 110mph. Apparently satisfied with my first attempts at street racing, Vi had slipped onto the back seats where she now lay hidden from the world by the tinted windows.
I had known what to expect from Clint's texts, but even so my heart still skipped a beat as the parking lot came into view. Six large gleaming cars, almost identical to mine, were parked in a rough semicircle across the tarmac. All their doors were fully open, and two men were in the process of transferring equipment boxes out of the trunks. They were visibly armed and armoured, and I felt a shiver go down my spine as one looked up at my approach.
"There's only two of them," I said quietly, "They look like they're getting things out of the cars."
"Makes sense. If people see a load of armed men looking suspicious they might call the fuzz. I bet the rest of 'em'll be inside or chasing the lads through the woods, depending on how clean Clint's getaway was. Anyway, you know the plan; you're a flirty stay-at-home, uh-"
"-soccer mom-"
"-soccer mum who's having car trouble and needs some big, strong, handsome men to help her out. Be sure to emphasise the 'big, strong' bit, yeah? Flutter your eyelashes a bit, too."
"This is so degrading," I muttered.
"I agree! Which is why you're doing it. Now slow down before they open fire."
With my heart pounding in my chest, I brought the car down to a slow crawl as I pulled into the parking lot. The man who had been watching me gestured to his buddy, and they both headed in my direction, as I brought the car to a juddering halt. Both of them were tense and had readied their weapons, but relaxed when they spotted me sitting alone in the driver's seat. One of them even broke out into a cocky grin, and I forced a smile in response as I lowered the driver's side window.
"Hello...um, boys!" I said, and tried to ignore the mocking laughter deep within, "I'm so glad I found someone!"
"Well, good afternoon ma'am!" said the cocky one, leaning personably on the window, "I'm afraid that this area's off limits to civilians."
"Oh my!" I said, "Really? Why?"
Right on cue the unmistakable crack of a rifle split the air. The cocky smile vanished for just a moment, and he exchanged a worried look with his fellow enforcer.
"My goodness!" I gasped.
"Drugs bust, ma'am," he said, and puffed out his chest, "We're shutting this place down, but we're facing some resistance."
"Well, I have to say that I'm very glad that such big, strong and-" I fought with the word for just a moment, "-handsome men are keeping us safe! It looks like you're doing such important work, too."
Another crack tore through the air. This time it was answered by a rapid staccato of gunfire, which was suddenly silenced by another shot.
"Y-yes," he said, after a moment's pause, "The operation hinges on us all doing our part."
"I'm very sorry to be getting in your way, but I was having trouble with my car and I didn't feel safe on the interstate. If I could just-"
"Say no more, ma'am," he said, "Actually, I'm training to be a mechanic for these S-types. They've got a couple of problems but most of the time it's a pretty easy fix. Want me to take a look?"
"Would you?" I said, and once again found myself having to force out the words, "I'd be so grateful. Normally my husband would deal with this, but he's...not here."
"No ma'am," he said, with a knowing grin, "Hey, Piers; can you just go check the trunk? There's a small box with some lights on it…"
"Sure, Smith," the other man said, and with a weary shake of his head he went around to the trunk. I listened tensely for any sound of movement, and as the back slowly opened I thought I heard a crunch and then a very faint sigh.
"Say, ma'am," Smith said, "Ain't you that lady who punched out that schoolteacher? It is you, isn't it!"
"Oh, Christ," at least this time, my grimace was real, "It wasn't a schoolteacher, but-"
"Don't worry 'bout it," he said, and gave me another cocky grin, "I like a woman with some fire in her! Maybe...we could get a drink sometime?"
"Sure," I put on my best, helpless smile, "But I'm not going anywhere until-"
"Right. Right. Let me just check under the hood," Smith said, "Would you mind?"
"Oh, um…" I fumbled around under the wheel and found the release button. The hood slowly rose into position, and Smith wandered casually around to take a look.
"Huh," he said, in a faintly puzzled tone, "Well, I don't see any issues. Hey, Piers, what-"
His question was cut off mid-sentence by an unpleasant, almost organic noise, followed by a faint gurgling wheeze that slowly trailed off into silence. Even the birds seemed to have gone quiet, and I felt a chill pass over me despite the heat of the noonday sun.
Somewhere off in the distance, I heard the report of a high powered rifle, firing twice. That had to be Clint, right? But that would mean-
I jumped as a pair of hands appeared on the top of the hood and slammed it down. In Smith's place now stood Vi with a slightly amused smile on her face.
"Good job, Laura," she said, "Smith here fancied himself quite the ladies man, didn't he? Talk about the cradle robbing the grave."
"Christ, that was fast!" I said, "I thought you were by the trunk!"
"Mmm-hmm," she said, "Anyway, out you hop! We've got work to do."
As I got out, I could smell a strange, almost metallic tang in the air. It immediately reminded me of the smell from the conference room, and as I came around to the front I was not entirely surprised to see a small pool of blood seeping from around the knife deeply embedded in Smith's neck. It shone in the sun, wet and sticky, and I had to fight down a sudden urge to gag.
"You okay there?" Vi gave me a concerned look. She was straddling the corpse and seemed to be working at something just under his chin, "Sorry about the blood. He seems to be full of it."
"I'm-" I quickly put my hand over my mouth, "-I'm fine. Where did you find the knife?"
"Oh, that Piers bloke had it," she said, "And you know what they say; variety is the spice of life!"
"Do they say that? Who says that?"
"Somebody says that, I'm sure," she said, and there was a sudden ping, "Aha! Thank you, Ladies Man."
Quickly, Vi lifted the helmet off Smith's head and inspected it for a moment before handing it to me.
"Here you go," she said, "Looks like I kept the blood off it. Put it on, and make sure you tuck all your hair under the rim."
"Are you serious?"
"No, it's part of my hilarious 'put this helmet on' routine," Vi said sarcastically, "'Brings the house down every time. Give me a moment and I'll have his tactical vest for you as well."
With a sigh, I put the helmet on and somehow managed to cram all my hair inside. The straps needed some adjustment, but I thought I'd managed to achieve a pretty good fit by the time Vi stood up and handed me a slightly stained jacket.
"Not bad," she said, and rapped her knuckles hard on the side of the helmet, "Better than I'd expected. I'll help you fit the jacket properly when I've dealt with Piers."
"You really think this is going to help?" I said, "I don't think I'm fooling anyone."
"I think you'd be surprised, actually," she said, as she headed back round to the trunk, "For some reason people never expect it to be a woman under the tactical gear. I've been mistaken for a short bloke loads of times, at least until I said something," she snorted, "It's like they think I should be wandering around in metal swimwear or one of those slinky catsuits. You know, like Agent Romanov used to wear?"
"She...did like those suits."
"So did her colleagues, I'd wager," she said dryly.
"But...do you really think that this'll help us blend in?"
"Not up close. Neither of us are really going to pass for Smith or Piers, I mean, c'mon," she placed a caramel-coloured hand next to the pallid Piers for comparison, "Nobody's that stupid. However, it might make them hesitate for half a second before they open fire, and I can do quite a lot in that half second."
"And it'll keep the bullets on the outside, I suppose."
"See? There's almost no downsides! We'd-" she stopped as another pair of shots rang out in quick succession, and I saw a hint of worry cross her face, "-we'd better get moving. Hawkeye's good, but his luck won't last forever."
With Vi's help I managed to get the bulletproof vest seated, and once she'd dressed herself we set off through the loose barricade towards the warehouse. Although good, the fit wasn't perfect, and there was a horrible wet patch on the neckline of the vest that made my skin crawl and shrink away with every movement. The rifle, too, was hot and heavy, a far cry from the shotgun I kept back at the farm. Still, I held it close, kept it pointing down and every so often checked to make sure the safety was still on. Vi had made it very clear that mine was just for show, and held firm in the face of my repeated protestations. At the time it had felt ridiculous; I wasn't a damn kid and it wasn't like I was unfamiliar with firearms, so why was she treating me like a bumpkin who would shoot my foot off at the first opportunity?
That question was answered the instant we got moving. Between the helmet, the jacket, and the rifle, I felt like a jangling, uncoordinated mess who would be out of her depth in a snowball fight, never mind a pitched battle. By comparison Vi almost seemed to flow across the parking lot, moving with effortless, liquid grace, and despite having been scavenged from a significantly larger man her equipment somehow seemed tailored to fit. Part of me was impressed, but at the same time I had to admit I felt a twinge of jealousy. If my husband really needed saving it was pretty clear who was going to do it, while I was...what? Moral support? Heavily armoured arm candy?
"So you want to be the one to save the day, eh?" my inner voice observed, "Never mind the risks involved; you just want to be the heroine?"
"I'm just tired of feeling useless! Of being useless!"
"So it's not that you feel like you're playing second fiddle to another woman? Could've fooled me. You were like this with Nat in the early days, remember?"
"So maybe I want to be more like them. More...competent. So what?"
"Competent at what? Killing people? Toying with them? Do you really want to be the kind of person who enjoys emotionally torturing people? Because Vi did. She's damaged goods, Laura, just like Nat."
"Nat wasn't a bad person, though!" I protested, "She died saving us all!"
"And she was a great auntie, too, but she was also a ruthless murderer, interrogator, and occasional terrorist. Vi is a loving fiancee and clearly willing to throw down for you, but...you saw what she did to Summers. Even if she did try to have us killed, that was going too far."
"I don't...what're you saying?"
"That it's good not being more like them. And there's lots of ways to be more like you. When all this is over, why don't you buy some some spray paint and go throw that tag of yours up all over town like you're sixtee-"
"Hey!" a pair of knuckles rapped hard, on my helmet, "Are you having fun in there?"
"What? I-" I shook my head, and turned to see Vi regarding me with some irritation, "Oh, sorry."
"'Sorry'?" she rolled her eyes, "Look, Laura, I know you like a good daydream, but could you ask that monkey on your back to go bother someone else before you go skipping into a pitched battle?"
"I...wait," I gave her a suspicious look, "You can't read my mind, can you?"
"Not through the hold music, but it's pretty obvious that your brain is back in its idyllic beach-side Blip mansion. Do you want that to become its permanent residence?"
"No!"
"Then focus, Laura!" she said sternly, "Goddess! You really are like Thera, aren't you!"
"I'm sorry. I am sorry," I said sincerely, and straightened up, "I'm not messing around."
"Glad to hear it," she said, and waved at the stacks of equipment piled up in the shade, "Look at all this plastique! Did they want to demolish the warehouse or send it into low orbit?"
"Why would I know? Is it really safe to be around?"
"Oh, yeah," she said easily, "At least, until they put the blasting caps on. Still, I don't think they were really expecting anyone to be here. I'm not seeing flashbangs, or gas grenades, or-wait, what's that?"
She quickly stepped over to a silver carry case. It was empty, but the foam padding within suggested that it had originally carried a large, sleek device that was maybe three feet long and delicately curved.
"A rocket launcher?" Vi was muttering to herself, "No. That's silly."
"What do you think it is?" I asked, "Is it a weapon?"
"Can't think what else it could be," she said, "Unless they're bringing a trombone to a gunfight. I just...I've never seen a weapon shaped like this before, and I get a funny feeling about this case."
"Really?" I looked at the case. It looked entirely normal to me, "What kind of feeling?"
"Tingly," she extended a cautious hand towards the foam, "Yeah, it's like pins and needles running up my arm. I don't like this, Laura."
Another crack ripped the air apart, and Vi looked up sharply as sustained barrage of gunfire opened up in response.
"Damnit, we'll have to worry about it later!" she said, "It sounds like Keame's men are closing down on them. C'mon, let's go make a racket."
Vi led me quickly and quietly down the side of the warehouse to the side door, where she motioned for me to stop while she listened at the door.
"Yeah, they're in there, alright," she said after a moment, "Not sure how many, though, and I'm not sure where they are."
"So charging in…"
"Would be suicide, yeah."
"What're we going to do?"
"Something unpleasant," she held out her hand. The bright summer day suddenly seemed to wane ever so slightly, and as I watched thick ribbons of twisting white light flowed out of the air and towards her palm. Where they met, they merged to form a marble-sized speck of blinding light and heat that rapidly swelled to the size of a baseball. Vi tossed it up and down a couple of times, apparently feeling its weight, and nodded approvingly.
"Should be enough," she said, "When I throw this, turn away and cover your eyes. It's going to be bright."
"What is that?"
"Concentrated sunlight. Heavily concentrated sunlight. Enough to permanently blind anyone looking at it."
With practiced ease, Vi turned away and banged open the door with her fist. From inside there came a cry of surprise, which suddenly changed to alarm as she tossed the ball of sunlight inside and then turned away. I did likewise, quickly throwing my arm over my eyes, and there was a loud 'whump' and rush of air. From the warehouse, there came a chorus of terrified screams that rose in pitch and then suddenly went silent.
"There we go," Vi said casually, "You can look now."
I opened my eyes, somewhat hesitantly, just in time to see a man dressed in full tactical gear come staggering blindly through the door. His clothes were smoking and his face was hideously burned and blackened, with empty, bubbling eye sockets that reminded me immediately of the man back at the Blip Centre. He was clearly in terrible pain, but instead of a scream all that came out of his charred throat was a faint rasping wheeze.
Vi shot him cleanly through the head.
"Did I say 'blind'?" she said conversationally, as he dropped to the floor, "I meant 'cook'. Permanently 'cook'. Honestly, I thought I set that to 'medium rare', but..."
Yet again I fought down the urge to gag, but if Vi noticed she paid it no heed. She had already stepped over his body and vanished into the warehouse interior, and from within there came a pair of shots that I assumed was her finishing off the blinded enforcers. With an effort, I pulled myself together and headed inside, dreading what I would see.
It was as bad as I had feared. The main hall of the warehouse was now a mess of scorched mats and half-molten mannequins, and the acrid stench of burning furniture filled the air. Amongst them blinded and burned soldiers staggered or crawled, whimpering and weeping piteously. Vi was moving rapidly from one to the other, executing them with the same cool expression I normally reserved for pulling up weeds.
"Christ, Vi," I said, surveying the aftermath with a mixture of awe, terror, and disgust, "This is…"
"Efficient," she said shortly, "The word you're looking for is 'efficient'."
"I was going to say 'a bit much', actually! The Avengers never did anything like this! Clint-"
"Oh, really?" she snorted, "You think your team of shiny superheroes never blew anything up?"
"Well, sure, but-"
"And when they hit the self-destruct and lit out just ahead of the fireball, did you ever stop to wonder what happened to the people who didn't bring their own jet?" she took careful aim at another soldier, "Wonder no longer. This is the result."
"But-" I covered my ears as the shot reverberated around the room, "-this is just...ferocious."
"Of course it is!" she said angrily, "Laura, I'm protecting my fiance, my idiot friend who doesn't know when to quit, and her husband. You're damn right I'm going to be ferocious! Those stories that Clint tells your kids...they're like those fairy tales with the talking animals and bloody musical numbers! This is the thin end of the wedge, mate; it's an unsanitised, original Grimm, and it's why I wanted you to go home!"
She placed her foot firmly on the chest of the last surviving soldier, and as I turned away she pulled the trigger. I heard the body twitch once with the shot, and fall still.
"Do you think Clint is being any more sporting out there?" she went on, "By my count he's shot seven-"
There was a shot from outside.
"-eight men," she continued, with barely a pause, "Maybe he should stand up and-"
Exactly what Vi thought Clint should do was interrupted by the sudden 'ksshk' of a radio, somewhere amongst the lightly smoking corpses of the demolitions team. We looked at each other for a moment, and then scrambled across the warehouse looking for the source of the noise. After a moment, the sheeting static resolved itself into an annoyed-sounding voice that immediately made me think 'wannabe military'.
"-come in! What the hell is going on in there? Come in!"
I found it, embedded in the remains of a mannequin that had half-melted onto a hapless soldier. My skin crawled as I felt the thin layer of warm wax covering the device, but I got as good a grip as I could and pulled it free.
"H-Hello?" I said, rather tentatively. Vi, who had been heading in my direction, immediately sighed and put her palm across her eyes. "I mean, identify yourself!"
"Who is this? What's going on in there? Where's Collins?"
"Collins? He's dead," I looked at the corpse half-encased in plastic, and added coldly, "In fact, they're all dead. We killed them."
Vi gave me an incredulous look and then mouthed 'we?'. Before I could reply, a litany of highly inventive curses came streaming out of the radio.
"Okay," I said eventually, "You know what, Mr. Commander Guy? Back before the Blip, I was a nice person. I was a really nice person. I was so nice that most people didn't even realise I existed. But I'm not that person anymore; when I came back I punched a woman in the face just 'cause I didn't like her attitude, and then I stabbed one of your buddies half to death and tortured him until he was crying like a baby and begging for mercy! What do you think I'm going to do to you, you stupid bastard, now that you've decided to pick a fight with my husband? It's quite simple; if you don't surrender and throw down your arms right now I swear I am going to come out there and fucking kill you!"
I took a deep breath and plunged on, tapping into the wellspring of anger growing deep within.
"You think I'm lying, don't you? You're thinking 'Oh, she's just some crazy bitch talking tough 'cause she's on the other end of a radio'! Well, you're half right; I am crazy, and so is my friend here. In fact, I hope that she gets her hands on you just so I can watch her melt your face like that Nazi with the glasses who opened the Ark of the Covenant! I hope your fucking skin comes dribbling off your face like candle wax! Do you fucking understand me, buddy? We're coming for you!"
I flung the radio to the floor as hard as I could and then smashed it with the butt of my rifle. It cracked and hissed in a most satisfying manner, and with a final crackle the signal went out.
"Ferocious, right?" I said, turning to Vi. For a moment she stared at me in silence, her enormous amber eyes wide with shock, "Hey! Vi! Focus!"
"I- um, right," she said, "Didn't expect that."
"Good, eh?"
"Like a travel-size lioness," she said approvingly, "...but the intention was to get them to send reinforcements. Now they think we're coming to them."
"Oh, damnit," I said, "I-"
"It's fine," she waved, "Clint said there were thirty men or so. Between these guys, the ones he's presumably killed, and Ladies Man and his sidekick out in the car park, I don't think there can be more than ten left. Let's go melt their faces off."
"I…" I grimaced, "You don't have to do that, you know!"
"You're the one setting expectations, mate," she said, "I'm just trying to deliver as best I can. Now get moving."
Vi led me at a pace through the back of the warehouse, where a pair of doors led to an overgrown storage cage, well-shielded by the canopy overhead. We passed quickly and quietly between stacks of mouldering camping equipment and busted canoes, alert for any would-be ambushers waiting in the shadows, and eventually emerged at a small gate leading into the forest - or at least, the large, circular hole where it should have been. Nearby, there was a small pile of chain link piled erratically on the ground, and in amongst the twisted metal a small brass padlock shone brightly.
"Well, I think we've found our mystery weapon," said Vi.
"No bolt cutter did this," I agreed, and she gave me a curious look, "What? I was...a rebellious teenager."
"If you say so," she said, "I'm getting that same tingly feeling here as well. It's weak, but it's there."
"So where are they?" I said urgently, "I'd hate to think what this could do to Clint!"
"Oh, it wouldn't be pretty. Hold on-" she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before pointing off into the woods, "He's over there. Sparky's over there."
"Are you sure?" I said, and she gave me a flat look, "Sorry."
"Just stay close," she said, and set off into the bushes. I followed as best I could, clattering through the bushes she glided silently ahead, making almost no noise and leaving no trace. Once again, I felt a slight twinge of jealousy as I found myself struggling against uncooperative terrain, obstructive ferns and ever-present roots.
"Stupid heeled boots," I muttered to myself, "If I'd known this was going to happen, I'd-whoa!"
My foot caught against something hidden in the undergrowth, and I tripped and fell painfully on my unforgivingly hard rifle. With a groan, I slowly levered myself back up to a sitting position and found myself staring at a boot, which in turn led to a limp, ashen-faced corpse with a bloodied hole square between his glassy eyes. I shrieked in surprise and scrambled away, only to find myself face to face with yet another corpse with identical injuries.
"Oh Christ!" I said, and tried to get my beating heart under control. This had to be Clint's work, I realised, and felt a slightly macabre flutter of pride. Sure, Vi might be able to weaponise the sun, but could she do this? Somehow, I didn't think so.
As I clambered noisily to my feet I heard the harsh buzz of a radio. It was lying in the outstretched palm of one of the fallen enforcers, and as I quickly snatched it up the buzz changed to the voice of a young man. Despite his attempts to sound professional the panic was clearly audible, and for a split second I almost felt sorry for him.
"-no effect, sir!" he was saying, "Repeat, our weapons are having no effect!"
"That's ludicrous, Hunter!" said 'sir', who I recognised as the individual from before, "Check your sights!"
"I can confirm several direct hits on the targets, sir, but they appear to be employing some kind of defensive shielding! Our rounds are breaking up on contact!"
"And the contingency?"
"Sir, we-" the report of a rifle echoed through the woods, "-shit! He got Webber, sir! He- oh Jesus-"
"The contingency, Hunter! Full power!"
"I...yes sir."
"Oh, no," I felt my heart skip a beat as I scrambled back up, "Vi! They're going to-"
From somewhere in the forest, far ahead, I heard a high-pitched crackle and a dazzling purple light streaked amongst the trees like a comet. I grit my teeth and plunged onwards through the undergrowth, ignoring the vines tugging at my clothes as I raced towards my husband. I had no idea what I was going to do, none at all, but I had to do something! Clint needed me!
The light winked out, and I ducked down reflexively and braced myself against the inevitable wave of heat and light. There was a heart stopping silence, and then...nothing.
I jumped as the radio crackled. The reception was terrible, but I could just make out the panicked man's voice, "Sir! Um, sir! No effect!"
"What? But-"
"But the contingency, sir, it-" in the background, I could hear a faint whine, slowly gaining in pitch and intensity, and in the distance I could see a dim, blue-gold aura slowly coalesce. The colours were identical to the light show we'd seen over the Blip Centre, and my mouth went dry as I watched it rapidly become more brilliant until it resembled a miniature star and reduced everything before me to mere shadows. Scintillating rays suddenly stabbed out into the foliage, carving smoking furrows through the thick fern bushes and starting small fires across the forest.
As I turned to flee there was a scream from my radio, and then it sparked suddenly in my hand and went dead. It didn't matter; I could hear the whine from here, and it was now joined by an ominous, powerful rumble that was building like an onrushing avalanche.
"Laura!" Vi's voice came from behind, and as I turned to face her a bolt struck a nearby tree. There was an explosion of splinters, and the remainder was reduced to a flaming carcass that fell ponderously to the floor, trailing soot and smoke. It hit the ground with a deafening crash, and then Vi vaulted over the top and rolled smoothly to her feet on the other side. Her glow was back, but it paled in comparison to the coruscating maelstrom tearing apart the forest behind her.
"Vi!" I shouted, struggling to be heard above the thunderous sounds of destruction, "What's going on?"
"Get down!" she screamed, as she sprinted towards me, "Cover your eyes and get down!"
She lunged forward and caught me in a rough tackle, bearing us both to the floor as a blazing branch swept overhead. From somewhere nearby I heard another tree come crashing down, and then-
"Brace yourself!"
-there was a sound that defied all description, and a sudden gale came scything through the forest. Vi tightened her grip and held me in a crushing embrace as we were picked up and tossed almost casually into a fallen tree. I heard a loud snap and Vi cried out in pain before she was wrenched from my grasp and carried off amongst a cloud of burning bark.
"Vi!" I struggled, but found myself pinned helplessly to the wood by howling winds. In the distance, the star suddenly collapsed to an unimaginably bright point and then exploded outwards in a searing shockwave that blasted every tree still standing to splinters. I closed my eyes and turned away as supersonic skewers hammered hard into the log and then the wave cannoned into me with all the unstoppable force of a freight train. Through the pain, I was dimly aware of the sounds of tearing, shattering wood, and then the wave passed, heading onwards through the forest towards the warehouse.
No longer pinned in place, I fell limply to the ground and lay there, gasping for breath. Every part of me ached like I'd been worked over by a gorilla, but somehow I was alive. Well, I was pretty sure I was alive; maybe I was just in too much shock to realise that I'd been torn to shreds by a tornado of wooden shards. After a short while, though, the sound of uncertain birdsong filtered through my ears, and I slowly gathered the courage to sit up and take stock of the situation.
When I opened my eyes I stopped and stared. All around me was a gently glowing nimbus; Vi's nimbus, I realised, and caught in it were several wickedly sharp pieces of snapping, smoking wood. They twisted and turned gently in the light, as if caught in wet cement, and as I reached wonderingly to touch one it shuddered and fell to the ground with a loud clatter. The rest followed suit in a shower of skewers. As I scrambled away, I noticed that even the log I'd been pinned to was now dust, except for the almost perfectly circular section directly behind me. Whatever Vi had done, it had been pretty potent...but if she'd done that for me, then-
"Vi?" I breathed, and then got to my feet and cried out, "Vi! C'mon, where are you? Vi!"
My voice echoed through the silence as I took stock of my situation. The forest itself was...simply gone. What had been a verdant woodland filled with towering trees and thick green bushes was now a barren, smoking wasteland littered with piles of shattered driftwood and gently flaming stumps. All around, motes of blue and gold drifted in silent, lazy clouds, and again I thought back to the moment the storm had broken above the Blip Centre.
There was a weak groan from a nearby pile of ash, and when I rushed over I saw a coffee-coloured hand extending limply from the bottom.
"Vi!" I shouted, casting around desperately for something that could be used as a shovel, "Give me a sec! I'll dig you out!"
After a quick, fruitless search I returned and settled for digging her out with my bare hands. The hot, sooty soil bit at and burned my fingers, but I paid the pain no heed as I feverishly shovelled the soil away from her face and hands, my fear rising with every moment. No matter how much I moved, though, it didn't seem to be enough, and with a panicked cry I just grabbed her hand and wrenched as hard as I could. Mercifully, she came free with a shiver of hot ash and dust and I fell to my knees beside her, checking her over with half-remembered first-aid training.
As I worked, I felt my heart rise in my mouth. Even covered in soot she was clearly badly hurt; there were terrible, weeping cuts on her forehead and cheek, and her right arm was bent at a strange, unnatural angle. She had been peppered with shrapnel, too; her arms and legs were covered in splinters and burn marks, and a large piece of charred wood was deeply embedded in the side of her tactical vest.
"Vi!" I said, and clapped her firmly on the shoulders, "Can you hear me? Please tell me you're okay!"
Her eyes opened, achingly slowly, and she stared at me blankly for several long, painful moments before she suddenly heaved and then coughed spasmodically, spraying me down with a thick black mixture of soot, spittle, and phlegm.
"Laura?" she said eventually, once the fit had ended, "That's you, right?"
"I'm here, Vi," I said, and felt the tears welling up, "I'm here!"
"Good. Did you...get the number plate off those lorries? And that steamroller?"
"I-" I tried to laugh, but it came out as more of a sob, "You shielded me, didn't you! Why?"
"'Cause you're my mate. It'd be a bit...shit if I let you burn."
"But what about you? You're hurt!"
"Am I? My word, I hadn't noticed," she said, with a wan, dry smile, "I follow a goddess of healing and protection, remember? Since I'm pretty sure I owe her one, I should be attempting to live up to her name. Besides...you have a family."
"So do you!" I said, and now the tears were racing down my cheeks, "You have Thera, his sister and your nieces and nephews! You said you were an aunt, right?"
"Technically...not until I get married," she said, "Thera's sister's kids, but I love them anyway."
"Then you're going to survive to get married, and then you're never, ever going to throw yourself under a bus for me again!" I said, and then the words came tumbling out, "I'm so sorry, Vi. I should have gone home. If I hadn't come along then you wouldn't have had to shield me and-"
"Oh, sweetheart. Don't blame yourself," she said gently, and as I wept freely she pulled me in for a hug with her good hand, "And I'll be fine. I've had worse."
"Really?" I said, wiping away the tears with the back of my hand.
"Really," she said, "Just ask Thera."
"Thera? But he-" I looked over towards the centre of the explosion, and gasped, "Christ! Vi; Clint and Thera! They were-"
"We'll find them. Laura," Vi said, firmly, "Just help me up, will you?"
"Can you stand?"
"I have to stand, so I will," she said grimly, "No matter how much it hurts."
"Okay…" I said dubiously, and attempted to get a good position under her left shoulder, "Are you ready? One, two...three-"
Following my experiences with Thera, I'd expected Vi to be unusually heavy for her frame. As it turned out she was actually much lighter, but I was pretty sure I still felt something pop as I slowly helped her to her knees and then her feet. She staggered woozily for a moment while she got her balance, and then she waved me away.
"I'll be fine now," she said, "I think…"
Her voice trailed off as she surveyed the near-total destruction of the forest and the swirling clouds of glowing motes.
"Wow," she muttered, "Well, I suppose that's one way to fall off the wagon."
"What happened?" I said, "What happened, Vi?"
"I'm...not sure," she said, and with a wince she gently cradled her broken arm, "But we're going to have to find out, and soon. There's no way this didn't go unnoticed."
"First things first, though. We need to find Clint!" I said, "Where are they? Where's Thera? You know where he is, right?"
"Well, knowing him he'll be right smack bang in the centre of it," she said, with a snort, "I think if he gets blown up one more time he gets a free coffee."
"So which way is that?" I asked irritably. Now that I'd stopped panicking over Vi, there was a growing sense of dread and despair building in the pit of my stomach. From the looks of it, we'd been near the edge of the explosion. What were we going to find at the centre? Would there even be anything left?
"Don't think like that," Vi said softly, "He'll be okay. I promise you."
"You 'promise'?"
"I promise," she said, and then nodded off into the smoke, "Over there. They'll be over there somewhere."
"Then we'd better get moving," I said shortly, "Do you need a hand?"
"Oh, don't worry about me!" she said, and gave me a brave, but bloodied smile, "I'll be right behind you."
"Don't lose sight of me," I said, and turned away to pick my way carefully through the scattered driftwood and smoking stumps. From behind me, I heard a faint groan, and then a long, deep sigh.
"Oh, my Sparky," Vi murmured, almost too quietly for me to hear, "What have you done?"