Unlike most teenage girls, Alma and Lucy never much cared for shopping malls. There were too many eyes and ears in a place like that, and not all of them would be focused on the latest clothes or kitchen appliances. It was better to keep to more private areas. But outside of normal visiting hours, the place wasn't half-bad. There was plenty of space to wander about, and the silence was peaceful. Unfortunately, there would be little time to explore the place, as Aiko's mother was expected to show up in less than ten minutes.

"Here's the place," Aiko whispered nervously, looking up at the gallery in front of them. Unsurprisingly, the large metal gate was also locked. Lucy stepped up, ready to smash open the door, only for Aiko to hold a hand out in front of her, "Could you maybe be a little more gentle this time? This is where my mom will be."

Lucy nodded, and focused her vectors on the metal lock, ripping it out of the gate with ease. Aiko stared with wide eyes at the supernatural display, until Alma lifted open the gate with a rattle, and ushered her inside. The studio was a surprisingly large room, with several large shelves positioned throughout the room, filled with folders and art books. The whol was as dark as the rest of the mall, with several empty portrait frames hanging on the walls, as well as a few mannequins propped up, staring lifelessly out at the bleak room.

"It seems like we're the first to arrive," observed Lucy as she looked around the room with curiosity.

"Is this really it?" asked Alma, frowning at the empty frames with disappointment, "She didn't even hang any of the paintings yet."

Aiko was looking around the empty studio with a sad frown, then perked up as she noticed something by a corner of the room.

"Oh! Over here!" She rushed over to the back of the room, where Alma and Lucy noticed a stack of canvases piled on top of one another. Aiko eagerly picked up the topmost painting, and stared at it eagerly. Walking up beside her, Alma and Lucy peeked over her shoulder, examining the painting. It was beautifully made. Delicate brushworks displayed an image of a lovely young woman holding an infant close to her chest. Aiko felt her throat constrict as tears welled up in her eyes.

"It's me," she whimpered, "That's my mom, and she painted herself holding me. She…she remembers me. After all of these years."

Lucy put a hand on her friend's shoulder, "It's alright, Aiko. We'll meet up with her, just like we promised you."

Aiko smiled, and now there was no holding back the tears, "I…I know. It'll be great seeing her again."

For a few minutes, Aiko continued to stare fondly at the painting, then a frown crossed her features, and she looked up at Lucy, "Hey, um, Lucy? About breaking in here…"

"We should be fine. I didn't see any alarms."

"It's not that, it's…how did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Break open the gate, and now that I think of it…I didn't see you touch the glass on the door outside."

Alma and Lucy exchanged a glance. Alma looked like she was about to say something, but Lucy spoke up first, "Well, Aiko, the thing is…I have…abilities."

Aiko tilted her head in confusion, "Abilities? Does that include being able to break open a door without touching it?"

Lucy gave her a knowing smile, "Sure, among other things."

She extended her vectors outward, lifting up some of the mannequins. Aiko let out a startled yelp at the sight, but Alma put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "It's okay. Just watch."

As Lucy applied more vectors to the mannequins, she was able to pull and bend their limbs, making them move about as if they were walking. Then, with an amused grin, she proceeded to make them dance a little jig, their arms and legs rising and falling with all of the finesse of oversized puppets on strings. Aiko stared with open-mouthed awe as the mannequins continued their jerky motions.

"Ohmigosh that's amazing!" she squealed, she whirled toward Lucy with an incredulous expression, "How did you do it? Are you a magician?"

"Maybe," chuckled Lucy in amusement. She and Alma exchanged grins.

"That's incredible!" Aiko gushed, "Oh man, Mom will love this! It'll be great! All of us together, having fun with magic for the rest of our lives!"

Aiko was the only one grinning at that point, as the other two girls were left to ponder a less bright, but more realistic future. However much they cared for Aiko, the fact remained that they were both still fugitives. The longer they hung around Aiko, the more risky things were going to be for her, and maybe even her mother by association. The time would come when they'd have to leave in order to stay one toe over Armacham, the authorities, and anyone else who might try and separate the two of them. They might not have to leave yet, but soon. It was only a matter of when.

"Something wrong, you guys?"

Lucy and Alma looked at Aiko, and, without the need of telepathic conversation, decided what to say almost instantly.

"Everything is fine, Aiko," said Alma in a reassuring manner, "Things will be alright for us."

"Darn right," said Aiko cheerfully. She looked at the mannequins, still suspended by vectors, then looked at Alma with renewed curiosity, "Wait a minute…If Lucy has a talent like this, then do you have some sort of talent as well, Alma? Can you make these mannequins dance, as well?"

Alma started to say something, then suddenly froze, wincing slightly. She slapped a hand to the back of her neck, as if swatting a bug.

"Alma?" Lucy took a step toward her friend, "What's wrong?"

Alma didn't reply immediately, but looked between the other two girls with an expression of panic that seemed somehow dulled. She then fell to her knees, her face twisted, contorting with effort, until she was finally able to utter one pained word to her dearest friend.

"...Lucy…"

It would be the last time she'd speak to her for three excruciating years.

Alma collapsed face first to the ground, the sound of her body hitting the floor seemed to resonate around the quiet room.

"Alma!" Lucy cried out. She released her vectors, causing the mannequins to hit the floor in a manner similar to Alma, with twice the clatter. Aiko let out a loud squeak at the noise, but Lucy didn't notice. She rushed over toward her fallen friend and began shaking her prone body, "Alma! Alma, are you alright?"

Alma gave no response. Lucy's panic began to grow, then stopped as she took notice of something sticking out the back of Alma's neck. Brushing aside a few extra locks of hair, Lucy pulled out the object from her friend's neck and examined it with growing horror. Aiko went up beside her, and stared at it with a frown.

It was a dart. A tranquilizer.

They've found us!

No sooner had she formed this thought than a loud banging sound came from across the mall. Both girls turned to look and saw that the front door of the mall had been busted open, with over a dozen soldiers rushing inside, guns raised, minds focused.

"Lucy!" cried Aiko, her voice quaking with fear, "Lucy, there are people! They must be the police! They're after me for what happened to my father!"

Lucy knew that Aiko's father was the furthest thing from these men's minds, but there would be a time to talk about that later. These men were after Alma, and she couldn't let them take her! She yanked the dart out of her friend, knowing it would be pointless, then stood up, vectors ready to fight, when one of the soldiers said something that made her freeze up with surprise.

"There's the target! The girl with the horns!"

The girl with the horns, that was what he'd said. Not the American, not the girl with yellow eyes, but the girl with horns. In that moment Lucy realized that these men weren't after Alma, they were after her! Before she could think of what else to do, over a dozen high powered flashlights shone on her and Aiko, lighting up the room. Lucy threw up her vectors on pure instinct, and a good thing, too, as she was just in time to catch the flow of bullets sent her way. Aiko shrieked in terror, curling up within herself, but Lucy stood firm against the barrage.

"Grenade!" yelled one of the soldiers, and he pulled out one that had been clipped to his combat vest, expertly pulled out the pin, and tossed it forward. Lucy stared wide-eyed at the bomb, having not expected the soldiers to go so far as to blow up a part of the mall. She used her vector to pick up the grenade, and threw it back at her attackers. She hoped that it'd be enough to repel the attackers, but before it exploded before it even had a chance to land at the soldier's feet.

The blast is great and powerful, like a thunderclap in an enclosed space. Bits of wooden shelf and human flesh go spraying throughout the room, upending the organized structure of the place. Several people go flying, and pages from the shelves flood the calm night air.

"Alma?" Through the disaster and debris, Lucy loses sight of her best friend. All she sees is soldiers, "Alma!"

More soldiers are rushing in through the door. Aiko is screaming something that doesn't reach Lucy's ringing ears. There are more soldiers coming, and Lucy believes she can see two figures in the background who are not dressed in combat gear. Are those lab coats? Scientists?

"Lucy, we have to go now!" yelled Aiko. Leaving Alma was the last thing the diclonius wanted to do, but the wave of soldiers forced her to turn and flee further down the gallery. There were just so many of them. How had they managed to find them?

Though the gallery was slightly larger than the rest of the mall's departments, there was only so much room that one person could flee toward, and as such, it was only a few moments before the two remaining girls were at the end of the gallery.

"There's nowhere else to go, Lucy!" wailed Aiko, tears running down her frightened face, "What do we do? What do we do?!"

There were no back exits, just a few windows that looked out into the main plaza. Aiko was about to tell Lucy to use her magic to burst through these windows, when she noticed a red dot appear on Lucy's chest. Lucy, who was still staring anxiously toward Alma's direction, did not notice.

Aiko didn't think; she simply reacted. With a shout of warning that she herself could barely comprehend, she dove in front of Lucy, with no regard for her own wellbeing. As she dived past by her friend, the impact of the round slammed into her body, pushing her into Lucy with a slam. The two young girls went flying back into a row of shelves, knocking them over with a flurry of paper. Aiko let out a gasp as what felt like a fire erupted on her now wet chest, and the whole world around her was suddenly streaked with a red tinge.

It took a moment for Lucy to realize what had happened to her remaining friend, but the instant it sunk in she began to wail. Scrambling over Aiko, she began to press her hands over the wound, applying pressure as she'd seen on tv. Aiko screamed in pain, until her screams soon gurgled out into pained gasps.

"Aiko, stay with me! You're going to be okay!" Yes, that was what they always yelled in those tv shows that she and Alma would sometimes watch. Sometimes the person bleeding out would live, sometimes they didn't. But this wasn't tv. Aiko had to live. They still needed to save Alma. Then the two of them could flee this town and try their luck in a different city far away.

"Lucy."

Maybe Tokyo or someplace less crow-

"Lucy!"

Said Diclonius looked up with a snarl, too shocked and scared and angry to channel her vectors. The soldiers had formed an offensive flank between her and the exit, rifles pointed at her. Standing behind them was a man she did not recognize. He was wearing a blue suit and glasses. His expression was one of solid determination, and he starred the girl down without any fear.

"My name is Kurama," he said in a steady tone, "and if you want to save your friend, then you'd do well to stand down right now."

"Never!" Her cry was of a scared animal who'd been backed into a corner, and was swiftly running out of options. She could hear it in her own voice, and chances were Kurama could hear it too, as he showed no sign of backing down.

"You're running out of time," he replied coolly, "and your friend is running out of blood."

Lucy could see this, as Aiko had become unresponsive. She wracked her frightened little brain, looking for whatever option was left, but there was nothing that she could think about in this moment but Aiko and Alma-

"Alma!"

Kurama frowned, "Who?"

"I-If I turn myself in, you have to let Alma go as well!" she cried out. She saw Kurama shift, as if tempted to look over his shoulder. These people, whoever they were, seemed to only be interested in apprehending her, rather than her friend. If that was the case, maybe they'd spare her as well as save Aiko.

"Who's Alma?" His question was calm and cautious, not willing to invite any anger or other provocative emotions to escalate the situation.

"The girl who you shot with a dart! You can have me if you let her go as well!"

There was a pregnant pause as Kurama finally gave a brief glance over his shoulder. Alma considered cutting his head from his shoulders, but there were too many soldiers, with way too many guns.

"Alright," said Kurama, "If she's still there, we'll let her go. And your friend there will receive medical aid…if you surrender."

Lucy gave one last look at Aiko, who'd begun to turn very pale. Then she leveled her gaze at Kurama, and her eyes were full of steel.

"Alright."

They were Armacham's top infiltration unit, former soldiers with exemplary records, who'd been bought over to the private corporation with fat paychecks, and promises of challenge. They did not regret their decisions, but it wasn't because of the money, or the missions they went on. In fact, the real reason was one that they'd never admit to one another, even when meeting up after missions for drinks, but it was one that they all shared, nonetheless.

It was the revelation.

It was the eye opening revelation of how big the world could be. Psionics, mind control, little girls setting fires with their minds. The soldiers who worked at Armacham found it horrifying. They found it amazing. They wanted to see just how deep this supernatural rabbit hole would go. How many horrors and wonders Armacham would reveal, as the world seemed more and more like a sci-fi movie.

The past number of years that their employers spent searching for Alma had been intriguing. They'd all been enthralled when they'd first seen the bloody photos of the children who'd been sliced apart, while all the others had somehow been brainwashed into killing all of the faculty. Someone like this was worthy of their attention, noy just for what she was, but what she represented.

They had run numerous simulations on dozens of scenarios, years spent in preparation for this one single night. Failure was not an option. Alma must be taken, and she must be taken alive.

The operation so far has been running smoothly. The team watched as the Institute's own team filed quickly but studiously into the building, before the sniper opened fire from outside the mall with a high powered, suppressed rifle. The dart, laced with a fast acting sedative with enough power to knock down a horse, had been fired from well outside Alma's range, traveling down the block, past the other squads, into the mall, and directly into the oblivious young girl's neck.

Target hit!

She fell, and as the Institute's soldiers pursued Alma further into the building, the soldiers got out and quietly approached the mall. They had scouted the area, placing wires and speakers on various parts of the area to monitor whether there would be any snipers who might be keeping tabs, and who might spy them as they entered. Fortunately, all of the soldiers involved had entered the building, preferring to enclose upon their prey. They didn't notice as a second team stealthily entered the building, rifles pointed at the backs of the soldiers in the gallery, ready to open fire if they so much as glanced behind them.

Unlike the soldiers from the Institute, who'd come stomping in with bright lights flaring, the soldiers of Armacham preferred a more subtle touch. Black body armor helped them to blend into the shadows, and night vision headgear negated any bright flashy lights. Slowly, the team pressed up against either side of the entrance. Then, quietly, oh so very quietly, one of the soldiers entered the gallery. He could see the target lying on the floor, nobody watching her. He crept up to her and gazed at her slumbering form.

It was difficult to imagine such a young little girl could be capable of such horrific actions, but there was no denying her incredible might. Could she really be asleep? What if it was an act? Ignoring these rash thoughts, the soldier leaned down to grab the target, but froze as Kurama chose that moment to suddenly glance back. The soldier froze, knowing that his dark gear would help keep him camouflaged. If he was spotted now, then they would have no choice to engage, to fire on all of these people until none were left. The soldier waited to see what would happen.

After a brief pause, Kurama turned back, giving no indication that he'd seen the armed guard, not taking any more chances, the soldier quietly scooped up the target and hastily withdrew from the building. The soldiers all piled into the van, administering further sedatives to make sure the target would remain asleep until they reached their base all the way back in America.

Mission accomplished!

Many hours later, Kurama strolled purposefully through a room that was clean to the point of sterile. At the other end, surrounded by metal bars which marked her vector's limitations, was Lucy. She was wearing a straitjacket and a metal mask of sorts that completely encapsulated her head. The vertical bed she was strapped to hindered the rest of her movement. Kurama stepped up to the caged monstrosity before him, showing no hint of fear.

"Lucy," he stated in a manner that almost came off as cordial, "We did everything we could to save the girl who'd been shot. Unfortunately, we were not able to save her life. I'm sorry."

There was a moment of silence, then, almost with caution, Lucy spoke, "What about Alma?"

After a brief pause, "We didn't find any trace of her. She must have fled whe-"

"LIAR!" her shriek echoed throughout the vast chamber. Kurama had to hold back a wince from all of the fury in her voice, but reminded himself of her restraints. So long as he didn't come past the bars…

"I have no reason to lie to you, Lucy, we found no other girl besides you and Aiko."

"You shot her with a tranquilizer dart!"

"We did no such thing. My men report seeing a comatose girl in the gallery, but we didn't find her after apprehending you."

He waited for Lucy to respond, but got no reply. He started to turn when Lucy finally spoke, "So after everything, you fail to hold up your end of the bargain? You people are monsters!"

Kurama thought back to the butchered bodies that he'd seen in the orphanage, the festival, and all of the various houses throughout the town. He remembered the glossy stare of the little boy who'd watched his family be slaughtered in front of him. These gruesome images flashed through his mind, and he felt something snap inside of him.

"You know something, Lucy? I don't believe my team and I are responsible. The predicament of you and your friends is on you! You're locked up because you're an animal, and animals need to be caged so they don't tear up everything they see! Aiko died because you held out too long, and this Alma girl probably abandoned you because she knew what a horrendous creature you really are! You're alone, Lucy, you're going to die alone, and it won't be anyone's fault but your own!

Silence. Kurama felt as though his point had finally sunk in. Once more did he turn away from the creature in front of him, and this time, he was halfway across the chamber when Lucy spoke once more.

"Do you have a family?" Though barely a whisper, the voice seemed to carry over the room, to the point where Kurama heard it clearly.

"My wife and child died long ago," he stated flatly, not entirely sure as to why he'd answered, "Why do you ask?"

He turned to look at Lucy, and noted what was clearly tears flowing through the eyeholes of her mask. Her answer gave him a chill that he just managed to keep from showing.

"Because I'm not going to kill you. Not yet. When I get the chance, I'm going to take away everyone you hold dear. And when Alma comes back for me, we'll make this whole world ours."

"LUUUUUCYYYYY!"

"She's been uncontrollable, Harl!"

"Yes, I can see that!"

"WHERE IS SHE WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!?"

"-already lost over twenty personnel-"

"-shut up and let me think, Boris, I-"

"-KILL YOU, I'LL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF-"

"-running out of options, is all I'm saying."

"You don't think I know-HEY NO STAY BACK!"

"BURN!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAUGH!"

"BORIS!"

"Prof. Wade, no! You need to get back! You can't save him now!"

"Put her in the vault!"

"But sir, if we-"

"No, I've had enough! Put her in the vault, and let her rot there!"

"LUCY!"

Alma Wade would only be brought out of her medically induced coma two separate times, and even then it would only be in a heavily sedated state. Eventually, due to an unfortunate incident involving one of the offspring, a decision was made to just pull the plug and end it all, and Alma Wade died.

...Except, well, she didn't exactly die.

Sorry for the delay, everyone. I had to have my laptop battery replaced, which took way longer that I expected, then I had to pick up some overtime at work to help pay for some automotive repairs. Next chapter will come out within the same month, and this fanfiction will not die. I will finish it, and then I will get to work on a sequel for Hyuga Cestus.

Also, I based Boris' likeness off of actor Johnny Coyne. Just because.

See ya in a few weeks!