Saturday, May 20th, 2017
East Pender Street & Columbia Street
Vancouver, Canada
21:05 GMT-7 (04:05 GMT May 21st)
"Okay, guys," the Vancouver Ninja radioed. "You have about four minutes before the police turn up."
"Copy that," Phosphor replied as she turned back to the cowering man before her.
Concord's association with the Vancouver Police Department and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or Mounties, was a little better than tenuous. A good portion of the rank and file supported Concord in their activities, however, there were some who did not, and that included some of the more senior members. For the moment, public opinion also supported the vigilantes. Most of the time, Concord was left to its activities, but there was a slim chance that they might be pursued, just so that the police could say that they were 'combatting vigilantism'. Unfortunately, Concord was at a higher risk of being apprehended while they were actively causing a 'breach of the peace'.
"You got nothing on me," Wilson tried, his brief exhibition of bravado exploding as he was grabbed by his collar and then thrown across the room by Phosphor – the female vigilante was stronger than many gave her credit for.
"You're getting nothing from me, you fucking filthy slut!"
"What do we have here?" Blackout wondered as he paused his ransacking of the apartment, looking for anything which might guide them to the next link in the chain of evidence.
"That's not mine!"
"Never is," Blackout commented dryly.
"What have you got?" Phosphor enquired.
"Looks to be some more packaging – just a small amount – which was probably used to wrap the item the first go around," Blackout observed.
"Where did you get this?" Phosphor demanded, yanking the man up by his hair with one hand while brandishing the packaging remnant with the other.
Despite the pain, Nathan Wilson grinned up at the phosphorescent green eyes – he had the bitch.
"I can tell you, but you'll never find him – he's way too powerful for you two dumb fucks."
"We have powerful friends," Phosphor countered.
"Not powerful enough – Eidolon is way out of your league."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, he..."
Phosphor had heard the tinkle of glass, but not the sub-sonic bullet which blew Nathan Wilson's head apart like an overripe watermelon leaving Phosphor holding the man's scalp.
"Goddammit!" Phosphor exclaimed as she studied the grisly artefact.
"What?" Blackout queried.
"You know how hard it is to get blood and other bodily fluids out of clothing?" Phosphor growled as she dropped the remaining section of Wilson's scalp atop the decapitated body.
"Time to go!" Blackout ordered sharply.
..._...
Phosphor and Blackout did not hang around, racing down the stairs in several leaps.
"We have a sniper – be on the lookout!" Blackout warned as he leapt from landing to landing.
Down below, the Vancouver Ninja, known within their little group as 'Ninja Girl', looked all around, scanning the other buildings for any sign of movement. She hated snipers, they were devious, underhand, and scary, in her opinion. For a moment, she felt fear, but then she surmised that if the sniper had wanted her dead . . . she would be dead, as might her friends.
"VPD inbound!" Coyote called from the safehouse where he was monitoring CCTV cameras.
"Move!" Ninja Girl snarled as she handed out crash helmets to her friends.
Within thirty seconds, Phosphor had swung up behind Blackout on his Ducati Multistrada while Ninja Girl was astride her own Ducati Monster, and seconds later, the roar of motorcycle engines was all that remained of Concord's presence at the scene.
West 47th Avenue
21:28 GMT-7 (04:28 GMT May 21st)
Despite being eight months pregnant and the size of a house, Amelia Milligan still kept up with her colleagues at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
As a sergeant, she was privy to most of what went on in the city, and her colleagues would keep her well briefed, despite her loaded condition. It did not take too long for her to hear about the sniper attack – that event was something quite out of the ordinary for a city like Vancouver. However, Amelia had a fairly good idea who might have been involved. She knew that it would be a while before they returned to their safehouse, and despite having the means to contact them, she chose not to disrupt their focus. She trusted her daughter, and her friends, knowing that her friends would use their advanced skills to protect Ella if required. The March revelation of their daughter's true night-time activities, along with those of their niece, had been stunning, if unsurprising. However, a part of her was glad that Ella was no longer out there all alone.
After all, Amelia was a sworn officer of the RCMP, but she did believe in what her daughter was doing – apart from the killing; that was one part which Ella had refused to discuss with her parents, end of story.
Later that night
22:11 GMT-7 (05:11 GMT May 21st)
Safehouse Prime
They had evaded any pursuit and then taken an extra-long circuitous route to confirm that fact.
Ella had been the first to complain about the counter-surveillance sweeps – at least until Carrie had taken her to task within their first two weeks on the streets together as vigilantes. That had been before the boys had joined them and Ella had discovered that they supported Carrie's attention to detail one hundred percent. Ella saw cutting corners as necessary; however, she had found out to her cost in late March that cutting corners was an unbelievably bad idea indeed. Most nights, Ella still felt like the trainee, despite knowing that her skills were respected by the superior Predators. Ella had, since revealing her secret identity to her mother and father, also begun calling home of an evening to reassure her parents that she was still alive, despite anything which they may, or may not, have heard on the news.
"Hi, Mom!"
"You all safe, honey?"
"We're all fine, Mom," Ella confirmed
"Glad to hear it – sleep well," came the obviously relieved response.
Ella knew that her parents worried and that her mother probably worried much more.
"Love you."
"Love you, too. Give my love to Carrie."
"Will do – night, Mom."
..._...
Ella disconnected the call and she turned to her fellow vigilantes.
"Mom knows we're safe."
"Thanks," Carrie replied.
Dylan was assisting his friends out of their combat suits – he had spent the evening safely tapping away at his computer, never for a moment in harm's way. He always took the time to relieve his exhausted friends when he could. He was also thankful that they were all alive, as he was every night in which Concord descended on Vancouver. He wished that he could be out there with them, only, he had made the conscious decision to use his overwatch skills until he felt ready to go back out on the streets. As was usual, they each grabbed a hot drink and sat down to debrief.
"Okay," Jay began. "Who, or what, the fuck is Eidolon?"
"I think we can pass that back to our friends in Los Angeles," Ella responded.
Monday, May 22nd
Federal Bureau of Investigation
11000 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, USA
Office of FBI Special Agent Frank Draper
09:20 GMT-7 (16:20 GMT May 22nd)
It was a somewhat rare event for the man to receive a visit from the one person who he knew hated his guts, but it was an event which simply told the astute man that it had to be something very important.
"Hello, Miss Cho, how may I help you this fine morning?"
"I need your help."
"It must be something major or you would never be asking."
"You got that right!" Erika growled. "But you owe me."
"Okay, let's leave our relationship at the door and pretend we both get along, shall we?"
Erika grinned.
"Maddie has a brother as you know."
"I do."
"The boy contacted his sister, last night – in border-line hysterics, he was - to tell her that he had just burnt himself and that he needed help. The boy had apparently been home all weekend without a minute of adult supervision. Dammit, Draper, the kid is only nine years old! His parents . . . well, they are neglecting him. He called Maddie for help."
"How did he have Maddie's phone number?"
"I'd rather not say."
"I think we can ignore the hacking of a family member's cell phone," the FBI Special Agent chuckled. "Take me through what happened."
"Maddie's cell rang a little before half seven...," Erika began.
The previous evening...
Sunday, May 21st
Oak Pass Road
19:23 GMT-7 (02:23 GMT May 22nd)
Erika was getting annoyed, just like on most evenings.
James and Maddie were winding up Sky while Kieran was taking the time to annoy Chrissy. Erika knew that it would all end in tears, just like it usually did once the twins decided that behaving in a mature fashion – as befitted their sixteen years – was not working. Erika's peace and quiet was disrupted totally as a giggling Maddie had burst into the living room with Sky just a foot behind, her face contorted in anger. Then came the screaming as Sky seized hold of Maddie by the younger girl's bra strap and T-shirt, pulling the girl up short.
"I was only kidding . . . I was only kidding!" Maddie pleaded as she was thrown bodily onto a couch.
Before Sky could respond, Maddie's cell phone rang. Sky stepped back to allow Maddie to answer.
"Connor?"
Sky looked at Erika who looked over at Maddie. Connor was Maddie's brother. Why would the boy be calling his sister . . . come to think of it, Erika thought, how did the boy even have the number for Maddie's secure cell phone?
"Calm down . . . what? HOW!? Cold water – plenty of cold water . . . I'm coming Connor, hang on."
Maddie was a pale shade of white when she hung up her cell phone. The shocked girl looked directly at Erika.
"Connor's hurt – he's burnt himself – and his parents are at work, but he can't get hold of the bastards," Maddie explained quickly.
"Let's go!" Erika said as she jumped up and grabbed a set of car keys off a hook.
Whittier Drive
19:45 GMT-7 (02:45 GMT May 22nd)
After a twelve-minute drive, Erika brought Sky's Ford Focus to a very rapid rubber-burning halt.
Maddie was out of the car and halfway up the path before Erika had even opened her door. The front door was locked but Maddie quickly produced a key from under a plant pot and she burst inside.
"Connor!" she yelled.
"Maddie!" came a responding scream from the kitchen.
Erika overtook Maddie and she reached the boy first. The boy was a mess; his left arm was red from mid-bicep down to the beginning of his fingers. It was obviously a scald – a bad scald. The boy had followed Maddie's advice and he was almost drenched through from holding his arm under the cold tap. That quick advice had probably saved the boy from permanent scarring but the delay for a phone call had caused border-line second-degree burns, and blisters were obvious. Maddie was speechless and while the boy was in shock, Erika could see that Maddie was horrified and she had frozen, unsure of what to do. Grabbing a towel, Erika swiftly dried the boy's arm off.
"Maddie – find me some cling film . . . MADDIE!"
The girl snapped into action and she pulled open a drawer and after rummaging around for a bit, she produced a roll of cling film. As she watched, Erika pulled off a strip and she covered the burnt section of arm, adding several more layers over the blistered section. Maddie knew that the covering would keep the arm sterile and reduce the chances of infection. Erika swept the sobbing boy off his feet and she carried him out to the car. Maddie held open the back door and Erika placed Connor inside, carefully pulling the seatbelt into place. Maddie ran around to the opposite side of the car before jumping in beside her brother.
Erika climbed in and she started the engine, shoving the car into gear and with a ferocious chirping of tyres, accelerated down the street.
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Emergency Department
20:08 GMT-7 (03:08 GMT May 22nd)
It only took a few minutes to cover the relatively short distance to the hospital.
Erika carried the sobbing boy directly into the Emergency Department where he was immediately seen by a triage nurse who guided them to a vacant cubicle. There was an agonising wait as a doctor was summoned but then everything moved quickly. Connor was given some strong pain relief which allowed the boy to rest while his painful injuries were inspected by the doctor who declared second-degree burns. Maddie was horrified, and she was struggling to keep still as she saw the injuries which her brother had suffered. Her mind was filled with hate for her parents – how could they treat the boy like he was nothing?
"Are you the boy's mother?" the doctor asked Erika sternly.
"No, but I am his sister's legal guardian."
"The boy has some deep burns – hot water?"
"I believe so," Erika replied, remembering the scene in the kitchen where she had seen a saucepan on the kitchen floor beside the cooker amidst a pool of water. "He was home-alone and there was a delay to treatment while he called his sister for help."
The doctor frowned.
"His parents?"
"No idea. We've tried to call them, but we get no response."
"I see."
Not surprisingly, the doctor appeared angry. Erika was steaming, and the doctor had noticed her anger, so he decided to bend the rules for the boy's sake.
"We'll treat the burns and he can go home in a couple of hours. He will need to return for a check-up in about a week. The blisters will go down on their own and should NOT be popped. We will wrap his arm in a bandage to prevent infection and that will need changed regularly. As for scarring, we shall have to see."
"I understand," Erika replied.
The doctor began his work.
Oak Pass Road
22:15 GMT-7 (05:15 GMT May 22nd)
After leaving the hospital, Erika drove by Connor's home – it was dark and empty.
The boy was fast asleep on the backseat, so Erika simply drove home. With the help of James, Connor was tucked into a spare bed and allowed to continue sleeping. The painkillers which the hospital had given him would allow the boy to sleep until the morning. By the time Erika went looking for Maddie, she found the incredibly angry girl standing in her bedroom, staring into nothing. Erika walked up behind the youngster and she wrapped her arms around Maddie's shoulders.
"I can't believe they've been treating him so badly – I should have been there."
"It is not your fault, Maddie."
"I know – I know."
"Get some sleep and we'll see about things in the morning."
"Thanks for being there for Connor."
"Always, Maddie."
Monday, May 22nd
Office of FBI Special Agent Frank Draper
09:50 GMT-7 (16:50 GMT May 22nd)
Frank Draper had children of his own, so he knew how Erika was feeling.
No matter what Draper thought about Erika, he knew that she was fiercely protective of her brood and especially protective of Maddie.
"What can I do about it?" the man asked the woman who sat before him.
"I can't exactly report it using the normal channels, can I?" Erika pointed out.
"Oh – their job . . . gotcha!"
Erika looked down at her cell as it rang.
"It's Maddie... Hi, Maddie, how...?"
Erika appeared to have been cut off by Maddie as she listened for a full minute before Erika then disconnected the call and she looked up at Draper.
"The boy's parents have just discovered that their son is not at school and they have called his cell – they're sending the LAPD after us for kidnapping the boy," she explained.
Draper's eyes narrowed.
"We'll see about that!" the man growled as he jumped up before bellowing for his partner. "Francis!"
Erika followed the man out of the office.
Oak Pass Road
10:05 GMT-7 (17:05 GMT May 22nd)
What should have taken forty minutes, took barely fifteen with the help of a flashing red light and a siren.
The FBI sedan came to a somewhat rapid halt behind two LAPD police cruisers parked in the driveway before the closed gates which led up to the house. Sky and Chrissy were ten feet beyond the gates ignoring the threats being issued by the four police officers. Draper leapt out of the car along with Francis and both special agents ran forward where they corralled the four LAPD officers and began talking to them. It took several minutes for Special Agent Draper to calm things down and another minute for Special Agent Francis to reverse the FBI sedan out of the way.
The two police cruisers were gone, two minutes later, and Erika was inside the gates with the FBI Special Agents.
10:12 GMT-7 (17:12 GMT May 22nd)
"Hello, Connor."
"I know you," the boy replied as he looked up at Draper. "You arrested Mads."
"Yes, I did," Draper replied, ignoring the hate-filled looks which he was receiving from the girl in question. "What happened?"
"I wanted something hot to eat and I tried to boil two eggs. I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing, and my arm kinda caught the pan just as it was boiling . . . the pan sorta flew upwards and I reached out to grab it without thinking . . . the water struck my arm and then the pan did. It hurt . . . it hurt so much."
Maddie put an arm around her little brother as the boy started to cry. The boy had awoken that morning to find his sister asleep on the bed beside him. It had taken all his concentration to figure out where he was and why his sister was there with him. However, his left arm had responded to his questions by reminding the boy that it was injured. His scream of pain had awoken Maddie and everyone else in the house. That had allowed Maddie to introduce her brother to Erika, Sky, Chrissy, James, and Kieran. Very soon after, Connor had received a phone call from his mother to find out why he was not at school.
The LAPD had arrived twenty minutes later.
10:18 GMT-7 (17:18 GMT May 19th)
The nine-year-old boy was hesitant.
"You know they signed me away in a heartbeat, don't you?"
"They said you were taken into care because of your disruptive tendencies."
"No, Connor, I was offered a new life with someone who cares. I have a family that cares more about me than our parents ever did. They have no real love for you, just as they had no real love for me. When Erika offered them a way out, they could not wait to sign. I'm enjoying my life, for the first time in years. You are my brother and deep down – actually, very deep down – I love you. We are blood, and we need to stick together, Connor. There is only one outcome here; our parents are going to jail. You have to choose – it's Erika or a children's home."
Connor looked over at Erika and then back up at his sister.
Monday, May 22nd
Safehouse F
Chicago, USA
19:15 GMT-6 (01:15 GMT May 23rd)
As was usual for the young woman, Mindy was pushing things.
She had been training for almost an hour without a break, ignoring the sweat which poured down her face and across her tortured body. Her opponents for the training session were her four children, all of whom were desperate to help their parents in any way they could, and in this case to help them get back into shape. Both Dave and Mindy had endured bad conditions and bad food, which combined had caused a significant loss in both weight and their high level of fitness over the duration of their captivity. The loss of weight had been simple to address, and the kids had been 'forced' to endure several extra-large meals and more than a few greasy takeaways – the kids were in heaven! As for the fitness, Mindy had opted for her usual over-the-top method of getting where she needed to be as soon as was humanly possible (at least for Hit Girl). Chloe was doing much the same as was Joshua with the help (read 'help' as 'hinderance') of young Becky. Neither Chloe nor Mindy were hiding any of the physical damage that their bodies had endured, not to mention the vividly visible marks on their thighs and lower backs. Their usual sports bra and shorts outfits allowed much to become readily visible and the obvious marks from their beating had shocked many – even the Predators, who were disturbingly familiar with such marks. Nobody made comments, and everybody did their utmost not to stare. However, for Dave and Joshua, it was exceedingly difficult and they both grimaced each time they caught sight of the marks which they themselves had inflicted on their women.
Anne-Marie had her beautiful butterfly swords out - protective sheaths fixed, of course. Stephanie bore a set of her favourite Sais and Jamie wielded his Messer sword while young Danny would attack with his tactical wakizashi. Mindy easily fended off each and every blow with her bō-staff, deflecting the strikes and sending a random child flying onto the mat every few minutes. Dave was also sparring, but he was having to be much more careful as he had already sent Jamie flying some distance across the mat – although, the resulting hat-trick of sending Megan, Annabelle, and Shannon flying like bowling pins when Jamie had collided with the girly group was surprisingly satisfying to Dave.
"You little fuck!" Shannon had exclaimed as she had shoved the unfortunate boy off her.
"Calm down, Stormy!" Jamie retorted as he bolted for safety. "Your boobs don't look too dented."
Shannon made for Jamie; her own bō-staff raised.
"Oh no, you don't, Stormy!" Mindy growled as she intercepted the fourteen-year-old.
Shannon took up the challenge as she raised her bō-staff to block Mindy's attack. The weapons clashed as the two girls whirled around the mat. Shannon had learnt a lot during her training with Urban Predator, and she was one of the very few who could keep up with Hit Girl during intensive sparring. Mindy hated favouritism of any kid, but after her own kids, Shannon was among those who Hit Girl felt deserved extra attention. Mindy had often listened to Jamie's recollection of his and Shannon's time together on the run in England, and she owed Shannon for looking after the boy who was now her son.
However, Mindy could never ignore an opportunity to remind others who was the boss.
..._...
Shannon had been stunned when Mindy and Chloe had first stepped out for training at the safehouse.
She had been reminded of the many beatings which she herself had received years before. She recognised a beating when she saw one, and the two girls had suffered. However, Shannon knew that neither girl would want to dwell on their appearance, so she simply helped out where she could. Mindy needed to get back into shape, so Shannon would not back down. She knew that Mindy was only operating at eighty per cent, at best, but that was still a force to be reckoned with. The look on Mindy's face was pure malevolence but Shannon ignored the attempt to get under her skin as she blocked every strike. Then Shannon landed a strike on Mindy's thigh and Shannon was stunned by the look of agony on Mindy's face and Shannon stepped back, alarmed by what she had done.
However, the fourteen-year-old clocked the raised eyebrow and she knew that she had made a bad mistake by pausing. Mindy's bō-staff came out of nowhere, clobbering Shannon on the shoulder. Shannon screamed out in pain, but she responded in kind, the two bō-staffs clashing again and again. Shannon could see the pain in Mindy's face – even the tears – but she did not stop as she knew that Mindy would not thank her for being charitable. Instead, Shannon dug deep, fighting with her very being, as she attempted to beat Hit Girl while she was weak. The fighting escalated to the point where Dave seriously considered putting a stop to it before Mindy was hurt further or Shannon was injured. Shannon was doing well, moving just as fast as Mindy, their weapons clashing and both girls using everything that they knew to outdo the other. Then Shannon got the edge and she was able to catch Mindy behind the lower legs and Mindy crashed to the mat.
"You yield?" Shannon growled as she pointed the tip of her bō-staff at Mindy's bruised throat.
Shannon's world turned upside down as Mindy seized hold of the girl's bō-staff and twisted it with all her strength, throwing Shannon off to the side. Mindy jumped up and she drove her left knee into Shannon's crotch while her right arm pinned Shannon by the neck.
"I yield to no one!" Mindy hissed, breathing heavily.
..._...
After a soothing shower, Mindy sought out Shannon.
She found the girl in the galley, eating. Shannon was seated with Jamie and Stephanie. Mindy grabbed a plate of fries and she sat down across from Shannon and beside Stephanie. Shannon studied Mindy as she ate her fries, applying liberal amounts of Ketchup to each one. The woman was unbeatable, she considered. Even beaten half to a pulp, she was still lethal. After putting away the plate load of fries – and half a bottle of Ketchup – Mindy smiled at Shannon.
"Thank you," Mindy said.
"Anytime, Hit Girl," Shannon replied.
Stephanie smiled at Shannon.
Stephanie had been worried by how far Mindy was willing to go – she had expected it, who had not. But the fight had been bad, and Shannon had added a half-dozen fresh bruises to the uncountable number already present. However, Stephanie knew full well that Mindy did not need favours of any kind. Mindy needed, and wanted, the rough stuff. Stephanie knew that she would want the very same, should she be in the same position.
Jamie was not so happy with things. He hated to see anyone suffer, let alone those who he cared for. He had been shocked to the very core of his being by the state of his adoptive mother on her return from the opposite side of the planet. Seeing her body so liberally covered in bruises had scared him. Mindy was Hit Girl, after all, so how could she have been made to suffer so badly? Jamie knew the answer. Mindy had been protecting her friends and he knew that she would die before ever giving up on her friends. The very same applied to Dave, Joshua, and Chloe. On Chloe, Jamie had always thought the girl to be amazingly beautiful, so to see her with skin marred with so many cuts and bruises had been heart wrenching. Indeed, Jamie had shed many tears for the girls, and when Jen had visited, he had seen the bruises on her arms, neck, and face.
The twins, Danny and Anne-Marie had never seen anything like they had witnessed with Mindy and Chloe. The state of their bodies had been horrendous and neither had ever considered that somebody could gain so many welts, bruises, and contusions . . . and live.
"Right!" Mindy announced as she stood up, wincing. "I need to get this old body home for some much-needed rest."
"Can I help the old lady out?" Stephanie asked, offering her hand.
"Fuck off!" Mindy grinned. "I'm not that old!"
"Is that a grey hair, I see?" Megan commented as she strolled past Mindy.
Mindy scowled as she watched the cheeky twelve-year-old vanish from the galley – she was not having it! Mindy seized hold of a nun-chuck which Danny was playing with and she stepped out of the galley door, spinning, then throwing the weapon down the walkway. Megan never saw what struck her legs and caused her to fall flat on her face.
"Grey hair!" Mindy scoffed as she turned her back on the fallen Megan.
The following morning...
Tuesday, May 23rd
Britannia Secondary School
Vancouver, Canada
10:34 GMT-7 (17:34 GMT May 22nd)
They were back to their normal, mundane lives.
The adrenaline-inducing fun of the weekend was behind them and they were each focussing on their lessons – at least most of the time. Part of their brain was still working on the conundrum which was Eidolon. It was a distraction and one which they needed to figure out. Naturally, they had passed on the name to Fusion, but nobody had come back to them with anything remotely useful. They were also pursuing the packaging which they had seized from the apartment, as well as the sniper – that had been a very rude awakening for them – but nothing had come out of that investigation . . . not yet, anyway.
Carrie craved that adrenaline rush, but the sniper had pushed that rush a little too far. There were times that she was careless – an annoying trait which had plagued her Predator career and her life in general. Thankfully, she was good at everything else which had prevented her from being shit-canned many years before. Most of the time, though, Jay was there to guide her and clear up her mess, but even he with the patience of Job sometimes had his patience with Carrie tested to the limit.
"What are you doing?" Ella asked her cousin.
"Thinking."
"About sex?"
"No!"
Ella loved to tease Carrie about anything that came to mind. At that moment, Ella was thinking about sex, so that was what she teased Carrie about. Carrie had quickly figured that out for herself and would swiftly throw it back at Ella.
"Why are you thinking about sex at school, Ella?"
Ella's mouth dropped open and she pouted.
"I'm not."
"You been playing with your clit again?"
"No!"
"Somebody talking about Ella's 'button of joy'?" Dylan asked with a big grin on his face.
"Great!" Ella growled. "Thanks, Carrie."
"You're so welcome, Ella."
"Don't even think about it!" Ella growled disgustedly at Dylan who had his hand down the front of his trousers.
Dylan grinned as Ella stormed off.
That same time...
Tuesday, May 23rd
Training Facility Echo – Level 1
Chicago, USA
12:34 GMT-6 (18:34 GMT May 23rd)
There was a lot going on and not much of it was good.
Los Angeles, San Diego, and Vancouver had drawn a blank. There were many brains working on the problem, and they were among the best in the world, only they were all coming up blank. It was like they were assembling an enormous puzzle but had only been given a few wildly different pieces which bore no relation to one another and there was no picture to obtain guidance from. Mindy hated it when she ran up against a brick wall. Normally, she would blast it to hell and just keep on going, metaphorically speaking, but she was stuck churning her wheels in a large pool of mud . . . okay, enough grammatical manipulation.
"Mindy, you can get dressed now."
"Gee, thanks!" Mindy grumbled.
She hated medicals, but she was wise enough to understand the need for them. It was part of being a woman and a part of being Hit Girl, she knew. It had been yet another full physical – inside and out. Mindy still felt creeped out having another female probing about her snatch and peering deep into her vagina. Mindy knew that Jennifer was suffering just as much as she was; Jennifer bore similar mental and physical scars from their ordeal. Jennifer had not commented on Mindy's new arrangement for her pubic region despite having seen Mindy with a full set of pubic hair just two weeks previously. Yes, it had been twelve days since their rescue from hell. It was still a struggle for them all and they relied on friends and family to help them along. Mindy hated having to rely on anybody, but Dave would not allow her to stew on her own. He had his own demons to share and they talked into the night, most nights.
Just the other night, Chloe, Joshua, and Becky had come over for dinner. That had been a fun night, only, by nine o'clock the fun had waned, and Mindy had found herself on the couch in the living room hugging Chloe while they had both cried. Stephanie had chased the kids out and up the stairs at the first sign of tears. That had given Becky the opportunity to open up to Stephanie about her own, very personal, feelings about her adoptive parents. Becky was struggling to cope with what she was hearing and what she had seen – she was only nine years old, after all. Stephanie and Jamie had sat with Becky for an hour talking to her and listening to her. Eventually, Chloe had appeared, and she had sat with Becky for a bit on Stephanie's bed while Stephanie and Jamie had suddenly remembered something that they had forgotten in another room. Being men, Dave and Joshua found it difficult to express their feelings, just as Mindy did.
Two sessions each with Dr Reese had made a significant difference for all four of them. Jennifer had also been to see the young psychiatrist and she had recalled so many bad things which she so wanted to forget. As for the two Predator girls, Freya and Ariana, they had both appeared to have weathered things quite well. Mindy knew from bitter experience that girls of that type tended to bury their emotions deep down and there was absolutely no budging them to get the emotions out.
It had not escaped Mindy's notice that the events unfolding had all begun around the same time that they had taken down Urban Predator, just the year before. Maybe that was just fate or possibly something more sinister.
Only time would tell, she reasoned.
That afternoon...
Tuesday, May 23rd
15:47 GMT-6 (21:47 GMT May 23rd)
Freya was walking home from school with Ariana when the older girl decided she wanted a drink.
They stopped outside a small convenience store and Ariana vanished inside. Freya was left holding two school bags and looking stupid. Then, out of nowhere, a voice spoke – in Russian.
"Добрый день."
"What do you want?" Ariana growled as she looked around to ensure that she was not being watched.
"You have not reported in."
"I've been busy."
"Not good enough, you little whelp!"
"I will report in when I have something to report – okay?"
"It will have to be," the man responded. "But be warned, you are not the only one at risk."
Freya closed her eyes for a moment as she considered her position.
"What are you doing?" Ariana asked.
"Resting my eyes," Freya responded as she re-opened her eyes, looked around and noticed that the man was gone. "Let's get back; I'm tired."
Tuesday, May 23rd
South Woodlawn
20:55 GMT-6 (02:55 GMT May 24th)
Nine-year-old Sabrina Travers looked over at her thirteen-year-old cousin as she entered the living room.
Without asking, she sat down on the couch beside Hunter and she cuddled into him. Hunter grinned. He loved his little cousin, and most of the time she was a little angel unless she wanted something, and then she would then turn on the little girl charm and love.
"What are you after, Sab?" Hunter asked.
"Nothing," Sabrina replied sweetly.
"Yeah, right!"
"You put your life on the line, and you get hurt – why?"
"I have skills; you know that. I want to put those skills to good use."
"You've killed people, right?"
"Yes, Sab, I have."
"Did they deserve it?"
"Yes, they did, but I won't hurt anybody innocent."
"I think you're a good person, Hunter."
"Thanks, Sabrina – so are you."