A/N: Thanks for the feedback... the two of you that responded to my question. To kind clear the air about Tridon and Natsuki, I never said that they would keep it a secret. They were going to break the news to them since it was going to open a mini-arc about Tridon being on a short 1 week relationship with each girl. It'll basically be like the Beach Arc from the previous story. It's just that with this arc, they can get more intimate. But as you can tell, things are going to be like that for a while. This serious arc will continue on for maybe 1 or 2 more chapters before I take another break. This would also be a good chance to provide an update for the future of this series when the finale is uploaded.
Instead of doing a College After Story for this, I would just upload a timeskip chapter about Tridon and whoever he chose 8 years after the finale. It'll show them in their adult years and what's become of everyone after high school and college. This will then lead to an original series centered around Tridon and group of original characters. I say original as the girls will be part of the recurring cast and actually might barely show up in the original story.
So instead of doing a college story, I will only be doing a timeskip finale chapter after they graduate. For now, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I hope you all look forward towards the future. Until next time, c'ya!
"Tridon!" Tiffany shouted, "Open up!"
Monika opened the door still half asleep asking, "Why are you here so late Tiff?"
"Tridon told me to meet him at his house and that he needed help?"
"What? He hasn't come back yet."
"Oh no." Tiffany walked past Monika and took out her phone, "That boy..."
"What's going on?"
"Either something went wrong on the way back to his house, or he found trouble for himself."
"Should I get the others?"
"It's probably for the best. I'll try and figure out where he his."
Monika ran over to Sayori's house and rung her doorbell repeatedly. Sayori immediately opened the door and sighed.
"I know." Sayori responded, "I've been watching to see when he got back, but he never did."
"Girls," Tiffany interrupted, "we need to go to the hospital right now."
"What?"
After grabbing Natsuki, Yuri, and Lola, the girls arrived at the hospital and asked the main desk where Tridon Pierce was at. After getting that information, they took the elevators to the MICU.
Once they arrived, they were stopped to see that visiting hours weren't allowed until 6 that next morning. Natsuki walked up to the door and proceeded to bang on it.
"Natsuki!" Monika and Yuri held her back while she continued banging and kicking on the door, "Chill out Natsuki!"
"No!" She shouted, "I need to see him!"
The door opened with a doctor standing at the entrance. Tiffany confronted him and flashed her badge. The doctor looked at the others and sighed.
"I take it you're all with that young boy that was taken in earlier, correct?"
"That's right." Tiffany answered, "We need to know his condition. I know we can't see him, but we need to know how he is right now."
"Very well." The doctor nodded and said, "Follow me and we'll discuss his condition along with the girl that was with him."
"Girl?" Tiffany mumbled under her breath.
Once the group and the doctor were situated away from the ICU, the doctor began, "Mr. Pierce had suffered a gunshot wound to his lower back. Thankfully, the bullet went straight through, but he's still schedule for an x-ray in case fragments from the shell are still inside of him."
"Do we know how he was shot and the caliber of the round?" Tiffany asked.
"We do not know that information yet. However, for it to travel straight through, the assailant might've been relatively close to Mr. Pierce before taking the shot. Right now, he is stable, but we noticed that he was very weak and his oxygen levels were rather low. So right now, he's asleep while being assisted through a ventilator."
"But he's stable?" Natsuki quickly asked.
"He is. His recovery will be quick, so I'll expect him to be out in the next few days."
"Good..." Natsuki sighed in relief and gripped her jacket.
"As for this girl that was with her," Sayori started, "who was it exactly?"
"We able to identify her as Chelsea Greene." The group perked up as the doctor continued, "Same age as Mr. Pierce and seemed to be in worse shape than him."
"How so doctor?" Monika asked.
"She had 3 apparent bullet wounds on her clothing. However, when we examined her, they were gone. As if they were magically healed." The doctor looked at Tiffany specifically and asked, "Is Mr. Pierce to be whst people would call an Enigma?"
"Enigma?" Monika, Natsuki, and Yuri ask in unison.
Tiffany sighed and looked around before answering, "Yes. He is an Enigma. He's not the only one in this group either."
"I expected as much." The doctor commented, "Is that why you're here?"
"He is my client, so I have to watch him every way that I can."
"FBI Enigma clients aren't to be this well taken care of by an FBI agent. Normally they would purposely leave them alone to deal with their own problems. It's quite shocking to see an agent worried about a client."
"I have a history with my client. A long history."
"Well, I have to ask you if you could hand over reigns of his treatment to me and my team."
"What?" Tiffany stood up and confronted the doctor, "Not a chance doctor."
"It seems you've overstepped your boundaries as his overwatch. I'm surprised your superiors don't know the extent you're going to protect this man and his friends."
"Like I said, we have history."
Natsuki wanted to lunge at this man and and just choke him out, but she stopped herself. She looked at the others and saw that they were wanting to do the same. Natsuki bounced her knee and watched Tiffany confront the doctor.
"I'm watching him and I'm not letting anyone else watch over him." Tiffany looked at the girls and said, "Where is Ms. Greene?"
"4th floor. Room 4021."
"Let's go girls. Let's go see if she's seen what happened."
"Tiffany," Yuri started, "what did the doctor mean 'Enigma'?"
"It's the name people have given to people with powers." Lola answered for Tiffany, "It stuck and it's what people refer to us now."
"That's right." Sayori added, "I don't know how we never told you girls what the name for people with powers was. Totally slipped my mind."
Once they arrived at her room, they noticed her staring off into space. Chelsea couldn't get the image of her boyfriend being gun downed right in front of her, then being shot immediately after.
That scenario replayed in her head until Tiffany started, "Ms. Greene."
"Huh?"
"Hmph." Tiffany walked over to her bed and asked, "Do you know what's happened these last few hours?"
"No. I don't." She answered, "I didn't even know what happened. I just remember stumbling down the road before everything went back. I just woke up a few moments." Chelsea fell silent for a short second before adding, "I really only remember my last few moments at Robert's main building."
"What happened?"
"Robert gunned us down when we terminated our contract."
"I'm assuming you and your boyfriend, correct?"
"That's right." Chelsea stared at the blanket over her and sighed, "He was gunned down and I guess killed. He took 5 shots to the back before Robert turned his attention to me."
"How'd you escape?" Tiffany probed.
"I don't think you should keep asking her these questions when it happened not even a few hours ago." Sayori interrupted, "Let her regather her bearings."
"No. It's fine." Chelsea looked up at the group and answered, "I managed to back away from his first set of shots, but when I stood up to try and run, he got 3 shots on me. The last I remember is seeing 2 of his soldiers pick me up and toss me on some sort of back road. I was hoping someone would find me before I passed out from blood loss."
"Is that all you remember?"
"Yes. I heard a muffled voice for second. Next thing I knew, I was here."
"So you didn't even know who saved you?"
"I would assume Tridon since you're all here." Chelsea looked around and didn't even notice Tridon with them, "Where is he? I have to thank him for saving me despite everything that I had done to Natsuki."
"He's in the MICU." Natsuki softly answered.
"What?!"
"When he tried to save you, he was also shot, albeit from a much stronger round."
"But..."
"Now it makes sense." Lola started, "They dropped her off somewhere, but where they dropped her off wasn't by chance. They would have to know the route Tridon would take back home so that he would notice her bleeding out on the road."
"You mean I was followed the minute those soldiers chucked me out onto the road?"
"I knew those abrasions on your wrists weren't normal." Sayori commented, "However, I don't think you were just chucked on the road. You would have abrasions along your arm from sliding across the asphalt. You were more than likely set there so that this person could start tailing you."
"We'll know more once we figure out what caliber the round was." Tiffany interrupted.
"I have a feeling as to who took the shot." Yuri commented, "Remember, Tridon still has 2 well-known enemies apart from Robert and only one of those would take drastic measures to get what they want."
Everyone except Lola and Yuri answered, "Erica."
"Who?" Lola immediately questioned.
"She was Tridon's ex-girlfriend." Monika answered, "She was normal at first, but we found out that she's been working with Robert in order to kinda take Tridon back."
"So she's like an obsessive ex-girlfriend?"
"That's right." They answer Lola in unison.
"Wait," Chelsea interrupted, "if that's the case, then why would she deliberately wound him that much? It just seems counter intuitive."
"Crazy girl plus crazy obsession can lead to very outlandish things." Sayori commented, "But we can't be so sure yet. For now, we can only wait until-." Before Sayori could finish, the lights flickered on and off around the hospital, "What's going on?"
"Girls," Tiffany walked over to the door while taking out her standard-issue handgun, "stay back for a sec." Tiffany peaked out and looked around to see nurses and doctors running around trying to figure out why the power was on the fritz, "Hm..."
"What is it Tiff?" Sayori asked.
"Not sure. The whole building is on the fritz."
Natsuki peaked outside and noticed multiple armored vehicles stopping in front of the hospital. Natsuki tried to say something, but she couldn't find her words.
"Either say something or don't Natsuki." Tiffany interrupted, "Kinda trying to find out what's going on."
"A-Ah..." Natsuki gulped and shouted, "Armed soldiers are moving through the building!" She pointed outside saying, "They look like the soldiers that were at the lake when Tridon had his confrontation with Robert."
"Damn it." Tiffany scratched the back of her head and wiped her forehead of sweat, "They're gunning for Tridon." Tiffany rolled her jacket sleeves up and spoke into her watch, "Team, set up a perimeter 50 yards from the hospital. Make sure every nook and cranny is blocked. Nobody gets in or out."
"Tiff," Monika started, "what are we gonna do?"
"We're getting Tridon." Tiffany walked over to Chelsea and said, "If you're serious about making up for your past actions, then get up and helps us get Tridon." Tiffany offered her hand to Chelsea and saying, "It's your choice."
Chelsea exhaled deeply and took her hand, "I'll do it."
The group ran out the room to see security officers on the floor heading up. Tiffany looked around and ushered the girls to follow her.
"This way." Tiffany went into the stairwell where she heard more commotion in the stairwell, "Keep your head straight and be on your guard." Tiffany aimed her gun up the stairwell and sighed, "We gotta move fast because I think that doctor will try and move him too."
Meanwhile, Tridon's eyes fluttered open to the panic. His eyes were blurry and his mind wasn't there. He could make out some words among the muffled voices. He slowly stood up from his bed and stumbled into the nearby wall.
Tridon groaned and felt around his abdomen. The gauze covering his bullet wound was extremely wet and worn out. He swore under his breath and stumbled forward. Once he gained his balance, he trudged out of the room.
"I see you're up Mr. Pierce." A voice to his left commented.
Tridon turned towards the voice and saw the same doctor that spoke to the girls earlier smiling at him. Tridon scoffed and continued trudging forward.
"Mr. Pierce, if you come with me, I can help you out." The doctor walked over to Tridon and carefully face Tridon towards him, "Fix you up and-."
Tridon noticed the doctor with a syringe in his hand inching towards him and Tridon's memory flashed of him being put in the hospital gurney and stuck fiercely with the same syringe.
Tridon quickly reacted and grabbed the arm of the doctor and threw him into the wall. Tridon held his abdomen and inhaled sharply. He stood back up and flipped the bird to the doctor.
"Nice try old man." Tridon turned back around and saw a group of Robert's soldiers holding police batons and 3 of them holding kali's. Tridon sighed in frustration and licked his lips, "Alright, let's see what you dress-up fakes can do." The soldiers with the kali's pressed a button on them and they emanated electricity, "Uh, you know I was kidding right?" They charged at him and Tridon backed up.
Tridon leaped over the control area of the MICU and dodged the flurry attacks from the soldiers. He used the tight area to hinder the soldiers' attacks.
He grabbed two of the kali-wielding soldiers and stuck them with their own kali sticks. Tridon was knocked the back by one of the lower soldier's batons, but quickly recovered and slid under one of the soliders.
Tridon kipped up and grabbed one of the soldiers, lifted them up, and slammed them onto the ground. He snatched their baton and backed up while gripping his abdomen. He smirked and jerked his head back to signal for them to charge at him and all at once, they attacked him.
Tridon ducked under the first soldier and booted the next one into the others. He turned back around and knocked the one he dodged onto one knee. Tridon clubbed him with the baton before he used their upper body to jump over them. He grabbed them in a reverse guillotine hold and he tightened the hold until he heard a snap.
He looked at the soldiers regaining their balance and quickly shuffled around, jumped up and grabbed one of the soldiers by their necks. He fell forward, sending the soldier flying forward into the glass of one of the MICU patient rooms.
Before Tridon could regather himself, he was grabbed from behind. Tridon tried to break free, but he was stunned by the electricity from the kali sticks. He eventually broke free and grabbed a discarded surgical tray from the ground.
He slid it as the soldier that grabbed him walked forward and they tripped over it. Tridon caught him and through him against the wall.
Tridon fell to a knee and grabbed his abdomen again. He looked back to see one more guard with kali sticks staring at him. Tridon inhaled sharply while popping his neck.
The two walked towards each other and as the final soldier prepared to swing, Tridon walked under their arm, grabbed their vest and used the whiplash from the sudden stop to send them hard to ground and knocking them out instantly.
Tridon looked at the scattered bodies of the soldiers and scoffed at them.
"For a bunch of 'elite' soldiers, this was just pathetic."
Even so, Tridon could feel the adrenaline wearing down and his energy dwindling. His wound was beginning to send excruciating pain through his body as he stumbled towards the MICU exit. However, just before he just barely made it, the doctor tried to stick him again, but he was able to dodge him again.
"Not so fast." Before Tridon could retaliate, Tridon felt 3 prongs latch onto his back and shock him greatly. Tridon fell to his knees before falling to the ground.
"Thank you." The doctor thanked to the assailant, "You've done well getting him here. I was worried those soldiers would give you trouble."
"He saved me the trouble by dealing with those guys there." This voice was all too familiar to Tridon. He looked from the corner of his eye and saw Erica dressed in all black and wearing a utility belt with a holstered gun, "So you're sure you can do it?"
"I can, but there is a chance that it will kill him."
"Tridon!" Tiffany could be heard in the distance getting closer.
"We need to go Erica. Can you carry him for me."
"I can." Erica picked up Tridon as he faded out of consciousness, "We have to make sure he doesn't die from his wound."
"We will once we're out of this mess."
And with that, they were gone just as Tiffany and the others arrived. They arrived shocked at the carnage.
"What room is he in?" Tiffany asked.
"There." Natsuki quickly pointed towards the room Tridon trudged out of to see that it was empty. The only things left were the bodies of the soldiers Tridon had either killed or knocked out.
"Where are you..." Sayori muttered to herself. She noticed the bloodstains along the floor and said, "He fought them off, but he's gone." Sayori followed the trail of blood and looked in the direction the doctor and Erica went in, "This way." Sayori ran ahead as everyone followed her.
They ran until they approached the helipad where Erica just now loaded Tridon into it.
"Erica?!" Sayori shouted.
She turned around and took out her gun and fired at them. She deliberately missed and shouted, "I won't miss next time!"
"Erica!" Natsuki shouted, "Let him go!"
"Why? And let you cheat on the others?"
"What does she mean Natsuki?" Monika asked.
"It's a long story. We were going to tell you, but then all this happened!"
"I'm just here to save him from a greater danger!" Erica shouted, "Himself!" Erica stepped onto the helicopter and banged on it, "Let's go!"
"Get back here!" Tiffany ran up firing at the helicopter, but missed Erica or shot close to Tridon, "Damn it..."
"Captain," a voice said through her wrist device, "we have visual on the helicopter. Permission to fire?"
"Permission denied." Tiffany quickly answered, "Stand down. Pierce is on there and we can't risk shooting it down. Just pull back and regroup. I need to think."
"Solid copy. Pulling back now Captain."
"Where are they taking him?" Natsuki quickly asked, "We have to find him."
"I'm not sure." Tiffany looked around and holstered her handgun, "I'll have to make some calls."
"But..."
"Wait a second." Monika stopped Natsuki asking, "What did Erica mean by cheating?"
"Earlier tonight when everyone left the lake, Tridon and I sat under the tree for a little bit. We talked and he eventually asked if I would like to go on a trial run."
"Trial run?"
"He wanted me to start an intimate relationship with him for a week or two. You know, as a trial run."
"But his relationship with me..." Lola muttered.
"He said it would be okay since your relationship is more platonic and that you two only act as one when you're at school. But he said that I could be more intimate with him outside of school. As a test run."
"I have a feeling he only said that to make up for what's happened today." Sayori responded, "Plus, it was Valentine's Day today. He said the same thing to me last year, but he said it as a joke. Which is quite surprising to hear that he was serious about this."
"You girls know I couldn't turn him down." Natsuki quickly defended Tridon's decision and her own, "I guarantee if you girls were in my position, then you would do the same."
Sayori, Monika, and Yuri all nodded in agreement.
"Still," Tiffany interrupted, "that relationship means nothing if he's not here and dies in the hands of that doctor and Erica." Tiffany shook her head and sighed, "I gotta make some calls. As for all of you, rest for the night and meet me at my house at 8 o'clock. We're gonna get this boy back."
