A/N: Oh gosh, Sciencegirl. Just got an imagine of you spritzing Pierce with a spray bottle. XD

Now, the climax officially begins.

Chapter 40: Bus 290 (Part 1)

Blaine tried to remain stoic; however, his speeding police cruiser betrayed any control he faked. Its tires squealed while rounding a street corner then swerved to avoid collision with a tractor trailer's grill. He sideswiped a parked Honda along the way, but so long as he maintained momentum, he didn't care.

"You're remembering to spot pedestrians, aren't you?" Damien asked from the passenger seat. A quick glance revealed his knuckles were white from gripping the handle above the window.

That didn't prevent Blaine from shifting into fifth gear once again. "Just pick up the damn radio and ask Dispatch if they've gotten any calls!"

The dark-skinned man growled before complying. His unsteady hand left the center counsel to remove a walkie-talkie from its mount, pressing the side button. "Dispatch, this is Officer Blaine Williams, Nineteenth Precinct. Again. Have you found the whereabouts of bus two-ninety from Bloomingdale School?"

"I will ignore that blatant impersonation because I know how recklessly Officer Williams is driving," the female responder replied. A bit of amusement left her tone light, although it soon darkened. "The bus hasn't reported into OCC yet. There's dead traffic along Broadway heading into Eighth and…wait, wait. A woman reported a bus driving against traffic in Midtown. It's plowed through cars up Eighth and nearly crushed her turning onto West Fifty-Seventh. It's—oh, God…"

"What?" Blaine hissed. When Dispatch didn't respond, the blonde stole the walkie-talkie from Damien to scream, "Emily!"

There was another pause before Emily replied, her voice trembling. "The report says th—the bus door was open. Three bodies fell out. Two dead, one jumped ship. He was a teacher, Sir. He…he left the kids inside."

"What are we gunna do?" Jasmine croaked from the bus aisle. "H—H—he was the only grown-up left, and he—he—"

"Ditched us, Jas," Terry followed up. The dark-haired boy braced himself along the broken glass in the walkway; then, gripped his sister to keep her from falling against the rubber mat when the bus turned. "We're on our own."

"But—"

"We'll find another way off."

"Like how?" Jakob asked. He sent the older kid a pointed look, which melted into surprise once the bus jerked again.

This jerk was more powerful than the others before it, so Kaiya found herself sliding into the aisle with the Wangs. Her head slammed against the metal bench frame behind her and Jakob followed, landing crossways on her stomach as a fierce grinding rattled their bodies.

Cringing, Kai glanced up at the buildings now blocking the right side windows. Their blurred shapes met the glass with frightful scrapes then shattered them completely with a single slam. Shards instantly spread through the slim space like ocean spray and Kai screwed her eyes shut at the painful cries of her classmates.

"Damn old ladies," the cyborg growled at the bus' head. "You'd think they'd have enough sense to get out'a the way. Eh, kids? "

Only snivels answered him.

"All well. Least we don't have bullets flying at us anymore."

The freak started laughing again, except Kaiya found nothing funny about the busted windshield. It reminded her of the bad words that had roared beyond their cage, just before startling bangs forced all the kids to one side.

"He's going to kill us," a soft voice whimpered.

Kaiya, shifting along the rubber aisle, spotted a fellow classmate curled against his seat. Blood ran down his temple in a thick stream—either from a bullet or glass—and he sniffled with his fingers dug deeply into the cracked leather.

"I—it'll be okay, Danny," she said over the driver's excited hoot. "My Daddy's on his way. I know he is."

"What if he's too late?" Danny countered, gasping for air. "What if he ends up like those other policemen? Dead!"

"He won't!"

So what if Danny didn't believe the blonde? Knowing that bothered her less than her memories did. Similar thoughts had haunted her inside Hall F, and she found herself shaking before realizing it.

"He has a point," Terry interjected. "I don't even hear sirens any more. We should stop the bus ourselves."

"No!" Jasmine gripped her brother's shirt, so he couldn't stand. "Y—you saw what he did to the grown-ups. Wh—what can we do? We're just kids…"

'Just kids?' Kaiya studied her pale hands. At one point, they had been cut by glass from the shooting. Now, only red stains remained. 'I'm stronger than the teachers. I could jump out and be okay. But…'

The seven-year-old glanced down the aisle at the children on the dirty floor. Not one tried to stand anymore, which only fueled Kaiya's desire to do so. 'No; I'm not like Mister Hoskins. I'm like Mister Leonardo, and he never left me.'

That settled it. Kaiya pushed Jakob off her stomach then rose.

A terrible chill met her once upright—air that blew through the broken windshield and up her shirt. It whipped her wavy hair about like a tornado and threatened to knock her back with its roar. Yet she followed the walkway, keeping low in case the cyborg decided to use the harmed rearview mirror.

'I just have to stop the bus,' she thought, swallowing. The idea sounded simple. Still, when she neared the front seats, her shakes had become so uncontrollable that she stumbled forward.

"What do ya think you're doing, kid?" the mean man asked.

Kaiya jumped at his snarl, nearly falling down the stairwell as he plowed through another car. The surprise forced her to grip the railing to the point where its metal bent. Kai meant to erase her mistake by hiding it with her body. Unfortunately, the driver's dark eyes proved she had been too late.

"Strong grip, Sweetie," he said with a smirk. "Where'd you get it?"

Was he excited? Please, say he wasn't.

The seven-year-old shook her head, refusing to think about the 'where'. But the longer she remained quiet, the less attention the cyborg paid on the busy road. His knife-like hands teased her to come closer, and he ignored steering altogether when he began stopping and going—just to make the girl squeeze the railing over and over.

"Come on, you can tell your buddy Pierce," he said while speeding again. "Don't you wanna be friends?"

"No!" Kaiya countered. "I want you to let everybody off."

"How am I supposed to distract cops then? Get with the program, kid; you're bait until I reach the EPF."

"Not anymore!"

That said, Kaiya propelled herself across the bus. She hit the man in the chest with her fists, sickened by a faint crack that followed. The attack forced Pierce against the metal wall beside him, so as he gasped, the blonde's foot hovered over the pedals.

'Which one makes it stop? Maybe…this one?'

Wrong.

"Little bitch!" Pierce cried over the engine's rev. His elbow split Kaiya's lip, although the cut healed in the seconds she needed to take hold of the steering wheel. "Get off!"

Kaiya shook her head of flying hairs then lifted her foot to press a different pedal. It immediately fell back into place, though, cemented by Pierce's boot.

'T—that's never happened before. I can always push people away. Unless—'

His leg was pure metal.

"So you ain't as strong as Silver Sentry, eh?" Pierce whispered into Kaiya's ear.

His breath stunk, so the girl turned both her head and the steering wheel aside

"Idiot, what are you doing?"

With a jolt, the bus took a hard right, exiting off the main street, and Kaiya braved the bitter winds to glance ahead. She saw a couple of orange and white stripped signs and a clear road heading towards the sun.

"Let go!" Pierce used a shoulder blade to force Kaiya away when the bus rammed the signs, but she kept her grip strong, meaning to lift her foot no matter what. "I said let go!"

Pain flared through Kaiya's leg like fire, like Recro-12. Its burn made her scream, and one of her hands left the steering wheel to grab the knife-fingers Pierce jabbed through her jeans. He growled in return, twisting his wrist for every second Kaiya remained defiant.

"I'm warning ya, Kid. This can end very badly if you—"

Enough talking! Kaiya narrowed her eyes then gripped the steering wheel with all her might. The cyborg tried to stop her all too late; the wheel broke from the twist she gave it. Perhaps it was too hard of a turn.

The bus hit the ramp's barrier like a bumper car before sliding sideways. In the moment that the tires skipped off the asphalt, Kaiya's askew gaze caught the rising sun, which revealed a literal end to their road. Beyond that lay only a red sky, which she knew she had just doomed everyone to meet once the bus started rolling.

Kaiya's name was stuck in Blaine's throat like a pill refusing to go down. It prevented him from breathing, although his mad dash along an overpass guardrail could've been a factor as well.

"Blaine!" Damien screamed. He likely stood beside the officer's abandoned cruiser and growled in frustration from its poor position. "If that bus doesn't stop, you'll just add to the body count!"

Blaine only sped up.

He had watched bus two-ninety overturn then start rolling along Unfinished Bridge mere seconds ago and it had yet to stop. A low vantage meant he could no longer spot the carnage, but he could hear it. Beyond the traffic, moaning metal sang—a song which grew softer the closer Blaine came to the scaffolding that arched over the roadway.

Good, the bus was slowing down.

The issue now? Where would it stop?

Unfinished Bridge ended above the busy overpass like a half rainbow. Bright sparks preceded a ballooning yellow shape. The bus's tailgate. It met then passed the scaffolding, looming further over the edge while crushing the supports. There, it teetered.

"Kaiya!" Blaine cried.

He stepped forward, although a force pulled him back. He stumbled towards the guardrail with a curse, twisting at a bang beside him. A swift breeze followed as he spotted the emergency door from the bus, nestled inside a small crater on the road—right where he had been standing.

"What'd I tell you?"

Blaine met Damien's glare then glanced up. "So long as nothing shifts inside, the bus should stay up. We just need—we need to get up there."

"Hey, Damien, thanks for saving my life," the dark-skinned man said to no one. "Maybe you aren't such a bad ex-PD after all." Sliding sideways, Damien continued. "No problem, Man. I'm here to help."

"You want to help? Clear traffic around this area."

"With what? My body?"

"I'm sure you'll find a way. Now go!"

Blaine shooed the retired gangster away then sucked in a deep breath that steeled him against the pitiful sight past the emergency exit. Children were strewn across the bus's bent ceiling. The vehicle creaked with their whimpers and it was obvious they were stuck until adult help found them. If only he could reach them now.

'They don't know to be careful,' he thought, searching for Kaiya. 'When they wake up, they'll just be scared and want out. We need to stabilize the bus before—'

"Kaiya?" Blaine squinted at a slender figure who sat up near the bus' center. She remained quiet while glancing around the unofficial tunnel, but seemed to notice its incline within moments. "Baby, don't move!" he shouted when she glanced over her shoulder.

God, did she look lost and bloodied in the morning rays. However, Blaine knew he had to maintain his anger, so his daughter would remain calm.

"H—how are you doing, Kai?" he shouted many yards above him.

The little girl ran a hand through her matted hair, her lips quivering. "I—I—just—help—not—happen."

"Just stay where you are, Baby. Help's coming. So don't—don't—Kaiya, I said don't move!"

"He's still here!" Kai shouted back. Her voice broke as she faced the bus' front then slowly rose to a knee.

Although the bus made the faintest of sounds, it beat inside Blaine's chest like a drum. "Stop!"

His demand went ignored. Kaiya stood and when she moved, Blaine noticed another risen body. It was an adult, dark-skinned with tight braids falling over his shoulders. Cuts littered his body as if he had been in a knife fight, and his puffed lip curled upwards before he spat God-knows-what at the child's feet.

'That bastard's so lucky I'm not up there.'

"Think it's over, Little Bitch?" he asked. Kaiya stood her ground, squaring her shoulders, so the man snorted, lifting a handless arm. "You're gunna pay for this! All you brats are!"

The man lifted a boot then beat it against the metallic ceiling. It shuddered, groaned, and then tilted.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!"

Although Blaine had no chance of stopping the bus, he also lacked a will to move. He watched, slack-jawed, as its front end lifted higher and higher into the red-orange sky. And he fought tears when Kaiya raced towards her attacker. She used her super speed, which expelled the man from bus. Unfortunately, he had gotten a hit in as well.

His leg counteracted Kaiya's momentum to send her flying the opposite direction. She barreled through the bus like a rocket, heading straight for the overpass.

Catching her would likely crush Blaine, but what choice did he have? He spread his arms and prayed he could at least cushion her fall.

A/N: I know it's OC heavy. But I like to think you care about them enough at this point not to mind. None of them are having a good day...