The following morning
Tuesday
Safehouse F
When I got to the galley, I found Cathy, Paige, Marty and Dave all drinking coffee.
"I heard the screams," I said simply.
"Chloe is still asleep – she spent quite a while calming Curtis down last night. He's still asleep too," Paige explained. "Megan's on a couch in the briefing room, asleep."
"I wish I could have done more last night and prevented Curtis from shooting that man – but if he hadn't, then all four of them would have been dead. It was a MAC-10; my armour would have protected me – but it would have cut them all to ribbons."
"So, the two kids aren't the only ones who are suffering – Dave told us that you barely slept a wink last night," Cathy said.
I glared at Dave.
"Don't get mad at him!" Marty cautioned. "We don't hide shit in Fusion – remember, Mindy!"
"Fuck! I hate it when people use my own fucking words against me," I growled, but grinned at Dave. "Sorry."
I then went over and gave Dave an enormous kiss.
"Oh for fuck's sake; I always walk in when they're kissing!" Josh moaned, as he came into the galley with Erika.
"We came to help," Erika said. "How are the kids?"
"Could be better," Cathy, said dryly.
"Right Mindy – get a coffee and then get to the mat," Erika announced. "We have work to do!"
"But I only just got up!" Mindy whined.
"Then I have a chance of kicking your fucking ass!" Erika said with a chuckle.
"I get no fucking respect around this place!" Mindy growled and grabbed the coffee that a smirking Paige held out to her and followed Erika.
"What can I do?" Josh asked enthusiastically.
"Be ready to take over from Chloe when Curtis wakes up. We need to keep him distracted so he doesn't think about last night," Cathy suggested.
"I can do that," Josh confirmed.
Not long afterwards a tired Chloe appeared, with Curtis and Megan in tow.
"Ready for breakfast guys!" Josh chirped up.
"What are you so fucking cheerful about, Jack?" Megan growled.
"Smile or it won't be your mouth that sees the fucking pancakes!" Josh retorted with a grin.
Megan forced a smile and sat down next to her Mom.
"You can start smiling too asshole!" Josh added.
"Me?" Curtis asked.
"Both of you!"
"What!" Chloe demanded.
"Just think of something amusing!" Josh suggested.
"You naked?" Chloe replied and Josh chuckled.
"More like you naked and blue!" Josh countered.
Chloe blushed a little, but laughed and so did Curtis and Megan.
"Keep it going kid, you're doing well!" I said as I walked out of the galley with Marty.
"Thanks Dave," Josh replied. "You want more shit – then I'm full of it!"
After Erika had kicked the shit out of me, I got myself cleaned up and made some calls to see how Cam and Brad had been overnight.
It seemed they had been much the same as Curtis and Megan, unfortunately. I suggested that the boys come down to the Safehouse, to be with Curtis and Megan and I hoped that they could all get through this together. Both Sam and Paul thought this a good idea, so Sam agreed to bring the boys down later in the day.
I told Dave and Marty that we would be expecting visitors, so nobody would be worried when three people descended the stairs. The elevator entrance was kept secret for now, as was the vehicle entrance.
So far, Erika had stopped me from being morose about the previous night, and Josh was doing very well at keeping Curtis and Megan entertained. Chloe had managed a little more sleep and she was now her usual, happy self. Kim had appeared to take over from Cathy, as she had to go to work.
On the good side, we had received news that Jack Bay was out of hospital and now recuperating at The Farm, which had been repaired and cleaned up after the assault and subsequent crime scene investigation.
I knew what they were doing, but I went along with it.
Every time I had closed my eyes that night, I had seen that man's head exploding in ever-increasing detail. Part of me was shocked and appalled that I had killed a man, but another part of me knew that I had done it to save my friends. It had been kill, or be killed – simple as that.
I had not hesitated – I had picked up the pistol, aimed and fired – all in one swift movement, just as I had been trained. Mindy's training had saved us all. For both Megan and me, the training had taken over automatically and we had known instantly what to do, and most importantly, what not to do.
Chloe had explained all this to me, while she was trying to calm me down during the night. I did not want to be alone and subconsciously I stayed with somebody all day. I had talked with Megan for a few minutes and she felt the same way. Megan, being Megan, had her own way of getting through this and her response had been typically Megan, but I think it was mostly bravado.
"So I saw some fucker's head get blown apart and received his dumb ass brains all over me – who gives a fuck – he deserved every fucking round!"
Paige had laughed herself silly at that comment and so had I, now I came to think about it. Megan was special to me and I wanted to help her as much as I knew that she wanted to help me.
I was very pleased around lunchtime when Cam and Brad had arrived with Sergeant Fellowes. I immediately dragged them off to find Megan and we had only managed to get as far as the Briefing Room when we were intercepted by Mindy.
"You four – go get changed; time for some training!" She called.
"They'll be fine, Sam – we'll keep them busy," I said, as I headed for the mat.
"I know you will – thanks again, Mindy."
I watched as Sam headed out of the Safehouse. I was not a parent, so I had no idea of what Sam and Paul, with their wives, were going through – I could only guess and it could not have been fun. It made me stop and think about Marcus and what he went through every time that I went out as Hit Girl.
I had also put a lot of thought into what to do about Megan and Curtis. Should I stop them being involved with Fusion – at least until they were older? Now that they had witnessed something like that, should I make them full members and turn them into vigilantes? Fuck, they were not even eleven yet! I would look at Megan and think back to myself at that age. At that point, in my life, I had not even met Dave, but I had been a fully-fledged, and blooded, vigilante with a decent number of kills under my belt.
Did I want Curtis and Megan to go through all that shit, at their age? Curtis, well he was pushing himself and if I said no to him being a vigilante, then he might try to do it himself, much as Chloe tried when we had first met her. Megan – she was complex and not so easy to read, but she was catching up with Curtis when it came to skills and training.
I had asked Kim to have them sparring against each other, while we were in the UK. I did not want to fight them, in case I hurt them – as Daddy had with me a few times and I knew that he had felt terrible every time that he had caused me injury.
I faced off with the four kids.
Now was an opportunity to show them some alternative moves that I would not dare to demonstrate at D-JAK!
"Okay you, err, little shits – let's see you what you can do now!" I growled. "Hit me!"
Cam and Brad hesitated, but Curtis and Megan did not – they came at me from two different directions with everything that they had. Then, Cam and Brad dug in, too. I managed to out manoeuvre Megan and Curtis, but trying to avoid four fast little fuckers, without hurting them was not easy! Then that little shit, Brad, caught me with his foot on my cheek and I flipped over and landed very hard on my face!
"My God, I'm sorry!" Brad exclaimed in shock, as I turned over, rubbed my cheek, and glared at the kid, which I thought must have scared him.
"That was a good kick, Brad!" I said with a smile.
Megan was grinning fit to burst.
"Kick the shit outta the fucking bitch!" She said gleefully.
"Such elegant use of the English language as always, Megan!" I groaned, getting up.
"Foul mouthed, little cow!" Josh called down from the walkway with a laugh.
"Bite me, Jack!" Megan yelled back, raising her right hand and sticking up her middle finger.
"Megan!" Cam exclaimed, but he did not look as shocked as I thought he should have been at Megan's behaviour.
I was surprised to see Megan blush a little, though. Paige had agreed to give Megan a free pass with the swear jar for a few days as she worked things out of her system! I also thought that Megan was enjoying the company and attention of so many boys.
"Do that again and you'll be losing a finger, young lady!" Paige called down and I saw Megan scowl. "Anybody want something to eat?"
..._...
"Thanks Paige!" I said as I got to the galley. "I needed the break."
"Looks like you're gonna get a nice bruise," Paige advised.
"I took down Hit Girl in her own Hit Cave!" I heard Brad announce proudly.
"It is not the 'Hit Cave', never has been and never damn well will!" I growled at the kids, who just laughed.
"They seem to be having fun," Kim commented.
"At my expense!" I growled.
"Hit Girl getting thin skinned?" Kim teased.
"See, I get no goddamned respect!"
"Bite me, Hit Girl!" Kim quipped, with a grin.
After a bite of pizza, I headed down to the Command Centre.
"So what have you two got?" I asked Dave and Marty.
"It looks like those idiots last night were hired to cause trouble," Marty said.
"By whom?" I asked.
"That is the question we have yet to answer. The Police know as little as we do. I've spoken with Voight, and his team are working on this disturbing turn of events as a priority," Marty replied.
"What worries me is that we have absolutely no idea when, or if, those masked idiots are going to show up next," Dave added.
"My thoughts, exactly. What are the chances of us arranging regular evening patrols? At least in pairs, but I would be happier with threes as a minimum. Titan should be with us by the weekend, too."
"It'll come in handy, I think!" Dave commented then noticed my cheek. "By the way, who did that?"
"Brad kicked me!"
"Not bad – good kid!" Dave teased.
"No fucking respect!" I growled as I went back out to the mat.
I must have dozed off because I woke up to find Megan sitting on my stomach, as I lay on the mat.
"Hiya, Hit Girl!" She growled with an enormous grin.
Behind her was Curtis, with Brad and Cam either side of him.
"What do you lot want?"
"To kick your ass!" Megan replied.
"As if!" I growled and pushed Megan roughly off me and onto the mat.
I stood up and looked at the four smiling faces. This seemed to be going well so far, I stepped forward and grabbed hold of Megan's gi, lifting her off the mat.
"You need to learn some manners, young lady!" I growled at the smirking Megan, before I threw her across the mat. She screamed, but Dave caught her just before she landed.
"Awesome!" Curtis said, laughing, along with a snigger or two from Cam and Brad.
"Not funny!" Megan growled angrily, as Dave put her back on her feet. She then turned, angrily, to the boys. "Quit laughing assholes, if you want to keep your fucking balls intact!"
Somebody really needed to talk to Megan about her language! Even I thought that she was pushing it a little far – and that was me, Mindy Macready!