Author's Note: A very Happy New Year to all!
Tuesday, December 27th, 2016
West 33rd Street & West 34th Street
19:24
Team One: Hit Girl, Fortune, Nightmare, and Rage
Team Four: Jackal, Relentless, and Torment
Team Five: Piranha, Stormtide, and Ember
Team Eight: Raven, Discord, and Tempest
Support One: Surgeon, Foxtail, Loki, and Dart
Support Three: Lynx, Ares, Sampson, and Blade
"Remember, we have four inside, right now," Hit Girl said. "We need to hit the warehouse from all angles, simultaneously."
The combined forces were spread out around the target warehouse, ready to breach. It would be a classic 'shock and awe' attack to ensure rapid dominance over the people inside the warehouse. Those weapons were lethal, and Hit Girl was in no mood to risk her teams unnecessarily. Jackal was lugging an H&K MG4 KE belt-fed 5.56-millimetre light machinegun with a short 14.5-inch barrel and a 200-round belt. He would be their heavy firepower – a counter to the assault rifles which they would be facing. Each vigilante was armed with a sub-machinegun, bolstering their usual weaponry. Piranha, Stormtide, and Tempest each carried a GLM 40-millimetre grenade launcher and a bandolier of 40-millimetre rounds. At the corner of the warehouse, down West 33rd Street, Ember had just finished assembling an explosive charge on the main electrical line, ready to plunge the entire facility into darkness the moment the assault was launched.
Everything, though, hinged on one thirteen-year-old vigilante from San Diego.
West 41st Street
18:15
Team Three: Shadow, Psyche, Fury, and Rogue
"Well, that seemed to have gone well," Fury commented.
The eleven-year-old gazed around the area, taking in the various bodies and body parts scattered around like the remnants of a bombing.
"You were hogging the bad guys," Psyche growled.
"You have to admit, the blood goes nicely with the snow," Fury added.
"How many did you get, then?" Rogue asked.
"Oh, for heaven's sake!" Shadow complained. "Will you bitches get a fucking grip and saddle up?"
"We going somewhere?" Psyche asked.
"Yeah – there's something big going down a few miles away," Shadow explained.
"Move your backside, Fury!" Psyche ordered.
19:35
Team Nine: Lilith, Lilim, Trauma, and Riptide
The youngster crept slowly through the overhead steelwork as she made her way to the southeast corner of the warehouse.
She was moving slowly and carefully, determined to get things right. She knew that one foot wrong could collapse the entire operation. For the moment, nobody knew that they were being watched. The thirty or so people below her were going about their tasks as might expect. Some were eating. Some were cleaning and preparing weapons. Others were chatting, loudly, between themselves. The young girl had felt her face heating up beneath her mask at the crudity of some of the jokes the men were telling – most of the jokes revolving around certain parts of the female body, not surprisingly. Lilim wanted to show people that she was up to the task of being a fearsome vigilante. She felt that she had a lot to prove to her cousin, to Hit Girl, to everybody.
"You 'kay, honey?" Lilith asked.
"Yeah – just being careful."
"What have you got?"
"I've found what I think might be a gap in the ceiling – I'm gonna see if I can reach it."
"Remember, that ceiling won't hold your weight, honey."
"I'll be fucking careful, then!"
Lilim hated being told what to do, whether as Juno or Lilim, even when it was good advice. She also hated anybody discussing her weight. Besides that, she also knew full well that the ceiling was fragile and that despite her not weighing all that much, she knew that she weighed a lot more than the ceiling could handle. There was a small gap in the ceiling tiles for one of the rooms below. It was crucial to the operation to know who or what was in that room or rooms. Lilim lay on her stomach on the horizontal steel support beam and she peered through the hole in the ceiling.
At first, she could see nothing, but then her eyes made out a large wooden table – large enough that she could not see the ends. What she could see, were men and women seated along one side – three women and a man. They were wearing combat fatigues and looked all business. No weapons were in evidence, but that did not mean that they were not there.
"I can see maybe a conference room – big wooden table with people in combat gear. No sign of any weapons . . . let me get closer. . ."
Lilim stretched as far as she felt was safe, her left gauntlet gripping onto the roof supports.
"Lilim . . ."
Lilith's warning was cut short by a scream as Lilim slipped off the beam and she rolled onto the ceiling tiles. Those same ceiling tiles collapsed a fraction of a second later under the weight of the vigilante and she crashed through, tumbling into the room below.
North Sacramento Boulevard
18:35
Team Two: Kick-Ass, Cut-Throat, and Ravage with Eisenhower and Kes
"Kick-Ass/Rage, this is Cut-Throat – I'm approaching you from the southwest."
Kick-Ass looked in that direction, pleased that the young vigilante had called ahead rather than taking the stupid risk of being shot by his colleagues.
"Good to see ya!" Kick-Ass called over the shouting.
"What can I do to help?" Cut-Throat asked.
"Ravage is on that railcar with Kes – go back him up and take Eisenhower with you."
"You got it, boss!"
Kick-Ass chuckled as the young vigilante jumped onto the flatbed railcar and he joined Ravage exchanging gunfire with the men protecting the trucks which they had almost finished loading. There were eight men providing covering fire while six more men finished the loading. Two men already lay dead on the ground, victims of Ravage's rage. Ravage was moving closer, using the load on the railcar as cover. Kick-Ass was moving to flank the trucks which would take just another minute.
"Get down!" Cut-Throat yelled as he saw one of the right men bring something out of a plastic case.
Ravage caught sight of the tubed weapon and he recognised a rocket launcher when he saw one, if not the make and model of the weapon. Bravely, the boy fired off the rest of his magazine in the direction of the man, several bullets striking the rocket launcher, causing the rocket inside to detonate. The night sky was lit up all around as the yellow-orange cloud billowed in all directions, incinerating three men. The snow was blown back by the explosion, momentarily, but it quickly returned as the shockwave subsided. Three men were left screaming before their burns overcame their ability to resist and they passed out from the pain. The explosion had been enough of a distraction to allow Eisenhower and Kes to dive in amongst the gunmen. Two of the gunmen went down, savaged by glistening gnashers, their weapons discarded as they attempted to fight off the snarling dogs. Rage and Cut-Throat jumped down from the railcar and they began to fight, hand-to-hand, with the remaining men.
Kick-Ass reached the first of the loaded vans as two men were climbing into the cab. He grabbed the first, throwing the bastard as far as he could, the man's skull clanging against the solid steel of a railcar – surprisingly, that same skull gave way before the steel of the railcar did, and the man died. Kick-Ass turned his attention back to the truck, his armoured gauntlet driving through the side window, glass exploding everywhere. The driver slammed his foot down and the truck lurched forward with Kick-Ass gamely hanging on. As the truck picked up speed, bouncing over the rough terrain, Kick-Ass reached in and he grabbed the steering wheel, yanking it to the left. The truck turned sharply, and the wheels dug into the loose ballast, causing the top-heavy vehicle to roll and then crash onto its right side before slithering to a halt against a railcar. Kick-Ass jumped as the truck rolled, landing on the ground and rolling back to his feet. The driver of the truck was unconscious, so Kick-Ass moved on. Cut-Throat and Ravage were swiftly overpowering the gunmen, their armour protecting them from the strong punches. The men were no match for the seasoned Cut-Throat who was highly trained for such fighting. Ravage did well, despite his size and skill level.
Blue lights flashed, and sirens screamed as Sergeant Voight and his intelligence team arrived. Detectives Olinsky and Lindsay made for the crashed truck. The two remaining trucks had been stopped after a few hundred yards and were surrounded by uniformed officers. Detective Ruzek called out a warning as one of the gunmen leapt to his feet and made to run for it. Detective Dawson made to run after the man, but Kick-Ass stopped him.
"Eisenhower!" Kick-Ass yelled, and the canine's head popped up from where the dog had been licking some snow. Kick-Ass pointed at the running man and issued a single order. "Schwanz!"
The dog bolted into action, speeding across the steel rails and rock ballast. The fleeing man heard the scrabbling of paws and he heard the snarling and barking. He turned to defend himself and he saw the large dog bounding in his direction. Then he yelled out as the dog buried its snout in his groin and he felt the sharp points of the canine jaw dangerously close to certain valuable and irreplaceable objects.
"Help me!" the man yelled out desperately.
"Cool!" Detective Lindsay laughed. "He's got a dog on his balls."
West 34th Street
19:15
Lilim
Lilim struck the wooden table, almost knocking the air out of her lungs.
The shock on the face beneath Lilim's mask would have fairly well matched the looks of shock on the faces of the even dozen men and women seated around the table, had they been able to see beneath the mask. That shock saved Lilim's life as nobody drew a weapon, at first, as they stared down at their worst nightmare – well, a shorter version of their worst nightmare at any rate. Having a Fusion vigilante, quite literally, drop in on their meeting was a rude surprise.
"Freeze, you little fuck!" one of the men demanded as he gathered his wits and drew a pistol.
"I am not a 'little fuck', turd breath!" Lilim growled as she drove her 7-inch combat knife into the man's stomach.
She jumped to her feet, standing on the wooden table as she drew her carbon fibre batons. In the back of her mind, the young thirteen-year-old vigilante barely heard Hit Girl's voice over her earpiece: "Breach! Breach! Breach!", just before the lights went out. The entire warehouse was plunged into darkness as loud explosions reverberated around the facility and concussion grenades exploded. Lilim was really annoyed. Her great chance to shine had gone badly wrong and she was in the shit. There were eleven people who wanted to kill her, all within six feet of her – maybe she was about to pay for her mistake by dying.
If that was so, then she was going to take as many with her as she could.
Lilith, Trauma, and Riptide
Things had gone horribly wrong and Lilith was very worried about Lilim.
But there was nothing for it, she would simply have to push forward and fight through to where her girl was in trouble. Lilith and Trauma scrambled down the nearest roof support and they opened fire on the nearest people. A woman went down with a bullet to the head and Trauma yanked Lilith to the ground as a man appeared with an AR-15 in his hands. The man only managed to fire off a short burst before Riptide ripped open the man's throat with his knife, dropping the dying body to the concrete floor of the warehouse. Lilith pushed Trauma out of the way and she began to fight her way towards the last place where Lilim had been.
Behind her, Fortune and Nightmare appeared through a gaping hole in the side of the warehouse, closely followed by Stormtide and Tigercat.
..._...
Fortune, Nightmare, Stormtide, and Tigercat
The breach had occurred a few minutes early due to Lilim falling into harm's way.
Fortune led the charge into the maelstrom, finding a stunned enemy who was rapidly sorting themselves out. Nightmare had noticed Lilith vanishing with Trauma and Riptide in pursuit, leaving her and Fortune to engage the druggies using a large van as cover while Tigercat and Stormtide went after some more druggies arrayed behind the small van. All four Fusion vigilantes engaged with their G36C assault rifles, riddling the vans with 5.56-millimetre holes throughout the bodywork. Several of the bullets punched all the way through the vans and punched the chits of life for the druggies beyond. Not that the vigilantes were getting away scot-free. Stormtide yelled out in pain as a ricochet struck her back, but the veteran fourteen-year-old vigilante ignored the pain as she took careful aim and put a three-round burst into the forehead of a man holding a gun. Tigercat took great pleasure in fighting alongside his sister, and he backed her up as she edged closer to the large van.
"Go!" Stormtide ordered and Tigercat took point as the pair ran out into the open, gunning down the last two men with perfectly synchronised bursts.
The two siblings exchanged a high-five as they moved to support Nightmare and Fortune over at the small van. However, there really was nothing much to support as they both found Fortune looking at Nightmare who was kicking the shit out of a large man with a bullet wound.
"What's up?" Stormtide asked Fortune.
"Time of the month," Fortune confided.
"Crazy bitch!" Tigercat commented.
..._...
Hit Girl, Jackal, and Piranha
Jackal had the lead, his MG4 spitting fire as he kicked in the partially destroyed roller shutter in the loading dock.
Hit Girl and Piranha flanked Jackal, guarding him as he blew apart a wooden pallet behind which two men armed with AR-15s were attempting to engage the invading vigilantes. The air was choked with the swirling grey smoke from the explosives and the flashbangs. The darkness from the severed power line lent a level of disorientation to the atmosphere which favoured the Fusion vigilantes with their night vision equipment. Hit Girl's eyes were drawn to an indistinct movement in the smoke, off to one side, but before she could call out, the bright muzzle flash of an AR-15 almost blinded her as the weapon erupted into life, just a dozen feet away. There was an electronic yell of pain and Jackal dropped to the ground, the MG4 held tightly in his gauntleted hands.
"Jackal!" Hit Girl exclaimed as she saw her lieutenant drop.
Piranha fired a long burst into the swirling, smoky darkness, dropping Jackal's assailant. The veteran fighter did not hesitate as she triggered burst after burst, each burst directed at the slightest movement. Each burst provided cover for Hit Girl as she hauled Jackal back to his feet. Jackal flexed his muscles, ignoring the pain from the bullet strikes, but eternally thankful to Hit Girl for his heavy armour.
"I'm fine, let's gut the stinking bastards!" Jackal growled as he brought his MG4 to his shoulder and triggered off a short burst into the darkness.
Screams echoed back, much to Jackal's pleasure.
..._...
Petra, Discord, and Raven
Raven was bulldozing her way through every obstacle with relative ease.
Unlike her normal self, her alter ego was brazen and full of confidence in her abilities. Along with her colleagues, they fought their way into the warehouse, fighting through the men and women who had chosen not to fight, but to escape. One by one, they were put down hard and without mercy. However, they were only three and some were escaping in the chaotic melee. However, that escape was only temporary, thanks to the multi-layered perimeter set up by Fusion and the Chicago Police Department. The three vigilantes ignored those that ran past them, concentrating on those that could be taken down and those carrying the AR-15 assault rifles. They were a team and they would fight as a team, relying on their colleagues to back them up.
For the men and women who had been preparing for something heinous, having the combined forces of Fusion descend on them, was like having the gates of hell opening up and their worst nightmares coming true.
Chicago Police Department
District 21
Sergeant Trudy Platt was not amused.
For the previous hour there had been an almost constant flow of arrested criminals to be booked in. Her assistants for the evening, Lin Lau and her sister Xiāngxìn, were run off their feet as they assisted with the paperwork and marshalling of the handcuffed individuals awaiting booking. However, earlier, one of the men and chosen to ignore eleven-year-old Lin's instructions. Sergeant Platt had been pleasantly surprised to see the man on the floor, kneeling before the young girl.
"You do what I say, cunt!" Lin growled viciously as she bent the man's thumb back in a very painful manner.
"Call the fucking bitch off!" the man begged.
"Are you going to behave?" Sergeant Platt asked.
"Anything, just get her off me!"
"Lin," Sergeant Platt said. "Please let the man go."
"Yes, Sergeant."
Lin jerked the man's thumb which broke with an audible snap and the man yelled out in agony. The man scrambled quickly to his feet and he headed off in the direction in which Lin had originally intended.
"The bitch broke my goddamn thumb!"
The Warehouse
West 34th Street
Lilith, Trauma, and Riptide
Trauma went first, quite literally taking the door off its hinges.
The teenager saw Lilim as a little sister, and he would move heaven and earth to protect the girl. As the wooden door crashed to the floor, the three Team San Diego vigilantes caught sight of their fourth member standing on a large wooden table, surrounded by the bodies of about eight fallen. She was currently engaged in fighting a woman in combat fatigues, Lilim's batons clashing with the woman's bayonet. Two men scrambled to their feet, having been struck by the door while a third with blood pouring from a head wound stumbled into Riptide – the man received a second head wound from Riptide before crashing to the ground. Lilith and Trauma each took down one of the remaining men, leaving Lilim to her fight. Nobody intervened as Lilim appeared to have everything fully under control.
Lilim had barely registered the arrival of her team as she focussed on the adult woman she was fighting. The young girl was exhausted and aching in places that she never knew existed. Only the adrenalin was keeping her going, not to mention the feeling that victory was so very close. Her armour had taken the brunt of the counterattacks. Bullets, knives, fists – she had taken them all . . . and prevailed. It took almost everything she had left to defeat the woman before her; the bitch was good, but finally, her baton took the woman across the forehead and the woman fell backwards off the table, crashing to the floor below. Only then did Lilim's shoulders sag and she turned to her mentor.
"I fucked up, I know," Lilim said as she jumped down from the table and strode past Lilith.
"I never said a word," Lilith chuckled.
"Let's move!" Trauma ordered.
Outside the warehouse, men and women were trying their damnedest to make their escape with whatever weapons they had been able to carry.
The weapons were worth money on the black market and made useful bargaining tools. Unfortunately, there was a cast iron cordon around the facility and the fourteen remaining men and women found their way blocked at every turn. If it was not a Fusion vigilante, it was the damn Chicago Police Department sticking their goddamn noses in where they did not belong. Two men found themselves outside the main loading dock and there appeared to be a clear zone ahead of them, but then they caught sight of movement through the snow flurries and an armoured vigilante came into view – they recognised Foxtail standing with a much shorter vigilante beside her, plus a dog. They quickly changed course and veered to the south only for a CPD SUV, complete with flashing blue light on the dashboard, to skid to a halt in the deepening snow. The lead man put two bullets into the windshield.
"Goddamn it!" Lieutenant Vicky Richards exclaimed as she shoved open her door and she quickly put a bullet into the gunman's left shoulder before diving for cover behind her SUV. "Stay down!"
Inside the SUV, Willow Hartman and Joel Burnell were already down as far as they could go, having dived to the floor the moment they had seen the AR—15 being turned in their direction. The remaining gunman was busy shredding the SUV with his own AR-15 but he was concentrating too hard on his target and he never saw the armour-clad vigilante who sprinted across the snow-covered gravel lot from the direction of the warehouse. As Vicky watched in awe, the vigilante reached around with a knife and she nonchalantly slit the gunman's throat, leaving his body to sag to the ground, a pool of crimson staining the virgin snow. The vigilante bowed to Vicky before racing off into the darkness.
"Who was that?" Willow asked.
"That was Petra," Vicky grinned as she watched her daughter vanish.
..._...
Out on West 33rd Street, Captain Marcus Williams slammed on his brakes as two men and a woman ran directly in front of him.
Thanks to the snow, the front bumper clipped one of the men, sending the man sprawling. Marcus dove out, kicking the man in the head before he could regain his feet. The woman turned, and she fired off a pistol at Marcus and the SUV. Marcus dove for the ground as Carrie Milligan and Jay Hilton exited out of the rear door on the far side of the SUV. They both rolled underneath the SUV and then took in the scene before them. It took mere seconds for Carrie to understand what was going on and she scrambled out, seizing up an AR-15 and putting three bullets into the chest of the woman before she could shoot Marcus. The second man was running for cover.
"I'm out!" Carrie called out as she tried to shoot the fleeing man.
"Get him!" Marcus yelled to Jay.
"But I ain't got no weapons," Jay complained.
"You a fucking Predator or not?" Marcus demanded.
"Oh yeah, sorry – forgot!"
Jay bolted after the escaping man.
"Fucking Predators!" Marcus growled. "Goddamn fucked up vigilante club!"
Jay was fast, and he easily caught up with the man who turned to face the sixteen-year-old. Jay felt emotions and feelings which he had not felt in many weeks. He loved hunting down a quarry and then putting them down. Admittedly, the hunt had been very limited, but the second part was to be very enjoyable. Jay watched every movement of the man's hands, especially the AR-15 which the man tried to bring to bear on the youth. Jay gave the man no time to aim, instead, he grasped the rifle and jerked the man closer before disarming him and throwing the AR-15 away. Jay was highly skilled at close quarters combat, but he went easy, stretching out the man's suffering before putting him out of his misery with a sharp punch to the face.
"Why do you Predators always play with your food?" Marcus growled as he threw a pair of handcuffs at the boy.
..._...
Out of nowhere, there was the sound of automatic rifle fire and three women burst out of the warehouse, bolting past Vicky and Marcus, heading north.
Willow and Joel gave chase without conscious thought. Vicky ran after them, yelling for support. Her voice was heard by Petra and Stormtide who came in from the east to outflank the runners. Everybody was running flat out. Thanks to Hit Girl's punishment regime, Willow and Joel were just as fit as Petra and Stormtide, only they did not have to lug a combat suit and weapons with them as they ran. Willow was slightly taller than Joel and she had longer legs, much to the boy's annoyance as his friend overtook him. Willow swept up a three-foot section of wood from the ground and she flung it ahead of her, the end catching the right ankle of one of the escaping women. The woman went down hard in the snow and her comrades-in-arms stopped and turned, raising their rifles to cover their companion.
Stormtide yelled out a warning and the two rifles turned in her direction, the young vigilante dived and rolled to avoid the incoming bursts of death. The diversion enabled Willow to reach the fallen woman and she wrestled for the AR-15 as they both rolled in the deepening snow. Joel had ducked to the ground as the bullets were turned in his direction and he rolled to the side out of the line of fire. Petra and Stormtide ran for the two women still standing and they made valiant attempts to deflect the gunfire in the direction of their armoured combat suits.
Only, they were not close enough and one of the women had a perfect bead on Joel.
..._..
Overwatch took a breath as she viewed the scene below through the combined Trijicon ACOG 6x28 day scope and Magnum Universal Night Sight mounted on her L129A1 Sharpshooter rifle.
As she squeezed the trigger of her sniper rifle, the propellant in the L42A1 155-grain bullet ignited, sending the 7.62-millimetre bullet boring through the air with unerring accuracy. Almost immediately, another round was chambered from the ten-round magazine and Overwatch gently adjusted her aim in case the first round missed – as if! The 7.62-millimetre bullet coursed through the air, entering the target's neck just behind the jaw and passing through the windpipe and out the other side, shattering the neck and taking the target's head clean off. The head fell to the ground, striking the snow-covered concrete ahead of the body with blood erupting like a bloody Mount Vesuvius out of the severed carotid artery and splattering the fresh white snow.
All eyes turned to the fascinating scene which was developing . . . all but Willow who kept her head and took the butt of her recently appropriated rifle across the face of the woman she was fighting before rolling and triggering off a three-round burst into the chest of the remaining woman who fell backwards under the onslaught, her AR-15 clattering to the ground beside her.
"Ewww!" Stormtide exclaimed as she jumped back from the volcanic eruption of blood which threatened to stain her boots.
"Good shot, Rampart!" Petra commented.
21:45
The Chicago Police Department descended on the warehouse in droves.
Once the area was secure and the CPD was content to scour the place for additional forensic information, Hit Girl gathered up her charges and they departed the scene, making for Safehouse F. It had been a successful night and already, the local news stations were applauding the combined forces of Fusion and the CPD. Apart from a lot of bruises and the odd broken rib, nobody was badly hurt within Fusion, much to Hit Girl's relief. Even young Splinter was only injured with a busted rib on his left side and some livid bruises across his abdomen.
It was with heads held high that Fusion departed the scene.
Safehouse F and Training Facility Echo
There was much to be accomplished as the massed forces of Fusion returned home.
Weaponry had to be accounted for and stowed securely along with combat suits and other equipment. Any damage or loss had to be logged so that equipment could be repaired or replaced ready for the next time it was needed. It was with great relief that the victorious vigilantes were able to pull off their masks and enjoy a few moments to take a breath in absolute safety. Everybody scrambled to get out of the heavy combat suits, glad to be free of them. The combat suits had kept them all alive through some nasty battles, absorbing potentially lethal strikes from blade and bullet alike. First stop was the showers to remove the grime and sweat which had built up over a few hours of being wrapped up in said combat suits. There were screams from the girl's showers and when Mindy went to see what was going on, she laughed as she saw Stephanie and Megan glaring down at Kes and Piper who were happily snapping their jaws trying to catch the hot water which rained down upon them.
Sophia took a brief moment to look in on her two wayward daughters and she just whined before she turned away and made for the senior staff showers, closely followed by Mindy.
..._...
"How did things go?" Chloe asked Hailee in the senior staff showers.
"Not bad, although, I have to say that your little girl is a loose cannon on deck. If she keeps going off on her own, she's going to get herself or somebody killed," Hailee responded. "Sorry."
"Thanks for telling me, Hailee, and thanks for looking after her, tonight."
"No problem, Chloe."
Mindy had overheard the conversation and she had seen the look of sadness cross her best friend's face.
"Becky reminds me of a young thirteen-year-old, I used to know," Mindy offered.
"I know," Chloe replied. "And that's what scares me . . . will you help me with her?"
"Stupid fucking question!" Mindy retorted.
..._...
"You look pleased with yourself," Abigail commented to Anne-Marie.
"It was fun . . . and thanks for looking after me," Anne-Marie replied as she stood beneath the raging torrent of hot water.
"No problem," Abigail replied.
"You okay?" Stephanie asked her little sister as she clocked the large bruise on her chest.
"Yeah – not as good as the one Danny has, though."
Kelly and Lauren were sitting on the tiled floor of the shower, enjoying the hot water which pummelled their aching shoulders.
"That was one of the best nights of my life," Kelly commented.
"I've had better," Lauren replied.
"I really enjoyed myself," Lizzie commented as she sat down beside her big sister. "I prevented a you-know."
Lauren smiled. She knew exactly what her younger sister was referring to, and she knew why Lizzie was beating about the bush. Lauren had kind of come to terms with what had happened to her, but Lizzie was still struggling with it and she would never use the word 'rape' in front of her big sister.
"Well done," Lauren replied smiling supportively. "It's okay to call it what it was, Lizzie – I don't mind."
"Thanks," Lizzie replied.
Across the other side of the shower, Anne-Marie and Becky were talking loudly about the night's engagements. Both eight-year-olds got on well and they often sparred together with their butterfly swords under the instruction of Saoirse. It had been the first time out for Saoirse since her injury during the Battle of Chicago. Stephanie had insisted that her best friend get back out there and start getting herself back to being Foxtail. Saoirse still hurt inside, but she was healing fast and Jennifer was very pleased with the young girl's progress.
"Rebecca!"
The girl in question cringed as she recognised the owner of the angry voice. Her grin quickly faded, and she turned to see Chloe, clad in shorts and T-shirt, stride into the shower. Chloe grabbed hold of her naked daughter by the left arm and unceremoniously pulled her out of the shower, shoving a towel into the youngster's arms as she went.
"What's that all about?" Stephanie asked.
"My brother said that Becky got a little out of hand, tonight," Annabelle explained.
"I see," Stephanie commented before she turned to Juno. "Well done, tonight – you got yourself out of one hell of a hole, I hear."
Juno blushed and nodded.
"Lucy and I are going to debrief Juno later on," Guinevere said.
"Am I safe in here?" Stephanie grinned darkly. "You're not going to attack me?"
"Funny!" Guinevere growled as Stephanie and Abigail both laughed.
..._...
In the boy's shower, similar conversations were underway.
Jamie, Danny, and Iain were comparing notes on the night's activities while Razor and Hercules lay in the water, enjoying a rest while they soaked and listened to the boys talking. For Jamie, it had been an amazing night, and the best he had had in a long time. Being with Hit Girl for the night had been simply amazing. He hoped that Mindy had forgotten all about the motorcycle landing close by thing.
"You threw a motorcycle at Hit Girl!" Danny laughed. "You are toast!"
"Maybe she's forgotten," Jamie tried.
"I don't think Mum forgets anything," Danny pointed out.
"It was good knowing you," Iain grinned.
"Likewise," Trojan chuckled.
Jamie scowled gloomily at Razor who looked up at him, tongue hanging out. Jamie then fell over onto his bottom as Razor leapt up and began to lick the boy's face. Danny and Iain laughed out loud as Jamie tried to fight off the soaking wet dog.
"Get off, you mangy mutt!" Jamie yelled.
..._...
A little while later. . .
Mindy and Stephanie headed up a level looking for the twins.
They found Anne-Marie and Danny sitting on a bed in the medical centre, both stripped to the waist and wearing just their underwear. On the next bed over, Tommy lay on his back having his upper body checked out by Kim. Jennifer grinned at Mindy, taking in the worried expression.
"They are fine, Mindy," Jennifer stated.
Stephanie grinned – it was exactly what she had been telling Mindy for the previous ten minutes.
"It's not my fault I worry about my kids!" Mindy bristled.
Kim laughed.
"It's good to see that Hit Girl has a softer side," Paige chuckled as she and Megan walked in.
"My big sister is a big softy," Megan said.
"What are you doing here?" Mindy asked.
"I took a .45-calibre bullet and my chest is sore," Megan replied.
"Jump up on the bed and let's have a look," Jennifer directed.
Megan jumped up onto a bed and she pulled off her T-shirt to reveal a vicious bruise spreading across her chest. Mindy had noticed the same bruise in the shower earlier on, as had Stephanie.
"Any problems breathing?" Jennifer asked as she gently checked the area around the bruise.
"Not really," Megan replied as she winced each time a bolt of pain shot through her body.
Megan was shaking by the end of the examination and she had tears of pain pouring down her cheeks. She also realised that somebody was holding her right hand – it was Stephanie.
"I think you might have a couple of broken ribs," Jennifer divulged. "The bruising will go down in a few days, but the ribs will take a little longer. I would advise against wearing a bra for a week or so, too."
"She hates the things, so no big problem there," Paige commented.
Megan winced as she pulled on her T-shirt with Stephanie's help.
"Thanks, Steph," Megan said.
"You two can get dressed as well," Jennifer directed the twins.
"Looks like you and lover boy will need to take it gently, huh?" Stephanie said to Megan who simply scowled.
..._...
Everything else could wait until the following morning, so once everybody was cleaned up, they all made for the closest bed.
Dave and Mindy were very pleased to crawl into their bed in the Safehouse F suite. Both were very tired; however, they were also joined by the rest of their family. Stephanie, Anne-Marie, and Danny each opted to sleep on the floor along with Razor and Sophia.
"Night, guys," Dave said.
"Night, Dad!" all intoned with a bark from Razor.
"Sleep tight," Mindy said as she turned out the light before snuggling into Dave.
Safehouse Q
For the seven reformed Predators, it had been an amazing evening.
"What have you been getting up to?" Kendra demanded of her big sister as they had all returned to the Safehouse.
"Where's my sister?" Billy asked.
"We've been out helping Fusion," Willow told her sister before she turned to Billy. "I think your sister is staying elsewhere tonight."
"Okay," Billy responded as he and Kendra vanished off up the stairs to bed.
Willow simply shrugged as she flopped down onto a couch.
"I'll leave you guys to it, then," Kyle said as he headed out the front door.
"Thanks, Kyle," Sarah said before she closed and locked the door. "Well done, all of you."
"Thanks," Kieran said. "It was a fun experience."
"Get yourselves cleaned up and get some rest as I am sure that Hit Girl will want to speak with you all, tomorrow."
Sarah vanished, leaving the teenagers alone.
"That was a truly amazing evening," Willow stated. "I killed a woman, however, I did it to save a life . . . it feels good, I have to admit."
"Doing good, felt really good," Kieran admitted. "Shooting that bastard was the right thing to do."
"Helping Fusion felt so different to anything else that I've done," Dylan said.
They all agreed it had been a good evening as they split up and made for their own bedrooms.
..._...
As she pushed open her bedroom door, Willow heard giggling and she groaned.
"What are you two doing?"
Billy and Kendra giggled as they peered out from under the duvet of the second bed in the room. It was obvious that Billy did not want to sleep on his own with his sister away for the night, so he had opted to share a bed with Kendra. The two ten-year-olds could be very annoying and having both sharing the bedroom meant that they would do all they could to annoy Willow.
"You two little shits had better get to sleep," Willow growled as she pulled off her clothing and grabbed a towel.
Kendra glared at her big sister as Billy giggled at the sight of Willow stripping completely naked before his eyes.
"Do you have to strip naked in front of Billy?" Kendra asked.
"I'm sure he saw plenty as a Yellow, so what's the big deal?"
"You're sixteen, Willow!" Kendra persisted.
Willow ignored her sister as she left the bedroom to grab a shower. The hot water was invigorating, and it quickly removed the dirt and sweat from the night's activity. Willow's mind was racing as she thought through events. She had been very surprised to find herself holding a high-powered rifle, but her training had guided her every move. Yes, a woman had died at her own hand, but it had been the right thing to do. It had been quite a while since Willow had actually done the 'right thing'. Ever since she had been taken, she had always been a bitch and she had always had herself at the forefront of every thought. Things were changing for Willow and she knew it.
It was a very pensive Willow who slipped into her bed, that night, ignoring the still-giggling youngsters.
The following morning
Wednesday, December 28th, 2016
Training Facility Echo
"Okay, let's have some quiet, please!" Mindy called out as the massed forces of Fusion gathered in the recreational & briefing space. "We have a lot to get through."
As usual, the final voice to be heard was that of Jamie who quickly went quiet as all turned to look at him. Abigail and Shannon laughed at the youngster while Stephanie just shook her head forlornly.
"Last night, things did not quite go according to plan. . ." Mindy went on.
"Like normal," Joshua quipped.
"Yes. . .," Mindy growled before smiling. "However, I am especially proud of all of you. There were a few injuries, but nothing bad, and I am pleased to see you all happy. Having heard all the stories and viewed some of the video, Dave and I have decided where to issue the points."
"Team 1 – Hit Girl, Fortune, Nightmare, and Rage – receives two-hundred points for putting down Diamondback who is now facing fifteen years in a federal penitentiary," Abby advised. "However, Hit Girl has docked Rage ten points for throwing a motorcycle at her."
"I thought she'd forgotten about that," Jamie groused to general laughter.
"I will admit, it was a first for me, having a motorcycle crash down just a few inches away from me," Mindy chuckled before giving Jamie a devious look. "Obviously, my son has something against me!"
"I don't. . ." an embarrassed Jamie tried as his loving big sister gave him a soft slap on the back of the head.
"Moving on," Abby grinned, "we have Team Two – Kick-Ass, Splinter, Cut-Throat, Ravage, Eisenhower, and Kes."
Both dogs barked loudly, and Danny cheered.
"Team two receives 260 points for preventing a large shipment of drugs and weapons from landing on the streets of Chicago. Sergeant Voight was especially pleased with the results and he sends his thanks. Cut-Throat and Ravage each received an extra thirty points for a job well done."
Mindy scowled at her husband who smiled smugly, as did Danny, Hunter, and Tommy.
"Team Three – Shadow, Psyche, Fury, and Rogue gain 230 points for putting down a host of bad guys who were prevented from causing anybody any harm. Rogue gained an additional thirty points for having to put up with some very abusive verbal commentary from Psyche and Fury."
That produced a round of good-natured abuse aimed at the dubious duo who simply stuck their middle fingers up at everyone.
"Team Four – Jackal, Relentless, and Torment – receives 210 points for their work. That includes a thirty-point bonus for Jackal for creatively pissing off Captain Marcus Williams of the Chicago Police Department."
Mindy and Megan were heard to shout the loudest as everybody applauded, although Megan regretted the shouting instantly as it strained her broken ribs.
"Torment also received an additional thirty points for going to town on a would-be rapist whom she apprehended."
Lizzie sunk down in her chair, her face bright red, as everybody shouted their appreciation for her actions. Lauren gave her younger sister a reassuring grin and a nod.
"Team Five – Piranha, Stormtide, and Ember – receives 180 points for taking down Fisher Maxwell who will be taking an enforced holiday at a federal penitentiary, not of his choice, for the next twenty years."
After more cheering, Abby moved on.
"Team Six – Trojan and the kitties: Wildcat and Hellcat. . ."
Megan and Annabelle scowled at the friendly teasing as Abby grinned."
". . . The kitties did well as they found themselves in a rapidly changing situation. They gain 250 points. Wildcat gains an additional fifty-five points for saving the life of a police officer as does Hellcat."
Both girls blushed wildly as they were applauded by the masses. The louder cheers came from Iain and Shannon as they cheered their sister.
"Team Seven – Petra, Tigercat, and Scamp – receives 150 points for their work in preventing the death of a security officer and the looting of a warehouse. However, Shadow intended on stripping Scamp of all of her points, but she relented after Hit Girl intervened."
All eyes turned to the diminutive girl who looked very miserable. Many had heard the yelling as Shadow had gone to town on her daughter the previous evening. Scamp had shared a cabin with Annabelle, Iain, Abigail, and Leo – she had been very subdued, and she had eventually cried herself to sleep.
"Team Eight – Raven, Discord, and Tempest – receives 200 points! Apparently, Discord and Tempest were able to keep their hands off one another long enough to foil an armed robbery . . ."
"Funny!" Sarah growled, and Marc grinned foolishly as they endured some general ribbing from all those around.
". . . Of those points, there are fifty extra points awarded to Raven for being thoroughly obnoxious and for demonstrating how well she can ride a motorcycle, not to mention, how she managed to take down the escaping murderer."
"That's my big sis!" Saoirse shouted as Morgan blushed bright red and sank out of sight.
"Apparently, Raven exhibited a similar level of obnoxiousness to Hit Girl and Wildcat," Abby explained.
"That's bad!" Marty commented dryly as Megan and Mindy grinned.
"Now, we get to Team San Diego," Hit Girl stated as she stood up. "This was their first outing since they were forced to leave their home on the other side of the country. They have demonstrated the high level of professionalism which I have grown to expect from senior Predators. Guinevere has demonstrated that she is a natural leader, training Juno in her own image and producing an amazing fighter. Admittedly, Guinevere's taste in boys appears lacking, but Nicholas is an accomplished fighter and I understand, very good in bed! The final member of the team, Logan, has become a valued member of the team and he has brought his own skills into the fold. Guinevere, you have my admiration, and my respect for what you have accomplished."
Guinevere was uncharacteristically silent as she tried to hide from sight as applause ripped out for Team San Diego.
"A far as points are concerned," Mindy went on," I have decided to be very generous. I have awarded Lilith, sixty points, for her amazing leadership skills and for her coolness under pressure. Trauma and Riptide both receive the same sixty points for their dedication to duty when faced with a very difficult and changing tactical situation. That brings us to young Lilim. Juno has been through an awful lot in the past year. I understand that she is a difficult youngster, but obviously no different than any young teen. Obviously, she has been taught very well, and she has demonstrated a high degree of intelligence and an ability to think on her feet and face down any opposition."
Juno was trying to hide, but Guinevere and Nicholas lifted the girl up into full view of everyone. Juno's face was bright red as she listened to the praise from Hit Girl as it was laid on thickly.
"Lilim pushed things a little too far – just as we all have – and she found herself dropping into a nasty situation. However, the youngster stuck to her training and she faced off against a dozen adults, all of whom were armed. Lilim, I have awarded you 150 points for your actions."
Juno's mouth dropped open as she considered everything which Hit Girl had said and the entire room stood to applaud her. It took several minutes for everything to calm back down again before Mindy could speak.
"The warehouse fight was unexpected, but everybody who was there coped amazingly. I am therefore awarding extra points to Petra for saving the life of her own mother, Lieutenant Vicky Richards – Petra receives 60 points!"
Hailee grimaced as her mother hugged her tightly and gave her a big kiss.
"As some of you will have noticed, we had our problematic Predators from Level 8 out on the streets. They behaved perfectly, and they assisted where needed, saving lives and putting themselves to good use – I will be seeing them later and rewarding each one of them. On that note, I apologise to Kyle for having to look after a pair of obnoxious ex-Yellows – I understand that Kendra and Billy can be quite a handful!"
Rachel blushed slightly at the mention of her little brother.
"Overwatch receives 100 points for her perfectly-timed bullet which saved the life of Joel – great shooting!"
Mathilda stood up and she bowed – not often in the limelight.
"I am also awarding Stormy sixty points for putting herself in harm's way during the ensuing action – well done!"
It was Shannon's turn to blush wildly as her siblings congratulated her. It was also the proud expression on her parents' faces which almost brought tears of joy to the young girl's eyes.
"Go Stormy!" Jamie yelled out happily.
..._...
"Right!" Abby announced, loudly. "Total Points."
Dave stepped forward.
"The winning team, by miles, is Team San Diego!"
There was a roar of applause which again took a short while to calm down.
"In second place, we have Team Two, closely followed by Team Six in third!"
More cheering and applause greeted the announcement.
"As for individuals, we have Lilim in first place, followed by Petra in second place, and the obnoxious Kitty-Kat, Wildcat is in joint third place!"
"Well done, everybody, not least the support teams and Synthesis," Mindy finished.
All eyes turned to the support staff and five very nervous-looking individuals at the back of the room. The five friends, Elizabeth, Jesse, Kate, Laurence, and Peter, all grinned as they absorbed their applause.