Thursday, February 16th, 2017
Training Facility Echo
Level 1 – Dining Room
19:00
All animosity between Simon, Rylee and the twins was gone.
It was like they were lifelong friends – at least they were from that point on. The attempts to kill each other had been a wakeup call to both sides and friendship had swiftly followed.
"We've changed so much," Chrissy said.
"Yes, you have," Simon admitted. "Your boobs are bigger."
"Funny!" Chrissy grinned. "Our brush with death at the hands of Chloe shook us up, badly. We so wanted to live. Unfortunately, we had been fanatical about Urban Predator and it nearly took us with it when it folded."
"Life's too damn short," Rylee conceded.
"You got that right!" Harper acknowledged.
"I'm glad that nobody got killed," Shannon commented as she joined them.
"Yeah," Jamie added. "I hate mopping up blood – had to do that a lot when Stormy misplaced her tampons."
Chrissy burst out laughing as Shannon blushed violently.
"It was only once, you little fuck!" Shannon muttered, her cheeks turning pink.
The friends were happy to enjoy the time together while they ate. They each crammed down cheeseburgers, chips, and gallons of Coke. By the time they had finished, the adults shooed them all to their cabins where they were told to get ready for bed before being left to watch a movie.
The adults retired to talk.
..._...
Rachel was still struggling with everything she had seen.
"All those children back in England...?" she began.
"Yes," Keira replied. "Not all of them, but many are victims, just as much as Rylee. Some suffered further when they fell under the spell of FEAR."
"FEAR?" Rachel queried. "That godawful woman who attacked Chicago, last year?"
"She hoodwinked Predators into working for her, in return for food and money," Dave explained with a look of anguish on his face. "Some died at our hands – we had no choice."
"But we tried to save all we could," Mindy said. "You met Charlotte?"
"Yes."
"Abigail slashed Charlotte across the stomach and then did her best to save Charlotte's life."
"I saw the scar," Rachel confirmed.
"They've all suffered but as you can see, we're trying to keep them out of trouble."
"What about Rylee and Simon?" Rachel asked.
"Will we force them into Vengeance? No."
"If they want to become vigilantes?"
"We will let them. Unfortunately, Predators have a bloodlust – as you have seen. So far, those who have tried to keep it in have struggled. You met little Kaitlin – well, she caused a few thousand pounds worth of damage to a police BMW when she lost control before, we really understood what goes on in a Predator's mind. They are unique and we are struggling to fully understand them and help them. But we are doing all we can."
"Thank you, Keira. I trust all of you. I am glad I have someone to talk to . . . someone who understands."
"It's hard," Keira confirmed. "Our world is different to that enjoyed by Mindy and her teams. We're an off the books organisation which is allowed to exist because we do jobs for the government. It also didn't do us any harm saving the life of the Prime Minister and thus prevent a civil war."
"When I heard about what Harper suffered..."
"An operation that went badly wrong. I thought I had lost her for the second time," Keira said quietly. "She's an annoying little brat, but I love her more than anything and I'd do anything for her . . . don't tell her I said any of that; she's damaged enough as it is."
Rachel chuckled.
"When I lost my husband, Paul, and Rylee, both on the same day, I went to pieces," Rachel admitted. "Then, two years later, this girl suddenly appears on my doorstep. It's taken me time to get used to the new Rylee, but I love her no matter what she is; she is, and always will be, my daughter."
"Having kids in your life is the most amazing thing ever," Mindy admitted. "I wouldn't change it for the world. Maybe being damaged, myself, helps me understand them better. It's definitely changed my outlook on life having somebody other than myself to care about. Just over a year ago, someone dared to take Anne-Marie away from me."
"She invaded sovereign British Territory and killed the bastards," Paige grinned. "Anne-Marie and Danny had no idea who their adoptive mother was before that event. It was just bad luck that those bastards chose to kidnap Hit Girl's daughter!"
"Biggest mistake ever!" Dave chuckled.
"Rachel," Mindy said. "No matter what Rylee or Simon choose, they will always have the protection of Vengeance and Fusion. I will move heaven and earth if required."
"She quite literally tore up Europe nine months ago," Dave commented. "Technically we can't go back to France, Germany, or Italy. Even the Brits find Mindy a little more than they can handle."
There was laughter at Mindy's expense, but she took it all in her stride.
The next morning...
Friday, February 17th
Training Facility Echo
Level 1 – Dining Room
07:50
Mindy was not amused to find a large group of grinning children bearing down on her table where she sat enjoying her breakfast.
The group appeared to be led by Rylee and Simon. Mindy noted that Stephanie and Abigail were hanging back and avoiding her eyes.
"Is this a delegation?" Mindy chuckled as Dave grinned from the seat beside her. "A mutiny perhaps?"
"No," Rylee replied. "We want to spend the day in Chicago."
"All of you?" Mindy commented – the fourteen-strong group consisted of Rylee, Simon, the twins, Willow, Kendra, Megan, Lin, Xiāngxìn, Harper, Stephanie, Jamie, Abigail, and Shannon.
"Yep!" Simon replied.
"Chicago has suffered far worse," Dave quipped.
"I don't know...," Mindy said as she looked over at Rachel, Jennifer, and Keira.
All three simply shrugged.
"Thanks for your help, guys!" Mindy growled.
"We'll go along to keep an eye on things," Stephanie ventured with a grin, indicating herself and Abigail.
"Like that'll keep the peace," Dave commented.
"I can behave in a mature fashion when required," Stephanie responded. "Can't say the same for Abigail, though."
"Bitch!" Abigail muttered.
"I'll take charge," Willow announced. "Any fucking about and I'll make them suffer."
"Okay, Willow's in charge," Dave directed.
"What!" the twins said together.
"She was a Marauder for fuck's sake!" Chrissy added.
"Christina!" Mindy growled dangerously.
Chrissy realised that she had stepped a long way over the line and she quickly recanted, "Sorry, Willow; that was unforgiveable."
"That's okay, Chrissy," Willow grinned.
"If you go anywhere near a public eating joint, watch out for Harper," Keira commented with a sly grin.
Harper scowled.
"If you're referring to the incident with the bog roll..."
"I am."
"I had the bog roll in my hands so that I could wipe my snatch, okay!"
Keira raised both eyebrows and Harper realised she had gone too far.
"I made use of the loo roll to wipe that place which should not be brought up in polite conversation," Harper tried.
"Yes, but not one, not two, but three bog rolls found themselves down the pan after you broke the bog roll enclosure. Talk your way out of that one, clever dick!"
Harper gave up, knowing that her sister always won verbal sparring matches.
"Willow is the eldest and I trust her one hundred per cent," Mindy stated, and everyone nodded. "You obey Willow, or I will want to know why when you return – understood?"
There were whoops of joy as everyone ran off, leaving Mindy and Dave in peace to finish their breakfast.
A short while later...
10:00
They hopped the rapid transit at 35th and Archer for the Orange Line which would take them into the city.
They sat together, chatting away happily. It felt really good to be out alone and far away from adult influence. Everyone was on their best behaviour, determined not to upset Mindy and to a lesser extent not wanting to upset Willow. However, as the train began to pull out of the next stop, Ashland'. A woman in her seventies with an aluminium stick to support her, moved towards the seats reserved for the infirm or pregnant. Just a second before she got there, a youth of maybe seventeen slumped into the seat with his mate beside him – both cunts smirked up at the old woman who was then forced to stand.
"Excuse me, young man...," she began."
"Too slow, grandma!" one of the youths said with a disrespectful grin.
"You two – move!" Willow demanded.
Both youths looked over at Willow, but neither saw the sixteen-year-old as much of a threat, nor the others whom she was sitting with.
"It's not a problem," the old lady said as Willow got up and waved the woman into her seat.
"I'm going to get you your seat," Willow growled as she moved to stand before the two smirking youths who she then addressed. "You make me sick! Get out of those seats and show some damn respect!"
"Respect my ass, bitch!"
"Fuck you!"
"Final chance," Willow said clearly.
Both youths ignored Willow, neither seeing the anger in her face, nor listening to the alarm bells ringing in their stunted brains. Willow easily grasped hold of the youth to her right but his jacket, yanking him off the seat and dumping him on the floor of the carriage.
"Hey!" he declared angrily. "You..."
He never got a chance to finish as his mate landed atop him. Willow turned her back on them to speak to the old lady.
"Please take your seat, ma'am."
"Thank you... Oh my goodness!"
Willow sensed the danger and she span to find both youths on their feet with eight-inch knives held in their right hands. Willow laughed and she gave the pair a very patronising look.
"That all you got?" Willow enquired. "Or are those compensating for your tiny dicks?"
There was laughter from the other passengers who were enjoying the show as Willow wiggled her little finger, publicly humiliating the two youths.
"Well?" the taller of the two youths demanded.
"Well, what?" Willow asked nonchalantly.
"You gonna take us now?"
"No."
"Scared?" the shorter youth grinned.
"No – I just think you're both beneath me. Kendra, Harper; front and centre."
The youths almost laughed as the two girls stepped forwards. Ten-year-old Kendra faced the taller youth who was almost two feet taller than her. Harper was about the same two-feet shorter than her youth. Kendra was a little worried, but Harper gave her a reassuring smile; she knew that the older girl could handle the situation. Kendra had other ideas, but she knew how to disarm someone armed with a knife – Harper had taught her, many months before. Without warning, Kendra stepped forward, inside of the knife extended in her direction, and her hands grasped the youth's wrist. Kendra savagely twisted the wrist, forcing the shocked youth to drop the blade which clattered to the floor of the carriage. Her right knee took the youth between the legs, dropping him to his knees as he clasped his unmentionables. By the time Kendra stood back from her youth, Harper and similarly disarmed and floored her own youth. Both girls returned to their seats as other passengers cheered. Kendra received an approving grin from her big sister which the youngster was very pleased about.
At the next stop, the two youths were taken into custody by the police.
..._...
The group got off the train at Adams & Wabash, descending to the street below.
The increasingly noisy and excited youngsters headed off in the direction of Lake Michigan and the excitement of Navy Pier. There was a 1.6-mile, thirty-minute stroll through eastern Chicago to reach Navy Pier and the youngsters chatted and joked the entire way. The air was cold but that simply gave the kids a reason to keep active by running, jumping, talking, and generally making asses of themselves.
"I'm surprised you've forgiven Rylee," Simon commented. "At least as far as Kendra's concerned."
"I promised Kendra that I wouldn't kill Rylee," Willow responded, somewhat cryptically.
Rylee grinned as she moved further away from Willow.
"It's not like I'm going to stalk her," Willow commented as she moved closer to Rylee, following her every move as Rylee tried to maintain a safe distance from the older girl. "It's not like I'm going to hurt her, like this..."
Willow caught up with Rylee who grimaced as Willow drove her right fist into Rylee's upper shoulder.
"Ooowww!" Rylee called out as she rubbed her arm. "Dead arm!"
"I definitely wouldn't do anything like this...," Willow went on as she seized the unfortunate eleven-year-old and tossed her in the air before dropping her back down onto a nearby patch of grass.
Rylee rapidly scrambled to her feet, giggling her head off as she enjoyed the rough handling, just as any Predator did.
North Streeter Drive
"You don't trust them?"
Mindy looked out of the windscreen of her Jaguar XJR as Rylee scrambled back to her feet.
"Yes, I trust them – with my life," Mindy replied, turning to Rachel who sat in the passenger seat of the luxury motor. "However, despite their intensive training which taught them to kill, underneath, they still have the bodies and minds of kids. As you've seen, there are times they struggle to make sense of the world around them, and as a result, they act out. Unfortunately, when a normal kid acts out, you get tantrums and tears. But when a Predator acts out, people get hurt. It's not their fault, they just see a bit of pain and some minor injuries as part of the game – they endured pain every damn day during their training. I trust them when we go into action – it's like a switch is thrown . . . a mental switch. They change from kids to mature young adults and their focus is on the task without any pissing about. They can be ruthless and deadly – I trust them to fight and not to risk themselves without cause. Then, once the fighting is over, that same switch is reset, and the immature little twats are back making my life suck. That is when my trust only goes so far; just like you can only trust any child so far. They make poor decisions, just like any child does, only their decisions can have severe consequences. Young Jamie suffered burns when somebody thought a flash-bang would make a good joke. Don't get me wrong, I care for every damn one of them, no matter what their age, but they need protecting from themselves just like any child at their age."
"Thank you, Mindy. Ever since Vengeance appeared in our lives, everything has just got better and better. Rylee is never happier than when she is with her friends and those like her. Now, I have a son . . . actually, a ward – I assume that in a couple of years those two will start to fuck, so not exactly a son."
Mindy laughed.
"Life can be short for a Predator so they have chosen to form relationships at an age which would normally not be allowed, but then they are not normal children, by any means, and I should know."
"I suppose – I'm just not ready to become a grandmother yet."
"Have no fear; we have plans for that," Mindy grinned as she absentmindedly rubbed her upper left arm.
As they continued to watch the mismatched group of kids, Megan was attacked by Jamie with the assistance of Kendra.
"Is Megan safe?" Rachel asked. "I know she isn't a Predator."
Mindy laughed.
"Megan is a strange one, but she can look after herself, I can assure you of that. To be honest, I worry more for the Predators should they piss her off!"
Rachel laughed as she saw Megan throw Jamie to the ground, with Kendra landing atop the boy soon after. Megan then went on to fell Rylee and Chrissy before Willow stopped the impromptu sparring match by putting Megan down.
"I see what you mean," Rachel commented.
The Mismatched Group of Kids
Navy Pier
"Don't look at me like that, Kendra," Willow said.
"I..."
"I know what you're thinking," Willow interrupted. "You know full well that nothing I did to Rylee actually hurt her – she's a fucking Predator for crying out loud! You said not to harm her, so I respect that, and I will not cause bodily harm to Rylee – I swear. However, should you want me to, I will break her arms and legs and beat what remains to pulp."
Kendra giggled at that and her mood changed, fairly confident that her sister was not about to murder Rylee any time soon.
..._...
At the very end of the pier, Rylee gazed out over Lake Michigan.
"A penny for your thoughts."
Rylee turned to find Megan standing to he left with Harper to her right.
"Careful what you ask for, Megan," Harper chuckled.
"The past week has been amazing," Rylee said. "I've gone from being alone to finding some of my friends, none of whom I thought I would ever see again. Indeed, I expected most to be dead. I've met some amazing people who aren't even Predators – even a sodding Princess!"
"I know I'm amazing," Megan grinned.
"Please don't polish her ego," Stephanie said.
"I second that," Abigail added.
"She's insufferable enough," Shannon confirmed.
"I can take you all," Megan growled.
"Megan sounds like someone else we know," Xiāngxìn commented to her sister.
"Can't think who you mean," Lin responded.
"Nobody I know has such a fucking giant ego," Simon chuckled.
"Fuck off, all of you!" Rylee laughed.
..._...
After grabbing lunch which consisted of cheeseburgers and Coke, the noisy group made their way back down the pier towards Chicago.
Rylee was having the time of her life. She was with a strange mix of people. Some she had once hated more than she thought she could ever hate a person, now they were behaving like the best of friends. She was also among others of her own kind; friends who had suffered alongside her during the worst parts of their short lives. For the first time since returning home, Rylee felt hope for the future. She had Simon back which was amazing, and she could tell that others were leaving almost normal lives with no ill effects.
Shannon had thought about Rylee many times since her return to her family. Rylee had been a key part of her life. Without Rylee Shannon knew that she might never have survived being taken and thrust into hell. It was truly amazing to be surrounded by her friends, both new and old. Shannon liked to think that she had mellowed some since her return. Okay, she and Marc had fucked like bunnies for quite a while, but then they had settled down and instead of sex, twice a day, seven days a week, they now only fucked two to four times a week. Just being together was enough for Shannon and each sexual experience was truly satisfying for both of them. Her mother had remarked that it was nice to be able to go to bed without hearing the constant screams of ecstasy each night coming from her daughter's bedroom. That thought gave her an idea and she looked over at Rylee with an evil glint in her eye.
"So, Rylee, have you and Simon...?"
"Have we what?" Rylee responded.
"Have you two fucked yet?"
Rylee's entire face exploded into a deep red as Megan and Abigail laughed out loud.
"Well?" Shannon pushed her friend.
"No," Rylee hissed as Simon simply shrugged.
"Just wondering," Shannon grinned.
"You are so evil," Marc stated for the record.
"I know!"
..._...
As they headed deeper into Chicago, Rylee hung back to speak with Megan.
"I know why the Predators do it: to satisfy their blood lust, but why did you choose to be," Rylee asked before she lowered her voice almost to a whisper, "a vigilante called Wildcat? What's your origin story?"
"I wish I could say I had an amazing origin story, but no," Megan replied with a grimace. "When I was nine, my Dad was taken from us. We were forced to move to a shit-hole of an apartment in a shit-hole part of Chicago. I began to act out in a major way: I'd steal, I'd smash things, I'd slash tyres, I'd key paintwork on cars . . . until I met Jackal and Hit Girl one night."
"As I understand it," Stephanie interrupted, "you bit Hit Girl."
Megan laughed as she remembered that night, so long before... {Chapter 95 . . . if you're interested}.
...+...
Friday, October 17th, 2014
After a few minutes, Hit Girl reappeared, and she was struggling with something. That something, was trying to bite Hit Girl's gauntlet; without much success, of course.
"Look, brat, you're only gonna break your goddamn teeth!" Hit Girl growled.
The 'brat' turned out to be a small girl, much to Jackal's surprise.
"Let me go, bitch!"
"Aren't foul-mouthed little brats supposed to be in bed at this time of night?" Hit Girl growled as she dropped the girl onto the sidewalk.
"You're not!" the small girl retorted brazenly.
Jackal could have sworn Hit Girl almost grinned at that.
"Come on, help me out here! I'm just thinking of your safety and your Mom will be worried," Hit Girl tried.
"What's your name?" Jackal asked, and the girl turned to see him for the first time.
"Who the fuck are you supposed to be?" the girl blurted out, looking a little scared.
"I'm Jackal! Who are you?" he asked again.
"Well my name ain't 'brat', HG!" The girl declared as she glared up at Hit Girl.
Hit Girl put her face in her hands, and she shook her head in mock despair.
"My name is Megan, okay!"
"Can we take you home?" Jackal asked.
"I'm not a lost puppy 'Jack'!"
Jackal had an idea, so he tried again.
"It's dark and it's cold; I can't leave you out here on your own. I'm a vigilante and we can't do that; it's against the code," he explained.
Megan cocked her head and she looked up at Jackal; he could almost see the cogs whirring in her head. Hit Girl also looked at Jackal, a little strangely, but he could see an approving smirk start to appear.
"Okay, just this once," Megan acceded.
...+...
Friday, February 17th, 2017
She had been so young. She had been so innocent. She had been...
"I was a wild animal and I thought that violence made me look good. Soon after, I met Hit Girl, good things began to happen. Jackal thought I was a mini-Hit Girl; I liked being called that. Mindy turned up one night and offered my Mom a job at the original D-JAK, just before it opened. That was how I got on all the promotional shit. Well, we also got a car, and a much nicer apartment. Then, one night, I came across an injured Hit Girl – she had a safehouse in the same apartment block, you see – and it was during that time that me and Mom found out what Mindy did at night."
"Megan looked after me when I was discovered by Kick-Ass," Stephanie explained. "She's a little coarse but she's trustworthy and that helped me adjust to my new life."
"I first went out when I was ten," Megan continued. "It was amazing. I enjoyed helping people – and yes, I enjoyed showing off."
"She poses for photos," Abigail stated. "Wildcat even has her own Facebook page with a zillion likes and a zillion followers. She gets nine marriage proposals a week, on average. Several times a month someone requests a naked selfie. Only thing creepier is Psyche's Facebook page – now, that's just wrong. Even Eisenhower has a Facebook page."
"Just because you got hate mail on your Facebook page," Stephanie grinned.
"Okay, I said something bad about Wildcat, jeez!" Abigail exclaimed.
Everybody laughed as they made their way towards the nearest station.
35th and Archer
Shannon had noticed that Rylee had been uncharacteristically quiet on the train ride back.
"What's wrong, Ry?" Shannon asked her friend.
"Am I expected to become a vigilante?" Rylee asked. "Would people think less of me if I choose not to become one?"
"No," Shannon replied. "You have a choice, for the first time in your life. Nobody will force you into anything – not me, not Mindy, not Harper. You have to make your own mind up, Ry. We can help you, but we can't make the decision for you. Okay, why did you take those men down?"
"I had to before others got hurt."
"You have a heart, Rylee – you always have had. That sets you apart from other people who just want to kill for the hell of it. You took useless misfits into Zeta and you turned them into people who were safe from bullying and who had a hope in hell's chance of staying alive. Everyone you protected survived, almost. Even the instructors respected you. You care. You want to protect people. You hate evil. I do too, and I suppose that I learnt that from you, Ry."
"I do want to help people – I hate seeing people treated like shit. I hate seeing people stealing. That's pretty rich coming from me as I've been arrested for shoplifting more times than I can remember – but I never meant to hurt anybody, and I really only did it for attention. I owe the world for my life and I want to repay the world by helping to protect it."
"Any help?"
"Yes, thanks, Shannon."
"Anytime, Rylee, anytime."
Rylee felt a lot happier with her future by the time they all arrived back at the safehouse.
The following morning...
Saturday, February 18th
Training Facility Echo
The goodbyes were hard.
"I never thought I would ever be doing this," Rylee said as she hugged Sky and then Chrissy.
"I wish we'd got know one another properly," Chrissy admitted. "You're an amazing girl, Rylee – never change who you are."
"Thank you, Chrissy – same to you."
"I hope you can come see us in Los Angeles," Sky said. "Maybe in the summer."
"You can wear that bikini, Rylee," Rachel grinned. "On the beach – bet Simon would like that."
"So not funny, Mum!" Rylee responded with a scowl.
"It's been amazing," Simon admitted. "Thanks, Mindy."
"You two behave for Rachel now," Mindy ordered. "Won't waste my breath saying the same to Harper as I know she won't listen."
"Too true!" Rylee laughed.
"I can be well behaved – tell them, Keira."
"I would hate to lie to all these people," Keira responded.
Harper gave up, not bothering to push it as everybody laughed.
..._...
Rylee then turned to Mindy.
"Rylee, you are an amazing youngster who I am sure will grow into an amazing young woman," Mindy said. "Anything you need, you let me know. You have your phone should you need to talk to any of your new and old friends. Take your time to decide what you want from your life, and remember, it is your life now. Only you can decide what happens from this moment forward, Rylee, so don't rush any decisions. Talk things through with Simon – the boy seems to be intelligent and level-headed – and when you come to a decision, let me know."
"Thank you for giving me a new chance at life – my Mum and Simon too," Rylee replied. "I promise to give things careful thought."
"I know you will," Mindy replied. "I can tell that you will mull this over all the way across the North Atlantic and for a few days once you get back on the other side. You take care Rylee Clarkson."
"You too, Hit Girl."
Somewhere over Canada...
"Well, that was an eye-opening experience," Rachel commented as she lay back in her luxuriously soft leather seat and sipped at a glass of chilled white wine.
"I thought it would be," Keira chuckled.
"The youngsters appeared to enjoy it," Rachel went on as she gazed over to where Rylee was fast asleep, leaning into Simon who was also fast asleep.
Harper was in a seat facing her friends, her eyes closed and just as out of it.
"So nice to have some peace and quiet," Keira said for the record as she too took a sip from her glass of equally chilled white wine.
"I have a lot to think about, now I have not just a daughter with anger issues, but also a son with similar problems," Rachel confided.
"As with the children, you are not alone, and I am just a phone call away."
"Thank you, Keira. You have an amazing little girl there and I am thankful that she has been there for Rylee."
"It has been an uphill struggle, but Harper has had her own friends to help her adjust – without them, I have no idea how I might have coped. So, I understand you have your eye on a new house."
"I do," Rachel grinned. "Just across the River Wharf. It has five bedrooms, three reception rooms, a lovely terrace, and get this . . . a swimming pool!"
"A pool!"
"Yes – I thought it would be a good surprise for the children; I know how much Rylee works out and I figured that the pool would help her in that respect. Of course, I love to swim. Mindy says that she will help with the purchase costs, too – she's an angel that young woman."
Keira laughed out loud, almost waking the children.
"What?" Rachel asked defensively.
"I've never heard Mindy referred to as an angel before," Keira responded. "A bitch. A she-devil. A cold-blooded killer. And countless more, but never an angel."
"Whatever – without her, none of this would be happening."
"Some argue that without Mindy, none of the children would have become what they are," Keira said darkly.
"Not Mindy's fault," Rachel said. "Not from what I've understood."
"True," Keira agreed.
The two women dropped the subject and they spent the next few hours talking about their careers.
Author's Note: The activities of Harper, Rylee, and Simon will continue in my other story: Vengeance.