Suzy
September 7th, 2007. 12:03 p.m. My office. I’m just in my office minding my own business when my phone starts ringing. I flick my finger and the phone levitates up to my ear. “Yello?”
“Um… Miss Headmaster.” My assistant’s voice cracks. “The LAPD wants to speak with you.”
“Do they have an appointment?”
“No, but-”
Without knocking or any warning, the police enter my office. It’s three dudes decked out in body armor with the chief right in the middle of them. The dude on the right looks like he’s been pumping protein since he was in the womb. The one on the left looks like he’s fresh out of the academy. The body armor’s way too big for him and he can’t keep his eyes focused on anyone too long. I think I recognize him. Holy crap I do. It’s Billy. The chief is tan, stout, and has a nice mustache. “Hello, Suzy. Long time no see.” he takes off his glasses and shines his bright blue eyes at me.
“Heya little Ricky. What brings you here?”
“That’s Mr. Milos to you.” He frowns and puts his sunglasses back on. “Word on the street is some of your students failed to apprehend Lucky Clover. Care to explain what happened there?”
“Oh so now she’s my responsibility?” I hang up the phone and down a cup of coffee. “Just last week you guys were going ‘Stay out of this, this is our case! L.A. doesn’t need two police forces!”
“That’s irrelevant. Sh-”
“It’s not.” I interrupt. “But continue.”
“25 people are dead and several more are injured.” The Chief grits his teeth. “My boys saw your students lighting people on fire and you have nothing to say about that?”
“Some thugs attacked my students first.” I open my desk and chuck a CD at him. “There’s some CCTV footage I managed to snag. My students were defending themselves. Where were you guys?”
“Trying to locate Lucky Clover, ma’am.” the scrawny one replies.
The other two stare daggers at him before he shuts up.
The chief takes a deep breath and retrieves the CD. “Look… I know I’m being a little curt, can you please just give us your intel? I’m tired of letting Clover run free.”
“I will if you free some of my students.” I smile.
“Which ones?” Mr. Milos grits his teeth. He sounds like he’s about to stroke out.
“You know which ones.” I lean back in my chair and put my feet on my desk.
“You don’t want to make this difficult.” Mr. Milos shakes his head.
“Sounds like you do.” I yawn. “If you want to be productive, I got some paperwork you can help with.” I glance over to my email and see an alert from an informant. “One of my informants says there’s a hostage situation on fourth street right now. Can you guys handle this or do you want me to take this one?” I flip open my phone and press it to my ear.
Milos sighs, then turns around and sprints out of the office. “This isn’t over, Suzy! Let’s go boys!”
The protein junky clad in body armor gives a salute then follows the chief out without another word.
The scrawny cop known as Billy approaches my desk. “Please excuse him, ma’am… he’s had a rough week.”
“We’ve all had rough weeks.” I sigh then smile at him. “Are you doing okay though, how’s your mom doing?”
“Better.” Billy smiles back at me. “Thank you for asking. I really can’t thank you enough for the money. I dunno what I would’ve done without it.”
“Don’t worry about it.” I wave my hand and lean back in my chair. “Alumni like you deserve a little pick me up. Everything at the precinct going alright?”
“It’s… chaotic, but nothing out of the norm.” He rubs the back of his head. “Some of the newer recruits keep getting attacked by vigilantes. It’s been wreaking havoc on morale.”
“I gotcha.” I nod. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“You’re too kind, ma’am.” Billy bows to me. “Thank you, so so much.”
“You’re very welcome. Say hi to your mom for me.”
“Will do!” Billy leans in closer and lowers his voice. “I’ve located Max.” He reaches into his pocket and places a small neatly folded piece of paper onto my desk. “And Shockmeister’s mysteriously disappeared from her prison cell.”
“And the evidence against her?” I slide the paper into my pocket.
“What evidence?” Billy smiles.
“That’s my boy.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to warn you ahead of time this time. Everyone at the precinct’s getting paranoid.”
“Over anything in particular?”
“There’s nothing concrete at the moment, but I’ve noticed some discrepancies in the precinct’s budget and call logs. We’ve been getting a huge influx of calls from Washington and Sacramento lately. My boys at other precincts are reporting similar discrepancies.”
“How queer.” I fold my arms. “Any particular legislation being considered? Any rumors going around the station?”
“Not that I can think of. We haven’t really had any opportunities to gossip lately, but there-”
“BILLY!” Milos barks from down the hall. “Haul your ass over here! We got a hostage to save!”
“Coming, sir! Suzy just had some questions!” Billy lowers his voice again before running off. “I’ll stay in touch.”
Yuko
September 7th, 2007. 1:21 p.m. No clouds.
Got a gut full of chicken and booze, and some new clothes with $50 leftover from my job payment. Woulda made a lot more if that bitch of a Headmaster didn’t nickel and dime my ass. ‘Collateral damage’, ‘transportation fee’, ‘insurance fee’, eat my ass. Quit taking my money. I’m in class sitting next to A.D. snacking on some Doritos. One of his hands wrapped up in bandages. The teacher’s boring as usual, but I got a sick buzz going so it's cool.
“So, remember students, if you see a mysterious blue light in the sky, that could mean one of two things. There’s an alien here for tourism or the Lunar Legion is here to ruin your day. If it’s the latter, their target may vary, but they always go for communication centers regardless of their mission. Broadcast towers, phone lines, you name it. Our anti-air fire can keep their big ships at bay, but we need ground forces to protect broadcast towers and the like. That’s where you come in.” Professor brings out a fish tank full of these gross-ass looking blue fish. They got teeth bigger than their heads and eyeballs sticking out of every orifice. Just looking at them makes me wanna hurl. Nothing that ugly should be allowed to exist. “That being said, even without the big aliens, our ecosystem is still at risk from invasive species.” Professor pulls out a piece of beef jerky from his jacket and drops it into the fishtank and the tank erupts into an orgy of violence. “These little guys are colloquially known as Biters. Anyone here from near the Mississippi?”
Some students raise their hands.
“Then you guys already know how annoying these little bastards are.” Professor chuckles. “Bad news is they’ve spread to local water systems. Good news is we got a lot of missions to kill them and any other invasive species. So if you want to help clean up the environment and blow off some steam, please-” Professor sticks his finger into the tank and zaps it. Bright light envelops the classroom and the fish go limp and float to the surface. “Kill all of these you can.” he smiles and continues to zap the little bastards.
I chuckle upon seeing a fish head explode and eat another chip.
“Are you going to visit Vivian and Will today?” A.D. whispers.
“Why would I do that? If she wants us to visit, she’ll ask.”
“She shouldn’t have to.” A.D. keeps an eye on the professor. “I’m going to go visit.”
“Have fun with that.” I yawn, put my head down on my desk, and try to take a nap.
Professor clears his throat. “Now allow me to enlighten you on the differences between a normal corgi and an evolved corgi.”
Vivian
September 7th, 2007. 3:53 p.m. Not a cloud in the sky. My head feels a little woozy, but I can still hear some faint voices.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
“So it’s just dislocation?”
“Indeed. Her shoulders, elbows, knees, and ankles. Aside from some minor bruising on the back of her head and back, her head and torso are fine.”
“That’s good… any update on where Jimmy’s hiding?”
“No, ma’am…”
“Very well… dismissed.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
My eyes open. I’m in a bed in a pristine hospital room. The sheets are comfy and the pillow’s not too shabby either. It’s way better than the bed in my dorm. First person I see is the Headmaster waving goodbye to someone by the doorway.
“Hey.” I clear my throat. “What’re you doing here?”
The headmaster turns to me and rushes over to my bedside. “Hoo thank god you’re finally awake.”
“How long have I been out?”
“Just a day. It’s almost four.”
I exhale and smile. It hurts to exhale. “That’s a relief…”
“How do you feel?”
“Awful, headmaster. Thanks for asking.”
“Quit it with the headmaster. Just call me Suzy.” She sips her coffee.
“Awful, Suzy. Thanks for asking.”
“That’s better.” She takes another sip before presenting her mug towards me. “Want some? It’ll perk you up.”
“No thanks. Can’t stand coffee.”
“Your loss.” Suzy shrugs and takes another chug. “You performed outstandingly well for your first job. Color me impressed.”
“Job…?” My eyes shoot wide. “How’s my team?! Is everyone okay?”
“Yuko has a sore throat, but is fine otherwise. A.D. has a pretty gross hand wound that has reopened three times already.”
“How?”
“He insists on doing push ups and punching exercises despite our best warnings.” Suzy rubs her temple.
“... Yeah, that sounds about right... What about Will?”
“Why don’t you look to your right?”
I do just that and see Will lying in bed with a bunch of machinery strapped to him.
“He’s in a coma.” Suzy takes another sip. “Won’t be able to walk, but at least he’s alive.”
I feel myself deflate into the mattress. My eyes begin to water as I clench my teeth.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself.” Suzy puts down her mug beside my bed. “It’s a miracle any of you even survived. None of us were expecting Oso to show up.”
“You know him?” I turn back to Suzy.
“Mm. He used to be a student here, but was unsatisfied with our pay and resorted to villainy.”
“Wait… we get paid here?” A smile forms across my chapped lips.
“Indeed. It’s on a per job basis and also based on performance.” Suzy fished a check out of her shirt and threw it at me. “Speaking of which, here’s your cut.”
I watch the check fall onto my lap. “$2,000?! Hell yeah!”
“Ssh. Other students are napping.”
I whisper. “$2,000?! Hell yeah!”
“You deserve every penny. It’s a small price to pay for preserving our cultural heritage.”
“Hey, if you don’t mind me asking…” I rub the check under my thumbs. “Do we know why Oso came to the museum instead of Origami?”
“How prudent of you.” Suzy takes out a packet of instant coffee powder and begins eating it like a Pixy Stix. “We’re at a complete loss. He could have just been planning to ransack the place for some cash.”
“I see… Did any other place get broken into? Maybe he was a distraction for Origami.”
“Look at you, thinking like an adult.” Suzy smiles and rubs my hair. “No sightings of Origami were reported last night. It was a false alarm.”
“Yeah… had a feeling that would happen…” I fall back into my pillow.
“While we’re on the subject,” Suzy folds up the powder packet and chucks it into her mug. “Did Oso injure you?”
“No, luckily enough. He never laid a finger on me.”
“Then how did you dislocate all your limbs?”
“I…” my entire body shivers and my throat tenses up. “Something took control of me. It lifted me up into the air and threw me onto the ground.”
“...” Suzy grimaces. “Did you feel cold throughout your whole body?”
“Yeah. I get cold just thinking about it.”
“You were most likely possessed by Junko.”
“That’s what I thought…” I clench my arm just to stop it from shaking.
“Though I wonder why she didn’t kill you… most of her victims end up impaled on something.”
“I don’t know why, but I’ll take it.”
Suzy pulls out her wallet and chucks a business card at me. “Here’s the counseling office. I’m not saying you have to go, but if you need it, it’s there.” she begins heading for the door. “Next time, you may want to bring some holy water with you. Junko can’t stand the stuff.”
“Thanks, Suzy.” I try to wave her goodbye, but it hurts too much to raise my arm.
Suzy stops at the doorway and looks back at me. “Oh, one more thing before I go. One of your teammates reported that Oso was trying to talk to you before fighting broke out. What did he say?”
“...” I blink. “He was just taunting us.”
“Are you sure?”
“100%.”
“Very well.” Suzy stretches. “If you need anything, don’t be afraid to call the staff, okay? Tell them you want the Suzy Treatment.”
“Will do. Thank you.”
Angela
September 7th, 2007. 4:32 p.m. Little cloudy. In my dorm room playing Melee.
“I keep telling you!” Josh looks ready to break the controller in half. “I’m doing the inputs correctly, the controller’s busted!”
“Gimme.” I swipe the controller from him and wavedash perfectly. “I’m sorry, what?”
“This game’s dumb…” Josh swipes the controller back.
“Then quit playing.”
“No… its my dumb game…”
“Alright.” I peer at Josh’s fingers. No wonder he’s having a hard time. His fingers might be too thick for this technique. “I’m gonna visit Viv. When I come back, you better have that down.”
“Or else what?”
“I’ll blast Caramelldansen until you master it.”
True fear explodes across Josh’s face. He resumes practicing like he’s got finals tomorrow morning.
I kick open my room door like a boss and find Janelle curled up on her bed. “Ey, Janellibelli.” Poke. “I’m gonna visit your boyfriend. Wanna come with?”
“I can’t…” she sniffles. “I can’t bear to see him like that.” Little limp sparks roll off her shoulders and onto her bed. They don’t burn the sheets or anything. Hell, I tapped one for funsies, but didn’t feel any warmth from it. Felt like a wet, lukewarm bubble.
“Oh my god get over yourself.” I poke her butt. “Get. Let’s go see your bf.”
“He’s so hurt… I couldn’t do anything to save him…”
I groan. “But Janelle, imagine if you go to see him and you’re the first person he sees when he wakes up. Wouldn’t that just be soooo romantic?”
“You’re right. I’ll be ready in five.” Janelle wipes her eyes. “Leave so I can get dressed.”
“What’s wrong with me staying here?”
“I don’t like people being in the same room when I change.”
“But we’re both girls. What’s the problem?”
“Just leave.”
“Okay okay. You don’t gotta shout.” I leave the room, shut the door behind me, and wait outside our dorm. “Damnit.”
Janelle comes out looking like she’s ready to mourn at a funeral. Black eyeliner, big hat, dress that I had to wear for church. The whole shebang. She even has her own handkerchief. Geez, woman. You aren’t in a shoujo. Calm down. “Ready?” she asks.
“Ye.” I lead her through the park and to the school hospital. We’re silent the whole way. She says nothing, so I start playing Oblivion on my phone. That’s the rule. If they have nothing to say, I get to play.
I hear faint crying. It’s distant, but distinct. “Aw c’mon, Janelle. Save the crying for the hospital bed.”
“Huh?” Janelle scratches her cheek. “I’m not crying.”
“You’re not lying?”
“Why would I lie about that?”
“To cover your insecurities.”
“I- how di-”
“Nyehehehe. Relax, I’m just chewing you.”
We arrive at the hospital and finally get to Vivian’s and Will’s room after taking two wrong turns that were completely Janelle’s fault I swear.
Janelle rushes towards Will’s bedside and begins weeping, singing praises, and throwing comforting slogans that almost sound rehearsed.
“Can you…” Viv points to the curtain between her and Will.
“Way ahead of you.” I throw the curtain up between her and Will’s bed, but Janelle’s still bawling.
“Thanks, Angela.” Vivian looks at me.
“Whoa… you look like garbo.”
“I feel like garbo.”
“Would a hug help?” Before Viv can respond, I already bend down and hug her head to my chest. “There there. There there.”
“Will… I’m here for you… please…” Janelle’s crying grows louder. “Please wake up.”
“Janelle!” I turn back while still playing with Viv’s hair. “I know you’re having a moment, but shut up!”
Janelle responds with more crying.
“Let her cry.” Viv pats my back. “She’s gotta get it all out.”
“There’s a quieter way to do so…” I mutter before patting Viv on the head and pulling away. “Anyway, I hear you impaled a dude with a stop sign. That’s pretty metal.”
Viv looks down at her hands. “Yeah it was pretty sick.” she sighs with a faint smile. “Did I miss any homework?”
“Just some reading. I think it was Chapter 3 of New Threats of the New Century and a review worksheet. I can bring them for you tomorrow if you like.”
“I would appreciate that immensely.” Viv nods. “I’ve been bored out of my mind this whole day.”
“Just take it easy for now, alright? Once you get better, we can have a sleepover if you want.”
“That sounds rad.” Viv forces herself to shoot me a thumbs-up. “I’m down…”