Chapter 16: The Parents’ Perspectives

--- Director Jane Greene ---

She frowned, looking at Doctor Holiday with only one question on her mind. “What happened?”

The other woman shivered from where she stood on the other side of the desk. “We… we don’t really know… The best we can tell is that whatever is happening in the city, with the sky, it… it caused a feedback loop with Subject C. This in turn rendered all other subjects unconscious due to subject C’s prolonged exposure to them rendering any defenses they may have to psionics inert.”

“I see…” She drawled as she looked at her computer displaying a live feed to where all of their project’s subjects were suspended in various vats of chemicals designed to accelerate their healing. “Do we have any idea how long recovery will take?”

“We… we do not.” Doctor Holiday admitted with a grimace. “Given his healing factor we’d expect Subject G to heal first, but we’ve seen no change in his status since the Event began. Whatsmore by monitoring Subject C and comparing the results to the other Subjects we’ve determined that whatever feedback loop she is under is still active. Meaning in all likelihood they will all remain unconscious until Subject C stabilizes.”

Her eyes drifted to where what appeared to be a small girl of no more than twelve was suspended with a larger number of monitoring devices connected to her than all of the others. Something that was absolutely necessary given the volatility of both her abilities and personality when the rest were injured.

She let loose a sigh. “As much as I dislike it, for now all we can do for now is continue to observe until we acquire more information. That said, I want you to focus additional resources into maintaining their health. If we lose any of them I will hold you responsible.” She glared.

“Y-yes, ma’am…” The Doctor nodded sufficiently cowed.

“Good. Dismissed.” She idly waved, her attention returned to the screen that showed where her life’s work lay unconscious.

With a shake of her head, she began to once more go through the project’s various records and files since she’d started it, hoping to find some detail she’d missed so that she could save them before things grew worse.

--- John Miller ---

The city was only getting worse as he continued to drive through the city, passing wrecks, fires, monsters, and everything else in his desperate race to the nearest hospital.

If it was any other time, he’d normally be out there doing what he could to wrangle it -even if most of the crazy was beyond him, he could still help the folk who needed it- but right now he had far more important matters than his duty to protect and serve.

He glanced at his little Maxy -the one good thing his life had left him- and couldn’t help but wince at how pale she looked. Something that turned into a full blown grimace as he realized she was bleeding from her nose again.

“We’ll get you help soon kiddo, just… we just need to get through this.” He promised, unsure of if she could hear him but needing her to know.

He looked up as he was forced to stop the car due to traffic and couldn’t help but frown as he saw the entire intersection gridlocked with cars, half of which had been abandoned in the chaos. “Damn it… Now isn’t the time for this!”

Just as he was beginning to contemplate if he could carry Max to the hospital faster than finding a way through, the cars in front of him were shoved aside as a massive monster of flesh and fangs crashed into them.

The beast shook its head as it righted itself, uncaringly crushing half of the cars beneath it, before turning back the way it had been launched from as a chilling whistle filled the air.

He felt the hair on the end of his arms standing up as the whistle grew louder before revealing a large bipedal white wolf wearing a black cloak and walking into the intersection as if it had all the time in the world to kill the monster in front of it.

The massive monster growled at the wolf before rushing forward.

The wolf’s whistle shifted to a long high note, before half a dozen wolves of varying colors rushed out from behind the white one to intercept the monster, each one forcing it just a step further back until it was thrown over the line of cars.

And all he could do was watch on as helplessly as he had during the Rift Riots ten years prior.

When the white wolf turned its blood red eyes on him he froze.

When the white wolf turned its blood red eyes on Max he moved a hand in front of them and wondered if he could run it over with his car.

The wolf gave him an amused look before walking past as it motioned for him to get moving with its head.

He sat there in silence for a moment, his heart pounding in his chest as the whistling slowly faded before shaking his head and putting his foot on the pedal.

Yeah, he may’ve been a cop, but all of this was beyond him. (Just… Just focus on what you can do… And that’s getting Max help.)

--- Madeline Mertens ---

She clung to her daughter Fionna as they all heard the glass outside the cafe give, the monster breaking through whatever fragile defense they had only a few moments after the kind girl trying to help them had stepped out.

“Fuck!” One of the men -the one wearing button up- cursed, something she couldn’t really complain about given their situation. “We need to get out of here!”

“But where do we go?” She asked as her baby girl started crying.

“There’s, there’s got to be like a back entrance or something. For loading supplies and taking out the trash.” The other man -the one wearing a business suit- pointed out. “All we’ve got to do is find it and we can get out of here.”

“But what about those girls?” She frowned. “The ones who were out there?”

“If they’re out there odds are they’re already dead.” The suited man told her, forcing a grimace out of her because (he’s probably right…) before looking at the first man. “I saw a door over that way, didn’t try opening it but that’s got to be what you were talking about right?”

“Yeah, it’s got to-” The man was cut off as something slammed against the kitchen entrance, the door only holding because of the lock. Not that that stopped one of the hinges from giving. “Shit we need to move now.”

Fionna’s crying grew worse as the monster slammed into the door once more, knocking it down enough for the beast to reach through with one of its scrabbling claws.

Knowing she didn’t have time to calm her daughter down, she picked Fionna up and started towards the door that the two men had already run out. The two apparently having no problem leaving her and her daughter behind. (Bastards…)

She made it to the door just in time to watch a gray mass sprint past the open doorway, just moments before a scream tore through the air. (Oh, no!)

Cornered between beasts, she had just enough time to turn around and watch as the door behind her was torn to the ground, allowing the other beast to slowly force its too large body through the door frame as it clawed and scraped at the ground desperate to get at her and her daughter.

Her eyes darted around the kitchen, hoping to find someplace she could hide Fionna until it was safe, even if it meant using her own body to keep the monster from her daughter.

“Hey asshole!” A voice shouted. “Leave them alone!”

From behind the monster the kind blonde girl jumped onto its back before jamming what looked like a broken mop handle into one of the beast’s empty eye sockets and digging it in deep, even as the beast bucked and thrashed to throw her off.

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The girl ripped the mop handle out before stabbing it back in over and over again. “Why. Don’t. You. Just. Die. Like. Your. Boyfriend. You. Bitch!”

At some point during the girl’s screaming the beast’s body spasmed before going limp, leaving it to slowly slump to the ground as the girl tore into it, making absolutely sure the monster was dead.

Once she was sure the thing was dead, the girl panted from the exertion before slowly beginning to laugh. The sound mildly unhinged as the girl laughed ever louder, before looking at her and Fionna with a large smile. “Would you believe that was one of my top three fantasies?”

--- Alexander Pierce ---

He couldn’t help but frown as he looked down upon the city streets filled with far more chaos than he’d expected. And while he wanted nothing more than to get involved, his responsibility was to his bloodkin not the city.

Even if seeing the mongrels out in force made him grit his teeth, he comforted himself knowing from experience with the riots, his own people would be doing the same. Just closer to home in case something went wrong. (Because we’re kind and smart.)

If things went south for the wolves there’d be no saving their people.

He shook his head, once more wondering how Lobo could endanger his own people without a care like that. (Just shows which of us is on the right side of it.)

Sirens drew his attention to a vaguely military vehicle as Sanctuary’s people also flooded the streets, doing their best to suppress the latest Rift Riot. (For what else could this be?)

His opinion on them was far more mixed than the mongrels that had slaughtered his kin.

On the one hand they were essentially an organization of Hunters, a dangerous but necessary profession that helped to maintain a balance between the mystical and the mundane by policing the former and protecting the latter.

They -The people who saw the monsters of the night and did not cower, but instead fought back.- They were some of the bravest men and women he’d known. Which was why he’d aided a young Catherine when she wished to become one, and why he offered her the gift of blood when she needed the power to push back the darkness of the world.

An endeavor he proudly aided her in whenever she required.

On the other less idyllic hand however, they were too similar to other militarized Hunter groups. The ones who believed in wiping out anything they believed wasn’t ‘human’ enough. A belief that he knew their predecessor embraced wholeheartedly.

A belief that turned them into monsters even worse than the mutts on their worst days.

(I suppose time will tell whether they’re monsters or men.) If the latter he’d happily have them in his city. If the former, he’d slaughter them like he should’ve Asylum ten years prior.

He took a calming breath, before once more continuing towards home in the hopes of getting his latest child to safety. A mentality he knew any parent would share.

--- James Hawkins ---

He continued his search through the chaos, trying his best to let neither the smoke nor the debris slow him down.

When things had gone south he’d been lucky, he’d been in the back of the center working on a way to try and drum up more attention for the nearly dead center. Knowing that his attempts at normalizing Deviants to public acceptance, something his wife Jane had always dreamed of, wouldn’t work if no one showed up.

(Then again, if this is how it turned out, maybe it’s for the best that no one showed up…) If anyone who wasn’t a Deviant found out about this then it would’ve trashed what little acceptance they’d gained since Samhain went wild during the riots.

He paused upon coming across a body. Admittedly not his first, but that didn’t make the fact that he couldn’t help them any less bitter. Especially since he could tell by the marks on their throat this person hadn’t died in the explosions or magical backlash, but rather because a blood sucker had taken advantage of the chaos for a quick meal.

(And Cory wonders why I’m so strict with her curfew.) Not that he’d ever told her about the city’s infestation. (I don’t want her involved in that life.)

It was part of why he’d stalled and delayed teaching her magic for as long as possible despite it being her bloodright, and arguably her greatest connection to Jane.

He shook his head and once more checked the compass he’d had created to alway point as his daughter and found that it was spinning out of control. (Meaning she has to be-)

“Dad!” His eyes snapped to the side where he found Coraline with an obviously injured Micki hanging off of her.

“Cory!” He gasped, feeling no small amount of relief as he rushed to his daughter’s side. “Are you okay?!”

“Y-yeah.” His daughter nodded, hiding what was likely an injured arm. “But Mick isn’t.”

While he wanted Coraline to show him her arm, he could understand her priorities when he realized there was a piece of rebar through the other girl’s side.

“Hey, Mr. Hawkins…” Micki smiled weakly, a thin trail of blood escaping the side of her mouth.

(Yeah, if Cory isn’t complaining about it then this is worse.) He grimaced.

“Can, can you help her?” Coraline asked, desperation clear.

“Yes.” He nodded, having learned as many healing spells as he could after his wife’s passing. “But we need to get somewhere… safer first.”

Without even a glance over his shoulder he threw one of Micki’s arms over his shoulder and started leading the girls towards the center’s entrance. Once they were far enough that neither girl would notice the corpse he asked them, “Where’s Miles? Have you found him yet?”

“N-no.” Cory admitted. “But we, we ran into his aunt and I… I think she’s looking for him.”

“His aunt?” He frowned, having met the woman several times without actually getting a solid read on her. Something he was okay with given how the woman was once -and still he suspected- one of the city’s best Hunters, dealing with any supernatural that caused too much trouble for the public. “Then she’ll find him.”

“So, you, uh, you knew she was a Deviant too?” Micki asked.

“I suspected…” He admitted. “But I never confirmed it.”

It wasn’t his business, and given how Tessa had gone to him with questions about Deviant life, wanting to keep her sister in her life in spite of what happened with her husband… (Well, I’m not too worried about it.)

“Yeah, she… she broke me free and then… took off when we mentioned Miles.” Micki explained.

He couldn’t judge, knowing that he’d do the same if their roles were reversed and Cory was the one missing.

“She also asked us to keep it quiet.” Cory frowned, knowing how important it was to keep the masquerade secret for anyone who wasn’t ready to step into the light.

“I won’t tell.” Especially since he was pretty sure Tessa was the one to make her keep it secret to keep her kids as far from the Hunter’s life as possible. (Which given Richard…)

He couldn’t judge her.

Not when he was trying to do the same for Coraline.

--- Tessa Kennedy Nee Freeman ---

The hospital was a nightmare and she was barely keeping it together.

Hundreds of people flooded through with broken bones, bleeding wounds, and stories that reminded her of her time working during the worst of the Riots. When Deviants and monsters both would flood the streets, leaving death and destruction in their wake.

(Please tell me this isn’t the start of another riot…) Despite the riots themselves lasting roughly a decade, their own city had only been hit by them twice. Once in the beginning and once towards the end of them, just before the Tallman’s two week rampage.

She’d never admitted it to anyone but with Deviants now being an open secret that everyone wanted to ignore, she’d always been terrified there would be another riot. One where her kids would be old enough to get caught up in them as they went out and lived their lives.

The fact that the cell towers seemed to be down had done little to ease her worries until she’d managed to use one of the landline payphones to get ahold of her mother who’d confirmed both Molly and Hannah were with her.

That still left Miles unaccounted for, but she had to believe that he was okay at a police convention if nowhere else.

Her pager began to buzz and when she checked it she saw a message to go to the ER desk.

Shaking her head she got back to work and went to collect the next patient, only to stop upon seeing her sister Cat pacing back and forth, her worry obvious.

“Cat?” She frowned, part of her worried that her sister had chosen tonight of all nights to ask for help acquiring blood bags. (If the whole city is this bad we’re not going to be able to afford it.)

Her sister froze and turned to her with wide eyes before swallowing.

Realizing that this was serious she cautiously asked, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s… It’s Miles…”

--- Richard Kennedy ---

He looked down on his sleeping son, stuck somewhere between living and dead as he laid in his coma.

“You sure ya wanna do this brotha?” His old friend -a short man in a top hat- asked him. “There ain’t no comin’ back after he do this, and I know ya didn’t want ‘im in this life.”

“I didn’t but I want him to have a life.” He admitted. “If that means… If that means it’s like the life I lived then… Well, I don’t regret the life I’ve lived.”

“Hmm…” Papa Gede nodded in understanding. “I’ll talk to the boys, with the doors kicked open… I know they’ve all been itchin’ to meet the lad, but I know they're keepin’ their distance for your sake.”

“And I appreciate it, but… My boy has a long life ahead of him. Even if that means working for the family.” He decided. “So, once he wakes up they can talk with him, and he can pick who he works for.”

Papa Gede nodded, before looking out upon the city dark blue and neon bright in the man’s gaze. “Lottsa goin’ ons right now. We’ll need his help to keep everythin’ balanced like. Won’t have much of a chance to train ‘im up before putin’ ‘im to work.”

“He’s a strong boy… I know he’ll make me proud.” He had no doubt in his mind about that.

“Then I’ll tell the boys to put on their Saturday best.” Papa Gede chuckled as he stood tall, his features taking on a more skeletal visage as the shadows molded into the finest of suit. “After all brotha, the party ‘s just gettin’ started.”