The sun was high overhead, and the feds had cordoned off the area. The police also met with Red and a few museum workers to give their statements. I had the mother of all headaches after getting whipped by Ezekiel's shotgun on my forehead, and I felt I would need more stitches. This was also far from the first hard shot I'd taken to the ribs in the last two weeks. I wasn't sure when I got hit in the eyes, but I could also feel my right eye swelling.

So, I hadn't been able to talk with Red or Midori yet, but I did have time to think about everything that happened.

First, what were these thugs doing here to intercept us? It was too convenient that they had jumped us here. How did they know so many kids from a fancy private school would be here today?

Secondly, even though the culprits had been defeated and the hostages were safe, the reality was still sinking in. There was a genuine chance that everyone could have died today. Thankfully, the scenario they'd created was just for show and grandstanding for a graphic moment of martyrdom, but what if it hadn't been?

Maybe I was overthinking this, but I'd been through too much to let myself not think at all.

A swell of emotion rose up inside me, and I turned around.

I placed my hand on the cold, hard stone wall and closed my eyes.

I had an awful feeling about all of this... an awful feeling, indeed.

But then again, maybe I was just a little bit paranoid.

Besides, what could a single kid do about it if a bunch of teenagers like us were being used as pawns in some kind of political game?

Soon, one of the police officers escorted me to an ambulance after hearing my statement.

I got in the back and collapsed in the patient care area.

I let out a long sigh and yelled in exasperation.

The paramedic stopped to stare at me. It looked like he was trying to see if I would have a breakdown or something.

"It's fine," I said in a daze. "I'm just glad nobody got hurt."

Well, except for me. But that was my own damned fault.

He sighed in relief and nodded thankfully at me, then we drove off to the hospital.

As he drove, I just stared at the darkening clouds through the back of the ambulance. I had a horrible feeling about everything.

I closed my eyes. I was tired, but there was no way I could sleep this early into the day. Yup. I think I might have a concussion after all. Everything was spinny. Whee.

I was still looking up at the sky as the ambulance pulled into the hospital.

A lightning bolt split the sky, followed by an enormous crack of thunder. Rain began to pour down outside the vehicle.

We pulled up to the hospital, and I was escorted inside, eventually stitched up and examined by a nurse, who started scowling at me after she checked my patient records.

I tried to look at my phone several times but couldn't focus. I could dimly tell it was going off, and I saw a couple of texts scroll by from Spencer and Midori.

I just wanted to get the hell out of here.

Saucy as she was, the nurse finally told me I didn't have a concussion and that I'd be fine. But, the nurse wouldn't let me leave until they checked all my vitals and ensured I was well enough to leave the hospital. I guess they didn't want to be held responsible if something happened later on or something. One thing was for sure, it felt like she didn't want to be there in the same room as me.

So, I waited for an eternity, and then I was finally discharged. After filing all the paperwork, I went outside, only to be greeted by a raging thunderstorm.

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Great.

Just great.

I shielded my eyes with my hand so I could see and began picking my way through the rain to reach the bus stop.

A figure appeared in the middle of the hospital parking lot in a flash of light. I could only see parts of the figure in the bright glare of the lightning, but I knew who it was.

Midori approached me with a smile while holding an umbrella in each hand. Her smile quickly turned into a frown as she closed the distance.

"Ow, ow, ow hey..." I groaned in protest.

She knelt down and pushed back my hair, revealing all the stitches on my forehead and cheek and my battered face and swollen eye. "Ikki... what the hell were you thinking?"

I shrugged helplessly. "It's nothing. I'll be fine."

"No, you're not fine." She rapped me on the forehead. "Idiot! What if something had happened to you!? What if that man had shot you?"

She crossed her arms and scowled at me.

"I'm sorry..."

She sighed and shook her head. "You know, I shouldn't be yelling at you when you look like this."

Well, I guess she's right. I probably did look like a mess. Why does she care so much anyway?

I tried to smile as we started walking together. "It's not a big deal. Well, it turned out alright."

Midori stared down at me in exasperation again, palming her face. "God! You're an idiot."

I grinned. "Yeah, I know. I know. Thanks for having my back and coming out with an umbrella, by the way."

"Don't mention it." She shook her head. "I'm out here because I'm worried about you. Someone's got to come out here for you, at least."

As we continued to walk, rain poured down on us. Thunder crashed in the sky while a bolt of lightning struck somewhere nearby.

"Midori?" I asked as I began to drift off. "If things went south, what would you have done?"

"Hm?" She hummed. "Elaborate?"

"When that situation happened in the museum. What would you have done if they weren't all theatrics? If Ezekiel hadn't just been there to kill himself in front of the world? What would you have done if they were ready to go further?"

She stayed silent for a moment, pausing on the sidewalk. "I... I... Ikki..."

"What would you do?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"No."

She looked away for a second before answering.

"...Probably not what you did," she said. "I mean... I don't know. But I know that you did what you thought was right at the time and tried to reason with him. I did have plans for a worst case scenario though, but thankfully it didn't have to come to it."

"I guess you're right." I sighed. "I guess... I was dumb back there. I just want to do everything I can to make a better, less scary world, but I don't have the power to do anything about it. I wonder if Willis is right and I'm just being a moron at my core sometimes."

I glared up at the sky and continued to walk.

Midori shook her head, "Power isn't everything, Ikki. Sometimes being kind and trying to reason with someone is the best anyone can do."

I nodded while gritting my teeth, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

We walked for a little while without talking, the rain pouring down on us.

Yeah... I'd try to remember that.

I closed my eyes again. I was still dizzy.

"You know, you look beyond a mess right now," she said. "It looked like your shallower wounds from that night we were at downtown had barely healed up, and here you are with a brand new set of stitches and bruises."

"I feel like a mess. I can't even see. I feel like I have a really bad concussion, even if that damned nurse says I don't. I just want to go home and go to bed." I rubbed my eyes.

My phone started beeping again. I finally had the wherewithal to check it properly.

I opened my texts to a barrage of texts from Midori, Morada, Dior, Zuri, Natasha, and Ranjika. On top of that, Spencer was bombarding my phone with barrages of texts on behalf of the robotics team. Everyone was more or less panicking, asking me if I was ok.

I answered all of them, reassuring them that I was alright. It was only a few hours, and the footage from the museum had gone explosively viral. Someone had even gotten footage of me getting butt-stroked by Ezekiel's shotgun, and that was making the rounds.

I yawned, looking up as the sky opened up with a deafening burst of thunder. "How did you know where I was?"

Midori shrugged with a giggle, "I have my ways. I figured I'd just go out to meet you with an extra umbrella. Who knows, with your luck you might've just gotten struck by lightning or something."

I chuckled. "Alright, alright. I'd love to make a quip about this, but I'm too tired. I feel like passing out already."

She held the 'walk' button on the crosswalk for me as we waited for the light. "You should've just said so. I'll take you home, 'kay?"

The crosswalk light turned green, and we stepped into the intersection.

I looked over at her. "Thanks a lot. For everything."

She smiled, "Don't worry. It's nothing."

I yawned again. "Yeah, I guess so. Well, I'm glad to have you looking out for me now. I don't get why you care so much, but I appreciate you."

She grinned, "You're welcome, Ikki."

As we got closer to the bus stop, I noticed the storm was dying. The rain was still pouring down, but the thunder and lightning weren't as intense as before.

I half-slept all the way through the bus ride home, practically slumped over her shoulder.

I couldn't keep my eyes open enough to tell which stop I needed to get off at, so I just stayed there. Midori gently nudged me. "Ikki, we're here."

I shakily got to my feet, holding onto the railings to steady myself as we got off the bus. "Thank you again. For everything you've done for me."

She smiled, "Anytime."

I swayed on my feet for a minute. "I… I think… I'm gonna pass out."

Well, it was a good thing I hadn't eaten since breakfast, or I'd probably puke it all over her nice, pristine clothes.

My knees buckled, and I blacked out on my feet.