Chapter 7

“She what?” Isabella growled, her tone low and ominous as she stood at the entrance to the tenth floor and stared at the two guards—and William, all of which seemed just a bit chastised.

“I tried to tell you guys…” The large brawler stated, not for the first time since she’d arrived… Isabella wondering where in the hell her golden goose had run off to. At first, she’d had thought that Will was simply enjoying playing hooky with a new young woman who hadn't yet grown wise to his ways. But, after the minutes had turned into an outright hour, she’d stormed off from the meeting room where everyone had been waiting to try and figure out what was going on.

“N-nobody—told us…”

“William told you!” She seethed, unable to believe what was happening! “And why would you even tell him he can't enter this floor? He has access you—you…”

“Morons?” Will offered, with a stupid smile.

“And you!” Isabella rounded, glaring at the large man who flinched away from her shaking wrath. “If you took things just a little bit seriously! We wouldn't even be in this mess!”

“Ugh, ma’am, we have standing orders with watch-captain Hue—”

“And is Mr. Verte in charge of who comes and goes on this floor, or is it the people who run the fucking settlement?” She cried, dismay and horror and exasperation all coming to a head and giving her a terrible headache.

She knew it. She’d known it the moment Will had made the suggestion. But, just once she’d hoped she could get away with leaving something important to someone else and look what had happened! She wanted to scream! No really! For years, they’d been trying to find out how to get at the passenger jets in the airfield! And then, the answer to it had stumbled right into her lap and then—poof… “You're both relieved of guard detail.” She whispered the rage of her voice as icy calm as a glacial river.

“But, were not scheduled for—”

“If I see either of you in this tower again, I will have you exiled!” She hissed at the two guards, her eyes filled with the flames of hatred and despair. “Do you have any idea what you've cost this community? You should be glad we don't execute people like Strom, else the both of you would be fucking crucified right now!” She knew her screams could be heard, likely for several floors in either direction. Yet, she didn't care. And as the two men who stood frozen before her wrath, eyes wide as saucers, failed to move, she seriously considered twisting reality to crush each of their hearts before telling Will to dump them in the fertilizer vats! “And you…” She continued, again focusing on William. “If you weren't so valuable to this community!”

“I doubt she’s gone far Izzy!”

“Don't you dare use a pet name right now!” She snarled, prodding the big brawler with a long finger! “I am not happy with you! Don't even try to speak with me again until you find that girl and bring her back!” Then, storming through the security gate, she marched back to the conference room to loom over her seated husband, who, much like all those present around him, seemed as though they were trying to tuck in on themselves and stay invisible to her anger. “Send a message to watch-captain Verte that his job will be on the line if he dares send such incompetent bafoons to stand watch over this floor, ever again!”

“What happened…” Brian, a fellow councilman younger than Isobella by a dozen years but, educated and capable in his role, asked with a hesitant smile.

“William apparently got stopped at the checkpoint more than forty minutes ago and has been arguing with the guards on duty this whole time.”

“And Subliminal?”

“Gone!” Isabella exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air with sheer exasperation. She said to leave a message for me that she was heading to Quonset. Waved goodbye, then apparently fucked off.”

“And this is the person you wanted to rely on?” Megan, the other standing council member for the day, asked as she sat with her legs crossed and hands folded at her lap.

“She didn't need anything from us! We needed her! Why would she stay if she was being denied entry?”

“Just seems a little hasty and flighty, no?”

“Hmph. I think I would be pissed off if I was left waiting at the door of a meeting that I was asked to attend.” Brian admitted, shrugging as he did so.

“Were the leaders of a thriving settlement!” Megan scoffed, shaking her head with dismay. “Of course, we could have been busy! It's hardly a thing to get upset about and storm off over! And who cares if she leaves? She’s already done half the work.”

“And are you going to go kill all the rest of the thousands of undead still there?”

“No, but we have people for that—”

“Who?” Isabella demanded, staring at Megan who, like some of her fellow council members, had allowed their positions to start skewing their judgement as of late…

“I don't know! People! Surely it can't be so daunting now that the hulk is dead?”

“Perfect! Then, when next we conviene, I will nominate you to spearhead finding an adequate team to clear out the rest of the airfield as you clearly are dissatisfied with my plan as it stands.”

“You're putting words in my mouth, Isabella. It's not my fault you're plan fell apart. All I was doing was calling into question the individual you hedged you're bets on.”

“You're useless, do you know that?”

“Izzy!” Peter exclaimed, leaning forward in his chair, “That’s not how we do things here!”

“What? She is! There hasn't been a meaningful thing that’s come out of her mouth in weeks of meetings!”

“Ha! Says the woman whose grand plan all rested on the shoulders of some magic mercenary whose apparently too fickle for a little patience. If she gave up five minutes into standing at the door, then how quickly would she have given up at the airfield?”

Isabella glowered at the smugly smiling woman still sitting at the table. Her amused green eyes loving every moment she was on the verge of pulling her hair out. “I can't wait until elections come up and you're removed from office Megan. Seeing you lord you're power over everyone, only to go back to the shit farms will do a great many people much stress relief.”

“That’s assuming we don't pass the motion to extend provisionary council positions. Were five to three, or don't you remember how you're careful little club of permanent members is betraying you're little fiefdom of power?”

“That’s not what’s happening.” Brian sighed, rubbing his temples with his thumbs. “We're not voting to keep the current elected members of the board on for another term. Were voting on expanding the council Megan…”

“Either way, she’s furious about it!”

“Because, somehow, people like you always find themselves into power. No matter how incompetent they are…”

This time, the younger woman's face twitched to reveal a hint of the ugly hatred behind her mask before it was carefully concealed again, though she couldn't shroud her demeanour as she looked away.

“So… what happens next?” Peter asked, fingers tapping at the table. He, like her, was clearly upset that the strange mutant was gone. Isabella knew exactly how badly her husband had been wanting to get at those planes.

“We send out a description to all the guards and teams out beyond the wall. If she’s spotted, we send a flyer and pray she’s willing to come back!”

“If you don't mind me asking,” Brian began, popping his cheek. “But why is this such a time-sensitive issue? I mean, those aircraft aren't going anywhere. And if she’s heading to Quonset, then… won't she just be heading right back anyways?”

“No. no…” She will clear out Quonset. And if she does without us… ugh… the opportunity lost would be—incomprehensible! A fuckup the magnitude of entire lifetimes!”

“Okay! Ignoring how such a thing sounds impossible—”

“She’s hero grade…” Peter interrupted, sighing with a deep breath. “As in, before the collapse. And not the same kind that were all hoping to make it big in their little popularity contest. Rather, she’s the real deal. Powerful. Fucking terrifying, in all honesty…”

“So, she’s… what? One of those monsters that were beating the shit out of leviathans with their fists?”

“No…” Peter corrected, though his eyes flickered to Megan who snorted at Brian’s clear and amused disbelief. “She’s either a speedster or, more likely, a very potent atypical. Honestly, I’ve got no explanation for what it was like watching her. Everything just—died in a handful of seconds…”

“Uh huh…”

“Megan, though I don't like to bicker, please, if there’s nothing of value you can offer, then just—leave or be quiet.” This time, the woman’s eyes were wide as the man sitting beside her, still mildly amused, commented towards her antics. But, it did have the desired effect as she simply sat there, glaring at everyone in the room. “Please, Peter, continue.”

“Yes well… She took out Isabella’s team… Killed Ian Galian…”

“She killed one of our men?”

“Ian attacked her first.” Isabella sighed, looking at Megan and wishing she really could just kill the woman. “I managed to stop her before she killed Will as well. Afterwards, she broke into the airfield and slaughtered everything in sight.”

“You know… Gregor won't like it when he hears one of his boys got popped by the same person we're trying to meet with…”

“That’s why we're not telling him yet.” Isabella intoned dryly.

“But is—that a good idea? He and his men are already unruly… so much so that they’ve become a serious problem…”

“That we can send to their deaths at the appropriate time,” Peter whispered, nearly too softly to hear. “That woman will kill them all… I'm certain of it. She’s not—normal. Cognisant, and quite intelligent, but possibly also entirely insane…”

“And, is this the point where you tell me why we should be making a deal with such a person? Ha! I mean, honestly, it doesn't sound that great from where I'm sitting… More like we’d be dodging a bullet by letting her leave…”

“Because.” Peter groaned, running his hands down his face as he dropped the needle… “She already has an agreement with Burtrom Kole to wipe out the airfield and clear a space so they can run off with the helicopters there…”

Silence filled the room as even Megan seemed to refocus her attention, her eyes narrowing with ever greater disdain. “And we let her leave to do it?”

“Try and fucking stop her!” Isabella laughed wickedly if she had the right of it. “She slaughtered thousands of ghouls in minutes. But go ahead and explain who we have at our disposal who can do the same?”

“Then we were going to outbid Mason and his goons?” She asked, growing more serious by the second.

“No,” Peter stated with a sigh. “She was quite clear that she didn't work like that. However, in his infinite wisdom… presumably, because he didn't actually think she had a shot at it, Kole only made some stupid deal for the helicopters alone. She was to clear the way and take whatever small arms she found, then they’d let her choose a few rare guns from their collection! That’s it. Everything else was supposedly fair game and not included because she didn't care about it! However, there are both armoured personal carriers, tanks, and mobile artillery in Quonset, not including all the accumulated stores that the National guard had Stockpiled! It's a treasure trove! Even if we discount the helicopters!”

“But… wouldn't Mason be sending people to—”

“They-don't-think-she-can-do-it!” Isabela sounded it, planting both hands on the table. “I don't think they had any clue she was being serious! They gave her a fucking flare gun and told her to shoot it in the sky sometime within the week! And if they saw it, they’d think about showing up! Fuck!”

“But—you say you saw her personally wipe out half the ghouls at Green International?”

“Yes!” Isabella seethed, unable to believe that she needed to fight this hard to get this through Brian's head! “I was going to offer her a deal wherein we send a team with her to take everything they come across! She only wants small arms! Fucking pistols! She found a barret, two battle rifles, a bloody recoilless launcher and a military drone today and was going to trade all of it to us for, in her words, cool brainiac ammunition to make killing ghouls more fun.”

“All of that’s ours anyways if she got it from the airfield!”

“Tell the person who killed the hulk out there, alone, to her face.” Peter smiled, earning a scowl from Megan who tapped on the table with impatience.

“She cant just take from Highrise lands like she owns the place!”

“It sounds to me like she might just be able to take whatever she wants from whoever has it…” Brian countered, now looking quite thoughtful… “There’s—many tanks at Quonset…” He added, almost speaking to himself. “We’ve all seen the footage from our own drones… And, no offence meant, Peter, but if you're cousin gets his hands on any of that… I'm not quite sure if I’d feel safe in the knowledge of what he’d use them on…”

“Agreed.”

“So then… this really was something of a big deal… I honestly wish you told us more about it sooner…”

“She was supposed to be here when we got here…” Isabella bemoaned, slumping into the chair she’d been sitting in, before having left. “Or shortly after… Will had a simple job. The simplest! So did the guards! Just show her around a little bit, then let her into the fucking meeting!”

“Yeah… It is a little concerning they were so zealous in keeping her away… I’d almost think there was some sort of perfidy afoot if there weren't more than William and those in this room who knew about her.”

“There wasn't,” Peter grumbled—then shifted as Isabella, at the same time, found her eyes widening with sudden concern…

Will was slightly peeved. He’d been chewed out, and not in a fun way, all for doing absolutely nothing wrong. Yeah, okay, when he deserved it, he took his lumps on the chin! But it grated on him that he’d been bitched at so thoroughly that the whole tower likely thought he’d done something stupid. “Heh… maybe I should have just—gone after her rather than arguing… Yet, if you did that then you’d of just been shouted at for taking so long!”

No, there was no winning in this situation. And the only good part to come of it was that Zach would be getting worse than he did. Ever since Will had swooped in and shown his then ex-girlfriend what a real gentleman was like, an evening picnic, a little wine to help the romance, a back rub to really work out the tension in her shoulders, Zach had hated him. And he knew it rankled the man to know his now wife had gone off and found the comfort of another—or, several others before they’d gotten back together and eventually tied the knot. It wasn't Will's fault! As, the way he saw it, Zach should have known better than to give up a pretty young woman as Lian Parker, who, in her own words, explained that her boyfriend had challenged her to go out and find someone better. The thing was, the better person hadn't been looking for anything long-term. He didn't know the specifics as to why the pair got back together, but whatever the reason, Will could only attribute it to the bizarre anomaly that people called love.

Sadly for himself, Will had yet to find that special someone who he really connected with and cared to hang out with after the initial romance. And, even sadder for himself as he sighed, closing the door to the very empty suite that Subliminal had been given, his latest task wouldn't be quite so easy as he hoped… Stomping through the stairwell as he glowered at the situation he’d fallen into, Will exited the tower while wondering where the young woman would have gone.

The obvious was that she was heading back to the cache of weapons she’d found. However, the where in that particular scenario was somewhat—vague. He was pretty sure they were somewhere in and around the barricades they’d set up at the airport. Yet, at the same time, they’d all just mysteriously disappeared in the same instant, which hadn't done his brain any good while trying to unravel how she’d managed it…

On paper, Will knew that speedsters could be fast. But he hadn't even heard the clap of a sonic boom. Nor had there been any major gust of wind which had always preceded or followed that bastard Ian whenever he, as he’d put it, engaged hyper speed. Quite honestly, he wasn't even sure if the woman was a speedster… And knew that Isabella had her doubts as well. “Well, maybe a speedster and an atypical…” He grumbled, trying to remember if he’d ever heard of someone having both.

Usually, people were atypical with their powers, or, they weren't. And he’d never really heard there to be an in-between in that regard. And yet, the boxes had all disappeared faster than he could even register that Subliminal had even shifted her posture. “Fucking insane is what it was! I mean, who just walks away from getting shot in the head and crushed?” And, he supposed, blown up… No, in all honesty, the girl was a complete anomaly for him. And one that made his head hurt and desire nothing else than to stop trying to figure out her power.

He was just striding through the middle laneway of the lower districts, on his way to the outer gates while wondering if he even stood a chance at catching up to her when gunshots filled the air with a—somewhat familiar rhythm of overwhelming rapid-fire… “Oh, you've got to be shitting me!” He shouted, teeth grinding as he shifted into a full-on run, gaining speed like a charging rhinoceros as he seethed at the knowledge that, somehow, he’d get blamed for this as well…

“Ha! Are you touched in the head girlie? You think—haha! Oh… hahahaha! That, this, whatever this shit is, is worth a full magazine of two-seven-seven in military grade, no less? Do you even know how rare that shit is? How hard it is to get you're hands on mil-spec—anything?”

“So you—don't have any…”

“I ain't never say that!” The squirrelly and tobacco-chewing lunatic before her said, suddenly crossing his arms and glaring at her as though she’d slapped him. “Don't you go throwing no words in my mouth girl! I said, I asked you if you knew how rare and priceless an Item it was you were looking for.”

Mandy glanced at the myriad of weapons she’d placed on the table. A Walter ppk, lightly used. A Colt, 1911, mint and gold plated. Two browning highpowers, each with pristine care towards maintenance and cleanliness. A gods damned Lugar strait from nazi germany itself! And, though it pained her just to consider letting it go… Her p-three-twenty… heavily modified… hair trigger… pink-heart reticle… precision compensator, relaxed, easy grip! The LED flashlight! No! It was too much… She removed her precious sig from the pile, unable to look it in the barrel… ashamed and disappointed with herself that she’d even considered trading it away…

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“I said what you already had wasn't worth it; what makes you think less would be more!”

“You don't deserve her…” Mandy whispered softly, gently caressing her favourite gun before slipping it back where she belonged, right on her hip.

“Ah…” The merchant of war nodded, sudden understanding filling his gaze as he likewise rubbed against a snub-nosed and polished to a sheen revolver sitting at his own waist. “Best never put that one up for trade again. Sentimentality ain't got no place in this world… Nobody will ever see her like you do.”

Mandy took in a deep breath, nodding at the older man while fighting back a slight tear at her eye. Doing her best to rediscover her balance before looking back at her array of weapons with disappointment. These were the ones she was willing to trade. And the old fart likely knew that. No, what he wanted to see were the things she didn't want to trade. But those were utterly off-limits. No exceptions. So, instead, Mandy’s mind went elsewhere. “What about a one-time used recoilless rifle, with two eighty-four millimetre rounds?”

“You've got a Carl Gustof?”

“Not on me, obviously, but at my hideout, yeah. Brand new, still in the box. Fired it once to make sure it works—and kill a bunch of ghouls!”

“Well… I—I’d need to see it first… obviously… But… that ammo you want ain't cheap kid! Just the damned brass is worth a fortune in that size! I mean… I don't even know if I could do nothing with a damned grenade launcher…” He complained, taking off his well-worn hat and holding it in both of his hands as though sending a prayer to god. Want, need and good business all forming a cocktail of misery for Oliver, the likes he might not have had to deal with for years. “What you even want that kind of ammo for anyways? Only a handful of damned guns shoot the fucking stuff! I’d call it worthless if it wasn't for the fact it's pretty much a collector's item…”

“Okay… what if I told you I had a—extra weapon I found that need’s that particular round.”

“You found a fucking XM-seven?”

“I found two of those—rifles… I think…”

“Long, low profile, kind of—futuristic all around the barrel… comes with a suppressor.”

“Kind of like a tawny yellow or beige?”

“Yeah, that’s the one…” The merchant sighed, slapping his hat against the counter as he let out a long and weary sigh. “Do I even want to know where a young thing like yourself came into possession of so many—military assets?”

“I'm good at finding things.”

“I'm sure…” The man replied, eyeing her with a hard, sidelong glance before swallowing. “Alright, look. You bring me one of those eight-four millimetres and one of those beauties you apparently found, magazine, suppressor, and whatever else it came with, and… well, dammit, you got a deal!”

“You want a gun, and a grenade?”

“Well fuck kid! You're coming to me ain't ya? Don't I get to wet my beak a little bit too?” Do I look like Im living up in the damned tower?”

Mandy—considered the man for several long moments before coming to a conclusion. In theory, losing one of the guns wasn't an issue. She’d never really even bother taking the second one with her anyway… Probably, she’d of put it in some toilet stall just for the kicks… Same thing went for the grenade. Though it was probably a bad trade for her, there was more than likely more of the same in Quonset, and while the grenade would make a very pleasing boom, Mandy was looking for extreme carnage of the multiple penetration sort. If her goal was to simply mow down zombies, then she needed a weapon that was going to cut through them like damned butter. So, she stuck out her hand to shake on the deal. The merchant grinning as he took it and, the agreement was struck.

“I’ll bring the stuff over later today.”

“In cases?”

“If you want…”

“I’d prefer in cases.” The merchant said, looking around as though expecting people would hear him. “I don't like people knowing exactly what I got in stock. So, if it's all the same to you…”

“Yeah, it's cool. I was just going to ditch them anyways…”

“Eh… you know, pending how many you got, I’ll pay in fair exchange for any of the more common calibres out there. Good gun cases is hard to come by, and I like to put my prized stock in things easy to chain up and lock so nobody gets any funny ideas.”

“Huh…” You ugh… how many bullets would I get for this thing,” She asked, plunking the poney cannon on the counter as she spoke, “for say, four cases.”

“All military?”

“All military.”

“Hmm…” He murmured, reaching out to touch the majestic eagle of all eagles and idly inspecting it with a slightly bemused expression. “Fucking waste of a good desert eagle…” He complained, almost looking disgusted he was even touching the thing. “The fuck you find this abomination of god and faith?”

“Some random gun safe out in Florida.”

“Ha! Fucking figures… it's always Florida when you hear about stupid people doing stupid shit! But, much as I’d hate to see this thing even fired… I’d give you a full clip worth… Nothing special, mind you, but it will be OEM over refilled brass.”

“I’ll take it!” Mandy proclaimed! Right as the merchant wracked the slide and the weapon cheerily called out.

“Bad things happen no matter what you do! So never quit trying to have fun!”

“Good god, that’s sick!” The merchant proclaimed, dropping the unholy thing that he’d been holding as though it were suddenly burning his hands.

Alas, today was not the foretold moment where such a magnificent tool of war would find itself in the hands of a true appreciator of its elegant and sinful design… She plucked it from the table and strapped it back to her thigh, looking back at the old man who seemed to want to sign the cross over his forehead… “It's sort of hard to understand…”

“No need to understand it… hell, I don't even know why you bother carrying that thing around!”

“It's kind of a long story…” Mandy began, right as a sudden voice shouted her name…

“Subliminal!”

Mandy—paused, her mind clicking into place that someone was calling after her, though not from a direction she expected. Her head tilted upwards, gaze following along the sky until she saw a familiar young man pointing at her from on high…

“Yeah? What’dya want, kid?” Then, Mandy's world went spiralling through the air!

It took a genuine moment for her to realize that she was flying through the sky. Much in following a somewhat curious pattern today, her body almost floating as the pain began to register, everything hurting! Thankfully, she didn't need to dwell on that very long because, after a second, she was back, standing in the street, immensely confused, but—pop. Mandy was standing in the street—pop. Mandy was standing in the street. Pop. Mandy was—pop. Time froze as Amanda’s consciousness slipped into a new body. The young woman turning with disbelieving stiffness as several people seemed to all be pointing weapons at her person. There were eight of them. All heavily armed, with rifles and vests. Two were hovering in the air, watching from above with what looked like designated marksman's rifles, again, pointed her way. Another, a man looking to be moving at extreme speeds as he moved her way, muzzle already flashing and bullet halfway to her skull, was walking, albeit very, very quickly, while holding his weapon in both hands like a salted professional.

Her mind was trying to figure out what exactly was going on while she pulled out her sig and quickly executed the runner. Then, she blew the brains out of the two flyers. And, two of the five that were further away with weapons bared. When she unfroze time, she did so while slightly out of sight. The world descending into chaos and terrified screams as five individuals suddenly collapsed, dead. She’d of killed the other’s too but her bullets hadn't penetrated their heads, so she’d decided to at least figure out what was going on before going for the kill again.

“What the fuck was that!” A very large brawler demanded, flinching as he reached up and plucked a nine-millimetre round from his forehead. “And where the fuck did that bitch go?”

“Hey—hey, hey, hey! Boss, half the crew just…”

The—boss and man who’d been shouting had a momentary reset of his brain once his eyes seemed to register the bodies. His mouth working for several seconds before an ugly sneer formed at his lips. “Fucking atypical… She’s a deviant boys! But she cant kill the real muscle of the crew! Else, we’d be dead! Split up, find her; she can't have gotten far!”

“Didn't we fucking shoot her already?”

“Do you see a body, Markus?”

“No, Captain!”

“Then obviously, she fucking got away! And where are Jason and Trevo? I thought they were supposed to waste this bitch before she knew what was coming!”

Well, now Mandy knew why she kept getting sent flying every time that little deadman came around. He wasn't the innocent kid Isabella was trying to make him out to be! Pausing time, Mandy looked around the sky, eyes narrowed and—there… She didn't even spare the goons a second look, simply stalking back over to the floating teenager and aiming at the kid's spine. If he wanted to play games, then la-de-fucking—duh. He’d won his prize. Mandy pressed the trigger and watched as her bullet crippled the boy without him yet knowing. The woman glaring at the little asshat before looking back down for whomever had hit her. There—wasn't anyone obvious… which—was problematic… Mandy squinting at all the people she could see before noticing a slight flapping to a nearby tablecloth. Her body spinning partway, following a sort of trail of disturbed clothes and hair until her gaze fell upon someone moving through the crowd. They weren't running but seemed to be navigating the flood of fleeing settlers while making their way towards the second location of the fight. Another brawler like Jon, the cowboy… Nothing more than an unassuming middle-aged man who evidently had some form of super strength and super speed about himself. But when her bullet punched right into his brain, Mandy knew he couldn't have been that impressive.

Again, she resumed time, merely to enjoy the fruits of her labour, the speedster’s mind rupturing like a ripe melon while Jason simply shrieked, his form falling to bounce off a tin roof, his body rolling off the buildings side and out of sight.

“Find her!” The very angry man who was—for some reason, attacking her person, once more shouted down the street. But Mandy wasn't having it. She was just about to pause time again when another voice, this time more familiar, called out with all the cadence of a charging bull.

“Subliminal!” It was William! And he was hurtling down the street and causing all those before him to split like the Red Sea.

He spotted her as she waved. His expression shifting from a wide grin to momentary confusion as Will—hesitated head snapped sideways, his momentum skidding to a halt, then backing up a few steps as though disbelieving of what he’d just seen. “Did you…”

“He tried to assasinate me—agian.” The psychotic and very attractive blond replied, casually walking towards him, gun still in hand.

“Is he ugh—alive?” Will murmured, eyeing the kid who was lying in a haphazard heap of crumpled coats and limbs. Jason wasn't his—favourite person… mostly because the kid was a bit awkward, seemed somewhat full of himself, and had taken to hanging out with Gregor’s boys, who’d all tromped around the settlement like they owned the place. Still killing kids?

“Dunno. Shot him in the spine, and he fell from the sky! Only ten or so feet, though…”

“He looks like he hit a few things on the way down…”

“Well, he shouldn't have done what he did.”

“Yeah, but… a kid?”

“Old enough to kill, old enough to learn a lesson. Besides, he’s lucky! If he was older, I’d of just brained him.”

Will scratched at the back of his head, clicking his tongue while trying to decide how he should feel about this… “I—don't think he’s gonna see it like that…”

“Hey! Over here!”

Subliminal spun, and Will’s eyes shot up, landing on one of the Brawlers belonging to the gang they’d hired a near month ago and hearing himself groan. “Oh… shit… That's one of Gregor's guys… don't tell me you—”

“Already killed half of them? Two speedsters, two flyers, and two others that I—don't know much about…”

“God damn it!” Will shouted, stomping his way past her and starting to yell at the goon. “Neil! The fuck you doing dickhead? You know there’s no fighting in the Bazaar!”

“Stand down Bennete! That there is a wanted fugitive of the law!” Another and very southern voice called out, though it wasn't yet visible through the throng of stalls.

“The fuck she is Gregor! As a matter of fact, she’s protected moron! How many you're boys she already butcher? Anyone left but You, Neil and Markus?”

Silence was all Williams reply as a man a good head taller than himself rounded the corner, heavy rifle held in one hand and pointed in their direction, “fucken Holywood bullshit…” he murmured, in the back of his mind as Gregor, the leader of the band of goons that had stumbled their way to High-rise, frowned, looking at him like he was a monkey.

“The hell you mean protected?” The brawler asked, voice dark and thick with anger.

“You're boy Ian picked a fight with an unknown person and got his ass eaten for his trouble. Hell, I lost to her as well! That makes her powerful. Valuable.”

“You're defending that bitch after she murdered a member of your own team?”

“I fought her! I just lost… Isabella stopped it from being worse. But, yeah, I'm alive and I know that Ian’s the reason I almost died to begin with! He and Jason were being turds!”

“But… that old gal on the council didn't stop her from killing Ian, huh? Interesting that…” The man nodded, the finger on his gun twitching with desire. “I'm still better than you boy!”

“Eat shit! I never used my kinesis on you and we both know it!”

“That murderer has to pay for her crimes!”

“You just started a gunfight inside High-rise! The hell you mean, her crimes?”

“She killed Ian! Charles, Ryan, Arnny, Aarron… she killed em all!”

“Did—they attack first?” Will whispered, turning slightly to look over his shoulder at the small woman who nodded without hesitation and wasn't seemingly worried in the least…

“Same deal as last time. Jason distracted me, and another came out of nowhere to send me flying from behind.”

Will—nodded his understanding… It was a tactic that Gregor had been training Jason on. Send an unassuming flyer up to talk with someone, then hit them with overwhelming force before they knew what was happening. It wasn't honourable, but it did work. And nine times out of ten, whoever you wanted dead didn't see it coming. The problem was that putting a teenager in that position didn't guarantee whoever might survive would see things as it was intended and let them off the hook.

“Worse if the dumbass tried it twice…” Will growled to himself, rolling his shoulders and taking a step towards Gregor with flexing fingers. “That makes two times you're boys tried to ice her… forgive me if I'm not feeling a lot of sympathy for you.”

“You're gonna side with her? Against us? The fuck dickhead? Ain't we part of this community too? Ain't we been here for weeks, manning the walls, taking turns scavenging outside? Protecting people from the waking nightmare?”

“Acting like a posse full of clowns? Harassing the regular guard. Stealing from others. Your gang were some of the strongest mutants in High-rise, so you got away with a lot of shit. But I doubt anyone would be looking unfavourably at your departure.”

“So, that’s it? Walk away or die?” The man laughed, the barrel of his rifle shifting to fall upon a group of cowering settlers who had taken to hiding behind a few nearby stalls, watching the exchange with wide eyes. “Ha! Well, if that’s the way we're playing it, then a right and proper scoundrel such as the same you make me out to be—seems like the sort of guy who’d do—this.”

“Wait!” Will shouted, lurching forwards as he clued in on Gregor’s plan; too late, and far, far too great a distance to make…

The rifle barked in fully automatic anger, the gang leader's arm hardly shifting from the recoil as he sprayed the area before him with a mad grin—but paused part way through when his bullets only seemed to punch into shacks and steel… “The hell?”

“Akimbo bitch!”

Will Jerked as a war erupted around him! Subliminal appearing off to the side, two of Gregor’s M-fours that his gang all toted around held in each hand. She was firing the things on full blast, braced with one leg behind her as the weapons unloaded into the large Brawler, who sounded as though he’d just been punched in the gut! The large rounds peppering him and not penetrating, but it was anything like it was for Will, it was like getting sprayed by a firing squad of paintballers. Very painful.”

“RRah! You b—”

Another blink and Subliminal was gone! The rapid fire of assault rifles and mad cackles of a far too joyful battler filling the air somewhere on another street! Will didn't wait for a better chance. And, he charged at the larger Brawler, leaping at the last moment into a super-hero punch that crunched into the bigger man's jaw to send him staggering backwards! Will yanked on the barrel of the gun as Gregor stumbled, jerking and yanking as he felt a satisfying give to the steel, correcting Gregor’s balance with it, just so he could hit him again! This time, the man took it on the chin, grinning through bloody teeth before stars swam in Will’s vision! The world exploding in a flash of momentary light before his arms were up! Chin dipping, Will feeling blow after blow knock him back, landing on his arms but the force of them had him on the back foot… He steadied his legs and dug in! Pushing back against the Brawler, who wasn't expecting him to manage his feet.

Left, right, left! His fists shot out, two catching on Gregor’s forearm, the third breaking through at grazing his cheek! Then, he felt a fist nearly wind him in the gut! The blow so heavy that it was all Will could do to give ground, groaning as his aching insides complained of the treatment! Gregor just cracked his knuckles as he allowed him a moment's respite.

“A good effort kid, but them’s the rules of this jungle! Only the top dog gets a say in how things go down! Everyone else best back down and bow down, as strength is all that matters now!”

The older man leapt forwards with a flashing right hook! The speed that it came with reaching that of which low-tier speedsters could muster! Whoever said that big guys weren't quick had never been on the receiving end of muscles pushed passed the peak of human potential! Will ducked the first strike, landed two shots into Gregores kidney as he rotated, then backed away as the bigger brawler just smirked, chasing after him with wild haymakers meant to end the fight in a single blow! Will hadn't ever been much of a fighter, but he’d been practicing since the end of the world and didn't rely solely on his brute strength as he used to! He bobbed and weaved away from Gregor’s fists, occasionally landing one or two quick jabs in, still targeting the man's kidney, backing away, forcing him to constantly turn, catching what he couldn't avoid on his forearms as they screamed in agony with each hit!

The bigger brawler wasn't kidding… He was stronger than Will was… He felt like a damned tree trying to pick a fight with a hillside! Yet, for all Gregor’s mutation made him bigger, stronger, and maybe even faster, Will was dancing around him to the point the large Texan was nearly red in the face!

“Fuck it.” A moment later and there was a flash! Will backing away as his forearm stung! He didn't need to look down, didn't need to see what had happened, his gaze dipping to the big k-bar resting in Gregor’s hand. “Tungsten!” he helpfully supplied, arm started to weave and rotate like the head of a snake, “You might be good with those hands, but I was always more of a weapons expert anyways…”

The tip darted out, fast as a striking cobra! Will needing to jump away as the blade came within an inch of his face, Gregor laughing as he followed, each arc of his blade singing through the air as he wove patterns between them… Will—couldn't keep up… Every flash from the knife seemed to throw him off balance. It was always longer than he expected, and if he got too close, Gregor just spun his grip, altering the paradigm and forcing Will to back away lest he take a serious wound. So far, they were just cuts, deep lacerations here and there but he hadn't been stabbed as of yet, though at this rate it was only a matter of time. He had an answer for this of course, knew he could turn the tables and win, but…

“Isabella would do her best to flay me alive…” That thought made him growl as he consciously bit back on the urge to use all the rock and stone around him to pound the asshole before him, thoroughly into the ground!

Yet, before Will had a chance to reconsider trying to avoid collateral damage to the settlement, a thick strip of cloth suddenly appeared over Gregor’s eyes, the filthy fabric tied tightly and reeking of—”Oh, what the—ugh! Is that—excrement?” Gregor demanded, blind and confused, swaying backwards on his feet as both hands reached up to tear away the poopy cloth from his face as Subliminal popped into existence at Will’s side.

He could practically feel the grin radiating from behind her mask, both hands on her hips as the gang leader howled in fury! Finally getting his fingers around the heinously scented scrap before tearing it from his face! What remained was a mixture of runny smears and peanut-buttery chunks that were all liberally squished into the region of his eyes, Gregor gagging and retching as he desperately tried to clear his face of the foul scented shit, which had rather effectively subdued him for the immediate time being.

“That’s fucking evil…” Will whispered, the fight leaving his arms as he allowed himself to relax a little…

“Oooooh yeah… But that dillweed was about to fire on innocent people. So, after I killed his goons, I took a trip up to the fertilizer bins.”

“Ugh…” Will heaved, taking an involuntary step back, face getting a little green as he saw a chunk of unidentifiable brown land in the massive brawler's mouth, causing the man to vomit right there on the spot…

Yet, once he seemed to get the majority of it off his face, two new cloths filled with even more ‘fertilizer’ appeared, one shoved deeply in his mouth, the other wrapped around his eyes again! Gregor screamed an incoherent screech of sheer, childlike despair, immediately tripping over his legs and slamming onto the road where he, again, found himself fighting a war agaisnt vomit and shit that Will wouldn't have wished upon his very worst enemies…

Beside him, Subliminal had evidently shifted again, appearing near where she’d been but not exactly in the same spot… “I brought, like, ten rags,” She happily informed everyone within earshot, her amusement towards the situation evident. “Let’s see how many he gets through before he surrenders and gives up!”

“You're a monster…” Will couldn't help but laugh, his words washing over the small woman like praise as she preened.

Will brushed his short hair backwards, wondering what kind of life a person needed to walk to learn how to use this sort of tactic so—effectively… Then, promptly decided he didn't want to actually know…