Jackie Jackson found herself running down the very street she walked down on that day. Her attention steeled and looking forward, her mind couldn’t help to wonder what the chalked message looked like, or even said now.

But that was blocks ago, exhaustion gripping her from within, only powered by her emotions to keep going, to make it to Steppe Ave. Make it before it’s too late.

She had the urge—the instinct—to look towards the skies. It was then that “too late” turned into a more accurate “find something within the ruin”.

As the flickers of reality danced and drowned within the air, the skies themselves began to part to reveal space itself. The once hazy, blue-white hue were forcefully peeled away, revealing dark purple, stars, and cosmic clusters. It was within moments that the shadows creeped along the land of humanity, casting an impenetrable shade everywhere and nowhere.

With that, Jackie sped up, racing towards the corner that she once dreaded. The corner where she grimaced, and made no urgency to rush to, preferring to focus on the morals of lying to her dad. When things like that permeated throughout her mind.

In a sea of abandoned cars, with broken-into-stores at her side, she managed to make it by the corner, and prepared herself to whatever was on the street or whatever shape it was in.

There was no way she could’ve predicted what she saw.

Objects weren’t so much floating, but given excuse to fan out, exist beyond where they were stationed. Parts of buildings, street laps, benches and cars—they were just surging about in the air or “settled” within the air, going beyond their constructs by snapping and bending like rubber liquid as they move. The visual static that flickered in the air was basically buzzing, causing everything within this area to be neigh-impossible to look at if you weren’t siVis enlightened.

But that wasn’t the thing that gave her pause.

It was the mob of people, approaching in zest, towards the place that Jackie herself was going to. The distortion, not only clearly disturbing this human crowd’s collective sight, but warped their faces—at least what the static was doing in illusion.

Jackie didn’t like the image, regardless.

She stood her ground, holding up her arms. “STOP! ALL OF YOU!”

There was no time to think, even if she could think of an alternative.

INNATE DRIVE!

Jackie rose her foot and using her ability, slammed it back down in the same spot, causing an explosion that created an indent.

The crowd didn’t so much as stop but were scared into place. Stiffening at the sudden sound, all at different places despite being a collective of selfish desperation. Naturally, they looked towards the cause of the boom, and stared at Jackie.

“There’s no point in adding to this mess!” Jackie held her hands forward, raising her voice. “Find the ports! They’re leaving on multiple boats as we speak! This isn’t worth it!”

The crowd began to rouse, against her, on the clausp of not only drowning out her words, but her intent. Jackie could hear some of the sentiment before it near-overwhelmed her, that she’s the one “to talk”, “saying this after she got hers”.

INNATE DRIVE!

As she did it again with her other foot, she hunched over a bit, that getting the attention of the onlookers. The girl looked at her hands, and noticed the cracks already surfacing across them.

She then held her hands back up, causing the crowd to gasp or murmur in confusion.

“You don’t want this!” Jackie explained. “I thought I wanted this! If I could, I’d take it back! But now I have to deal with it! It’s not some free card, it’s just another thing to deal with in this fucked world we live in! It took me—to the point of me getting like this—to understand that! I’m saving you all from yourselves!”

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There was clear division, confusion. People took what she said to heart, others dead on ignored it and want to rush her, others just can’t understand her, what she said, or what’s going on. They just need to act.

And as Jackie got ready to defend herself, she pondered how she’s supposed to act here. She’d be only able to take care of a handful of civilizations at beast, and once the illusion of still being a possible threat to be heard from is gone, then further chaos. She can’t stall unless she ramps up the violence. And there’s the question of where the Trends are in all of this.

Her destination was literally behind her. She’s literally right there. And of course, she has to deal with a curveball that makes everything moot in the first place. It both soothed and scared her that she’s getting used to that.

The sound of sirens broke through the tension.

Jackie looked towards her left, and saw a trio of emergency service vans speeding towards her, and she darted away to get out of their way, as they arrived on the scene.

She, along with the crowd, backed up—as the vans cut off the pass towards the Taber Research Center, as smoke gathered and bellowed from each respective exhaust pipe. A clear and precise power move on the part of the people inside those vans, which Jackie was grateful for despite the part of her that’s cursing them, stealing her moment despite not knowing what to do in it.

And as soon as the Medical Services van opened, exposing the inner lab and the members, who else but Leslie Homer being there to lead the charge.

Jackie focused on this, and again made an snap decision.

“T-thank you!” she played up the genuine weakness she felt. “I tried to stop them, I tried to…!”

She crawled out of the dents, holding her arm, and slowly walked towards Leslie for good measure. And despite his bluntness around people and their stupidity, he instantly walked forward and grabbed her.

“Don’t worry,” he reassured. “I got you.”

He turned to his team, “FIND THE INJURED AND LET THE ESCAPE TEAM TAKE THEM ONCE THEY’RE GOOD”

Jackie paid no mind to the rushing blurs that sped past them, looking down at him.

“Are they--?”

“Yes, they’re okay,” Leslie nodded. “In fact, they’re heading to the boats now.”

Jackie sighed in relief.

“Your father did say that I help you and bring you back, just saying.”

Jackie immediately tensed, her eyes widen, waiting for him to make his move so she could run for it.

“Tell me right now if this plan of yours is sound.”

Jackie looked down. Not really looking at anything.

“It’s not really a plan,” Jackie admitted. “And it isn’t sound on the basis that it’s not based on self-preservation. I just want this tragic day to just a terrible one. That means doing whatever I can do right now to pull something from this shitty mess.”

“Doing whatever you can right now means leaving and not being involved, technically,” Leslie stared up at her with his piercing gaze. “Not making this tragic day worse by adding to it.”

Jackie bit her lip, now looking towards the starry sky.

“I-I think… I think I’d add to it if I do go. After all of this—and I give in? I think… I think my condition would worsen. I’d sink a boat due to my abilities—due to me actually wanting to use them for once. I-I’m willing, to be offered up to chance here. If that means helping people that were once me. And save them from being like me.”

“But what about you?”

That gave her pause again. Her face twisting, as her mind searched for an answer.

“… Then I’m doing nothing but my best to make this happen,” she declared. “So that I’ll stumble towards you, when I’m done. And you personally confirming that I’m alive, even after all this. It’s time that…”

“We get a big W on the board—”

Jackie’s eyes widened and turned to see Maddie and Aiko walking up.

“I knew you were gonna say some cheesy shit,” Maddie had her hands in pockets. “So there, there’s no better way in saying it.”

Tracy scrambled out of the crowd, wearing robes draped over her shoulders with a white shirt, jeans and sneakers on.

“OH GOD, I’VE MADE IT AND I’M NOT ALONE—IT’S LIKE A BLISSING FROM GOD!” she stumbled towards the group.

River waved, just appeared besides them, causing everyone to jump at the same time. “I was here for like a minute, I just didn’t want to ruin the moment.”

“Good thing Madison did it for you!” Aiko pointed out.

Leslie rubbed his face with a facepalm. “Of course you’re all here.”

Jackie can only grin softly, before looking down at him. “And these guys’ll dig and drag me out. They owe me. There.”

All that was met with that statement was a low, prolonged sigh from his throat.

“Fine… I didn’t ‘find’ you yet. Or you. Or you. Or you,” the boy pointed at all of them, but ended up just letting his hand glide in a short arc. “But if you do die here. If you do fail. Then I’m telling them the actual truth.”

“Leslie—” Jackie protested.

“If you guys got it, then I have nothing to worry about, right?” Leslie bounced back. “So go prove what I want to say and do right now wrong. Go get that big W.”

Jackie nodded, before leaning in and giving the grumpy guy a huge hug. He proceeded to thrust his arms outwards, extending them forward to minimize any closeness.

Jackie then let go, turning towards the rest.

“Let’s make this all worth it.”

There was a clear understanding, clear kindred essence within those words. Whatever this bond they had with each other, but it’s going to stick despite themselves.

With a dash, the girls quickly go to and slid past, the parked vans before anyone could’ve noticed, and made their way towards the Research Center.