She and Nadya were just leaving the main gates of the park when a building on the street corner exploded, spewing flames through the shattered windows. The shockwave from the blast was strong enough to send a few people flying, but fortunately no one was seriously injured.
Ratcatcher helped Nadya to her feet and positioned the girl behind her, surveying the situation. Her hand was already on the terminal, punching in the police number. Iternian buildings were sturdy things, so the explosion left hardly any cracks in the white walls. Young and old, all Iternians enjoyed better health than most normal humans. Thanks to the gifts of bioengineered medicine, citizens' lungs were enhanced, allowing them to survive longer without oxygen, and their hearts were improved, preventing possible strokes. As an abnormal, Ratcatcher had no need for such upgrades, but Nadya visited a clinic with her parents after becoming a citizen.
At least the people inside won't suffocate from the smoke. But a complete lack of experience with any danger might keep people inside, and prolonged exposure to both fire and smoke will overcome the basic health enhancements.
The Academy made its rules pristinely clear. Young trainees were not to risk their lives, no matter what. According to the rules, Ratcatcher should call the police and evacuate the area immediately.
“Operator,” Ratcatcher said, cutting off the woman short. She and Nadya made a circle, staying as far away from the burning building as possible as they helped people to their feet. "This is Trainee Ratcatcher Vong from the Academy. We have an explosion at the intersection of Merk's and Saint Igo's streets, just outside the southern gates of the park. The building is on fire and I have no idea if there are any people inside. Several people fell due to the shockwave, suffering some bruises and cuts."
"Acknowledged," the operator replied quickly. "Help is on the way. Trainee Ratcatcher, are you safe?"
The trainee hesitated again. Back home, everything was easy. Grab a weak one and flee into the shadows when in danger. This will prevent deaths and free the defenders from having to worry about the safety of others. The logical choice was to lead Nadya away and forget all of this. But... she is strong now, right?
A scream came from the first floor of the burning building, and Ratcatcher forgot everything.
"Nadya, go back to the people in the park! Now!" Her legs moved before her brain could process the situation. All she saw was the raging flames in the windows and the melting snow and ice on the roof. Fear for the people trapped in the fire took precedence over everything, silencing even Nadya's worried scream.
Ratcatcher grabbed her staff and brought it down on the broken door instead of trying to grab the handle. The wooden door cracked and fell apart, allowing the girl to step into the burning corridor. The stairs to the second floor were already in flames. She was about to go up when she heard a groan in the room to the right. Ratcatcher kicked in the door and stepped inside, keeping away from the flames.
Inside was some kind of grocery store. The first thing she saw was a guard lying face down, a pool of blood spreading beneath the woman's head. Pressing a hand to her mouth, the girl steeled her beating heart and checked the person for a pulse. Nothing. And the woman hadn't been hit by a piece of debris. A clean, almost surgical cut speared the poor thing from one temple to the other, killing her instantly. The victim's lifeless eyes rolled in their sockets as her head fell to the side with a thud as the trainee let go.
May you rest in peace. Ratcatcher quickly closed the woman's eyes and left the body to the flames. Taking the corpse outside was not an option. Even her body has limits to how much smoke it can inhale, and others might not have that luxury.
She moved on and noticed two people ahead of her. A woman and a man were lying on the counter, flames already licking at their pants, their bodies half covered by broken shelves. Ratcatcher reached for a fire extinguisher above the counter and used it to put out the flames that threatened to harm the people.
They were alive. In the explosion that brought down most of the store's merchandise, both received head impacts from the edges of the shelves. Bloody bruises grew on the sides of their heads, and their limbs bore burns from the flames, but thanks to the Planet, nothing more serious had happened. She grabbed her staff with her tail and dragged both the extinguisher and the people to the exit, carrying them over the flames.
The edges of her jacket caught fire, but the sturdy material of the Academy's clothing protected her from the heat. The worst was her tail. The girl frowned in pain. A few burns, no one has time to worry about that! Mom would never have chickened out, and she won't either!
Over the past two years, she has earned a few stares for her somewhat exotic appearance. When she was a child, Ratcatcher dreamed that there were people like her all over the world, and that outsiders were the minority. Now she knew better. Normies, or ordinary people, were the ones who originally populated the planet. During the extinction, all were exposed to a variety of deadly things, causing mutation and evolution.
And over time, only a few mutations persisted, while others slowly faded away. This is why her brother and she lacked a talon on their tails, or why their ankles were not inverted like their mother's. With each generation, they slowly returned to a more human appearance, which is why half of Ratcatcher's body resembled that of a Normie.
However, their muscles were already stronger than those of some bodybuilders. What should be impossible for a normal ten-year-old was not even hard work for her. She breathed heavily, coughing from the smoke but holding on. Certainly not the worst poison Ratcatcher had ever had to inhale.
A crack in the main corridor drew her attention, and Ratcatcher turned just in time to see an older man making his way through another door.
"Mister!" She waved her tail. "Over here! The exit's this way!"
The man walked toward her, his glassy eyes focused on hers. In one hand the man carried a butcher's cleaver; the other hand was burnt all the way to the meat. Parts of his shirt and pants were on fire, but he walked steadily, treating the flame as if it were no more annoying than a fly.
When he came closer, she gasped. His face was covered with fresh cuts and recently healed scars. Stopping at his jawline, not a single piece of skin was spared from this cruel ravaging of flesh. The edges of the wounds were covered in dried blood, and the flesh of his face was swollen and reddened in places.
"Mister! Hurry, or else..." She recoiled, dodging a slice that sliced through the top of her hood, barely missing her head.
What? Ratcatcher struggled to assess the situation. The meat cleaver bit into the remains of the wooden door to her right, and the man ripped it free, approaching her with a calm expression. She saw no remorse, no pain, no fear in his glassy eyes. Not even determination. He looked more like an automaton than a living being.
The girl retreated, bringing her staff forward to receive the next blow. Despite using her tail as a limb, she barely felt the pressure, but when the man took a quick step forward and planted his foot in Ratcatcher's chest, she gasped for air and nearly dropped the civilians.
Ok, he knows how to fight. She danced back, evoking memories of her old days. An outsider stood before her. A spider capable of killing. And not a human.
Ratcatcher let the people fall from her shoulders and threw them into the doorway leading to the exit. Turning to face the enemy, she dodged and caught the outsider with both elbows, knocking the man back a step. Ignoring the crushing blow to his chest, the outsider moved forward, bringing down his cleaver.
With calm hands, she grabbed the staff and stepped back, delivering the first blow that shattered the knuckles of the hand holding the cleaver's handle. The weapon fell from the limp hand, only to be picked up by another hand, and at that moment the girl made another swing, hitting the outsider across the jaw with enough force to rocket his brain, and she pressed the button, shocking the outsider with the electric discharge. He might be a psycho or a drug addict immune to pain or whatever, but a natural weakness got him. His expression changed; something akin to animal horror appeared in his pale eyes; his pupils dilated; and a gasp escaped his lips. And then he fell unconscious, right into her embrace.
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What a freak. She thought, kicking the cleaver away and dragging the man to the exit. A life is a life. Bad or not, if she could, she wou… Her eyes opened wide when she saw a very familiar face dragging two other people away.
"Nadya!" the trainee screamed like a banshee. "What are you doing here?! Get to safety at once!"
"Sh-shut up, Ratcatcher," the girl huffed, struggling to pull the heavy humans. "L-like hell I let you risk your life alone. Who... behind!"
Ratcatcher dropped the outsider from her shoulder and kicked him toward the exit, just in time to turn and see several knives flying from the stairs toward her face. Everything inside her screamed to jump aside, and she had to force that desire down. Nadya was right behind her. People are in a way. Even that psycho-narco-maniac bastard is here! Lives above all. Her staff swatted two knives aside, and the third connected with a falling piece of ceiling, but the last one struck her across the shoulder, slicing through her clothes and leaving a deep cut that bounced off her collarbone.
Four more figures stepped through the flames and smoke. Three men and one woman, all horribly scarred and carrying several knives on their belts. Like the man before them, they ignored the fire and the burns on their bodies, their eyes wearing that familiar glassy expression.
It freaked her out. When outsiders hunted them, it was out of pure malice or for the thrill of the hunt. When the evil woman died, she broke down and begged Ratcatcher for help. In her final moments, the hunter was human. When outsiders were hurt, they reacted. Hell, even spiders reacted to pain!
These... creatures only cared about killing her. They breathed and blinked like normal humans, but there wasn't a hint of emotion behind their eyes. They came out like puppets, and she picked up the fire extinguisher and doused all four with foam before running for the exit from the flaming hell.
The girl stopped outside, grabbed the staff in both hands, and waited for the lunatics to come out.
"What's going on?" Nadya asked in panic, still dragging the two people away from the burning building. "Who are they?"
"No idea." She saw shadows inside the building. "Nadya. Run. Now!”
They came upon them, all four at once. If the foam did anything to impair their vision, these people certainly did not show it. Ratcatcher swung her staff, aiming to knock one of them out, but one of them literally threw himself at the weapon, wrapping his arms and legs around it. The woman used the moment to hack at Ratcatcher's fingers, forcing the girl to lower her grip or risk losing her fingers.
The others tried to circle around, and Ratcatcher swung her weapon, the man still holding the staff. Her tail moved, wrapping around one attacker's leg, and she pulled his footing out from under him. Her staff flew over the crouching woman, missing her by a hair.
Damn it. Ratcatcher cursed silently as she saw the woman preparing to leap forward. No choice but to...
Legs smashed into the woman's face, sending her sprawling to the pavement. A brown-haired girl landed in front of Ratcatcher, dressed in the strict Academy uniform. Her long hair fell freely over her shoulders, and her pale skin and slender body made the trainee look so deceptively frail compared to the attacker who lunged at her. But she saluted with one hand, dodged a knife thrust, and planted a knee into the woman's solar plexus, knocking back the potential madwoman with unexpected strength.
"Need a hand, Sphere?" The girl laughed, only to stop when a knife nearly buried itself in her neck after the man holding Ratcatcher's staff jumped away. The girl dove to the side, avoiding the blow, and pressed her palm against the man's chest.
Ratcatcher had to leave her alone and fight off the other two before they had a chance to attack her new ally from behind. The plan was simple. Take these two down and help the trainee before…
Suddenly, the girl snapped the fingers of her left hand. Ratcatcher wasn't quite sure what had happened. The man attacking her flew backwards as a result of the loud explosion that occurred between the girl's fingers. His body hit the wall and he collapsed, leaving a bloody trail on the white surface. The brown-haired trainee exhaled in relief when she saw him breathing.
"Thank the Planet. He’s alive," she whimpered, pointing her hand at the rising woman. Her fingers moved and another blast of air was created, driving the shockwave in a single direction, aimed at the woman's knees. The force of the strange explosion knocked even the brown-haired child back a step, but the attacker suffered far worse. Her knees cracked like eggs’ shells, collapsing the woman and causing her to fall face down against the stone with enough force to knock her unconscious, leaving the brown-haired girl gasping in horror once again. "I... I am so sorry! Do you think she will be all right? Sorry, Sphere, I can't control my power that well yet..."
"What are you doing here? Step back!" Ratcatcher snapped, forcing the girl to dodge another swing. Sphere? Oh, I see. It’s because of the hood. “Listen, there are people in the building; leave me and…”
"The Academy doesn’t abandon its own," the girl replied icily, regaining her composure and turning to look at Ratcatcher with chestnut eyes. "And good thinking, but way ahead of you. I've already sent a team to take care of it. Cooperation and teamwork are the key to everything."
She pointed up, and Ratcatcher saw several windows on the top floor cleared of broken glass. Five trainees, some older than her, some younger, were jumping into the flames from the roof, pulling out the wounded. One of the students used his telekinetic gift to lift them into the air. Judging by the sweat running down his face, it wasn't an easy task for him.
"A savior falls into trouble," a voice laughed behind them, and a boy dressed only in Academy shirt and pants appeared in front of the girls, followed by the sound of cracking pavement. His short black hair was close-cropped, and his tanned skin was a stark contrast to the girl's milky skin. Despite the winter, the boy's jacket and shirt were unbuttoned. Spreading his arms wide, he turned and grinned at Ratcatcher and the other girl. "Fear not, dear Elina and my new mysterious friend; the cavalry has just arrived and the bad guys are going down, or my name isn't C..."
"Look out!" Ratcatcher shouted as the last two attackers closed in on the boy, causing him to yelp in terror as he barely dodged their weapons and began to back up against the wall. With both fists pressed to his chest, he took step after step, dodging wide swings and thrusts by the hair, never ceasing to look frightened and small.
Ratcatcher made an attempt to rush for his aid, but Elina stood in her path, barely holding the girl in place with both hands. "Carlos is just fooling around. Have some faith in your comrades, okay? Now let me see that shoulder."
With deadly calm, Elina spread the cut cloth over Ratcatcher's shoulder and let out a surprised gasp when she saw the fur inside. She looked at the trembling tail and took a breath, then took off her pack and rummaged through it before pulling out a medical kit. When Ratcatcher tried to jump to Carlos' aid anyway, Elina just wrapped an arm around her and started cleaning the wound without even looking at the fight.
Carlos, meanwhile, ended up with his back against the wall. Still holding his fists to his chest, the boy looked fearfully at the large men surrounding him.
"Not fair! I am alone and there are two of you..." The knives struck, aiming for the tearing face. And scratched the wall as Carlos appeared between the attackers, laughing and clapping his hands. "Uncles! I am here!" The men jumped to the side and took two swings at Carlos, one at his legs, the other at his head. Once again, the blades hit nothing but empty air.
Assuming it to be a teleportation at first, Ratcatcher corrected herself upon noticing something. The smoke coming from the door moved to the left, propelled by the rush of air as Carlos appeared behind the attacker's back. This wasn't teleportation. The boy's power lay in high-speed movement.
It made her a little jealous. Elina had those weird shock waves. Carlos had speed. The boy upstairs had telekinesis. Her own power looked pathetic in comparison. Knowing where the people she marked were? Useless.
At least Mom is still home. Ratcatcher breathed a sigh of relief. If she had known that she and Nadya had gotten into trouble... No. I will not cause any more problems for my family ever again. Ratcatcher decided, smiling encouragingly at Nadya, who thankfully moved away and asked some people to help move the unconscious civilians to safety.
"Hey, is this supposed to be a senior moment?" The knife passed through Carlos' afterimage, and the youth reappeared behind his enemies. "Come on, are you even trying? Put your heart into it! I believe in you!" They tried to turn and attack him again, and this time Carlos countered.
Faster than Ratcatcher's eyes could follow, he landed two blows to the back of their knees, knocking both of them to the ground. Not wasting a second, the boy struck again, landing bone-crushing blows to the jaws and sending the would-be killers into the realm of dreams.
"And this is how Carlos B. cooks!" The boy jumped triumphantly and blew on his knuckles. "Come on, praise me! Marvel at my grace and superiority..."
"Yes, yes, Carlos, we are all so impressed." Elina rolled her eyes. "How about you act like an adult and help the others?"
"Screw you, Linny!" Carlos pointed at her. "Point A! Touching or trying to help the wounded without proper medical care can be dangerous for the wounded. Point B! I am young and loving it!" The smile disappeared from his face when he saw the blood on Ratcatcher's shoulder. Without saying a word, the boy appeared next to Elina, ripped off the jacket, and helped Elina apply more medical patches.
"Is it done?" Nadya asked weakly, standing on the other side of the street.
"Looks like it," Ratcatcher told her, nodding to Elina and Carlos. "Thank you for your help. My name is..."
The wood inside the building cracked and all three children jumped. Elina acted first, snapping her fingers and sending a shockwave that collapsed the doorway in a shower of stone and wood. She gasped immediately afterward, horrified at the excessive force she had used, only to have a leg smash through the rubble blocking the entrance.