The Captain sits opposite Titan in the conference room, fingers laced together. Doc, Hunter and Boomer surround him in the seats. Madeline slowly and deliberately eases herself into an outer seat. Her entire body from the shoulders down burns. Moving in her heavy armor is pure agony.
The Captain leans forward, tilting his hands forward as well. “We have a lead. The base’s AI was not found, but there was a direct fiber link between the base and an Aggus Andie office in the local Enclave. We sent police to hit it before they had a chance to shut down their operations.”
“I thought this was supposed to be handled quietly.” Titan taps the table with a claw, concerned.
“We tried. It went spectacularly wrong. The police encountered immediate resistance from entrenched NEC fanatics, and were forced to retreat. We need a heavier option, and Ghosts are a last resort due to civilian proximity.”
Titan ponders for a moment. “I don’t imagine they will just let us in.”
The Captain slides a tablet across the table. A simple device with an electronic ink screen, emblazoned with an official UEG logo on the bottom right. It bears a signed search warrant. “This is permission to use whatever force is needed. We need evidence, and witnesses if possible. Capturing the AI remains our top priority.”
Titan raises a feline brow. “Whatever force is needed?”
He points directly at Titan with his right hand. “Your team is weapons free. Just don’t let anyone destroy evidence! We will secure the perimeter, to arrest those caught fleeing. I’ll leave you with your team to plan the details.” The Captain puts his hands down, standing up and striding out with urgency.
Titan turns over to Madeline. “How do you feel?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t like this, it’s everything we’re not supposed to do as Peacekeepers.”
He shows no sign of agreement, or otherwise. “I meant, can you fight?”
She looks down at the table for a moment, then back to Titan. “Yes, sir.”
Titan gives a nearly imperceptible nod, then brings up a map on the pedestal. “They know we’re coming. The NEC have set up defenses in the front lobby. We have an entry point in the back, we will be taking our van and Boomer will open a hole in the rear wall. The resulting chaos will split their forces, and we charge straight down to the basement.”
Boomer raises her hand. “Sir, that’s going to put our backs against the wall once the NEC get their shit together. What if they have another one of those… things?”
Titan spins the building with a dismissive motion. “The building has been surveilled, no evidence of anything other than Andie contractors and NEC fanatics have been found.”
Boomer leans forward, elbows down on the table. “Last time, you told us the raid would be simple. Little, if any resistance. Three of us almost died!”
“We have a Ghost unit on standby.” Titan shoots right back.
Boomer scoffs and rolls her eyes. “So they’ll be there in time to scrape us off the floor.”
Titan glares at her. “You’re welcome to keep your opinions to yourself.’ He looks around at the others. ‘We gather what evidence we can quickly, and get out in the van. Anyone who does not lay down arms and surrender will be assumed an NEC fanatic. Any questions?” He looks at Boomer.
Boomer sighs. “No, sir.”
“Good. Dismissed!” Titan and the others file out.
Madeline stands up, her nerves on fire. Every breath, every step, every tiny muscle movement for balance, is all pain. She takes a deep breath, and it’s knocked out of her by a spasm of pain. She wipes tears from her eyes, and steps through the threshold into the base proper. Time to get her gear and join the others.
The electric motors are nearly silent, humming along the road. The team sits opposite each other in the back of the van, Boomer and Titan on the right, Doc, Madeline and Hunter on the left. Though the outside is simply a gray cargo van, the inside holds armor plating, ammo boxes, and computers. One seat is vacant. Her extra throwing spears hang off the seat back in a large pink quiver, shifting as the van goes over small bumps and turns. Every bump sends burning pain through Madeline's body.
Titan fidgets with the wings of his weapon pod, shifting it between Storm and Burst mode. The cluster of white-hot plasma emitters shift from 5 in a line, to all touching in the middle of the pod.
Hunter leans forward in his gray armor, threading a suppressor onto his already massive anti-material rifle. He rests the rifle next to himself, throwing on black web gear full of SMG and rifle mags. Finally he threads a one point sling around his shoulder and clips a short SMG with no stock and a foregrip on it, then nestles back onto his folded arms.
Boomer puts up an eyebrow. "That rifle? You know we don't need to shoot through the building, right?"
Hunter throws her a thumbs up, and promptly goes back to ignoring her.
Boomer scoffs and readies a Shredder Salvo program. The flechettes sit atop her left hand, four long black spikes ready to go in a dire situation.
Doc holds Madeline's left hand, looking pleadingly at her. You sure you can do this, Maddy?
Madeline nods, but doesn't look back at Doc. She grimaces in pain at the effort, then installs her earpieces, blocking out the sound around her. She flips the switches, turning on the active ear protection and comms. Suddenly the road sounds are quieter, while every small sound is louder. The van gently comes to a stop.
The familiar French lilt of their driver echoes in her ears. "Here we are, call me when you're out!" She winks at Hunter, who shows no sign of noticing while slinging his rifle.
Hunter opens the door with his left hand, holding his SMG in his right. Titan pushes out first, weapon pod at the ready. Madeline comes out next, mace held high and doing her best to hide her agony. The bright light floods her eyes as she glances around, noting no immediate danger. The bottom of the building is old fashioned brickwork until the second floor, where it switches to a textured red concrete. Windows dot the perimeter, the closest only a few meters to the right.
Boomer and Doc ease themselves to the ground, moving up nervously behind Titan and Madeline for protection. Hunter leaps out, hitting the ground running and slowing to a stop behind everyone else. Boomer rolls her eyes dismissively, and holds her arms out halfway, palms facing toward the wall. The air around her heats up, and the heat spreads to the wall, forming a 2m x 2m square.
Doc casts an Aegis program on Madeline and Titan, and they all stack up on the left side of the square, Madeline closest. Boomer finishes the program, throwing her arms the rest of the way out and flattening her palms.
Madeline's hearing protection cuts all audio for a split second, but the shockwave rattles her to the core. She regains her footing and charges in, stepping over bodies strewn over the floor.
Titan bellows over the chaos, "Drop your weapons! Exit out the back!”
A crowd in civilian dress pours out each entrance to the room, at least twenty strong. Titan and Madeline step toward each other, back to back, as they push by. Gunfire streaks in through Titan’s door, on the right. Rounds bounce off his Aegis program, and he returns fire with a Plasma Storm. A fan-like spread of plasma horizontally bisects the door, and the halves of their attacker’s melted and disfigured body fall into the middle of the frame.
“Moon, push up!” Titan motions for her to keep moving toward her door. Madeline clears the doorframe, brandishing her mace.
“Oh God, she’s here!” screams one soldier to her right, hidden behind a doorway. Two rifles poke out of the doorway, one on each side, as she charges. She leaps as they open fire, hitting where she was as she brings a thunderous blow down on the head sticking out from the doorframe. His helmet crunches beneath the mace’s head, and his body falls limp.
The one on her left recoils, a primal scream echoing from his helmet as he drops his rifle to shield his face. Madeline reaches through the door frame, dragging him by the neck to her covered area. A couple rounds bounce off her Aegis program, and some hit him, but he isn’t dead yet. “Augh, heeelp meee!” he screams toward his allies, as Madeline unsheathes her fangs and bites down on his throat.
Boomer says from behind “Really, Moon? I thought you had a snack on the way!”
Madeline finishes drinking and drops the body on the floor, waving dismissively back at Boomer as she giggles. “Sorry, I’m getting greedy…” She pulls her cloth out, wiping her face and putting it back. Her pupils dilate and she takes a deep breath in, sighing in satisfaction.
"She ate Jeremy! Open fire!" Staccato gunfire cuts through the doorway, pinning the squad down.
Madeline pulls a grenade off her belt, gracefully pitching it around the corner with a pirouette and ducking back behind cover.
"FRAG! MOVE!" The soldiers all scramble for cover, and Madeline's audio cuts out as the explosive shockwave shakes the floor. Coughing and screaming fade in as she charges, wounded soldiers scrambling over each other to get away.
“They’re breaching! Push them back!” echoes from behind their lines, in the lobby.
“Push down, Moon!” Titan calls from behind her, his weapon pod trained on the door to the lobby while Boomer covers their entrance with her revolver.
Doc grabs Madeline by the right shoulder, red tendrils running from her hand around Madeline’s Swarm. ‘Just in case, go get them!’
Madeline appreciates the painkilling effect of the Sutures, nodding and pulling a smoke grenade from her belt to spare any civilians. She gently tosses it, and it ignites in the air, filling the stairway and room below with smoke.
“Smoke, shoot when you hear movement!” echoes up the stairwell.
Once she hears coughing from below, she takes a deep breath and charges down the stairs. Someone opens fire wildly through the smoke, most of the rounds bounce off her Aegis program or miss. A couple bounce off her armor, sending a fresh shock of pain through her damaged nerves and forcing out an involuntary gasp.
“There she is! Kill her!” someone screams in front of her, through the smoke.
Filled with renewed rage, she pushes through the pain and charges, swinging at the first silhouette she sees in front of her as a burst misses her from her left. The mace cleaves partway through her target from the force, and they collapse with a blood-curdling scream.
“You missed me!” the voice screams tauntingly, from her front-right this time, and opens fire again in full auto.
He hits her again, Madeline screams in fury and drops her mace, lunging through the smoke for her target. She grabs someone, and drags them to her. “No, no no no-!” he screams in protest, writhing to escape her wrath.
His skull gives with a wet crunch as Madeline’s fist strikes his face. She holds his limp body closer, only to realize he was a civilian! She drops the body in shock, horrified at the realization the person she hit with the mace was probably also a civilian. Tears bead in her eyes, but she shakes them off. She needs to focus on saving who’s left.
“Out of meatshields, fall back!” the voice screams again, from her left this time. The smoke clears enough she can see just as they make it through the doorway in front of her. The door slams shut, with an electronic lock chiming as it clicks into place.
“Boomer, get a spike in there!’ Titan points to the bank of consoles in the front right corner, opposite the door. ‘Rest of you, stack up on Moon!”
“On it, cover me!” Boomer removes her tablet from her back hip pouch, tapping buttons before detaching an AI chip and slotting it into the console. Titan takes position at the bottom of the stairwell, opening fire on anyone that shows their face up the stairs..
Madeline grabs her mace, taking position behind the door frame. Madeline kicks the door open, revealing two soldiers in the back of the room, with their guns trained on a group of civilians in front of them as human shields.
“Don’t move, or they die!” the familiar voice screams. Madeline gasps and stops in an instant, terrified of killing any more civilians
Doc casts something discreetly behind Madeline, then taps her shoulder. Go! she whispers in Madeline’s head.
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Madeline charges, bellowing “Get down!” as she draws a spear. The civilians drop and scuttle toward the walls. The soldier on the right fumbles with his weapon as the one on her left grabs a civilian as a hostage, throttling her with the inside of his elbow. She pitches the javelin, smashing through the right soldier's visor with a plasticy crunch.
The soldier on her left strips the Sabotage bots from his rifle with a Swarm Purge, the rusty spots evaporating with a wave of his left hand. “Nice try, nanotech! Don’t move!” He strangles her harder to get his point across, as she kicks and struggles against him. "Put your weapons down, all of you!"
Madeline drops her mace, the heavy head filling the room with an ear-splitting crash.
Doc whispers into her head. Hunter has a plan. On my mark.
Madeline breathes deeply, steeling herself.
Desperation creeps into his voice, and he sweeps the civilians with his rifle. "Rest of you, drop your weapons and foci! I'm not fucking around!"
Mark!
Madeline resumes her charge. His weapon clicks, and he tries to Purge it again, but sandy clumps fall from his left hand. He drops the rifle and draws his knife, but Madeline grabs his arm before he can strike. His fingers crush, and he screams, as she brutally rips the knife from his grasp, tossing it aside. She seizes the opportunity and pulls the hostage to safety, before turning back with a left hook.
His helmet bounces off the wall with a loud crack. He falls to the floor, pleading incoherently.
Madeline rips a thick white zip tie from her back pouch, forcing him on his front and pinning his arms behind his back. She threads the zip tie around his pinned arms as he begs. "Oh God, please don't kill me!"
"Don't move, I'll be taking you back with me!" She giggles, as he blubbers in fear.
Boomer strides confidently into the room, becoming crestfallen as she surveys the room. “Fantastic, Moon! Now we have a room full of civilians and a prisoner to manage!”
Madeline sighs. “Aren’t you supposed to be putting a spike down?”
Boomer crosses her arms. “Got what I could off their network, but it wasn’t much of interest. Need to check the last two rooms, see if they have anything air gapped.”
Titan breathes in deep as he enters, taking in the enormity of their new situation.
The Captain comes over everyone’s headsets. “Peacekeepers, this is Citadel Actual. We have reports of a fire in the facility! Get what you need and figure a way out!”
Madeline looks around at the others, Doc is deep in thought, Boomer rolls her eyes, Titan is moving toward the door on the right side of the room, and Hunter follows him through the sea of civilians cowering on the floor. She fills her lungs, bloodlust subsiding as the situation hits her in waves. “We need to put that fire out! Civilians will die if we don’t!”
Titan turns his head back a bit to address her. “If we put that fire out, we’ll be fighting on two fronts. Trying to put it out should keep them busy.”
“You did that on purpose?!” Madeline stamps indignantly.
Titan shakes his head.
She looks at Boomer, then back at Titan, glaring daggers as she picks up her mace. “I can’t believe either of you!”
Titan ignores her and blasts through the lock on the metal door, kicking it in and moving through with his weapon pod high. No gunfire answers him. “Clear! Paper records, no time to search through them.”
Madeline takes position next to the final door. The pain starts to set in again, she grits her teeth and shudders. "Boomer, get the door please!"
Boomer sticks her hand out, heating the air between her and the door handle, and wreathes the handle in fire. Madeline's audio cuts out for a split second as the door blows open. She rounds the corner, the room is bare save for a filing cabinet and two massive soldiers Madeline's height, with blood red crosses on their heavy armor. One of them on the right holds his left arm out, and the aura from Aegis and Sutures are stripped away.
The sudden agony drops her screaming to her knees, and the other opens fire, hitting her repeatedly and bouncing off her armor plates.
Titan charges in behind her, blasting his rifle in half with a Storm. He switches to his plasma longsword and keeps closing the distance, trying to draw their attention from Madeline. "Augs! Stay back!"
Boomer rounds the corner, and starts casting Explosive Nanoweaponry. The right soldier holds his arm out again, Silencing her. She replies with a shot from her revolver, shattering his helmet plating and leaving an ugly superficial wound. He doesn't bother sighting his SMG and returns fire, a bullet flying through her right bicep.
Doc casts Sutures on Madeline while the Assassin is distracted by Boomer, trying to get her back in the fight. She uses her mace to stand up slowly while the soldiers are busy, and the bloodlust in her eyes comes back.
Madeline charges the Assassin, skewering his kidney with the spear point on top of her mace and running him against the wall. He grunts and holds his SMG up with one hand, so Madeline ducks and releases the mace to avoid getting hit at point blank again. She grabs the SMG, trying to damage it if she can't get it away from him.
Hunter unslings his rifle, pops the magazine out and casts into the top of it. Tiny razor-like protrusions form on the tip of his bullets, and he replaces the magazine. Finally, he charges and shoulders the gun. Now he needs to aim carefully, as he may only get one shot…
Titan closes in on the disarmed Aug, and takes a wide swing with his plasma sword, missing as the Aug ducks underneath. He draws a saber as Titan recovers, and Titan parries his thrust. Incredibly, the saber isn't sliced in two, the burning surface of his plasma blade is suspended by a magnetic field against the saber.
Boomer casts a barrage of shards, striking the Assassin while he grapples with Madeline. Two shards strike the lightly protected side of his belly, punching through and making mincemeat of his kidney and guts. He Silences her again, and she can't fight it off this time.
Doc goes to cast Sutures on Titan, but the Assassin Silences her too. She mindwhispers to Boomer I am Silenced too, he is bleeding Swarm quickly! Keep up the pressure!
Madeline grabs hold of the SMG, her audio cutting low as the gun fires wildly, bucking in her hands. She grabs the handguard, wrenching it free with her off hand while she fights a losing battle over the firing grip. As he slowly points the gun toward her, she grabs the barrel with both hands and bends it straight up. He looks at it incredulously for a moment before she follows up with a right hook, breaking off the rest of his helmet with a squishy crunch and knocking him slightly off balance.
Hunter sees his opening and fires, the round smashing through the Assassin's left side and painting the wall crimson behind him. The Assassin is knocked further off balance and grunts, but seems rather unmoved by the extreme internal damage.
Titan swipes low, aiming to cut the Aug’s legs from underneath him. The Aug dodges to his left, hitting the wall, but manages to avoid the energized blade. He stabs while Titan is exposed, crunching through his thick chest armor and twisting the blade. Titan screams deafeningly, staggering backwards, green blood pouring out of the wound. He draws a knife with his off hand, closing on Titan.
Boomer seizes the opportunity, feeling the Silence lift from her. She flings the stored shards from her Focus, one passing through the Aug’s throat and the other smashing through his visor, passing through his jaw. They don’t hit anything vital, and despite wobbling a bit from the shock, he raises his blades into attack position.
Doc panics, screaming audibly and casting Mindshatter Swarm. The black tendrils snake through the air, entering through the broken helmet. The Aug swipes wildly with his blade, fear setting in. She follows up with a cast of Sutures for Titan, giving him a chance of recovery.
Madeline hops back, grabbing her mace off the floor. The Assassin draws a knife, charging her. Madeline thrusts the spear tip forward, forcing him to stop immediately or get gored again. She takes her opportunity, swinging low while he is off balance and smashing through the knee joint of his armor. The Assassin collapses, and she roars triumphantly, crushing his undefended head with a final blow.
Hunter sees the Aug is wide open, and Titan staggering back gives him all the chance he needs. He takes aim and pulls the trigger in one fluid motion, hearing protection cutting the audio as the rifle bucks against his shoulder. The enhanced slug blasts through the Aug’s armored visor, pulverizing his skull and everything within. Red mist and bone fragments paint the wall behind, the body dropping to the ground seemingly in slow motion.
Madeline's bloodlust fades as the Aug falls. The pain hits her again, but she's ready for it. She steadies herself with her mace, so it doesn't knock her down.
Titan growls as he deactivates his sword, and wipes red and green gore off his armor. "We have little time. Search this room, see if this effort was worthwhile."
Boomer pulls an AI chip from her back pouch, glancing around the room.
Doc’s keen eye spots the bullet hole behind the Aug, the cracks in the concrete stopping at a barely visible edgeline in the wall. She traces the line with her finger, smearing blood up the wall until it slides off the line into smooth concrete. A 90 degree turn in the end of the seam, 2 meters up the wall, confirms it. I think I found something!
Titan comes up behind her, inspecting the mark. "Looks promising. Stand back." He deploys his plasma longsword, cutting slowly through the thick plating. After cutting out the panel, he slices it through the middle, and it falls back into their room, hearing protection cutting the audio low as the panels crash to the ground.
Madeline holds her mace high, ready for anything. A pedestal stands in the center of the room, the camera lifeless.
Titan grabs her shoulder before she can walk in. "Boomer, check for traps!"
Boomer sighs as she comes to investigate. She cautiously checks the floor and doorway, then shines a light from her ring into the room as she steps inside. “Looks clear. Pedestal has a chip. She turns over her shoulder to Titan. “Pull it?”
Titan wordlessly fires a Plasma Storm through the pedestal assembly, slicing it clean through near the ground. “Can’t risk it, we’re bringing the whole unit with us.” He picks up the unit, holding it under his left arm. “Moon, lead the way out!”
Boomer shakes her head as she retreats back into formation.
Doc grabs Madeline on the shoulder, red trails of nanobots snaking around her chest. You can do this, Maddy!
Madeline sighs with relief as the Sutures kick in, burning agony subsiding to a dull ache.
The PA echoes in the concrete room. “Fire suppression active, evacuate immediately!”
Titan growls. “Moon, move!”
Doc casts Aegis on her as well, as she pushes her bloody mace forward and charges out the door. She turns right, into the room full of civilians.
Madeline grabs the man bound in zip-tie cuffs, hauling him to his feet by his throat as he chokes. “Walk in front of the green guy, or he kills you. Got it?”
Titan growls and points his weapon pod directly at the prisoner, then drags it across his throat. He nods, whimpering.
Madeline sets the prisoner down and works her way through the cowering crowd, mace toward the door. Bootsteps echo down the stairs. Madeline motions behind her, fist straight up. “Contact, stairwell and console room. Boomer, clear my path!”
Boomer holds her focus up, igniting the air in the next room through the doorway.
“Nanotech! Kill..!” A hot pressure wave blows through the room as she pushes her arm out, and footsteps are replaced by screaming and cooked pork smell.
“I need to recharge!” calls Boomer from the back.
Titan growls and shakes his head. “No time, we need to leave!”
Boomer sighs and draws her revolver, holstering her ring.
Madeline steps gingerly through the charred bodies, taking cover next to the stairwell. Looking up the steps, the exit into the lobby is shrouded by smoke. Screaming, bootsteps and the sound of water spraying are a confusing medley, making it impossible to tell what is happening above. Madeline gracefully pitches a grenade up the stairs, into the smoke.
“What was that?” Someone calls out from the lobby, fear deep in their voice as the grenade rolls to a stop on the stone floor.
Madeline’s audio cuts out as the grenade detonates, fading in as she hears screaming and coughing. Water flows freely from damaged piping, as debris crashes to the floor. She steels herself and charges forward mace first, water splashing once she hits the top.
“Kill them Crusaders, they have a Facet!” commands a voice from the lobby, deep enough to drown out the chaos for a moment. Massed bootsteps echo from the lobby, toward the stairwell.
Titan crests the stairs with his prisoner and cargo, followed by Boomer, Doc, and finally Hunter bringing up the rear with his SMG. “Moon! Hold them off, follow once we’re clear!” Titan pushes toward the rear entrance, weapon pod held high with the captive as a human shield.
Madeline takes position in the doorway opposite the lobby, her mace in a white knuckle grip as the bootsteps come closer. Water splashes as they close in. She swings as she sees a golden cross breach the door threshold, nearly decapitating the soldier as the flange buries itself in his throat. He hits the floor on his back, gurgles and clutches his throat as blood spurts out in pulses, his injury unquestionably fatal.
She readies her mace again, and an armored hand crosses the threshold with a pistol in it. She smashes it against the wall, bending the pistol and crushing the hand. She draws the mace back into her shoulder as the owner screams in agony, fleeing with bootstraps splashing away.
Madeline hears the metallic clunk of a frag grenade as it flies through the doorway. Her feet carry her almost instinctively away toward the next room, but she’s hit with a hail of gunfire as she crosses the doorway. A round goes through Aegis and hits her armor, the shock through her nerves knocking her off her feet. She falls on her right side, her body halfway through the threshold into the next room. The grenade detonates, riddling the backs of her unarmored thighs with shrapnel as she howls in agony.
“She’s wounded, get her!” the stern voice commands from the lobby.
Madeline slowly forces herself to her feet, desperate to escape. Bootsteps splash through the stairwell landing, closing on her. Heavier bootsteps echo in front of Madeline, as she realizes she’s closed in. Tears fill her eyes as she takes cover and readies her mace one last time…
Titan appears in front of her, and lets fly a volley of Plasma Storm into the troops closing in on Madeline. The soldiers behind scream in terror as their comrades fall into melted chunks, their flesh sizzling and hissing. “Go Moon, I’ll cover you!” Titan motions behind with his free hand, toward their entrance.
She draws a deep breath and steels herself, clipping her mace into her back as she runs. Every footfall the fragments dig deeper into her legs, tears stream down her face as readily as blood streams down her boots. She clears the hole in the side of the building, looking quickly around without stopping. She wasn’t sure if she could start running again if she stopped. Madeline spots the open van to her right, parked where they had left it. Hunter is sitting on the van’s bumper with his SMG at low ready, keeping watch. The prisoner occupies the formerly empty seat, still in his zip tie cuffs.
Her legs carry her into the back violently as she bowls over Hunter, and crashes against the back of the driver’s seat, finally relaxing in relative safety on the van floor.
“You broke my Catalyst!” screams Boomer.
Maddy, what are you doing?! cries Doc, as she looks over Madeline’s prone form. You are hurt! Let me see… Doc scans her body up and down, pausing as she notices her bloody boots and legs. Doc traces the blood to its source with her fingertips, and puts both hands under her skirt as she casts Sutures. Doc looks away, and Madeline could swear her feline face is blushing. Madeline sighs in blessed relief as the fragments dissolve and wounds knit.
Titan’s heavy footfalls close toward the van, and Hunter moves over to his seat. Titan climbs up the bumper and into the van, his heavy chitin armor bearing some new scuffs and holes trickling green blood. “Lili, drive!”
“On it, sir!” the electric motors spin up as she takes off.
Titan slams the van door shut and sits down, awaiting treatment.
Madeline lays still where she landed, content at no longer being in pain as the adrenaline wears off. Soon enough, she falls asleep to the purr of the electric motors, and the swaying of the road.