Following the chaos and destruction of an ambulance crashing through the front entrance, Starveil City's hospital is in utter panic. The events transpiring on the upper and lower floors spreading throughout the hospital, people were frantically worried and frightened.

Peritzal is being escorted by a stretcher as fast as possible, purple "blood" oozing out of her neck and seeping through the temporary bandages. Lingering on the verge of unconsciousness, holding her breath as best as possible to avoid wasting any of her energy. If she doesn't breathe, less of her vitals will spill out...

Dr. Brooks, the doctor in charge of the poisoning case, quickly saw to Peritzal as an additional life in his hands- frantically working with biology he was blatantly unfamiliar with. "It's going to be okay- you're going to be okay," he tells Peritzal, urgently thinking about how one would treat a neck wound... it's a fatal sentence.

"..." Peritzal stares at the doctor, her oval eyes fully visible past her dark purple gelatinous body. A darker shade than the light purple Papaya, matching the exact shade of her human-disguised hair even, visibly conscious.

Outside of the hospital, Quade was aimlessly looking around for Giichi and the gangsters that took her. No sight of them whatsoever, as Quade got to the ground floor long after they drove away. This is just a hellish weekend that only got worse for everyone. The mass destruction visible all around Quade as he stands out front, with a crashed ambulance, a dead man on the street and a gaping hole in the hospital's front entrance.

Most unsettling, however, was Quade seeing the broken window on the 8th floor. An abysmal sight of potential carnage before his eyes as something tore apart the window, shattering it to pieces. Quade's eyes stare at it for a long while, processing how the gangsters were able to do that...

However, the "how" stops mattering once a "who" crosses Quade's mind. First, the people on that floor, if what broke the glass hurt anyone. Quade was momentarily concerned before remembering that Odette was up there, and... and realized something.

"... t... they... got Odette..." Quade mumbles to himself, blinking in absolute... astonishment.

If the gangsters did this, and they attacked the 8th floor, then...

As Quade is left to think, the entire Squad (except Giichi) was now confined to this one hospital environment, with Quade and Verness the last remaining members that are stable and awake. Left with the severe aftermath of the entire incident...

... an event transpires elsewhere in Starveil City shortly after.

An old woman was driving along a multi-lane road in the city. Her business completely separate from what was going on at the hospital, on her way to her Pilates class. She was also about to experience a miserable day, put into a drastic situation of her own.

Why? Well, because of the man that ran right in front of her car shortly after the stoplight turned green.

This old woman's car hits the man, and he's sent backwards a couple of feet. Falling to the street asphalt in front of the car, and shouting in exaggerated pain: "A-Augh! You hit me with your car!"

"I- I didn't see you coming...!" the old woman exclaims, panicked as she turns on the emergency lights and puts the car into park. "A-Are you okay?!"

"Ugh- I- I think I'm alright-" the man says, before- screaming out in anguish. "A-Augh! Okay- no! Ugh- I think my ribs are broken...!"

This is, in truth, a common scam that transpires as a pedestrian was faking his injuries for insurance money. If this goes the way that the injured pedestrian wanted, he would escort the woman to his doctor, who would diagnose him with huge injury claims that would cause this old woman or her insurance to pay heavy costs. Stealing money for exaggerated claims that would raise this woman's premiums and leave with a huge payday.

Especially in this kind of road, witnesses would see an old woman in a car, and a pedestrian "injured beyond belief". The possibilities of these cars being fake witnesses or just indifferent drivers, this poor old woman is in danger of being branded a reckless driver charged with hitting a poor, unfortunate guy just walking. People left to believe this man lying in front of the car, and lying to this poor old woman's face.

... or at least, that would have happened.

One of the first witnesses is a car that drives up to the side of the old woman's, brake lights on and their own emergency lights turned on as well. Stopping to check the scene out, seeing the scam unfold, and starting to set themselves up as this old woman's lucky day.

"... my, my," calls out the voice, belonging to the black haired gangster, the man with spikes sticking up to the sides of his haircut. The one that was making a getaway from the hospital, the one orchestrating the events that critically wounded Peritzal, ordered a hijacking and commandeering of a car from a now dead man, and destroyed parts of the hospital himself.

BB.

The gangster was sitting at the opposite side of the car, furthest from the scene. Arm around his pained getaway driver keeping her awake on his lap with his tender arm wrapped around her waist. Yet, despite all this, he was the one who best saw the scene for what it was. An insurance scam by some criminal- no, a crook, preying on the poor elderly.

So he stops the getaway, acting as the... "charitable witness" he is, and decides to do a little bit of Good Samaritan work to help this old woman.

The car drives a bit more forward, lining the back window with the old woman's door. "Ma'am, I would like to bring to attention, that man is lying," BB boldly tells her, making a claim right off the bat. "He's faking his injuries, see? You're not at fault whatsoever."

"W... What? But I did hit him-" the old woman speaks, concerned.

"No, you didn't hit him, your car hit a man that carelessly ran into the road," BB explains further, grinning. "You have to be more careful. Fun fact, every year, about 301-point-something billion dollars are stolen through fraudulent insurance claims. This man right here ran straight into the road and is one of them, trying to take advantage of you."

"H-Hey, I'm seriously injured here! My legs, my ribs- I- I think I feel some bleeding!" the man shouts at BB. "Ugh- I think I need some medical help, I need to go see my doctor..."

"Really? Oh, wow, that's crazy, your doctor..." BB comments, chuckling. "I mean, if you need it right away, we can get you to a hospital. There's one, like, riiiiiight over there, they'd be able to-"

"N-Not before I get this woman's contact information...!" the man calls out. "I- I need all of that so I don't get bankrupt and-"

BB sighs at this man, his arm tightening his hug around his driver. Idly turning his attention to the old woman, ignoring the supposed victim. "Ma'am, if it is okay, call the authorities. You are going to tell the authorities what happened here exactly. You are going to call 911, tell officers that you were driving, stopped when this man ran into the road in front of your car, and a hit and run happened here, see?"

"Hit and run-?! B-But I didn't mean to-"

"Nonono, not your hit and run, you're an innocent old woman! Why would you do a hit and run?" BB asks the old woman, as he snaps his fingers. The car then slowly drives and turns right, headlights visible to the scammer. Scaring him with a sudden threat, one that instinctively causes the man to get up quickly and reveal he was perfectly okay.

The scammer- widens his eyes at this. "W-What the hell-?!"

The- the old woman watches as this happens, seeing the man stand up. "O-Oh...! S-So he isn't-"

"That's right, a scammer," BB tells the woman. "And it's not your hit and run we're reporting. We want you to report ours. Tell the authorities that we're the ones who hit this guy, okay?"

"W... What? But, sir, I-" the old woman begins to speak, objecting to letting these gentlemen take the blame. She was the one who-

"S-Shut the f--- up!" the scammer interrupts the elderly woman and her thoughts, shouting at the antagonistic BB with a violent glare. Taking one look at him and the people dressed in suits, noting their- tacky appearances. "If you're going to be annoying and kick an injured man while he's down, then just get out of here, you ugly ass wannabe criminal looking motherf---er!"

".........."

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"... ma'am, call the police," BB bluntly repeats, snapping his fingers. On his finger snap, all of the passenger gangsters (except him and Blaze) step out of the car, drawing their guns and taking aim at the man.

The pedestrian scammer watches as armed men take aim at him, eyes wide. "W-Wait, the f---?!"

"U-Uhm-! W-We don't need to resort to violence-!" the woman shouts.

"I said, call the police, you need to report a 'hit' and 'run', ma'am..." BB grimly repeats, his true colors showing as he returns a glare to the dead man before him. "Our hit and run..."

"Hold on! You- you sick f---s are gonna kill me?!" the man shouts. "O-Over some insurance scam?! You really gonna kill over-"

"Wannabe criminal? WANNABE CRIMINAL?!" BB shouts, staring at the man through the windshield with absolutely violent intent. Offended beyond all belief just because of that comment. Not his ugliness, no. That word. Wannabe.

BB was no wannabe.

"ACTUAL, dumba--! Actual!" BB angrily shouts at the top of his lungs, his colors on full display. "BB's the name, buddy boy! Actual, bona fide, al dente gangster, a REAL criminal, see?! And if you somehow, SOMEHOW manage to survive this, get your life right next time! Huh?! How about that?!"

The man quickly reaches for his pocket- and the driver of the gangsters' car drives forward, ramming into the man and knocking him back.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." BB noises as he shakes his head and snaps his fingers. "Alright, boys- hit!"

"W-Wait, stop-!" the old woman shouts, trying to stop this- too scared to do anything. She hoped that crying out for them to stop would stop these gangsters.

But it was too late. Aggressive gunfire fills the street as BB sits back, the surrounding drivers- startled at this. The old woman, indeed, a horrified and terrified spectator to a "hit" as the man she presumably hit with her car was violently shot to death over and over again. Unable to- back up or drive forward, stuck with seeing this transpire right in front of her eyes.

BB's intentions were clear. Have his boys shoot a man so badly that they couldn't mistake an old woman for doing this. There would be no weapons in this old lady's car, all of the bullets would be determined as having come from too many guns for an old lady to hold, and so on. In his eyes, a noble intention, as the gang brutally shoots up a man.

"Hmm." BB takes a moment to stare at the tires between this car and the old lady's. Different tires... a content look on his face.

The gangsters reload their guns, and get back into the car. BB staring at the mortified old woman, smiling with an... ominously polite look on his face. A kind, warm smile, uncaring that he has just orchestrated a murder.

"Alright, ma'am, I wish you a good day!" BB calls out, a maniacal shout as he snaps his fingers. "You're a witness to a hit, see? And now, a run. Hit it, boys, let's get to running!"

Horrifyingly, the car drives forward, running over the man's body and leaving marks under its tires.

The old woman screams in terror as the gangsters flee the scene, leaving behind a prevented insurance scam turned gangster murder scene. BB laughs his lungs out, cackling and chortling as his "good intentions" are severely overshadowed by a violently gruesome bloodlust.

A form of evil that doesn't realize he's evil.

BB sits back and basks in this feeling. Especially since he had a woman in his lap the whole time. Blaze was a witness to all of that, her eyes faintly open as she was being kept awake to avoid sleeping with a possible concussion.

"... BB-" Blaze speaks up.

"Hey, hey, no, save your strength," BB tells her in concern, warmly staring at her as his psychopathic rage was subdued. "Save it for when you get better, okay?"

"No... just... we need to- drive faster..." Blaze calls out, groaning.

"... why?" BB asks.

Then, police sirens.

"Oh, I see, the boys in blue. Guess our detour took too long," BB comments nonchalantly, humming faintly as he changes the arm that was holding Blaze.

After his left hand is free, BB then uses his left hand to take out his gun, taking a deep... deep breath as he concentrates his focus into the weapon. Focusing his own special power into the weapon, charging energy into his gun...

It took one shot per car to take the cops out. BB exerting his power over them as he unleashes his BB shot - his "Battalion Boomer" shot - and fires a massive ball of wind with a bullet encased at the center.

The police car sees this shot fired, eyes wide as the BB shot achieves contact with the car's hood. In the next moment, the car is sent flying backwards, causing a rear-end collision as a car rams straight into the police car.

"Ah~ nothing like some good ol' target practice," BB contently calls out, looking at the other cars on their tail. Charging his next shot. "Hey, boys, while I'm shooting at the coppers, any of y'all got a burner phone? We gots to call the boss."

The gangster in the passenger seat nods, taking out a disposable phone and promptly dialing the number to the boss.

"... hello?"

"Boss. BB wants to talk," the gangster tells the boss, before handing the phone to the gangster in the middle seat that, subsequently, holds the phone to BB's ear.

BB hmms contently as he fires another shot at the pursuing police, another BB shot sending this car flying through the air. "Ey, Boss. We gots the girl, see?"

"The girl... oh. You managed to get her?"

"Yep. I know your 'on sight' orders and all, but girl and her companions're probably unkillable," BB explains. "Hijacked her after the poisoning, see?"

"I see, I see. Good work, BB. The Big Bad Boys owes you quite a lot."

"Thank ya kindly, Boss!" BB shouts, grinning as he was on watch for any other police cars. "And might I say, we're getting a lil' bit lucky. Roads are a little bit more free coming from the hospital, but we might encounter traffic. Plan's to take her to the warehouse, see, and-"

"Wait."

"...?" BB tilts his head as the Boss interrupts him "Y...Yeah? What's up, Boss?"

"... nothing. Keep up the good work. Talk to you soon."

BB hesitantly nods. "Thank ya, Boss." Before hanging up, closing the phone, and taking a deep... deep breath, shooting at another police car.

A silence in the car as they drive through Starveil's streets, an uncomfortable air as their complete and utter silence is accompanied by screams of terror. A gangster car somehow dispatching of the entire trail of law enforcement following after them. The thing that scared the other gangsters, in that moment, wasn't the police... it was BB's face.

Dread and tension on his face as BB tells his gangster underlings: "... boys, we are screwed."

"... what?" asks the hospital receptionist.

Back at the hospital, Quade McMurphy was face to face with the new, replacement receptionist behind the counter. "Joseph Hawthorne. I need today's phone call records between him and another party. Also, if any calls come in for him, or Jocelyn Cox, please let me know immediately."

In this most desperate of times, Quade understood the immediate edge that he and the Squad had over these gangsters. BB only has his accurate guess and assumption that the Boss sounded utterly upset in that call. Quade, however, knows the reason why: the gangsters stormed the hospital that their boss's nephew was at.

Knowing that this boss apparently called Odette through hospital lines instead of any phones Odette has, Quade is brewing an idea. An opportunity to seize, a chance to save Giichi and quite possibly put a stop to this destructive mafia. If he had some phone records, it's possible to trace the call even if it was a burner. The only issue is...

"S... Sir, those calls are strictly confidential with Mr. Hawthorne," the new receptionist responds with narrowed eyes, denying Quade's request for confidential information. Without Odette giving Quade explicit permission to answer phone calls, the hospital would be in seriously grave trouble for letting some random individual have access to phone records- especially if said calls are apparently between a man and some gun wielding maniacs. "I can't just-"

"Yes, yes you can-" Quade responds, his eyes staring straight at this new receptionist. "I reckon I can receive permission from Odette- Joseph. Joseph, right now. He's on the 8th floor, the floor with a broken window. Don't know if he's okay or if he got taken down here yet, but... listen, it's a matter of life or death."

"I... I'm sorry, but-" the new receptionist responds, slight hesitance in his voice at Quade's insistence.

In response, Quade continues, speaking over the receptionist with urgency in his voice. Hands on the counter, leaning forward, staring straight at this receptionist with a serious expression. "Listen. The person that might call for him is responsible for destruction of property, toxic poisoning, armed threats and injuries, attempted homicide, and kidnapping. The list of things that these gangsters're responsible for is long, and I reckon what they'll do next will only add fuel to the fire."

"W... Wait, are these- are these the people that were on the news-?" the receptionist begins to ask, actively... shaking. Panicked and worried for his life, remembering yesterday's news when over 200 gangsters got mass arrested by police.

"Yes," Quade responds, staring at the man with a tense look. "And right now, I'm one of the only people that can save Starveil from being a crime infested outhouse of a city. All I ask is that you let me have access to this morning's phone records."

The receptionist shakes and stares at Quade in concern, with the rest of the staff listening in on this conversation.

"... please. I want to save my friend," Quade tells them all, complete sincerity in his voice.

"..." The... the receptionist takes a deep breath. "Okay. Okay. Fine. Just- we are not responsible for anything that you do. Anything you say to those people, it's strictly on you. Okay?"

"I can agree to those there terms," Quade responds, a smile to the receptionist as he tips his cap. "You're doing Starveil a great favor-"

The phone then rings as Quade says this, the receptionist answering quickly.

"Thank you for calling Starveil Hospital, how may I..." A pause, as he tensely looks to Quade.

Quade looks at the receptionist and... blinks.

"... mhmm. Mhmm. I see. Well, that is correct, sir. Our hospital was- attacked by armed assailants some time ago. No casualties, just some injuries- oh, yes? Mhmm? ... oh, uh... you're calling about 'Joseph'? Well-"

It's him.

"E-Excuse me, uh- 'Joseph'? Is- is the caller asking for me?"

Quade speaks to the receptionist, speaking with a completely different voice. Quade used his powers to change his vocal chords, perfectly mimicking Odette's voice and adopting his anxious and frail tone. He holds his hand out for the phone, with the plan to impersonate Odette while calling the man on the other end.

The receptionist- blinks at this, staring at Quade in disbelief. "Uhm-"

Quade gives a slight wink, gesturing a thumb to himself before accustoming himself to Odette's nervous mannerisms. Fidgeting in place as he stares at the receptionist with feigned fear in his face. "I- If it's my uncle- it- he- he called earlier- uhm- oh God, okay, i- is, is it okay if I talk to him? I-If it's- if it's him..."

"... uhm- one moment... sorry- shift change and all, but I can't-" the receptionist answers, understanding Quade's... apparent plan as he pretends to talk to "Odette". As the man on the other end interjects, the receptionist turns his attention to the caller and answers. "Oh, yes. Mhmm. Yes. Okay, sir, I'm putting you on."

The phone is handed to Quade.

In this short amount of time, Quade felt the world around him slow down. Complete and utter slow motion in the time that it took to hold the phone to his ear. His hands shaking with anger and rage, rage towards the man on the other end.

But that's not who he is right now. Quade needed to pretend to be Odette. He needed to pretend that he didn't want to hurt this man, his "uncle". Phone to his ear, Quade leans against the counter and stares forward. Keeping his cool the best he can, getting into the Odette mindset, answering with anxiously tender sincerity...

"... h-hello?"