The four arrived two hours later, and Julia hadn't said anything with Serena around. They came up to one hotel room's door, and Serena knocked, sliding her badge under the door. It opened, and there stood the widowed protege, nodding & shaking as he let them inside. 

"Richard, right?" said Kate, and he nodded against the wall. (Serena had figured Kate was better at investigating.) "Tell us what happened. Mentor and you went out to respond to a call, right?"

"Y-Yes. We, we w-were attacked b-by someone - o-orange hair and, and they had a beard, I-I think - I'm sorry I'm just really -"

" - it's alright. Been through a lot."

"H-He - he had t-this - s-soda can - and - Jess told me to r-run a-and I came here as s-soon as I could and called Urasaria and -"

" - where was this at?"

"I-I don't k-know."

"You were responding to a call, right?"

"Y-Yes."

"Can look it up on mine, then." said Kate. "C'mon. Let's get you on a flight back, get you some rest." She turned, hair going taut for a cocoon. "Be a bit bumpy, but you'll be home before you know it."

"Yeah." said Naomi. "It'll be okay."

"O-Okay." he said, and Split grabbed him tight.

"Can you meet us back here?" said Serena to Kate.

"Sure." said Kate, and the others nodded as she went out. Julia's eyes stuck to the floor.

"…um." muttered Naomi after a minute. "We should, uh… check in, right?"

"Yep." said Serena, and the three went out to the hall, Julia keeping away from Naomi. "Kate should be back soon."

"Yeah." said Naomi as they walked. Another minute of silence, and she said; "…uh. Sooo, I was… I told Julia about that show we watched." She laughed nervously. "Uh, what was it called?"

"Uchi no Ten Seichō."

"Yeah, that's the one. I mean, it's super ridiculous, but - it's kinda fun to just watch, right?"

"S-Sounds like it." mumbled Julia. "U-Um. Sorry."

The three went to the lobby and checked in, and Kate came in after another minute of silence.

"Alright." she nodded as she came up, tablet readied. "Found out where they were responding to. It's some restaurant on the other side of town. Papa Xin's - guess it's some Italian-Chinese fusion place. Was thinking Serena and I would head out now to check it. Place is still locked down until we get there."

"Sounds good." said Serena.

"And, uh… One thing I wanted to ask you." said Kate to Serena. "You're in charge, so - up to you - but I was thinking we could do the disguises again. Been practicing with Samuel - trying to make it less uncomfortable, less drastic."

'Only had to go down to the infirmary once.' she thought as Serena&Naomi winced.

"Um, right now?" said Serena and Kate's head shook.

"No, was thinking before we come back here. Can find a place for us to meet up. I'll disguise us, undisguise once we get back. Never know how long it might take to find him."

Serena shrugged. "Naomi?"

"I'm good with it." said Naomi.

"Yes." Julia nodded, trying to be professional. If some of Kate's tolerance of her now was that she wouldn't give any argument, she did realize it.

Serena nodded, and Kate said; " - good, good. Still need to check with the local Revenant surgeon - but we'll head out now, if that's alright."

"Sure thing." said Serena, and the pairs split up outside. She glanced back to check Naomi's comfort as her & Julia walked away.

"She, uh, doing alright?" said Kate, glancing back once as they went out to the sidewalk, alleys & streetlamps at regular intervals.

"I think so, yeah. I just…" Serena sighed. "… I dunno. I still don't like her."

"Don't blame you for that. Seems like she's trying to straighten up a bit, at least. Doubt she'll cause any more trouble."

"Maybe."

"Besides." Kate smirked. "Seems like she's scared of you, too."

"Good." said Serena, and Kate laughed as Serena thought about her ex-boyfriend. For the first few years after they'd broken up, she'd let her anger handle any anxiety that came up from the thought of him, but she had a real confidence now over people like him & Julia and was proud of it.

They passed by an alley, and in the next instant -

- a shriek of urgent terror came from their rights; four eyes shot over -

- and saw a fattened man shoving a woman against the wall, one electrical whip in his right hand, and in the next instant -

- one hairhand yanked the woman with the strength of a thousand away & back to Kate, setting her down against the sidewalk beside; Kate shouted for her to run, and the woman thanked them as she fled, two women left with their male foe & twenty feet separating them. His right hand swept back, and as the electrical lasso whipped towards them -

- streams of fog corroded the streetlamp behind as the women split left & right, electrical weapon catching only air, Serena knowing the metal had been his true target again -

" - nice try, you retarded fat fuck!" shouted Serena - " - you're so fucking fat that - when you finish having sex, you smoke hams!"

- and Kate burst in to laughter beside, unused to the punk's antics - " - you - do you do this every fight?"

" - yep." chimed Serena, and Kate laughed as they stood again, man grunting as he stepped further back in to the alley. One hairhand tapped Serena's back as the two stepped forward, still wary of coming in close with thirty feet separating the two. His whip hit the concrete below -

- and the electrical shockwave started blasting right through it & shot towards them; Kate yanked them left & to the wall to dodge it -

- and the next scene was instant. Streams of fog flew in to the wall, acid corroding through inside and creating a miniscule pinhole ahead -

- and out the bitesized aperture burst a jet of acid towards the man -

- and the keen loquud burnt the right half of his face clear off, half of his skull grunting as he staggered back, Serena laughing - " - still looks better than before -"

- the electrical whip hit the wall ahead, and as another electrical shockwave started through the asphalt -

- Kate yanked them away and to the right wall, hairnails digging in to the concrete to keep them hanging, and as streams of fog filled the wall for the same trick -

" - Fixture!" shouted the man, whipping the left wall again, yanking out another dozen concrete chunks and throwing it towards them -

- but one hairhand grabbed it just in time for him to dodge underneath the second jet of acid, and as Split readied to return the concrete to sender -

- the projectiles burst in to a hundred shards that sliced Kate's face fifty ways; she stifled her shriek as she yanked the two of them up -

- and landed staggering on to the roof, right eye dripping out of her socket as Serena landed beside. Streams of fog refilled her wound, and as the two peeked with new flesh over the ledge to their foe below -

" - Fixture!" he shouted, electrical whip aiming right for them -

- but catching only air & falling limp below, Kate nodding as she realized it.

"Guy isn't experienced with his Revenant. Doesn't know his range."

At her side, Serena nodded, shouting over the ledge - " - they're going to have to get a fucking crane to -scoop however many pieces you're in after -"

- and Kate tried to stifle her laugh, finding it amusing but trying to keep serious as she glanced over the ledge -

- and the two sighed as they saw their foe running out of the alley, electrical whip yanking him to one streetlamp -

- and another, foe starting to swing through the streets as he fled. Nodding to Serena, Kate started rushing across the roof, one hairhand gripping the punk tight as she followed behind -

- and leaped right down in to the street below; one strand yanked them to another streetlamp before they hit the ground, foe ahead swinging with his electrical whip around the corner, duo only one post behind. Kate swung them carefully around the corner and saw their foe still fleeing ahead, Split's hand readjusting to let Serena breathe as they chased. 

"Can -" - panted Serena, tentacle ripping her cup out - " - can you get him somewhere without civilians -"

" - I'll try -" said Kate; another swing, and as Split's strands gripped the pole -

- she shrieked as the electricity still within shot through her hair -

- but a swift gust of fog claimed her hair & half-filled it with rubber, keeping them safe as she swung again, newly insulated hairwoman & punk seeing their foe swing across the street and landing on the sidewalk. One parked car was ahead of him, and in the next instant -

- Fixture's whip shot towards it, electrical tendrils gripping it tight -

- but his strength couldn't lift it in time before Serena & Kate landed on the sidewalk across the road. Serena threw her cup forward, streams of fog filling it as it flew, and as the man's whip grabbed it in midair & yanked it towards him -

- he felt the ice covering the cup melt -

- and his chest received the pint of acid inside heart-first, corrosive goo melting his still-beating heart straight out of his body and leaving a cavern of homeless veins & arteries, blood not even geysering out of his chest as he fell back, and they knew that he was dead.

"Dumbass." Serena grinned as the two came up, and Kate laughed as the punk crouched down to scan.

"Might have to start doing that myself." She laughed. "Good job. Going to check where we're at, see if we're closer to the hospital."

"Sure thing." said Serena. "Um. I don't have my cup, but - I can just make more if I need to anyway."

"Good-good." said Kate. She checked her phone as Serena stood. "…alright. Actually a bit closer, and…" She frowned, head shaking as she put her phone away & the two started walking.

"What's up?" said Serena.

"Nothing. Just realized I could've killed him instantly back in the alley, but - had a civilian right there."

"…yeah. Probably would have gotten traumatized."

"Right. Can't blame them for that, though - not desensitized like us. Or, uh, you - Miss - ' - I'm going to make sure you never have children again -'"

" - wait, how do you know about that?"

"Samuel mentioned it to me once he got back. Told me all about the Revenants you were having to deal with."

"Jeez. I guess I've just always been pretty desensitized. Especially with Blackburn."

"Definitely useful, yeah. For me, I used to live in a pretty bad area, so students would get called out all the time. Ended up running across more than a few bodies before they got cleaned up. Never bothered me any, though. Knew it was scum that deserved it."

"Yeah."

Kate thought about telling Serena of one teenage boy's corpse in particular, but only her & her father knew of it. "And my dad's conservative, so he would always tell me that too."

"Your dad's conservative?" Serena winced.

"I know what you're thinking - I almost got in to an argument with him last Christmas about it. He used to be a cop before he retired, and now he stays at home and listens to a bunch of talk radio trying to rile him up. He was talking about - you know that pride parade near Urasaria a few months ago? He was complaining about that, since it was government funded and all. But the way I see it, it's better that they spend money on that then some million dollar bomb in the Middle East."

"Uh, wait, are you not gay?"

"I'm not." Kate laughed. "Lucky me. Don't have any issue with any of that stuff though. Lesbian, or gay, or, uh…"

"…transgender?"

"Transgender, yeah. Figure that it... doesn't affect me. Not hurting anyone."

"Yeah." Serena smiled and they walked another minute. "Plus, you're not the only straight woman at Urasaria, actually."

"Who's the other one? Can't be more than two."

"Naomi."

"Oh. Didn't know that."

"Yeah." Serena decided not to mention Naomi's crush on Samuel. "She's straight, yeah."

"There we go. Two women." 

Kate had dated a few times before, but civilian men usually felt emasculated by her, and hosts were too close to work.

"Yeah." said Serena. "…uh."

"Everything alright?" 

"…yeah. Just... Talking about Naomi. Do you remember the guy you were torturing last month?"

"Right. What about it-? - oh. Did Naomi talk to you about that?"

"No, she didn't. I dunno if she thinks I'm - I mean, I know she didn't like it, but…"

"Yeah. Well, I, I doubt she's mad at you about it or anything. She might just need some more experience. You learn that sometimes you're going to need to do that."

"Yeah."

Mia had told Serena about her extremely violent profile last month and the two had laughed, but Serena had decided not to come out as transgender publicly. That could change once she was in Mia's squadron, but she doubted she'd like the spotlight & politics was something she tried to avoid, in entertainment and real life.

Kate nodded. "Hospital's past this corner."

◆◆◆

At first, Naomi had been nervous around Julia, but she felt guilty for letting one experience tint her judgement of the poet. Julia had changed; she had apologized, and though Naomi understood Serena's hesitance, she did need more friends, and she needed to assert her individuality more before she would be ready for mentorship next year.

And even if Naomi didn't fully understand her ideas on art, she wanted to get Julia to lighten up & play Dance-Dance-Revolution with her. Sure, Julia would probably look stupid at first, but one of the reasons Naomi liked Serena & Yuruko was that they weren't afraid to look silly, and if she could get Julia to take herself less seriously, Serena might like her too.

The two walked down one avenue. Cars were in their eternal spots.

"Yeah. Um. I probably, probably should try to get out of my shell a bit." laughed Julia, as did Naomi.

"Exactly." Naomi smiled. "Plus it, you know, helps your reactions and stuff."

"I-I remember you saying that, yeah. Um. Guess I've always just, uh…" Julia paused. About the only subjects she felt comfortable talking about were art & masturbation - two areas in which she was an absolute expert. "… h-have a bit of trouble with that, I guess."

"What do you mean?"

"I-I just have trouble lightening up sometimes. Um, I used to - when I was in poetry o-or writing groups, I-I used to get criticized a lot because I didn't have any humor. P-People told me I made Schopenhauer look optimistic."

The two paused ahead of a hardware store.

"Yeah. I mean - I get what you're saying, though, kinda." Naomi laughed, thinking about the time her & Serena & Yuruko had gone out to a hockey game last Christmas. They'd gotten banned after Yuruko dared Serena to fill the rink with salt in the second half, and if maturity meant she couldn't have laughed as much at the players swimming out of the sudden moat, maturity seemed like something to be avoided.

Julia laughed. "I'm not as - I try to not take it too seriously now, at least. I-I mean, there's people who painted paintings thinking it would stop the Iraq war. Intellectuals and all that. T-They're like the mafia, they only kill their own."

Naomi laughed at another stolen quote. "Yeah. I kinda get what you mean, but - sometimes just have to have fun, right? You can have both, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Julia laughed. "Even if I'm going to look stupid playing it."

The two started walking again, corner up ahead.

"That's fine." Naomi laughed. "I mean, you're - they have a thing where you're supposed to register that you're a student or whatever, in case you want to put up your high scores."

"Because of our reaction times?"

"Yeah. They put out a bunch of songs and have, like, a 'top ten scorers' on there, and -"

" - are you about to say you're on it?"

" - only Urasaria student in the top ten, yeah." Naomi grinned, having staked some confidence in it. "Everyone else is like - in the top ten? Everyone else is Japanese or Chinese students, yeah. Rank one is some Japanese student."

"Do you know them?"

"Nah. I guess their name is - I looked it up - Frostbite -"

" - Manufacture!" shouted Julia, two rods forming as she swept one over Naomi's back -

- just in time to catch the knife that'd come from behind; Naomi turned -

- and stepped back before Manufacture's second rod bashed her face in -

" - sorry!" shouted Julia, bashing her first rod with her second, trapping one to the other as she turned - " - can't - can't control the second one for some reason -"

- and the two saw a man leaning against the frame of the hardware store's door fifty feet away, just in time to catch his black flaming hand dipping in to his pocket.

"That's - gotta be him, right?" said Naomi.

"Gotta be him." muttered Julia, and as she tried to unsummon Manufacture's rogue rod -

- she jerked off to her side, impudent electrical upstart trying to yank her by her first baton, one car beside as she wrestled with it -

" - Manufacture!" she shouted, bashing her trapped rods in to the vehicle's roof, electrical current entering the metal -

- and ensuring her second rod was stuck to the roof as she pulled herself away, but in the next instant -

- one of the car's doors burst in to black flames and slammed open towards her -

- but Naomi stomped down -

- and launched the car up & in to the air, automobile flipping & turning as it soared through the air and away. Naomi winced as the alarm started as it landed in to another, thankful for no civilian scream coming. Julia with one rod free, the two stepped back, eyes on the man at the hardware store -

- who was bizarrely calm, eyes shooting away from them as they stared him down - " - I - I should - uh-ah - Revenant!" he shouted -

- and ran inside the store as the two started their chase after him. Julia glanced back at the corner as they ran up the sidewalk.  "I - feel my second rod getting closer, but -"

- and as Naomi turned, the two saw it then, flaming black car peeling out of the corner behind. Manufacture's rod was still on the hood as the automobile rushed towards them, and as it came twenty feet within -

- the next scene was instant. Julia's baton sparked -

- and launched the two-ton projectile with the strength of a thousand away; the gas tank spit its contents towards them before it disappeared in to the horizon, and as the foul liquid hit their faces -

- the two burst in to black flames, skin burning as they staggered & shrieked; Naomi pulled Julia out to the road with her, and as she stomped down -

- the next scene was instant. The road started to crumble and collapse, single platform left for the two as the asphalt peeled back to reveal the main water line below, concrete spikes growing to pierce through the pipe -

- and the geyser of liquid extinguished them completely as a bridge of asphalt formed their way back to the sidewalk. Naomi's fingers snapped and stitched the road back up. Ahead, they saw the prodigal vehicle screaming towards them again -

" - Avalanche." laughed Naomi, stone hand snapping -

- and a sinkhole swallowed the vehicle alive in the next, another snap trapping the rabid beast underground as they stepped back to the sidewalk -

- which started instantly to shudder. Naomi wincing, Manufacture's second rod reformed in Julia's hand, ground starting to rumble, cracks forming all around them but healing even quicker -

" - it's -" - Naomi panted - " - possession through - those flames! Gotta - keep Avalanche to repair it!"

" - got it." nodded Julia beside, and with no time to waste, the women rushed inside the hardware store. Civilian corpses were draped over the aisles of tools & paint, and the women peeled to the rightmost row, cans of magnetic paint beside -

- and their foe already prepared at the end of the row & back wall, one propane tank in his flaming black hands & more on the rack behind; he threw a tank towards them -

- and a tuft of black flame followed it as it flew -

- but the next scene was instant. Avalanche's arm caught it; she threw it forward with the strength of a million, stone ramp forming and dodging it away from hitting the flame -

- but their foe dodged underneath the propane projectile, glancing back as it hit the wall -

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

- just in time for Manufacture's first rod to spark & yank it straight in to his skull in a crunch of blood & bones; he shrieked as he staggered forward, not noticing Julia throwing Manufacture's second rod behind him.

"I-Infernal!" grunted the man, hand burning black as he punched down -

- and the ground started shuddering again, Naomi forced to keep it repaired as the floor was possessed, cracks forming and floor slipping, and in the next instant -

- one tiled spike burst out of the ground and impaled clear through Naomi's right leg; she shrieked as she staggered down, another propane tank thrown at them from ahead -

- but the next scene was instant. Manufacture's first rod bashed a can of magnetic paint beside; Manufacture's second rod sparked behind the man, and a jet of paint burst out of the can & flew towards him - he threw his flaming hand out -

- and burst in to flames as the paint claimed his body; the rest of the propane tanks flew in to him from behind -

- and six explosions tore his body in to a canvas of colorful gore, man of possession splattered all over the walls & store as Julia stepped back. Naomi panted as her stone fingers snapped, and the spike through her leg crumbled to dust.

"You - you okay?" panted Julia, and Naomi winced as she slumped against the wall. She set her stone hand over it, discs of stone plugging her bleeding.

"Y-Yeah. Got him, right? Just, just give me a minute to heal."

"S-Sure thing." said Julia, placing her hand on Naomi's shoulder -

- then immediately yanking it away - " - I - sorry sorry -"

" - it's - it's cool." Naomi nodded. "All good, all good."

"Sorry. Didn't, didn't mean to do it." said Julia, trying not to look at Naomi's collarbones.

◆◆◆

On the other side of town, Serena & Kate walked out to the hospital's parking lot, cars flanking them & Kate's checklist done.

"Won't be like last time, hopefully." said Kate, relevantly, and Serena nodded. "Guy seemed legitimate."

"Yeah." Serena winced. "Hopefully no more trials."

"Hopefully." laughed Kate, hopefully. "Haven't ever had to actually testify before that. Almost starts to scare you."

"Oh, um. I've had to do it before. That was with someone me and Naomi left alive, though."

"Had to testify against him, you mean?"

Serena nodded, and in the next instant -

- with the speed of light she turned, tentacle shoving Kate behind her as the flaming black vehicle screamed towards them -

- but swift of streams of fog filled it with acid, corroding it away in an instant; black flames burst out of the green clouds -

- but another cloud of fog filled it with wind & dispersed the foul vapors, two nodding as they stepped back, Serena with tentacle readied and Kate with hair taut. A gust of wind blasted them in to the ground -

- and another dozen volleys followed, black & flaming winds scorching their skin and throwing to the ground, two grunting as they twitched -

" - Split!" shouted Kate, hair going taut and forming drills against the ground -

- and carving a hole right through the road; and in to the sudden burrow & underground fell the two, more drills burrowing them to twenty feet under. Staggering to their feet, the two stood under the asphalt -

- and a dozen concrete spikes grew & shot towards Serena, sharp ends slicing her skin and back; she staggered back and out of the next six, road reforming up above -

- and trapping them underground, space closed tight with no light. Serena's tentacle swept around and corroded a wider cavern for the two, acid dissolving more spikes trying to pierce them. Kate handed Serena a lock of her hair, and another stream of fog set it alight, ensuring them light as they stepped forward, but in the next instant -

- the walls burst in to black flames & started closing in on them -

- but streams of fog flew in to the flames as they grew -

" - I - what the fuck?" groaned Serena, fire still running; she set her tentacle in to the burning rectangle of fire -

- and nodded as the flames disappeared as she filled them with water, but in the next instant -

- the liquid solidified and shot for her eyes -

- but a swift sweep of Kate's hair caught the foul liquid and wrung it out, and as she stepped up beside, Split's ponytail went taut -

- and yanked her with the strength of a thousand back -

- but one sharp strand sliced off its sister as Kate slammed in to the walls, wincing as she shouted - " - possession! Black flames - possession!"

" - got it!" shouted Serena, turning to see the ponytail laying limp at Kate's side -

- and starting to grow legs; with the speed of a spider, it made to hug Kate's face, bursting in to black flames as it pinched her cheeks tight -

- but two new hairhands burst out of her scalp and gripped it on each end, snapping it like a wishbone; another quick hardened strand amputated the two hairhands off as Serena rushed over. New legs grew from one of the hands, and as it made to hug Serena's face -

- the next scene was instant. Streams of fog filled it with osmium; another stream corroded a hole through the floor below it -

- and the sentient hair fell with the speed of steel down in to the burrow, more streams of fog following it to ensure it wouldn't be climbing back up soon. Kate stood up, hair regrowing with no possession. 

"Gotta get back up." she said, glancing up, ponytail growing & hairfist readying. "You wanna try some, uh, shittalk echolocation?" 

"Uh, what - oh." laughed Serena. "Sure."

Kate nodded, and one hairpunch shattered the roof above; another hairhand threw Serena out of the aperture -

- to at last land solo in the parking alot again; she saw their foe thirty feet away, pistol burning black as he aimed it towards Serena -

- and the hollow point of three bullets entered her head & burst out of the back of her skull; she shouted "FUCK!" as she staggered back, vision swirling - " - twenty - thirty feet fucking bitch!"

- and the ground started rumbling behind the man; out of the asphalt's burrow swept Kate -

- and the next scene was instant. One hairhand gripped his right shoulder and yanked it forward; one left gripped his left and pulled it back, and as a woman might rip a sheet of paper -

- tore his body in two; Serena filled her wounds as the jagged halves fell rigid - " - holy -"

" - you alright?" laughed Kate, and Serena winced nodding and laughing, staggering against a nearby car. Blackburn's fog drilled in to her head. "Alright. Gonna scan, and…" She crouched down. "…well. Two Revenants in one day."

"…ugh. Yeah. Someone's tracking us."

Kate nodded as she stood. "Was thinking that, yeah. Might be bad luck, but…" She frowned as they started walking. "…well. Still need to check out Papa Xin's. Just going to have to handle them as they come."

"Let's go."

The two set out of the lot. The owner of Papa Xin's was grumbling with the cop outside about how he'd lost all his employees & expected the city to compensate him for their deaths, and the two students waved them down and away as they came up to the front door, standing on the sidewalk with trees and cars. The building was barely wide enough for three people and had a neon sign over it.

"…alright." muttered Kate. Her hair went taut as she pressed against the door; Serena's fog & tentacle formed, and in the next instant -

- the door turned electrified and slammed right open in Kate's face; she shrieked as the current entered her hair -

" - S-Split!" she shouted; one strand yanked her back and across the street, another taking Serena with her -

- just in time to avoid their foe's vicious electrical whip as he stepped out of the shop, Kate groaning as the two landed, forty feet separating them. "Fucking kidding me? Didn't think to fucking check -"

" - wait, that's the same one from earlier, right?" said Serena -

- and Kate nodded beside, streams of fog filling her hair with some rubber, Serena's jacket filling with insulation. Their foe stepped out of the door ahead, electrical whip readied as his eyes went to the neon sign -

" - fucking - duplicate Revenant bitch!" shouted Serena -

" - yeah!" shouted Kate - " - you think this'll go any better than last time, you stupid fucking -"

" - Fixture!" shouted the duplicate Revenant bitch, whip sweeping up to the neon sign, and as bolts of lightning shot out of it and towards them -

- Serena threw her jacket right in to the scorching rays; and in to her favorite jacket went the electrical beams, Boudoir's durability & insulation keeping it safe as Kate yanked it back to them -

" - looks like it isn't going to go better!" shouted Kate; ahead, their foe's whip hit a tree on the sidewalk -

-  and burst open instantly; a hundred electrified shards flew towards them -

- but the next scene was instant. Four hairhands ripped her own tree out of the sidewalk beside, throwing it with the speed of hair forward; streams of fog filled it with magnets -

- and in to the shards went the tree -

- whose keen end smashed the man right against the outer wall of Papa Xin's in a waffle of gore & guts & blood, two laughing as he fell rigid & his heart rolled down his crushed chest on to the sidewalk.

"Did good." said Serena, relevantly, and Kate laughed.

"Did good, yeah."

The two walked over, and Kate crouched down to scan. Serena whispered to her as streams of fog burrowed underground and she nodded. "Good idea, yeah. Still gotta get to where the body is, if it's still there."

"Yeah. Just wonder why someone's tracking us."

Kate shrugged as she stood up. "Eh, scum'll always find a reason for it. Could be one of us killed someone they knew. Could be they're just wanting to go rob some place, want to get the jump on us before. No reason to try to get in the head of people like that."

"I guess. At least they're all dipshits." Serena grinned, and Kate laughed. Usually she preferred a more serious partner, but she liked Serena for some reason, and it was convenient the punk was leaving investigation to her.

"I mean, if they're going to come anyway - I'm not complaining. Better they all come in one day, get it over with quick. Still - someone's probably duplicating these. Need to check inside first, theorize after. Fog all good?"

"Yep." said Serena, and the two went inside Papa Xin's. The right wall was cracked with a burn mark and there were only a few tables & one counter, but a path of blood walked over the register and below the back door. Blackburn's fog filled the wall's crack as the two swept over the counter.

Revenants readied, the two came up to the back door.

Kate nodded. Serena nodded; four hairfists shattered the door inward -

- and the corpse was still bleeding on the back&right stove when the two swept in to the room. They approached it carefully, and Split flipped it over as Serena glanced back.

"…shit." muttered Kate -

- and they heard the front door open; with the speed of light the two turned, Serena's tentacle tapping the back wall as they saw another man step inside.

"Come on, retard!" shouted Serena - " - use your fucking fire, you stupid fucking bi-"

" - Fixture!" he shouted; his electrical whip formed -

- and shot immediately to the ground, magnets Serena had planted underneath the floor pulling it with the strength of a thousand down -

" - Infernal!" they heard a muffled voice shout from the cracked wall ahead; Serena&Kate stifled their laugh -

- as the explosives she'd planted within the wall blasted their unseen & their seen foe all over the restaurant, wisps of smoke & gore drowning out the fading black flame in the room ahead.

"Didn't expect a fight, did you?" shouted Kate, relevantly, and the two laughed as they stepped out. Kate formed a pouch for the two Revenants.

"Those were both the two Revenants from earlier, right?" said Serena and Kate nodded.

"Right. Definitely something duplicating these. Thinking we can, uh, visit the coroner after, see if he can see anything on them."

"Sounds good."

Serena nodded, and the two headed back to Xin's kitchen, mentor corpse still on the stove. Her heart had been cut out, and hair formed gloves as they started searching.

"Should let Julia and Naomi know, too." said Kate. Serena nodded, texting Naomi only.

And the two groaned as they heard four sets of footsteps enter the store -

" - here we go!" shouted Kate, and four hairhands readied to bring the restaurant down.

◆◆◆

In another part of town, Julia & Naomi hadn't run in to any new Revenants, and their wounds had healed. They'd decided to have lunch at a local restaurant. Naomi's phone vibrated, and she took it quick.

"Looks like they're running in to… um, some kind of duplicating Revenant?" said Naomi, showing the text to Julia.

"…yeah." Julia nodded, but that she hadn't received the text told her Serena was still mad at her. She didn't blame her for it - she had acted like a dumbass creep.

"Everything alright?" said Naomi and Julia's head shook.

"I-I, uh, yeah. Just thinking about Revenants."

"Yeah. I… guess we've already dealt with one of them, right? So, uh…" 

Julia nodded. The two talked about what they'd do if another one showed up, and once they finished their meals, Julia paid & the two went outside, reassuring Naomi she had only paid because she made more than Naomi.

"It's cool." laughed Naomi. "They still haven't put in my raise yet."

"They, they can take a while for that, yeah. Um. I think you can go to Matoi and ask her to make sure they put it in, too."

"Yeah. Never had to live in, uh, one-star housing at least." Naomi smiled. "I think I'm gonna have my protege live with me, too, since it's…"

"…pretty bad, yeah. Um. I still have to try to get a job after I graduate."

"Isn't there some new agency for students?" said Naomi and Julia's head shook.

"Um, there's Timepact that's new, but that's, that's invitation only. I already have my license and everything, so, just need to look around a bit. All about who you know, you know."

"I guess so." Naomi shrugged. "I've still got a few years before I have to worry about that, right?"

"Yeah. You - you should probably still start making, um, f-friends and connections now though. It's not super competitive, but e-even we still have to sell our souls for it." she chimed and Naomi laughed. "Gotta just make sure that places know you'll be a good hero who doesn't cause any trouble."

"Yeah." Naomi laughed.

"I-I mean, I applied to a place a few months ago, a H-Hollywood agency. I-I think they're a p-part of everything wrong with art today, b-but I might be a-able to meet a few actors, at least."

Naomi laughed as she continued.

"I-I told them that - you know, Manufacture can - I can pull cars away, can be non-lethal, and can be good at guarding celebrities and stuff like that. I even tried to joke that - you know, if, if a fan gets too close - I can knock them out and say it was an accident. But they came back to me a month later and said I needed a recommendation from, from someone in the - in a Hollywood union."

"A union of heroes?"

"No, the screen actor's guild. And so I-I tried to apply there and ask around about that, but they told me I needed more experience in the - you know, as an industry - as someone guarding celebrities -"

" - wait, how are you supposed to -"

" - exactly! And they're not returning my calls anymore, so -"

" - jeeeez." laughed Naomi. "Guess I better, um, start then, yeah. I dunno. I still haven't really talked to anyone besides like, you, Serena, and Yuruko."

"And my rambling can fill up three people." said Julia and the two laughed. "That's good, though. I think most people just aren't, um… I mean, you know. I see these news articles talking about that - we're a lonely generation and stuff like that. I think, I think most people should probably socialize more than we do. I know in my year there's Marisa and Matoi, but everyone else just doesn't talk to anyone else."

"That's kinda how my class is, yeah." Naomi shrugged.

"Yeah. Well, and, and I mean - I'm saying this too, but - I'm just always holed up in my room, so."

"Uh, but now you can talk to me." chimed Naomi and Julia laughed. "Right?"

"Right."

"Yeah. I wouldn't - I kinda wanna read some of your poetry, actually, too, if that's cool?"

"O-Oh. U-Uh…um. Um. May-"

- she took her tablet quick, saved by the vibration. "I - shit, bank robbery -"

" - let's go." said Naomi, and Julia nodded as she started running back down the street, stonewoman following beside. The two-floor bank had its own block near the center of the city, lobby & teller's windows at the center of the building, offices right, second lobby that led to the vault at the left & back, alarm already running.

"Says they're already in the vault." winced Julia. "One-one of them has orange hair, too. Three guys."

"Wait," panted Naomi as they rushed up the stairs to the front door - " - got an idea." 

She whispered it to Julia, and the poet nodded as they peeled left & around the building, coming up to one spot at the back-left. Stone arm readied, Naomi threw one punch in to the wall -

- and the two laughed as the barrier started buckling. Another three punches shattered a jagged hole through the sheet of steel, and in to the vault swept the women, three aisles of collection boxes & the vault door ahead -

- to see their first foe in the middle aisle ahead, drawers of money burning black as they peeled suddenly open; his eyes caught the two -

" - Pauly!" he shouted back to the lobby, electrical whip forming - " - students are here!"

" - fucking fine by me!" shouted a voice back from the lobby, thirty feet separating the women from their foe. He turned to face them, black flames disappearing as his electrical lasso went taut, and as he struck one of the drawers -

 - the next scene was instant.

[Fly Me To The Moon - Bayonetta version extended, baby.]

"Manufacture!" "Avalanche!"

Manufacture's rods sparked; the vault door rumbled behind the man, and in the next instant -

- it flew off its hinges and towards him; Naomi stomped for a wall of asphalt ahead -

- and the vault door crushed him right in to it in a mist of gore&blood, man not even shrieking as his bones split a hundred ways and his whips popped out of the meat of the stone & metal sandwich -

" - try your f-fucking whips now!" shouted Julia, Manufacture's rods flashing -

" - not today, bitch!" shouted Naomi -

- and with no time to waste, the women peeled in to the right aisle and ran across the room, and as they came up to the vault's exit -

- an orange stream of liquid sprayed at them from ahead, liquid solidifying in to a solid & jagged white door, blocking their sight and path. Arm readied, Naomi punched right through it -

- but felt with aghast Avalanche her arm suddenly trapped, jagged white edges growing and starting to stab at her stone; beside, Julia bashed it with a Manufacture rod -

- but winced at no electric current coming - " - isn't conductive, isn't conductive - glass, sugar, what - what else isn't conductive -"

" - still trapped -" winced Naomi, and in the next instant -

- she felt her stone fingers burst in to flames -

- but the next scene was instant. Manufacture's rods sparked as Julia held them up to the steel doorframe -

- and the metal warped just enough to peel back the white barrier as Naomi yanked her stone arm out, quick unsummon before she lost control of her stone arm. Another spark peeled open the white barrier further as Naomi stepped aside -

- and the keen end of a orange stream of liquid pierced through Julia's chest & out her back; shrieking as she staggered back, white crystals started forming at her wound -

" - Manufacture!" she shouted, tapping one rod on her wound -

- and a geyser of blood burst out of her wound & in to Manufacture's rod, poet stumbling back behind the wall as her blood dissolved the crystals, Naomi left & her right. "It's - sugars - sugars hardening - probably the soda, soda can guy -"

" - got it." nodded Naomi -

" - wouldn't be the first student I've killed!" shouted a man's voice ahead - " - don't think anyone else is going to be coming for you, either!"

Naomi stomped, and the floor started to shudder -

- and she nodded as she heard two men staggering in the next room ahead, gesturing to Julia as the poet winced nodding. "Other guy is the fire one."

"Got it." said Julia. Blindly, she threw one of her rods out the door, and something started beeping in the next room. "Metal detectors. Think, think I saw that - got something."

One rod left, she bashed the door's steelframe; Manufacture's rod sparked, electrical arc shooting to its sister in the next room -

- and they heard one of their foes screaming in agony, something smelling like charred flesh in the next room - " - Infernal!"

- and Avalanche's arm reformed as Julia lost control over her second rod, arc fading as she yanked her first rod back; she nodded to Naomi, and in the next instant -

- something popped in the other room; one of the drawers flew with the speed of a hundred at them -

- but a quicker spark of Manufacture blasted it right back the way it'd come & out the hole they had entered in from the start -

" - Avalanche!" shouted Naomi; one punch broke the wall in to a storm of rubble -

- that smashed both of their foes' skulls in as the women swept out and in to the other room, metal detectors still beeping behind their foes standing thirty feet away. Another door was at the women's left; one man had a flaming black hand, and the other had orange-hair & a beard, soda can that read "S.P.C.". 

Naomi rushed left and punched through the door as Julia followed her behind, orange streams of soda catching only air behind as they came out behind the row of teller's windows, televisions still on up above & a balcony overlooking the glass as they ran. Behind, they heard one of the men shouting to the other, and as they turned, saw their flaming black foe rushing after them & carrying Manufacture's possessed rod.

"It works like THIS, doesn't it?!" he shouted; his stolen rod sparked -

- and blasted one of the television off its hinge & towards them -

- but Julia's own sparked & blasted it back, and as he raised his to dodge -

- the next scene was instant. Julia threw her rod left & over the glass as it sparked again -

- and the arc yanked its excommunicated sister back to it just in time for the television to smash through the man's ribs; he folded to the ground, electrical current entering his body as he twitched, Naomi leaping up to climb on the balcony as he gurgled, starting her rush towards him. 

Below, Julia resummoned her first rod -

" - important lesson!" shouted Julia - " - when you can't beat someone with your own Revenant, don't try to use someone else's -"

" - yeah, bitch!" shouted Naomi, wondering what Serena would've said -

" - I-Infernal!" shouted the man. Manufacture's second rod had hit the lobby's floor to Julia's left, and as its electrical arc sparked -

- she laughed as it hit the glass and did nothing at all - " - exactly what I'm -"

" - Soda Pop Coke!" shouted a voice to her left; an orange stream broke through the glass -

- and a hundred sugary shards crucified her right to the wall in a mess of blood; she shrieked as the next volley flew towards her -

" - Avalanche -" panted Naomi as she stomped; behind Julia, the wall collapsed and she fell on her back -

- just in time for the orange stream to fly over her -

- which hardened; sugary spikes grew as it started to fall upon her -

- but one Manufacture spark yanked them right in to her rod, magnetic sugar saving Julia -

- but starting to drip down as it hit her fingers; it hardened and grew thorns -

- that sliced every finger on her right hand clear off; she screamed again as she crawled back in to the back meeting room & behind a wall. Above, Naomi had the high ground on their burning-black foe staggering to his feet below, and she leaped down -

- for one stomp that crushed his skull down in to his lungs and turned him in to red paste, as another stone wall covered Julia's retreat. Their orange-hair foe was in the lobby ahead with bags of money on his back. Naomi punched the wall behind herself and met up with Julia, another stone wall covering her retreat, poet staggering and heavily bloodied.

"I -" - Naomi panted - " - Julia -"

" - really, really not doing good -" she winced, stuffing her fingerless hand in her pocket, Manufacture unsummoned -

" - go see Serena, I can handle - I got the other guy, it's just him -"

" - are you sure -"

" - COME ON!" shouted Naomi, and her voice shoved Julia back across the room, left hand taking her tablet off her back.

"Going to leave this - track location -"

" - okay." Naomi rushed back and grabbed it, more orange streams entering her stone wall and starting to corrode it. She ran back and to her stone wall, readying to solo -

" - uh, can you break this?" said Julia at the back wall, and Naomi laughed nervously as her stone fingers snapped and crumbled the wall, Julia running out behind. Naomi ran up to the right wall, and another barrage of punches shattered her way back in to the vault, then in the right-lobby again. 

An arch led to the main lobby where her foe was still standing, and she swept against the wall for cover as the alarm started groaning again.

"Orange isn't the only flavor, you know!" shouted the man from the other room, and in the next instant -

- the wall behind her corroded away; she stomped instantly -

- but a pink stream hit her foot just as a stone wall blocked the next green stream coming from his can; twitching and unable to move, she felt the sticky liquid glue her feet to the ground. More orange streams started hitting through her wall, one piercing through and hitting her right leg, and as the sugars started to stick -

- the next scene was instant. One of Avalanche's stone fingers sharpened -

- and she scraped the sugar off of her right leg before it could grow, part of her skin coming along for the ride as she winced; more orange streams broke through the barrier -

- for another instant scene. A pillar of stone burst up at her feet, launching her up and in to the ceiling; a stone punch shattered her way out -

- to land right on the flat roof with stone boots breaking her fall. With no time to waste, she started her rush across the roof, stalactites forming on the ceiling underneath, quick stomps causing them to stagger and fall as she ran. Once she reached the end of the roof and vicious rain, she frowned as no scream of pain, and as she turned -

- she dodged with the speed of light left & away from the green stream ahead -

- just in time to see the man climbing out of the hole in the roof ahead, ladder made of white sugar melting as he swept up to the roof - " - did you think you could run?!"

" - no, but this works!" laughed Naomi; one titanic stomp down -

- and the roof started to rumble. Rafters and beams started collapsing as the two staggered; a stone cocoon formed over Naomi as the ceiling shattered, walls with sudden weight lost and stone fingers snapping as the entire bank collapsed around the two, concrete spikes growing from the rain of rubble & smoke whispering out of the ruins as the entire building shuddered & buckled -

- and inside her cocoon, Naomi felt one chunk of rubble hit her cocoon's lower half -

- and launch her with the strength of a thousand away; she winced as she gripped tight with her stone arm, extra casing forming over her egg as she flew; she felt it hit the ground outside, but in the next instant -

- something honked -

- and launched her with the strength of a hundred away again; groaning with cheeks tinting, her eyes shut as she hit something again -

- and a car's alarm started up below & around her. No time to waste, she snapped her fingers, and her cocoon dissolved as she stood -

- right on a parked car in the avenue she'd landed on, thankfully driverless but broken in half. Ahead and to her right, the ruins to the bank were a hundred feet away.

"…fucking kidding me?" she muttered, seeing carbonation rise out of the rubble.

◆◆◆

[Pause.]

Back at Papa Xin's, the hairwoman had one man bound against the outer wall, six corpses with throats full of knives & hair scattered over the road.

"Uh, should we get his Revenant removed first?" said Serena beside Kate, and she nodded.

"Yeah. Mind knocking him unconscious?" (Streams of fog flew in his nostrils and knocked him unconscious.) "Good. Can you check for a storage unit place around here?"

"Sure." said Serena, taking her phone out -

- and turning with the speed of light as someone called her name from the corner -

- to Julia with her wounds barely healed, hands in her pockets as she ran up - " - Miasma - need healing - I-I tried to call you, but - but you didn't pick up and Naomi and I ran in to three Revenants and -"

" - did you fucking leave her alone?!" shouted Serena, and Julia stepped back -

" - no, she asked me to b-because of my w-wounds and -"

" - she's still in her first year you fucking -"

" - Serena." said Kate hastily. "I'll head over. Did you give her your tablet, Julia?"

"I-I did." said Julia, and Kate nodded as she rushed out, taking her tablet out to check Naomi's location.

◆◆◆

[Resume.]

" - Avalanche!" shouted Naomi as she chased after him on the sidewalk; her stone-arm dug underneath another parked car, and threw it forward -

- and as it had for the last six, a swift stream of green dissolved it as she kept her pursuit going, man with three stalactites coming out of his spine but still living. 

'Fuck.' thought Naomi. 'Gotta just - gotta be something, gotta be something - maybe - that has to be pretty short range, right?'

The corner was up ahead. The sodaman glanced back as he ran past it -

- just in time for one civilian to tackle him from the side; and the two hit the ground fighting -

- for one green soda-stream that melted his face to his skull. Grunting as he stood, the orange-haired man threw his corpse back to Naomi as he kept his run going, Naomi wincing as she leaped over it. There was a lesson about good Samaritans there, and someday she'd reason it out. She glanced back and noticed the carcass's mouth was still open, lips safe from the corrosive drink.

As she ran, she dodged underneath another spray of orange from ahead, and the two were coming up to another sidewalk of buildings; the man turned right & disappeared past -

- and Naomi stopped herself right before she ran after him, one-floor store at her right; with no time to waste, she leaped up and grabbed the ledge with Avalanche's arm -

- and shrieked as the entire store started to collapse -

" - A-Avalanche! You're - you're safe!" she panted, swift concrete reforming to keep the civilians inside safe as she landed -

' - god - stop - STOP! Stop and - stop and think for a second. Stop.'

She took another breath, shaking her head, remembering her pull-up performance from earlier in the year. She stomped, and a pillar of stone brought her up to the roof. She started running across it and saw her foe still on the sidewalk below, two combatants pursuing side-by-side.

'Got an idea.' she thought. Something made of stone formed in her right hand.

The traffic was sparse below, but she saw him run on to the road as one car started to pass by -

- and a stream of green melted the driver to goo in an instant; and in to the car he swept, engine already running as he veered and turned -

' - got an idea.' thought Naomi; she leaped down and on to the road, seeing her foe's vehicle turn to her ahead, starting to scream towards her. His can rose at the wheel as he came twenty feet within range; a green stream shot towards her out of the windshield -

- but the next scene was instant. Her right hand rose up -

- and her stone bendy straw funneled the green liquid right in to itself, more stone growing as Naomi swept out of the way of the vicious vehicle, stone tubes blasting green liquid all over of the road ahead of him -

- and carving a clear fissure through the road; she stomped as he tried to brake -

- and slammed right in to the fissure at forty miles an hour, launching his car in to the air, vehicle flipping and screeching as it hit the road back first, concrete scraping and windows breaking as it rolled for hundreds & hundreds of feet down -

- and with no time to waste, Naomi rushed after it as she heard him screaming in agony as his car scraped another four parked cars just before it slammed right through a glass storefront. Something gurgled as she came up to the shattered store. His totaled car was upsidedown on the floor, and out of the shattered windows crawled the orange-haired man -

- his arms having been torn clear off by the glass & accident, gurgling as he spit blood with no fingers to use SPC. Naomi laughed as she came up, bags of money flooding out of the backseat.

"…y-you…" gagged the man. "You - you can keep a quarter of it -"

- and one smack with Avalanche crashed his skull back down in to his neck, bones & blood bursting out of his head just in time for Naomi to stomp & shout "Avalanche!" -

- and the ground opened to swallow the man alive; in to the sudden hole he fell -

- right on to a bed of spikes that impaled through him in a hundred ways and left his body with a hundred holes, gasping out a geyser of blood as Naomi laughed & he fell rigid below.

"Fatality!" she chimed, having picked it up from Serena. She stomped, and the ground brought his corpse up to her.

" - Urasaria!" shouted a familiar voice behind; Naomi turned -

" - you get him?" said Kate as she landed behind, and Naomi nodded excitedly.

"Yeah. Yeah, I, I got him." She grinned. "Got him - got him good."

"Good." nodded Kate, walking up beside. One hairhand ripped his heart out, and as Naomi slumped against the wall, she set to stitching her wounds. "Serena's still with Julia, last I checked. Going to text Serena and ask her to come over."

"S-Sure thing, y-yeah." Naomi grinned wider. She hadn't had a solo fight before, but now felt sure she was a good fighter.

"Julia said you two ran in to three Revenants, right?" said Kate, crouching down beside. 

"Three - three Revenants, yeah." Naomi nodded, and caught her breath in a minute. She didn't know Kate at all, but assumed she disliked Julia too, so she said; " - uh, but… She helped out a lot, too. Julia. We - we actually -"

" - save it. If the two of you work good together - only thing that matters to me. Already told Serena - anything like last month happens again, and I'm not going to join. Don't need to talk her up to me."

"… I guess." muttered Naomi. "She's... definitely changed, though."

"Good." 

Kate texted Serena, and ten minutes later, waved Julia & Serena down as they came around the corner. Serena rushed up to Naomi, fog filling her wounds. 

"Are you okay?" said Serena, and Naomi smiled as she stood.

"Doing pretty good, yeah. Got the bitch." chimed Naomi, and Kate nodded, heart still in its haircocoon. 

"Didn't run in to any more Revenants, either. Might've been the last one."

"Yeah." said Naomi. "He had orange hair and a beard, so. Probably the guy that did it."

"Yeah." said Julia. "Good - good job." She laughed nervously.

"…okay." said Serena. "Um. Let's check what the Revenant is, and… I guess we can just leave after tonight."

"Sounds good." chimed Naomi, and the four started back. 

Naomi bragged about her solo fight on the way to the coroner, which reminded Serena of her solo fight with Oddity. Maybe it had taken her longer to trust Naomi like Mia had her, & she still wasn't sure if Naomi could handle mentorship yet - but there was still the rest of the year, and that shoved away the nagging dot of why he'd had a eel tattoo & disappearing right arm and Naomi had a stone left.