《Phase 0: siVisPride (DEFUNCT VERSION: DO NOT READ)》


 (Prologue)

    IF LIFE WAS GUNNA BE LIKE THIS    THEN WHY GIVE US THE PAIN WHEN ITS CLEAR WE CAN''T LIVE IN IT


    WHY IT MATTERED IN THE FIRST PLACE


    MIND HEART BODY  HURTS ¨C WHATEVER THIS YEAR AND TODAY IS


    There was more to the visually gibbering, rambling chalk passage on the sidewalk, but fed up teen living in this life understood that bit well and well enough.


    The dust was so caked in, it would take a good month for this message to disappear. The words themselves were blocky, bled all over and into each other, creating this premeditated, shapely stain that quibbled and swerved by desperation.


    "E''s" were fat, "R''s" always curved into the personal space of the other letters, causing them to bend, overlap, causing the effect to carry on, not lessen. All with their respective deformities and weaknesses united these letters because they were dragged out for too long. When the author didn''t realize that it was way too late to let up on the chalk, to let the letters form and end. Or they just didn''t care more.


    This message had to get out of that someone''s mind, because every single second that it remained there, it would damage it further.


    She was walking, looking downwards before spotting the mess all over the asphalt. Being in her state of mind, she could not help but to look through it, find something within this mess. She''s been doing that more lately than the things she once dedicated herself to do.


    Going for a run, the very thing that kept vented her emotions healthy, methodized. She couldn''t care more about logic--reason as she let her routine degrade, couldn''t care more about reason right now.


    But she was getting mad again. She had to focus¡ªfocus that anger again, as she pulled out her phone, as it briefly reflected the setting sun as she whipped it from her blue sweat jacket, and walked down the barely maintained, broken sidewalk.


    Away from it. Away from that¡­ The thing she refused to think about. The thing that caused that poor soul to scribble the sidewalk, the reason why said sidewalk was broken beyond repair¡ªthat twisted, curved, and made things that were impossible to twist, curve, and exist¡ª


    She shook her head fierce, despite what rattled within it and rattled her. She can''t be like them, despite her time running out.


    She watched the world lethargically accelerate into misery and weirdness through her phone. Reminding herself to lighten her grip on it was a new thing for her to learn many things.


    Through search results, snapshots, information codexes, news articles, wiki articles, wikis themselves, speculations, testimonials, lost reports, current reports, speculative reports, video clips and public service announcements perfectly painted how utterly confusing this "transition" was. Is.


    A spectrum that also worked as a pendulum, showcasing events breaking everything again, the response, being lost in the myriad of confusion, and then applying tape towards the strongholds and institutions that lost progress for years now. Most days, all in that order, randomly selecting some on others, as the pendulum also swings in a 3D space.


    Because fuck you, humanity.


    But this wasn''t the first time, and that made the girl even more furious. She read this over and over, possibly for two years of new stuff downpouring into the fold, and it all was supposed to make sense.


    For it all to click, to prove that maybe she''s letting herself fall into hysteria, that she needed to calm down and act like an adult that she''s going to be, and she''d take that. She''d accept it without question.


    But all this proves is what she got out of these signs; that the nature of all this insanity is somehow more terrifying than she ever thought.


    And yet we''re not pulling ourselves together.


    Sick of this, this literal madness. All of it.  But all that changes tonight, even if she comes out of this worse. Even if she becomes the latest victim of this¡­thing that she must face. What she and others once thought of as reality.


    Then her phone had the nerve to annoy her with that damn pop up.


    This device has experienced critical Shift influence, which can make it more susceptible to overload. ORACLE upgrade needed, have docking device required for the conversion?


    Before she could smash the screen in with her thumb, the alert that she was looking for told her that the bus was pulling up, which she confirmed when she saw it coming, emerging from the blaring sunlight to shield her eyes when it stopped at the curve.


    That alert interrupted that pop-up, and Jackie found herself sighing within a body wrecked with both heat and exhaustion. It was so intimate with her, associated with her, nowadays, and she couldn''t stand it. She clucthed her head and felt her grip weak...


    Her headache pounded her mind when it''s been asking it to stop for weeks, her brow furrowing for long periods when the action still feels off to her, and finally, the stress from her muscles constantly tensing ached when she couldn''t handle it stabbing into her before.


    All these things made dull and apparent when she walked into the bus, and the driver asked if she was okay. She simply lied with a nod when she counted how many times she lied on a hand.


    She wasn''t like this. Everything wasn''t like this.


    She realized that she''s been thinking in circles, in that dreaded "death spiral." Tonight. It had to be tonight.


    The teen sat in front of the bus, as the said pair of seats were against steel walls while the rest faced towards the front, to the ascending raised the second level. There were a decent mix of people, off duty construction workers, people on their way to their night jobs, seniors, bratty teenagers, office workers, women with their children, the works.


    This normalcy soothed her, at least. But she does find it crazy that one of the tossed away pieces she took for granted was public transportation of all things. Systems and their purposes for the people she''s always been for, but even then¡­


    Taking a breath, she lifted her phone and scrolled along further. Working up the courage to do the next step as she tried to set her jaw¡­


    She felt the stare before she heard the voice, "Now I don''t know much about those phones, but I think you''ll break it if you keep that up." Jovial statement and tone, but clearly out of passerby concern.


    As the voice talked, the teen looked at who''s she''s going to answer. An older woman, portly, nearly taking up the two seats even without her typical elderly brown bag. Wearing all black, dress, gloves and even hat, it was hard exactly to make out her face as it was covered with a screen. Still, even without seeing where the eyes are exactly, it''s polite to look one in the eyes.


    "You''ve still got it in a mighty death grip!" the old-timey woman chirped. Her voice had a ravaged quality to it, like it was more than the passage of time that affected it, versus some accident or outside force.


    Along with the grip, the girl''s guard was lowered, calmed, as she responded, "Sorry ma''am. I got caught up on something."


    The old timey woman made a droning sound, the girl at least picked up on the context clues that she''s going "ahhh¡­" quickly. She maintained the "eye contact," even as the bus kept moving.


    "Trust me, you kids need to stop worrying and¡ªwhat''s your name?" the old woman asked abruptly.


    "Jackie," she answered affirmatively.


    "Jackie, you''re going to be more fine than whatever your worrying''s saying otherwise, dear."


    There was a forced smile despite herself. While it''s the typical response, the usual appeal to wishful thinking, Jackie was taught to obey authority and has a natural inclination to do so as well. No need to argue back that sentiment was useless.


    Maybe all beliefs, or values, or human progress; useless now.


    The feeling of the old woman''s stare vanished. Closed her eyes? Jackie saw her crane her head to the window, where the fading sun was incredibly bright. Jackie guessed that she saw through the smile¡­


    She hated this, dealing with this, this whole thing wearing on her, changing her.


    This thing, this whole thing, changing her in such a way that it''s becoming subtle. Jackie stewed in silence as the disgust instantly plopped into the pit of her stomach. She hated this.


    Jackie snapped her head toward the old lady, as she exclaimed softly but pregnant, "Oh no¡­"


    Her eyes darted to the window, turning to face it regardless of what she had to do with her body, twisting it around.  She, along with those now trapped on the bus, had to watch reality flutter apart.


    It started as visual static, simmering as it vibrated the shutdown city shops and neighborhood vista apart. The gleaming orange hue outside collapsed within the flutter, and now it started to creep into the very bus.


    Everyone started to rustle about, vocalize their fear in shouts, and they could only do that as the simmering got thicker, as everything started to fall apart.


    "Oh nonononononon¡ª" Jackie turned toward smudge that was once a mother of two, the children''s cries droning into a fever-pitch. "Not now, not my babies, PLEASE NOT NOW--!"


    "Fuck!" what was the bus driver shouted out genuinely, as he scrambled for the intercom, finding it via his training in this scenario happening versus his own wit. He grabbed whatever it once looked like and spoke; "Everyone remain calm as I ready the Shift Grounding Agent, it is¡ª"


    He choked on his mistake, steadily gulping as he forces his heart back down his throat. But it was too late, "It will be on standby, I repeat, IT WILL BE ON STAND--!"


    Nobody could hear him anymore. They became apart of the discourse, an unwitting choir setting the screaming, shouting, and stuttering soundtrack to their uncertain doom.


    But Jackie held firm; she had to. Even if she couldn''t see anything anymore beyond shifting mass and matter, she had to be a hero to these people. She had to, or else the Shift wins, and even more people will lose it¡ªSHE HAD TO! She had to. She had to. She had to. She had to¡­


    But it was all just too much.


    It wasn''t a flash; it wasn''t as luminous, straying, or graceful as light. But what was once reality started to erupt into a white, growing wispy state. Everything that once was, beginning to ignite into this miasma as the humans that never belonged strained themselves screaming.


    Jackie wavered, then faltered, then started to cry, finally shutting her still-quivering eyes in a brief moment of futile, hallow acceptance.


    The effect quickly dissipated as the bus reformed, only to go dark.


    Via the metal platelets slamming themselves down and shut, the bus was armored, then anchored onto wherever it was. Jittering into place with precision and clung into place with a final slam into the concrete outside.


    The creaking, caused by the shutters coming in so fast that the metal itself wasn''t ready to deploy yet, was the only audible thing aboard.


    The emergency lights came on as the bus driver was inanimate, practically in a self-appointed coma as he only looked forward, arms swinging limp and drenched with sweat. The mother of two kissed her babies--toddler and infant--as their faces were red, coated with tears and stretching as they continued to holler. The bratty teens were shellshocked where they sat, and the off-duty workers looked about where they stood and posed, only realizing that they were ready to pry the door open if it had to come down to it.


    Something Jackie, shaking in her seat with eyes in her eyes, noted.


    She covered her mouth, fighting her body not to throw up all over the floor, as she rabbit-kicked her foot onto said floor repeatedly as she made a scene.


    "Jackie, honey--!" the old woman, who dropped her cane and struggling to get up to pat the girl''s back, "There''s no need to fight, we were all scared--!"


    Jackie croaked out a no and forced it all back down. She jumped a bit before realizing that her vision was wavering because of her heartbeat. She smudged her hands against her face to wipe the tears and sweat, "I''m not giving it the damn satisfaction--!"


    "There''s nothing to prove, dear--!"


    Jackie had her brow furrowed, eyes wild as she snarled at the helpless lady trying to help her, "THERE NEEDS TO BE, OR ELSE EVERYTHING WON''T HAVE A POINT ANYMORE!"


    She realized before that came out and shrunk back into her seat. She saw everyone looking at her. They all saw what she has become.


    She felt an apology was out of the question, and only if the elder wants something like that from the person she was becoming. She silently shifted back into her seat, looking downward as she tried to ignore the whispers she heard anyways.


    "Are you okay with pretty long and pretty sad stories, kid?" the old woman asked, sat down again.


    Jackie nodded. Well, it was only proper to, anyway. It''s better to weather the elderly''s seemingly endless stories versus acting like an "upstart," thus plunging them into a somehow less coherent rant. While her mind will focus on the falling apart present, she''s going to give this old lady her ear. Who knows, it could be the ear she needed, making Jackie''s decision more justified.


    "As you can tell, I''m pretty damn old. My time was when we didn''t really know about this crazy stuff and it happened at random. I cannot tell you how scary all of it was, watching all of that tear down every single thing that we learned in class, what our parents told us and kept telling us over and over because we didn''t listen¡­ ''This is reality, this is life''. Kinda hard to reconcile when it was changing like it did."


    Jackie tried evading the rebrewing feelings by responding, making it to the point so the woman could get to hers, "Must''ve been terrible."


    "Oh Jackie¡­" those words conveying age more than any of her looks, temperament, or sound. "I didn''t know what ''terrible'' even meant back then."


    The bus driver came back to live as a augmented screen appeared before him. He looked at it, looked at what it displayed, a 360, rotating cam around the vehicle, as he turned it to scan the now-normal. He sighed with a whimper, before grabbing the intercom.


    "Shift Falsestart confirmed. Will be moving momentarily."


    He retracted the shielding when he really didn''t want to, the latches coated in black, crushed dust that covered the windows, making the orange shine dirt brown. He resumed the route as if none of that never happened.


    The bus went down a turbulent road, Jackie attempting to keep still by forcing her hands into her lap, gripping her blue track pants. She looked at the woman, still not returning her hidden gaze, and she wasn''t really looking at anything in particular, by impressions.


    "It wasn''t even anything related to that. Some storm that ended up becoming a tropical one, some high category¡­ It was a disaster. I lost my town. I lost some of my friends, teachers, neighborhoods¡ªeven the strays weren''t spared. Standing water that would''ve drowned me and I was 17 then. My house had a caved in hole that took the entire front of it and we had to use the wreck as some makeshift raft-harbor. The relief efforts were poor, reconstruction always ended with things breaking further and overall for the first few years, we made the mess that we were in incurable. There was nothing saving it."


    A ping a guilt tore through the stagnant anger building in her chest. How could she claim to be suffering this when she didn''t even know it like this strong woman had? Wrong. Completely and utterly wrong of her to think that. This shit has completely clouded her head and she somehow hated it more. Whatever "it" was.


    "Hey, I said it was sad, but it has a happy ending. Sad stories can have happy endings, y''know!" that stare made her pick up her head, as it "met" the woman''s eyes again. Jackie didn''t know that she was too busy looking at her lap and balled fists.


    "How¡­? I-I''m glad, but all means, but¡­" Jackie sputtered out.


    "This is what I mean, what I was saying. We made a new ''town'', we banded together old and young, figured out how to survive day to day, struggled and cursed when we had to live those days, and cried when the day rescue came; the day that we lived for¡­ I met the man of dreams I didn''t even know I had, and we''ve been at it for 65 years and would''ve been 68 had he not been a huge knucklehead. I even made friends along the way, right down to the clich¨¦¡­Just came back from the funeral for one of them. She was my bestest friend."


    Jackie blinked rapidly at that; she felt her eyes burn a bit. "My condolences."


    "When you went through a life like we did, there''s¡­ Something about it that made it lengthy, a lifetime filled with details even if it was seventy-six and only fifty mattered¡­ But listen to me, dear. I could be completely wrong. Maybe you guys are too stacked against this, too outgunned by whatever all this is, maybe the human race more or less ends during your time and there''s nothing that you could''ve done¡­ But I''m sure you all will survive that, this, somehow. I don''t believe misery is all you need to build character, but believe that even when something like this happens, there''s the terrible and the good, and they''re both extreme. And you''re in the middle of that, and you can learn from both. Grow from them. Become better from them."


    The bus settled down, as the road smoothed out and the woman''s words could be heard loud and clear to Jackie. She put a hand on hers.


    "If this ditzy, daydreaming girl got to live to become an old woman, I''m sure someone like you can double my record," as she smiled as she said the next bit, that being clear from the shroud. "So stop getting those wrinkles when you don''t need ''em! Life will give them plenty, along with scars, along with pain. No need to add anymore."


    Jackie could only exhale at that, whatever words she could''ve said didn''t matter. She took her words in, they didn''t settle into where she needed them, but she let it sit close to her all the same. "I didn''t¡­," Jackie found the words that she can say, "Get your name, ma''am."


    "Edith", she answered.


    "Thank you, Edith ma''am. Your story is amazing and I''m so, so honored to have met you. You gave me something to think about," Jackie warmly smiled, truly did.


    Edith''s now revealed smile of her own beamed, under the ancientness of her face. Her mouth moved, "I just wanted to help you, dearie. You seemed so¡­ Angry. Sad. Worried?"This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Jackie looked back at her phone, she sighed as her emotions came flooding back, her face finding itself back into his new shape.


    "No¡­ I guess I''m just like everyone else. Lost."


    The bus stopped and the destination alert caught Jackie''s attention as she looked down at the phone again. This was the place. She waved at Edith as she walked out of it, stepping back out into the darkness.


    Jackie walked down the street, with the impressive lights surrounding her, burying her face into a light of her own.


    The sun was waning, dark enough for the city deem it to be a night. It would''ve been 7 PM. Her head rose from her phone to admire the sun drowning within the orange, cloudy haze, lacing throughout with brown. That was normal. That eased her.


    That eased her a bit before returning to what she''s going to do. Knowing that "tomorrow" can easily cloud this view gave her the resolve to cross this line.


    The messages screen bothered her again. It felt like it shanked her blue eyes, and they were as far as she''s concerned. She closed them again, to gain some semblance of relief, and sighed. Sweerishh was the sound that ripped from her sleeve racing against her sweat-suits shirt.


    The phone, what didn''t weight more than what she could lift daily, dragged her arm down to her side instantly for the millionth time. She just couldn''t do it. This was against everything that Jackie stands for.


    But as she opened her eyes, scanning across the empty, gleaming streets, the unease returned. The orange-brown haze cloaked the areas the lights barely reached, giving off stagnation.


    Cars parked with no signs of owners on her left, stores that are open on a technically on her right, with a lone bus-stop pole that comes with the guaranteed, hour-long wait if not at all tonight, she looked at it all. It was motivation enough. She knew she had to go there, and she has to do this.


    Jackie felt silly, stopping at the bus-stop while still looking at it. She made it her physical-metaphorical line, her crossroad. She looked at her phone again, biting her lip cringing, knowing that she can''t cross it without crossing the line that doesn''t have the benefit of being so well drawn. Tangible.


    She pressed on her father''s direct message channel and began typing. "Gonna run for a bit longer. Today kinda¡­left me in a funk. Totally fine if you reject given what''s going to happen, but I"


    The text stopped when she froze. Thumb twitching held back to stop. The text ceased to exist when she slammed against the backspace key repeatedly.


    "Went for a run longer than usual. Today was pretty bad. I''m steering clear of anliarliarliarliarliarliar"


    She couldn''t help it. It was lying to him. Lying to the face of the man who taught her that lying could be the easiest thing to accomplish¡­but the most harrowing to maintain.


    She couldn''t help to look at the stupid one from the other day, about how he forgot that there was still milk in the house despite buying another jug ¡ª the simplicity of it. It was just too much.


    Then she heard it. She couldn''t help to listen to it.


    Even when she was away from it as possible, it was still in the air. The sounds of celebration, people''s voices intermingling, the video presentations that droned said voices into chittering mumbling while advertising why they''re there in the first place.


    They were sounds that personified the chill in the astrosphere, representing the unease of what kind of time she and others live in now. She was gripping at her sports bag''s strip across her chest so hard; her fingers pale white.


    She couldn''t help but hate it.


    She cleared the failed attempt and succeeded this time because she had to.


    "Run was longer than usual because¡­today was horrible. I still feel horrible. Gonna stay out a little later because¡­I feel like doing that will get this out of me. If you want me to come home regardless, I will in a heartbeat. I promise I won''t get caught up in what''s happening tonight."


    Nothing but truth poured out in that text she sent. "Caught up" meant that she''d be a victim, another poor victim in this horrible time.


    She''s diving headfirst into it.


    She crossed the bus stop without thinking about it unless it strengthened the resolve. As soon as she turned the corner, she entered the very place that celebrated the death of not only her normalcy but the whole world''s. The time period she supposedly lives in. The oppressive light blinded Jackie as she went to Steppe Avenue for the first time.


    It made no sense. It was truly fantastic.


    The light from the various augmented projections didn''t illuminate, more like radiate as the colors were amalgamating much less bending, constantly in cascading flux until coming together to form the said holograms. Jackie didn''t expect there to be swarms of people clustered, moving up, down, all around the space.


    The bizarre street layout, converted for commercial purposes, sidewalks engorged, and roads split in multiple ways, didn''t compare to the once buildings that shrouded everyone.


    Compact. In design, in structure, and overall aesthetic. As if the buildings were layered continuously, layered, layered, and someone forgot to stop. So compact, each building has a feature jutted inward or outward to offset any potential malfunction. So much, they even "rotate," and another piece takes the previous'' place. They stood tall as they swayed subtly when one looked at them enough, and always swung in ways that made one feel snared, never reeling back because one ever noticed when they "closed in."


    The first "Grounder" was a colossal structure that towered over the whole street¡ªdescribed as silver and white hued, like an engorged stump. But Jackie knew the rest was underground. Glanced at her right and she could see the first "PATHO-S" station, passing by it. Gunmetal, a spacious building further down the street''s right, looked bulkier than the rest of the buildings surrounding it. Closed as the "technology" was already risky without tonight''s event happening. And she knew that the Dr. Taber Memorial Center was behind her, but she didn''t feel like turning to see it.


    She refused to look at anything around here as is. No need to devote any more attention to something that naturally steals it.


    The moving, compact buildings surrounded the populace, as multiple augmented projections came and went in sets, radiating constant and everchanging light across the plain.


    And Jackie wondered why, exactly, she''s the odd one out. She began walking down the street, amalgamating into the crowd, and felt like she was now living as her sentiment.


    Once upon a time, she got a picture, the description, and sounded like something out of this world, cool. She recalled she was¡­five, when her parents sat her down, told her what was going on. "Futuristic!" Was what she thinks she shouted out, cutting off her father.


    Which made him lose the heart he built up to explain what it meant thoroughly.


    It was disconcerting just being here, seeing it all happen and yet still feeling like being wholly removed from reality.  Her sight darting side to side at what popped up or what shined against her eyes, barely hearing her thoughts as sounds came in crowds, as she moved across the physical claustrophobia everyone was projecting unknowingly or not. How can see enjoy this sight if outright rejected her senses?


    It was uncanny. Truly fantastic.


    And yet, this''ll soon be the reality for everyone.


    Jackie wished that she didn''t see the "construction." Almost like a skin graph, the local store was slowly being enveloped by it''s shifting segment, essentially a tumor. She ended up staring in disgust as she noted the foundations, like the walls and steel frames, were comprised and now of the shifting segment, slowly fitting the surrounding buildings.


    "Shiftication". And it was happening right before her eyes.


    In her haste, she quickly looked down to her phone once more and bit the other bullet in the series of many she had lined up.


    Dug in her sports bag''s front pocket and grabbed what she was looking for into a fist. She quickly figured that handling it in the way she did could damage it, so she looked it over with the most generous grip she could allow and felt like giving it.


    Hers was blue, but navy¡ªas any lighter shade wasn''t made yet when she ditched it, sure there is now. A trapezoid overlapped with a semi-circle, the scrunched top, and ridges with smooth curves filling out what the framework couldn''t. It fit perfectly snuggle in Jackie''s fingers, even with the two that turned it about in both expectation and trepidation.


    She glanced at the people that had them fused into their ears.


    She could only glance at them because they were the type to walk up and down in places like these continually. Despite frilly and meaningless displays, color, background or theme, they all were looking at what''s happening, with the information conforming about their face.


    Most of them could''ve been investors before all of this, committing to keep track of the changing world even if it didn''t make any sense anymore. If it made sense to them, then fine. Jackie knew that it was a meanspirited read, because they ranged from investors, teachers, emergency workers, to just people.


    Still. No way in hell she''s putting that in her ear.


    She soon jammed it on top of her phone and watched it change. The ridges simply continued down to the phone''s edges and the phone''s build simply gotten bulk. There wasn''t much of a screen anymore but transformed phone being transparent on the surface, with the innards holding technology morphing into borderline sci-fi components. It was complete.


    Jackie took a deep breath and pressed her index and middle fingertips against the "phone''s" surface. The machinery gleamed and became circularly focused around them. She removes the fingers, and the logo appeared with the equally as iconic ambient sound, rising tonally into a soft fade.


    "Athernet," the sudden, soft voice over said, something Jackie forgot about.


    Then she startled backward a bit, causing the duo of guys behind her to follow suit in a chain reaction, then proceeding onwards into the crowd by going around her. She said sorry on reflex, brewing with guilt.


    That manifested because of what startled her: the reply her father sent back.


    "Alright. Text back when you get home. lov u"


    She clutched her phone hard. In the best-case scenario of doing this, would she even get back no later than 3 or 5 in the morning?


    Guilt. Anxiety. Hatred. These things never stood with Jackie for this long. Never stewed within her. She never even consider that she''d use those things for fuel to keep her going, now.


    She shook her head. There''s no use with thoughts that go in circles. Forward. Focus.


    She discarded the message with a finger swap and poked about in the hub while ignoring the "Welcome back"-themed reminders about how to use Athernet, yet constantly huffed to herself as she got stuck with something. She redid actions, stumbled about sometimes because her vision was wavering as her heart hammered through her body. She simply didn''t care about how she wanted her hub to be laid out and plowed through the multiple screens, turning briefly into "dust" then reconstituting into the next screen.


    She was getting used to this, being so hapless at the point of being irrational, and it made it worse in her mind. Her countless nights of thinking about this where she barely slept, witnessing her life regularly change without any chance to settle, much less assess. Then she figured that she''s only the odd kid out, and surely everyone else accepted what''s going to happen with open arms, and she had to be browbeaten to reach this conclusion. She would even love for that to be the case, even.


    Then she realized even the ones accepting it did it in the sense of resignation. Not acceptance. Not adaptation. Resignation.


    A series of days happened, thinking about this repeatedly at the point everything was ruined for her before this day came.


    She finally found the search engine after minutes of fighting through the "features".


    "Tabby ToMorrow" was searched and queued up with many upon many videos.


    Calling them videos were a stretch, they were sheets of media more than anything, but they served the same primary function. All of them cluttered against each other, the contents all over the place equally as. It wasn''t what she was after.


    She wanted to refresh herself; she wanted to measure the weight of exactly what she''s getting into.


    "Tabby ToMorrow first Shift Talk"


    It instantly popped up, and Jackie tapped for it to play, looking at it intently.


    The holographic haze reconstituted into a meek, feminine figure; hair long and spiraling, which made Jackie question if it was on purpose due to the length and coverage, as she fidgeted on screen. A pregnant pause followed when the image was cast and as the video played, indicating to Jackie that Tabby was still trying to figure out what she''ll be soon famous for.


    "So, uh," Tabby begun, then cleared out of her throat. "Right. The Shift Noumenon¡­"


    Tabby clasped her hands together, and started again when she regained the confidence, "We''re¡­starting to get a handle on what exactly it is, so that''s good, and the public¡ªus, yeah, you and mean¡ªare getting the complete information as they look more and more into it, so that''s good¡­"


    She paused, Jackie noted. Was it because she noticed she said "so that''s good" twice? The constant stumbling over words?


    Even if it was something modern¡ªwell, "recent"¡ªJackie couldn''t help to be fascinated by things like this. Immortalized words in history being said by someone that was completely and utterly mortal at the time. People coming into their own in real time.


    "I just¡ªwanted to make this video because I want, well, it started off me, by myself, recording what I needed to know and remember¡­but then I thought about people not somehow not getting what''s been said, and maybe I just start over, record these instead, and post them. My name isn''t really important, but what''s happening is, s-so¡­"


    That humility lead to your name being important, Jackie commentated in her mind. People didn''t get what was being said because they weren''t human about it. The revelations and the lack of having ones that made sense eroded them away. We needed someone that talked like you, like us.


    "The Shift Noumenon," Tabby continued, "Started happening¡­after the Infinite War, 1940''s. Weird things sort of¡­happened. Tides never reaching the beaches, days speeding up and nights lasting weeks in some countries¡ªjust weird stuff. Many at the time thought the atomic bombs'' aftereffects were causing this, somehow, which¡­yeah. People already on edge, being pushed and pushed until the first Shift happened on 1955. And we were so unprepared."


    As if on cue, Jackie glanced over and saw the Shift Simulators closed. Lined up adjacent to the proceeding station in a spiral, they were black, layered spheres on a podium that doubled as steps. Practically air sealed and became airtight when they operate, having multiple, folding shells to achieve it. Once you were in, the sheer existential dread of what you want to witness instantly sets in as you''re locked away for what felt like eternity and cessation when it was 3 minutes.


    It would''ve been distasteful if they were open night.


    "They were dubbed as you and I know them as the Transitional Shifts. Cosmic waves that alter reality at the point of warping it. Again and again, they happened what started off seasonally, then monthly, then¡­ ''regular occurrence''," Tabby separated both hands and thrust them down in a chopping motion, hammering her point.


    "Reality as we knew¡­simply changed. Literally. And after the Shifts happen, weird things just happen, because it''s allowed now, in a way. Weird things we just¡­can''t keep track of, now."


    We do know, now, at least, Jackie mentally sighed. She was already searching for another video of what she meant. She let the current one finish before clicking that one.


    "So, we just sort of¡­gave up. The Modern era had to end because the Shifts sort of took what contemporary times meant for a lot of people. And as I, and many people my age were told because we were born after this, contemporary times formally abdicated across the world at 2000, The Last Year. Here we are, in the Transitionary Point."


    Tabby had more to say, Jackie was sure, but she had more to say and convey clearly, in the next video she chose.


    She looked more confident due to her growing status. Her grimy hair was stylized, with indigo streaks accenting her sharp bangs and locks. She wore eyeliner, painted her nails, and overall looked healthy. Her voice, mumbling and lost, was more direct, but still maintaining its awkward tone. Jackie at least cracked a smile, at that.


    "Alright everyone," a growing Tabby ToMorrow began, "Let''s talk updates! The good doctors at the Taber Memorial Research Center finally allowed OFFICIAL definitions to what exactly the weird stuff the Shift manifests¡­or allows manifestation, in one case..."


    She made a face. Something between bewilderment and terror clearly played up¡­yet captures the two raw emotions. "And it''s terrifying. Completely terrifying."


    "The tangible changes are as follows: ''additional clauses to the physical laws as known, ''lifeforms that cannot possibly exist able to'', and ''other untold Noumenon unearthed after a Shift''s effects settle''," Tabby exhaled quickly, bringing her hands together, with her thumbs fitted against her chin.


    "So. That meeeans that the laws of physics are constantly rewritten, creatures that should not be able to exist can now, and things man weren''t to never know are out there for us to discover. Yeah."


    Jackie definitely got her appeal, outside her personal one. She''s pretty cute with her wide-eyed and borderline cartoony expressions both for the comedy, the release of tension and¡­it being fuel for the "overly-eager" crowd, yet they were so genuine, you couldn''t help but agree that you feel exactly the same way she is.


    "To recap¡ªShift happens, surrounding reality that it hits will be warped and constantly ''shift'' about, and now that we know, when it stops doing that: the three aftereffects will happen at random. The previously affected areas are ticking time bombs," Tabby emphasized.


    She looked at the floor around her room, then wondered aloud, "So how does the siVis thing play into all of--?"


    "Here we go¡­" Jackie couldn''t help but say to herself. The thing she was looking for.


    "Oh! Right," Tabby said, laughing as if she forgot she was recording briefly. "My ever-allusive siVis Experience and siVisTrends video: the one even if you guys don''t rake up the views by the subject matter, it''ll be popular because I''ve been putting it off for so long!"


    She made a noise Jackie could only describe as "Bullllurgh~" as she waves her arms in exaggerated exasperation. "Sorry guys, that''s gonna take years at this point. Even with the love you all showered me, I can''t just be handed the classified stuff from Taber''s on a silver platter, still. It''s still too recent, too weird, even for all of this. I''m just not a mir¡ª"


    Jackie queued up her siVis video.


    Now Tabby looked as Jackie, and the world knew her. Long, jet-black and indigo infused hair, eyeliner full and curved upwards near the sides of each eye, showing off her bare shoulders and arms in a spaghetti strap, purple top.


    Tabby ToMorrow. The Informer of the New Weird.


    "siVis. siVis. siVis," Tabby begun. "Just when we got all the crazy pieces to the puzzle, another one plummet down and lays on and scatters the whole table. And it''s not even a part of it all!"


    Pretty much it, Jackie thought, as she was currently mulling over the others.


    "You all were waiting for this one, ladies-gents-and all my devilish inbetweeners. Ever since I was beginning to pop, this was the subject you wanted me to discuss and compare notes with. But, like everyone else, I didn''t have anything written down because I was afraid that suddenly, it wasn''t the Shift Noumenon that got me."


    Tabby made a half smile, "Thanks to the unbelievable support, now I''m the gal that''s reporting straight from the Center''s mouth. And, somehow, became a personality¡ªearned your trust. Now I''m glad that I never made this one until now. One, would''ve been crap, and two¡­it''s just better for me to have done it here. Now."


    She became stoic. Tempered her breathing.


    "Now let''s do this. Discovered in the ''70s, by the late, great, Dr. Gia Taber. She did her best to study, inform, and influence the phenomenon until her slow death due to Shift warping, The Last Year: 2000. And I don''t think I''m strong enough to describe the finer details, so you''ll have to seek after them yourself. But I''m sure you all know what I''m talking about."


    Jackie nodded, melancholily. She was just an anthropologist at a time people yelled at you for not being a Shift Researcher, had to take up multiple fields to even get anywhere with siVis while having the worst case of Shift warping at the time, and generally became something people often coined "bitter agony" in the last thirty years of her life. "It hurt to look at her", just as much as it hurt to learn about her.


    With a story like that, calling her the Mother of the Transitionary Point wasn''t an overstatement, but an honor of remembrance.


    All of this was just too much.


    Jackie looked up, and she wished she hadn''t.


    A man in a black hoodie marred by a white mess, portraying the wear and tear.


    The hood was an effort to cover it all, but it wasn''t enough.


    His visible forehead and temple profile were transparent, jutting outwards and inwards, as if he was a broken construct, the pieces shifting about. He couldn''t help to pick at the indent-like gash that made the image worse, his fingers¡ªnormal, human fingers¡ªkept digging and picking; picking, picking, picking and digging, frantically. When no one was looking.


    In fear. Object terror. Lost.


    Jackie froze in her tracks, covering her mouth, long after the ping of shock sparked and expanded across her system, making her chest throb and beat.


    She tried to look away with her wavering vision, but his son clutched in his other hand waved at her ¡ª no younger than three.


    And his face was completely warped. He smiled at Jackie, despite the fact it constantly moved.


    Jackie dry-heaved harshly, seemingly echoed throughout the street.


    She trotted away, despite wanting to sprint desperately.


    She heard things fall out of her bag somehow, but she didn''t care. Everything was a blur; her eyes welled up enough to make the world something she finally couldn''t see anymore.


    Heard a voice behind her, may''ve been the passerby with bags in their hand, either weird arms or the blur made it so, might be telling her that she dropped something. Didn''t matter, none of it did, in the face of this giant clusterfuck.


    Tabby''s video, her words, still played and acted as narration for Jackie''s ordeal.


    "To be clear since life decided to make it vague as hell, no, siVis is not a by-product of the Shift Noumenon. Dr. Taber warped by the Shift was something before her discovery by a mere day or so, even by hours. The two aren''t connected the way you''d think at first, but indirectly, since seeing the world so differently caused her to ''found'' it. Something like the Shifts, it was always there, always sort of¡­meant to happen in the way that the Shifts did. In that weird cosmic sense. In short, it''s an anomaly."


    She paused it there, quickly. Jackie blinked enough tears out of her eyes, enough to see she was coming up towards her final destination.


    Steppe Avenue, then Great Steppe Avenue, is both the longest and most connected road in Davenport, Jackie heard. Everything leads to it, and everything branched from it, somehow, someway. Steppe Avenue and Peterson Street, the street that leads to Pell Forest.


    As she looked for and found the Shift Tracker Radius, is where the brunt of tonight''s Shift will happen.


    Despite still running, which morphed from trotting, she managed to open that and shrink Tabby''s video, playing it as she looked at the projected wave cover Bell, dissipating.


    Tabby then flicked her index finger upwards, turning on her Athernet feed: various shapes and sizes of official documents spinning in motion around her before settling as she grabbed and dragged a picture in front of her. A blonde, young girl in a singed cheerleader outfit, staring at her hands in the ruins of a cafeteria burned crisp black. Wide-eyed. Too shocked to cry.


    "Drowned out in the madness of The Last Year, the case of Jason Pike High happened. The Boiling Girl. Cassie Morgan, the first public siVis user. Though not the first reported, as Japan had the Atsuryoku modern folk tale, then later discovered to be Nathan Fuuki. They were the first siVisTrends of many, as the cases piled up and up, well into the Transitionary Point, present day. Victims of siVis, despite the possible damage toll or possible victim count they managed to rack up. They''re people, unfortunately to you all who thought otherwise. The whole problem with all this is the fact siVis manages to make our already confusing situation outright hazy."


    Tabby kept the images, footage, articles and other media swirl about her, as she looked to her audience.


    "From many Trends testimonies, it''s an experience ¡ª a state that puts you beyond even the Shift Noumenon, at least in feeling, in senses. You''re granted many abilities that could uprise, enable interaction with the Shifts, Nulgarrt¡ªwithout being warped due to the exposure. But despite all that, they constantly brought it back to you still being yourself. And they''re right at least on the levels we can understand, like DNA¡ªBlood; all matches up with their previous records barring the stress of existing like this. No one for sure knows how to cause this, except for witnessing¡ªor even surviving¡ªa Shift. Stretches across the whole Noumenon as well."


    "Play it well, and you''re granted with something out of this world. And there''s plenty of stories I''ve covered that shows that playing it well, in the face of these things, is your only option other than the inevitable. So please--," Tabby finished, both as a potent plea and a perfect place to shut the video down as Jackie closed Athernet.


    She looked towards her destination as she sprinted down Peterson, overtaxing herself towards the forest''s trial''s entrance on her incoming left. The hazy orange skies turned into a dimmed brown, the sun nowhere in sight anymore.


    She had to. She couldn''t live like this anymore. Trapped within these circulating thoughts that only boil her alive. She needed to be above this terrible life so that she could live again, screw the possibilities of ending up like them.


    Jackie Jackson decided that she''ll get supernatural abilities by trying to survive the experience of reality warping itself at first hand. On what would''ve been a Thursday night.

 (Episode 0)

    Before she knew it, Jackie walked into the night. Within the cold darkness blowing against her as she tiredly walked up across the crackling, dead leaves. She didn¡¯t belong here, and she didn¡¯t care.


    She hiked up the slope that was the forest trail, up the wooden steps caked into the dirt terrain, gripping one of the pale barked trees for support for her aching legs. Some sort of other flora Jackie couldn¡¯t identify roped around the trunks of the trees and entangled in the ground. They were brittle, spiny, easy to break after hurting yourself first. It wasn¡¯t pitch black yet, just a filter of cloudy shade, which Jackie thought was weird. Either due to her still having Athernet on, or the city¡¯s lights were that strong to travel this far.


    Making it atop, Jackie looked towards the city below. She could still see Steppe Avenue alight, but the noise muffled from afar at least. Buildings and skyscrapers still undergoing Shiftication, the neighborhoods and suburbs tucked away outside the major city, almost in a circle.


    Would¡¯ve been a nice sight had it stayed still.


    Heralding the Transitional Shift of night, it was like the air was wavering, sputtering, at a frequency that Jackie wasn¡¯t sure her brain could measure out, only notice. Was it fast? Was it slow? Both all at once? Her mere human eyes could only understand that it was a disturbance. Simmering, heralding an oncoming Transitionary Shift.


    She picked up the pace to meet it, making a turn and heading start forward.


    Jackie found that she was dragging her feet as her leg ached to remind her every microsecond, the dead leaves and brittle plants scrapped against her shoes. She definitely overdid it, and she dreaded the aftereffects in the morning. She reached into her bag, knowing it was already open, and pulled out a banana to munch on.


    It was funny, how she was worrying about her legs when it¡¯s completely possible she might not need to, after this. What she really needs to worry about was the fallout after this choice. She would have to practice lying and half-truths at an advance level to trick her first-responder father and lawyer mother. Would the elevation cause her to not even care about lying, about anything?


    She cursed herself over the lack of more research, but it wasn¡¯t like this wasn¡¯t anything but a spur of the moment decision. She swallowed the last bit of the fruit, as she steeled her resolve. No use in doubt now. The folly in this case is better than anything available to her, now.


    But she didn¡¯t have time to stew with that choice, as she made it. Jackie walked into the flat, open area that¡¯s soon going to be the epicenter of the supernatural.


    Greeted was a very strong word, but there were four other girls waiting there. All of them looked her way as she entered the location. They then returned to whatever they were doing before Jackie came.


    First instincts were to say hi despite this, but she elected to hang back, rest, leaning against a tree closing her eyes. They¡¯ll get comfortable soon enough, Jackie betted on, just needed to give them space.


    Ten whole minutes passed and not a verbal grumble was muttered.


    Jackie at least glanced at each one, to gauge who they are so that she wouldn¡¯t make an awkward situation even more so.


    One had dark brown, curly hair, was small and generally young looking. Her dressing sense was pretty urban, leather jacket, torn jeans. She was squatting, arms over her knees, looking¡­angry? It didn¡¯t seem like she was angry from the rest of her body language, but her face seemed like it was permanently disgruntled. Half-closed eyes, small lips, just a completely disinterested disposition. She, at least, didn¡¯t find it rude to look at people, as she shifted her attention to everyone every so often.


    The next was the one that didn¡¯t have a place of her own, because she kept moving. Asian girl that wore much less than any of them, cargo shorts and one of those vacation shirts 50-year-old grampas wear, pink with multi-colored flowers on it. She even had a safari hat, that Jackie guesses it¡¯s holding her hair, with shades on top. Jackie was surprised that she got all the details, but the others aren¡¯t constantly dashing about for her to get a good look. And out of the group, she¡¯s the only one that looks like she actually wants to be here, as she peered up and around for any slight sign for the Shift.


    This one looked to be older than the rest, a young woman, over 18? Long ginger hair, at her shoulder blades, doughy green eyes, she overall looked exactly like what all the guys wanted. Pale skin, red lips, wearing business casual in the form of a white wooly sweater and black skirt, with tights-clad legs. Every part of her was good-looking¡­but she was completely and utterly paranoid. She shook where she sat on a fallen tree, squeezing her hands together against her chest, fidgeting down to her lap, then she rubbed her shoulders for one reason or the other and completely stopped when she felt Jackie look at her, frozen like a deer in headlights. Just waiting for anything or anyone to try something. The red lips were being sucked at by her in nervousness, completely making the lipstick lose the effect.


    And finally, the last one. She had a laptop, extremely rare nowadays and would¡¯ve thoroughly impressed Jackie¡­if it wasn¡¯t literally being held up by tape. Covered in random peeling stickers, the hinge coverings broken off, exposed. She was chubby, very wide chubby, and while Jackie couldn¡¯t see much due to the PC, what she saw were wrinkly, fading, and bland clothing. Her worn, black square-rimmed glasses reflected the light shining off the screen, and she had hazel, messy hair.


    Jackie quickly looked herself over with her augmented phone¡¯s ¡°screen¡±, after seeing that. Same ol¡¯ face, blue eyes, golden blonde hair tied up in a high ponytail. Wearing her Cedar High sweat suit, fairy blue with white stripes in a Y formation, no school insignia so it was easy to wear. She did note how some hair strands were kneaded, stuck, to her sweat forehead still. She fixed such by wiping her forehead, sighing to herself.


    The safari girl ran to her, backpack in hand which started Jackie from her phone. The girl popped opened a white bo¡ªA first aid kit and handed her some eye drops.


    Oh right. She cried earlier¡­


    ¡°You can keep it, Missess Lady~¡± the safari girl chirped, before running away. Jackie tried to raise her hand to say ¡°thank you¡± but¡­ She looked at the drops, twisted the top and applied the solution to her eyes anyways, blinking and then wiping the excess, useless tears¡­


    Caught the attention of the squatter, it seemed.


    ¡°Guess that has Athernet on it?¡± she asked. Even a fairly cute voice, if not low and gruff.


    Jackie hoped she didn¡¯t sound too immediate as she answered, ¡°Yeah. I checked the forecast again, the thing we¡¯re waiting on should be any second now.¡±


    ¡°Sweet,¡± was all she said.


    Yet another full, tangible minute passed.


    ¡°Saw the simmering when I came up, too,¡± Jackie added so the exchange didn¡¯t feel empty.


    ¡°Yeah, thanks. Been sitting out here for hours and my fucking legs and shit¡¯s been killing me. Ass is numb at the point you¡¯d think I got spreaded and hammered from behind¡­¡±


    Even if all the signs pointed to her being capable of that, it still shocked Jackie, completely wide-eyed and blinking.


    It took a few seconds after for the young girl to realize the reaction, ¡°Oh, sorry, you¡¯re not alright with cussing? I¡¯ll stop. It¡¯s just that I use it for commas, practically¡ª¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jackie refuted, ¡°It¡¯s that¡­¡±


    ¡°Took you for a loop, huh?¡± She couldn¡¯t help but smirk.


    Jackie laughed a bit, though strained, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°The thing about reality-warping waves,¡± the girl with the laptop started, ¡°Is that they sort of, uh. Do things their way. It¡¯s the reason why we¡¯re redrawing calendars and using countdowns as we rewind clocks, after all. It¡¯s all estimated, it could be up to hours or yesterday, it happening.¡±


    Jackie looked down, shaking her head, ¡°Right¡­¡±


    Jackie folded her arms, tapping on one of them.


    ¡°So, are you guys friends, a group--?¡± Jackie asked.


    ¡°Nope,¡± ¡°Curly¡± said and only said.


    It took a total of 10 minutes to have somewhat of a conversation and that was it.


    ¡°Lady¡± practically had fidgeting hawk-eyes throughout the ¡°conversation¡±, relaxing in resignation when it was over as she put her twiddling hands on her lap (scared of her breathing for a bit). ¡°Safari¡± seemed to get more agile despite looking around a tree for some reason despite the focused location. ¡°PC¡± was just chuckling at a joke that the rest couldn¡¯t see and responding to it with clammy keyboard strikes. And the one Jackie have some sort of rapport with acted as if it didn¡¯t happen, ¡°Curly¡± seemingly lost in thought.


    People didn¡¯t have to talk to Jackie, she¡¯s not that self-important. In fact, the sentiment seemed to be more or less dying in their generation, as her father grumbled to her and her mother begrudgingly all too frequently. Being here told each other more than words could ever do¡­but it would be nice to hear some.


    Anything. Even a non-sequitur. There¡¯s already enough uncomfortable pressure building, adding the awkwardness of people gathered so unfathomably close yet not interacting for 30 minutes now and--


    ¡°Anyone up for saying why they¡¯re here? Don¡¯t have to, of course, I just wanted to make small talk¡­I could start, if it makes it fair,¡± Jackie said, standing on her own now, facing the others. Even ¡°Safari¡± stopped in place when she asked.


    Each of them had their way of looking at Jackie yet said nothing in response.


    She looked up to the sky. Felt like it was clich¨¦.


    ¡°I admit, my life was as normal as a girl like me could manage to get. Have awesome parents, a comfy home after having a pretty bad move, high school was amazing¡ªand I admit that I was very lucky on that front. Then¡­it was all taken away, slowly. The schools ended, I lost my friends to a stupid¡­stupid argument¡ªmy parents¡¯ jobs are either stalled and they had to consider joining the Transitionary Point group thing, it just¡­spiraled out of control. This whole thing beaten me down and I couldn¡¯t even fight back.¡±


    Jackie held her tightened fist with her other hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s like those prescription drug commercials,¡± Jackie sighed. ¡°Sure, you¡¯re more than likely to suffer from the hundred other symptoms. But this whole thing¡¯s been ruining my life so badly, I¡¯m risking it with a smile on my face again. And make it last, this time.¡±


    ¡°Could¡¯ve fooled me,¡± ¡°Curly¡± said, ¡°With that mean-face you have. Thought you were some undercover junior cadet, with the way you looked coming in.¡±


    Funny, that. Jackie smiled, for the first time in a while.


    ¡°Seriously man; you were rushing in and looked at us like you were scanning the area and I was waiting for it, with those red Terminator eyes you had,¡± she continued, exaggeratingly leering over, jutting her neck forward as she turned her body from left to right. Everyone chuckled, with ¡°Safari¡¯s¡± being the highest.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry! Again, it¡¯s been a rough few¡­ ¡®awhiles¡¯,¡± Jackie explained, but not in exasperation. ¡°If that makes the kind of sense that doesn¡¯t but you still sort of get it¡­¡±


    ¡°I live for that kind of thing,¡± ¡°PC¡± raised her finger upward. ¡°But I¡¯m sure you all figured that out already. It¡¯s fuel for my lump-of-coal-soul.¡±


    ¡°¡­Y¡¯all some interesting people¡ªbut hey, I seen weirder¡­stuff,¡± pursed ¡°Curly¡±, she was really trying to honor Jackie¡¯s request that she didn¡¯t actually voice or even made. She shot up, unnerving ¡°Lady¡±, and stretched, ¡°Buuuuut to answer your question¡­¡±


    Yes. This was it. Something that Jackie never knew exactly what she needed: people that understand.


    ¡°I¡¯m just doing it to get it over with,¡± ¡°Curly¡± said bluntly. What¡¯s more, everyone else hummed and muttered in agreement.


    And with that, Jackie left alone in these dark woods, ultimately feeling alone once again.


    She pressed her lips back. She hoped no one caught her struggling to not show her struggling to hold back her tongue.


    ¡°Life¡¯s been consistently shitting on me ever since I popped out, might as well let it do whatever since it¡¯s all broken,¡± ¡°Curly¡± gestured her hand forward, as it laid backwards on her propped knee.


    ¡°Protection for me¡­¡± everyone turned to ¡°Lady¡± not because it was respectful, but the fact she even spoke, her voice not at all matching her looks and could be higher than the others present. ¡°Just in case, for many things that could happen...¡±


    Soft and shrill. She continued, ¡°Shifts, bill collectors; Shift-warped bill collectors that also have siVis as well¡­It would just be¡­nice to have¡­ assurance for once¡­¡±


    ¡°You sound really familiar, by the way. Like at the point of it itching at me,¡± ¡°Curly¡± interjected.


    ¡°Oh. I¡¯m¡­honored that you do¡­¡± she thought hard about and decided to say.


    ¡°Safari¡± decided to hop in before anything else happened, ¡°Me? There isn¡¯t a reason-reason; I just wanna.¡± And that was all she wanted to say before being on lookout for the danger.


    Jackie looked over at the PC ¡°PC¡± has, that being the thing to look towards than her face. She had to betray the emotions inside herself to ask, ¡°And you¡­?¡±


    ¡°PC¡± shrugged, ¡°I want to get it, figure out how to manipulate it to keep me going without food or water, become a new world shut in. Better odds than me not going for it on the other hand, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Fair,¡± Jackie replied, keeping it professional and not sure she¡¯s winning, ¡°Completely fair. All of you.¡±


    Amidst her continued prolonged angst, she lifts her head back up from its drifting downwards.


    ¡°Names,¡± Jackie looked around at her alienated-at-arms, ¡°Again, if you all want to.¡±


    ¡°Man, you¡¯re probing hard for a normal person-and-not-totally-a-sting-operative or my name isn¡¯t Maddie,¡± Maddie answered first. ¡°And it¡¯s not,¡± she added with a sly smile.


    ¡°River,¡± River replied tapping away.


    ¡°Kobayashi Aiko! I was gonna scream my whole name when it happened, but it¡¯s taking so long!¡± she said, keeping her eyes peeled.


    The last one twisted her lips shut, gave up and then sighed, ¡°¡­Tracy.¡±


    Jackie wanted to verbally thank them but offered a nod. Botched attempts for conversation need to be ended, then let the mood left after simply be and never dwelled on.


    It¡¯s just not the time for small talk. The world now just doesn¡¯t allow for it.


    ¡°But hey, I¡¯m surprised you gave a fuck talking to us,¡± Maddie mused, her shoulders shrugging. ¡°Nobody wants to straight up talk anymore¡­¡±


    ¡­Jackie noted the sheer seconds the irony instantly swooped in.


    ¡°Can you blame them¡­?¡± Jackie was more surprised that Tracy replied so quick, much less the conversation actually picking up.


    ¡°Hell no,¡± Maddie answered, ¡°But it¡¯s¡­ I guess weird all the same. It¡¯s not even on the principal of like, not wanting to deal with anybody. It used to be people annoyed people, so they steered clear. Hell, I annoyed people because people annoyed me. We¡¯re like, social creatures or whatever and we¡¯re too busy looking at what fresh hell reality¡¯s gonna make us eat shit on. Like I said, everyone¡¯s too scared to talk.¡±


    ¡°My perfect excuse is that I have ten different flavors of anxiety and I¡¯m a bore,¡± River droned as she typed, seemingly making more words on the laptop versus the ones she formed from her mouth. ¡°Nothing triggers selfishness like mass existential dread.¡±


    Tracy bounced her head lightly, side to side, again finding her words, ¡°Good point¡­ You¡¯d think by now that¡­ We¡¯d all come together and have some bond in the face of literal reality. It¡¯s a clich¨¦ sure, but it¡¯s tried just as much as it¡¯s true¡­¡±


    ¡°Meh,¡± Maddie spat out, ¡°That only happens when we¡¯re sure we¡¯re all gonna die or some shit. But fair enough, yeah, if I had to be optimistic¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the suggestion she made.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with optimism¡­?¡± Tracy queried.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Hey, optimism is a valuable resource and I ain''t wasting the last drip of mine,¡± Maddie retorted. She shook her head, ¡°But this particular situation¡­ Nah, there¡¯s no use in it.¡±


    ¡°We can only be put through so much of the human condition before our wills are broken,¡± River butted in.


    ¡°See,¡± Maddie gestured at River. ¡°Glasses gets it.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ Is so beyond it, it¡¯s not even fair, even considering that existence itself is some cosmic, constantly expanding-until-either-it-snaps-or-entropy-consumes-faster, explosion of chaos,¡± River explained her view. ¡°We¡¯re not at a limit nor at the bottom of our lines. We¡¯re broken, simple and clean as the song and as that.¡±


    ¡°¡­Holy fucking shit, glasses,¡± Maddie exclaimed, without being loud, ¡°Who the fuck hurt you?¡±


    River looked at Maddie and without a trace of irony in her voice said, ¡°I more or less broken myself. What can I say that I haven¡¯t already?¡±


    Out of all the silent lulls, the following one hit the hardest. Jackie winced under its pressure.


    ¡°¡­And this is why I don¡¯t say this or the rest of my routine¡­¡± River mumbled out.


    ¡°¡­ Do ya¡¯ want a hug?¡± asked Tracy.


    ¡°Eh,¡± River quickly answered, ¡°I¡¯ll suffer in silence, remove the baggage with those terms.¡± She returned to her laptop, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be too long, now¡­¡±


    Jackie heard Aiko behind her, her swooning filled with absolute joy.


    ¡°And then here¡¯s the masochistic tourist¡­¡±


    ¡°I live here, actually,¡± Aiko replied to some words and ignored the glaring ones. ¡°And no, I don¡¯t actually do these things for pain, that¡¯s¡­Kinda boring of a goal, really. It¡¯s better to just do it, who cares about some point? I¡¯m here for me and I just wanna do stuff! Points are for actual lives people live!¡±


    Maddie only blinked at her. And like the masochist comment, she ignored that she didn¡¯t have any interest in and returned awaiting the Shift, wherever it is.


    Maddie turned her head to Jackie, ¡°Ok, I¡¯m kinda glad that you seem like just a girl scout. These people are fucking weird.¡±


    Jackie only laughed in response. A laugh to save face, to signal neutrality that could be taken as agreement.


    ¡°I guess what I was trying to say was¡­¡± Maddie mused, ¡°It¡¯s been a while someone wanting to shoot shit with me. One of the good things I¡¯m good is running my mouth and even the people that give me the chance are clamming up. Shit¡¯s bad¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah,¡± Jackie said, entering the conversation that she didn¡¯t exactly get, what she wanted¡­but glad to have something all the same. ¡°It has been for a while.¡±


    ¡°Seriously,¡± Maddie began to rant, ¡°Y¡¯all notice how¡­ Like, motherfuckers start talking like they¡¯re in some movie?¡±


    As it clicked in for each of the girls, at their own pace and based on their own experiences, they started to chuckle.


    ¡°Right?¡± Maddie smirked as she continued on, ¡°Y¡¯all know! Every single person just start¡ª¡±


    She cleared her throat as she cut herself off.


    ¡°Talking more quickly¡ªTalking so seriously,¡± her attempts to keep her voice stern caused the rest amusement and laughter. ¡°We can only talk like we¡¯re in Shakespeare or some shit¡ªOh no! I meant, shite and I always have¡­¡±


    Maddie gesturing, holding up her index finger in such a cartoonish fashion caused Jackie to lose it: her hiccupping laughter causing the other to lapse into similar fit.


    ¡°But, but¡­¡± Maddie hushed herself, ¡°We gotta engage in the conversation¡ªhovering over the topic despite knowing¡ªnay, etched in our very consciousness, what we¡¯re all fucking talking about; because avoiding it sure as hell clears up something that¡¯s so confusing!¡±


    Jackie found herself snorting, wiping her eyes for the excess tears she thought that she exorcized. As she tried to catch herself, she saw River covering her mouth, Aiko clapping in amusement, and Tracy¡¯s face crumbled into an honest smile the first time she¡¯s seen her.


    ¡°Aaaah¡­¡± Jackie realized why it was so funny, and the dread nestled right back into its usual spot between her chest and stomach. ¡°I¡¯m starting to talk like that¡­¡±


    After hearing that, everyone stopped laughing slowly, looking at Jackie.


    ¡°That¡¯s what this shit¡¯s been doing to me¡­¡± she can only shake her head. ¡°Us¡­ We¡¯re fucking losing our minds¡­¡±


    And that statement stayed within each of theirs, as a lull of silence followed and a return to their respective postures ensued.


    ¡°Also, man is your voice deep as shit.¡± Maddie just said without any semblance of filter. ¡°Like. Fuck. You¡¯re making me feel just as inadequate as the dude you¡¯re gonna end up with¡­Or chick¡ªhey¡ªI don¡¯t care, you fuck whoever--!¡±


    It was Jackie¡¯s turn to blink at her, ¡°I¡­ Try? Or didn¡¯t, to sound or make it better¡­?¡±


    ¡°Seriously,¡± Tracy said with conviction Jackie¡¯s sure that she built up after her personal lull. ¡°First Jackie and then River. These digs are getting a bit too close.¡±


    ¡°I mean, they¡¯re not digs so much as observations but,¡± Maddie continued, ¡°I¡¯m sorry? I sort of just say what I say. It¡¯s not really disrespect but more of a reaction, but you can blame me for the reaction if it makes y¡¯all feel better?¡±


    ¡°Again,¡± River said in a monotone, ¡°Bore or Soren Kierkegarrd wannabe but less talent or a good enough excuse.¡±


    Tracy inhaled and begun again, ¡°Sorry to butt in¡­¡±


    ¡°By all means, shove your ass into my face, hun,¡± Maddie said without a missing a beat.


    That completely destroyed whatever Tracy begun to say, sputtering only came out, ¡°It¡­ It¡¯s that¡­ You¡¯re¡­ I mean, your tone¡­ It¡¯s really too much, as you proved right now!¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± it seemed like Maddie only agreed that her tone¡¯s overbearing. ¡°Look, even if we don¡¯t see each other again, take solace that I came into this shithole 2 weeks early and nearly died like two times trying to settle in. That¡¯s like, example one of why I¡¯m such a piece of shit--¡°


    ¡°wHY WOULD I TAKE SOLACE IN ANY OF THAT?!¡± Tracy bellowed, not out of anger but sheer confusion and mostly fear.


    ¡°Y-yeah,¡± Jackie piggybacked, absolutely dumbfounded, ¡°That¡¯s just. That¡¯s just terrible.¡±


    ¡°Totally,¡± Maddie replied. ¡°But hey, at least I didn¡¯t like go deaf or something because my hands would ache day by day for the amount of sign language. And flipping people off, possibly.¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay,¡± Tracy conceded.


    ¡°But for real,¡± Maddie shrugged, palms upward. ¡°I¡¯m honest. I can¡¯t help to be honest. I¡¯m a pretty sucky, honest asshole of a human being. But for as much as there¡¯s me being a jerk, there¡¯s enough reasons that can tell you that and you can cut your losses and hate me. I don¡¯t do that bullying powerplay bullshit, I said shit back at those asshats too.¡±


    ¡°Regardless,¡± Jackie found herself saying. She had to be careful here, conversating with strangers is one thing, the fear of turning argumentative and tainting the common ground; it¡¯s another to criticize a stranger¡¯s way of life. She continued, ¡°I think we can all agree that we¡¯re all trying to deal with our crazy¡­crazy lives in our own personal ways. If Maddie expresses that through her way, I can¡¯t blame her for that. And yes, it¡¯s going to be rather confusing to others not in on it. But I¡¯m sure we all can be cool with it and we can take steps to understand it.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re suuuuure you¡¯re not a police cadet-?¡± Maddie looked at Jackie, eyes opened, chin resting on her palm.


    Jackie smirked, finding herself against the trunk of her trees, folding her arms. ¡°I just try.¡± She noticed that she was smirking, felt the muscles of her face relax from relearning such an action. ¡°¡­Or maybe I-¡°


    The air around her, around them, rolled over in over itself. The wind stopped; the air turned still. The sounds swallowed silent, the color of the night washed mute. The external consistency of the world around them began to blur, dim into an wispy white and the mood completely and utterly gone.


    Jackie barely got a glimpse before it waved over her, she only caught the transition. River ¡°hupped¡±, made a sound as she scrambled her laptop off and got up.


    ¡°Ohohohoho,¡± Aiko sprinted over to join the improvised huddle the girls drifted together, ¡°Is it time?! It is here?!¡±


    Another wave, inverted, coming from behind them as their surroundings smeared shades of what looks to be green. The effects that they can barely gauge the first time around worsened, with the simmering Jackie saw before creeps into the sickly filter.


    River shook her head, ¡°This is just the beginning; it¡¯s presence disrupts the path area that it¡¯s heading towards by forcing reality into a really serious game of Red Rover--!¡±


    If it wasn¡¯t the surround trees snapping forward but not breaking didn¡¯t cause them to jump, it was their electronics reaching critical mass, screens not only turning white, but blaring simple patterns of sound bites and vibrating at random speeds causing them to drop them.


    The warping of noise made this situation worse, Jackie thought. It turned the place into a cosmic echo chamber, as she could hear Tracy¡¯s unease directly into her ear, the tune of technology cacophony as a background¡­ And Aiko¡¯s laugh made¡­ A minute ago? Constantly cut in again. And again. And again.


    She noticed this about herself and everyone presented. They were so in awe, there wasn¡¯t movement. There wasn¡¯t much breathing. They just looked and realize that they can barely see as well.


    The bent trees begun to spaghettify toward a path that¡¯s just a green, static filtered void. The water-color blotches that once were their surroundings bled into each other in attempt to reshape into something recognizable again. The time-lapse was long as it was short, lengthy with paced interludes that all ended up being brief. The afterimages that slurred into shapes didn¡¯t help matters.


    Jackie¡¯s instincts, the circuitry that ran deep as a living being, told her to look down and fast. She did, noting at the corner of her eye that her hand as it swung also slurred away, creating afterimages of her own.


    The final wave was culminating under the girls the whole time.


    The epicenter was ¡°colored¡± by all the primary, almost akin to sparkling sodas or vitamin water has color to them, expanding under their feet and rippled in and cross what once was the ground. Then it outlined everything it touched.


    The brittle plants, the non-bend trees, every single blade of grass¡ªturned into 3D gridlines but not exactly. While everything of course had lines and structure; the lines didn¡¯t outline so much made patterns, intersects, curves and stack on. So long as it made sense in the sense of the object.


    Jackie looked to her fellow youths and her blood ran cold. Then she shakingly examined herself.


    All lines. All specs. All their stories told if one outside of their experience looked at them.


    They all turned away from themselves to look at what they¡¯ve chose to face.


    It looked soft as it came closer and closer, an oncoming flurry of out-of-sync dissipating wisp. But the sheer volume, the complete reach, the unmeasured speed as it comes is why it¡¯s called a Shift.


    Or so Jackie or any of them thought that they knew, that they figured out.


    No, it was the fact that it broke down the object it steamrolled with ease, right down to the intricacies that a world¡¯s genius could¡¯ve studied for the rest of their lives on; taken apart by every single angle that said genius would¡¯ve never thought to examine, proceeding to continue on with no signs of stopping. And they haven¡¯t seen the end results of that and any other thing it shifted along its path.


    Despite being in a zone where the passage of time, the laws of physics, and the flow of logic didn¡¯t matter anymore, Jackie once again looked to the others, getting a true look, before returning to the attention of reality barreling toward them.


    This is what a Transitional Shift is.


    This¡­This is it. The metaphysical manifestation of her¡­everyone¡¯s problems, the source of them all. And by finally facing it, truly experiencing the scale that can¡¯t be measured, she and her fellow wayward girls can finally have their absolution from the machinations of their existential dread. The potential of this going terrible, where this force can warp them all into a fate worse than death, hasn¡¯t strayed from her mind and has instead enhanced this already transcendent scenario. That look she gave to the girls could ultimately be her last. She thought of her life, her friends, her family¡­Her father and mother that she lied to. But in doing so illustrated the decline, the tragic truth that she was left with no choice in the matter. And she had to make one, anyone, to achieve her catharsis. True, utter, achieved catharsis.


    The Shift turned a sharp left, just moments from coming straight for them. The reality-denying phenomenon, with its barely-understandable nature and beyond-natural movements, it had made a very clear, very easy-to-follow b-line towards the other side of the woods.


    And like that, its influence faded away just as it came in a sense; out of nowhere and just as easy to manipulate reality.


    They all stood there, shocked, disturbed and confused in their own ways.


    All the exhaustion hit Jackie at once, panting just as suddenly and fallen on her knees as her aching legs gave out. The only thing that broke the silence was Maddie¡¯s slow, cackling laughter as it gained traction with it¡¯s volume and it¡¯s form¡ªkeeping it inside her throat then it echoing from it, all with a joyous smile that any of the girls wouldn¡¯t even bet that she could make at all. Tracy could only be bewildered, until that bewilderment caused shaking, sucking on her lips, pulling at her long hair with a milking motion as her eyes got wider and scared, barely able to form words as she babbles. Aiko seemed the one that took it the worse, excitable energy turned into absolute, dead-eyed disappointment that ceased all her motion. River¡­ Just said the following:


    ¡°Oh,¡± she looked at the Shift continuing down the deep forest. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Something that it can do, for sure-¡±


    She was cut off by Maddie¡¯s continued laughter that went sharp in it¡¯s audio, as she fell on the colored leaves, so far gone and so far into her hysterics that she didn¡¯t care as she swayed side to side on the ground, clutching her sides with her arms crossed over one another.


    ¡°WHAT A FUCKING BLUEBALL!¡± she roared.


    Aiko furiously throw her hat and shades into the very dirt; her side-ponytail animating within the arc as it was freed along with the rest of her black hair, ¡°Damn right it¡¯s a blueball! That can happen?! That was it?!¡±


    ¡°Um,¡± River bluntly replied, ¡°Yeeeah. I think. This seems like a moment where I read something about something and it came into play into real life in the worst, possible way.¡±


    Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhg, erupted from Aiko¡¯s throat, her head skyward. ¡°Screw it! I could¡¯ve worked on learning how to sleep erect in a tree and would¡¯ve lost absolutely nothing! Nothing!¡±


    The rest continued to focus on what¡¯s leaving as Jackie focused on what came by.


    The sight her eyes tried to make out is the very land still moving, almost twitching in a sense. Everything lost its color, hues, and textures forever; all a sickly, out of place white now. From what was once grass, trees, dirt, stray litter, and the air itself now tries to interlock, connect, break apart, and reassemble. Sluggishly, without aim or reason, but nothing stopping the so-called rhythm.


    But what really painted the scene, what she got out of it, was how close by mere inches it was.


    She returned to her senses around the time Maddie regained hers, getting up from the ground and wiping the tears from her eyes and cheeks.


    ¡°Fuck me,¡± she whined out from her raw throat, ¡°That was the single best middle finger I¡¯ve ever received. I love it. I fucking love it so fucking much, oh my god¡­¡±


    ¡°O-o-o-oh god in-indeed,¡± Tracy shuddered out, with all the desperation in her voice, ¡°What are we going to do now?!¡±


    ¡°Leave,¡± Aiko giving her the answer that¡¯s nothing close to what she needed to hear. She tossed her hat into her opened backpack as she rummaged through it in a grumble, ¡°Leave and actually do something. That¡¯s what I¡¯m doing.¡±


    ¡°Well-¡± River started.


    ¡°No!¡± Aiko snapped at her, ¡°There¡¯s no saving this! We planned for this and it turned out to be the biggest nothingburger of our lives! So I¡¯m going¡ªI¡¯m gonna try to salvage this night¡ªTry and have a good one yourselves!¡±


    She pulled her huge sac onto her back in a huff, leaning over and started to walk off into the night, down the hill they were facing away from.


    She proceeded to scream out, cover her eyes and turned away from her escape path and fall on her back.


    That awoke Jackie out of her funk, turning to head and attention to the fallen girl and instantly rushes over to her, where she too screamed out and shut her eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s why,¡± River explained.


    ¡°Holy shit,¡± Maddie in a tone of actual concern. She looked to River, ¡°Continue, Glasses?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s simple. All that distortion can¡¯t all just disappear in one minute or even one month, the universe is currently trying to snap itself back together. Or rather, the stuff that it can snap back together.¡±


    Tracy craned her head over to River, unabashedly afraid, ¡°So what does that mean?! A-are we suck here?!¡±


    ¡°More or less, unless we chance it,¡± River put her hands in her pockets. ¡°But I¡¯m sure the Shift researchers will come over and use their ¡®technology¡¯ to break us out¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Then hand us other to the cops, we sit in jail, and overall will have to visit some shrink for the next, Iunno, ten weeks until they clear us,¡± Maddie pointed out. ¡°Sooo, we¡¯re fucked. Spit-roasted.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the non-lethal Elephant¡¯s Foot: supreme fuckage on every level of¡­living¡ª¡± River tried to reason out, only to be cut off by Maddie¡¯s haggard chuckling.


    ¡°C-can I¡ªCan I steal ¡®fuckage¡¯ I need that. I need to say that more in my life¡ª" Maddie then coughed, stopping her sentence and her laughter.


    Jackie recovered from her spell, but kept her eyes closed. She fumbled for Aiko, grabbing her travelbag¡¯s strap, and pulled as she moved back.


    Turns out, she found, that closing her eyes wasn¡¯t the solution. She felt it, feedback that hammered to her bones, hummed through out her muscles, and made her blood felt like it was boiling but never heating up. Whatever it was, it could only be described as reality wavering with her in it. She had to rush, she had to leave to escape that awful feeling and she managed to do so with Aiko in tow, quickly acing the group, opening her eyes and then helping Aiko up.


    ¡°¡­Maybe it¡¯s a sign,¡± Jackie begun, dusting her and Aiko off.


    Everyone turned to her.


    ¡°After seeing all that¡­ I¡¯m not exactly saying that I¡¯m cured, that I came to a revelation, but I got the scale. I got the fear. All of this Shift related stuff is a very real threat and maybe I didn¡¯t need siVis to meet it. Because I honestly can¡¯t.¡±


    She met the eyes of each girl, ¡°Maybe we all didn¡¯t need it at all.¡±


    ¡°ImeanIkindadid,¡± River said in a quiet hush.


    Jackie shook her head, but in agreement with the sentiment, ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, there¡¯s still problems that we have to deal with. They¡¯re not gone. Just that we don¡¯t need to get as complicated, as illogical, as weird as them to face them¡­Is it my survival instincts rewarding me with dopamine, and this is clearly a ¡®I¡¯m alive¡¯ high? I don¡¯t know; but what I do know is that I was clearly wrong. And I was going to do something stupid and I got lucky enough to get a wake-up call. Especially when people who do just as drastic stuff that¡¯s not Shift related didn¡¯t get to when they were¡­¡±


    Jackie didn¡¯t finish and turns out, didn¡¯t need to. The collective silence was enough.


    She looked over her cohorts, with a worn but hopeful smile, ¡°Let¡¯s just turn this into our shared noodle incident, and keep on with our¡­ Well, struggle to figure life out. And since we have time to spare until the researchers get here, let¡¯s just talk and hang. I¡¯d love to get to know you all better.¡±


    ¡°Shit man. I know you gotta play the game to get results but you¡¯re doing waaaay too much to get a fuck from each of us. At the same time. In a renowned Hoe-tel motel. With Brazilian oils and buttplugs¡­¡± Maddie said¡­ And didn¡¯t last a second without smiling again, wincing a bit, ¡°Ohgodmycheekshurt¡ªKidding, kidding. Sure, whatever~¡±


    Aiko sat crosslegged, fist planted into her cheek, throwing up her other hand, exasperated, ¡°No, sure, might as well¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know how to do this¡­ Talk-ing,¡± River playing up her monotone inflection, ¡°But I guess there¡¯s not much walls for me to dig, seed and plant myself in.¡±


    Tracy looked the closest thing to calm as she could ever manage, as she then again paused and sorted out her response, ¡°Well¡­ Yeah, of course¡­ You¡¯re not all really strangers anymore¡­ Just¡­ Strange people¡ª¡±


    Jackie laughed as Maddie joined her, and the latter was the one to response, ¡°Whooooa, now the claws come out. Teacher aid by daylight, teacher of sass when the lights turn off!¡±


    Tracy smiled and chuckled a bit, and begun to turn to Maddie, was about to retort.


    Then she scrambled onto the ground, exclaiming a bloody curdling shout. Jackie once again darted over, only when she kneeled to pick her up was the muscles aching with the culminated fatigue.


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t look at the area or else it¡¯s going to rattle you with that feedback shock,¡± River said.


    ¡°I WASN¡¯T EVEN LOOKING THERE!¡± Tracy shouted, hands over her face as she shakes to get up.


    ¡°¡­Yeah, I don¡¯t think she was looking--,¡± Maddie turned her head and was instantly blown on her back, screaming from the gut.


    Jackie darted her eyes, looking at Maddie before Tracy fell down screaming again, ¡°Guys, shut your eyes, it helps it a tiny bit!¡± She does so herself, ¡°Crap, was there a spot we didn¡¯t see or-?!¡±


    Aiko quickly scanned across the land before making a hard stop and flinch away, ¡°I-I think it¡¯s growing¡ª¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®growing¡¯?!¡± Jackie shouted.


    River instantly went on her knee, clutching the one that¡¯s up, ¡°T-the influence! It¡¯s spreading!¡±


    Jackie felt the wavering against her back, then at her side, then to her other, she felt it closing in at the point of it being the new normal.


    And as she was wavering, it all clicked into place, and she was shaken to her core.


    ¡°It¡¯s snapping together, it¡¯s snapping together¡ªRIVER WAS RIGHT AND THE UNIVERSE IS TRYING TO CORRECT ITSELF; WE SHOULD MOVE!¡±


    It was too late to try.


    They were surrounded at all sides. After hearing River crash down, Jackie took the assault as she opened her eyes wildly, desperately trying to understand the situation. The wavering has grown in influence, closing them all in because it¡¯s shifting about itself, trying to correct, trying to readjust.


    They were stuck within the problem the universe is trying to erase.


    They¡¯re going to be erased. Thrown away. Removed. Nothing premediated, nothing planned. They were at the wrong place, wrong time, and made all the wrong judgements this day. The universe aimed to correct it all, and it¡¯s terrifying.


    They were trapped, on all sides, becoming consumed by the correction of reality. They tried getting up but were corrected. They jumped toward the ¡°walls¡± but were corrected. They flung a number of things from their bags, their pockets, and everything they could grab, but all attempts were corrected. They screamed out, from all the peaks of their collective lungs but were corrected. They tried getting up but corrected. They tried getting up but corrected. They tried getting up but corrected, again and again and again. They tried to run, they tried to hide, they tried. The wavering then turned outright desolation, as the girls turn into blurs, slowly fading out of reality. They screamed, they pleaded, they withered, and then they quickly disappeared.


    Their attempt was to face reality so that they can outrun it, and they ended up falling out of it.

 (Episode I) A (Long) Time Coming

    The girls ran across the ground that was giving way to the flat void below them. It really wasn¡¯t their night.


    Jackie¡¯s sneakers, made for traction, ripped up the loose dirt from the ground, as it loses consistency, then form, then disappears. But she didn¡¯t care about her exhausted muscles possibly locking up in strain or letting the fear trip up her steadily tempo she¡¯s practiced, something she figured out and tailored it to suit her.


    But she was clearly worried about the normal girls behind her lagging behind, clearly not used to it. Everyone can run, the brilliance of the human evolution is the fact that we can run away from danger, allowing the adrenaline flow and rush just as much.


    The method, however, was how we pace said running. In a burst of speed, a human cannot overtake a cheetah. But a cheetah only can have that burst, whereas a human can jog or evade as soon as it gets ready to sprint, then dash themselves as the cheetah¡¯s inner workings take the brunt of its tax. The human will be laid up in bed for possibly a week, but they survive.


    Aiko was doing the best out of everyone, but it was precious little between sprinting like a cheetah and not being aware of that she¡¯s already taxed herself way too many times already. River already seemed to be at the end of her rope and merely is holding out for time, Maddie cursing and shouting in a effort to express her pain but it¡¯s still slowing her down, hammering her down despite that, and poor Tracy is stumbling more than running, at the back and the closest to the advancing edge.


    What was the Pell Forest¡ªor was it the Pell Forest? Is it a copy? Casted away section of the location? Either way, it was a fragment, not enough for a field. There¡¯s only the hill, with the wooden forest path that you normally have to walk down, as it crumbles away because it can¡¯t be that, mimic that successfully. Thankfully Jackie in her panicked state constantly look back and forth, to figure out something¡ªanything¡ªin this fresh hell.


    Like the area it tries to copy, down the stairs lead to a street into the city. Never mind the obvious falsehood of the depth, the problem was the horrible logistics¡­ It wasn¡¯t even the same part of the city where the forest and it met. It was ripped from another section near the harbor Jackie could only guess, warehouses darted about and the¡­Smashed up, beached docks. Her mind was racing, to be fair.


    She had to figure out how to guide the girls out of their funks and fast, or they¡¯ll go into an even greater existential trap. She saw Aiko¡¯s knee buckle during the sprinting, and she had to act now.


    ¡°STEADY,¡± Jackie roared, craning her head as she herself start to stumble, ¡°STEADY YOURSELVES¡ªFOCUS¡ªLET THE HEARTRATE GO DOWN INSTEAD OF IT EXPLODING!¡±


    She corrected herself again, following her pace as the rest dramatically slowed down themselves, ¡°DON¡¯T BE AFRAID¡ªJUST FOCUS ON KEEP GOING AND YOU¡¯LL FIND TRACTION! BUT GET TRACY JUST IN CASE!¡±


    Tracy was basically running on a treadmill leading into a hole, screaming, crying, turning into an absolute wreck as she pleads not to fall in. River was right in front of her yet behind, on the same pace, extending her hand and saving the redheaded girl and flinging her forward. Now all of them are so close to the edge, meekly buying their time. Time, cruelly, isn¡¯t a factor in this run. Like the Shift before it, there could be a case that they could¡¯ve been running for hours or minutes, or it¡¯s seconds: running down a hill, just a hill, yet they haven¡¯t made any headway.


    It wasn¡¯t until Maddie gasped out was there any notable change.


    The ground broke at a different pace. In segments, clumps, then it quickly tumbles down and away. What was controlled sprints quickly turned into desperate lounging. Each of the girls in their own ways nearly got caught up in it all, and the worst part of it all is the fact that their collective screams are running dry as well. Maddie nearly fell in twice, clutching her leg as she tries to keep going. Aiko twitches as she tries to keep after Jackie. Tracy is running on her animal instructs because any and all energy have been drained. And River staggers along, nearly falling over versus falling in.


    Jackie tried to call out, but another curveball hit her square in the jaw. Then her throat and forearm, before getting pelted at the point of rising a bit from the very ground that¡¯s attacking them.


    The hill broke apart upwards as well as downwards now, debris rising and falling, disintegrating both in a reverse shower and intense downpour.


    They tried to keep their pace, they really did. There was only so much to do against something that was above pace, above logic.


    Maddie was the first to get swept up in the updrift, then Tracy, then Aiko, River and before she knew it herself as she tried to shield her face, Jackie was carried away as well. The soft rock juggled the girls up into the sky void, but the motions had no pattern, so the swarm only hit upward and irregular. Faces, elbows, guts, collarbone and lips. Then cheeks, throats, faces, guts, hands, shins, and ears. Over and over, relentless, aimless, and undaunting.


    It was only when Jackie was swept up into this mess, that she understood that they were trapped further within a trap. They¡¯ve been running so long that their physiology acted as their clock, and it was pointless. They were trying to move, trying to regain ground, when they were stuck in a place where time didn¡¯t matter, yet did only for the removal of the ground, removal of them.


    Each of them tried to fall, to reach the ground again, but was uppercutted multiple times with the broken earth, in multiple spots and areas. More and more, they were floating away from the shrinking ground, both in their clouding view and it¡¯s dwindling structure.


    This wasn¡¯t a plan, this wasn¡¯t premeditated, what came next. It was primal.


    ¡°JUMP!¡± Jackie coughed out, as she used her aching legs to do so, falling face first into the grassy side of the hill, hoping that she¡¯s leading by example.


    She did; the other managed to jump out of harm¡¯s way and joined her in rolling harshly down the hill.


    Jackie covered her nape and back of the head with her hands, feeling the false ground take, cutting and digging into her as the dirt compounded itself onto her as well. She hit her stomach flat onto the sidewalk¡¯s pavement, struggling to get up, glad in part for it because she needed to wait for the rest barreling down.


    ¡­Only to witness not only hers, but the rest of the girls left trails, empty streaks, due to them tumbling down. Jackie can only stare, in object terror, as she hoped that they try to evade each other¡¯s holes, for them to even notice.


    A scream indicated, validated, that hope; each one steered themselves in their downward spirals. River corrected her trajectory towards the further left of the hill, Aiko kept herself steady¡ªbut aware¡ªas she was closest to Jackie¡¯s streak, with Maddie and Tracy doing the same thing as River, but had the same problem as Aiko.


    As she got up, they came down, just in time for her to help them out. They were riddled with wounds, bruises and cuts spotted about, blood starting to cover them all the same. Panting, hurting, Jackie helped them along as she drags herself ahead, running down the empty, colorless street, straight into the warehouse she eyed.


    Jackie hunched over, bloody hands on her skinned knees, as she starts to heave out of exhaustion. The rest had their reactions, but all where united in pained sorrow, fear.


    She panted and looked outside the warehouse, ¡°LOOK AT HOW MUCH THE HILL¡¯S CRUMBLED! IT¡¯S GONE! IT¡¯S FUCKING GONE!¡±


    And that it was, the remnants caved into itself, swallowed whole. Giving a clear view to the skies that they haven¡¯t paid attention to¡­ How flat it is. How dull it is. Colorless as well, but in a different sense. Blue, but without any hues, texture, or volume.


    ¡°ALRIGHT,¡± Maddie attempted to snap everyone out of it, only coughing out the rest as she struggles to move to a crate to lean on, ¡°A-alright¡­¡±


    It was just a warehouse with crates and boxes laid out and about. Detail-less, colorless, breadth-less. A cover over the crate Maddie leans against being completely pointless, the hangar stapled against the paper walls overhead. Even the grime texture was clean, even square, in its looks.


    ¡°Anyone¡­¡± Maddie struggled to ask, ¡°Anyone fucked up? Injured bad?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t until that question was the nature of the injuries were made clear and felt present.


    Maddie¡¯s left leg was choked then skinned due to her jeans splitting, the threads doing the work. Tracy got a bloody, bruised nose which made her sniffling more pronounced. Not only were River¡¯s glasses shattered so badly only the frame was left, but the glass scattered some on River¡¯s cheeks, and only small fragments maybe in an attempt by her to get them away from her eyes in the fall. Aiko took the fall brunt of the various falls, caked with dirt contained by her rough skin all around her, stronger in some areas as she¡¯s shaking with dust.


    Maddie snapped at Aiko, which made the latter jump, ¡°Tourist, you got First Aid in that bag? If so, move it¡­¡±


    Aiko was going to comment on her tone, until Maddie motioned her head to a crying Tracy, covering her nose in a vain, pathetic attempt. Without a pause in her step, Aiko opened and dug into her back, pulling out that First Aid kit. Maddie noticed this, limped forward to grab it, and had to hold back a comment on that as she rushed toward Tracy to clean her up.


    Even after being done with her sickness, Jackie getting up was laced in pain and nausea. There was something about the process of being sick, that causes one to feel and become sicker. If it wasn¡¯t aching, it was the pain. If not the pain, it was the nausea. But the prevailing mood, which acted as an umbrella to contain each one then connected together, was her being crestfallen. What was this? Where are they? Is this even a place to answer those questions, when logic has left behind in the reality they fell out of?


    She wobbled, when she tried to stand. She tried to speak, but the acid was still fresh in her gullet. Who was she kidding, if not herself?


    She proceeded to back away a few steps, before planting herself onto the floor. There was nothing left to fight against the headache, so she rested her head into her hands. And in this murkiness of her mind, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the only sense, the only meaning of this world, was to prove to them that¡­


    No. Focus, she tells herself. Finish.


    ¡°River,¡± Jackie croaked out. She had to keep talking, so that she could clear her throat, keep it firm. ¡°Has anything you¡¯ve read¡­ Detailed any of this happening¡­?¡±


    She only shook her head. Her cheeks were rid of the small glass shards, leaving behind alcohol rubbed, centimeter indents.


    ¡°Please. Anything that you can recall, even the stupidest, vague details¡ª¡±


    River cut her off, all without raising her voice a fraction. The monotone that was made light of was laid heavy, and noted here, ¡°I know and read and heard of the craziest, dark, and fucked up the Shift has done. Stuff they don¡¯t tell anyone. Secondhand information sure, but all the same, I¡¯m just as lost as you all are.¡±


    Then she closed her eyes gently. Acceptance, it seemed like? Then Jackie caught her eyelids trying to keep themselves still, shut. Resignation.


    ¡°Well we just can¡¯t accept that!¡± Tracy had her nose cleaned, bandaged, and stopped up. Her eyes by contrast were bulging out of her head almost, and the fact that they were bloodshot twice over did not help in absorbing this image that steam rolled her previous one. ¡°Where are we?! What part of the Shifts that cause this?! You can¡¯t just say¡ª''oh all the crazy shit I¡¯ve heard and nope, this isn¡¯t on it despite it being insanity given form¡¯! It¡¯s pointless to say something like that, so tell us what you know!¡±


    Maddie¡¯s audible whisper of ¡°holy shit¡± perfectly encapsulated Jackie¡¯s reaction. She was too staggered by it to respond, to deescalate this.


    Tracy turned to Maddie, ¡°And make sure not to give her anything else if she doesn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Whoa there lady listen, let¡¯s not drag me into all this,¡± Maddie retorted back, staring her down as she continued to wipe Aiko down with sanitary wipes.


    ¡°Let¡¯s answer your questions with another question,¡± River responded and simply did, ¡°Since we¡¯re at the point of threats. Don¡¯t you think, in the 50 odd years of reality wavering back and forth, crunching and then stretching, that there was ever this sense of stability? And after all this damage, this so-called stability lasts? Let¡¯s face it. There¡¯s nothing that can explain this. This is simply a thing that¡¯s happening because existence itself is being worn down. This is the debris, the leftovers. And now we¡¯re the debris and leftovers.¡±


    The young woman that was fling accusations, that was attempting to perform ultimatums, that planned and parse her words¡­ Could only make a squeak in the aftermath of that.


    ¡°FUCK!¡± Maddie roared out in anger, throwing the kit down. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what the fuck that means and I get it!¡± She proceeded to kick it away, as it spun out on the floor. ¡°Out of all the ways this fucking place fucked me, it does this. I should¡¯ve fucking known, it was gonna be something like this.¡±


    ¡°Okay, fine,¡± Jackie interjected, can¡¯t allow for more breakdowns, ¡°Let¡¯s figure this out then.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Maddie spat at, ¡°Before we lose our minds when we ¡®realize¡¯ that we¡¯re stuck or before we all starve? Or kill each other?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t get to that because we¡¯ll be together, racking our brains around this, using everything we have left. Then yeah, all is lost.¡±


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t it ¡®all is lost¡¯ now Police Cadet; fucking spell out better than she did!¡±


    Jackie just looked at Maddie, then got up, taking her a few, pregnant moments.


    She then raised her wounded fist and took a hard swing against the crate, the impact shattering into a wide, gaping hole.


    The rest can only just stare at her, then the crate, then her again.


    ¡°Right,¡± Jackie said ¡°calmly¡±, pulling her splittered hand out of the wreck. ¡°There. We know it¡¯s fragile. Fake. That¡¯s a first head start.¡±


    The rest of the girls are now huddled together, just starting at the girl that has literally proved that she¡¯s strong enough to knock every single one of them out cold. While still being injured.


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re just as fucking crazy as the rest of us¡­¡± There was nothing venomous about the comment Maddie made, just awe.


    ¡°Actually quite the opposite, I¡¯m sure I¡¯m the only clear-minded person here,¡± Jackie then grabbed the stray bandages and begun to apply it to her hand, continuing, ¡°So let¡¯s expand on that, use it. This world, this whatever it is, is totally and utterly fake. At the point where it can be easily broken with the slightest action. Maybe it can be broken out of? Broken through?¡±


    And with her ¡°bandaged¡± hand, she walked about, gesturing to describe her words, ¡°If we can breakthrough, maybe that can get us back to our home? Back to the forest, maybe? Though the area for that¡¯s gone, so maybe we¡¯ll come back to¡­¡±


    Nothing was said. And there was nearly nothing but fear within the other¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°¡­¡± Jackie then sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m¡ª¡­ I guess it¡¯s what I said to you all. I hate not being able to do something. Anything. I was sick of it then; I still am now. Sure, I¡¯m crazy, but¡­ Please¡­ Let¡¯s just push through this.¡±


    The silence continued, before Maddie offered her own sigh. ¡°At least lemme see that hand that you literally banged into wood then pushed it all in further¡­¡± She gathered the remnants of the kit and undid Jackie¡¯s work, getting ready to pull the splitters out. ¡°Y¡¯know, you can¡¯t start speaking sane, then do something fucking crazy, then back to sane¡­¡±


    Jackie smiled, which quickly turned into a twisted wincing as Maddie started pulling out the wood.


    ¡°Plus hey,¡± Maddie smirked, ¡°I can get payback doing this. I think you¡¯re on to something with this constructive shit.¡±


    ¡°Fwwwuauafair enough¡­¡± Jackie whined out. ¡°Baaack to the musing¡­¡±


    There was no sound, no echoes or ambience in this ghost trash heap. No sun and its rays really, it was just clear. No rhyme, no reason, but only because this normally happened.


    ¡­Or is it¡­?


    Jackie looked out the window, the vehicle that gave her the sight that nearly broke her¡­ The tear, the soft light, ripped across the fake sky, now giving her a shred of hope. All the debris begun hurling heavenward, and systematically spiraling into the void.


    ¡°See girls,¡± Jackie using her own hand to point at it, can¡¯t help to brim with something she taught that she wasn¡¯t capable anymore. ¡°There¡¯s always a way. You just have to believe it. You just have to fucking believe¡­¡±


    Maddie was done picking out the visible wood, and proceed to rub the hand down in alcohol, ¡°Well¡­ Still, that can be anything, really. Some shit to a parallel world or even somewhere in space¡­ And if it is a way out, we can¡¯t fly there.¡±


    The fact that Maddie¡¯s response came with the stinging of her wounds as not lost to Jackie, as she grunts in thought and pain, gritting her teeth slightly. She grabbed a piece of the crate, starting to throw it up in the air. Up-fall-catch, up-fall-catch¡­


    And when the idea occurred to her; up-fall-catch and throw right out of the window, as hard as she could.


    The rift, the bright hope that was so much so, seemed to irradiate an aura that completely undid what the wooden piece was as it soared closer that it could get. Not turn it into ash or dust per say but breaking it down until it couldn¡¯t anymore. Like the forest. Like the hill. And maybe like the rest of this world.


    The reason why Jackie chose to grit her teeth completely was out of anger versus the brief pain. Of course. It had to be just as complicated¡­, she thought.


    She had to keep thinking, keep going, so doubt didn¡¯t set it¡¯s claws back in again, ¡°Okay, two options. We¡¯re destroyed into non-existence¡­ Or it¡¯s like¡­ Star Trek? Where things are broken down and then transported. PATH-OS turns its passengers into a different state to ignore physics, but it doesn¡¯t break them down¡­¡±


    The term ¡°break down¡± was mumbled about, as the rest watch Jackie. Maddie finished her patchwork and limped to her spot and sat back down, groaning. River is now looking down, listening but not engaging. Tracy was practically on tenterhooks, wanting any form of solution and Aiko still looked distant, still taking this all in, stuck on something.


    ¡°Because if it were just outright warping, destruction¡­ It would¡¯ve been over before it even begun. We would¡¯ve been a pile of warped, hammered down flesh and then we get processed into the hole again and then died. Or not,¡± Jackie shivered at that thought. ¡°This is weird. This is different. This is all maybes and what-ifs, I know that¡­ But this whole thing here is just based on replicas it seems like... It seems like¡­¡±


    Jackie snapped then pointed at River, ¡°Stack overflow? What if this is just a very weird version of stack overflow?¡±


    ¡°¡­I mean¡ªI guess¡ªIt¡¯s really a stretch,¡± River exasperated. ¡°I get what you mean, but the process that we¡¯re guessing on, a lot of it breaks down in the face of that or we really jam that in¡­¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jackie groaned, ¡°But it¡¯s the closest thing that came to mind¡­ Or maybe a glitch, something along those lines. You said that the thing that trapped us is the universe trying to right itself again. So why not expand the thought? Maybe this is the universe suffering stack overflow and it¡¯s correcting slowly it¡¯s memory issue?¡±


    ¡°Can you please translate this shit that doesn¡¯t require some Computing degree?!¡± Maddie shouted.


    ¡°Hey, you figured out that it dealt with computers¡­¡± Jackie pointed out.


    ¡°It was a mental coin flip, that or Engineering,¡± Maddie commented. ¡°Either way, don¡¯t give me credit like I actually paid attention to class.¡±


    ¡°To sum it up,¡± River proceeded to do, ¡°Stack flows were a common problem with computers back in the day. A program takes way too much memory that it can¡¯t use, and this happens, to put it in everyman¡¯s terms. You needed a programmer to fix the code or maybe the computer itself to correct it. The problem is¡­ Are we treating our whole entire universe as a program instead of the computer itself¡­?¡±


    ¡°Trust me, River,¡± Jackie sounded exhausted, ¡°I would honestly buy that we¡¯re just some app in a vast home screen to a very, very virus filled computer. Maybe that¡¯s the twist, something so beyond us as a thought and that¡¯s why we couldn¡¯t wrap our heads around this whole thing¡­ Still, yeah, it¡¯s fine for this to have holes it in and I¡¯m glad you¡¯re on them. But until we¡¯re faced with the tangible problems before us, we gotta work with this and go. There could be a timetable and we need to move along.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough¡­¡± River replied. ¡°So, running theory is that we¡¯re in an overflow box?¡±


    ¡°I love that name ¡®running theory¡¯,¡± Jackie grinned. ¡°I really love that. But yes, we¡¯re in the overflow inventory as the universe picks and choose recreating the areas hit by the Shift? Maybe just focusing on the structure instead of actually putting these locations back, hence the fakeness, this being a shell.¡±


    ¡°S-so, we can wait and let¡­ M-meta-nature take its course¡­?¡± Tracy asked, innocently, which niggled at Jackie. It¡¯s genuine, so it¡¯s not a fa?ade, but where did that flash of anger come from¡­?


    Jackie shook her head, ¡°No, can¡¯t do that either¡­ Otherwise, we get battered more by the debris or the process can do something that we can¡¯t handle¡­ As we are¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­What are you getting at¡­?¡± Maddie tilted her head.


    ¡°siVis. We have enough push for the pull that we need, from witnessing the Shift as little as we did, to the disappointing, and this scenario now. We all collectively went through the same thing, and as we just came down from¡­ It¡¯s clear that we¡¯re at our lowest¡­¡±


    The room looked at each other, Maddie solemnly nodding her head with a ¡°you got me¡± look, Aiko nodding as well, with Tracy meekly looking at the girl that she was going to deny medical attention from.


    ¡°So let¡¯s use that, instead of wallow in it,¡± Jackie tightened her fists, both of them, as she extends her arms out, ¡°Instead of giving into it, giving up, we¡¯re going to use it as a spring board to get us out of the darkness, out of this fakeness. It¡¯s our shield, our protection. It¡¯s the miracle we need to turn this fate worse than death into something that in no feasible way that we could¡¯ve survived from. And the best part? It¡¯ll come from us, that miracle.¡±


    She slammed her bandaged fist into her palm, and the girls flinched for her, ¡°We run, we keep ourselves active, and when this place twists and turns, we get closer and closer to one of the rifts and go for it. And during those parameters, surely one of us achieve siVis during what kind of insanity this place spawns from. We¡¯ll be in a constant state of exhaustion, haze, and it¡¯ll be the perfect ignition. Otherwise, uh¡­¡±


    She rubbed her chin, ¡°We¡¯ll just find something that can take the brunt of the correction and basically universe-bob-sled back.¡±


    Maddie just blinked at her, ¡°I¡¯ve never met someone so responsible but such a kid about it.¡±


    ¡°¡­I mean¡­I like to think that I¡¯m very mature for my age¡­¡± Jackie mumbled as she puckered her lips into a pout, sounding like Maddie¡¯s overall point. She shook her head and reset into her standard face, ¡°Buuut that¡¯s beside the point. Questions? Concerns? Final thoughts?¡±


    ¡°So this resistant¡­sleigh¡­¡± River began to query.


    ¡°Hopefully our shared ¡®Rosebud¡¯, after all this is over¡­¡± Tracy added.


    ¡°Ha,¡± River chuckled a bit, ¡°Nice. But to continue¡ªHow can we tell?¡±


    ¡°Other than the worse-case scenario where we¡¯re clinging onto stuff to not fall into the void and we so happen to find it?¡± Jackie tapped the crate with her foot, ¡°I figure that mostly everything is fragile, like the ground was, like this crate was. I shouldn¡¯t at all been able to do that, so I¡¯m applying the theory to the rest...And hey, to add to our running theory, if we got sucked up in here by being within a Shift-affected area, items and junk are no different! But in short¡­If it can not only handle us touching it, carrying it and ultimately hold our collective weight? It¡¯s our ¡®Rosebud¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I swear you people might as well talk in another language¡­¡± Maddie grumble. ¡°Like, how can people just talk in references? But don¡¯t worry, I got it, unless ¡®Rosebud¡¯ is some metaphysics concept or some shit.¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± River said, ¡°Turned out just to be some sleigh.¡±


    Tracy couldn¡¯t help to chuckle at that, her face crumpling again. Yes, this is what Jackie wanted. Focusing, getting together, pressing differences¡ªthe hazardous aspects of differences¡ªand moving along with what makes differences work, that¡¯s beneficial. Teamwork, friendships are delightful end-results that could be reaped, but Jackie wanted to hit the overall goal, the overall concept that she¡¯s learned: humanity¡¯s ability to gather, to work as a collective. It was always interesting to see selfish, angry people swear up and down to others that humans fuck over other humans, hurt one another, destroy each other. But when it counts? They got together when something beyond them, something they shouldn¡¯t theoretically care about and gives them an out to perform their beliefs, and they band together all the same. Despite reality coming undone seemingly, that¡¯s something that those Shifts can¡¯t warp or change: truth.


    The struggle to stand tall didn¡¯t feel like one for Jackie in this moment, ¡°We should get a head start, but we can rest if anyone elects to. Just know that we need to book it as soon as possible and the idea is to add to as much as our low point as possible. Objections?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Aiko spoke up for the first time in forever, ¡°We should get moving and we should do this now. The faster we do this, the better.¡±


    ¡°Whoa,¡± Maddie retorted. ¡°Who knew¡ªI honestly thought you were gonna live it up in this mess.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll ¡®live it all up¡¯ when I survive this,¡± Aiko pointed out, like this is obvious logic who was oblivious to it and other things from before. ¡°Like I said. I¡¯m not a masochist or whatever, I¡¯m not interested all that stupid stuff. I¡¯m only interested in what I¡¯m interested in. My way is nothing but trying to ¡®live it up¡¯ as much as possible¡­¡±


    ¡°Well shit,¡± Maddie said. ¡°Just¡­ You should¡¯ve made sure to make that come across well, hun.¡±


    ¡°You mean that I¡¯ll remember to make it come across,¡± Aiko replied. ¡°We¡¯re gonna get outta here.¡±


    Jackie smiled and nodded towards the girl, ¡°That¡¯s the spirit, Aiko. Love it.¡±


    ¡°But to pretty much answer that question,¡± Maddie stood up shaking. ¡°Might as well go.¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°Anything to get out of this situation¡­¡± Tracy stood up herself.


    River tapped her heel against the crate, before sighing and walking towards the group. ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can truly do other than this.¡±


    Jackie clapped her hands together, the pain only being a nuisance to ignore, ¡°Alright girls, here¡¯s how we¡¯re going with this¡­ We run, pace ourselves like I told you. Run in a formation where we¡¯re together, yet able to break off. We¡¯re going to search as we go, splitting off maybe into patterns of three and those three can find something and run back to us. Hand it off to those who¡¯re willing to do it and play catch-up. And when things get hairy¡­Stay close, move fast.¡±


    Maddie huffed amusingly, ¡°Heh. I like that.¡±


    Jackie moved toward her. The height difference was staggering, even when at a distance, she looked down upon her. Jackie nonetheless extended her bandaged hand and clasped her at the wrist. Surprised, then weirded out was illustrated on the small girl¡¯s face¡­Before she returned the favor, herself.


    The tall girl wanted to give Maddie stability, due to her limp making her hunched a bit, something that Jackie thinks she didn¡¯t notice. But she needed the morale¡­ No, all of them do.


    And with a gentle extension of her other arm, she motioned to Tracy who was nearby. She couldn¡¯t help to finch, that Tracy. And she couldn¡¯t have to pause, survey what Jackie meant and then analyze if she needed to return the favor. But she closed her eyes, sucked on her bottom lip. Despite herself, she came into Jackie¡¯s eventual hold, a side hug that she enjoyed a bit too much, before Jackie wrapped her arm around her shoulders.


    Aiko rushed in, looking for any entry into all of them. Had she known what Jackie was going for or was she just wanting in a possible group hug she never experienced before? Jackie didn¡¯t know. But she ended up just grabbing Maddie¡¯s other hand tight, Maddie shaking her head and withholding a curse or a flurry when she just nodded towards the constricted hand and Aiko took the hint, smiling goofily at her.


    Jackie expected to convince River, but was surprised when she turned her head. Sulking, hands in her pockets, looking everywhere but Tracy, standing near her side. In a move telegraphed by guilt, Tracy then slowly put her hand on River¡¯s back, patting it, then resting her hand on her shoulder.


    As Jackie recalibrated the bond between her and Maddie, but still grabbing her wrist but both facing forward, she couldn¡¯t help but reconnect to an old memory, something else she thought she lost.


    Semi-Finals, 4<sup>th</sup> quarter, Basketball season. Or rather, the last Basketball season. Before the shutdown, and that was affecting her team¡¯s play, and they were losing. Bad. They huddled together during the break, a team when they approached her time and time again and she said no, but in this moment, during this overwhelming emotion, she was finally with them. They pulled themselves together, and of course they didn¡¯t pull a victory, but they pulled out all the stops. She and her former friends achieved something in their darkest hours. She remembers the feeling and taste the tears all over her face and they didn¡¯t all belong to her.


    ¡°Maddie, Aiko, Tracy and River¡­¡± Jackie felt a bit clich¨¦. ¡°I¡¯m going to get you all out of here.¡±


    The girls responded in their own way.


    Jackie then gained confidence, ¡°We¡¯re going to get out of here!¡±


    Then they were shocked at first, but a resounding ¡°yeah¡± came about when they got wind of what she was doing.


    ¡°We came in here lost; we¡¯ve been lost for so long even in our universe changing before us. We¡¯re normal, nobodies, strangers to one another. But now we¡¯re gonna prove that we got this.¡±


    All murmurs of agreement.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got this! We¡¯ve figured it all out! We¡¯re gonna finally prove to the universe that we matter!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± the rest chanted, in their own ways.


    ¡°This is our life!¡± Jackie roared. ¡°Now let¡¯s go, girls!¡±


    They all walked together, despite the size, the rhythm, the differences and creeds.


    They all scanned the environment, the harbor-warehouse-business district was just a long road, stretching on and on. Plenty of buildings of different forms, plenty of chances.


    Lining up in the middle of the street, they all uncoupled from one another and started to prepare. Maddie rolled her shoulders, Aiko moved side to side lightly to rekindle her energy, Tracy tightened her fists, and River breathed and out. Jackie just looked at the road ahead.


    And with that, they stood together as they ran.


    Jackie formed the sharp tip of the arrow that formed, as the rest formed the ridges. In this formation, they ran past the warehouses as each one was a repeat of the one they stayed in, just in different orders and patterns, something clear by passing glances. No uses here.


    So they jogged towards the so-called business district of the harbor-warehouse-district; lines up different skyscrapers made of the same material, even if it didn¡¯t suit the design. Blue window planes that couldn¡¯t be seen though, lined on the sides of thick, gray structures. The same door that the girls need to open.


    Three darted off to the side, breaking formation, followed by the remaining two that went to the left. Jackie kicked down the paperthin door and Aiko scouted about the makeshift lobby, Jackie following their lead. Their eyes were trained at the contents of the room versus the layout, they¡¯ll hear about that when they get out, they were sure. Aiko tugged at the leather chairs and they tore like tender meat from the bone, Jackie instantly tore down the wall. Both grabbed for the front desk and it separated into pieces in their hands with the slightest lift. They moved on and raced out the door, meeting the other three as they reformed.


    ¡°Desks, chairs and stuff in yours?¡± Jackie breathed out.


    ¡°Nah,¡± River gasped out, and regained her breath to respond further, ¡°Not even a different pattern thing, different layouts and stuff hopefully¡ª¡±


    Jackie nodded, and she returned to spearhead the operation.


    It was both crushing and hopeful. Different rooms caused different facets of hope to alight then extinguish. Coffee tables, windows, racks; they would¡¯ve resorted to rugs had they not undone themselves as soon as they rushed literally over and on them. The exhaustion and pain started to settle in, where it became a part of their consciousness versus being at the edge trying to worm in. Not only their bodies ached, but their minds as well.


    It wasn¡¯t good, but it was more or less perfect. It was getting as complicated as the conditions to achieve siVis permitted. Few more rounds of this and no doubt something would happen. And if something never came; they will make it come due to one of their breakdowns. Jackie hoped that she fully absorbed how utterly torturous this is, to even think about this choice and how it¡¯s the only one, she hopes that such information would be the thing that sets her off.


    But of course, even this false world had different plans.


    Traction didn¡¯t become difficult until they noticed the street getting steeper.


    The whole street was beginning to slowly rise upward. Not peel backwards, not become a hill. But erect.


    ¡°¡­You have to be fucking kidding me,¡± Maddie, too exhausted to even react, much less try to right herself as she started to slide down.


    ¡°Crap!¡± Jackie grunted. She quickly grabbed Tracy which spooked her, but River quickly grabbed Aiko on her side, which made the rest catch on, forming a human chain. They took off, staying close, moving fast.


    Their legwork was slowly becoming feeble, every run turning into uneven slipping as the street didn¡¯t stop. Their target, the next building was right there, but the incline and it¡¯s troubles came into reality, once again plunging them into a trap that they can¡¯t make any headway, any choice to move forward. They peeled out, the time for pacing was done, like a car on a frozen lake, only making movements to the swaying, the side to side, and backwards.


    Desperate, they moved to the sidewalk, in hopes for something. The change of pace gave them the momentum they needed, Jackie quickly grappling the door frame, so that they can finally have the anchor to climb. With the power of the human chain scaled the vertical plane successfully, going into the room as the building is at its side.


    This tenth or eleventh near-death experience ended up something good at least; it gave them time for all the furniture in the lobby to smash against the walls, as they slowly walked into the shattered remains. Heavy breathing filled the air and their echoes carried throughout the buildings.


    ¡°So,¡± Maddie coughed out, ¡°Anyone able to move shit with their minds or create doors or some shit yet?!¡±


    Tired, solemn headshakes followed.


    ¡°How does it work anyway,¡± Aiko brought up. ¡°How does it look like? What does it even feel like?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± River flatly said and her stare that looked around the tilted room. ¡°You¡¯re not all saying you didn¡¯t look up the signs?¡±


    ¡°Well I didn¡¯t,¡± Aiko instantly said. ¡°I was hoping you all did¡ª¡±


    River flopped her arms to her side, ¡°Well shit, people¡ª"


    ¡°I did, I did¡­ But even then, they¡¯re more broad guidelines¡ªdiscoveries th-than symptoms¡­¡± Tracy answered.


    ¡°Hell yeah, that¡¯s what I meant,¡± Maddie rubbed her face with her hands. ¡°All the videos and shit I saw, the only thing that was common was that there was light, the camera fucked up, and there was tons of screaming. But there was videos were the powers came first and then it cuts to the poor fuck doing what I just said. It¡¯s random as fuck, trying to get it and how it happens¡­¡±


    ¡°The leading theories are basically¡­ It¡¯s very complicated. Complicated as the person who achieve it,¡± River looked at Jackie. ¡°It¡¯s not just the weirdness that shatters open the person, it helps the mood, but it¡¯s a mood setter all the same¡­ Apparently, we haven¡¯t suffered yet because maybe we¡¯re too normal to be complicated.¡±


    ¡°Buuut, wouldn¡¯t being too normal thus becomes complicated in of itself?¡± Jackie asked.


    River paused, her head went down, heavy with thoughts. ¡°It really says how desperate we are that I honestly buy that.¡±


    ¡°Still,¡± Maddie pressed on, ¡°What if we just can¡¯t do it? What does it exactly take for it to happen?¡±


    Jackie was hit with another revelation, and the realization that it wasn¡¯t the answer followed right after.


    ¡°¡­The feeling of witnessing reality warping before your very eyes,¡± Jackie answered.


    ¡°¡­I mean,¡± Maddie stated the obvious that was obvious to her, ¡°Duh. That¡¯s why we did what we did¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, no,¡± River interjected, ¡°Expand on that.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not just seeing all that before your eyes, it¡¯s not something that just¡­ Because I had a breakthrough moment before we all got plunged into this, yeah? If that was me, witnessing the might of the Shifts, and my eyes, my mind reconciled that this is truly something that I shouldn¡¯t be able to¡­ Well, even if we were the ones that can¡¯t obtain it, there would¡¯ve been a flicker, there would¡¯ve been something if it was just¡­ Realization.¡±


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re right,¡± Tracy said softly, wide-eyed. ¡°O-otherwise, we would¡¯ve been achieved siVis even before this night. There is something more to it than just that.¡±


    ¡°So what¡¯s the last piece of the puzzle, people?!¡± Maddie asked fervently. ¡°What¡¯s the thing that we teenage girls managed to crack when 50 or 60 whatever years of Brainiacs lost their damn minds trying to figure out on their own?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing,¡± River began to point out to her, ¡°Maybe they did figure it out. And maybe on some level since siVis is such a big open secret sort of thing; they tell people what they need to know and that in of itself has levels to it, but¡­ What if it¡¯s a thing they figured this out and¡­ It¡¯s too new of a concept to even think about as they are¡­¡±


    Jackie nodded solemnly, ¡°Living like this, trying to accept that everything you once knew was a mere microcosm to pure insanity, watching it happen before your eyes, experiencing it for yourself; all these things aren¡¯t the source after all. It¡¯s the ignition. The keys, elements, that need to swirl around. All that combines to create a new feeling that thus changes the rest of you. Both and beyond an evolution and an epiphany. I think that¡¯s siVis.¡±


    And then they all fell silent, trying to process that alone.


    ¡°Well shit,¡± Maddie let her arms flap to her sides.


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think I can have any of that,¡± Aiko said. ¡°I still don¡¯t even get what you even said¡ª¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s the trick,¡± Jackie tried to knead back the hair strains that were undone, leaving River to step up to explain further.


    ¡°It is totally and utter bullshit, yes. But it¡¯s total and utter bullshit because we¡¯re us. This is the kind of realm that we were trying to tap into here. Where our definitions and meaning of things, the human element, needs an update at an incredible, accelerated scale, and it¡¯s so foreign, so confusing, and so counterintuitive it¡¯s like chucking a smartphone to a caveman and saying, ¡®Hey, order some takeout for me, yeah? I need to finish my job resume in Docs. Card¡¯ll autopay for it, don¡¯t worry¡¯.¡±


    ¡°¡­Ooooh,¡± it dawned on Aiko. ¡°Because the caveman is human¡­ But we can do that stuff now¡­ And that¡¯s asking him to do something he could do in theory¡­ But it¡¯s too new¡­ Too much¡­ Even if he theoretically can¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­So, it¡¯s all flighty bullshit we can¡¯t make sense of, even if we tried?¡± Tracy said, scared.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s all flighty bullshit we can¡¯t make sense of, even if we tried,¡± River said, defeated.


    ¡°A-and we¡¯ve just wasted our goddamn time,¡± Tracy said in abject horror.


    ¡°We¡¯ve might¡¯ve just wasted our goddamn time,¡± River just simply said.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s an all in favor of Plan B if I ever heard one,¡± Maddie said dejectedly, if not trying to inject humor. The rest murmured as they slowly went to go look outside.


    Jackie was glad that they did, her hand gripping her forehead as it was coated with fresh sweat. She was glad that the haze, the confusion of the discussion completely hid the clear and damning ramifications. Maybe it did, maybe they¡¯ll come to realize what she has.


    This was a complete and utter fool¡¯s errand. Another dig, another blunt hit from the reality that was so absurd yet so absolute. That the so-called salvation that they all wanted, was just as complicated and needless as the forces that they needed it so that they could raise against it, fight against it.


    They were stupid, to do this. She was so, so, stupid.


    ¡°Just FUCK MY FUCKING ASS,¡± jogged Jackie back, she raced over to see what Maddie shouted at, over.


    ¡°¡­Oh fuck my fucking ass¡­¡± Jackie repeated, somehow making it sound like a tragic cry for help.


    The street proceeded to bend itself, blocking out the sky with its monolithic movements. It rained pavement from above, destroying the buildings like hail peppering a hill of salt.


    Aiko was already clawing into her backpack, pleading that she didn¡¯t lose it. She even tossed out the plans and ideas she had for weeks as her instincts were driving her. She kept glancing, scared, at her equally afraid victims, but she couldn¡¯t help it, she couldn¡¯t focus.


    She found it. Thank goodness that she found it, the very climbing/grappling rope that she pulled out earlier the night. She walked before everyone, one foot planted on the door frame as she poked her head outside to scan the area, finding a streetlight post. She began swing the hook-end, in rotation, even against the rock-sized pieces of street that hit and pinged off it. Her palm was getting seared by the rope but she couldn¡¯t afford to care.


    A toss, barely even making headway before falling back down, the rocks aiding the trajectory. She had to do it again, faster, more intense, more ropeburn settling in. She had to ignore the tears welling in her eyes in silence, throwing it again, and again, and again.


    Finally, just about it¡¯s base, it looped itself around the pole and became the girl¡¯s anchor. Wasting no more time, Aiko leaped to the sounds of protest from the screams of the others, grappling for her life and the hook to lock itself in place. She swung, tried to plant her feet on the sidewalk as she climbed back to the doorway, to the others.


    Her shout of ¡°C¡¯MON!¡± wasn¡¯t even heard or was made. The horrible sound of a building being crashed into rung in their ears, making Aiko jump upwards on the rope and the rest jump onto the rope; they call climbed and climbed, and eventually clung to the rope as the building was decimated by rockfall along with the others around it. The girls surroundings became nothing but the spray of glass, breaking of concrete and the rain of asphalt, destruction at all sides as they can only hope that it¡¯ll pass over. It¡¯s all that they could do, at this point.


    Jackie felt the drop of blood on her cheek, only peeking slightly to notice that River¡¯s left ear was leaking it. Even with the swaying of the rope being caused by the forces of destruction repelling them; this was truly their lowest point. She felt shivering, she heard panicked screaming and the sniffling of tears finally let out. No more exhaustion, it wasn¡¯t about that, now. This was it. This was it.


    At least she should try to act as the counter anchor for Aiko, and she found her sense of gravity to put her feet onto the sidewalk. Funny, how it worked out like that.


    ¡­Then Jackie realized that it was more than that. The pull of the fall below faded. Changed.


    They found themselves upright again, recorrected, back to what they were used to. The perspective of the world also begun to flip, as the girls were standing on the ground again as the rockfall continued.


    They flopped to the ground, as if they didn¡¯t matter. And at the point, did they, they all thought at once?


    With not a beat missed, they scrambled toward the alley that was in their view, to find something of a makeshift shelter. The shadows of the looming street started to set in, and while the others booked for the alley without a though, Aiko quickly undid the rope, with Jackie struggling to help with her trembling hands and heart hammering her body.


    Jackie looked up and frozen where she was. A thick, comet of street was barreling towards Maddie, Tracy and River, none of them knew. But when they do, it¡¯s going to make them freeze in their tracks.


    It was time for Jackie to move without thinking.


    She charged towards it as if to tackle it, and only ran faster because her fears were confirmed as she pasted her new friends. The comet met, connected to the side, her thrusted arm, side of her head, and it smashed against her before crumbling into nothing, knocking her down into a spiral then skidding a bit as she fell on the same, heavily damaged side.


    Aiko was watching the whole time and sprinted leaving the rope. Maddie immediately turned back, screaming in a series of ¡°no¡¯s¡±, franticly. River was aghasted, and only could help Maddie and Aiko carry Jackie as they quickly got to her. Tracy was still there, frozen, trying to absorb what just happened. It was only until River came back to her, grasping her hand, did she move and yet she really didn¡¯t.


    It was awful. Broken, once toned, arm, roadrash covering it, plus her left side of the face, fresh and destroyed her tracksuit. Jackie only could make the noise that Maddie was all too familiar with; the ruddering noise coming from a nose trying, struggling, to breathe. Her eyes; once sharp, fierce, confident and hopeful. Vacant.


    The shadows grew darker, as Jackie couldn¡¯t make out anyone¡¯s face but Maddie¡¯s, as she was the only one close.


    Maddie found herself, wrestling the tall girl to get her to sit up in her scrambling hold, sputtering ¡°no¡¯s¡± when she had a mouth that always knew what to say. She had to find those words quick as Jackie fluttered those eyes closed.


    ¡°Non-nononono-non-n-no,¡± what fell out of Maddie¡¯s quivering mouth, ¡°Ja-Jackiejackiejackie, please, c¡¯mon, c¡¯mon, c¡¯mon, pleasepleasepleaseplease¡ªFUCK!¡±


    A swift slap was delivered upon herself, startling the others because they were sure it was going to be for Jackie. The crack jolted her awake, if not slightly as she couldn¡¯t hold her eyelids up, still making that horrid ruddering.


    ¡°Jackie, Jackie,¡± Maddie¡¯s sore cheek made the words sound somehow more painful, ¡°You have to¡ªyou have to stay with us, c¡¯mon man, just stay awake, think about something, any fucking thing, just keep thinking, keep staying with us, or me or your family or a-anything man, just c¡¯mon!¡±


    She was barely stirring, slurring her words, taking a while for Maddie to piece together what she was saying, ¡°¡­Wuzza¡­ Conc¡­ Concession¡­?¡±


    Maddie nodded shakingly along the process, ¡°Yeah¡ªyeah, concussion, and I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s mild or worse yet and I¡¯¡ªI¡¯m leaning toward it being pretty bad, so just keep those mean eyes open, yeah?¡±


    ¡°No¡­So much¡­Medical¡­¡±


    Maddie kept blinking away, she pointed at Aiko, snapped at rapidly even as she motioned toward Jackie¡¯s crooked limb, some of the blood covering her red shirt, standing out clearly, ¡°Yeah man, wh-when you live in a shithole like I do, y-you gotta learn how to do shit like this, a-actually I took it as some stupid elective at my shitty school and-and I actually l-learned a lot a-and yeah, focus on how weird it is; a piece of shit like me knowing anything and shit, yeah, yeah yeah¡ª¡±


    Jackie just stared at her in a daze, head wobbling slightly even as the crass girl is holding the back of it straight, tight. She jumped at the sound of ripping as Aiko tore the bottom of her own shirt completely off, giving it to Maddie and backing away.


    ¡°Jesus, you¡¯re all fucking ripped and shit,¡± Maddie tried to talk, quickly fashioning a sling for the battered girl, grunting out the next run-on sentence, ¡°I mean, I should¡¯ve known but fuck, can people break their teeth on them or what? Have you tried, is it something that happened with some weird dude that wanted you¡ªor-or girl, I don¡¯t discriminate, but holy shit we gotta wrap this up so you can still bench-press cars; you still with me?!¡±


    ¡°¡­What¡¯s¡­Even next¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Maddie replied trying to keep up the manic pace, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why we need that fearless leader brain of yours man, it¡¯s gonna be some crazy plan that¡¯s totally gonna work this time man, I¡¯m dumb as shit or I didn¡¯t care about all that stuff, so you gotta pick up my slack!¡±


    ¡°¡­No¡­¡±


    Maddie slowed to a halt, looking at a girl that was truly broken.


    ¡°¡­What¡­Is¡­Even next¡­?¡± Jackie struggled to fight back the tears. ¡°No¡­Point¡­ All of this¡­¡±


    And like that, the mean and proud girl¡¯s hardy walls came down, and she too cried, grubbling her next, coherent sentence, ¡°I¡¯m ¡®bout to fucking cry, yo¡­¡±


    Jackie nodded slowly, and reached up to her cheek with her hand, lacking total control.


    ¡°I knew it-it was over,¡± Maddie sobbed out, hiccupping as she continued to talk, ¡°I-I don¡¯t want it to be like this¡­!¡±


    ¡°I¡­I know,¡± Jackie mumbled out. ¡°We¡­We messed up. We should have dealt with¡­ Should¡¯ve been like Edith¡­Strong¡­¡±


    Maddie didn¡¯t question who that was and couldn¡¯t, as she tried her hardest to cry silently despite herself.


    Everywhere was encased in shadow, but Jackie couldn¡¯t help but to look up to where the sky should¡¯ve been. No one would find them. Not law enforcement, not Shift researchers qualitied to help, not even their families, their parents. Not even the deadliest recorded incident where people wanted siVis was this terrible, this strange.


    Funny how something she hated¡­ Feared¡­ She earnestly wanted to go back to in this moment. And she had to make peace with the fact that she and the others can¡¯t.


    She saw something come tumbling down, gleaming almost by the judgement of her clouded eyes. She welcomed it.


    ¡­But then she realized two things. That the ¡°gleam¡± looked like lights from far away on a street, and the fact that while it broke the last of the building, it wasn¡¯t breaking itself.


    It was a sign. A literal small, street billboard.


    Jackie tried to use all the coordination she had left the point, but it made enough noise for the others to notice. Gasps, mixed with surprise and overjoyed confusion, echoed as Aiko, Tracy and River instantly bolted over and tried to align themselves to catch it, raising their arms. Despite the debris it was causing as it hugged the ¡°wall¡±, the three girls stood their and painfully intercepted the sign brought it out of the world¡¯s perspective and put it down on its side, dropping it with a thud.


    ¡°Rosebud,¡± Tracy said deliriously, the light showing her face shifting from crying to smiling, ¡°Rosebud!¡±


    ¡°Rosebud¡­¡± Jackie repeated, softly, completely blown away herself.


    ¡°I-I¡­ Can¡¯t fucking believe it¡­¡± Maddie choked up. ¡°That¡¯s so stupid¡­ That¡¯s so unbelievably stupid¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s big enough for us all to huddle together and sliiiide!¡± Tracy cheered, possibly high on excitement.


    Jackie couldn¡¯t fault her, though. She wanted to be so, too.


    But of course, this world can¡¯t let her be, even as a possibility. It moved again, turning slowly as one side went one way and the other side countered.


    Jackie¡¯s mind raced but it couldn¡¯t make sense of the thoughts. She tried getting up, but she can¡¯t. Even with the head injury, her body locked up on her. Maddie felt this and helped her stand, struggling under her weight.


    ¡°Flip it on the metal side, quick¡ª¡± Maddie grunted out before straining out a noise, ¡°So it slides well, I guess¡­¡±


    Aiko and Tracy did so studiously, revealing what the sign said. Jackie let out an amused huff, as it pained her.


    It was some robot, a cute cartoonish design, giving a warm smile as much as a robot with an comical lightbulb for a head and his steel underbite jawline could, with a thumbs up with Davenport, a tourist shot of the island, in the background:


    LIFE¡¯S A CHANGING, AND THAT¡¯S OKAY


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know if this is going to work,¡± confessed River, her hands lifting her clumps of hair she has in each. She was in the light rays the sign produced and in the darkness.


    Maddie shot her a glare, ¡°Well alright Einstein, give us a physics lesson real quick.¡±


    River shook her head slowly, and her voice was drenched in stress, ¡°I¡¯m no¡ªI¡¯m not even smart¡­¡±


    ¡°WE¡¯RE NOT DOING THIS NOW,¡± Maddie roared at her, and she walked close to, somehow getting into her face without being nowhere near, ¡°You¡¯re fucking something¡ªWorth it, useful¡ªThere, you¡¯re fucking useful! So be useful in telling us what we need to do!¡±


    The increased rumbling aided her nodding, River let go of her hair, ¡°M-maybe momentum, a push, and h-hopefully¡­¡±


    ¡°Got it¡±, Maddie put Jackie down first onto the sign, ¡°Tracy, you¡¯re a bit thick, let her rest her head on your lap.¡±


    She only sputtered, but it was a response none the less, she climbed on and sat seiza style, carefully raising and putting Jackie on her lap as ordered. Maddie grabbed the ¡°front¡± of the sleigh, River and Aiko at the ¡°back¡±.


    They rushed out of the alley, the board sliding well enough as they come out on the street, watching the last of the buildings cross onto themselves.


    Yes, buildings were flying into other buildings.


    But the debris, the junk, was suspended in the ¡°air¡±, as the plane was still twisting about in ways that ultimately, the girls didn¡¯t care to worry about anymore. The very same was beginning to happen on their side.


    Maddie planted herself at the front, ¡°Alright. This shit is about to get crazy. Give us enough juice but hurry on, you got that?¡±


    Both River and Aiko grunted in agreement.


    ¡°¡­Man, I make for a shitty leader, eh Jackson?¡± Maddie joked but also made sure she was still with her.


    Jackie laughed, coughed, indicating that she was.


    And with that, River and Aiko dashed along, pushing the sleigh as it headed straight for the twisted maelstrom they had to face. The road was not only ripping but beginning to twist forward again. Using both the motion and their gained speed, the sleigh took off and both Aiko and River jumped on and joined the rest who held on for dear life.


    There was no form, no shape in which they¡¯re approaching. The junk twisted into something that¡¯s close to a cluster, a field twirling with trash. From the front and the back, at opposite ends in opposite in directions, as the girls¡¯ Rosebud dived down and instantly impacted the large chunk, jump, sliding, onto the next and the next. Soon, they were sliding and jumping off the various debris, chunks of ground, pieces of wall, even shattered windows. Was it because they stumbled upon a nice rhythm of using the twisting and finding a way to ride it?


    There was no time to ask questions, to react, they used their tired arms to hold on, used their tired body to steer as much as they could.


    The shadows parted as the street and building remnants broke down into chunks. Even the 2D sky was becoming disturbed, giving way to the core, the center that they were far away from, their first hope.


    The tear grew in size, and its glow was illuminating. They all looked at it as they continued to drift. There it was. That is their last chance.


    They rode on, through the rough landings, through the constant perspective flipping. Despite going all over the place, they grew closer and closer to their target. Due to the nature of the cluster fields, they twist and twist closer to the rift, as the last ¡°ring¡± orbited oh so close.


    They couldn¡¯t take in the exact detail, the exact reasoning why this is happening, they weren¡¯t focused on that. They clutched at their respective part of Rosebud until their nails were white, what matter was what came up ahead next, and they constantly checked the status of the rift.


    Maybe the head injury made her closer to her emotions, but Jackie found herself crying again. Finally. Finally, this nightmare that had no passage of time, that was made of fakeness and fear, and was surreal just for the sake of such, was over. It was all finally over.


    Just before the final loop, everything, including Rosebud screeched to a halt.


    This catapulted Jackie and made the others twitch to hold their places as they looked on with horror.


    Jackie fell and landed on a small, but body-sized chunk. Her motor controls still shot, she tore, she clawed, she practically dug her fingers, of one hand, into the mass. She hit her broken arm in the process, and her vision swam as she arched in pain.


    She looked up, and she was practically a block or so away from the girls, but she could here them trying to slide down to meet her again. But it was fine, at least¡­


    Then Jackie looked down. The rift that was expanding in size was shrinking second by second. The light dimming. Both from it and Jackie¡¯s eyes as she took it in.


    Of course. It had dawned on her why this world was so terrible. For every, single, action they took, it countered it. And it wasn¡¯t methodical, it wasn¡¯t planned, at least from the surmising of her feeble, human, meek brain and worldview. The fact that it was this aimless, unstable world that acted on not even rhyme nor reason, was enough for her to scream primally.


    She was expending the last of her energy and she didn¡¯t care. She wrecked her head around, causing the pain inside it to be worse. She screamed and she screamed, and she screamed, until her throat couldn¡¯t allow her to. Regardless, she had something to say and it needed to be said.


    ¡°Over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over aND OVER!¡± the strain on her voice was the only thing holding back her fury. ¡°YOU DENY ME EVERYTHING, YOU TAKE AWAY EVERYTHING, PIECE BY PIECE! AND FOR WHAT?! IS THIS WHAT YOU ALWAYS WANTED?! THAT YOU WANTED A REACTION YOU CAN¡¯T EVEN USE, GET A KICK OUT OF?!¡±


    She heard Maddie, or someone, calling to her as they get closer, but it was all muffled, nearly muted by her rage towards the environment, the universe. She felt her grip getting heavier, and¡­


    Or rather, she felt that.


    She looked down and she whimpered. Her legs were systematically broken down, spiraling down into the void down below. Dark. Impenetrable. And she didn¡¯t feel a thing.


    This was it.


    She felt a hand grab hers, she looked up. The girls, Maddie front and center, formed a chain to pull her up. But she isn¡¯t budging.


    ¡°Weeee¡¯re gonna get yooooou ouuuttta thiiis!¡± Maddie strained, clearly out of energy herself.  Soon, her body will lock, along with the others, and they¡¯ll all meet the same, terrible fate.


    Jackie moved her nubs idly, and it dawned on her.


    ¡°¡­Let me go,¡± barely a whisper.


    ¡°NO!¡± Aiko shouted, so far from the back, practically sweating buckets.


    ¡°No. Let me go,¡± Jackie insisted.


    ¡°N-never!¡± Tracy squeaked out yet went up a pitch. ¡°What happened to the bravado?!¡±


    ¡°Jackie, I know you can¡¯t feel anything or some shit, but you¡¯re really--!¡± Maddie was cut off.


    ¡°No, I do feel something. Familiar. Super familiar¡­¡± Jackie glanced down, moving her nubs more, to get a confirmation. ¡°Ground. And not just¡­ Not just any ground. I know those loose floorboards from anywhere¡­¡±


    Maddie eyes got bigger than Jackie was ever expected, as the grip loosened a bit, ¡°Y-you mean¡­?¡±


    Jackie looked at her, then River, then Tracy, and finally Aiko, ¡°It¡¯s worth a try. One final try.¡±


    Maddie then turned to the struggling girls. They knew that they were kidding themselves when they wanted to save her, to give her the humane illusion that she could¡¯ve been saved. But they were equally tired, equally broken.


    She let go and then watched Jackie break into pieces, swirling into the void. She then jumped in herself, same effect. Then River dived in. Then Tracy, closed her eyes shut, leaned forward and sucked in. Aiko took steps back and performed a running start, leaping in. The world promptly was allowed to collapse, everything being devoured by the void until it was the very void¡¯s turn itself.


    It was like every psychedelic, mind bending interpretation every artist, everyone, had on the metaphysical, the beyond, but unrestricted. Nothing held back by the human mind, capability, technology and comprehension. And it would¡¯ve been unseen, untouched by said human experience until the girls made their choice. Were there colors? Were there shapes, sounds and structure? Where were they? It was all so much bigger than them, they were mere specs despite unable to sense themselves in such grandness. Then came something, a sequence, that was understandable, recognizable, especially to Jackie.


    The countless centuries that were so alien yet was building foundation toward what they knew, the collective birth of civilization, the birth of kingdoms and dynasties, the fall of Rome, the Napoleonic Wars, discovery of the New World, the revolutionary birth of America, the two World Wars, the two bombs, the tangible paranoia that ruled over decades, the man on the Moon, the corpse of the President on the motorcade, the lone man in front of the tank, the tearing down of the wall, the two towers on fire, all there, all along at once with the other moments, stretching across the plane but still seen, maybe the moments were something she and the others picked or what they could make out.


    But then there was the shot of the most important woman in the world, getting warped by a freak Shift wave on live television, the tragedy that they lived through and understood since they were roughly five. Thus, came the cavalcade of the series of events and moments they all knew too well, unable to look away, this time. What was called a transition was instead a downward slope that even they figured then was a bad sign. The mood of existential dread that defined them and others. But they didn¡¯t have to watch any longer.


    The Shift Noumena, represented by a crawling infection, took over the moments of history, all of it a blur now. Tangles of writhing, eternal veins, twitching, becoming engorged and paving over even itself, a healed over scab that itself had marks that could never fix. Then it became just a flash. It was all a flash, in the end. A flicker in the expansive unknown that simply continued. The unexplainable. They all experienced this, and they can never explain this, even to themselves, for the rest of their lives.


    And it was all a moment, as if it all didn¡¯t matter. Jackie stood in the middle of her room, finally safe and sound.


    Jack Snr., her father, came rushing in by opening the door, with his wife Dawn behind him, ¡°Jackie?! What was that noise? When did you get in--?¡±


    He didn¡¯t know that his questions would¡¯ve been solved with answer that was so incompatible.


    All he saw was his only baby girl with totally blank eyes with a face twisted frozen with pure terror.


    What she wanted was finally given to her.


    Her skin went translucent, opening in sections under her own power. This extended to her limbs, arms, legs, all expanding outwards into pieces, but always meant to be somehow. Her screams, which were strained by her damaged throat, not only showed no signs of damage earlier, but grew louder, stronger, as if she finally found the hidden well of power.


    Said power shined out of the sections that her pieces of herself couldn¡¯t cover, the exposed tissue, and said light was flashing in some certain motion. Then it happened, as she separated into even more of her pieces and they all started to shift and connect endlessly, as she tried to move and continued to scream.


    Jack, not only knowing what¡¯s happening but dreaded it, shielded his wife as she cried out for their daughter, and that gutted him, holding her tightly for his benefit versus hers.


    Jackie has now become a shifting mass of her individual pieces, every time she moved illustrated with such detail, it lingered after each motion. She grabbed onto her desk for it to spilt under her power, she fell backwards into her poster littered wall only to break it with her might, she finally stumbled unto her loose floor, reaching out to her parents, only for it to cave in.


    It wasn¡¯t just Jackie. It was each of the girls, going through the same motions, in their respective homes. Maddie tried to run outside, away from her neighborhood, only to have everyone witness her come undone. Aiko slowly merged onto the bed that she almost never sleeps in and they couldn¡¯t pull her out. Tracy, alone in her apartment, turned it into a multi-loaded trap. And River in hopes of trying to breath, trying to calm down, only became ghastly.


    They did it. They achieved their siVis.

 (Episode II) (Growing Pains) Trauma

    She awoke and her awareness awoken further.


    She was here, whatever she was, it was still blurry, but she can hear farther, smell, and none of it was at all artificial, amplified or augmented. It came as perfectly natural to her, yet it was completely and utterly overwhelming, she attempted to shut it off.


    She can¡¯t, as her realization crystalized faster as well, because to turn off one¡¯s ability to sense doesn¡¯t make any lick of.


    She moved her eyeballs to search, and she felt how it moved in her head; heard it squish about when sound like that was barely noticeable. She realized what was ¡°blurriness¡± was her too focused.


    She wanted to turn the focus down, and the request was heard throughout her body. Ethereal and fluid as a thought, but distinct and felt like pain in an elbow, or the rumbling of a stomach. Her eye ¡°motion¡± had machinations that she couldn¡¯t describe but knew intimately, each component working together.


    Muscle movement, to the process of registering the sight, all coming together into her seeing. She felt the pings, the connections. And with her now quickened mind, she figured out how it¡¯s ¡°shaped¡±, able to ¡°interact¡± with it. She found how to adjust her sight and promptly lowered the focus.


    She now sees a sullen guy, dressed in medical clothes, crossing his arms as he looked at the ceiling.


    ¡­Hospital room¡­?


    She scanned the room with her hyperaware eyes and she felt her blood ran cold.


    Containment hub.


    The walls were too white, so sleek they were reflecting light that was rimmed at the bottom and the top of the bottlenecked chamber, the shine making it whiter, more sterile.


    Even the medic seemed pale under them, peach skin tone, blonde hair, blue shirt and navy pants, all washed out. The only thing that was a carryover from a typical hospital room were the brown-but-appears-to-be-khaki curtains. Other patients.


    The male medic stood up and the chair went down into the floor, per design. Hands behind his back, he looked at her, and holograms of information on her, right before his face, before he dismissed that.


    ¡°Jackie Jackson¡­Jr¡­¡± he began and tried to keep it professional. ¡°Breathe. That¡¯s all I want you to do, to focus on right now. Just breathe.¡±


    It was when she was trying to do so, everything felt wrong.


    Wrong, wrong, absolutely, categorically, terribly wrong. And with this heightened sense, this unlocked awareness, told her this factually and intimately.


    The male medic seems to understand this, but gave no gesture, no side-eye or nod that told her the exact problem is. Level head, staring right into her eyes, with a neutral expression.


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± he said. ¡°Ignore the feedback. If it¡¯s anything that¡¯s too much to ignore, tell me and we can stop. Just breathe, focus on the breath coursing throughout.¡±


    Jackie did what he said, focused on it, and she understood. The feeling of respiration started small, exclusively in her chest. Each inhale, each exhale, begun clearing the way for the breath to grow from chest, to midsection, chest, to stomach, chest, to waist. The reach expanded, and its influence was felt for the things out of reach.


    ¡°Good,¡± he said. ¡°Good. That¡¯s good. Now, I want you to do meditate breaths. Breathe in¡ªhold for 15 seconds, and then breathe out. Breathe in, hold, and then out. Breathe in, hold, and then out. This is to remind you that you can feel your body stress and relax. Feel that. Remember that.¡±


    She tried to push away the fact that she couldn¡¯t nod and focused on the meditative breathing. She didn¡¯t focus on the possible twists and knots that she was in, but the inside. How she could feel her breath guided the pulsing, the reverberation of her body, at each part. She felt her body live and focused on the wonder of having such a firsthand look with such.


    It wasn¡¯t so much the tension, she thought the medic was talking about, but minding the fact that she could feel herself breathe. And through that, the fact that she does have say in whatever¡¯s happened to her, if not direct it herself.


    The medic, who by this point Jackie deemed that he was good at his job, nodded with approval at her, ¡°Yes, just like that. We knew that you were an athlete so some of this would come naturally, but you¡¯re doing so in near-record time¡­ Which is good. Because this is the part that is insanely hard, and we can come back to this whoever long you feel.¡±


    The worst part of being at one with the process of your body, was the fact that you felt concern very fresh, very directly. The pings in the chest dug sharper, the stomach being an endless well felt deeper.


    That indescribable, hollow ache when you felt like utter shit¡ªtangible now. Somehow worse, now.


    ¡°Breathe,¡± he repeated. ¡°Breathe, because that¡¯s the greatest thing everyone is capable of. Breathe, and remember that your body is yours. Breathe, and keep yourself together.¡±


    He tilted his hand to express what came next, moving the hand and curling his fingers until his index, middle and his thumb touched every so close, ¡°Because¡­ Having that? Keeping that all in mind? It will help you for what you¡¯re about to do next. You got that?¡±


    She wished that she could communicate. She wishes that she couldn¡¯t be so freaked out that she couldn¡¯t communicate. But somehow, the medic got that she did.


    The medic closed his eyes and took the advice he was given to center himself.


    ¡°Okay,¡± he rolled his shoulder. He pointed to it. ¡°Reattach your shoulder.¡±


    There was absolutely no way that she could be prepared her for that.


    Her thoughts were producing faster than she could comprehend them. What does that mean, what else could that mean, where is the shoulder, why is the shoulder anywhere away from where it is, what exactly does she look like, would she even recognize herself; who, what, who, what¡ª


    No. She had to throw this away.


    She breathed. She felt her arm. And like her eyes; she felt each part of it connect into a functioning whole. She breathed, felt her arm, felt it all become her arm as she knew it.


    Jackie merged all the thoughts into one and directed her shoulder back into its socket. Something that should¡¯ve been so healing made her feel like an alien within her own body. She felt the arm recruit and reconnect in a sense, she felt her arm operative without her input, and she was choppily huffing for air.


    ¡°Ms. Jackson,¡± the medic said, ¡°Jackie, Jackie, Jackie. You don¡¯t have to rush. It¡¯s okay to feel the way you do know. But don¡¯t lose sight of what we¡¯re doing, don¡¯t lose yourself in this weird feeling. I¡¯m not going to lie to you, you¡¯re going to continue to be hit with this over and over. But all I ask of you is to remember what I¡¯ve said. Breathe. If you can¡¯t do anything else, just breathe.¡±


    She breathed, desperately, because she doesn¡¯t want control to be ripped out of her again. Things began to stabilize again.


    The medic didn¡¯t nod or congratulate her. He just started again, ¡°Reconnect your core.¡±


    What does that even mean? Jackie couldn¡¯t help but to think, over and over, in many forms and iterations. But she had to.


    She breathed, felt her midriff in different places, and pulled whatever was separated together using her core strength at the¡­lower part?


    ¡°Okay,¡± he said flatly, but not as monotone as River.


    The idea that she wasn¡¯t okay imbalanced Jackie¡¯s mind once more. It was a different level of stressful pain, guilt being so strong, so overpowering when she tapped out at the normal levels she experienced it before.


    ¡°Now let your jaw settle riiight back in.¡±


    She breathed in, then out. She breathed in, then out. She shuddered as she felt the jaw snap back, can¡¯t help to hyperventilate because she didn¡¯t know how she could breathe, versus knowing how to properly.


    The medic got closer, stepped to the side of wherever Jackie was looking. Maintaining distance but becoming personal. His hair was shaggy, a dirty blond, but at least he put effort into shaping it into a hairstyle. Clean-shaven, but his beard already is showing signs of coming back. Had clear blue eyes, but they were intense, invasive that often looked away. He was spindly, but Jackie had no judgement with that. She¡¯s sure she could bond with him over that¡­ Overall, for every plus, there was a respectful minus, equaling out to a very average fellow.


    ¡­Jackie didn¡¯t need any more thoughts gumming up her mind. Especially thoughts she hasn¡¯t worked on or built a wall for.


    ¡°We can wait, we can wait¡­¡± he repeated. ¡°There¡¯s only a few more you have to go through, and I won¡¯t lie, these are going to be very difficult. So, let¡¯s catch a breath, rebuild the mindset. Think nice thoughts to ease the mind.¡±


    Jackie couldn¡¯t help but scoff at that mentally. She did use positive thoughts to pull strength within herself, and that only served to be a huge unguarded hit. And clearly, the wound is still fresh and tangible, among the dozens of physical ones. Maybe the approach has to be something more, something equal to face against this crazy thing.


    Center herself? Clear the mind? Maybe let it all go¡­


    She closed her eyes, what felt like minutes. She countered the breathes, until they became tame again. The number itself didn¡¯t matter. She couldn¡¯t worry about the exact amount, just the fear ease away from the passage of time.


    She looked at the medic, indicating that she was ready.


    ¡°Click your joints straight.¡±


    And she wasn¡¯t ready, but she had to go for it¡­


    Jackie tackled three joints at once, creating a sickening, crackling sound. She couldn¡¯t twitch, she couldn¡¯t writhe, because she needed proper joints to react apparently.


    One at a time. Snap, snap, crackle, snap, twist, rejoint, smash that lead into a lock. Again, she should¡¯ve felt relieved and in the clinical sense, she was.


    The medic walked over back to the front again and that scared Jackie.


    ¡°One more thing. And it¡¯s going to be the hardest thing you¡¯ve ever done so far in your life. You can¡¯t stop this as soon as I say it, so there needs to be swiftness for the next one. I need you to trust me.¡±


    Jackie met his intense gaze.


    ¡°¡­Screw your neck back into place.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t afford to think about that, not at all, not at all, she felt what was the source of her lack of communication and the horrible shape it¡¯s in, can only watch her worldview spin around¡ªjerk¡ªand become twisted over and over, it took too long to do and yet couldn¡¯t be done fast enough, and once she felt her neck connect back into her body, was she allowed to shout in object terror.


    Jackie shot up, panting, hand rubbing her throat again and again. But no matter how much she shuddered, how much she audibly felt uncomfortable, it couldn¡¯t go away. The very thing she was afraid of was both herself and the sort-called answer to all her current problems.


    She came to when the medic clapped, spooking her further and all of the intuitive patient reading went out of the window.


    ¡°While I¡¯m happy, both as a person and as a medical professional-in-training, that you¡¯ve gotten through your terrible trail¡­ I¡¯m going to absolutely flame the series of life choices you¡¯ve made to get here.¡±


    He let his arms fall into his sides.


    ¡°Why? Someone like you, even skimming your history as briefly as I did, why someone like you?¡±


    Jackie had everything back, including the use of her neck, and yet nothing came out. She looked to the side, both left then right, and then glance down her hands, which look just as alien as it felt having the special perspective on them.


    The medic simply sighed, ¡°Of course there isn¡¯t an answer. You thought this was it, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    He wiped the air and the augmented control panel appeared. Through the clear and white buttons and frame, showcased him shaking his head as he did the action.


    Without warning, hexagons piled together to form a camera-mirror that showed Jackie¡¯s own face as she slowly looked up.


    She was completely healed, seemingly, but that was the least of her problems. She wanted to blame the camera, which had a tendency that everyone has encountered but never voiced, that the definition outlined away too much. The outline of the skin, the detail of the pores, the crisp motion of the person so sharp it¡¯s disconcerting. She wanted to blame it so bad, but she was sure that this is how she sees herself now, everything now. What ultimately got her, was the fact that her expression was so crestfallen, when she thought, she had all the control in the world to hide it.


    But that was the normalcy.


    Rings accented around each pupil. Puzzle-lite, keeping to the theme. Her blue eyes were crested with the mark for siVis, a pale frosted look with deep lines detailed across.


    She really didn¡¯t want to hear the nurse judge her more. She knew that she fucked up.


    But apparently, his room-reading prowess was either just an act, or he cared so little outside of the work that he will go on. The nurse said, ¡°To put it into perspective, you had a mild-to-severe concussion, broken bones--namely breaking your arm seven different places, near dehydration, torn muscles due to over-exhaustion, Shift warping and yet we have no idea where you all racked up this many injuries. And you did this for ultimately something that you already have. You nearly damaged yourself permanently, and you should be wary of that.¡±


    Again, she couldn¡¯t argue back, she simply nodded. Not looking at her face, can¡¯t look at her face more than a few seconds that felt too long.


    ¡°Because hey,¡± he gestured again, raising his arms upwards. ¡°You ultimately won. You got the thing you were after and it more or less held you together as the injuries took care of themselves. So, celebrate the fact that you got lucky, and didn¡¯t become the next horror story, the next tragedy. And let me tell you; I feel like the world can only take a few more of those right now, remove your family being crushed by such out of the equation.¡±


    He sighed again, wiping away the A.R.


    ¡°Oh yeah. I¡¯m Leslie Homer, and I¡¯ll be your nurse dealing with Shift and siVis related care for your stay,¡± Leslie added too little, too late.


    Of course you¡¯re a Leslie, Jackie groaned from within. Even the dig felt terrible.


    ¡°I can see you make a mean thought,¡± Leslie pointed at the side of the bed, the part that reached out further than the rest. ¡°This monitors brainwave activity, y¡¯know. Well, I did, you didn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°S¡­sorry,¡± Jackie formed the words, stopping because her lips moved before she did.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad that you can talk well, too,¡± Leslie responded, walking towards one of the pristine walls. ¡°Also, I¡¯m not really the one that should get that apology.¡±


    This is such a reversal of fortune, such a different scenario for Jackie. She could perfectly see herself saying exactly what Leslie was saying¡­ Well, warmer and understanding of social cues, but she could do the less. The fact of he lacked any grace to his words, how unflinching they are and the fact that he was totally right made Jackie hate him more than she would¡¯ve.


    But then it gets swallowed whole. The feeling of hate, the wash of shame, all swirled into the overall sense of the thing building even before the incident, before the decision¡ªthe very thing that made her choose to do this.


    Loss. Jackie honestly didn¡¯t know what to do now, and the fact that she got the answer despite that¡­


    Her wallowing made her miss watching Leslie get the canister in his hand, him turning the dial with the cranking wheel in the middle of the gun metal, slim tube.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to put on a little story that has to be told. In fact, I¡¯m obligated to do this for all my siVis victims,¡± Leslie shrugged. ¡°I should use the term used in said ¡®video¡¯, but maybe it¡¯s my personal views seeping in again. Are you uncomfortable with it?¡±


    ¡°¡­Un¡­Comfortable in the sense of I know how much I¡¯ve messed up and it stings more than the mess I¡¯m in¡­¡± Jackie said, defeated.


    Leslie didn¡¯t retort immediately. He tapped his foot, he looked at the canister, then up at the ceiling.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m not doing this, this whole spiel? To make you feel bad in the why you think I¡¯m making you feel bad. I¡¯ll elaborate after you¡¯ve received this full disclosure.


    ¡­At least Jackie thinks and admires that he can think about what to say¡­


    But she fell back into her bed, groaning, ¡°I feel like an utter bad kid. Like I¡¯m a bad kid and I¡¯m watching a Drug PSA after getting caught with weed¡­¡±


    ¡°More like hardcore heroin or opium¡ªbuuuuuut personal views, personal views¡­¡± Leslie added not one second after Jackie accepted his gesture, like a handshake turned assassination. Up close, barrel straight into the chest. She somehow sunk onto the bed more.


    With a swipe in the air, he commanded an overhead projector-scanner hybrid emerge. He aimed the inward lens directly into the way of Jackie¡¯s forehead. He inserted the canister and then backed away, arms crossed.


    Before the thought of ¡°At least with this watch, I¡¯ll get away from him¡±; Jackie was transported back in time as the stream of information poured directly into her brain.


    The scene was set, before she could realize that she was sitting in a fine leather armchair. From the wooden inner decor, a roaring fireplace that lit a dim room warmly, trinkets with Spaniard design lining the walls up and down, with a white carpet with a black ring pattern; this was home more than the office Jackie realized it to be.


    Notes were scattered across the carpet, textbooks of nearly everything at the time littered and filled corners. Markable drawing boards took over the walls more than the trinkets did, and a unmistakable sight gave Jackie enough clues to what exactly is going to happen.


    A desk, that was more machine than it. Way too advance for the time period yet completely vague to even Jackie who lived in an ¡°era¡± where the ¡°technology¡± she known was modelled after it. The only one that could work it was sitting before her, back turned. The one that could make sense of this mess. The Mother Modern.


    Dr. Gia Taber turned around to face Jackie, giving her a worn smile. ¡°Hello,¡± she said. ¡°You must¡¯ve gone through a terrible thing, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Or rather, her ghost, if one could say. Jackie heard about these Information Streams and only heard about them because of the one of many abandoned initiatives was to enhance learning about history by going on a historic, simulated experience. The Good Doctor flickered briefly, leading Jackie to wonder if figuring this out meant breaking the so-called illusion.


    There was another thing, a tragic truth that more or less caused the designers to use this image of Dr. Taber. Everyone knew, even the non-history buffs unlike Jackie, that the Good Doctor worked herself not only ragged, not only ancient, but was heavily warped due to the effects of researching the Shifts. One¡­Of many, on that terrible day, shocks when she resurfaced before her death was the fact that she looked the way she did and not like how this Dr. Taber looked.


    When her skin was soft and a chestnut brown, jet-black short-cut hair with a prompted fringe that was swept above her earthy, brown eyes. When she wore super causal clothes with a lab coat draped over her shoulders and her hands in the pockets. When she looked like her age, a young woman of 35.


    Ironically, again, a look before she was caught within the disastrous Shift that changed the course of her¡ªeveryone¡¯s¡ªlife.


    ¡°You look so tired!¡± she jovial said, before taking in a yawn.


    Jackie smirked and it found itself unsteady, ¡°It comes nowhere close to your standards of being tired, I assure you.¡± She knew it was some sort of program, and it on some level knows it¡¯s a program as well. Why patch in authenticity especially for a person that never had the time to be with people? It¡¯s not calming her down, and in some ways; is triggering the uncanny valley if she thought hard enough.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Dr. Taber grabbed her baggie of assorted sweets, held it in her iconic way by its bottom and shook them at an airy, jiggle-driven rhythm, balancing the bag as it begun fall over each time. It would¡¯ve been just a personal tick if said candy company, Avandale¡¯s, didn¡¯t turn it into a commercial, memetic gesture. She shoved the candies in her mouth and chewed softly while closing her eyes.


    Gulping, she said, ¡°The reason for the personality-driven narrative is that¡­ Well, it¡¯s rather easier to digest information when it¡¯s on a conversional basis, yes? To summarize, break apart, discuss and digression; it is natural to talk about the unnatural this way, I feel.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡± Jackie was forced to admit.


    Dr. Taber scoffed at her next point, shaking her head as it leaned against her raised shoulder, ¡°And people want things explained to them from people that are either masters, unparalleled and/or the creator. And unfortunately, I was all those three whatever I liked it or not.¡±


    Past tense. That didn¡¯t just make things even more weird¡­


    Dr. Taber smiled, lifting her head and leaning forward towards Jackie with her crasped together hands on her lap. ¡°What do you want to talk about first?¡±


    Jackie promptly sunk into her chair. Not because the ghost created unease, but the fact that she had to voice something that was trapped inside, rattling inside and against her. That feeling that¡¯s beginning to characterize her more than she cared to admit, that the question didn¡¯t have to be materialized or thought over.


    ¡°Clarify siVis for me,¡± she found her face deep into her palm. ¡°I thought I knew. I had my assumptions. They were right sure, but ultimately there¡¯s something missing.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that¡­?¡± Dr. Taber asked.


    Jackie wiped her face down with her hand, it being a trade versus nestling into her chair uncomfortably. ¡°I clearly¡­ I clearly missed what that truly meant. All of us did, I guess.¡±


    It was odd, seeing her express a dark face, one of disappointed grimace that also she made an effort to hide. It was such a detailed and accurate take that she felt that Dr. Taber wasn¡¯t exactly disappointed in her, or everyone. But herself.


    What are its limits? How much truth is this molded from? Even then¡­What¡¯s truth and what¡¯s embellishment? With her life, is such a thing a possibly¡­?


    ¡°siVis,¡± Dr. Taber began, ¡°Was founded by me, in both senses of the term. I was an anthropologist at a time where if you didn¡¯t get into studies related to helping understand the Shift Noumena; you were shunned and even excommunicated from certain places. Heh¡­ But, after my¡­ accident, I realized the ruins that I found before the Shift, the information I decoded¡­ Unlocked something within me. Something utterly new yet was always there, waiting.. And with this heightened enlightenment, it was the only way I recovered as much as I did. Began to understand the Shifts as much as I did. Many upon many runs we thought siVis came from space, or was residual Shift influence that can be channeled, many, many silly things¡­ When the power came from me. What I had all along. My disguisable traits as a human and the ones I shared with humans. It simply showed me what I had all along, outlined and guided it for me.¡±


    ¡°Things I could have found on my own,¡± Jackie couldn¡¯t help but to sound dejected, hallow. ¡°Naturally. Thank you, Dr. Taber. I needed to hear that in words, about how absolutely dumb I am. I altered myself for something I could¡¯ve just figured out had I sat down and thought for a second.¡±


    The Good Doctor smiled with empathy. Worn, but a smile, nonetheless. ¡°Hey. If anyone is to blame, it¡¯s me who didn¡¯t work hard enough to solve these problems. You kids inherited my sins and had nothing left to do¡­¡±


    Jackie nodded. ¡°I apricate the sentiment. I would like to talk about the inner workings, now I have to live with them, please.¡±


    She nodded in return, ¡°Of course. But I would like to say first to start; you need to heed the fact that self-respect is vital of keeping you and fellow Ones with siVis to maintain yourselves.¡±


    Jackie stayed silent, just to accept the depths of self-hatred she stewed in, more than letting her talk.


    ¡°siVis can be just as much impressionable than it¡¯s influential. It¡¯s so intertwined with our emotional, physical and mental states that it can be just as fleeting, so it can be an accurate servant of expressing them. So, when you tear yourself down, degrade yourself, and be taken by the sway of self-destruction; it becomes tangible as well. Trying to walk that back can illustrate self-delusion as well, compounding the overall problem. For the sake of yourself, or even the fact that you want this problem not to evolve further, please. Accept that you¡¯ve made a mistake, let it hurt and the pain ache. Let it and the experience become a defining moment. But never become it and it alone.¡±


    Jackie paused before she responded and soaked in the words. Not just the mechanics of the powers, but the ideas it presented to her. ¡°So, I¡¯m not helping my case. Okay.¡±


    The Good Doctor leaned in toward Jackie, with Jackie tensing until she looked down at Dr. Taber¡¯s outstretched hand, the assortment of candy resting on her palm. She pointed then glided her finger above the various chocolates, nuts, flavored hard candies as she clearly made her point.


    ¡°People deem siVis to be magic, science, overall some sort of supernatural based power¡­ And while it plays in each of those stereotypes, it really isn¡¯t any of them all the same,¡± she pointed at the chocolate with the slight white chocolate icing swirl. ¡°It¡¯s far too detailed to be as mystical as magic,¡± she then hovered over the hard-shelled, rough chestnut. ¡°But too absurd to conform to a steady base of logic or be put through the various methods of study, regarding science.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s far too personal, too limited, to be considered wish fulfillment superpowers that can bend reality itself,¡± The Good Doctor took Jackie¡¯s hand by the rest with her other and poured the candies into it. Using both her hands, she closed Jackie¡¯s full hand into a fist gently.


    ¡°Keep in mind these words; ability, capability, maintainability, versatility and possibility. siVis takes cues, your cues, from these concepts and you in the end are able make them a reality. Magic, science, power; they are all too broad, too hard to pin down in the end and have their respective limits that are not your own. Remember, this is you being brought out, materialized. Keep it consistent with yourself.¡±


    Dr. Taber shrugged, hands in the air, ¡°But there will be some that will try to make siVis into magic, science and a power, maybe something new and beyond that, with or without heeding these words. And while it¡¯s hard, it¡¯s not impossible to do. But after the end of the experience, they¡¯ll wonder if it was even worth it at all¡­¡±


    She then rubbed her chin, ¡°Or rather, they won¡¯t care, and their hubris will be the in the shape of the very thing they created. Either or, it has a habit of working itself out.¡±


    Jackie looked at the candies, swirling the bunch against her thumb, watching them melt under her simulated body heat. She wasn¡¯t the one for sweets, it would lead into messing with so much all for a delectable taste. She wanted to voice that she doesn¡¯t eat candy, but Dr. Taber literally forced her hand and she just can¡¯t give them back, especially now. She maybe after the possibly weeks of recovery, she¡¯ll work this and the other things off¡­


    Then Jackie realized that this wasn¡¯t real at all, and then shoved the candies into her mouth. A tasty mixed bag, from her first impressions.


    Once she tried to crunch them, then the problem presented themselves. Rough, hard, yet soft at multiple, different points of her mouth. She soldiered through, but she had a wincing face as she did, before swallowing. And the Doctor had this for years?


    She recomposed herself, sucking her chocolate covered fingers as she asked, ¡°And these¡­ Abilities¡­¡± From what Jackie¡¯s seen, heard of, it was harder to swallow the fact that all of this is so personality and humanity based versus the candies, ¡°What are they?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll receive greater control of your body,¡± Dr. Taber recited, as if this was an elevator pitch she memorized, ¡°Unlocked aspects of each of your senses and awareness. All coming together to allow surprising accomplishments and feats. Everything that is you, everything that you can do, and everything you never knew about you; all there now.¡±


    Jackie scratched her head, ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°Trust me,¡± Dr. Taber smiled, ¡°It¡¯s insanity said out loud, but you¡¯ll find yourself able to do those things and now what it means and how to do it. You¡¯re a puzzle now, and you have to use your pieces as you see fit.¡±


    Taber continued, ¡°Of course, you have to discover this and see it for yourself¡­¡±


    Jackie raised an eyebrow, squinted.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to teach me how¡­?¡±


    The Good Doctor instantly shook her head, ¡°No, I can¡¯t. Any outside influence, including someone like me or your parents, will rule over your control. And when that breaks, when the flaws of such rear their head, you¡¯ll be left defenseless towards the things we couldn¡¯t see. All I can do is inform, because in the end, it¡¯s up to you on how you process this¡­¡±


    Jackie relaxed her face, but into the shape of worry. ¡°So many warnings¡­ Possible shortcomings by just using the damn thing¡­¡±


    Dr. Taber rested a hand on her knee. ¡°Don¡¯t think about it as usage, okay? Your body isn¡¯t a vessel¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, trust me,¡± Jackie agreed with her on that at least, ¡°My body is a tower of power with amazing marble columns and intricate tapestries. B-but I won¡¯t, okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Dr. Taber smiled.


    And Jackie couldn¡¯t help to return a small, meek one. A caricature of societal idolization or not, it felt human. It felt healing, when she was reminded nothing but the pain since she woke up.


    Dr. Taber then got up, withdrew her hand and stood up. She put her hands in her pocket as she walked back into her desk, her back towards Jackie.


    ¡°Well, I think we¡¯ve made progress here,¡± she sounded distant, sitting down as she put her palms against the alien machine, ¡°You seem to get your general questions answered. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t help with the rest.¡±


    ¡°B-but,¡± Jackie caught completely off guard, shooting up from her seat to look at her. ¡°That¡¯s all I need answered sure, but there¡¯s still stuff left! You just can¡¯t throw me out like this¡­¡±


    Dr. Taber lowered her head, for a few moments. As soon as they were up, she begun operating it, Jackie can¡¯t believe that a human hand can perform such movements. And like it¡¯s appearance, the machine created noises, if they can be called that, beyond even her ears now programmed to pick up the beyond.


    ¡°You have to come to those conclusions, to find those answers, yourself. But don¡¯t be disheartened because what we did here is progress. Take that, hold it close and keep it in mind because today, you¡¯re one step closer. You already have the tools to help you; now formulate a plan. siVis will show you everything, even your mistakes.¡±


    ¡°¡­Formulate my plan¡­¡± Jackie was taken aback. But nevertheless, proving the Doctor¡¯s point, something clicked into place.


    Jackie snapped out of the mindscape, panting and looking side to side at first due to the subtle shock of it, winding down. She saw Leslie take the canister out of the projector as it slinked back into the ceiling, sealing up slowly, but machine-efficient. She shivered watching it, never getting used to Shift-related technology at all and the room felt even more boxed in.


    She closed her eyes again and breathed. It was becoming a bit more natural to her.


    ¡°Mr. Homer, sir¡­¡± she began, prepping herself for the worst.


    He didn¡¯t respond, or even turned to her as he typed away on the A.R. interface at first. Jackie thought it was him being him, but she noticed from his profile that he was like Tracy, but different, maybe at the advance stage of the same school. Whereas she seemed to think over her words; Leslie was beginning to talk but stopped himself trying to shave down what he¡¯s about to say.


    ¡°Please. Mr. Homer is your doctor and my dad,¡± Leslie sighed out. ¡°Just Leslie. Make fun of it, but just know that you have a gun whereas I have a whole fleet to fight back with.¡±


    ¡°Okay, right, Leslie,¡± Jackie said. ¡°¡­Where there¡­Other girls checked in here¡­?¡±


    ¡°Men, women and even children; sadly enough for that last one,¡± which sounded like a jerkish dig, but the tensing of his voice implied he¡¯s not quite over that. The shift-warped boy was still clear in Jackie¡¯s mind and he must¡¯ve seen many. ¡°You need to be more specific.¡±


    ¡°Right, sorry¡­ Around my age? Possibly arrived whenever I did¡­?¡±


    ¡°And that narrows it down to¡­ A couple of people tonight, who all are being transferred to the Shift Research labs as we speak and not even the one here.¡±


    Leslie pushed a series of buttons and the room started to air out.


    ¡°Lucky for you, stupidity loves company,¡± Leslie presented Jackie what she wanted.


    The white shells folded backwards into the walls of a regular, modern hospital room. Counters, computers, medical equipment where at the usual places¡­ And curtains, right near Jackie¡¯s bed. Leslie walked over, pulled them back, to reveal Maddie wearing a hospital gown, heads behind her head as she listened to music.


    ¡°OH MY GOD MADDIE THANK CHRIST,¡± Jackie exclaimed excitedly.


    Even with the earbuds, Maddie jumped in her own skin, staring at Jackie before instantly softening¡­ Then it turned back into the stare as she took them out, ¡°I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re alive and all, like seriously I thought you were dead, and I don¡¯t know how the fuck I was gonna handle that? But fucking hell, chill.¡±


    She possessed the ghastly eye-rings too. It made the meeting a tad bittersweet.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry!¡± Not at all judging by the wide smile she was sporting, hands clapped together. ¡°I¡¯d hug you right now if I could!¡±


    ¡°And plunge my family into even more debt from the broken back you¡¯re gonna give me?¡± Maddie inserted an earbud back, laying down again. ¡°But yeah. 3 for 3, baby and I know it¡¯s pure luck that I¡¯m still breathing.¡±


    Leslie pulled the curtain behind Maddie, revealing an Aiko wide-eyed, eye-ringed, deranged, gripping at the bars of her bed.


    ¡°THIS PLACE IS A PRISON,¡± she bellowed. ¡°NO MOVEMENT, FOR WHAT FEELS LIKE ETERNITY!¡±


    ¡°Whhhhhy do you fucking people scream all the time?!¡± Maddie whined out comically. ¡°I¡¯m listening to Grunge and these guys¡¯ yelling lyrics sound quieter!¡±


    Aiko¡¯s curtain was pulled back, revealing River on a different, but also completely damaged, PC.


    ¡°To be fair, it¡¯s produced and mixed to be that way,¡± River pointed out, not looking up or at her. Possibly eye-ringed as well.


    ¡°Suck your old ass laptop¡¯s dick, Glasses,¡± Maddie swatted back.


    And finally, Tracy was revealed, looking upwards at the ceiling with an almost vacant look, eye-ringed.


    ¡°¡­You okay, Tracy¡­?¡± Jackie was concerned. All this, possibly taken away.


    ¡°¡­I am¡­ Perfectly, in fact¡­ But there¡¯s no way that I¡¯m going to pay for any of this¡ª¡± Tracy said, eerily calm.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Maddie agreed, ¡°Our asses are already done, that just adds raw dirt to the wounds.¡±


    Jackie breathed a sigh of relief, as she felt her eyes welling up, ¡°I just¡­ I can¡¯t believe that we all made it¡ª¡±


    ¡°So, you thought we were all dead and you survived?¡± Aiko asked, pausing her insanity.


    ¡°N-no!¡± Jackie shouted, ¡°Just--!¡±


    ¡°Oooooh, sounds like it!¡± Maddie teased.


    ¡°Definitely did,¡± River added on.


    ¡°Might as well be,¡± Tracy resigned, that might¡¯ve been an unmonitored slip up.


    Jackie was going to fight back, berate them for thinking that¡­ But only could laugh, earnestly, as she waved her hands.


    ¡°You got me~!¡±


    Maddie smirked, hands behind her head. ¡°So, I guess we all got that crash course?¡±


    Jackie slowed to a stop, thinking about if they shared the same ¡°dream¡±, but ruled it out. Maybe the room was sealed in such a way where they individually had a pocket Leslie or other nurses had to visit¡­?


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jackie responded, and heard the others agree as well. ¡°A lot to take in.¡±


    ¡°A lot of bullshit was what it was,¡± Maddie said flat out, but sighed. ¡°But it¡¯s my bullshit, now¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand it the same way I understand most philosophy,¡± River began. ¡°¡­I somehow do.¡±


    ¡°Thank goodness, because I think I need another ¡®smart phone cave man¡¯ explanation¡­¡± Aiko admitted.


    ¡°¡­Yay siVis¡­ Totally worth it¡­¡± Tracy raised a stiff thumbs up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have insurance or something?¡± Maddie legitimately asked.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Tracy said, with no assurance at all.


    ¡°Still¡­ What a whole mess, this has been¡­ Can we even remotely salvage this?¡± Jackie mused, looking at her hands, every detail shown, outlined.


    ¡°Who cares?¡± Maddie answered. ¡°We¡¯re alive. That¡¯s all that matters.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s different, going to be different from now on.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been different since, like, forever.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve thrown our chances of normalcy away, for good this time.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve established that we¡¯re all freaks in our weirdo ways.¡±


    ¡°Our lives are going to be much harder, more intense and will overall suck now.¡±


    ¡°We literally ended up here because we knew how much our lives sucked, right?¡± Maddie glanced over at Jackie. ¡°We¡¯ll deal. I guess. Still alive, though.¡±


    Jackie sighed, but still maintained a smile, ¡°It¡¯s pretty fun, ¡®arguing¡¯ with you.¡±


    ¡°Shittalking is literally the only thing I¡¯m good at~¡±


    ¡°¡­Y¡¯know, medical care and know-how aside,¡± Jackie gently ribbed.


    Maddie was struck by that, and quickly closed her eyes, pretending to listen to music again from her bud, not responding at all. Jackie assumed that¡¯s just her character and she was fine with it.


    ¡­But it was kinda weird, that she only recalled just that. Maddie¡¯s helping, getting hurt¡­ But the why being hazy¡­


    This reunion distracted them from Leslie, who seemingly ¡°vanished¡± only to ¡°reappear¡± coming back into the room.


    ¡°I let you all have your moment,¡± he said, crossed arms. ¡°So, do you all want to segue towards an awkward one with letting your families come in?¡±


    Everyone performed their respective cringe.


    ¡°Oh my goooooood. Here comes Captain Buzzkill, doing his fucking job, unparalleled at his art,¡± Maddie whined, at least confirmed that he made his rounds with the others¡­


    ¡°Trust me,¡± Captain Leslie Buzzkill responded. ¡°I can rant and talk up a storm and none of you could care less. But I¡¯m sure whatever they¡¯re going to say to you, even if it¡¯s a ¡®I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re alright¡¯, is going to crush you. So that¡¯s why I asked.¡±


    Why must you be so hard to make a call on? Jackie in her thoughts, once again revising them.


    The girls stewed in the silence until they heard Leslie say, ¡°Up to you.¡±


    Jackie planted her elbows and rose up, looking to the rest of the girls, searching their expressions. And from the display, she didn¡¯t even need to confirm that she was wearing the same one, her version of it. She lowered herself back down to the bed, sighing.


    ¡°You may¡­¡± Jackie looked to the side.


    Leslie nodded, opening the door for the flood of bodies. The crowd found, darted for, and hovered over their respective location.


    What was before Jackie were her loving, dutiful parents. Her giant of a dad, much taller than her somehow, broad in every sense of the word that his black winter, puffy sweatshirt made him somehow huger of a man. And despite all that grisliness, his blue eyes were warm, his stubble covered smile soft. His face was something she recognized, when he felt pity. Her mother was tiny by comparison, wearing a tight long-coat that was brown. Her hair was neat and prim considering, having a straight fringe that was above her purple, round glasses frames. Her normally neutral, professional face was overwrought with relief as she saw her daughter again.


    Jackie waved, with a mixed smile of her own, ¡°Hey Mom. Dad.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re so happy that you¡¯re okay¡­¡± Jack Sr. said, in his rather youthful voice.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Jackie looked down, then away. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so stupid.¡±


    ¡°Dear¡­¡± Dawn said, in her motherly tone, complete with subtle head tilt.


    ¡°No, I messed up. Completely, utterly messed up. I don¡¯t deserve any¡­Empathy or whatever.¡±


    She blinked back the tears, looking directly at them even if she couldn¡¯t see them clearly. ¡°And what¡¯s more, I betrayed you both. I lied. I ruined years¡¯ worth of trust, and for what in the end?¡±


    They were nothing but blurred multiples of circles of different sizes, and yet she could still make out her father holding his wife tight while she wiped her eyes.


    Jackie croaked as the emotion stilled itself in her throat, ¡°Punish me however you see fit. All I can even hope to do is beg for your forgiveness as I¡¯m on it.¡±


    She then felt the familiar large thumb that gently made tears go away. It¡¯s been years since they did that.


    Jack was close to her, leaning in from the side, eyes welling and red, ¡°All that stuff is fine and good; we¡¯ll worry about it when we worry about it. But now? What we want you to do, baby girl? We want you better. And that¡¯ll make the pain go away more than anything.¡±


    Dawn nodded, with a face covered with wiped tears of her own, ¡°And that¡¯s an order, if you truly want one.¡±


    Jackie wanted to cry for a different reason with a different set of emotions, but only nodded in return, ¡°Understood¡­¡±


    ¡°Things¡­¡± Jack started, ¡°Things¡­ Are going to be fine. We¡¯ll figure it out. I¡¯ll soak up anything and all siVis¡­whatever if that means making this work.¡±


    He turned his head and saw Leslie at the door still, and turned to him without missing a step, ¡°Hey son--!¡±


    Dawn sighed her usual one, and quickly looked to Jackie, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll be right back in¡­ 20 minutes? I¡¯ll do my best to cut it to 15:78.9, but I¡¯m not a miracle worker¡­¡±


    Jackie laughed, ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine¡­¡±


    With her parents pre-occupied, she turned her attention to Maddie¡¯s side of things. It was almost what she expected.


    The male was balding, his greasy locks hanging from around the spot that still had strings of hair futilely trying to reconnect. Portly, wearing a navy and brown waistcoat and slacks combo. He looked like a man who¡¯s seen it all: the perfect complement from what Jackie could gleam from Maddie as a person.


    ¡°¡­Mind telling me what happened or¡­?¡± he began, Jersey accent that¡¯s not strong, but present.


    ¡°I did something incredibly dumb,¡± Maddie stated matter-of-factly, that smirk of hers.


    He raised his hands from his pockets with a smile of his own, but more¡­bemused, versus whatever Maddie has in her mind, ¡°Deeetails¡­?¡±


    ¡°Listen Frank,¡± Maddie could only chuckle this out, ¡°I can¡¯t even describe whatever the fuck happened, you¡¯re outta luck man.¡±


    ¡°Jesus, Madison¡­¡± Frank sighed out, a phrase he said with perfect utterance, practiced. ¡°I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re not fucked up, but you¡¯re not leaving me with anything. The whole neighborhood¡¯s asking about you and what they saw of you.¡±


    ¡°Tell ¡®em that I¡¯m basically more interesting and better than them now,¡± Maddie joked. Jackie hoped it was, ¡°Oh and I¡¯ll survive when everyone else gets turned into the schumucks outta a scary movie.¡±


    His face continued to be bemused until it fell serious. He rubbed the back of his neck, before sighing, ¡°¡­Want me to tell your parents or-?¡±


    ¡°Tell them anything, I don¡¯t give a shit,¡± Maddie said way too fast to be nonchalant.


    ¡°Thought so. Just wanted to give ya¡¯ a heads up.¡±


    Jackie decided to bail from that, she can¡¯t get too personal¡­ She cranked up her awareness and looked towards Aiko¡¯s spot and the rest why there was a crowd was answered.


    Too sharp, too soft, it was still a chore to turn the knobs of something that once was something imaginary¡ªor so automatic and beyond her that it pretty much had to be. She had to close her eyes shut, grinding her teeth until she figured it out. She opened her eyes again, clearly missing deadair, from what she¡¯s tuned into.


    Her mother, father, and three siblings was around her, with the girl of their hour simply was fiddling with something else on her bed. Not meeting their eyes akin to Jackie? Or¡­Just not interested in talking with them?


    The other siblings, one no younger than 5, one 12 and the other 9, all boys. They talked with one another, played with the bed themselves, and overall made noise before the parents found their nerve.


    ¡°¡­Hi, honey¡­¡± her elderly father carefully greeted her, thick Japanese accent.


    ¡°Hi,¡± Aiko returned and only returned.


    The couple could only look at each other, expressions wrecked with unease.


    ¡°¡­I hope that you are okay,¡± her father continued. ¡°We were every worried that it was something worse like warping. At least¡­ You have a very interesting power to you, now.¡±


    ¡°Can you fly?¡± the younger brother chimed in.


    ¡°Could you be like a Kamen Rider or like a superhero?¡± the second youngest asked right after.


    ¡°Are you just dead now?¡± the oldest inquired morbidly.


    Their mother tapped her foot loudly, to get them to settle down. Business shoes, as both were wearing dress shirts with their suits off; draped in the mother¡¯s arms and over the shoulder with her dad. Both with salt and pepper hair and generally the same size, but the father beats her by mere inches.


    ¡°But now that this is over with¡­ Maybe stay home more? Maybe take this as a sign?¡±


    Aiko sighed loudly, annoyingly, and made it long. ¡°If this is about being afraid of me or taking things to a new level¡­¡±


    ¡°Exactly what we¡¯re worried about,¡± her mother said, again putting her foot down, without doing it.


    Aiko again sighed dramatically. ¡°Fine. As I recover, I¡¯ll be at home and we can talk about it, I guess.¡±


    The couple looked at each other again, torn.


    Aiko¡¯s father caved all the same, ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    Jackie winced, and it wasn¡¯t because she was holding on for too long¡ªwhatever that meant, and she let go. She can only hope for the best as she homed in on River.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m not going make this into a thing about your¡­whatever it is you¡¯re going through,¡± he continued, failing to be professional with the sheer annoyance with his voice. ¡°Not even going to make this about work, that in fact, they called me during an important rush. It¡¯s mom and dad. They¡¯re worried sick.¡±


    Whoever was before her was disappointed. Just before the bed, stand-offish in body language and in expression. He had work clothes on, skinny, with long brown hair, and not the colorful hazel River has and glasses of his own, but not broken like River¡¯s. He shook his head as River returned with it her usual look, somehow emptier.


    River only stared up at him. Seemed like she was only doing just that, so far.


    ¡°And I know you know what that means, because all that smarts you got in there. I know, I know, ¡®but you¡¯re not¡¯. Either way? They could be in here next and unlike you with your new superpowers, they might not handle it. So please. If you don¡¯t have any self-respect left for yourself; at least get better for them. And me.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± the word barely came out of River¡¯s throat, it rumbled with hurt.


    Jackie tried to seek refuge in Tracy¡¯s place and yet nobody was there with her. She only looked up at the ceiling, hands across her stomach, wearing a face mixed with anger and sadness. Jackie couldn¡¯t hear much, this could be the end of her rope with this, but she could hear bits of her muttering. ¡°I knew it¡±, repeated.


    Jackie snapped back, just in time for her parents to return to her. Their patient and kind smiles meant so much more to her, now.


    ¡°Your nurse said that all he needs is another look over and plug the stuff in,¡± Jack said, with a smile. ¡°Then, you¡¯re discharged. We¡¯ll be back home.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good¡­¡± Jackie said, sensing the tangible instances of pushing the ¡°we¡¯ll figure it out¡± narrative. ¡°See you soon. And really, thank you. You guys are the best.


    Her parents waved, exiting out before Leslie got to issue the announcement to clear the room. What was a room of many resized back to six. Jackie glanced quickly at each girl; Maddie returned to her music to clear her mind, Aiko looked annoyed as she made her own fun, River with a distant look and Tracy alone and unmoving.


    ¡°You all better be glad that you have someone,¡± Leslie cut in, per usual, as he held the open door. ¡°Hopefully you¡¯ll figure things out and help them along in that, you owe that much to them.¡±


    ¡°Can you like¡ªeat your own tongue and wash it down with the blood that comes spray out?¡± Maddie opened her eyes and her permanent scowl was pushed further, indicting that she really is. ¡°And hey, you know how to stop that, so you won¡¯t die after.¡±


    Leslie rubbed his face, as if he had the decency to be angry, ¡°I¡¯m not going this, saying it? Just because I enjoy kicking people when they¡¯re down: but telling them things when they are. It¡¯s harsh, and to be honest, I¡¯m incredibly anti-social so I don¡¯t know how to conversate well. But take it from someone that¡¯s your own age¡ª¡±


    ¡°Whoa, you¡¯re 17?¡± Aiko sat up.


    ¡°Yeah no Safari; I am fucking with you there,¡± Maddie agreed.


    Leslie shrugged, ¡°18, going on 19. Turns out the world needs medical help and can¡¯t afford pickyness. A lot of medical help. During these times and me being a genius sort of helps me along. Anyways. You guys honestly are the most put together siVis ones we¡¯ve had in a year so far. Only you. So, don¡¯t take this as me bitching at you; take this as something you have to keep in mind and use.¡±


    A terrible scream was rushed into the hallways, Leslie had to look.


    Two doctors were wheeling in an out-of-shape teen, absolutely in pieces. He didn¡¯t know where he was, maybe not even who judging how each piece of him was misshaped and dark. He can only wriggle his head wildly, the only part of him that fit properly on the gurney.


    They were a blur, but Jackie and the girls saw enough. And before Leslie could say something, his face in a pitiable grimace, the female doctor screamed at him, ¡°LESLIE, ALL HANDS UNTIL WE¡¯VE CALMED HIM DOWN!¡±


    Leslie shouted that he¡¯ll be there, before turning to the girls again with this, ¡°See?¡±


    At once, all of them nodded.


    Leslie was in a hurry to say the next bit, before he darted off, ¡°So after I¡¯m done with this; strip, all of you¡ªI¡¯ll be feeling each of you out before you go¡ª¡±


    Jackie blinked, rapidly before she shakingly turned to the girls, always dumbfounded with wide eyes, it fucking feels like. Being hit by two cases of mortal terror was not good for her health.

 (Episode II)(.5)

    There was nothing like being laid bare before the world to see, and in both senses of the word.


    Well, Jackie and the rest of the girls were exaggerating, but one often falls into that mindset when they stood before someone naked.


    To set the scene accurately, each of them were separated, using the same ¡°technology¡± as before which separated their sickbeds before, but more intimate, more vague. Where there was armor-plating in the first example, this one had just a white space, seemingly on all sides. There, each girl was standing there, their gowns to the side of their feet, before this field being put up, was asked by Leslie to sit in a formation with them circled around with their backs facing each other¡¯s.


    To his credit as both a medical professional and questionable, mixed quality as a person, he asked the girls thoroughly if they wanted to do something like this, stating that there could be another way to obtain the information and detailing the precautions with any possible leeway to make the already private sessions more comfortable. And after five, understandable, minutes of silence latent with sighs and groans, all five ultimately agreed on the basis for time, as their families were waiting for them.


    That and the fact that Leslie will briefly see their attributes for seconds until he cranks them away added some sense of security. In some weird sense, a sense to get used to.


    Jackie¡¯s body, enhanced by toned muscles that showed years of hard work and personal self-improvement, was open, taken apart, highlighted by Leslie. He triggered the puzzle-like infostructure she has to keep in mind now, and at various parts of the body he checked how it responded. To see if it reconnected if one of her arms moved, if it separated further when a leg stretched, and if it was tracking every time her chest showcased her breathing.


    Now, Jackie was the least resistant to being naked, almost to an uncaring yet understanding response that tripped up the others. But this? She was exposed in a different sense, embarrassed in a different sense. What was a whole day based on clarity; this was a heavy way to close it out. But it was typical lesson, nowadays it seemed; reality checks portrayed and communicated by surreal horror. She couldn¡¯t help to be a bit bitter, ashamed, and again, lost.


    She paid attention to Leslie¡¯s fingers versus her body; and it brought home how something she¡¯s sure everyone had heard but didn¡¯t put stock into it and how much of the information regarding Shift and siVis awareness was just as flawed as the attempts of accepting it and integrating it are.


    ¡­Now she realized how bad the finger watching was, okay, retreat into the thought--


    ¡°When in the presence of a siVis one, you¡¯ll understand that they have weak-points; locate them and flee the scene if possible¡±. Jackie dwelled on the fact that the so-called ¡°advice¡± was way too vague to mean anything, and berated it within her head not taking into account of how much unimaginable fear said victim would be in to even think to do something like that, when most siVis ones can turn the ground into a pool of living quicksand talking heads. And considering how simple it seems now watching Leslie literally poking her and causing this reaction, regardless if it doesn¡¯t last as long, made her fuming that there was no diagram to go along with the information.


    ¡°Are you uncomfortable?¡± Leslie stopped, and Jackie realized that she was shaking her head, and felt her face into a pout.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Jackie replied, ¡°Lost in thought.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± he resumed, inspecting away, ¡°I need to move back and double check the next patient. You only have a minute more of this, and you all can go home.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good¡­ That¡¯s good¡­¡±


    Jackie couldn¡¯t help but to think about how she shattered her home, broken the physical things and fractured the sense of it, the principal, the atmosphere her parents carefully made for her.


    She didn¡¯t know how to handle any of this. And yet, she has the tools in her hands that can? Unbearable negative emotions that now run deep? Fear of the unknown that isn¡¯t just in front of her, but the very world she lives in? All capped off with feeble, human efforts that just get swallowed into the haze of confusion, meaningless. All of it, what she is¡­ Meaningless, in the end¡­


    She hated the fact that the world she believed in helping, one full of many meanings from many different people, is being warped away, and they¡ªshe¡ªcan¡¯t do not one thing about it. There would¡¯ve been honor in doing something only to fail and be consumed by it¡ªat least that¡¯s a better scenario than whatever this is, she stewed in the thoughts.


    ¡°Hm,¡± was all that Leslie said, what Jackie could hear, before raising up and then walking into the white void. Jackie looked down at herself, everything settled back into place, with her new perception and possibly unlocked aspects of herself made her features¡­ ¡°pop¡±, as if they¡¯re in the best shape of her life. Which added to the mixed bag that is currently Jackie Jackson.


    She worked hard, creating and maintaining this. She was lanky and tall for her age back then, and of course began the ridicule and the mocking in her early teens that defined her more than she defined herself, then that served the realization. Why let them do that when she had the final say on the matter? With the help of her father, she began working out, starting with little and crawled herself towards the advanced stuff, and before any of them knew it, she became what she is today. She came back to school with a smug mantra, if they¡¯re going to make fun of her, surely the joke¡¯s going to be on them since she¡¯s now better than them? But¡­The opposite happened. She became ¡°cool¡±, much to her confusion and honest surprise. She even became somewhat of an unofficial gym aid during said class, reformed one of the bullies that became her best friend, and went into basketball when she was sure she was going to suck. Everything worked out and it was the best time of her life so far, and to twist the knife further, was so sure she could keep it up. She remembered the sequence clearly: first fallout, then move, finally shift. All in that damn order from out of nowhere.


    What would this be? A result? Aftermath? ¡­Mistake?


    Thankfully, in one sense, that they all returned to the hospital room, as the thick platforms slid back into the floor and the rest are putting their gowns back on¡­ And turned to see Jackie still in the nude.


    Maddie instantly turned on her bare hell and still covered the side of her face, ¡°Oookay, uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­?¡± Jackie craned her head back, not really getting why the others are shielding their eyes in their respective ways: Tracy covering her face completely, Aiko closing her eyes as they twitch due to inactivity, and River looking down.


    ¡°¡­Oh, right, sorry¡­¡± Jackie kicked up her discarded gown and instantly putting it on. ¡°Sorry, girls, sorry girls¡­¡± She tried to laugh. ¡°I was lost in my mind and I didn¡¯t know where I was. I¡¯m not used to the former and the latter it¡¯s just how I am¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, the sporty one doesn¡¯t mind it¡­¡± Leslie chuckled out under his breath.


    Jackie squinted at him, ¡°I can hear that, now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know, I didn¡¯t make it an effort to hide it. I just found it funny, no sexual over and/or undertones here,¡± he replied with a light smirk on his face. ¡°Plus, I¡¯m sure I¡¯m voicing the same thing the rest are thinking.¡±


    She pouted as she took the time to put on her gown again. Newly issued and pretty weird; they conceal everything while being able to be easily thrown off¡ªjust depended on your intent and motion. Cyan, not quite form-fitting but snug, with the crease for the open sealed and on her side.


    ¡°I mean,¡± Maddie shrugged with a somewhat surprised look on her face, ¡°Got us there, doc. Nurse. ¡®Nur¡ª''?¡±


    ¡°Come on¡ªIt¡¯s not like I have anything to hide, following the law about indecency and shame off the table!¡± Jackie found herself defending herself, crossing her arms, ¡°I¡¯m usually 40% clothed during the warmer days, weeks, or months anyways! Perfectly normal!¡±


    He begun plugging away his findings on the AR keyboard, ¡°Again, it¡¯s more the fact that someone like you would totally do what you all did, and I found amusement in all that, nothing overly sexual. And if you don¡¯t think that¡¯s it and feel completely uncomfortable, I will cease and desist.¡±


    Jackie undid her armcrossing to bring her hands up to her face, fingers twitching, and then forming into a fist.


    ¡°You¡¯re just¡ªA seesaw! A human seesaw!¡±


    Leslie laughed uproarishly at that, ¡°My, that¡¯s honestly a new one, congrats!¡± He turned his head towards Maddie, ¡°Better than combinations of things I¡¯ve heard before.¡±


    ¡°See, I take it all back,¡± Maddie looked toward Jackie, ¡°He¡¯s the responsible one that has to act like a damn kid about it.¡±


    ¡°Can we please,¡± Tracy cut in, making everyone turn to her, only for her to lock up.


    ¡°¡­Can we please¡­¡± she sighed, trying again, ¡°Get the final report? So, we can all go home¡­?¡±


    ¡°But of course, Ms. Goodwin,¡± Leslie answered, swiping the keyboard away.


    River seemed to glance quickly at Tracy, trying to twist her lip about, as if she¡¯s instantly recognized something, ¡°Goodwin¡­?¡±


    ¡°Of course, all of you are comfortable with hearing this all at once?¡± Leslie looked toward and across the assorted young women.


    ¡°Well,¡± Aiko scratched at the side of her nose with her pinky, ¡°The same thing happened to all of us, so what¡¯s the point of a one on one¡­?¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m actually surprised that you¡¯re the first to somewhat catch on¡­¡± Leslie honestly replied, leaning on the wall. And before any of the rest chimed in, he issued his diagnosis.


    ¡°So, all of you have your siVis partially locked.¡± Blunt.


    ¡°¡­What¡­?¡± Was all Jackie could muster at that point.


    ¡°Whaaaaaat?¡± Aiko whined out, hands thrusted palms first towards Leslie.


    ¡°¡­I love how much I think we¡¯re face deep into the dirt; somehow there¡¯s a grimy level of even more fresh shit to stomp us down into,¡± Maddie described her pained amusement.


    ¡°Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!¡± Aiko continued to express.


    There was only a swift and audible whacking sound as Tracy facepalmed herself, shaking afterwards.


    ¡°Great,¡± River shook her head and couldn¡¯t stop doing it.


    ¡°¡­Does that¡­¡± Jackie could feel the rise of anger building and building.


    ¡°Like, I¡¯m not even mad,¡± Maddie laughed out. ¡°Just asking why even give the effort to spit on us; we¡¯re already drowning in pure shit anyways.¡±


    ¡°WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!¡± Jackie exploded, so that the fear doesn¡¯t claim her anymore.


    Leslie slowly raised up his hands, ¡°Self-influence. Auto-rigor of the siVis one¡¯s design. As the information codex explained; siVis is just about you as you are it, it¡¯s showing you as you are, could be, and more. You influence each other in conjunction and your contribution is making sense of it to make sense of yourselves. Something inside you all mutually agreed that maybe you should ease yourself into siVis use and it¡¯s going to be limited until you all convince yourselves that you can use it¡­¡±


    Jackie shivered at that. Someone so comfortable with herself, confident in it, now forced to fight against it, like somehow, it¡¯s another enemy of hers. The idea that she has made her own self foreign to her mind was a problem that couldn¡¯t be understood, much less solve.


    She gave into the fear again, as her arms helplessly flopped to her sides. Her once fists uncoiled into daggling fingers, hands too heavy to even look at in despair, even though she couldn¡¯t help to try.


    Leslie frowned a bit, as they all looked to him, their faces searching his for any and all kinds of reassurance or caveats he just doesn¡¯t have. He looked a bit angry himself, not really at them despite being another example of what he¡¯s possibly directing his anger at.


    ¡°This could happen for a number of reasons, but the prime one we need to address first is how you all could possibly gain siVis.¡±


    ¡°We get it,¡± Aiko sounding fed up, ¡°We get that you don¡¯t think we should¡¯ve done what we done, but don¡¯t act like we couldn¡¯t do it. We wouldn¡¯t have done it if we couldn¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t supposed to,¡± Leslie said coldly, calmly. ¡°Like Tabby Morrow, like Dr. Taber herself¡ªLike me, thank god for it, especially now. You all weren¡¯t supposed to and that¡¯s the thing we¡¯re confused by more than anything.¡±


    And nobody said nothing for two minutes.


    Leslie continued, he himself trying to be professional but failing, ¡°It¡¯s realization, after all. It works less and less, the chances dwindle, the longer the person takes the realization and doesn¡¯t push it further into ignition. In other words, Joe Average, you and I, people that constantly see this crazy shit day in and out and no reach that threshold, already missed our chances years ago. Tell me what happened.¡±


    Still silent on their part, Jackie begun to be puzzled about the silence versus Leslie¡¯s claim. She wants to find the words, to answer the question, to use the clear proof that they have¡­ But nothing. Like a lump in her throat, paired with a hazy mind. But this is like trying to remember the face of a criminal that clearly and nearly pulled a knife on you; surely this should be vivid¡­


    ¡°So tell us, any and everything, about what happened. What caused this, because it wasn¡¯t the Shift days ago, it couldn¡¯t have been. What exactly happened to you girls, because none of this does not make a lick of sense more than usual. If you actually want to help yourselves for once¡ª¡±


    ¡°WE DON¡¯T EVEN KNOW!¡± Tracy screamed out, tears coating her face as she looked deranged, twist, hurt and lost. ¡°And I know that the others don¡¯t either! It was beyond us and everything that is; we experienced something that people never have and won¡¯t for thousands of years if we¡¯re lucky! It¡¯s not exaggeration, it¡¯s not farces! I can¡¯t¡ªWe can¡¯t¡ªEven access the memories from our minds! But it¡¯s still fucking there!¡±


    She collapsed in a total fit, covering her face again, doing something that¡¯s between sobbing and catching her breath. Despite out of nowhere it was, everything clicked into place with Jackie. Why Tracy was more morose, and more importantly¡­


    As it continued to happen and the silence congealed to the point of it being hard to pierce, Leslie took it upon himself to cut through it.


    ¡°Is that true?¡± he sensed that it would be his final question to them.


    ¡°¡­Yes,¡± Jackie muttered. ¡°I th¡­I thought it was weird how it didn¡¯t¡­ Intrude so far into anything yet. Ruled my¡ªour thoughts. We talked about what we did, but¡­ It¡¯s a block, beyond that. How we haven¡¯t talked about even amongst ourselves aside from the personal stuff¡­But she¡¯s exactly right, I fear. What happened as a whole, what exactly we went through¡­ It was just too much for us to handle.¡±


    River didn¡¯t feel like it was her place, but she softly put her hand on Tracy¡¯s quivering shoulder, all she could do in her depressed state, looking squarely down at nothing. Aiko was getting restless, as if she was holding back her energy and seemed like she was going for straight to the door, but still thinking it over. Maddie of course looked the least bothered by this, just putting on a smirk and chuckling to herself as she closed her eyes.


    Jackie was still helpless. She tried looking to her struggling hand, the only thing left to do something, and it looked alien. She looked to the right, the same result. Suffering from the aftermath. Accepting she¡¯s made the greatest mistake in her life. All of them did.


    Leslie then sighed in a huff, and the room grew just as darker.


    They noticed the room getting darker as the cacophony of screams made the room vibrate.


    Jackie was the first to snap out of it, covering her ears as she scanned the room itself, now able to spot every nook, every detail that she had but couldn¡¯t access before.


    The room was plunged into a shade even with the fluorescing lighting. Thick, off-color shade of the deepest grey. Jackie, they, can still see, maybe blaming the girls¡¯ enhanced sight being the rest, but it still messed with their eyes due to the texture of it all, and the fact there was the grainiest texture to it.


    The worse part was when they noticed the shadows.


    Stretched, exaggerated, and could no longer represent the shape of the object it owned its existence to; as if the tail-ends were an old chord, unproperly installed and no one cared, minutes from snapping away as it bottled-necked.


    In now a mode of panic, they checked to see their own shadows and a semblance of dread and disgust filled each of their chests. The very same thing.


    Thin, mispresented, elongated, simply and utterly wrong. And as Tracy, hiding behind her guard of fingers with the two near her right eye opened for her, she rose, as her shadow caught her while she was hunched over.


    It choppily followed her lead, updating itself at such a sluggish pace, it didn¡¯t even bother to. She was upright, yet the thing that was once her shadow corrected itself by standing up, but her back still hunched over, within a knot no human, not even siVis affected ones, can place themselves in.


    Leslie ran to open the door and bolted to help with the evacuation under way.


    The girls followed in a rush and tried to not pay attention to the things that failed to follow after.


    The shadows lagged, crunched, halted, and was dragged into a pile of mess. They along after their hosts, writhing and barely holding on.


    They all paid for trying to avoid their shadows.


    They saw the stiff, pulsating, two-dimensional growth, twitching along the walls¡ªceilings¡ªand floors, before they saw the people and patients crammed into the once hallow hallways. The voices of authority like the security guards, other nurses, medical staff and doctors were lost in the flood of panic and hysteria that outnumbered them. People were crushed and became the crush, and it felt like everyone in the building was either in this hallway or was like this in general. It was something out of a horror film, but trying to be artistic, Avant Garde. But it failed, and it was the failure was what made the colorless images so scary.


    The girls were somehow swallowed up within the colorless masses, unable to tell who¡¯s who or find the people that mattered most to them. The display was still, but wavering, enough personal space to panic, but the panic quickly closed off access. They were submerged on all sides when all of them needed to breathe.


    But the shadows were free. Free to dance sickeningly and without pause. Looming, and before every single exit or pathway, contorting and suffocating everyone present as they looked on, cornered. Surrounded.


    Trapped.


    ¡°EVERYONE, PLEASE, CLOSE YOUR EYES!¡±


    Jackie¡¯s attempt to crane her head three or so times toward Leslie paid off; even if she couldn¡¯t directly see him. He was desperate, angry but desperate.


    ¡°JUST CLOSE YOUR EYES, THEY CAN¡¯T HURT YOU, PLEASE, JUST LISTEN TO ME!¡± and he was instantly drowned out, within the waves of fear.


    Jackie snapped her neck back and held against the person that pushed against her, ¡°LISTEN TO HIM, LISTEN TO EVERYONE ON THE MEDICAL PERSONEAL; REMAIN CALM!¡±


    They tried shouting over people for their own good, but their voices paddled, splashed violently, against the constant, turbulent airwaves. They were too focused on one thing, a thing that they all in someway all thought about. What they were slowly wired into doing by this land of the unknown. Even this microcosm of humanity reflected the collective¡¯s thoughts, their worries, their ultimate fever. And it was answered all at once:


    siVis ABILITY!


    The only voice to breakthrough and reached out towards everyone, because it didn¡¯t travel through the air. Everyone heard it and there was no way not to hear it.


    Everyone promptly lost their minds, before the real reason to do it appeared before them.


    Jackie froze when she saw her shadow turn three-dimensional before her, too sucked up in the state to notice that it was happening with everyone. It was different, this time; not aimless and distorted anymore. Just a simple, goop shape that formed from nothing and quickly took up all the space before her, before everyone, before she knew it.


    It formed itself into a thick, ever-present wall that shouldn¡¯t have stretched as far as it did; the space she was in had no more space to take and yet it took it all. A formless, pitch black wall that stretched for miles and it was corralling her from all sides, even before her.


    She felt every single bead of sweat, from her condensation from head to toe, flung off in different directions as she punched, driven¡ªno thought¡ªdriven to do something, anything. Her wide-eyed vision that was shaking along with her body didn¡¯t care if the punch meant nothing, she threw one again and again and again and again, again again again again, and again until she realized the shockwaves that left an impression sucked forward towards her arms, snaring them tight. She jolted, shot, backwards to free herself as if that were an option, but the wall wasn¡¯t pulling her; she provided the push and pull. She was so close to it, she couldn¡¯t use her legs as a last resort, and because it was simply too late. She was being absorbed into the wall and the wall was her world.


    ¡°H¡ªhelp¡ªHeeeeeeeeeeeeelp!¡± she screamed out, sounding so panicked, so little. ¡°Please God no please, please, pleeeeeeeeeaheheheheeeese¡­!¡±


    And soon she was close enough for her mouth to be covered, whipping her head violently to pull away out of survival instincts that were never supposed to deal with something like this, something this magnitude. The wall enclosed her in every single stance, every viewpoint. Every move she made meant precious little and ultimately, it was the absorption that consumed her. There was no time for thought, couldn¡¯t afford to, with the next action that could be her last.


    She reached out to her body, and the lock didn¡¯t respond.


    She pleaded to her body, and yet, the lock wouldn¡¯t budge.


    She told herself that it would be the end of her, both of them, if they continue this. Still, the lock remained tightened.


    Jackie felt the lock, it¡¯s layout, as she banged against it, trying to rattle it open. It was just enough of her arms, legs, and midsection than the lock, her siVis jointed tight at places as she tries to activate it, rest back into their natural form. She did this to herself, she had to remind herself as she tried to control herself. There was nothing she could truly do and she wailed out as a last ditch effort to deny the claim, the now status quo.


    She refused.


    In a sense of terror and anger, she tried moving her left submerged left arm to her trapped right, straining as she had no choice but to be absorbed into the shadow wall to make it work. All of her work, just getting to the point where she can touch her arm within the ooze with no feeling. She felt a pocket mass and tried to dig into it, right as her face was taken by the sludge, now working in pure darkness. She carved with her nails into the pocket and felt her muscly forearm and thought back to Leslie¡¯s fingers.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    She pressed down her fingers into her forearm and the whole arm extended itself into its pieces, activated. The outline of the structure work glowed briefly in the shadows, before being consumed instantly. And like a hot knife through butter, it cut through the darkness towards the other arm and she proceeded to do the same again, two arms extended out and active.


    They pulled themselves out, grabbling the wall and Jackie pulled her head free, gasping for air wildly.


    She steadied her gasps into breathing, and she was set. Still heavy, hammering through her body, but still set, steady, conquered.


    It was terrible, the pounding of her heart made Jackie¡¯s vision quake. Attempts of transitioning to catching her breath failed, any attempts to still himself unraveled with each, nanosecond long shake running down her body. And her mind raced and crashed within before proper thoughts were formed. She was in a complete state of fear, even with her small victory, as she felt her arms slowly click and snap back together without any audio to accompany it. She turned back to her personal hell and a ping of fear added itself into the inner flurry and was struck by it.


    It started to dissipate at varying levels, the levels themselves wiggling and weaving into each other to create a sickly effect, before evening out into snake-lite tendrils that feed it¡¯s other fellow shadows around her, the effects of the space it created for Jackie wearing off, putting her into a new, fresh hell.


    Shade and shadow horrifically merge back and forth, forward and reverse, so dream-like that it doesn¡¯t have a strong presence but was tangible enough to be on the edge of reality, like any other nightmare. The narrowness of the hallway, once was the main problem for the victims, was warped to make way for the terrible display of each and every person tormented by their personal shadows. So tormented, that their losing battles created a maze of sorts, Jackie witnessing the snapshots as the interplay of shade and shadow ghastly wipes the current scene away, replacing it with a new one. The sounds of agony were prolonged further and lowered but lingered enough. What made matters somehow worse was the fact that the ghastly wipe worked on Jackie as well, even with her unlocked sight, being plunged straight into darkness for what felt like minutes but was brief enough seconds to make her vision choppy.


    She hated this. She hated how this got the best of her, that made her into a sniveling, sweating wreck. And she hated that this, whatever this is, is taking advantage of something personal, something so traumatic, and something so defining as someone¡¯s fear. Invasive, disgusting¡­ Needless.


    She will not let this take over her, not another thing that did, especially something as sick and fucked-in-the-head as this.


    The world threw a maze in front of her and she had to think. A maze of fear, that she has to navigate in a way of warped dimensional space, trying to find her people and possibly has to fight their fears as well. Her tools are locked away and she has to physical jailbreak, in a sense. Really, she deemed that there¡¯s absolutely no way in beating this, much to her frustration. But getting the girls out of this, and most importantly Leslie, is all that she can do now. Freeing Leslie might lead to a possible phase 2 that she can devise if and when she succeeds in this.


    If her eyes were useless in this problem, maybe her ears would be optimal? That was something she¡¯s at least played with, so all she has to do is put it to work. Jackie reached up to her right ear, messing with it, and expanding it, settled in its respective pieces. She was at least grateful that she herself can¡¯t see this and her general discomfort in being able to do this now is far outweighed by what¡¯s happening now. She wants to sleep on it, versus never being able to if she fails. What she sought after wasn¡¯t to increase her hearing, but to listen out for sounds that she¡¯s already heard: the voices of any of the girls and Leslie, even twisted into screams and wailing.


    She had to be smart and had to attune to senses that were alien to her, even if she used them before her enlightenment. Not focus on the pain of others, even if that notion of playing favorites¡ªbeing selfish¡ªsucked for her. She pushed the omnipresent suffering away, putting her into a mode of muffled silence as she scanned for anything.


    It was only a minute until she picked up on Maddie¡¯s garbling, and then she sprinted. Supped up on fear and driven by bravery, Jackie ran into the maze¡¯s horror walls while unlocking her arm again and took a swipe to breakthrough.


    It felt tougher to cut through, as if¡­ As if the defeated fear shadow merging with the other wasn¡¯t just adding to the madness, or it¡¯s power; but to lessen the weaknesses as well. Great, not only a shifting, aimless maze; but one that reinforces itself as well. Even if it was harder to rip through the oozing, quivering walls; Jackie already did it before and she was too pissed to let tiredness get the better of her.


    She didn¡¯t focus on her sense of location; she didn¡¯t dwell on how each new space was simply a reversed ¡°room¡± from the ones she¡¯d broken through before. Her method of listening for Maddie and using her arms to tear through was bitter work. Work that paid off when she reached Maddie¡¯s nightmare.


    Maddie dangled a foot or two off the ground by webs of spear-like thorns, and yet somehow that observation didn¡¯t portray the painful sight enough.


    Every single rigid line erupted from her, mainly from her chest captivity and her mouth, causing her head to be cocked back as she darted her panicked, yet vacant eyes. She was twitching, and anything more than a jerk shot out yet another collection of thorn from out of her body, causing Maddie to groan in agony. And it seemed to get worse, as Jackie was there.


    Her horrified and understandable pitying stare, made Maddie squirm helplessly, causing more and more thorn to come barreling out and the previous layers dig into her more. What was a panicked, yet vacant look turned into despondent, yet ferocious bitterness? Jackie didn¡¯t get it, but this wasn¡¯t the time, the place.


    ¡°MADISON!¡± Jackie roared. ¡°BEAT IT! IT¡¯S LIKE YOUR FEAR! OWN IT BEFORE IT OWNS YOU COMPLETELY!¡± She then pointed to her now-shifted-back-arm, ¡°REMEMBER WHAT LESLIE DID!¡±


    Maddie responded with a few grunts, slowly but surely moving her un-barbed arm towards her buried chest. What followed was her body shifting, getting harder into its various ejected pieces and each of the thorns snapping as easily as they sprouted and bounded her. And with a few shakes and swings, she dropped on her feet, then fell promptly on her hands and knees, panting, wide-eyed, scared¡ªLike Jackie but still emotionally distant. Trying to be.


    Jackie rushed over, picking her up, ¡°We have to find the others.¡±


    Maddie looked at her with her maddened eyes, glaring while stuttering for breath, ¡°And why the hell--?¡±


    ¡°After all we¡¯ve been through so far¡ªAre you really going for the route of fucking everyone over just to save yourself?¡±


    ¡°Save myself and the fucking person I know and care about.¡±


    The realization of her parents hit Jackie where the fear made her raw. Maddie¡¯s feverent, animal like stare only hit upon her exposed wound.


    She gritted herself, keeping true to herself¡ªversus what the fear wanted to make her into.


    ¡°If we go to the source of this, all of this can stop! Not only do we owe it to the rest of the girls and their families; we might be the only fucking ones able to stop it!¡±


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Maddie sighed out, putting her hands on her face.


    Jackie once again activated her arm again, before holding Maddie close walking toward the moving darkness. ¡°You can rest, but I¡¯m dragging you along with me.¡±


    After being exposed to, knowing all the tricks of this isle of illusion, Jackie didn¡¯t have a harder time navigating the maze. She spent more time checking on Maddie versus their surroundings, as she continues to mull over their situation.


    The thing about siVis that she learned and was interested in was the fact that it existed on its own timetable. This trek felt like hours, it could¡¯ve been just 20 minutes whenever this was over, but neither mattered. siVis events acted as they may, and this fact they were trapped in this time abyss¡ªwhere time was paramount, would add to this horrible experience.


    (Jackie and Maddie argument about the futility of this, both realize that they¡¯re as green as the siVis user, giving them more hope)


    After a long stretch of time, but somehow very little, passed; Maddie accidently slipped and fell, hitting the ground on her side. Jackie immediately disengaged, or at least tried. Her siVized arm remained activate, frustrating her as she watched Maddie writhe on the ground. She didn¡¯t care, she rushed over to Maddie and picked her up with her free hand via her gown, where the small girl tried to stop her taller cohort. Jackie didn¡¯t get a chance to question or counter it, Maddie ripped away from her grip by jerking forward, hands and knees on the ground.


    ¡°The fuck is the point?¡± Maddie spat.


    ¡°Maddie, we just got fucking through this already--!¡± Jackie barked back.


    Maddie craned her head and yelled back, ¡°Fuck you! This siVis guy¡¯s shit is way too strong, even if we fucking find him!¡±


    ¡°We still have to solve this!¡± Jackie yelled, her voice conveying determination, fighting against the venom that Maddie stewed.


    ¡°What can five neutered chicks and some doctor can fucking do?! Think!¡±


    ¡°I AM THINKING,¡± Jackie roared, lunching forward and grabbing Maddie by her shoulder. ¡°YOU CAN WIN THE DAY WITHOUT STRENGTH!¡±


    Maddie, to her correct, just stared back at a pushed Jackie.


    ¡°You always make fun of River, but you¡¯re just like her!¡±


    Maddie then scoffed, again staring directly up at Jackie, ¡°There¡¯s a different between giving up and being a sad sack¡ªand cutting your loses and surviving. She¡¯ll fucking die laying in the landfill that I¡¯m here that is her room, and I¡¯m out here knowing how the world works, following the goddamn curve. Give me one good ass reason why I should be willing to die than doing what I know we¡¯ll save my life?¡±


    Jackie didn¡¯t know what she was angry at more, the sheer, disgusting callousness or the fact even in this crisis¡ªthis human does the thing that everyone hates, and so proud of it. Was that brief moment back then, the time they can¡¯t recall, all show?


    The angry girl, who¡¯s been so angry for far, far too long bit her lip, slowly shook her head side to side, before grabbing Maddie¡¯s other shoulder. Face to face.


    ¡°If you wanna betray everyone, go ahead. I want you to. But the fact of the matter is this; I¡¯m using all reason that I possess to not to throw you away and leave your ass. Why? Because giving in to any of these useless, worthless, meaningless emotions isn¡¯t going to solve the fact that I¡¯m in Hell now. I¡¯m going to spend my energy crawling myself out.¡±


    Maddie can only turn her head.


    Jackie felt herself smile, which was weird. She knows that the rest of her face is still twisted up in rage. Damn siVis, making her aware¡­


    She softened, ¡°What you want¡ªwe want, and the greater good that needs to be done here are mutually exclusive. So, for our own damn sakes, let¡¯s keep working together.¡±


    Maddie pushed Jackie away, as her grip softened along with her demeanor, Jackie trading back another angry, shocked look. Maddie got up with her own power and shrugged.


    ¡°Still doesn¡¯t change the fact that we¡¯re literally junior siVis people.¡±


    Then it hit Jackie.


    ¡°¡­So is our victim, here.¡±


    Maddie arched her eyebrow.


    ¡°If there¡¯s a siVis user here, it has to be on the floor above ours¡ªlike the guy they wheeled in! Think about it, with an ability like this, the person would¡¯ve¡ªI mean¡ªThe ability would keep us in those horrible places! And the fact that we, ¡®junior siVis¡¯ users can cut through so easily¡­!¡±


    Jackie pounded her fist into her head with a confident smirk, ¡°It makes so much sense!¡±


    ¡°¡­Or the dude could suck,¡± Maddie pointed out. Jackie instantly sighed, looking at Maddie with tired eyes. Only for Maddie to steal her smirk, ¡°Either way, it¡¯s good for us.¡±


    Jackie then laughed, ¡°Jerk.¡±


    ¡°Bitch,¡± Maddie corrected, walking up to her side. ¡°But I¡¯m always right~¡±


    Jackie patted her shoulder, ¡°Sure. But c¡¯mon.¡±


    The duo continued, slashing through the maze, and search through the shadows, prepared and renewed for whatever¡¯s coming next.


    But nothing could prepare them for the sight before them.


    A multi-legged, towering shadow creature is limbering forward, struggling with all of its perceived might to drag a limp and bounded River. It¡¯s spiderleg-talons were digging into the floor in the many failed attempts to gain traction. Then Jackie realized the struggle is comical, while River really is crushed by the weight of the tetherhooks dug into her bare back that she has to bear, her arms moving as the rest of her body can¡¯t.


    ¡°RIVER!¡± Jackie shouted, ¡°YOU CAN GET OUT USING SIVIS!¡±


    The fear creature¡¯s legs are practically halfway into the ground, writhing and getting tired doing it. River hasn¡¯t moved one inch, even if she could.


    Jackie feared that she would be the one most accepting of her fate, and quickly let her mind race as Maddie already made up hers. The small girl walked forward and cupped her hands around her mouth.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s your thing to be a sad, depressed sack; but can you not do this right now?!¡± Maddie said and Jackie couldn¡¯t believe what was being said. ¡°If you live through this, you can continue to be like this all you want; so let¡¯s use that brain of yours for once and not whine about using it, huh?!¡±


    While Maddie¡¯s sharp tongue can¡¯t slash through these reins, nor spurred River to cut said reins immediately, it was a deep cut, nonetheless.


    River squirmed, but it was purposeful. Using the binding, she rubbed her arms up against them to create enough pressure to force the activation, their usually shape and state allowing River to get them out. She then started crawling herself, slowly but surely getting ahead of the fear creature that¡¯s still milling about. Trudging forward, she gets ahead of it as the chains pop and cast off, with the creature slowly succumbing to its exhaustion, dissipating and adding itself back to the collective. Jackie and Maddie rush over to help her up.


    When Jackie turned to Maddie, she wanted to question her about what she said. It could¡¯ve gone horribly wrong and then they possibly could¡¯ve had them face off against the creature and they¡¯re barely in the state to even think straight. But she had to admit, it was something she couldn¡¯t do¡­


    ¡°See? We need you here to hurt all of our feelings¡­¡± Jackie smirked at Maddie, as the latter folded her arms. Besides, she wasn¡¯t even looking at Jackie.


    Maddie patted River¡¯s shoulder as it became normal again, ¡°Seriously, lady. I know I don¡¯t know you and you don¡¯t know me but¡­ It ain¡¯t healthy walking around without a damn soul. Research nerd stuff, write a book¡ªdo something that isn¡¯t doing nothing but hating yourself. It¡¯s disgusting and no, you can¡¯t make it fucking work.¡±


    River¡¯s face was framed within the shade, creating a shadow over it. Then she moved her head away from it, looking towards the others. ¡°Anything to compare notes with?¡±


    ¡°These things seem to react and mimic our fears¡­¡± Jackie reported.


    ¡°And it¡¯s fucking with space,¡± Maddie added.


    ¡°Right,¡± River responded. ¡°A lot more shapeless, though. More like living shadow puppets versus spawning in Freddy Krueger.¡±


    ¡°Oh god, I hope not,¡± Jackie stressed out.


    Maddie snorted, mostly in quiet disbelief, ¡°What are you, 12-?¡±


    ¡°And well space is warped, maybe our general location hasn¡¯t changed,¡± Rive continued. ¡°Kinda has to be, since you guys just found me and each other relatively close. Versus being scattered around¡­ It¡¯s more like multiple rooms were just added around us. We didn¡¯t move, just that the room did.¡±


    Jackie nodded; Jackie loved this. ¡°Let¡¯s just find Tracy, Aiko and then Leslie next.¡±


    ¡°Woah, woah, woah¡­¡± Maddie waved her hands. ¡°Why Nurse Wetblanket?¡±


    ¡°Because I have a hunch¡­¡± Jackie answered.


    River caught on, ¡°The one they wheeled in; before we were cleared. You think that¡¯s the siVis user?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my first guess,¡± Jackie said. ¡°And if it¡¯s wrong, he has the potential access to the other ones we could make.¡±


    ¡°Well let¡¯s get a move on,¡± Maddie pressing down on her forearm, activating the rest. River followed soon after, with a proud and reassured Jackie looked on and followed their lead.


    Despite the haze and darkness, they scaled through and found Tracy in no time. But they were another set of eyes directly on her.


    There she was, face down on the floor, nearly lifeless. What was above her were a cluster of shadowy, leering eyes twitching and throbbing to look at one thing: her. As soon as Tracy looked up to her fellow women, a series of black pillars bashed her down into the already crater-scarred floor as the eyes rapidly look at her with contempt, rage and bitterness, accusatorily.


    Without thinking or the others¡¯ input; River charged in while panting. She slid over, getting on top of Tracy, tanking the pelting from above as the eyeballs go berserk¡ªas if in dismay to why someone, anyone, would ever defend her.


    Tracy somehow found the strength to flip over to look distressingly at River, even if it was motivated by fear and jerking to see what was happening. Once again, her doughy, glassy green eyes are widen opened, paralyzed with shock.


    ¡°How¡ªthe¡ªwhy¡ªhow¡ªwhere did--?!¡± Tracy started.


    It took River around seconds to notice that she wasn¡¯t feeling exactly pain; but more so disturbance. She glanced down quickly at herself, seeing the hammering pillars are struggling to go through her, again, to no pain. Something that she figured, but of course wasn¡¯t sure on in the hazy maze of uncertainty.


    ¡°That could¡¯ve ended badly at best or made things terrible at worse, River!¡± Jackie exclaimed. ¡°Why do this?! What the hell?!¡±


    Tracy looked up to River, expecting an answer herself.


    ¡°I¡ªI, know you¡¯re scared,¡± River began, wincing as the pillars amp up trying to break through. ¡°I¡ªI know how overwhelming things can be¡ªBut, but you have to get out of these anxiety-inducing things by facing them¡ªAaah! S-so please, you have to face them, whatever they mean and you don¡¯t have to be so brave¡ªFear and anxiety can help you out just as much!¡±


    Even though her face was beginning to twist against the pressure, and the very anxiety that¡¯s gripping her from the inside; she never failed to look Tracy sincerely in the eyes. ¡°Please¡­ I know you can be¡­ So much better than you think¡­¡±


    Tracy¡¯s own eyes softened again, but the fear was clearly still there. And like the manic eyes about them; she studies River for her intent, and unlike them, is grateful for it.


    ¡°Also use your siVis shit!¡± Maddie added from afar, showing how to activate her arm, waving it. River closed her eyes sharply, as if she forgot to mention that at the end of her speech and most likely did.


    Nevertheless, a spurred-on Tracy moves River out of the way, to face the onslaught. With her activated hands, she shields her face from the pillars, looking away with her cheek smushed against the floor. She yelped, deciding to push the ones targeting her face back, clearly stunning the creature. Seeing this from her transformed fingers, she then got up and slid over to the mid-paused pillars and pushed them up the same fashion; the eyes taking one too many before becoming a blob on the ceiling, being reabsorbed into the collective.


    Tracy trembled, looking at her hands before they settled again, heaving. But once River gotten up, Tracy found herself leaping towards her for a hug, wrapping her shaking arms around the other girl. A symptom of her mania? Another spur-of-the-moment thing? A high of being alive? All these thoughts raced in River¡¯s mind, before herself returning the hug, if not meekly.


    Jackie rushed over with Maddie in tow, ¡°Good job, Tracy,¡± the tall girl said. She then patted River¡¯s brown hair with a proud smile on her face. ¡°And excellent job, River.¡±


    A face that¡¯s so often burdened with negative emotions looked so lost in this advent of positive ones. River could only nod, confusingly.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Maddie breaking the early celebrations up, ¡°We only have the daredevil next, and I can fucking bet you that her shit¡¯s gonna rival those Saw movies¡­¡±


    The rest looked at each other in shared worry.


    Maddie brushed back her hair, fiddling with her ear, ¡°How¡¯d you do that ear thing¡ªJackie, was it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah and like the stuff with the arm¡­ Feel it out, I guess,¡± Jackie replied activating her ear. ¡°But good idea, if we all can tune to her sounds, we¡¯ll find her quick than usual.¡±


    And with Tracy and River doing the same, the lot continue the search. Like they assumed, their numbers made cluing into any traces of Aiko more noticeable and detectable. But what they were getting back wasn¡¯t making any sense.


    They heard mumblings, which made them believe that she was far away as they thought. But the mumbling got closer. River elected to go further as the rest stayed at the spot, only to come back to report that the mumble gotten further as she moved away, confounding them greatly. Scoping out the area that was nothing but the same as usual, Maddie was in a huff.


    ¡°What the fuck is this?¡± she asked, ¡°Can we take the time to take in how fucking batshit this whole thing is? And my god, this floor is the rankish stuff that I¡¯ve stepped on!¡±


    Jackie looked down towards her bare feet¡­ Only for it all to click together; as it was all blacker, textured, and slimier than usual. She instantly got on her knees and pressed her an ear to the ¡°ground¡±.


    ¡°Ohnonononono,¡± she said to herself, on bated breath to see if her horrors were proved right.


    And to her horror, the mumbling turned into muffled screaming.


    Jackie looked to the others, with it all written on her face.


    Tracy covered her mouth, but the words were still clear, ¡°Of all the fears to have¡­ We have to dig her out!¡±


    There was no need for agreement, they all activated their arms and started to cleave around for Aiko, trapped in a pool that gets more gelatinous, more slippery, more unruly the more you dig.


    Taking such frantic, sweeping swipes at the ground caused them to gain ground faster than they could think with their buzzing minds, Tracy screaming out as she found a hand emerging and clamping desperately onto her wrists.


    Without any of the hesitation that has gripped her before, Tracy pulled herself back, shouting and grunting, for the others to come and assist. Everyone raced over and grabbed each other¡¯s underarms, with Jackie at the back providing the strength they need.


    Aiko¡¯s head resurfaced, almost all of the sludge clearing away¡­ Except the parts that have a death gripping on her, pulling her back so hard that her terrified face is stretched back, along with her head bent at an awkward angle. Tracy wasted no time.


    ¡°B-Beat it, Aiko! Beat it using siVis! F-focus your hands, okay?! M-make it some c-cool stunt o-or something!¡±


    The buried girl¡¯s eyes began to alight when Tracy said what she said.


    ¡°O-oh, y-yoou liked that? Uh, which--?¡± Tracy shook her head, as she figured it didn¡¯t matter. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s see you beat it! Beat being buried life! D-doing a stunt on death itself! C¡¯mon! Live! Live in that moment, like you said!¡±


    Tracy tried to motion how to activate using her thumb in her struggles, as her face began to turn as red as her hair. But it was enough, as Aiko let go a hand to activate the one that¡¯s still gripping, hoisting herself up from her trap with siVis-unlocked strength alone; her binding straps popping off dangerously, but Aiko was rising from the pits all the same.


    As the others collapsed on their backs, sides and rears; Aiko tried to stand tall as the floor settled and became solid again. Even if her knees were buckling, leaning forward and couldn¡¯t stop her shivering, she wanted to prove that she conquered her fear, much less the concerned and sympathetic crowd before her and more herself.


    After Jackie got up, and then the others, she proceeded to hug Aiko despite her visible protests. She yielded within a minute or two, becoming still.


    ¡°And that makes five,¡± Jackie said, grimly. But the tone was betrayed by the fierce, tired look in her eyes. ¡°Now to fix this shitshow. For all of our sakes.¡±


    ¡°The nurse, right¡­?¡± Tracy asked.


    ¡°Indeed. And luckily for us¡­¡± River pointed to the direction she ran in to search for Aiko, ¡°I heard him straight ahead. Was gonna report that, but, well¡­¡±


    Jackie nodded, letting out and looking at Aiko, ¡°Are you going to be okay?¡±


    Aiko nodded back, vacant but was listening.


    Jackie rubbed her shoulders and got in front of the girls. ¡°We¡¯re at the final leg, everyone. We can do this. We can make this a good day.¡±


    The five young girls moved forward, braving the darkness ahead and around them, so that the goal that could¡¯ve been above and beyond them can be achieved. No more fear. No more being lost. While they didn¡¯t complete the maze, they got what they came for in record time.


    Leslie was fighting against the manifestations of his demons, tussling even if it¡¯s futile. What he was protecting was the completely untouched door to the stairway, but the influence of the siVis ability is creeping towards it along with the horde. He constantly pushed away the twisted caricature of not only people, but those affected by the Shift Noumena, siVis, and anything else the girls couldn¡¯t exactly recognize. He fought back with the procedure he performed on them, just pushing them back, but he was so overwhelmed as they came right back. Despite it all, he shouted, he raged, he cursed not in the way Maddie does, but in terms of wishing venomous hatred for these soulless things. Or what they¡¯re based on. What they meant.


    The girls rushed in, not exactly thinking it, but clearly don¡¯t want to give up or stand idly by now when they¡¯re so close. Jackie herself grabbed and shielded Leslie, he being extremely surprised as the shadows wail on her.


    ¡°Would it by a tad clich¨¦ to say that all you need to do is not be afraid¡­?¡± she winced out.


    Leslie looked at her, up and down, ¡°How did you--?¡±


    ¡°We can compare notes when you stop giving into your fear! You did the rest and you¡¯re more trained by it than we are! So, you just doing that would be it for them!¡±


    He returned with an intense glare, as if she was one of the shadows.


    ¡°¡­Please,¡± Jackie pleaded. ¡°I know we¡¯re a part of the problem, we do. But unlike most of them¡ªus¡­ We¡¯ve learned. We¡¯re gonna right this wrong, we¡¯re gonna actually use the things about ourselves we¡¯ve failed to consider¡ªhell! Here, how we go here, was a marriage between that and siVis! We can make it work. We¡¯re already learning our lesson¡­¡±


    With his intense glare, he began to close his eyes. And soon, the shadows lose form once more, crawling away.


    Jackie let go of him, clearly winded along with the rest of the girls that had their own ways and episodes in dealing with the mess. With a cough and look at Leslie, Jackie proposed her plan.


    ¡°Are your supervisors, who brought the one after us in, are they upstairs?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Leslie said bitterly. ¡°Glad to see you all using your heads.¡±


    ¡°Told ya¡¯ we had ¡®em,¡± Maddie added on, tapping hers, namely the forehead. ¡°We just don¡¯t LISTEN to them time to time!¡±


    Leslie rolled his eyes, trying to hold back a smile until he remembered what was at stake. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    He pointed to the relatively untouched stairwell, the door blown off it¡¯s hedges by the door¡¯s own shadow.


    Jackie was surprised, ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Convenient.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of this that¡¯s fishy,¡± Leslie began. ¡°9/10, an siVictim¡¯s activation is a burst, uncontrollable and showcases the strengths and weaknesses of the person, leaving in what we usually call an impression. This should¡¯ve been worse.¡±


    Jackie then looked down, hearing that. Their running theory of the victim being weak as they are was basically shot down and continues to show how much they¡¯ve botched their situation.


    Leslie looked at the group, noting Jackie, but chose not to address it, ¡°This gives us a chance, whatever this may mean, to storm up there and get in close enough to help sedate him.¡±


    Jackie looked at the boy, as he turned forward. He was barely audible, but Jackie heard it:


    ¡°The bastard might¡¯ve gotten to Mom and Dad¡­¡±


    The group bolted for the stairs, running by the door and climbing up the stairwell, cloaked in shade as well despite it being a sanctuary. And the shade grew thicker and thicker, as they got close to the heart of the problem, the sight being so reassuring yet so terrifying of what could possibly be next. They reached the top floor, where the door was smashed against the opposite wall, with just blank darkness within the entrance.


    ¡°Here it is¡­¡± Jackie¡¯s voice rung out, so vulnerable. ¡°Finally¡­¡±


    Then Aiko¡¯s voice croaked out, as she was looking down the stairwell, ¡°Guys¡­?¡±


    Jackie¡¯s heart sunk at that, but it strangely, she felt that way before. Getting used to it? She ran and looked over the railing to see what waited them.


    All shape, sizes, abstract, simple, complex shadows raced after the group and had been for some time. And as they were crowded together, they were as deep and black as the shadow within the door. As the rest of the girls could only crumble in exhaustion, Jackie looked on.


    ¡°They can¡¯t be our shadows¡­¡± Tracy whimpered out.


    ¡°¡­Yeah. They aren¡¯t ours,¡± River answered for her, and everyone.


    Jackie looked at Leslie, ¡°Go.¡±


    He was taken aback, even lowering his guard so much that he looked more frightened, more distressed than what Jackie could¡¯ve ever pictured him looking like.


    ¡°If you get hurt by this and all of what we did was pointless,¡± Jackie coldly stated, motivated by something hotter. ¡°Go! We can buy you time, and if you solve this, maybe everything can revert back to normal!¡±


    ¡°You were just saying you were learning!¡± Leslie said in¡­ Concern? ¡°You can¡¯t do that when you¡¯re dead¡ª¡±


    ¡°THEN GO SO WE DON¡¯T DIE! YOU HAVE AN OATH; NOW DO IT!¡±


    Leslie relented; he ran into the darkness as the girls faced the oncoming one. Once again, as Jackie moved back to them, somehow different faces portrayed the same emotion.


    Jackie couldn¡¯t help but to sniffle, as she activated her arm with her hand molded into a fist. Feebleness, despite all that they¡¯ve done. But then again, it wasn¡¯t enough. It just wasn¡¯t fucking enough.


    Meanwhile, plunged into darkness, Leslie could only rely on something of the mix of muscle memory, spatial awareness, and total recall running in the now dank halls. Even with the run-ins, bumps and pauses, he figured out how to get to the siVis Trauma Center, using his ID card to get into the doors. This was it; he could assist his parents in solving this patient¡¯s cosmic mania to save everyone, the girls, Jackie¡­


    What was supposed to be blinding light at the end of the tunnel turned into his greatest nightmare.


    Two doctors, an older couple, was mutilating a patient.


    Using some kind of technology; they were trying to harvest patient zero¡¯s pieces of himself, turned into exotic ¡°puzzle pieces¡± by siVis and the machine¡¯s help. The lowered flexible prongs the machine had buried itself deep into the broken man. They looked towards Leslie, feverent. Caught.


    Leslie was speechless.


    ¡°Why did you have to do this of all times, Leslie?!¡± the older, greyhaired woman with a bun and glasses with chain-hoops hanging off of them. A familiar, passive-aggressive phrase turned into condemnation. As the balding, also glasses wearing man could only watch on.


    But none were paying attention to the patient, leaking darkness from the orthoses of his head so much that it masked it. They couldn¡¯t see him, but he could see them. Leslie walking in, with such an expression, seemingly is what drove him over the edge.


    He jerked, kicked, struggled and violently spasmed as he screamed more and more, despite his throat raw and still in relative pieces. The pieces themselves began to glow and spark, with the two professionals look in wonder and adject terror as they never seen this before.


    The piece that the machine hold started to glow brightly, started folding in tandem, disassemble, reassemble, until the very room and its people began to warp. And before they screamed themselves, protested, run, or knew; a very familiar, wispy glow overtook them and the hospital in darkness.


    The glow stripped things down to the essentials, moved within space that wasn¡¯t up, down, right or left, and overtook the hospital of horror. A Shift occurred and warped the hospital in half, then the block, then the neighborhood, soon part of the city.


    Then it hardened.


    Sliced the hospital in half.


    Then the neighborhoods in its path.


    Then it continues to slice through the city.


    Then finally, the island of Davenport itself.


    And just as it began, it disappeared. Leaving with warped destruction and many, many implications.


    And one more thing to fear, even there already was just too, too much.

 (Episode III) (De)Construction of Memory Lane

    The searing pain building up within Jackie¡¯s smushed cheek woke her up. Instantly alert, she ripped it from the asphalt, and every single damn thing that weighed on her, did.


    She instinctively felt said cheek with her left hand, a wound way too impressionable, way too fresh to simply be skin irritated and indented due to rock. Her senses are alert, but so attuned to the world around her, it¡¯s all still a blurring yet pitched mess, causing her to hunch over.


    And she¡¯s still shaking, shuddering, and sweating because of the mortal terror she and hundreds of others were subjected to for possibly hours.


    She had to get a hold of herself¡­ But she didn¡¯t know how. How, when she¡¯s against a world that refuses anything to happen?


    A world where meaning goes to die, yet refuses to let people do the same?


    Some broken hellhole, that¡¯s so fucked that people can fall into it¡ªcausally spat back out¡ªgive them power that they clearly were never meant to have¡ªthat constantly proves again and again that things can and will get worse?


    If she wasn¡¯t clutching her drenched gown, it was her pounding head. Since this was her right, while her left still planted onto her cheek, she felt she looked as crazy as she was getting. No more circulation. Just no more. Jackie knew at this point; her body just can¡¯t handle anymore stress that it was already overtaxed by.


    Even so. Fitting, that this nightmare world can¡¯t let her despair, either.


    Frankly, one of the reasons being simply having no time to, as a loud¡ªprofound¡ªand most importantly familiar, ¡°SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT¡± rang in the air.


    A quick succession of cringing, crumpling, then realization followed. Jackie shook her head¡ªsomehow still pounding against her head harder than her racing heart against her chest, to clear it and to express just how much this whole thing is so stupid yet so torturous. Jackie figured that just like turning on a TV and leaving it on some channel you forgot about: her siVis-attuned hearing was still trained on the rest of the girls.


    Jackie snapped her head towards a Maddie, recently woken up, on her knees gripping her own head, at something that caused her to express genuine anxiety that despite all of this, didn¡¯t know that she was capable of.


    Jackie looked at what caused this, and she wished she didn¡¯t.


    She didn¡¯t get what she was looking at. It was truly, and utterly, insane.


    It could only be best described as¡­ Jackie¡¯s head throbbed harder trying to make of this.


    Space stretched thin, then layered again, hung up and intertwined like using spider web as wrapping paper. A translucent, cobbled together air-wall that latched and uprooted nearby buildings to merge it into its very structure.


    What laid before the disaster area, the part where Jackie wanted to see the most¡­ Was the ruination of people and what was once their lives.


    People were pulled from the rumble, Shift recovery officials of Extant seemingly where the only ones moving, bustling from group to group, feebly aiding victims that were hurt and victims that were lost. The crowds becoming a near-crush because they¡¯re looking toward the grotesque wall.


    People who lost their homes, people who has nothing left, people who now have no reason left to hold onto their sanity¡­


    And the worst part was that Jackie could not focus on the scene. Her vision, her sight, it was getting worse. She knows what she was looking at and yet, they¡¯re starting to become blurs. Smudges.


    And now dots, become she tried to wipe her eyes.


    She wished she hadn¡¯t.


    After furiously rubbing her eyes with her hands, shaking her head to rejog something¡ªanything¡­ She glanced back down at her hand that held her hurt cheek.


    There wasn¡¯t blood. It¡¯s sad that she wanted to see blood, after seeing this.


    But her hand was covered in¡­ Crumbling dust¡ªsparking across her palm. Glittering as it bounced about on her once-human skin.


    She couldn¡¯t see her cheek, but she can feel it. Feel it succumbing to it¡¯s wounds, crumbling in on itself as the pain¡­ Well, it didn¡¯t feel like pain anymore.


    She just felt herself, little by little, fall apart.


    Startled¡ªstruggling¡ªscared, she used her siVis to focus her eyesight, feeling her eye dilate, shrink, then finally grappling with the adjustment system¡ªwhatever that means. Working though her wincing, fighting back against it as the tensing clogs up the adjustment.


    The girls¡­ Well, they all are just staring at the wall. Maddie still clutching her shaking head, Aiko on her side as she pants away per second it feels like, River on her belly as she looked away, around, then finally down as she couldn¡¯t take anymore¡­ And Tracy begun curling into a ball, burying her possibly-tear-covered face.


    Damn it. Damn this¡­


    The screams of ¡°LET US GO¡±, blaring into her siVis-enhanced ear, and pounding into her headache, that proceeded to slam against her in retaliation.


    Jackie crumpled, her eyesight going blurry again, her crumbling cheek falling apart further as she holds it, and the other invisible, hard to define scarring all catching up to her. And just as hard to reach, much less heal, because there wasn¡¯t simply anymore time.


    But she will not yield. She didn¡¯t build herself up, she didn¡¯t live, just to give up¡ªto be deconstructed. She adjusted her eyesight again, looking towards the increasing screaming.


    Two boys, can¡¯t be no older than 12. They were held back, literally within the mittens, of two Extant Recovery workers. As they struggled, their messed-up clothes got further jacked up, their bruises were more apparent. The one with the long, brown hair kept screaming,


    ¡°JUST LET US GO, JUST LET US GET IT!¡±


    Jackie couldn¡¯t think, let alone try to read into this scene. She looked toward the Extant workers.


    They always looked as creepy as what they clean up. Something out of an old movie from the 50¡¯s, blocky, reenforced, and obtuse hazard suits. Cream-toned, any curve tightened into edges, rimmed at the base of their elbows and knees with obsidian braces. The braces held together the suits and the massive, streamlined, multi-purpose gantlets and boots they wore able to scale, cultivate, and grapple with the environment they often had to face. They weren¡¯t holding the kids back, so much as restraining them with the combination of the volume of their suits and the gantlets morphing into a firm hold alone, using themselves as the wall padding in some mental patient¡¯s room.


    Worse part was the ¡°TV visors¡± that jutted out from their trapezoid helmets.


    The design intended for the workers to remain anonymous, creating this two-way mirror effect where normally, all you see is a face covered in harsh shadows, making out one¡¯s mouth and cheeks but eyes, nose and everything else overcast with darkness. Then you had the opposite effect whenever the Shift related things started to happen, only revealing their eyes¡­ but still being featureless, giving the imagery of a wide-eyed yet beady eyed evil Astronaut from a bad monster movie.


    But they said nothing, to the boys that continued to struggle and struggle. And that was the reason for the anonymity for these workers: they had every right to do what they can in the event of a Shift Noumena crisis, even against the victim¡¯s best interests. Break property, quickly getting people out of the situation even if it meant harm¡­


    Then it clicked within Jackie as it rung hollow within her. She quickly scanned behind her, and her fears were proven.


    Tons of the Recovery workers, holding back pre-teens to young adults, trying to overpower and bone rush them as a unit. They came in all shapes, sizes, nationalities, and creeds¡­ Wanting the same thing.


    To try their hands at gaining siVis.


    This¡­ Always happened. Always has to be an extra concern in dealing with the Shift. Teens¡­ Kids, trying their hand in being lucky and having enough to spark something. Most of the injury, death, and Warp cases aren¡¯t the victims that never knew or never could outrun, escape¡­


    It¡¯s the fools that knew full well that they¡¯d lose their lives but went for it anyways. It¡¯s gotten to the point that you have to prove that you lived or knew someone in a Shift effected area or else you¡¯re grouped up with the foolish masses¡­


    ¡­That Jackie stupidly joined and is forever grouped with, now.


    She wanted to take those children away herself, back at the blockade that they¡¯ve fashioned.


    In fact¡­


    ¡°HEY!¡± Jackie called out towards the boys, they and the workers turning to her.


    She moved her hand, letting her cheek be the example, her point.


    ¡°YOU DON¡¯T WANT THIS!¡± she screamed at them. ¡°YOU DON¡¯T WANT THIS AT ALL!¡±


    They looked at her, bewildered and a bit scared. Maybe she¡¯s exploding again? It¡¯s so often now that she might not be able to feel that anymore. Not a trend anymore, but a staple.


    ¡°MY HEAD HURTS, EVERYTHING LOOKS UGLIER, AND I¡ªI,¡± she screamed so hard that her body forced her to gulp back the excess saliva. Was it her? Or was it the elephant in the room¡­?


    She crumbled over, starting to cough, pulsating the pain rocking her head, her body, her soul.


    ¡°I¡¯M AN IDIOT, I¡¯M A FOOL¡ªDON¡¯T BE LIKE ME, IT¡¯S OKAY TO BE¡­To be¡­¡±


    Jackie wanted to say the words, but somehow the pain felt sharper than the others.


    But the shorter of the two boys, lightly shaven, short hair with circular designs embedded, decided to speak.


    ¡°We have a friend! He¡¯s really messed up; he¡¯s been fighting this thing for all of his life--! We have to keep helping him! We need to keep helping him, we can¡¯t anymore if we stay like this--!¡±


    That line practically punched her in the side of her head.


    The headache was getting to the point where she felt delirious, even with siVis-enhanced sight, it was starting to waver. Never mind the fresh tears accumulating, her heartrate hammering her body again: all she could witness, all she could understand were smears, dots, and distortion.


    But she could still hear.


    ¡°WE DON¡¯T HAVE ANYTHING LEFT PLEASE; OUR PARENTS ARE ON THE OTHER SIIIDE! WE CAN¡¯T TAKE CARE OF HIM, WE DON¡¯T HAVE HOUSES ANYMORE! WE CAN¡¯T DO ANYTHING AND WE NEED TO, WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO?!¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter who said that.


    Jackie¡¯s mind scattered, and she became trapped within it.


    She fell into this¡­ Void of cascading colors. Merging and creating waves of different, shining shades. It all collided to create this realm of navy blue, with pulsing colors, fading to brilliant, as the waves push themselves and pull.


    Jackie landed hard against something. While it didn¡¯t hurt¡­ In fact, all of her previous pain¡ªwhich put her into near paralysis up until that point¡ªis just¡­ gone. The only reason why her back ached upon the impact was that it was some semblance of physics.


    She darted her eyes about, forcing her into action mode, because she just can¡¯t afford not to at this point. She took in the sight, and feared that she¡¯s fallen into some other fresh hell like before¡­


    But¡­ It felt familiar.


    Jackie then tried to hoist herself up... And saw gigantic puzzle pieces snap together in the far, radiant vista, so far away that they¡¯re almost shrouded in shadows.


    She wondered why at this point she was still surprised.


    The complex emotions quickly gave way to anger, as she continued to sit up and quick, only for the puzzle pieces in the distance combine just as ferocious. The cruel irony of that was what followed.


    The once distant, monolithic pieces started to pull closer and closer pieces in response to this action, causing the very piece she landed on to flip over, constantly tossing her like a ragdoll and join in without seconds to spare.


    As she screamed and flailed about; Jackie tried to grab whatever she could despite the possible dangers of free falling and latching onto something. But she couldn¡¯t afford to be logical in a situation of possible death, much less any situation dealing with the Shift.


    She saw a smaller puzzle structure, and stretched her arms out towards it, her arms taking the brunt of the impact as she gripped on for dear life. The absence of pain was good, otherwise what she needed to do next was going to be torture.


    It was as big as a board, but it was something she can use as leverage. She used her upper body to lift herself up, making great progress.


    Too bad that the piece then flipped about, coasting downward full speed. Jackie could only hold on for dear life until it clicked into place into a bigger piece; the impact bouncing her chest first, knocking the breath out of her.


    She screamed again, in full rage, starting to pound her fist against the puzzle structure, over and over. Not did it shake with each punch, the whole realm shook as well.


    She kept doing it, until she felt better. Of course, the structure remained unharmed. And of course, it¡¯s surface reflected her deranged, damaged, and desperate face.


    And she finally a good look at her cheek ¡°wound¡±.


    The skin near it became infused with the puzzle-like gash. What was once a layer of connected puzzles, various broken pieces that were crumbling towards the ends and edges. Giving off this fluffy, felt appearance as the sparks skittered off the broken pieces.


    What was just road rash, became this.


    What was just a normal girl, became this.


    She saw the structure starting to breakdown, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to care.


    The lost girl then fell once more as the puzzle piece broke into more of itself.


    As she fell further and further down, the pieces that once plagued her begun to surround and fall with her.


    It was¡­ Surreal. What was her falling down endlessly, became a slow descent onto a possible ¡°bottom¡± of this pit.


    Jackie then noticed the pieces falling and piling onto each in such a way, it created a stage of some sort. A stage she then landed on left side first. There wasn¡¯t really anything to it, nothing elaborate in the design. The pieces made itself into flooring.


    But that didn¡¯t last long, as suddenly, the pieces rose and fluttered together to begin creating this dense cloud of activity.


    And then it begun to create something Jackie knew all too well.


    Jackie¡­ Just couldn¡¯t believe what they were doing.


    They¡¯ve started to make the steps of Richardson Recreational. But¡­ Just the steps. Just the steps, and the front of the center, which was lined with white blocks of stone and a black-metal framed automatic doors, which had a card reading device based near the side of said doors so members can get in.


    But there was a certain detail that¡­ If this was some kind of trick or¡­ False illusion, that shatters that fear.


    The Forever-Wet Paint that leaked from the black railing, where it intersected with the step. Jackie often messed with this mystery substance every time she came here, pointing it with her sneaker as it smushed under her foot, but slowly but satisfyingly retained its shape. The railing was dry, but yet this goop existed.


    These pieces¡­ These pieces of herself? They¡¯re creating something dear to her.


    Not only that¡­ They¡¯re recreating her memory of her Dad¡¯s retirement party from the police. A very certain, and personal scene that she doubts her own father thinks she held close.


    Because¡­ That was ultimate their dynamic. He served in the military, got discharged and came home a local hero¡ªonly to go join the police after because he simply that good of a person. He never stopped, despite having very good reason to.


    And she herself back then barely started.


    She wasn¡¯t too mesmerized to notice that not only were the pieces done with their work¡­ She was starting there on those steps as well. A much younger her.


    Her blonde hair was shorter, to her chin and done over many times to get it right. Her hands were buried in a grey hoodie, also sporting plain jeans, both oversized but not from her own volition. Because she was tall, more or less the same height back then¡­ Which was a disaster for a then-former middle schooler¡­ On the cusp of going to high school.


    She knew that she was doomed. She knew that she had to do something, or else she¡¯s going to be massively steamrolled.


    But that was the thing. What could she do?


    She fought back before, she tried to do every single thing she thought of before. It only made her problems worse, because she searched constantly for this solution that was just as fleeting and lost as she was.


    The younger Jackie looked towards the evening¡¯s sky. The shade created the perfect downcast that surrounded her, with the streetlight¡¯s glare being so distant, so far away.


    ¡°You know it¡¯s against the law to get out of stepping distance of cake, right?¡±


    The young Jackie couldn¡¯t help but smile at that. And the Jackie now found herself smiling just as brightly as well.


    Jack Sr. came out of the center, fork in one hand with paper plate in the other. A giant of a man, taller than his daughter by a few inches. Built like a brickhouse, causal shirts like he wore being stretched so much they¡¯ve turned into muscle shirts. Combined with wearing his shades, shaved head, and golden-gray stubble, he looked as he was often viewed as, a titan.


    And atop his head, he was wearing a balloon hat of various cartoon-ish colors, while his lips and cheeks were covered in white frosting. When he came over and stood next to his daughter, he purposely smiled at Jackie. Knowing good well that she¡¯ll start laughing.


    And that she did. Damn it. This only proved her anxiety, the reason why she came out here, right¡­


    He quickly sat the fork down and grabbed the tissues on the plate, that were next to the near-finished cake. He put his now-free hand on Jackie¡¯s shoulder, patting it. ¡°Tell me what¡¯s the matter, babygirl.¡±


    Young Jackie looked down, before admitting it, ¡°I feel like a failure.¡±


    She continued on, knowing that her father wasn¡¯t going to butt in or instantly debated or screamed ¡°no, she wasn¡¯t¡± back. But she had to take a sigh first, not wanting to in some degree, ¡°You¡­ You and Mom are amazing. You¡¯re kickass at your jobs, you¡¯re celebrated as¡­ Paragons almost and you managed to raise me right while being kickass paragons.¡±


    The young, lost girl chuckled a bit, ¡°Maybe my problem wasn¡¯t that I was going to be some bad kid¡­ Mr. Pete, Mr. Roger: all of them in there came up to me¡­ ¡®There¡¯s no telling what you¡¯re gonna be, kid¡¯. ¡®You¡¯re going to be crazier than Jack; you might solve world peace or something!¡¯ The reality¡­ Just hits in so many ways proving that I¡¯m just some sort of dud.¡±


    She was met again with silence, then she finally purged what raw thoughts she was trying to reason out this whole time.


    ¡°I should be¡­ Getting awards now or something. We¡¯re having this awesome party about you putting yourself out on the line again and managing to make that work. I-I can¡¯t even make my own legs work sometimes; I can¡¯t focus on not only doing work on time but getting nothing but great grades. I should be doing you proud¡­ And I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    She meeked out a ¡°that¡¯s all¡± to her father, before he unflinchingly hugging his dear daughter with a single arm.


    ¡°First off,¡± Jack began. ¡°We¡¯re proud of you unconditionally. Kinda goes with the parent thing.¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­¡± Young Jackie whispered back.


    He then stopped the hug, and gently turned his daughter towards her, looking at her.


    ¡°It¡¯s easy to see people succeed¡­ But the truth is that we fail to see the many, many, many times that they¡¯ve failed.¡±


    What a weird place, the young girl found herself in. Inspired once again by her father¡­ Yet once again faced with the fact that he¡¯s perfect and she¡¯s not.


    ¡°You¡¯re young, Jackie. You¡¯re allowed to struggle and fumble right now, forget the negatives that come with it. Because there¡¯s grown adults that still struggle because they let those negatives get to them. The important thing is, the important thing to do, is being able to face your problems. Work towards solving them and meeting them head on. Because that¡¯s the thing, baby girl¡­¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Jack smiled warmly, putting his fist lightly on his daughter¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We¡¯re so used to complaining about our problems; when we do something about them first, they won¡¯t know what hit them!¡±


    The young girl nodded, and for the first time getting here, felt assured. ¡°Okay¡­ O-okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Now, we¡¯re all gonna be here when you¡¯re ready to come back,¡± Jack then kissed the top of young Jackie¡¯s head, ruffling her hair before smoothing it out again as she giggled. ¡°Stay strong. Because you and I know what you are already.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Young Jackie responded. Jack then went up the stairs, pulled out and inserted his card, returning to the party.


    ¡­She always wondered, why there was this card system. It wasn¡¯t like a crime problem in the town, everyone in town got one or were able to get one.


    She didn¡¯t know, then. The implications.


    That thick, metal frame was an anti-Shift countermeasure. Seal the doors and windows, creating a twisted cocoon death trap.


    She didn¡¯t know, and as Jackie looked on, recounting them, made her wish that she didn¡¯t WANT to know.


    The memory shattered into dust, causing Jackie to cover her eyes by crossing her arms over her face. She felt the flutter and clustering of the swarm, swerving about and around her.


    As everything slammed together, she looked towards the noises of a hand playfully smashing against the lockers. She saw her younger self staring along with her.


    The stage has now recreated the main hall of Cedar High, the kids just as paralyzed as her younger self because of what was happening.


    She was a cocksure chick, wearing a white tube top that hugged her chest and exposed her belly with cameo-printed cargo pants. This exposed not only her fiery skin, but her toned arms, legs, and hints of it on her stomach. But if it wasn¡¯t the skin, if it wasn¡¯t the sheer¡ªangry delight she had etched on her face, it was her scarlet hair that earned her this name.


    Scarlet was surrounded by the Girls¡¯ Basketball team as she playfully tossed about and manhandled a guy. Her glee in doing this was infectious amongst the ones young Jackie could see.


    ¡°Aaaaaw,¡± Scarlet cooed as she lightly and effortlessly swung this guy about. ¡°Little creep doesn¡¯t have anything to say now? Ran out of shit he can pull outta his aaasss~?¡±


    Jackie tried to recount what exactly happened, but like everything regarding high school, it was either the most overblown, stupidest shit or something that was clearly and utterly desire that was treated like nothing. There was no middle ground¡­ The guy soon rejogged her memory.


    ¡°L-let me go! I was just minding my own business; I zone out, I didn¡¯t know I couldn¡¯t go sit in the gym while you were practicing!¡±


    Scarlet didn¡¯t stop moving him about and didn¡¯t listen to a word he said, ¡°All the excuses you could¡¯ve came up with and you went with that? You zoned out directly at us running around and sweating up a storm, huh?¡±


    ¡°Fuck you!¡± the guy whimper-shouted.


    ¡°Nah,¡± Scarlet laughed out. ¡°I like staring at sweaty girls just as much as you do: and I¡¯m upfront about it without being, y¡¯know, creepy.¡± She then stopped, holding him by wrapping an arm around him. She overdramatically closed her eyes, using her free hand to touch her neck, trying to act like what she thought acting in a play would be like ¡°And yet I¡¯m the big bad bully¡­¡±


    ¡°YOU ARE!¡± the guy lost it, screeching at the tops of his lungs. ¡°JUST BECAUSE YOU¡¯VE¡ªYOU¡¯VE BEEN SHOVED INTO SOME SHIFT HOMELESS TRAILER PARK THING; YOU CAN JUST DO WHATEVER THE FUCK YOU WANT BECAUSE EVERYONE PITIES YOU!¡±


    Whatever ¡°lighthearted¡± bullying she was doing then, it quickly changed the mood as Scarlet slammed the guy into the lockers, hoisting him up.


    ¡°You¡¯re funny,¡± she said with little to no humor in her voice. ¡°Too bad I hate comedians.¡±


    Scarlet always thought she sounded great, delivering that one liner to people that pissed her off. Viewing this with hindsight kinda diminished the worry she felt from her younger self¡­


    Nonetheless, the young girl bolted towards the confrontation and grabbed Scarlet¡¯s arm, squeezing it and nearly tripping for her trouble.


    Young Jackie was out of breath, aching from the previous night¡¯s botched exercise ¡°routine¡± she started up again after quitting for a month. And that ¡°squeeze¡± showed that Scarlet wasn¡¯t for show.


    Scarlet, her team, the guy, and everyone else just looked towards this giant of a girl. Seeing what she was going to do next.


    Her voice gave out, creaked and cracked as she tried to demand, ¡°Let him go, please.¡±


    Despite claiming to be this humorless personification of rage, Scarlet just laughed, laughed loud enough to cause a domino effect across the halls.


    The red girl let go of the bullied guy, and she didn¡¯t have to force Jackie to lose her grip. The despondent girl did it herself.


    Scarlet then wiped her eye that created and let a tear trail down her cheek. She patted Jackie¡¯s shoulder, exhaling after the mirth.


    ¡°You¡¯ll, uh, grow into it, kid.¡±


    The team loved that, as they laughed more as Scarlet walked away long with them, shaking her head.


    At least she hadn¡¯t completely failed, the young Jackie thought. She tried to help the guy.


    The weird thing of all this, from Jackie¡¯s point of view, was that the guy¡­ Well, he wasn¡¯t a guy.


    But a mass of the pieces constructing some shape of a man. Creating this effect of a sketch in emotion, an outline of a blank human. She wanted to know why, but she was¡­ Swept up in this trip on¡­ Into, memory lane.


    But the guy with no identity pushed her away, saying nothing to her, but walking away.


    ¡­It then occurred to Jackie, as he walked alone, started to fade away.


    She couldn¡¯t remember him because he had to transfer to another school. What happened there, being bullied by Scarlet and being saved by Jackie: it ruined his entire social life because he was deemed this creep that let girls play with him. He was gone in a matter of what could¡¯ve been extreme, isolating months.


    But he was right¡­ Due to the Safehouse Act, people greatly affected by the Shift are displaced into these homes and given a lot of chances and resources so that they can animate into society again. To¡­ See that be possibly twisted¡­


    Once again without warning, the pieces swarm scattered around Jackie, this time blowing her onto her back. After reacting to this, setting up and standing, they¡¯ve instantly created this next scene.


    ¡°Mom,¡± Young Jackie came into her parent¡¯s room. ¡°Maybe you can help me with this¡­¡±


    She always winced, in retrospect, when she phrased things like that. It¡¯s not that she and her mom aren¡¯t close, it¡¯s just that her mother was a very busy, very hard woman. She wasn¡¯t that she was unapproachable, but what you saw, what you talked about, is what you ultimately got with her.


    She needed something like that, because at this point, she was going to break.


    Young Jackie was covered in sweat, panting, and was just plain exhausted.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m trying, I¡¯m trying like Dad said¡ªLike,¡± she tried to reason. ¡°But he¡¯s him, he¡¯s able to make his mistakes work, make the nothing out of something and call that progress. But I can¡¯t! And I¡¯m not like you¡ªsomeone that can¡¯t get compromised and can logic things out¡­ I¡¯m just¡­¡±


    Dawn sat down her papers onto her lap. Even without her giant of husband, and her giant daughter, she was short. She looked up at her daughter, with her glasses hung from her nose a bit.


    ¡°Well of course,¡± Dawn said. ¡°No one should be like your father. Not even your father.¡±


    There it was. Dry and precise.


    Dawn adjusted her glasses, ¡°Jackie dear¡­ Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re wearing yourself out?¡±


    ¡°Possibly¡­¡± Young Jackie admitted, feeling like an idiot.


    Dawn softened her tone and Jackie listened the most whenever she did so, ¡°When we¡¯re worn thin, we tend to make very rash decisions that we would never have done in the first place. Dear, being proactive is a great gift that you have¡­ But being proactive without the reasoning backing it up is aimless, deadly. It can destroy the point that you were making.¡±


    The young girl managed to catch her breath, her thoughts, and finally her mind again. She could only look down because she recognized this and chose to ignore. Meeting her problems head on, with every single thing she had. And she was driving away whatever she could¡¯ve gained.


    ¡°There¡¯s no shame in taking breaks,¡± Dawn continued. ¡°We need breaks. When we¡¯re rested, we let our minds rest. And ready to tackle whatever problems heading towards us because we now know how it works and how we work. Decisions can be in the moment. Solutions take time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Young Jackie said, looking down at her titan of a mother with a worn smile. ¡°Thanks, Mom.¡±


    Her eye settled on the documents, something she¡¯ll soon learn about in the future, way too fast in retrospect.


    ¡°Fair Warning¡± forms. ¡°The already comatose legal system will be some horrible mix of automatic and tributional until we figure out what this stuff is.¡± Putting her mother out of the job and into some unending hiatus.


    Jackie was knocked down by the swarm again, getting ferocious before she did. Had it been painful, it would¡¯ve hit her like a truck¡­


    What Jackie saw¡­ Wasn¡¯t a memory, exactly.


    It gave her pause before getting up again, before sitting down because at this point: she¡¯s going to be flung into the not-sky at this point.


    It was just¡­ This dusty plane. A dessert, but not even having any vegetation or followed the rules of what a dessert is to qualify.


    It was a statement. A pledge.


    Young Jackie drew the line as she looked towards the mass of shifting darkness that existed on the other side.


    ¡°There¡­¡± she finished. She pointed to herself, ¡°I¡¯m here¡­¡±


    She then pointed to the darkness. ¡°You¡¯re there.¡±


    It advanced forward, sprinting like a madman despite not processing any limbs.


    Young Jackie stepped forward, in a wide stance, to meet it.


    They collided, but it was clear that it¡¯s too much for her. Didn¡¯t mean that she didn¡¯t try, as she strained, grunted, and used her all to give it a fight. But it quickly steamrolled her, knocking her on her butt.


    ¡°Not¡­ Ready¡­ Yet¡± she huffed out. ¡°How¡­? How can I get ready¡­?¡±


    She brought her knees into her chest, grabbing her long legs, as she lowered her head and closed her eyes.


    She parsed, she hummed, she ruminated. The last action aided her thinking. She opened her eyes, staring at the line. The darkness was over it, starting to cover it in it¡¯s smoke. She detachedly dug her finger into and drew aimlessly in the sand, if she can¡¯t do anything else. How can a lanky tree of a girl can be strong enough to stand against and beat this dark wind?


    She needed to face it. She needed to grow into herself to face it. She needed to find the solutions to growing into herself so that she can face it.


    ¡­Work towards it.


    The lost young girl may¡¯ve found her way.


    She shot up, walked towards the hazy line, but stopped short of it.


    She crouched down, drawing a short tick. She then got up, walked back works, then did the same again.


    She kept doing it until she returned to where she sat, sitting down again as she looked elatedly at her solution.


    A finish line turned into a track, having markers where she can hit, where she can have visual, actual progress. She did it! She finally did it¡­


    ¡°Now then¡­¡± Young Jackie pointed towards the respective tick. ¡°Who am I¡­ What do I need to be, two ticks from now¡­? And when I get there¡­ Will that be enough for what¡¯s coming? And if that¡¯s not enough¡­ I¡¯ll use the rest of the ticks and make what I need the ticks.¡±


    The young girl found herself stood up. ¡°This is my starting line.¡±


    Jackie of the present tried to¡­ Figure out whatever this is. She remembers coming to this conclusion yes, but¡­


    And before she knew it, Jackie of the past was starting to look like her current-future.


    The now pony-tailed, toned, confident, she was pushing back against the darkness and was winning. Her shoes dug into the sands, gaining traction as she lifted with her legs. She finally pushed back at a perfect time, finally defeating the darkness plaguing her life.


    The triumphant girl roared, planting her feet further into the sands, as a statement.


    Like she did with her other foot tracks: marking them near each and every tick. A statement that she fulfilled her pledge.


    Of course, her figuring out how to work out, what her plan was and what worked for her didn¡¯t go like that, she thought. It was grueling because somehow, it was much harder than actually doing it¡ªwhich was it¡¯s own level of hell. She had to convince her father for putting her body on the line, had to figure out how to build muscle for her to tighten up, change her diet completely, and god there were times where she just wanted to straight up quit¡­


    ¡­She got it now. This was a visualization of her thought process, how she¡­ Visualized it. If this was a siVis thing of recreating memories, then what¡¯s stopping her from completely visualization thoughts in general?


    Jackie had a feeling what the next memory was going to be, and oddly enough, it just begun.


    Young Jackie wore a sports tank that showed off her arms and belly, with her sport shorts reaching just short of her knees. And to make things all the more clear, she had her gray hoodie tied at her waist. She took it off once she got out of mom¡¯s car and knew it¡¯d be a symbol for people that wouldn¡¯t recognize her to connect the dots.


    She walked up to Scarlet¡¯s locker and lightly planted her fist against it. Causing her and the two girls of her team to turn around.


    ¡°¡­Damn,¡± Scarlet said flatly. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to grow that fucking fast. It¡¯s only been a few months¡ª¡±


    ¡°Training does wonders when you finally know what you¡¯re doing,¡± Jackie then crossed her arms. She felt like she was hiding behind a costume. A costume she worked hard on mind, but a mask nonetheless. She had to make it hers. She didn¡¯t work hard to mess up now.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Scarlet, again, said flatly.


    ¡°Huh,¡± Jackie remarked. ¡°You bullied a boy into transferring and yet you¡¯re doing what you accused him of.¡±


    ¡°Hey man,¡± Scarlet tried to rebut, ¡°You look good, but not that good for me let you talk shit this much. The hell do you care, anyways? You gonna beat me up for his honor or something?¡±


    ¡°Well no,¡± Jackie stated. ¡°But I am going to make sure that something like that never happens again.¡±


    Scarlet looked amused. ¡°Ooooh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m going to keep my eye on you and have my ear to the ground. If you start causing rumbling with your temper tantrums, I¡¯ll be more than happy to calm you down.¡±


    Scarlet laughed in Jackie¡¯s face, ¡°You bulk up just a little bit and you think you can take the world, huh? Fine then. Anyone that pisses me off, I¡¯m going straight for you, Wonder Girl.¡±


    Jackie was still stern, taking her all not to flinch. She then proceeded to smile, ¡°We¡¯re going to be the bestest of friends.¡±


    Scarlet looked Jackie up and down, sucked her teeth, before walking away with her cronies.


    Jackie glanced around her, seeing some people were watching and then pretending that they didn¡¯t.


    It wasn¡¯t until second period¡¯s bell started to ring, as people rushed to and into their classes, that Jackie deflated, blowing out the building pressure into air escaping from her mouth, falling into and leaning against the lockers.


    ¡°holy fucking shit, I might actually die¡­ If she doesn¡¯t literally fuck me first¡­ I gotta figure out a plan¡­¡±


    Jackie, both past and present, found themselves at the dessert again. Starting at the line and the ticks, stuck once again despite the progress and systems in place.


    A sigh transitioned into her into the school¡¯s weight room. It was gym class, and she was taking it easily, just finishing on the treadmill for the other student to get on. She saw Scarlet, struggling with the weight machine, more or less alone. Oddly enough, her usual posse wasn¡¯t with her in this class.


    Jackie knew that the redhead felt her stare, so she just came over.


    ¡°Fuck off.¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± Jackie rebutted. ¡°You¡¯re pushing too hard. Either lighten up or adjust the weights¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know hooow to work the machine, jackass!¡± Scarlet spat back.


    ¡°Funny¡­¡± Jackie rolled her eyes, only for them to settle back and figure out that she wasn¡¯t joking.


    She was straining herself, the pain visible on her face. Whatever goal she was gunning for, it was just too far right now for her, and she couldn¡¯t admit that.


    ¡­Of course.


    ¡°If you keep going, you¡¯re going to hurt yourself,¡± Jackie said, finding herself mapping out the ticks so¡­ Helping Scarlet can be the finish line.


    ¡°I know!¡± she yelled back. ¡°No pain, nooo ga¡ªack!¡±


    She stopped in her tracks, the weights coming down. Jackie then went to the back of the device, take out the pen mechanism, and plugged it into the lighter weights. Before Scarlet could roar back at her, Jackie already circled back.


    ¡°Maybe everyone else is scared in telling you something, but I¡¯m not anymore. Guess what? Pain takes the gain anyways¡ªthere¡¯s pushing yourself and then there¡¯s mutilating yourself. I know you¡¯re a big girl and very fond of this shit for me to say this, to get it through to you; you¡¯re never going to get anywhere being like this. So, drop the headstrong bad-girl thing. It¡¯s making you weak.¡±


    Scarlet could only pant in rage, something that she couldn¡¯t keep up when it was so easy up until now.


    Jackie then finished, ¡°How did I go from lanky loser to shit talking you with some hard truth? Simple. I grew. And I grew stronger.¡±


    Scarlet then got up, took her towel and exited the weight room as the rest of the class stared at Jackie in mock awe and horror.


    Jackie could only look at the weight machine. ¡°Ewww. She didn¡¯t wipe down¡­¡±


    Later on, after washing off, cleaning up and dressing back up in the washroom, Jackie stepped out into the hall, only to find a sulking Scarlet against the wall, staring at her.


    The tension could¡¯ve been cut with a knife.


    ¡°You were right, I¡¯m mad, and you suck for being right,¡± she pouted out.


    Jackie blinked rapidly. ¡°Thanks. I think?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t tension, just profound, silent downtroddenness.


    Jackie then walked up to her. ¡°You¡¯re going to be amazed how much you¡¯ll improve. All you have to do is¡­ Just throw all that stuff holding you back away.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Scarlet dejectedly said. She looked at her with her brown eyes. ¡°And you think that¡¯s gonna wash away everything that I did before?¡±


    ¡°Hell no,¡± Jackie said bluntly, surprising Scarlet. ¡°But it¡¯s a start for the better and that¡¯s what matters. Besides, uh¡­ You might wanna wash off, yourself. Were you sulking so much that you skipped shower time?¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Scarlet got up and walked past Jackie. ¡°But thanks.¡±


    Jackie smirked. ¡°No problem.¡±


    What followed was something out of a dream. After clashing time and time again, she managed to tame and even befriended Scarlet. Still rowdy, of course, but she managed the impossible¡ªwhile being on top of her classes, winning some awards, and even being an unofficial gym aid in said class. What was once just some lanky kid finally became a giant herself, thanks to the continued guidance of her parents. She took everything that came to her head-on, keep moving forward, and became a leader of sorts towards everyone that followed her.


    It came, to the point, of Scarlet recommending her to the coach of the Women¡¯s Basketball Team. Something Jackie wasn¡¯t even aiming for, she was more of an educational pursuer. But she needed the diversity and experience, so she took it, becoming a valued player and got into the in-crowd she was prepared to face off against all those times ago.


    Too bad none of that didn¡¯t matter.


    Jackie was jerked backwards, just as the Young Jackie was thrown out of the mall along with her friends.


    ¡°THIS MALL AND THE SURROUNDING AREA WILL BE CLOSED DOWN,¡± the Extant Recovery shouted, with their featureless, blank eyes stared at the crowd.


    The group on top of the roof grabbed the metal sheets with their large gantlets, then jumped down to drag the plating as they fall down, covering the building in what felt like seconds.


    ¡°REFER TO AETHERNET UPDATES REGARDING YOUR STATE; THE IMPLICATIONS ARE BECOMING NOTICIBLE!¡±


    While shaken up, the girls didn¡¯t pay any mind¡­They¡¯ve been through these Shift warnings and proceedings all the time. The mall would be closed for a month or so, they have a story to rant about in the locker rooms, everything¡¯ll calm down¡­


    Then the ¡°Collocation of Education¡± announcement happened. Schooling will be in an indefinite pause, all students will be given a literal free pass to go or do anything that their immediate future needed, and it come into effect at the end of the semester.


    It crushed her. It wasn¡¯t just about¡­ About the fact that she was doing great. It¡­ It was hitting her from a place she didn¡¯t know about then.


    She fell into the rabbit hole she found herself buried in for the next two years. She tried to find something, anything, that would finally fill her in, ease her now-aching, anxiety ridden mind¡­ And nothing. She just found similar people that come from the same place as her.


    She went to her parents, to for support when she needed it the most¡­


    ¡°We have to leave, Jackie,¡± Jack Sr. said.


    ¡°Why¡­?¡± Jackie looked back and forth, between her parents in the living room. ¡°Is¡­ Is the town¡­?¡±


    Dawn nodded, and stated way too matter-of-factly, ¡°The implications are becoming more and more noticeable. We have to join the exodus and we need to do it quick.¡±


    ¡°B-but,¡± Jackie felt so vulnerable, so lost again. Feelings that she hadn¡¯t felt in years. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to say goodbye to everyone for the last day of school.¡±


    ¡°You have the final basketball game to use it, at least,¡± Jack pointed out.


    ¡°Yeah but¡ª¡± Jackie was cutting herself off, feeling herself getting angry, ¡°Why now? Why can¡¯t we wait?¡±


    ¡°Listen to us, Jackie,¡± Dawn said, bluntly. ¡°We can¡¯t keep ignoring this.¡±


    ¡°Ignoring this?¡± Jackie paddled back.


    ¡°We were notified about this for a long while¡­ We¡­ We wanted you and the other kids to have the best time, we kept this a secret because¡ªbecause we¡ª¡±


    Jackie couldn¡¯t believe this. ¡°You knew this ever since¡­ Ever since we all started high school¡­?¡±


    ¡°Your father is right. We had you all in mind, keeping the information away from you all. Having this hang over you like a cloud, when you all deserve a normal life¡­ Well, we didn¡¯t have a choice. Now we can¡¯t ignore the signs. This town is going to be wiped out.¡±


    Jackie rose from the couch, ¡°Then let¡¯s move up the timetables: let¡¯s just¡ªif you all knew this whole time, then what¡¯s wrong making our last day the same day as the finals?¡±


    She tried not to raise her voice, not to freak out. Her parents, basically the perfect people on the planet¡­ And they missed her up by preparing her for a life that was a lie?


    Her growth, her achievements, her life: it was pointless?


    Jack made a pained face. ¡°Some, if not most, of the families decided to stay because¡­ This is all that they have. They¡¯re hoping that Extant will provide enough aid to¡ª¡±


    Jackie waved her arms, her twisted reflection gleaming off her trophies. ¡°Do you have any idea what you¡¯re doing?! You¡¯re just¡ªJust¡ªYou¡¯re just piling this on me out of nowhere!¡±


    They said nothing.


    ¡°All this time¡ªyou taught me, over and over, about never giving in, about being honest, about¡ªabout stuff that I doubted until it worked out! For people that told me that I can grapple with and¡ªand face anything with enough grace and I can do anything! So what about this Shift stuff?!¡±


    ¡°¡­Sometimes,¡± Jack began. ¡°Sometimes, you just have to let bad things happen to you. There¡¯s things that you can¡¯t handle, fight back against. What control we have, we have to treasure it.¡±


    Jackie couldn¡¯t scream, yell, or fire back. She just stared at her father.


    Jackie was so into this, reliving this stressful event, that she took the place of what the ¡°actress¡± was and she didn¡¯t notice. The scene changed around her, and she found herself in the locker room.


    It was an honorable loss, but a loss all the time. What felt good in the moment, was immediately consumed by the growing darkness that consumed the line, started to consume her. The team where talking to each other, conversing, still in lighter spirits. Except for Jackie, who was sitting on the bench. Stewing in this.


    ¡°Yo, Jackie,¡± Scarlet snapped at. ¡°I know you hate losing, but I thought you wanted to make this great or whatever you said back then.¡±


    Lie raised her eyebrow, ¡°You saying that you blocked that whole speech out and you admitted it to Jackson?¡±


    Scarlet shrugged, ¡°Hey, I heard it spiritually, and that¡¯s what matters.¡±


    Everyone in the room laughed, and then Jackie stopped that real quick.


    ¡°Fuck you,¡± Jackie said, despondently.


    ¡°¡­I mean,¡± Scarlet turned back to her. ¡°I actually heard it, I¡¯m sorry that I can¡¯t recite it, girl.¡±


    ¡°How can any of you act like everything¡¯s okay¡­?¡±


    ¡°¡­Because things are okay¡ª¡± Scarlet retorted.


    ¡°No, they aren¡¯t!¡± Jackie rose. ¡°We all know what we could all die or worse, everything¡¯s going to change!¡±


    Scarlet shrugged. ¡°Sure. But this whole Shift thing is beyond us, excuse us if we¡¯re not thinking about it 24/7 like you are now.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re not?!¡±


    ¡°Jackie, chill,¡± Scarlet stared down her ¡°friend¡±.


    Jackie tightened her fists. She tried to accept it, she tried applying everyone¡¯s so-called philosophy, but she can¡¯t. The problem was that she wasn¡¯t the one to accept things, to roll over and effectively die.


    ¡°So,¡± Scarlet snapped at her, ¡°Let¡¯s wipe our tears, get cleaned up, and fucking move on. Shit¡¯s bad, and we can¡¯t do anything about it!¡±


    Jackie just stared at her.


    Scarlet stared back, feeling her growing intentions in the air. ¡°Careful now, Jackson.¡±


    ¡°You know what I¡¯m going through right now.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re being a massive baby about it. Boo hoo.¡±


    ¡°Scarlet¡ª¡±


    ¡°Guess what, Ms. Perfect? Nothing matters, what you¡¯ve been doing doesn¡¯t make you above that.¡±


    ¡°Funny,¡± Jackie said with the anger brimming to the surface. ¡°Me helping your ass was a part of that.¡±


    Scarlet paused. ¡°You¡¯re starting to sound funny yourself. You trying to be a comedian or something?¡±


    Her signature threat, something she hasn¡¯t used in years, and it¡¯s directed towards her.


    Everything that she worked for, blown back in her face. Everything that she built herself towards, gone now.


    Jackie found that word, that feeling, that¡¯s now consumed and broke her apart.


    She needed to do something.


    Without warning and without thought, she started to grapple with Scarlet. The fight was starting to get messy, bags falling, the girls throwing themselves against the lockers, the other girls trying to stop it¡­


    And as the fight got heated, the stage was falling apart by the steams. The other girls started to turn into a mixture of pieces and dust, the lockers and surrounds eroding away in dust. And soon, Scarlet herself was turning into dust.


    Jackie found herself within a familiar dessert, pushing and overpowering ¡°Scarlet¡± and throwing her onto the ground.


    She looked around, just hurt. Hurt to relive this memory, her at her lowest, and taking things out on people that¡­ Regardless of their views, were still her friends. Family.


    And now they all lay before her, broken and turned into dust.


    There was nothing that could prepare her for this. And what little control she had? She made them meaningless.


    What better way to show that then what¡¯s happened in the past few days?


    She looked around, and then realized something even worse.


    She went over the line. The line, she made and self-imposed upon herself.


    She fell onto her knees. She¡¯s trapped, trapped within her little world of false progress. A world she broke the rules of if that meant keeping her happy¡ªin control. But in the end, she crosses the line and became the same meaningless darkness that she¡¯s fought against.


    She began to wail out, crumbling over as she breathes in the scattered dust and remains of everything she¡¯s destroyed. And she did it for what felt like hours.


    hey


    Jackie shot up, looking around.


    Heya, uh, I don¡¯t know you of course, but you dropped your banana once and I kept it in case if we ever met again.


    ¡°¡­What?¡± an emotionally distraught Jackie could only mutter.


    It¡¯s a bit bruised, but it¡¯s as fresh as it can be! I want you to hold it. Puuutting it in your hand¡­


    Jackie felt it, despite looking at said hand right now.


    I want you to focus it on it, because while I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that weird, it¡¯s weird enough for you to get out of this funk¡­


    Jackie honestly has nothing else to do. So, she indulged this¡­ Weirdly nasally voice.


    You must¡¯ve had a rough time, lately, if that¡¯s okay to point out¡­ I¡¯m totally a stranger, in any other situation, you shouldn¡¯t be listening to me at all. But, in this strange case, I need you to voice on my voice¡ªAlso really focus on the banana, I want you to grab it how you do it!


    Jackie gripped it.


    Good! Good, good, good! Nicely good. Now I need you to focus on¡­ I know it¡¯s hard, but can you find the small, good moments you¡¯ve had recently. I get that it seems like¡­ Y¡¯know, there aren¡¯t any. But I need you to trust this friendly stranger.


    She shook her head.


    See! You shook your head here! Outside here, by the way. You¡¯re really, really stuck right now, and you¡¯re more than capable of getting yourself out. You have to find something, anything, please.


    Her mind was racing¡­ She held her head, the headache started to drum heavy, hard.


    And suddenly, Edith appeared as Jackie fell back.


    ¡°Edith¡± was a strong word, but more like a sand-statue in pieces. It started to speak, ¡°¡­There¡¯s no need to hurt yourself more¡­ Reality can do that fine¡­.Treasure¡­¡±


    Jackie wavered, hesitated¡­


    Her parents were next to be constructed, ¡°We can rebuild¡­ What we¡¯ve broken¡­ We love you¡­¡±


    She gripped her head, rocking back and forth¡­


    And finally, the girls¡ªas they were in Pell Forest, laughing and being quirky, was the last to be simulated.


    I know things are hard, take it from your mysterious, hopefully friendly stranger¡­ Reality¡¯s been giving us massive, massive scars right now¡ªscars that might not heal that well. But at the same time, we can still heal. And healing¡­ Healing can shrink scars, right? These bad moments, they¡¯re just gonna shrink away¡­ But you need to heal first.


    ¡°¡­Yeah,¡± Jackie nodded. ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re right¡­¡±


    She begun thinking about these little moments and closed her eyes.


    And suddenly, she was back to reality. Her vision was still blurry, but she can make out the banana in her head.


    ¡°Good!¡± the blob that was the kind stranger said. ¡°You can teach your friends over there what you just went through as well! I gotta go, I got my own¡­ People I need to help.¡±


    The kind stranger began to walk¡­ Or rather, what Jackie thought they walked, moving away.


    ¡°Th¡­Thank you!¡± Jackie shouted out. Maybe it was a wave or a hand raise, but it was communication all the same. The least I can do.


    Jackie looked back down at the bruised banana, coming into color and shape as it¡¯s black on the back and the rest yellow. She lightly squeezed it.


    If anything this foolish, rash young lady can do, the least she could do was to move forward.

 (Update)

    0:30


    _______________________


    ¡­ Considering the abnormality of the situation, I thought just making a report versus a video was more in good taste.


    But¡­ People take some sort of refuge within my aesthetic; I¡¯ll at least try to provide that right now¡­


    ~ ** Tabby ToMorrow Shift Updates **~


    ¡­That¡¯s the best I could manage with making my logo. Could¡¯ve just pasted or take the extra time uploading the logo? Sure.


    But this all comes first.


    The Incident of Gregor Mallory Hospital has 27 dead, 345 injured, and many unaccounted for/missing. This situation, while having origins at the destroyed hospital, might be outright renamed or classified as something else due to the scale. Among what happened with the hospital, there¡¯s no telling how many more victims are discovered, the devastation fully recognized, and the estimations of Extant-related or even outside Shift relief efforts are revealed to us.


    Whatever this is, and you all know me¡ªI don¡¯t use hyperbole anymore because of how insane the facts are now¡ªIt has literally cut the Island of Davenport in half.


    Eye witness accounts describes this Shift abnormality as a ¡°white, pulsing sheet that stretches three-dimensionally yet is flat enough to be more or less a wall with the reach to burrow, latch on, and rip apart various feet surround it [¡­]¡±


    This is truly the first, new development with the Shift Noumena in decades since the discovery of the siVis Anomaly in the 1980s.


    And we have insight that this might be siVis-based or related as well, as Extant Research report in that their readings say that this Shift wall is giving off the same warping as siVis does.


    Now, remember everyone, siVis can allow one to do very, very weird and amazing things. But to produce something like this, is currently beyond any siVis user we know of, including the siVis Trends. If the first cases of Cassie Morgan, Nathan Fuuki, and James Avery were to meet and render Davenport into a warzone; they still wouldn¡¯t be able to pull whatever this is off.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    siVis grants power sure, but it depends on the ability of the very human user. A human, even one that has a 100% Syncron rate with their siVis, just cannot produce the amount of energy needed to create this disaster.


    So that leads to two possibilities. That the siVis Escalation Theory might be proven and newer generations will breed more and more complex, hard to deal with siVis abilities as they suffer from mental distress due to the Shifts equally getting complex¡ªOr that reality is weakening enough that the toll of the Shifts have finally started to show itself.


    Ah, on that point¡­ Here¡¯s the current Trends update.


    Dessire ¡°N¡¯atural Savage¡± Lars is still being tracked as we speak. And as Davenport is currently split, it¡¯s more than likely that she was within the now-southern region of it. Considering her recent breakdown that¡¯s lead to this chase, it¡¯s more than likely that she may be hiding or at least on route towards her old private high school, ¡°Future¡¯s Architects¡±.


    REMEMBER: If you see or come into contact with her, flee the scene and notify what you¡¯ve saw. There is no reasoning or should be no attempts to encounter her.


    Nathan Fuuki, who has been drifting within the area, is also trapped within the southern region. It¡¯s currently agreed that he might not be behind this incident, but tension and anxiety is high that he might use this situation to feed into his obsession with power/furthering his siVis abilities.


    REMINDER: If you see or come into contact with him, flee the scene immediately and make sure that you¡¯ve lost him before notifying everyone. And even then, still keep running and hide.


    This is a very dark few days for humanity¡¯s struggles against the Shift Noumena and we have yet to hear from the Extant Commission on how will they handle this, or the best course of action in the next few months.


    ¡­Now that I¡¯ve done my reporting, I think it¡¯s time for me to¡­ Not hide my feelings behind the facts.


    I¡¯m so¡­ Drained by this. Heartbroken. I, like many of you, thought we were starting to have these things on lock. Not solved of course, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll ever solve this crisis in my lifetime¡­ But we were trying, starting to finally climb against this mountain. Now cue the avalanche that not only knocked us down, but we¡¯re physically crippled as well. It really is unfair.


    I want to be my spunky self, that does the weird reactions that¡¯ll become memes and moods, but I¡­ Really can¡¯t, now. Maybe never after this, because we¡¯re going to get more distressing news as the weeks drag out and we¡¯re going to see society finally slip blissfully into the existential dread that¡¯s been building for more than I¡¯ve been alive.


    But¡­ And maybe this is just me refusing¡ªI can¡¯t let that go.


    I know that you¡¯re drained, hurt, tired, and are willing to give up. You¡¯re allowed. But don¡¯t throw away who you are into this darkness, whoever you want to be to this darkness.


    I want you all to rage. Take these negative feelings, and rage. Rage against the dying of the light.


    Yeah I know I¡¯m botching the quote, but it¡¯s more than relevant than before.


    Rage against the dying of the light. Because that in turn let it flicker a lot more than it did

 (Episode IV) The Next (Tripped) Step

    The fact that her and others lives were dependent on a bruised banana kept Jackie lost in thought.


    With a blanket draped over her shoulders, she just held the fruit in her hands, staring at it. She often looked towards the other girls, eating their given rations. But mainly, she went back to just staring at the banana.


    With the help of the Extant Research and Aide crew, she managed to do what the strange stranger taught¡ªwalking everyone out of their Mindspace, a term she literally just learnt as the Researchers that helped explained something she should¡¯ve been taught years ago.


    On average, most siVictims fall into their Mindspace: their thoughts given shape and a plane to exist in. While the siVis Trend problem is very much a real thing to be wary over, most if not all siVictims just¡­ Inter this ¡°Spaced State¡±. Trapped within their own wandering minds, aware enough that they¡¯re trapped¡ªbut so aware of the effects of said traps that they slowly but surely lose the will to live.


    Even as one can get out of it: they have to fight against going back from that point on. This is Jackie¡¯s newest fight when she had too many already, now.


    While she didn¡¯t know the exact terms, interplay and relationships to it¡ªshe was always under the impression that it¡¯s people who suffer from mental health issues or simply wasn¡¯t ready to take siVis along with the sheer shock went into this state. She could stew once again on how ill prepared she and many are against the Shifts and all that, but she couldn¡¯t muster it


    Simply put¡­ She was just exhausted. Maybe she had finally reached rock-bottom, despite its ability to get somehow lower, deeper.


    After her Mindspace walk down memory lane¡­ She let herself get more compromised. She let herself cloud whatever judgement she had left, when she needed that little judgement to make the call that would¡¯ve avoided this whole thing.


    She saw herself wailing within the dessert, destroying whatever she had after she crossed the line, again. In fact, she kept seeing it whenever her eyes or mind drifted from whatever she was thinking about. And to think, if it wasn¡¯t for someone¡¯s act of kindness¡­ That would¡¯ve been her world.


    As much as she hates, outright despises this world that weighs against logic, value, and humanity¡­ Trapped within her own mind, twisted by that hate, forever stained with that, when she could¡¯ve been fighting against these feelings? It¡¯s terrifying.


    So, she looked at the banana, studied it. It accumulated more bruising¡ªthanks to what she could describe as awakening from a night terror when Tracy came to¡ªand looked a tad more roughed up. Just like her.


    While she couldn¡¯t believe that she¡¯s so sad and drained at the point of comparing herself to a banana; it perfectly captured what she needed to keep in mind, at least.


    ¡°Healing can make our scars shrink¡±. That¡¯s what she tried to gleam from the stranger, her rambling.


    But what about this banana? Once it¡¯s bruised, it begins to rot in earnest. What could¡¯ve been delicious, turned into mush. And all it¡¯s good for is to provide the little energy it can offer to something that eats it clean¡ªwhat a miserable and nothing existence¡­


    ¡­


    It occurred to her that she needed to talk with someone-


    So, she turned to River, who was next to her, circling her trail mix in her container with her finger. Jackie could see the scenario¡ªwhere the two can¡¯t see eye to eye because of who they are and what life they¡¯ve had. She could since that maybe River was lonely, kept to herself, and has a low opinion of herself overall considered the wrinkled clothes she wore what left like months, but was a few days ago. She must think she¡¯s some big jock¡ªwhich wasn¡¯t unfair.


    Jackie flinched, as her thoughts became clear and crystalized within her head. Her Mindspace showed a compilation of her memories with River so far¡ªsettling to Maddie¡¯s jabs at her during the hospital incident, instantly as the moments of her own self-jabs practically fought back as Maddie¡¯s words manifested.


    She quickly shook her head but felt herself earnestly come to. Was that slipping back¡­? Or was that her actually thinking¡­?


    Didn¡¯t matter right now. What matters is reaching out to this poor, smarter-than-she-gives-herself-credit-for girl¡­


    ¡°So, uh¡­¡± Jackie begun, striking the conversation. ¡°Don¡¯t like Trial Mix?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say that I don¡¯t eat much,¡± River replied.


    ¡­Thank God Maddie was far away enough not to pouch on that.


    Jackie continued on, ¡°That¡¯s well and good but¡­ We need to eat. Especially now, to keep up our strength.¡±


    River craned her head towards Jackie, looking at her with the disposable glasses she was given on, ¡°If we actually git gud with siVis, we could basically survive longer without eating, you know that, right?¡±


    Jackie sat, puzzled, ¡°¡­I¡¯ll ignore why that¡¯s basically severing humanity; but why did you say ¡®get good¡¯ like that¡­?¡±


    ¡°My terrible amusement,¡± she replied, sitting her tray down. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t need to eat. I¡¯m here to kick gum and chew ass. And I¡¯m all out of ass.¡±


    Jackie¡¯s stunned silence created the lull for what was said next, but not by her.


    ¡°The fuck¡­?¡± Maddie looked towards River, who in turn just looked down, giggling to herself. The smaller girl was on the other side of the bench, opposite to Jackie. ¡°I was only listening because I wanted to see how Jackson botches this, but the actual fuck?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Maddie,¡± Jackie said, looking back.


    ¡°I just didn¡¯t imagine, y¡¯know, for her to be this socially awkward,¡± there was no usual amused or jovial tone when Maddie said that. Jackie remembers that she more or less got up from where she sat, away from everyone. This was like the hospital, where this felt like a genuine swipe.


    ¡°I¡¯m just going to chalk this up as both of you still being rattled by this whole thing,¡± Jackie begun, stared her down. ¡°But there¡¯s no reason for the put downs. Stand down.¡±


    There wasn¡¯t surprisingly any protest, Maddie just simply glowered, like Jackie had saw her doing the first time they met. Not at anyone, or anything, but just to glower as if she¡¯ll forget that she would if she stopped.


    Aiko, sat beside her, kept moving in her seat, swing her socked feet forward and back¡ªcutting that off, then looking around for someone, anyone¡ªand cut that off. She mumbled that she ¡°was wasting time¡±, she ¡°lost so many days to whatever this is¡±, ¡°make it up¡±, she ¡°has to¡±, ¡°has to make this up¡±.


    Tracy was still, to contrast both Aiko and how she usually carried herself. Jackie pictured her shivering, eyeing everyone that came close or at the group itself, after coming out of her state screaming so hard that she couldn¡¯t care more that her raw throat caused her to cough, to make her stop. She felt distant, a pitiful look on her face as she leaned back, clutching her covers. Jackie was scared that she might slip into whatever nightmarish hell was dragged into.


    ¡­Thing is. What if Jackie had listened to that little judgement that she had that night? That she did run back home, only to stew in what¡­ She saw.


    If she woke up the day after, she would¡¯ve seen something in the headlines, that these four girls joined the increasing list of the desperate that wanted to regain control over their lives. By seeing their faces, by learning their names, Jackie would¡¯ve felt bad.


    But she found herself within that weird position of pre-destination or fate, or what have you. If it wasn¡¯t for her, would the Shift have gotten worse? Maybe even getting siVis little to no problems? Or worse, they¡¯d be still stuck in that nightmare realm, forever lost.


    She saves herself, but not them? Even if they¡¯ve never met, or have the best bonds even now, it felt wrong to her. Saving, helping¡ªit doesn¡¯t require a name or a reason.


    And as if on cue, an Extant Researcher walked up towards the girls. There was a black, thick visor that covered what would¡¯ve been ghastly, soulless stare. Jackie remarked to herself that they must¡¯ve gotten enough complaints about it to address that¡­


    ¡°Are you all okay?¡± a featureless voice rang out. Not machinal but¡­ Plain. A baseline on what a voice should sound like but remove the nuance that makes it work. ¡°Need anything?¡±


    Jackie then nodded, then said without a second thought, ¡°Any accurate information on siVis? It can just be¡ªa stack of papers, I honestly don¡¯t care anymore. In fact¡­ Any status reports on what we¡¯re going to do now?¡±


    The Extant Researcher turned the huge head on their suit, using their flappy, formless fingers to signal someone to come. ¡°While we can provide you all with a pamphlet each, Extant will be using their planned ¡®First Step¡¯ announcement as a forum to update everyone on the least.¡±


    ¡°Hold up,¡± Maddie butted in before Jackie expressed her disappointment in simply getting a pamphlet. ¡°Y¡¯all still going on with that? Like¡ªpeople died here, it¡¯s a bit insensitive to uh, basically some pat-on-the-back party when this shit¡¯s bad.¡±


    The Researcher just stood firm, and regurgitate his statement as the old woman medical aid just passed the girls¡¯ pamphlets, ¡°The next steps of recovery will be announced in place of the original celebration¡ªbe sure to tune into that to keep being informed.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Jackie began, then conceded, ¡°Yeah. Thank you.¡±


    The old woman continued to pass the pamphlets down the row, until something hit Jackie like a freight train.


    ¡°Leslie¡ªI mean,¡± Jackie course-corrected herself, towards the medical aid, ¡°The Homers¡­ Are they alright? Has there been any and all signs of them?¡±


    The medical aid scoffed, which made Jackie get knocked off foot further, ¡°They¡¯re gonna wish that they¡¯re dead, I¡¯ll tell you that right now.¡± She looked at Jackie, hands on her hips after giving Maddie a pamphlet that she then threw to the side. ¡°They¡¯re suspected to be behind all this. I don¡¯t know how, but there¡¯s a lot of records showing some grizzly stuff they¡¯ve swept up. And the fact that the readings came from the top of the hospital, where they were? Too many coincidences. Their asses are grass.¡±


    As the help walked away, Jackie found herself looking down at her bruised, nearly dead banana again, Pit in her stomach, with the sight of this thing making her sicker than she already was.


    ¡°Great,¡± Maddie threw up her hands. ¡°Guy that helped us fucked us, we¡¯re fucked by being stuck on this fucking part of the city, and there¡¯s plenty of room left for more fuckery.¡± She looked to her cohorts. ¡°Face it girls, we¡¯re fucked.¡±


    ¡°Man, I never would¡¯ve gotten that from that sentence,¡± Jackie needled, ¡°But¡­ Well, one, we don¡¯t fully know everything yet and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Alright, until then, fuck him,¡± Maddie sniped back.


    Jackie bit back her tongue, ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°And that still doesn¡¯t change the fact that we¡¯re more or less stuck in the shittest part of the city¡­ There¡¯s nothing but shops here, closed shops and dead entertainment. Now say that we¡¯re marooned here for six months and the drop off boxes are basically ¡®whatever¡¯. We¡¯d be fucked, because we have nothing to eat but junk and zany gimmick meals that have some shelf life of like, 2 days.¡±


    Maddie raised her finger, ¡°Lemme tell y¡¯all. One week we were tight for money, so we bought just dollar store candies and chips to hold out. I nearly tapped out on day four, because after a point, your body is so sugar high, it just forgets to be a body. And that was a week.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Jackie sighed. ¡°You¡¯re right. Even staying here is straining the already crippled supply as is¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we need to learn how to use siVis to bypass hunger and other functions,¡± River spoke up.


    Aiko added, jumped in, waving the pamphlet to prove her point, ¡°We don¡¯t even know if we can do things on a baseline level! Whatever the ¡®lock¡¯ we all have is and the fact that three people with different opinions on how to use it; our siVis stuff is just as broken!¡±


    ¡°Oh god,¡± Tracy begun to clutch at her head. ¡°Oh god¡­¡±


    ¡°Everyone,¡± Jackie said. ¡°Let¡¯s focus on one thing here. We¡¯ll go to event, we¡¯ll get information, and hey¡ªmaybe we¡¯ll get lucky and manage to snag some supplies on Steppe Ave. We cannot accomplish anything if we decent into stuff like this.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t accomplish anything period,¡± Maddie said back. ¡°We don¡¯t have anything, we barely have fucking clothes.¡±


    Jackie stood up, looked to Maddie.


    ¡°So we do nothing? Just sit here until we go into the Mindspace again and never come out?¡±


    After a very pregnant pause, Maddie just shrugged and closed her eyes. ¡°The world¡¯s never meant to be beaten. You just do what you can until the world takes that away too. Life¡¯s just surviving until you can¡¯t.¡±


    Jackie fought to unclench her fist.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll learn to survive. I¡¯m not gonna let it push me around and give in again. Our families are worried sick about us, and I¡¯m not gonna let it push you all around either.¡± She glanced across the others. ¡°We¡¯re going to get through this. I promise you.¡±


    ¡°¡­Hm,¡± was all that Maddie said.


    Jackie gestured towards a place, not really directing, but just the principal of her overall point. ¡°Let¡¯s walk this funk off. I bet we¡¯ll all feel shit still, but at least with our minds cleared.¡±


    They all looked at each other, at their own direction and at their own pace. Aiko was the first to stand up. River then got up and it was Tracy that waited for someone else to get up before she did, leaving Maddie the only squatter.


    ¡°You know the city better than us, it seems¡­¡± Jackie said to her. ¡°We could really use your help for getting to the shortcuts.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah,¡± Maddie smirked a bit. ¡°You¡¯ll get lost somehow and come back here all pissed anyways. Might as well put a moratorium on that.¡±


    And with that, Maddie rose up, and proceeded to lead the way, the others closely following. As they advanced down the street, Jackie looked to her side, finding a trashcan that was upcoming. Without a second thought, she tossed her banana into it.


    No more bruising. They have to learn and do it quick.


    The travel towards Steppe Ave was very brisk, Maddie really coming through in guiding them through alley ways and streets. 15 minutes was all it took when they got to Steppe Ave, the part where they can access and there was already crowds upon crowds.


    Jackie elected to stay further back, standing at the end of the long road. Aiko, surprisingly, stayed behind as well. Jackie breathed a sigh of relief with that, at least. Less thing to worry about.


    She adjusted her vision, getting used to feeling it out, toggling it. And with it, she saw the scene.


    Crowds of people, moving and intertwining with everyone, just trying to get what they can, what they need. Shift paraphernalia stores boarded up with people on Shifticated stands, dropping whatever¡¯s available to the other workers to catch and pass about the masses. Terrible idea on how to supply aside, it made Jackie uneasy. People are on the verge of breaking, you can see it despite seeing nothing but blurs. These smeared imagines conveyed irregularity, trembling, desperation.


    Jackie decided to take a break, to look away for a bit. She¡¯s treated to Aiko just sitting there, not really looking at anything, flat on her butt.


    She more or less failed with River, but she at least got over fearing trying to shoot the shit with different people. In fact, she could even learn more about Aiko than the caricature she¡¯s been offering.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Jackie started. ¡°Aren¡¯t ya going to be over the freaking Moon when this is all over¡­?¡±


    ¡°Definitely,¡± Aiko responded back. ¡°The grind to start back up is gonna be amazing.¡±


    See, a great conversation starter, and an open for more. ¡°What do you do, exactly¡­?¡±


    ¡°Whatever doesn¡¯t kill me, more or less!¡± Aiko chirped.


    ¡°¡­Right¡­¡±


    ¡°Like I said,¡± Aiko turned to Jackie. ¡°The whole getting siVis stuff is basically the next level. I can now say that I¡¯ve survived it AND get to do even crazier stuff! It was pretty much one of my greatest plans ever~¡±


    ¡°¡­Right,¡± Jackie found herself grinding her teeth, biting back what she wanted to scream in disbelief at her. ¡°Aren¡¯t you concerned about your parents¡­?¡±


    ¡°Oh, definitely,¡± Aiko earnestly said. ¡°I hope they and my brothers are okay and not freaking out too hard¡­ Buuuut I am kinda glad that this happened. I can get outta that boring talk they were gonna have with me when this is over!¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah,¡± Jackie just nodded, looked back at the crowd. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    To get her mind distracted from the distraction, she looked to the Extant people trying to construct the stage that will display the message, putting in the final pieces and readying the finishing touches. A circular construct, with pillars leaning inwards that will create the AR projection. They were putting on the lenses on the tips tight and running tests as they adjust.


    Only a few minutes, now. A few minutes to address the state of existence.


    Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Maddie coming back with River and Tracy in tow¡­ Along with a box of¡­


    ¡°¡­Holy shit, Maddie-¡° Jackie exclaimed. ¡°How the hell did you get so much merch stuff?!¡±


    Maddie wore a wrist-watch, had black and gray shirts draped over her shoulders, with plastic shades on her face and a hat worn sideways on her head. All with the biggest smile Jackie¡¯s ever seen stretched across her face.


    ¡°When shit¡¯s free, Jackson? You hoover as much as you fucking can,¡± she said triumphantly. ¡°No one wants it, people who have to sell it hate their lives, and that¡¯s where you move in¡­¡±


    She planted the box on the ground, hands on her hips. ¡°We don¡¯t have pants and shoes, but we share as fuck have shirts, toothbrushes, socks, water bottles, backpacks, notebooks¡ªThe works!¡±


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re implying that you managed to find Shift-themed panties and I¡¯m not at all okay with that,¡± Jackie said fearfully.


    Maddie just smiled, until Tracy begun to speak up.


    ¡°They said that the opportunities presented itself¡ª¡± Tracy explained, far too much.


    ¡°But hey, it¡¯s a start!¡± Maddie said. ¡°You might¡¯ve been onto something, Jackson. This is the best fucking thing we¡¯ve done so far.¡±


    Jackie smiled a bit. ¡°See? We have to move forward, just to see if anything¡¯s there.¡±


    And before any more discussion between them continued, the main discourse was ready to start.


    The projectors unleashed a flurry of pixels that swirled about into the air. They concentrated into an image, into the leader of the Extant Commission: Conrad T. Miller.


    He was ancient, he knew of a world before years stopped and seasons flowed instead of skipped. His head pointed upwards, his face shagged into places¡ªlike his cheeks flopping downward, his neck hanging above his suit. He hid his eyes behind black, round specs and his brow was furrowed despite how loose it was. His hands were clutching at his wheelchair¡¯s arms, despite not having the strength to do it.


    In fact, that¡¯s what Jackie admired. His body was more or less broken, crippled and worn¡­ Yet he radiated and held firm to his unwavering seriousness and valor.


    ¡°I am sorry that the last few days have been filled with nothing but pain and sorrow, more over than what we now call usually¡­¡± Conrad¡¯s voice was gravelly, gravely. ¡°This¡­ Was supposed to be a day of celebration, one that we all so desperately need¡­ A day to bask in the steps we have finally, finally taken in reclaiming life as we knew it¡­ Now we have to announce our step backwards.¡±


    Jackie and the others didn¡¯t need to use their siVis to hear the murmurs of the crowd. They were on edge. They were prepping for the worse, waiting for the absolute kind that will stagger them back into despair.


    ¡°This is now officially considered to be new activity in regards to the Shift Noumena¡­¡± Conrad paused. ¡°We have searched our records and findings, and this has no official match within them. While the origin and cause are still up for debate, it is indeed siVis and Shift related. Normally, as we¡¯ve known so far, the siVis Anomaly, discovered and founded by the ever-great Dr. Gia Taber, had little to no connections with the Shift Noumena. It is not born of it, like the categorized entries, but it¡¯s more of a reaction or rather a consequence of now living in a world where reality has weakened to a point of allowing other phenomenon to happen. But this is not what you all wanted to hear¡­¡±


    ¡°Hell, Tabby does¡­¡± River commented.


    Jackie shushed her, before Maddie tried to explain that River¡¯s made even more inside jokes and references during this speech, but of course all of the girl¡¯s attention was back to Conrad.


    ¡°You want to hear our game plan. You want to hear our next steps¡­ And here is number 1. We are still calling this our Final Step; our celebration of Shift integration.¡±


    The crowd turned to each other, beginning to talk over each other.


    Conrad perused his lips, before beginning again. ¡°Of course, we are not going to be festive, as it is incredibly inappropriate to do so when there are so many victims. But in order to fight against these new threats, we might reinforce our approach. More discovery. More reconstruction. And more training with ORACON tech that will save our lives, regardless of the learning curve. This is the perfect time and example to apply our approach, no matter how long it takes. We have finally found our road to progress, our road to recovery. And these are the final steps towards our journey.¡±


    He paused again, looking down before raising his head again.


    ¡°Our relief efforts, however, will be significantly delayed¡ªas this new activity has thrown off everything regarding Extant¡¯s strategy. It will come, I will assure you, it will indeed come. We just¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hello¡ªHello¡ªHello¡ªHello~!¡± the disembodied yet characterized voice interrupted, as the particles assembled a very character-driven man.


    His sides of his head were shaved, his hair fluffed up in the front, with his hair trailing at the back, white. His suit was loud, and somehow bold in it¡¯s unprofessional coordination. All neon colors were on display, as he wore black gloves.


    And he¡¯d be rightfully called a clown, if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he created, founded, and is leading this island.


    ¡°Oh god,¡± Maddie sounded drained already. ¡°It¡¯s Mr. Davenpoint¡­¡±


    ¡°My fair and just citizens,¡± Mr. Davenport begun. ¡°I¡¯ve come with both a question and a statement!¡±


    ¡°I told you that we weren¡¯t doing this, Davenport!¡± Conrad shouted back as much as he could.


    ¡°And as you said when you tried to force me out of your offices; my city is sliced in half and my citizens are ruined,¡± Mr. Davenport. ¡°Frankly, I¡¯m just as tired as these victims that continued to be neglected!¡±


    ¡°Now then,¡± Mr. Davenport began again. ¡°I¡¯ve come with both a question and a statement, my Daventonians!¡± He raised his arms high. ¡°Are you not sick of being in fear? And if so, only we with my leadership can create the change we desperately need!¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t about change!¡± Conrad debated. ¡°And it isn¡¯t about your ego! We have to stick with what works--!¡±


    ¡°And it hasn¡¯t been working since most of these people have been alive!¡± Mr. Davenport fired back. ¡°If the majority of our citizens remembered our world and what fortunes that awaited us, then the rest are young enough to only hear the stories of how it was¡ªand are only left with a world so broken, you refuse to fix!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve done nothing but fix it!¡± Conrad was broiling. ¡°We strive to fix it, step by step-!¡±


    ¡°Honestly, as an expert shaper and businessman; you need to lay off with your brand,¡± Davenport snapped back. ¡°Tell me, tell me¡ªIt would be 17 years. 17. Years. What are these steps? Tell me, inform us, what these steps are? And to finish¡­ Why were they all rendered meaningless in the end?¡±


    Conrad shut his mouth. He knew it was bait, and just made Davenport look more childish than he already was for a 50-year-old.


    ¡°Because, surprisingly, this isn¡¯t just to embarrass you or Extant in general¡ªalong with the international team, because you all are under immense pressure¡­ I¡¯m just saying this to help with that weight. Listen, I pay a lot of lip service to progress more than running this place¡ªand when you chose here to step up here, the main station and bastion of humanity fighting back, I was honored. Still honored. I have nothing but respect for you¡­ But you¡¯ve lost your way.¡±


    Mr. Davenport extended his arms towards his crowds, his citizens. ¡°Progress, constant progress, is the way to beat this existential threat. There is no other way. You try integration, but completely forgo the human element to it. ¡®Learning curves¡¯? More like unscalable walls, walls that don¡¯t even protect as well as it should have¡ªyou¡¯ve FAILED, and you continue to!¡±


    ¡°This is unprecedented times, and you know this!¡± Conrad spat back. ¡°It requires sacrifice! Time!¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯ve sacrificed so much already. And we don¡¯t have any more time left,¡± Mr. Davenport reversed.


    Conrad grunted, then turned his attention to the uncertain and scared crowd. ¡°Regardless of what we¡¯ve done and going to do; we have dedicated our lives to make yours as happy and free! Nothing less or sort of the truth! I¡¯ve said it! Multiple times and I¡¯ll say it again!¡±


    Mr. Davenport ¡°looked¡± at his senior, twisting his mouth about. He looked like, for once, he was weighting his options on what he was going to say.


    ¡°Then why did you say to me, before storming in to come here desperately, that you had no idea what to do?¡±


    And with that, the crowd was allowed to fall off the edge it lost the strength to teeter on.


    It became a crush of bodies, people pushing and trying to run, but no where to go. The masses trying to disburse but confided. And it was getting worse.


    Jackie turned to the others, ¡°We have to go¡ªThis might¡ªWe just have to go!¡±


    And on cue, they were the only ones that were able to run.


    Even with a few blocks behind them, and a many minutes passed, they can still hear the unrest from where they stopped to catch their breathe.


    Jackie turned towards the cries and felt terrible. Nothing she could do¡­


    ¡°Well,¡± Maddie heavily panted, with box in hand still. ¡°That was a shitshow¡­¡±


    ¡°It was going so well until that embarrassment of a mayor came on¡­¡± Tracy coughed. ¡°Why do we even have a mayor? This place is borderline technocratic-!¡±


    ¡°Something something, ¡®he made it goddamn it and he has the special say in the matter¡¯, yeah, he¡¯s full of shit¡­¡± Maddie response.


    ¡°Now what do we do¡­¡± River asked. ¡°That place is basically gone or whatever¡¯s left of it after that, the place we were at is gonna triple its capacity¡­ And like Maddie said, we¡¯re in industrial/commercial district hell¡­¡±


    ¡°At least there¡¯s a movie place, like, a good hour walk from here¡­¡± Maddie lightly tossed the box to the ground. ¡°Fuck me, make that two, my legs are twisting up¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­I know what we can do¡­¡± Jackie started, and everyone looked to her. ¡°We just¡­ Saw today how easy it is to turn on each other.¡±


    Everyone then looked towards each other, getting Jackie¡¯s point.


    ¡°So we have to vow, promise ourselves¡­ No matter how bad shit gets, we have to stand together. We don¡¯t have to be friends. Don¡¯t even have to like each other. But we have to stick together. Because we know we can¡¯t handle this alone.¡±


    Tracy nodded her head, ¡°Well said¡­ Because I sure as heck can¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan, then?¡± River asked.


    ¡°¡­Maybe we can try that movie theatre Maddie talked about,¡± Jackie suggested. ¡°Stay there for a while. Figure things out and gather information as we can. We¡¯ll make our next steps¡ª¡±


    Jackie cringed. That phrase, lost all meaning¡­


    ¡°¡­There¡­¡± she finished.


    Maddie shrugged, ¡°Just lemme catch my breathe and¡­¡± She looked about. ¡°The fuck is Safari Gal-?¡±


    Jackie and the others looked around and Aiko was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°She was looking out for number one--!¡± Tracy instantly snided.


    ¡°Goddamn it¡ª¡± Jackie was cut off.


    ¡°HEY GUYS!¡± Aiko came out of the nearest alley, waving her arms. ¡°I THINK WE GOT LUCKY!¡±


    Everyone tilted their heads, then followed Aiko¡¯s lead.


    This couldn¡¯t be made up, what they saw.


    The storage room, from the hospital, which possibly has all of their stuff plus anything their families saved for them, was wedged into a building. Aiko found it because of the various clothes in a pile leaking out onto the floor.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m both happy that we might have our things again,¡± Jackie sounded torn. ¡°BUT WHY DID WE HAVE TO RUIN SOMEONE¡¯S LIVELY HOOD TO GET IT?!¡±

 (Update II)

    0:30


    _______


    ...


    I really don''t know how to start this.


    What we just witnessed, what just happened...


    "Mr. Davenport" has just doomed the very city he built with his own hands.


    As much... As much as I want to throw away my reptuation, throw away my 50/50 facts and opinion balance on everything I cover... I can''t. Because unlike that egotastical monsters, I know my words have power behind them.


    So. Why not give the man of the hour he''s somehow deserving of?The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Elias "Mr. Davenport" Samson, the tycon thypoon that came from nowhere. He surprisingly has kept his past to his chest, but he''s made various ventures, conquests, and influence since the late 80''s. What were bold, erratic business decisions all came together in founding the Island City of Davenport.


    The city was once a failing port town, very effected by the embargos and interrupted trade routes by the Shift Noumena, which gives you an idea about how... Theatric this man is.


    Davenport is the crowned jewel, a physical representation of his idea that progress is the live blood of humanity. He''s a humanist, he loves humanity, he wants humanity to finally help itself, humanity, humanity, humanity.


    So why, for humanity''s sake, did he do what he did just now?


    Why did he cause a near crush of people, with 20 people being injured?


    And who knows what else the international response to what happened will be?


    ... I still maintain what I said before.


    It''s when things like this happen when what I''ve said before really, really mattered.


    Remember. Please, for your sake, versus mine.


    Rage against the dying of the light.


    - Tabby Morrow

 (Episode V) Creatures of the Megaplex(!)

    River was tired. It¡¯s amazing how revealing it is when one closes their eyes and feel them ache from the inside of their eye lids, when before you only felt numbness.


    She didn¡¯t have to close her eyes, turn away from the rest for good measure. But like everything recently (she says recently, but more over her whole, natural born life), it¡¯s a safeguard to punish how much of a creep she could be.


    After rummaging the fused hospital storage room-horror house, they managed to find their belongings. Bags of their clothes, and surprisingly, stuff that their respective familial unit wanted to give them. It was refreshing and happy for about a whole minute until they all remembered the fact that they might not be okay, or realize that respectively the girls were okay. Kinda a funny aneurysm moment.


    But regardless, they all finally got out of those gowns, also took out Maddie¡¯s merch stash, and used that to replace whatever they didn¡¯t have in their bags with it, creating a fused look of personal style and ¡°MAN, I¡¯M SO HYPED FOR SHIFT CON GUYS¡±.


    River was done the quickest, which is why she¡¯s in this scenario now. In her bag, there was nothing but shirt, jeans, other pair of shoes, back up glasses, and her spare-spare, 57% functional if you hold down the right side with tape, laptop. She could hear the others slightly bemoan that their things are wrinkly, balled up, which again wasn¡¯t concerns River had.


    This was all she needs, really. All she¡¯s ever had, basically.


    ¡°River¡­?¡± a voice said, that voice. ¡°Why are you facing away like that¡­?¡±


    River knew that turning away, putting the crippling awkwardness upfront, was undermining what could¡¯ve been something somehow uglier, shittier. She knew she had to be super careful, revealing that she¡¯s also into the puss organically, or face the troubling contradiction of unity.


    She saw it just minutes ago, with that flaming landfill that ended up being the Final Step announcement. Since the Transitionary Point, all of whatever was left of humanity signed the official ¡°Hey. Don¡¯t be a dick¡± doctrine¡ªand since it was signed, virtually every social issue was put to rest and you will be blasted for being a petty mofo. But virtually.


    It didn¡¯t take watching multiple B-movie plots to get that differences divides the group, and the one person that stupidly puts their personal reality above the literal one that now has giant alien ghost wasps invading it, and attacks the black guy, because he¡¯s an invader like them.


    At least with those films, there¡¯s hamfisted satire and ¡°spot the wires giving out on the ghost alien wings¡± games. Everyone¡¯s already tense and have little reason to stay together. They don¡¯t need ¡°closet hater¡± coming out.


    It just occurred to River that she still had her eyes close and still turned around.


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m the reverse Jackie?¡± River attempted humor.


    She turned around, looking around at her clothed cohorts.


    ¡°Look, guys, it was both a one-time thing and I¡¯m just comfortable with¡ªI¡¯ll just take the joke¡­¡± the tall girl had her long mane down, to her back. She was wearing those custom school jock jackets you only see in some Vancouver set, wearing a red top that showed off her toned stomach and with cameo cargo pants. Just to radiate, ¡°High school can totally work out, guys!¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, hush you closet nudist,¡± Maddie wore a mix-match of what she has with what she wore from before. Shift shirt, but with her ripped up jeans (because of course she wears ripped up jeans), sneakers, and with a small leather jacket to top it all off (because again, of course she wears leather jackets).


    ¡°Go back to Grease, Maddie,¡± Jackie said half-jokingly, half-dismissively. Problem was that her voice made everything so dire and resolute. It¡¯s pretty much the unofficial reason why franchise main characters never have any good comedy lines; a voice like that only serves her well when she¡¯s telling people that they¡¯re wrong or there¡¯s a speech to recite.


    ¡°Wow,¡± Maddie tried to sound impressed, which was the point. ¡°Imagine having a worse line than River over here, and the thing is that we understand her this time¡­¡±


    Jackie sighed, shook her head, and elected to put her hands in her pockets.


    ¡°I¡¯m actually surprised,¡± Aiko stretched out her white blouse, frilled in patterns, wearing the Shift-themed pants, shoes and her hair in a sideways ponytail. ¡°I remember that I had blood on this once; but Okaasan really must¡¯ve washed it out!¡±


    ¡°¡­One: I¡¯m gonna guess that¡¯s like mom or dad, and two: you just officially crossed into the ¡®Crazy Motherfuckers I Learn Not to Talk to¡¯ zone-¡° Maddie said in disbelief.


    ¡°Eh,¡± Aiko simply responded. ¡°If ya¡¯ need something, you¡¯ll say. I know the deal~¡±


    River looked towards Jackie, still shaking her head due to the compound degeneracy. The tall girl looked towards what River lovingly feared. ¡°You really didn¡¯t have any extra clothes, Tracy¡­?¡±


    River creaked over her head and it was true. Tracy just had nothing but the Shift merch on, just tossing away one of the left-over bags into the alley, trying to look comfortable in these clothes and trying to form words.


    ¡°Oh¡ªuh,¡± even her flubbing sounded so right. She scratched the back of her ginger head, ¡°The family didn¡¯t come, I live on my own for a while, sooo¡­¡± She flopped her arms to her curvy sides.


    Jackie raised her eyebrow, ¡°Where they on their way or¡­?¡±


    ¡°H-hey, I¡¯m 18 and I¡¯ve been surprisingly cool on my own¡­ It¡¯s just a matter of trust, y¡¯know? I just don¡¯t wanna worry them!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re family, they¡¯re supposed¡ª¡± Jackie suddenly stopped herself. She bit on her lip briefly and then just nodded. ¡°Your business. We¡¯re only wasting daylight. But just now, if you wanna talk¡­¡±


    ¡°Jackson, we¡¯re going to a Megaplex,¡± Maddie snided. ¡°Talking there is if only the movie¡¯s baller, not feelings or whatever.¡±


    The tall girl just raised her hands in defeat. ¡°Fair. Fair enough.¡± She then put them down and gestured forward. ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    ¡°What¡ªno ¡®lead the way, Rafiki¡¯-?¡± Maddie questioned, but started to do what she was told.


    ¡°I¡¯M NOT TERRIBLE LIKE YOU!¡± Jackie followed after. The rest of the conversation was drowned out.


    Even when she wasn¡¯t looking at her anymore, Tracy was on River¡¯s taxed mind. She was on her mind ever since she made the mistake of glancing at her, those few days back.


    The bouncy, ginger hair, the amazing body, those doughy eyes and bitten-too-hard lips. All created this¡­ Insanely pretty picture.


    Too good, too great for her¡ªwhen just being pretty was already beyond her league, beyond her worth.


    She can¡¯t make this weirder. It was already weird that someone as ¡°her¡± as her expecting to long for relationships, but considering¡­ The ¡°connection¡± she and Tracy have¡­ There¡¯s just too much baggage. Way too much.


    She was just tired. Tired of carrying everything. But she has to, at least until she has a good reason to break apart finally.


    It might not be long now.


    But it had to wait, because the walk was grueling. And not for her, River looked ahead as she trailed behind, it was clear everyone was getting tired. It was starting to get to an hour by this point.


    Everyone sans Maddie, who was getting pure, distilled energy from ranting about the place she¡¯s lived in for her whole life. River tuned back in.


    ¡°Future Plains¡­¡± Maddie shook her head. ¡°Another crackpot Davenport idea. How it was supposed to go was; all these companies and corporations all line up to set up their experimental ideas for stores and shit, letting us be test monkeys for it and in exchange, we got to have top of the line and super popular shit before they become super popular!¡±


    She gestured, to the left, then the right. There was nothing, but concrete walkways, paved over land that hasn¡¯t been built upon in years. A true urban wasteland.


    ¡°The suits are too scared in making frozen yogurt stands¡ªeven the Electro Endeavor flavors that stain your tongue and makes it glow in the dark for a whole day. You got something in a blue moon, but even then, it runs outta stock and just sits there. We braved the boring ass trips BECAUSE there was stupid ass and crazy shit here all lined up. No one¡¯s coming here to get some Wall-2-Wall mart.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Jackie honestly taking it in. ¡°I get this feeling from Steppe Ave now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the other thing,¡± Maddie added on. ¡°Steppe Ave was basically like New York Plaza before that got condemned or whatever¡ª¡®This is basically the island in one spot¡¯. It does the same thing, but only for all the nerdy tech shit. Bleeding edge or whatever. Then it turned into testrun for the Shift stuff, and since we only care about Shift shit now, Future Plains is dry as fuck.¡±


    ¡°So what makes this Megaplex different¡­?¡±


    ¡°This is from the city, actually. Kinda one of those things like¡­ ¡®When all of this is finally over, we¡¯ll not only return to normal; but normal will be so much better!¡¯ thing. This thing has mini brand stores in it and self-serving movie rooms.¡±


    ¡°Ooooh¡­¡± Tracy cooed. River had to pause for that, it was the first time she heard her genuinely happy¡­


    Weird again. She chided herself for being weird again. She barely knew her, not matter what her brain was trying to justify¡­


    Jackie laughed. ¡°You should be a junior tour guide. You¡¯re frank enough to keep it interesting and you know a lot about this place¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Maddie shrugged. ¡°Now, doing a job is just a job and the buck is way more important, but people annoy me as a collective, so I never once thought about it. Rather work at my and Frank¡¯s shithole laundry place¡­¡±


    Jackie looked to her. ¡°But you¡¯re still serving people¡­¡±


    ¡°My people~¡±


    ¡°oh god, there¡¯s more people like you-¡° it dawned on Jackie.


    ¡°YUUUUUUUUUP¡± Maddie loudly declared. ¡°I mean, I worked there when I was 14¡ªI say work there, it was like a Summer or whatever¡ªbut those 20 dollars a week blew my fucking mind back then!¡±


    ¡°Ha,¡± Jackie laughed audibly. It didn¡¯t surprised River that Jackie was one of those people that earnestly says ¡°ha¡± out loud. Jackie continued after, ¡°I know the feeling, that was the best way back then. Y¡¯know, before the whole Code Credit switch thing¡­¡±


    ¡°Was your first job, like, putting the old buff gym instructors to shame or something?¡± Maddie riffed. ¡°I had something better, but we¡¯ve been walking for like 2 hours, I gotta really dig more than usual¡ª¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if me saying that what you just described was what I did in high school unofficially would help your joke or not¡­¡±


    ¡°Jesus Christ¡ª¡±


    ¡°But! My first job was just helping Mom organize stuff, so basically getting me the excellent head-start of getting used to the mind and ass-numbing office job.¡±


    Maddie laughed uproariously, ¡°Okay¡ªokay, I revoke my previous ¡®Jesus Christ¡¯ to use it there¡ªjust fucking picturing you¡­ Sitting there sorting papers is so fucking funny!¡±


    Maddie rubbed her eye, then sighs in relief, ¡°But hey, your Mom¡¯s smart. Better do that shit early, Shift shit or no Shift shit, there¡¯s still going to be pencils being pushed. Or like, fingers to screens or something¡ª¡±


    ¡°Tousan used to take me to his job site from time to time,¡± Aiko piped up. ¡°I ¡®worked¡¯ there too whenever I went. The fact that I forgot what I did and what he does goes to show how much that worked¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh my god, Aiko¡­¡± Jackie said in response.


    It was refreshing, hearing it all, especially the digs. It always reassured River, that everyone had their job horror stories, that they understood the raw deal and can joke about it, shrug it all off with their strained shoulders.


    But it still represented why she was so tired. How everyone is so tired.


    Even without the Shifts, everything was broken, but still needed to run. It¡¯s like that scene from Metropolis (or at least how it was described), the ever-running machine that had borderline slavery to be a necessity, so that the world can keep running.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    River sighed to herself, when she recalled that image her mind burned into her.


    She was the old, rusted, out of place gear along with the many, whose erosion was steadier than hers. She continued to be a gear, tried to be, even despite breaking apart by the second.


    That was her, yeah. First time in her life that not only was she smart about something, but honest with herself.


    But it wasn¡¯t the time to go back Mindscapper (at least she thought it was funny), she was a burden enough to the crew.


    They walked up to the massive Megaplex. Stretched out, elegant in design, as two massive and smooth rectangles smushed together would be like. The entrance, with shut off neon lights, glass, and textures in a dome shape, put the finishing touches to firmly confirm that; ¡°We show the highest and best regarded art in service of our masses¡±.


    Like they didn¡¯t just show The Sandlot: New Game the week before.


    ¡°Well, here we are girls,¡± Maddie announced, as they walked up to the closed automatic doors. ¡°So how we¡¯re doing this, Jackson?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jackie asked.


    ¡°¡­How are we gonna break in?¡± Maddie clarified.


    Jackie looked around, her blue eyes looking to everyone.


    ¡°¡­We can¡¯t get in here any other way, you cop¡ª¡± Maddie said. ¡°¡ªLike, I was hoping that you didn¡¯t choke and was gonna tackle the door off or something!¡±


    ¡°Maybe there¡¯s a way to open the doors with siVis¡­¡± Jackie pondered.


    ¡°Yeah¡ªwe have to rely on the supernatural voodoo shit versus just finding some trashcan and toss it into the doors,¡± Maddie put her thumb up, then let her arm fall to her side. ¡°Yo, Aiko was it? Go find something and throw it at the glass¡ª¡±


    ¡°See, now you wanna talk to me!¡± Aiko chirped.


    River sighed, then stepped forward. ¡°I think¡­ Maaaaybe this place is a Shift Fallout location¡­? It¡¯d be a long stretch but¡­¡±


    River looked up and down, then stopped the black device that was planted on the door¡¯s left side.


    ¡°Yup,¡± River said. She went to the door, reached up to the device and felt it up with her fingers. ¡°You said it was a new-ish building, so¡­ Guess they wanted to be sure¡­¡±


    ¡°So we can get in?¡± Jackie questioned. ¡°How does this work, exactly?¡±


    River¡¯s fingers dug into the back of the device, clamping down to release the mechanism, unclamping and backing the hand away as the small pin-pad launched out, numbers, and symbols being laid out.


    ¡°There¡¯s¡­ I think universal codes, depending on the type of building it is¡ªwhat it¡¯s used for. Government, workplace¡­ Entertainment venue¡­¡± River explained. ¡°I think I remember the code used for Entertainment venue¡­¡±


    She mumbled to herself, closing her eyes, hoping that she doesn¡¯t screw up.


    She opened them, and started to plug in the pound sign, numbers, dashes, numbers to finish it off. She hit enter and it was like hitting her own stomach, as if the impending crush didn¡¯t already make it hurt.


    But the doors popped open regardless, much to the shock of everyone, including herself.


    ¡°Yoooo!¡± Maddie shouted. ¡°Nice work, Brooke! How¡¯d ya do that?¡±


    River had to gulp, create saliva in her dry mouth before answering.


    ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t join in with the shitty jobs discussion because I¡¯m sorta still in mine,¡± River answered. ¡°Family¡¯s in the packaging business. We have to go in and out of places quick, but my brother usually, y¡¯know¡­ Punches in the code. Never did it until now.¡±


    River turned to see an impressed Jackie, smiling ear to ear. She then went over, pulled her into a one-armed hug, patting her shoulder.


    ¡°See? You know things. You can do so much,¡± Jackie said, rubbing her shoulder now. She let go, and slowly opened the doors wider.


    Everyone else followed Jackie¡¯s lead in going in, while River stood there while rubbing her shoulder. Jackie waited for River, because of course she would. River relented, and then went in herself.


    The lobby shared the same design principal; the floors with exotic marble covered up with black, coarse mats. Stories were lined up on the sides to create this circular presentation. The ticket booth was in the dead center, surrounded by the gates that led into the theaters.


    ¡°Everything should be on low-power operation now¡­ That means stuff can be activated, but we shouldn¡¯t do everything at once. So that means we can turn on the snack machines, go into the other stores, turn on the A/C¡­and maaaaybe one media room.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Jackie said. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    Maddie jumped over the gate, and Aiko followed after. Jackie basically lifted up her leg and walked over, which left Tracy and River.


    Tracy fumbled away with her fingers, and River tried not to fumble her everything.


    They both looked at each other, then quickly looked away, before looking back again to talk:


    ¡°I¡¯m too f¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid of¡ª¡±


    Both proceeded to laugh, nervously.


    ¡°I can go first,¡± River quickly fumbled out. ¡°If I fall and break it, you can get through easy. A-and if I get through good somehow, I can¡­ Help. Y¡¯know¡ªif you want me to.¡±


    ¡°I would,¡± Tracy scrambled to clarify. ¡°I would like the help, I mean...¡±


    River tried to breathe, but between forgetting how to and air getting knocked out of her, it made it hard to walk up and scale over the gate. She took it slow, as slow as possible, and somehow got over it.


    She shakenly extended an arm for Tracy, to help. The wonderful girl grabbed it, as she scaled the gate as well.


    And as if on cue, River quickly retracted her arm before Tracy could thank her, ¡°Noproblemit¡¯snothing¡±


    ¡°¡­Um,¡± Tracy said. ¡°Still. Thanks¡­¡±


    She walked past her as River stewed in everything sucking and sucking her into the void. And it¡¯s somehow worse given that her mind can make that void real if she let it.


    Thankfully, Maddie¡¯s mouth was louder than the building up steam in her ears.


    ¡°Hey Brooke,¡± she said. ¡°Come here real quick!¡±


    River slinked over to join the rest. Surprisingly, walking causes the air to hit one¡¯s agitated, flushed skin. And the funniest thing about that was that it reminded the person over how much they¡¯ve screwed up.


    But she made to the rest. They were standing near this dry foundation, before the hallways spilt off into the various theatres.


    ¡°So,¡± Maddie began, crossed arms. ¡°We just realized that we¡¯ve never had a bath in like, three days or something. You think you can find something to flip this on-?¡±


    River blinked. ¡°We delivered boxes, we didn¡¯t fix foundations or sinks.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure, but you¡¯ve been in basements and stuff, right?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t my idea, by the way¡ª" Jackie piped in.


    River sighed, then nodded. ¡°Good point. I¡¯ll search for something¡­¡±


    She took her time, walking down the hallway, trying to find the entrance to the basement, ultimately finding it.


    It was rather easy to do in hindsight, since it was a bland, normal door.


    She walked down the stairs, and her shoes squished against the wet floor. She looked down, and it had this sheen that¡­ Didn¡¯t look like water, condensation. She looked up, searched around as the sounds of her wet steps echoed about.


    Ultimately, she found a familiar panel, opening it up to reveal the valves to release the various water pressures to respective places. She grabbed the water foundation valve and slowly turned it on. It was harder, pressure aside¡­ Was because the valve itself was covered in slime.


    River retracted her hand, now coated in the liquid. She formed a fist, creating a similar sound like the squishing on the floor.


    ¡­Okay, a lot of weird things are piling up. She thought it was best to go back and tell the others. She walked back up the stairs, closed the door while wiping down her hands on her thighs.


    As soon as she walks back to the foundation, she was treated to the blur of Aiko diving into the running water¡ªShe hopes she was in her underwear at least.


    The girl screamed that it¡¯s cold, while laughing as the water roared. Jackie and Maddie were now arguing per usual, while still trying to strip themselves. Tracy looked on from afar, and then caught River, looking at her.


    It was as if the world wanted to conspire against her, versus the usual uncaring stance. As she turned on her heels, she kinda wanted the latter right about now.


    What felt like forever, the rest walked towards River, clothes on and still drying their hair using the Shift-themed towels on their necks.


    ¡°You wanna go in whenever you feel comfortable¡­?¡± Jackie asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± River said, shrugging. ¡°No need to expose you guys to my folds. Each one holds the same power as the Ark of the Covenant.¡±


    Jackie sighed, ¡°You¡¯re chubby, River. C¡¯mon.¡±


    She elected to stay nothing. The silence, of course, forced someone to say something. But she was surprised who spoke.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Tracy spoke up. ¡°Let¡¯s go watch a movie! There should be a good selection, or at least something to riff on~¡±


    ¡°Huh. You heckle movies?¡± Maddie sounded quizzical.


    ¡°I always have something to say,¡± she smiled. Such a good smile.


    ¡°Y¡¯all are really tripping me up today, holy shit¡­¡±


    River awkwardly pointed down the hallway, ¡°The m-media room is down there¡­ Y¡¯know¡ªy¡¯know, because I went to go find the basement. Thing.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Tracy beamed. ¡°It¡¯s about time we had something to enjoy!¡±


    Everyone mumbled in agreement, walking down to the Self-Media Room.


    They opened the door, which slid open like a bootleg Star Trek door. It was a long theater seat-couch hybrid, seats for six. The screen was stretched across the wall, with a console to select the movies, which Tracy walked up to first.


    ¡°Oooh,¡± Tracy cooed, swiping her finger on the screen to see the catalogue. ¡°Alright, this is looking to be an alright list so far¡­ Some dreck we can poke fun of and some legitimate time wasters¡­ ¡±


    ¡°I never¡ªuh, pegged you for that,¡± River spoke without thinking. ¡°I-I would¡¯ve thought you were¡­ A high class¡­ cinema kinda gal.¡± A series of mental slaps to herself ensued, and a plethora of ways she could¡¯ve phrased that better came after.


    ¡°Oh please~¡± Tracy chirped out. ¡°La cin¨¦ma est la cin¨¦ma ~¡±


    ¡°Je ne parle pas Francais,¡± Maddie quipped, with a shiteating grin as everyone (sans Aiko, who tilted her head) looked at her and laughed.


    ¡°I love movies, period,¡± Tracy explained. ¡°I rather watch something terrible than something I forget about~ Hell, I can probably complain enough about the run of the mill enough!¡±


    ¡­If it was hard enough to hide that she was the greatest woman live-


    Tracy¡¯s excitable ¡°Ah!¡± was able to cut off any and all embarrassing thought River was going to spiral down into.


    ¡°I¡¯ve totally forgotten about Last Godzilla!¡± she expressed, pointing to it¡¯s poster-icon on the screen. ¡°It finally came out with English subtitles!¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh,¡± River said flatly. ¡°Funny, I¡¯ve been avoiding this one¡­¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Tracy craned her head to River. ¡°From the reviews I¡¯ve seen, it¡¯s called a great send off to the character¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s just that I have Anno Trust Issues,¡± River shrugged. ¡°He directed it, and well, maybe it¡¯s not your realm, but a little anime film tetralogy called Deconstruction of Alcion¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Tracy said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen that¡­ Uh¡­ I was completely lost, but it was a pretty good at¡­ Animated suffering¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Such glowing praise and his vision¡­ Kiiinda needed a break from it,¡± River retorted.


    ¡°I know we were doing a different language gag; but I legit don¡¯t know what ya¡¯ll are spouting,¡± Maddie remarked.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s Gojira,¡± Aiko shrugged. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t have mass destruction and kaiju violence; then it¡¯s a bad film.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s brutal and shit goes wrong: I¡¯m game, let¡¯s watch it,¡± Maddie said.


    ¡°I¡¯m with River in that mass destruction and brutality are questionable past time, but if the majority agrees¡­¡± Jackie said, crossing arms.


    ¡°Great!¡± Tracy selected the film and took her seat. The rest soon followed, with River reluctantly sitting down to whatever hellshow was going to follow.


    Shin Godzilla, which can also mean ¡°new¡±, ¡°evolution¡±¡ªbut ended up being final due to reality being crazier than movies, was directed by ever-depressed and somehow out depresses people like her,  Hideaki Anno. He was behind one of River¡¯s favorite anime¡ªAlcion, which had a really depressed teenage girl lead, who soon was thrusted into a world of angst¡ªaliens¡ªand many, many lesbian overtunes. But all that was balanced out by the message of pushing through torment and literally punching the monsters that cause them. And of course, the will-they, won¡¯t-they lesbian romance that literally ties into the themes of the show. It was all wrapped up in the series finale movie and it literally ends with everyone making a new, better world.


    Cue Anno realizing he¡¯s depressed, and came out with the Deconstruction of Alcion, the only thing keeping it from being Anno¡¯s hands being animated onto the frames destroying his work was the heartbreaking mental breakdowns and the surreal and terrible animation sequences. He explained why he ripped out millions of people was because he feels happiness or being fulfilled doesn¡¯t exist in our new reality¡ªcoupled with the usual ¡°I always planned it¡± bingo card. It¡¯s been years since he ended up, leaving the industry for a bit, so maybe¡­ Maybe Shin will be different, River thought.


    Then she watched heartbreaking mental breakdowns, surreal and terrible CGI kaiju, and finally ending with an ambiguous ending. Anno had a real talent with making River feel the depression within her depression.


    But, the movie ¡°ended¡± and everyone started to talk.


    ¡°Aaaah!¡± Tracy had her hands on her cheeks. ¡°That was¡­ What an end! What a statement!¡±


    ¡°That was fucking crazy,¡± Maddie sounded impressed. ¡°I thought it was some dude in a suit flopping about, but that was sheer fucking devastation and awful.¡±


    ¡°But they managed to pull through in the end!¡± Jackie shouted. ¡°That was a rush¡ªI was sooooo mad throughout the film, but then the trains came in and they had a plan and they tackled the problems¡ªno it isn¡¯t solved, but they did it--!¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t hear anything when you went sports fan on us, but no, that was crazy¡ª¡± Maddie managed to agree with Jackie (Which River might consider some sort of omen).


    ¡°It has the same problem with the other Gojira films¡­ Talk, talk, talk, boom, talk, talk, talk, boom¡ªTHEN MONSTERS!¡± Aiko waved her arms. ¡°But at least the ¡®booms¡¯ where really, really good!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s such a great tribute to the original¡­¡± Tracy marveled. ¡°The original¡­wasn¡¯t a monster movie. It was this expression of people who had this terrible, awful tragedy fallen on them¡­ And the fear wasn¡¯t Godzilla getting people, but the fear of this tragedy happening again and again. But they did this for us, finally putting everything that we just can¡¯t into words¡­ It was so good.¡±


    ¡°¡­I mean,¡± River mumbled out. ¡°We kinda got all that.¡±


    Tracy turned to her, eyes boring into her. ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡±


    ¡°I just¡­ I feel like doubling down on the fact that everything sucks now isn¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t want to be a close-minded basement dweller¡ªor more of. It¡¯s just that¡­ I get it. We get it. It¡¯d be weird if anyone didn¡¯t at this point. It¡¯s already taken so much, why can¡¯t we just have silly, stupid things anymore?¡±


    Tracy didn¡¯t say anything for a while, looking at the ground, biting her lip as she searches for the words.


    ¡°Good points, but¡­ Art has an obligation to put our emotions into the physical, the understandable, so we can look into it and finally get the reasons why we feel the way that we do.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m all for that¡­ When it¡¯s a self-contained thing. You¡¯re a cinema lady¡­ I¡¯m¡­ Just a womanchild that likes things to either fall funny or light up brightly.¡±


    There was a silence that followed.


    ¡°Okay uh¡ª¡± Jackie attempting to help but failing. ¡°Why won¡¯t you all choose some fun popcorn flick while me and River¡­ Go shut off the foundation.¡±


    She got up, and went over to River, patting her shoulder. Well, River pretty much made everyone not want her to be there now, so might as well get up and go with Jackie


    Jackie opened the door and both of them landed their feet in a familiar sound.


    River looked down quickly. It was the ooze.


    It managed to travel up the stairs and spilled over onto the first floor.


    ¡°¡­Oh yeah¡ª¡± River piped up, looked to Jackie. ¡°I think our usual luck is gonna be consistent.¡±


    Jackie quickly leaned into the Media room, shouting for the others to come out.


    They all raced-yet-steadily down into the basement, which is now flooded with an inch of goo. Still, despite walking into it.


    ¡°¡­ It¡¯s just¡ªNon-Newtonian in the slightest,¡± Jackie had a way of saying things about the Shifts, another talent to her long list. She moved her foot in the flood, and despite striding it, it did not move the liquid, no reaction, cause or effect. ¡°There¡¯s no ripples or-or waves!¡±


    ¡°Stop playing in the fucking slime and let¡¯s handle whatever¡¯s coming out. I¡¯m already done with this, I don¡¯t do Nickelodeon shit¡ª¡±


    They all climbed down the stairs, walking into the still goop, and hearing the roar of it pouring¡­ Somewhere.


    ¡°¡­They can¡¯t make a nest here,¡± River figured it out. She turned to Maddie, ¡°This was new, right? This whole building?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like months ago,¡± she answered. She started to rub her arms, clearly looking to her sides. ¡°They just never got to use it yet¡­¡±


    River sucked her teeth, trying to work this out. ¡°How they hell did they¡­¡± She shook her head, turning to the others. ¡°Guys, we¡¯re in a Stew. There¡¯s no other thing I can think of.¡±


    Everyone shared a silent, non-physical gulp.


    ¡°But that¡¯s the thing¡ª¡± River tried to make this make sense. ¡°Where? The Stew would have to be so fucking tiny that it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    Jackie immediately took action, ¡°I¡¯ll back you up¡ªif you want to check.¡±


    River nodded, before taking a sluggish walk, following the rushing sound¡­


    ¡­And to her horror and dismay; the pressure valves was the goopy waterfall. Pouring out so hard and fast, it broke the valves, blasted off the panel. And all there was that settled within where they were¡­


    Bloated, worm-like creatures that soaked within their Stew.


    Nulgarrt.


    ¡°This is bad¡ªThis is really, really bad¡ª¡± River stumbled.


    ¡°OH GOD, WHAT THE FUCK--?!¡± Was all River could hear Maddie scream out.


    Before the Nulgarrt swam out into the air and attacked them.

 (Episode V)(.5)

    They couldn¡¯t catch their breath, because the very air around them was being consumed before they could.


    Rushing up the stairs, the steps drowning under the on-rushing slime, they forced their aching legs to keep going using their siVis.


    Even with the advantage of enhanced sight, everything was a blur. Added the fact there were a swarm of worms streaking through the air they were eating.


    The girls stumbled out of the doorway and the lobby wasn¡¯t their sanctuary, but the breeding ground for the emergent desperate.


    The Nulgarrt Stew flooded the Megaplex: an inch or so torrent sweeping across the floors of the lobby, pouring from the ceilings that were just crafted¡ªfinished¡ªcracking and crumbling due to the force, and say nothing of the waterfalls¡ªthat¡ªwere¡ªonce¡ªstairs. Sickly, turquoise ooze that cascades yet immediately becomes still, swamp-like.


    But that wasn¡¯t the worse part.


    The batch of Nulgarrt bubbled to life, ripping out of the residue screaming more than the girls who bore witness to their birth, and they started to raise and eat at the air, gaining momentum in speeds uncoordinated and unconcerned for anything in their way.


    River and everyone tried to scan the horizon, but the streaks left in the very air clouded their surroundings, leaving translucent smears.


    And it was hard to find somewhere to hide since these smears lacked oxygen¡ªand it was getting thinner by the moment.


    Jackie tried to take lead, tried to run past and guide the rest to find somewhere to get out of this place. She was soon breathing heavy, holding her chest that desperately pumped away. River turned to the sounds of Maddie coughing furiously as she kneeled clutching at her throat. Aiko tried to measure or manage her breathing but to no avail.


    And Tracy was screaming, shouting, atop of her limited and drained lungs.


    Not that it mattered, it was muffled along with every possible sound.


    River was starting to feel the strain, her body activating her anxiety as it was convinced that it was dying. She looked around, she tried to find something, anything. She finally found what she was looking for, finally noticing one of the closed off stores in the lobby. The Stew hasn¡¯t completely flooded inside, it being against the doors with most of it leaking through the cracks.


    It really sales how desperate everything was, that River was the only hope.


    She pointed silently, constantly jutting her finger so the action will get the attention of the others. At least Jackie noticed, looked to the doors, and began going for it while directing the others.


    They booked for it, running as their energies slowly left their bodies, trying to make what little air they have to themselves last. What didn¡¯t help was going into the smears themselves, running through the pockets of vacuum, of no sound¡ªno warmth.


    It felt like dying, and then coming to life, over and over as air parasites swarmed about their heads, taking way too much movement to dodge them. Tears briming in their eyes, chest and throats throbbing and feel like they¡¯re being ripped apart. The only reason they haven¡¯t dropped yet was because the other part of their brain is commanding the supernatural bodily enlightenment to not die right this second.


    Regardless, they reached the door and Jackie instinctively tugged at the doors more than anything. She looked winded by doing that and hunched over.


    The last braincells of River made her remember, made her run towards the door and locate the black, pretty device.


    S-123? S-568? There were numbers. Numbers she needed¡­ To remember.


    Her already tensed up, siVis activated arm and hand, dialed in the thing she forgot to remember, using all available energy. The doors were unlocked, all they needed was the big muscle lady to open them.


    Too bad some of the Nulgarrt were kamikaze air worms, as they tackled the girls from behind, exploding into organic air bombs.


    The blasts caused them to all fall into the store, all rolling onto the floor, onto their stinging backs as they gasp for breath and as the Stew flooded in.


    Aiko coughed herself upwards, trying in vain to dash and try to close the doors, fighting against the on-rushing pour¡ªher aching arms¡ªand managed to shut them. But it wasn¡¯t for long, it was clear that she needed help and fast.


    Jackie Jackson came to the rescue, becoming just as a blur as the Nulgarrt, and helped Aiko to keep the doors closed. Struggling, groaning loudly despite her dry mouth and pained throat.


    It clicked for River, in that second. It was River¡¯s turn to go for the door, and not look as heroic or dashing as she limped towards it. She reached for the black device, entered the code for emergency, as the doors completely shut on their own.


    Her, Jackie and Aiko used this victory to just collapse onto the goo-covered floors, panting and gasping loudly¡­ But not as loudly as Tracy¡¯s hyperventilating.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°LOOK AT HOW MANY NULGARRT THERE ARE!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°PUT A WALL UP! PUT A WALL UP--!¡±


    Tracy tried to dash over to a nearby shelf, packed with items. She feebly tried to push it forward, screaming out as she made little and bitter work.


    River¡¯s body moved on it¡¯s own again, tried to be heroic again, and got up¡ªwent towards helping her, and grabbed the shelf from the other side. The two pushed, pulled, until it lined up with the doors, covering it. The two girls collapsed on their respective side, breathing heavily as it felt good to taste the air again.


    What was something between 1 or 3 minutes, the girls rose up, looking out of the windows that showed the otherworldly horror that awaited them.


    They were interrupted by the sounds of Maddie, still coughing up a storm and genuinely looks to be in pain.


    ¡°Maddie¡ªMadison,¡± Jackie of course rushed to her side, about to lift up the crouching girl. ¡°A¡ªarare¡ªAre you okay? Do you have breathing pro¡ª¡±


    Maddie instantly swiped at her, getting up while shaking her head. Her eyes were red and she tried to still her face as she was clearly struggling, trying to correct her breathing for what felt like a dragged out hour, but was 2 minutes later.


    ¡°Everyone¡­ Better tell me¡­ What are we going to do¡­ Or else I¡¯m walking and getting the fuck outta here myself¡­¡± her voice was haggarded, trying to still her voice too, as if she wanted to pain to work with her.


    ¡°You know we can¡¯t do that, they¡¯ll grow out of control and we have to follow the¡ª¡± Jackie tried to reason when arguments threw those away.


    ¡°They fucked up their rules and barely now anything!¡± Maddie shouted, it took a lot out of her. ¡°You said it yourself!¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s better than nothing!¡± Jackie tried to get close and Maddie scooted away. ¡°We do lack information aside from the basics, but it¡¯s better than acting like everything doesn¡¯t matter and we can¡¯t afford to think like this right now!¡±


    Maddie simply wheezed to herself, softly. That was that, in Maddie terms¡ªusually much more silent.


    Jackie couldn¡¯t help but to sit on the ground, falling into the wet surface as she rubbed her temples, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s run this down so we can see if we¡¯re on the same page¡­ Nulgarrt, or Ex Nihilo Creatures. They come in waves and each one is more dangerous than the last.¡±


    Jackie pointed at Tracy, which of course startled her.


    ¡°H-hu--? O-oh¡­¡± Tracy realized. ¡°Right¡­ Describe the phases¡­ Wave 1, which is now, mass spawning, survival¡­ A species is created b-but also have different types of the creatures¡ªb-because of how unstable they are. It doesn¡¯t matter¡ªto the environment around them or their own kin¡­ Survive, survive, survive¡­¡±


    Jackie pointed to Aiko. And before Maddie could make a slight on her, Aiko spoke up.


    ¡°Wave 2, it¡¯s when they go into the frenzy, right?¡± Aiko wanted to be sure. Jackie nodded. ¡°Okay, yeah¡­ They turn on each other, to see who can carry on whatever they are and¡­ leave the remains floating in the Stew so the winner can either be born or remerge. That¡¯s gonna be the Nulgarrt.¡±


    She finally pointed to River.


    ¡°Wave 3¡­ The Nulgarrt scavenges over what¡¯s left, what could be used, what¡¯s missing¡­ The beast tries to complete itself.¡±


    ¡°After that,¡± Jackie finished, rubbing her closed fist with her other hand. ¡°Wave 4. It wanders, seeks out multiple Stews to find the grand source of it all. They go in, so that they can produce more of itself. To finally make the Nulgarrt on the level of other living beings. To finally start the species that crave to be, our worse nightmare when resources are scarce, and edge-of-knife as is.¡±


    Jackie still looked at River. She sighed to herself, knowing where this is going.


    ¡°The usual procedure¡ªall we could¡¯ve done, was torch this place and signal to Extant that this is a Stew and they take care of the rest. But they¡¯ve emerged now, and our other option of ¡®hide, hold out until Extant arrives¡¯ can¡¯t be done because they¡¯re swarmed¡­ So, if you have anything¡ªany weird fact at all, please. Enlighten us.¡±


    ¡°¡­I mean,¡± River began. ¡°That¡¯s the central problem of all of this, isn¡¯t it? Each Nulgarrt case that¡¯s passed on the ¡®net¡¯s way different from others. I think this is no different.¡±


    ¡°Of course. But any information, anything.¡±


    River felt everyone look at her. Here it is, the moment she¡¯s always dreaded: the moments where she wasn¡¯t the trash that people pretended that wasn¡¯t there, where she wasn¡¯t just some gear breaking down¡ªready to be replaced.


    Where she was River: The Smart One, not the ¡°Just Has Some Knowledge¡± One. Where she was River: The Resource, versus ¡°Just Being Resourceful¡±.


    You can never protest, argue¡ªjust tell people that you¡¯re just that: people, River thought in these scenarios. It¡¯s a no-win, either way one would spin it.


    ¡°It¡¯s a long shot,¡± River began. ¡°And it might make the problem worse, despite it solution the current one. We Ruin the Stew.¡±


    ¡°Fuck, that¡¯s actually pretty good wordplay,¡± Maddie spoke up and made a riff. She might be getting back to normal, River thought.


    River adjusted her glasses, ¡°Like fire destroying the pools, ruining the stew is dumping something¡ªsomething they can use to trigger another, new Wave of Nulgarrt that will go after the original one. But it has to be something they chew on for a while¡ªsomething that can trap them in a rut and by time for Extant to send someone to clean up.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Tracy spoke up, surprising. ¡°Yes, this is a rather old tactic in clearing them out¡­ Often a last resort. It¡¯s very monkey¡¯s paw¡ªso we have to figure out what we¡¯re ruining the stew with.¡±


    ¡°I mean fuck, it¡¯s like a riddle or something¡­¡± Maddie pondered. ¡°What can we just to help them and then trap them¡ªlike, metal? Make them metal or some shit so they can sink to the bottom?¡±


    ¡°Good call, but that¡¯s the other tricky thing,¡± River explained. ¡°It has to be something they see as a benefit¡­ They¡¯ll see the metal as getting hard and resilient yeah, but it¡¯ll cost them more.¡± She pointed out to the swirling worms that ate the air outside. ¡°This might possibly be the best option for them, right now. They¡¯re free, they can eat so much¡­ It¡¯s going to be hard to match or overturn this because, they¡¯ve basically won the jackpot. Plus, I think them turning into metal and sinking might¡­ Iunno, have them drill into the Earth-¡°


    ¡°Well shit,¡± Maddie shrugged, putting a hand on her cheek.


    ¡°Something like air, but¡­¡± Jackie then snapped. ¡°Energy! Electric¡ªmaybe we dunk something electrical and let them get trapped in that! Like a self-generator or something!¡±


    River paused, rubbing her chin. ¡°Maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°But whatever we do, it can¡¯t be right now,¡± Jackie looked out of the windows. ¡°We have to risk them phasing out of Waves 1 and 2¡­ I don¡¯t think we¡¯re in the right shape to tackle that.¡±


    ¡°So we wait?¡± Aiko answered.


    ¡°Might as well,¡± Maddie agreed. ¡°There¡¯s other shit to figure out too¡ªlike how can we stay alive when the air¡¯s being gobbled up. That, if there is some generator somewhere, how we¡¯re doing this¡­ Might as well sit here and rest up while we talk.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± River said.


    Desperate creatures wanting to life. It was telling to River that she didn¡¯t know the difference between the Nulgarrt and them.


    River closed her eyes briefly, and felt them ache. It used to be unnoticeable, all those years ago.

 META: Delay

    New chapter will be posted tomorrow, Friday! A really crazy one... I mean, I guess crazier than the rest, but it''s like getting close to the sun and being in it. Doesn''t really matter since you''re confused and burned into ash in seconds, lol.


    But most of the struggle is putting stuff I wrote out for 5 years or so into action. Tons of things collide, clutter and not look like how I want them to look. Add in the fact that I suck balls and we have a receipe for medocity, more or less.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    But hey. I''ll try to get through it and I still LOVE doing this. And for the two people that decided to hitch a ride, I can''t thank you enough.


    Will delete this once 6 airs. Have a damn good one~

 (Episode VI) Patheic Life(forms)

    Sitting down. Resting her eyes. Breathing. All of that, so taxing and re-enforces both the situation, and how River was going to be a liability.


    She rested her full backpack, courtesy of one Madison Solomon, on her lap as she sat crosslegged in the gloo-covered floors. Leaning against the now-empty shelves, looking around at everyone else who waited.


    Aiko with her leg propped up and resting her arm on her knee. Maddie squatting, Jackie standing with the key to their victory under her arm¡­


    Tracy hugging her legs.


    It would¡¯ve been something like 45 minutes, or a full hour, since the first Wave of the Nulgarrt came to be. They took turns resting, Maddie suggested that they might as well stuff as many snacks and shit into our backpacks as we could¡ªbecause she still needs to be on brand being a character from a Scorsese film.


    Luckily, the store they boarded themselves in was a convenience store, with the typical needs of the Transitionary Point consumer.


    Snacks, some perishable food items, cleaning supplies, self-generators for the inevitable day when the city grids fail, self-help kits of planning a bunker, and various Shift protection products. River would¡¯ve thought ¡°trademark¡± at the end of that, but she didn¡¯t know if Extant was that out of touch to trademark literal survival tools. But she could buy that.


    They couldn¡¯t do that or much less steal them, though. Apparently they haven¡¯t stocked them yet here, complete with semi-condescending, completely out of touch sign that read: ¡°HELP IS ON THE WAY!¡±


    Totally on brand with the girls¡¯ flavor of ¡°Luck left us around the time as God¡± track record.


    But they might not need that, as they have the self-generator. A marvel of recent innovation, perpetual power within our hands¡­ If it doesn¡¯t get messed with. Despite the breakthrough, the technology and process cannot be disturbed by any means. Sometimes, there¡¯s recalls because some people slapped it or even tapping it.


    That factors into the plan. Of course, wait until Wave 3 happens. Wander about to find the Prime Stew while keeping the generator running. Run away from the Nulgarrt, and drop the generator into the Stew and gun for it as Noumena takes care of it.


    So, on a scale of Death Star to Casting the One Ring into Mt. Doom¡­ It was like the Axe scene from Titanic. Possible, doable, but the pure dread that hinges on the mundane is unbearable. Still room to fuck up.


    ¡°It¡¯s taking a while¡­¡± Tracy said, looking at the window. A window that displayed blurs, smears of what was a gaudy if not modern theatre lobby. Just turquoise, with browns, red, and oranges smeared into the places the prime color couldn¡¯t reach.


    All the while seeing creeping, white wisps slither about the picture.


    ¡°It might take a day¡­ Maybe two,¡± Jackie guessed, thankfully saying instead of River. ¡°It happening in a couple of hours was a hopeful thing.¡±


    ¡°Depends on the Nulgarrt spawned, the more frenzied will be faster, y¡¯know¡­¡± River added with her empty words.


    ¡°Of course¡­ Of course,¡± just looking at the windows, as the creatures that they¡¯ll have to face where just swirls and streaks within the blurred images. ¡°But y¡¯know¡­ What if they¡­ Found a way to co-exist? Maybe the unexpected this time¡¯s¡ª¡±


    The dying, desperate screeches reverberated before the window showed the rush, flurry of white.


    ¡°NOPE, THEY¡¯RE KILLING EACH OTHER, THEY ARE KILLING EACH OTHER AND THE WORLD IS WRONG!¡± Tracy screamed, covering her eyes.


    The windows were banged against, and the boarded doors shuttered and rocked. As if they wanted to seek refuge.


    ¡°Crazy fucking things¡­¡± Maddie whispered out.


    ¡°Man,¡± River tried to interject what was missing. ¡°You know when shit¡¯s going down if Maddie don¡¯t snark at it.¡± The intensity clouding what still air they had left showed that they failed.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Everyone started to rise to their feet, putting on their packs, and gathering together.


    ¡°We all remember the plan?¡± Jackie asked. ¡°Stay close, defend each other, find the Stew, run like hell¡­?¡±


    They all nodded in agreement, murmuring to confirm.


    The trashing, screeching was starting to wind down. Starting the countdown.


    ¡°Sucks about the thin air, though¡­¡± Jackie sighed. ¡°We could use the water bottles we have to curb it, but¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll hold our breath and use siVis on our lungs,¡± Maddie said, despairingly.


    ¡°CAN we use siVis on our organs¡­?¡± Aiko sounded mindblown.


    ¡°Theoretically,¡± River said. ¡°Most of the Original Case Trends recreated, repurposed, or even removed them.¡±


    ¡°¡­HOW?!¡± Jackie screamed.


    ¡°It was theoretical,¡± River answered.


    ¡°¡­WHY?!¡± Jackie refused to accept.


    ¡°They kinda felt inhuman and said ¡®fuck it; might as well¡¯,¡± River shrugged.


    ¡°¡­Now I wanna play with my organ,¡± Aiko said. ¡°Something weird and useless, like my gallbladder¡ª"


    They expected something like a loud shout, bang¡ªmaybe even a bloodcurdling scream. But all that followed was a pathetic thud, and then a deafening silence.


    ¡°Goddamn it,¡± Maddie rubbed her forehead. ¡°I was hoping it was a lot longer¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright girls,¡± Jackie clutched the generator. ¡°Stay close, move fast¡­¡±


    Aiko went to grab one side of the shelf, and River went over to grab the other. The two move it out of the way, away from the door, as the goo was free to seep through the broken glass door.


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Jackie said. She went forward, as always, as the rest followed after. Jackie opened the door slowly, a slush sound followed as she does.


    The area was fractured. Still ripples and tears, littered within and out of the lost air. The lobby was destroyed, turned to ruin, and was pulled in multiple areas, rendered into pieces along the flooded floors. The still, sickly sludge came above their ankles, reflecting the flashing, neon lights. Twisting them.


    ¡°We¡¯re not¡­ Just gonna throw away these socks, we¡¯re gonna have to burn ¡®em¡­¡± Maddie seemed out of breath already, as they all walked about.


    ¡°Socks?¡± Tracy sounded breathless. She took a while to catch her breath, ¡°I rather burn my shoes as well, if they weren¡¯t my only pair now¡­¡±


    ¡°Like goo¡¯s gonna hurt anybody¡­¡± Jackie replied, struggling as well.


    Cue the slurry dead, parasitic worm parts. All varying degrees of limb, organ, husk and unidentifiable.


    ¡°Aiiyueeedewaaaaggg¡­¡± was what Tracy let fall out of her mouth.


    ¡°It¡¯s all¡­ So weird¡­¡± Aiko motioned her hand around a swipe of removed air. ¡°Air-eater worms¡­ How can something gobble up something like air, just air, and they can do this¡­?¡±


    ¡°Anything they can¡­¡± River responded, looking around. ¡°They were forced to be in this world, straddled with something to live with in this world¡­ And do what they can in this world.¡±


    She was going to add, ¡°Sounds familiar, don¡¯t it?¡±, but they were living enough in a shitty, clich¨¦ B-Movie already enough.


    Aiko was still captivated at the vacuum pocket, moving her hand around it as careful as someone like Aiko can be¡­ She edged her fingers close to it, raking it gently with her fingers.


    She was flung forward before she knew was going on, skating on the floor as the Stew splashed all over her legs, sliding on her side towards the exit.


    ¡°WOAH¡± she screamed out, fling forward to regain her balance.


    ¡°The hell did you do--?!¡± Maddie spat.


    ¡°Touched the air-bites!¡± Aiko responded.


    ¡°And why the hell did you do that?!¡± Maddie yelled.


    ¡°There is no reason when you¡¯re being curious¡ªYou¡¯re FINDING the reason--!¡±


    ¡°No, wait¡­¡± Jackie felt her neck. ¡°That¡­ Somehow gave us more air to work with¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Tracy nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a lot easier¡­¡±


    Maddie leered at Aiko, then back to the group, ¡°We¡¯re not gonna reward her with fucking up her way to success¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean, I agree,¡± Aiko reasoned. ¡°But this is the power of discovery!¡±


    Jackie looked over to River, ¡°So do we pop these to gain an advantage and will it attract them here¡­?¡±


    ¡°It probably knows that we¡¯re here anyways¡­¡± River reasoned. ¡°Either rushing in after the noise it heard or¡­ Waiting for a chance to strike.¡±


    She nodded, ¡°Well, let¡¯s pop a few and be careful doing it¡­¡±


    There wasn¡¯t any movement, causing Jackie to look around.


    ¡°¡­Well, I can¡¯t do it,¡± Jackie explained, looking to the generator. ¡°I could hurt this thing, making all this pointless.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just used to you being fearless leader¡­¡± Maddie said.


    Aiko rushed back, being careful not to knock into any more cavities, back to the others. The remaining girls, sans Jackie, looked to each other to see who¡¯d go first.


    River shrugged, and went over to a cavity. Stroking it, before it popped and forces her back. ¡°Aaaaaah¡­¡± she rubbed her hand, in a deliberate monotone.


    Tracy laughed at that, somehow. Like her somehow managing to sound amused and terrified at the same time, ¡°Does it actually hurt or¡­?¡±


    Tracy walked up to a cavity as well, ¡°wrapping¡± her fingers around the blotch-like pocket, and started to softly and steadily squeeze as she quickly and tensely winced. It popped at some point, sending her screaming and getting yanked forward before briefly stopping.


    She panted, grabbing her arm, ¡°I am GLAD that we have more air now because I NEED IT TO VOCALIZE HOW TERRIFYING THAT WAS¡±


    ¡°You moved like, three inches--¡± Maddie said.


    ¡°But that does mean these vary in power¡­¡± Jackie wisely cut her off, and managed to add more than she did to the discussion. ¡°An educated guess that it depends on the sizes, but this is La-la land, so¡­¡±


    Something skittered within the air and they all heard it.


    Jackie shouted out, ¡°Whatever it is, it¡¯s coming, girls!¡±


    Something is racing toward them, and they all can see it coming.


    ¡°Oh nonono,¡± Tracy voiced what everyone was feeling. ¡°Fuck--!¡±

 (Episode VI)(.5)

    Despite the enhanced senses, it still managed to skitter around them in the air.


    Despite the enlightened minds, they still screamed, flinched, and tensed up as something they couldn¡¯t catch whipped at them.


    They had everything they sought after, what they needed¡­ But it just wasn¡¯t enough.


    The pale shadow weaved about the girls, causing the current of air it was burrowing through repel them in multiple directions, shooting off with prejudice as it whipped at them with it¡¯s own body to boot.


    River was slammed into the ticket booth, and her feeble body completely folded onto it. She felt her now-siVis back, left shoulder and lower jaw jut out, forward, due to the impact.


    It¡¯s not exactly pain, the feeling of whenever this happens. More an acute sense that something is very, intensely wrong. Pain is a sharpness, aching, beating, an alert¡ªliterally that¡¯s what it biologically is.


    This was disruption. Loss. Emptiness. Being broken, put into this alien feeling. The body¡ªRiver¡ªlosing something and everything that she still had¡ªechoing, screaming back at each other to ¡°figure¡± out who¡¯s just left, building and building.


    But the distressing thing, the thing she was sure everyone else was freaking about, was the fact that if they were still normal: they would¡¯ve died or became crippled in that one move.


    They tried to escape this, this harshness that would¡¯ve instantly killed them. Now they have the double-edged tools that told them in untold detail how they would¡¯ve died.


    And if they continued this, how they would¡¯ve died multiple, and differing times.


    River tried to put herself together, this inward and invisible yet present grasp that pulled all the pieces together, slotting her back straight¡ªjaw fastened¡ªshoulder crooked yet snapped back.


    There was no time for perfection, because the Nulgarrt was beaming towards a Maddie, laid out on the floor broken still.


    Targeting the weak of the pack. A predator move.


    In a surprising display; Aiko was the one that limped over and slid over to protect Maddie, not Jackie. This was enough for the thing to get second thoughts, darting away into the air again.


    While predators are powerful beings, they know they thrive more in opportunity. And despite having what it takes to become the apex, it is in their DNA to worry. To second guess. To constantly feel that they¡¯re going to die at any second.


    But there was no time for existential dread.


    The pale blur flailed in a frenzy within the air, even hitting¡ªripping up the ceiling it didn¡¯t care that it was crashing into. The debris rained down, Aiko thinking faster than what River¡ªeveryone¡ªespecially Maddie gave her credit for, as she shielded her by getting over her.


    ¡°You¡ªYou don¡¯t need to owe anything anymore¡­¡± is what was River gleamed from Aiko from afar, her backpack taking most of the brunt.


    River tried to get up, to help both of them out¡­ But the debris was beginning to float back up.


    Her eyes darted up and a cluster of motion, debris, and wind was what she saw.


    River¡¯s head turned on instinct, towards Jackie who was hollering something at her, at everyone. The sound distortion from before was acting up, because of course it did.


    Maybe find cover, something that can hold out against what¡¯s coming next.


    River looked again and Aiko was helping Maddie away, she looked again and saw Jackie ducking behind a pillar.


    No Tracy. Where¡¯s Tracy-?


    As much as it somehow hurt more than the shoulder (River cursed her sad brain), she rolled over behind the ticket booth, and braced for whatever was coming¡­


    It didn¡¯t prepare her for Tracy huddled behind the ticket booth already, shaking and knees to her chest.


    There was a sickening crackle, before an audible slam rocked through wall, rock and bone.


    The force somehow rattled River, as if the torrent kept rocking her even after the fact. Her eardrums instantly flooded, head instantly aching.


    River tugged on an ear lobe, clearing her drum, just in time to hear the reckless splashing.


    She craned her head around, to see the pale blur dipping into the Stew everyone was covered in, trying to scavenging the parts of it¡¯s progenitors. Fast.


    The Nulgarrt during Wave 3 usually have the comfort in choosing the parts at random, really trying each option out until it turns out not to be compatible to them. This Nulgarrt feels that there¡¯s a threat there, and the process is going to be somehow more chaotic than usual.


    In other words, they have to lure or stall this creature on defense mode, that also can do whatever virtually whatever it wants.


    River felt Tracy grab her shoulder and tug her back, almost being the representation of what was once logic.


    ¡°Don¡¯t poke your head out!¡± she somehow managed to scream out while whispering. ¡°It preys on the weak¡ªthat means us two! I-it¡¯s better to let the rest go do the plan, we¡¯re just in the way!¡±


    River couldn¡¯t even consider the thought.


    The Nulgarrt was barreling toward them, from zigging from the lobby to the ticket booth.


    River tugged at Tracy in turn, using the vitality of what the flood granted and her siVis enchaned strength, she quickly and was able to drag her out of the way.


    Leaving her wide open for the Nulgarrt to tackle her head-on, on her side.


    She tried to push back, grappling onto its head to do anything, anything. She started to skid away as the Nulgarrt frantically thrashed, the soundtrack to this AMV worthy moment was Tracy¡¯s panicked screams.


    And looking face to side at it, River finally saw the creature.


    A flat, arrow like head with two horn-like flaps sprouting out of its head. The body, long and serpentine, had various feelers on it jutting out, flexing all at once yet at different paces as the tube of a body was painstakingly pulsing for air.


    The Nulgarrt can be various things, become various things. But the one, unifying thing other than their feeble fetal form, is the fact there¡¯s left over flesh from their sprouting from it, their previous face¡ªeyeless holes and permanently screaming mouths¡ª hanging off their new bodies. This one had theirs still on its face, stretched out.


    But what this means, as River realized, that it doesn¡¯t have a maw¡ªnothing to bite or maul her or the rest with. All that they needed to worry about is it¡¯s ability to create air distortions and the fact that it can pick up a jaw or mandibles if there¡¯s some laying around.


    ¡­But how is it eating the air?


    And River wondered why she was feeling light-headed.


    She looked down back at the Nulgarrt, with a brief but poignant lapse in her vision.


    The thing is a mass of writhing worms.


    Where she gripped her hands on it, the not-so microbe life latched onto her hands, the skinny, featureless worms didn¡¯t draw blood (despite her not able to anyways), but maybe to suck the literal oxygen out of her. Is. She didn¡¯t know, her brain was getting fuzzy.


    Whatever she knew it or not, she found herself being tackled again.


    Being ripped from the worms didn¡¯t instantly cure her parasite-based suffocation, but it helped. She laid on her side, trying to breath, and there wasn¡¯t relief when whatever was left of the air flooded into her lungs.


    It just highlighted how tired she was.


    Jackie filled her vision, as the haze from the edges started to disappear. Of course it was her¡­


    ¡°C¡¯mon, stay with me!¡± she managed to pick up and hoist River up, an Olympic feat.


    ¡°What happened¡­ To the thing¡­?¡± River slurred out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that,¡± Jackie tried to assure but kinda can¡¯t since it was the only thing that can save them. ¡°Just say with me. In fact, we¡¯ll go do it together¡ªthe creep doesn¡¯t like it when we pair up¡­¡±


    River shook her head, still tired yet the light-headed-ness gone. The Nulgarrt retreated to the ceiling again, peering down this time with it¡¯s non-eyes.


    Jackie grabbed River¡¯s hand, and started to run with her towards the flooded steps. ¡°AIKO, MADDIE, TRACY¡ªHIDE AND STAY CLOSE!¡±


    They made it to the stairs, trekking it up being a labor of bitterness due to the current working against them. ¡°The Stew had to¡­ Originate up here¡­¡± Jackie forced herself to say.


    Without realizing it, River as well as Jackie used siVis on their legs to conquer the stairs¡­ Which made River sigh, because she would¡¯ve suggested doing that and this means even with siVis, this would¡¯ve been a grind.


    ¡°It¡¯s in my backpack, the generator¡­¡± Jackie pointed to the top of the stairs, the pack open wide with the generator sticking out yet snug, the handle of the pack hanging off the railing¡¯s start. ¡°Had to improvise¡­ Had to save you¡­¡±


    But as the Nulgarrt swooped down, racing towards them, there wasn¡¯t anyone to save them for what happened next.


    ¡°GOD DAMN IT, YOU FUCKING--!¡± Jackie roared, much less screamed.


    But it didn¡¯t aim to tackle them.


    Before it made contact, it went upward just enough for them to see its underbelly.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    It¡¯s underbelly of swelling pockets of air. And as they became engorged, they proceeded to pop.


    Popping concentrated air onto the girls.


    Where it was either siVis enlightenment, their basic instincts or their attempt to being proactive¡ªJackie and River used their siVis enhanced legs to spring off the stairs in speeds they never thought they could achieve, trying to evade.


    But the effect still happened¡ªechoing and hitting them despite getting away¡ªthe blast forcing them onto the ground below hard, splashing onto the goop.


    River struggled to rise from it, noticing that her glasses cracked again¡ªbut only on the right side where she was hit with the air blast. At least she can still make out the death of her and everyone.


    She was too slow to respond to the Nulgarrt advancing back down to her and Jackie, trying to finally pick them off.


    It screeched as fallen ceiling and wall, and whatever else started to sail in the air and hit it.


    It wasn¡¯t even a screech of anger, rage. Just sheer desperation.


    It looked over to see Aiko doing much of the throwing, as Maddie and Tracy were behind her.


    It tried to whip at them, but Jackie followed their lead for a change: throwing everything she could at the thing as it screeched, cried, again.


    It twitched, back and forth, as if it was torn on what to do.


    In its moment of hesitation, Aiko acted. She darted using her siVis-enhanced legs, jumping into the air, and reached out with her arms, and managing to grab its tail as she falls back down, dragging it with her as she hit the ground.


    Aiko quickly let go, she definitely felt the drain before it happened, and Jackie and Maddie spurred forward.


    ¡°Stomp this thing, now!¡± Maddie quickly enhanced her leg and firmly started stomping on the Nulgarrt¡¯s body, Jackie and Aiko quickly joining in.


    River searched for Tracy, and she was slowly moving away from the scene. Still running. Hiding.


    They met eyes, maybe for the first time. River allowed her¡­ Disappointment. Something that doesn¡¯t say outright heartbreak, making this more pathetic¡­ But she saw Tracy possibly for the first time, today.


    And River guessed that she felt nothing looking back at her. Nothing left.


    But she needed to keep going.


    River got up, dragged herself, and started stomping down the Nulgarrt as it not longer screeched. But screamed.


    Screamed and screamed.


    ¡°WHY AREN¡¯T YOU FUCKING DYING ALREADY?!¡± the compassion in Jackie¡¯s voice, what River heard not a minute ago, was completely gone.


    It started twitching again.


    ¡°JUST FUCKING DIIIIIE!¡± Jackie commanded it.


    Despite stomping it relatively flat.


    Despite having, for once, an advantage.


    It just wasn¡¯t enough.


    The Nulgarrt somehow managed to flip itself over, it¡¯s feelers reaching out for the girls.


    ¡°WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?! WHY CAN¡¯T YOU ALL JUST FUCKING--?!¡±


    The feelers instantly sharpened as they elongated, using the legs to fling them all back, getting knocked down, back first, again.


    This had to be it. There wasn¡¯t anything anyone can do anymore.


    Just like in the overflow reality, where River didn¡¯t have anything left then. Why she instantly gave in, because she was finally allowed to.


    At least she can rest here. Shame it had to take for her dying to do so.


    But there was rustling in the water, as Jackie got back on her legs, huffing, fuming.


    She instantly bolted, and River was sure she didn¡¯t plan or even notice.


    She raced towards the Nulgarrt, risen and turned towards her.


    ¡°WHY CAN¡¯T YOU ALL JUST FUCKING STOOOOOOOOOP?!¡± she raised her fist¡­


    And it began to glow with an intense light, as she punched it right into the side of its head.


    Everyone was just as surprised as the creature, when suddenly, it was blown back because of Jackie¡¯s punch, leaving an energy explosion.


    It sailed away, screaming, as it flew into the corner of the lobby.


    The place was already low on air, but everyone was breathless.


    ¡°¡­The actual fuck¡­?¡± Maddie with the whites of her eyes exposed further than everyone¡¯s seen.


    ¡°It happened¡ª¡± Aiko motioned. ¡°It actually happened!¡±


    ¡°W-what--?¡± Maddie asked, no hint of sarcasm or malice. Until it clicked a second later, then she started to laugh. Aiko joined in.


    ¡°Of course, the superhero of the group gets her siVis ability first!¡± Aiko said with strained joy.


    Jackie¡¯s eyes were gazed over, becoming brilliant again as she looked at her fist, shocked more than any of them.


    Then the familiar voice made everything official.


    siVis Ability! FOUNDED!


    ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± Jackie flexed her fingers. ¡°W-what can I do--?¡±


    ¡°You tell us!¡± Maddie shouted. ¡°I thought it came with the manual!¡±


    Jackie looked towards her and Aiko.


    ¡°Guess I honestly blacked out there, I don¡ª¡±


    There was no time to explain, the Nulgarrt swooped down to attack River.


    Jackie then bolted forward again, raising her fist as it radiated a light blue again.


    ¡°A-alright, hopefully it works again--!¡± Jackie squeezed her eyes shut as she threw another explosive punch at the worm, it shrieking now as it backs away into a corner again.


    Jackie promptly fell on her back, limpless.


    ¡°Jackson?!¡± Maddie gasped out.


    River struggled to get up herself, looking over to Jackie. Her eyes were closed, her breathing stopped¡­ As if she lost her soul, no movement in her body what so ever.


    Is that the trade¡­? Explosive energy but it comes from her body¡¯s available energy¡­?


    Jackie got up, as if she didn¡¯t miss a bit. Looking at her shaking hands¡­ With a smile on her face.


    ¡°Finally¡­ Something.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ There¡¯s a handy cap¡­¡± River said, haggard. ¡°Handicap¡­? I¡¯m dumb¡­ As hell¡­¡±


    Jackie looked to her, River continued to explain¡ªor at least explain what she figured.


    ¡°You¡­ Don¡¯t pass out but¡­ You use your energy I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ Still!¡± Jackie chirped.


    ¡°Still¡­?¡±


    ¡°We can finally fight back¡­ Turn this around. We can figure out how to get you guys to get your abilities, we can finally face this thing head on and even ABANDON the original plan! We just have to hold out, just a tad longer!¡±


    River didn¡¯t respond, just continued to pant.


    ¡°And I can protect you all until then! We can finally win something, River.¡±


    River panted more, closing her eyes briefly, feeling the now-human pain aching throughout her body, highlighted as well. She opened them, and forced herself to get up, shaking.


    ¡°Of course¡­ Whatever you want¡­¡±


    Jackie looked up to her, her ecstatic face melted into concern. ¡°River¡­?¡±


    As she barely held her consciousness, she slipped into her Mindspace.


    Again, seeing herself as the gear within gears.


    Again, noticing her gear is cracked, rusted, coming undone as it moved faster than the rest, unyielding.


    Again, seeing her father collapse within the faculty her family worked and will work.


    Again, at her desk in her dark room, the only light being her lamp as she struggles to recite her Biology study guide to herself¡ªcutting to taking the hour-long test that felt like days and only getting a C for what was weeks of work.


    Again, her brother yelling at her mother for pushing herself, then regretting. Then, the talk they had together by themselves.


    ¡°We have to take care of them. Even if it kills us.¡±


    All these events, all of these stopping points that leads up to the same, pathetic moment that managed to ¡°scar¡± her for life.


    The realization, no matter what she does, how smart she can be, how much she and her brother can help, how much money she¡¯ll earn, college she needed to go to, apartment she rents, house own, life lived¡­ Sometimes, it just isn¡¯t enough, compared to what can wipe it all away.


    But she can¡¯t quit either, or it isn¡¯t life.


    River laughed to herself, as she does. She can feel Jackie¡¯s confused and concerned stare. It was something she always felt, how everyone always looked at her.


    ¡°Funny¡­ I wonder who¡¯s the Nulgarrt here¡­?¡± she said, without thinking.


    Jackie just looked at her, then at Aiko, Maddie. She looked down at her hands and sighed to herself.


    ¡°¡­Yeah,¡± Jackie agreed. ¡°I guess we are.¡±


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan¡­ Fearless leader, Princess Jackie¡­?¡± River mumbled. ¡°Animorphs reference¡­ But it was ¡®Prince Jake¡¯, then¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the old one, River¡­¡± Jackie cooed, getting up, putting her hands on her shoulders. Don¡¯t worry, you don¡¯t even have to force yourself. I¡¯ll take care of it¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I can¡­¡± River tried to finish.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± Jackie urged. ¡°You¡¯re good. You¡¯re good.¡±


    The tall girl begun to help her , turning them both around as they talked together, ¡°Just hide out with Aiko and Maddie and¡ª¡± She looked up at the stairs.


    River glanced upwards as well. The bag was gone.


    ¡­And so was Tracy.


    ¡°...I knew she was still such a wonderful, pretty woman¡­¡± River¡¯s filter completely undone, causing Jackie to look at her, before getting it herself.


    Tracy slammed open the door and said the following:


    ¡°OKAY I TRIED BEING QUIET AND I MEEPED ALL OVER TO FIND THE MAIN STEW POOL AND IT WAS IN THE MAIN THEATRE AND I TURNED THE THING ON AND I WAITED FOR IT GO VROOM AND TOSSED IT AND I THINK IT WORKED, LET¡¯S RUN LIKE THE WIND--!¡±


    She ran out, screaming all the way down the stairs, as a fleet of bright arcs of lightning chased after. Maddie booked it as soon as Tracy was finished and as much as Aiko wanted to hang back a bit to see whatever¡¯s happening, she bailed as well.


    Jackie helped River and they ran off together, all of the girls running out of the doors together but going through it.


    Wasn¡¯t the best non-idea.


    They all looked back as the Nulgarrt tried to chase, but the living electricity filled the lobby with an unhealthy light and grabbing the creature back as it desperately tried to get away.


    The living lightning completely consumed the Nulgarrt, rendering into pieces as it fell onto the ground as the Extant alert sounds coming from the black box.


    The living lightning skimmed and popped within the flooded space, but as soon as it tried to reach outside, it couldn¡¯t survive. It was just as River relayed, what she explained. It can¡¯t exist without its generator, place of origin. The Stew was ruined.


    So, it raced back, aiming to stew within the generator until its ready again.


    Despite being covered in glass, despite being drenched in the cold night¡¯s air, despite being so tired, despite painting to regain the oxygen they lacked¡­ The girls all began to laugh. Laugh and run. Running as fast and much as they could. Running, laughing, and waving their arms in the air within the night, despite the next source of light being a ways away.


    They made it to that source, which was a bare bones bus stop with a sole double-street light. They all were out of breath, all taking their turns to sit on the bench, with a sickening choir of squishes.


    ¡°Fuck¡­ It worked!¡± Maddie beamed. ¡°It actually worked¡­! Fuck me¡­ I thought¡­ Fuck, I mean we were basically dead¡­¡±


    ¡°Tracy, I love you¡­¡± Jackie begun.


    ¡°Oh come now¡­¡± Tracy fanned her hand at. ¡°It was either that or death¡ªAnyone would¡¯ve done what I did¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ But maybe that was the wrong choice of words¡­¡± Jackie looked at River. River looked at her back, hoping that she didn¡¯t get it, until Jackie smiled and gestured her head towards her.


    ¡°¡­Fuck it, we nearly died¡­¡± River sighed out. She looked at Tracy, who was confused. ¡°¡­You¡­ I¡­ You kinda awoke me¡­¡±


    Everyone looked at each other, varying levels of surprise.


    ¡°Well then,¡± Jackie blinked. ¡°I thought it was more¡­ You thought she was cute already, I didn¡¯t see¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh no,¡± River explained. ¡°This didn¡¯t happen just now¡­ It happened when I was 12 and she was 13, actually¡­¡±


    Everyone¡¯s face twisted in confusing, sans Tracy¡¯s, which her beautiful face was wearing a warm smile.


    ¡°Heh¡­ It¡¯s nice, being remembered¡­¡±


    River looked at everyone else, ¡°You guys really forgot?¡± She pointed at her. ¡°She¡¯s Tracy. Tracy Goodwin. The Tracy Goodwin.¡±


    Maddie jumped to her feet, really looking at her, ¡°Wait a fucki¡ªYo, she is! She¡¯s little ¡®Tracy Tells the World¡¯!¡±


    ¡°T-the wha--?¡± Jackie was just confused.


    ¡°You or Kobayashi wouldn¡¯t know,¡± Maddie began. ¡°She had a show that aired here¡ªfucking yeeeears ago. Just as cheesy as Full House or Eight Simple Rules, until the Shifts started to REALLY affect the world and¡­ It was one of the first shows that wrote that shit in.¡±


    Maddie put her hands on her hips, ¡°The reason why I didn¡¯t recognize you was because you fucking filled the fuck out! Seriously, you were like¡­ Iunno, me sized. Now you¡¯re playing some Hollywood accountant that¡¯s too pretty for her job!¡±


    Tracy giggled, scratching the side of her nose. ¡°Yeah¡­ The show had to be cancelled because¡­ I developed a lot¡­¡±


    Maddie turned to River, ¡°And you liked her BEFORE all this¡­¡± She then turned to Tracy. ¡°She¡¯s fateful as fuck, you better say yes if she wants to date man¡ª¡±


    Tracy laughed earnestly again, turning her attention to River with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m incredibly flattered, River¡­¡±


    ¡°Y¡¯know I¡ª¡± River rubbed the back of her neck. ¡°I¡­ I know that you¡ªYou don¡¯t swing my way, so you don¡¯t have to let me down and stuff, an-and I¡¯ll stop¡ªLooking at you at that, that way and¡­¡±


    Tracy didn¡¯t say a word, before getting up and planting a kiss on River¡¯s cheek. Even the hollering and whooping of Maddie in the background could ruin that.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Tracy said. ¡°Regardless of all that, I¡¯m honored that you found yourself because of me and I¡¯ve had many letters expressing the same thing¡­ You¡¯re free to. I¡¯ll be happy that you like me, despite not being able to return that¡­¡±


    River didn¡¯t say a thing, just holding her cheek.


    ¡°And while I can¡¯t offer any kisses¡­¡± Jackie joked, laughing. ¡°I can say that everything that happened today, the fact we made it out, was because of you, River. I know you¡¯re not the biggest fan of yourself¡­ But we can be.¡±


    River just nodded, feeling her usually dry-eyes water.


    ¡°Still¡­¡± Aiko piped up. ¡°Too bad we couldn¡¯t have that Megaplex to stay in now¡­ We still lost so much, and despite having that new risky power you have.¡±


    Jackie looked at her hand again, ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    River broke from her silence, ¡°But I think¡­ I¡­ I think it¡¯s okay to be shitty. To have days that only one thing worked out¡­¡±


    She was expecting, and on some level hoping, that one of the questioned her¡ªshutting her up. But they all stared, waiting for her to continue.


    ¡°Because¡­ Good days can end just as bad as a bad day started¡­ And a bad day can have some good in it. We did what we can, and we shouldn¡¯t stew in not doing more.¡±


    ¡°¡­Motherfucker, was that a pun?¡± Maddie smirked.


    ¡°God, I wish¡­¡± River admitted. Causing a round of laughter from everyone.


    ¡°But yeah, I¡¯m guessing at least one Extant van is gonna come here¡­?¡± Maddie asked.


    ¡°Basically,¡± Jackie crossed her arms. ¡°It¡¯s gonna be a while, for sure. We¡¯ll sleep again, despite¡­ Y¡¯know¡­¡±


    ¡°After all that, I¡¯m ready to pass out right now¡­¡± Tracy rubbed her eyes.


    Maybe it was the slight crying. Maybe it was from the exhaustion. Maybe it was the sheer happiness she felt.


    But River closed her eyes, and she slept better than she did not only the nights before, but for years.

 (Episode VII) Terminsys City (, Everywhere)

    Of all fucking phrases Maddie woke to, it was ¡°You all seem lost~¡±


    She made it a point to open an eye, turn her head towards whoever said that, and just tilted it for good measure. The semi-dry goop residue making a gross shlushing sound made the point better.


    But she had to admit, the dumbass that said it was an important one.


    Chestnut-colored, straight hair that reached her shoulders with a fringe covering her forehead. A youthful 30 something or near 40 something, it didn¡¯t really matter since she was the type that didn¡¯t need to worry about doing heavy lifting, trying to keep the look going. Gray eyes, a sharp-ass chin that she managed to make work, and finally a fair-skinned complexion. She was leaning out of the materialized window of the Extant Cinderblock--¡°Shift Terrain Vehicle¡±.


    A stirred-from-sleep Jackson was the one that needed to give a fuck, to name drop her.


    ¡°Holy cow¡­ You¡¯re Professor Diana Blake¡­¡±


    ¡°And you lot¡­ Are a mess¡­¡± the Professor cringed, looking at them up and down. Something clicked in her head quick, proving it wasn¡¯t so full of air after all. ¡°Oh! Right! Where¡¯s the Stew?¡±


    ¡°At the Megaplex,¡± Jackie pointed down the industrial desert. ¡°We ruined the Stew, but we needed to make sure that you guys knew about it¡­ I never thought you of all people would come--!¡±


    ¡°But that place is new!¡± Diana exclaimed in disbelief. ¡°Those fools must¡¯ve just left it¡­ Entertainment venues, am I right?¡± The woman shrugged and gestured the girls inside. ¡°Well let¡¯s go clean the mess, guys! You, the building, but mostly you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯m!¡± Jackie proceeded to shake River and the rest awake, completely oblivious to what kind of person this Diana is so far.


    Maddie pegged Diana Blake as full of herself, versus the dead air she thought she had locked in her head. She can already see the signs; speaking the first things that come to mind, yelping away¡ªcircling around the actual subject until they¡¯re satisfied. And the zaniness. She¡¯s a character, she knows it, and she wants to make sure to perform to every eye that so much as glances at her.


    Granted, Maddie never really seen much of her over Athernet or TV¡ªsans Taber¡¯s death live and a somehow younger Diana being promoted in the worst way, your boss literally dying while you were there. She was sure that Diana has done a plethora of shit Maddie has no idea about that allowed her to sleep and awake to see another day.


    But actions do not save how people work¡ªhow they are. They only give people away. Diana could be the greatest researcher and record breaker. Doesn¡¯t change the fact that she¡¯s also a blowhard, if she continues down this track. She can be both, and somehow make it work, but Maddie had to keep it real. Assholes can singlehandedly ruin shit for themselves, including rare chances like that.


    Firsthand experience she had with that, after all.


    Maddie pushed back her thoughts, for now at least. Jackie was getting everyone to speed, a bit out of it yet pleased that something is going right for them, for once. The Cinderblock broke apart to create the door for them, and everyone got on to board it, with the monolith death vehicle closing itself.


    The insides were lined with shit Maddie couldn¡¯t possibly recognize or point out. Didn¡¯t help that everything was near dark sans some glowing at weird places. AR Shift data floating about, coming from and floating back into screens that lined the walls? Tables or something also jetted forward from those walls, with a chamber in the far back where the Extant Discovery guys coming out, two of them, obviously coming to receive orders.


    ¡°Get the Null Void prepped,¡± Diana sounding responsible. ¡°This could be messy.¡±


    The goons¡­ Couldn¡¯t nod, as Maddie quickly wondered¡ªfigured¡ªbut in turn they did some handsign, maybe for okay. They shuffled quickly back in.


    ¡°They¡¯re currently within a generator, they became electric parasites¡­¡± River droned, but explained. ¡°They were these air-worms before¡ª¡±


    ¡°JESUS!¡± Diana oversold her overreaction. ¡°Are you serious?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯re going to develop breathing problems in the near future, I wish that we were¡­¡± Tracy quipped. Maddie didn¡¯t peg her being able to quip, that¡¯s pretty wild.


    ¡°¡­You girls?¡± Diana begun. ¡°You girls are lucky. We prep for the absolute worse cases and still, it¡¯s a struggle. You lot managed to¡­ Managed to basically stop the things we could only stop because it couldn¡¯t have gotten any worse. That¡¯s amazing¡ª¡±


    Jackson laughed and wrapped her arm around River, shaking her a bit. ¡°It¡¯s only because we have our own genius here that we managed to do it!¡±


    She can see River squirm in both shyness and being overwhelmed by sheer happiness. Maddie relates, dealing with all that sucks because there¡¯s just isn¡¯t a defense for that if you don¡¯t just as quickly stomp it out, but this was good.


    Like it or not, River was the smartest one there, or at least knows about the important shit. She can¡¯t afford to mope about being useless when she¡¯s the only one that¡¯s key in surviving this, and Maddie¡¯s glad that Jackson was smart enough to catch on her ribbing and jump in.


    Expose and needle, then have someone encourage and kiss those boo-boos up. It¡¯s literally the best way for a person to feel less shit about themselves, and actually get them to do the things they needed to do.


    If Maddie had to peg the human race as a whole, this is what ultimately everyone wants. You can come from any race, creed, or whatever¡ªBut you can¡¯t deny the fact that you want to be loved and you want something to prove. River wants to prove she¡¯s a bag of shit, but also wants for her references to be heard, wants to say a factoid that would help¡ªoverall be not useless, or the kind of useless she fears that she is.


    People are weird babies, no matter what age. The catch of course, is to catch whatever the whining is, and use it against them.


    The Cinderblock shuddered to a stop, rocking everyone inside. It was weird for Maddie to see the ¡°vehicle¡± to open itself, to form the door. The tech and finer features were swallowed up, all for the blank surface to spilt itself open, what looked like a stop-motion cartoon from the before times.


    ¡°You girls wanna see these creeps get Null Voided?¡± Diana grinned with the charm of a homeless person gesturing to the damp alley way.


    And like that scenario, as much fun as it sounds, everyone¡¯s bit hesitant.


    ¡°C¡¯mooooon. This HAS to be some form of catharsis,¡± Diana urged. ¡°We¡¯ll protect you, you lot done your bit. Let¡¯s see the finish.¡±


    ¡°Well, as long as we don¡¯t get in the way¡­¡± Jackie responded.


    They all go out, just in time to see the Extant works drag out the Null Void.


    Which is¡­ Something.


    Two workers held up this mesh of technological garbage, acting as the sides for this green-gray-brown A.R. net. The net hummed, it trembled, as if it¡¯s seconds from turning off. It shook, vibrated, and even sometimes surged forward, as if it was ready for what happened next.


    The other workers opened the doors, as the living electric lanced out as the Null workers moved forward. The lightning screaming out, not knowing it went head on into their prison. The Null Void tugged the Nullgart out of the Megaplex, as the net clutches the monsters, as if it¡¯s consuming them.


    And as they go through the net, the Nullgart fall out of the other side, with a sickening plop. They were basically curled back up into whatever those fetus grubs Maddie saw them as, before all of this. Featureless, eyeless, yet eternally screaming grubs.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The fact that Maddie thought about that whole spiel of humans being the babies only minutes ago was not lost on her.


    ¡°There we are!¡± Diana tried to provide levity as literal creatures¡ªforced to live in this world¡ªwere just skinned and turned back into baby material and was of course failing. ¡°Now we¡¯ll bring these things back, dunk ¡®em in the Fridge, and they¡¯ll be added to the on-going research so we can finally curb something Shift related.¡±


    She rolled her head, letting it lean to the right as she rubbed her neck¡¯s side, ¡°Can you believe we¡¯re cracking the Nulgart faster than the other two threats? Yeah, I don¡¯t get it either¡­¡±


    Now that Maddie¡¯s gotten a full look at the woman, she even dresses the tacky she naturally oozes.


    She has, somehow, a mini-lab coat. Long coat arms, cut off at her midriff of her grey top. She uses some puffy, black pants to give off the impression or void that the lack of a long labcoat left.


    Diana, with hands on her hips as the Reseachers continued to do all the work¡ªscooping up the Nulgart in their clasping, fuck off big hands, said this.


    ¡°Now let¡¯s get you girls the showers and look ups you deserve. Better yet¡ªwith an exclusive back-lab pass with Extant Discovery!¡±


    Jackson peered over, looking at Maddie.


    ¡°Hey, we¡¯re getting free showers too!¡±


    It took awhile for Maddie to get what she meant, and just as much time for the personal realization that she hadn¡¯t talked for a while.


    She glanced back at the armored-up van, and then smirked. Yeah, she had material.


    ¡°Eh, I¡¯m wary about anything free coming out of a white van and some old lady-¡°


    Jackson just rolled her eyes, as Diana legitimately laughed at that.


    ¡°Aaaalso, we really need to get out of this habit: showering together. Not really about that life¡­¡±


    Diana propped an eyebrow, scanning at everyone. ¡°¡­I guess you girls had a crazy couple of days¡­¡±


    Diana looked back, as the Cinderblock formed a back door, showing where the Extant crew worked¡ªtheir lab mainly. She pointed, gestured a bit while explaining the following, ¡°The showers are on the left¡ªa bit high pressure mind you, but they should get the job done. We have to stay and clean up a tad, but we should be wrapped up when you¡¯re done~¡±


    Everyone else said their thanks or whatever, but Maddie was still stuck on something. She followed everyone into the van, heading to the showers that were thankfully cubical.


    There was one thing that siVis was useful for Maddie was the clearer thoughts, the clearer mind. Shit¡¯s rawer, there¡¯s less random shit¡ªor at least they¡¯re easier to catch, and easier to¡­ Oddly think about.


    So, as Maddie flung her backpack outside of her stall, walked into the showers¡ªstripped and tossed the ruined clothes over the locked door, and turned on the roaring water. She needed to get to the bottom of this.


    She closed her eyes, letting the spray rushing down her head, dripping from her now-wet curls.


    She searched her mind, trying to find what was bothering her, what was fucking her up.


    She floated about, watching the interconnecting pieces connect, pull apart and shift. It was weird, almost like falling through an endless void yet swimming through a huge ocean. But instead of fish, it was just floating factory bits that Maddie floated by.


    She glanced down, seeing from the distance that a structure was struggling to hold together, almost throbbing in a way.


    Maddie winced, grunting in reality, as her back ached suddenly.


    She then sighed. She figured.


    She tried to comb her hair with her fingers, but the pain from the center of her back radiated. She practically had to keep her mouth shut, clamping down to fight against it.


    It was easier to retreat back to her Mindspace, she knew what it was and knew how to handle it.


    Her mind shuffled, using pieces to recreate her memories¡ªremembering the night before.


    She saw her struggling to breathe¡ªJackson trying to help.


    She saw her taking the fall on her back, and the Nulgarrt chasing after if it wasn¡¯t for Aiko diving in. ¡°Didn¡¯t need to owe any favors anymore¡±, apparently.


    She finally remembered how Jackson ordered for them to group together¡ªher, Aiko, and Tracy. That the Nulgarrt always target either the weak, or desperately try to take out the perceived problems.


    And considering how she did nothing but get knocked on her ass and had people carry her: she was fucking weak. Even Tracy managed to do something.


    Maddie heard the creaking of shower knobs, the cue she¡¯s been on this already too long. She opened her eyes, tightening the knobs, shower head coming off.


    She put both hands above the knobs, on the slippery wall, and just started down at the floor.


    The memories were summoned by her, the memories that made her and will continue to make her.


    Hospital visits proving that she¡¯s fragile. Sickness constantly beating her down with nothing to fight back.


    Never understanding or realizing that her parents will let her down time and time again. Not accepting it.


    Letting Marigold constantly be on her mind. Always letting that slip, never keeping it inside, never¡­


    Never letting her rest.


    Maddie admitted that she is weak, she¡¯s always been. She nearly died while being born, barely grew right never mind up. She needed to be strong. Otherwise, she has nothing. There¡¯s no other option and she can¡¯t stop now.


    She shook her head and sighed softly to herself. People live to be proven right, and to be loved.


    Maddie can¡¯t have either. Because that means letting up. And that¡¯s something she never afforded in the first place.


    And with that, Maddie was good to go. She and the rest opened their doors and opened their packs to dig out the cleaning supplies they stole from the convenience store. Everything side was smashed up, the snacks and food being the ones hit hard, but they carried on cleaning up, dressing and coming out.


    They went through the lab, which had the Extant goons studying the grubs, trapped within the net of the Null Void.


    And Maddie wondered why people were so freaked out over this Shift thing.


    They went passed them all the same, coming back into the front of the Cinderblock with Diana again.


    ¡°So, Professor¡ª¡± Jackson was cut off.


    ¡°Ah! I can already guess your question! I technically asked a question first~!¡± Diana wagged a finger.


    Jackson laughed, on cue. ¡°Of course, of course¡­¡±


    Maddie folded her arms, but not as hard as Jackson was folding before her. She knew Jackson was too good for her own good, she¡¯s sure that she¡¯s picked up the same vibes as Maddie did¡­ But she wants to play junior diplomat. Maddie didn¡¯t want to burn bridges or disrespect this lady, but it can and will be dangerous to deal with someone like her when she thinks she has advantage over you.


    Jackson was done with her explanation as she got out of the thought. Maddie mentally slapped herself over that, she needed to pay attention to this conversation.


    ¡°My¡­¡± Diana rubbed her chin. ¡°No wonder a lot of things about you all didn¡¯t add up¡­ You HAD to have siVis or else you would¡¯ve been missing arms or worse versus just being in goop¡­ But you gained siVis in such a way that there is a lock. You don¡¯t even have your Rebirth Marks.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Jackson said quizzically.


    Diana pointed at her neck, her exposed skin. ¡°All siVis users have this piece of themselves jutted out, more or less riding on the same reasons as a birth mark¡ªhence the name sake. There¡¯s tons of things about you all getting siVis that doesn¡¯t quite make sense, given your story¡­¡±


    ¡°Could you at least explain¡­ What exactly happened?¡± Tracy piped up. ¡°Where did we fall to? Where did we go? And why did has it taken the toll that it has¡­?¡±


    Diana leaned on the desk. ¡°Sorry to say girls, sometimes things just happen.¡± She brought up her hands, moving her fingers. ¡°Reality constantly bending and breaking¡ªwhile being stretched and shrunk¡­ Sometimes things just happen. And I think that¡¯s the case here, you all got swept up in something that was a mess up. Just like what¡¯s happening here on Davenport now, sometimes there¡¯s unexplained ways how things play out. All we can do, is learn from it and figure out how to lessen the chances of that.¡±


    Everyone fell silent, basically after being told that yes¡ªthey all managed to fuck up in the worst way possible.


    ¡°That¡¯s the true terror in all this¡­ So much ground¡ªfoundation, for every single that can go wrong, will. Beyond anything that we can possible fathom.¡±


    ¡°Jesus,¡± Maddie finally said. ¡°You keep going like this, and you¡¯re gonna run me out of my only job here. I¡¯m the doom and gloom motherfucker¡ª¡±


    Diana laughed at that, ¡°Hey, at least you say it in a very funny way.¡±


    ¡°I was gonna go to clown college, until the Shifts dashed my hopes and dreams away.


    ¡°Hey, at least you don¡¯t have to compete with Marlena in any way,¡± Diana fingergunned. She looked around, reading the room.


    If she didn¡¯t have her arms folded, Maddie would¡¯ve openly rubbed her hands together. Not only Diana took the bait, but the saw that the audience she thrives on was bummed out by her. She wanted to see how the Professor will react.


    ¡°Anyways,¡± Diana quickly swept away the board, trying to start again strong, just like Maddie figured¡ª¡°I came out here because, well¡­ Kinda needed a break. We¡¯re doing our best, but trying to crack parting this wall is going to take much longer than we thought. So, we¡¯re prepping and reinstated the PATH-OS.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna try teleporting everyone over¡­?¡± River asked.


    Maddie raised an eyebrow, ¡°And wasn¡¯t it basically a Davenport-brand gimmick in the first place?¡±


    ¡°The years since it¡¯s been down, it¡¯s been tested and reworked for commercial use¡ªAnd luckily today was all days that it was cleared for organic transport! Our original goal was just to use it to keep the supply line going, but the progress proved too good for not going for the chance¡­ Which brings me to what I¡¯m going to offer you lot.¡±


    Diana opens her arms.


    ¡°Congrats! You¡¯re going to be the first ones on board! My treat!¡±


    Everyone was floored, looking at each other in excitement¡­ Until.


    ¡°So what¡¯s the catch, exactly?¡± Maddie questioned.


    Diana titled her head. ¡°None at all¡­ Madsion, was it?¡±


    ¡°Sure. We had a suck-ass time, but we¡¯re hardly the biggest sob story affected by all this¡­ And you¡¯re giving us a free ride?¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ As sad is that is? And true as that is¡­ Well, I didn¡¯t meet those people. I¡¯ve met you all.¡±


    Maddie looked at the Professor, up and down.


    ¡°C¡¯mon Maddie,¡± Jackson said to her, ¡°What happened to finding the good things within the bad days¡­?¡±


    That all it leaves you open for when the bad days get worse? Maddie thought to herself. She sighed.


    ¡°Hey,¡± the small girl shrugged. ¡°Even if we put it to some vote, I¡¯m outnumbered either way. Let¡¯s.¡±


    Jackson proceeded to thank Diana, as Maddie tuned that out.


    There was something about this that doesn¡¯t click, and she¡¯s sure that maybe it¡¯s another case of just being thrown by people choosing to be nice.


    But teleporting over that wall, to be reunited with their families¡­ Just like that?


    Maddie still felt that this whole thing she and the others are going through¡­ It¡¯s not done with them, yet.

 (Episode VII)(.3)

    The rest continued to talk with Diana, as they cruised back to Steppe Ave¡ªtheir stop, the PATH-OS.


    Again, the whole thing started as a Mr. Davenport gimmick back in the 90¡¯s, but of course was made important when everything else went wacky. The idea of getting the hell outta dodge and the ability to remove heavylifting entirely was just too good for the world. So good, they basically say ¡°fuck it¡± when the consequences are possible death-by-relocation, relocation feedback, and all those stories about getting teleported into things. It was ultimately why Davenport the island became the Transitionary Spotlight, this place was already the circlejerk sess of human progress or whatever, it was symbolic.


    But all that doesn¡¯t make the city for Maddie, or most of the population, really.


    There¡¯s always something to talk about, there¡¯s always a person with a weird thing about them that makes talking a blast. These weirdos do amusing things and live in bizarro places you can¡¯t help to check out. The city is zany, vibrant, alive. Mr. Davenport¡¯s usual experiments are failures, but this once at least created something¡­ good.


    The Cinderblock stopped, Maddie looked alive as she glanced at everyone. Everyone began to get ready to go out.


    Diana wagged her finger, because of course she does that.


    They all felt a rumbling, and a sudden stillness. The sounds of whirling machines and the pull of gravity answered their questions better than Diana did.


    ¡°There¡¯s crowds out there, so I¡¯m gonna sneak you guys ¡®in the back¡¯, sort of speak.¡± She sighed, closed her eyes, and placed the back of her hand against her forehead. ¡°Reminds me what I¡¯ve done years ago¡ªparty hopping, beer runs, being stand-by support for the mess spewing¡­¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± Maddie quickly sniped. ¡°I¡¯m kinda torn on calling you a fossil or surprised that the new Taber¡¯s like, 22 year old¡ª¡±


    Diana smirked at her, ¡°You¡¯re really good at taking the piss¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s like she said¡­¡± Tracy began. ¡°She IS the grumpy one!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll go somewhere to eat where there¡¯s a great deal,¡± Jackie chimed in. ¡°That¡¯ll calm her down~¡±


    Maddie just wanted to prod one more time¡ªhoping something revealing would come out, something she can count on and use to completely dash away any false hope in this charity case.


    Even with overwhelming hands outs, actual examples where people go the extra mile, there¡¯s a connection¡ªthere¡¯s proof despite it throwing you off. Here? Maddie feels a weird dissonance still.


    But it was too late to banter back, as the Cinderblock slammed down, shaking everyone in it, before settling.


    It opened itself up again, with Diana walking out first, looking about, and then signaling the girls to come on. They all followed Diana, who began to lightly sprint.


    Their footsteps echoed within the mostly vacant, spacious hanger. Even with the other Cinderblocks docked across, it was a gunmetal, smooth surface chamber¡ªmaybe the more insane vehicles took up the rest of the empty space.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, girls!¡± Diana led the way, ¡°All you gotta do after this is stand for a bit and you¡¯ll be literally home free~!¡±


    ¡°Still sore--!¡± Aiko winced as she kept up. ¡°Y¡¯know¡ªfrom running, jumping, and rolling for our lives--!¡±


    Diana stopped at the open corridor, looking back at the rest struggling a bit. ¡°Ah¡­?¡±


    Maddie glanced over to Jackie and River, both rubbing their respective thigh a bit, before Jackie answered her.


    ¡°We went full force, uuuussin¡ªah¡ªusing siVis to jump from places and outrun them¡­ Guess we¡¯re not used to it¡­¡±


    ¡°Well yeah,¡± Diana said. ¡°Looks like you activated and focused on one or so limbs. Which works, but not all the time¡ªotherwise you overtax yourselves. Even stressing one thing and neglect the rest¡­ It¡¯s less putting everything into yourself but getting a hold of yourself.¡±


    ¡°Hold¡­?¡± Jackie questioned.


    ¡°Get a grip, recognize what you need, use what you need in steps,¡± Diana responded.


    ¡°¡­Okay¡­¡± Jackie voiced what everyone felt.


    ¡°And¡ªbefore we get you set¡­ Did you all only use enhance movements¡­?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± Jackie said, triumphantly. ¡°I¡¯ve activated my siVis ability towards the near end!¡±


    For once, Diana looked and sounded serious.


    ¡°Once you get over to the other side, I want you to go a Medical hut, and I need you to dive back into your Mindscape. I don¡¯t want to alarm you, but you activated your ability possibly within a moment of stress¡­ siVis, as you pretty much get right now, is very impressionable. Go back to that moment and heal. Or else, your ability and activation will be very erratic at best¡­ You know what the worse is.¡±


    All the bravado instantly flushed away, Jackie¡¯s smile turned agape mouth.


    ¡°Y-yes, mam¡­¡±


    ¡°First thing you do once you get off, you hear me?¡± Diana again said, stern.


    ¡°Absolutely¡­¡± Jackie agreed.


    Diana looked at Maddie, which kinda made her stiffen. ¡°I know you¡¯re gonna hold her to it, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Maddie quickly responded. ¡°I¡¯m the Queen at telling people that they¡¯ve fucked up, if she doesn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Not even an acknowledgement or laugh, Diana spun on her heels and guided the girls down the halls, towards the elevator that they all crammed in, fully boarded.


    Almost like a flash and yet bolted up several levels, the elevator doors opened up, showcasing the utter monstrosity that is the PATH-OS lobby.


    There were so many white and sterile tubes formed to create the pleasant image of either clumped together intestines or a brain that looks straight up wrong. They ran through the walls, to the floors, and more or less connected and intertwined at places that would ruin your own brain if you thought about how they did it.


    The ¡°centerpiece¡± was the PATH-OS station itself, a podium lined with pods circling around the edges. A wall, again made of tubes, a circular tube that represented the world and various tubes shooting out from it, symbolizing the teleportation.


    Or something.


    ¡°They¡¯re humming and ready to use, girls!¡± Diana shouted over the drone. ¡°Step right in and you¡¯ll be home in a flash!¡±


    Maddie wanted, so badly, to once again call Diana on her possible bullshit. But considering the possible state with Jackson, maybe they should chance it.


    But literally everything. Every fiber of her being. Just can¡¯t help that something¡¯s off.


    So she just closed her eyes and sighed. ¡°No strings attached¡­¡±


    She looked up and saw Diana¡¯s smile. Maddie swallowed any and all pride, and was the first to climb up to the stairs.


    The steps echoed against the steel, as she walked across the stage, towards the congested pod before her. Endless cords plugged into it, keeping it from falling almost versus the assumption of them powering it.


    It opened up, and it had actual sliding doors unlike the Cinderblock, the pod humming and empty. Maddie climbed in, put her hands to her sides and watched the doors close. Then locking, and then the pod itself slowly rotate into place: ¡°the floor¡± staying in place as the shell rolled the door away, completely securing in place.


    Remember, the terminal began. Stand still, be patient, and in within cheated seconds: you will achieve something that was just dreams years ago. Close your eyes, and you will ease into a new era of travel¡­If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Maddie wished she could flap her hand, using her sock puppet to mock the clear Mr. Davenport sock puppet. But she did what it told her and all she could do was hear. Hear well, at least.


    The whirring of the scanners came alive, and she felt the heat of the intense light work her way up her body. She felt the turn table under her foot spin her body about, as the scanner came down once more. It was at the point that the light shined against her eye lids, which made closing your eyes a necessity.


    The light flushed over her, and she felt that light lift her up, beyond the pod, beyond the air.


    So when she fell right onto the asphalt, it somehow hurt twice as much.


    ¡°TH---FUAK--!¡± Maddie tensed, wrangled about. ¡°AH!¡±


    Her senses were still ringing, reeling, but even she heard the various thuds in quick secession.


    ¡°I FUCKING KNEW¡ªNOT TO TRUST THAT FUCKING BITCH!¡± Maddie roared. ¡°IT WAS A SET UP, BOTTOM TO FUCKING TOP¡ªGARH!¡±


    ¡°MADDIE¡ªMADDIE, TELL ME THAT¡¯S YOU, PLEASE!¡± Tracy called out.


    ¡°It¡¯s me¡­!¡± Maddie assured. She started to regain her sight, shaking her head. ¡°Just give me a minute, I¡­¡±


    Maddie looked up, and she wished she hadn¡¯t.


    What was before her, was only a sky scattered, and gazed over. A sickly frost that if it weren¡¯t for the glow of the Sun, you couldn¡¯t tell if it was day or night.


    ¡°¡­Fuck me¡ª¡± Maddie just groaned out. She struggled to get up, look for River¡ªwho was laid out away from her¡ªand ran right to her. She kneeled and shook her in an attempt to shake her senses back into her.


    ¡°River¡ªRiver,¡± Maddie pleaded. ¡°I reaaaaally need you to check if you¡¯re seeing the shit that I¡¯m seeing right now!¡±


    Behind the glasses, Maddie saw River¡¯s crested eyes flicker back into focus. She looked at Maddie, and then up¡­


    ¡°¡­God fucking damn it¡ª¡± River groaned out.


    ¡°SHIT,¡± Maddie exclaimed. ¡°I WAS RIGHT!¡±


    River quickly got up, with Maddie helping¡ªgetting her up as she rose up. Maddie turned on her heels, hands up in the air, ranting to no one in particular, but also at the entire world.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a fucking check list, at this point. We get trolled by Shifts, was out of our depth with a guy that got siVis the literal night we did, nearly got lost in our minds, nearly died to a fucking Nulgarrt¡ªHonestly, getting stranded in a literal warped disaster area was the last fucking thing on that list! Honestly, the last thing any schmuck would get caught up in! Fucking perfect!¡±


    She actually looked towards the coast she didn¡¯t want to take in.


    Waves, completely stopped in their motion. The once beach surrounding it, caved in so bad that it¡¯s sides were launched up into the glassy skies. And every minor detail, that was caked into the landfill, was once beachfont property, restaurant franchises, and homes. All gone.


    ¡°I mean hey,¡± Maddie shrugged, letting her arms flop. ¡°At least the place could¡¯ve been notice to stay at¡­¡±


    Even without siVis-enhanced hearing, she heard the long gasp. It wasn¡¯t funny, overdramatic, or pompous in the slightest. It was the gasp of someone that truly, did not know how to handle what she saw, what to do.


    Maddie turned back, just to see Jackson looking at what she was, on her knees. She looked breathless, she looked vacant¡­


    It instantly clicked for Maddie, even before her widened eyes started to crumple and create tears.


    ¡°Hey hey hey hey¡ª¡± Maddie scrambled for something to say, crouching instinctively with her hands up. ¡°Jack¡ªJackie? Jackie, we¡¯re here for you¡ªLook at me, keep looking at me, not at what¡¯s behind me¡­¡±


    Maddie¡¯s eye caught Tracy and River, looking on in confusion. Maddie guessed that they told Aiko to come over where she landed, and she jogged over. Aiko, of course, tried to get close.


    Maddie shook her head at them, then proceeded to try to comfort a grieving time bomb.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to say what I said, trust me. I wouldn¡¯t have if I ever knew¡­ Like¡ªI know it¡¯s gonna sound weird, coming from me, but I would be so fucking upset if this happened to my island¡ªmy hood¡ª¡±


    Tracy covered her mouth, then backed away with shaking hands¡ªas River just stood there, dumbfounded, not knowing what to do at all.


    Then of course, Aiko had to open her fucking mouth. ¡°What--?¡±


    Maddie snarled, ¡°You¡¯re not fucking helping--!¡±


    Jackie exploded, in the sense that Diana warned about. Her left side, face to leg, popped open as if she was an egg ready to crack open. Her pieces of herself, coming undone as she needlessly tensed up¡ªher muscle blowing up like a balloon as she cried.


    As on fucking cue, Tracy screamed in terror, River froze up and completely checked out, and Aiko was debating with herself to make this even worse or not.


    Maddie was starting to crumble, the situation hitting the things she tried clawing out so the scars protected them. Jackie lost so much, she can fucking feel that. And it was getting to her, Maddie knew she had to end this quick, so she¡¯s a liability too.


    ¡°Jackie, listen to me!¡± Maddie let her voice crack, strain in weakness. ¡°You can¡¯t let yourself do this! This isn¡¯t what whoever loved you wanted to do here! I know this!¡±


    That only got to her more.


    The energy she built up, from her siVis ability, flashed over and over, out of her cracks as she shook, heaved and hawed in pain.


    It was so much, Maddie couldn¡¯t stand looking at her like this, she felt her eyes water trying to blind her.


    There was really nothing left to do.


    Maddie had to gut her¡ªdeep.


    ¡°Y¡¯KNOW WHAT, FINE,¡± Maddie screamed. ¡°BLOW YOURSELF UP, YOU FUCKING HYPOCRITE!¡±


    The Frankstein¡¯s Trainer settled into place, Jackson¡¯s good eye looking at Maddie as if she shot a gun at her.


    ¡°MADDIE NO!¡± Tracy screamed out in fear.


    Maddie crossed her arms, ¡°All this dreck of unity and pushing through and finding the good things in the bad¡ªand the literal first second it happens to you¡ªyou tap out? Funny how all that works, huh?¡±


    ¡°WHY are you making THIS into a fucking game, Maddie?!¡± Jackie screamed out, popping and shuddering as pieces moved apart.


    ¡°Tell me all that when you pull yourself together,¡± Maddie said, suppressing the emotion in her voice. ¡°Then fine, talk my ear off, beat the shit out of me. Just know? If you go nuts here, then every. Single. Thing we¡¯ve done was completely pointless. So I suggest popping that eye back into your socket and act like a big, giant girl, yeah?¡±


    Jackie tightened her fist, and with that her whole arm. She continued to shiver, using her dagger eyes to stare at Maddie with contempt.


    Maddie just looked back. Then gestured to Aiko, ¡°You¡ªredeem yourself and take her into her time out corner. Let her puff all that out.¡±


    Aiko quickly sprinted over, and helped Jackie up as she continued to huff. It felt like minutes, watching the two walk off into the twisted sidewalk.


    Tracy stormed over to Maddie, looking completely angry, ¡°What you did could¡¯ve ended us! All of us!¡±


    ¡°Glad you¡¯re looking out for Jackson,¡± Maddie quickly sniped. ¡°And hey, you¡¯re acting like you¡¯re mad when you were shitting your pants a second ago, you really do still got it.¡±


    ¡°I¡ªI--!¡±


    Maddie felt a pang. Fuck.


    She was losing it, this was all getting to her. Jackie nearly breaking down sparked way too much memories¡ªthe side of those memories she doesn¡¯t want to retain, the parts that didn¡¯t harden her.


    But going the other way? That wasn¡¯t going to help but to get herself killed or stranded here.


    She sighed.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Maddie grumbled. ¡°Got to me.¡±


    Tracy looked confused, raised an eyebrow. ¡°I never would¡¯ve pictured you feeling for everyone¡­¡±


    ¡°My heart¡¯s probably scabby and fucked, but it still fucking works, lady¡ª¡± Maddie retorted. She saw River still standing there, Maddie motioned her over. ¡°WE NEED HELP HERE!¡±


    That snapped her out of it, and she slowly walked over.


    ¡°Breakdown Effect, right?¡± Maddie asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what happened? Isn¡¯t that what Diana warned about?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± River answered. ¡°The other route. The ultimate one for all ones with siVis. So impressionable, the stuff, that it responds to a mental or emotional breakdown and acts accordingly. If it isn¡¯t the mind trap, it¡¯s this that comes and leaves a siVictim. Their own body destroying itself.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Tracy said, shaking.


    ¡°And this is a¡­ Fuck,¡± Maddie snapped. ¡°Forgot the name, but this is where like. Really badly affected places by the Shifts are condemned and are warped to shit?¡±


    ¡°Terminsys Cities,¡± River answered, again. ¡°Where the Terminsys Zones are, well, cities¡ªtowns¡ªplaces where humanity and life lived¡­ What everyone fears. This, the whole Earth becoming this warped, twisted place where Shifts continue on and on and on until we¡¯re wiped clean.¡±


    ¡°Of all fucking places¡­ Her fucking town became one? Really?!¡± Maddie exclaimed.


    ¡°What are the chances?!¡± Tracy agreed.


    ¡°They¡¯re actually terrifyingly closer than you think¡­¡± River added.


    ¡°This is awful¡­ Maybe¡­ Maybe somehow, she taught about this place or something as well teleported¡­? Maybe siVis¡­?¡±


    ¡°Noooo!¡± Maddie protested. ¡°There¡¯s no fucking way, otherwise there would¡¯ve been a report or something! Diana fucking set us up, and that¡¯s the sole reason!¡±


    ¡°But to set us up and choose this location when she had no history or files on us¡­?¡± River questioned.


    Maddie sighed. ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like she said¡­¡± River continued. ¡°We¡¯re getting to that point¡­ Where this shit is just a hotbed, able to conjure up things and respond to things¡­ Just cause.¡±


    Tracy looked over to Jackie and Aiko, and then back to Maddie, ¡°We have to comfort her¡­ Or else she¡¯s a ticking bomb ready to come undone¡ªand we don¡¯t know how to defend ourselves!¡±


    ¡°She already feels shit!¡± Maddie shouted, causing the other two to jump. ¡°Handling her with kid gloves and patting her back will only make her fucking worse! It makes everyone feel worse, because you feel like you¡¯re failing to be happy!¡±


    ¡°Have you guys ever¡ª¡± Maddie cut herself off to empathize her point, ¡°Evvvveeeer, actually took that positive crack someone made for you and actually accepted it, for like, a whole day?!¡±


    Tracy and River looked at each other, then lowered their heads a bit.


    ¡°So there,¡± Maddie had nothing but resolve in her tone. ¡°We¡¯ll badger her and apologize later, Jackson¡¯s a big and smart girl, so she gets why we¡¯re throwing away the kids¡¯ gloves. It¡¯s the only way.¡±


    It was weird, being so direct¡ªno jokes, no segways. And the weird part in all of this was the mild epiphany within Maddie that said; ¡°why the surprise? You were always like this¡±.


    It was siVis or herself or whatever, it continues to clear her mind. Find the things that are useful, sweep away at the useless shit. All this talk about supernatural powers; Maddie might as well call it the weirdest fucking way to actually concentrate.


    ¡°Here¡¯s the problem,¡± River began. ¡°We have a clear out in all of this: we just cross the whole town to get to the boarder, and there¡¯s going to be an Extant something there. And I think the chances of them having, y¡¯know, actual PATH-OS teleporters is also good. But we¡¯re in Terminsys City, baby, and it ain¡¯t always a straight line¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to ignore¡­Parts of that last sentence¡ª¡± Maddie said.


    ¡°Meme humor¡¯s my clutch during these sad times¡­¡± River explained.


    ¡°But yeah, is it really that bad?¡±


    ¡°It can be, like everything dealing with this nightmare world,¡± River answered. ¡°And that¡¯s definitely the danger here. And¡­ It¡¯s not like we¡¯re in a position to ask Jackie for directions¡­¡±


    Maddie rubbed her chin. Sucked on her teeth.


    Thankfully, what she was going to say next, was going to come true.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it¡­¡± Jackie, with Aiko in tow, came from behind, croaking still as she looked mostly normal again. She breathed heavily, as if there was a brick hung from her neck, as her pieces weren¡¯t completely back in place across her face. ¡°I¡¯ll do it because¡­ T-this is more than me¡­ I need to help you all, keep you safe¡­¡±


    Maddie smirked, and then crossed her arms. ¡°Like I said: she¡¯s a big girl.¡±

 (Episode VII)(.5)

    Jackie even did an eyeroll. Maddie was assured that she was back in control. But for how long¡­


    ¡°So, that¡¯s what we¡¯re running with¡­?¡± Jackie¡¯s voice still wrought and wrecked from emotion. ¡°High tail it to the boarder¡­?¡±


    ¡°Unless you have something else in mind, fearless leader¡­¡± Maddie said.


    It took careful yet effortful motion to shake her head, as if Jackie was questioning every move she was going to make. ¡°Let¡¯s. We ARE going to get something good out of this day.¡±


    Maddie withheld a sigh, glancing at Tracy and River in succession. She knew that this false hope is going to get them hurt.


    But maybe it¡¯d be the wake up call they needed. Provided, if they fucking survive it too.


    ¡°Main Street¡­¡± Jackie began. ¡°It¡¯s not too far from here. Like Steppe Avenue, it¡¯ll lead us to the other road we need.¡±


    ¡°Main Street huh¡ª¡± Maddie put her hands on her hips. ¡°Really? Like Disneyland--?¡±


    ¡°Maddie, I get that you¡¯re trying to keep me here, but I think you¡¯re doing too good of a job now.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, this is just me questioning how vanilla the States are¡ª¡±


    ¡°Well sorry that we focused on making the streets just streets and not focus on how our ¡®plant¡¯ theme will work,¡± Jackie snipped back¡ªagain the pain lingering in her voice undercut the fact she was joking, that she moved on.


    Maddie propped up her imaginary glasses, and became cartoony in her delivery, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s based on growth¡ª¡±


    She laughed, genuinely. Good. Everything¡¯s a gamble at the moment, so Maddie and everyone should be focusing on easing, defusing.


    The girls gathered, to face the new obstacle before them.


    What was once a street, it was curved and pitched upwards. Not even in a neat fashion, it was smudged to the right, was string up towards the left. It was less of a steep, straight line and more of a spill from a liquid across a surface.


    Maddie flinched, was caught off guard, because her mind allowed her to see something she has no access to. She remembered that she recently had to scale an upward street.


    And as she looked to the others, it seemed like they were remembering to.


    Jackie shook her head. ¡°We went through this. We got through this. And we can do it again.¡±


    She pointed to the near top, where a smear twisted to the far left.


    ¡°I can see the street sign: Bowing Road. We take that and we¡¯d be halfway there.¡±


    And with that, Jackie took the lead, with the rest following after.


    Her legs instantly flared with siVis, without Maddie¡¯s input¡­ Or conscious input, she figured. Maybe Jackson was on the money; they had done this before in a sense. Their bodies did learn.


    Their legs locked against the gravity of the ramp, then popped forward to scale it. Repeated again and again until they were dashing up the street as the incline only got steeper and steeper.


    It hurt Maddie like hell, she can feel her back aching up again as her legs also started screaming¡ªshe only applied siVis to her spine as well, just to hold herself together as she kicked up the dust, pebble and loose asphalt chucks behind her.


    It wasn¡¯t until Aiko nearly slipped that Maddie noticed the street¡¯s surface was trying to cause problems.


    It was like harden magma: the street was warped¡ªsettled within it¡¯s distortion, but was still slowly moving, still extremely dangerous.


    Basically, as they climbed, the mountain decided to have an avalanche when they were halfway there.


    It was amazing to Maddie how Jackie didn¡¯t tell them to change tactics, to do some leader thing to achieve the plan. Almost like a step team, they went into motion.


    Leaning in on their left leg, popping up, land and leaning in with their right, rinse and repeat.


    They were practically jumping up a street and Maddie wished that she could laugh at the sheer stupidity that they¡¯re in. But this was life now, doing Middle School Fitness Test moves to climb a landsliding street.


    Hopefully they¡¯ll survive, so they can do it later.


    As they scaled to the top, the more of a slope the place was becoming. Maddie couldn¡¯t focus on her surroundings, even with the physical effort she¡¯s doing, as the street and what would¡¯ve been buildings¡­ Stores¡­ Maybe even some old house with a stubborn senior in it that may or may not have eaten snails because Johnny from down the street saw it¡ªAll of it was white and warped. Gone. Removed.


    The fucking idea¡­ Everything that Maddie knew¡ªthe only things she truly known. Gone, just like that.


    She knew she was going to shiver and preemptively stopped it. Forget Jackson needing to meditate, she had to join her if that means getting a damn hold of herself.


    They made it to the street corner, with either Jackie or River shouting, ¡°EXPECT THE WORSE!¡±, at everyone. Galloping over the last bit of blown up hill, putting their feet together and hopping in a bound, they made it.


    There was no way they could¡¯ve expected it to be as worse as it was.


    The whole street, the whole neighborhood, was twisted into a downward spiral. And due to the momentum, the girls started to slide down.


    Maddie instantly tried to anchor herself, shooting siVis control over her legs to remain uprooted, and got a horrible shot of pain for her troubles.


    She instinctively tried to grab a leg, or at her knee, and despite her jerking still, she couldn¡¯t save herself.


    She tumbled forward, feeling someone try to grasp at her, but she fell forward regardless.


    The physics of it, the pull, was truly something else. Maddie couldn¡¯t have moved as she twirled around, yanked side-to-side, all due to each of the corkstrewed areas having their own since of logic on how things fall or not.


    Being twisted, almost as the surrounding areas doing this to her, made her already tired muscles scream from being pulled, made her bones ring out for being contorted, and her mind hazy.


    She quickly scanned her hell, trying to find something¡ªanything, expanding her eyesight just to see what¡¯s coming for her.


    Good thing that she did.


    Maddie guarded her face using her arms, and felt the razor sharp leaves pelt against them. She shouted, she screamed, but she refused to wince, to be paralyzed again.


    She passed the unusual debris, and quickly looked up again to gauge the exact fresh hell she¡¯s in.


    Bushes, that probably once belonged to a mini park or something¡ªuprooted and suspended in a way where they hover along the totaled and bended space.


    But no time to remark, Maddie glanced down, seeing that she was speeding towards a warped mailbox, and used everything in her power to dodge, twist out of the way.


    She felt things pop, she felt herself reach her limits of her siVis, but she managed to do it.


    And landed side first onto a stretched apart car for her troubles, with a thud.


    She grunted loudly, holding back the scream her body begged her to do¡ªit was called for, it was okay. She refused, and tried to get out of the impressive dent she made.


    But she couldn¡¯t move. Or rather, she tried to move and she felt her hand suddenly weigh a ton.


    She watched her hand try to struggle under this weight, it was practically twitching¡ªshaking because Maddie was working against what is right now. Gravity, physics, what is up and down¡ªis telling her to be pressed against this car.


    And the dent she made, she was getting pushed into it more and more as she struggled.


    Maddie was reaaaaaaally hoping for her bullshit power to kick in right about now¡­


    But she didn¡¯t need her power. Before she knew it, she was flipped over and began to fall forward back down again.


    She was confused, she looked around, and saw a fast falling Jackson¡ªclutching her arm as her eyes were glazed over again.


    It was hard, trying not to yell at her, given that she wasn¡¯t awake.


    But Maddie started to gravitate, twisting and turning towards the rolled up sidewalk at a pleasant speed.


    She really wanted to yell at Jackson, now.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    She tried to brace herself, tuck into herself, as she rolled onto the ground, still being jerked about while being dribbled.


    Up, down, left, right, down, left, left, right, down, up, up.


    At some point, she finally came to a stop, rolling onto her shoulder as she rested on the concrete.


    Maddie coughed, then held her stomach, ¡°Hoow¡­ The fuck¡­ Are we alive still¡­?¡±


    She heard a thud, and heard an unrelated groan. She thinks it was River¡¯s voice¡­


    ¡°Y¡¯know¡­ Maybe that¡¯s the catch¡­¡±


    Maddie lifted herself up, gritting her teeth¡ªthat feeling more complete and together versus her other motions.


    Aiko was on her back, reeling and covered in leaves and twigs. River and Jackie, the latter on her belly struggling to get up and the former sitting up, were banged up but not on the level of Aiko¡­ And Tracy. Who¡¯s hair frizzled, blown up, with bits of dirt and crumbs in it, while covered in dirt.


    ¡°We just had a shooooowaaa¡­¡± she groaned out.


    Maddie put her face in her hands.


    ¡°Now¡­ We only have to keep doing that again and again until we get close out of town¡­ And we could end up here again if we take a wrong turn¡­¡± River croaked out.


    ¡°Good¡­ Great¡­ Awesome¡­¡± Maddie rubbed her face. ¡°We¡¯ll break our bones by mid-day.¡± She looked to the glazed over sky. ¡°Oh wait.¡±


    ¡°You say that, but the only reason why we aren¡¯t instantly dead from whiplash alone is because of siVis¡­¡±


    ¡°And even then¡­ We still got fucked up,¡± Maddie mused. ¡°Even then, it¡¯s not enough¡­¡±


    She shook her head. Looked over to Jackson, who was on her knees, looking around with a vacant face.


    ¡°¡­Jackie?¡± Maddie instantly turned her gears. ¡°Do you recognize this place¡­?¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, River was right about us jumping all over the place,¡± she began. ¡°It just happened now¡­¡±


    Maddie scanned the area, just to gain any context clues, something.


    But¡­ It was a normal street. Filled with boring and dull colors¡ªbut color none the less. It was a typical suburban neighborhood, lined with houses¡ªthat used to have the typical wife and kids with dogs and dad¡¯s on the lawn.


    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t tell me,¡± Maddie said. ¡°Is this your place¡­?¡±


    ¡°Not too far, actually¡­¡± Jackie then pointed down the long street. ¡°Just down the street.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s great!¡± Tracy exclaimed. Maybe we can crash there, rest! Have running water or something possibly-?¡±


    Jackie smiled, trying not to be overwhelmed by the possibility. ¡°Yeah. Yeah.¡±


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t mean this to be¡­ A dick or something,¡± River began, as Jackie shot a look at her.


    ¡°River, there¡¯s no way that it¡¯s been warped¡ªWe¡¯re practically there now!¡±


    ¡°A lot can happen,¡± River reasoned. ¡°We¡¯re dealing with things that doesn¡¯t subscribe to logic. We JUST got done dealing with that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but--!¡± Jackie pleaded desperately.


    ¡°Jackie,¡± Maddie said firm. ¡°Either way, it¡¯s a bad idea. We might risk you exploding if you find your house. I think River¡¯s right.¡±


    Tracy was helping Aiko now, both watching on instead of helping.


    ¡°But¡­! It¡¯s there! Just right there! I can handle this!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you can.¡±


    She stood up, and instantly, her pieces began to pop open, crackle. ¡°We could end this! We could call this a day! We could¡¯ve saved this day, made it good!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to say this and hopefully you¡¯ll start to get ahold of yourself again¡ª¡± Maddie tried to say, reason.


    Jackie crumpled over, grabbing her head, screaming out. She started to glow from her widening and crumbling cracks along her body, unleashing unhealthy blue light and inhumane hum.


    ¡°SOMETIMES SHIT IS JUST SHIT!¡± Maddie screamed over here. ¡°AND LOOKING THROUGH SHIT WILL COVER YOU IN MORE OF IT! Bad days will always exist! Bad shit will always exist! THE THING WE HAVE TO DO IS DEAL¡ªDEAL AND NOT LET IT FUCKING GET TO US! IGNORE THE PAIN¡ªNEVER LET IT FUCKING RULE YOU!¡±


    It was too late.


    There was a visual shuddering, before Jackie exploded in a blue light¡ªknocking everything and everyone away and down. Such a concessive blast made Maddie skid backwards, hitting a stone wall that elevated a lawn.


    Maddie gasped; the air knocked out of her.


    Her vision was blurring, but she focused on Jackie, still glowing and quivering.


    She was crying, but the cracks were open so wide, her tears ran out of the gash that was once her cheek. She was building up for another blast.


    ¡°You¡­ Talk about good days¡­¡± Maddie choked out. ¡°Look¡­ At what you¡¯re doing¡­!¡±


    Another blast, but weaker this time. But no less hard on Maddie¡¯s body.


    She only had an eye open and she forced herself not to pass out.


    ¡°Fine¡­ Destroy the last piece of what you have¡­ You¡¯re a hypocrite¡­ And to think¡­ I thought you were¡­¡±


    There was a loud rumbling and it wasn¡¯t Jackie.


    A shadow was casted over them and Maddie looked up.


    There was a floating Diamond, chrome¡ªwhite¡ªand black. Extant.


    The undercarriage was opened, and five metal coffins fell out, each landing with a thunderous crash as each one ripped up the street.


    Each one was stainless, bulky, and armored. Pretty trademark, finishing the look off with a helmet prodding out.


    With whirring and hissing, they became the Extant Enforcers one would ever see on TV, never up close. Heavily armored limbs, black body suit, a helmet take took over one¡¯s head, along with a main body, torso and back that housed all the life support and fire power they need¡ªgiving them a hunched over look.


    Jackie quickly turned to them, face cracked open and leaking, her eyes red and shunken. Half human, other unrecognizable.


    The middle Enforcer was reading themselves, but stopped for a moment, oddly hesitated. It was a pregnant second, but they combined both their gauntlets together, transforming seamlessly into a cannon¡ªthe other two on their respective sides held them in place.


    It fired and flung out a net of some kind¡ªlancing forward and trapping Jackie. Trapping her, head to toe, as the net shrunk around her as well.


    And even when covered with gray wrapping paper, the light from the cracks started to flair up again.


    The last two Enforcers rushed in, despite being so worn down by that armor, and one held a piece of a device each on opposite hands. They got close to Jackie, connected the device on her head¡ªforming a ring¡ªand then backed away. She went completely still.


    ¡°YOU ARE NOW FORCED INTO YOUR MINDSCAPE,¡± the Enforcer bellowed. ¡°FOR YOUR SAFETY AS WELL AS OTHERS, YOU MUST GAIN A HOLD OF YOUR SIVIS ABILITY. REPAIR OR HOLD TOGETHER YOUR ACTIVATION OR YOU WILL BE RESIGITERED AS A SIVIS TREND AND TAKEN TO DR. TABER MEMORIAL RESEARCH!¡±


    Maddie would laugh if her lungs weren¡¯t caved in (and she quickly checked¡ªnope, shit just hurts). Jackie Jackson: The Next Cassie Morgan, Nathaniel Fuuki. N¡¯atural Savage.


    ¡°hey, im slowly turning into a monster and no one can stop me¡± is really different to, ¡°yeah I lost my house and I managed to fuck up getting siVis¡±.


    It was a long wait. Maybe too long. But the lights begun to wind down, and the two Enforcers moved forward to take off the crown, then unwrapped Jackson¡ªwho while covered in tears and sweat, was returned to normal.


    The other three spread out, hopefully tending to the others. It was the roaring hum of the diamond ship getting ready to touch down that Maddie passed out to.


    ***


    ¡°You guys were lucky. We were only passing over, just to get to somewhere else¡­¡±


    Maddie awoke, finding herself sitting along with the others, at the bottom of the open ramp of the diamond ship.


    The Enforcer had a posture¡ªthey stood as if they gave little to no shits. Hand on their hip, lean to that said hip¡­ And then they sighed, looking straight at Jackson.


    There was a hiss, similar to the hiss where they transformed outta coffin-mode. They reached up, and took off their helmet.


    Whoever she was, she made Jackson cover her mouth in surprise. She looked like she honestly couldn¡¯t have taken anymore.


    The chick shook her head, her crimson hair bun swaying a bit before she spoke again, ¡°You were supposed to be one that never got into messes, Jackson¡­¡±


    Jackson jumped up, and hugged the red-haired chick¡­ And she didn¡¯t instantly hug back. Only wrapping an arm around her and patting her back, reluctantly.


    Maddie could only rub her forehead, prepping for the trainwreck. Maybe Jackson was right. Shit¡¯s getting waaaay too shitty¡­


    ¡°So uh,¡± Maddie broke the silence. ¡°Are you gonna introduce your ex, Jackie or-?¡±


    The redhead chuckled, ¡°Fuck, I wish¡­ But nah. Name¡¯s Scarlett. We went to high school together¡­ Here¡­¡±


    ¡°Jesus,¡± River managed to make sound monotone. ¡°Like. We¡¯re getting into poorly written soap territory¡­¡±


    ¡°The hell are you people doing here¡­?¡± Scarlett asked. ¡°And more importantly, did you guys force her to do any of this?¡±


    Tracy waved her hands in fear, with her makeshift ¡®fro bouncing as well, ¡°NO! NONONONO¡ªNOT AT ALL! We all made the choice-!¡±


    ¡°And not only that, it didn¡¯t even happen the way we wanted¡­¡± Aiko backed up.


    ¡°In the interest of my slightly suss cohorts here¡­¡± Maddie cut in. ¡°We only met like¡­ Days ago. We were gonna chance getting siVis, blew up in our faces, and since then¡ªwe¡¯ve been royally fucked by the universe by just existing. We WERE promised to be going home by using PATH-OS, but that fucked up and landed us here.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re shitting me¡ª¡± Scarlett blunk.


    ¡°I wish I was¡­¡±


    Scarlett scratched her head, with her free hand. ¡°Well¡­ We have PATH-OS built into the Carrier here, but if you people are having problems fucking going home¡­¡±


    ¡°I think we were conned, but the running theory is that big girl there thought about home and well, popped us here.¡±


    Scarlett sighed. ¡°That right¡­? Shit¡¯s weird enough today, I can buy it getting worse like that¡­¡±


    Jackie finally stopped hugging her, as she grabbed Scarlett¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°What? No insults? N-no bragging¡­? I finally did something stupid, why aren¡¯t you rubbing it in, huh¡­?¡±


    ¡°UNIT-7785!¡± one of the Enforcers yelled behind Scarlett, forcing everyone sans her to turn to them. ¡°YOU HAVE AN OBILGATION, AND I SUGGEST YOU STICK TO IT!¡±


    Scarlett only sighed, rolled her eyes. She backed away from the girls, from Jackie, leaving her standing there.


    ¡°I regret to inform you that I, Scarlett, am currently serving what could have been a prison sentence as a Unit for Extant. While my record will not be stricken clean, this is my journey in redeeming myself.¡±


    Jackie looked crushed.


    Scarlett looked at her and shrugged. ¡°I did something stupider.¡±


    The girl slowly put on her helmet, clicking it back into place. ¡°We¡¯ll get you girls teleported back to where you were. I¡¯ll just inform my bosses and we¡¯ll make the reports, so it¡¯s going to be a while.¡±


    She begun to turn around, only glancing back with her featureless mask.


    ¡°Too bad we can never make up now, huh?¡±


    And as Scarlett turned away, walking to her superiors, Jackie just simply ran. Ran away down the street, without a second thought.


    ¡°Goddamn it¡ª¡± Tracy shouted.


    ¡°Nah,¡± Maddie got up, stood up with hands in her pockets, looking at the rest. ¡°I got this.¡±


    ¡°Listen Maddie, you making fun of her being a cynical asshole isn¡¯t going to help!¡± Tracy shouted. ¡°She¡¯s lost everything! Everything she¡¯s cared about! Sarcasm and being nihilist with puns isn¡¯t solving her hurt!¡±


    ¡°¡­Nihilist, huh?¡± Maddie remarked. ¡°If anything, cutting out the things that don¡¯t matter only helped me.¡±


    She walked away, walking down the path Jackie took.


    She prepared her speech, her grand justification, trying to add ethos to her weary journey down memory land.


    She prepared to tell Jackie that her parents were terrible, incompetent, not in her life anymore due to her sister¡¯s death. That she was malnourished for a while. That every single event in her childhood that she could recall always ended in some sob story, some tragedy. Just because her parents were scared of the Shifts and turned to drinks to not be there to experience life¡ªno matter how much they told her that she loved them. Her.


    It ruled them, everything did, and still will rule them if they ever do get clean. Maddie knows she¡¯s wounded, she saw it when she got trapped in the Mindscape. But if you don¡¯t do shit about the wounds, they¡¯ll only get infected by something far worse. So you remove, you dig, pour acid or cut whole arms off if you need to. Maddie was prepared to make Jackie see that you can only be hard, against a world that only serves to knock you down into paste.


    But when she found Jackie¡­


    She was sparing at an uprooted and twisted hill. It was embedded with what would¡¯ve made up a house¡ªdoor, walls, windows¡ªscattered away and broken beyond repair. Hell, even a tree¡ªturned brittle and gray, wrapped around the hill, almost looking like a bony hand petting the abomination. It was so bad, the ground before Jackie was a chasm, so deep it was black.


    Jackie stood there, because she couldn¡¯t get any further.


    Maddie glanced her fist, as it was balled tight.


    She nodded to herself, leaving her to grieve on her own.


    ***


    ¡°You guys promise that you¡¯re sending us back to Davenport?¡± Maddie stood, clean and only slightly fucked up again, in the teleporter with the rest of the girls. They told them that this is a special model, allowing for mass transports.


    They all nodded, all in formation.


    ¡°¡­Ya¡¯ll better be lucky that I can¡¯t tell¡ªthe armor¡¯s cool and all but¡ª¡± Maddie.


    And with that, the rings descended, scanning them up and down, before disappearing into a beam of light again.


    But before it took hold¡­ Maybe the others heard it too, but Maddie heard the Enforcers¡¯ radio talk.


    ¡°We¡¯re done with our detour, we¡¯ll be on bound to assist you, Ms. Masters.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your services, Officer. Maybe we¡¯ll solve this whole mess yet¡­¡±

 (Episode VIII) (To) Waste Away

    Aiko tried in vain to keep ignoring the thoughts, siVis or otherwise. The fact that they¡¯re blurring together just made things harder.


    She pleaded with herself, just a little more strength to push it all back. She gets that she¡¯s landed on another street again, that her legs were sore, arms shot, back creaking¡ªshe can even deal with the kinda awesome feeling of something nestled in her left side. Maybe a ribbed popped or something, it¡¯s interesting¡­


    She thought she could work with this, these new senses¡­ But they only amplified the one thing she feared.


    Not feared! She was done with all that! Just¡­ Amplifying the thing that one thing she¡¯s done such a good job in ignoring.


    Thankfully, she was allowed to stop thinking once she realized a shadow loomed over her.


    Aiko looked up, and saw Jackie Jackson, with outstretched hand. Aiko looked past the hand, and could only look at her face.


    It was almost as if she aged 5 years all at once. A face that can only frown, a face that didn¡¯t bother to cover up it¡¯s imperfections, and the stress has taken the toll in the form of deep marks along her eyes, her face resting into a defeated sag.


    But her eyes, darkened, was the notable thing. As if they¡¯ve casted a shadow, to showcase how deep the lines under them ran now.


    Aiko grabbed her hand never the less, forcing herself to rise up while wincing and grunting.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re definitely back in the city, that much I can say¡­¡±


    Maddie Solomon glanced about, with hands on her hips. She was the odd sort, like Asumu. People that stay in their bubble of negativity and yet, want to drag others into it while hating them and people in general. Aiko often ignored her slights, of course.


    ¡°But¡­ If my architecture¡¯s right¡­ Yep. We¡¯re totally flung back further than where we are. We¡¯re still here in industrial hell, girls.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Tracy Goodwin let her arms flop to her sides. And not a second or two later, waved them about in what Aiko can guess was a mix of frustration and worry, but ended up just looking silly.


    Tracy was very mercurial. She seemed meek, but goes red hot when things seem dire¡­ And yet is incredibly frightened when those same odds surface themselves again. Maybe it¡¯s because she was an actress? Aiko remember just nodding and listening when they recognized her, and took their word. It was nice to get that practiced, down pact, due to the rambling of her brothers ¡°debating¡± if Kabuto could truly beat Decade.


    River Brooke was going to say something as she got back up, but only yelled out in pain, crumpling back down. Aiko rushed over, kneeling down while keeping space.


    ¡°Are you okay, River?!¡± Tracy shouted.


    ¡°Nope, and my body¡¯s telling how and why exactly that is?¡± River strained to talk back. ¡°And I can¡¯t do a damn thing about it? This isn¡¯t everyday suffering¡ªthis is: advanced suffering.¡±


    ¡°I can help you up¡­¡± Aiko said.


    ¡°Nah. I¡¯ll flatten you,¡± as she struggled to stand back up again.


    Aiko think okkasan would be the angriest at River. Very and clearly smart, from what Aiko paid attention to¡ªa very stable profession. Those traits alone would make her give an earful to her, someone that has some good stuff already and can get better.


    Aiko scoffed to herself, smushing her cheeks with her hands. She hates being this aware of people, being this aware in general¡­


    ¡°So that¡¯s it?¡± River finally getting her question out. ¡°We¡¯re in another desert, basically?¡±


    ¡°And the thing is?¡± Maddie responded. ¡°I¡¯ve only been around these parts once¡­ I remember these buildings being like, offices or something. Now they¡¯re vacant.¡±


    And she was right, as Aiko looked around. Dull buildings, in the color of their brick and the dust caking the windows¡ªif not plastered with thin, brown construction paper. Aiko then looked down the street, and only plots of reserved land of concrete were stretched before her. Unused.


    ¡°And we have to fucking walk to find a place to sleeeeeeep,¡± Tracy whined out. ¡°fuck iiiit--¡±


    Jackie dropped her backpack, maybe to make a point for everyone to look to her.


    ¡°We might as well stay here, eat what isn¡¯t ruined in these bags, and make for the journey that way. We basically need everything we have left in us to at least walk.¡±


    ¡°Fuck, yeah¡ª¡± Maddie put her hand on her forehead. ¡°We¡¯ve been fucking thrown around for like, a day, everything in here¡¯s mush already, isn¡¯t it--?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s one way to find out,¡± Jackie eased herself down, wincing as she sat cross-legged, bag in her lap, beginning to open it.


    Naturally, everyone took her lead, sitting down with some struggle. Aiko took off her backpack, looking at the featureless black bag with ¡°EXTANT¡± on it. She really did miss her travelling pack.


    It was a strange to see this aesthetic, seeing it up close versus seeing the creeping influence in her country. The monolithic look, seeing buildings stripped down to the barest essence, no detail or quirk. Just as overwhelming as the Shift Noumena, because it signals people that they have to abandon any and all excess¡ªeven the things that makes one special, in the face of surreality. We cannot afford to live, just survive.


    Aiko involuntarily shivered, opening her pack to distract herself, peering into what mess awaited her¡­


    It¡­ Could¡¯ve been worse.


    Many of the food stock were busted over, squashed, and covered in stray pieces of whatever the respective container was. Still, it¡¯s better than the usual Aiko feeds herself¡ªleftovers and bits of candy here or there. And it¡¯s definitely better than the nothing she forgot to pack¡ª


    She pulled out the punctured sandwich, the exposed area turned into near-mush. Aiko took a bite, munching away as she tilted her head, slowly swallowing it. Again, not the worse, but not the greatest either.


    Aiko turned her head, just in time to hear Tracy shout out in fear again. Well, anguish this time.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Jackie questioned. Which didn¡¯t have the usual patience she had.


    ¡°Oh god¡­ I just thought¡­ I-I thought that the jars were reenforced!¡± Tracy scrambled to say what she said. ¡°I¡ªI¡ªI¡ªI just took one minijar of salsa hoping for the best and--!¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°Yo, you brought along fucking salsa?¡± Maddie questioned her. ¡°That shit stains! That shit STINGS!¡±


    ¡°I JUST WANTED TO TREAT MYSELF¡ªMAYBE EVEN YOU GUYS!¡± Tracy screamed. ¡°ANOTHER NIGHT LIKE BEFORE, WE ACTUALLY CELEBERATE, AND---¡±


    ¡°And now you have a backpack that¡¯s literally ruined by salsa,¡± Maddie finished for her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even what to hear anything about your usual edgy bullshit right now¡ª¡± Tracy glared at her.


    Maddie scoffed, putting a hand on her cheek, ¡°Woahahahaho, little Tracy¡¯s TV-14 nowadays huh? I was just gonna make fun over the fact that you¡¯re gonna down spicy-sweet cakes or chips or something: I wasn¡¯t even going to make sure that I told you so. But sure, you did a dumb¡ª¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re both done,¡± Jackie intervened, glancing at both with an icy cold stare. ¡°I suggest both of you to stuff your faces, because both of you are dead weight. And I could leave both of you to have your meaningless playground fight.¡±


    Maddie shrugged, ¡°Yessir. I¡¯ll listen for once, just because you¡¯re in a mood.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m in this mood with nothing left to lose,¡± Jackie bore into the small girl with her stare, furrowing brow. ¡°Don¡¯t be next on the block.¡±


    Aiko just disengaged with that whole conflict, cursing herself for listening in. It¡¯s why Aiko doesn¡¯t listen in regarding anything, why she purposely elevates her head in the clouds.


    Too many personalities. Too many feelings clashing. Too much history to keep track of and note. Nothing but hurt that blurs the lines of right and wrong completely. Way too much for Aiko.


    She needed to keep things simple, keep making things simple. For her sake.


    She tuned back in while eating the sandwich and keeping it down. She saw that Tracy wasn¡¯t doing so.


    She was covering her mouth, stomping to herself as she rocked in her seat on the sidewalk. After she was done with that, she crept her hand back into her pack, pulling out the crumbling chips already splattered by the salsa. She practically forced the hand full into her trembling mouth, repeating her previous reaction with tears welling in her eyes. Was it all too strong as well?


    River was zippering her backpack up already, chewing on some sweets that came in a now empty bag as she balled it up. It might have just been a snack size version of a candy brand that offered much bigger sizes, and it seemed that she only took the one. Does she not eat much at all?


    Aiko shook her head, and started to really eat at the sandwich, taking away more and more of her focus from all that. Before she knew it, everyone was done, and struggled to get up again.


    They headed out to somewhere, and the sun setting coated everywhere. It occurred to Aiko, that they all might¡¯ve passed out for a whole night or so, when they travelled back. It also occurred to Aiko, that she was losing the grip of time itself, the more they keep travelling.


    Aiko suspected that no one wanted to ask where Jackie was leading them, as she took point with a reoccurring limp that popped up every odd step. It was clear that the outburst from earlier wasn¡¯t just a one-off. It was very clear that Jackie Jackson reached her limit.


    ¡°Huh,¡± Maddie voiced as she looked up, towards a billboard. ¡°One, fucking surprised that a billboard still exists around here. And two, we¡¯re actually a ways away from the ¡®Dreamlot¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Translation?¡± Jackie was only looking and walking forward.


    Maddie did a pause, trying to tame a possible comeback, ¡°There was this failed¡ªwell, not even failed. It came out literally at the worse time¡­ But basically? It was the only good idea Davenport had.¡±


    It was like she was waiting for a response, a back and forth. Jackie offered her nothing.


    ¡°¡­It was a neighborhood district that was like, self-sustaining,¡± Maddie finished. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to pay for water or gas or electricity¡ªyou and the house created it yourselves. He¡¯s super big on ushering in some breakthrough in society, that new era shit. That was one of them.¡±


    ¡°And he didn¡¯t outfit any of that shit to the current housing because¡­?¡± Jackie answered.


    ¡°Well, it was like that self generator thing. One fucking bad move and bang. Out of water, out of gas, out of electricity and out of luck. And considering how bad the Shifts are getting¡ªsure having that shelter would be tight. But it¡¯s a needle thread.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s still a good chance of having a stable place to actually sleep in¡­¡± Tracy brought up. ¡°Surely, that¡¯s our next stop?¡±


    ¡°Hell naw,¡± Maddie spat back. ¡°The Terri¡¯s live around there¡­¡±


    ¡°S-seriously--?¡± Tracy asked.


    ¡°How the fuck do you have a show that was literally about the fucking Shift and not know about the main Trend people that live here?!¡± Maddie said in shock. ¡°Nathan roams around here for some fucking reason, N¡¯atural was only like, 2 years ago¡ªBut the Terri¡¯s?! They¡¯re the Terri¡¯s!¡±


    She was only met with silence again.


    ¡°Anyways,¡± Maddie sighed again. ¡°Yeah. But I guess that¡¯s our level of luck anyways, so maybe Terri¡ªterri¡ªTracy¡¯s right.¡± She pointed to herself, using her thumb with balled fist, ¡°Ol¡¯ Rafiki can show you the way~¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Jackie kept marching.


    There was a pregnant pause, as everyone but her looked at each other.


    ¡°Is that,¡± River pursed the words together. ¡°Wise?¡±


    ¡°Oh sure. Let¡¯s work off wisdom now. It¡¯s not like we needed it before. Oh wait. Nothing makes sense anymore, so wisdom¡¯s been rendered useless.¡±


    ¡°But we need a break--!¡± Tracy protested.


    ¡°All we can actually do, is to keep moving. It¡¯s clear that everywhere we go, we¡¯re outmatched. What point is there to find somewhere to rest if we can¡¯t fucking manage to board transportation?¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Tracy could only creak out.


    ¡°No buts. We¡¯ve fucked up. We¡¯ve been nothing but fucking up this whole time. And I guess we have to pay for it.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve just about had it with you acting like a vindictive little brat,¡± Maddie spat at her, stopping in her tracks. ¡°And here I thought that, y¡¯know, maybe you¡¯re mature enough to get a grip of yourself back there?¡±


    Jackie practically swung back towards her, practically growling, ¡°There is no ¡®getting a grip¡¯ about this, can¡¯t you get that through your skull¡ªidiot?! How can I fucking get a grip over something I have no fucking grid for; that HUMANITY has no fucking grid for?! And that¡¯s fucking rich, coming from you. You¡¯re nothing but a miserable knat that things she¡¯s some black widow! You fly around, you bite and bite, thinking you¡¯re poisoning people! YOU¡¯RE ANNOYING THEM!¡±


    Maddie tilted her head, ¡°Duh. I¡¯m a piece of shit, but hey: I¡¯m actually constructive with it. I actually can process my fucking emotions like an adult and I¡¯m stronger fucking for it. Everyone knows we¡¯re fucked, just a matter of when it¡¯s coming and how much time they have. So uh, stop with the projecting and whining that everyone¡¯s just as ¡®tortured¡¯ as you.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re a cynic that pats herself on the back,¡± Jackie sniped. ¡°I bow to you, you already had enlightenment before all this, oh great one. Own me, own me more with your gospel of snark.¡±


    ¡°Such flowery language for a kid that can¡¯t move on,¡± Maddie sniped. ¡°Face it. Your life peaked at high school, with or without the Shifts. And no one should fucking care.¡±


    The pieces that made up Jackie¡¯s arm flared open, and then tensed shut as she tightened her fist.


    Maddie laughed. ¡°God, that was literally a guess. You¡¯re so fucking predictable.¡±


    ¡°WHY IS BEING OVERWHELMED BY THE WORLD TURNING SHIT ¡®PREDICTABLE¡¯?! WHY IS HAVING SOME SEMBLANCE OF EMOTION IN THIS FUCKED WORLD ¡®PREDICTABLE¡¯?! WHY IS BEING SCARED TO DIE BEING ¡®PREDICTABLE¡¯?!¡±


    Aiko nervously looked to the two, one after another. She had to break her rule¡ªat least this once¡ªotherwise this could turn messy.


    She looked to Tracy, who looked to be on the verge of a breakdown herself¡ªthen to River who was turned away crossing her arms.


    Aiko really was the only one that could stop this, as her eyes wondered about in panic.


    Until something caught her eye, and made her blood run cold.


    ¡°Guys!¡± Aiko shouted out and pointed to what she saw.


    Everyone turned towards it, and Aiko felt the chill they created just fine.


    What stood before them was a billboard.


    LIFE¡¯S A CHANGING, AND THAT¡¯S OKAY


    The same billboard. ¡°Rosebad¡±, was it?


    ¡°¡­ We¡¯re living in a tragicomedy that¡¯s shit,¡± River said, defeated.


    ¡°And if we¡¯re on that same street from before¡­¡± Jackie turned around, pointing back, and let her arm drop due to what she saw.


    It was the warehouse, where they hid in during¡­ That mess. Abandoned, turning pale, with a large entrance where a garage door or shutter would¡¯ve been. Was there?


    ¡°Man,¡± Maddie had her hands on her hips. ¡°We had the street flipping up, now this¡ªmaybe Jackson should get hit by something so we can keep the trends going?¡±


    Tracy simply looked towards Maddie, uttering this one line.


    ¡°Shut up, Maddie.¡±


    She just saluted, mockingly.


    ¡°If anyone¡¯s tired, then fine, go rest up in there. Me?¡± Jackie still raw in her tone. ¡°I¡¯m gone. The best I can do is walk you people to it. After that, I¡¯m going to keep moving. You don¡¯t ever have to worry about my whining ever again.¡±


    ¡°Nononono, please¡ª¡± Tracy tried to grab her hand, only for Jackie to cross her arms. ¡°Just¡ªmaybe more¡­ We-we¡¯ll catch up?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jackie began to walk again, towards the warehouse.


    They backtracked to the warehouse, back to familiar ground¡­


    Only for the most surreal thing they¡¯ve encountered so far, was just standing there.


    It was twitching, wrapped up withing black, trembling cords that moved like snakes¡ªcoming out of it¡¯s damaged yet working orifices.


    And the strange thing was? It¡­ He was on the billboard.


    ¡°WHY THE ABSOLUTE FUCK IS THE DAVENOID HERE?!¡± Maddie screamed in shock. And mostly horror.

 (Episode VIII)(.3)

    Aiko couldn¡¯t help to stare¡­ At something that¡¯s both so uncanny yet utterly stupid at the same time.


    From what she remembered of the billboard, the ¡°Davenoid¡¯s¡± lightbulb of a head was cracked open, with its new innards spilled out of the shattered ¡°exit wound¡±, even disheveling its comb-over hairstyle. Its face, where the screw was, still maintained its smile¡­ The thing is, the jaw was unhinged, so the wires were holding it unto its head.  Its eyes, a worn down saffron mirroring pressure gauges, had its needles snapped and constantly bulged forward due to the wires surging.


    He used to have limbs¡ªthat were simple, stereotypical robot arms, and a 50¡¯s schoolboy¡¯s uniform¡­ But they were replaced. Coursing, writhing, pulsing wires that came together and spilled over every inch and corner of the warehouse. Like a moldy, tendril of worms.


    ¡°What is it¡ªwhat do we do¡ªis this a Shift thing--?!¡± Jackie tried to ask all at once.


    ¡°Well¡ªkinda,¡± Maddie answered. ¡°It was just some stupid ass mascot that we had, it was ditched when the Shift stuff came¡ªbut now there¡¯s weird shit around him!¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it have motion sensors for eyes?!¡± Tracy bellowed in fear.


    ¡°The eyes seem to be broken along with the rest of it¡­¡± Aiko spoke up.


    ¡°Oh! Right!¡± Tracy now exclaiming in hope, tainted with still fear. ¡°M-maybe we can walk away from this¡ªavoid a problem this time!¡±


    ¡°Sa-sal-SALUTATIONS THERE¡ªLADIES AND¡ªL-LADIES!¡±


    ¡°why do i speak so fucking soooon?¡± Tracy whimpered.


    The voice was scratchy, with the added effect of whatever voice device it has being out of tune, on its last leg. It mirrored a toy that played it¡¯s catchphrase way too much, now droning and deep.


    ¡°W-we-wel¡ªWelcome!¡± the Davenoid turned its head and gestured its swarming ¡°hand¡± at them. ¡°It¡¯s always g-go-good to meet new people! Unfrou¡ªUnfortunately, I¡¯m not m-my-myself at the moment!¡±


    It formed a finger, wagging it on first inspection. But it was more that it was twitching so badly, just raising a finger seemed hard.


    ¡°¡­No shit,¡± River made her voice low, with a German-ish accent. Must be one of those western references Aiko doesn¡¯t get, but the others don¡¯t really react as much either¡­


    ¡°W-wh-whoa! Aren¡¯t you a potty mouth!¡± It started to twitch again, before letting its head and arm dangle. ¡°But for your and everyone else present information; I-I-I am currently fashioning a self-repair in the efforts to s-sh-show that The Island of Davenport is a land of innovation, one step closer to scaling the Depravity Paramount and achieving Technological Absolution!¡±


    ¡°Yeah girls, he even programmed his mascot to slurp up his own dick¡ª¡± Maddie quipped. ¡°Marvel the innovation!¡±


    ¡°I will not be pr-p-providing any of my Davenoid Wisdom ? or Davenoid Critical Thinking and Problem Solving ? until I am c-complete. T-th-then, it¡¯s off to the repair shop for me!¡±


    ¡°¡­What do you mean by ¡®complete¡¯, Davenoid?¡± River asked, tense.


    ¡°I will not be pr-p-providing any of my Davenoid Wisdom ? or Davenoid Critical Thinking and Problem Solving ? until I am c-complete.¡±


    ¡°We got that, what do you mean by it?¡± Jackie joined in, clearly on edge if River is.


    ¡°Until I am c-complete.¡±


    ¡°What is ¡®complete¡¯?!¡±


    The worse part in all of this was the lack of expression, or the lack of change in it. They were pleading with something that essentially mocked them. The only thing behind the metal face, the smiling robot with the underbite, were the wires that slid out of its dead eye.


    And without warning, the tendrils that were already in the ground sped up, boring further as the endless stream of black and silver turned into a blurring mess with dust and clots danced in air.


    ¡°Fuck¡ªWait-!¡± Maddie exclaimed. ¡°Doesn¡¯t Shifts affect technology real bad--?!¡±


    The Davenoid¡¯s body¡ªor the shell¡ªpeaked backwards, as if it was pulling up the wires that burst from the ground. Within the tendril¡¯s collective maws, all manner of technology¡ªfrom phones, TV, ATMs, and even other electoral wire, and the tendrils grew thicker and bigger as a result.


    ¡°I was hoping that it was a harmless example of it, but yeah--!¡± River shouted. ¡°Whatever it¡¯s doing¡ªit¡¯s trying to find something to merge with!¡±


    Now it jerked to it¡¯s left, forming a web that was in constant motion. The tendrils linked up in ways that shouldn¡¯t be possible, bonded together like tangled wires yet formed these hexagonal shapes that were tied into by points¡ªrepeating over and over again. Anything close to these webs were steadily shredded, as it crushing the random rock and debris despite being above the ground it¡¯s drilled.


    ¡°WE¡¯RE IN DAVENPORT--HE COULD BECOME THE ISLAND--!¡± Maddie screamed.


    ¡°Wha¡ªWHAT?!¡± Tracy shrieked. ¡°OOOOOOOH SHIAA--!¡± She pointed and shook just as much as the Davenoid.


    They all looked up, towards one of it¡¯s webs, as a TV set flicked and showed them the true extent of this horror.


    Through the grainy image, they saw the monolithic buildings shake and rock, just like the Davenoid.


    Even to Aiko, she knew what this meant. She cursed herself for knowing what this could mean and her mouth moved for her.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Starting to move the buildings already¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to use Shiftication to move the buildings and try to drag them here¡­¡± Jackie reasoned further. ¡°The damage of that¡­¡±


    The Davenoid lurched forward, ¡°As soon as my body is able¡ªc-complete¡ªI will assist you all!¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Tracy shook her head, started to blink the tears forming in her eyes, ¡°There¡¯s no way to stop this; we have to run, hide!¡± She bit the bottom of her lip, practically shoved it between her teeth, as her face continued to morph into despair.


    ¡°That thing¡¯s been digging for shit for days or something¡ªwe¡¯re fucked,¡± Maddie shook her head and only can shake her head. ¡°We gotta find somebody or fucking hope that Extant noticing this shit¡­ We¡­¡± She choked a bit, stopped her head, and hit her own neck. ¡°We might¡­ Why the fuck can¡¯t I say it?!¡±


    ¡°Evac,¡± River finished for her. ¡°It¡¯s done. If the Wall didn¡¯t do it, Davenport¡¯s firmly in Terminsys City level.¡±


    Jackie turned to River. If that didn¡¯t just hit her, it hit everyone present.


    Even something as monolithic, insane, and gaudy as the Island of Davenport¡­ Can become a Terminsys City. And if it indeed does, then the rest of the world that was watching, watching the model of the possible future fall¡­


    Aiko clutched at her head, wanting to stop figuring things out, to stop thinking¡ªJust act and ignore that forces her to remember.


    But she never could. She never could get away from it.


    It¡¯s why she wanted this lifestyle¡ªthis lifestyle of simplicity in this ever-complex world, with these complex problems and these complex people that only make things worse.


    Maybe one can¡¯t turn off their awareness, of just how fragile mortality is.


    But Jackie stepped forward, and she didn¡¯t want to.


    ¡°You¡¯re not fucking serious, Jackson?!¡± Maddie roared, in the most anger Aiko¡¯s seen out of her. ¡°If you do this, we¡¯re not gonna--!¡±


    ¡°Maddie,¡± Jackie croaked out. On the verge of tears. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can get enough people to evacuate¡­ We won¡¯t have anywhere else to go but get crushed--!¡±


    ¡°Then fuck those people!¡± Maddie screamed. ¡°I told you this, and I ain¡¯t telling you anymore¡ªI¡¯m bouncing!¡±


    ¡°I want you to.¡±


    This stunned Maddie, as she looked at Jackie up and down. Aiko could only gawk, not paying attention to the other two.


    ¡°I¡¯m using my ability, full throttle. May¡­ Maybe I can uproot it. Either way, you guys need to get out of here¡ªfind help if you can¡­¡±


    Maddie, the one that had words for everything, tried to gather them. ¡°You mean to tell me you¡¯re telling us your suicide note and you think we¡¯re living with that-?¡±


    The tears began to fall down Jackie¡¯s face, as she tried to gather the valor she thought she was displaying. ¡°It¡¯s not suicide¡­ If¡­ It¡¯s not suicide, when you¡¯re sacrificing for others¡­¡±


    The rest struggled to talk, to breathe after that statement, or even back away or run.


    ¡°So go!¡± Jackie¡¯s eyes closed, caving in and starting to openly weep. ¡°G-go sou I can dou phis! This is the only thing I can do!¡±


    Tracy was the first to step back completely. Maddie followed in step, mumbling to herself. River was the third, probably needing to see the others go before she could.


    Aiko was frozen in conflict, crushed by her inability.


    But once again, her body moved despite not wanting to. And she can¡¯t blame her siVis for this. She joined the others, and like that, they ran.


    They saw Jackie still standing there, raising her fist with the blue glow from before.


    siVis--!


    Aiko stopped, knowing the rest can hear the uncanny voice once again.


    ABILITY!


    It was Jackie¡¯s turn to kick up dust, debris and destruction.


    All the girls saw, as they turned behind, was a cloud of brewing brown that escaped from the warehouse¡¯s entrance. They could hear the crackling of concrete from there, and feel the reverb of whatever happened under their feet.


    She was able to do that, all of that, without being scared. By knowing this might be the end for her.


    Aiko made her decision she should have made.


    Marching forward, trying to fight back her tears and the swelling within her chest. But last but not least, River¡¯s outstretched arm clasping on her shoulder.


    ¡°WE ARE NOT DEALING WITH YOU PLAYING HERE TOO!¡± she can only hear Maddie from behind. And she chose to only listen to her as she tried to move forward.


    ¡°It¡¯s not heroics!¡± Aiko screamed back.


    ¡°Fine, then your craziness¡ªyou¡¯re either leaving with us or we¡¯re gone!¡±


    Aiko huffed, spun around, and she acted without thinking¡ªbefore she can tell her body to do something. Such a stark difference.


    ¡°THE LEAST I CAN DO IS CARRY HER BODY! I REFUSE TO LEAVE; I REFUSE TO BE A COWARD AGAIN!¡±


    And that was it. That was enough for her to be pulled under her thoughts again.


    She found herself contorted, within a prison of her own making. Arms wrapped around, locked tight against her body, too afraid to even breathe improperly.


    The extra added arms, were from her parents. Oh, her parents. They meant well, on some level Aiko knew that. But the arms fastened, keeping her head still, her eyes opened with their fingers.


    The Shifts, the potential for anything and everything to turn against and destroy. Fear of the unknown? More like fear of everything.


    She could only waddle using her own strength, but she couldn¡¯t get far. Not due to the limited movement no, but because every direct, every movement, could¡¯ve spelt doom. She could see it. She had no choice but to.


    It didn¡¯t matter anyways. She got into the car wreck anyways.


    And that was the funny thing. She, her family, was relatively fine¡ªif not suffered from lacerations and whiplash.


    But after all that¡ªthe worrying and the protection, the fear of all things. It was the mundane that nearly got her.


    Never again.


    She ran, towards the smoke¡ªtowards danger.


    Aiko covered her mouth, to minimize the coughing. Waving her arm, trying to clear the dust before her. Then she realized.


    She scanned around herself, using her enhanced sight. While it wasn¡¯t the vision she was hoping for, as the smoke hasn¡¯t cleared magically, but everything was sharper¡ªsharp enough to make out shapes and follow them.


    But it was enough, she saw the shape of the warehouse¡¯s arch, and ran towards it. She withheld shouting for Jackie, as there could be a chance that thing is still there.


    Luckily, the smoke started to dissipate as she got within the warehouse. She looked around¡ªfor something, anything¡ªhuman.


    Turning around, searching the floor¡ªAiko found her.


    Jackie¡¯s body was to the right side, crumpled over. When Aiko rushed over and checked on her, flipping her over to search for any signs of life¡ªshe was somewhat relived. Her eyes had the gazed over look, the same one when she used her ability from before. That meant, for the most part, she was okay and not dead.


    Aiko turned her head, to see if it was all for naught or not.


    Her eyes widened.


    The Davenoid¡ªwhile not completely¡ªwas punched back off it¡¯s roots. The tendrils withered about, trying to find the Davenoid¡¯s body, while the web grinded to a stop.


    She did it. She actually did it.


    Aiko grinned and lifted the heavy woman onto her feet, hooking her arm around Aiko¡¯s neck. She craned her head and screamed as loud as she could.


    ¡°SHE DID IT! SHE DID IT! NOW C¡¯MERE AND LET¡¯S GO!¡±


    She coughed, struggling to get to the entrance while still shouting, ¡°THE DOLL THING GOT KNOCKED BACK FROM THE OTHER WIRES¡ªNOW HELP ME CARRY HER AWAY!¡±


    Aiko wondered. Just River? River and maybe Tracy, in a bout of desperate kindness? She at least hopes that her expectations weren¡¯t misplaced. She looked to her right, in the wavering smoke.


    To find that there were three shadows, all of them rushing back for them. Aiko couldn¡¯t help but to smile.


    Aiko pointed, ¡°See, see, see!¡±


    They all glanced inside, Maddie lingered on it a lot longer before turning to Aiko, ¡°Good¡ªgreat, now hand me a leg before it--!¡±


    Too late.


    The wire tendrils began to merge from the street itself, rising and forming into eight, large hook-like pillars.


    Maddie fell on her bottom, trying to back away, ¡°There¡¯s nowhere to run¡ªthere really is nowhere to run¡ª¡±


    ¡°N-NOOOOW,¡± the voice box of the Davenoid now being this distorted, audible tearing. ¡°VANDEL-VANDELISM IS IN THE NAME, DOOOOOOONE BY vandELS. WE DO NOT TO-L-TOLERATE PEOPLE FR-FROM THE ST-ST¡ªDARK AGES!¡±


    While not rerooted, the Davenoid was picked up by it¡¯s web, only just suspended within the opening, the wires hanging yet coursing into the puppet.


    Because that¡¯s all that it was, as Aiko realized and stared in horror¡ªit was just a puppet to the now pissed off web.


    The ¡°voice¡± or whatever the caricature has left to produce sound, continued until it couldn¡¯t anymore, ¡°NOOOOW LEEEET MIIIII-FI-FIX--c-complete¡ªSELF SO IIII CAN REPOOOORT UUuuu teooo¡­¡±


    Each of the hook-pillars twitched, stiffened, and then launched themselves towards the girls.


    ¡°SCATTER FOR GOD¡¯S SAKE, SCATTER--!¡± Tracy screamed to everyone as she jumped out of the way.

 (Episode VIII)(.5)

    Almost at the nick of time, they all managed to dodge the strikes, reburying themselves into the asphalt so hard, each created a mole hill.


    The small victory couldn¡¯t be celebrated, because instantly each girls¡¯ respective pair of legs locked up with siVis. Aiko peered down at her legs, and can see them enhanced with siVis. Or rather, the siVis forcefully activated because, for the life of herself, she doesn¡¯t want to turn it off¡ªwhile her body is arguing she needs to let go to rest. For every tense pulsating her puzzle-piece-defined legs did, it was a highlight of their struggle.


    She trembled to stand, especially since Jackie was now on her back, Aiko¡¯s arms clutching at her legs. She didn¡¯t even know she did this in the precious seconds they had.


    ¡°We can¡¯T¡ªAAH¡ªWe can¡¯t even run¡­!¡± Maddie wrestled with herself, grunted and grabbing her calf as she rolled up from the ground. ¡°If we do¡ªthere could be more fucking wires under here! If there aren¡¯t, it¡¯s going to uproot and follow us into the city!¡±


    But there wasn¡¯t time to think, the hooks unearthed themselves, rose, twitched and then struck again.


    There was a collective groan of agony, as the girls flung themselves away from them again. They found themselves squirming on the street, legs curling up in pain. Of course, Aiko could only lay on her belly, with Jackie still on her back as she writhed around.


    And there wasn¡¯t time for that, either. They grew smart.


    The hooks scraped at the ground, as they trailed the girls.


    Tracy screamed, pleading incoherently at her legs to work and they just couldn¡¯t respond anymore. Maddie punched at hers, as if to spur them to move in the face of immediate pain.


    But it looked like River was having the worse of it. Aiko remembered, not only did she do the legwork during Jackie¡¯s town¡ªbut she along with Jackie used everything in their legs to escape the Nulgarrt. She made painful noises from her clenched close jaw, veins that were also siVis enhanced were starting to form on her neck, and she just hugged her leg.


    Until she stopped hugging and dug her fingers within her leg, trembling as she does.


    Aiko got it. While she has to suffer a bit more, she got how the rest could get away.


    Despite the pain, Aiko forced her legs to kick away, letting go of Jackie¡¯s legs to use her hands to skitter away, to dodge the trailing hook that was again, seconds from snatching her and the others away.


    She kicked and kicked, even skidding a bit against the street because of how sloppy she was being, but it didn¡¯t matter. She needed to survive. She needed Jackie to survive. Her eyes were squeezed shut, sweat coating every inch of her, at the point it felt like the very act was starting to hurt as well.


    She forced her eyes to open, trying to gauge if the ground she covered. It wasn¡¯t enough.


    But the hooks paused, twitching. They stopped just a ways away from where she and the other were.


    ¡°Good thinking, River!¡± Tracy tried to sound congratulatory but was so strained. Aiko trailed down to the girl¡¯s leg, and she too had her fingers within them. Her whole leg was activated, like the Hospital.


    Maddie shouted out in both pain and strain, shaking trying to lift herself up, ¡°Get up, get up!¡±


    Aiko agreed, ¡°Yeah, we gotta get up before¡ªah!¡±


    The girls struggled to their feet, and had even harder trouble standing.


    ¡°We¡¯re¡­ We¡¯re going to rush back, rush them---¡± River strained. ¡°Wait until Jackie wakes up and she¡¯ll try again¡­¡±


    ¡°But the thing isn¡¯t the doll!¡± Aiko shouted out. ¡°The mascot¡ªIt isn¡¯t the mascot!¡±


    ¡°I figured¡­ But¡­ It¡¯s messy¡­ It¡¯s still the Davenoid, despite¡­ Despite not being the body¡­ Like they¡¯re merged¡­¡±


    The pillars started to twitch harshly.


    ¡°SO WHAT ARE WE DOING?!¡± Maddie urged.


    ¡°We still destroy the body¡ª¡± River reasoned. ¡°The wires¡¯ll still be there, but at least they¡¯re going to be lost without any direction!¡±


    River reached into her legs again and twisted something, causing her to scream as her legs shifted into activation once more. Maddie did the same in a second, while Tracy bit down on her lip and psyched herself up into following the lead.


    Aiko still has to suffer. The pain panged, starting from her aching legs that echoed throughout her body. She felt woosie, as if she already broke a personal limit and the body is confused¡ªdeciding if enough is enough. And worse of all, the fear was trying to take hold again. Grasping to clutch her very heart.


    She started the rush, running at top speeds in a burst, sidelining the pillars before they could¡¯ve made their move.


    After making it to the warehouse¡¯s entrance again, Aiko fell on her knees hard. She fought back, against the surge of pure agony that tore itself through an already worn body, using siVis on her spine to stay erect. She couldn¡¯t let Jackie fall.


    She looked over, to see how the others were faring.


    The pillars made their move, trying to wind up and swipe at the girls, but Tracy managed to find a spot to squeeze between where they couldn¡¯t get her, while Maddie and River used to confusion to weave past. As they ground away from the pillars, it was clear that their stiff movements before every attack was them deciding the next move. Because after getting away, they froze, twitched in confusion almost. In a situation where time is a blissing, this was a gift.


    They all ran, they used their activated legs to run as fast as they couldn¡¯t have ran¡ªhow fast they never thought they could achieve.


    But it was all still too new.


    River landed a foot wrong. She tumbled forward, glasses fallen off onto the road, and yelled as hard as her voice allowed her to.


    ¡°FUCKING I FUCKING ROLLED MY ANKLE!¡± she practically sobbed out.


    All Aiko heard from Maddie¡¯s mouth was a string of swears, as Tracy looked on¡ªdeer in headlights with her mouth covered.


    And almost akin to laughing at them, the pillars corrected themselves, lancing outwards.


    One of them wrapped around River¡¯s defenseless, now normal leg, and twisted it.


    The only sound was the howl of pain River unleashed.


    Maddie tried to advance, tried to save her, but the other pillars perked, aimed at her, causing her to backtrack and achingly dodge when they came to reap, burying themselves into a hole again.


    The four crashed pillars formed a barbed cage, no way for the others to rush in as River now had no means of escape. From these black bars, they were forced to watch what would happen next.


    The last three pillars coiled together, forming a sharp, pulsing, spike. The hook that twisted River¡¯s ankle stayed firm, to paralyze River from trying anything.


    She could only look up, hyperventilate. Raising her arms, holding them up towards it as if pleading for mercy, no matter how feeble it was. Her very breathe was a visible white steam.


    Without a second of error, or fate, or anything intervening¡ªthe spear skewered River right into her chest.


    ¡­But instead of blood or even siVis sparks¡ªit was just more of that thick steam.


    Even with herself, who covered her eyes in her supposed last moments, moved her fingers to uncover her eyes. She was looking at a hole directly in her chest, and she watched her chest become steam itself.


    siVis Ability: FOUNDED!


    River laughed¡ªin relief? Elation? True insanity, brought upon the fact she¡¯s slowly becoming steam?


    Either way, she became steam itself¡ªflooding and clouding the whole area. The only way Aiko reckons that she could see everyone, if not hazily, was because of her prior trip into the dust cloud Jackie created. The others must¡¯ve done the same as well.


    Tracy garbled some semblance of words out¡ªshe herself probably going through many emotions.


    ¡°Well fuck¡ªway to go, River! ¡­W-wherever you are¡­¡± Maddie cupped her hand in confusion, at the still fog she created. ¡°Is this you¡ªif so, tell me if I¡¯m touching your ass or boob or something¡ªI¡¯ll stop¡ª¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯m over here¡­¡± a voice¡ªRiver¡¯s¡ªbut it was like a whisper. A whisper you would dismiss as you going crazy thinking you heard something.


    They turned on instinct towards the voice, but their eyes caught what she meant. Almost like a cloud forming a shape within itself, River¡¯s body shape was formed out of the smoke. She¡­ Looked at herself? It was odd. Like the 3D creations in movies¡ªyour human perception catches that this is out of place, that it looked weird, because all of the nuanced detail being lost.


    She looked at her hands, yet they weren¡¯t hands¡ªbut puffs of smoke. And she didn¡¯t have eyes. A face. And her moving was just smoke gathering and waiving, versus actual motion.


    ¡°And here¡­ And there¡­ And everywhere¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s incredible¡­!¡± Tracy remarked. ¡°You¡¯re able to escape anything with this ability, River!¡±


    ¡°Too bad it wasn¡¯t some tech-shutdown shit¡­¡± Maddie admitted. ¡°Otherwise, you would¡¯ve been the new Jackson.¡±


    ¡°Still! No way it can track us now!¡±


    ¡°¡­ Do you think I can turn back, guys¡­?¡± River questioned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask us!¡± Maddie exclaimed. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what determines the power or whatever, try¡­ Being you or some shit.¡±


    They stood there for what felt like a minute.


    ¡°¡­ Can I get another direction-?¡± River managed to retain her dry wit.


    Tracy chuckled to herself.


    ¡°Anyways,¡± Maddie cut in. ¡°You¡¯re basically untouchable unless that thing has a fan, so that¡¯s a plus.¡±


    ¡°You can run in and cloak us!¡± Tracy exclaimed in delight. ¡°You do that, the Davenoid can¡¯t hurt you, we hide out in a save place until Jackie awakes, and that¡¯s it! You¡¯re amazing, River darling! I¡¯d kiss you again if you weren¡¯t made of smoke!¡±


    Maddie smirked towards the shape, ¡°How¡¯s that for motivation, huh?¡±


    ¡°Never in my entire life did I ever wanted to be me right now¡­¡± River sounded entranced.


    Maddie was yanked from under them without a second to spare.


    ¡°WHY DO I EVEN OPEN MY MOUTH?!¡± Tracy screamed.


    Aiko and the rest looked towards the entrance, the Davenoid¡¯s suspected body was right there¡­ And it¡¯s eyes were glowing amber.


    ¡°THA-THAD-THAD-THAD-THAD¡ªYUUUUR---AAAAAOO¡­¡±


    Maddie was swearing, trying to kick, as the wires that were dragging her were covering her completely now¡ªso spinally yet created an excellent mesh. So, it couldn¡¯t have been from the pillars, but the Davenoid¡¯s web supply.


    Aiko reasoned that it managed to see them, somehow.


    River in her specter like form floated forward, creating a trail of bellowing steam in her wake. Tracy and Aiko ran after.


    Oddly, the Davenoid didn¡¯t notice, or at the very least didn¡¯t notice River. She glided, towards Maddie, clouding the entire warehouse in seconds.


    But suddenly, she became visible. Just like that, with even her looking over her own hands as she pants.


    ¡°RIVER, HIDE!¡± Tracy screamed. ¡°WE DON¡¯T KNOW HOW IT SAW US!¡±


    River, out of breath, just looked towards Maddie who was starting to become strung up within the webs, ¡°W¡ªWE¡¯LL GET YOU OUT--!¡± She retreated within the fog.


    Aiko looked around the white mist, and said this to Tracy¡ªRiver¡ªanyone, ¡°We have to figure something out¡ªhave River use the ability again so I or Jackie can uproot the Davenoid from behind, something¡ªanything!¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T DO IIIIIIT!¡± the small girl tried to rip out of the terrible construction she¡¯s in the dead center in. She was like the Davenoid, only unwilling, a series of wires starting to dig into her very skin¡ªonly way she could fight off was to use siVis to buck against it. But she was losing.


    ¡°YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT, YOU BOOTLEG MICKEY MOUSE BITCH, I¡¯LL FUCKING TEACH YOU TO FUCK WITH ME--!¡±


    ¡°River!¡± Aiko looked for her, trying to keep moving despite hoisting Jackie up and her legs post the point of giving out, moving towards where she disappeared while being wary of any nearby hazards. ¡°Please! Figure out how your ability works--!¡±


    She hit and nearly tripped on something.


    Someone. River was on her side again, clutching her still-twisted ankle, trying desperately to catch her breath.


    Aiko could only look on, as fear paralyzed her again.


    Her head snapped towards a shriek that belonged to Maddie.


    The wires attempts to bore into her was still futile, but still caused massive bite-sized holes to be created throughout her body. And by Maddie¡¯s expressions, twisting and turning, it was nothing but merciless pain.


    ¡°I¡¯LL KILL YOU¡ªI DON¡¯T KNOW HOW, BUT I¡¯LL FUCKING KILL YOU, DO YOU HEARD MEEE?!¡± Her voice cracked, and she noticed. This made her angrier, practically spewing and spitting venom, ¡°I¡¯M NOT DYING TO THIS¡ªI COULD¡¯VE DIED TO BETTER THINGS THAN THIS, YOU FUCK, YOU FU---¡± Cut off again as she wailed out, a squeal that ended with a unimpressive squeak. ¡°FUCK YOU, FU¡ª¡± She tensed, only able to jibber. She couldn¡¯t stop it, she couldn¡¯t stop this, and it was becoming more and more apparent. ¡°You¡¯re not going to be the one to get me¡ªI fucking survived for this fucking long not to get got by s-some--!¡± Cut off again, and she just roared in agony, pain, and desperation. It trailed off into a broken, hurt whimper that was embarrassingly long.


    She just started crying, weeping her next few words.


    ¡°i didn¡¯t do all of this shit¡ªjust to die like this¡­ please, i cant fucking go like this¡­¡±


    In a last, pitiful bid¡ªMaddie grabbed at the wires that drilled into her hands, tugging at them like a child.


    But a tug was enough. The wires, somehow, turnt of a sickly, moldy green as it lost it¡¯s strength, and Maddie broke free.


    Her eyes, big now and not half closed¡ªglossed with tears just looked at her hand. Barely believing what she¡¯s seeing. And what just happened.


    siVis Ability: FOUNDED!


    ¡°am-am I strong--?¡± Maddie spoke in a whisper, before using her other hand to do the same, again¡ªa sickly green before being able to rip away casually. She ripped away all the wires, falling right into the fog.


    Aiko saw her scramble forward, stopping just short of River. Wordlessly, she tried to help her up.


    Then River¡¯s shoulder started to turn that sickly green.


    ¡°Fuck--!¡± Maddie reeled her hand back, looking at it.


    The girls just watched at what Maddie did. A sickily green, a rubbery texture¡­ Of strings.


    And not just strings, but oddly patterned and layered and laid out with care and purpose. It slowly returned into River¡¯s regular shoulder.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°¡­I turn things into string?¡± Maddie said. ¡°Well shit, that¡¯s disappointing as fuck¡­ Deserving, but still.¡± She looked at her hands again, ¡°Can I never touch anything now?!¡±


    An attack by the Davenoid not only stopped the possible talk, but sent Aiko and Maddie fly backwards¡ªcausing Aiko to lose grip of Jackie as she fell on her back.


    ¡°MAN FUCK YOU--!¡± Maddie¡¯s throat was still raw.


    As soon as the impact hit her back, Aiko knew that she was done.


    This body¡ªthis fearful, cowardly body¡ªwas past it¡¯s due. Even with enlightenment, it only granted the fact that fear always took hold of her¡ªno. It was fear that always played a vital part in her make up.


    She looked to River, barely stabilizing her breathing still, the only thing she can go was tense in pain as she¡¯s reminded of her twisted ankle.


    Where was Tracy in all of this? Hiding again?


    It was only down to Maddie, and it pained Aiko more that she couldn¡¯t help. She was about ready to give into despair.


    Then she heard Jackie gasp back for life, causing Aiko to crane her head towards her. She kept gasping for air, only to cough and scurry about out of instinct.


    ¡°Oh, thank Christ!¡± Maddie exclaimed. ¡°Be a hero again Jackson, please, none of us can do it better than you can¡ª"


    The victory was sort lived.


    Jackie tried to rest, only to fall back down again. She hoisted herself up with her arm and leg fighting against the buckling, but it was clear. Her ability still left her drained after the attack. Her eyes were shot open, she was so delirious¡ªwhen she looked at Aiko and Maddie, she only did just that. She didn¡¯t see them.


    The wire-tendrils that tried to attack Aiko and Maddie reared up again and lanced themselves forward.


    Maddie cursed to herself and readied her hands, catching and gripping onto one of them as the ability call was made again. She turned the wire into threads again, causing the others to stop in their tracks.


    ¡°I told your ass I¡¯d get--!¡±


    Her insult was followed by a scream, as the wire accelerated¡ªlike they did to bore from the earth¡ªwithin her hands, causing her to immediately let go.


    And the pain made her a sitting duck, for the others to dive and prey upon.


    Tracy tackled her out of the way, almost from nowhere. The two skidded away from the impact, and it was clear that they were going to bore right through Maddie.


    As Maddie grunted and crawled over to inspect her hands, Tracy rocked in place as she was the only one standing. And she knew that.


    When she saw the vibrating tendrils, practically king cobras rearing to go, Aiko saw something snap in the lady. She rose her hands, as if what she did was wrong.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, please¡ªI-I-I¡¯m sorry! I HAD TO PLEASE, I¡¯M SORRY--!¡±


    They dove in anyways.


    And like everyone else, Tracy feebly put her hands up to brace herself.


    What followed was the floor being lifted up as she did it, the tendrils crashing head on and stunned due to the suddenness of it all.


    siVis Ability: FOUNDED!


    ¡°me--?¡± Tracy pointed herself in quick succession. ¡°Me too--? I did--? YEAH! YAAAY!¡±


    ¡°Shit!¡± Maddie broke through the joy. ¡°I think I¡¯m fucked up, girls!¡±


    ¡°W-what do you mean?¡± Tracy said. She turned to her, and Maddie in turn sat up and faced her plus Aiko.


    Maddie¡¯s hands, for a lack of a better description, were in literal tatters.


    They were turned into thread instead, and each unraveled string hung from her hands to her wrists.


    ¡°OH MY GOD, MADDIE¡ª" Tracy shrieked.


    ¡°I-it hurts, but it¡¯s not¡ªah! Fuck me¡ªit¡¯s not that bad, not as bad as the other shit right now, but I think I¡¯m fucked like River!¡±


    ¡°Tracy!¡± Jackie¡¯s voice was unmistakable. ¡°Another wall, quick--!¡±


    The girl fumbled a bit, trying to figure out how she did in the face of the speeding tendrils. Raising her arms, flapping them in the air as the precious seconds burnt away.


    siVis Ability!


    Tracy¡¯s arms suddenly stopped, mid-flailing. She was confused, but no time to ponder. She struggled, as if she were a mime trying to lift something up, again a slab of floor followed her lead, casting vertically as it became a shield.


    It became ammo instead.


    The tendrils bore into the slab, showering the girls in mishappened clods that pelted them nearly everywhere on their bodies¡ªknocking the ones standing down again, everyone inflicted with siVis-latent bruising.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Jackie looked at the tendrils advancing, and got right back up. Despite herself? ¡°I did this, I¡ª¡±


    She dashed forward, meeting the now-merged serpent hand on¡ªpunching at with her ability, despite getting knocked back.


    ¡­Despite not fainting¡­


    Jackie couldn¡¯t believe it either, while looking tired, she was still here.


    Immediately rebounding from the burst, the wires spilt once more and try to rush Jackie. She responded, reflexively punching away any that gets near, skirting back, but still was able to keep consciousness while blowing them back¡ªforcing them to retreat.


    ¡°¡­I can absorb kinetic force too¡­?¡± Jackie pondered, while still looking worse for wear.


    But she had a fiery look in her eye, none the less.


    ¡°I can dish it back¡ªIt¡¯s weird, and not as strong, but I can dish it back!¡± Jackie proclaimed, as the tendrils advanced at her again, and she kept punching them back¡ªfeebly, but still enough.


    ¡°In that case¡ª¡± Maddie found the strength to leap up and ran for the Davenoid¡¯s webbing. ¡°You keep it busy! I¡¯ll do what I can!¡±


    Aiko can only look, despite her awareness being sharpier than usual¡ªmaybe heightened because of all this.


    Maddie tore at the webs, all while wincing in pain, but she continued to shout, ¡°Fucking get fucked! I¡¯m fucking up all your shit! Fucking trashed, bitch--!¡±


    Even the fog started to get more and more thick. With a resounding confirmation, River regained the use of her ability, adding as much steam as she can in her state. Aiko glanced over, watching her still holding her leg, her cheeks filled with air shrink, as her body is releasing steam, but not transforming into it this time.


    On her other side, Tracy is trying her best to raise the ground again, but clearly nothing¡¯s working. There¡¯s some kind of logic, some kind of cause and effect with these abilities¡ªand maybe the best thing about this whole incident is the fact that they¡¯re able to figure that out, versus facing someone that clearly figured theirs out.


    The Davenoid kept moving it¡¯s head, just like Aiko, but it was clear whatever it used to somehow detect them doesn¡¯t work anymore. And Maddie is ripping up it¡¯s handy work as Jackie keeps fighting back with it, possibly for a long time.


    Its his blessing and curse, Aiko figured out. Its a terrible accident that could¡¯ve killed countless people, never mind them¡­ But its also an accident. It can do these improbable things, but no true software or design that perfects it every single time. It pauses, it figures out, but it gets overwhelmed.


    Maddie made it to where the Davenoid was, and started swiping at the last wires it was being held up by, and could even aim at the last chuck of wires at its base, ending this.


    It began to use everything and anything it had.


    The hanging wires, just undone, started to lash in every direction, knocking Maddie back onto her side.


    It followed up, and proceeded to wrap itself around her head and started to squeeze.


    ¡°MADDIE--!¡± Jackie screamed out. Her guard let down.


    Jackie was lashed, repeatedly, but she braved it if that meant getting to Maddie, using her ability to burst forward. She got the tendril coiled around Maddie, and pried with her own strength that should¡¯ve been gone what felt like hours ago. She freed her, taking the hits as she¡¯s launched with Maddie in her arms.


    ¡°M-maddie¡­ Tell me¡­¡± Jackie swallowed, trying to keep awake. ¡°You¡­?¡±


    Maddie could only raise a thumb up, encouraging but concerning.


    Aiko looked to River, who has her eyes shut, barely gathering herself no better than before. Aiko looked to Tracy, who pleaded to herself to make whatever she did work.


    Every move forward, the push renders everything void. Reality, again and again, pushing them all back in the most insane ways.


    It was what she was living in fear of.


    It was everything that everyone feared.


    So that was the reason she got up. Forced herself up.


    She had to stand up, and had to charge straight forward.


    No more words, no more thinking. Either weighs down what every human¡¯s capable of, an universal gift and a crippling curse.


    To act.


    Aiko jumped at the Davenoid, not really knowing what she was going to do. But she landed and tried to rock her body to finally force it down to the ground. With the help of Maddie, the wires she couldn¡¯t rip at finally gave way and her with the Davenoid fell to the ground.


    So she felt accomplished, despite feeling the tendrils coiling around her. The shouts and screaming of the others. The endless pit in her stomach that doubled as a black hole, telling her that she¡¯s fucked up. It was all worth it.


    This is why she did the things she did. Scale streetlights. Hopped across rocks that scattered across rushing rivers. And cut anything not related to that out of her life.


    Just to be this. To live, not ruled by fear¡ªbut a life of ultimately no regrets.


    The Davenoid flung her to its right at blinding speeds, and Aiko crashed out of the warehouse¡¯s boarded up window.


    She sailed so fast, that she picked up enough momentum to jump the high fence of a nearby construction yard, and once she hit something, she felt nothing.


    But¡­ It was her Mindscape. She was within her mind.


    She found herself floating, within the make up of her being, as her eyes settled onto¡­ Her.


    She was looking up at a boundless sky¡ªthat put the starriest to shame. Nebulas swelled, planets glowed, and cosmic happenings beyond that. It was more than looking at space, or the universe.


    It¡­ Was reality itself.


    She was remembering that siVis showed her, in that split moment. Between her never having it and the forced activation. Consciousness and non-consciousness.


    Grounded and beyond.


    But it wasn¡¯t all that Aiko was focusing on¡­ But something that caught her eye.


    In the endless shifting of existence, there was something she witness during this showcase that stuck with her. All this infinity, yet cessation¡­ Imagine all the things that can and has happened within it.


    She imagined that possibility.


    And she needed it more now than ever.


    Aiko¡¯s eyes flickered back open and she started to sink within the construct she landed in.


    She didn¡¯t get it. She didn¡¯t know what was going on right now¡­ But she always knew about this possibility.


    She sunk further and further, until she was completely submerged.


    She reached out to move her arm, but an axel to a wheel turned.


    She tried to move her head, but it was still, in place.


    She realized she hadn¡¯t breathed this whole time, and tried for a huge gulp.


    And only the start and revving of an engine responded.


    siVis Ability: FOUNDED!


    ¡­And with that, Aiko put herself in gear. She never driven before, nor planned to. But if this vehicle was her new body¡ªshe had to think of it as such.


    So she drove herself forward, her truck-crane body prowled toward the warehouse as it picked up speed.


    Feeling out for the various controls on the dash and inside the crane divided her focus, so she just focused on gaining speed. Gaining speed and power.


    She crashed through the fence, and she powered through more so that didn¡¯t slow her down. She knew if she had any less for what was coming up, the whole crane would be destroyed and maybe she¡¯ll destroy herself in the process. The curious thing about this experience, despite being so alien to ¡°feel¡± what a vehicle does, is the fact she can also feel herself exceed the capability of the vessel. Unlike siVis, where you can push through¡ªbut clearly understand the pain and process that goes into it, it was this liberating possession.


    As she came up to the warehouse¡¯s side, it was time to test this feeling. She honked multiple times before she slammed into the warehouse.


    She rammed the walls, wooden and tinged with erosion¡ªshe was coated with debris and body already taken a great hit. But there was nothing to do but do it.


    She looked her crane, extending it down towards the Davenoid, who was clearly taken off guard. She chomped down, gripped it with all of it¡¯s might and tore away as the tendrils retaliated¡ªpuncturing, slashing, dicing at the body. Funnily enough, it was adding to the damage that was already happening.


    The influence of Aiko was taking it¡¯s toll on the crane, which again, was okay. It was already over and the afforded time, she was going to use all of it.


    She pulled away, yanking and uprooting the mass of squirming. She crunched the pitiful mascot within her mechanical maw. Again. And again. Until she couldn¡¯t gather and keep the useless bits and pieces that were falling out.


    Aiko swung the crane throwing the trash into the hole she came from, into the pouring rain as she popped out of the base of the vehicle.


    She stumbled out, forward, as the rushing of human sensibilities blurred into the combination that she recognized: her¡¯s. Her eyes focused, onto the stares and awe of the rest of the girls, huddled together. Clearly was going to stage a final stand before she got there.


    But the crane started to buckle, tear itself apart, which caused Aiko to lean forward and forced herself to run. Of course, the girls woke themselves up and got out before she did.


    It all collapsed, burying what was basically the girls¡¯ worse experience during this massive trying period.


    Even being peddled with rain, feeling so hurt that it became weights on their souls, they were able to beat this. Beat themselves.


    They buckled, they fell, they collapsed onto the ruined street.


    They couldn¡¯t move, even if they wanted to. Even if they forced themselves to. Even if they went beyond, using siVis to directly influence their bodies, they were broken. So much in pain that they didn¡¯t have the luxury to writhe or shift in it. It wasn¡¯t just the torn muscles, the pulled bones, or being overwhelmed by the sensory of this pain. It was them, as people, running out of the energy to even move.


    They barely survive. And now, they can barely exist.


    Just in time for the rogue wires to slither out of the wreck. It became just a dark, gibbering mess as it collected itself. And crawled over to the girls, clearly on it¡¯s last legs¡ªlooking for anyone, anything, to latch onto.


    There was a notable change in the air.


    TENKAGOMEN: KIRI-SUTE¡­GOMEN.


    They couldn¡¯t even see it. They were instantly overwhelmed.


    The sheer pressure¡ªpressing them down around all side, forcing the pressure inside of themselves to shift and change¡ªwanting some kind of release, rattled the girls into screaming primally. Their cadence, their restraint less they damage their vocal cords¡ªwere all lost in that one moment that lasted an eternity.


    There was a wave of silver, that slowly brought the warehouse into a destructive crush. Planks, beams, the wires that was once their enemy¡ªall popped and turned into crumbled slop. And anything else that unfortunately was nearly that warehouse was crushed into dusty paste as well.


    They all screamed themselves raw. They all then, almost in sync, proceeded to sob. And not without reason. They begged their bodies to work. Just one more chance. They know they exhausted all of their chances, but please, right now of all times.


    At least let them look up at Nathaniel Fuuki. Who was right there, walking towards them from up the street.


    Aiko was the few that was positioned to be able to look at him. And she cursed reality, the thing she just praised, for it.


    It was he who not only spurred her parents, but her people, into a mass exodus when he roamed about Japan. He was the boogeyman, who terrified them so badly, that fear looms over them for life.


    An siVisTrend. Once a victim, but became so obsessive with the concept, he became an oddity. One of the collection of outliers that could very well be the possible dead end for most, if not all, siVictims like herself.


    A man, who became so obsessive¡ªmodeled his ability¡¯s appearance to provoke the visage of the Shifts, so that whoever dares to face him struggles with the mental suggestions and associations.


    A man, that refused to be a mortal man anymore, so much so that he removed it.


    His limbs were double helix-themed parts, made up of pieces of himself he arranged. His hands and feet were stripped down to the bare minimum, bendable rods for fingers, foldable square plates for palms. Currently, his arm was transformed into a sword-like appendage. ¡°Uneven Edge¡±, he called it, due to the jaddeged look it took because of the transformation from arm to ¡°sword¡±. The rods made up the blade¡¯s edge, floating, as the shape of an arm was maintained but rendered featureless and flat. He was just structure. Pieces that had a purpose and efficiency. No redundancies. No weakness. Nothing recognizable.


    But nothing was worse than what covered him.


    He fashioned his skin into a living cloak. It was translucent apart from the clear tears and stretches where the skin refused to come off. It was collapsed into a cloak, with the hood spiraled and coiled around the last bit of humanity he has left. His head.


    He let the cloak peel itself off from his head, letting his wet, white ¡°hair¡± free. In reality, it was small fibers that made up to hair. Neck up, he was human, but only in the loosest sense of the term. His skin was just alabaster, avoid of any distinguishing characteristics. No moles, no skin that was tight or sagged in places, no eye lower than the other, no unique shape of the eyes, nose or mouth at all. Even the rain, that should''ve wet his face--casading and then dripping from his chin. It was just sliding off. His face remained dry. Still.


    But his eyes.


    Nathaniel¡¯s eyes were the common indicator that he¡¯s passed the point of no return¡ªor at least that¡¯s what Aiko heard. Instead of the ring, it was a series of them. A pattern that circled and encased the pupil. And anything beyond the pupil was torn away bare. Only leaving the rings and a hollow look.


    ¡°¡­What¡­ Are you¡­?¡± he tilted his head, at the girls in the pile. ¡°How¡­ Did you manage any of this?¡±


    ¡°please¡­¡± Jackie sounded so innocent, clearly sobbing her words out. ¡°do¡­don¡¯t kill us¡­¡±


    Nathaniel simply stared with his hollow eyes and motionless face.


    ¡°Oh. You misunderstand¡­ I was merely coming back to what I discovered here¡­¡± His voice was so even, so punctual, and relatively young despite being in his late 20¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯ve been so bored since this ¡®incident¡¯ had occurred¡­ I merely wandered around, seeing whatever this phenomenon created. Only the standard with twists so far.¡±


    The being looked at his hand, glancing it over as he extended what could¡¯ve been his index, picking at it, ¡°I commend you for targeting that doll, I assumed the same thing when I stumbled upon it¡­ But you upstarts couldn¡¯t have lasted any longer¡ªyou needed to find a way to deal with the wires themselves after. The way you¡¯ve already fell due to that mascot, you couldn¡¯t have anticipated the wires finding a new host in some other form of technology. A tough puzzle indeed¡­¡±


    ¡°Look, if yo¡ªyou¡¯re gonna fucking kill us¡ªjust¡ªjust¡ª¡± River cut herself off, suddenly screaming, ¡°YOU PICK AND POKE AT THINGS¡ªTHEN YOU ¡®TEST¡¯ THEM TO SEE HOW FAR THEY GO!¡±


    Nathaniel was unfazed by the accusations, and casually ripped off a regrowing fingernail before flicking it aside, causing it to crack the sidewalk beside him with a thunderous snap.


    Anything they had in mind what he was going to do to them, that managed to scare them silent alone.


    ¡°Again. You all misunderstand. I do those things towards what catches my interests, that¡­ Tells me the final secret to my total transcendence. Besides. No use of telling a gnat how long it has to live.¡±


    ¡°W-what do you mean-?¡± Tracy desperately asked. ¡°WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!¡±


    Nathaniel raised his newly inhuman finger and looked down upon the girls. ¡°It¡¯s clear as day. Whatever you did, your cheap ways of achieving siVis¡ªIt was never meant to be done in this fashion. It¡¯s impressionable knowledge in need of foundation before it can be applied. And you all lack it.¡±


    He continued on, looking up to the storming skies now.


    ¡°You¡¯re a series of mistakes. Interlinking and never supporting. Creating this long, winding and crooked line, ready to cave into itself in a matter of¡­ Hm. I¡¯d say¡­ If you meet a true siVis user. Someone, even as an upstart, tries to best you and pushes you like this mascot did¡­ The amount of activity, lack of structural support, along with your clear overemotional dispositions¡­ Implosion. And not a terribly brilliant one, at that. You all will just beg for more power, before collapsing into a pile of pieces.¡±


    There was shaking, howling, shouting¡ªthey didn¡¯t want to believe it, and they refused. They came a broken pile even before their assumed fate happened.


    ¡°A shame, really,¡± he continued to look up at the pouring rain. ¡°I can tell¡ªyour lot in life, right? That made you take the chance? Even before my enlightenment¡ªhonestly, everyone knows that this is a confused, meaningless world¡­ Not a student of nihilism, especially the modernized bastardization, but it is true that in this life¡­ Simply, existence does not have the capacity to house meaning. What we create is slowly destroyed. Ideals can crushed by one simple truth. And finally¡­ Every living thing strives for the pursuit of comfort¡ªof total fulfillment¡­ And the concept of life denies it. Only a select few can truly achieve such, and the system cannot support anymore.¡±


    He simply turned around, shaking his head. ¡°Hey¡­ At least, in the precious little that you have left¡­ I¡¯m sure you can use siVis to find peace in your demises. The best thing you can do, is at least create a bittersweet end for yourselves. And while I can¡¯t exactly covey or emote the sentiment, I¡¯m happy that I¡¯ve sent you towards the right direction.¡±


    Then he shrugged, starting to walk away as his cloak clawed at the back of his head to reform the hood. ¡°Or not. At least your raging against inevitability will be just as short. If not more.¡±


    The rain got to the point of masking any and all sound. Aiko couldn¡¯t hear her own protests, crying and screaming. All of this. For nothing.


    Nothing.


    Nothing.


    She fell into it¡¯s lull. Closing her tearful eyes.


    ***


    Jackie was the last one to pass out. She was too busy crying on her back to let her body do so. The rain stung her eyes and her crying made them ache. Just adding to the threshold of pain that she¡¯s discovered was designed to be added to, never stopping for function or mercy.


    How did this happen?  How did happen? She¡¯s not really here, is she¡­?


    She was supposed to be at home, her real one. Quadale, California. Studying for some exam, maybe some other class because the History one was going to be a steal. Her father offering her cocoa, and playfully scolding him that she can¡¯t before downing it, making him laugh.


    It was supposed to be her final year, dragging Scarlett into school to make sure she doesn¡¯t flunk and graduate. Stupid, wonderful things like that.


    She always refused, raged against the idea that life was out to get people. That life was the ultimate entity. It was assigning blame to something when the blame fell to themselves.


    But it¡¯s happening now. Life, reality, existence¡­ All of it. It was always like this. It was just invisible then. It was manageable, then.


    All it took was for us to give in, and made it easier for life to rot from the inside out. For life to get worse, and let the worse become the norm. What was she supposed to do? What was she supposed to do?


    She should have accepted that, everything. Accepted that she just never had a chance here, and found peace in this void.


    It was always meant to be.


    We never stood a chance, in the end.


    Before she closed her eyes, she saw a shifting figure manifest into a woman. She ran towards them. Jackie surrendered to it.


    Jackie let it be.

 (Episode IX) Sleeping (Stark)

    ¡°Please¡­ I get it¡­ Just leav¡ª¡± Jackie¡¯s jaw proceeded to fall off.


    It fell, tumbled into pieces to form the growing¡ªtwitching mass that dragged her down by her pelvis.


    Her trembling fingers desperately gripped the featureless cliff, only shaped by a chalk outline of a cliff against the black void. Nothing above, nothing below but a mess that will ultimately fall into nothingness.


    She felt her fingers slowly, but surely, decay¡ªand watched it with red, dried out eyes. She couldn¡¯t cry anymore if she wanted to.


    She looked down to the mass. It was hard to make out, in a sense that looking at it caused one¡¯s vision to blur uncontrollably. But it was black, with a mud-like texture, constantly breathing and expanding.


    Various junk was lodged within it, it¡¯s bulging veins pulsing all over dressers, street signs, buildings, and the capital of a major city. All broken down, even breaking further as the hold tightened. There was no way anything could¡¯ve survived this.


    She knew she doesn¡¯t have long. She knew that holding on was futile. But going out into the nothingness while still pitifully hanging on was a better end to her life than giving up. Giving in.


    Her chest was squeezed, and she coughed. A cough that persisted, a cough that got worse as long as it drew on. A cough that took away strength.


    She looked down to her horror.


    She was always apart of the growth.


    She was a wilting away skeleton, but what was once her closed insides was the growth pulsating within her crumbling ribcage. This colossal meatball withing her chest pumped away, connected with a stringy, meaty trail down to her completely taken over pelvis.


    No matter how she stretched it.


    No matter how much she denied.


    She was always apart of this.


    And the saddest truth of all was that it was never beneficial to her in the first place.


    She crumpled into dust, body parts turned into pieces, as it freefalled along with the mass. Her skull, what¡¯s left, smashed into the surface¡ªbreaking it further with only her eye active. It was subsumed in quick succession.


    Jackie was shocked awake, eyes wide as the light overhead assaulted them. Almost like a parting, sick punchline: she only ended up back here.


    When her eyes corrected themselves, she caught the person who took them in the act.


    She was midway down the stairs, holding a massive white book overhead with her long and eerily spindly arms. Practically on her tippy toes, she remained frozen in place¡ªknowing Jackie was now awake. And despite her eyes being masked with her bangs, Jackie could feel her stare and read the rest of her surprised yet wincing face: she wasn¡¯t supposed to awake.


    ¡°¡­Soooo uh,¡± the strange girl: Stark Terri said, her voice nasally and thin. ¡°Gonna, um¡­ Gonna blame myself on that one¡ª¡±


    Jackie tried to scurry out of the white, cotton sheets that were thrown ontop of her. She tried shouting, getting up, fucking anything out of adject fear.


    Stark Terri tried to say something, but was gibbering out was a collective mess of starts of words, versus the words themselves. She casually jumped and hovered down from the stairs, putting the tome down and raising her¡ªagain¡ªabnormally long arms up.


    Jackie started to tear up, trembling, and started to shake her head furiously.


    ¡°I---¡± Stark Terri abruptly put her balled fists on the top of her bushy hair. Not banging them on it, but slowly pressing them into the wild mane of hair. Jackie noted in her panic that she couldn¡¯t fear her hidden stare, so maybe she closed her eyes.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying¡­ To string my words together,¡± Stark Terri tried to sound calming, tried to sound normal when there¡¯s no way she of all people ever knew the concept. ¡°Please¡ªgo to sleep, just¡ªyour friends are still resting and¡ªit¡¯s easy, I¡¯m super sorry¡ª¡±


    Jackie realized that she was in a pile along with the others, covered with the hastily thrown wooly blanket on an enormous, old bed. But that wasn¡¯t the reason why she couldn¡¯t move.


    She just couldn¡¯t move period.


    Was this it?


    Does she know?


    Jackie sobbed, ¡°Leave us alone¡­ Just, fucking leave us alone¡ªw-we can¡¯t take any of t-his anymore¡­!¡± Her voice was strained, and she huffed in frustration¡ªtrying to make herself angry, to make herself strong.


    Stark Terri just stood there.


    ¡°Whatever fucked up thing you¡¯re planning¡ªyou and your family¡ªwe¡¯re not fucking worth it¡­! Damn it--!¡± Jackie tussled in place, at the point of her veins and her pieces erupted along her body in desperation. ¡°I can¡¯t even fucking talk--!¡±


    Stark Terri winced again, now her hands clutching at her head, standing there but wanting to say or do something.


    ¡°There¡¯s no point¡­! Don¡¯t you get it¡ªdidn¡¯t you get it¡­?! There¡¯s no fucking point¡­ You might as well kill us, whatever you¡¯re going to do¡­! So fuck you¡ªfuck every single one of you¡ªfuck me who fucked everything up for myself!¡±


    Even when trying her damnest to be strength, all she did was sound small and weak.


    She felt her tears flood across her face, and just succumbed to what happened next.


    ¡°im such a fucking idiot,¡± Jackie cried, not only letting the damage done to her but the pain take over. ¡°¡­threw everything away¡­ and it was worthless in the end¡­ all of it, somehow meaningless compared to¡­¡±


    She just fell back, openly weeping. She didn¡¯t care at this point. She didn¡¯t care how long it was going to take, or how more pathetic she looked. It was all going to end in an instant, as soon as Stark Terri moved forward and forced her to ¡°sleep¡±.


    ¡­But she kept crying. For what felt like minutes.


    Jackie couldn¡¯t lift her head up anymore, pouring all of her energy into that outburst.


    The irony wasn¡¯t lost. But the fear of Terri was.


    All Jackie saw¡­ Was Stark, on the last step, turned away. As if she was waiting.


    She sniffled, feeling the running snot retract into her nose.


    And on that dime, Stark quickly slid an old box of tissues at the base of the bed, hitting it, causing it to flip up and land on Jackie¡¯s chest.


    The fear returned in that moment. Stark had all the power in that room. She could crush them all with a flick of her wrist and repair the ceiling that she used as ammo.


    But Jackie took the tissues, mopping her face up. While the mess was cleaned, the sniffling¡ªhiccuping¡ªthe sadness was still retching about.


    Stark sat there, again still back towards Jackie, for another five or ten minutes.


    Jackie could only guess what she was getting at.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m¡­¡± Jackie began. ¡°I¡¯m fine now¡­?¡±


    Stark turned toward Jackie, again startling her because not only was she on edge, but Stark¡¯s tempo was so alien. Fast, but careful.


    She scooted to the wall, as if to gave Jackie more space. Was that a reaction to the jump¡­?


    With an Athernet-enhanced phone in her hand, she displayed the ArtShare AR message she made, scribbling it on the screen so it can project.


    ¡°I was the one that gave your banana back to you¡±, it said in her sloppy handwriting¡ªand where sloppier drawing of herself giving it to a crying Jackie.


    ¡°¡­Oh,¡± was all Jackie could say.


    The words, the cadence. It all rushed back to her.


    She smiled gently, then nodded. All still inhuman, weird¡­ But she was trying.


    Stark swiped before her phone, thus clearing the writing and drawing. She quickly got to work, and surprisingly, pumped out the following in a few seconds:


    ¡°I actually met you before¡ªwell, SAW, and it¡¯s not a thing of being weird! You were on Steppe Ave on that night, you ran¡ªyou dropped your banana when you ran and I held onto it!¡±


    Then the memory of the poor boy and father came back, like a lashing flash. Jackie wanted to clutch her head at that horrendous image¡­before remembering that yes, she felt someone was trying to run after her, so she sprinted faster.


    Stark cleared it again, and wrote the following:


    ¡°You¡¯re free to think what you think. You clearly went through a lot and I¡¯m not here to earn sympathy. It would be KIIIINDA weird, given you¡¯re the bedridden one¡­ I just want you all to rest. It was my fault, I just wanted to leave something here. Promise.¡±


    Jackie didn¡¯t know how to take this, just sniffling still and staring.


    Jackie was scared once again by Stark, as she swiped again and really focused this time with her message. It was the longest two minutes so far in this place.


    She displayed it. A picture with a blurb.


    It was her, broken in half or bisected. Comical tears streamed from her face as she drew Jackie and the rest of the girls in the pile.


    ¡°Besides: how can I kill you all if you guys killed my back first? Haw, haw haw¡±


    A closer inspection, Jackie caught this cartoon Stark said things as she wept. ¡°Ow¡ªow¡ªow; not your fault, but ow!¡±


    All of that, in this sloopy, but character driven style.


    Stark put away the phone, clearing her throat. ¡°I¡­ It¡¯s hard, y¡¯know? Getting¡ªno, putting words together for me¡­ siVis brain since birth and all that. I¡¯m a boogeyman and even scarer than the guy you saw, and¡ªand I get that? Please¡­ You don¡¯t have to trust me¡ªin fact if it makes you all better: don¡¯t! Don¡¯t trust me at all! ¡­But I want you to rest.¡±


    It was weird. It was all still so weird. But Jackie couldn¡¯t help to let her guard down.


    All in time for Maddie to throw a shoe at the weird girl.

 (Episode IX)(.3)

    Stark looked directly at it, as it whipped by, and continued to look at it as it gently sailed to the floor with little ruckus caused.


    ¡°C¡¯mon¡­!¡± Maddie struggled to growl out. Only her arm and head were exposed, the rest under the covers. ¡°You know you can¡­ Crush shit or something¡­!¡±


    ¡°I mean,¡± Stark turned back to her. ¡°Not really¡­ My abilities can¡¯t really uh, do the whole crush and destroy thing.¡± She sighed. ¡°Kinda hate how we live in an age of information and all the info told by people who don¡¯t know things. Tabby¡¯s cool. I like Tabby¡­¡±


    Stark quickly shook her head, ¡°Right, no, lost the thread again¡ªlet¡¯s be calm about all of this, we¡¯ve been through the whole ¡®yes Stark Terri has you in her basement thing¡¯, you¡¯re fine in thinking it¡¯s creepy¡ªbut I¡¯m trying to help.¡± Stark looked to Jackie, ¡°Tell her!¡±


    Jackie remained silent. Had to prove it wasn¡¯t just words, after all.


    ¡°D-don¡¯t care¡­¡± Maddie struggled. ¡°Doesn¡¯t¡­ Change the fact that Stark Terri is front of me¡­¡±


    ¡°That I am,¡± Stark answered.


    "A Trend¡­ Along with your family¡­ And unlike the Original ones, we don¡¯t know where y¡¯all lie¡­ Making y¡¯all scarier than them¡ª¡±


    ¡°I mean, again, people tend to, uh, forget that we¡¯ve been inactive for years and have no plans to do anything¡ªespecially now, so uh¡ª¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°And,¡± Maddie cutting her off. ¡°And¡­ You¡¯re the siVictim everyone¡¯s worried about¡­ Most of all. You were born with this shit.¡±


    ¡°True!¡± Stark stammered about despite having the most power in the room. ¡°I know, trust me, I¡¯m me¡ªagain, don¡¯t need to trust me or anything¡ªjust rest please, I don¡¯t want¡ª¡±


    ¡°wha¡ªwhat¡¯s happening--?¡± Tracy¡¯s voice, weak and small, piped up.


    ¡°This is it, that¡¯s what¡¯s up¡ª¡± Maddie told her.


    Jackie sighed, ¡°Let¡¯s not get ahead of ourselves¡ª¡±


    ¡°Jackson, if you fucking start doing your usual shit right now¡­¡± Maddie strained herself to speak.


    ¡°Are we stuck somewhere--?¡± Tracy asked, pleaded.


    ¡°I¡¯m not blind to any potential threat, it¡¯s that¡ª¡± Jackie got cut off.


    ¡°I think we¡¯re at the Terri¡¯s,¡± Aiko¡¯s voice suddenly came up.


    ¡°Sho--?!¡± Tracy tried to ask in desperation, to confirm if Aiko was kidding or not, but choked back on her saliva, promptly coughing in a fit.


    Jackie felt her veins pump furiously and her head pounding, ¡°Please girls, I¡¯m trying to¡ªLook, Stark¡¯s rap sheet looks bad, I am keeping that in mind, but so far I just can¡¯t see her doing anything¡ª¡±


    ¡°All of what we went through shouldn¡¯t have fucked us up like it has; look at us now!¡± Maddie argued.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we can just leave!¡± Jackie yelled over the noise¡ªinternal and external.


    ¡°Yeah, why can¡¯t we move¡­?¡± Aiko said, her voice carrying this air of being far removed from this scene.


    ¡°We¡¯re underestimating a chick with possible gravity powers!¡± Maddie spat venomously. ¡°And given her skills, she could be fucking holding us down as she¡¯s upstairs!¡±


    Jackie looked her head towards where Stark was, gone from the stairs.


    ¡°If it¡¯s not her, it¡¯s her family¡ª¡± Maddie continued. ¡°So, this is it, we¡¯re fucked¡ªfor good this time and I hope you¡¯re happy.¡±


    That last dig got to Jackie.


    ¡°Where the hell do you get off--?!¡± she forced herself, ordered herself to sit up¡ªher fuel purely being rage.


    She flung the covers as well, just to prove her point and to look at Maddie directly.


    She wished that she hadn¡¯t.

 (Episode IX)(3.5)

    Jackie, along with everyone else, was busted wide open.


    A pile, a mess, an amalgamation of siVis injury, warped clothing, and illustrated workings of inner body. The comical flaps left behind due to the bursting, the crossing of veins over exposed but exaggerated bone, their musculoskeletal system stopping, starting, with gaps in between followed by strays in structure turning into siVis damage. The fact that their respective limbs were still connected to ruined bodies was a miracle.


    But it didn¡¯t matter.


    None of this shit did anymore.


    ¡°I hope you all are happy, now,¡± Jackie bitterly noted.


    ¡°Wow, that doesn¡¯t sound like Ms. ¡®I¡¯m Gonna Get You Guys Out of Here¡¯-¡°


    ¡°Y¡¯KNOW WHAT,¡± Jackie mustered everything in her body to scream, ¡°FUCK YOU, YOU¡ªYOU INSENSITIVE, NIHILISTIC--!¡±


    ¡°And now she¡¯s screaming again. Tell you what, Jackson. You go lose it over someone telling you that you¡¯re a fucking mess again, and I¡¯ll lay here, continuing to make fucking fun of you¡ª¡±


    ¡°WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!¡±


    ¡°I FUCKING SAID ALREADY, YOU FUCKING CLOWN!¡±


    ¡°I really wish I could use my siVis about now¡­¡± Aiko openly lamented. ¡°I rather be a pole or the floor rather being a part of this¡­¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡± Maddie mocked. ¡°I never knew that you were capable of actual thought! Seriously, you basically admitting that you¡¯re just as good as a stick is just brilliance on your part¡ª¡±


    ¡°At least I don¡¯t have to be as bitter and hideous as you,¡± Aiko bluntly stated. ¡°I want to do the things I do because I would rather be a no one versus sad, cowardly people like you.¡±


    ¡°¡­The fuck do you mean, ¡®cowardly¡¯?¡± Maddie¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t any higher or louder than a hum.


    ¡°You¡¯re a nihilistic twerp that gives into hatred and cynicism so that you can ¡®joke around¡¯ and always be right. If anything, that¡¯s amazingly on point,¡± Jackie spat at.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking to you, I was talking to her. Again, how about learning to protect and get your own self together before making shit worse for other people.¡±


    Jackie was again fighting back tears, her face red. ¡°If I had any strength left¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d do what?!¡± Maddie snapped. It was clear her fa?ade was cracking, she too was getting visibly angry. ¡°Nothing! You can¡¯t do shit to begin with! You never accomplished any meaningful shit then, and you never fucking will! Now fucking stew in that, I¡¯m actually going to get shit done here!¡±


    That took the wind out of her sails. Jackie just laid there, drowning within the pain surging throughout her ruined body.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°So answer me!¡± Maddie tried to shout at Aiko, the strain of her vocal chords catching up to her. She stifled a cough, tried to solider through, but continued to cough, but cough loudly.


    It soon grew into uncontrollable, practically yacking. She wasn¡¯t helping herself by fighting the reflexes, trying to provoke Aiko into finishing her thought, her oh so slight.


    Maddie tried to yell, tried to speak, and her voice clearly gave out. Only capable of producing small, insignificant meeps.


    ¡°Finally,¡± the voice of River from Jackie¡¯s side revealed itself¡ªherself. ¡°Now we can rot in peace for once.¡±


    ¡°YOU¡¯RE ALL PATHETIC ASSHOLES!¡± Tracy cried out in hysterics. ¡°Look at you! After all your respective¡­ Bolstering, you¡¯re all nothing but unhappy¡ªunhappy mopers! No-hopers! Children! My god, what these disgusting back and forths finally illuminates how I was right to be nervous around you all: reality falling into shit as humanity¡¯s dying out has a more dignified breakdown!¡±


    Silence fell, which somehow echoed Tracy¡¯s desperate, unsettling fit of laughter after the rant.


    ¡°but that¡¯s what I get,¡± she mumbled to herself more than anyone at that point. ¡°truly, this is what I deserved. put into a barrel, with fellow mentally broken rats; all with the taste of the foolish flesh on their tongues. too pathetic¡­ to even eat each other¡­¡±


    ¡°Y-y¡¯know, my arms are super long!¡± a Stark that returned to the stairs, and equally out of place.


    The girls said nothing in return, all equally staring at her.


    Stark gulped, even rubbing together her hands, as she continued on. ¡°Even with¡ªLike, my doctors always say this¡ªsay or said, maybe I¡¯m loosing¡ªcrap, LOSING the thread¡ªbur they always told me that they were always meant to be so long? But they¡¯re so long that they¡¯re suuuuper brittle. As a result, y¡¯know. So I can¡¯t ever use my ability with them¡ªlike directly, because while they have an advantage of reach¡­ I might as well use Baros to keep them from sagging out of my sockets and stuff. So I used my legs; because they¡¯re chunky!¡±


    The girls continued to stare at her.


    ¡°So I broke my arms a lot¡­ As, y¡¯know, as a kid,¡± she tried to lower her tone¡ªas if this was her final resort in trying to communicate with them. ¡°9/10, it was siVis related, due to my¡­ Predicament. There¡¯s¡­ Admittedly, a ton of times in my life that was wracked with misery. I don¡¯t like thinking about my childhood a lot because of it, it was¡­ Nothing but that. And even worse stuff than what I couldn¡¯t¡­Um, the word¡­ Get? Comprehend? At the time? But me breaking my freakishly long arms was a special kind of grief. I don¡¯t know why, to this day.¡±


    Stark leaned against her wall, petting her own head, raking her fingers over her puffy, messy, auburn hair. ¡°I¡¯m not saying this to rub it in¡ªGenuinely, I¡¯m¡­ Trying to communicate. To help you. To¡­ Help you not be like me, and¡­ Be so mad and angry that I couldn¡¯t see what was around me.¡±


    Jackie glanced down to the white tomb that was still at the base of the pull out mattress.


    Stark tried to hide her giddy at that but couldn¡¯t. Her suppressed smile was uncanny, stretched in places but crumpled together in others. And the following words, while kind in theory, put this unease into sound.


    ¡°The cruel beauty of this life¡­ Is that we can¡ªbe trapped within it all, yet it still goes on around is.¡±


    Jackie realized that despair jailed her. She looked at the Anatomy book again, and realized what Stark was trying and failing to put down.


    But her unfailing kindness, was her key.


    Stark rushed down the stairs, the pattering of her footsteps hit her floor. She jumped, crossed her legs midjump, and hovered down before the girls. She got the book, bring up one of the sticky-note bookmark it has, and turned to the page she wanted so badly to show. Resting it on her lap opened, the section was about the musculoskeletal system.


    Jackie strained her sight, trying to read the blurbs that made up the walls of text on the two pages. They were a wall, and each blurb was brick to climb.


    It¡¯s ability to allow motion, provide protection to the vital organs. Tendons, joints, cartilage¡ªhow they all mattered, and feeling out each of her own.


    And most importantly, how they all were connected.


    With grunts, squirming, and anguished pains¡ªJackie found the will to put herself back together again.

 (Episode IX)(.5)

    Stark could barely contain her weird glee, as she looked on. Jackie found herself, feeling herself, rivet her out of sorts bones back into place, wiring the muscle back together, constantly glancing at the diagrams of the book to get everything mostly right again.


    But Jackie also caught a suspicious look on her face. Brief, questioning head tilts, and attempts to do it softly enough so she or the others don¡¯t call her out on it. But Jackie pressed on anyways. She had to, or else who knows what could happen if she stops midway?


    The sensation of pain was once again replaced by the sense of disarray, feeling the damage of her body versus the overwhelming alert that something is very, very wrong. Feeling the merging of bone and muscle and understanding that¡¯s not right¡ªand the details of how much this is a contradiction of purpose, versus the inhumane pain Jackie would have been in by just looking at it.


    It took 3 minutes, but everything¡­ Settled back into place. It was wrong to say that everything is healed, since she¡¯s still exposed, but everything is aligned, and the act of holding everything together was present¡ªbut easier since Jackie isn¡¯t directing the pieces.


    ¡°So¡­ Sorry,¡± Jackie was admittedly winded. ¡°We¡­ I¡­ Was too wrapped up and you have trouble talking. Should¡¯ve realized that you can¡¯t tell us how to do this¡­¡±


    ¡°OH THANK CHRIST,¡± Stark suddenly shouted, starting Jackie nearly out of place again. Stark winced from her euphoria. ¡°I thought¡ªYou know¡ªYou didn¡¯t know that, that I have to be extremely indirect a stuff! And you did it pretty neatly too, given it¡¯s your first time going this at this scale!¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡­?¡± Jackie felt lost again¡ªespecially the last part. There¡¯s worse injuries than the things they went through so far¡­?


    Stark joyfully flipped through the pages, settling on the layers of skin. ¡°Now fix your skin up and we¡¯ll compare notes, peeps!¡±


    Jackie could only exhale out of exasperation. She looked at the diagrams, and performed self-skin grating.


    Which wasn¡¯t as bad or hard as it sounded. Focusing on the flayed and busted areas, forcing them back down over the spots and draping them over. She smoothed the spread over, each attempt caused the skin to tighten over time.


    When it was all said and done, all of Jackie¡¯s injuries evened out into a colorless, translucent display. Each piece and part of Jackie was layered upon each other, creating a cluster of visible detail, almost like an x-ray.


    Jackie should be afraid, angry. She looked less human the more she delved into the very thing she was meant to go up against¡­ And it was troubling her that she doesn¡¯t feel a thing.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Stark said, causing Jackie to look up at her. ¡°Scars shrink over time, don¡¯t they?¡±


    Jackie felt that the sentiment was familiar, then smiled a bit. ¡°Yeah. I suppose they do, don¡¯t they?¡±


    Jackie sat up, completely, but ends up crumpling in strain. She moved her left arm out, to test her current limits. Can make it straight just fine, but struggles and cramps up towards the end of the exercise. It was better than what she had, and what currently the others are going through.


    Jackie turned to look at Stark again, ¡°I read somewhere that we don¡¯t fully heal, but I never got it¡­ It¡¯s not healing but putting things back together?¡±


    Stark nodded enthusiastically, her hair jumping up and down. ¡°It¡¯s all about control. The more you learn about how the body is the body, the more able you become putting it back together. That incluuuudes tapping into your natural healing processes, but it¡¯s like the brain. Waaay too tricky to handle and not without any great results¡­¡±


    Jackie rubbed the surface of her clear arm, and watched her puzzlified muscles, bone and veins perform the movement with her other. All the little detail.


    ¡°Pulling yourself together. Keeping it together. Got it.¡±


    Jackie struggled to get up, causing Stark to leap to her feet effortlessly so she could support further if she needed to. Jackie looked down to the book, still open and resting on the floor, and picked it up.


    Stark merrily walked backwards towards the stairs again, sitting on the last step. Putting her hand under her cheek, sporting her uneven smile on her face.


    Jackie sat where Stark was, turned back to the musculoskeletal system page. With her own marked with grimace, she said the following.


    ¡°At the end of the fact, I can¡¯t change the way you all think about me. Each other. The world. Regardless, you all have to arrive to your own conclusions and actually have those conclusions be rock solid. Think everything out, and admit maybe we were wrong about something versus insisting we were right in the face of self-destruction. So let¡¯s get to it. Let¡¯s be better.¡±


    It took an hour or so, each of them having their respective problems, their own struggles. Maddie didn¡¯t get weaving skin back together. River, couldn¡¯t get past the fact that her tendons had to be knocked back into place. Tracy needed crying breaks because the idea of her fastening her bones together was just too much. Aiko sped through the steps, only to realize she forgot the most important thing to do in the previous steps.


    Jackie had to be silent and look at the people that she just shouted at, and they look back at a person they dressed down. They did the repeat action whenever one had the spotlight, and the person they insulted was eyeing to be next. The tension wasn¡¯t lowered not one moment, and the various snags on the way would¡¯ve been more than enough to start another fire.


    But everyone pulled themselves together. Everyone, despite themselves, got better.


    The others sat on the mattress still, each taking a side. Tracy and River sat on the opposite ends, Maddie on the front facing Jackie, and Aiko at the back, but instantly chosen to lay down and look up¡ªrealizing she¡¯ll miss out on what happens next.


    Stark got up and clapped, every one off beat and hitting the right or left of her steady hand.


    ¡°Yes, we forced our muscles and bones back into our bodies for a whole hour,¡± River said drily. ¡°Yippie.¡±


    Stark put her hands on her wide hips, ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t unlearn how to do now!¡±


    ¡°And we can never unsee the traumatic damage done,¡± Tracy had a hysterical lilt to her voice. ¡°I second the PTSD-based ¡®yippie¡¯¡ª¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Jackie had to bite back the tongue lashing of using that term so freely¡­ She guessed, on second thought, that they¡¯re close to a diagnosis, if not there already.


    ¡°Mm,¡± a neutral sound Stark made. ¡°But I do think¡­ That¡¯s the best and only thing that can come out of a terrible mess. The ability to steer clear from it ever again.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯ll be able to do that,¡± Maddie piped up¡ªstill raspy. ¡°Knowing not to get fucked again doesn¡¯t prevent it from happening.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. But it¡¯s like I said¡­¡± Stark put her indexes together, and proceeded to push the two fingers against each other. ¡°This¡­ Weird and emotional journey we¡¯re on, it¡¯s driven by that push and pull. The worse thing someone can do to themselves is to give into one or the other¡­¡±


    Something struck her, and it was nonphysical, causing her to stop.


    ¡°It¡ªY¡¯know, this was¡ªthat¡¯s what I think¡­¡± Stark rambled, and made her voice quieter with each word. ¡°It occurred to me that I did the worst thing to suffers in their time of need¡ªlecturing them about how zany life is when it just chewed them out¡ªso I¡¯ll just¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, let¡¯s turn this into a conversion in that case,¡± Jackie interjected.


    Stark whined a bit. ¡°b-but, I¡¯m a Stark-¡°


    ¡°And Starks love to help, despite yourself apparently.¡±


    She then stayed silent, still fidgeting.


    ¡°¡­What if you can¡¯t fight anymore?¡± Jackie posed. ¡°You simply lose because you couldn¡¯t help up?¡±


    Stark expression, usually manic and uncanny, dipped into plain and easy to see melancholy.


    ¡°Lost a lot of people that have. Did. It¡¯s the reason why I say things like that, it¡¯s me fumbling¡ªtelling people that sure, it¡¯s cheesy, but¡­ It¡¯s true. A lot of things are like that.¡± She looked down, her voice lowered with the weight within her chest. ¡°But I¡¯m not¡­ I¡¯m not stupid. Or airheaded. I¡¯m a freak, but¡­ I was also born here before I beat to my own drum. I know how hard it is to achieve, and most of those people died because they were watching¡­ For absolution that never came.¡±


    ¡°Holy shit¡­¡± Maddie, voicing what everyone thought for once.


    Jackie gulped. Trying to force down the pit within her own chest from climbing up her neck.


    ¡°¡­First off, I¡¯m sorry to hear. But¡­ Where these people¡­ Did these people even had a chance to fight back? Where they doomed from the start¡­?¡±


    Stark slowly lifted her head up, then sighed. ¡°Nathan¡¯s gotten to ya¡¯, huh?¡±


    The deafening silence that met her, answered Stark¡¯s question.


    ¡°S-so you heard--?¡± Aiko asked.


    ¡°Yeah. I did,¡± Stark looked directly at the girls, causing Jackie to look back. It was odd, not meeting her eyes. Kind of like Edith¡­


    ¡°And before you all ask¡­ No, I couldn¡¯t have taken him¡­Or, I guess, it¡¯s like a coin toss¡ªIt¡¯s just--!¡± she banged her fists on the sides of her head again. ¡°He has a lot of years over me, and everything about him and the way he uses siVis¡ªutterly wrong from my and everyone¡¯s point of view¡­ So even your city crazy lady Stark Terri can¡¯t touch him. I¡¯m vulnerable, just like you.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ That¡¯s¡­ Reassuring and terrifying¡­¡± Tracy expressed.


    ¡°What did your medical advisors say about your condition?¡± Stark asked unflinchingly.


    Jackie felt a ping. They still had no idea what happened with Leslie or his parents. ¡°The only¡­ Main thing touched on was the fact we were the few that were never meant to gain siVis.¡±


    ¡°Thaaat¡¯s what I thought¡­¡± Stark nodded. Then she visibly tightened, stopping her thoughts in place. ¡°¡­No wonder¡­ You¡¯re the victims of the incident, weren¡¯t you? Never got the full details¡­?¡±


    Again, silence but their sluggish and small movements in awkwardness was all Stark needed to hear.


    ¡°Aw man¡­¡± Stark sounded genuinely hurt. ¡°You ladies went through years of trauma compressed into a week. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    Jackie shuddered out the air that was trapped in her, seemingly for a while. As it released, she felt herself going weaker. ¡°I cried enough today, Stark¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a natural function of the body¡ªfighting it is like trying to stop your heart!¡± Stark perked up a bit to say.


    She then lowered herself again, sliding her hands own her baggy, pajama pants. ¡°Right. Normally, again, teaching people what you think of siVis can mess with them fundamentally¡­ But considering you all might be on the verge of self-destruction¡ªI guess I¡¯ll just say my piece, to act as an anchor.¡±


    She raised her hand, up and towards the girls. ¡°I notice how you shifted. It was gradual, more hands on and you had to do things bit by bit¡­ Whereas I and most siVictims¡­¡±


    It was like a gentle pulse.


    Stark shifted her hand, and the girls watched how quick it was¡­ Seamlessly, from middle finger to wrist, everything in her hand was highlighted briefly, returning to normal in seconds.


    She then balled her fist, and punched upward like she was giving an uppercut. Her fist bloated in a clear silver, before again settling neatly. Punching constantly and waving her arm revealed that as long as she was active, her arm both became enhanced in structure and a silver blur that¡¯s so fluid, Jackie and co. was sure it was only because they had siVis themselves that they were able to catch it.


    ¡°Your condition is called ¡®Shattered¡¯,¡± Stark explained. ¡°siVictims that got exposed way too much and way too quick¡­ Activation is already beyond where we are as a species. In your case, it was uneven, determined on what exactly you guys went through, characterized by warped and damaged siVis appearance and lack of basics. So what Nathan said was true, you all are working off of a massively cracked glass floor.¡±


    She then quickly raised her finger into the air. ¡°BIG. HOOOOWEVER. INCOMING. What you have is just an exaggerated take on what we all in general have to go through, even me and Nathan and the rest. Sure, we installed the best glass floors money can buy. Mine¡¯s all colorful and portrays an uneven atmosphere! But all it takes is one rock wound up and breaking us too. You just have to work harder, create the failsafes and structure that you lack. If you keep going, you could even have a siVis foundation that could trick someone like Grace Masters!¡±


    Maddie scoffed, making Jackie and the rest eye her. Maddie in turn looked at everyone, but clearly spent by this point.


    ¡°That still doesn¡¯t solve the problem¡ªthe reason why we fucked up in the first place. We needed this shit because we all knew that we were going to get steamrolled and become a Shift statistic. We needed to learn all this shit years ago, and you all clearly are the glass ceiling while we¡¯re still trying to fix the fucking floor to stand. We¡¯re gonna waste our time trying to get on a level everyone¡¯s ascending from. We¡¯re fucked. Even fixing it, we¡¯re fucked.¡±


    ¡°¡­ It¡¯s a sad fact. We all learn at a set pace, and there¡¯s no shame and there¡¯s no changing that. But even as I say that, it¡¯s still frustrating, right? I can just use empty, encouraging words¡ªbut that just doesn¡¯t help what you need. All I can say, and all I can do¡ªis tell you that you have to struggle and maybe fight with keeping that you¡¯re far behind in mind. Act smarter, understand better. Success is a game that¡¯s way too hard for you all, and it¡¯s something we all fail every waking moment.¡±


    Stark looked back at everyone, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t give me the ¡®but you¡¯re a Trend¡¯ thing. The only reason why I¡¯m on that list, with all the caution and question marks to begin with¡ªis only because everyone¡¯s afraid that I¡¯ll go nuts.¡±


    Jackie looked at Maddie, as she looked down at her hand and rubbed her middle finger. She couldn¡¯t meet her stare either.


    Stark slumped a bit on the stairs. ¡°I¡¯m a runt of the family, otherwise. Dad knows a lot of stuff. Sister literally turned into a block of ice¡­ Brother can sense any present danger. Mother¡ªwell, you heard enough of her. Regardless of my progress, regardless of who I am despite having my name plastered around¡­ I¡¯ll never be someone like Grace, y¡¯know? I¡¯m eyed to be the next reason why this time period is the worst. Never a hero. Not even just a person, willing to help¡­¡±


    ¡°Jesus, okay, I¡¯m sorry that I let street gossip tell me who you are versus you¡­¡± Maddie said, sounding despondent.


    Stark raised her hands, ¡°Hey, it lets me segue to my overall point¡­¡± She rested her arms over her knees, looking forward.


    ¡°I wake up everyday, try to make tea, go paint for two hours and try to force the fam to eat actual food¡­ And I¡¯m terrible at every one of those things. But consider where I started? Possible siVis abomination that couldn¡¯t even understand where she was, let alone her own parents when they spoke to her¡­? I came such a long way. Success is a long road to travel and hard to gain a win from.  But we always win with progression. Because moving along every time means victory. You just have to keep going.¡±


    ¡°Fuck,¡± River shouted out.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t have said it better myself¡­¡± Tracy agreed.


    ¡°You¡¯re one of the most sane crazy people I¡¯ve ever met¡ªand trust me, they do dish out some truth. I thought you couldn¡¯t string your sentences together, and yet you fucking delivered a speech?¡±


    Stark smiled her smile. ¡°Speaking straight means me thinking straight.¡± And tapped on her head. ¡°Been thinking about things like that for most of my life.¡±

 (Episode IX)(v2)

    Aiko quickly perked her head up, stifling a wince. ¡°I heard that. Should we be worried? I feel like we should be worried¡ª¡±


    ¡°great juuuust when I got things together¡ªUh, nah, it¡¯s just my sister~¡±


    Everyone stayed quiet.


    ¡°So it¡¯s less ¡®be worried¡¯ and more¡­ ¡®Be alert¡¯¡­¡± Stark quickly jumped and landed on her feet, facing upwards towards the stairs now.


    Jackie still couldn¡¯t stop her shivering. The reason they can¡¯t move as much is because of a Trend attack that wasn¡¯t aimed at them, never mind being able to tack a direct hit. From the subtle shifting of the bed, she can feel the others sharing the same sentiments.


    Didn¡¯t help that the heat of the room was instantly sucked away. Stark was right, she was really an ice queen.


    Blaire Somerset stood at the fourth last step. Covered in robes that were tattered due to a lack of self care.


    Her skin was a deathly white, her auburn head of hair was the only thing she shared with her half sibling, her blue eyes pale. Vacant.


    She didn¡¯t even look over to the girls as she asked Stark, ¡°Tending to roadkill again, huh?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re people, sis¡­¡± Stark retorted. She still had the patience; she was still measured¡­ But there was clear annoyance in her voice. ¡°We¡¯re people too.¡±


    ¡°Hm,¡± Blaire uttered. She hasn¡¯t moved since she came down. Not even taking a breath despite talking.


    If she would¡¯ve debated back that she¡ªthe Terri¡¯s and all siVictims¡ªweren¡¯t¡­ It would¡¯ve been hard for Jackie to argue back.


    ¡°Now, lemme just¡ªY¡¯know, get the dinner started, despite it being late, everything¡¯s all taken care of!¡±


    ¡°Adam¡¯s having a fit as we speak, Stark,¡± Blaire told her point blank. ¡°You know that even the most unthreatening thing has the potential to be danger for him. I don¡¯t think we¡¯re doing it tonight. Anything, really.¡±


    ¡°W-we can calm him down!¡± Stark pleaded, desperate. ¡°We can get through this, Blaire!¡±


    ¡°No matter how much ¡®normalcy¡¯ you¡¯re trying to make into a habit, we¡¯re just too far removed,¡± Blaire stated.


    ¡°¡­Can you at least look at me instead of through me when you¡¯re chewing me out?¡± Stark sounded dark. ¡°Blink too, for that matter?¡±


    What followed shook Jackie to her core.


    For the first time since she arrived, Blaire¡¯s expression changed. So uncertain. As if it just happened out of nowhere, she struggled to maintain or even reach the three possible emotions she was going for.


    Anger? Sadness? ¡­Emptiness?


    She blinked, but it was so full of effort. It wasn¡¯t like she forgot how to, as Jackie would¡¯ve considered, guessed.


    Blaire¡¯s face settled into despairing disgust. She made sure to bore her eyes into her sister.


    ¡°You know I fucking hate doing that.¡±


    The Centipede¡¯s Dilemma. So aware of movement that you once paid no mind to¡­ and doing them now results in fumbling, an alien within your very body.


    That was the feeling Jackie had earlier today.


    She and the others were looking directly at their future. Hyperaware humans that¡¯s seen way too much. So broken, they can¡¯t be themselves anymore. Because every single thing reminds them of how intimately everything¡¯s connected. Tissues to bones, organs flowing goo into each other. One¡¯s success and every single flaw.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    A future of breaking down into pieces or a future breaking away from feeling at all. Jackie could only hold her head in her trembling hands.


    ¡°We have to do things we don¡¯t li¡ª¡± Stark tried to get her point across.


    Blaire combed her fingers through her long, wavy hair, ¡°Look, fine. You wanna pull that logic on us? Then this is an off day. Off day for all of us. You offered us that and said it was some right, so I¡¯m invoking it for all of our sakes. Because you wanna know what would¡¯ve happened, baby sister?¡±


    Stark said nothing.


    ¡°You would¡¯ve pull this on, Adam would¡¯ve gotten worse at the point of getting something to bash these girls away from the house, and we would¡¯ve used our abilities and your guests would¡¯ve seen firsthand how much of a monster each of us are. All this good will shit? Scattered away. They would only see you like everyone else does.¡±


    Blaire¡¯s throat tightened.


    ¡°¡­But you wanna know what would¡¯ve happened if all of that didn¡¯t? Went off without a hitch, like every other week? Us staring at each other. Just shoveling food product our bodies moved away from. Trying to talk as if we have any new experiences recently, or had an experience other than looking through glass from above as reality moves a nano second too long. All that does, Stark? All that does is remind us that we just can¡¯t go back. Those years before we awoke are meaningless compared to the eternity that wipes things away anyways. Why can¡¯t we take a page from that? What¡¯s bad about it, exactly?¡±


    Stark continued to say nothing. Jackie was more worried and unnerved by that alone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know you people and I don¡¯t really care to learn,¡± Blaire said, again, without looking at them. ¡°Monsters was just me overreacting¡ªor that letting an emotion flare up, shit¡¯s worse than heartburn, but regardless. We¡¯re just pathetic things that were given too much. When we all eventually snap, be it me¡ªyou--¡­ Anyone with siVis, really. Just look at the why versus what they did. How exactly they took the revelation of us being trapped in a no-win scenario. Never resent them. Just understand them, when no one else cares. And just hope you don¡¯t hurt too many when you get there.¡±


    She turned on her bare heels, and travelled upstairs, before muttering something she knew they would all hear.


    ¡°If you let go now, it won¡¯t hurt later.¡±


    She left the room, but the chill still lingered.


    Stark made a sound, something between a snort and a laugh, ¡°Well that was all sorts of depressing! Sorry about that, she got siVis as a teen, so¡­ Y¡¯know, been stuck in angst forever!¡±


    ¡°H-hey Stark, there¡¯s no need to¡ª¡± Tracy tried to console her.


    ¡°She¡¯s usually blunt in a funny way, really! Like, she always has a quip because she uses siVis to be on top! It¡¯s just an off day~¡±


    ¡°Real question, though,¡± Maddie said, almost solemn. ¡°You sure this is an off day? This shit doesn¡¯t happen a lot or are you hoping it can finally stop? Because I am¡­ Worried about you, girl.¡±


    Stark just put her hands on her hips and sighed. ¡°I mean¡­ It¡¯s rough, dealing with family suffering from¡­ Essentially mental trauma. She¡ªthey have their bad days and their good. So if you¡¯re implying if they¡¯re abusive, thanks for the concern but no.¡±


    She let her arms drop to her sides. ¡°But you guys heard enough talking. For real. Rest up and you¡¯ll feel much better.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± River said, being one of the first to get on that.


    ¡°Thanks, Stark Terri!¡± Aiko chimed.


    The strange girl waved, and she too walked up the stairs.


    Jackie was afraid to move. Out of fear that she¡¯ll accelerate closer to that point. Artificialness that was once organic.


    But she didn¡¯t have much time to stew in it, as the lights to the basement went off.


    ***


    Something woke Jackie admist the darkness.


    The sound of crying.


    Maybe it was siVis. Maybe it was the delirium of awaking, but she followed it just fine despite not being such.


    She opened the front door of Stark¡¯s house, seeing the strange girl crying on her porch, her tensing back due to the sniffling facing Jackie.


    Stark got wind. Quickly wiping her eyes, even combing her hair back over her eyes seemingly, and turned to face her.


    ¡°¡­When you get crushed by all of this, huh?¡± Jackie sounded tired, not because of the sleep. ¡°Then why? What keeps you going when it¡¯s all against you? Even someone like you¡­ You¡¯re angry too¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Of course I get angry. I¡¯m very, very sad girl that gets¡­ So, so frustrated living like this. I get frustrated being weird, frustrated that every single person around me¡ªall of them, holding some pre-convieved notion about me before I even turned my attention to them¡­ But it¡¯s always about my process. It¡¯s always about building something away from that¡ªnot out of it, definitely not from it. I always go against it and it¡¯s always led me true.¡±


    She then smiled her smile. ¡°It¡¯s basically constructive spite, at this point. Fine world. Be bitter. But you¡¯re not making me bitter along with you. You left too many scars already¡­¡±


    And with that, Jackie cried again. Sobbed.


    Stark, with her abilities or some level of siVis control, brought the tall girl towards her, sitting her down next to her, hugging her close. Stark encouraged her to cry, because it was all a part of the process.


    Before, it was the result of the world finally squeezing last of her humanity out Jackie¡ªa confirmation of her descent into bitterness. Here? Pure relief that she can still feel hurt in the first place.


    After a while, Jackie feel asleep in Stark¡¯s hold.


    Stark could only look up, seeing the night skies blur and disintegrate into static.


    ¡°¡­We may not have a world left¡­¡± she said grimly.

 (Episode X) Dash (Degrade) n Dine

    As Jackie waited in line with the others to have their first meal in a week or so, she dwelled on how they got there in the first place.


    The first thing was trying to accept that they slept for a whole week.


    Going into her Mindscape was becoming just as natural as seeing for her. To the point one didn¡¯t overtake the other like they used to, but¡­ The mixture, both reality and the imaginative. Still too potent to simply accept.


    Regardless. Jackie glanced over at her recent memory becoming reconstructed.


    ¡°Yep! Isn¡¯t it amazing~?¡± Stark sounded so chipper when she faced them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think going into mini-comas¡­ Like, not quite the circle of life we¡¯ve heard...¡± Maddie sagged her shoulders in defeat. ¡°Look I¡¯m still waking up, give me a minute¡ª"


    ¡°Is that natural¡­?¡± Tracy asked, wary of it being not.


    ¡°Are you kidding? It¡¯s the ideal time frame,¡± Stark answered. She was wearing a grey hoodie and sweatpants combo that was too many sizes big for her, to the point of her sleeves overtook her hands, and her pants cuffs covered her feet sans her toes¡¯ tips. ¡°Congrats my friends, you¡¯ve managed the mythical 8 hours of sleep¡­ But you know, add more hours to it¡ª¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯re back to normal¡­?¡± River was the next to ask a question.


    Stark scratched at her cheek with a singular finger. She only glanced over to her right, for a sole second, before jerking her hand to the left, pulling a random metallic plate from the junk of her basement¡ªcatching it effortlessly.


    The girls jumped at this, still, of course. Another visible reminder of the long way to go. And a reminder they can be still crushed as easily as that.


    Nevertheless, she presented the plate to them. Showing a new level of body horror.


    While the busted open and accumulating wounds were gone¡­ But what was replaced was skin grated over, the puzzle pieces just below the surface, as if they all decided to grab layers of skin to try to cover this up. Visibly under the layer of skin, things were still, trying to piece together and hold in motion.


    But what pained Jackie wasn¡¯t the feeling of alienation, not the fact that what would¡¯ve been aching¡ªdisgust¡ªthere was only a pang of 1/16<sup>th</sup> of that pain¡­ But her real-time reaction. How little her faced moved, just like in the hospital. All she could manage, with her lowered eye lids and neutral expression, was bared teeth and a look of strain.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The possibly of being Blaire or Nathan is becoming more and more apparent.


    ¡°Now don¡¯t worry,¡± Stark tried to ease them all. ¡°Like I said, all of this takes time and you all made a tremendous one. All the little details that we can¡¯t just read a book for have, hopefully, healed and sealed over¡ªyou all can handle the rest on your own!¡±


    ¡°We still have to hold ourselves together?¡± Aiko asked. ¡°This siVis stuff is becoming more and more uncool by the moment¡­¡±


    ¡°Iiiiiiiit¡¯s a huge investment~!¡± Stark chimed offbeat. She proceeded to ¡°sing¡± a jingle, ¡°¡¯Make-What¡¯s-Yours-All-Yours~¡¯ I always loved that little diddy¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­You do realize that was the tune of a sex cosmetics ad, right?¡± River quipped.


    ¡°¡­Well I do now--!¡± Stark shouted, shrill. ¡°The power of, uh, um¡­ Learning stuff, even if it¡¯s¡­ Uncomfortable¡ª¡±


    Everyone chuckled a bit, but not at her expense. Well, Jackie wasn¡¯t sure about Maddie, but¡­


    ¡°yuh¡ªmrhm¡ªwords, right, I have those¡­¡± Stark tried to wrestle with her tongue. ¡°Yes, you still do¡­ If you guys wanna, erm, do me a favor¡­ Keep doing that. Keep holding on¡­ But put it at the back of your head. Mind, rather, you might get confused and ONLY can still yourself by bonking the back of your head.¡±


    Jackie looked at her abnormal scars and tightened the pieces. Then she tried to figure out how to not think about them, but she figured talking to Stark was a good start.


    ¡°Will this come in handy later?¡± Jackie asked. ¡°A step that¡¯ll come naturally to us?¡±


    Stark titled her head to her left, smiled with her top front row of teeth were exposed and crooked her thumb up.


    Everyone stared in silence.


    She stopped¡­ Whatever that was.


    ¡°U-uh, yeah, basically¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stark Terri being an absolute doof will never not be entertaining to me,¡± Maddie laughed, crossing her arms.


    ¡°She¡¯s still a¡­ ¡®doof¡¯ that offered us to sleep in her home¡­¡± Tracy pointed out.


    ¡°Which I¡¯m guessing the lease is up?¡± Maddie asked later.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Stark scratched the back of her head. ¡°I was stretching it with the whole week. I have to let you all go¡­¡±


    Jackie couldn¡¯t help but to sink back into being downcast.


    ¡°You think we¡¯re able to take¡­ I mean. Are we really different from where we started? You think we¡¯re going to survive this time?¡±


    ¡°You have nothing but mistakes and heartbreak, right? Isn¡¯t that what you¡¯re going to argue with me if I said ¡®yes¡¯?¡± Stark asked back.


    ¡°Yeah. More or less.¡±


    ¡°Then you have more than you did when you started.¡±


    ¡°Geez Stark¡­¡± Jackie could only refute.


    ¡°In fact¡­¡± Stark dug into her hoodie¡¯s pouch. ¡°To enrich you guys further¡­¡±


    She pulled out her hand, naked from the sleeves, and handed Jackie a black, svelte stick. Rectangular, decorated in ridges that leads to the metal socket jutting out.


    ¡°¡­Stark,¡± Jackie tried to even her voice. ¡°If you¡¯re hurting for funds, there¡¯s no need to give us a credits key¡­¡±


    ¡°I get siVis/Shift compensation deposits,¡± Stark began. ¡°Well, we all do¡ªit¡¯s just that I actively use mine whereas the guys only do it if it¡¯s necessary¡­ But even then, I saved up enough. This is 3200 for you all.¡±


    There was a collective gasp amongst the girls, Jackie was just stunned.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t much in the long run considering you all have to, y¡¯know, share it and¡­ Uh, the long term. But this should be enough to get you new clothes or supplies¡­ But at least promise me one thing, you using this. Just have a meal, from time to time. Please?¡±


    Jackie could only grab Stark¡¯s hand, clasping it with her other. Trembling a bit, she said:


    ¡°Promise. On behalf of everyone here¡­ Thank you so much. Regardless of what anyone thinks of you; you ARE fucking human, Stark Terri. One of the best.¡±

 (Episode X)(.3)

    But that scene was attacked. She was having a positive thought for once, after all.


    Jackie snapped back into focus, back to the reality of seeing people camp out on ruined sidewalks, impersonable men in suits, and it¡¯s breakage just blocks away behind her.


    But she was still in her head. Trapped within the trauma that was laid out right in front of her.


    It was¡­ Nathan? Nathan, but as a complete siVis monster. Last of his humanity just flaked off like caked in dandruff, and a pulsating, tumorous hide was unveiled.


    ¡°Either choice you make¡­¡± it talked without moving whatever left of it¡¯s mouth. ¡°You still lose. There¡¯s no turning back anymore¡­ You¡¯ve failed for life.¡±


    Nathan then deformed, turning into the black mass of a wall from the hospital. Looming, advancing¡­


    ¡°Jackson¡­?¡± Maddie¡¯s voice ringed out, snapping Jackie out of her stooper. Seeing Jackie visibly snap back from depersonalization made Maddie move back a tad, minding River and Tracy¡¯s conversation ahead and Aiko crossing her arms¡ªtapping foot.


    ¡°H-hm?¡± it scared Jackie that she couldn¡¯t find a way to respond instantly, only that coming out.


    ¡°You good?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Yeah,¡± the word felt foreign in her mouth.


    Maddie just rolled her eyes, to the point her head faintly moved in an arch. She shrugged, closing her eyes as she raised her hands. ¡°Now, you know that means we don¡¯t know if anything¡¯s wrong and we¡¯re gonna continue on like there¡¯s nothing wrong, right?¡±


    While it was valid, Jackie couldn¡¯t help but to feel a twinge of anger and sourness ignite in her chest. She responded as if none of that happened, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Maddie reached out, opening her hand. ¡°Since I¡¯m gonna get our seats, I guess it¡¯s best for me to have the key so they don¡¯t think I¡¯m some punk.¡±


    The building feeling of resentment wanted to be broadcasted from Jackie, to retort about being able to trust Maddie after all of that rhetoric she coughed out of her maw. But Jackie silently reached into her shorts, giving the key to her. She hid behind her neutral face.


    It hurt, of course, to see Maddie sport her own version as well. The small girl cut back to the front of their group, leaving Jackie with that mental image brewing within the flames of her psychological warfare.


    Jackie had to close her eyes. She had to calm herself down, to free herself from these distant feelings and out of control boundaries.


    She had to rebuild again.


    So she focused on another recent memory, returning to Steppe Ave. Despite the girls showing up in mangled outfits, backpacks filled with junk, and vacant expressions¡ªthe atmosphere of the place managed to humble whatever feelings of victimhood that could¡¯ve came out.


    Tents and people outside of them was the only few things one could see, stores doubling as living spaces as well, the restaurants boarded up but the respective staff in the middle of the streets helping out with food services¡ªwith multiple Extant Shift Terrain Vehicles parked so near yet far apart.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°¡­My God¡­¡± Tracy was the first and brave enough to react.


    ¡°Man,¡± River said. ¡°We get a handout, and there might not be anything left¡­¡±


    Maddie waved her hand, ¡°Eh. Maybe running low, but I¡¯m sure there¡¯s shit here still. Otherwise, these people would be trying to leave. Fuck, it¡¯s part of the reason why we left.¡±


    ¡°Extant managed to get the relief effort straightened out after all¡­¡± Jackie wore a worn smile. ¡°That¡¯s good, at least¡­¡±


    ¡°Besiiides, this is ¡®Steppe C¡¯,¡± Maddie explained at first, thinking that was just enough. ¡°There¡¯s tons of stores and places to eat in this section of the place, and at least 5 of ¡®em¡¯s good. Luckily for you all, I heard some things.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Tracy seemed interested. ¡°What did you hear¡­?¡±


    ¡°Heard there¡¯s a place where literally, they sell their own brand of cereal that¡¯s made for feeling shitty and the seating lets you stare at each other as you do¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡­Y¡¯know what?¡± River said. ¡°That sounds about good right now.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Maddie answered back.


    ¡°We¡¯ll ask around, definitely,¡± Jackie looked at Stark¡¯s¡­ Their credit key. ¡°But first, we need new clothes, soap, bottled water¡­ And hope and see if there¡¯s any stores are doing normal shopping at the moment¡­¡±


    ¡°What, really?¡± River asked. ¡°We¡¯re gonna go shopping during all of this?¡±


    ¡°Nothing too crazy, but¡­ Like. Stark obviously is pushing us to remember that we¡¯re human in the end, right? Each of us can just¡­ Be free to pick an outfit out. Something we usually wear. And we¡¯ll hang on to them, maybe only wear them for special occasions or something. I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I guess out of all of your ¡®plans¡¯, this one isn¡¯t as reckless¡­¡± Maddie crossed her arms. ¡°Nothing expensive, but I¡¯m standing the obvious?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jackie replied. ¡°Nothing like a make-over, just¡­ Us.¡±


    ¡°Eh, sure,¡± Maddie gave her blessings.


    ¡°Can¡¯t really say no to that¡­¡± Tracy giggled.


    Aiko and River shrugged, which caused the two to look at each other.


    And on that note, they watched forward¡ªand Jackie collapsed that scene by herself, which felt pleasant to her. She¡¯s gaining control, slowly but surely¡­


    She thought about the details she needed to focus on, searching through her head for that moment she couldn¡¯t stop thinking about. She ponded briefly about how backwards that sounds, it should be immediate, but it goes to show how cluttered her thoughts are nowadays. So many things to keep track of, so much hanging on¡­


    She focused, and decided that the lead up to it wasn¡¯t worth animating. They walked and found a Millhouse clothing outlet that wasn¡¯t crowed like it¡¯s competitors. They got the employees and asked if there¡¯s any clothing supplies left, luckily the last few were still there. Basic black tees, jeans, and socks¡ªthey were more than enough to at least give each girl two pairs. It was a start. Finally, they asked if they were still operating normally, which they instantly perked up from their dour tone to answer yes.


    Each girl scattered about in the store, picking out their outfits and going into their own booths to try them on.


    Jackie constructed the memory of her putting on her new clothes.


    She was looking up and down at herself, from her mirror. Wearing now a half sports tank top, shorts and wearing her beat up sneakers still. All gray. All of it showing off her impressive body.


    But most importantly, the wounds that are still healing.


    She gathered her mane of hair, unrolled her new scrunchie from her hand, and looped and tied the two together¡ªgiving her back her trademark ponytail.


    ¡­But it still looked off.


    It was clear as day that she¡¯s trying to act like nothing has happened. Or rather, trying to rise above things that will always haunt her, take her over. Looking back and seeing who she used to be, created an uneasy dysmorphia.


    ¡­Until she noted the strains of curls that she missed¡ªboth in front of her ears.


    ¡­She wanted to correct that, but she reached up towards her head, putting her fingers on her hair.


    And the weirdest thing happened.


    She used siVis on her hair.


    Jackie could only watch herself ease down multiple strains of her hair from her scrunchie tie, one by one on mass, and ended up forming a nice fringe for herself. It was a completely new hairstyle, but not too different from the old¡­


    She smiled. And Jackie watching from afar couldn¡¯t help but to smile with her.

 (Episode X)(.3.5)

    Jackie exhaled and opened her eyes in the real world, just in time for the group to go into the diner, following them seamlessly.


    Even without the aid of expanded hearing, the girls could practically listened to the proverbial pin dropping once they entered. Funniest, and scariest, thing was that they could faintly hear the chatter of some lively dudes at a booth, but the silence was louder.


    The place was styled in a cozy 1950¡¯s American diner, just outfitted with modern seating and leisure sensibilities. But versus the typical reds of the seats or the checkered floors, it was drenched in moodier colors and color palettes, giving it a¡­ Distinct aura.


    Considering that the diner¡¯s called ¡°Dead-End¡¯s¡± and the meal in question they¡¯re getting is called ¡°Depressive Flakes¡±, Jackie figured this was all apart of the package¡­


    Then nearly everyone in attendance just started to stare at the girls. And continued to.


    ¡°Look here¡ª¡± a highstrung, frazzled and shorthaired waitress scrolled up to the girls. Stopping just shy of them, keeping distance, yet stares them down ferociously or at least tried to. ¡°We don¡¯t want any trouble.¡±


    ¡°¡­What the hell kind of trouble you think we¡¯re capable of--?¡± Maddie instantly fired off.


    ¡°To say,¡± Jackie instantly cut her off, just to stop the possible flames from igniting. ¡°That we¡¯re not here to cause anything¡­ We just came here to eat. Nothing more.¡±


    ¡°W-we¡¯re full,¡± the waitress lied out of her trembling, chattering teeth.


    ¡°Damn¡­ I didn¡¯t know you guys went full roleplay with the whole 50¡¯s thing,¡± Maddie joked. ¡°Shit guys, I have to eat outside off the streets, see ya¡¯¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯M NO¡ªWE¡¯RE NOT¡ªThere¡¯s no reason to assume that this is the problem!¡± the waitress was turning red, tugging at her smock.


    ¡°Madison,¡± Jackie sounded strict. ¡°For once during this damn journey, can you not fucking get into a verbal spat with people?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more like verbal Chicken,¡± Maddie continued on, looking relaxed. ¡°I¡¯m just proving a point. I know this isn¡¯t a race card situation¡ªbut it is discrimination. Lady? We¡¯re not Nathan Fuuki, we¡¯re not N¡¯atural Savage. Fuck, we¡¯re not even on the damn Trend list to begin with.¡±


    ¡°I¡­I didn¡¯t say that you were. I just don¡¯t want any trouble.¡±


    Maddie looked to the rest, with a plain expression. ¡°Wanna show her how fucked up we are?¡±


    Jackie paused at the idea. She then nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t go overboard with it.¡±


    She let go, letting her still-healing injury slant out of place, retear open, double over each other, all over her body. Glancing around, she¡¯s seen the rest of the girls letting go as well¡ªcausing the waitress to gasp, cover her mouth. Looking on the verge of tears.


    ¡°Heh hehe... We¡¯re just victims,¡± Tracy spoke up. ¡°Not siVictims really¡­ Because we couldn¡¯t even get that right.¡±


    Maddie just stared at the waitress. ¡°We just want to eat, lady. That¡¯s it. For the first time since all this crazy shit happened, we just want to be normal for like, an hour again. That¡¯s it.¡±


    The waitress was clearly overwhelmed, clearly trying to hold back any and all emotion. All she croaked out was, ¡°Booth¡¯s opening near the back¡ª¡± before excusing herself away from them.


    Jackie was once in her shoes, and it was just weeks ago. Overwhelmed, no idea what or who to trust¡ªand the reality of the situation constantly hitting her in areas where she was exposed. To see that live, right in front of her¡­ Is it only proving that she¡¯s now further away from where and who she was? ¡­Is?


    The girls got a hold of themselves, with respective grunts, and continued to go further in the back, arriving to a booth of wrapped around couch-seats with a circular table in the middle. Maddie, Tracy, and Aiko got in first, River at the end and as well as Jackie sitting on the other side.


    ¡°Aaaah¡­¡± Maddie started taking off her new leather jacket, putting it on her ripped jeanned lap. The table cutting off her ¡°BITCHES AIN¡¯T SHIT¡± red-tee. ¡°Finally. Legs were sore as fuck, standing in line¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh,¡± Aiko took off her cream paperboy cap, letting her pigtail free as it dangled from the side of her head. She wore a comically cartoony Hawaiian shirt with cream shorts. ¡°The fact we just stood there, unable to move for an hour, was more draining¡ª¡±


    Tracy was adjusted and pulling at her cuffs of her long sleeves, ¡°It was more draining thinking about if we could¡¯ve gotten in or not¡­ Glad that we have¡­¡± Her outfit was near identical to the one that she wore when Jackie first saw her in. Admittedly, Jackie found this funny.


    ¡°Sod¡¯s law,¡± River just wore a brown, featureless tee with black pants. If anything, she finally got to replace her glasses with one¡¯s said to be better reenforced against Shift troubles. ¡°We could¡¯ve been totally thrown out.¡±


    ¡°Mm,¡± Jackie could only respond. Most of the conversation was stilled, leading her to think that the others are trying to dance around the same thing, but too prideful to not let it get to them.


    Jackie averted her gaze from the rest, looking at the shiny, silver napkin dispenser.


    Her reflection stared back. Then it turned towards her, as it was falling apart into pieces.


    ¡°What are we going to do?¡±


    Jackie jumped in her seat, tensed up. Judging by the stares she felt coming from the others, they only got startled by her flinch, not hearing that voice.


    She was unravelling. Screw dancing around it.


    ¡°I want everyone to listen to me.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re finally gonna explain what¡¯s been go--?¡± Maddie begun to answer.


    ¡°Maybe if you listen to me, you¡¯ll get your answer.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    That managed to shut her up. Was it the tone of voice? The fact it was so controlled, direct, to the point?


    Detached.


    ¡°What happened¡ªwhat you all said back then¡­ It revealed that every single one of you were people I hated the most. Or the worst parts of people that I¡¯ve always hated, wanted to fight against¡­ Scared shitless people that¡¯s willing to do anything if that means surviving. Don¡¯t care of how ungraceful or-or even disgusting they look doing it¡­ We called each other names, fucking threatened each other¡ªwe can¡¯t just move on from that. Who can give us any bit of sympathy after seeing that shit? We were fucking pathetic weaklings in the face of someone that could¡¯ve killed us, then and there, and our fucking last words would¡¯ve been ¡°NO, HER, KILL HER FIRST AT LEAST¡±. It was wrong. We were fucking wrong and we should be fucking ashamed. That was a watershed, it¡¯s time we acted like it was. And we can¡¯t let weakness drive us that insane ever again. Because if we¡¯re going to survive this¡ªmaybe even have some semblance of a life after this, no one can¡¯t be a weak link. Because guys? The things we barely fucking got through so fucking far? It doesn¡¯t care if we plead, beg or kill each other. It¡¯s just is. All of you have to promise me, right now, that we¡¯re going to address this shit, get better, and maybe have a greater chance of success. And if you don¡¯t? Fine. I¡¯ll give you some credits and you can just dip and leave us alone. Goodbye and good riddance. But if we¡¯re going to be a group, then we need to fucking act like one.¡±


    Jackie paused. She wanted to catch her breath, her heartbeat was making her vision waver. She waited until someone spoke up.


    ¡°I was kinda hoping that we swept all of that under the rug,¡± River begun to say. ¡°But you¡¯re right. It would¡¯ve came up or bubbled over at the worst time and. Iunno.¡±


    Yet again, the uncomfortable silence screeched louder than any argument could have.


    ¡°Oh, you know¡­¡± Tracy was stuttering, nervous. ¡°That outburst was just¡­ S-sugar imbalance, anyways! W-water under the bridge! Willing to s-stick together, just don¡¯t throw me out or anything if I slip up, Ms. Jackson¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be just my decision if it ever came down to it, anyways,¡± Jackie said. ¡°You¡¯re good as long as you¡¯re trying, Tracy.¡±


    ¡°As long as we¡¯re doing supremely cool stuff and none of the dangerous junk, I¡¯m always going to be onboard! Especially since you¡¯re taking charge, Jackie!¡± Aiko chirped.


    Jackie laughed a bit, ¡°Again, group effort, but thanks Aiko¡­¡±


    Maddie felt the instant pressure of being the last to respond, then shrugged. ¡°Whatever, sure.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a non-answer and you know it,¡± Jackie said. ¡°Again, as I said, you¡¯re free to go if we¡¯re annoying you too much¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not gonna crawl on my knees, make my lip quiver and shed a tear over something I fucked up,¡± Maddie stated. ¡°I fucked up, I accept it, and I¡¯m better off with you guys. I¡¯m agreeing.¡±


    ¡°Then sound like you¡¯re sincere for once¡­¡± Jackie pointed out.


    ¡°Again, there¡¯s no need. You tell me to shut up? I¡¯ll shut up. There really isn¡¯t anything else to do other than say sorry.¡±


    Jackie sighed to herself. ¡°Yeah. Y¡¯know what? Let¡¯s just end all this with a group ¡®I¡¯m sorry, shit sucks¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good enough to me,¡± River agreed, with the murmurs of everyone else.


    Jackie counted down from three to one.


    ¡°¡¯I¡¯m sorry, shit sucks!¡¯¡± they all said in unison.


    ¡°¡­We¡¯re gonna get fucking kicked out of this place, aren¡¯t we--?¡± Maddie laughed, then looked to see if the waitress was returning or not.


    ¡°So, since we¡¯re a group now¡­ What are we going to do¡­?¡± Tracy asked.


    Jackie stroked her chin, pondering. ¡°Well, what do you all feel like is a pressing issue?¡±


    ¡°Other than ¡®fuck, we¡¯re weak when everyone¡¯s OP like a Light Novel Protagionist?¡± River begun. ¡°I think information¡¯s the main issue. We¡¯ve been caught flatfoot ever since we met that day. And we don¡¯t have phones, we don¡¯t have wikis or videos to fall back on. We can¡¯t just rely on me because, as shown and said multiple times, I kinda suck.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Jackie pondered still.


    ¡°That and we have to figure out how to get on the siVis playfield in the first place!¡± Aiko brought up. ¡°We have abilities now, but they¡¯re all¡­¡±


    ¡°Weird?¡± Jackie guessed.


    ¡°Shit?¡± Maddie just said.


    ¡°Weirdly shit?¡± River just found an opening. Tracy giggled at that.


    ¡°Yeah! We don¡¯t have a training or testing ground¡ªor can stand up to anything that could push us to the next level! So unlocking this stuff fully, whatever that means, needs to happen too!¡±


    ¡°But we can¡¯t aim too high either¡­¡± Tracy chimed in. ¡°That costed us last time¡­ Our plans kept changing or it was clear that we weren¡¯t ready for it. We didn¡¯t know what to do, and that added in our near-death experiences¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ Maddie?¡± Jackie had an idea.


    ¡°Jackson?¡±


    ¡°¡­Can we get to Evermore¡¯s Foundations from here?¡±


    Everyone at the table got wide-eyed.


    ¡°¡­I thought we weren¡¯t doing anything stupid anymore, Jackson--?¡± Maddie asked.


    ¡°I know, I know¡­ But they are the only school here that would¡¯ve gotten the Noumena History material, right?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Aiko added surprisingly. ¡°Parents were going to enroll me into it before the school shutdown. They might still be in the building due to N¡¯atural claiming that space as her own¡ª"


    ¡°Yes, but there¡¯s one fucking N¡¯atural problem,¡± Maddie said. ¡°If we fucking go there and if she gets wind of that shit? We¡¯ll get maimed. We can¡¯t take on a Trend!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only if she gets word that we¡¯ve been there,¡± Jackie pointed out. ¡°It is risky yes, but most of our options involve staying here¡ªwhere resentment looks to be commonplace, go BACK to Future Plains where Nathan and possible Nulgarrt roam there¡ªor do something else while being blindsided about what¡¯s near there. We need information and actual data about what we¡¯re in right now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah but¡­¡± Tracy looked stressed, face melting 10 years older. ¡°What if she¡¯s there somehow, making this all moot anyways?¡±


    ¡°Oh, then instantly run,¡± Jackie said bluntly. Call it a failure and figure out something else.¡±


    Jackie glanced across the table. Very mixed reactions from everyone presents.


    ¡°We¡¯ll plan better, we¡¯ll adapt as we go on¡­ But I feel like thinking that every plan has a safe space is a flawed hope to have. I think that¡¯s crippled us, all of us, and why shit gets bad as it does¡­ We think we can outthink and only try viable things, be proactive before the threat can even blink¡ªbut the Shift Noumena doesn¡¯t care about all of that. All we can do is adapt¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Fine, sure, whatever,¡± Maddie conceded. ¡°We¡¯ll at least talk about it during lunch¡ªunless that shit¡¯s outlawed here, Jesus¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Jackie asked.


    ¡°I swear¡­ People haven¡¯t said shit since we walked in. It¡¯s fucking creeping me out¡­¡±


    Jackie saw Maddie¡¯s face change in real time¡ªconfusion to concern within seconds.


    ¡°¡­I just thought it was us, but¡­¡±


    The waitress came to their table, her hand trembling by her notepad and assortment of menus.


    ¡°So, how can we help you all¡­?¡±


    ¡°¡­What, no catchy catchphrase?¡± Maddie asked.


    ¡°F-forgot it¡­ Please,¡± the waitress was sweating. ¡°Can¡­ Can I just get your orders, please?¡±


    Jackie noted that she wasn¡¯t shivering and sweating at them. But rather, the booth before them she keeps glancing at.


    The only booth that had chatter coming from it, other than the girls.


    Jackie was going to get up, but Maddie put a finger near her mouth, playing it off as if she needed to scratch her upper lip. Jackie stood down, and watched what she was doing.


    ¡°¡­I guess this doesn¡¯t, like, this isn¡¯t totally the way to do it, but¡ª¡± Maddie motioned at River. ¡°My friend here? She thinks you¡¯re super hot.¡±


    The waitress looked at Maddie with strain, as if she¡¯s scared of what¡¯s going to pull. Wariness. Jackie herself didn¡¯t know what the hell Maddie was getting at, until she saw the LGBTQ+ rainbow pin on the lady¡¯s smock.


    ¡°She¡¯s a massive disaster lesbian¡ª¡±


    ¡°B-bi¡ª¡± River said under her mountain of blush.


    ¡°She¡¯s a massive bisexual disaster area and wanted me to confess to you! But she¡¯s really weird¡­ She likes her girls that can personalize their phone numbers when they give them? Y¡¯know, hearts and swirls and shit coming out of the numbers. So you¡¯re giving yours or are you giving yours~?¡±


    Jackie could only squint and stare at Maddie. She was making a massive fool of herself when urgency was needed here¡­


    Then Jackie heard the pen scribbling, her head snapping towards the waitress who was actually writing something.


    ¡°Yeah¡ªkeep that shit personal, shit from the heart, y¡¯know~?¡± Maddie acted like she was egging her on.


    Jackie put two and two together.


    The waitress gave a sheet of note paper to Maddie. ¡°Call me whenever you¡¯re ready¡­ Also, the rest of you¡ªsignal if you¡¯re ready to order.¡± She gave out the menus and walked off.


    Maddie read the paper. Then she put it at the middle of the table.


    ¡°They¡¯ve been here for hours. They threatened to trash everything if we say anything.¡±

 (Episode X)(.5)

    After everyone read the warning, the girls joined in on the ever-present silence. The enemy that they had to possibly face were the only ones talking and they wanted to be.


    They couldn¡¯t just spring into action, nor communicate out aloud. They¡¯re possible siVictims that know what they¡¯re doing, that could be the ones listening in on not just them¡ªbut everyone.


    Jackie was scrambling in her mind, trying to figure out a non-verbal way to tell them to listen in on the table ways away from them.


    Ultimately, she noticeably played with her hair near her ear, then quickly tugged on her lobe. She settled her hands back down, hoping the others got it.


    Luckily, the others slowly did the same signal, of course in their own separate ways.


    Jackie expanded her ear, cupping it to both focus her hearing and covering her enhanced ear. She tuned in, to get a gauge of the potential threats.


    ¡°THE SONG IS TOTALLY ABOUT A THREESOME¡ªPOSSIBLY FOURSOME!¡± an Australian accent rang out.


    ¡°It literally does not matter, Bentley,¡± a tired-sounding, eternally fed up voice replied.


    ¡°Hey, it doesn¡¯t matter if it matters, I just want you lot to agree with me--!¡±


    ¡°If I ever start agreeing with you, then I¡¯m doubling down on the worse mistake of my life: being friends with you¡ª¡±


    Jackie quickly made a dumbfounded expression. And without warning or clearance with her group or even herself, she turned towards the booth and enhanced her vision.


    There, she saw it all. The looming, dominating threat posed on this diner¡­ Were a bunch of dudes shooting the shit.


    The Australian boy was a dandy, donned with jean-textured everything: pants, his jacket, and parts of his shoes. The jacket was popped open, a yellow shirt with faded in text beaming obnoxiously. His hair, neck-length and a dark brown, was as flamboyant as he was. Just screamed ¡°playboy and proud¡±. What really was odd about him, was that he carried a baseball bat with him. Pale, worn, and yet he banged the tip of it on the floor to argue his ¡°point¡±¡­


    ¡°Because here¡¯s the thing¡ª¡± ¡®Bentley¡¯ continued.


    ¡°Oh god, you¡¯re still going--?¡± the hooded ¡°friend¡± turned to him. Jackie couldn¡¯t make out the eyes, only that he or they had a very slim face, and was tan. They wore a light-gray hoodie that had various black and pastel markings across it, in-jokes and references in both English and a language Jackie gathered could be either French, Italian, or Spanish.


    ¡°SHUT IT, GENT-¡± Bentley shouted, in that hazy direct or playful friendship anger. ¡°C¡¯mon, the rest of you lads must have an opinion! Something!¡±


    ¡°I have no comment or no real opinion,¡± said the biggest one of the table, in an equally trembling voice. From the angle Jackie has, she could only see the man¡¯s back¡ªlengthy cornrows with zig-zags of exposed skin, wearing a black dress shirt with shorter sleeves, and as he took a drink, very broad arms.


    ¡°¡­Lads, be real with me¡ªdo you realize that the banter just stops as banter¡ªversus actual pisstaking?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± the man shrugs. ¡°But it¡¯s fun to do it to you.¡±


    ¡°Chimney?¡± ¡°Gent¡± asked. ¡°I¡¯m glad that we¡¯re friends.¡±


    Chimney chuckled, and continued drinking his drink.


    ¡°There¡¯s so many jokes I could make right now and I¡¯d be well in my right¡­¡± Bentley overdramatically mumbled.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°And I have the right to kick your ass if any of them suck more than usual,¡± ¡°Gent¡± smirked at him.


    Bentley smirked back, then turned his gaze to the right of him. ¡°You know the song we¡¯re talking about, right Harv?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fucking drag Harvey into this mess¡ª¡± ¡°Gent¡± said. ¡°And again, just you¡ª¡±


    Jackie wished that she had more coverage, damning herself as she blinked out the odd shine from the window hitting her eye.


    Then, just like a lightbulb, the idea flickered.


    Carefully, she directed her gaze to the window¡ªfocusing on the reflection the guys had from their booth. It surprised Jackie that while of course lacking most color and not stable, but how high-def their reflections were due to her eye¡¯s focus.


    It was clear that poor Harvey shouldn¡¯t be there.


    Not quite a hostage, as Jackie took notice to see if there were any outward signs. But his body language, from playing and scooting with his hat on the table, to looking down, it was clear that the boy was a wallflower. His combed up, dirty blond hair reflected the shine from outside.


    ¡°Y¡¯know what?¡± Chimney proclaimed, Jackie getting a glance of his relaxed and chiseled face. ¡°Let Bentley say his piece, Gently. Then we¡¯ll have something to heckle him over.¡±


    ¡°Cheers!¡± Bentley shouted. He brought up his bat, putting it against his leg that was propped up on the table. ¡°Here¡¯s the thing¡­ Song¡¯s about, y¡¯know, a night out. The two guys who sing it, are singing about inviting the ladies over. You eventually hear a lady singing in the background and like, they¡¯re scatting and harmonizing¡ªbut then during that, she asks the original singer to go FASTER. The bloke admits that he can¡¯t and fucking invites a rapper into the mix! THAT¡¯S LITERALLY TAKING OVER! Case made, boys!¡±


    ¡°And you wonder why you¡¯ve been in such a dry spell lately,¡± Gently remark. ¡°You literally did your crazy-man shit way too much at the point that it¡¯s done actual brain damage: girls run from guys that obsess over fucking song duets, Bent¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just marveling in genius and wanted to break it down,¡± Bentley smirked boyishly. ¡°Be the prophet and what not. I can¡¯t help that I¡¯m on a higher plane than you all¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re on some fucking flight, alright,¡± Gently sniped back. He tried to stifle a laugh, but continued on anyways, ¡°Whatever drugs you tried to fit up your ass on that third-rate plane, it didn¡¯t work out for you¡ªAnd it¡¯s the weirdest high you¡¯ve ever had!¡±


    Chimney started chuckling, facepalming as Gently started to crumple instantly. Harvey just covered his mouth, closing his eyes in mirth.


    Bentley himself laughed uproarishly, banging the bat against the table. They all laughed for what felt like ten minutes, and Bentley wiped his eyes.


    ¡°But hey, I found a new way to do it in that scenario¡ªso who¡¯s really a loser here--?¡±


    The laughter sparked again, it echoing across the diner, the only positive thing radiating in there.


    Jackie instantly returned her attention back to her table, just staring at the girls with the same confused and vacant face they were making.


    Sans Maddie. She was cracking up as well.


    ¡°¡­Have you hurt yourself with bitterness so much that you¡¯ve lowered yourself into laughing at that filth, Madison-?¡± Jackie jokingly asked, but also meant it.


    ¡°Aaaah,¡± Maddie exhaled for air. ¡°He¡¯s such a fucking loser, it¡¯s great¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, good, we¡¯re all in agreement with that¡ª¡± Jackie felt reassured. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ Picture them with powerful abilities. Maybe they just got theirs too, just leveraging an empty gun?¡±


    ¡°Whoa whoa whoa,¡± River shook her finger.


    ¡°Ha!¡± Aiko remarked. ¡°Other Mom instantly says no¡ª¡±


    ¡°One¡­ Aiko, no, I¡¯m your older sister that you barely talk to anymore after college crushed her dreams,¡± River retorted. ¡°And two, even if it is shit¡ªit can GET us into a lot of shit. We still have to be cautious¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course! But¡­ They¡¯re a group of boys that never got the memo that high school¡¯s been closed for two years. I can¡¯t exactly picture them a threat. You¡¯re still right. We still have to be on our guard.¡±


    ¡°¡­We¡¯re getting involved?¡± Maddie groaned.


    ¡°Hey, it could be as simple as just talking,¡± Jackie shrugged, getting up. ¡°But I prefer my meals without a ticking bomb under the table. Especially one that tells literally shitty jokes¡­¡±


    Jackie walked over to the booth, where the boys were still amidst talking.


    ¡°Real talk?¡± Bentley began. ¡°We gotta stop calling it ¡®dry spells¡¯. That shit does way too much mental damage. You can¡¯t just like¡ªforce all women to act like rain or weather, they¡¯re literally all over like the ocean. Crashing waves against the shores naturally, without you¡­¡±


    He and the rest of the boys looked up, seeing six girls walking to them and standing before them.


    And in that moment, he completely stops his train of thought, and instantly looked towards Gently as his head rolled at him, to say ¡°I told you so¡±.


    ¡°Ladies, ladies, ladies, ladies¡­¡± Bentley started, looking at each girl with the same adoring stare. ¡°Ladies of different walks and styles¡­ What made you grace me with your presence and patience?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re really or remotely interested?¡± Gently added. ¡°Don¡¯t. Seriously, he¡¯s massively dumb. Look at him.¡±


    Bentley only smirked and winked.


    Jackie chuckled as she folded her arms, ¡°I have to admit, I like how shamelessly flaunting you are¡­ I just¡­ I have a complaint. Are the powers really necessary in that?¡±

 (Episode X)(v2)

    What would¡ªshould¡¯ve been a tense stand-off between the fledgling victims facing the power-abusing teenagers.


    But it was pure confusion, written on Bentley and his cohorts faces. They even looked at each other, as if they were in a sitcom.


    ¡°¡­See, I noted your eyes but¡­¡± Bentley genuinely wanted to figure out what Jackie meant. ¡°No color in them or re:Birthmarks¡­ You lot don¡¯t seem fresh, you feel like you just got it a second ago¡­¡±


    ¡°Does it matter?¡± Jackie said point blank.


    ¡°Oooh,¡± Gently cooed over his shoulder.


    ¡°¡­I feel like this is less about me and I don¡¯t like that¡ª¡±


    Maddie had to siffle a laugh, which Jackie looked back at her briefly.


    ¡°Hey, at least we have the same bastard friend,¡± Bentley tried to be jovial from before. ¡°Can¡¯t we bond because of that--?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re implying that we¡¯re friends,¡± Maddie playfully volleyed back.


    Bentley shrugged and then cocked her head towards her, ¡°Hey, first impressions are everything, luv. That¡¯s why I put my best foot forward~¡±


    ¡°So you can trip over yourself breaking your leg and dick in the process?¡± Maddie responded. ¡°See? Implying things is flawed, I¡¯m implying that you¡¯re bigger than like, 2 inches¡ª¡±


    Gently had to cover his mouth, to let the harsh laugh hit against it as his body tensed. He turned to his friend, ¡°At least I don¡¯t go that far, man¡­ She¡¯s creative, I don¡¯t think we can fuck with you¡ªshe literally took our jobs¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re getting away from the actual point,¡± Jackie suppressed the conversations. ¡°You have a few moments to explain yourselves or leave.¡±


    ¡°aah¡ª¡± Tracy meeked out.


    ¡°That¡¯s clear escalation there, Jackie¡ª¡± River tried to cut in.


    Gently and the others went completely silent. The former even began to rustle to get up, it wasn¡¯t until Bentley raised his bat, a signal to call everything off.


    ¡°Alright, alright¡­¡± Bentley complied. ¡°It¡¯s clear you¡¯re all rustled up. And considering how impossibly green you lot are, I guess I better illuminate you ladies to the rules¡­ It¡¯s rather simple.¡±


    Bentley looked up at all of them, scanning his eyes across all of them, lazily but purposeful.


    It was so weird. He looked to have blue eyes, normal human eyes¡­ But they were made up of siVis parts, just clear and color-coordinated of how his eyes must¡¯ve used to look.


    Jackie instantly thought back to Blaire, and how she assumed that she had normal eyes. Now in her headspace, literally revieing the memory briefly, she could see the hints of the parts now. She shuddered in real time.


    ¡°We¡¯re siVis users,¡± Bentley bluntly put. ¡°Nothing applies to us blokes anymore, like¡­ Nothing. Traffic laws, federal laws, even common decency like indecent exposure¡ªit was built by people, for people. We¡¯re just not people anymore, sorry luv.¡±


    ¡°I like how you conveniently left out any and all Shift/siVis guidelines in that literal excuse,¡± Jackie was angrily glaring at him.


    ¡°Made by some senile old bat that was going mad anyways,¡± Bentley confidently swung back, unnerved. ¡°And even if she is completely right about everything, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s a status quo. It¡¯s mercurial, like quick drying cement this is¡­ Amend and write everything up all you want, but we still go on.¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­I can¡¯t believe it,¡± Jackie said in disbelief. ¡°It¡¯s amazing how you¡¯re complete bullshit not only from head to toe, but from the inside-out as well.¡±


    ¡°Alright lady, just because you¡¯ve just started exercising today doesn¡¯t mean you can take anyone you see¡ª¡± Gently spat venom at Jackie.


    Bentley just raised a hand, ¡°Gent, I can handle this. There¡¯s no need to call her out of her name yet.¡±


    ¡°Oh wow! Common decency!¡± Jackie shouted. ¡°As if you¡¯re capable of it and you¡¯re being a massive hypocrite!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a hypocrite because I worry about myself and the people I care about versus nebulous world problem shite?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Because that can be extended as baseline kindness, you Australian dick!¡± She shouted more, less at him and more unfocused.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that people actually caring about their own lives bothers you so much!¡± Bentley shouted back. Everyone in the diner was starting to get up, starting to swarm out. ¡°Now look at¡ªLook lady, we just wanted to do what we always fucking do! Whatever! Just going around, doing whatever, fucking Manifest Destiny! Is that so wrong?! Does everyone have to be the Shift Police now? When did living your life become such a crime?!¡±


    ¡°WHEN YOU INVOLVED OTHER PEOPLE, TAKING ANYWAY WHAT LITTLE LIFE THEY HAD LEFT--!¡± Jackie roared.


    Bentley became silent along with the rest of the guys.


    He reached down to his pocket, on the verge of pulling something out.


    Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, Jackie focused every bit of energy that was in her and unleashed it in her swing fist.


    siVis Ability!


    The energy explosion created a hole where the booth used to be.


    When Jackie awoke, the sounds of screaming and panic quickly made her regret coming to.


    Within her pained glancing, she saw the people running. The people that stayed because they wanted to see what they were going to be running from. Fear. Anger. Disgust.


    Exhaustion. It was so clear, despite different expressions and facial structures, different skins and different languages that told everyone to go away. That so called peace, that so called break, that rest that they all dreamed for. Ripped away.


    It became full circle. Jackie became the problem she hated.


    ¡°Y¡¯know. We were just gonna run from you. Use our abilities to scare you off as we bolted.¡±


    Jackie cocked her head and stared down her enemy.


    A dandy walking from the smoke, patting himself off, pissed that his evening with his boys was ruined.


    ¡°Now? Now you¡¯ve made it personal¡­ If you want a taste of good, old fashioned siVis conflict, we¡¯ll show how outclassed you are to even get that.¡±


    Jackie instantly forced herself up, running towards him with a charging fist with a deranged expression.


    ¡°I gotta admit, you have scary-as-fuck potential there¡ªone hit and anyone like me could straight up get broken,¡± Bentley spoke calmly, which unnerved a Jackie that¡¯s consumed by anger.


    She got struck in the back of her neck by something, causing her to cough up spit and forced her back down, face down, and smacked down.


    ¡°But what¡¯s an exploding fist compared to a ball gaining momentum~?¡± he smugly asked.


    The searing pain was nothing compared to the panic frenzy Jackie was having, with something that fast hitting her point blank at her neck; she could be paralyzed now. She repeatedly clutched her hands, shuddering in relief but instantly reeling from the dead-on hit.


    Bentley just extended his bat out, and the red, rubber ball somehow landed straight onto it.


    HOT SHOT!


    Jackie glared at him again.


    ¡°C¡¯mon,¡± Bentley playfully sighed. ¡°The thing searches your mind, you don¡¯t really come up with the name. But it always fits~¡±


    He only glanced upwards as a discharging streetlight was falling towards him.


    As Jackie quickly guessed, it was Aiko taking over said streetlight so she could be used as a flail. She struggled, coughing and gasping so she can tell Aiko that she was going too far, until Gently more or less came from behind his friend with his hands raised.


    URBAN BLACKOUT!


    Gently created a forcefield of lime, pulsating vectors that only pushed out further and further, meeting the light in moments as it instantly lost the electricity, snuffing it out. And due to the con of Aiko¡¯s abilities, the light was becoming more mishappen, becoming undone.


    But of course, Bentley wasn¡¯t just satisfied with that.


    HOT SHOT: CURVEBALL!


    His eyes flared to life, as if they were forced open without his will, they shone a deep purple before they started to dark unnaturally, using his head to aid them as he looked everywhere in a stiff and analytical fashion.


    Then they settled, as if he gain control again.


    He threw up his ball, and impossibly¡ªhe hit the streetlight, batted to the right, then to the left, before aim at an insane angle to which he used the ball¡¯s curve as a sword slice to destroy the light¡ªforcing Aiko out and landed on her back.


    ¡°What¡¯s with this smoke, Gent?¡± Bentley wiped at his purple glowing eyes, details such as pupil and iris intact yet swallowed by the color. ¡°Nearly tore my eyes outta my sockets there¡­¡±Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°One of them has some smear ability, I think,¡± Gently answered, ready for any of his enemies to attack. His eyes were caked in lime, giving him a ghoulish appearance along with his hood hiding most of his face. ¡°It¡¯s thick, like it has volume thick.¡±


    ¡°Fuck me¡­¡± Bentley wiped his eyes again. ¡°If only you girls knew what you were doing, then we would¡¯ve had an actual fight on our hands¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Aiko ran, quickly hopping on a nearby car. Melding onto it, the revving of the engine sounded low, growling as it instantly floored it, barreling towards the duo.


    ¡°ESPECIALLY THAT ONE, FUCK ME THAT¡¯S A SCARY-ASS ABILITY!¡± Bentley screamed, legitimately.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Gently sauntered towards Aiko¡¯s path, placing hands on his chest. ¡°But means shit against a hard counter like me.¡±


    URBAN BLACKOUT!


    Gently tensed for the briefish moment before letting the pulsating force erupt from his chest, outstretching his arms forward to smother the car.


    And like before, everything that made the car go instantly shut off, causing Aiko to cripple herself by breaking her construct before her enemies ever did, the car flipping onto it¡¯s side as it wrecks into a screeching halt before Gently.


    ¡°¡­As much as I¡¯m grateful mate, I think you really need to figure out your subsets¡ª¡± Bentley commented.


    ¡°Like I said,¡± Gently crossed his arms. ¡°If it ain¡¯t broke, there¡¯s no need for fixing¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you could control machines maybe or even upgraded them somehow or something,¡± Bentley bantered back. ¡°How is it you got siVis and yet you¡¯re the most uncreative fucker in existence--?¡±


    ¡°Get bent, Bent,¡± Gently joked with a middle finger. He then turned to the fallen girls, ¡°Hey: any tech¡¯s dead, idiots. There¡¯s nothing you can do now¡ª"


    Jackie screamed, running up towards Bentley, readying her fists to take him down the old fashioned way.


    ¡°Y¡¯know¡ª¡± Bentley looked at her, then his eyes quickly zig-zagged again.


    HOT SHOT: FIELDING!


    Bentley began to dodge every swing, every punch Jackie was issuing out¡ªhis eyes settling near an area near, and him forcing himself to move opposite. ¡°If¡ªyou¡ªkeep¡ªscreaming¡ªyour¡ªspecial¡ªattacks¡ªwill keep failing¡ª¡±


    A gushing torrent of smoke darted towards the area, Jackie¡¯s eyes catching that it was River confirmed that it was indeed all her.


    ¡°Aw fuc¡ª¡± Bentley uttered out.


    Jackie socked Bentley square in the face, using the confusion to finally gain the upper hand.


    Bentley¡¯s body refused to bend to the attack.


    He slowly fought back by solely using his neck and head, staring right into Jackie who had a horrified expression. He should be having trouble adjusting to the smokescreen, just like they did.


    ¡°You really should¡¯ve used that ability to juice that up,¡± Bentley calmly responded.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t need any bullshit power to win against you! I refuse!¡± Jackie rejected.


    ¡°No. You can only survive by using your abilities against us.¡±


    HOT SHOT:


    DEAD HIT.


    ¡°Where do you think the ball is, dear?¡± Bentley grinned.


    As she could hear the crackle of the air as the ball soared directly towards her head, the only thing that saved her at that moment was Maddie pulling her down and away as the ball made of rubber crashed into the cement like a lead cannonball.


    Jackie panted, sweating more than she already was, as the heartbeat pounding in her ears was set to Bentley bemoaning that he wasted a great one liner.


    ¡°We¡¯re fucking ending this,¡± Maddie used her ability to literally dig into Jackie¡¯s wrists, using the strings to lace into them with her fingers. ¡°We¡¯re getting Aiko, we¡¯re finding Tracy, and you¡¯re gonna throw away this stupid as fuck fight, Jackson. If you don¡¯t let go, I¡¯ll fucking rip your wrists apart.¡±


    Jackie, with fresh memories of how moments she was close to death or worse, shook her head, not making a sound.


    Maddie took her fingers out of one of the wrists, and quickly lead Jackie away from Bentley and Gently.


    River¡¯s smoke should¡¯ve had given them the advantage, they were used to it and found a way to adjust their visions to it. It should¡¯ve left Bentley, who seems to have some sort of aiming power, completely useless.


    ¡°BOYS! NAMELY CHIMNEY OR HARV,¡± Bentley bellowed out. ¡°MY EYES ARE STILL ADJUSTING, THIS SMOKE IS PRETTY GOOD!¡±


    The fact that Bentley¡¯s kill shot was based on a guess completely paralyzed Jackie. Maddie was the only source of movement, as she picked up an angry Aiko and started to drag her away too.


    River somehow appeared next to them, huffing and covering her mouth again, using up all of her smoke she could produce.


    ¡°RATTLE THEM, CHIM!¡± Bentley shouted. ¡°AND FUCK THEM UP, HARV¡ªI KNOW YOU CAN!¡±


    And just like clockwork, as if he summoned the two, they were before the girls. Chimney held two metal bars, that looked to be from the smashed diner wall, in his hands. While Harvey was trying to calm himself via breathing.


    ¡°We could¡¯ve avoided all of this,¡± Chimney said, as he brought the two bars upwards.


    He then stabbed himself in the opposite arm each, and his eyes began to glow around his irises.


    PATH BUILDER!


    He then absorbed the metal into his arms, as the sides of his body turned silver. His once burly arms whipped out, becoming a fence on opposite ends of his body, creating an area around the girls. Cattling them.


    ¡°WHAT THE FUCK¡ª¡± Maddie honestly voicing what the other three thought.


    The Chimney-fence had a layered, intricate design to it all. It prioritized one thing: it was hard to escape from. There was no holes or groves for the girls to climb, compact enough that they simply can¡¯t punch through, and seemingly alive as well so the guy could simply grow it higher or control it.


    But it didn¡¯t change the fact that he was still human in the middle, only the sides of his body changed.


    Jackie glanced down at her wrist, where Maddie lessened her grip in awe.


    ¡°Sorry Maddie, I have to make this right¡ª¡±


    Jackie slipped away, running towards Chimney as Maddie cursed at her for doing so.


    She hated herself, but she readied a fist¡ªand started to channel her energy once more.


    She didn¡¯t even get the chance to make it official.


    SKILL SWAP!


    A band of light hit Jackie¡¯s side, as she then produced a band of a light of her own that went towards Harvey, the boy taking it in as he sighed contently.


    It didn¡¯t hurt.


    But it did worse than hurt her.


    Jackie felt her heartbeat go out of her control, her chest tight, all of her strength sucked away¡ªturned into hallow, bodily pain as she buckled onto the street.


    Harvey, meanwhile, displayed athletic ability that he no way had before, racing towards Maddie and Aiko who were trying to back up Jackie, only to grabbled them both and push them aside, knocking them down hard. Even Harvey was surprised by the strength he seemingly stole.


    But Maddie growled, recovering by bolting towards the boy, as he activated his ability again.


    SKILL SWAP!


    The band of white light streaked across, swapping with Maddie, possibly at the worst possible time.


    The change of power in her momentum threw Maddie off, causing her charge at Harvey to completely over shoot, causing her to crash roughly onto the pavement. He quickly swapped back when he saw Aiko coming at him.


    Again, swapping with Aiko, and the change of power in her body caused her to buckle and trip onto the street. Once again, he swapped.


    He didn¡¯t need to deal with River, as she was still gravely affected by her penalty of her ability. Coughing, struggling to maintain breath, just standing there.


    Jackie was admist a full blown panic attack, it felt like. Her fingers went cold, it felt like her chest was ripping itself apart. She could only ball up on the street, rocking on her knees back and forth.


    ¡°It¡¯s funny¡­¡± Bentley strolled in from nowhere, behind the girls with Gently following after. ¡°Chimney and Harv, there? They recently got their siVis. Chim was two years ago¡­ And Harv? During the Hospital incident.¡±


    Jackie looked up, her pupils shaking along with her, ¡°Y-y-you were there--?!¡±


    Harvey could only look away, with his rings glowing a faint cream.


    ¡°Not inside no,¡± Bentley continued to explain. ¡°But he witnessed that whole thing. We found him and he was a total mess like you lot. Turns out, treating strangers how you want to be treated made us pretty good friends¡ª¡±


    ¡°S¡ªshut up already¡­ Just fucking¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to torture you or some creep shit like that,¡± Bentley said, readying his bat. ¡°We¡¯re gonna leave you with a very important message, a lesson¡­ Maybe you should get shit in order with yourself, before telling people off about shit.¡±


    Before Bentley could issue it, there was incredibly forced coughing as a figure appeared from the smoke.


    It was Stark, waving the smoke away with her loose sleeve that covered over her hand.


    ¡°Phew¡­ What a mess this is.¡±


    Harvey looked behind him, clearly shared despite possibly having the physical strength of Jackie Jackson now, ¡°B-bentley, that¡¯s Stark Terri.¡±


    ¡°I see that, Harv¡ª¡± Bentley said.


    ¡°That¡¯s Stark Terri, we should run¡ª¡± he chittered out.


    ¡°Nah,¡± Bentley shrugged. ¡°She¡¯s a weirdo. Sweetheart, even. There¡¯s no need.¡±


    She stopped before the gate. ¡°What do you have to gain¡­ For doing any of this--?¡±


    ¡°Peace of mind,¡± Bentley smirked. ¡°We need all of that or else we¡¯ll become like the Trends, right? That¡¯s what the self-help people prattled on about to us, Terri?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s below you to do all of this, Bentley,¡± Stark said, strait-laced. Her eyes, still covered by her overgrown bangs. ¡°Let it be. You gave your so-called message. Go¡­ Hit on women or whatever you do nowadays.¡±


    ¡°I think there¡¯s a sense of pride to this, now,¡± Bentley looked down at Jackie. ¡°She really nettled the shit out of me, with what she said¡ªwhat she¡¯s about. Maybe--?¡±


    BAROS--!


    Stark jumped up and proceeded to loop around, orbit, with everything around her.


    She rotated around a streetlamp, then wrapped around a metermaid, then to another car, before catapulting from sheer momentum over Chimney¡¯s fence, before quickly orbiting around each of them, landing near Bentley.


    And the telling part of it all, was that the pathway Stark made began to become visible.


    The streetlamp bended, the metermaid started to uproot itself, and each of the boys started to become distorted, as if the path was a funhouse mirror.


    And the Voice of siVis, despite activating for a while, still shouted BAROS--! All in leveling degrees.


    As if it¡¯s being charged.


    She looked up, as she was crouched. ¡°I can let this go and make this into my problem, and you know that.¡±


    Bentley, who developed a cold sweat, nodded in agreement. ¡°Yeah. We¡¯d have to fight for real, then¡ª¡±


    Stark sighed. And seemingly by that sigh, it disengaged the effect she was having on her surroundings. She got up properly, patting herself down.


    ¡°Alright boys!¡± Bentley announced. ¡°We¡¯re done here! They get the picture¡­¡±


    Chimney returned to normal, the fence breaking into nothingness. Harvey used Skill Swap again on Jackie, returning her strength to her while meekly saying sorry under his breath. The boys regrouped, looking at the spent girls.


    ¡°Hopefully,¡± Bentley turned on his heels, walking away as he waved. ¡°You¡¯ll be a lot better when we cross paths again! For your sakes!¡±


    He laughed as they all disappeared into River¡¯s fog, that was starting to lift instantly.


    Jackie got up, and noticed that the hole made in the diner was covered up¡­ By the sidewalk.


    Tracy let the sidewalk fall, shaking in her boots as she knew her opting out and using a shield for herself versus helping was going to incite some arguments.


    ¡°What if I never came, guys?¡± Stark asked. She didn¡¯t even meet their eyes.


    ¡°Well, you did, so¡ª¡± A pissed Maddie struggled to get up.


    ¡°No. What if I never came? Huh?¡± Stark crossed her arms. ¡°And don¡¯t give me ANY or all ¡®put downs¡¯ like, ¡®when did you become our moms¡¯ or something. I¡¯m one of the few on the Trend list that would or blatantly cares about you.¡±


    Jackie could only look down.


    ¡°What happened¡­?¡± Stark asked. ¡°All I asked was one thing¡­ Have a meal. Just relax. And you throw yourselves into things again. There was no need to prove you worth there, whatever they said. I get that it hurts you, deep down, because you know not only is he being selfish, but he¡¯s HAPPY being selfish. Because guess what? They¡¯re the types that become more and more frenzied, cruel trying to prove their worldviews to you¡ªand they think they¡¯re rational and calm.¡±


    She was met with silence, so she continued on.


    ¡°End of the story; choose your fights. You can choose. Even when faced with confrontation¡ªthink, achieve something that can stop it, heck¡ªRUN. There¡¯s no shame in that, never shame. Because from what I sense, you being reminded how flawed you are hurts more than whatever shame you would¡¯ve felt letting a lowlife continue to be happily a low life.¡±


    Stark put her clothed hands on her baggy-pants waist. ¡°Tell me, here and now, what are you guys going to do after this?¡±


    ¡°¡­Try to go to Evermore¡­¡± Jackie piped up. ¡°Get the info we need¡­ If we notice anything weird, run.¡±


    ¡°And where to¡­?¡± Stark asked.


    Jackie shrugged. ¡°Whatever alleyway is clean, I guess.¡±


    Stark rubbed her chin.


    ¡°¡­The Allies District,¡± Stark brought up. ¡°You can go from Evermore to there and use your siVis to get one of the houses working. That should be your goal. Go there. Find info without hassle? Yay! Go to Allies. If you instantly see something, work out what you need to do, then still go to Allies.¡±


    Jackie nodded, still looking down.


    Stark rubbed the back of her head, clearly saddened. ¡°I was gonna make a reservation for the family¡­ Guess I have to stick with you at least until you all ate. Eaten? I think eaten was the word¡ª¡±


    ¡°A-and hey¡­¡± a familiar voice rang out.


    Jackie turned to see the waitress, who was waving from the whole next to Tracy.


    ¡°We don¡¯t blame you for the mess¡­ We¡¯ll be happy to take your orders. Even you, Stark Terri¡­¡±


    Stark smiled her smile. ¡°Always small beams of light, within pitch black darkness¡­¡±


    After most of the cleaning and short notice restoration that took up the waiting time, the girls finally got their sadness cereal among other meals. It was agreed on that they shouldn¡¯t speak, something Stark allowed.


    They all looked at each other, as they felt every crunch.

 (Episode XI) (Natural)

    Walking into the eve of darkening night, in search for the truth of this world to wield. It finally donned on Jackie that she was back where she started in the first place. But the fact that she¡¯s walking with others, armed with abilities, clothed, fed and with a plan¡ªshe started to get Stark¡¯s idea of rebuilding.


    Trying to strait through the ruins of once-rowhouse neighborhood, the idea felt more impossible and fleeting.


    Jackie stopped at the fallen tree that was in their path, causing the others to stop. Each step, was crisp crunch, the leaves scattered across the neighborhood.


    ¡°Plan reminder:¡± Jackie began, turning towards everyone. ¡°We sneak in, we find a map or layout of the school, we navigate towards storage or anywhere the canisters lie, we grab them and sneak away. Any complications, we run and cover our tracks.¡±


    ¡°If anything comes up during the middle of all that, or at all¡ªwe bolt and hide, figuring out what we can do next,¡± River followed up, tugging on her backpack strap.


    Jackie nodded. ¡°Anyone have something to bring up? Something that just occurred to them?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll tell you when we think about it,¡± Maddie said point blank.


    Jackie just sighed, and turned on her heels as she heard Maddie cackle behind her.


    She grabbed onto the fallen Oak, scaling it by jumping up while keeping her grip, vaulting over it soon after it. As she landed on the crunchy ground, she backed away to make room for the others. Aiko followed Jackie¡¯s lead with little to no grace, Maddie surprisingly followed after, but was clearly breathless for a bit.


    Meanwhile, River emerged from, and squeezed through, the mess where the tree was uprooted versus changing anything. She turned, helping a whimpering Tracy who was terrified of getting caught by one of the twisted roots. Luckily for them both, they made it.


    Jackie continued the walk, and it got dark in what felt like seconds.


    It was eerie. The entire street, from what they could see even with enhanced sight, was covered in the deepest black and navy. The broken homes, the tilting street lamps, the scatter of debris that belonged to buildings many blocks away from here, all painted a scene from a horror movie. But instead of the unease of the monster or killer ready to pounce, it was just horrific ambience that forced the travelers to confront various facts.


    There were people here, not too long ago. Despite being miles away from Steppe Ave, the reach of the Hospital incident still managed to make people lose their homes. Their lives. Davenport could be on the verge of being considered a Terminsys City, a major blow that could forever seal humanity¡¯s fate against the Shifts. And the final truth.


    Regardless of their choices, there is truly nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.


    They all instantly looked about, when they heard laughing in the distance. They tensed up, but were together.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± the voice, gravely and hoarse¡ªsandpaper rubbing against drywall. ¡°Gots me the sucky-sucky!¡±


    Jackie glanced back to a Maddie who repeatedly shook her head, and with that, she and the rest began to run away from wherever the sound was coming from, bolding down the street as the voice¡¯s distance laughter acted as a gauge of how far they¡¯ve gotten away.


    Three minutes of running, getting out of that neighborhood, now at the crosswalk of the next neighborhood over. They all panted, before trying to speak.


    ¡°Did that man said he wanted a-a ¡®sucky sucky¡¯--?!¡± Tracy asked.


    ¡°Iunno!¡± Maddie shouted. ¡°You fucking ask him, ¡®cause that was instant bad news!¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Jesus Christ¡­¡± Jackie wiped her brow.


    ¡°Sometimes? Shit¡¯s funny and you wanna poke at them¡ªor at least fucking let them ramble and listen¡­¡± Maddie explained. ¡°But that? Nah. Way too many fucking questions at once and we were in some dark ass pit or alley or whatever.¡±


    Jackie quickly glanced over at everyone, counting everyone present before sighing again, rubbing her eyes.


    ¡°Regardless, we¡¯re nearly to the school,¡± Aiko pointed ahead. ¡°Not long now.¡±


    They resumed walking, down the broken roads. Cracked upwards, but nothing that prevented them or any possible vehicle to continue on their way.


    The scene was more or less like the one from before, until they crossed a certain rowhouse.


    A middle-aged lady, just sat on the porch of what Jackie presumed is her home, looking up. Jackie stopped everyone, only a few feet away from here. Jackie looked to Maddie, to which Maddie picked up on.


    ¡°Hey neighbor,¡± Maddie voiced. ¡°What¡¯s keeping ya¡¯ out here?¡±


    ¡°Just waiting,¡± the lady responded. Her hair was gray, her face marked with wrinkles that haven¡¯t totally taken the youth from her face, her brown eyes reflecting the moon-lit skies.


    ¡°For¡­?¡± Maddie asked.


    ¡°Sky to fall, the Moon to drop, the Sun burning us¡ª¡± the lady shrugged, still looking up. ¡°Anything, really. Because why not at this point?¡±


    Jackie glanced at her possible home, and surprisingly, it wasn¡¯t in shambles. From the dim lights she could see from her windows, it seems that she has some source of light at least.


    Which made Jackie sad to her core, because this could be a damage that¡¯s entirely mental.


    ¡°I could just go in, do something else¡ªbut I¡¯m afraid if I do, I¡¯d miss it. I won¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. There¡¯s nothing we¡ªnothing can be done, so I wanna at least see it happen.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just going to pass you, okay neighbor?¡± Maddie cautioned. ¡°Nothing weird or more than that.¡±


    She didn¡¯t respond. Just watched the sky.


    The girls walked past her, feeling much worse than running away from a possible danger. They walked past once a possible future.


    Finally away from the ruin of people, the girls reached the park segment of the area. Street and sidewalk bordering the mini parks leading to Evermore.


    Walking past the trees, they can see them part to show the compact, futurist-inspired building they wanted. White, grey, black¡ªwith dark navy-tinted windows. It was like if the building was a jenga tower, parts jutting out in the sky. At it¡¯s base, however, was a brick building that housed everything else the school needed¡ªlike a gym, concert hall¡­


    The girls ran, then jogged, towards their designation¡ªwanting to gain ground quick but didn¡¯t want to alert anyone near. River was the first to walk up to the glass doors, the lobby/hub of Evermore just behind them.


    She toggled the Shift Security Cuff, exactly the same as the Megaplex¡¯s. She dialed three keys, then had to pause. Thinking, closing her eyes while her eyes where down.


    ¡°See, I remember the starting code just all the schools have the universal start¡­ But what was¡­?¡±


    ¡°They really should just skip all this prestige and just make multiple keys under door mats,¡± Maddie quipped, looking around along with Aiko and Tracy.


    Jackie rolled her eyes. ¡°Ever the¡ª¡±


    Maddie then made some babbling sounds, cutting Jackie off.


    Jackie turned to her, ¡°Are you really that immature to resort to making noises to make fun¡­?¡±


    Then Jackie saw what made her babble.


    A Nulgarrt, had to be one. There was no way that a dog¡¯s legs could be so elongated.


    A cross between poles and toothpicks, this dog-like thing was hunched forward, it¡¯s mouth hung open which made up most of it¡¯s body, which was a white bean-shape that was cracked open with feelers throbbing about above it¡¯s body-mouth. Likely how it¡¯s able to sense it¡¯s surroundings.


    It was standing there, between the park trees.


    ¡°Aiko,¡± Jackie said with urgency. ¡°Use the scooter.¡±


    The girl saw the electronic scooter placed on the field, and then nodded. She practically jumped towards it, letting herself get sucked into the device before she made it stand up on it¡¯s own and rev.


    Jackie was the next to run over, grabbing Aiko¡¯s scooter by using her energies. She picked it up, swung back, and hit the Nulgarrt dead-on¡ªusing the propulsion of her blast to add extra power.


    A blackout.


    Then coming to.


    Aiko was cheering, jumping in celebration that made Jackie jump. ¡°WE DID IT! FIRST NULGARRT KILL!¡±


    Jackie quickly shushed her, causing Aiko to stiff.


    ¡°s-sorry¡ªbut still! We didn¡¯t even get our guy!¡±


    Jackie looked down at the corpse herself, and was dumbfounded more than anything.


    ¡°F-fucking¡ª¡± Maddie was walking up along with River and Tracy. ¡°Dog-bean-man was fucking looking at me and¡­ Fuck, I don¡¯t know. That shit was¡­¡±


    Tracy voiced what Jackie was feeling, ¡°There¡¯s no way we took out a Nulgarrt¡­ We haven¡¯t improved in the slightest! N-not taking away your achievements, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­¡± Jackie concurred. ¡°That was way too easy. This should¡¯ve been us figuring out how to run to Allies with our tails between our legs.¡±


    Jackie then picked up the broken scooter, using it as a tool to flop the body on it¡¯s side.


    And once she did, all of their collective hearts sunk to their stomachs.


    The Nulgarrt¡¯s hide from the side was completely and utterly shredded on it¡¯s side.


    It was fresh.


    ¡°Oh no,¡± River genuinely sounded scared. ¡°She IS here.¡±

 (Episode XI)(.3)

    Tracy instantly reached for her mouth, covering it with Jackie expecting a scream¡ªmuffled or otherwise.


    But even she realized that this moment required absolute silence. If she screams, she¡¯s only giving into the fate of dying screaming early.


    Everyone darted their eyes, turning their heads towards the painfully still ambience of the night. Looking for any single sign that N¡¯atural Savage was anywhere near them, any closer.


    But Jackie knew this by now. Doing just that was never enough.


    ¡°What if she¡¯s coming now--?¡± Jackie asked in a hush, pointing to where they saw the now-dead Nulgarrt. ¡°From there¡ªfrom there¡ª¡±


    ¡°Do we run¡ªdo-do we spilt away-do-do--?¡± Tracy tried to keep her crackling voice down some pitches.


    ¡°There is no fucking way we¡¯re splitting up¡ª¡± Jackie returned.


    ¡°Yeah¡ª¡± River could add.


    ¡°Splitting up is always the worst thing to do in this situation and¡ª¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no fucking time for rants,¡± Maddie cut Jackie off, her voice already so small that making it soft felt effortless. ¡°Plans, anyone?!¡±


    Jackie picked up the worn scooter again in a scramble, holding it while her strong arms shook to the bone. ¡°I throw this into the trees, chuck it with all of my power, so it simulates us running the fuck away¡ªRiver, you have to figure out the code to get in there while I¡¯m out¡ªget in and find a room to hide in¡ªthat good--?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice either way--!¡± River legitimately sounded mournful, afraid.


    Jackie moved forward, started to spin in place as she readies herself and started to loosen her grip over the scooter.


    The last things she heard was her own ¡°siVis Ability!¡±


    ***


    River raced to the door, her knees buckling and past-the-point of ready to give out.


    She reached the door again, trying in vain, using siVis or whatever to rip apart of her memory for anything, any shred of a lead with this number.


    She toggled the same starting code, guessed the last few, and denied. Again, again, and again.


    Her fingers began to lock up, as she cursed to herself and directly to herself.


    Why be useless now, of all times? You¡¯re useless in general, but to fuck that up somehow now of all days goes to show that there shouldn¡¯t have never been any interest, any responsibly given to her.


    All she could vision, other than her twitch, still hand¡ªwas the ¡°gears¡± within herself once again.


    Old, cracked, broken for years.


    Needed to be removed. But still has to be used. Still has to work and be worked.


    ¡°RIVER!¡± she could hear Maddie shouting behind her in a strain. ¡°HURRY UP, HURRY UP! WE COULD DIE HERE, MAN!¡±


    Her glasses started to fog as her eyes swan in the forming tears, searching for anything to give her a fucking clue before she breaks down fully.


    All she can do, in that moment, with useless fat stumps for hands that keep locking up on her, was bash her head with them in anxiety and fear as she just stared at the lock.


    ¡°TODAY, TODAY RIVER, IT WOULD GREAT IF YOU DID THIS SOMETIME TODAY--!¡± Maddie pleaded.


    Despite that being a plead, the echo only resembled what she always heard from her brother.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    She was finally stuck. She finally broke down. She finally became useless, during the time she was needed the most.


    But it was only when her sight began to blur that she realized how to save everyone.


    She used her useless hands again, forcing her stiff index to pound the beginning code in once more.


    As she looked at which numbers and symbols were dimmer than the others, and guessed the possible combinations with that.


    One finally did it.


    The doors unlocked and the girls ran in, ran straight into the once-Principal Office by practically knocking the door open by their sheer mass.


    ***


    Jackie awoke when she fell on the floor along with the rest.


    It seemed that Maddie and Aiko teamed up to carry her away, she glanced to Tracy panting muchly by herself near the help desk, with River on her knees.


    ¡°Good plan I guess,¡± Jackie looked up to a Maddie looming over her, ¡°But considering we couldn¡¯t like, throw a trashcan in to break in or something due to the noise, that nearly fucked up there¡ª¡±


    ¡°We counted on River and she pulled through,¡± Jackie responed, rising from Maddie¡¯s lap¡­ And carefully moved away from a down Aiko¡¯s back. ¡°She comes through, always has.¡±


    She saw River constantly shake her head on the spot, clearly harrowful as she sniffles and continues to cry as she clutches her head.


    ¡°Oh no¡­¡± Tracy moved over quick, hugging River from behind as she calmly swayed. ¡°It¡¯s okay, dearie¡­ You did your best, you did your best¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± Jackie tried to make sense of this.


    ¡°You gave the chick that thinks she¡¯s fucking up just by existing the hero moment,¡± Maddie summarized. ¡°Fucked her up, the stress and all, it looks like¡­ I sure as hell didn¡¯t help, definitely my bad on my part-¡°


    ¡°But sh¡ªwe proved that we can overcome all of that.¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯ve proved just as much, if not more, that we can¡¯t. We¡¯re in the realm of coin toss, literal chance. Of course she broke.¡±


    Jackie sighed, putting hands on her head as she closed her eyes. ¡°Okay. That¡¯s fair. That¡¯s completely fair¡­¡±


    She and the others went silent. For how long River needed for her blubbering inhales turned into soft sniffling.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jackie opened her eyes. ¡°There¡¯s two immediate options here. She either took the bait and is heading back here or she didn¡¯t take it at all and is waiting for her time to strike. Barring any other possibilities¡­ It makes our plan even more of a sprint.¡±


    ¡°And if we do the exit part of our plan¡­¡± Aiko brought up, still laying belly-first on the floor. ¡°How do we mask our trails without letting her loose on the city at the same time? I¡¯m sure Extant is better equipped than us, but it would be¡­ Shitty. If we not only ran but made things worse.¡±


    ¡°Hear hear¡­ Now that brings us to the next matter¡­ N¡¯atural herself. River, you don¡¯t have to jump in, but let¡¯s make sure we¡¯re all on the same page regarding her history.¡±


    ¡°Well shit,¡± Maddie pipped up. ¡°I get to be useful for once man, I¡¯ve listened to her whole saga just as much as her album.¡±


    Jackie perked an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re a Music fan? Fan of hers?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to join some circlejerk cult to just like something, Jackson,¡± Maddie traded back. ¡°I just like the beeps and boops and people¡¯s stories¡ªI don¡¯t need some cred to show that.¡±


    Jackie sighed. ¡°Sure, yeah. Anyways. She¡¯s around our ages¡­ Desire¨¦ Schwartz-Lars, already sole heiress of a influent family, became a rising pop star¡­ 15? 16? I¡¯m not into music in general, but I definitely heard her name a lot¡­ Before literal tragedy struck.¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Maddie agreed. ¡°Her shit was pretty midcard¡ªgood, but was basically audible snack food. Until she had that press conference, announced to the whole wide world that she had siVis¡ªand proceeded to yak up something red and they cut the fucking cameras quick.¡±


    ¡°Her ability has something to do with¡­ Transformation,¡± Tracy followed up on. ¡°She was¡ªand still is¡­ Turning into a monster. That was¡­ possible animal leavings that she made a mess of. They modified how Trends are tracked because of her, trying to keep what little humanity she has left by not confining her and telling us where she is, how she breathes, and what not¡­¡±


    ¡°Y¡¯know, I think calling that ¡®animal leavings¡¯ somehow makes her chowing down on squirrels a lot worse, so thanks Tracy¡ª¡± Maddie interjected.


    She puffed her cheeks, still holding River.


    ¡°But yeah, turns out dehumanization along with dehumanization kinda makes the mind go yonder. Cue her recent album that basically put down what it¡¯s like to have siVis and how she¡¯s not human anymore in musical form. Shit¡¯s a trip and deep at the same time, fucking kicking myself for not listening to it again in the hospital, considering¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Jackie crossed her arms. ¡°Because¡­ Despite all that. She is still human. And siVis, despite the surreal horror show, it is intertwined with us as people. Maybe we can offer kindship. Kindred spirits talking, and we can convince her to¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think that¡¯s an option anymore, Jackie,¡± Tracy politely argued. ¡°They¡¯re called Trends because they cross a certain threshold¡­ They can¡¯t come back to normalcy, whoever they were is buried under something we can¡¯t understand¡­ Poor N¡¯atural is the endpoint for us, not a friend on the same starting line¡­¡±


    ¡°Tracy¡¯s right,¡± Maddie nodded. ¡°Sure, treat her right because life sure as hell didn¡¯t¡­ But I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s home in that head, chief. Just a beast in a cage, shaped like a girl.¡±


    ¡°That was mostly a pipe dream, anyways¡­¡± Jackie rubbed her nape of her neck. She shot up, and walked towards the doorway.


    ¡°So, what are we doing?¡± Aiko asked.


    ¡°The plan¡¯s still on, just with added speed into the mix,¡± Jackie said. ¡°But in general? If we even suspect N¡¯atural is here? We might have to pull a Megaplex. Trap her within here, somehow.¡±

 (Episode XI)(.3.5)

    ¡°Jackson,¡± Maddie warned. ¡°That wasn¡¯t apart of the plan. We were ¡®Run Because We Can¡¯t Handle It¡¯ girls before, and I think we still are.¡±


    ¡°True, and that¡¯s still the first priority above all else,¡± Jackie agreed. She stared at the sheet with the school¡¯s layout, less of a map and more of a construction/janitorial directory, just behind a layer of glass up against the wall. ¡°That¡¯s why I said pull a Megaplex, trap her if it has to come down to it. There¡¯s no way we could win if we directly face her.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s still too close for comfort,¡± Tracy brought up, helping River on her feet while still holding her. ¡°I¡ªy¡¯know, if we run in the general direction of Extant and tell them to sound the alarms, there! We did all we could, and we could leave! W-we don¡¯t need this to be complicated!¡±


    ¡°That would be fine if there wasn¡¯t the fact that she¡¯s possibly faster than us, and her hunting us down one by one would be necessary for the few of us to escape. And I¡¯m sorry, y¡¯all are messes, but I¡¯m not gonna sacrifice play any of you. And I hope you all feel the same regarding each other.¡±


    There was a notable silence.


    Jackie sighed. ¡°The thing is. The thing is¡­ Us failing this whole time was due to us never adapting, it was never about the plan. Plans are things that barely survive contact with reality in the first place, something I should¡¯ve considered this whole time. We think we have this ironclad solution and always get caught flatfooted because of course we were¡ªit doesn¡¯t matter if things were thought out. If the people don¡¯t execute and execute under pressure¡­ Everything fails.¡±


    Jackie took the parchment from the glass case, by the indent built into it. She looked down at it.


    ¡°We run, if we can. If running isn¡¯t enough, we stall and we figure out how to trap. And if EVERYTHING goes off the fucking deep end, then we hide and try to figure out what to do next.¡±


    She glanced up at the girls.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay to cry. It¡¯s okay to scream, shout, sweat¡ªwe¡¯re not superheroes. We¡¯re idiotic teenagers that got into something stupid. But¡­ As much¡­ As much of the bad shit that comes out of us during times like these, there¡¯s the good too. It¡¯s not binary, for any of us. For better or for worse, use EVERYTHING you¡¯ve got, girls.¡±


    She then spun the directory around, pointing at the destination they needed to reach.


    ¡°Just need to cross the halls and the door¡¯s right there,¡± Jackie explained. ¡°We walk down some stairs and that¡¯s that.¡±


    ¡°I fucking hate how easy that sounds,¡± Maddie grimaced.


    ¡°I know,¡± Jackie admitted.


    Tracy repeatedly rubbed her face with both of her hands, seemingly getting faster with each pass through before suddenly stopping, practically praying with her hands now together with her thumbs joined under her chin.


    ¡°Ah well,¡± Tracy shuddered out. ¡°¡¯We few¡­ We happy few¡­¡¯¡±


    ¡°¡¯We band of buggered,¡¯¡± River interrupted with a reference of her own, adjusting her backpack.


    Jackie turned on her heels, opening the office door and stepping into the dark corridors of the school.


    ¡°Would¡¯ve been nice if we turned on the lights or something,¡± Maddie said.


    ¡°At least our eyes are adjusting to the dark!¡± Aiko chirped.


    It wasn¡¯t perfect, but it was more to work with than pitch blackness. Everything was more shaded, Jackie and co. could make out the various shapes and objects, but not the color¡ªor the finer details.


    So what was before them, what they were travelling down, was a featureless school hallway¡ªlockers lining the walls, classroom entrances being further back, creating mini-hallways. Most of the fliers, papers, posters that lined the empty spaces of the walls fell off during the years, as the girls stepped on them.


    ¡°I hate how much this is taking me back,¡± Jackie murmured.


    ¡°You?¡± River said faux-accusatory. ¡°I already have PTSD night terrors; this is a living nightmare for me. Especially since, y¡¯know, I can¡¯t really see the things concretely. But that might be a good thing, if I did, I might have another nervous breakdown thinking I¡¯m a second late for Bio¡ª¡±


    ¡°Was I the only person that didn¡¯t have a bad high school experience¡­?¡± Aiko asked. ¡°Yes, I went to school, haha that¡¯s surprising Aiko¡ªbut I always hear about that¡­ Did I miss anything?¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Considering your zoinked approach to life in general?¡± Maddie said. ¡°You basically checked out before high school could do anything to you. You never let it become personal. Even I couldn¡¯t fucking do that.¡±


    Jackie lead the group to the left, and all there was left was a straight walk down the hall. Before them, a steel door with thick frame stood before them¡ªhandlebar stretched across the door. She turned to the others, the all nodded. She proceeded to push against the handlebar, opening the door.


    Jackie was the first to wobble, quickly urging the rest not to follow her.


    ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake¡­¡± Jackie looked down.


    The stairs were beginning to become undone. The metal structure was rusted brown in areas, to the point that the stairs that were supposed to be close to the wall of the building was leaning off to the other side. But below was the entrance to a lower, concrete set of stairs that lead to, hopefully, storage.


    Jackie turned to the rest, ¡°We all gotta rush it, but we¡¯re not gonna use this going back up¡­ So we have to find a way back, which shouldn¡¯t be too hard¡­¡±


    She exhaled, readying herself. Focusing siVis on her legs, Jackie leaped forward and started to dart down the broken staircase until she landed back on solid ground. She moved forward, trying to make way for the rest. And to her surprise¡ªeveryone managed to do the very same, with only minimal racketing regarding the staircase.


    ¡°¡­Nice work, girls!¡± Jackie said excitedly. ¡°I was expecting a saga outta that¡­¡±


    ¡°Same,¡± River replied, looking around. ¡°Waiting for that other shoe to drop is more stressful than doing this.¡±


    ¡°Good point,¡± Jackie looked about in the small, closed off area they¡¯ve found themselves in. Just an empty lot, with overgrown grass with brick walls surrounding it.


    Jackie motioned, and headed down to the lower steps, reaching the door. She turned on the knob, even applying siVis to her grip just in case.


    She opened the door, showing a semi-blue-lit basement. Loot and boxes, covered in plastic or sheets, giving the place the aura of a sickly tomb, unearthed after so many years. The floors were just a desert of dust and insect shells, the ceilings were incomplete and seemingly an endless dark void. The blue light bulbs just hung on strings, swaying multiple sides as they rattle a hallow sound.


    ¡°I reaaaallly hope that there¡¯s no toxic¡­ Anything here, really,¡± Jackie confessed.


    ¡°It would be pretty funny if this has asbestos,¡± Maddie said.


    ¡°N-no,¡± Tracy spat back. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Like, layered. A super snotty and high-tech place like this, just destroyed with asbestos.¡±


    Tracy could only respond in a sound that¡¯s crossed with a ¡°hurmph¡± and a whine.


    ¡°What we¡¯re looking for is gonna stick out like a sore thumb,¡± River informed everyone. ¡°Regardless if it¡¯s going to be something different from what we were expecting¡ª¡±


    Aiko pointed over at something, ¡°It¡¯s gonna look something like that¡­?¡±


    From the clutter, there was a cyan, white, and black tip of a capsule ways away from where the girls stood.


    ¡°¡­Huh,¡± Maddie looked over.


    ¡°Yeah no, I just don¡¯t trust this¡ª¡± Tracy sputtered out.


    ¡°I get it, but considering the option of N¡¯atural speeding back here to find the people who sent her on a goose chase; this could literally be a blessing,¡± Jackie pointed out. She then ran towards the capsule, and the others followed.


    After passing three rows of cluttered junk, they stumbled upon the capsule. Like all Shift-related or Extant ¡°technology¡±, it was covered in stainless white steel, black accented, and with a cyan core on the top. It was like it arrived just the other day, which stood out against the dusty, falling apart junk that surrounded it.


    ¡°Is it a way to open it¡­?¡± Tracy asked, so tense yet ready to move if something goes wrong or right.


    ¡°Fiction in general has always taught me that the glowing bit always is the key¡­ Now let¡¯s see if it¡¯s the key to our salvation or the key to our deaths,¡± River ¡°joked¡±.


    Jackie exhaled. ¡°If anything happens, run. Just run away and don¡¯t worry about me¡­¡±


    She extended her hand upwards, and pressed her hand against the cyan core.


    SIVIS-AWAKED PERSON: YOUR ACCESS IS GRANTED


    What made them jump proceeded to whir, the capsule opening itself up by it¡¯s sides extending outwards, showing the line of canisters. Not unlike the canisters Leslie used to broadcast the Taber stuff.


    FROM ONE HUMAN TO ANOTHER, WE ARE HERE TO HELP AND YOU SHOULD BE CONSTANTLY INFORMED: WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS TOGETHER


    Jackie was still in shock over how¡­ Easy all this was. But she heard the rustling of zippers behind her, turning towards it.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, grab what we can!¡± Maddie ordered.


    Shaking her head, she too started to open her own backpack, and took two canisters. Everyone else followed the same pattern.


    ¡°So we¡¯re leaving now, right--?¡± Tracy¡¯s shaken and on-edge tone was coming through perfectly.


    ¡°Ye¡ªyeah¡ª¡± Jackie adjusted her pack. ¡°Let¡¯s find the stairs¡­¡±


    After trudging through fallen boxes, curling up books, spilt over sacks, and all manners of broken things, they managed to find a staircase on the otherside of the storage room. A room that lead to them.


    ¡°I just¡­¡± Jackie pondered aloud. ¡°That¡¯s it? That¡¯s that¡­?¡±


    ¡°And we shouldn¡¯t jinx it¡ª¡± Maddie begun walking over to the staircase.


    ¡°She¡¯s right!¡± Tracy followed after, and the rest did so in turn. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that I¡¯m saying this but¡­ Yeah! Sometimes, things just get better for a while¡­¡±


    Maddie chuckled as she walked up the stairs. ¡°¡¯I have to admit/It¡¯s getting better¡¯¡­? Or however that song went?¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, ¡®that song¡¯, the Beatles¡¯ greatest hit,¡± River needled a bit. Tracy giggled at that.


    Maddie couldn¡¯t help to mumble-hum the tune as they ascended the floors, eventually reaching the first floor again. The tune seemed to get clearer, despite sounding so distant.


    ¡°Jesus,¡± as Maddie remarked as they were crossing a hall, on their way to the main hall to the office and exit. ¡°Did we go to the sub-basement or some shit? That was two floors we went up¡­¡±


    Jackie stopped walking, as did the rest. They stopped everything, even breathing almost. Only to hear a soft, hallow tune echo throughout the halls.


    ¡°I thought you were still singing¡­¡± Jackie sounded broken.

 (Episode XI)(.5)

    They ran, they did nothing but run. And by booking as fast as they did, they threw away their chance of escape by running into the school office again, versus the door.


    As they slammed on the floor, scrambling across to go for or figure out a place to hide¡ªthey all cursed themselves in their own respective ways.


    Tracy clamped down on her lip, already tears streaming down her face, making panicked noises as she hid in a corner behind a chair.


    River looked about, crawling backways on her ass going nowhere, her eyes darting around to see everything and everyone. Practically frozen.


    Aiko tried to look excited, or at the very least prepared and assured. She just kept hitting herself at her head, trying to maintain this manic energy because she knows it¡¯s all she has.


    Maddie pressed her back against the wall near the door, mumbling and fuming under her breath as she continued to look out.


    And Jackie was in the middle of all this, grabbed a trashcan amidst the emotional whirlwind. Looking behind her at the window, and then looking at the door in front of her. Planning, trying to figure out what¡¯s the best course of action that will lead to the least amount of injury.


    ¡°Who the fuck led us in here--?!¡± Maddie growled out.


    ¡°s-STOP!¡± Tracy shouted out, her teeth would¡¯ve been red had she bled anymore. ¡°Shutupshutupshutup! She could hear--!¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t fucking matter! She¡¯s fucking right there!¡± As she reached for the knob, Maddie could be hear saying ¡°I¡¯m going for it¡ª¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T!¡± Jackie screamed.


    ¡°FUCK YOU!¡± Maddie replied.


    ¡°SHE¡¯S FASTER AND STRONGER!¡± Jackie looked towards the window a couple of times, signaling to Maddie that it doesn¡¯t have to be this way.


    ¡°We¡¯re fucked either way, so fuck it!¡± Maddie grabbed onto the knob and began to turn.


    ¡°Sure. Go. Run.¡±


    The voice came from everywhere, causing the girls to seize up in fear.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡­ The monster that I am will enjoy it. Maybe it¡¯s the final lease and I can finally let go of a losing battle¡­ By all means. Be the ones to finally plunge me into the inevitable¡­¡±


    No one was sure on what to say or to do. Stillness flooded the scene, both in motion and in sound. It was only the mumbling hums of a tune that broke through the silence, with added huffing and shaky vocals, desperately trying to cradle the tune N¡¯atural tried singing. A different tune from before, it sounded calm and melancholy. But it was betrayed with the sharp intake of breathe and shuddering of the voice.


    Jackie¡¯s head snapped towards the rattling of the door knob.


    Only to see Maddie shaking so much, she was causing it with her grip on it.


    ¡°Ha¡­ I wonder why I¡¯m singing that song, of all times¡­? It¡¯s not like I have anything left to be thankful for¡­¡±


    Jackie knew this was bad¡ªboth parties wanted to prove something, and both parties feel like they have nothing to lose in trying to prove it.


    She had to act.


    She had to do something.


    Jackie made a break for a door behind the desk, black in color. She then, between consciousness and unconsciousness, used her ability to jerk the door open had it been locked¡ªrendering the possibility moot.


    To her surprise, she maintained consciousness. But she couldn¡¯t dwell on that.


    She ran into the dark room, then ran back out.


    ¡°GET IN HERE, GET IN HERE!¡± she urged to the rest.


    Tracy wasted no time, bolting inside first. Aiko then followed, along with River scrambling in while still on the floor.


    Jackie dashed towards Maddie, knowing that what she had to do.


    She grabbed the girl by her shoulder, gripping the jacket she was wearing, pulling her away with all her might as she ran into the room. Tracy was the one that closed the door, falling into it afterwards as she leaned and slid down it on her side, completely out of it.


    Someone turned on the lights somehow, revealing that this was the security room. A huge screen that curved at it¡¯s ends, made up of smaller screens was carved into the wall, with the control desk before it surrounded by various filing cabinets and seats.


    Maddie shifted and shook out of Jackie¡¯s hold, and she glared at her.


    ¡°I tried messing with your arm to make you let go, but I guess you fucked it up already.¡±


    Jackie squinted in confusion and begun to peer down.


    To her shock, her arm was grey-scale, devoid of color and movement.


    ¡°Well,¡± Jackie said in a monotone. ¡°No wonder I couldn¡¯t grab you with both¡­¡±


    ¡°The fuck do we do now?¡± River asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can really do with a security room¡­¡± Aiko added. ¡°Do we turn on the intercom and scold her for trespassing?¡±


    Jackie paused.


    ¡°So how did you guys get the lights working?¡± Jackie asked.


    Aiko waved her hand, ¡°Tracy screamed at me to turn on the lights, but I pointed out that this place has been closed and out of power for years, then she¡­ garbled or something in despair, so I used by siVis to jump into the switch? It worked somehow! It might be a side effect of the ability¡­¡±


    Jackie paused again, holding her lifeless arm.


    ¡°Aiko,¡± Jackie began. ¡°Possess the intercom and security system.¡±


    Aiko saluted as Tracy huffed in anxiety.


    ¡°WE ARE NOT GOING TO SUMMON HER TO THE PRINCIPAL OFFICE TO GO HOME, JACKIE JACKSON¡±


    ¡°Remember when I said that we have to adapt?¡± Jackie brought up. ¡°This is it. If this doesn¡¯t work? We still have the backup and I have an extra idea on the brain.¡±


    ¡°Considering how fucked your brain can get, I¡¯m gonna start¡ªy¡¯know, accepting that I¡¯m gonna get skewered since I could¡¯ve ran,¡± Maddie mocked.


    ¡°Honestly, that¡¯s a good idea,¡± Jackie said bluntly. ¡°I want you all to stay calm and untense. I understand how fucking impossible that is, but at least you guys can have a better chance than me.¡±


    Aiko proceeded to jump in, swirling into the cables that were at the bottom of the screens.


    ¡°I could hear that, y¡¯know,¡± N¡¯atural¡¯s voice referring to the activation call. ¡°Should I be taking that as a threat¡­?¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Aiko popped out seconds later, and everything flickered alight.


    Jackie used her enhanced sight and reflex to search the screens, trying to figure out where N¡¯atural was.


    Only to find her in the middle of an in-door garden.


    It was on the second floor, it was a mixture of a school lobby and a greenhouse. Benches surrounding the nature, with brick pillars and white small bars forming the cage, with an clear ceiling letting in the moonlight night.


    She was there, on the floor covered in dead leaves, in a white dress, her sandals in hand as she rested her arms on her knees, her blonde hair a mess, yet glowing due to the Moon¡¯s light.


    Just there. Alone.


    Jackie instantly hit the intercom¡¯s button, and spoke into it.


    ¡°No, no, no. We¡¯re not a threat. Furthest away from anything like that.¡±


    N¡¯atural didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°If you say that you¡¯re some sort of ally or kindred spirit, I swear¡­¡± her voice was projected somehow.


    This caused Jackie to gulp, to hesitate.


    She toggled the intercom again, ¡°Would be a bit presumptuous, wouldn¡¯t it? You¡¯re right in saying we¡¯re complete, mutual strangers here.¡±


    N¡¯atural¡¯s chuckle, so innocent yet broken, illuminated across the building.


    ¡°Finally,¡± she said. ¡°I finally break that stupid chain and it¡¯s from someone that I have no idea about. Funny how these nigglings seem to clear up all of a sudden, right before you make the decision¡­¡±


    Jackie tried tempering her breathing, and proceeded to toggle the intercom again, ¡°We¡¯re only stragglers, drifters. All we needed was something here, nothing more or less. That¡¯s all. Now that we¡¯ve cleared that up, can¡­ Can you assure that we can leave? All we want is to leave you alone.¡±


    Jackie saw N¡¯atural shrug on camera, her head still buried in arms and hair.


    ¡°I guess.¡±


    Jackie looked around to see the mixed expressions on everyone¡¯s faces.


    ¡°N¡¯atural,¡± Jackie begun. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to impose a will or¡ªLook, again, we¡¯re just dumb people that needed something, literal beggars. We know that this school is important to you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Just when I thought you were avoid being presumptuous,¡± N¡¯atural cut off.


    Jackie stiffened in response.


    ¡°You people only read the reports, creating lore about me to figure out my patterns¡­¡± N¡¯atural swayed left and right softly. ¡°Trying to logic, trying to figure me out¡­ I didn¡¯t even come here regularly due to my commitments. I only come here¡­ For reasons I don¡¯t even know. It¡¯s not nostalgia, it¡¯s not revengance¡­ I just come here. Don¡¯t claim to know me, stranger.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. Sorry¡­ Well, in that case, why not educate us about yourself?¡± Jackie responded. Everyone in the room looked at her. ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone can relate on not knowing yourself¡­ I feel like only a handful of people know who they are, and they end up being the ones we read about¡ªthe ones that make a name for themselves in history. That alone, how that happens and how the rest of us react to that¡­ That shows you that practically no one figured themselves out completely.¡±


    ¡°¡­Hm,¡± the girl stopped rocking to contemplate. ¡°I suppose there¡¯s a truth there¡­¡±


    Jackie knew that she would put herself in danger for what she was about to say next, but she felt this working.


    ¡°I definitely treasured that¡­ But who I was¡­ Who I ultimately am, really¡­ It just wasn¡¯t enough for the world. So I just made myself into things I like, versus who I really am. It¡¯s only until now, with this siVis stuff, that I¡¯ve barely changed and I should¡¯ve been more truthful. And yet people thought or think I have it all together. So as someone that ¡®knew¡¯ in some sense? It¡¯s not all that¡¯s cracked up to be¡­¡±


    N¡¯atural¡¯s toes squirmed ontop of each other, which could¡¯ve meant a ton of things.


    ¡°¡­ But you sound so confident¡­¡± N¡¯atural replied. ¡°Reassured¡­ You would have to be to even try doing what you¡¯re doing now.¡±


    Jackie lowered her head. ¡°All I am is a misguided failure that compounds it by trying to be proactive¡­ It¡¯s how I ended up here to begin with. Trust me, N¡¯atural. I¡¯m not confident. I¡¯m not reassured. And I¡¯m scared. Because I think this might be finally the one failure that gets me killed.¡±


    N¡¯atural started to shake, grab her head of golden hair. She proceeded to lift her head up, this showing her face on camera.


    Heart-shaped, normally blue eyes that weren¡¯t bloodshot and welled up with tears, dainty nose that trailed mucus and her full lips for her age.


    ¡°At least¡ª¡± her mouth moved, flashing her sharp teeth, and proving that she is talking out of it. ¡°At least you understand something¡ªhave something. I¡ªI don¡¯t know, I never knew, and that¡¯s why this whole thing was potent as it was! Never in my life, I never¡ªI never---just had a moment to think about it, simple questions about me, myself---I, I remember the Cornerstone QA¡ªan¡ªand honestly replying that I don¡¯t have a favorite song---I---I was burnt at the stake for THAT, so I should¡¯ve seen everyone turning on me coming, I was always fucked from the start¡­¡±


    Her face crumbled up once more, her tears coating her face again as she huffed and shuddered.


    ¡°¡­ A-are you still there, sta¡ªstranger¡­?¡± the poor girl asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m still here,¡± Jackie responded instantly. ¡°Just¡­ Continue.¡±


    N¡¯atural made something between a laugh and a mournful wail as she did, ¡°I always hated personal questions, and in even in therapy it¡¯s not better¡ªHow do I feel, about me, about this, about that; if I knew, I wouldn¡¯t be in this mess, you wouldn¡¯t have to ask! Was all of this a punishment simply because I didn¡¯t know anything? I got this siVis, this enlightenment, purely because I couldn¡¯t¡ªbecause I realized that a voice came out and I was further behind it? Why!?¡±


    She screamed, and grabbed her own face.


    Jackie and company watched in real time of her fingers sprouting plated claws, directly out of her human finger tips.


    Jackie grabbed the intercom device, and held onto the button. ¡°N¡¯atural, please, transforming only silences you¡ªdon¡¯t give into it. You¡¯ll only regret after you¡¯ve transformed back.¡±


    ¡­N¡¯atural began to laugh. A sorrowful laugh, an empty laugh.


    ¡°Ah¡­ All that documentation, and you all couldn¡¯t get that one¡­ Key¡­. Detail right¡­ It¡¯s not transformation. It never was.¡±


    Jackie felt a pit form in her throat, and felt the others start to panic.


    ¡°It¡¯s Metamorphosis,¡± N¡¯atural bluntly stated.


    ¡°O-one way¡­?¡± Jackie shakenly asked.


    ¡°No way back once it starts¡­¡± N¡¯atural answered.


    Jackie held the button, despite her hands trembling, and couldn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Been slowly changing¡­ Little by little¡­ From the inside out¡­¡± N¡¯atural said, and then laughed again at such an odd, inhuman pace. ¡°Of course the German girl gets Metamorphosis as her ability¡­ I¡¯ve been in ¡®Stage 1¡¯ for 2 years, since the announcement¡­ I look like me¡­ Or whoever I was, but on closer inspection¡­ You saw my skin move. You saw my eyes narrow. Because my body¡¯s been in a state of transforming, readying me for the final plunge¡­ Into my true face.¡±


    Jackie continued to say nothing.


    ¡°Because the truth is¡­ The truth is¡­ It wasn¡¯t just my lack of self¡­ I¡¯ve been trying to focus on that, maybe to pitifully steer away from this¡­ But the truth is, this wasn¡¯t an invasion. I didn¡¯t¡­ Somehow gain monstrous thoughts and they told me to do bad things. It was from within. It was my own instinctive thoughts. How I hated the hallowness, every single aspect of my life¡ªwhen people strive for it like it¡¯s the last boon of gold¡­ And I always batted them away, ¡®I shouldn¡¯t think like that¡¯, continue to walk in shoes that aren¡¯t my own, designer, only for performance and appeal¡­ Isn¡¯t that all this is, stranger? siVis pegged me good, did it not?¡±


    Jackie forced herself to form words, sweating like crazy and shaking where she stood. She wanted to say something, needed to. But it was just too much.


    N¡¯atural stopped sobbing. Suddenly.


    Her face rose from her clawed hands. A neutral expression was etched on it, despite covered in tears and snot.


    ¡°I¡¯ve gone and scared you, haven¡¯t I?¡¯ Her sharp teeth more pronounced, forcing her lips to part.


    ¡°no¡­¡± Jackie could only muster.


    ¡°Thisss¡­ This is why I must do what I must do¡­ Give in. Be the monster. So you all can stop living in this fear of charity, forced to deal with me¡­ I can finally be the monster you fear, maybe in some ways I¡¯ll enjoy it like the sick fuck that I am. Then you can put me out of my misery. One less Trend to deal with, and a plethora of movie documentaries you can mourn over.¡±


    ¡°WE¡¯RE FUCKED TOO!¡± Jackie screamed so hard, everyone else jumped. ¡°WE¡¯RE GONNA BREAK, BECAUSE WE FUCKED UP GETTING SIVIS! WE¡¯RE GONNA BREAK IF WE¡¯RE PUSHED TOO FAR! BUT WE HAVE A CHOICE! A HARD CHOICE, BUT WE SURVIVE OUR FATE! MAYBE YOU CAN AS WELL! YOU JUST HAVE TO TRY!¡±


    N¡¯atural looked up to the ceiling, as if Jackie was there.


    ¡°What do you suppose we do¡­?¡± N¡¯atural asked. Distant.


    ¡°Get help¡ªlearn things¡ªstick together!¡± Jackie desperately pleaded more than answer. ¡°Take one challenge at a time! And remember that we¡¯re just stupid, overemotional teenage girls! Be that! No matter how much we don¡¯t know or how much we suck! We can get through this, N¡¯atural¡­! Even if you don¡¯t know us or we don¡¯t know you¡­! Just¡­ Please¡­¡±


    N¡¯atural said nothing.


    ¡°All I¡¯ve seen¡­ All I¡¯ve been doing¡­ Is talking to a girl that got way too much all to soon¡­ Whose just exhausted¡­ Who isn¡¯t a monster, just having some fucked thing in her head that constantly says it¡­¡± Jackie tearfully breathed out. ¡°If you keep saying monster in front of the mirror, Des¡­ You¡¯re going to see it.¡±


    N¡¯atural gasped, her eyes wide. She then hunched over again, shaking.


    ¡°They don¡¯t know how to fix us, stranger¡­¡± N¡¯atural said, solemnly.


    ¡°Then we fix ourselves¡­¡± Jackie responded almost immediately. ¡°We are¡­ What we choose to be¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ It always comes down to that, doesn¡¯t it¡­?¡±


    N¡¯atural rose up again, this time getting onto her feet. She looked up, her tears now falling back as she sniffles tense her whole body.


    Then Jackie realize, it was more than just the sniffling.


    ¡°¡­Then I¡¯ll chose to be the monster,¡± N¡¯atural responded. ¡°And I¡¯ll help us put each other out of our misery¡­ Including this fucked world¡­¡±


    Die Verwandlung: B¨¹hne Zwei


    N¡¯atural¡¯s form began to pulsate, crack, and become undone.


    A tearful Jackie could only wipe away her tears, and steel herself.


    She reached over to the black phone on the table, picking it up and started dialing.


    Her extra plan is in motion.


    ¡°EXTANT!¡± Jackie shouted into the receiver. ¡°N¡¯ATURAL SAVAGE HAS BEGUN HER TRANSFORMATION, WE¡¯RE AT EVERMORE¡¯S FOUNDATIONS¡ªTHIS IS REALLY BAD, SHE INTENDS TO GO OUT AS A MONSTER AND TAKE DAVENPORT WITH HER, BE READY, SEND PEOPLE, WE¡¯RE GONNA TRY TO TRAP HER, IT DOESN¡¯T MA¡ª¡±


    Through the sickening sound of the rumbling of destroyed cement and steeling, N¡¯atural begun digging towards the girls.

 (Episode XII) (Natural) Changes

    Jackie, aged 13, was sitting on top of the benches. She looked down at the A.R. projection, eager hut laced with anxiousness.


    Made up of geometric shapes that formed into an endless, ¡°appealing¡± mascot¡ªit was the thing delivering the latest siVis/Shift warning for all kids to see. The voice, airying and ¡°reassuring¡±, was a terrible mistake. All the information it spewed, it felt like it was telling it in such a detached, uncaring way.


    ¡°Remember! siVis Trends deep down are people as well! But at the same time, understand that people can also be dangerous and inhumane!¡±


    The girls¡¯ nails dug constantly under her seat, her trembling fingers scrapping at her sides, breaking chunks on the floating, disconnected bench.


    ¡°These people have experienced the Shifts in ways we have yet to define, and maybe will take a while to do so,¡± the two-frame animated, gap of a smile flapped away. The face of the construct was just a simple, dots for eyes and curve for mouth. Head was a circle, ¡°hair¡± was just three trapzoids layered onto each other, and the body was just a bulging square.


    ¡°So, with this in mind, these people are mentality overwhelmed, end up displaced from their living situation, and faces deteriorating humanity on a near-daily basis. While siVictims end up as their namesake, victims to their unusual plights¡ªsiVisTrends are the certain victims that take their interesting experience in ways that we couldn¡¯t have possibly predicted, and remain on public file to gauge the destructive capability of what siVis is. If you run into one, run! And contact your local Extant to handle your situation! Run, hide, and survive until Extant has arrived with the possible help. And you must give it your all, or you will become yet another statistic to said Trend!¡±


    The metallic, dry taste that spread in Jackie¡¯s mouth was palpable. Never mind the decision of teaching this to kids, she then realized where she was right now.


    Mindspace.


    Meaning, in her head.


    And judging by the metallic taste turning into iron, and the dryness instantly flooding with a then-familiar red fluid¡ªshe could be hurt bad. Knocked into this bad.


    She wiped the corners of her mouth that dribbled with blood. She just wanted to know what this trauma hallucination from the past was trying to tell her. Hoping it wasn¡¯t a coma dream. Or a dying one.


    ¡°Only try the following when they are charging at you, and you are totally out of options!¡± the shape-man lectured. ¡°Grapple or contort their ¡®ReBirthmarks¡¯ to cause a momentary spasm in their motion! siVis-based action apparently works on moment-to-moment, step-by-step basis! With that, sequence-breaking is the key in curbing the threat¡ªbut good luck in finding things that can break said sequences! Don¡¯t be a hero! Remember you are mortal!¡±


    So, things that she already knew. Great.


    What was left was the issue to getting out, waking up. If she could.


    The girl primed her hand against her cheek, patting it softly to work herself up.


    It wasn¡¯t until it hit her that she slapped herself on the forehead with astonishment.


    ¡°Sequence-breaking!¡± she continued to dope-slap herself, this time across the face. Then the left. Then the right, and this left her puzzled.


    She kept slapping and slapping, until she realized that her hand wasn¡¯t her own¡ªit was Maddie¡¯s.


    ***


    ¡°Wakeupwakeupwakeupwakeup--!¡± Maddie breathless choked out.


    Jackie huffed, shot up, and coughed. She looked around, despite her brain still swirling within her skull.


    The entire hallway was covered in white, a mixture of cement dust and River¡¯s steam, creating a unique haze layering everything.


    ¡°Good! You¡¯re up, now let¡¯s fucking run because she¡¯s coming out any--!¡± a voice said. River¡¯s?


    Jackie realized that she was still woozy, and deafened on the left side of her ear.


    So she could only hear a faint muffle when N¡¯atural exploded onto the scene.


    She was hunched over, sharp¡ªalabaster plates protruding out of her arms, back, legs and even the back of her hand and down her fingers. Speaking of, her claws not only extended out of them from the finger tips, but have fused the fingers together, creating a clawed hand with two fingers and a bloated thumb. Her feet were no better, becoming raised with the heels disappearing with a sharp talon, the same talons that became her toes¡ªblack, thick and dug into the ground so she doesn¡¯t fall over. She became gaunt, her beautiful dress hanging off her, her skin so close to her bones, and despite breathing heavily¡ªyou could barely see her chest move.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    She looked over, in what could be described as a manic look¡­ Had she been able to express anymore.


    Her face was scrunched due to her skull structure, to the point of jutting outwards¡ªbecoming more like a falcon with sharp edges and sunken, beady eyes. She tried to grin, but most of her teeth were missing¡ªbecoming jagged remnants that can work perfect for tearing at least.


    She was coated in debris and sweat, her claws mostly caked in white, as she stood there in place.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see you that well, but I know you¡¯re there, my fellow strangers¡­¡± her accent was gone, she could only hiss out her words, and her vocal chords only registering low octaves. ¡°I thought I would ussse my hearing and dig straight to where you are¡­ Of course, it took a lot out of me, but that¡¯s the lovely thing about my ability¡­ The more I get hurt, the faster the transformation takes hold!¡±


    There was a disgusting, raspy sound that followed. Short, almost in cadence with dryheavings. But the girls knew it was her laugher.


    ¡°It hurts,¡± N¡¯atural confessed. ¡°It hurts so much¡­ But the funny thing is¡­ I can already feel something else take the place of the pain. My feeble, human skin is just hardening into one of a beast¡¯s. I know you tried to leave, so I made sure to block the exit¡ªand we¡¯re going to set here until I can move again! I want to meet you all so badly!¡±


    ¡°Shit! Shit!¡± Maddie could only exclaim, as she practically shrieked.


    This was bad, and Jackie knew it. There was something she needed to do, she knew what to do¡ªthey all did. But once again, reality crushed her before she could do anything.


    She found herself struggling to get up.


    ¡°WE ARE NOT DOING HERO MOMENTS!¡± again, a voice screamed. Had to be Tracy, that time.


    Jackie stood¡­ And then prowled forward.


    Even N¡¯atural, who was behind the layers of smoke, perked up in confusion.


    Even Jackie herself wasn¡¯t sure what she was doing.


    But she continued to move forward¡­ And then moved to the left, hitting herself against the locker.


    It finally occurred to Jackie, who was practically having an out-of-body-experience, that she was still out of sorts mentality due to what kind of hit she was taken.


    Looking into the reflection of the locker, her eyes were glazed over.


    Essentially, if it wasn¡¯t for siVis, Jackie would have been completely under it. Her body was trying to do it¡¯s best, but can¡¯t just rebound from blunt force trauma.


    ¡°Oh dear¡­¡± N¡¯atural tried to sound sympathetic. ¡°I¡¯ll try to ease whoever you are first. Brain damage is far too unforgiving¡­¡±


    Possibly concussed again, trapped in a body that¡¯s barely functional, with the idea on how to possibly survive locked behind all of this. Somehow, this takes the cake of the worst thing that¡¯s happened to her this ordeal.


    But she was able to track one thing.


    She saw Tracy step forward, beside her. Dripping with sweat and tears, she moved her arms forward.


    siVis Ability!


    ¡°¡­Hold on, just caught this¡ªyou haven¡¯t even named--?¡± N¡¯atural could muster before getting cut off.


    The lockers flipped open, forward, as if they acted as a door. N¡¯atural grunted in surprise, but to surprise her more, she heard the steps of her attacker coming to her left.


    Tracy then used her ability again, flipping up a slab of floor to cover her up next, connecting to the locker-wall.


    ¡°Trapping me, hm¡­?¡± N¡¯atural sounded nonplussed. She heard steps behind her, and looked back to see yet another set of lockers form the makeshift cage.


    Jackie felt someone grab her, and ran with the rest.


    They bolted down the halls, trying to find anywhere to hide. But knowing N¡¯atural can just crush them without laying a claw on them aided in the anxiety.


    ¡°WHAT DO WE DO?!¡± Maddie screamed. ¡°THE FUCK DO WE DO?!¡±


    ¡°Tracy,¡± River said out of breath, ¡°You have to use your ability again¡ªsomething, anything!¡±


    ¡°Uh-uh-uh-uh¡ª¡± Tracy could only respond.


    siVis Ability!


    Tracy struggled to lift up the slab of floor that provided their escape. What was lined with wires and pipes was a makeshift hatch to the lower floor.


    Maddie instantly leapt and jumped into the mess, getting tangled but falling down.


    siVis Ability!


    River turned into steam and floated down the hatch.


    ¡°Ready, Jackie?¡± so it was Aiko was helped Jackie this whole time.


    They jumped together, getting caught but struggling like madwomen to get undone, eventually falling through and landing on the lower floor.


    Tracy quickly leapt after, getting entangled but falling in record time.


    The girls continued to run, now in a spacious, featureless floor with it was nothing but green-tented white.


    ¡°HF¡ªGirls, stop¡ª¡± Jackie was able to muster some words.


    She couldn¡¯t explain it, but she found the spot in her head where it hurts the most. Stark warned about brain activity, but it wasn¡¯t oddly her head this time. It was near the ear, and focused on keeping it from aching.


    ¡°There¡¯s no point in hiding¡­¡± Jackie felt it easier to talk. ¡°She¡¯s going to stalk and bring this place down if we continue to do it¡­¡±


    ¡°Dude,¡± Maddie said, pointing at her. ¡°You¡¯re so fucking lucky to be alive right now. You were as close to the impact than any of us.¡±


    Jackie¡¯s eyes widen. ¡°R-really--?¡±


    ¡°You got hit by something, but because you instantly got knocked the fuck out--?¡± Maddie asked, trembling as she says it. ¡°You were limp, so you weren¡¯t tensed¡­ We got out with scraps and shit because we ran instantly, but we had to dig you out and¡­¡±


    Jackie held her head with both hands, looking across equally scared, equally hurt girls.


    ¡°You¡­ Risked everything to save me¡­?¡± Jackie felt her eyes well up in tears.


    ¡°It was the stupidest decision we¡¯ve made¡­ But we couldn¡¯t make the smart choice.¡±


    Jackie used her thumb to mop the tears before they could form, shivering as she did. She then felt something in her mouth, spitting in her hand to look at it.


    The sparkle-like dust that¡¯s replaced her blood, resided in that hand. It simmered in her hand, showing that her siVis-structure has taken a beaten within.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no reason for me not to make this plan of mine the best I ever fucking managed,¡± Jackie proclaimed.

 (Episode XII) (.3)

    ¡°Where the hell are we, by the way?¡± Maddie looked and walked about in the spacious room they were all in. ¡°The bitch apparently can hear 90 miles around her, we don¡¯t need to be in an echo-y room to begin with.¡±


    Jackie winced, as she kept her head turned, at an angle, so she can hear the girls herself. Whatever nature of the blow was, it seemed like the hearing on her left side is muffled, damaged. There was still ringing, a drone that persisted and practically drilled into her mind.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s unfortunate¡­¡± Jackie sighed. ¡°Not only enhanced siVis hearing, but with a monster modifier? It would be a steal if it wasn¡¯t so¡­ Unfortunate. Vocab is limited when you suffer from head injury¡ª¡±


    ¡°Y¡¯know, for a girl that¡¯s been so vocal in your dreading of all things Shift; you¡¯re so eerily calm about this whole thing!¡± Tracy nearly hissed out, looking over her shoulder multiple times.


    ¡°Well I mean¡­ I already got hurt by this situation¡ªalready in pain¡­ I just need to not make it worse,¡± Jackie shrugged, and then winced again.


    ¡°You guys wouldn¡¯t understand~¡± Aiko chirped. ¡°When you¡¯re in a terrible situation and you already get hurt¡ªyou only have to worry about getting out! That¡¯s like, most of the fear knocked out right there!¡±


    ¡°There you go, Jackie, you got the Aiko Seal of Approval. Don¡¯t you feel like a sane person?¡± River drily stated.


    Jackie rolled her eyes, and stayed silent for a bit because she could¡¯ve sworn she had a bout of dizziness after that. ¡°I¡¯m more focused about your guys than me anyways¡­¡±


    Maddie approached the double doors at the end of the room, and opened them.


    ¡°¡­Oooooh,¡± she said. ¡°Okay, yeah, that explains it¡­¡±


    She opened the door fully, and what they¡¯ve found was the gymnasium. It was green-ish blue in hue, the bleachers were empty, the scoreboard folded into the ceiling as the basketball hoops hung in unnatural ways¡ªpossibly due to damage over the years.


    ¡°So what the fuck was that room, then--?¡± Maddie asked.


    ¡°Probably for dance¡­?¡± River guessed.


    ¡°Ah, right, this is a snobby school¡ª¡± Maddie accepted.


    ¡°Should w-we be talking?¡± Tracy stressed. ¡°Considering the beast in the room¡ªor coming to it soon?¡±


    ¡°She might get to a point where she can smell the sweat coming off us or whatever,¡± Maddie bounced back. ¡°At this point, we¡¯re just waiting for her to come so we can stall again¡ª¡±


    ¡°Preeetty much¡­¡± Jackie sighed again. ¡°And who knows what tricks or siVis knowledge she has over us. Just hiding won¡¯t cut it¡ªwe have to bide.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get biding--!¡± Aiko retorted.


    ¡°Okay, she kinda spilled most of what she could do herself¡­¡± River relayed. ¡°Injury speeds up the process, her strength and hearing are further enhanced, can shred through stone¡­ Really, the only silver lining is the fact she¡¯s losing her intelligence at stage 2¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stage 2?¡± Maddie asked.


    ¡°¡®Zwei¡¯ is two in German,¡± River answered.


    ¡°¡­See Brooke,¡± Maddie began. ¡°You say you¡¯re stupid, but you¡¯re literally the only one who caught that.¡±


    ¡°Madison, I learned that from watching a show that has a main character fight viruses through anime videogames, I am not a scholar¡ª¡± River shot back.


    ¡°Stay on task, here!¡± Tracy shouted. ¡°What do we do with this information?!¡±


    ¡°See, I realized something too¡­¡± Jackie brought up. ¡°From all of those¡­ siVis safety seminars, they solemn bring it up, but every single victim has the weakness of ¡®sequence cancelling¡¯¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s the last resort,¡± River said. ¡°You¡¯re going to die or you do this¡ª¡±


    ¡°So perfect for where we are now,¡± Jackie retorted.


    ¡°Us getting face to face and trying to achieve that would work, but¡­ We¡¯re us. We¡¯re already fragile. I can feel most of the wounds from the Davenoid reopen as I close them again. Nevermind the thing with Nathan. We just can¡¯t fight her¡­¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°That¡¯s why everyone here needs to vow that if she get anywhere near us, we have to do that to save ourselves,¡± Jackie noted. ¡°We can only run for so far, hide for so long¡ªwe have to be brave but not be heroes. So when N¡¯atural closes in and any of us are too far away to help in time? Break whatever stance, whatever further transformation, whatever she does¡ªinterrupt it by striking her and using siVis to see where to strike. Then you run¡ª¡±


    ¡°Gaaaawh--!¡± Tracy made with her mouth. ¡°S-sure! Got it! But you really have to think about like, what if we fail or--?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not much time to fail right now,¡± Jackie grimly said.


    Tracy silently screamed as she holds her face.


    ¡°So that¡¯s all we got--?¡± Maddie asked.


    ¡°No, because we¡¯re still gonna do our exit strat¡ªwhich is just bringing the house down. We bury her in rubble that we know she can claw out, but there¡¯s enough for us to run down to Extant or meet the Enforcers on their way here. And we do that in a mix of plans¡ªwe weaken any support beam we find or try to bait her to crush into them if that doesn¡¯t work. We use her destructive power against her, as we work ourselves up and I use everything in my being to send her back down a floor or through a hole. The sheer damage the building takes will do the work for us and we use Aiko¡¯s ability to make another Rosebud to jump and slide down to safety as everything falls down. After we did the ground? We book it down to Steppe Ave.¡±


    ¡°I like all of that. I really, really do. But we ain¡¯t gonna bring the building down¡ª¡± River said.


    ¡°Y-yeah--?¡± Jackie questioned.


    ¡°It would¡¯ve worked because well, yeah. Superhero stuff and powers brings buildings down because fuck physics. But buildings, especially now, have reinforcements aside from support beams¡ªlike load-bearing walls and¡­¡± River sighed for a bit. ¡°Steel materials. Not to mention the possible hazardous materials that could be in her and we end up inhaling. And at best, she¡¯d be buried in a pile or something.¡±


    Jackie sighed for a bit. ¡°Right, that¡¯s fair¡­¡±


    ¡°But we can still trap her in a wreck, still,¡± River admitted. ¡°Just don¡¯t expect the building coming down and more¡­ The ceilings and stuff caved in. And the pipes pour water all over her. We can definitely work with that.¡±


    ¡°Thanks River,¡± Jackie smiled.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one making plans nursing a ruptured eardrum or something. You¡¯re like, the definition of badass right now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not gonna convince her to date you like that, Brooke,¡± Maddie snarked.


    ¡°1), Jackie would break me¡ªwithout the abilities and 2), me ¡®making a move¡¯ involves me explaining what a current meme is with a lot less letters or words and just stuttering,¡± River replied.


    ¡°Speaking of¡­¡±


    She saw River tense.


    ¡°Oh, no sorry River, I¡ªI meant about my ability¡­¡± Jackie clarified, seeing the poor girl untease and exhale in relief.


    Jackie looked at her hand and made a fist.


    siVis Ability!


    She watched her fist, muscle¡ªveins¡ªand skin, start to engorge blue with literal power.


    ¡°Theoretically¡­I should be able to hold it¡­¡±


    She closed her eyes, trying to figure out how to realize that.


    She went to her Mindspace, and watched her arm take on the power as it coursed down her it. It soon overtook the shoulder and spread rapidly across her chest, which made her double over.


    She opened her eyes and let go, ending the process as the power faded away.


    ¡°I can do it, but it¡¯s going to take a lot¡­¡±


    ¡°Not only that, we have to load you on after,¡± Maddie crossed her arms.


    ¡°Thaaaat too¡­¡± Jackie kept feeling up and down that arm, tingling. ¡°Y¡¯know what? We have to compare notes. What do you all feel when you use your abilities? What have you noticed so far overall?¡±


    ¡°Oh oh oh!¡± Aiko went first by making sure she got first. ¡°Uh¡­ So when I take over something, all of the inner workings become like¡­ My organs? Weirdly enough? Like the engine isn¡¯t my brain, but it¡¯s now something I need to keep alive and worry about. That and the more I exist within the object, the more I break it.¡±


    Maddie shrugged. ¡°Iunno how my shit works¡­ I just touch something and they become string and I can break that string. But if they like, hit me¡ªBecause of the Davenoid fuck, he hit me while I was ripping him up and like, he made my hands open up like string. So maybe while I¡¯m doing it, the same can happen to me? Which is shitty, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°I think my steam requires my breath to do. Otherwise, I go smokey without a problem, I¡¯m basically invisible, and I leave a trial that quickly spreads out into a cloud. It was a shame when we got in that fight, they figured something out, but N¡¯atural¡¯s gone primitive enough that she hasn¡¯t found out whatever they did and you guys got used to it during the Davenoid fight. I just need to breathe more, or what happened with the Davenoid where I just¡­ Couldn¡¯t catch my breath for a moment.¡±


    Tracy rubbed her hands together. ¡°When I¡­ Make things pull up, I think¡­ There¡¯s a physical toll, in a sense. I have to mime pulling up that floor, or flipping those lockers¡­ But when the Davenoid attacked, there was a point where he couldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    She made a face.


    ¡°I want you all to close your eyes,¡± she commanded. And they all did.


    siVis Ability!


    Tracy tried to access her ability, making an effort to push up the floor or do something.


    ¡°Oh my god¡­ Open them?¡± And they did what she said.


    Tracy once again made an effort to lift up the floor, and a square of the floor lifted upwards.


    ¡°It¡¯s based on sight¡ªOkay,¡± she put it back down, and looked to Aiko. ¡°Look away¡ªat the wall or something.¡±


    Aiko did what she was told, just staring at the floor with a nonplussed look on her face.


    Tracy tried lifting the floor¡­ And nothing happened.


    Tracy then raised her arms, looking at Aiko¡¯s wall¡­ And pulled back, causing the wall to jut out.


    ¡°It works on someone¡¯s line of sight,¡± Maddie realized. ¡°How fucking anal, no wonder you have this power¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to know¡­¡± Jackie mused. ¡°But it¡¯s like I said. No matter how weird or random these abilities are¡­ They¡¯re our tools now. This is going to be a challenge that¡¯s going to bring us closer in understanding them better. And what better exercise than trapping a living example of how these powers can go.¡±


    Jackie cracked her knuckles. ¡°So let¡¯s go, girls.¡±

 (Episode XII)(.3.5)

    ¡°Go where first¡­?¡± Tracy asked. After a pause, she looked down at her boots. ¡°That sounded better in my head¡ª¡±


    Jackie stroked in her own cheek in thought, with her thumb at the base of her jaw. ¡°We¡¯re going to be breaking things, so that¡¯s gonna be a clear signal for her¡­ We need to find a way to bait the monster taking her over, a simple yet effective way¡­¡±


    The girl¡¯s eyes flickered a tad, thus started scanning across the gym.


    ¡°There¡ªAiko, run over and see if that¡¯s a closet.¡±


    Aiko nodded and raced over to the gray door within the corner of the space. She reached into the pocket of her backpack, and pulled out a flat, silver object that she slid through the crack between the door and the frame, near it¡¯s knob so she can trigger it open. And she did, looking inside briefly, noticing that something was hanging from the ceiling and tugged it. The lights in the closet came on as a result.


    ¡°Yep, and it¡¯s big too!¡± she said.


    ¡°River¡ªsee if there¡¯s like an automated cleaning device in there,¡± Jackie asked her. River paused for a bit looking at her, but then walked down to where Aiko was, who was waving muchly as if River didn¡¯t know where to go to.


    ¡°What¡ªa Roomba?¡± Maddie tilted her head.


    ¡°Pretty much, I just didn¡¯t want to call it that and there¡¯s like a better name or something completely different¡ª¡± Jackie admitted.


    ¡°¡­Are we gonna bait this bitch like she¡¯s a dog with a Roomba, Jackson?¡± Maddie sounded deadpan.


    ¡°Something even better than that, my dear Madison¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something that¡¯s basically a bigger Roomba, by the way,¡± River announced from across the way. ¡°Will that still help?¡±


    ¡°As long as it still bumps into walls when it has no where to go,¡± Jackie answered back.


    ¡°I have to set it on it¡¯s ¡®dummy¡¯ mode, but it will,¡± River confirmed. She proceeded to bend down and started messing with the cleaning tool.


    ¡°Turn it on and we¡¯ll do the next part.¡±


    Without warning, Jackie raised her long leg, and proceeded to take off her new sneaker.


    ¡°Ewewuwha--?!¡± Tracy exclaimed.


    ¡°¡­Aw shit,¡± Maddie realized. ¡°You¡¯re gonna make it look like we¡¯re in that closet hiding.¡±


    ¡°And if she can track us by smell¡ªwhat better use for our shoes that we just bought but already sweated a ton in?¡± Jackie nodded, putting her leg down. ¡°We do have to remember to not run so flatfooted¡ªotherwise our socks are gonna give us anyway¡­ And running away barefoot with a creature that can cut you sounds bad, frankly.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully my tights will h-hold up in that case¡­¡± Tracy bemoaned.


    River rose up, ¡°I put it on the slowest and silent setting in that case¡ªchuck our shoes in now?¡±


    Jackie looked to Maddie and Tracy. The former shrugged and the latter gulped with a nod.


    Jackie hopped over on one foot, as the others followed. They all took off their shoes and footwear in a hurry, closing the door as they can hear the ¡®mega Roomba¡¯ bang softly against the other supplies in there.


    ¡°Remember, tiptoe jog girls, use your toes and bounce softly off them,¡± Jackie instructed.


    ¡°We fucking used our legs as pogos¡­ Once, that one time,¡± Maddie had to pause to not mention Quaddale. Jackie still caught it, and softly smiled to herself. ¡°We can handle this.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    With Jackie leading the way, the girls jogged away from the gym into it¡¯s other exit, opening the door lightly, and making sure nothing was disturbed.


    They moved up the stairs, making sure to climb up to the top where N¡¯atural presumably was, the floor where she burrowed through. Opening the door to it, the girls ran down the halls, getting to the garden.


    They see the massive hole she created, and they all collectively shivered.


    ¡°That could be flesh¡­¡± Tracy said in a whisper. ¡°That could mean instant death, siVis or not.¡±


    Jackie sighed. ¡°We should hide for a bit. Before we start, to make sure that we didn¡¯t waste our time with my plan¡­¡±


    Aiko looked about, and saw a classroom across the way. She waved at Jackie, then pointed towards it.


    Jackie then nodded, leading the way with the others following. When they reached the door, Aiko once again popped the door open, causing them to come in and slowly close the door behind them.


    They made sure to be out of sight of the slim window that complimented the door, sitting on the dusty floor against the classroom¡¯s walls.


    Everything was shaded in a midnight blue, mixed with cyan and the girls drowned in fairy due to the windows letting the moonlight in.


    Aiko was rocking a bit, back and forth, within her seat. Her face was neutral, but her eyes were focused and determined. Willing to throw everything she has, because ¡°instant death¡± will not be the way she goes out.


    Tracy hugged her legs as she shakes in her hold. Face buried into her knees, she had to stop herself from making a sound, crying, despite her almost falling in both. She feared that, these were signs that she could fend off N¡¯atural if it did come down to it. She had to remain in her mindset, even if it gotten her this far.


    River looked at her glasses, as she was rubbing them with the special sheet that came with them. She only just remarked that her old ones were truly gone, and it wasn¡¯t like they were in the best shape possible. Of course, the allegory extended to her, since she nearly doomed them from the start. She debated if she should wear them or not, which option makes her more of a target or less of a liability.


    Maddie hummed to herself, ironically one of N¡¯atural¡¯s songs¡ªHaunted. Saying the lyrics under her hushed breath, trying to figure out what would hurt her more¡­ Before flashing back personally, listening to the song on her bed, with her big, dumb dog Montgomery. Was he taken care of while she was gone¡­? She cursed herself muchly, shook her head, why remembering of all times. She refused to be emotionally compromised, not right now, not ever.


    Jackie meanwhile just looked at the night¡¯s sky. Brought to mind that night those weeks ago, when it was simmering and tearing apart. She taught about if N¡¯atural is just as cursed, still reliving parts of the last night where she was normal, just a girl. Jackie beat herself up, that she tried searching for humanity when it was just too wounded to continue, that they just could¡¯ve ran. That ultimately, once again, any of the girls¡¯ blood is on her hands and she needs to realize that.


    She let go. Whatever she gave herself into, siVis¡ªher unconscious¡ªsome part of herself¡­ She let go. She let whatever plan siVis has for her go on with her permission, if that meant saving everyone. If that meant becoming the next monster.


    She could hear N¡¯atural dashing, her claws craving the ground. It was distant, and grew more distant. Which could mean her running down the stairs, thus taking the bait.


    And despite the sounds being so distant, she could still hear bits and pieces of the movement. Is this Jackie tapping into siVis? Her peak with the enlightenment? Even with a busted ear¡­?


    This was what Jackie and the rest had in mind when they imagined siVis. Insight beyond them, granting something that¡¯s more than them.


    Jackie seamlessly went into her Mindspace, quickly building a scene with the sounds that she heard.


    It was a rough, white sketch style that she pictured N¡¯atural running, on all fours with manic energy against a black background. There was a sharp tearing up of wood, which meant she was in the dance hall¡ªgoing into the gym. There was a bang, Jackie picturing her ripping the doors off their hinges. Catching the last few sniffs the beast girl did, as she prowled into the gym within her mind.


    There was laugher that echoed within the gym, so loud they came up from the stairs¡ªand that was the only way Jackie could¡¯ve heard them.


    Jackie opened her eyes, ¡°We should get started. Aiko, you¡¯re gonna possess the pillars in the halls¡ªenough to wabble them, wear them down, and I use a bit of my strength to damage them.¡±


    A loud, broken broadcast of laughter interrupted them.


    ¡°THAT WAS SMART, LEADING ME AWAY LIKE THAT,¡± who else but N¡¯atural screamed. ¡°BUT NOW I¡¯M COMING FOR YOU, WHEREVER YOU ARE!¡±


    Jackie¡¯s hands began to tremble, and her voice immediately taken over by fear. ¡°Tracy, if she comes bolting¡ªI¡¯m counting on you to wall her off. River, steam the place once she does¡ªand Maddie, drag those two whatever or not they¡¯re able to do that. O-okay?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah,¡± Maddie said, sharply.


    Jackie gritted her teeth. ¡°I wanna go out there, do it before¡­ But I¡¯m so fucking scared. I don¡¯t want any of you to¡­¡±


    ¡°Having regrets doing something stupid means that you know what¡¯s on the line,¡± Aiko said. ¡°It means we have something to fight for, and keeps us levelheaded. Be afraid, because doing anything less right now means death. And yes, we are not dying.¡±


    It took pregnant seconds for Jackie to stand, but she did with a shaking body.


    ¡°Well said.¡±

 (Episode XII)(.5)

    The group darted out of the room, running for their actual lives.


    Jackie took the lead, jogging in a sprint to move fast, but conserve energy needed when she REALLY needs to run. The suddenness of that choice just crossed her mind, turning her head towards the others behind her, hoping that she wasn¡¯t leaving them in the dust.


    But they were gaining, keeping pace, just as she taught them, which made Jackie smile despite still wavering due to the situation they¡¯re in.


    She darted to her right, back down the stairs, as the rest followed in her stead. They reached the first floor again, running in the vacant hallways, searching for any pillar, any structural hold they needed to target.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just start with a wall¡ª¡± Jackie shouted. ¡°You know what happens next!¡±


    She was forced to communicate, but at least she left part of it cryptic. Jackie was counting on N¡¯atural¡¯s self-admitted feeble-mindedness when they scrolled up to the right side of the main hallway.


    Aiko nodded at Jackie, and threw herself into the wall, trying to take over as much as she can.


    siVis Ability!


    ¡°THERE¡¯S NO WAY YOU¡¯RE GONNA OUTSMART ME,¡± the monster girl roared, echoing though the building. ¡°NOT WITH ABILITIES THAT DON¡¯T EVEN HAVE NAMES!¡±


    Jackie looked back, seeing the Aiko influence only reaching a certain point, almost 2 or 3 feet in diameter, as the wall begun to erode as she shook it from the inside out. As soon as the cracks formed, the wall paper tore, and the hint of dust started to leak out, Aiko jumped out.


    Jackie rose her blue fist, emitting power.


    siVis Ability!


    She rabbitpunched the crumbling wall, exploding a huge hole into it.


    She felt dizzy. Faint. But she was still here.


    Jackie pointed to the other end of the hall, a single to move forward. They did.


    During their pace, Jackie felt her energy returning to her. Is this it? Was that the trick? Stay active, divide the energy¡­?


    They raced to the other end of the hall, turning on their right, and faced another wall. Aiko jumped higher, spreading her influence and rocking again before falling out of it.


    Jackie readied her fist again, and punched virtually the same spot.


    ¡°Hey, the fu--?¡± Maddie was about to scold, until River put a hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°Nah, no,¡± River pointed before her. ¡°Watch and learn, Padawan.¡±


    The area Aiko affected leaned over, breaking piece by piece, as cracks spread out, up to the ceiling, down to the floor.


    Jackie was panting. As soon as she let go, she felt the weakness again. There¡¯s still a cost to the energy¡ªsure it¡¯s cheap to move around to regain it, but it doesn¡¯t erase the overall fatigue¡­ It was scary how much she was learning to grasp this.


    They run again, Jackie forcing herself to push further, combating the fatigue while gathering more energy.


    There were two more walls they managed to damage, all differing places so at least some structural damage will happen due to the oddity.


    Then they heard something that truly scared them.


    Jackie heard the incoming scrapping of claws on the floor, and she knew she wasn¡¯t connected to siVis to hear that.


    ¡°RUN!¡± Jackie screamed. ¡°JUST RUN!¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    And that they did, Jackie leading the way, bolting for the exit as she raced up the steps along with the others trying desperately to pick up speed.


    ¡°DON¡¯T LOOK BACK! WE JUST KEEP GOING! WE HAVE ANOTHER FLOOR TO DO AND IT¡¯S EASIER!¡±


    They¡¯ve reached the second floor again, and ran straight to the garden area once more.


    Faced with the brick pillar before them, Aiko instantly threw herself onto it, sinking slowly into it this time.


    Jackie had to bite back any concern, due to her noticing this. She just had to keep it in mind, she couldn¡¯t ask if she was okay or not. Aiko sunk into the pillar none the less.


    The pillar began to fidget, began to rumble slightly with the ceiling above rocking. The brick and the cement crackled, as if the pillar were a stick thrown into a roaring fire. Aiko slipped out moments later.


    Jackie took a deep breath, channeled a bit more of her energy.


    Then she had an idea.


    She grabbed her elevated shoulder of her raised arm, and like an old cartoon, just started winding up her arm, circular motion over and over.


    Soon, her entire arm was charged with blue energy.


    She stopped, reeled back for good measure, and just pummeled the pillar with a singular fist. A trio of large, deep cracks were embedded into it, with a large indent as the point of origin.


    ¡°Oh wow!¡± Tracy exclaimed.


    ¡°Celebrations when it¡¯s all done--!¡± Jackie raced forward, hearing the others follow right after.


    She looked at her now limp, grayscale arm, pouting. But it is localized, and she still was here with them. She just hoped that she can figure out a way for it to come back online before she loses her left.


    Jackie arrived at the pillar, and just looked at her arm, paying attention to that while not only having an ear out for N¡¯atural gaining, but anything that could happen to Aiko.


    Tried to move it, no response. Tried somehow¡ªpicturing energy flowing into it from her other body parts, nothing.


    She then used her other hand to turn the gray one on it¡¯s back, and tried flexing the dead fingers.


    She saw her index and middle flicker.


    Jackie then kept force-flexing her fingers, until they slowly came back to life. She let her arm drop, it slowly gaining color yet weak. This time, she flexed her fingers on her own, and as she did, her arm became back to life again¡ªglowing faintly of energy.


    ¡°Go Jackson!¡±


    With that, she began winding up her left arm, charging up the energy before unleashing it again with a bang.


    ¡°Aw shit¡ª¡± Maddie started to run on her own. ¡°I can hear her¡ªshe¡¯s coming! We only got the one more and then she¡¯s going to be a problem!¡±


    ¡°Keep going!¡± Jackie instructed. She felt nauseous, knowing she theoretically having only one arm to defend them with if it came down to it. She wasted no time, using her right to massage the fingers of the left, gaining in color as she ran with the girls.


    Aiko just dove on the floor, merging with the pillar, slowly taking it over and destroying it from the inside out.


    Jackie was ready with her fist, letting her now-better left hang to her side. She ran, winding up her right arm, and used the momentum to thrust forward with her punch, colliding into the pillar as she craved out a chunk of it as she fell down.


    ¡°JUST GO! GO, GO, GO!¡±


    The rest obeyed, as they ran down the hallway as Jackie struggled to get up.


    She heard N¡¯atural gaining, and struggled to get up.


    This play was twofold. Buy time for the rest. And to see what¡¯s stronger¡ªher or everything Jackie had.


    She stood on trembling knees as she saw N¡¯atural practically rocketed towards her with feral speed and fierceness. She was in mid leap, mid-jump, as her claws were extended towards Jackie.


    Time felt like at a stand still, get she was counting the seconds.


    ¡°Looks like I¡¯m going to give in, too¡­¡± Jackie raised her fist, brimming with blue.


    She watched in detail, seeing N¡¯atural¡¯s maw open and all of the intricacies laced in the action.


    She seamlessly used siVis to jump herself, visualizing her muscles, bone, skin¡ªall working together to convey the action, she reeled back as N¡¯atural¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna carry that burden,¡± Jackie said, disembodied. ¡°For us monsters.¡±


    siVis Ability: REGISTERED! CALLING!


    INNATE DRIVE!


    Jackie clocked N¡¯atural, her charged knuckles digging into her spear-like cheeks and nose, before pushing her fist further, the explosion sending her flying back down to the ground.


    Jackie herself fell backwards, landing on her back, with siVis automatically protecting the back of her head once she came down.


    That alone floored her, never mind that she somehow named her siVis without being totally conscious for it. Then her Mindspace opened, remembering the times¡ªeven with the recent Bentley encounter, how much her head needed protection.


    She learned. She¡¯s using her experiences so far as extra armor.


    As she tried using her legs to scoot away, she couldn¡¯t help but well up. It was at a price of being much stranger, but she was learning how to access¡ªuse¡ªsiVis.


    She looked up.


    She saw N¡¯atural stagger back into the fray.


    Her nose¡ªher human one¡ªwas just hanging off to the side.


    She personally grabbed it with her claws, and tore it away as it exploded into yellow sparks that she reabsorbed into her form. Now, she looked more monstrous.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Surely you know why siVis Calls are a thing? A construct when Dr. Taber spread the knowledge¡­ She wanted to make sure that everyone nearby knew when a siVictim used their abilities¡ªa last minute warning¡­ They act as a hinderancccce¡­ For the knowledgeable¡­ Meaning I can figure out what you can do, finally¡­ Before I go¡­¡±


    Jackie remained frozen in her place, her eyes glazed over.


    That was the last image, the last thing she heard, before losing energy.

 (Episode XII)(v2)

    ***


    Shitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshsitshsitshit


    It was down to the fat failure to save someone.


    River was now in a situation she kept thinking about, taking a hit if it meant not being a bother later, and now she can¡¯t even do that.


    She was locked within her own body and can feel herself ceasing up again. There was only one thing to it.


    ¡°AIKO!¡± River screamed. ¡°SAVE HER!¡±


    River turned her head.


    Of course there was something wrong.


    Aiko simply looked over, with her eyes glazed over and a hazy expression hanging off her skull. It seemed like she heard River, but couldn¡¯t understand.


    It felt like River was gulping down something that was choking the life out of her, and it continued to bore itself within her chest cavity.


    She was never meant to be somebody.


    She tried being somebody, so the actual, living people she cared about could finally enjoy being people. She failed that.


    So even if she failed doing this, she won¡¯t be taking people down with her this time.


    She just wished¡­


    The girl ran, shifted to sliding on her knees on the floor to get to Jackie¡¯s body.


    She shook her, to the point her head could¡¯ve snapped but she¡¯s been seeing what Jackie¡¯s doing. It deals with motion, her ability maybe¡ªmaybe outside forces can


    She felt N¡¯atural¡¯s claw slap her cheek open, before her glasses shattered.


    Being flung at speeds like she was, the human reaction time couldn¡¯t keep up, of course.


    All she did, all she could¡¯ve done, was activate her ability before she slammed into the floor feet away from everyone.


    Figures¡­ Couldn¡¯t even die right. A life of failure, ending with¡­


    ***


    Maddie saw River sail across the floor, only turning into smoke as soon as she slammed into it.


    Jackson fucked up, Aiko¡¯s just staring at everyone with a dumb look on her face, and Tracy¡¯s screaming her throat open before the monster girl could do it herself. Who is racing towards them.


    Yeah. Maybe it¡¯s just time to call it quits.


    She¡¯s going to feel shitty about it for the rest of her limited days, but they¡¯re not worth getting killed like this. But then again, what¡¯s new? She always felt shit.


    Maddie turned on her bare heel, about to book it down the stairs.


    All Maddie could feel was her ankle getting crushed. It was the only thing to feel in that moment.


    She only could yell, gritting her teeth, when she was picked upside down in quick succession.


    She couldn¡¯t fucking believe it¡ªshe barely got the breath in to react and this lizard managed to flip her in a fucking second.


    It was like, even with this bullshit siVis brain of hers, couldn¡¯t fucking follow a single frame of her moving¡ª


    Maddie was caught off from her thoughts. All that flooded her mind wasn¡¯t just the pain at the moment.


    It was the feeling of weight, being shifted around her small and feeble body, as N¡¯atural began to swing her around in a circle. One handed, her transforming arm stretching out more and more as she spins around.


    When people talked about the dangers of siVis-freaks, they always went on about the constant change in perspective. Maddie was always confused with that¡ªhow cared about some shit like that when they could flay you alive and boil you with some cooking power?


    But the fact that she was being pulled around by gravity, as if she was on some rollercoaster, along with the fact that her brain was struggling to even catch up with what¡¯s going on to her right now, she got it. And she should¡¯ve fucking got it.


    ¡°And awaaaaay you go~!¡± N¡¯atural couldn¡¯t swing, letting go from her left.


    Her worthless body couldn¡¯t move from trajectory¡ªbent into a L-shape, careening from the side as she¡¯s getting hurled like she was a fucking booger. Like a fucking doll.


    If it wasn¡¯t the crushed leg crippling her entire body, it was her brain being slushed around, trying to figure out¡ªto perceive what the fuck is happening as she¡¯s being hurled into the wall.


    She made impact and she was finally allowed to cry out in complete and utter anguish.


    When she crashed into the wall, at the end of the hallway, she felt her body being flatten due to the force, a constant pressing until squeeze sensation that kept going until her body ached and alarmingly numb from top to bottom.


    But it was her screaming. Crying out in pain that transitioned seemingly into uncontrollable sobs, was the thing that truly winded her.


    She flopped out of the indent she made from the wall, like she was some shit thrown at the wall.


    Maddie tried to stop, tried to cut off her wailing with yelling once more¡ªshe always managed it. It always worked. She screamed, she refused. She tried to thrash about when her limbs haven¡¯t fully responded to her.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    And with her ¡°useless as fuck siVis¡± pointed out for her, with her ears that ceased their ringing, that by trying to scream to mask the sobbing¡ªshe only made an even mournful sound.


    No.


    Hell no.


    Hell fucking no.


    She¡¯s survived this long. She survived when the doctors said she couldn¡¯t. She fucking survived when her little sister fucking didn¡¯t¡ªshe¡¯s not fucking dying like this, looking like this, for no fucking reason, even to a Trend.


    The perspective shifts caught up with her. She leaned forward, stiffened and she cut herself off so that she could spit up.


    She instantly looked away, between reflex and outright refusal that this happened. With this view, she finally saw that her arm was twisted to the left, into the shape of a J.


    Maddie could only look down, shaking over the revelation, not quite grasping what happened. Not in the sense of not visually catching it. But in the sense, it just doesn¡¯t register with the grid she¡¯s painstakingly made.


    There¡¯s nothing for this.


    There¡¯s nothing she could do.


    So she did what she was only capable of. The only thing that defined after all, in the end.


    Maddie Solomon went weak and cried in pain.


    ***


    Well. Tracy was the only one standing, and there was so many things to do in her head¡ªshe was afraid, among many things, that they¡¯ll stay in her head.


    What was she to do? N¡¯atural is turning into a monster, shrugged off the efforts of people who were more skilled than her, and the person with the ability to escape all of this is somehow more braindead than usual.


    Does she wall her off again? Does she open up a trap door and hope for her digging to take long time for her? Grab Aiko and use her a possible bait¡ªwell, that could be¡­ There¡¯s no way the others could survive this, so maybe that¡¯s actually viable.


    ¡°I¡¯M COMING FOR YOU BOTH NOW¡± N¡¯atural, saying a line that even a b-movie rubber suit couldn¡¯t be paid to say. Not much intelligence left, stating the obvious.


    And no way to talk it out, appeal to her, maybe strike a deal to be her chewtoy as long it isn¡¯t instant death. She could always run, it never failed her in the past.


    Tracy looked at Aiko, still in a daze, her arms dangling in wind¡ªdespite all of the oxygen sucked out of this building, this scene.


    She quivered. Then wavered.


    She couldn¡¯t. Not when she knows that she has a family, worried sick about her.


    Coward she forever will be, Tracy¡¯s cowardly enough to not try human shields.


    ¡­She¡¯ll have to see where this next move would take her. She looked at N¡¯atural barreling towards them from the side.


    Tracy extended her arms, grabbing onto the air and pulling back towards her chest.


    siVis Ability!


    She flipped the wall behind Aiko, to cover her up like a solid sheet. A move that she instantly figured out in a haste during that terrible fight at the diner.


    She whimpered after. Immediately feeling bad. She should¡¯ve ran. She should¡¯ve just walled her off and ran and never looked back.


    The girl¡¯s safe, sure¡­ But Tracy is still standing there.


    That girl talked about having regrets, how it powers your choices, how it acts as some fucking superpower and therefore, absolves you from their weight.


    As N¡¯atural jumped in the air and lunging forward while spinning towards Tracy¡ªshe only thought of what she truly has left in this ¡°life¡± of hers. You¡¯re only powered by your resolve to ease those regrets that weigh on you.


    By any means necessary.


    Tracy scrambled and pulled the last pillar forth, acting as a last minute shield¡­ And the debris hitting Tracy point blank caused her to slide back and fall straight onto her back, the pieces of brick raining down across her left leg, right shoulder, left forearm and right side of her face.


    Here she was. Covered and bruised, within some school that possibly fudged their statics to appear posher yet ended up looking pompous while an overrated europop star has her mental breakdown and being the victim to that. After everything, after everything she did so far to finally make her life resemble something closer to the word¡ªand she¡¯s going to die here of all places.


    She felt like crying. She wanted to scream. She even thought about opting for a last ditch effort to just crawl away, maybe fake a spasm and play dead.


    But no.


    ¡°Y¡ªYO¡ªYOOOU!¡± Tracy was so incensed; she couldn¡¯t choke out the phrase without frothing with anger. ¡°YOU WHINY BRAT!¡±


    N¡¯atural literally changed her trajectory mid-air, and landed on all fours. She just looked at Tracy.


    ¡°You call yourself hurting¡ªall because of your self image issues?!¡± Tracy easily reached the tenors she struggled to reach for during ¡°villainess¡± call reads. She felt the tears running down her face, but she didn¡¯t care. She was fueled by the hot flush that was bubbling under her surely-now-pink skin.


    ¡°I only had a percental of what you had¡ªand I fucked my entire life! And here you are¡ªMe, being the pathetic one and you¡¯re the one ranting and raving and screaming and wanting to commit murder?! NO!¡±


    In her frenzied, demented state¡ªTracy found the strength to only wave her arms so hard, the debris that was supposed to pin her down flew in differing directions. For a monster that lacks the subtly of human expression, N¡¯atural appeared to be easily dumbfounded.


    ¡°YOU¡¯RE GETTING PITY PARTIES, DOCUMENTRIES, SCIENIFIC STUDIES¡ªI EVEN HEARD THAT THEY WANT TO BUILD A MURAL FOR YOU! A fucking mural! If I had your ability; I would rival Godzilla and King Kong in size! Fuck you! Fuck everything about you, you appalling example of ¡®mediocre yet undeserving of that either¡¯! Just¡­ Fuck off. I don¡¯t care anymore. As long as you have what I said in your head until the Extant Helmet blows it off clean; I give. Go on. Eat me or some shit.¡±


    N¡¯atural was just paralyzed, unable to take in what lies before her. Clearly defeated prey, yet defiantly opposed to being something other than that. Shaking and screaming, yet in pure anger and rage.


    ¡­Though, now that she cleared her head of that, Tracy should¡¯ve just made the floor into a trap door and crawled for it.


    She closed her eyes, just laying on the floor and with her thoughts. Only this time, she¡¯s not warped up in a blanket as the television light kept her from sleeping in a empty apartment.


    And most certainly, she wasn¡¯t able to see Jackie come behind N¡¯atural, tackling her with the full brunt of her ability.


    ***


    Jackie felt the crackling of bone and platelet as she rushed N¡¯atural, the explosion darting her forward into the wall of the stairs below.


    She saw the ¡°sparks¡± come out of her arm and side, but she couldn¡¯t dwell on that. She had to do what she¡­ Everyone else¡­


    She saw what she could¡¯ve once she awoke, and the images of her latest failure will be there in her head forevermore.


    The grief dulled her senses so much so, she couldn¡¯t feel the pain. Or rather, even hear the siVis Call.


    ¡­Or notice, how she moved before she told herself to. And the fact she was shaking.


    She glanced over the two girls, and noticed they were too, and not from their injuries.


    Oh no.


    Was he right after all--?


    Jackie tried to keep herself together, tried to keep Stark¡ªthe girls¡ªBentley¡ªLeslie¡ªher parents in mind because she felt like she was losing it and everything she worked so hard to keep.


    Her siVis activated on her own, creeping along her body until she became a ghastly figure in white, made of puzzles and captures the struggle of humanity uncannily well.


    Jackie fell into her Mindspace. In fact, all of them did¡ªall of the girls.


    They fell, and they fell, and they fell. Right down to the bottomless well of nothingness yet infinity.


    A new rock bottom, and there¡¯s no way they can continue like this¡ªnot the way they are.


    Different thoughts, different minds, different hearts. But they all came to the same conclusion.


    They keep unravelling, they have unraveled at this point. There¡¯s nothing left of them to crumble away that isn¡¯t complete death or mind decay.


    This is truly the bottom. They have nothing left to climb out with.


    ¡­So why not let siVis rebuild the things they needed.


    A burst from the nothingness, as streaks within the void became lines, lines that became shapes¡ªsigils¡ªand design. Spinning off into different directions, but always connected. It ended up resembling a cross between a bodily system and an ancient line formation lost to time. A mix of stardust, but wiring.


    It wasn¡¯t done forming yet.


    The system began rooting itself across their bodies¡ªreseparating their various layers, bones, organs and turning them inside out before recreating them into the style of unearthly yet familiar, before settling back into the merge¡ªstill connected.


    Like it or not, the girls cannot refuse, protest, or go back.


    The change that they were searching for has finally taken hold.


    At the cost of who they once were.

 (Episode XII)(End)

    ***


    Jackie¡¯s eyes flickered alive for real this time. She felt the true gravity of siVis for the very first time.


    She looked to her left, and as she turned, so much information¡ªso much sensation in that one action. She looked to the right, and everything was taken in. Air, spatial awareness, the smell of sweat, how outright miserably calmy everything is.


    And something¡­ Something told her. Maybe herself? She told herself to glance down at her arm, seeing the ¡°sparks¡± rain and cascade from it.


    It was a large gash because bone rushing N¡¯atural that successfully¡ªwhile she was docile¡ªwas that hard to do. She noticed now, along with the translucent mesh of organic tuff was the very system of veins she saw. Connecting her severed pieces while still being apart.


    Her eyes narrowed, focused.


    Keep it together.


    Stark told them that this isn¡¯t healing, to get that idea out of their heads. She thought about how the musclestructure and skin layer was like, and her arm nearly fastened the wound¡ªthe new system that connected the two helping by moving the various layers together. Still there, but as a streak she needed to be mindful of.


    But Jackie looked on, in a melancholy wince. This moment¡­ While a moment of growth, it was never a moment she wanted. Or thought she did. She felt the emotions flush, the rage, the disappointment, the fear. But she suppressed them. There was no time.


    ¡°JACKSON! WE¡¯RE RUNNING!¡±


    She gauged that it was Tracy who screamed that, but¡­ It was hard to grasp. The nervous, near squeaky tone of her voice was more desperate and rugged. She was running towards Jackie, and then pass her.


    Jackie shook her head, and followed, ¡°Where¡¯s¡ªWhat happened--?¡±


    ¡°River¡¯s passed out somewhere and Aiko¡¯s in a brick cocoon¡ªwe¡¯ll figure it out as we go along, but we need to bait the bitch with something more than this!¡±


    ¡°TOO LAAATE!¡±


    The duo looked up to see N¡¯atural on the ceiling, and pouncing off it so hard, it left a crater.


    The two¡­ Had their reactions, Jackie faced the girl while Tracy screamed while being a deer in headlights. But they can see just how insane N¡¯atural moved. Possibly how all siVis users moved.


    It was like the girl was near-elastic, shifting about midair in angles that no human could possibly know of, let along take advantage it. She moved too fluid, to the point of every action left a smearing blur of red, green and blue after. And while the girls can understand it now¡ªthey were still powerless to stop it.


    Jackie was readying her fist regardless. She knew she can never outright harm her, that she¡¯s going to break her knuckles as soon as she makes contact.


    She just needed something. A stray movement. A slip up.


    N¡¯atural, with her claws jutting forward and began opening her mouth, it was enough for Jackie to at least try.


    INNATE DRIVE!


    Jackie punched the side of the monster girl¡¯s jaw, causing her to crash into the nearby wall, clearly stunned.


    Jackie instantly stiffened in pain, holding her dead fist.


    Tracy immediately started to run again, and Jackie followed in pain. She tuned out the urge to look at her hand and held together what was broken.


    They saw a struggling Maddie, trying in vain to drag herself to the stairwell. The twisted arm in particular made the duo stop for a bit, before advancing on.


    ¡°Maddie¡ªMaddie!¡± Jackie bent down and grabbed her shoulder. Immediate refusal, but non-verbal¡ªonly grunting and clear cries of pain.


    Jackie¡¯s heart dropped on that alone. She was sure Maddie was broken.


    ¡°Hate me later, but I¡¯m gonna¡­ I¡¯m gonna help you,¡± Jackie scooped the girl up by wrapping her left arm around her midsection. It was, again, an immediate squirm and bucking away.


    Tracy was the first to hear the scrapping on the floor, and started to run again. Jackie hoisted up her cargo, and started to sprint.


    The girls raced up the stairs, unconsciously even using siVis to boost their speed further, but N¡¯atural was still too fast.


    So fast, she scaled the walls, crawled up them, and tore up the ceiling and pounced right in front of the girls as they made it to the bottom.


    She instantly lunged forward, adjusting mid air to become more like an arrow¡ªher beck mouth leading.


    Jackie poured so much into her right arm and shoulder and ran forward.


    INNATE DRIVE: SUB ABILITY!


    Her body stiffened due to the power, she tackled into the girl and the explosion once again knocked her back and far that she crashed into the wall of the supposed-dance room.


    Jackie hunched over, started to pant heavily, and let go of Maddie.


    Who then fell on the floor, scrambling away the other direction of the stairs.


    ¡°Tracy¡­ G-grab her,¡± Jackie asked. She stumbled forward into the dance room.


    ¡°Yo-you can¡¯t fight that thing, Jackie¡­¡± Tracy said.


    ¡°I know I can¡¯t. I¡¯ll just buy time¡­¡±


    Jackie slowly regained the energy to walk, and proceeded to haggardly step into the gym, practically looking to wear N¡¯atural was going to step out of.


    She was right on the money. The girl clawed her way into the Gym, knocking down the wall.


    N¡¯atural wiped her brow, and a shred of her golden locks¡ªcovered in debris, fell off as she did.


    There was a pause, as the avian face looked down, no emotion but the body language softened.


    ¡°I¡¯m disgusted at what I¡¯ve become too,¡± Jackie tried to offer the one last branch. ¡°It¡¯s going to take the rest of my life to accept this stupid mistake I¡¯ve made¡­ We¡¯re victims, in the end. Every single one of us.¡±


    N¡¯atural looked up once more. She brought her claws to the sides of her head, and grabbed clumps of her hair, tearing them off. But there was no malice, the motions were as if she was washing her hair and combing her fingers through them.


    Acceptance, the word came up in Jackie¡¯s mind.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    The monster let go of those locks, letting them hit the floor at her clawed feet.


    ¡°¡®We are¡­ Who we choosssse to be¡­¡¯ I never had a choicccce to begin with.¡±


    It then reached up behind it¡¯s barely-human head.


    ¡°Sssso I¡¯ll choose this, to put me out of my misssery.¡±


    Jackie closed her eyes, looking away for good measure. She heard very detail of that horrible, wet sound of N¡¯atural taking off her scalp.


    She opened her eyes, just to confirm if that was indeed the case.


    A monster humanoid, starting to grow a doubled crest from it¡¯s head was what met Jackie¡¯s eyes.


    Jackie sighed, readying her fists. ¡°Then I have no choice¡­ But just know¡ªwhatever¡¯s left of you that can understand me still¡­? I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m going to fucking do it, but I¡¯ll make sure that nothing like you will ever happen again.¡±


    The creature opened it¡¯s mouth¡ªa grin? If it¡¯s mouth was more that than beck now¡­?


    Jackie wabbled, trying to take a stand. She couldn¡¯t bluff that she had the energy to fight, let alone use her ability. She needed more time, a shock to her system to force her to keep going. The feelings of despair and emptiness were taking their toll. You have no choice to put everything into your punches, your life depends on it.


    But when that life was already ruined¡­Either by you or the world itself?


    Jackie charged forward anyways, wielding her left fist that wasn¡¯t throbbing or hurt.


    INNATE DRIVE!


    She punched the monster and it skirted backwards due to the force. No damage once again, and it was still standing.


    N¡¯atural chuckled in a low growl, looking up at Jackie.


    ¡°You¡­ Rely¡­ On stun¡­ Keep me back¡­ And stop my attack¡­¡±


    The thing is slowly losing its brain and yet it gathered that much,


    Jackie lowered her own head. At least it¡¯ll enjoy her flesh long enough to let the others escape somehow. Extant shouldn¡¯t be that far.


    Then they both turned to the sound of a roar of a motor.


    River, riding a sitting lawnmower, rammed into the caught off guard beast¡ªthe chubby girl jumping off as the lawnmower kept going on of it¡¯s own accord.


    ¡°By the way? I know it¡¯s super serious and all, and I make references when I¡¯m uncomfortable¡ªbut that was a really nice Shounen speech there,¡± River looked on at what she did.


    ¡°¡­S-shounen?¡± Jackie was still in disbelief.


    ¡°Superhero speech, I guess,¡± River turned to her, a gash of her own that extended past her cheek to her neck is also closed up.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve ran, River¡ª¡± Jackie tried to reason, the girl rose her hand.


    ¡°The reason I¡¯m doing this at all is because I¡¯m listening to the me that¡¯s really me¡ªthe near death experience, ¡®holy fuck I wanna live¡¯ me. You said it yourself, we have to adapt.¡±


    N¡¯atural roared herself, tackling River with a harsh thud.


    SLIPSTREAM!


    River burst into smoke as soon as N¡¯atural became to gnaw on her, leading to the beast to cough and become smothered within the stream.


    Causing Jackie to use the surprise to knock N¡¯atural down¡ªusing her ability again. This made the beast more angry, spring up and swinging wildly at the girl¡ªeven with random claw strikes, still elegant and elusive to Jackie¡¯s awakened eyes to follow.


    It took everything to dodge those swings, Jackie could feel her muscles tearing under the strain and her veins bulging out of her skin, but she nevertheless charged her fist and hit the monster square in the jaw again and blowing it back.


    Jackie scanned the battlefield, it covered in smoke by River, and she hoped the girl was measuring her breathing.


    N¡¯atural, like the predator it is, prowled and then jumped up.


    It raised it¡¯s claws, and then crossed its arms into a X shape¡ªthe claws facing towards itself¡ªall in fluid sequence.


    Jackie didn¡¯t know what that mean nor what to do, but raised her fists again and imbued her arms with energy for good measure.


    As it fell, N¡¯atural swiped forward¡ªboth of its arms creating an X-shape slash. Without hesitation, Jackie tried to perry the attack with each of her arms, and she felt them break in some way as she did that¡ªnow trying to keep it all together more than ever.


    The beast fell on its feet due to the explosions, growling.


    ¡°ANNOYING¡­I KNOW YOU DO, AND STILL ANNOYING!¡±


    ¡°Not as annoying as trying to find your ride after you parked it¡­¡±


    The beast turned to River, who was tangible.


    ¡°And what do you know? Someone stole it.¡± She then turned into a puff of smoke, her siVis call drowned out by another one.


    IMMATERIAL GIRL!


    As the beaten down lawnmower, Aiko drove through River and rammed straight into N¡¯atural, jumping out herself as the thing exploded into parts on the beast, as it roared out in annoyance versus any kind of pain. Aiko rushed over to Jackie, as the girl has her arms dangling.


    ¡°Are you okay--?¡± Aiko asked.


    ¡°No, but I¡¯m glad you are¡ªhad me scared, thought your ability consumed you or something¡­¡± Jackie responded.


    ¡°If only I could be your arms¡­ Y¡¯know I haven¡¯t tried that, so maybe-?¡± Aiko pondered.


    The beast roared in frustration again, rolling its head back at the ceiling primally.


    before getting hit by one of the lowering basketball hoops from the uncovered ceiling.


    PERSPECTIVE FLIP!


    ¡°Aw¡­¡± Tracy said almost coolly, with Maddie holding her ruined arm in tow. ¡°I was hoping for a movie reference¡­¡±


    ¡°STUPID¡­ ANNOYING ABILITIES¡­ WON¡¯T KILL ME!¡± the beast roared more than spoke.


    ¡°Get it through your rockhard, spotlight craving head¡­¡± Maddie held her broken arm, forcing it up near her chest. And proceeded to dig into it.


    LIFE LINES!


    Tears rolled down her face as she took her strings and fashioned a makeshift sling for her arm. Her voice trembled as she continued.


    ¡°We¡¯re not here to be apart of your fucking problems. We have our own fucking problems.¡±


    The beast just started swiping around everywhere, taking apart the hoop and so wide of swings that the smoke around her was being fanned away.


    ¡°What kind of ¡®monster¡¯ doesn¡¯t have a kill count?¡± Maddie said, still twinged with emotion. ¡°You¡¯re halfassing this like the other things you¡¯ve halfassed in your regrettable little life. No wonder they didn¡¯t let you think for yourself, no wonder they dictated your whole life. You can¡¯t survive on your own, and you know this little tantrum is easier to do than trying to actually do things on your own.¡±


    It banged on the floor, it started to rip up the wood, machinery around it, and charged in a rage at Maddie.


    The little girl simply jumped in the air before it managed to reach her, pouring everything siVis into that jump even if that meant tearing leg muscles. Maddie landed on it¡¯s plated back, taking the pain as she wrapped her hands around its throat.


    LIFE LINES!


    The beast froze in panic the first time this whole encounter, as it felt its throat turn into string. Maddie leaned in, even taking the spikes digging into various areas to do it.


    ¡°By the way. Lyricists don¡¯t sing songs.¡±


    She thrusted herself off, falling on the floor as she groans, which would¡¯ve been an easy target for N¡¯atural to indulge in.


    PERSPECTIVE FLIP!


    The now sharp-ended wooden board pierced into N¡¯atural¡¯s stringy neck, lifting her up into the air for good measure as Tracy hoisted the floor up.


    ¡°If you¡¯re so quick to die, then do it now!¡± Tracy screamed at her. ¡°Just let go already and be fucking done with it!¡±


    The beast was eerily still.


    If it wasn¡¯t for it¡¯s now vulnerable neck slowly sliding into the board, it would¡¯ve been motionless.


    And if the girls would¡¯ve focused, they would¡¯ve saw its eyes dead. White.


    It started to twitch.


    DIE VERWANDLUNG: B¨¹HNE DREI


    ¡°GIRLS!¡± Jackie screamed before she even realized what to do. ¡°WE RUN, WE USE THE MONSTER¡¯S RAMPAGE TO ADVANCE THE DAMAGE, AND WE SENT IT BACK DOWN WHEN WE GET UP! GO!¡±


    The girls ran.


    They raced out of the gym, and up the stairs again.


    They knew they were chancing things by running on each floor, but they had to commit.


    Especially since they only heard the noises behind them get progressively louder.


    Thudding, smashing, screeching. A horrible, inhuman screech of pain.


    But they couldn¡¯t waver, not now.


    They ran and circled around the first floor, and heard destruction stalking them.


    They ran up to the second floor, and felt the debris rain down on them as they felt the screeching against their necks.


    They made it up to the third floor, the swings of this monster propelled them forward because they knew if they stopped now¡ªit would be over.


    A cloud of dust covered the scene, as they raced to the stairwell, and found a single door. Aiko took hold of it, caused it to open, and ripped it off it¡¯s hinges to act as their makeshift board. River and Tracy grabbed it despite both lacking any strength. It didn¡¯t matter now.


    Jackie was facing the dust cloud, as the others raced to the edge of the roof.


    She saw the monster in shadow¡ªtwitching, screeching, and coming.


    She readied her fist and thrusted it forward to meet the beast.


    And like she feared, there was no stun. It just stood there, still cloaked in smoke.


    But Jackie didn¡¯t come all this way for nothing.


    She did it once more, and nothing happened.


    She did it again, and the monster budged a tad.


    INNATE DRIVE!


    She gave everything this time, and forced the monster down the flight of stairs, as the last thing she sees is it falls into something crumbling within the cloud of smoke.


    Jackie fell back, but stood upright again.


    She is out of energy. She feels it.


    But she and she alone is willing herself to walk again.


    And that she did.


    She met the others near the new Rosebud, got on with the others, and proceeded to fall down onto the ground.


    It protected most of them on the fall, but as Aiko popped out, they ran.


    They ran from the school that was crumbling from the inside.


    They ran from their certain deaths, that they somehow evaded.


    They ran when they psychically and physically shouldn¡¯t be able to, each of them having a spent daze in their eyes.


    But one thing was for sure.


    The path they were running, straight to Steppe Ave. to meet with Extant¡­ Was going to be N¡¯atural¡¯s path in the coming hours.

 (Episode XIII) (Natural) Disaster

    Five haggard girls stumbled and slowed on the nightly lit street with many staring at them. Surrounded by flashing lights, people on each side and enforcement before them, they marched on despite lacking so much energy, they were lagging their feet against the asphalt.


    They stopped short of the people in suits of various sizes, unified by white.


    Almost in a trance if they had their minds left, the tall one who was ruined the most, uttered broken, but important phrases.


    The people in white froze in place.


    And the girls toppled to the ground, as the people watched on screamed.


    Because they heard what she said.


    ***


    Tabby saw that, the scene, from the corner of her eye. She was gazing out to the broken city¡¯s skyline ranting to herself again¡ªb-but there¡¯s no time for that anymore, clearly.


    She gestured, bring up the small camera screen/node to her face, making it bigger with a flick of her two fingers.


    With her bare-arms crossed, she reviewed the footage. What in whatever¡¯s left holy could be going wrong now¡­?


    She looked at the torn apart girls, and winced. Clothes worn down and yet in some parts seem like they¡¯ve been bought recently, dirtied socks¡ªshoes left behind¡­?


    And of course the biggest take away was the reopened and fastened siVis-related wounds they had across their respective bodies. Girls that took so much more they could¡¯ve handled too soon. At least they¡¯re alive to tell the tale, Tabby mused¡­


    These wounds were from RUNNING¡­? That alone made Tabby shiver with the possibilities. Nothing sort of a certain level of Noumena activity. She shook her head, can¡¯t base everything on one thing yet¡­.


    The blonde one, looks to be the capable one¡ªway too beat up not to be, plus the physically fit out of all of them. Tabby kept her eyes all on her.


    She opened her mouth. Not in the sense of control, but forcing her jaw and lips to move with so little power left¡ªshe slanted a bit with her head held high¡ªas if¡­ As if she¡¯s diverting all power to talking. Holy beejeebes.


    ¡°¡­N¡¯atural¡­ Comes¡­¡±


    Tabby¡¯s heart dropped to her stomach, which erupted into butterflies and nerves.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°N¡¯atural¡­ Changed¡­ N¡¯atural Changing¡­ Hurt¡­ She grows¡­¡±


    She felt the sweat forming across her skin shuddering against the night¡¯s empty chill.


    ¡°We tried¡­ We really¡­ Tried¡­ Trapped, but¡­ Not for long¡­ Please¡­¡±


    The tall lady sagged, losing consciousness along with her herd. This image reflected in Tabby¡¯s growing-misty eyes.


    ¡°Please¡­ No longer¡­ N¡¯atural¡­ Monster¡­ Save¡­ Save¡­ Save¡­¡±


    And the clip ended, Tabby jumped at the sound of a monotone, rising beep with the alert that followed:


    TREND EVENT IMMIMENT, TREND EVENT IMMIMENT:


    N¡¯ATURAL SAVAGE ACTIVE IN THE ISLAND CITY OF DAVENPORT


    EMERGENCY PROTOCALS WILL BE DISPATCHED SHORTLY


    IN THESE EVER DEVELOPING SITUATIONS: IT¡¯S IMPORTANT TO REMAIN CALM AND REFER TO ESTABLISHED KNOWLEDGE


    TRUST IN US¡ªWE ALL ARE EXTANT


    The alert sobered her up, at least. Using the tagline during an emergency alert, huh?


    She looked out at the city again and saw panic on the street. Each dot that scrambled across the oh so claustrophobic streets¡­ That¡¯s a person. That¡¯s a life.


    A life that has to live within a maze that reflected how inhumane this whole shit is.


    Extant always issues out the gear, the technology¡ªand just builds around them. All their talk about integration and they didn¡¯t do the first step in that, building in the human element to it all.


    Compound that with their seeming failures, and you have people still afraid, still unprotected.


    Doesn¡¯t help that said skyline is cut in half, with a white streak that divides up the island.


    Of course, they can¡¯t predict or see everything, Tabby knew this. I¡¯m sure if she interviewed people, they¡¯d come to the same conclusion as well, no matter how misaligned their beliefs can be.


    But they chose to be ¡°the¡± human response to this whole thing, and with their decisions, only represented the ways that we¡¯re so behind in solving this, in how we constantly fail, and in how in the face of destruction¡ªwe act like everything is fine until the worst possible thing goes wrong.


    Tabby guessed that¡¯s why she became a voice in the first place. A voice¡ªwith her own existential dread and problems, that caused the other voices to respond in kind.


    But she could only remember what that poor tall lady said before she went.


    ¡°Save¡­ Save¡­¡±


    Us? Them? Her? Everyone¡­?


    ¡­Everyone.  Save everyone from the potential of this going wrong. Another terrible event for humanity to call victim too.


    She had a job to do.


    Tabby marched across her flat, scooping up discarded clothes from her messy floor and putting them on. Black jeans, a slim coat, and a paperboy¡¯s hat. Found her boots and tied them on.


    She was sleep depraved, depressed, and on the verge of tears¡ªbut she had a job to do, damn it.


    The Aethernet ORACLE was on her glass, tacky coffee table. She picked it up and applied it on.


    It concealed her entire ear, turning her right eye into a recording lens, and she pulled out the scouter that covered her left eye¡ªgiving her the appearance of wearing Star Trek-ass glasses. She activated it, and the world around her became more crispy and true. She looked out the window once more.


    ¡°Alright everyone¡ªI¡¯m sure we¡¯ve all heard but I¡¯m telling ya¡¯ll anyways: N¡¯atural Savage is active and seemingly on a rampage. The situation is developing and I¡¯ll be right there as it does¡ªI¡¯m going to Extant themselves to see what¡¯s going on and giving you the first hand accounts. I¡¯m not doing this to stoke fear, I¡¯m not even doing this for some Oscar bait if I do die during this¡ªI¡¯m doing this for us. Information is hard, cold on it¡¯s own and so hard to accept let alone learn. So it¡¯s up to us to keep each other up and be there. Cry, laugh, react in your own ways¡ªgo ahead. But I¡¯m going to do my best getting you what you deserve to know.¡±


    Tabby raced to her door, and opened it¡ªready to gleam the truth.

 (Episode XIII) (.3)

    Tabby should¡¯ve been prepared for the rushing of frenzied people, purely on the instinct to survive by any means necessary. People flooding the stairs with some semblance of precious possession in their hands, pushing against each other in a rabid desperation. Screeches and shouting over each other as speech devolved further, their primal roars echoing against the cage they¡¯re currently trapped in.


    It was so upsetting. Seeing people break down like this. Turning into¡­


    The girl sighed to herself.


    She turned behind her, and headed towards the wall, and started to feel around on it.


    She reached the center, and it fell away to reveal an exit.


    Looking back, biting her lip, hoping that someone would see this. Anything to avoid the possible crowd crush by alerting everyone¡ªbut to avoid the sickening feeling of being more of a privileged asshole damning people to die.


    No one. Not one person noticed her.


    But the lost masses continued to panic, with every man for themselves and what they cared about.


    People¡ªher neighbors that she always wanted to know better but still ¡°know¡±, and likewise with each other¡­ Turning into the other word that started with M, but just as vicious, just as violent¡­ And just as cornered.


    Tabby left the entrance open, stepping into the folds of the building. She was fastened into a pod, a really really really really really scary thing in of itself, but it was facing something scarier and her wasting time.


    But she stood still, let the innerworkings of the buildings take hold¡ªintricate and hardline machination that comes together to create something that has to be flexible and mutable to function as a service. The pod Tabby existed in slithered her downwards, burrowing like a worm but not too much of a zigzag motion to keep things stable.


    By the time she popped out of the pod, she stumbled, she felt sick still due to the principal of being forced into some cocoon and spat out by a building.


    She inhaled and began broadcasting anyways.


    ¡°If you guys are willing and able, use the Shiftication technology to your advantage,¡± she instructed. ¡°It¡¯s uncomfortable, it¡¯s uneasy¡ªbut it¡¯s the safest option at this point. I know your trust is a lot to ask of, but please, we can only get through this with trust. One of the few things we have over this thing¡­¡±


    It was that voice that always lurked underneath her skin, a voice that couldn¡¯t be silenced even with years of accepting and enjoying becoming everyone¡¯s pillar and beacon. She told her that she was lying, being completely untruthful because even she doesn¡¯t put her full trust in Extant and just ranted about them. Influencing people to basically die.


    Tabby focused onto three thoughts.


    <ul>


    <li>Mixed bag or not, they¡¯re the only forces that remotely offers protection, it¡¯s about how they do it versus the creations in question</li>


    <li>She¡¯s been at this way too long to second guess if her methods worked or not; they do and it¡¯s why she uses her influence to better</li>


    <li>It¡¯s not about her right now. But these people forgetting that they¡¯re people.</li>


    </ul>


    She focused her lens, scanning the street area she¡¯s stepped onto the scene of.


    Somehow just as frantic and inhuman.


    She looked behind her, at the other end of the street. Blue strips put up along the crosswalks¡ªusually activated in the event to safeguard pedestrians from out of control cars as a last resort, now used as their second function¡ªlock down the streets.


    Extant Grunts in full suit, barking orders at the crowds to get off the streets and out of their tents; to get into organized crowds by sections¡ªas Extant Pavers activate and roll down moving sheets of living metal from the buildings, shielding the sectioned crowds as the sheets turn pale white locking into the street. The Extant Researchers, pacing down the dwindling streets, trying to gauge the amount of possible damage on principal of the developing matter¡ªmuch less what to do to stop it from happening. Aliens in white, boarding up rabid people into breathing cages.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    But Tabby always had a talent. Always had a talent in recognizing and reaching out to the human element at play.


    As she walked the middle of the vacant street, she glanced over to just a man locked in armor, standing in alone trying to call his family, but only got the dial tone. She kept moving and looked to the right, one researcher trying to coach the trembling aid in trying to recite the number of ¡°forgone casualties¡±¡ªin a bout of mortality of them possibly being those numbers. And then she looked forward, getting closer to the ¡°end¡± of this road¡ªa squad of Extant Enforcers with cadets. Sentinels, often called ¡°Dead men with nothing left to lose¡­¡±


    And Tabby could see one of them pace back and forth, shouting:


    ¡°Oh fuck, oh man, oh fuck, oh shit, oh fuck, oh god, oh fuck¡ª"


    Tabby couldn¡¯t help but chuckle¡ªfinally a place where she can properly breathe and let go of her own chest tightening from within.


    Until she heard a new droning noise, this time good.


    She saw the buildings sink into the ground, no matter how different, all had cyan lights that blinked slowly as the action happened, taking the pods as well as their captives underground. These tall buildings became just their tips before stopping with a loud, shuddering thud. Then, the braces of each building formed forward, acting as reinforcement for the stubs that still remained. Acting as a beacon¡­ and a shelter for those who didn¡¯t make it¡­


    ¡°Remember!¡± a voice rushed up to Tabby, causing her to not only turn but clutch at her chest out of instinct. It was an Enforcer, much jovial in body language. ¡°These shelters are still designed hardier from the top as well as the bottom! Please, do not hesitate to find an available one with an Extant Enforcer, you will be still safe! We promise and we will always promise!¡±


    She untensed herself as chuckles released from her lips, as well as these words, ¡°W-well, you certainly beaten me to the punch to what I was gonna say¡ª¡±


    ¡°And it is the few times I¡¯ve been bitter about my commitment to my job!¡± the jovial Enforcer replied in an instant. ¡°Do believe that I possess manners, but it is truly an order to meet you right now, m¡¯am.¡±


    Tabby blinked.


    ¡°He¡¯s like,¡± the pacing Enforcer stopped, walking up to them. ¡°A massive super fan of you.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Tabby looked back at the Enforcer standing proud¡­ And is probably more truer to the term¡ª


    ¡°It is indeed a shame that this thing is happening. I was much looking forward to your news round up in the morning!¡±


    Tabby practically felt her face flush, mouth moving on it¡¯s own, no more words good, ¡°W-well, yeah, that is a shame¡ªy-y¡¯know, this whole thing is a shame in general¡ªw-withou comparing¡ªsorry withOUT¡ªcomparing tragedies, also not saying that my show not airing is one as well.¡±


    She allowed herself to breathe again.


    ¡°Thank you. It¡¯s people like you that make me great¡ªnot the other way around.¡±


    Tabby could hear the jovial Enforcer¡¯s dazed chuckling from under the helmet, and the pacing Enforcer got next to her.


    ¡°S-so-so-so what?¡± he asked. ¡°Protection? Escort? What do you need, princess?¡±


    ¡°Well one, I¡¯m just the peasant girl that pulls a cool cart around and the rest of the villagers wave,¡± Tabby tried to lighten the mood. After the painful pause, she actually answered the question like she should have. ¡°I¡¯m an informant, so I need to get to the meeting that already started this time yesterday¡­¡±


    ¡°Understood, great, something I can do, got it,¡± the pacing Enforcer walked forward.


    ¡°He¡¯s always the nervous one¡­¡± jovial Enforcer piped up. ¡°While he adapted to it, I don¡¯t think he has the life of a solider in ¡®im¡­¡±


    ¡°Man¡­¡± Tabby could only respond. She looked down at the street, before turning towards the jovial Enforcer and points at him.


    ¡°I better see you post up a storm in the logs,¡± Tabby mock-warned. She watched the tin man raise his hands. ¡°In perfect health, ready to make all sorts of comments about me¡ªgot it big guy?¡±


    ¡°Yes m¡¯am!¡± he responded in zeal.


    She gave a thumbs up, before seeing a gesture from the corner of her eye. She turned her head and saw one of the Enforcers giving her the go head in using the PATH-OS within their Carrier. Tabby raced towards the huge vehicle, stepping on not without some wobbling, and boarded. Walking across the many people working as date, findings, calls, reports, intel whizzed about her about as she walks towards the PATH-OS station aligned against the walls, yet again pods within a structure.


    ¡°Sorry guys, teleporting, have to unplug¡ªHopefully I won¡¯t get Star Trek¡¯d, worked out so far¡ª¡± And she turned off her ORACLE, stepping into the chamber, letting the pad under her feet whirl her front, and stood completely erect. The doors closed, and the rings descended and scanned her over and over, before being blasted with white.


    And after stumbling, literally and figuratively, Tabby found herself into the nerve center of the battle for normalcy.

 (Episode XIII) (.3v5)

    ¡°Okayokayokay¡ªIf you all can still hear me, I¡¯m on my way to see what¡¯s the current situation is¡ªwhich most likely, we¡¯re gonna go dark again and some of the sensitive information being presented not mentioned at all¡ªnot to lie to you all, but to safeguard things from people willing to attack or abuse possible weakpoints in our structure of the new normal¡­¡±


    She reassembled her ORACLE again, waiting for the Enforcer escort so she doesn¡¯t look like some smuck that ran into the place.


    With arms crossed firm, but still trembling, all of this was starting to hit Tabby. If this ends up as another terrible tragedy, it might be over. Everything. All this goodwill, all this proof to show that yes, everyone can do something¡­


    Tabby instructively looked away from the on-rushing wind, closing her eyes tight as flashing lights followed. Turned back around, she saw two Enforcers¡ªbut not the ones she made friends with. The left motion their head as much as they could, to which Tabby nodded.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s hard¡ªto find assurance during all this¡­ Because let¡¯s face it¡ªthere isn¡¯t any at the moment. We¡¯re placed in an ever-evolving situation and every single time it hits, it does it hard and leaves nothing left to cling to. But you all do have something. Even if it is going to be taken away, hold it tight and let it be your assurance. I know, it¡¯s freaking impossible¡­¡±


    She looked around, surrounded by two armored men. In a tunnel that could fit multiple air liners in them and still be spacious, she saw a number of people wiz by, all important, all Extant. The tunnel themselves were dim, sans the lights built into the sides of the flooring meeting the walls. It was only until they got to the hub was there any beaming light that filled the corridors.


    ¡°But it really is times like these where¡­ We just manage to do it. We manage to¡ªgive everything of ourselves. You don¡¯t run¡ªyou¡¯ll be left behind--? Well, you¡¯re gonna end up running faster than anyone has ever seen you, even yourself. Not strong, not brave¡ªThere¡¯s always a point where you can be, and it¡¯s a lot more accessible than you think. And you don¡¯t need siVis for that.¡±


    The Nexus was the centerpiece of not only this hub, but the entire base.


    It was like an ancient rock formation, a black craggy pillar just planted in the center of an egg-shell, slick modern room with multiple exit halls. But, it has multiple¡ªgreen¡ªglowing wires, had screens of floating information broadcasted from it, and spun clockwise to keep generating the level of productivity that it created.


    Crowds of people, some sat at long-connected desks surrounding the Nexus from a few feet, the others running across the floors into other open halls to go to their department, and people behind the glass walls from above taking note of what¡¯s happening¡ªit all created an atmosphere.


    They¡¯re trying to put something broken back together. Or rather. Trying to keep the rest of it from falling apart as well.


    ¡°S-so uh¡­¡± Tabby begun to ask. ¡°Is the meeting straight ahead¡­? Or anywhere in this place-?¡±


    ¡°Dead-ahead, yes,¡± one of the men in white answered.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s mosey¡­¡± Tabby struggled to lead by example.


    The two Extant Enforcers formed up closer to the girl, as they made their way through the crowds like hot knife slicing through butter. Tabby couldn¡¯t gleam conversations or whatever the people said, just bits of words and conflicting tone reads, but sharing in the same, full of dread mood.


    Past the crowds, around the pillar the trio went, making it to the middle hall. A ramp appeared to them, and while easing away from Tabby, they scaled it upwards.


    Once they did, they were met with a vault¡ªgunmetal steel doors with the Extant logo printed black across it. No buttons, no levers, no control place¡ªit might as well have been an exotic wall at a glance.


    ¡°Requesting authorization,¡± an Enforcer (definitely not the one from before, a more thin and crackle voice they have, Tabby reasoned) said in the air. ¡°Enforcer Driven, Higher Authority Needed, Enforce Is Able of Mind and Clear of Immoral Intent to Be Making This Request.¡±


    No response.


    ¡°0-0-0: Permission to Enter-0.¡±


    And like that, the vault opened. The top and bottom of the barriers that surrounded it clicked and moved into the ceiling and floor respectively, as the door broke into pieces and folded into the left of the building.


    Tabby quickly took off the ORACLE once more, but looked directly into it.


    ¡°Hopefully this¡¯ll be the last time I sign off. Remember. Be safe. Love each other. Be how you should be.¡±


    She turned it off¡­ from broadcasting. She put it into her custom made Dummy Mode. Able to record conversation and take photo or footage within reason, but the system is ¡°off¡± for a lack of a better term.


    She trusted them. Really does. But if there really is reason to abandon said trust with these people¡­ At least she can provide proof.


    Tabby walked into the dark, but glowing room.


    ¡°¡­Oh, uh,¡± Professor Diana Blake turned around to meet Tabby. ¡°Y¡¯know, I should¡¯ve guessed that you would¡¯ve came here, but this is a genuine surprise¡ªin every sense of the word¡­¡±


    Then, right next beside her, was Mr. Conrad Miller. He turned his head as much as he could at her, a massive gesture on his part (or, well, to see who the hell invoked that reaction from the Professor).This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Ah, yes. Tabitha Morrow¡­¡±


    ¡°Hello¡ªI mean, uh¡­ Pleasure to meet you, sir!¡± Tabby scrambled to say.


    He turned his wheelchair, now everyone faced to face with each other.


    ¡°By all means¡­ You¡¯ve been doing an amazing and herculean job yourself¡ªat such a young age as well¡­ A-and excuse an old man like me, but is ¡®her¡¯ okay for you? I just want to make sure, sorry again.¡±


    ¡°She/her, yeah¡­¡± Tabby smiled at him. ¡°You making an effort is commendable enough. I¡¯m really patient with it anyways.¡±


    Conrad nodded his head. ¡°Well, there¡¯s seats embedded into the walls. I trust that you know everything that¡¯s going to be talked about is sensitive, but we will allow for you to inform the public about the broad strokes.¡±


    Tabby nodded. ¡°Of course, of course.¡±


    ¡°Thank you again for coming, miss.¡±


    It was the guilt, looking at him¡ªlooking at the worn, haggard face of Extant, that caused her to say the next thing.


    ¡°Thank you. I know you haven¡¯t heard it lately, but yeah¡­ Truly. For everything.¡±


    There was a pause. Just a stare she could feel behind those small, black shades he wore. After that, he just nodded, and looked away. It was more for himself, than anyone, as Tabby took it.


    She went towards the curved walls in the chamber, and sat on the jutting seat before her. Looking forward, where Mr. Miller and Professor Blake looked as well.


    And like that, the room expanded. The front of it, the floors, opened up to reveal a light system that had see-through lens-glass hybrid with all the necessary technology to make what was about to happen¡ªhappen.


    The lights whirled to working, presenting 6 people across the way. Very different people from very different nations and creeds.


    In no particular order¡ªthere was Arthur Boseman, of Extant America. Olivia Fernsby, Extant Europe. Bogdan Elin of Extant Russia. Diami Abayomi of Extant Africa. Genichi Sato, representing Japan, of Extant Asian Collaboration. Joy Levesque of Extant Canada.


    The Extant branches that the HQ called upon for immediate help, all gathered together.


    ¡°Alright folks,¡± Arthur spoke in his grizzled¡ªdirect way. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about how things are going bad.¡±


    There was a mix of scoffs and groans, but Conrad chuckled. ¡°You can always count on me to laugh at that every time, Arty¡ª"


    Arthur Boseman saluted, his light brown¡ªsideparted style hair. ¡°And I am always honored that it is you, General Miller. But in all seriousness, what is the developing situation there?¡±


    ¡°Just when stable relief and supply was getting going, we have a Trend scenario dropped on our laps¡­¡± Conrad explained. ¡°Desire¨¦ ¡®N¡¯atural¡¯ Schwartz. It seems by the information we have, be it word of mouth from would-have-been victims and from what we heard for our own reports¡ªher ability has taken over what little of her she hung onto.¡±


    ¡°What evidence is there of that?¡± Bogdan Elin spoke up, looking dead ahead of Conrad while his fingers mingled and messed into knots. Long beard, with puffy sideburns with tired eyes. ¡°We cannot sign off of a verdict such as that¡ªespecially since most ability-overtaken cases involved instant death.¡±


    ¡°Keep in mind? All of this is very short notice,¡± Professor Diana Blake responded. ¡°We¡¯re getting footage as well as putting up barriers to minimize the impact as we speak.¡±


    ¡°Even with the lack of evidence, is Bogdan incorrect with his deduction¡­?¡± Genichi Sato asked. Very well kept, in a black and blue-tied suit, with combed-over hair.


    Professor Diana looked down. And proceeded to do a sharp inhale.


    ¡°Given the files we have on her? And the timeline brings up? I hate to say it, but this is a swan song, guys. Acting out her last wishes, no matter how primal they are.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s indeed the case, then our hands are forced,¡± Diami Abayomi spoke. She had her dreaded hair into a bonnet with orange, blacks and reds. ¡°We cannot afford another addition to the current Existential Nemesis line up. That will even bring the rest, Nathaniel, Cassie¡ªto stir and react to that news. We have to be humane and end whatever¡¯s left.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be putting an end to a girl that¡¯s barely lived, just making that clear and laying it out on the table,¡± Conrad responded.


    ¡°And with what methods and solutions¡­?¡± Arthur piped up, hand against leaning head, hand against graying stubble. ¡°The masses wouldn¡¯t want us to do this anyways¡ªif we kill the child, now we¡¯re a group of child killers. If we don¡¯t, we let another monster roam the streets. And with the little wiggle room of lethality we¡¯re allowed to have, not many options IN that.¡±


    ¡°You know exactly why,¡± Joy Levesque commented. Sardonic looking, with straight black hair with a gap-y fringe and an almost vacant expression on her face. ¡°If we actually had full access to our lethal methods, we¡¯re a rogue militia stationed at every weakening human settlement. Then everyone¡¯s going to be scared of us more than the space things trying to kill them¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m not rooting for violence¡ªun-American I know, I¡¯m terrible at my job¡ªI¡¯m just saying. Damned if we do, damned if we don¡¯t¡ªalso damned if we do it like they want.¡±


    Joy shrugged, ¡°We¡¯ve been telling them that we have to do things a certain way, be a certain way, or everything is wiped out, but hey. They got a few slam dunks on the Aether webs.¡±


    ¡°Right when Davenport¡¯s been weakening too¡­¡± Olivia Fernsby. Had greying blonde curls down to her neck, big glasses that made her green eyes huge. ¡°Are you really that underprepared¡­? Has the new situation thrown a wrench that badly?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re well stocked,¡± Diana replied. ¡°It¡¯s the fact that we¡¯re limited in the ways of back up, is the problem here¡ª¡±


    ¡°Surely, you can call for ships or relief that will aid in possible naval escape¡­?¡± Bogdan asked, slightly twitching.


    ¡°If you¡¯re not, then I¡¯ll call upon some more your way,¡± Arthur responded.


    ¡°And I¡¯ll be in touch with Madrid to double the supplies¡­¡± Olivia also aided.


    ¡°We cannot let Davenport fall,¡± Genichi stated. ¡°With that, the hope of a possible future is gone as well. The fact that this other disaster happened as already made the world stop and notice¡­¡±


    ¡°Believe us, we know¡­¡± Conrad ran a hand down his face. ¡°We were chosen¡ªall of this¡ªto be the physical symbol of humanity getting everything back from the Shifts, right back to a new normal¡­ It is indeed over if it goes anything less than north.¡±


    ¡°Dealing with the Trend and dealing with a possible new phenomena¡­¡± Joy said after. ¡°It¡¯s a hotbed, an eruption point. Both can instantly send Davenport in Terminsys Zone qualification. And another human settlement on the scale of the megapolis, as well¡­¡±


    ¡°Has work been done trying to study that new phenomena?¡± Diami asked. ¡°Can we at least box her in with that?¡±


    ¡°Oh no, she can burst through¡­¡± Diana replied. ¡°It¡¯s an odd thing, that¡­ It¡¯s Shift-level energy¡ªjust there and nothing can be done with it¡­ But a siVis user commanded it.¡±


    ¡°Commanded?¡± Genichi asked.


    ¡°Terrence Hearth¡ªhe was the last siVictim wheeled in that night at Gregor Mallory. He was the patient that was near mutilated by my former-medical works, now criminals at large, Victor and Lexa Homer. That was him¡ªsomehow and some way, he was able to call out and trigger the then-ongoing Shift to create¡­ This.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s bad,¡± Olivia responded. ¡°That¡¯s really, really bad¡ª¡±


    ¡°Whatever we end up doing to her, I¡¯m going to advise and hope that she can only think simplicity enough to just want to come over, nothing else¡­¡±


    Arthur buried his head into his old, worn hands. ¡°This is a mess¡­¡±


    The vault door opened, and Tabby looked to her side.


    The fact that she hasn¡¯t said or thought anything as these titans talked didn¡¯t occur to her in that moment. Only rage.


    ¡°Trust me,¡± Mr. Davenport sauntered in. ¡°I¡¯ve been saying that for ever.¡±

 (Epsiode XIII)(v5)

    ¡°Why the hell is he here--?¡± Conrad voiced what Tabby (and pretty much everyone there) wanted to scream at this man.


    ¡°Yeah, why should I¡ªliteral founder and leader of this civilization, should be present in the discussion of it¡¯s possible demise?¡± Davenport didn¡¯t bother with the sarcasm. (Which, Tabby did admit that she wasn¡¯t expecting that¡ªsince ((undiagnosed)) sociopaths don¡¯t bother with¡­ The emotional stuff-)


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the time, Eli¡ªfor you to make this about yourself!¡±


    ¡°If this was all about me, why would I be here, General Miller?¡± Davenport bluntly asked. None of his usual (smarminess), no over the top theatre outside of whatever he¡¯s wearing now¡­


    It was scary. And everyone present knew that.


    ¡°Should you not know about the underground emergency tunnels? That I¡¯ve activated them myself, ready for use?¡± Despite having these terrible pilot shades on, they lowered and revealed his beady¡­ And tired eyes. ¡°A system that I hoped I never would use¡ªsomething I dreaded because I know that it¡¯ll be twisted somehow that I have dungeons or pits or sex rings deep in my island and who really knows what I built--?¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s great, we¡¯ll use them as a last resort and if the shelters fell, we at least have that¡ªbut as someone who started out with ¡®this isn¡¯t about me¡¯, you sure are making about yourself¡ª¡± Conrad still spitting back with stern venom.


    ¡°What the hell happened to you, huh?!¡± Mr. Davenport suddenly shouted. ¡°What happened to us¡ªjust what happened?! We used to BUILD solutions to our problems, so that we could LIVE and LIVE EASILY¡ªBETTER. Basic human response, and we¡¯ve all forgotten. And now, when life is challenged more than it¡¯s ever been, we just shit ourselves. ¡®How much?¡¯ is our only response anymore¡ª¡±


    ¡°I was willing to entertain your concert until you made this into some personal attack,¡± Bogdan stated, cutting him off so hard, he practically spun on his heels to face the hologram of the man, his gaudy red, white striped tux, flapped in the wind. ¡°Who are you, man of whimsy, to criticize the complex nature of what we¡¯re doing here? All you did was build things that were only recently useful and aren¡¯t available for their integration¡ªyou were busy working a crowd that hates you.¡±


    Mr. Davenport just smiled. But it was so not a smile, just due to the way his face formed in that moment. Eyes near shut, the grin being forced ear to ear. Seething.


    ¡°90¡¯s. A boom of siVis users, back to back¡ªteenagers, young adults, turned into monsters. The Last Year: 2000, the announcement of limited government everywhere nearly plunged us into another global war due to how poor it went. 2002¡ªoh sorry, The Transitionary Point¡ªgod awful name by the way¡ªThe Horizons Mission goes horribly wrong and we lose people in space and we don¡¯t know where they are anymore. Still don¡¯t. ¡®Transitionary Point¡¯¡ªor y¡¯know, 2006, Dr. Taber DIES ON LIVE TELEVISON, unable to cut away or censor a thing and the clip is rerun into sin. We lose an entire city to a mentally disturbed man that twists people into whatever he thinks of them as, we try to take back most of Oceania and failed miserably, the fringes of human civilization getting a taste of Noumena and liking it¡ªThe Sierra Bolton incident¡ªThe Nulgarrt Infestations of the East¡ªThe Near Drifting of Human Society¡ªAnd now all this? I only remember the same, tired ass response. ¡®We are sorry, we are strong together, we will evolve our plans according to what¡¯s transpired, one step of the time. We are together Extant¡¯. Every. Single. Time.¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Joy retorted, unimpressed. ¡°So, what¡¯s your grand¡ªamazing reasoning? The plan of yours to save humanity from certain existential extinction?¡±


    ¡°THAT¡¯S THE THING!¡± he now had his hands on his head, fingers in his now messy shaved mohawk¡ªa thick slither of white with gray, shaved sides. ¡°Nobody blames you for this! You didn¡¯t create these things, you¡¯re people who went on to MEET it! It¡¯s why they¡¯re not raging at you, you dolts! But you wanna know something? They¡¯re bottling that resentment up. Why? Because of this mess of a mission you have. You promised them a return to normalcy and we all know by the day, it¡¯s dead.¡±


    Silence fell upon the room.


    ¡°Have you ever thought, what it feels like, to be constantly told by someone driving that they knew what they were doing¡ªto watch them swerve constantly into a hillside, to let a tire pop so badly, it made the car jump and you near crush your neck from hitting the ceiling too hard? You¡¯re riding on rims as the driver is swaying and grinding against the road¡¯s railings, and you see the ocean below, and can FEEL the car tilting, and they reply; ¡®we¡¯re going to be okay¡¯? There is no more normalcy¡ªthere can¡¯t be, people have died in ways that¡­ There¡¯s only parts of bodies¡ªbodies that aren¡¯t bodies anymore and transformed into¡­ Gunk. Government bodies are gone, economy operating on a life support system that can¡¯t handle the load so much longer¡­ And the psychology of it. We¡¯ve seen¡­ We¡¯ve seen cosmic waves. We¡¯ve seen things that cannot be unseen, so much so, that an entire people lost their minds so badly that they became the very thing they feared¡­ AND YET¡ªit¡¯s something entirely different?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re creatures of habit¡ª¡± Arthur burst in, full of white-hot rhetoric. ¡°We¡¯re monkeys that work best with patterns, it¡¯s what we know¡ªsteady is the only way we could¡¯ve done this, we didn¡¯t fuck up. We endure everything and make the next step, every time, until we reach the goal. We win by growth, it¡¯s the only way when nothing else makes sense.¡±


    ¡°¡­The thing about growth is failure is always an option. Even excusing the fact that these people have experienced failure¡ªtragedy for near 20 years¡­ We hate failure. In every single form. Even the beneficial kind.¡±


    The ranting old man simply threw his glasses aside. His expression mournful. Morose.


    ¡°What pains me the most is that you ALL are such good people¡­ Champions. Titans among men, guiding them when you have all the resources to dictate every single thing they do¡ªrebuilt a broken world into yours¡­¡± Mr. Davenport looked to Conrad. ¡°Especially you. You served in one of the bloodest battles in human history, you lead in the face of pure evil and you managed to win multiple victories. This isn¡¯t your fight, you could¡¯ve just retired and passed on, you did your bit¡­ But here you are. It pains me to say that you went about this thing all wrong.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Conrad didn¡¯t say a word.


    ¡°This could¡¯ve been the closest we gotten to an agreed upon new Era. New way of doing things, new attitudes and schools of thought¡­ We finally break through all of those pointless things¡ªpoverty, racism, depravity¡­ Literal things of the past. We have to fight for our existence, now. After being forced into a new era of destruction and terror, we would¡¯ve joined hands and agree to wipe that all away for now¡­ Then for good. Progress was the key, here. By showing we can conquer¡ªcontinue to conquer¡ªall of our fears about this vast universe we¡¯re in¡­That¡¯s the fuel to breed more amazing, intelligent and innovative HUMANS. We¡¯ve risen from an amoral state of existence¡ªso why not again?¡±


    He turned towards the audience.


    ¡°Because the thing¡­ The most insidious thing about this whole cosmic shit we¡¯re in¡­ It makes us look at what was before, as we longed for it, even the things we¡¯ve put up with¡­ And realize THAT didn¡¯t really make a lot of sense, either. So what did?¡±


    ¡°So what the fuck have you done, Mister Narcissistic Asshole?!¡± Tabby said before she could¡¯ve thought it through, straight from her broiling chest.


    She seized up, noticing the frozen stares of everyone present in the room.


    Professor Diana just leaned against the wall, crossed arms. She had a vacant, pissed off expression the whole time, only now blinking in surprise. Arthur laughed openly, ¡°ha haaaa¡±, before rising a fist. Conrad remained strait laced, as did Bogdan. Diami was nodding with a subtle smirk of approval, Olivia had a covered mouth, Genichi was peppering a towel against his wet forehead. Joy clapped softly while having raised eyebrows.


    ¡­Surprisingly, Davenport was even more crestfallen. Just looking at her.


    Whatever sense of catharsis she had was snuffed out. Especially since¡­ She kinda agreed with him to some faults.


    So, the stupid girl just shook her head, returning back to her place, head lowered and just focused on recording.


    ¡°So, can we have another meeting and the topic is to NEVER piss this girl off or we¡¯re done as a force?¡± Arthur joked, seemingly more alive now.


    ¡°You joke, but I would definitely put that in the back burner¡­¡± Joy quipped right after.


    ¡°¡®Conquer¡¯, Davenport?¡± Diami asked. ¡°There is no way to conquer something when we haven¡¯t figured out how to relieve natural events. But the nice girl who has put up with a lot of your bellyaching asked a question we all would like the answer to as well: what HAVE you been doing?¡±


    The man looked down, his eyes becoming a glassy sheen.


    ¡°¡­Nothing. I thought¡­ Maybe acting as an example, and a distraction¡­ Maybe that would¡¯ve breeded something. And on some level, I hoped that everything would¡¯ve evened out so that I could just be ¡®Urban Planner Walt Disney¡¯ still. It¡¯s regret. That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been doing. Nothing but as it burns me out.¡±


    ¡°See,¡± Arthur responded. ¡°Now that¡¯s something I believe, because it wasn¡¯t packaged with some droning speech. But it¡¯s like you said, buddy. We¡¯re Titans that have every finger in every single, different pie. If we ever HINT that we¡¯ve designed safety features in case of when things go severely wrong¡­ It¡¯s over for us.¡±


    Tabby froze at that, immediately picturing the outcry of that. Cries of sneaking weapons under their beds¡­ Cries of making things weirder.


    ¡°And we¡¯re trying not to resort to that,¡± Genichi responded. ¡°People want normalcy, deserves it. And they will continue to do so as we operate.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s not going to break them¡ªthey¡¯re already broken¡­ We¡¯re speeding towards is everything being shattered. Beyond repair¡­¡± The man, the shattered bravado, Davenport tried to reason.


    Nobody wanted to listen anymore.


    ¡°If we¡¯re done acting out a play here¡ª¡± Diana interrupted with a grimace and attitude. ¡°Just got word¡ªfive Extant Researchers at the school site are dead.¡±


    ¡°You have got to be kidding--?!¡± Conrad had his fire light.


    ¡°The footage is being processed and sent over, but I just got word¡ª¡± she pointed to the screen, and five cards appeared. No identities, just the suit pictures and vitals that are a plain line. Tabby covered her mouth.


    ¡°Four, sudden blunt force trauma. The fifth, who I guess was the one who sent the footage¡­¡± Diana shook her head. ¡°Also requested the Remains Protocol.¡±


    ¡°They feared that their fate would be so gruesome, they volunteer their body as research,¡± Bogdan grabbed at his head. ¡°This is bad.¡±


    ¡°Show the footage for quick review, at least¡­!¡± Olivia pleaded.


    Diana nodded, and toggled the screen of the footage, it instantly widening.


    Tabby shrieked.


    A twisted, twitching, vein monster rose from the debris of the once-there school. The limbs were covered in the red, meaty veins as it forced the monster¡¯s arms to jut out in a primal stance¡ªtwisting along the limbs so much that it was just a fleshy stump for hands. The eyes, pried open because there was no eyelids¡ªdead and barely formed under a sickly yellow shield. The jaw, wired at the sides, was still an open, constantly screaming beak. The head, avian in design, was tied down by the hunched back it sported, covered in pulsating, writhing nerve-endings.


    The footage itself was shaking, as the creature arose, darting it¡¯s strained head left to right as it noticed that it did away with the other lifeforms that hounded it. Until it saw the last one.


    With blinding speeds, it charged forced as the constant scream just got high pitched, and the footage stopped.


    ¡°This is like a siVictim, Nulgarrt hybrid situation¡ª¡± Diami commented instantly. ¡°We must use both measures to ensure some sort of conclusion¡ªbecause that thing cannot continue any longer.¡±


    ¡°How?! If we harm it, then we¡¯re accelerating the change!¡± Diana fought back.


    ¡°I¡¯m guess you can¡¯t do anything to stop her, can you?¡± Conrad turned to her.


    Tabby responded with the biggest wide-eyed look, just scanning the Professor with the implication she thinks she just heard.


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think my abilities can work with a primal mind to follow, sir,¡± Diana looked at him as if he asked a stupid question. ¡°And if I did, I don¡¯t think TWO of her would be the wisest idea.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that would make things worse, yes,¡± Conrad nodded as Tabby continued to silently freak out about what that could possibly mean for a possible siVis ability used by LITERALLY the Second Taber. ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. We have to prolong this fight long enough for us to use Null Rays. Forcing her to transform into some perfected form, wearing out the limitations of it, and exposing her to them as it theoretically peels back a husk for us to contain.¡±


    Diana rubbed her chin a bit. ¡°That would mean having her under lock and key to study, and if she turns into something else, hey, we now know that Null Rays work¡­ But if they don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Then the usual siVis Incident protocol must be issued,¡± Conrad answered grimly. ¡°We break them with their own reality.¡±


    Diana nodded. ¡°Hopefully, this time, we¡¯re doing a more permanent end other than aid like last time. We¡¯re still paying for that.¡±


    Conrad nodded in turn. Then he looked at the sad man that yelled at him.


    ¡°You wanna lead for once in your life? Then come with me.¡±

 (Episode XIII) (.5)

    ¡°The siVis Incident Protocol involves eliminating any possibility available to the victim,¡± Conrad turned his attention back to the ¡°round table¡±. ¡°With the knock on wood in mind, this should be fairly easy. She seemingly relies on melee, so the usual bells and whistles should do it. Bombard with Dizzies, have the Enforcers in formations to stun, bind, contain. We appeal to whatever heart¡¯s in there, and if nothing looks back at us? Then we do the improvised Null Rays idea and bottle her up for further research.¡±


    ¡°And no humanitarian option for a mercy kill?¡± Diami responded to that.


    Conrad sighed, ¡°If any of that doesn¡¯t work? Then we shoot to kill, yes. I feel like the public would at least respond favorably as long as we were steady and did everything we could have. Is any of this to everyone¡¯s satisfaction?¡±


    Before anyone could voice their responses, there was a pinging sound that startled Tabby (she then wanted to look down at her ORACLE, but that would be giving everything away so she proceeded not to be stupid).


    ¡°Incoming call from the Masters Family¡­¡± Genichi confirmed. At this point, Tabby could barely keep her heart in her chest, feeling it raise within her throat. Still had to act natural, as every important person in the world suddenly started to show up at once.


    ¡°The prodigal daughter returns¡­¡± Arthur sighed out.


    ¡°Maybe this IS dire than we thought¡ª¡± Joy quipped.


    ¡°Put them on the line,¡± Conrad commanded.


    Another slither of screen came online, but it was way different from the others. Whereas the others had their faces and clothing in full detail, despite the blue/teal hue¡ªthe Masters appeared as inverted silhouette (Tabby mentally self-slapped herself for such a botch of a description)¡ªin the sense that they were colored in a blue/teal hues, save for their simplistic expressions.


    Grace Masters, her expressions were of grave worry.


    ¡°We¡¯ve just heard the news and we¡¯re on our way,¡± Grace had her hands together. ¡°It might take a few days, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t changed your usual involvement, so no need to add anything else,¡± Arthur snarked at her.


    In those few moments of silence, Tabby gleamed Grace¡¯s expressions. Instant annoyance, then sadness, bitterness, a flare of anger, quickly cooling into resignation. Bitterness.


    It could¡¯ve been the side effect of her siVis, to present such raw and complicated emotion¡ªor the fact she wore her heart on her sleeve in her own nature. Which came first, Tabby wondered.


    ¡°And you Extant continue to lash out underhandedly under P.R. theatrics while having no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± the tallest brother spoke, the screen even animating his headdress. Alvis rose his hand to his chin, ¡°The status quo works both ways, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t need this right now,¡± the stocky brother Hale bluntly stated. Nothing but a bulky specimen, especially for his age. ¡°Not when people are in dire need right now.¡±


    ¡°Well said, son!¡± the hearty father had his hands on both brothers shoulders, and is behind Grace, towering over her. Muscly himself, but his tallness even things out better, and despite the flowy robes he wore along with the rest of his children, both were still way too noticeable. Despite all of this, he still sounded like a regular dad, a bumbling Joe (¡°Joe Normal¡±).


    Owen began to speak again, with light confusion and a bit of worry in his tone. ¡°Should we avoid Davenport in that case then? I sense that we¡¯re not needed¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s just that we always welcome you or your acolytes¡ªit¡¯s just that you tell us no every single time when we needed heavy lifting the most, is all¡ª¡± Joy responded.


    ¡°You know exactly why¡ª¡± Grace became sharp with her tone.


    ¡°Yes, you are afraid of the power imbalance with you having as much as power as you do¡ªreferring it as being a ¡®superhero¡¯, if I can remember,¡± Bogdan scratched at his sideburns. ¡°And as we continuously tried to offer you in our many talks, we would be happy to check and balance your reach without it becoming tilted in either of our favors. Our current relationship, as it stands, with you offering yourselves as a humanitarian relief effort¡ªis more than enough right now. We are associates, not partners. Co-workers.¡±


    ¡°Meaning that you can¡¯t join personal meetings like these unless there¡¯s been updates,¡± Arthur finished with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you pushed us away with legitimate reasons, so we¡¯re a bit confused and irritated that you keep barging in¡ª¡±


    ¡°Limited time table, people¡ª¡± Diana reminded, pointing at her bare wrist.


    ¡°Okay, fine, we¡¯re all bound to politics or whatever¡ª¡± Grace rolled her eyes. ¡°We¡¯re coming in a few days to help, if there¡¯s more Awakenings and one of our members want to help¡ªif they can, let them help. We stopped the possible Drought-siVis-Ability problem where Quadale, California¡ª¡±


    ¡°Love you, despite the ragging¡ª¡± Arthur added.


    Grace chuckled. ¡°Okayfinethatwasveryneededandabitfunny, but yeah¡­ If things really hit the fan, at least hold out until we come and try to find contact with us. You guys look like you need it so I¡¯m bending my usual rules a bit.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Ms. Masters,¡± Conrad nodded. ¡°And trust me, if all else fails, I think we¡¯d be desperate to even use your littlest sibling.¡±


    Each of the family had a reaction to that. Alvis shook his head in bemusement, Hale hummed a bit neutrally, while Owen chuckled nervously.


    Grace just winced a bit. ¡°Hopefully, we¡¯ll be there faster than you opening that can of worms, yeah.¡±


    Tabby in that moment wanted to turn on her ORACLE, to fish out an image or an article she wrote about Joan Masters¡ªto get a fresher image in her mind other than the current one she had. All she remembered was how guarded her existence was, how the world at large never knew about her until she was 12, how she was just as strong¡ªpossibly more so¡ªthan Grace, who is a literal superhero in real life.


    While Tabby didn¡¯t have a fresh image, she did remember her blank, bored stare. And with that memory, the link of information¡ªthe fear¡ªthat she¡¯s the first of an upcoming generation of children. Affected by siVis, affected by Shifts, thus molded by them versus the little penance of life ever could. Thus alien minded, distant. Uncaring.


    Tabby got the concern instantly, as it plunged and the coldness of it stabbed her in her chest.


    ¡°Anyways, please, try to survive this. I know you can,¡± Grace waved, along with her family, as they signed off.


    ¡°We might as well call this meeting adjourned,¡± Conrad stated. ¡°We¡¯ll be receiving aid both in supplies and emergency transport ships, we must remedy the public trust by not only negating this incident, but showing them that we are on the cusp on returning to normalcy, and thus¡ªmore aggressive methods to show this must be discussed on a latter date after this incident is contained. We hope to help Desiree Schwartz by taking her in to study her condition, but a mercy killing is the last resort. These are the results, we are forever Extant.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Each Extant head nodded, and signed off as they did, letting Tabby to finally exhale.


    ¡°¡­You say it to each other as well--?¡± Mr. Davenport regained confidence to be annoying again.


    ¡°Again, you¡¯re with me, Mr. Davenport,¡± Conrad begun to turn around, with Professor Blake in tow.


    Tabby jumped up, running to the trio. ¡°I¡ªuh, just a few questions for him, won¡¯t take long, I promise!¡±


    Professor Diana irked an eyebrow, ¡°Fate of the world, and you wanna do an interview with him?¡±


    Tabby bit her lip, eyes scanning for whatever as her mind tried to conquer the freshest bullshit.


    ¡°Aaaaas one of the children he damned, I kinda wanna talk about his fault in that. Apart of my angst, y¡¯know? I get to finally unload~¡±


    Diana rolled her eyes with a groan, but crossed her arms so she could respond professionally. ¡°Up to you, Miller.¡±


    ¡°¡­Just make it quick, dear,¡± Conrad began to roll away, with Diana in tow as the vault opened, causing them to make haste.


    Tabby turned to Davenport as it closed, eyeing him dismissively.


    ¡°If you really want an explanation,¡± Mr. Davenport drily began. ¡°I really think¡ªdespite all of this breaking you all and depriving you of the life you were promised; I truly think your generation has the potential to end this mess. We survived equally worse in previous eras, just that this one involves metaphysics being a thing¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only gonna ask for two things,¡± Tabby narrowed her eyes. ¡°Can¡¯t really stand the sight of you, so that¡¯s why I¡¯m making it quick, more than anything¡ª¡±


    ¡°For?¡± Mr. Davenport instantly perked up. ¡°So, you¡¯re not going to drag my name across the Aether after all¡­ Again--?¡±


    Tabby looked down at her ORACLE, ¡°I fashioned this mess out of some spare ORACON parts¡ªIt¡¯s my ORACLE, get it? Get it?¡± She fumbled, taking the lens, and detaching it¡ªa rather square chunk coming off as she offered it to the man. ¡°It¡¯s in a mode where it¡¯s still recording things passively. I need you to take it with you and let it move around.¡±


    Mr. Davenport wasn¡¯t surprisingly flummoxed at the demand this girl was making to him, but the fact that she made this.


    ¡°You modded a camera into a¡­ Into a passive surveillance item?!¡± he tilted his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s a hooobby,¡± Tabby bemoaned. ¡°Don¡¯t act like I created something new, pal¡ª¡±


    ¡°Well no but¡ªyou can do a lot more with a camera, make it a drone, create it as a light cannon that robs nearby electronics of power, even a makeshift trap where you create a very poor replication of reality where you capture your enemies with a flash¡ªbut this is still impressive¡­ Forget ¡®potentially¡¯, you kids can definitely stop all this at this rate!¡±


    ¡°I know that you have ORACON on your person in the event of emergency, so just let this thing have legs or some hover device¡ªnothing complex that gets in the way, but you literally said trap camera, so I¡¯m having second thoughts¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give it legs, girl, just to spite you¡ª¡± Mr. Davenport frowned at him, taking the lens, looking at it while shaking his head. ¡°And the second thing?¡±


    ¡°Give me the keys to use Shiftication¡ª¡± Tabby ordered.


    ¡°Now you¡¯re just escalating into possible danger--!¡± Mr. Davenport waved his arms.


    ¡°I know the transport functions are locked and only used for emergencies,¡± Tabby crossed her arms. ¡°I¡¯m risking it¡ªI need to do a live coverage of this thing.¡±


    Mr. Davenport looked down at her, face softening a tad. Tabby shivered and felt weirded out, about to voice her uncomfort¡ª


    ¡°What¡¯s your motive¡­? To keep doing this¡­?¡±


    That caused Tabby to soften a bit as well, looking down before shrugging.


    ¡°I like being a celebrity, in a sense. I like it because I can use my resources and influence people properly. I can¡­ Like, guide people and I don¡¯t have to have the ego of a prophet or anything. I¡¯m me, and people look to me because they see themselves with power to do things. It¡¯s a weird thing, but I¡¯m happy to be a weird that that¡¯s beneficial for once nowadays. It¡¯s a scatter thought of me needing to be kind so people can be kind themselves.¡±


    ¡°So you still have a Messiah complex, right,¡± Mr. Davenport surmised, causing Tabby to legitimately growl at him. ¡°But hey. At least you know it is and you¡¯re nursing it healthy.¡±


    The man pulled a brace out of his pocket, silver and white rectangular button, he grabbed Tabby¡¯s left hand and slapped it on her wrist.


    ¡°Telling you right now,¡± Mr. Davenport looked in her eyes. ¡°It¡¯ll ruin you one day¡ªsharing your heart with an entire people. They grab it in various directions that cause you to seize up in pain, and in directions you¡¯re just not able to stretch far into. And once your heart tears, you¡¯ll end up a husk on autopilot. No recovering from that. Your heart is yours and you need it.¡±


    The worst part for Tabby, staring at this man¡¯s eyes made her find the human that was once there, long ago. She broke from him, and looked at her clad wrist.


    ¡°Just a button? That¡¯s really it?¡±


    ¡°You never know, buttons can literally determine your life¡­¡± Mr. Davenport leaned to the side. ¡°My life¡¯s been ruled and defined by buttons, of all colors.¡±


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re a strange man, y¡¯know that?¡± Tabby grimaced at him.


    Mr. Davenport shrugged and had a hand in his pocket, ¡°I¡¯ll make it have legs as I walk, kid. Plus a reactive motion sensor so it can crawl to the most important thing, but of course it¡¯ll be wonky. I¡¯m guessing you want it in the Enforcer briefing as well?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯d be so kind, or have a kind bone in your body after all¡ªwhatever makes Hell colder,¡± Tabby quipped.


    ¡°You know it¡¯s not your night when the supposed ¡®nice one¡¯ is chewing you out too¡­¡± Mr. Davenport begun to walk out, hand still in pocket as Tabby caught his covered hand making movement. ¡°I¡¯m serious about not losing that heart, kid. Don¡¯t be like me. Or, don¡¯t end up people like Taber. We all go out the same way, so tired that you don¡¯t care that it¡¯s the end of you.¡±


    The girl sighed, sensing the wisdom in the words dreadfully. ¡°Sure. Keeping it in mind.¡±


    She walked to the vault after, and saw it open, stepping out only to be greeted by the guards.


    ¡°Shall we escort you to a nearby shelter?¡±


    ¡°Please¡­¡±


    She walked with the guards, back down the ramp and into the way she came in. But she couldn¡¯t care any more about that.


    She donned the ORACLE again, putting it on as she cracked the lensless side and popped a button, causing another scouter¡ªbuilt in and shorter, to take it¡¯s place. There, she could see Davenport¡¯s fingers as if they were cyrtids, blurring the shot without any sound. Soon, something¡ªthe lens¡ªwas beginning to move, shaking as it latched onto something.


    Tabby glanced back to reality and nearly bumped into an Extant people of the Nexus, and somehow became MORE awkward as instead of bumping into them, Tabby immediately frozen in a way where she stiffened in the middle of the floor and nearly tripped¡ª


    ¡°Sorry sorry!¡± Tabby waved her hands and found her balance. The Enforcers kindly stopped and resumed walking.


    She continued to watch the footage and her blood ran cold when she was already shaking due to embarrassment (and possibly getting caught by a crowd of smart people).


    Davenport had the lens right out in the open, basically on his knee. It took awhile for her mind to slow down from sheer panic to get that he did the unthinkable.


    He fashioned it into a ring. A fat ring that no one ever seen him wear, in the literal command room.


    She wanted to scream, she wanted to curse, but she was at the teleports already, and was forced to take the ORACLE off and step inside.


    Closing her eyes, she imagined the various, terrible ways Mr. Davenport could get his just desserts.


    She didn¡¯t care about how long the teleportation took and the flash, as soon as she could get out and be on solid ground, and put on the ORACLE again.


    There, she saw a ton of people, crowds of people, just on Aethernet. Families crowded together, people alone, people that were unwillingly alone. She realized that it was her normal sight, not the footage.


    But she looked at said footage anyways, to distract her a bit. While Mr. Davenport hasn¡¯t gotten caught yet¡ªall Tabby could see was an A.R. grid, Enforcers huddled together in the hundreds, and Conrad drawing a circle, then a square within it, and finally a triangle¡ªat a single dot. Clearly the target.


    The guards appeared behind her, and she turned around.


    ¡°I gotta whizz, boys¡ª¡± Tabby couldn¡¯t make that sentence more obtuse. ¡°Been nervy since this all happened. No need to guard me to them.¡±


    ¡°Fair dues,¡± the Enforcer gestured to his right. ¡°That way.¡±


    Tabby gave a thumbs up, and turned to that way as the Enforcers and the Extant heads mobilized, a door opening leading to who knows where.


    Davenport remained, lifting his hand up on the knee to look at his face and giving a cheeky wave. Tabby huffed, before she saw the hand lower back down, and then the footage shook.


    The lens must¡¯ve launched from his finger, and is following the troops¡¯ footsteps.


    Good. He has some¡­ Honor, at least.


    Once Tabby got into the bathroom, she hit the wall with her back, looked around, and hit her new bracelet. Causing the Shiftication to swallow her whole, she let her pod steadily bring her to the surface.


    ¡°What¡¯s it going to be¡­¡± She mused to herself. ¡°Another incident, another reason to hate this place¡ªbe resigned in the daily tragedies once more¡­? Or this being the breaking point¡­¡±


    She looked at the footage, and what she saw¡­


    Dead of night. The Enforcers were in formation, as the Lens crawled away to a view that captured the left flank, but captured the rest of the long, now neutered, Steppe Ave street. White barrier pulsating.


    And without warning, a screaming, veiny monster emerged from the veil, causing the Enforcers to stay steady, but march towards their possible doom.


    ¡°Whatever it is¡­ Whatever the conclusion to this¡­ Dictates the future of our feeble existence. I just hope for another chance.¡±

 (Episode XIII) (End (1/2))

    Tabby popped out of the grounded building, to witness the blunt massacre with both visions.


    On one side¡ªher normal gaze¡ªshe just saw soldiers flung into the skies or instantly pushed backwards at blinding speeds. Sickening cracks as armor instantly spilt upon impact, or the perspective humbling crunch when the others slid so hard, that they gathered asphalt that slowed down or outright stopped their movement.


    The other¡ªthe small spider drone that perfectly illustrates this insanity, captured the method to this utter madness.


    Reflex¡ªit was a creature of reflex. As the Enforcers rushed forward with netting coming out of their gantlets, the N¡¯atural Monster practically twitched and managed to use it¡¯s arms swing wide against the crowd, flinging them into the air¡ªto the side¡ªdown to the ground. It was the embodiment of an arm with a red, noticeable sore that¡¯s the target of others hitting it over and over. The response isn¡¯t rage, or berserking frenzy¡ªit was pure reaction. It crushed the onslaught, but drifted to the right. It picked two Enforcers up, chucked them away and spasmed. Nobody knew what it would do next, most of all itself.


    The inconsistencies is what outright killed these people instantly, or was the very thing that saved their lives.


    Tabby glanced away from the carnage, only to see the process of Burrowing.


    The fallen troops slowly crumpled into themselves, into the ¡°coffin¡±-like structure. Their bodies collapsing into the life support system that gave them the hunchback look, until they became a monolith of white. Then, the Shiftication takes them, the streets taking them under at an irregular pace.


    But it was made clear as day which bodies didn¡¯t move at all.


    She tried looking up, maybe at a frantic speed she herself didn¡¯t realize she was capable of. But due to the officers being flung into the air, the Diamond-lite fliers that held more reinforcements had the horrible choice to either bob and weave, or try to position themselves in saving the human projectiles.


    This is a plan. This was strategy.


    They have the tools, but they know that they will instantly break. They have to curb the chaos, but is subjected to it every step of the way.


    It was a single shot for a hopeless draw.


    Tabby felt her chest cave in from the inside. Her vision blurred and refused to focus. Every bead of sweat forming was uncomfortably felt against her shivering skin, and it was a very cold night. The only way she could¡¯ve moved in that moment, and it was due to shaking.


    What was she doing here? Why was she here?


    Why even do this, when what she¡¯s made so far was just as of a mess as she is?


    This was nothing but an ongoing train wreck, and the repair was not only piece by piece, but as it¡¯s crashing.


    There¡¯s no fixing here.


    There¡¯s no fixing in anything in this terrible, terrible life.


    To think she thought she got it. All she had to do was share the information and guide others in being who they truly wanna be. To show in the face of fucking everything, it¡¯s you who¡­


    She closed her eyes, and let the tears the gather seep out.


    It¡¯s you who rages against the dying of the light.


    Wiping her eyes, she quickly dashed towards one of the buildings that still stood tall. One of the few buildings that stood erect, refusing the Shiftication process. She found the latter behind it, and started to climb up in haste as she felt the incident grow worse by the sheer vibration that rattled her bones, and became frequent.


    She turned on the other side of her ORACLE, switching to broadcast.


    ¡°I¡ªI¡¯m here live,¡± Tabby began and had to swallow a mouth of air before talking again. ¡°I have clearance and have accepted the job of keeping you all informed during this N¡¯atural Incident¡ªI¡¯m climbing a non-Shifted building to get a better look at things¡ª¡±


    She heaved herself to reach the top of the building, walking forward across the flat roof.


    ¡°The things you will see or elect to see will be violence on a completely different level, uncut footage that truly gives you a taste of what¡¯s happening now.¡±


    She reached the edge, and looked down at the what-is-now-floor.


    ¡°I¡¯m giving you all a chance to look away, to just listen to this¡­ But I don¡¯t think we can do that anymore. This, the incident caused by a recently inducted Trend¡ªwho was just a teen celebrity, a young lady, faster than what the Trends of old and the pains we¡¯re still dealing with that¡­ This is a moment in our lives, people. The true stress test: will we rest or will we snap?¡±


    She slowly rose her head. Held a button on the lost Lens¡¯ side until a blue blinking light came on, wiring the footage live.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡±


    The N¡¯atural Monster proceeded to bang against the raised nets of the Enforcers, them spreading their arms causing the nets to tot to a point of becoming makeshift shielding, glowing with cyan netting. The monster¡¯s arms were flailing, versus bashing against the ring of people that surrounded it. But things weren¡¯t looking good, because of the sheer force of the retaliation, it was clear that the Enforcers legs were smashed in, only being held together by the exo suit that was starting to show wear and tear.


    The Lens was forced to look up, thus causing Tabby to dart to the side.


    The Diamonds, four or five, came in and dropped down more Enforcers, possibly hundreds to aid the now twenty that are struggling to keep to the mission.


    ¡°These people are outgunned by the nature of this thing,¡± Tabby narrated.  ¡°Outgunned, flawed, and they¡¯re still trying to attempt this.¡±


    N¡¯atural then stiffened, mid-motion, just to see this happen.


    And in a bout of pure frustration, she expanded her arms and twisted clockwise and counterclockwise to become a whirlwind of flesh and sporadic force. So fast and twitching, the arms constantly shifted in angles.


    The soldiers were either steamrolled into the ground due to the breaking of legs, or being flung at high speeds, crashing into the streets and some even acting as cannon balls to the incoming troops, launching them into the air.


    Tabby audibly gasped, covering her mouth as her hands shook. The ensuing shouts of horror were drowned out, as the monster shrieked in pain, standing alone.


    The droning of the Diamonds above, soaring overhead, caused her to look up, seeing them flying in formation, circling the monster as it too looked up.


    The hatches opened, and each of the five dropped one or two objects from them.


    ¡°T-¡° Tabby had to keep the dryness from taking hold, and the lump down. ¡°The Dizzy Bombs are being deployed, pure force within a container that¡¯s the usual last resort for Trends. If Irma and Cassie couldn¡¯t take these, then¡ª¡±


    The dim, crystal white rectangles instantly hit the street, and there was a blinding light that followed.


    The explosion was so potent, the screams of the monster was muffled under it.


    It instantly cleared up, leaving no damage around her¡­


    But N¡¯atural was clearly thrashed¡ªnot physically, but mentally.


    It was on it¡¯s knees, trying desperately to shake it¡¯s head, but every movement was taking away any vitality that she had, and was slowly falling into the clutches of unconsciousness.


    But it couldn¡¯t. It was like, whatever this thing was, it is driven by this unending alertness to the point of bodily pain. It writhed, fighting back, despite it hurting as it shrieked in bursts of agony as the Dizziness was taking hold.


    Tabby shook her head, and looked onto the other side.


    Enforcers were still marching towards it, now keeping distance to see the results of the Dizzy Bombs, and being outfitted with their last resort just in case. What looked like a slim, mostly basalt hue suitcase was the Multi-Action Rifles that needed through clearance to use.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    But she couldn¡¯t help but to glance around that. Caskets literally sinking into the ground. People with ruined legs trying to move away while the very few bodies couldn¡¯t move anymore.


    One particular scene. An Enforcer was looking at a downed one in what seems like shock for nearly a minute. They didn¡¯t move, didn¡¯t budge as others came along to shout, yell, motioned for them to move. The others left, knowing that the Enforcer didn¡¯t care about if they survived or not anymore.


    But something caused them to snap their head to the left, and suddenly they screamed at the others.


    Tabby immediately turned her head to see the N¡¯atural Monster reeling back and begun charging at the building she¡¯s on.


    There was realty nothing to it, what to do in that moment for her.


    ¡°She¡¯s going for the building I¡¯m on,¡± Tabby bluntly stated, almost deattached, as she started to run to the side, and leapt in the air.


    She could still hear the crunch¡ªthe impact of it all. Behind Tabby, the building exploding due to N¡¯atural crashing into it.


    All she was concerned about despite the many things whizzing in her head at high speeds, was looking down.


    There was a dumpster, open, filled with things but enough to break falls at least. The girl could only curl up as much as she could in the few seconds before landing.


    Hitting her side, she landed into the garbage, the blunt force still enough to cause harm as well as landing on bits that cut and gashed into her.


    The pain was unbearable, her barely reeling. But she still could see the raining debris coming for her still.


    She glanced back, which felt like minutes due to the downed speed of her brain since it rattled side to side once she made landfall. She saw the lid, reached for one of the inverted indents from the design, and pulled it down with her good arm.


    While it wasn¡¯t the shield she was hoping for, she felt the cascade assault other side, piling on until it stopped.


    Tabby could only breathe. Part of her needed to, to fully grasp that she¡¯s so banged up that she couldn¡¯t feel anything on her left side, and the fact that she wanted to let the viewers know that she was still alive.


    Right then. Back to work.


    She bucked, and it didn¡¯t happen the first time. But she pushed with all of her might, and opened the dumpster with all of her might¡ªentering a world of clouded dust.


    She coughed, coughed out a response. ¡°Still alive¡ªif anyone can hear¡­ Still alive¡­ ¡° And then she groaned as she rose up and tumbled out of the dumpster.


    ¡°Aw man¡­¡± Tabby coughed out, trying to gather the strength to stand up again, shaking for a different reason. ¡°Maybe there is something¡­ About getting siVis¡­ Kiiinda wish I didn¡¯t ache all over now¡ª¡±


    She heard the use of the Dizzy Bombs again, which instantly stilled the dusty coded air and pushed it all away. Tabby was surprised, at her moment of true pain, that she¡¯s thinking about what she read and asked about how they worked. In a weird sense? It avoids destroying the things around it yet maintains the force of what it¡¯s capable of. It¡¯s said that the contradiction of it¡¯s design is why the effect is so quick, so sudden. It can¡¯t simply exist as it is and must collapse as soon as it activates.


    The dust clearing showed that N¡¯atural¡¯s wreckage left a very convenient ruin that Tabby could hide behind, a literal pile of building.


    It was nice, she begun to fall to her knees and crawl towards it. She thought, hey¡ªif she does pass out in the next minute or so, she could be saved. And if more terrible things happen, it acts as a guard.


    So she managed to make it, laying on her belly while surveying the situation.


    ¡­


    It could¡­ It could work.


    N¡¯atural was stumbling. While dangerous and used it¡¯s ridiculous speed to run towards other buildings to crash into, the Dizzy Bombs are having a clear effect. You could see it by the fact that the Enforcers were calmly trotting behind, gathering in greater numbers.


    ¡°A FEW MORE!¡± it had to be Conrad¡¯s ancient, gravelly voice. ¡°ANOTHER ROUND OF FORCE, AND WE WILL TASTE VICTORY!¡±


    And so, another load scattered down from the sky and the monster tried to run away from the center of the blast.


    It only pushed it to fall on it¡¯s front, shrieking out in dismay or the closest to the concept as it forced it down. To use the Irma and Cassie incident of Las Vegas example benchmark, it only took a round where the duo Trends were incapacitated. Taken in and clearly broken out of their holds hours later, it¡¯s still rather telling that it took three or possibly more rounds for N¡¯atural¡ªthough, given the nature of siVis, Irma might need more than THAT and she¡¯s closer to whatever N¡¯atural is¡ªjust animal themed. And Tabby didn¡¯t want to depress herself thinking about the dozen Cassie needs now.


    ¡°MEEEEEN, READY!¡± Conrad instructed. Tabby shook herself from trailing off.


    Oh yeah, she was supposed to say all that¡ªanyways, the Enforcers circled around the rising monster¡ªstill dazed but clearly still able to fight against whatever they were planning.


    ¡°AIIIIIIM--!¡±


    The Enforcers jerked their respective wrists, and the suitcase became the M.A.R.s, they readied their guns and took off a black piece that was another handle for them to grip onto the bottom. They applied the black cylinder and took aim.


    In this world of public outcry against kill orders¡ªeven if they¡¯re supernatural people, and the fact said supernatural people can be triggered or grow powerful due to the trauma of being shot at, these guns being overcomplicated is the meeting ground.


    What they fired at the monster was concentrated fire¡ªin the literal sense of the term. Whatever the ammo was, it went through a process where it spun to the point of becoming an energy ball¡ªsmall and yellow, striking at the beast¡¯s hide.


    It screamed¡­ And as much as it wanted to twitch, or retaliate. It couldn¡¯t.


    The fire caused stun, as the energy dispelling across the target in arches along it¡¯s body, slowly but surely made it stop moving. It was going to get up, and now it¡¯s on one ¡°knee¡±.


    ¡°SLUGGER FORMATION!¡± Conrad commanded. The circle of men quickly formed into two firing lines. ¡°AIIIIIIIIM-!¡±


    They twisted the muzzle, pushing it in, and they began to fire molten slags at the creature.


    As they moved in, and went in a clockwise motion as they continued to fire, they created a creeping layer of thick, steaming metal. It tried to break out, but failed. Ripping a limb out of the pile, but failed due to getting pelted. Tried to shake out, but failed because of the sheer heat of the coat made the action unbearable.


    As it started to harden, N¡¯atural could only scream in the most terrible fashion. To the point it felt tangible to all that surrounded it.


    ¡°STAND-BY!¡± Conrad shouted. The Enforcers resumed the two line stance, weapons still held high.


    So, by that logic, the Lens turned over to the sight of Professor Diana Blake running with Extant Researchers backing her.


    She had a ring device in her hands, which should be a Minder. The Researchers on the other hand, was bring the Null Void machine, A.R. large screen-lite net that kept pulsing forward, four pincers that were keeping it¡¯s shape on the corners.


    As the group got to the scene, the Lens focused back on everything. Diana approached the screaming monster that towered over her in her harden prison.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think¡­¡± Diana tried to aim and try to latch on something with a moving, wailing head. ¡°There¡¯s nothing there anymore, but whatever, being through.¡±


    She jumped and the ring latched on, the Minder instantly setting itself up as the monster screamed for the final time, before stopping.


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Diana had her hands raised. ¡°Okay¡­ Looks like you¡¯ve had a bit of a day, Desire¨¦.¡±


    The creature, in the first time Tabby and these people seen this thing, was completely docile. Just looking down at Diana.


    ¡°¡­You would¡¯ve liked that pun if you were all there¡ªAnyways, appealing to the small trances of whatever¡¯s left, right¡­¡± Diana clapped at the end of the sentence. ¡°You¡¯ve hurt and possibly¡­ Ended a lot of people in your rampage. I¡¯m going to be honest. The path of rehabilitation is going to be hard for you. Maybe it doesn¡¯t exist at all.¡± She looks up, straight into it¡¯s ¡°eyes¡±. ¡°But you knew that. You¡¯re doubling down.¡±


    Whatever the words, the creature only rumbled in response and quaked it¡¯s head.


    ¡°Yeah, figured. We assumed, from the report we got, that you transform via damage¡­ And you were trying to smash into those buildings to jog something. You want to be a monster, because unlike siVis users, they die in the end. So with that in mind¡­ We have an offer. You become a test subject. The first willing Trend to just be locked away, never to be seen or looked at again. This is all we can do for you.¡±


    N¡¯atural¡¯s reaction.... Was a cooing sound. It¡¯s head reeled back, possibly in surprise.


    ¡°If¡­ If this ends non-violently¡­¡± Tabby managed to say, after being silent this whole time.


    Diana looked at the monster. Up, and down. It took a pregnant moment for her to do something else before she put her two fingers to her ear.


    ¡°Yeah. There was a reaction to just bringing her in¡­¡± Diana possibly talking to Conrad. ¡°¡­ Call in the Diamonds to hook and lift her away, then? ¡­¡±


    Diana shook her head and a pit formed in Tabby¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Bring the Null Void in,¡± the Professor arched her fingers, and the Researchers compiled.


    ¡°WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!¡± Conrad screamed so loud that Tabby definitely heard it, different from before.


    ¡°She¡¯s not going to take this!¡± Diana shouted back. ¡°siVis users dwell in the fresh hell they¡¯re subjected to! It isn¡¯t gonna stick¡ªin fact, I¡¯m sticking to the plan! We Null Void and we mercy kill whatever¡¯s left!¡±


    Diana got out of the way, as the Researchers wheels in the Void, as it begins to lance out at N¡¯atural as she screamed. She gestured to the Enforcers to move back as well, circling around the scene.


    ¡°Two swipes should do it,¡± Diana said bluntly. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with and cry into our cereal later.¡±


    With that, N¡¯atural was submerged into a grey-molding green radiation.


    Because that¡¯s what the Null Rays are, a ¡°cousin¡± to radiation wave lengths. It ¡°peels¡± away biological access, and strips the target down to the bare essentials. Which is why it¡¯s allowed on Nulgarrt, as their biological structure isn¡¯t refined or settled on principle, ¡°reverting¡± them back to the Stew form.


    They dragged the screen across the monster as it expanded, and what was left answered what Tabby wondered about.


    What was left was a pile of peeled away residue, leaving a black, shivering husk. Somehow, curled into a ball.


    It reached upwards.


    ¡°Again, again! Quick!¡± Diana ordered.


    They dragged it forward, scanning her, as the energy lances did most of the work for them.


    And what was left is just a shriveled up husk.


    ¡°Alright then¡ª¡± Diana begun to dash away, causing the Researchers to back off along with her. ¡°Finish them off, boys!¡±


    The Enforcers reconvened, standing in a circle, aiming for the former-creature that was steaming.


    There was another notable pause. The soldiers were waiting for a command from their disgusted general.


    But, it was what Tabby¡­ Feels bitter to her, to say hoped for. But it proved that they survived the stress test¡­ Still. At the cost of a girl who couldn¡¯t at all control what she was given.


    ¡°¡­Aim!¡± Conrad roared, but reluctantly.


    They twisted the muzzle again, and pressed it further down into the barrel. So much so, that it slotted itself into an empty compartment in the middle of the gun, as they locked it in place. An symphony of soft hums rang in the air together.


    Laserfire, was what came out of those rifles. Beams basically cooking the husk further until they drill in.


    ¡°JESUS, IT¡¯S TOUGH¡ªSIR, PERMISSION TO HIKE IT?!¡± An Enforcer yelled out.


    ¡°Granted!¡± Conrad answered back.


    All of them briefly stopped, only to spin the muzzle in it¡¯s new chamber, and resumed firing, where the beams became blasts of crimson light.


    The sounds of the droning lasers, and the crackling hiss as they begin to remove the black hide from N¡¯atural¡­ Was completely drowned out.


    DIE VERWANDLUNG: B¨¹HNE VEIR


    ¡°THERE¡¯S NO FUCKING WAY--!¡± Diana screamed as the impossible continued to happen.


    There was a flurry of brown, spear like spikes that repeatedly skewered the surrounding Enforcers, battering their armor and flinging them backwards.


    No one was sure what the hell was happening.


    But Tabby knew.


    This was them failing the stress test.

 (Episode XIII) (End (2/2))

    When the spikes were retracked, it unveiled what N¡¯atural transformed to. A breathing, oak-brown cocoon¡­ Sack, it couldn¡¯t be a shell due to how fleshy it was. Stylized as well, it¡¯s as if the creature was curled up¡ªbut clearly different from the vein-y form. Dinosaur-lite, had a frill-crest hybrid on it¡¯s ¡°head¡±, the eyes far apart and tons of spikey details along the body. And more shocking thing was brought to the forefront when looking at such a thing.


    One could see the true N¡¯atural lifeform, slowly growing inside of the shroud.


    ¡°DON¡¯T GET TOO CLOSE, MEN!¡± Conrad sounded panicked and Tabby felt tears forming in her eyes again. ¡°FIRE FROM A DISTANCE AND SAVE YOURSELVES IF IT FAILS!¡±


    A row of Enforcers formed a firing line¡ªways away from the monster and started firing the beams at full blast.


    It happened again, but the spines struggled to reach their victims as soon as they stopped their fire.


    They scrambled away, and right on cue, Dizzy Bombs were deployed right on top of¡ªfive in total from a singular Diamond.


    The creature took the hits, shaking side to side as they all went off one after the other. No effect.


    Then it begun to expand three times it¡¯s size.


    ¡°WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?!¡± Diana screamed, running away further along with the rest of the Extant people down the street.


    It stopped growing, and then quickly compressed¡ªcausing a shockwave of force to crack the streets under her. It expanded again, and did the same deal. It did this over and over and over again, five times in a row to the point that a massive crater was left in it¡¯s wake.


    The panic and the damage done caused the Researchers to fumble, knocking into the Null Void and causing it to break into pieces, and said pieces begun to glow an unhealthy light. One Extant Researcher covered their mouth, or at least as much as they could with wearing a stocky hazmat suit. They picked each other up and caught up with Diana.


    ¡°IT¡¯S REBOUNDING EVERYTHING WE THROW AT IT!¡± a voice proclaimed.


    ¡°That¡¯s the trick--!¡± Diana shouted. ¡°THE TRICK IS THAT IT REFLECTS DAMAGE BACK IN THIS FORM, THE FUCKER!¡±


    ¡°W-what do we do, then?!¡± one of the people asked in despair.


    ¡°We can¡¯t do anything anymore! It has what it fucking needs!¡± Diana spat back. She pointed, despite¡ªwait, she¡¯s the only one right there that could see what¡¯s happening, due to her siVis. ¡°Gather everything! She¡¯s going to transform again!¡±


    ¡°Gather what?!¡±


    ¡°Everything! Anything!¡± For all of the crude anger she displayed, it was clear that Diana was scared along with the rest of them, as well as this being partially her fault.


    In the ruins of the street, the Lens scaled the crumbling debris to look into N¡¯atural¡¯s crater.


    The lifeform inside of the cocoon was getting bigger, and begun pushing against the tightening veil.


    Squishing sounds, errant popping and crackling, and gushes of liquid pouring onto the ground.


    What came out first, were the row of spiky platelets along the creature¡¯s back. Despite the orange ooze coating them, they were a pristine marble.


    Two monstrous legs erupted after, firmly planting themselves side to side, with a row of horns scaling upwards from each muscle until they formed an elongated spike, curving over her legs.


    Spindly, scythe-like arms ripped their way out of the sack and reached up to tear off the rest.


    As the monster¡¯s long neck coils upwards, she raised her frill-crest crowned head, closed eyes that were on the sides of the head, opened her three-sided beck open, and roared. A mournful, shuddering downpitched siren.


    DIE VERWANDLUNG: B¨¹HNE F¨¹NF


    After she was done roaring, she settled in a stance. Leering, her claws porched forward from her arrow-like body. She shivered and stretched forward, almost like a cat, as if this transformation took hold. She tucked her arms under herself, blending in as if they were random plates below body.


    ¡°What were we supposed to do¡­?¡± Tabby couldn¡¯t place that voice. But it was another example of how she captures the moment someway, somehow.


    N¡¯atural bolted, as the monster¡¯s form was surprising agile and able to pick up speed as it went forward.


    ¡°THERE¡¯S NO REBOUND SHIT NOW--!¡± Diana pointed and ordered the Enforcers forward. ¡°SLUGGER THEN LASER, NOW!¡±


    The troops moved forward, some keeping on as the other stood behind after a ways in. The forward marchers fired their beams of crimson light, impacting the creature as it charged before them, to buy time.


    They couldn¡¯t spare a second.


    N¡¯atural lowered her head, causing her crown¡¯s edge to act as a shovel, slamming into the troops and snapping her head upwards¡ªflinging the four out of the eight onto her back.


    Her platelets begun to flex, to move and acted as a blender to cut up the Enforcers in multiple ways as they were practically juggled by her¡ªand she darted forward, leaving them behind to writhe on the broken ground.


    She kept going, in the face of molten slag hitting her face, roaring in defiance as she caught up to the other Enforcers. It just didn¡¯t matter, the amount of slag that acuminated, as she tore out her claws again. She stopped, begun swiping at the soldiers and unlike before, every hit was accurate, and it hit hard. The Enforcers were literally thrown away, left and right.


    Yet the true horror was what happened next.


    The Enforcers under the monster, were squirming, shouting in agony¡ªa series of screams begun to pick up soon after.


    They scrambled to take the armor off, which was dangerous and unneeded¡ªthey were set to be Burrowed, they can¡¯t help themselves here.


    One person. One poor soul ripped off the armor on his arm¡­ And his wound began to grow teeth.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    The others, same thing, casting off their armor around their wounds, and they begun to transform¡ªnot the people themselves, but the gashes that N¡¯atural gave them. It wasn¡¯t just teeth, it was hair, it was eyeballs, it was nails to the point of becoming claws---everything became wrong.


    And as if the surreal horror wasn¡¯t enough, their gashes became worse as they contorted, bleeding more and more as they all screamed in agony.


    But she did stop to perform this¡ªthis attack, looking towards the base with Conrad, Diana and Mr. Davenport.


    She started to dart forward again, such a juggernaut that she stepped over the broken Null Void¡ªa surge of green energy hitting her left foot, but uncaring.


    But what happened next, had to be seen to be believed.


    After gaining enough momentum, she jumped up so high, that she glided across the base entirely, over them, and proceeded to aim herself and crash into Dr. Taber¡¯s Memorial Research Center. The Lens could only capture the plume of dust from behind the base. And sadly, she could only capture their faces.


    Conrad¡¯s was lowered, deep in shadow, constantly shaking his head. Diana was frustrated, face etched in a scowl and was constantly shouting out.


    Davenport¡­ Was weeping, biting his fingers as he stared wide-eyed. Staring at nothing, but everything weighing on him.


    Conrad lifted his head up. ¡°Everyone¡ªout of the canopy. Now.¡±


    There weren¡¯t any ¡°if, whys, or buts¡± in response, just that the two looked at him, and did what he asked, along with the Extant Enforcer squad that were dispatched to protect them as a last resort, with him using his motorized chair to follow after. Davenport fumbled and pressed a button on some small device that caused the base to shink down into the ruined street.


    N¡¯atural was in the busted open lobby, only the blacken frames of that part of the building remaining,  clawing her way down to where she thinks is the Nexus, but the Shiftication was fighting against her, trying to reinforce itself.


    As Conrad looked on, there was a twinkle behind his glasses-surrounded eyes. He noticed something.


    And as the Lens fumbled to look towards N¡¯atural, Tabby noticed it too.


    Her scales were starting to peel off around the left foot.


    ¡°I need you boys to understand¡ª¡± the Lens shot back to Conrad from afar, who turned to the Enforcer group. ¡°This might end up killing you, as well as me. But we don¡¯t have a choice in the matter. But I¡¯ll be with you, don¡¯t worry about me.¡±


    The Lens looked at N¡¯atural again, who looks like she¡¯s given up on trying to claw her way into the Nexus, and turned herself around to look at something that was blocks away.


    And Diana¡¯s words earlier echoed, pounded within Tabby¡¯s head.


    She was on the verge of passing out.


    N¡¯atural backed up, took another darting-sprint, and jumped across whatever the remnants of Extant were doing,  and made a book towards the barrier.


    It wasn¡¯t until a green blast that hit her back, not only stopped her in her tracks, but caused the Lens to look towards Extant.


    Two men had the pincers of the Null Void at the end of their rifles, as the other two supported them by gripping their shoulders, with Conrad in the middle.


    ¡°WE¡¯VE COULD HAVE SAVED YOU, N¡¯ATURAL!¡± Conrad screamed, and was pained to. A cough followed, and a nod. The men fired again, causing the beast to roar out and try to face them, only to get hit again on the side of her maw.


    ¡°SOMETHING IN YOU¡ªHATES THIS! HATES DOING THIS! YOU HAD A CHANCE¡ªYOU HAD A CHANCE TO CHOOSE! AND YOU STILL CAN!¡±


    The creature swayed her head, almost human-like. Way too human like.


    Tabby couldn¡¯t believe it. She wanted this back and forth to end finally. Whatever the result was, she just ended this to end.


    N¡¯atural¡¯s back begun to snap, break apart into small pieces, and soon the monster¡¯s maw begun to peel away too, as she made a terrible mix of a strained chirping sound and a wail.


    The footage showed Extant moving forward, but Conrad¡¯s own face was beginning to peel away.


    It didn¡¯t hurt, Null Rays. It just itched, then robbed any kind of feeling away. When you realized you scratched away a chunk of your face. It doesn¡¯t kill, just take a toll as you try to grow things back over time.


    Conrad knew he didn¡¯t have much time left, naturally or otherwise.


    ¡°WHY DID YOU CHOSE THIS PATH?! WAS IT EASIER?! SO THAT YOU COULD GET OVER THE PAIN QUICKER?!¡±


    Another round of blasts, striking the beast as it continued to make the pitiful noise it made before, reeling backwards as much as it could.


    ¡°AT THE END OF THE DAY,¡± his voice becoming gravelly by the second. ¡°THEY¡¯RE GOING TO LOOK AT THIS¡ªLOOK AT YOU¡ªAND SAY YOU DID ALL OF THIS FOR ATTENTION¡ªTHAT YOU COULDN¡¯T STAND TO DIE IN SECRET AND HAD TO GIVE SOME LAST SHOW! ALL OF YOUR COMPLEXITY, ALL OF YOUR PROBLEMS¡ªNEVER LOOKED AT AGAIN, THEY¡¯LL NEVER KNOW OR BOTHER TOO!¡±


    The monster¡­ N¡¯atural just stopped in place, despite shivering as she felt herself peel away.


    ¡°YOU WANT THAT?! YOU WANT TO PROVE THEM RIGHT?! DO YOU?!¡±


    N¡¯atural looked down at what could¡¯ve been her hands, but couldn¡¯t do that as she wanted too as well.


    Without warning, she bashed her head into the street. Over and over and over and over and over and over again, roaring in pain that wasn¡¯t physical. Doing her best to rip away the monstrous face she¡¯s gained.


    The Lens moved towards a brief, green flash.


    The haggarded Enforcers jammed the Null Ray Ray (Tabby was too tired to come up with something better) into their M.A.R.s, glowing unhealthy in their hands that were beginning to shake now.


    Conrad, hunched over, just moved his decaying hand. He couldn¡¯t speak anymore.


    They threw the unstable gun at N¡¯atural¡¯s feet, and upon impact, exploded.


    This sent the large creature to stand completely up as it roared in misery¡­


    ¡­Only to stumble back enough into the barrier.


    It happened so fast. There was nothing that could¡¯ve been done.


    Everything and everyone were subsumed into a blanket of white, expanding light. And said light was sucked back into the point where it began, popping out of an unstable existence.


    Tabby quickly got up and looked herself over, only the adrenaline helping her with that. She had to see what happened.


    She glanced over her left and saw a crowd who were just as dumbfounded. Only separated by a large divide where the barrier once was. No sounds. No cries of joy, nothing. They were like her, trying to figure out what¡¯s happened.


    Then she looked to her right.


    N¡¯atural¡­ Actually N¡¯atural, was panting and sweating, within the peeling away carcass of her monster form¡ªstill merged at places, namely her face. She was literally half and half.


    She stumbled, her fingers¡ªhuman fingers¡ªshaking as she felt the right side of her face. She begun to cry with her sole eye.


    But that was the footage.


    What Tabby¡¯s eyes, and the world¡¯s eyes settled on, were the bodies of the brave Enforcers and Conrad Miller, head of Extant, merged into the street.


    Mr. Davenport cried out in terror, still covering his mouth as he was struggling to breathe. Diana Blake could only cover her face and mutter ¡°shit¡± to herself.


    And N¡¯atural basked in her freedom for about a minute, before seeing the sight for herself. No cries, no reaction, nothing. Just pure dread expressed on one side of her face.


    She turned towards the crowd, who were beginning to react. A clusters of shouts, panic, rage¡­


    They truly became a mob, directing all of that towards her.


    N¡¯atural tried to back away, honest-to-god fear took over her, and her ruined body couldn¡¯t allow her to move yet.


    SHADOWPLAY


    She snapped to the right again, facing down a Diana that has become a shadow of sorts, with her actual body behind her, suspended. It was clear that the shouts and audible gasps of the crowd¡ªthe idea that Diana Blake has siVis¡ªdoesn¡¯t even register in the Professor¡¯s mind.


    ¡°You¡¯re humanoid-ish, now¡­¡± The voice of Diana came out of the show that was approaching her. ¡°Sorry luv, you¡¯re going to be locked away for a long time.¡±


    N¡¯atural grabbed her head, and started to shake.


    ¡°Please, it¡¯s going to happen again¡ªI just got freed, pLEASSE¡ª¡± she begun to hiss, showing that this isn¡¯t a bluff.


    Tabby didn¡¯t know what to do. She had half a mind to run in-between them, to buy some semblance of make-believe time for something good to happen for once.


    But that concept is just impossible now.


    Without warning, various metallic tendrils grabbed or burrowed into N¡¯atural. Weaponized Shiftication, when that was promised that it couldn¡¯t be other than defense.


    Coming from the ruins of the buildings that voluntarily didn¡¯t want Shiftication. Another lie, that people had a choice.


    She was being dragged away, into a rising hole-trap that opened it¡¯s maw quick and was waiting for her.


    Desire¨¦ cried out, before being spirited away.


    ¡°I¡¯M SORRY, I¡¯M SORRY--!¡±


    And with a swift motion, she was thrown in and buried, as the trap went back into the ruined street.


    Tabby looked at the shaking Davenport, who pressed a button on his remote. It wasn¡¯t lost on him, as he went on his knees, clutched at his head and begun to sob noisily.


    Finally, everyone was free to lose their minds.


    Tabby couldn¡¯t film the initial reactions, much less stop it.


    For she instantly passed out as it got worse.

 (Transition (1/2))

    ¡°I am¡­ Beyond¡ªc-confident that¡­ We can get through this. And once we do, we¡¯ll flourish, and progress, and improve as we all deserved! Are all capable of¡­ We are all Extant. And we¡¯re all humans. Let¡¯s get to work.¡±


    Jackie Jackson knew that it takes more than confidence to minimal survive, let alone brave, whatever the unknown the Shift Noumena is.


    She sat at her desk, facing towards the wall she destroyed¡ªsandpapered up. Not really listening, but causally aware of the sounds that surrounded her, and simply acknowledged what they were. It was better than the pure white noise that she was listening to. Focusing on.


    Her room, in the mists of being rebuilt, was bare. Only the essentials of bed, dressers, shelves, a mounted TV that wasn¡¯t turned on since she¡¯s come back, and the desk she¡¯s turned away from. No more wallpaper, the white board, posters¡­ Photos. She couldn¡¯t bare to detail them, because of finer touches she either crafted or always adored when she bought them.


    She couldn¡¯t even have the satisfaction to stare at those things¡ªand tell herself how much of a self-serving lie it all ended up being.


    Davenport can boast all about confidence all he wants, she dwelled on. ¡°We will instead of will not¡±¡ª¡°Don¡¯t stand down, break through¡±. When a body has done nothing but fall down, over and over, the concept of healing and recovery is trite, as the pain threshold is all they are now.


    To heal is one thing. But to a person broken, realizing that upon all that¡ªthe fact that they¡¯ll only get hurt later down the line until the end of their days? The hurt emotions will always win out, thus plunging everyone into their worse vices. Always, always, always.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to stand at the door,¡± Jackie didn¡¯t budge or turn her head. ¡°You have the right to come in anytime you wish. Mom. Dad.¡±


    Jackie waited, but the multiple, stilted second pause didn¡¯t make it any less bearable.


    They came in. The giant of a man that is her father looked so meek, and his wife¡ªher mother¡ªhe dwarfed who despite so always stood so tall, was also hunched over in worry.


    Jackie forced herself, more siVis movement than her, to turn her head by using her neck to clutch at the back of the head and jerked it left towards them. She also made the effort to blink, as she forgone that for hours and needed to get back into the habit of it.


    ¡°¡­Please,¡± Jackie said breaking the continued silence, looking at them still. ¡°You¡¯ve come to tell me something, I was just waiting for you to say.¡±


    But she knew it was built up. And with her sight, she saw their faces, respectively, crumble into sadness and tears.


    Jack immediately put his index and thumb, pressing them against his tear-ducts versus the bridge of his nose. His wrinkles, which he shouldn¡¯t have yet in his twilight years, created the all too powerful image of a strong man losing the strength to remain such a pillar. There was no noise from him, only his shoulders twitching on rhythm of his grief.


    Dawn, simply took over her glasses and begun to cover her face with a hand entirely. She wasn¡¯t the one to cry¡ªnever saw it as weakness per say, but she values the discipline¡ªthe reassurance that she can have herself and the scenarios she¡¯s plunged into under control. Didn¡¯t help that she breathed in heavy, short pants as she sobs.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Jackie took the sight of this in, as this burned her from the inside. But that¡¯s all she can do, at this point.


    ¡°We¡¯re¡ªso sorry¡­ For all of this happening to you¡­¡± Jack mustered out the words.


    ¡°I was the one who made all of that happen to myself, being fair,¡± Jackie moved her lips, used her vocal cords to create the sounds¡ªbut was so distant from this heart-to-heart.


    ¡°It¡ªi-it cannot and should not be your penance¡­¡± Dawn winced at herself for stuttering, trying to clear her throat and keep her eyes from leaking from swift wipes of her hand against face. ¡°It¡¯s just too much. All of this.¡±


    ¡°It is, yeah. But what could be possibly done?¡± Jackie legitimately asked the question, making sure to create the lilt and tone to her voice come through. Her sounding disembodied doesn¡¯t mean she can use that to never enounce again.


    Jack Sr. looked at his wife, visibly mortified at what¡¯s happening. Dawn quickly grabbed his hand tight, only letting her thumb be gentle, as it rubbed against his worn backhand. They faced each other.


    ¡°We could¡¯ve done better! Better than this! If we only knew that this¡­ This shit would be so fucking harrowing, maybe¡­ Something¡­¡±


    Jackie continued to stare, letting them explain.


    ¡°When you came into this world, 2000 was considered to be the ¡®last year¡¯, whatever that meant. Your father and I, we knew that things might be off or become harder than it was before¡­ It¡¯s why we instilled such a will and discipline. And the simple truth of doing good being a strength that makes you feel this way. We wanted you to be able to brave whatever this future was supposed to be. And now it¡¯s hurt you so bad that we can¡¯t¡­¡±


    Dawn shook her head again, covering her face again as Jack leaned slightly onto her, being close and there for her.


    ¡°Point is, baby girl¡­ We wish that things were better for you¡ªa world that you were going to own and strut and even change for the better. You deserve so much more, you needed even better parents, and we¡¯re sorry that reality dealt you with such a shit hand. We¡¯re sorry. We¡¯re sorry. We¡¯re sorry.¡±


    Jackie felt the tears pour down her cheeks before she could even register the flush of heat radiating from said orbs down to the sides of her face.


    She looked down, at her own ruined hands, as they caught the tears. They rested on her open palms, as she continued to look at them.


    Or past them.


    She saw the much needed work, the pieces of her hand still holding together, piecing themselves back together in a way other than where they used to, because they simply couldn¡¯t anymore. The lines weaved themselves throughout the pieces, pulsing them with flashes of energy.


    The pieces started to unravel, break apart again, creating gaps in her hands where the tear drops fell into. She balled them, in an attempt to keep control.


    ¡°¡­ Honestly,¡± Jackie begun her response. ¡°You could¡¯ve been less perfect. You were allowed to be shitty to me. And I think it would¡¯ve benefitted me better. I¡¯m a privileged overachiever that turned her nose up against any mentions of gray. And that fucked me. That fucked me up. It¡¯s why I¡¯m fucked up. My sweet, innocent worldview couldn¡¯t take you hiding things from me. It couldn¡¯t take the idea that things are beyond me and the world simply does just. Knock you on your ass and you¡¯re supposed to be humbled. Take it. But instead, I filled my head with information I shouldn¡¯t have known. Obsessed and yelled at people who are sticking their necks out on the line against something they don¡¯t understand, and I yelled at them from being ineffective¡ªyet I¡¯m still alive. Now here I am, so stewed with despair, rage, sadness, restlessness, fear¡­ And I¡¯m so into this miasma, I can¡¯t even properly connect with my grieving parents about my well fare. Your voices reaches out and they can¡¯t reach me anymore. Your voices reaches out and I hear them¡ªI can understand the words, the intent, the emotion¡­ But I can¡¯t listen. I try to reach out and I¡¯m only reminded of how badly I do that. I was unprepared and this is my punishment. Now I¡¯m going to pay it out.¡±


    She looked at their shocked faces.


    And next thing she knew, they bolted over and hugged her. Shaking.


    ¡°We¡¯re here, baby,¡± Jack said in her ear. ¡°Please. We know you are too.¡±


    Jackie just went back at looking at nothing, underneath her skin, flesh and bone¡ªwas a sorrowful inferno inside.


    ¡°I am here. I just can¡¯t reach you anymore.¡±


    What were sobs of remorse turned into pure expressions of pain. They continued to hug her and Jackie took all of it.


    It was all she could do now.

 (Transition (2/2))

    ***


    It wasn¡¯t hard for Eli to hang his head low. He was looking at the glow of the holograms before him, more than the symbols they represent and now in charge of.


    ¡°A couple men died. Hundreds trying to fight against an affliction never before seen in this world and is steadily losing. Cries of mass exodus from not only your little city, but across the world. And the greatest man who could¡¯ve handled the job is days away from being dead. Good show, entertainer. No one will forget this for a long time.¡±


    Eli looked up, to the many symbols that surrounded him. The Extant symbol, a circle that resembled a globe, lines branching out of the center and sprawling out of the logo with mini circle ends. Each mini circle represented a country, with the main Head¡¯s origin blown up under the logo, decorated by flag.


    ¡°You must understand that most of that wasn¡¯t my doing,¡± Eli brought up. He noted how weak his tone was. Even if one were right about something, if you never sounded like you were, no one would believe you.


    ¡°And yet you were the one to stoke the flames, both times due to your ego,¡± Diami¡¯s voice echoed throughout the chamber, disembodied but her tone clear and present. ¡°You were the one that didn¡¯t help our crumbling image when he addressed your people weeks ago, and you had the gall to activate a concept that we always talked about being a last resort, only used if and only if the entire world was about to break apart. Not only have we failed once again, we¡¯ve failed to protect¡ªnow we¡¯re a problem.¡±


    The weight of the world forced Eli¡¯s head back down again. Gritting his teeth to make himself hurt, for stupidly harming said world once again. Promises and fresh starts meaning precious little.


    ¡°Welcome to being head of the problem, sir,¡± Arthur blandly quipped. ¡°The Masters are coming and might have a speech prepared, but we all know what¡¯s going to happen. Evac ferries are starting to doc at your port. And I say this sincerely as your new partner. I hope you choke on the dust of your ruined works, Ozzy. So we can actually find someone fit for this job. Follow up adjourned.¡±


    Soon, he was plunged into darkness. And even with the Enforcers opening the vault to fetch him, he still couldn¡¯t see anything. Not like he used to.


    As he walked the empty halls, he could just glance about¡ªbeing able to come up with something based on what he say, or overlay his experiences to make the things he saw work all the better. Adding more function, adding more possibly, adding something to this sad and pathetic world.


    But as he walked by the Nexus, and only seeing the tenth of the staff there he saw days ago¡ªdesperately determined, desperately lashing out at the other co-workers, just desperate. He knew that he added more reasons for the world to continue being sad and pathetic.


    Disembodied, he was hurried into his suite¡ªor rather a suite belonging to a man more deserving. So much so, that his paper flies, photos of his military career and connections, and even a rack for wheel chair repairs were still there.


    He slumped into the desk, and looked around.


    He proceeded to put his head in his hands.


    He had no idea what to do.


    ***


    Maddie caught the basketball that was aimed for her head, right before her Montgomery barked at the little shits stirring the usual shit.


    As Maddie tuned out the barking and held a decent but effortless grip on Monty¡¯s leash, she took in the Dudley kids, who were laughing and backing up on the street. One was 14, the other 12, and the last 10¡ªoften in wife-beaters and jean shorts, covered in bandages and their head matted in various ways. They all had the same shit-eating grins, even sharing the two missing teeth despite at different areas. They were problem childs, but nothing serious. Especially since Rhoda, their working mom, had little patience for foolishness when she got off of work.


    Maddie smirked back at them, ¡°Yeah, you do know that I can chuck this and hit y¡¯all upside the heads at once now, right?¡±


    The brothers shared a look, making gasps of fear¡ªbut an excited variant. Now that Maddie Solomon, who ruffled them enough while she was normal, has superpowers they can mess with her to get her to use.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how to use it anyways!¡± Dwayne Dudley¡ªthe 10 year old shit¡ªspat back, giggling afterwards.


    Maddie tossed the ball up and down one handed. ¡°Don¡¯t I? Don¡¯t I really?¡±


    Maddie didn¡¯t really put too much thought into it. She siVis¡¯d her arm, aimed towards the ground and bounced the ball, causing it to skyrocket into the air. And it had no signs of coming back.


    The Dudleys freaked out, screaming in awe, running in place or back or up the streets, jumping in disbelief as well.


    Maddie laughed, which finally caused her black and rust-colored, old Rottweiler lab to calm down. He panted, as that continuous bark took a lot out of the guy, in his twilight years. He craned his head towards her and she bent her legs and petted him graciously, which he very much enjoyed¡ªtail becoming a blur.


    ¡°THEY DIDN¡¯T NEED THAT BALL ANYMORE ANYWAYS¡± a gravely voice from afar cut into the boys¡¯ prancing. Somehow, despite being old as fuck, that woman¡¯s voice somehow still carried across the place.


    It was funny, seeing them freeze in place. And not even looking at each other, they bolted to go into their project house, racing up the stone walkaway, up the steel stairs until they tore open the already broken automatic door. Practically kicking up dust as they booked.


    Maddie got up, looking at the other old folks laughing at the display, sitting on the sidewalk and the lawn of the project met, in various lawnchairs. Eight in number, having beer boxes at their feet, smoke clouds hovering over them as multiple took a puff at the same times, almost.


    Opposite of the street, Maddie continued down to the broken down and cracked sidewalk of her neighborhood, walking in front of the flat lawn of the one who truly watches over it.


    ¡°You never thanked me, little missy,¡± the voice continued, directed at Maddie. ¡°Much less talked to me¡ªboth times you ended up in the hospital.¡±


    Maddie shook her head, ¡°Grandma¡ªyou know for a fact that I was knocked cold for both of those things¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re up and talking and walking right now, what¡¯s the excuse? You run that mouth so much, but you can¡¯t spare me any rest? I only got the one heart and it¡¯s fucking up, I can¡¯t worry about you 24/7!¡±


    ¡°The only thing you were worried about was telling me how stupid I was for doing what I did¡ª¡± Maddie smirked and raised her free hand¡¯s finger up.


    ¡°YOU¡¯RE DAMN RIGHT,¡± the voice bellowed, causing the men to laugh uproarishly and still managing to be louder than that. ¡°THAT¡¯S THE ONLY WHAT YOU CRAZY ASS KIDS LEARN NOWADAYS!¡±


    Maddie closed her eyes in mirth, practically cackling, stomping her foot lightly in reaction.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Everyone seeing your ass ugly laugh too, I hope you know that girl¡ª¡±


    ¡°Aaah¡­¡± the girl wiped the beads that formed at the ends of her eyes, ¡°To be fair, Mrs. Goddard¡ªif you were there when all that shit happened, we¡¯d be talking a different conversation right now, so as always¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m right, yeah,¡± the ancient lady said triumphant. She had an underbite, giving her a pounced chin that tied together her stern face, and the deep lines that decorated it. Bags under her eyes, but her eyes still were vibrant, staring one down right to their soul. Her hair was in a bun, but white and brown locks covered her brow and ears. She practically held her cane like some scepter, pretty much confirming to any dense fuck that she ran this place and has so for years, if the other signs like her yelling and cursing at you didn¡¯t get through somehow. It was hard to see what she was wearing, as she was behind her screen door and window protected patio space that is also still going on strong somehow, giving her a grey sheen due to it.


    ¡°I¡¯m still waiting for that thank you; I didn¡¯t have Ed and Rosco break into your house to feed that dog when you and Frank were gone for nothing! Poor thing could¡¯ve starved to death, especially because he started doing that freaky ass thing animals do during Shifts!¡±


    ¡°Now that, yeah, thanks Grandma,¡± Maddie nodded, as that thought hit her. ¡°I could¡ªYeah, I can¡¯t front with that at all. Yeah¡ªno, right, no, yeah, thanks.¡±


    ¡°How you gonna thank someone for breaking into your house¡­?¡± Maddie heard Buck from 240 say to the other oldheads. Taking Mrs. Goddard¡¯s heat, perfect timing as she needed to get away and go to the house right now.


    ¡°bECAUSE REGARDLESS, IT¡¯S THE RIGHT THING TO DO, BUCKWHEAT--!¡± Mrs. Goddard began to rave and rant, Maddie heard the chorus of laughs and hollering behind her as she walked away silently.


    She walked down the broken-up sidewalk, with Monty following in tow. She saw the regulars, nodded to them in acknowledgement as they said her name and welcomed her back. She passed the housing on her left and the project spaces on her right, until they both stopped abruptly.


    Now in the realm of the Splinterbush Marketplace, there were convenience and dollar stores, and fast-food places on both sides of her, the waft of cooked meats in grease hit her as it always has.


    And there before her, literally in the middle of both on her side of the street, was the Laundromat that she called home, as Monty doubly confirmed as he went in his burst of mania¡ªhappy to be home after a long walk while Maddie always felt bitter.


    She dug into her pocket, and started to whistle at the one jerking her forward constantly, ¡°Heyheyhey, dum-dum, let me get the keys first and you can lay your dum-dum butt down, alright~?¡±


    Monty immediately obeyed, panting again, immediately forgetting that he¡¯s getting older, which Maddie sighed wistfully at. She got her set of keys, and proceeded to unlock the door.


    She walked in and locked the various locks back again, walking across the still polished floors as Monty walked towards where she was. Crossing the various machines that makes Frank his profit, the duo walked up to the small gate that closes off their living spaces. Three paths: the forward path was Monty¡¯s room, a huge open space for him with his pads, toys and center bed right there as he needed, and that he did as once Maddie moved the gate, he went towards his bed and laid, curling up. On the right and upstairs, was Frank¡¯s room.


    And as Maddie went towards the left, and down, she went into the basement. Which is her room.


    Creaking down the wooden steps, there before her was another massive empty space. Used to have something, but it¡¯s been long gone now. She continued to walk past it, her small room right next to it, singled with a broken wooden door that she had to turn the knob of, but lift it up so it can properly open.


    Everything was dark, but since it was still the day, it was only gray shaded in places with rays of light coming in. TV, bed, dressers, and that was mainly it. The only thing of note was the stack of CDs and various headphones in different areas. Maddie looked at this display, and sighed.


    ¡°And here I thought this thing was gonna help me, not tell me that I¡¯m still shit,¡± Maddie spat, as she prowled toward her bed, sitting on it while looking down at her concrete flooring.


    ¡°At the end of the day, Solomon, you continue to fuck everything up for yourself, huh? Every single fucking time. You came a problem to someone and all you could think about was you being a fucked up dog owner? A woman like that, a true fucking woman at that, has a million other shit to take care of, like keeping her street safe¡ªand she had to worry about your damn dog that you abandoned.¡±


    She cut herself off, as she heard the racket that Monty was getting up to above her head. She proceeded to look back down, slapping her forehead to finish.


    "Look at you. Dogs don''t throw their own pity parties; don''t go into monologue--you are and for what? Getting your arm broken? People are growing teeth out of their cuts and bleeding out and you fucking cry over that, Maddie? The fuck is wrong with you?¡±


    She stewed, turned about in the building rage within her, to the point of her hand that rested on her brow went to cover her eyes as she continued.


    ¡°Get mad, get hard--because that''s what fucking matters in the end. But you can''t, can you?¡±


    She started to breath heavily, practically feeling the hot air that had to escape for the sake of her health, but continued to heave it back in.


    ¡°Everyone. Every. Single. Person. In this world has the most rotten, foulest shit on them. They whine, they cry about it¡ªand of course they fucking do all of that, it¡¯s fucking shit. But you know what they do? They deal. They move the fuck on, because they know that the moment they fucking sit in that shit, it¡¯s over. No one wants to go near your because you fucking smell and you can¡¯t move because you¡¯re covered in it. And you¡¯re still fucking covered in yours.¡±


    She begun clapping her hands, ¡°"Who cares if you feel sad--who the fuck cares if you hurt, no one fucking cares about that shit anymore, they move on and they move on without you.¡± Then she clutched at her fist. ¡°And yet you can¡¯t fucking do it! Again, what¡¯s with you, Solomon?¡±


    Maddie just settled her elbows into her lap, letting her head hang low, with her clutched together hands raised above it.


    ¡°Could you ever do anything, Maddie? Honest question. You were a problem at birth, you were a problem growing up¡ªand the time where everyone told you to get straight, to finally not fuck anything up, and you struggle with that too. You can continue fucking up, but guess what? You know what happens when you don''t know anything about the world--it kills you the first chance it gets.¡±


    She started to sniffle, and growl at herself for it.


    ¡°She literally did nothing but play outside--but did those fucks trying to rob some dipshit across the street care about being trigger happy? Fuck no.¡±


    It was harder to stay mad, harder to stay focused, as she began to weep.


    ¡°And there you go fucking crying¡­again; when your dumbass parents¡­are all the more hurt by this than you¡­ Way to make everything your fucking problem... And congrats for being a failure, that you can¡¯t fucking grow up¡­ What''s WRONG with you, Maddie?¡±


    She heard the door creak, and she didn¡¯t bother lifting her head to see, swimming in her sorrow. As she sobbed, Monty poked his head and laid it on her lap. Whimpering in concern.


    Maddie held him and felt terrible for doing so.


    ***


    Diana stared at the Aethernet broadcast of the news, tapping on her arm impatiently as she waited for the comments about her to surface. She immediately swiped the screen away when it was clear they were focusing on Davenport screwing up and the state of the world.


    She spun back towards her cluttered desk in her cluttered pod of an office. One could barely see the sleek plating of it anymore, covered in awards, covered in medal achievements, covered in many places of the world thanking her¡­ Which are in turned covered by her notes and research, physical paper and Aether construction.


    ¡°Well, on one hand¡­ They¡¯re too busy going on about how I have siVis than me slipping up,¡± Diana admitted herself. ¡°But fuck me, there¡¯s other words and people than Davenport. He fubbed a fucking speech, we¡¯re nearing the end¡ªbig whoop.¡±


    She spun in her hoverchair, her arm drapped over it as she sneered up to the ceiling, or the white void that isn¡¯t one.


    ¡°All this fucking progress and favor, and I¡¯m back to being a siVis user, literally rungs down. I guess for one, I don¡¯t need these fucking contacts anymore¡ª¡±


    After stating such, she pulled her fingers into her eyes abruptly, and pulled out the clear lens. As she blink out the biological reaction of tears, she looked at a mirror on her desk that she keeps.


    It¡¯s been awhile, looking at her puzzle, ring coated eyes.


    ¡°¡­Second thought,¡± Diana mused. ¡°They¡¯re gonna make connects to those dregs of society and then I¡¯ll be truly fucked as a result. Maybe I don¡¯t have to throw everything away.¡±


    She bashed her fist into the desk in anger.


    ¡°After all that, after fucking years of pulling myself out of the gutter and I still come up with nothing! The Homers went AWAL, Extant is a joke, I¡¯m working with a pariah will soon-to-be pariah myself¡­! No! I¡¯m not going to let all of this shit ruin everything I¡¯ve worked for! If I had half a mind, I¡¯d trigger--!¡±


    Diana caught herself. No. Nononono. She¡¯s not angry enough to pull that. That¡¯s the last resort pull. Plus, she would have to get everything right and ready during a time where everyone¡¯s now looking towards the thing that¡¯ll end everything.


    She shook her head, closing her eyes with a pained face.


    ¡°¡­And I¡¯m sure that this¡¯ll become ammo for the boy and girl if we ever see each other again. I¡¯m sure of it¡­ If they even care anymore.¡±


    There was a sudden ringing that her room created, making her jump. She cursed, and toggled the button to receive the emergency call.


    ***

 (Transition (3/2))

    Bentley sneezed, right into his prompted inner arm. He sniffled right after, and continued to look at the sorry scene that he and the boys were on.


    Empty streets, stores not only closed¡ªbut ¡°forever¡±, and the very few that did walk and put things on, looked utterly miserable. And as Bentley glanced at them, mostly the ladies, they either shrunk before him or looked past him.


    ¡°Fucking Trends,¡± Bentley shook his head. ¡°Trying their victim or destroyer shit and look what happens? The world turns to shit. I¡¯m sure if we even book it to the ferries, it¡¯s going to be a drag wherever we end up at. Dickheads ruined the damn mood. Forever.¡±


    ¡°Y¡¯know, I¡¯d love to discuss this very, very highbrow roundtable conversation if my mouth wasn¡¯t sandpaper at the moment,¡± Gently quipped dryly.


    ¡°Yeah, he needs to keep it hydrated,¡± Chimney nodded. ¡°Keeping appearances, y¡¯know?¡±


    It took a pause, but Gently laughed out¡ªit echoing across what was supposed to be a bustling city street.


    ¡°Nice,¡± Gently admitted defeat. ¡°You better be lucky you¡¯re hot, otherwise I would¡¯ve bit back so hard-¡°


    ¡°So you do that too?¡± Bentley quipped with his hands in his pockets.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t funny when you do it, in fact, I¡¯m super offended. I¡¯m about to cry, Bent¡ª¡±


    ¡°I fucking hate you, Gent¡ª¡± Bentley smiled as the two laughed.


    He glanced over, Harvey still nervous to the point of sweating. Bentley knew the kid¡ªdespite being around the same age as the rest of them, was a bit of a softie. That he isn¡¯t broken up by the world yet. So everything had to be an approach with him.


    ¡°What¡¯s up, Harv?¡± Bentley put a hand on his clamy shoulder¡ªdespite fabric separating the two. ¡°You can dogpile on him: it¡¯s fine because who cares if he sucks dick and he can literally beat you up if you actually mean what you joke about with him, and I know you¡¯re way too nice for that latter bit¡ª¡±


    ¡°H-how can you guys be so¡ªso--!¡± Harvey exclaimed. Not in rage or annoyance, panic. ¡°Be so¡ªI don¡¯t know! The world¡¯s about to¡ªand we¡¯re out trying to look for a place to eat!¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Bentley begun, trying his best to ease his tone. ¡°The world was never stable for us, especially for Gent and I. Iunno about Chim, he¡¯s floating in all that privileged Shiftication money¡ª¡±


    ¡°Fuuuuuck off, dude,¡± Chimney managed to groan while talking, causing Gently to laugh more, slapping his leg.


    ¡°And to frame things into perspective¡­ Well, you might as well go out doing some pleasurable, right? All that grief, the crying, the final testaments and words¡ªthat can come later if we do exist beyond the flesh or whatever. Here? We go out like those blokes from Titanic¡ªy¡¯know, those band members. Everyone remembers them from that moment because they¡¯re bloody awesome.¡±


    Harvey still looked at him, nervously, jittery. Bentley gripped his shoulder tighter.


    ¡°Think on it while we get something warm to eat. Yeah?¡±


    He looked down, but he nodded. Bentley smiled, that was all he needed.


    The boys walked up to some sandwich shop, with a focus on outdoor dining. They approached the waiter who guarded the fenced off seating.


    Said gentleman started quaking a bit, as he was around their age, knowing exactly who they are¡ªeven though the similarly shaking new addition.


    The image, Bentley saw, didn¡¯t sit right with him.


    He sighed loud and dramatic, because he knows why.


    He dug into his pocket, got his rather fat wallet, and pulled out a credit stick.


    The waiter just looked at him, confused.


    ¡°Can we get a table?¡± Bentley said, annoyed. ¡°Take your time with the orders and what not. We promise this is just a meal and nothing more. In fact, since the hardshells are in town, call them in if I raise my voice if it makes you comfortable. Are we good?¡±


    The waiter nodded, taking the stick, and opening the fencing and letting them in, before closing it and bolting.


    Bentley raised his head to the gray-white skies.


    ¡°I¡ªFUCKING¡ªhate that Yank girl,¡± Bentley shouted but didn¡¯t put effort in it. He proceeded to reach for his back, and pulled out his bat that was tucked between his jacket, and sat down with a slouch.


    Gently smirked, his hooded appearance only allowing his lower face to be shown, ¡°To be fair, you don¡¯t know if she was from America¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know,¡± Bentley grimaced. ¡°Loud, ¡®passionate¡¯, meddling into affairs and making shit worse¡ªshe¡¯s a proper Yankee Statue of Liberty. Bitch.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just mad that she whipped you without whipping you,¡± Gently looked at his menu casually.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll amend that if I ever see their lot again¡­¡±


    ¡°And funny how you chatted up tons of American girls and used the synonyms to say those were the best parts of Americans and they embodied an entire people,¡± Chimney reminded him with a wry smirk.


    ¡°I still stand by every single thing that I¡¯ve said¡ª¡± Bentley pretended to be offended, raising his chin away from the table and crossing his arms.


    ¡°Uh, besides¡­ T-the Statue of Liberty is from France, so¡ª¡±


    They all turned to see a smiling Harvey, hoping that his quip worked.


    Admittedly, that cracked a smile back onto Bentley¡¯s face.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been in a crabby-ass mood this whole day¡­¡± Chimney pointed out. ¡°If anything, those news reports should be vindicating from a standpoint, right?¡±


    Bentley rolled his eyes. Trying not to think about that woman.


    "...I guess. Never liked that concept. Why be reminded of shit that I just don''t want to dwell on? This is why I do the shite I do--other than the mental parts of me. I rather be happy and forget about it."


    ***


    Tracy drunkingly tried to ¡°conduct¡± the wonderful movie OST she was engrossed by, only to spill some of the wine she held in a glass all over her fingers, pathetically craning her head forward and lick at them.


    Realizing how pitifully rabbit she was being, she snorted and then hiccupped, all out of tears as she fell back into her futon.


    She put on Titanic (1999), the type of cinema she adores. The sweeping, romantic epic that spans four hours, also the type of movie that shouldn¡¯t have worked in any and all circumstances. Again, four hours about a tragedy no one cared about in passing, deliberately monochrome until the sinking of the ship¡ªas it¡¯s tented with blue, a legal spat that halted the production for a year before running behind again, and the fact Jim Cameron¡¯s the director. As much as she loved it, she wished was shelved like that movie he¡¯s currently working on that¡¯s completely CGI. She would¡¯ve loved to be Rose.


    She tried to stifle a laugh, but realized no one was there to act for. So what came out was pure delirium.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t manage to pull off Helga¡­¡± she slammed herself, taking another gulp of wine, splashing more on herself on her ruined, straggly night clothing. Other stains showing that she¡¯s barely moved for days.


    How bold it was for her¡ªto act like she still had talent or talent justified anything. It goes to show, even in her last possible moments of her ruined life, that she never learned her lesson in the first place.


    No more tears to hide behind, no more thoughts that ensures her survival¡ªshe managed to fuck up total liberation in addition to the moral life she had. And the ¡°insurance¡± she ruined it all for is about to run low.


    It¡¯s fitting. Only now, when the world¡¯s about to break, is where all clarity¡¯s granted for her. Contentment. But she¡¯s not going out with dignity, like the nobles she once upon a time, thought herself to be. Or even the tragic underclass that got screwed over. She¡¯s nothing, and she¡¯s just going to wait for the final push of whatever the Noumena offers to go out like this. A washed up harlot, alone in her apartment watching movies on repeat.


    In the movie, a priest character is trying to reassure the doomed people with his prayer as he clings to life. Tracy, always getting chills at this part, mouthed the words:


    ¡°The former world has passed away¡­¡± And after that, she too started to tremble like the man. Awaiting death.


    ***


    ¡°Welcome to Hell, boys and girls,¡± Scarlett¡¯s superior said as they landed, and opened the hatch¡ªcreating a platform to exit on. ¡°Due to shit going off and hitting the fan, you all are stationed here and on the look out for what¡¯s coming next. What¡¯s next? We don¡¯t got a fucking clue, but it¡¯s coming.¡±


    Scarlett had her suit on, as well as the others. She and the others had to watch the footage of what happened that night, and the idea of things that can easily break into it or becoming a makeshift coffin for herself are options she didn¡¯t like at all. But again, she doesn¡¯t have options anymore.


    They filed together, and marched out in formation. Once she got outside, she glanced about without moving her head, to take in the battlefield that was some gimmick city¡¯s zany street corner.


    The buildings were in half-mast or were turned into dust, the Research Center struggling to connect together and rebuild, and more importantly, Researchers digging out pieces of Enforcer armor out of the streets. Analyzing it or retrieving it out of respect.


    This is fucking insane, she thought to herself. Couldn¡¯t vocalize it, much less have a conversation about it. They¡¯re always watching her, waiting for her to slip. She¡¯s been whipped enough to know that she¡¯s not only persona non grata, but also expendable. And the swarms of people that got wiped out here were considered the cream of the crop.


    Nevertheless, the street proceeded to open up, the canopy that acted as a base that night, now in its tunnel mode. They all continued to march.


    ¡°Full discourser, to give you the rundown of how things are around here¡ªthe reason why there was a crowd that reacted to the wanted Trend was due to a bad call of an Enforcer like yourselves. Panicked when the beast was clawing at the Research Center, believing that it¡¯s going to burrow through the ground and find her way to the shelters. Even overpowered his superior thinking he was right. If anyone tries to do something like that, hero without a basis¡­ Well¡­¡±


    As the Superior talked, they marched throughout the Nexus base, standing before a vaulted door and waited for it to open.


    The screaming was so potent, it rattled Scarlett¡¯s helmet.


    As the squad walked in, they saw their fellow Enforcers¡ªdisrobed, literally fighting against health workers and themselves.


    Various wounds¡ªwounds with a toothy maw, wounds that had multiple eyes that had to be carefully removed, wounds that not only exposed veins but enlarged them until the point they spilled out. All combinations of vile and imaginative body horror.


    Scarlett heard someone throwing up into their helmet behind her. She was still too much in shock to even register what was going on.


    Their Superior only turned towards them. ¡°This will be your price for it.¡±


    As she looked around, she noted something even she would¡¯ve gotten.


    This is just another prison for her. Just with the illusion of choice and duty.


    ***


    Aiko faded in and out of her parents yelling, only wanting to respond to the parts she wants to say something about. The rest, the 80%, was just pure madness with the origin of fear.


    ¡°THAT¡ªis why we are packing our things and we are leaving this accursed place!¡± Her father said, yelling to the point of straining his voice.


    ¡°Your father is right¡ªwe have nowhere else to go¡ªand the scales are teetering by the second!¡± Her mother agreed.


    ¡°So, we¡¯re doing exactly what we¡¯ve done years ago?¡± Aiko bluntly said with a disappointed grimace. ¡°Abandoning home with our tails between our legs?¡±


    ¡°Young lady,¡± all compassion dropped from his tone, staring her down¡ªwhich she managed to meet back despite the clear thumping of her chest. ¡°You do not know the hell that is evacuations. There is no mercy, there is no patience, no nothing! I am not subjecting my family through that!¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Aiko dueled back. ¡°Take everyone but me. I¡¯ll stay here and if things turn out fine, I¡¯ll be able to hold down the fort from invaders or interlopers¡ª¡±


    ¡°We are NOT leaving you!¡± Mother, now tear-eyed. ¡°We do not understand why you have ended up like this, but it¡¯s for these games to end! Here! Right now, Aiko!¡±


    Aiko looked down, and started to laugh under her breath. ¡°You think what I do is some game¡­¡±


    Her father waved his arms in dismay, ¡°How could it not be?! With these extreme things and extreme concepts! How can one make a living like this? How could one continue living like that?!¡±


    ¡°¡­Better than you, right now,¡± Aiko bluntly answered. ¡°Ever since I could remember, you both made this¡­ Culture of fear. Understandable, given what happens everyday¡­ Minds smarter than any of us have broken and it is understandable for you to become this way, I have sympathy. But there¡¯s no¡­ There¡¯s no reassurance, there¡¯s no break from it. We uproot and we move away from the slightest trouble, to the point that I know this is the smart choice, that I know that this is the perfect time to run¡­ But I¡¯m tired. Sick and tired of it all. I broke because I¡¯m making up for the time I¡¯ve wasted, due to your outlook in life. No matter how extreme or dumb it is, because damn it, I rather risk life than to be the living dead like you.¡±


    Her parents, who normally would be unnerved. Saddened. Scared. Just had the looks of being agasted.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Aiko got up. ¡°I¡¯ll leave now, get out of your hairs¡­ You can disown me as you leave with¡­¡± Her mouth clamped down and twitched, as if she tried desperately to avoid a word now. ¡°¡­Them. Just promise me. Live.¡±


    She went out the door, and felt neither of them run out after her.


    Aiko stared out to their lawn, wanting to take the next step.


    Only for her to sit on them, and just sit there. For all her talk, she too became frozen in the moment.


    ***


    River, her falling apart model of laptop in hand, scrolled down the various takes on an important speech on a forum.


    One was Davenport, given glowing eyes, as he faced the camera with the words ¡°BEYOND CONFIDENCE¡±, a drawing of a man cranking some machine to ¡°BEYOND¡±, a horrible mash up of Davenport and Buzz Lightyear of Toy Story, also glowing eyes, an actual still from the speech and then cuts to a grizzly aftermath of a Shift¡ªcausing the still to say ¡°sorta confident¡±, and finally a mock up of End of Acion¡¯s poster, but instead of Rei, it¡¯s Davenport¡¯s head.


    Looking at them reminded her that she really is a pursuer of trash.


    The last one sucked because it didn¡¯t get the point of the movies at all¡ª


    But she closed it, carefully, as the hinges are literally held together by tape, and walked down the stair, sighing to herself to what¡¯s coming next.


    ¡°Hey Kiddo,¡± her elderly father greeted her with his soft tone, despite his ruined throat. He lowered and put away his newspaper onto the small table next to his couch, which is holding up his folding walker. His hair a fading, spikey buzzcut, very rotund. ¡°Feeling better?¡±


    ¡°Much better, yeah,¡± River answered sweetly. She looks over to her mother.


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s still hacking away at that damn puzzle still, don¡¯t worry¡ª¡±


    ¡°Guy, I¡¯ll focus on the puzzle and will come over there to hit you at the same time,¡± her mother, just as worn and visibly aged, had a cut that River always called the ¡°Jaime Lee Curtis¡±, greying to the point of darkening again, as her glasses are on the cusp of falling of if it weren¡¯t for the loop resting behind her neck. She was in a walker-wheelchair hybrid, where she had a mat attacked where she was putting the puzzle together on.


    ¡°You told me that hearing aid¡¯s been acting wacky, Rosey,¡± Guy grinned despite himself, River could only shake her head in amusement.


    ¡°It is,¡± Rosemary answered, still sorting through pieces. ¡°You just don¡¯t know when it¡¯s on or off yet.¡±


    ¡°That is a pretty good plan, not gonna lie,¡± Roland came in, her older brother. Long hair, skinny, was just as bland and/or terrible at fashion just as River. ¡°But that¡¯s good to hear, sis. We were worried that your¡­ Healing, I guess? Was taking way too much outta you.¡±


    ¡°They say if you get sent to the hospital three times in the space of a month, you get a free sandwich,¡± Guy joked, laughing as he belly shook.


    ¡°That¡¯s it. When I complete Paris here, I¡¯m coming over to give you a piece of my mind¡ª¡± Rosemary quipped while still looking at the puzzle.


    Roland laughed, which was a rare sight these days. River knew how much this all weighed on him, trying to ease their parent¡¯s¡­ Well, everything. It was nice.


    Had it last for a few more seconds.


    ¡°¡­Actually, yeah¡ª¡± Roland scratched the back of his head in panic. ¡°Mayb¡ªYeah, I gotta check if that impacts our plan or not, I¡¯ll go into my room and¡ªCall ¡®em up before they call us.¡±


    Guy nodded, watching his son depart to his room with a solemn look.


    ¡°Remember to eat something!¡± Rosemary looked up and only got to see his back.


    River looked down.


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ Go help him.¡±


    The two looked at her, a bit thrown.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to throw yourself into that mess yet, honey,¡± Rosemary cooed. ¡°We told you, we want you kids to relax before all of that happens.¡±


    ¡°Before you get old and fucked up,¡± Guy crosses his arms. River knew that it was patterned with scars.


    But that was the psychology. The very thing that drove Roland to help early. And the very thing that broke her.


    River nodded, ¡°They might need like, personal things and details from my visits. Proof or whatever. It¡¯s the least I can do and I¡¯m gonna get asked anyways.¡±


    There was trepidation shared between the couple, before sighing and nodding.


    And once she walked away from them, into Roland¡¯s room, she sighed deeply herself.


    She knocked on the door, and then pushed the door.


    Roland, looked up from his wrap-around desk¡ªcovered in reminders and papers with his smartphone pressed to his ear. ¡°¡­I¡¯m on hold and that¡¯s gonna take hours now, but what?¡±


    ¡°¡­I have to be real with you,¡± River said.


    ¡°Please tell me that you¡¯re gonna shout some reference or something¡­ Can¡¯t really handle¡­ Stuff right now.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m scared. I work¡ªif you can call it work¡ªfor you and the company on part time and yet, I¡¯m unravelling, I¡¯m breaking. I see the future of doing this and I uh, I can¡¯t handle it, I guess. People say I¡¯m smart and resourceful but I can¡¯t even fathom how to toggle that to prove you all right. And yeah, I¡¯m complaining about compliments again, but you have to understand the pressure from that¡ªhow those As from high school was from hardwork yes, but I don¡¯t think I can keep that up¡­ I got this, I did this thing, purely because maybe I can still keep up, go full time with you, and struggle less and keep doing this. You deserve it, Mom and Dad definitely fucking deserves it¡­ And at the end of the day, everything can be fine again.¡±


    River tried to smile, at her brother who sported a face of disbelief.


    ¡°R-right¡­?¡±


    Roland shifted about in his chair. Already setting the phone down, putting his fingers through his hair. Just straight at his desk, looking down.


    ¡°Can you¡­ Can we just talk about this later?¡±


    River¡¯s face settled back to it¡¯s natural form. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    She left, moving past her parents without a word, going upstairs.


    ¡°It was worth the shot, siVis,¡± River said to herself. ¡°Thanks for the epiphany. Operation: Hermit is going to happen and sooner than expected.¡±


    ***


    ¡°It¡¯s a vacatiiiiionnnnn,¡± Stark stressed the n¡¯s, as she continued to paint on her canvas.


    ¡°This place is becoming a Termnsys City, Stark,¡± Blaire bluntly told the truth.


    Stark used the blue paint to curve upwards against her piece, using her free hand to grip onto her wrist, ¡°It¡¯s first reaction mania, you know it, sissy~¡±


    Blaire, leaned against the frame of the door, just sighed loudly, shaking her head. ¡°She¡¯s not going to listen to me, Mother. Maybe you can do something.¡±


    She backed away, as Stark hummed and glanced at the door.


    Her mother was spindly, sickly almost. Other than that, she was the spitting image of her daughter¡ªbarring the hair¡ªwhich she had none and wore a tropical bandana, and the long arms. Her features were still gaunt, and the way her bandana wrapped around her head, gave the impression that she constantly wore a glaring expression¡ªwhen in reality it was blank.


    ¡°¡­My beautiful bird,¡± Stark the I began. ¡°There¡¯s nothing left for us¡­ here.¡± Her Caribbean accent was notable, and the fact that English was a second language gave pause to her sentences. ¡°They will relocate us the hard way anyways.¡±


    ¡°Or!¡± Stark retorted, dabbing her clean paint brush into a green, ¡°This is all an overreaction, there¡¯s going to be a hard period of destabilization with the new status quo, and we¡¯ll look back on this as a¡ªunderstandable, but overreaction! We¡¯re going to struggle for a bit, Mama, it¡¯s just scary going uphill than it is going down it. You don¡¯t throw yourself down it because you¡¯re going to hit the ground regardless, him? That¡¯s with this! I promise you all lots!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re only going to the place your father goes to whenever he needs time to himself,¡± Mrs. Terri continued. ¡°Secluded, away from this noise. Can you at least entertain going for two weeks or so?¡±


    Stark looked at her Mama. She set the brushes and paint supplies down.


    ¡°People are still trying to pick themselves up, Mama,¡± Stark said softly. ¡°And if any wander over here and I happen to be there¡­¡±


    Mrs. Terri shook her head.


    ¡°A-and, y¡¯know uh¡ª¡± Stark started to fumble, losing her words herself for a moment before she found them again, ¡°The Masters, they¡¯re going to be coming as well¡ªcoming here. I have to be there for that at least¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Blaire interjected. ¡°If my attempts of moonlighting comes under scrutiny again, I¡¯m gonna pull this example out. Keeping it banked.¡±


    Mrs. Terri began speaking again. ¡°Do you realize¡­ That fighting an uphill battle, is not going to feel good once you¡¯re up the top.¡±


    ¡°At first,¡± Stark politely refuted. ¡°There¡¯s pain, there¡¯s rush of biological everything, and your mind needs to remind itself that it¡¯s in a body, I understand¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe that, child, when you should know that it¡¯s all that you think about after. Including aches and pains that do not just disappear because of your valor. It is a concept where fools dive recklessly into, as if it is a universal law of the universe.¡±


    Stark had there, taking at all in. It was a few moments before she rose her hand.


    ¡°Tell ya¡¯ what. I¡¯ll stay here and watch the house, update you all via transmissions, and again¡ªsince the Masters are coming here, I can run with them if things do go topside. I promise, 100%, that as soon as I realize that things are bad¡­ Wait.¡± She rocked in her seat for a bit, before continuing, ¡°Raaather, I promise that after things get too rough for me, I¡¯m coming to you guys. Better?¡±


    A black, featureless helmet, with eye slits and vents near the mouth aside, popped over Mrs. Terri¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t like the sound of that correction, Stark¡­¡± his voice, echoed and concerned.


    ¡°I promise you all that I¡¯ll be fine and I¡¯ll see you again,¡± Stark smiled. ¡°Trust me, Adam.¡±


    The tall boy himself took a pause, before nodding to Mrs. Terri and Blaire.


    ¡°Hope you know, if it does go pear-shaped, it¡¯s all on you,¡± Blaire shrugged and closed her eyes. ¡°So, you better be safe or else, I¡¯m going to have the final one up over you.¡±


    Stark giggled at that, she saw Adam wave shakingly.


    ¡°Call as soon as you get in trouble, okay?¡± he said, stern.


    Stark nodded, and looked to her Mama.


    ¡°¡­You know we only love you, yes?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Mama. And I know it¡¯s hard for you to express any kind of emotion. I¡¯ll always be patient with you all. It¡¯s not an excuse, it¡¯s not a weakness. Every single part of you is genuine and that is good, despite the possible bad.¡±


    Mrs. Terri had her own turn to take that in. Ultimately smiling a bit, or attempting to before giving a thumbs up and walking away.


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re too good for your own good, y¡¯know that?¡± Blaire simply said, before grabbing Adam by the hand and helping him walk away.


    Stark sat there and listened for them to walk out of the door. And after a few minutes, she does.


    She then exhaled, from the belly, trying to ease the weights that were placed on her, along with the others that already existed.


    ¡°Okay okayo okay okay okay oka okay¡±


    She turned back to her canvas, and dipped her fanning brush into a red.


    Her hand started to twitch, and she tried her hardest to stable it. No avail.


    She used her free hand, and it eased things. Much to her relief.


    She begun her stroke.


    And her hand went against what she intended, going right versus life, causing her to smear red paint across her hardwork.


    She broke the brush by gripping it too hard.


    And she proceeded to twitch all over, causing her pieces to fluctuate, responding to her cold, aching anger that was completely silent.


    Seething, her pieces twisted as her body did, her hair raising and being pulled up. She went hunched over, looking at her still twitching hands and just staring at them.


    It took way too many minutes, but she started to sob, getting control over herself again.


    ¡°W-why can¡¯t they just let go¡ªall of them?¡± she managed to word. ¡°Wh-en allll it does it hurt them?!¡±


    Shooting up, clutching her head, ¡°T-hey know it hurts them! And yet they let it eat them whole! They hate every single minute of it, and yet they surround themselves with it! They give in when life is a series of chances that build! Why am I the weird one?! Why is that the accepted behavior?!¡±


    It took her more than a few minutes, but she started to calm down, panting one moment and gasping the next.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s all this is and all it will be¡­¡± Stark muttered to herself. ¡°And I¡¯ll do my best¡­ In trying to break that nasty chain whenever people come near me¡­¡±


    She sat back down, looking at the painting. She sighed wistfully. Knowing that and trying to save the painting, will be not only hard, but hard on her.


    But she has to do it. And she got to work.


    ***


    Desire¨¦ shot awake, hoping to herself that the action was apart of some dream. She began to sob to herself when she realized that isn¡¯t the case.


    Shivering, she catapulted from the ground, to scan the horizon like a scared fawn.


    She was in some spacious underground tunnel, possibly unused as the surfaces where not only smooth, but the smells were pristine.


    The girl dreaded to look into the reflective surfaces, and when she decided to give into that curiosity, she only saw her face. Only her face.


    She shrunk away from the sight, crawling away until she hit a wall against back, gnashing her teeth and hands hovering before her face.


    ¡°why didn¡¯t i die,¡± was more a statement than a question. She then began screaming, bleating, ¡°WHY DIDN¡¯T I FUCKING DIE?!¡±


    She banged her head against the hard metal. Over and over again, the beat having a rhythmic clang to it, but unstable. Once her ears caught wind of it, and her enlightenment made the terrible connection, she stopped, continuing to wail out. Alone.


    Or so she thought.


    ¡°That¡¯s no why for a Trend to act.¡±


    She stiffened and turned her head towards the long corridor. Truly, she knew it was over for her.


    Until she saw who he was.


    His hair was braided and kept up in various different directions. His face was round, and had very rough and unhealthy skin, that was tan. He was grinning, his teeth crooked in paces, his lips thin, and despite the doughy skin that hung from his skull, the smile made his face angular due to the risen cheeks.


    And if that wasn¡¯t enough, he was drenched in a living oil.


    The black substance covered him, the rest of his body, as it writhed and expanded. It was even to the point where this man had some dripping from his eyes, which had a ring of navy in each.


    The intriguing part of it all was that, despite the substance, it didn¡¯t reflect the light or the surfaces, or even Desire¨¦¡¯s panicked gaze.


    ¡°Y-you ch¡ªsc¡ªshould get away from me¡ª¡± Desire¨¦ warned but sounded so little. ¡°I-I am dangerous¡­ A monster¡­¡±


    ¡°Um,¡± the oily man rolled his head to an angle along with his eyes. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s why this display is¡­ Pretty pathetic. You¡¯re a Trend, woman! Act like it!¡±


    ¡°What are you, some kind of fanboy? For such a morbid, depraved subject?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a man that thrives on those things¡­¡± he grinned somehow bigger, longer. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to breakthrough.¡±


    Desire¨¦ blinked, mostly for the tears in her eyes¡­ Which now sported the sole ring around each of her pupils. Neon green.


    ¡°Break¡­? I don¡¯t¡­?¡± Then the realization hit her. ¡°You WANT to be a Trend?¡±


    ¡°Of course! My life¡¯s more or less ruined and over anyways! But at the same time¡­ What liberation! What freedom! I was a nobody¡­ Now I get to be somebody and say and think whatever I want, whenever I want!¡±


    She had to admit, on some level Desire¨¦ found his rabid jubilation¡­ Infectious.


    All it took was the realization of this, shaking her head furiously.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡ªthese people, me¡ªwe¡¯re just dangerous monsters that have to be put down for the betterment of society, a-and¡ª¡±


    The oily man sighed, and did a gesture as if he¡¯s crossing his arms.


    ¡°If you¡¯re gonna preach to me, at least use your own opinions? I know you¡¯re pop star #4567, but Iunno¡­ Anything about you that¡¯s¡­ You?¡±


    Desire¨¦ immediately shot a glare, snarling coming out of her throat, but sounded nothing like the dainty tone she had.


    The oil man only raised his covered hands. ¡°I¡¯m highly opinionated. It didn¡¯t earn me friends or whatever, but at least everyone knows what I think and most importantly, who I am. Everything I do, I express it, and make it known. And nobody has the guts to do that. Not this era anyways, where we¡¯re whipped into being genial worms under some imaginary pressure¡ª¡±


    ¡°Imaginary?!¡± Desire¨¦ shouted, making it feel odd to get this worked up, this passionate.


    ¡°It IS imaginary! We have this new awakening of the world, finally the death of all these false and chickenshit ¡®standards¡¯ that never meant anything at all, and we¡¯re scared?! People being scared?! It¡¯s a new start, the freshest we¡¯re ever going to get other than pure destruction¡ªand we don¡¯t end up dead right here!¡±


    ¡°But people have died! Many have!¡±


    ¡°And we should embrace and take hold of the things that killed them in their honor. We keep refusing and we are constantly humbled again and again. This is why I¡¯m becoming a Trend. I¡¯m going to FORCE the world into this new order, this new faith. I¡¯ll destroy everything that¡¯s holding us back and I have the power to do it now. I can make nightmares real.¡±


    Desire¨¦ simply shook her head. ¡°Well then. Enjoy getting killed the moment they catch you. Instead of ushering some new age, you¡­ You die and they want nothing to do with you. You¡¯ll never know true peace or rest.¡±


    ¡°¡­Is that what your angle was¡­? Is?¡±


    She looked at him, with widened, confused eyes. Searching up and down to see what he meant.


    The oil man started to prowl slowly towards her, with extended shadowy finger aimed at her. ¡°You want to go out in hopes they figure out who you are¡­ That was your hope in all that. Which, by the way since there¡¯s no uh¡ªTV or whatever down here¡ªlike, hearing what I heard echo down here¡­ You DON¡¯T want to be a monster without a name. All of that, you wanted to die in a tragic event, all with the hope of wanting them to do those documentaries, and murals, and talk about you longer than your years alive¡­ I¡¯m right, huh?¡±


    Her eyes welled up with tears before he was finished. Around the part of ¡°a monster without a name¡±.


    Desire¨¦ got on her hands and knees, head arched downward as she sobbed what felt like the millionth time.


    ¡°And it didn¡¯t work¡­ Why didn¡¯t it work¡­?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re not done.¡±


    She gasped as she felt his hand on her arm, and he pulled her up onto her bare feet. She just gave him a teary look of shock again.


    ¡°Like I said. I expressed myself all the time when I was a human. But you¡­ You never had something that was your own, right? You wore labels, you had things prepared¡ªthat eats away at someone¡¯s like¡­ Sense of self. You¡¯re trying to figure that out while doing it, and you didn¡¯t go all the way, either. Monsters in horror movies keep coming back because branding monkies get greedy to suck on the tit of the cow they¡¯re milking dry. You. You can make that shit mean something.¡±


    A shaking, weeping girl began to still. Desire¨¦ wiped her eyes.


    ¡°You cannot hold yourself accountable for thinking on a higher level than these morals anymore. To think is to live. And you have your right to lord over these smoothbrained mothefuckers.¡±


    And with her mind cleared, N¡¯atural nodded.


    ¡°In that case, I have a lot of think about¡­ And act on. I¡¯ll keep appearing again and again. Until something is done, something they cannot ignore anymore.¡±


    The oil man hurriedly nodded his head, his grin almost an uneven V. ¡°Awesome, awesome!¡±


    ¡°Who are you, anyways¡­?¡± N¡¯atural asked.


    ¡°Me? Used to be some schmuck named Terrance¡­¡± Terrance revealed.


    He backed away, and N¡¯atural turned herself to keep looking at him.


    ¡°Now, I¡¯m Mayhem,¡± Mayhem answered. ¡°The user of Fear and Loathing.¡±


    N¡¯atural perked her eyebrow. ¡°And here I thought me getting the Metamorphosis was pretentious.¡±


    ¡°And kinda wrong, looking at you¡ª¡± Mayhem added. ¡°You still look¡­ Well, pop-star girl.¡±


    ¡°¡­On the surface,¡± N¡¯atural pondered aloud. ¡°It¡¯s like you said¡­ My mind has expanded, accepted some things¡­ After everything I did, regardless of anything, I am forever a monster. siVis is a literary practical jokester. It¡¯s not me metamorphing into a monster physically. Meaning that I guess this new path of me was and is inevitable.¡±


    ¡°Metal as fuck,¡± Mayhem added.


    N¡¯atural smirked a bit and chuckled, again a bit disembodied but felt right. Good. ¡°I¡¯m guessing¡­ We¡¯re going to be partners in some fashion¡­ M-mayhem?¡±


    ¡°Weeeell,¡± Mayhem swayed side to side. ¡°Your plans for rampaging in society is kinda against mine whenever I start telling people to rebuild it from the ashes, soooo¡­ ¡®fraid not.¡±


    ¡°Oh thank goodness,¡± N¡¯atural exhaled. ¡°Because you¡¯re a massive idiot.¡±


    Mayhem grinned. ¡°You¡¯re gonna make for a great rival, though.¡±


    N¡¯atural returned a smile¡­ To reveal her toothy maw starting to come in.


    From the bowels of a broken city, further change was upcoming¡­


    And it was a long time coming.

 (META) An Update and A Thank You

    Hey guys. Unfornately, there won''t be a chapter this week--and yeah, what a shitty place to leave you all, LMAO. Head''s not in it, been recently downcast--mainly due to the work.


    But don''t worry! This is going to loop around to being a thing of celebration.


    Because 7 or so years ago tomorrow (Friday), I wrote the first ever draft of siVisPride. Had a terrible but similair name of civicPride (yeah, this story could''ve sounded more stupid), but yeah. September 24th, 2014... Literally a different time compared to now. At least for me.


    So sitting here now and having a segment of a story nearly over... Is surreal. This whole journey has been fucking surreal to me, more so than the job. Was kinda crushed at misreading the webserial landscape and you guys still gave your love towards a somewhat botched story anyways. And for that--just, thanks man. Thanks a lot. I don''t care if you''re a few, you all mean a lot to me.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    But yeah, let''s circle around to that first sentence there, about the story nearly being over...


    Episode 14 will be a bit trippy in nature that won''t reveal itself until later, but this will be the last regular episode. After that, we''ll go straight into the finale, and end everything sweet with a coda. Literally.


    After that, I''ll be taking a week or so off to prepare for not only the various writathons, but the next segment of this story. We all need a fresh start and you''re gonna get it. So excited to show you all what I''ve been working towards.


    But yeah, that''s the state of the story so far. Thanks again for being with it.

 (Episode XIV) (Signs of the) Time (Act 3)

    ***


    ¡°Holy sh--¡± was all Maddie could mutter, as a wave of wreckage was thrusted towards her and the various crowds.


    The force knocked the wind out of her body, and a metal pipe had to hit her in her braced arm in the process. But her mind, once it was done being caught off guard, proved to be sharp.


    Using siVis to plant as well strengthen her legs¡ªshe managed to land with a thud and grind as the wave continued to push her back. She lurched over, her head cocked away from blast as much as she can, using her core as well to maintain balance, arms raised, hands into fists, at her side.


    Even with her senses, all she gathered that the air being forced to become typhoon, the rumbling of Shift-protected buildings being broken apart, and the sound was just overwhelming white noise that consumed what would¡¯ve been¡ªshould¡¯ve been---screaming, destruction and chaos.


    And as she turned her head back forward, her eyes trying to scan what the fuck is going on, all she saw was a series of cars coming for her.


    Using her legs, she bolted upwards, practically jumping meters in the air, and craned to her side where a street lamp was there, causing her to scramble for it so that she could escape whatever was happening. She grabbed for it, winced and shouted as it was her still-fucked arm, and still perched up it regardless.


    There, she could see it all turn to shit.


    The line of cars crashed into the building to her left. As black smog lifted into the air, it was buzzing with the screeching of people in despair. So many people, mostly people who was too afraid to go to Steppe Ave to get possible supplies here at Luminous Hills, had their absolute nightmare unfold before their eyes.


    Maddie looked across and down the hillside area, many people scrambling across it¡¯s unique white roads and crimson sidewalks, running up the hill on foot despite how infamously steep it can be, as the fancy pants Victorian + urban look: theatres to bouquets, were literally being torn apart due to the damage.


    ¡°THEY¡¯RE HERE--!¡±


    Maddie turned her head towards the screaming man, eyes bugging out of his head as he clutched it running.


    ¡°ALL THE TRENDS ARE HERE, THEY¡¯RE TAKIN¡¯ OVER!¡±


    Her heart sunk so fast at that statement, she instantly looked around to hear any conflicting information.


    All she got was how crazy everyone was getting.


    ¡°THOSE KIDS ARE TRYING TO GET NATHAN¡ªALL THIS IS FOR ATTENTION!¡±


    ¡°THEY¡¯RE TRYING TO SINK THE ISLAND, THEY¡¯RE TAKING US WITH THEM!¡±


    And that was it, crowds of people trying to storm their way upwards, away from the wreckage. It nearly became a crush at points, but they didn¡¯t have the self-control for it not turning into a stampede, as Maddie watched many people trampled over one another, even cases where the fallen pulled people down, like crabs in a boiling pot of water.


    The scariest part of it all were the people that didn¡¯t move at all and let the crowds bowl over them. The ones that weren¡¯t so ¡°lucky¡±, just twitched or cried or spaced out or jibbering with laughter.


    ¡°WE SHOULDN¡¯T HAVE COME HERE, DAMN IT!¡±


    Maddie turned her head to a father, on his hands and knees, tucked away from the manic crowds in an alley. Clearly some people gathered with him weren¡¯t his family, but he continued, ¡°I KNEW IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN, I KNEW IT AND THERE¡¯S NOTHING WE CAN DO--!¡±


    Maddie¡¯s head turned to the cars, as one of the passengers were left behind in the wreck as the other people in the car hubbled away in panic. Maddie could hear as the person shivered within it, only babbling because they¡¯re in so much pain.


    Then, she turned her head to the sound of crying. A child, wandering in the streets back and forth, face smothered with tears.


    ¡°Mooooommmi¡­.!¡± the small boy cried out. ¡°Where¡¯s Moooommmiiiii¡­!?¡±


    ¡°fuck this,¡± Maddie could barely voice due to the lump that formed within it.


    She jumped down from the streetlight, and ran down the hill. She darted away from the running people, weaving around because of her senses being on high alert naturally, and her using her awareness to gleam something, anything that¡¯s happening.


    ¡°WHERE IS TABBY?!¡± a voice she darted by. ¡°THEY¡¯VE KILLED HER IN THE HOSPITAL AND COMING FOR DAVENPORT NEXT!¡±


    That was the thing, with these accusations. They¡¯re all stupid, but plausible and at least one of them had to be right.


    ¡°REGAN! REGAN, GET BACK FROM THERE!¡±


    ¡°Yo, you seeing this shit, Crystal?! That man is in a fucking crater!¡±


    Maddie¡¯s eyes trained forward, so wide open that they were becoming irritated by the exposure, tears forming.


    There was astonishing number of people huddled around what she could guess where the crater was, within the side of the hill near the bottom, into the streets. They bustled despite standing in place, they all had their arms raised with phones in her hands, bobbing and weaving to get their shots. And there were a slew of dwindling on lookers who were a foot or three behind them, ready to flee.


    ¡°That bastard-thing is still alive!¡± Maddie heard another voice, trying to peer through the tight-knit crowd, also hearing the awe and gasps and limited words that just boiled down to, ¡°he¡¯s moving¡±.


    ¡°¡­Oh no,¡± the voice she heard first sounded panicked. ¡°Crystal¡ªrun¡ªrun, Crystal, I¡¯m sorry¡ª¡±


    Maddie could barely catch the thing jumping forward, right into the air like she just done. She cursed her eyes and quickly locked onto the blur as another one jumped towards the other.


    What followed caused reality to not accept it happening.


    An implosion, that started to suck everything forward, before engulfing the whole space into an oppressive, white fuzz and flickering.


    Jittering forward, and then backward, and then forward again¡ªas everything around her started to collapse around her in various ways¡ªbefore jittering forward, then sideways, and then back, and jumping forward as it continues it¡¯s motion, before cutting back to before it happened.


    ¡°Oh my lord---!¡± Maddie was able to croak out, shielding her eyes using both her arms as she continues to flicker in and out of motion.


    There was no time to think, there was no time to think or fear or even feel pain¡­ It didn¡¯t let her. She didn¡¯t have space as this force is smothering her so ever presently, she couldn¡¯t compilate her own existence.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    But she felt her legs beginning to snap, and that awareness give her a second and only a second, to do what she needed to do.


    She used siVis everywhere, on everything on her body, something that felt weird but she needed to do something, damn it.


    She flickered in and out of the use, getting jerked around one moment and then standing still the moment later, and then her legs continued to buckle, but stopped before damage could be done.


    At some point, her use of siVis won out, as she braced herself for the whiteness to completely color and destroy the landscape, as she could only brace herself.


    The sun itself began to drown within the void. A white iridescence.


    As soon as it faded, Maddie lowered her arms, gasping as the very air was forced out of her, soon cough seconds later as she hunched over, covering her mouth. But as soon as she rose¡­


    She couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. Even if she wanted to. Even if she knew this was real.


    Various people were trapped within the air, flickering and resetting as they screamed out in fear and agony. The unique buildings that were built into the sideways ground, were uprooted and twisted into various positions, screws and knots. Cars, stores and people were swallowed up within the tar-lite streets and now there¡¯s a static haze that danced about in the air.


    Maddie heard the shattering out glass, with a shrill screaming of ¡°help¡±, as a businessman threw a desk out of the window, as their building was perched within the sky now. No way out when they wanted to. She glanced at the windows of the other buildings, and many were trying to attempt the same thing, but can¡¯t, as the buildings were too mangled with other debris that protected the windows.


    But she still heard a crackling sound, for some reason. A sound that seemed to echo, echo over the panicked noise.


    She looked down and she got her answer.


    She saw cracks forming within her forearm. Starting from the inside, out.


    ¡°¡­ Perfect,¡± she spat. ¡°Literally got that fucking info to set up my session with that jerk, and it looks like I didn¡¯t need to. Fucking grand.¡±


    She lurched forward, trying to mitigate it in some fashion by using siVis, which in turn caused her arm to twitch and tremble in response. As if it¡¯s fighting just as hard against this.


    ¡°I¡ªI¡¯m running outta time¡­¡± she lamented, coughing right after.


    She held her arm with her other, and stared at the brace again.


    Amidst her coughing fit, she forced herself to stop, gritting her teeth. She stumbled forward and began to run.


    ¡°If it¡¯s breaking down, might as well use it while I can¡ª¡±


    Maddie then took off in a sprint. Her form, her movement, none of it was calculated or refined. It was full blown panic, not unlike the people that became obstacles.


    But the thing was. The thing was that, in a strange twist of fate, that¡¯s what she¡¯s been in this whole time¡ªas much as she wouldn¡¯t admit it.


    So tense, so aware, she managed to weave and carene from the crush of people everywhere, managed to gain traction on the uneven terrain of what was once some street, jumping over stranded and submerged vehicles.


    Then she got to the crater. Ground zero, at least for her.


    What she saw stopped her cold.


    It was the same shadow-y, goop-like mess from the hospital¡­ There was residue, still writhing within the hole.


    She immediately turned to her left, and screamed¡ªmoving out of the way of a black slime creature that was set to grab her.


    Scanning the area, there were nothing but slime creatures, wailing in agony to remind her that these are people being trapped in their literal worst nightmares.


    There just wasn¡¯t time left.


    She bolted again, feeling the pod of monsters try to grab at her back, being way too nimble and freaked out to catch.


    She saw her path, the surrounding street, rose up into jagged spikes and cliff sides, blocking the way.


    ¡°Fuck you!¡± she said at everything, everyone. ¡°Fuck this!¡±


    She used her legs again, jumping up and then scaling the structures back and forth. As her foot landed on a spike¡¯s base, she catapulted herself rhythmically to dart across the once-landscape. No time to pay attention to the ache that resulted into doing this, or how pain is starting to accrue overall.


    For once in her fucked, useless, life, she¡¯s going to be the one that saves herself this time.


    She jumped out of the mess and landed right back on solid ground again. It took her seconds to sprint forward again, despite being hunched over and legs in pain.


    She cut through alleys, ignored the activity on busier streets, went behind buildings and jumped over fancing.


    There was nothing else in her mind, nothing in her mind but her way to get back from ¡°Lum Hills¡± to Splinterbush. The way where she didn¡¯t have to spend credits riding anywhere, the way that took her there regardless of where she needed to end up in. She couldn¡¯t afford to think of anything else.


    What usually was a thirty-minute walk was fifteen minutes of just running. But either way, she got there. She got back home.


    Maddie used what little of her strength left to bash down the door, repeatedly ramming into it, before Frank rushed towards the door, opening it, and catching his goddaughter in his arms and potbelly, holding her tight.


    ¡°Jesus Christ¡ª¡± he fumbled out in a hush.


    ¡°It¡¯s bad¡ª¡± Maddie begun. ¡°Super bad, they¡¯re going at it, two Trends or whatever are fighting and they¡¯re legit going at it¡ªit was insane, Frank, they¡¯re tearing reality apart every time they throw hands at each other, I barely got out, we gotta go¡ª¡±


    She gently pushed off of her godfather, and began tumbling forward towards Monty¡¯s room.


    She huffed at the heartbreaking sight of him, just staring¡ªnot moving. His senses and instincts being literally stunned. She laboriously opened the gate, going over to him while she dragged her legs, bending down and pushing him across the room as he reacted not once to it. Struggling to put him into his massive, but portable dog crate¡ªpanting as she finished, she saw Frank come up behind her with phone in hand.


    ¡°They¡¯re saying something about unlocking some tunnel system, so we can get to the ferries down the port,¡± Frank rattled off.


    ¡°Then we gotta tell people to go in¡ª¡± Maddie grunted herself up on her wabbling legs. ¡°Text, call¡ªnah, fuck that, just scream it to everyone as we go down the street, we gotta make this quick¡­¡±


    ¡°How the hell are you okay with this¡­?¡± Frank muttered. ¡°Or still standing?¡±


    Maddie turned to him.


    ¡°I finally got it,¡± she answered. ¡°This is finally the time where I¡¯m not some fuck up. I¡¯m scared and my head¡¯s pounding in a way that it¡¯s just aches¡­ And I don¡¯t give a fuck, y¡¯know? Like, it doesn¡¯t matter right now. What¡¯s important is getting you all outta here, because I saw what happens when people got no where to run and I would fucking die before letting that shit happen to any of you. So fuck my wellbeing right now. Get your stuff and wheel Monty out of here.¡±


    Frank just stared and then nodded, still a bit shaken.


    Maddie bolted out of the door, running down the colorful but browning streets of her neighborhood.


    ¡°EVERYONE GET YOUR SHIT, WHAT YOU CAN CARRY, THEY¡¯RE OPENING UP A TUNNEL, WE CAN GET OUT BEFORE SOMETHING HAPPENS HERE, MOVE PEOPLE MOVE!¡±


    After going through the shit she¡¯s been through: scaling up rising streets, running from N¡¯atural¡ªit¡¯s easy to do this again and again, Maddie figured to herself as she continued to yell. She¡¯s exhausted, hurt, and is literally crackling into pieces¡ªbut she can keep going because she did it in the past. She just failed those few times because she didn¡¯t know anything. Now she can¡¯t ever forget those things.


    She saw families, people around the block, even people she couldn¡¯t fucking stand, come out and listened to her, as she makes her way down to the point of getting to Mrs. Goddard¡¯s house.


    And sure enough, there she was, still behind the screen door.


    ¡°Ready to get the fuck outta here, Grandma?!¡± Maddie asked.


    ¡°I ain¡¯t going nowhere¡ª¡± she responded. ¡°Spent way too many years here and pouring my damn soul into this place. It¡¯s all I was ever good for, so I ain¡¯t going nowhere.¡±


    ¡°Are we really doing this--?!¡± Maddie yelled out, before she could catch it.


    ¡°Yes! I am!¡± Mrs. Goddard. ¡°They¡¯ve been tryna have any excuse to ¡®fix¡¯ this place and that means it getting destroyed in the other way. I ain¡¯t gonna be alive and see that happen, point blank and simple. I¡¯m dying here, then I¡¯m dying here.¡±


    Maddie glanced back, seeing the crowd of her people looking in confusion and expectancy. They didn¡¯t want Mrs. Goddard gone either.


    But also, she knew that they were waiting. To see which dog was going to win out, in this back and forth, and follow their lead.


    She couldn¡¯t believe what she was about to do.


    She marched towards her house, climbing her stairs, and jerked the door open.


    ¡°¡­Girl,¡± Mrs. Goddard warned. ¡°Don¡¯t think you getting siVis means a damn thing to me.¡±


    ¡°I know it doesn¡¯t, and I know you¡¯re gonna beat me blue if I touch you know. But I got no other choice. You mean a lot to us, grandma. And if there¡¯s someone that can battle bullshit and keep us fucking sane, it¡¯s you.¡±


    The woman only looked at her braced arm. ¡°And you think you¡¯re in the condition to be helping anyone besides yourself?¡±


    Maddie shrugged and felt her chest twinge in pain.


    ¡°It¡¯s like you said to me. All those years when Marigold died. I either get hard against the world or it was going to break me¡ªand I was already weak and breaking. And that means that I have to go hard against it right now, when it¡¯s breaking apart. I learned my lesson and I need to learn more from you. Everyone does.¡±


    Mrs. Goddard sucked her barely-there teeth in angry, turning her head and mumbling under her breath.


    And soon, she got up with her cane.


    ¡°At least help me down the stars, girl.¡±


    Maddie smirked and grabbed her free arm.


    And soon enough, the street begun to open up, revealing Extant Enforcers coming out before the crowds.


    ¡°SPLINTERBUSH, THIS IS YOUR ROUTE TO THE PORTS! PLEASE FOLLOW US IN A ORDELY FASHION, WE WILL PROTECT YOU!¡±


    ***

 (Episode XIV) (Signs of the) Time (Act 1)

    There was nothing like being bare to the world. Again. A world steadily on the track of breaking down along with her very nude body. Again. As she was face to face once again with Leslie Homer as he stoically wrote down notes, it was indeed confirmation that her life is just but a spiral.


    And as it loops back, the more devastating the spiral becomes.


    Within the clouded mist, both Jackie and Leslie faced each other, a great distance away. Jackie just stared at the wispy void as Leslie wrote¡ªphysically¡ªon a note board with paper and pen. Even outside of her eyesight she can never ignore now, it was telling.


    He stopped writing, and gave a thumbs up that jerked upward three times. A signal he outlined to her to being able to dress now. Which she began to.


    He turned to face what-was just the endless white void, until a hand motion caused it all to fade away¡ªslowly¡ªas Jackie was dressing. Despite her being so mentality distant, her now enhanced speeds managed to out pace the effect giving away, now in her tight dark gray and black sports top and matching shorts. Her eyes continued to train down to the carpeted floors of her new siVis State Manager.


    The house was incredibly quaint, wooden textures mostly on the walls, parts of the floor once a room ended and began, and the lightning was more orange versus yellow. They were in his new living room, which only had the couch and boxes all over the place.


    Leslie was faced with her parents. Jack Snr. wearing light jacket that was violet with blue detailing and jeans¡ªwearing his one of three pairs of shoes ever, ¡°Ugly Emergency¡±, brought out for hospital events and the like. Her mother Dawn however, was vested up in a thick white long jacket, black tights and furry boots. If there¡¯s anything she hated, it was being cold. Even if it¡¯s only Fall-like disposition now.


    That thought caused Jackie¡¯s face to scrunch, tensing with ache. What supposed to be Fall¡ªjust Fall. What supposed to be October¡ªand the fact that she can¡¯t quite accept is that they were gone for nearly two or three weeks. All that pain and suffering, all so condensed.


    ¡°Now¡­ Your daughter¡¯s condition can very well improve. The body is a very interesting thing, can handle anything that comes it¡¯s way, but emphasis on can,¡± Leslie explained. His tone still so stern but very soft for the sake of Jackie¡¯s parents.


    They can only nod, and passively hold each other close.


    ¡°Due to the state of her siVis, combined with her traumatic encounters, as well as the sheer stress she¡¯s currently under¡­ We are hitting her limit. Anything bigger or even more subtle than what she took out there? All of it can break her,¡± he extended his arms forward before they gave any kind of reaction. ¡°Now, again, the human body is amazing. If we¡¯re given any chance and if those chances are viable? Nothing can cling to the impossible like we can. And it¡¯s happening now. While the healing process is overworked, her metastructure is basically locked everything in place. Meaning if she does crack, it¡¯s not going to be quick or sudden and there will be a fight to stay whole. And it¡¯s keeping everything in place so when everything DOES get a chance to heal, it¡¯ll be like nothing ever happened. Your daughter refuses to go down and she¡¯s being rewarded for it.¡±


    There were gasps and sighs of relief that her parents could express, but Jackie still felt was beyond her. After all, her body is all ¡°locked¡± up.


    Leslie reached out and grabbed Jack Snr.¡¯s hand, despite his mitts consuming the nurse¡¯s hand with zeal. ¡°Part of our sessions will be based on leveling stress down, and increasing tolerance. All tied together by reminding her of sentiments and simply expressing again. It¡¯s not going to be easy, but I¡¯m willing to go the distance.¡±


    ¡°I¡ªThanks, man!¡± Jack was grinning ear to ear. ¡°You¡¯re a lifesaver¡ªreally¡ªI-I mean, of course, haha!¡±


    Jackie¡¯s eyes caught a detail, she looked at the back of the nurse¡¯s head and saw his jaws clutched from the back. Seemed like what expression he gave, he held back what grimness that would¡¯ve surfaced.


    ¡°Well,¡± Dawn followed up. ¡°If there¡¯s anything else, we¡¯ll leave you to your work.¡±


    ¡°See to creating your living space more comforting. Anything she wants to keep and make hers? Honor it. I¡¯ll be sure to send you the reports through your account emails.¡±


    As they nodded, Leslie pulled away to the side, scooting away to make space for the family. In no time flat, the couple walked over to hug their hurt daughter.


    ¡°We love you,¡± Dawn whispered.


    Jackie forced her lips to respond, ¡°And I¡¯ll always love you.¡±


    With that, they let go, walking out of the home. Leaving Leslie alone, and Jackie feeling all the more distant.


    ¡°¡­ So, I¡¯ll start by saying¡ªSorry for calling you all idiots¡ª¡± Leslie began.


    ¡°We were,¡± Jackie responded. ¡°Are. Will be.¡±


    Leslie rolled his eyes, ¡°There¡¯s a thing called ¡®self-fulfilling prophecies¡¯.¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯re stupid enough to never learn from our mistakes. We are them.¡±


    Leslie just put his hand on his hip, looked about and sighed.


    ¡°Do you want me to repeat that you¡¯re literally keeping it together, despite that? Or that going through that whole damn ordeal of yours stretched your limits so far, that when you get better, you¡¯d be pretty much unstoppable?¡±


    Jackie darted her eyes at him.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Leslie raised a finger, ¡°Now don¡¯t go conjure any ideas. But it¡¯s what I said, your body was dealt with a lot of force beyond what it knew. This is merely a reaction, a snapback. You know better know, and your siVis is saying ¡®never again¡¯.¡±


    ¡°¡­ So it is possible, then,¡± Jackie said. ¡°Possible to survive this.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s going to take a lot of work. Work we have to do together. This stuff latches onto humanity¡ªthe ill-defined parts, meaning our state of mind and the subtle ripple effects it has on our bodies. You surviving this means being stronger and able to shrug anything like this off again. But you have to keep your mind stable.¡±


    Leslie then crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. ¡°And considering how you¡¯re taking this¡­ I¡¯m sure that you analyzing what you did and whatever your screwed up then will basically make you unstoppable now. So that¡¯s a plus. It¡¯s shitty, but it¡¯s still a plus.¡±


    Jackie lowered her head back down.


    Leslie, in turn, stood up straight and walked towards his couch, sitting on it. He pointed to the empty cushion, ¡°You need to take in sensations anyways.¡±


    Jackie complied, sitting down on the couch. Faux leather texture, very cheap despite it being so new, or maybe because. She continued to let her head down.


    ¡°All this talk about my wellbeing¡­ What about yours?¡±


    ¡°My life isn¡¯t on trial here and shouldn¡¯t be the focus,¡± Leslie bluntly stated.


    Until he noticed her looking at him, making an effort to make eye contact.


    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t tell me you have it in your head that you brought trouble my way somehow.¡±


    She just continued to stare.


    ¡°Oh Jesus¡ª¡± Leslie buried his hands into his hands before quickly rebounding from such. ¡°Look, now you¡¯re getting to the point of letting your guilt run rampant. What my mother and father did was going to continue with or without you or anyone. Turns out that they wanted to see how far¡­ They wanted to find some solution where¡ªand me speaking about this is giving it more weight than it fucking should. They¡¯re mutilating idiots that wanted to be geniuses, and that¡¯s what got them. Sad thing is, the siVis State Committee wanted me in the weeds somehow and sooner than later. So they¡¯re using this in so they can make me one of their own while keeping an eye out for me. Or on me, either way.¡±


    He shrugged.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ Sorry to hear all that,¡± Jackie said, trying to inject her raw sympathy¡ªfor it to come through but not too much to make it sound insincere. ¡°You don¡¯t deserve all this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing of life,¡± Leslie expressed solemnly. ¡°None deserves anything that¡¯s coming to them. Becomes a truism, working in the field that I¡¯m in. Or before, I guess.¡±


    Jackie was making an effort, to use her voice, to angle her body, to act out the emotions. To truly overstate how much she was sympathizing with him.


    ¡°¡­You wanted to be solely a healthcare nurse, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Leslie¡¯s expression went dark. Oddly enough, just settling back to his stern, jutted chin and slight lips pursing. But it was darker.


    ¡°We just lose so such ground. There¡¯s the simple truth that healthcare is needed more than ever, that is overworked, that is overtaxed. People still get broken bones, get into accidents¡ªhell, kids just getting their physicals in order. But no. Greater good needs this, greater good needs that. Even Dr. Taber, bless her memory¡ªjust wanted to be a fucking anthropologist. They boxed her in, killed her career and even then, it was that career that caused this siVis shit in the first place. I¡¯m just another example of that. I¡¯ll lose my mind trying to crack things I never studied for and unable to do the thing I was meant to do. Another soul into some self-justifying meat-grinder called the greater good.¡±


    Jackie begun to laugh, but had no power behind it. She smiled with delirium, but every time she laughed, it fell away and she forgot to lift her cheeks in the way that she did before. Causing a constantly lopsided, broken smile.


    ¡°Why did we have to be born here? During all of this?¡±


    Leslie didn¡¯t answer that, returning into a neutral, but clearly crestfallen, expression.


    ¡°Everything is just¡­ Broken. Everything. You, me, us as a whole, thoroughly smashed into pieces¡­ And the thing is, I¡¯m sure that all this was caused by some conspiracy or some people on the top¡ªbecause we were fundamentally broken as a society before that. And maybe this would¡¯ve been a wake up call, something that will finally¡ªtruly¡ªhumble us¡­ But what can you do with shards of glass? Other than throw them away, along with where those shards came from?¡±


    Leslie just continued to look forward, letting her speak.


    Jackie lost the energy to hoist her head up, lowering it once again, ¡°¡­Maybe this is all just penance. Our just desserts.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Leslie cut in, starling Jackie. ¡°You¡¯re entitled to your opinions, but I draw the line at ¡®persecution of the masses¡¯.¡±


    Jackie wanted to argue, to clarify her point¡­ But just slumped within her seat.


    ¡°Why? Why should everyone burn? Why do people think everyone singlehandedly responsible for the state of existence? Some are just surviving the shittiest box they were placed in without any say.¡±


    Jackie just clutched at her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s an understandable sentiment¡ªwe all do make society function, but the bigger responsibilities? Some people never heard of the people lording over them and are too busy trying to crawl through literal shit. A 9-5 worker, or some grandma, or hell¡ªsome abusive asshole doesn¡¯t wake up in the morning going ¡®TIME TO SOIL HUMANITY¡¯S JOURNEY¡¯¡ªthey think about their lives and simply react.¡±


    Jackie simply closed her eyes, wallowing in her continued failure.


    ¡°Now, since I got that outburst¡ªrant¡ªand lecture out of the way and continuing to fix your ego¡ª¡± Leslie looked at her. She opened her eyes to see that he looked sincere. ¡°There is a point that we do need to react better to things. And not spend so much time adding to those useless time wastes we put value into, and think about making our lives better.¡±


    ¡°You outlined my thought a whole lot better than I ever could¡­ God, I¡¯m such a fuck up.¡±


    Leslie perked an eyebrow. ¡°Well, your achievements, your grades¡ªall of your Biografile paints you otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, because awards and papers perfectly defines a person¡­¡± Jackie snarked. ¡°Especially a person that never technically finished school.¡±


    ¡°Great name,¡± Leslie retorted. ¡°¡¯Biografile¡¯.¡±


    Jackie looked at him, ¡°Very snappy, yeah. The naming convention was on the money.¡±


    ¡°You instantly know what the words combined are and no one does a doubletake hearing it. Ever.¡±


    ¡°Pretty much, mhm.¡±


    Leslie exhaled in relief, ¡°I¡¯m glad that we¡¯re on the same page because Jesus, what a terrible fucking name¡ª¡±


    ¡°I was trying to be nice and continue on with the angsting, yeah¡­¡± Jackie giggled, escaping her throat and mind before she could analyze it.


    Leslie wiped his forehead, ¡°Yeah. Creep with female patient that he has to see naked, I really needed to say something with -file at the end of it¡ªtotally¡ª¡±


    Jackie pouted her lips. ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, Leslie¡­ You¡¯re a doctor and the fact that you¡¯re aware of it already wipes you clean¡­¡±


    ¡°Not really, but it¡¯s just that I never properly talked about that and it was so bad that I didn¡¯t and for that as your medical advisor, I fucked up there.¡±


    ¡°The place was infested with shadow nightmare demons, I totally forgive you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Either way,¡± Leslie answered. ¡°I¡¯m just doing something I hold myself to, a belief I have. We need more common damn sense in this world. As well as decency.¡±


    Jackie took a pause.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she nodded softly. ¡°We do, don¡¯t we?¡±


    Suddenly, Leslie¡¯s phone went off.


    It was the dial tone of the Extant Warning signal. Only faster. And more high pitched.


    He took one glance at his phone, his intense eyes simmering the report he got.


    Leslie bolted for the TV on the wall, and turned it on.


    Nothing that was on the screen made sense. It was truly fantastic.


    ¡°For the first time ever in history, we are witnessing a supernatural, superpowered conflict emerging in the City of Davenport¡­¡±

 (Episode XIV) (Signs of the) Time (Act 2)

    ***


    ¡°Augh¡ªeck¡ªget a hold over yourselves! I need to get back to my family--!¡± Aiko said, knowing the irony in that statement and letting that shame fuel her.


    Added to the emotional pummeling, she was rocked back and forth, forward and back, side to side by various warm¡ªsweating¡ªand writhing bodies that only wanted to get somewhere, like her. She tried to gauge the situation using her enhanced sight, but had to rely on the mere snapshots she ended up with.


    There were a fleet of boats, some large ferries and some personal. They were kept at bay due to what was happening on the ports.


    A formation of Enforcers made a line, keeping at bay the residue that one of the Trends left behind, and something that Aiko was all too familiar with.


    The victims were swallowed up within the ooze, becoming nightmares while being trapped within their own.  Coming in all shapes and sizes, and very single one was wrong, one arm engorged and the rest spindly¡ªone too top heavy that struggled to be supported by it¡¯s serpentine lower half. All unified as trembling specters, terrors made real.


    The Enforcers kept them at bay, but constantly stunning them with their rifles, but they still kept coming back. And then they yelled at the panicked people that took their protection as a cage, and even pushing them back before the developed into a stampede. Aiko wondered in her brief moments of thought, if these people were scared of either inflicting harm on innocents, or if they become victims themselves. Either way, there was no solution to this.


    So that meant no escape for Aiko.


    She tried strafing to the left¡ªinstantly bone rushed from the side. She tried moving away, and yet was bumped into the another, causing a chain of bouncing about amongst terrified people that jerked about in horror and screaming. She couldn¡¯t think about using siVis, let alone use it outside of passive action.


    It was suffocating. Not because of people nearly crushing her, not because of the complications what would¡¯ve been an easy escape, not because the world was changing, and she¡¯s being rolled about during it.


    It was because the last thing her family will see of her, know of her, is being conceited fool that made her bed. She was fine laying in it, she was fine being possibly disowned, even going her separate ways.


    But of all times right now, Aiko wasn¡¯t dense enough not to see that they needed each other right now. They can resume the new usual after hugging each other, holding each other, even inform the relatives from overseas.


    Disowned, damaged or even degraded¡ªshe can accept their relationship being those things. But she will never let it die.


    In a mix between her rumination and sensing the smallest opening, Aiko used this chance. Immaterial.


    IMMATERIAL GIRL


    She jumped in place of her small spot in the crowd and dove legs first into the flooring.


    Only to find herself being merged with the single tile of the ground.


    Silently cursing in her head, she figured that she had to work with the idea of hoping for someone to kick up the worn tile so she can make her escape¡­


    ¡­Until she reasoned with herself. Or at least to her siVis, that technically, she should be able to across an object that¡¯s connected together such as this.


    She struggled, trying to realize this. And thus, she moved to the other tile. Then slid into the three tile. Worming her way across four tilts in a bound. Without anymore trouble, she surfed about the floor, until she felt the pull her siVis created when she¡¯s at her limits.


    In a burst, she sailed across the floor towards the part where it had the least stomping of feet. She jumped out instantly from the spot, causing the people who viewed her to react with fear.


    But she had no time to take that in, scanning the crowd quickly to see if she could see her parents. Nothing yet, she concluded.


    She began to become surrounded again, causing her to sigh in frustration, and was about to dive into the floor again.


    Or. As it occurred to her.


    She looked at the scared everyman that was closing in, not of his own will. All she could focus on was his brown overcoat.


    IMMATERIAL GIRL


    Another series of shrieks of confusion, before Aiko dived and merged into the brown coat.


    A pretty bad time to twist if she can maintain the state of her ¡°immaterial form¡±, but there was no better time than pressure.


    As soon as she felt the coat collide with another body, it was her chance. And she had to act, because the person might throw it off in panic.


    She surfed away, right into the shirt of the other civilian. And soon, she created another chain.


    As she did, she couldn¡¯t deny the negative effects started to creep up: the feeling of numbness taking the place of her senses as they slowly but surely wisp away into nothingness. Losing the odd senses of her states, and soon, her mind losing itself piece by piece ¡°floating¡± away. And especially at a place like this, she needs all of her mental faculties.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    But as she was prepared to exit her current clothing vehicle, she felt something that told her that things have changed.


    The wearer was running away from where the Enforcers were.


    Aiko jumped out and landed.


    There, she came face to face with a living nightmare.


    This one was bell-lite. A flat base for a lower body, curving up to a much smaller and constricted ¡°top¡±. It¡¯s only limbs were bound as well, forming a ring that forces the creature to have their arms forward.


    It begun to raise the band up, preparing to strike at Aiko.


    She wasn¡¯t sharp. It took her a bit in the precious little she had, to realize what was going on. In the quick glances she gave, she can see some Enforcers trying to rush to save in vain, and the screaming crowd that their huddled together or tried to make a run for the tunnel. All with muted sounds and colorless images.


    She could only smirk and raise her hands to intercept.


    And was instantly slammed into the ground for her troubles.


    In that sharp impact, everything became alight again. The colors, the feeling, and the noise. Most importantly, her brain.


    She got up instantly, rushing towards the nightmare while dipping downwards in pain, but righting herself up once she got close.


    She used her enhanced arms and dug her arms into the nightmare¡¯s body¡ªcausing it to scream like it¡¯s host.


    Didn¡¯t find any trace of them and once again got whacked hard onto the ground for her troubles, the shrieks of the people in the crowds accenting the action.


    The part of Aiko, the part she truly wants buried, asked her¡ªscreamed at her on it¡¯s own, why she was doing this. She just waxed on about meeting her family again and needing them. And now look was happening to her.


    She glanced at her body and started to see the cracks forming from her shoulders into her arms. The e-mail her parents got, what started the whole arguments to being with¡­ It was happening anyways.


    The girl smiled to herself, and heard the further cracking. Due to the blows she suffered to the head, it might be clear that she¡¯s starting to crack from the head down. And after two shots.


    She got up and it was perfectly clear to her.


    If she¡¯s torn from her family and labelled as a failure, then she will go out doing some good for something action.


    She struggled to get up, falling back to her back, whimpering in pain¡ªa different kind. As if whoever she is in essence, it¡¯s physically breaking apart. Innermost and intangible, but all-encompassing.


    All that she could hear, was a dull, empty dragging sound and all she could see before her was the nightmare. Looking down with it¡¯s sphere-head.


    So when she saw Madison leap over her, tackling the nightmare, she was honestly surprised.


    Regardless of the pain, she shot up, using any and all energy of shock to aid her.


    Aiko looked to the Enforcers that broke formation to help, adject terror despite anything human being concealed.


    ¡°Y¡ªyou--!¡± Aiko croaked out. Struggling to make a stand, pointing at Madison still wrestling with the monster, likely due to her siVis. ¡°There¡¯s people¡ªYou can rip them out from their nightmares! siVis can work, but maybe--!¡±


    The Enforcers looked at each other, before toggling their communications to share the intel. And with that, three of them raced towards Maddie and the nightmare, the former being pushed off, with so much force that she sailed in the air.


    Aiko ran, looking up with arms forward, legs scrambling to catch her. And with the help of super awareness, she managed to do so, quickly letting and sitting her up.


    ¡°¡­You look like shit, by the by,¡± Maddie Solomon clutched at her side. Aiko didn¡¯t need to see through her clothes to know that she too is breaking apart and just took the slight as it is.


    The two girls watched as three armored people wrestled with an oil monster. Trying again and again, searching for something. The substance didn¡¯t have any hold to it, if you dug in at some angle, you¡¯d soon slip out of it. If you dug at the right angle, you¡¯d be quickly subsumed and need to try everything to pull out. All wasted energy and effort, when the key to surviving siVis incidents is to make every action count and conserve energy as much as one can. This was vain, stupid and reckless.


    ¡°I GOT SOMETHING!¡± one of the Enforcers yelled in a shot of delirium.


    The others quickly aided them, reaching their arms in to pull and grunt and scream out in tired pain. And for their efforts, they freed an elderly man from his very bad dream as it melt into ooze.


    The two quickly aided the man, but the other rose up sharply, and started to set fire to the ooze with his laser.


    ¡°WE NEED TEAMS TO PULL THESE GUYS OUT! IT WORKS, I REPEAT, IT WORKS! TELL THE BOATS TO MAKE THEIR WAY OVER!¡±


    Aiko glanced over, seeing another new batch of Enforcers protecting a much bigger crowd. And looking over further, she could see another tunnel, freshly opened up.


    Connecting it all, she looked towards Maddie, who looked at her wits¡¯ end. Lowered eyes to the point you¡¯d be forgiven if one thought she was passing out, face covered in sweat and etched in exhaustion. True exhaustion where the pain itself that radiated is dull and pushed further than it should¡¯ve been. Wobbling, as if she wants to be anywhere but her own two legs.


    ¡°You¡­ Called me a coward,¡± Maddie snapped Aiko out of looking at her. ¡°I¡¯ve stewed in that shit. For nights on in. So fuck you¡­¡±


    Aiko smiled, again feeling her crackling. ¡°I take back what I¡¯ve said. You truly are brave.¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­¡± Maddie shrugged. ¡°I just wanted to put that in the record. I proved it, revoking it just¡­ It just means that I can¡¯t¡­ Add anything to it¡­¡±


    Aiko panted and closed her eyes, feeling the separation of across her face. ¡°We¡­ We helped¡­ Both of us¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not heroes¡­ Get that out of your head¡­ We got in the way and found something out¡­ No different from trying to stop some fight¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re crackling away, like¡­ He said¡­ Even if we board the boats, there¡¯s no guarantee that we will receive treatment in time¡­¡±


    Maddie looked at her, studying her. As Aiko looked back at the city, teeming with activity and visual static.


    ¡°My family will surely try¡­ Try and find some other land to hide and repeat their mistakes again¡­¡± Aiko reasoned. ¡°If Davenport falls, becomes a Terminsys City¡­ There¡¯s not much hope. So they¡¯ll be trapped into this chain until they get swallowed whole anyways¡­¡±


    ¡°But we can¡¯t face them---¡± Maddie argued. ¡°We can¡¯t even handle their mooks and side-effects of their powers, what makes you think we can defend something?¡±


    Aiko shook her head. ¡°No. Just help. We both have the power¡­ And the weakness¡­ We can take so many hits, but we can survive. Because we survived these people before¡­ We help when we can, sneak and lay low¡­ But ultimately, we can be the ultimate spanner¡­¡±


    Maddie sighed. Which caused Aiko to look at her.


    ¡°Surely¡­ You know this city more than any of us¡­ You can go and I¡¯m expecting you to¡­ But can you watch this place be destroyed? Your home¡­?¡±


    The question stuck with the small girl. She too turned around and looked towards the city. Her city.


    In the first time Aiko has known her, her sultry disposition wasn¡¯t one of annoyance or anger.


    But wistfulness. As if she was recalling everything about her experiences here at once.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s a hot mess,¡± Maddie begun. ¡°But it is my hot mess. Yeah.¡±


    She bit down her lip briefly.


    ¡°My sister¡¯s buried here. And not gonna lie. These fuckers taking this place down means that she¡¯s gone forever. I guess I was ready for that possibility when I came here, thought I could take that. Maybe I can in the end.¡±


    Aiko saw Maddie¡¯s fist tighten.


    ¡°But. Fuck. That.¡±


    Aiko nodded sternly. And then put a hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°I really wish I was some coward, on the other hand¡­¡± she sighed, as the weight of her decision crushes her.


    ¡°We were, when you think about how we all started¡­¡± Aiko mused, but looked forward. ¡°Time to prove to ourselves that we¡¯re survivors.¡±

 (Episode XIV) (Signs of the) Time (Act 5)

    ***


    There was no way Tracy should¡¯ve survived that.


    That was tons. Tons of wood, metal and plasture¡ªall tumbling down at once and on way, someone at the center of the impact zone should be alive right now.


    But here Tracy was. Should be dead, isn¡¯t dead, and is hoping that she appears to be.


    Behind her makeshift ruin of wall, she was pressed against the junk, the only reason she could stand at this moment. She stopped breathing, she barely moved. Those hours of practicing staying dead paid off in the best way possible.


    Using her ears, she heard N¡¯atural Savage groan and stirred from her crater that was once Tracy¡¯s home.


    Her mind was racing. How the fuck did she manage to erect a wall? Wasn¡¯t her ability based on what the enemy saw, versus hers? In fact, how the hell did siVis manage to aid her in the very last second and managed to achieve that?


    For any of this to work, Tracy figured that as N¡¯atural sailed across the air towards her apartment¡­ She was head-first, facing her, and in that moment where Tracy saw her coming, her siVis responded more to her moment of panic than her vacant surrender to fate.


    All in that order.


    This was all on brand, really.


    Her lungs started to shudder for air, but she and she alone fought against the motion of her body. Moving means never worrying about doing so anymore.


    Especially since, as Tracy sweated in place while still mimicking a cadaver, she was the one that exploded at this beast and told her she was nothing¡ª


    Her thoughts were cut off by creaking and groans, so low but rumbling that it could either be just the debris falling away or the sounds of N¡¯atural.


    ¡°How the hell is he¡­ Getting the hang of this better¡­?¡±


    Tracy herself was caught between the extremes of listening intently¡ªso that she can run whatever detail back to the confused masses and mentally and primally screaming at the monster girl to go away. Thankfully, an expanded mind allowed for both.


    A hum was soon dragged out, signaling crackling of bone and the crushing of objects.


    ¡°Trying to one up me, trying to get there first¡­ Trying to take my moment away from me¡­¡±


    Tracy heard the scrapping of extended, long talons. This confirming to her that she¡¯s far along with the transformation again, despite the confusion over the fact she can do this seemingly multiple times now.


    ¡°I have to beat him, before he goes off kilter, killing that Davenport fool¡­ At least that¡¯ll provide some cover for me¡­¡±


    What followed was a pregnant pause of silence. Before the rumbling and impact of N¡¯atural launching herself was made apparent.


    Tracy waited. Waited for minutes until she just heard the outside screaming and exploding. And she really had to force herself to lower her wall. What was stopping her? To accept that she has no place here anymore? To just become a sad bit of trivia to this day¡¯s toll and have her memory be just that¡ªuntil the rest bleeds over. And she wouldn¡¯t have to explain herself, about all that.


    Regardless, she needed the air, no matter how caked it was with dust and small rock. The wall gave way, and she collapsed onto the floor like the gawking fish she was.


    She looked upon her pathetic body, silk robes not being the best protective wear regarding falling buildings after all. Cut up, lesions, debris sticking out of places she¡¯s sure she can¡¯t pull out¡ªand perfectly matching with her previous injuries trying to heal.


    Cheek against the shattered floor, she looked out to see the chaos brewing before her eyes.


    Living on Luminous Hills, despite being on the metaphorical ¡°bottom¡± of such a place, it was still such a cozy and starwort part that represented¡­ A normal city. Davenport as a whole was just too weird, too hard concept, and that opinion was coming from a native despite wanting to move away. It was what everything what everyone envied and were in awe about regarding a city.


    Now? Now it¡¯s bending in multiple fashions¡ªbuildings buckling and bursting at sections but not tumbling down at once. The streets were stretched, no elongated but up at places and down at it¡¯s sides, creating uneven but equally desolate ground where people try to run, but struggle to. And whatever was left, was being looted by people, and not people society would instantly think of or ascribe to. ¡°Normal¡± people.


    Tracy couldn¡¯t exactly blame them¡ªin fact had she not fucked her life further; she¡¯d probably be the second coming of Cal¡ª


    Her thoughts ended, when she felt her floor¡ªor whatever¡¯s left¡ªsuddenly jerked vertically. Down vertically.


    She closed her eyes. And she hoped that it¡¯s not going to hurt this time.


    And soon, the entire floor, thus the rest of her destroyed apartment, fell out of the cavity created and left behind. All crashing within a clutter of various material that provided the soundtrack to this awful day.


    Tracy¡¯s shot open once again, another instance where she really shouldn¡¯t have.


    ¡°HUAHHOO¡± the nonsense groaned out of her mouth, yet summed everything up. ¡°How am I still fucking alive--?!¡±


    She took in the sight around her, and she found her answer.


    She saw her hands, clutching the sides of the ruggedly formed raft out of the floorboard.


    She arched her back and looked over her shoulder, to see that her legs were extended, enhanced by siVis.


    And finally taking in, the fact that she was a few, but critical, feet away from the wreckage that was her apartment suite¡ªagain, only the affected part was just her section, versus the whole.


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t get it¡­¡± Tracy turned towards her rising hand, moving her fingers to make sure that it was really her body.


    Tracy rose up in a daze, looking around and panting, confused about this situation, now confused about her body¡­ Confusion, written all over her face.


    ¡°How did you survive that--?!¡±


    She panicked, going doe lite watching a battered, middle-aged man that came from the haze.


    ¡°O-¡° the man raised his blackened hands, stumbled back. ¡°I¡¯m not doing that¡ªI¡¯m not that guy, I just¡ªI just saw you, I saw the whole thing--!¡±


    He was wearing torn business clothes, remnants of a black suit that stuck to his ruined blue dress shirt. Dust-covered black pants, and ripped opened dress shoes. Tracy studied the look, up and down, to search intention, tells, or even weapons.


    ¡°Look, I was just out for lunch¡ªI didn¡¯t even know what happened, I¡¯m just surprised that I found someone else¡­ Wait.¡±


    What was once a fearful, doughy face tightened with realization.


    ¡°TEACH ME¡ªGIVE ME SIVIS!¡± the ruined man shouted.


    Tracy immediately started walking backwards, with the ruined man prowling towards here, and struggling desperately trying to maintain his promise of space, but really really can¡¯t anymore.


    ¡°PLEASE, JUST GIVE ME SOMETHING, ANYTHING!¡± the ruin man slobbered in his fear. ¡°A trick! Just a trick so I can survive! Please! That¡¯s all I¡¯m asking¡­! Are you one of the crazies--?¡±


    Tracy furiously stook her head, as her legs wabbled below her as she still backed up. She couldn¡¯t chance running away, especially since her body was betraying her so harshly.


    ¡°You people are selfish, that¡¯s all you are!¡± ranting and raving, while picking up the frantic pace he set off on, closing in on the woman. ¡°And you have the gall to go crazy like you do! Go crazy about real issues and help the rest of us out-!¡±


    Someone managed to scream for Tracy, causing her to turn around in a fervor.


    She saw a lady, maybe a few years older than her, hair in a hazel bun, on her knees with her back turned to Tracy. She was shivering, clutching at her arms to the point the nails were digging into skin, drawing beads of blood¡­You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Until she started to glow white and said blood gave way to familiar sparking.


    ¡°FINALLY!¡±, the ruin man screamed, running past Tracy towards the woman, and in turn Tracy backed away again.


    The shivering woman started to shake violently, curling up into a ball, until her blouse ripped open from the back, exposing it bare as it was covered in sweat.


    Soon, it gave away. As if her back opened itself up and revealed a violet radiating void.


    The ruined man couldn¡¯t stop himself, as he looked on with acute dread.


    Tracy chanced it, and began to run in a sprint.


    All she could hear, within a second later, was the man¡¯s screams.


    And all she could feel at the moment, was the immense pull from behind.


    Almost like a vacuum, Tracy was being sucked away as she runs away, gaining ground, losing it, and then finally hauled backways without any say in the manner.


    She gasped, but the air around her was being taken away.


    She tried to flail away, but her arms were jerked from her sides and daggled from the back.


    Then she remembered.


    Using her enhanced legs, she pogoed from side to side, her stiff legs standing firm as slowly but surely, she was removed from the force, and begun even jumping high from the mishappened ground, from the shock of having that work more than anything.


    Jumping and darting away from that mess, away from her apartment, away¡­ From what she thought could¡¯ve been her punishment. Should have been.


    She stopped, landing on both of her bare feet, getting on her knees herself as she clutches her chest. Panting. Disorientated. Confused.


    Then she heard a cry. A miserable cry.


    Turning her head, she saw her. A small child, must be 10 or something. She was trapped under a wreckage. It was once a small shop, but has collapsed from the wear and tear of the reality bending. The child was behind some fallen planks, but the gap was enough to see her struggling under the part of the roof that has pinned her down. Her blonde curls flat against her red, sweating face. Crying, screaming for someone, anyone.


    Tracy gritted her teeth, her clay-like face creating the pure expression of adject terror.


    ¡°Ohmygod¡ªHEY! Little girl! Where are your guardians?! Where¡¯s your parents?!¡±


    The girl shook her head and wept more, confirming what Tracy figured.


    The pathetic woman put her hands on her head, knowing that the worst person couldn¡¯t possibly do what needed to be done.


    Screaming from the tops of her ruined lungs, ¡°HEEEEEEEELP! PLEASE! SOMEONE PLEASE!¡±


    The girl shrieked louder in response. The fact that it¡¯s most likely due to severe pain caused the pathetic woman¡¯s mind to break further.


    ¡°I CAN¡¯T DO IT¡ªI CAN¡¯T SAVE HER! I NEED SOMEONE TO SAVE HER!¡±


    The screams penetrated her mind and scrambled whatever left¡¯s in seconds.


    ¡°I¡¯M A TERRIBLE PERSON!¡± she pleaded, not to the child but to whatever was making her face this. ¡°I ACCEPTED MY FATE! I COULDN¡¯T DO ANYTHING FOR ANYTHING! AND I ACCEPTED THAT! WHAT¡¯S THIS NOW?! WHY THIS?!¡±


    Tracy banged her fists against the asphalt, over and over again. To the point that she wanted to draw blood¡­


    But as she finally stopped, she rose her hands up, and noticed the small cracks forming.


    ¡°¡­Right,¡± she finally understood.


    She got up, looking towards the crying child.


    ¡°Dear¡­!¡± she tried to get her attention. Tracy begun waving her arms, ¡°Dear! Darling! STOP IT! STOP CRYING!¡±


    Tracy walked towards the wreckage, stumbling, feeling the effects of her condition coming on, the crackling of herself.


    By walking forward, this caused the poor little girl to look up at her, still sniffling and groaning in pain.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, darling,¡± Tracy said in a hush. ¡°You¡¯re beautiful, I want you to know that. Gorgeous.¡±


    The woman crouched at her spot, getting in eye level with the child despite the distance. ¡°I need you to listen to me. Whatever you do, you look at me. Okay, darling? You¡¯re so pretty¡ªI know you¡¯re smart too. Just look at me, no matter what happens, okay?¡±


    While confused, the girl curtly nodded.


    Tracy smiled, but she knew it looked hallow. But it was fine. This needed to happen. This is her calling. This is her fate.


    She extended her arms out.


    PERSPECTIVE FLIP


    By using the planks, she painstakingly puzzled them out of their wreckage and positioned them under the visible holes of the prime wreckage, wedging them firm.


    Tracy rose, struggling under the weight of this task, as she growled into a pained scream as she kept rising and rising, using her upper body to lift the wreckage up and away.


    The girl was surprised, looking around her instinctively in zeal.


    Tracy instantly slammed down, as if an invisible hand slapped her onto one knee. ¡°DARLING PLEASE¡ªLOOK. AT. ME!¡±


    The child shot back towards her, both in fear and sorrow that she forgot to do what this nice lady was asking.


    Tracy panted, even started to cry due to the pain of the strain that she was experiencing, but pushed on anyways despite feeling the cracks run up her sides.


    Screaming out in pained shouts and agonizing wails, she managed to lift the wreckage completely, leaving the girl just on her belly¡ªher overall-covered legs covered in black and dust.


    ¡°W-what do I do now, Ms--?¡± the small voice asked in panic.


    ¡°GET AWAY!¡± Tracy screamed. Far away! Forget about me!¡±


    She shook her head instantly. ¡°I-I¡ª¡±


    ¡°YOU CAN!¡± Tracy yelled, but not out of malice. ¡°Look at you! You¡¯re like a s-star! You light the room and you¡¯re so sharp! You can f-f-forget some mess like me¡ªso go!¡±


    ¡°Ooooor¡ª¡±


    An Australian boy scrolled up beside Tracy, with a brown bag around his wrist, his hands in his pockets.


    ¡°We¡¯ll help you ladies with that,¡± Bentley said, cocking his head towards someone Tracy couldn¡¯t see yet.


    He went in so fast, he was like a blur, but Chimney never the less rushed in between the propped up wreckage, and carefully pulled the girl from the wreck.


    You had to have enhanced hearing to experience the following, Chimney asking if the girl was hurt, carefully putting her on his massive back, saying ¡°backies, yay backies!¡±


    He paced himself, but of course made his way out quickly, letting Tracy to finally crumble into dust.


    She fell around the same time that the wreckage did, almost passing out but something was keeping her together.


    ¡°Easy there, luv¡ª¡± it was Bentley¡¯s turn to catch someone, holding her gingerly.


    Tracy looked up at him with her glassy, doughy eyes. ¡°I thought¡­ The next time you saw us¡­¡±


    ¡°My eyesight¡¯s all fuzzy today,¡± Bentley quickly responded. ¡°Shite allegories or something. So I¡¯m not really looking at ya¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Ughm,¡± Tracy closed her eyes. ¡°No wonder they make fun of you. You really are cheesey.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t see it, but I¡¯m rolling my eyes¡ª¡± Bentley batted back. ¡°Kinda¡­ The weirdest look to have in times like these¡ª¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have time to change when N¡¯atural Savage rammed into my apartment¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Holy fuck¡ª¡± Bentley audibly blink via his words, pretty much. ¡°You¡¯re shitting me.¡±


    ¡°Nope. There¡¯s a pile, ways away from here that used to be where I slept and stuff.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Bentley¡¯s silence was just as palpable. ¡°Harv. Take uh, Chim¡¯s skills and run back and try to find the wreck. Maybe her dresser survived or whatever search for some pants at least¡ª¡±


    There was an animation that could be subtly heard, before ¡°SKILL SWAP¡± rang out, and the sound of someone darting away.


    The least she could do was open her eyes.


    As she did, she can see Bentley holding her still, looking over to Gently hold was stand-off-ish about the whole thing, darting to Chimney next to him, clearly using siVis to hold himself up so that the girl can stand on his back.


    ¡°Better be lucky that this shit forced us to be citizens, girly,¡± Gently snarked.


    Tracy got out of Bentley¡¯s hold, wabbling.


    ¡°You said that you tangled with N¡¯atural briefly?¡± Bentley questioned.


    ¡°Well¡­ We did¡­¡± Tracy admitted. ¡°A few weeks ago. But no, this was literal random chance¡­ She crashed right into my apartment when I was accepting that I was gonna go out drinking wine and crying.¡±


    ¡°Jesus Christ, woman¡ª¡± Bentley spattered out.


    ¡°No wonder you¡¯re all fucked up¡­¡± Gently said. ¡°You¡¯re cracking. Had a friend that cracked.¡±


    ¡°Did he get better¡­?¡± Tracy asked innocently.


    ¡°¡­ ¡®Had¡¯, girly.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was just clinging to hope, it¡¯s a terrible habit¡­¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s people out there¡ª¡± Bentley reasoned. ¡°That can help, we just have to high tail it to those ferries and you stay strong, promise that¡ª¡±


    Tracy shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s just not what¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you girls just fixated on terrible ideas that get you killed?¡± Bentley astonished. ¡°Is it a kink¡ªa kink you all share, is that how you lot met--?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I¡­ Better part of my sad, short life was trying to find a way out. A way out after tearing my family apart, all because that I thought I was making their lives better¡­ I¡¯m a terrible waste of everything. There was never redemption for me, and nor should there be. I was thinking¡­ That crying and whining after ruining my life further¡ªthat being my ultimate punishment I deserved. No¡­ It¡¯s this. Making lives better as I lose mine. Figuratively or literally.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Bent,¡± Gently nodded. ¡°They¡¯re masochists, straight up.¡±


    Bentley wasn¡¯t paying attention to either of them. He was digging into his brown bag, from some caf¨¦.


    He pulled out some croissant, holding it up, and pretends to put it under his nose, making a mustache.


    All for the amusement for the little girl, as she laughed despite being so tired, despite her face drenched in tears. The sight was so alien, for Tracy.


    He held the croissant up to the girl¡¯s face, making her have the mustache, which continued to make her giggle in fits, before giving to her, as she nommed as Bentley fed her.


    ¡°Yeah yeah,¡± Bentley dismissed Tracy. ¡°So after you get your pants, we¡¯ll leave you be, get this girl looked at.¡±


    ¡°Noooot exactly¡­¡± Tracy winced.


    Bentley looked at her, while still holding up the food for the child.


    ¡°Take me to Steppe Ave, before you do that,¡± Tracy asked. ¡°That¡¯s all I want. They¡¯re doing something there¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to stop it!¡± Gently shouted in disbelief.


    ¡°Of course¡­ That¡¯s why I¡¯m going to be the human shield for the people that will.¡±


    ¡°Seriously woman¡ª¡± Bentley sounded exasperated. ¡°Not really into helping people march to their bloody deaths!¡±


    ¡°Who knows¡­?¡± Tracy shrugged. ¡°Maybe my punishment and karma makes this life long¡­¡±


    ¡°At the rate you¡¯re fucking going¡ª¡± Gently spat.


    Everyone stopped talking and turned to the sound of Harvey walking with a bag of his own, filled with some ruined clothing that looked familiar to Tracy, his hands and clothes covered in dust.


    ¡°h-hey¡ª¡± the boy said. He walked up to the girl, but then backed up, but held the bag up soon after. ¡°I didn¡¯t¡ªy¡¯know, I didn¡¯t do anything uh, I just got the pants and shirt, I swear¡ª¡±


    ¡°Of course, I trust you¡­¡± Tracy smiled at him, knowing that he was sweating bullets and was so nervous.


    As she took the bag, however¡­


    ¡°I¡ªHeard all of that. I wanna say¡ªyou can¡¯t die, because I wanna¡­ Walk. You can¡¯t die because I wanna walk with you, after all of this is over.¡±


    Bentley¡¯s expression was one of pure confusion, horror, and excitement, shifting as much as he could¡¯ve with siVis. Chimney blinked while looking at both of his friends, while Gentley just stood there in silence.


    Tracy? She¡­ She just nodded.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Tracy said, processing it. ¡°That sounds nice.¡±


    ¡°There, because now it¡¯s a promise,¡± Harvey stumbled and sounded like on the verge of dying. ¡°You promised me. You can¡¯t break a promise.¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­¡± she found herself smiling. ¡°It¡¯s a promise. Thank you.¡±


    Harvey could only nod, to the nod that it was just his head bobbing per second.


    ¡°¡­This really must be it, boys¡ª¡± Bentley looked about in shock. ¡°This whole thing just got heavier, this shit is super real now¡ª¡±


    ¡°Seriously,¡± Gently just said.


    Harvey gave Chimney his strength back and thus was able to hold the girl without siVis support.


    ¡°Just give me a bit to change, boys¡­¡± Tracy looked towards the city. ¡°I have work to finally do.¡±

 (Episode XIV) (Signs of the) Time (Act 4)

    ***


    ¡°For those frantically tuning in: due to the unique and unprecedented nature of this situation¡ªany and all information is scrambled and has to be verified one at a time! Tabitha Morrow is currently within hospital stay and some sources say that she is a target in these supernatural attacks, therefore caused this miasma of disinformation¡ªas well as the lockdown of Extant and Shift Research Centers! So are in the dark and are only relaying the action as it unfolds¡ªwe do not have the answers! We repeat, we do not have the answers¡ª¡±


    And that was the last of the LKDN stream, the most trusted news station on the island, instantly being taken out due to the overload of onlookers.


    With a shaking hand, River swiped towards another stream on her old laptop, trying to steady her hand with another trembling one.


    ¡°¡ªLike I said, this is it¡­ No sunshine that¡¯ll break through the clouds, no rainbow when everything is done. Like my god, people like me¡ªwe just, we just turned our heads to the other side and dismissed all of this as some confusing mismash that never concerned¡ªthat¡¯s my whole life, huh? Never getting that something is ending until it¡¯s gone. I guess you can add that stuff to the beginning of the footage, for the person who finds this tape¡­¡±


    The anchorwoman was slumped in her chair, black hair disheveled, once pretty dress worn and sweaty. She was just looking at the desk, which has two vacant seats behind it and scattered pieces of once everyday items discarded in a hurry. Everything was in a shade, bulletins left blank and as she rambled on, the sound mixing came in and out.


    As if she really is the last one left in the building and is choosing to stay. Choosing her grave.


    Another swipe, River panting audibly as she tried in vain to wipe the sweat brewing across her forehead.


    ¡°J-JERRY¡ªWE NOW HAVE EYE WITNESS REPORTS¡ªAB¡ªAB¡ªBASED ON THE ORIGINS OF HOW THIS WHOLE MESS WAS STARTED! A WOMAN CLAIMED THAT SHE SAW N¡¯ATURAL SAVAGE¡ªEXCUSE ME¡ªAS SHE SWIPED AT THE YOUNG MAN WITH SHADOW POWERS¡ªAND HE THEN TACKLED HER INTO A LOCAL DINER¡ª¡±


    The old man was simmering, spattering, and steaming. His suit flung on his seat, pointing to the floating screen of footage. While River was sweating, this man was drenched in it, his dress shirt becoming undone due to the amount. Already balding, his hair at his sides were frizzled in different directions, his wild eyes were bloodshot, and his face was covered in bulging veins.


    He cannot keep up with the sensory overload and he knows this. So he¡¯s doing it as much as he can.


    ¡°¡ªENOUGH OF SPECTULATION, WE HAVE FOOTAGE NOW OF THE TWO¡ªIT¡¯S AT THE POINT THAT THEY¡¯RE GLIDING WITHIN THE STATIC AIR ITSELF¡ªAS IF THEY¡¯RE DISEMBODIED SPECTERS, JERRY¡ªAND AS THEY CONTINUE TO CLASH¡ªKEEP DOING THESE IMPOSSIBLE THINGS IN RAPID SUCCESSI¡ªOH MY GOD, DID YOU SEE THAT?! N¡¯ATURAL HAS CRASHED INTO AN APARTMENT COMPLEX AND HAS JUST LEAP OUT, AS IF IT WERE NOTHING! NOW THE PART WHERE SHE FELL¡ªLUMINOUS HILLS! IT¡¯S SOME NIGHTMARE¡ªWE HAVE A TREND INCIDENT¡ªA SIVIS INCIDENT¡ªA NULGARRT INCIDENT¡ªAND A REGULAR SHIFT INCIDENT ROLLED INTO ONE, HOW CAN WE POSSIBLY¡ªHOW¡ªHOW¡ªHOW¡ª¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Then, his voice gave out. Swallowed by silence. Telling silence.


    He just stared, up at the screen, for what felt like hours compressed into 4 seconds. He then turned towards the camera.


    ¡°This is the craziest thing I¡¯ve ever seen in my damn life, Jerry.¡±


    Without warning, he collapsed where he stood. Causing most of the staff that were left, scrambling ontop of each other.


    River just exited the News Live Feed all together, and went back to her precious forum.


    It itself, a whole front page with threads being made on the spot. Mods not available, either resigning or simply not being there, the site owner themselves ¡°starting at a wall¡± and ¡°can¡¯t bring sanity to the place because [they¡¯re] losing theirs¡±.


    But more importantly for River, this is her going back to square one. Being so freaked out by this, being awoken to panic, ¡°forced¡± out of her ¡°sanctuary¡± to find if someone, anyone, could withstand all thing and tell everyone that things aren¡¯t alright, and in extreme detail.


    The terrible symptom of handling and sharing Shift information is some sort of sensory overlord mixed some mummy¡¯s curse¡ªraw and constant, the more likely people will get overwhelmed. Without Tabby getting the facts from Extant, who then tells her to rely as much as she can with the news groups¡ªand this is what happens. Pure and distilled madness.


    River then lowered her head, putting her fingers in her fucked, grimy hair. She knew that she had nothing to really worry about.


    Her side of the city appears to be the least effected, the problems so literally far away, she could¡¯ve avoided this pity party entirely and do what her family¡¯s doing, waiting for their tunnel to open. But no. Once again, she had to make everything worse for herself. All in her weird mating dance of self-effacing and egotism.


    So, she went on to do what she always did. Doomscroll on various websites as she unravels.


    She was looking at the recent forum threads¡ªcaps of photos and one line sentences.


    But of those photos caught her eye.


    She saw a familiar red shade of hair, despite the grime and messy state it¡¯s in.


    It was a crowd photo, people heading for Steppe Ave, and it was Tracy among that bunch. The blurb, it talked about how people are chancing it, going there despite the Trends battling there.


    Tracy. Trying to do something.


    River lowered her hands, and rested her balled up fists on the laptop¡¯s empty areas.


    If only she could get over herself, like they would.


    But, as the minutes dragged on¡­ She begun thinking that maybe she doesn¡¯t have to.


    She quickly made a thread herself. She knew, both as a semi-poster and part-time lurker, that people won¡¯t know who the hell she is. But that isn¡¯t important.


    If she really is throwaway, useless¡­ Then she can be a throwaway Tabby.


    As she titled the threat: ¡°Live play-by-play of Steppe Ave¡±, she closed her laptop, and grabbed her shoes and bag. While putting on said shoes, she noted how she doesn¡¯t¡­ Well, lose anything when she becomes steam. Making any reservations of possibly sneaking by irrelevant.


    At least it¡¯s going to be fully her fault. Not theirs. Never theirs.


    SLIPSTEAM


    With that, she floated out of her room, through the closed windows somehow, phasing down to the streets and landing solid.


    And as soon as she landed, she winced, feeling the otherworldly pain.


    She lifted up her sweater, seeing cracks form across her stomach.


    River scoffed at herself, that she¡¯s breaking apart due to some ¡°stress¡±. Nothing definable, nothing understandable.


    It didn¡¯t matter, anyways.


    SLIPSTEAM


    She began to jump in the air, even gliding a tad before coming down again, so she could save time going towards Steppe Ave¡ªto aid everyone she can.


    Too bad she could enjoy, the idea of that.


    ***

 (Episode XIV) (Signs of the) Time (End)

    Jackie¡¯s nightmares were finally realized.


    With Leslie in tow, they ran towards her house¡ªher home she took for granted, and saw the door open and shouting coming out of it.


    In that sweetspot of actual ability and siVis influence, she raced so fast towards her home, it took seconds.


    ¡°¡ªIt¡¯s okay, please just get out of here, there¡¯s nothing for you--!¡±


    Jack was protecting a scrambling Dawn on the floor, trying to get away from the man before them.


    A vagrant, dressed in destroyed heavy, dark clothes that might¡¯ve been trashed even before the events of today. He was shaking, violently.


    And then he began to glow.


    His new senses told him that a someone was coming towards him, directly behind. Jackie got to see his gaunt, unshaven face. His eyes bugging out with the all too familiar ring dressing.


    Colorless.


    He grabbed his head, hunched over, screaming out and swung his arms.


    Curved, bone-like projectiles shot out¡ªspinning towards Jackie who effortlessly dodged out of the way.


    But she glanced back, seeing Leslie in mid-dash, amidst of catching up¡ªcausing her own eyes to go wide.


    She raced back, taking the hit for Leslie, just in the same moments of him noticing the bones coming for him, now seeing Jackie fall down to the ground.


    ¡°Jackson--!¡± his voice audibly trembling. ¡°I told you¡ªyou could only tak---!¡±


    He was being spread thin, his head jerked towards the screams from the house, seeing the bone man trying to walk in.


    ¡°LISTEN TO ME--!¡± Leslie yelled at the victim, which caused him to hunch over and look at Leslie, almost like a deer in headlights, but one badly infected by something ravaging their mind. ¡°WE DON¡¯T HAVE TO DO THIS¡ªPLEASE, JUST CALM YOURSELF! DON¡¯T MOVE¡ªDON¡¯T EVEN THINK!¡±


    Jackie groaned, looking up to see Leslie raise his arms, to signal peace.


    ¡°I¡¯M NOT A THREAT, NO ONE¡¯S HARMING YOU, I¡¯M ONLY SCREAMING BECAUSE I¡¯M RESPECTING YOUR SPACE--!¡±


    Jackie glanced back at the man, who just violently shook his head, and instantly shot back down. She had to act.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The bone man clutched at his head, twitched violently, and then screamed¡ªjutting his upperbody upwards and soon, a spread of spinning bone boomerangs shot across the area.


    Jackie forced herself up, crouching, before running full speed towards the bone man. Once again, she darted like a snake, avoiding the projectiles  and staying low as she approached the broken man.


    She tackled him without a second thought in her head, forcing him down on the ground as he screamed out in agony, writhing under her tight control.


    He jerked, shouted¡ªas if the man didn¡¯t know any words.


    Jackie was expecting some kind of piercing¡ªsome kind of retaliation, the other shoe to drop. If it meant taking the worse of what¡¯s going to happen, away from these people, then she¡¯ll stand there and take every blow. And she was determined to follow that promise, even as she falls apart.


    But something equally worse happened.


    Suddenly¡­ The man just stopped. Stopped screaming. Stopped moving. Stopped breathing.


    Jackie quickly got off of him, looking down scared. She didn¡¯t notice Leslie come over, looking over the body.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t do this,¡± Leslie assured. ¡°Suddenly gaining siVis can cause someone to¡­ You see, it¡¯s such a high, that any as sudden lows can kill them. There was a chance of this happening if he calmed down on his own.¡±


    Jackie heard him, but continued to look.


    As his body began to turn a crystal-blue, cracking all over, before falling to pieces at places of his body.


    Then, she looked towards the open door. Seeing a sadder sight.


    Her father, rising up after shielding her mother, caused in deep gashes that started to cover him in blood. Dawn, as Jackie could see, was still grazed at places as the bones were wedged throughout the living room.


    All of this. She done all of this, just to avoid something like this.


    Putting the final ironic book-end to her pathetic, meaningless life.


    In her depressed daze, she looked up to the darkening skies. She saw the visual static, making it¡¯s way across slowly but surely. Reach, ever-present.


    With that, she had her reason. Her reason from meaninglessness.


    ¡°Leslie,¡± Jackie said, her mouth dry¡ªtone at a croak. ¡°Promise me that you¡¯ll take care of them.¡±


    The young man just looked at her. With an intensity and purpose. ¡°I have very right to shout right now and tell them what I think you¡¯re going to do, to keep you safe.¡±


    ¡°Of course, you wouldn¡¯t be a good nurse anymore if you didn¡¯t.¡± She begun to walk off down the street, towards the city, towards certain chaos.


    She wondered, briefly, about the others. She hoped with the last vestiges that remained that they¡¯re safe and sound, getting their catharsis in the end. Despite their faults and despite themselves¡ªthey deserved a better world. Jackie knew now that she¡¯s one of the thankless that has to hold it together when everyone else can¡¯t at the moment.


    In her thoughts of determined resignation, she didn¡¯t notice her father behind her, and felt his grip tight on her wrist. Pulling her back with all of his might, and Jackie did not bulge.


    ¡°You---ARE NOT¡ªwalking into Hell all by yourself!¡±


    And in a second later, he proceeded to gasp and immediately let go.


    Puzzled, Jackie turned towards him and glanced down to her wrist.


    Which too, started to crack.


    With a heavy sigh, she looked towards her father, witnessing him with tears running down his face, and utterly scared.


    ¡°I¡¯m walking into Hell? Dad, we¡¯re already here. And it¡¯s about time that someone¡¯s willing to throw themselves into the flames so they can be stopped. I love you.¡±


    And with that, she turned on her heels.


    Marching toward, into a twisted Hell. A twisted Hell, that the meek are it¡¯s only help.

 (Finale) Weight of the World (1/3)

    Jackie Jackson found herself running down the very street she walked down on that day. Her attention steeled and looking forward, her mind couldn¡¯t help to wonder what the chalked message looked like, or even said now.


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


    She had the urge¡ªthe instinct¡ªto look towards the skies. It was then that ¡°too late¡± turned into a more accurate ¡°find something within the ruin¡±.


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


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


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


    There was no way she could¡¯ve predicted what she saw.


    Objects weren¡¯t so much floating, but given excuse to fan out, exist beyond where they were stationed. Parts of buildings, street laps, benches and cars¡ªthey were just surging about in the air or ¡°settled¡± within the air, going beyond their constructs by snapping and bending like rubber liquid as they move. The visual static that flickered in the air was basically buzzing, causing everything within this area to be neigh-impossible to look at if you weren¡¯t siVis enlightened.


    But that wasn¡¯t the thing that gave her pause.


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


    Jackie didn¡¯t like the image, regardless.


    She stood her ground, holding up her arms. ¡°STOP! ALL OF YOU!¡±


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


    INNATE DRIVE!


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


    The crowd didn¡¯t so much as stop but were scared into place. Stiffening at the sudden sound, all at different places despite being a collective of selfish desperation. Naturally, they looked towards the cause of the boom, and stared at Jackie.


    ¡°There¡¯s no point in adding to this mess!¡± Jackie held her hands forward, raising her voice. ¡°Find the ports! They¡¯re leaving on multiple boats as we speak! This isn¡¯t worth it!¡±


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


    INNATE DRIVE!


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


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


    ¡°You don¡¯t want this!¡± Jackie explained. ¡°I thought I wanted this! If I could, I¡¯d take it back! But now I have to deal with it! It¡¯s not some free card, it¡¯s just another thing to deal with in this fucked world we live in! It took me¡ªto the point of me getting like this¡ªto understand that! I¡¯m saving you all from yourselves!¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    There was clear division, confusion. People took what she said to heart, others dead on ignored it and want to rush her, others just can¡¯t understand her, what she said, or what¡¯s going on. They just need to act.


    And as Jackie got ready to defend herself, she pondered how she¡¯s supposed to act here. She¡¯d be only able to take care of a handful of civilizations at beast, and once the illusion of still being a possible threat to be heard from is gone, then further chaos. She can¡¯t stall unless she ramps up the violence. And there¡¯s the question of where the Trends are in all of this.


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


    The sound of sirens broke through the tension.


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


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


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


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


    ¡°T-thank you!¡± she played up the genuine weakness she felt. ¡°I tried to stop them, I tried to¡­!¡±


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


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he reassured. ¡°I got you.¡±


    He turned to his team, ¡°FIND THE INJURED AND LET THE ESCAPE TEAM TAKE THEM ONCE THEY¡¯RE GOOD¡±


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


    ¡°Are they--?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re okay,¡± Leslie nodded. ¡°In fact, they¡¯re heading to the boats now.¡±


    Jackie sighed in relief.


    ¡°Your father did say that I help you and bring you back, just saying.¡±


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


    ¡°Tell me right now if this plan of yours is sound.¡±


    Jackie looked down. Not really looking at anything.


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


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


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


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


    ¡°But what about you?¡±


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


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


    ¡°We get a big W on the board¡ª¡±


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


    ¡°I knew you were gonna say some cheesy shit,¡± Maddie had her hands in pockets. ¡°So there, there¡¯s no better way in saying it.¡±


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


    ¡°OH GOD, I¡¯VE MADE IT AND I¡¯M NOT ALONE¡ªIT¡¯S LIKE A BLISSING FROM GOD!¡± she stumbled towards the group.


    River waved, just appeared besides them, causing everyone to jump at the same time. ¡°I was here for like a minute, I just didn¡¯t want to ruin the moment.¡±


    ¡°Good thing Madison did it for you!¡± Aiko pointed out.


    Leslie rubbed his face with a facepalm. ¡°Of course you¡¯re all here.¡±


    Jackie can only grin softly, before looking down at him. ¡°And these guys¡¯ll dig and drag me out. They owe me. There.¡±


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


    ¡°Fine¡­ I didn¡¯t ¡®find¡¯ you yet. Or you. Or you. Or you,¡± the boy pointed at all of them, but ended up just letting his hand glide in a short arc. ¡°But if you do die here. If you do fail. Then I¡¯m telling them the actual truth.¡±


    ¡°Leslie¡ª¡± Jackie protested.


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


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


    Jackie then let go, turning towards the rest.


    ¡°Let¡¯s make this all worth it.¡±


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


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

 (Finale) Weight of the World (2/3)

    They were instantly blown back due to the unnatural force.


    Initially trembling in the air within odd, offbeat directions, each of the girls anchored themselves back down onto the streets, skidding as a result.


    ¡°Fuck--!¡± Maddie voiced what they all wanted to scream.


    Jackie winced and started to pant, looking up to see what caused that.


    Beyond the patched over crevice, the Center was there. Clouded within the haze, surrounded by the debris of the buildings that once surrounded it, and more horrifying, the people within the air¡ªzigging and zagging to get back down, or is under said debris despite being upwards, as if the physics ignored in one place and made up for in other ways.


    And no signs of the Trends. Despite, for reasons the girls don¡¯t know, feeling them being here. Around them. Surrounded on every side, top to bottom.


    ¡°What should we do?¡± Aiko asked, looking towards the scene. ¡°Do we rush for the building, do we face the Trends when they come--?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get the people down first,¡± Jackie looked towards them.


    ¡°We barely got down ourselves!¡± Tracy argued.


    ¡°But we did,¡± Jackie answered back. ¡°Our superpower is reminding us that we can use muscle memory and stretch that thin. It¡¯s about time for using our trauma twitches for something.¡±


    ¡°Man¡ª¡± Maddie quipped right after.


    ¡°I mean,¡± Jackie nearly stammered it out. ¡°We¡¯ve suffered through things, I¡¯m allowed to¡ªno, focus. I¡¯ll try getting to one first, to see if this can work. If it does, follow my lead.¡±


    She put her eyes to the skies, and gazed at her options.


    She couldn¡¯t help to be reminded of Bentley, and what her understanding of his ability was. How she saw his eyes flicker, trying to determine to make his arm not only hit, but be possible.


    So she focused on a floating object, a chair from an office, that was hovering closer to the street, but not extremely so. Then, she craned her head at an angle, to imagine the trajectory and find something close.


    And to her delight, there was a streetlight.


    She crouched down to the ground, before sprinting towards the floating chair, using the siVis in her legs, she sprung forward hoping that she would make it, and that it would be enough to fight against the pull.


    She then curved left, causing her to scramble in the air.


    What could¡¯ve been a perfect landing on that chair, became her using her long arms to fumble, clutch at it and ultimately was successful. She dangled completely to the right, shifting the chair and looking like she¡¯s laying in the air sideways.


    She cursed herself, and craned her head to see the streetlight. Still there, but far.


    She couldn¡¯t give up now.


    As she used siVis to unlock the strength in her arms, she remembered the¡­ She remembered traversing her hometown. She then remembered needing to be quick despite the environmental pressure, like the Nulgarrt Stew.


    And most importantly, she remembered attempting curling for the first time, and wanting to die.


    The combination allowed her to scale the seat, fighting against the so-called gravity, and she stood erect, still at an angle. She looked up to the streetlamp, and bended down, using siVis on her legs again.


    She darted with all the strength she has, reaching out towards the object, even losing steam towards the end as she started to curve downward.


    But she made it, grabbing onto the pole with one hand, before landing against it. She quickly added the other hand, and give herself a second of breath. She hoisted herself up it, climbing it.


    ¡°Oh god! Help! Please!¡±


    Jackie found herself turning her head, towards a 40 year old or so woman. Clothes covered in mess and sweat, her aging face full of horror.


    Jackie nodded, looking at the pole and then at her to figure out the next course of action.


    She looked towards the woman, and then to the building that was far away from them.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Jackie climbed up to the top of the streetlight, slid down with one hand, and proceeded to anchor her legs against the pole, and jumped.


    She reached for the lady¡¯s shirt, grabbing it, and pulled her in close as she screamed.


    Jackie shifted throughout the air, making sure that she¡¯s at an angle again with her feet towards the approaching building as she held the woman in a bridal carry.


    She landed so hard, that she made another indent, this time, into the windows, It was lucky for both, that it didn¡¯t cave in¡ªinstead just shaping into the indent.


    Jackie was panicked, but of course didn¡¯t show it to the more deserving to be panicked woman. She scanned, she searched¡­


    And saw a low floating bench below them.


    But that was far too low to just jump to and her legs are just throbbing at this point.


    She looked around and found a manhole cover and ripped up street around it, floating aimlessly, therefore away.


    ¡°Hold on, m¡¯am, just trust me¡ª¡±


    The woman couldn¡¯t make words, just nodded. Less trust and more she¡¯s desperate.


    Jackie crouched again, and bolted towards the cover.


    She course-corrected within the air once more, and landed feet first onto the manhole cover.


    And then darted forward again towards the bench, correcting herself instantly as they launched, thus landing once more.


    With sweat and grime collected herself, Jackie readied herself once more as she panted, and jumped from the bench, tucking her legs in and using siVis on her lower body to fight against the pull.


    It worked.


    Once it was clear, she used her siVis-enhanced legs to land feet-first on the ground, trembling despite doing the impossible.


    She put the woman down, the lady crying with joy and hugs her.


    ¡°thns-thank-you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Help is beyond the vans there,¡± Jackie reassured. ¡°Stay safe, m¡¯am.¡±


    With that, she ran for said vans and the girls ran towards her.


    ¡°Holy shit¡ª¡± River exclaimed. ¡°You¡¯re an actual hero now.¡±


    Jackie wiped the sweat from her brow, and looking at her siVis-enhanced legs, knowing if she drops such, she¡¯ll tumble towards the ground.


    ¡°It¡¯s so hard¡ª¡± Jackie panted out.


    ¡°Yeah, I bounced off some walls earlier,¡± Maddie confirmed. ¡°Shit sucks.¡±


    ¡°Sucks more than the Terminsys City?¡± Aiko tilted her head in surprise.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jackie made sure to vocalize.


    Tracy just looked towards the mess and madness.


    ¡°Well Hell,¡± she murmured in both frustration and sadness.


    ¡°Five,¡± Jackie winced. ¡°At least five. Let¡¯s get five more down, at least, then we could talk about doing something else¡­¡±


    Each girl looked towards the wreckage of the air. There were gulps, swears under breath, whimpering¡­


    But they did it anyways.


    Each of them, darting across the debris, sailing through the air despite the currents that could yank them at a moment¡¯s notice, and the realizations that they¡¯re so high up. But they didn¡¯t focus on that, they focused on grabbing people. Fathers, grandmothers, only friend, estranged child. With their efforts, Tracy, Maddie, River, and Aiko nabbed four people, with Jackie struggling against the pain, and grabbing the final one.


    One of the girls was yanked violently by a current and had to stay calm stranded for a bit. Another, jumped too early and let their passenger up in the air and had to angle themselves back up to get them. One let the reality of how insane this is get to them, and spun in place clinging to their person for support.


    Each one, able to beat their troubles. Each one, were able to beat themselves.


    With five people saved, running for their lives, left the girls panting, aching, and sweating.


    ¡°LET¡¯S DOUBLE IT¡ª¡± Jackie shouted.


    ¡°DOUBLE?!¡± Tracy exclaimed, as if she¡¯s going to pass out from exhaustion.


    ¡°IF WE CONTINUE TO PUSH THROUGH, THEN THE WORSE PART OF OUR PAIN CAN BE DROWNED OUT!¡± Jackie stood upwards, before hunched over her knees. ¡°WE KEEP THE PACE, WE CAN BE ABOVE THE PAIN! WE CAN DO THIS! WE CAN DO IT THIS TIME! WE HAVE TO!¡±


    They all looked at each other and noticed their respective cracks on their body.


    They then nodded.


    Despite tired, despite in pain, despite noticeably slowing down and losing finer control over their steering¡ªthese pathetic, broken girls managed to save a total of 13 people so far.


    It felt like the longest week happened within a hour, which was a distance five years ago.


    River slammed right back down onto the streets, skidding. ¡°We¡­ We¡¯re surviving¡­ We¡¯re¡­ Thriving¡­¡±


    Maddie walked over and leaned against her for support. ¡°But we really gotta rest¡­ Or else we¡¯re not making it up there¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡­¡± Jackie had to swallow the excess saliva. ¡°We did good¡­ As much as we¡ªmore than we could¡¯ve done¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Tracy said in a rasp. ¡°Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.¡±


    Aiko was going to retort, but something caught her eye. She immediately pointed.


    The rest bore witness to what was about to happen.


    As if¡­ As if they were deities of folklore. The Trends, N¡¯atural Savage and this Terrence¡ªthey were surfing through the clouds of static and haze.


    N¡¯atural, in flickering of frames, stauntered across the skies, moving as an idea almost within the clouds.


    Terrence, was also this living tapestry, lunging forward towards the living painting N¡¯atural, within his clouds.


    So slow. Yet so fast.


    Once they clashed, the madness only begun.


    There was a flash of wispy white. Then stillness, as if time itself stopped.


    What followed was a brewing, pulsating growing orb that expanded by the second.


    A white, wispy orb that had something akin to tendrils that came out of the ¡°boarders¡±.


    It grew. And it grew. And it couldn¡¯t stop growing.


    Until everything around was consumed within it. And soon, it did.


    The reality within this sphere, it broke as if it were glass¡ªactual shards raining down on everyone¡ªthe people in the skies, and the girls themselves, with no way to dodge and hide from such a thing.


    All the objects and surrounding buildings, were violently turned inside out and proceeded to break¡ªbeing ripped apart within this space of impossible physics.


    The Research Center simply peeled itself open, as if it was an obedient pet that did what their Masters commanded.


    And if it wasn¡¯t from the sheer shock and horror of experiencing this didn¡¯t do it, every victim in the air that fell onto the ground all awoke at the same time, and immediately started showing signs that they were Shattered.


    Despite being far away enough. Despite doing everything in their power to do something. Despite everything, the girls, already hurt, then saw the hill of junk starting to crash around them. They could only hold or block each other from the wreckage.

 (Finale) Weight of the World (3/3)

    ***


    Stark couldn¡¯t understand what she was looking at¡ªit was quite nostalgic, in a way.


    As the sheer whiteness build and grew over the horizon, she snapped back at the equally confused, equally scared, people she helped.


    ¡°Go!¡± she shouted. ¡°I don¡¯t know what this is¡ªand that¡¯s super, super bad! Now go!¡±


    Now that she saw the civilians off, as they kept looking back in horror as if this was some ruse Stark was planning¡ªnow Stark had to deal with the all too natural feeling of existential dread and the feeling of oncoming death.


    ¡°Alright alright alright alright alright alright alright¡ª¡± she let herself skip in speech. It was that kind of worry she felt that causes her to do so.


    Her eyes, hidden but constantly on, examined every detail that was before her. Ultimately formless¡ªdue to the non-Newtonian movement, slow but steady¡ªas if everything in it¡¯s path is an inconvenice but can be dealt with.


    Familiar. Familiar?


    Stark gasped.


    Familiar.


    Now knowing what this force was capable, already separating the island in two¡ªStark rushed in. Due both to her siVis-enhanced speed and the force¡¯s constant movement, they quickly met head on.


    In an instant, Stark enhanced her hands, arms, upper back , and mirrored it with her lower body. As her body parts shifted and flickered against the aimless wisp and ethereal rays emitting from the surface of this thing, Stark grunted¡ªhardening her arms into pieces, and pushing them together to draw from her available strength.


    It did precious little.


    Stark witnessed her own fingers begin to curl up and even against themselves as she continued to lose this game of might.


    But that wasn¡¯t the worst part¡ªfor her.


    They began clawing at her¡ªgetting under her skin to the point it itched, flooding her fight-or-flight to the point of irrationality, and if she wasn¡¯t a stronger young woman: the auditory hallucinations and the rawness of the intrusive thoughts digging into her mind¡­


    It was all too much.


    She shrieked, a pitiful sound, as she proceeded to backflip away multiple times, to gain ground over it¡ªto get away from it, whatever it is.


    She looked at her hands, and realigned them¡ªhardened them in panic. Looking them over, and despite being okay again siVis¡¯d or not¡ªlooked uncanny due to the fright.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s¡ª¡± Stark stumbled, her tongue drying and the hold over her mind loosened. ¡°It¡¯s siVis powered by the Shift¡­ It¡¯s the naked desire that they want and forced upon the world¡­¡±


    She looked up, as it still approached on.


    ¡°This is bad. This is bad. Bad bad bad bad bad¡ª¡±


    She grabbed her head, then banged on it with her fists.


    ¡°alright alright alright alright alright alright alright¡±


    She had to stop this thing.


    But to stop it, means to smother it.


    She looked to her sides, seeing to abandoned cars.


    She then performed a cartwheel, skillfully circling around the vehicle with her siVis¡¯ help.


    As she lands on her feet, skidding away from it but still faced towards the car, she extended her arm.


    BAROS--!


    The call echoed and repeated, soon it was like she was miming imaginary weight between her and the car, but the reaction of her tugging and grappling with the air was genuine.


    And as if she was being lifted and pulled away from the Earth, she chose each move she wanted to start with.


    --WELL!


    Using her arms as if she was wrangling the car, she circled around it, with her legs straight forward as she¡¯s lifting her upper body up, literally orbiting around it with increasing speed.


    She proceeded to let go, using her whole body to jerk towards the force, as she became the ¡°center of gravity¡±, as it were, launching the car like she was throwing a toy version of it, landing a dead hit at the ¡°base¡± of the sphere.


    Another activation call, another ¡°Well¡±, and she orbited and launched the other car, compacting it somehow as it made impact.


    She needed to move quick, as she landed back down onto the streets¡ªskidding backwards with seemingly no end, leaving skidmarks as she does. Glancing at two buildings and sighed to herself.


    ¡°Well¡ªit¡¯s either me or the incarnation of literal malice that¡¯s going to ruin them¡ªI¡¯m sure I can make my case when this is all over¡­¡±


    BAROS¡ª


    She thrusted her arms forward, and took a thunderous leap. She eyed the building on her right, shifting her arms towards one of the ledges of it¡¯s windows, and jerked herself aimed for it. Landing backwards with her arms anchored onto both the ledge and the wall, she rose her leg and thrusted it forward.


    VALLEY!


    The part of the building affected, struggled to keep itself in place but couldn¡¯t break apart into debris, and became a brick and layered lance of sorts as the ¡°tip¡± landed before the compacted car.


    BAROS¡ªVALLEY!


    Lunging forward towards the other building, and once latched on, quickly making a lance of brick that landed ways away and opposite from the other. The two lances created a makeshift net of sorts, as the cars started to buckle and instantly pressed against this net.


    ¡°alright alright alright, what else what else what else what else¡ª¡± Stark searching and sweating to keep the heat on.


    Something sparked within her head, as she looked toward the street itself.


    On the face of the building, she somehow stood upright for a moment. Proceeded to bend down onto her knee with the other foot flat and her leg propped. She rose her hands forward, palms open and fingers spread.


    BAROS¡ªCRATER!


    She launched herself like a speeding rocket, her fists tighten to anchor her to the streets, using her hands and upper body to hoist upwards, making her pressed together boots the center of attention.


    She landed so hard, that the street itself buckled instantly, forming said crater around her.


    But that wasn¡¯t enough.


    BAROS---CRATER¡ªCRATER¡ªCRATER¡ªC-C-C-CRATER!


    Launching herself from the ground, she repeated her assault against it again and again and again¡ªthe series of craters side by side and begun to create a large ditch in her wake.


    As the makeshift net and the car stoppers were beginning to buckle against the force again¡ªthe force crashing them into this amalgamation of stuff, they landed into this ditch¡ªthus becoming a dam.


    AND PAAAAUSE~!


    Stark, who was then closing her eyes and focusing on her work, found herself floating and more or less paused in the air.


    ¡°Ah yeah¡ª¡± Stark remarked. ¡°Thanks for kicking in¡ªmaybe I shouldn¡¯t have¡­ Uh, made you only for ¡®at my limit¡¯ times¡ª¡±


    She surveyed the area, noting that the force is indeed slowing down¡­ But the power behind it is still very much potent¡ªwearing down the siVis warped dam despite doing it¡¯s best to keep it at bay.


    Stark started to freak out, grabbing at her head, even audibly sputtering.


    ¡°what do I do¡ªwhat do I do?!¡±


    She glanced at the ground again, and tightened her fists.


    BAROS¡ªCRATER!


    She slammed down onto the street, letting the crater develop as she looked up out of it. S


    She then looked at the frontal slope, and then readied her hands.


    BAROS--!


    ¡°Really hoping for that this debut¡¯s gonna go well¡­!¡± Stark grimaced.


    CLIFF-FACE!


    She kicked the slope upwards, causing it to raise up against the impact.


    She kicked upwards again, defying gravity.


    Stark grunted, starting to wince and face twisted with pain, as she continuous kicked upwards, a steady stream of action that caused the slope grow into a massive, shielding landmass, blocking the force¡¯s path.


    She gasped out in pain, instantly falling, trying in vain to course correct and land on her two feet. But she held her back, rubbing it, groaning in pain that¡¯s showing no signs of stopping.


    ¡°Still¡ª¡± she instantly gulped, less about the spit in her mouth and more trying to swallow the pain itself. ¡°Tears up the back fierce¡­Off the rotation and into the thinkplace with you, buddy¡­ Oh god, I think my back¡¯s twitching--¡±


    Hunched back and exhausted, she looked upon her work. She hated the fact that her body¡¯s reminding her that she¡¯s like this versus the pain of her back or the anxiety she felt about whatever this thing is.


    She shook her head, wild, knowing that it added to the pain. There¡¯s no need to let her wander off like that¡ªto give into the very feelings that she¡¯s literally fighting right now.


    She owed it to herself, dang-it.


    ¡°Now then¡ª¡± Stark grunted to herself. ¡°I sit myself down, hope that some help arrives, and make sure I trap this thing with whatever I have left¡­ See, Stark. The one time you got outta the house so you could sit in the park alone¡ªand the world proves that it still needs fixing¡ª¡±


    Her head quickly snapped, at hearing such a horrible sound.


    The force was consuming all of Stark¡¯s efforts.


    Within moments, and while completely stationary, the sphere overpowered the dam, and soon overpowered the mass wall, all being engulfed within it¡¯s white, searing light.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Stark just gawked, having her hands up and opened, but at her sides¡ªlike a small child being absolutely terrified.


    ¡°The power¡­ It¡¯s still strong. It¡¯s going to eat everything without moving now¡­¡±


    And as she stared in despair, the sphere continued to dine on the nearby buildings that once bested it, but now becoming wreckages.


    ¡°What can you do¡­?¡± She said to herself¡ªnot a question but a quiet wail. ¡°What can you do against such reckless hate¡­?¡±


    She felt her eyes start to burn, as her body tensed and released itself as she started to sniffle. Quickly putting her hand to her hidden eyes, and wiped the tears as they started, looking down in defeat.


    Squeezing those eyes, hidden by her wild hair, so she could catch the tears before they rolled down her face, and the excess was cleaned by her worn fingers that still twitched in pain.


    But it was that pain, that difficulty, that gave her that precious second of reflection.


    Still silently weeping, she then looked at her hands. Bare, twitching, worn.


    It was this sight, that give her the energy to relax her face from sorrow.


    And as she reached up to her face once more, wiping these tears, she slid her hand up to her hair, and slicked it back.


    Revealing her now-pink, pale blue eyes. The structure of which, combined with her stress lines that curve from them and as well as the bags under them, gave off a sense of perpetual desolation.


    But, with her brow furrowed and her lips tight¡ªgave off the air of a determined defeatist.


    ¡°You know what you needed to do, Stark¡ª¡± she told herself, starting to walk forward. ¡°You just hate it¡ªa flaw in your worldview. Being hands off, solving things from afar, little by little¡ªit¡¯s not enough when you¡¯re dealing with the source of everything you utterly despise about this pathetic race of egotists¡­¡±


    She started to shift, raising an arm as it turns into translucent, constantly moving pieces¡ªas her orange poncho covered body and black jean covered legs and to her booted feet. A cloud, walking mass of pieces with darkened shadows that were once her pitiful eyes.


    Becoming a human, with all of the sum of her parts showing the vibrance of the whole.


    ¡°You go up to them¡ªgetting into the source of the problem¡ªand apply everything you got directly!¡±


    She rushed over and slammed her hands into the massive sphere.


    Like before, it pushed her into a place of powerlessness, beating down malice¡ªhate¡ªselfishness¡ªreminding her that she¡¯s those things too, but it makes her weak and them strong.


    But she¡¯s pushing back that it¡¯s right. But she is just a person. And just one person can do so much with the little given to them.


    ***


    Nathan crossed his arms, smiling. Ontop of a large building and on it¡¯s edge, knowing that others would see him, counting on that.


    He watched the carnage before him, yet so below him. But there was a twinkle in his textureless eye, and he even allowed himself to chuckle in excitement.


    ¡°What a mess!¡± he exclaimed. ¡°But a new method¡ªa new method and side to both siVis and the Shifts, something that could prove to be the key of everything I¡¯ve worked for these long would-be-years¡­¡±


    He looked at his pieced together hand, and proceeded to move it about.


    ¡°No more rules, no more asinine blocks or limits from a dead woman long gone¡ªI can finally just reap from this cosmic power directly and become a being with no need for struggle, no need to even be living. Strong as the elements, will last the test of time like them as well¡ªbut can wield and think with that power as well.¡±


    The man looked positively giddy, crossing his arms once more with a terrible grin.


    ¡°If this so-called New Era is the end of normality¡ªthen soon my transcendence will bring about the end of humanity!¡±


    As the winds blew against him, he willed his cloak to be put on and even seal up. He cocked his head to his side.


    ¡°Too bad I¡¯m not like these recusants,¡± Nathan admitted to himself. ¡°At least they¡¯re giving people the catch to live in this.¡±


    ***


    Jackie, Maddie, Aiko, Tracy, and River floated within a pitch-black void.


    They drifted, but at different speeds and away from each other. Some were on their backs, others their sides, and one on their belly.


    They were practically corpses. Covered in grim, hurt, and cracks. Even their clothing didn¡¯t matter, as it was covered in vile scoot and copper red.


    Then, Jackie¡¯s hand began to twitch. Then, the fingers flexed weakly.


    But as soon as she remotely picked it up, everyone was smashed by a grotesque fist.


    It was a twisted tower of illness and spite. A mountain of decaying flesh, urban wreckage, and the worst that the Shift Noumena has done¡ªpiled onto each other, and blended in.


    The Megaplex Nulgarrt was switched into the forearm, various places and locals were dotted across like pimples.


    But the main attraction, were the laughing faces that were jutting out of every single surface. Every face could be anybody, can be interpreted as many people. The overall point, was to show how reality was mocking them.


    It slowly rose up, it¡¯s sludge covered the poor girls. Their bodies, understandable after being hit with sudden pain, twitched.


    So the fist pounded them flat again. Rose, and the mire practically covered them head to toe.


    Tracy made a pathetic whimper, and the fist made everyone pay. Aiko tried in vain to get to her backpack, instantly beaten. Maddie simply took a breath. Flattened.


    The laughter got more jubilant. Louder. Deranged.


    So, it happily punched the girls again, over and over, despite them not doing anything this time. Over and over, over and over, again and again, again and again.


    Until they all collectively awoke.


    Jackie could only see in front of herself, seeing the rest of the girls being pinned down by debris in various ways. Maddie¡¯s legs are trapped, Tracy¡¯s against the ¡°wall¡± but covered in dust from the chest down, River is face up with various wood or pipes both piled on and locking her in due to sticking from the ground, Aiko was hanging from the ¡°ceiling¡±, wrapped up and dangling from her backpack.


    Jackie didn¡¯t breathe, more like wheeze in a frenzy before gulping, tasting the dust coating her mouth. It became agonizing, as the others added to the noise with their own impaired and damaged, heaving, breaths.


    She scrambled in vain for something, anything, for some kind of base or advantage or fucking anything to get out of here.


    What became wheezing soon turned into whimpering.


    Jackie wanted to cry, couldn¡¯t help herself but to cry in pain. But like her likely crushed lungs, the coating from the wreck is drying her eyes out.


    After everything. Is this truly it?


    Soon, Jackie couldn¡¯t understand where reality began and where it ended.


    Wispy aberrations formed from the dusk that leaked from the ceiling, showing the girls the writhing, poor and unfortunate souls that became Shattered. Much worse than what they are, became such against their wills. They¡¯re out there, helpless, just because they were too slow, too weak, in the end.


    They all then thought, in their separate ways, about how all of this amounted to nothing. As this Shift-like influence continues on, it might hit their loved ones, as they¡¯re trying to escape on the ferries. So even doing this¡ªtrying to fight this, amounted to nothing. The only reason to turn this pain and misfortunate around, and it¡¯s instantly null and void.


    It didn¡¯t help that this was visualized. Images that look like their loved ones, forms wavering feebly against the air, before being consumed and disappeared.


    This sorrow was draining what little strength they had. One by one and little by little, they started to surrender to the unconsciousness dragging them down from within.


    All they wanted to do was to gain control of their lives again.


    All they wanted to do was live through this.


    All they wanted to do was not die young.


    All of it, starting to slip away from battered and beaten hands.


    ¡­


    But there was something. Maybe it was siVis. Maybe it was simple human self-preservation. Maybe neither and was an instance of adject chance.


    They all thought, somehow connected within this moment, about that sentiment. Sorrow draining the strength they had left.


    Strangely enough, that was a choice.


    None of this was in their hands, but the small moments. They could¡¯ve just saved the woman but ended up saving six more. Even if they meet the same fate as the rest, they saved them. As much as that choice was taken away, they still achieved it.


    This flared something within. It was only then their siVis activated to this spike of emotion¡ªeach of them flashing with hazy light as they bodies glowed.


    But it was true¡ªat the end of the day, they did have control. As little as it is, and how easy it was to brush it away¡ªthey did have something that they did. A chance.


    A mosaic began to form above them. It was a patchwork structure, that showed the small moments of their journey. The arguments, the small victories, the harsh truths. The entire experience, laid out in a violent but branching tree that seemed to come out of all of them.


    A chance is a small second to change.


    And as those changes pile up, it becomes growth.


    Growing means that you can build with these chances, strengthening them.


    It was in their hands.


    It was in their hands all along.


    Jackie started to groan, using her arms to push herself from the ground. Despite using siVis, unconsciously even, her arms still shook and the details of the parts within her arms buckled and showed this. Really, it was her groaning out in stress, pain but determination that was the most constructive thing she did.


    ¡°l¡­ Look at¡­ Me¡­¡±


    Her gaze looked towards Tracy, desperately trying to get out of her pit. She struggled, she grunted, and soon her hands were freed. It was clear that this amount of action and strain isn¡¯t what she¡¯s used to, but she pressed on, wailing and screaming as she got everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Looook¡ªaaat¡ªmeeee¡­!¡± she struggled to shout.


    She fought, her hands rising up, and finally thrusted her arms outward¡ªcausing the creaking ceiling to move upwards.


    Most of River¡¯s pipes fell away while leaving a decent amount left¡ªgiving her the briefest time to use her own ability to fade out of the jail and flop forward onto the ¡°ground¡±, Aiko was dragged up, but the momentum and her struggle caused her to fall out of her backpack at least, landing on her side as she curled up in pain. Maddie, while still under the pile, was given enough room to wiggle out of her trap painfully.


    All that was left was Jackie, who continued to struggle under the weight.


    The rest crawled towards her, their siVis use fading in and out, and everyone leaned against the structure crushing their cohort. They tried in vain to lift it up, but were clearly struggling.


    The sight of this, the flicker of a breakthrough, and the emotional weight that hovered above her in the form of the tree¡ªit made her use the little strength she had left and targeted the places she was struggling at.


    And as she begun to lift up the thing weighing her down, she in turn accepted the various things that forced her down¡ªthe tree collapsing into her as she¡¯s accepted her new lease on life.


    The girls, seeing that she¡¯s lifted the thing on her own, instead, focused their precious strength in pulling her out and quick. Yanking her out as the thing slammed onto the ground.


    Everyone found themselves, exhausted¡ªpanting¡ªon the ground together. Knowing that they¡¯re within a quickly mutating situation, they needed the time to simply breathe. To simply exist.


    ¡°Tracy¡ª¡± Maddie panted out.


    Tracy could only make a whine-grunt.


    ¡°Happy that¡ªyou stepped up¡ªbut maybe don¡¯t¡ªforget that you¡¯re holding up something that could crumble on top of us.¡±


    She quickly glanced upwards, noting that the ceiling is still being held up against other trash and realized how costly it was that she let go.


    ¡°FUCK!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not used to doing these things--!¡±


    Jackie rose a hand, in hopes to stop anymore skits happening. ¡°W¡­ What now¡­?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡­ Your usual job¡­?¡± River asked.


    ¡°No¡­ I mean¡­ We saw¡­ Went through that, yeah¡­?¡±


    The silence was all that was needed.


    ¡°Then¡­ We could walk away from this. We could find a way¡­ To survive and get away. Do our best and¡­ Basically, our lives could be anything we try to¡­ Make it as. So not forcing¡­¡±


    ¡°Y¡¯know¡­¡± Maddie sounded wistful. ¡°It¡¯s funny¡­ We¡¯ve been through this schtick over and over¡­ You would think we would¡¯ve opted for yes at some point¡­¡±


    ¡°We can focus on surviving¡­ But what¡¯s a few more people to help out to survive with us¡­?¡± Tracy answered with her question.


    ¡°Yeah. This is what this whole thing about, yes? Making a tragic mess into just a terrible day?¡± Aiko confirmed with a question of her own.


    River only looked around her, silently and with purpose.


    ¡°¡­I think I have a plan¡­¡± River said.


    ¡°Please¡­¡± Jackie retorted. ¡°¡­A-as in, tell us, not¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I was only hurt for a second,¡± River then coughed for a spell. ¡°Okay¡­ We can make a tunnel. Tracy uses her Perspective Flip with Aiko¡¯s Immaterial Girl¡ªshaping it and then using the excess junk to create support beams, in a sense. Two ways¡ªwe use siVis hearing to figure out where the Center is and where the vans are. We transport the Shattered out of here. Is it¡­ Good?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all that we have¡­¡± Jackie nodded. ¡°If it isn¡¯t¡­ Then we have to make it good.¡±


    ¡°Add the fact that even our siVis is fucked up¡­¡± Maddie looked at her constantly flashing, trembling, hand. ¡°This could be it, girls¡­¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s do a good enough job¡­ That instant medical service is guaranteed,¡± Jackie flopped onto her belly. ¡°We crawl and only exert when needed¡­ First, let¡¯s find the sufferers¡­¡±


    Jackie closed her eyes, and let her ears give her the guidance she needed. The rest soon followed, hoping their ears tell them something, anything.


    Crackling of still falling debris. The muffled sounds that couldn¡¯t fully penetrate through their heap. Things that sound like other things, tricking the ear.


    But Maddie was the first to perk up, pointing to her left. ¡°There! Over there!¡±


    ¡°Alright folks¡­¡± Tracy crawled towards Maddie¡¯s left. ¡°I need you all to direct me.¡±


    The others nodded, looking towards the mess that blocked the way.


    Tracy moved her arms, despite them aching and popping with sounds, making a heaving motion forward.


    Within seconds, a tunnel was fully formed from the mess, only creaking under it¡¯s weight and Tracy¡¯s inability to hold it for long.


    Aiko quickly looked for anything to latch onto, and saw the various junk that were the ¡°walls¡±, instantly drifting into the various objects in a row, creating stability before tossing herself out.


    ¡°Holy¡ª¡± Jackie said in amazement.


    ¡°Yeah, did ya¡¯ see all that~?¡± Aiko said, before holding her head. ¡°Ugh¡­ Speeds up the weakness, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Then we do this slow, but steady. We can¡¯t rush this, but we do have to keep in mind lives are on the line.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, totally, no pressure at all¡ª¡± Maddie relied.


    ¡°I¡¯m so happy that even at the possible end of what we know, you¡¯re still sharp, Maddie¡ª¡± Jackie joked.


    It was lethargic method, but soon through Tracy¡¯s battering and Aiko¡¯s support, they were able to create a tunnel out¡ªgoing back into the dead of forced-upon night.


    As each of them crawled out, they heard the groaning, the screams, the crying. They looked around and saw various hands, other limbs, faces¡­ Twisted, but in dire need. Reaching out for them.


    Jackie looked up towards the peeled open Center, flickering wires and smoke bellowing out of the immense gash.


    ¡°Girls¡­ See to the people out here¡­ I¡¯m going to see to the people in there.¡±


    She turned to them, looking at them with a gentle and scared expression.


    ¡°If there¡¯s really no one left, then I¡¯ll try to bolt out. You¡¯ll know that I¡¯ve made it once you see people escaping and I promise you that you¡¯ll see that¡­¡±


    They all nodded at her.


    ¡°Run if you see any of those terrors¡­¡± Tracy¡¯s voice wavered. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with self-pervasion.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about!¡± Aiko strained to exclaim. ¡°With that determination, you¡¯re basically a god!¡±


    ¡°Just¡­ Just don¡¯t add to my list of things I¡¯m depressed about letting down and not giving my all to,¡± River said softly. ¡°The list is long enough¡­¡±


    Maddie stood there, arms crossed, looking around as if she was being pressured.


    ¡°¡­If you do die, Jackson, then that means everything I said to you was right,¡± Maddie panted a bit, still doing it despite it being minutes since. ¡°So go in there and win.¡±


    The young woman found herself smiling. And if it wasn¡¯t for the clouded face, would¡¯ve cried as well. But she turned around.


    Jackie sighed to herself, and then inhaled.


    She marched forward, before twinging in pain, and then continued to larch forward. Nothing stopping her, but herself.

 (Finale) Weight of World (4/4)

    ***


    It was a matter of time that pieces of Stark¡¯s hands begun to shoot off.


    She looked in panic, causing her Shifting to end just as abruptly, causing the force to kick back all the good will she was doing¡ªher ¡°influence¡± shrinking back down onto a segment of it¡¯s surface¡ªnot the quarter she grew.


    Holding back the power of the force in any way she can, caused part of her palms and the backs of her hands to become projectiles, firing away from her.


    The poor girl started to shake, started to tear up once more, knowing that her Breakdown was soon to follow. There was no way she can overcome this now.


    Her body twisted her to look down.


    Her legs gave out and caused her to fall onto her knees.


    And soon, her arm bended itself out of the way, twitching and recoiling¡ªdue to her mind only seeing despair.


    It¡¯s been a while, since she¡¯s suffered from the Breakdown Effect. Her body once again fighting itself, churning and bubbling violently under her skin¡ªit trying so desperately to keep everything together.


    ¡°I¡­ Caaaan¡¯t¡­¡± she lost control of her throat midway, her head snapped to the side with an audible crack. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ I jussst¡­ Can¡¯t¡­¡±


    The girl who took great pains in trying to battle her speech problems, could only say that phrase¡ªreduced to just repeating it, over and over¡ªsoft to silence.


    The unhealthy light from the sphere begun to shine down upon her, giving her a ghasty shade as she contorted into a mess¡ªher pitiful hand still raised against it.


    This was a reminder. A reminder that in the end, she¡¯s a pitiful, strange, purposefully low level creep. Her little-by-little ideology, her own pace mentality¡ªall it did was stall. Stall and unable to tackle problems with the force needed, versus some¡­ Some gentle, detailed hand.


    Said hand, despite everything, is holding out against the raging light.


    Stark snapped her head forward, pitiful siVis around her neck that crept up to her chin, cheekbones, and eyes.


    Said eyes, now covered in a pitch-black darkness.


    ¡°I¡­ Can¡¯t¡­ Let¡­ You ¡­ WIN!¡± She forced herself to say, looking at the sphere as if directly talking to it¡¯s creator. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ Overwhelm¡­ But I can always¡­ Find a way!¡±


    She balled her hand into a fist and screamed out.


    No longer her influence was some segment, it turned serpentine, lancing forward and out within the sphere itself, searching for it¡¯s very core.


    She could feel more pieces popping out, but she pressed on as she continued to scream, increasing volume by the minute.


    ¡°IT TAKES¡ªTHE LIKES OF THE MEEK¡ªTO BRING THE WEIGHT OF YOUR HATRED¡ªDOOWN INTOOO IIIITSEEEEEELF!¡± she screeched in pain.


    As she was striving and searching for a weak point, Stark kept herself in a place of weakness. For the sense of stakes, survival. People were counting on her, even if she hasn¡¯t met them yet.


    And damn it, she will after when this is finally over.


    ***


    Jackie looked down within the gaping hole, as her hair blew due to the updraft created and the smoke still clouding her enhanced sight.


    Getting down, it¡¯s all apart of this test. To see if all of her talk, if all of her beliefs of stepping¡ªbeing able to within this terrible time¡­


    Finally, during a weak wisp of smoke, she could see a curled up part of the structure from within. She could see these things to slowly jump down until she sees solid ground.


    And with that, she jumped towards the damage, landing with a thud as her legs briefly once more flickered into siVis but didn''t maintain.


    What scared her that the pain has become... ¡°Normal¡± for her body. There¡¯s no spot that exclusively hurts¡ªeverything did. It was to the point that it was more of a throbbing numbness and it took for her to mentally remind herself that her legs should be experiencing a shock of hurt, versus it actually happening.


    All she could do right now was keep it in mind.


    Once again, she waited for the view to see another makeshift ledge, spots one and jumps further down. The pattern created a rhythm of blunt metallic banging, surely signalling to someone that something was coming.


    She spotted the solid ground and made a great leap for it.


    Jackie landed, her legs giving out, opting to curl into a ball to keep going forward, ultimately getting up on her knees with her head down, panting painfully.


    She heard the various gasps. A crowd of people, but at the barest minimum.


    Lifting her head, she saw herself before a white office of multiple rows of computer desks, all before a towering beckon of information.


    She saw how they all reacted in fear, earnestly trying to figure out what¡¯s happening now, and she slowly rose her hands, palms towards them.


    ¡°I¡­ I come from above¡­¡± Jackie creaked out. She was having trouble talking, she knew that she was running out of time. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ There¡¯s a way out¡­¡±


    She heard the murmurs, and opted to continue.


    ¡°We¡­ We managed to save 6 or 7 people before¡­ This happened¡­ All we want¡­ Is you to go¡­ Maybe even save the really hurt ones¡­ But¡­ It¡¯s up to you¡­ Please¡­¡±


    ¡°The situation outside¡ª¡± she heard a voice, androgynous. ¡°Are you sure that there¡¯s a way¡ªthat it¡¯s safe? Because the world can¡¯t afford to lose more people with the jobs everyone¡¯s now scared to have.¡±


    Jackie found herself sighing.


    ¡°We¡¯re working. We¡¯re trying. The only way to make it that way¡­ Is to help in¡­ Making it so¡­¡±


    There was a pregnant pause, and the only audio was the gulp Jackie took being crushed by the silence.


    Through her eyes focused on the floor, she saw a shadow creep and grow before her.


    Looking up, she saw the source for the voice. A very sharp bob, with the fringe being diagonal. They had very soft facial features like their lips and skin, but their face was angular as well¡ªcheekbones, sharp jaw and chin and a very furrowed brow. Dressed in a dark dress shirt, pants, accented with pencil-lined stripes and white tie.


    With hands on their hips, she looked up¡ªat the gaping hole and sighed aloud. ¡°Suppose that¡¯s anything better than what we had.¡±


    They turned on their dress-shoed heels.


    ¡°Everyone! We¡¯re leaving! Make it towards the surface, if you¡¯re too infirmed or broken to aid, then make it towards this evac route! Godspeed, each and every one of you.¡±


    The crowd of workers nodded, all going towards the ruined walls. Opening them up, and climbing inside, using the Shiftication exits.


    The Sharp Researcher offered their hand, Jackie grabbing it, being hoisted upwards on her two, likely broken, legs.


    ¡°Should I carry you with me?¡± they asked.


    Jackie shook her head, admittedly lacking the strength to keep it up or stable. ¡°There¡¯s still¡­ Them¡­ They¡¯re trapped within here still¡­¡±


    Their eyes widened subtly. ¡°Playing the gambit of being so ruined, that you help others ahead, knowing you may not make it¡­? It¡¯s not really logical even the extremes you¡¯ve been pushed.¡±


    ¡°Sure¡­ But sometimes¡­ the logical solution¡­ Isn¡¯t the most helpful one¡­¡±


    ¡°Not really. But I get the spirit of what you¡¯re saying.¡±


    Jackie laughed, despite herself.


    ¡°If you do wish to continue¡­ Then I¡¯ll help you along. I owe you that much.¡±


    The Sharp Researcher helped Jackie walk towards the wall. They shoved their entire arm into it, causing it to quiver violently and open haphazardly. They put Jackie into the cavity.


    ¡°Child. I really you don¡¯t push yourself more. Pushing yourself, making this into a feat of strength¡­ It¡¯s going to kill you. Listen to your fears, hide. This isn¡¯t a day for heroics.¡±


    Jackie could only nod, practically laying within the enclosed space, her eyes somehow getting heavy as well.


    ¡°¡­And hopefully, you¡¯ll help them like you helped us. Just know that even with this, you helped today. When it was the most hardest.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Jackie nodded, and closed her eyes before the slow darkness enveloped her being entirely.


    ***


    Even in this time of crisis, River sat there in the dark on her laptop.


    Within an indent craved basically for her, she sat there, typing away, as she heard Tracy giving it her all¡ªopening the right pathway towards the vans.


    Staring at the forum post she made, and watching it become insta-buried, what to do next if there was something else to do weighed on her.


    She just wasn¡¯t smart. Never cut out to be.


    True genius is using knowledge in new, brilliant ways¡ªmaking it work and proving that it works.


    All River¡¯s worth is that she knows things.


    But never what to do.


    She looked up, and where she was¡­ Somehow filled her with more dread.


    11<sup>th</sup> Grade era, as she was surrounded by lights and somehow more piercing eyes.


    On a stage, trying to verbally tapdance¡ªwhere persuasive speeches were to be heard to win a scholarship.


    She never took the stage in school, let alone for it. It was maddening that she was even doing this.


    But she glanced down, into the moving black figures. And saw her dear parents, right in the front row¡ªwhere it had to have been hard for them to get there. Along with Wayne, who just nodded and gave a thumbs up with a smile.


    It was for them, more than her. To ease them of their terrible lives, after doing so much for her.


    If she had to act all smart to do it, then she would.


    ¡°¡­So, if you continue to indulge me for a bit, the girl that decided making her super important speech about the wonders of watching TV¡ª¡± she begun near the end of the speech¡ªthis trance abridging things. She re-experienced the laughter, and how that tingled. ¡°¡ªY¡¯know, wondering if she even wrote the dang speech this whole time and just watched more TV¡ª¡± The laughter nearly cut her off, causing her to smile, to think about how to best deliver this final stretch.


    ¡°Fiction¡­ Is merely a collection of our experiences. Told in far off lands of wonder, to even the deepest space where no man has ever gone before¡­ It¡¯s never just about the fantasy. It was about us¡­ Having something to reflect upon. If we¡¯re truly good. If we¡¯re truly intelligent. If we could truly change. And it¡¯s with our imaginations, how we truly take these questions and answer them with that vividness, that we gain the reassurance that we need. So, if you do see your child mindlessly looking into that idiot¡¯s lantern¡­ Just know that it may be another guiding light they need. Thank you.¡±


    She was caught off guard by the rounds of applause. So much so, she just looked around stonefaced, not really processing what¡¯s happened.


    And despite what ended up happening next¡­ River snapped back into reality with a vigor.


    She clicked on her thread and replied to herself.


    Did it over and over, providing information¡ªthe same information, that they needed someone¡ªanyone, to be near the vans to help aid in the effort.


    She performed this, over and over, even adding in ¡°please¡± in the last few rounds.


    Before clicking her thread again on the homepage, she noticed a red 1 above her message icon.


    Quickly, she saw that her thread had a new reply.


    ¡°normie here


    But I¡¯m near the guys


    They said they¡¯re on their way and can see the people coming


    Thx <u>@RiverSux</u>¡±


    River closed her eyes, throwing her head back and exhaling. A weight of years lifted, like it did there.


    Even if it was temporary.


    ***


    ¡°Push deeper! Dig deeper!¡±


    ¡°III¡¯m¡­ Trying¡­!¡±


    Tracy found herself in the spotlight, and just that. Surrounded by the nothingness, her feet under wooden flooring that was unfinished.


    ¡°I just can¡¯t do it!¡± Tracy stomped in frustration. ¡°I can¡¯t do it, Felix! Nothing I do is remotely genuine! This whole comeback idea is terrible!¡±


    Felix appeared within the darkness, represented as Broadway style headliners. The neon-strobes still detailed his flat-top hair, his thin mustache, and goatee. Simple dots for both his eyes and his ¡°moving¡± mouth, a set flickering while another turns off, vice versa.


    ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re putting the past into this when this is supposed to be your second chance, Trace¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think I know that?!¡± she snapped, turning to him. Her eyes miserable and baggy, her hair a mess, and sweat clinging to every surface of her pale skin. ¡°It¡¯s a weight! There¡¯s nothing that could be done about it¡ªbecause regardless if they see me, they¡¯re still going to push more onto me! Hold my head high¡ªbe confident?! I can¡¯t walk anymore! I only crawl!¡±


    ¡°And crawl¡¯s gonna be the only thing you do if you let yourself continue like this!¡± Felix shouted back, with angry eyebrows being ¡°animated¡± for good measure.


    Tracy fell onto her ass, looking down at her legs. ¡°Maybe I can do voice work, yeah. Honest living in that¡­ And no one has to see my face, only my voice.¡±


    ¡°And there we are, you tryna take the easy road again,¡± Felix sounded exhausted.


    ¡°I can¡¯t walk on the other ones,¡± Tracy strained. ¡°Especially when I destroyed them myself.¡±


    They both sat quietly, stewing in her mood more than her words.


    ¡°¡­You says it¡¯s weight, yeah?¡± Felix asked.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s my fault. I was sure you could make that pain and mistakes the biggest fire of your life¡ªthe reason for living past all that¡ªand I couldn¡¯t see that, well, you¡¯re tryna get away¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­I have, haven¡¯t I?¡± Tracy rose to her feet again. ¡°Running away from these feelings because they fucking suck. Nothing but pain, and drawing from them only made me dig and dig and dig¡ªand ended up scratching up my reopened wounds¡­ I think I got it.¡±


    Felix smiled. ¡°What is it, Trace?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an anchor,¡± Tracy stated. ¡°Can¡¯t go further than that ever again, even if I wanted to. Keeps me grounded, gives me¡­the perspective I need. The strength that I don¡¯t have.¡±


    Tracy soon found herself grunting¡ªcontinuing to raise the ceiling of the lair of junk as people struggled to crawl the trenches.


    She was sweating. She was grunting. She was crying.


    But she was here, and it was where she needed to be.


    In her role of being the best woman-take on Atlas she could be.


    ***


    Aiko looked vacant and that was because she was. Once again, due to spamming her siVis way too many times, her ¡°soul¡± is muted¡ªtaken away.


    All she can think back on is the other day when she didn¡¯t have a ¡°soul¡±.


    She found herself under a tree, in the dead of night. Back leaned against it and her leg up, resting her draped arm over it. Looking at nothing, but the dancing fireflies that faded in and out of the dark.


    Instantly tensing after hearing rustling, she shined her flashlight, only to find her brother, Hiromu.


    ¡°¡­ I know you share your name with a spy hero, but that doesn¡¯t give you the excuse to sneak around,¡± Aiko bluntly snarked at.


    He just walked close to her, which made her confused. He just sat down, next to her.


    ¡°When does this empty feeling go away, onee-san?¡± Hiromu said, with a twinge of sadness in his voice.


    Aiko found herself paused within a pause.


    She sighed, and put her arm around him, as the lonely brother leaned on her. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to avoid talking about this and here you are¡­ What a troubling brother you are.¡±


    ¡°We could¡¯ve¡­ We could¡¯ve been gone,¡± he proceeded to continue. ¡°And that would¡¯ve been it.¡±


    Aiko nodded. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve been thinking about that, the cruelty of our existence. We are, and express and can become all these wonderful things¡­ And then it¡¯s gone. We¡¯re gone.¡±


    Hiromu made a pitiful noise. Muffled within Aiko¡¯s shirt, a cry and a groan.


    Aiko looked down, and then up towards the dancing fireflies.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been distant lately¡­ Because I think I¡¯ve found some sort of absolution. In all of this.¡±


    Hiromu rose his head back up, wiping his eye. ¡°A what?¡±


    ¡°A solution, I think,¡± Aiko answered.


    ¡°How could onee-san gain an answer from something like that¡­?¡±


    Aiko chuckled to herself, just staring at the fading lights.


    ¡°Because I understand that I have to simply be. Be around. Be here. In the moment and moments like these¡­ Enjoying every single last detail¡­ Because¡­¡±


    Aiko found herself tearing up as well.


    ¡°Our souls¡­ Might not last that long. I¡¯m still alive¡ªas are you, and¡­ We feel like they¡¯re gone. So we have to treasure it, little brother. Understand that it always burns bright, before it goes. I just want to see my light, every single day!¡±


    Aiko lurched forward, hearing Maddie¡¯s shouting fading in.


    ¡°Thank you, siVis¡­¡± the girl found herself smirking. ¡°I needed that.¡±


    She darted, using her ability to chain-jump into various victims¡¯ article of clothing¡ªto drag them close enough for Maddie to drag them closer to the tunnel and help them along.


    It felt like she was upping her record, every rest period.


    Maddie just looked from afar, watching her stand there.


    ¡°You¡¯re still with us, ghost gal?¡±


    ¡°As long as I can be,¡± Aiko said, standing there proud. ¡°I¡¯ve never felt more live in my life.¡±


    ***


    Maddie snapped her head back, at the sounds of pained groaning. Scanning the mangled environment, see saw a young man trapped under the rubble.


    Rushing over but soon hobbling and then crawling over, she saw the man¡ªshoulders up, on his back, eyes closed and mouth open to only exposited pain.


    ¡°Hey-hey-hey, buddy, pal¡ª¡± Maddie tried to reassure. ¡°I¡¯m here, just save your energy¡­¡±


    ¡°Noo¡ª¡± the young man answered. Shaggy, even with debris all over him, visibly thin. ¡°You got the wrong idea, just let me die here¡ª¡±


    Maddie blinked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what--?¡±


    ¡°Life¡¯s meaningless anyways, it¡¯s about time that I took everything into my own damn hands for once!¡±


    Maddie looked the man up and down, out of confusion. The vibe and the type she¡¯s getting¡ªain¡¯t really be on the edge.


    Then she noticed something. He was so thin, that he could slide out of his ¡°prison¡± himself.


    ¡°¡­Chief,¡± Maddie sternly said. ¡°You¡¯re not doing anyone here any favors by making this all about you¡ª¡±


    ¡°How dare you--! To take away my only agency in this fucked up hell hole! There¡¯s nothing to go back to for me! Family always wanted me and wanted to get rid of me¡ªso screw it! I¡¯m rage quitting!¡±


    This display was everything she hated about life and it¡¯s people.


    Always so ¡°strong¡± until the second they aren¡¯t.


    She knew what was behind her, then. The teddy bears, the plush hearts, the photos. All literally tied up in various bows. Even two years in, she still couldn¡¯t look at the shrine without sobbing uncontrollably.


    But she had to look at it. To remind. To keep the sight with her, 24/7.


    And that she did, as she walks towards school¡ªcarrying it and the block where she died on her back.


    And somehow along the way, the old house slammed onto her back as well. Always trying to dart past it, but it still manages to hop on every single time.


    She walked into class, and it all got caught against the door frame, causing her to trip. Cue the laughter of the students, as she just grimaced and took her seat. Leaning forward at her desk.


    ¡°They still won¡¯t take you outta class for being a crybaby punk yet~?¡±


    Lerone was just that¡ªan ugly ass mouth with a human holding it up. Her cronies, literally nobodies with zero features and personalities¡ªonly parrots. Mocking birds.


    ¡°I guess we gotta work double time! Maybe even get you transferred, bony ass!¡±


    ¡°Bony ass girl cuz her parents got no money~!¡±


    ¡°Bony ass girl that keeps on crying~!¡±


    Chirping and chirping, on and on.


    This was the moment that she had it. Forever.


    Maddie got up, turned around, and clocked Lerone right into her crusty lip.


    The whole class turned into gasping fish, when this happened. Gasping, flopping around, and their dead eyes trying to gauge what¡¯s going on.


    Also, they stunk. Middle schoolers always stunk.


    ¡°THE FWAK--?!¡± Lerone tried to curse, and her quickly swelling in record time. ¡°I¡¯LL FWAK YEW UP--!¡±


    ¡°Do it.¡±


    The two words gave everyone pause.


    ¡°W-whu--?¡±


    ¡°Do it. I know I¡¯m going to get suspended for this, and it¡¯s way better hanging around dumbasses like you. What¡¯s the matter? I¡¯m bony, right? I¡¯m gonna cry, right? Fucking try me, fat lip bitch.¡±


    Despite being a foot or two shorter than her and everyone around her, Maddie towered over them.


    Because of the shrine, block, and house on her back.


    ¡°Alright man¡ª¡± Maddie just grabbed his shoulder and dragged him out. ¡°Playtime¡¯s over.¡±


    ¡°Ack--!¡± the young man got huffy. ¡°You bitch! Samaritan laws! Due process! You¡¯re forcing this against my final will--!¡±


    Maddie dragged him to meet her eyes, causing him to stop his ranting.


    ¡°Be lucky that it¡¯s not by the throat. You¡¯re a fucking quitter. At least you have a family, something to fucking fix if you actually had the compacity to not be pathetic. You think life owes you something, and that¡¯s fucking disgusting. The reason I¡¯m saving you here is that I want your life to be actually hard¡ªfor you to actually fucking experience adversity. Maybe you¡¯ll shit from your mouth less.¡±


    She then proceeded, to struggle to stand upright despite her legs buckling with every step.


    Maddie was tired of sadsacks. Was tired of posturers.


    Didn¡¯t care that she was wrong. All she wanted to do was prove a damn point.


    But it did prove one thing¡ªthat she is stronger than them, even at her worse.


    ***

 (Finale) Weight of the World (5/5)

    Even falling completely onto the floor didn¡¯t immediately wake Jackie up.


    She then startled herself woke, quickly getting to her feet, knowing that she¡¯s seeing the stalling out siVis use was flickering more and more.


    The hallway was deep in shadow, the lights overhead busted open with only a few dangling and less that were still on.


    Jackie leaned against the wall, or what she thinks is one. Carefully, she walked down the hall, hearing the crunch of glass under her shoes.


    She kept her panting below a whisper, her movement steady and efficient. She cursed herself not asking the researcher for¡­ Any direction, really. But she trusted that she was here¡ªthey did understand who she wanted to save, after all, so she has to be in the right place.


    Then she saw the shadows move before her.


    Move as in, writhing and bubbling.


    She forced herself still, but it was already too late.


    ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t hear you, straggler,¡± the other monster of the day said. ¡°You¡¯re kinda messing with my idea of an entrance, here. Tell ya¡¯ what. After when I¡¯m done with Tabby and Davvy, I¡¯ll come back for ya¡¯.¡±


    To think, this was the poor, screaming man that Jackie and everyone saw before, the night of the hospital.


    She couldn¡¯t think much on that though, as she feel something liquidly, pouring onto her back.


    ¡°You should be somewhere over there¡ªhiding or whatever,¡± the fear user audibly shrugged. ¡°Now I really gotta go, or else this chick has more time to run away¡­¡±


    The sounds of his steps crunching the glass were muffled, as the goop begun to slather her head with it¡¯s mess.


    She was forced onto the ground, the volume of the stuff beginning to pin her onto her belly.


    With her eyes squeezed shut and instinctively tossing and turning within her trap, Jackie cursed herself. No, this can¡¯t be over before it even started. She had to run away, find a safe place, distance herself from the slime until she figured something out. But it¡¯d be over, in that case.


    She then noticed how the smile wasn¡¯t consuming her. Or molding into a nightmare.


    Just docile.


    Her eye lids relaxed, confusion written on her worn face.


    And for some reason, Tracy sprung to mind.


    Could his ability have the same drawback?


    She focused. She slowly lifted herself up, used the tips of her fingers to elevate her hands higher. Beginning to crawl, she actively pulled away from the goop, just going forward.


    Then it sprung tendrils to latch onto her, on various and uncomfortable parts of her body.


    But she still noticed¡ªthey lacked power.


    She couldn¡¯t give in. That was the trick.


    She continued onwards, struggling as the slime tried to follow after, and the glass on the floor pricking her fingertips on the off chance, as well as her body being past her limit.


    Jackie still trekked on, using her mind and sense to complete her goal.


    She heard screaming, shouting. Laughter.


    She picked up the pace, using her ears to direct her, and she was gaining enough ground that she didn¡¯t feel the presence of the slime minutes after.


    As the sounds progressed, she stopped herself shy of where they were getting more and more pronounced, laying on the floor, playing dead.


    There was whimpering, muffled dialogue of confidence. Then the creaking and opening of a door.


    ¡°Guess I¡¯ll come back later and scoop you up,¡± the familiar smug tone. ¡°Don¡¯t go anywhere, now~ As if you did.¡±


    He closed the door, walking away and then forming into a sprint that grew more and more distant.


    Jackie knew it was time, and got off the floor, letting the shards of glass trinkle down. She carefully and slowly made her way to the door. She only grasped the door handle, leaning against the structure as she continued to pant.


    There was rustling beyond it. Which was understandable.


    ¡°D¡­ Don¡¯t be alarmed,¡± she said, in hopes to calm Tabby down. ¡°I¡¯m here¡­ To help¡­¡±


    There was a very noticeable pause.


    ¡°¡­That voice¡­¡± Tabby¡¯s own responded. Jackie¡¯s eyes opened a bit in confusion.


    ¡°You¡­ Know me¡­?¡±


    ¡°¡­I never forget a voice¡­¡±


    Jackie just decided to roll with this. ¡°Can I open the door, then¡­? Can I¡­ Help¡­?¡±


    What was a couple of seconds felt like eternity.


    ¡°Please,¡± Tabby responded.


    Carefully, Jackie opened the door, into the girl¡¯s hospital suite.


    It was roughed up, in disarray. He did that damage, in that short of time¡­?


    She looked down, at Tabby-in-gown, still covered in bandages and patches that took up 60% of her body. She was leaned against her bed on the floor, sitting up, looking back at Jackie in amazement.


    ¡°¡­Oh honey,¡± Tabby sounded sad. ¡°You¡¯ve been through so much.¡±


    Jackie wanted to wrack her brain around whatever that meant, but there wasn¡¯t time.


    ¡°T¡ª¡± Jackie shook her head and started again. ¡°Is there a way for you to get out¡­? Shiftication¡­?¡±


    ¡°O-oh¡ª¡± Tabby nodded, struggling to get to her bare feet. ¡°Yeah yeah yeah.¡±


    She lifted up a mummified arm, showing a bracelet around bare wrist. ¡°This is what this is for¡­ I wanted¡ªhe came in, used that fear ability on me¡­ Tried my damnest to hide that I could get away¡­¡±


    Jackie nodded, and decidedly avoided the topic for the possible trauma. ¡°And I know¡­ It¡¯s, uh¡­ Classified¡­ But surely you know where Davenport is¡­?¡±


    Tabby sighed, and looked to the side. ¡°That was the info he ended up getting out of me.¡±


    Jackie gulped, and then gritted her teeth.


    ¡°B-but he can handle himself, he¡¯s a crafty guy for all of his terrible,¡± Tabby reasoned. ¡°He doesn¡¯t need rescue, especially from someone that¡¯s so banged up like you!¡±


    ¡°We lost¡­ Already lost¡­ Extant Leader¡­¡± Jackie grunted. ¡°If we lose another in the span of weeks¡­¡±


    Tabby looked grim, her own jaw tightening.


    ¡°I promise¡­ It¡¯s not going to be a fight¡­¡± Jackie staggered forward towards her. ¡°I just need to create¡­ A chance. For him to escape. I¡¯m too small, for that fearmonger. I¡¯m not a threat. I can¡­ Use that¡­¡±


    Tabby looked at the tall woman before her, looking her up and down, trying to gauge her words with her big, expressionate eyes.


    Tabby walked to her left, towards a wall. She clicked her bracelet, causing a pod to open.


    She turned on her heels, prowled back to Jackie, took off her bracelet, and slammed it onto the tall woman¡¯s wrist. Then she held it and her big hand.


    "You promise me that you''re going to give this back to me--th-that we''re going to meet again and I actually get to see your face again, ya'' hear?"


    Jackie smiled warmly at her. ¡°It¡¯d be my honor¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­I was intending for that to be my final¡ªn-not final final¡ªbut I was gonna leave after saying that and forgot to tell you how it works¡ª¡± the poor girl sputtered out. ¡°P-press and think about the lowest reaches of this thing. Okay?¡±


    Jackie chuckled. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Tabby walked backwards, towards her pod. She waved and climbed within, the wall sealing up.


    Jackie pressed the button and thought about going deeper.


    Soon, the floor swallowed her up and she was transported through the network of the structure. Awaiting her moment.


    Within this barely-awake state, her siVis senses were cranked to the maximum. Normally, this would¡¯ve easily overwhelmed her¡ªnothing but sensory abuse. But with this state of numb pain, within this barely-there state, the toll isn¡¯t any different from the others heaped on her at the moment.


    So she heard the conversation between the fearmonger and Davenport.


    She willed her transport to hone into that direction.


    With the added caveat that she¡¯s within the ceiling of this room.


    Being spat out gently onto the last layer, the pod creating a new one so she is between the various pipes, wires and support¡ªshe can hear everything clearly.


    ¡°¡­What¡¯s this going to prove, son?¡± Mr. Davenport, being eerily calm. ¡°You¡¯ve made yourself public enemy #1. The Trends are people that under no circumstance, we face head on, because if we do¡ªthen it means the possible end to everything. What you and N¡¯atural done is gotten everyone¡ªand I mean everyone¡ªpissed off. The unspoken rule of the time is to never make things harder for others, and you crossed it.¡±


    ¡°Eh, because you¡¯re not getting the bigger picture here,¡± the fear user confidently stated. ¡°Because you can¡¯t. You¡¯re a relic¡ªand that¡¯s the whole problem here, you¡¯re holding us back from truly changing shit here. That¡¯s what I¡¯m doing¡ªespecially now that I literally have the power of a Shift and it¡¯s been building up again. By getting rid of you false idols and these false ideas¡ªwe¡¯ll finally embrace these weird times and finally move on as a race. A race of literal transhumans, and I¡¯m gonna be the leader of it all.¡±


    Suddenly, the room started to shake, therefore Jackie¡¯s pod.


    She tried to hold on and there was nothing to do so.


    Rocking and being battered within, she saw pieces of the ceiling fall off¡ªthis giving her an unstable view of the room.


    Davenport was just at his desk, as his entire room started to shift and whirl. Items floating about, structure becoming undone.


    And there was the fear user¡ªterrible head of meaded dreaded locks that went in every direction, the shaved sides, and the ruining eyeliner from his now glowing eyes as the rest of his body was covered in his slimy filth.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°I THINK I¡¯M GONNA CALL IT A PARADIGM SHIFT¡ª¡± he laughed, as her words echoed. ¡°MAKE WAY, OTHER THINGS SHIFT AND SIVIS¡ª¡±


    A sphere of influence bubbled within him and then emitted from him, quickly bursting outwards in a unhealthy light¡ªadding to the previous use.


    Jackie knew he was going to say something else. Evoke more misery.


    She put everything into her fist.


    She reeled back and punched the part of the ceiling she¡¯s on, as a thunderous sound followed through, as it flung out and her pod quickly saving her from falling along with it.


    ¡°THE FU--?!¡± was all the fear user could say before getting hit by it and the raining rubble that followed after¡ªforcing him onto the ground


    And like that, the room ceased rumbling.


    Jackie was within a metal cocoon, only her side of her face being visible as she couldn¡¯t move, but strangely see.


    She bore witness of Davenport calmly getting out of his chair and walking towards the struggling would-be-king.


    ¡°Now, as a man of science and reason¡ªI reckon what you just did, that order of yours¡­ Might¡¯ve cleared up the damage you caused here. ¡®Make way, all things siVis and Shift¡¯, yeah?¡±


    ¡°DAMN IT!¡± the boy shouted. ¡°You mean to tell me that I resetted everything?!¡±


    ¡°Probably not, no,¡± Mr. Davenport shrugged, slowly prowling towards. ¡°Buildings and non-Noumena injury withstanding. But hey, that gives me no hurry to give a little talk to you.¡±


    The man stopped there. Stroking his chin.


    ¡°I evoke Siddhartha.¡±


    Suddenly, the boy¡¯s arms shot out of the rubble, and then his whole body.


    Jackie watched in abject horror as the fear user screamed and was contorted into a massive puzzle piece¡ªwith his head being unchanged.


    This caused the fear user to stammer in horror, looking up at the growing shadow that came over him.


    ¡°The reason that I¡¯m not killing you in self-defense is because I don¡¯t have a speech prepared for that, boy,¡± the man adjusted his mostly white and red accented suit. Adjusting the feathery frills of his collar, he continued.


    ¡°You claim that you¡¯re going to be this¡­ This leader in a new era, and it¡¯s so funny to me. All you did was cause wanton destruction that made people accept we need to change. You can¡¯t nor will you be there for the most critical part. The aftermath. We people step up, become appointed, and clean the mess up¡­ All to build things right again. That¡¯s my role, I¡¯m already there. You¡¯re a nobody upstrart. Me? Years of controversy, eccentricity, building¡­ I¡¯m the solution. I¡¯m the one who¡¯s going make this my Era.¡±


    He motioned his hand, lifting the fear user up as he screams and shouts.


    ¡°Now get the hell out of my office.¡±


    Davenport flings the recusant out of the building, literally forcing him to phase out of the walls into further pieces.


    ¡°YOOOOU GOT ME¡ª¡± the last shouts Jackie heard, as they echoed within the walls, maybe even in the building. ¡°BUT YOU GOT A MONSTER TO DEAL WITH---!¡±


    With that, Jackie pressed her button in a hurry, the pod surfing within the network again.


    She helped it push through the stags, the interior damage, and told it to go to the location post-haste.


    Somewhere the information was stored. Somewhere you could get files of yourself, indepth.


    She knew that she was there and it was up to her to stop her again.


    Once again, she was spat out from the ceiling, landing on her feet.


    Instantly started running, across a lab that equipment has been totaled as she looked around.


    Only to find N¡¯atural there. Standing within a ring of information about her.


    Jackie stopped, a ways away from her. Jackie only saw her back, her blonde hair against the light.


    N¡¯atural turned around, looking normal. A longing look in her eyes.


    ¡°Well, hello there, stranger.¡±


    Jackie recognized it¡ªit was what she called her.


    N¡¯atural then looked back at her ring of data, shaking her head.


    ¡°I admit. I really wanted¡­ I came here just to confirm that I was really fucked from the beginning. Maybe if I saw something¡­ Something positive. Maybe I just turn myself in. Let them jail me and fix me for the good of humanity.¡±


    She sighed, combing her fingers through her hair.


    ¡°There really is no hope.¡±


    ¡°Only¡­ Because you abandoned it¡­¡±


    N¡¯atural looked to Jackie, with a perked eyebrow.


    ¡°I¡¯m here now¡­ Because I know it doesn¡¯t come easy¡­ That you have to make your own way¡­ You literally had the power¡­ The power to make your siVis flexible or¡­ Or maybe even cure the people you¡¯ve hurt¡­ But no, you wallowed within your own¡­ Shit¡­¡±


    N¡¯atural growled.


    ¡°When we met¡­ When I heard your story¡ªit wrecked me. Destroyed me. I didn¡¯t know what to say. That was me, in the end, pouring my fucking heart out for you and in some ways¡­ I got why you gave in, then and there. That would¡¯ve tragic but understandable. Now, you¡¯re stretching it thin.¡±


    ¡°¡­We met¡­?¡±


    Jackie did a double take.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Jackie shouted. ¡°Of course we met!¡±


    N¡¯atural tilted her head, ¡°Was it at a performance or¡­?¡±


    Jackie scanned her face, her eyes, her overall body language. There was no lying or sarcasm. Nothing to hide.


    She was just as confused.


    ¡°At Future¡¯s! The night of your change! We¡ªI tried to talk you down!¡±


    N¡¯atural eyes went wide and then put a hand on her forehead.


    ¡°Ooooooooh¡­ Right. Well, I keep the essential details of that night.¡±


    Jackie honestly looked confused and dazed. ¡°What¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a thing we can do with our siVis abilities,¡± N¡¯atural explained. ¡°Going into the Mindscape, altering memory even just a tad¡­ A very slippery slope, I must add. I nearly lost my entire self.¡±


    Jackie just stared at her.


    ¡°The details aren¡¯t gone, just merely locked away,¡± N¡¯atural rested her elbows against her hands, crossing at her midriff. ¡°I couldn¡¯t go on, if I kept those memories. In order to become what I am now, I needed to cast away those unneeded¡­ Reminders that I was weak. Pitiful. To fully become the monster I always was.¡±


    Jackie was brimming with anger. Anger and hurt.


    ¡°That¡¯s funny,¡± Jackie spat venomously. ¡°I still see a coward.¡±


    N¡¯atural¡¯s expression steeled and glared towards her.


    ¡°Taking away your memories?! Screwing up your own head¡ªjust to feel better about doing the wrong thing?! It¡¯s literally self-serving! You idiot! I fucking bled my heart for you and you threw it right back into my face!¡±


    N¡¯atural¡¯s mouth started to move subtly.


    Showing that her sharpened teeth were beginning to push out.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll make you bleed more,¡± N¡¯atural retorted.


    ***


    Maddie instinctively looked up¡ªand was the one to see Jackie spurt out of the building, sailing downward in the air.


    ¡°SHIT--!¡± she shouted out. ¡°JACKSON¡¯S THROWN OUT¡ªEVERYONE COME AND HELP QUICK!¡±


    Jackie was sailing forward, was glancing at her bracelet for the quick escape, even if it meant something like this.


    As she was approaching the ground at blinding speeds, and turned on her back, and covered her head and neck¡ªbracing for impact.


    And impact she did, landing onto the broken but moldable streets, skidding so much that she created a hill of street in response.


    Maddie, Aiko, and the duo of Tracy and River¡ªthe latter helping her as her arms were near-ruined, gathered around the sight.


    Jackie shouldn¡¯t have been awake. She shot up, studied herself¡­ Still intact, despite the pain.


    She remembered what Leslie said.


    And without warning, a N¡¯atural landed front from the group, already at Stage Two.


    The monster quickly swiped and pushed and assaulted the rest, causing them to land at various wrecks at high speeds.


    There was the terrible, dry heaving sound again. Jackie knew this to be her disgusting laughter in this state.


    While she struggled to get up, she managed to do it.


    ¡°Now jussss¡­¡± N¡¯atural hissed. ¡°Yooou and meee¡­¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t¡ªjust¡ªfight you, y¡¯know---¡±


    Confused, the monster looked around.


    She then saw the pathetic victims that should¡¯ve been on the floor, in pain, struggle to rise.


    ¡°w¡ª¡± the monster stummered. ¡°What issss this?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple.¡±


    Jackie walked forward, knowing she has nothing left but wanting to show who¡¯s truly winning here. ¡°We¡¯ve dealt with enough shit already. Including yours.¡±


    The monsters growled, looking animalistically as she¡¯s cornered by prey that should be bleeding out.


    She then took a bound, and landed further back.


    ¡°FINE THEN.¡±


    The environment began to swirl and shake. Things becoming intense, things becoming undone.


    The girls were scared, but they stood the little ground they had left.


    ¡°LET¡¯SSS SEE HOW A BEASSSST WILL USE THISSSS NEW SHIFT ABILITY¡±


    DIE VERWANDLUNG: B¨¹HNE¡­ DREI¡ªVIER¡ªF¨¹NF


    The humanoid monster gave way into the odd, perplexing design of it¡¯s¡ªnow¡ªtrue face.


    It began to roar, causing all of the debris, wreckage, and rubble to rise along with the volume¡ªand create this terrible force of power.


    The girls couldn¡¯t even get close¡ªthey were instantly pelted by various trash and random object, just like the start of this. Right back at the bottom.


    But the objects started to bounce off their ruined bodies.


    This causing each of them to look down, they noticed their forms starting to vibrate and flicker.


    Soon, they noticed that their siVis permanently activate.


    Finally. They achieved their siVis.


    Flickering turned into steady vibration and the vibration turned into shifting.


    There they were, shifting beings within this hellish landscape.


    So they moved forward.


    It was a painful, slow and methodical walk forward, but they did it. They shifted against the monster¡¯s force, one step at a time.


    Soon, their very eyes began to glow into vivid multicolor.


    The shifting shadows, noticing how they often stumbled or was on the verge of collapse, they met in the middle of their pilgrimage to band together, holding each other up as they took their time. One step ever closer.


    They got to the roaring monster, and then hit her.


    This caused the monster confusion, stopping it¡¯s roaring to face them, only to be punched again.


    They kept punching and punching and punching¡ªusing their experience from before.


    They didn¡¯t need to win against her. Just break whatever concentration she had until it all fell down.


    And soon, the force started to lose it¡¯s focus.


    Within minutes, whatever hold N¡¯atural had over the Shift was gone¡ªinstantly vanished as soon as she did lose it.


    ***


    And that was Stark¡¯s cue.


    With little she had left, she used her influence like a lance and shot through the sphere with precision.


    It soon collapsed onto itself and dissipated within the air it once ruined.


    Panting, exhausted, humiliated with only an arm propped up, Stark laughed. It pained her, but she needed to laugh.


    Only because in that moment of victory, she saw within the sphere of influence¡ªto see if anything¡ªand more importantly anyone¡ªwas okay.


    What she saw warmed her worn heart once more.


    ¡°Told you guys¡­¡±


    And she slammed onto the street.


    ***


    Standing proud and ceased their shifting, the girls simply fell onto the street as well.


    Bunched together, nearly side by side, but completely spent.


    And much worse, felt their cracks deep and started to spread across their bodies.


    As they saw the angry beast N¡¯atural hover over them, preparing to strike. Jackie said this.


    ¡°It was worth it¡­¡±


    ¡°It was worth it¡­¡± Aiko repeated.


    ¡°For once¡­ We were worth something¡­¡± River said.


    ¡°Even if it was meant to be this way¡­¡± Tracy agreed.


    ¡°We became¡­ Somebodies¡­¡± Maddie struggled to voice.


    E-MOTION: DETERMINATION¡¯S ARROW!


    They all let out a collective gasp that soon was taken away.


    A orange, flaming arrow of energy pierced into N¡¯atural¡¯s maw and caused her to skid backwards.


    The new player floated down, her naked feet gently touching the ruined street.


    Her robes, pristine white, were made up of smaller wrappings¡ªfashioned into a robe dress that had a cape that started from the lower back down. She had long, flowing sleeves but on her arms wore long finger looped gloves. Her hair was pure golden, draped on her shoulders, fringe curved across her brow.


    She was in position for an archery pose, her stout and beautiful frame making her presence known, and had very focused eyes and expression.


    Until she dropped the pose, turned her head slightly, and wore the warmest expression imaginable. Even her hazel eyes, due to her big cheeks, were smiling just as warmly as her lips did.


    ¡°Well said, guys,¡± Grace Masters complimented.


    She quickly snapped back into the fray, getting tackled by the monster.


    E-MOTION: CONFIDENCE¡¯S BOOST!


    Said boost made the already strong woman more so, peeling the monsters back and away from her despite her being ontop of her.


    But there was something wrong.


    The monster begun to lurch forward against Grace¡¯s grip, snapping at her.


    Grace looked confused and possibly troubled.


    And that was before her hands being ruined, due to N¡¯atural¡¯s face platelets springing forth.


    E-MOTION: FEAR¡¯S SWIFTNESS!


    Grace quickly bailed, turning into blur and past the monster¡¯s blindspot, as it still tried to bite at a target that wasn¡¯t there.


    The heroine looked at her mangled hands, with holes bored through it, and her expression was pure panic.


    It was both humbling and scary, seeing that even she could be so, as the girls watched.


    Regardless, the heroine balled them into a fist, and closed her eyes. Breathing, taking the time to, and then sported a face of anger.


    E-MOTIONS: RAGE¡¯S RAY!


    Without warning, she opened her mouth wide and unleashed a red beam of pure energy.


    The monster was startled by the lowtone noise, more than anything and was barely prepared for what was coming.


    As it hit, chunks of her flesh was fried off.


    Revealing a familiar and hurt, human arm.


    ¡°And there you go¡­¡± Grace said in a growl.


    She fired again, hitting the monster trying to flee, blowing off more chunks to reveal the little girl inside.


    As the entire spot where they fought kept flashing red, that meant every ray being used and more importantly, hitting.


    Soon, N¡¯atural was there. Gasping, hurt, ruined. She was in a corner, looking at Grace with a scared gazed.


    Grace simply walked forward towards her, clearly the ambers of rage still fresh on her mind.


    But she closed her eyes again, simply breathing again.


    She put her hurt hands together.


    E-MOTION: CREATIVITY¡¯S GIFT!


    What came out of her hands where a purple coated net. She thrusted her hands outward, snaring the monster girl into the net.


    But Grace held a purple rope, and proceeded to go into the archery stance again, facing away from N¡¯atural.


    ¡°Next time you terrorize people¡ªremember the things they¡¯re truly capable of,¡± Grace winced as she readied her hands.


    E-MOTION: DETERMINATION¡¯S ARROW!


    The orange arrow appeared, now interlinked with the robe.


    Feeling it out¡­!


    Soon, the arrow doubled in size. And then it doubled that. To the point where Grace had to get lower and adjust for the size.


    AMPED UP! EXPRESSION!


    She launched the arrow, and as it sped up within the air, N¡¯atural within the net was soon to follow.


    The last the girls and anyone saw of her, was her screaming out in confusion and in fear, as she disappeared into the night-like sky.


    Grace was panting and lowered her hands. She carefully wiped her hands of sweat, looking at them in worry.


    She got up, looking at the battlefield that was once considered humanity¡¯s last chance and looked on in melancholy.


    She gently put her hands together, into a gesture of pray and closed her eyes.


    E-MOTION: HOPE¡¯S HEALING


    Grace became a glowing, green beacon of light¡ªpulsating across the plane, each beat causing her to look more and more tired.


    But the girls felt it, how warm it was.


    They didn¡¯t feel the cracking anymore. In fact, they felt something they haven¡¯t felt in a long time.


    Little by little, all of their aches and pains melted away into a calming embrace. And soon as they could move again, all of them quickly came together for a hug.


    ¡°We¡¯re alive¡ª¡± Maddie said, on the verge of tears despite herself. ¡°We¡¯re alive¡ª¡±


    If someone like her watershed was broken, everyone else fell into line too.


    Tracy went into a slow but fast wail. River tried her best to not make any nose, but was shuddering out her tears. Aiko¡¯s face was covered, as she tried her best to mop up and stop her instant flow.


    Jackie, sobbing and holding her new friends close, whimpered the same thing.


    They¡¯re alive.


    They¡¯re alive.


    They¡¯re alive.

 (Coda)

    ¡°¡­ As clean up, medical crews, evacuations¡ªand various relief efforts on route as I speak, the damage done on this day at the very least will be cleaned up,¡± Tabby¡¯s words brought clarity back.


    The augmented reality visage captured her subtler, nuanced facial expressions. She smiled, but even small as it was, had clear signs of it being an effort. Her eyes, looking ¡°directly¡± to the viewer, glanced about briefly¡ªreadying for something that might come.


    That was why, she sighed and dropped the pleasantries.


    ¡°Folks¡­ What happened today, is going to take some considerable time for us to¡­ Understand. The toll, the lives forever changed. More importantly¡­ The sense of¡­ I struggle to find the words. But the sense of our greatest achievement¡ªto be able to rebound as a species.¡±


    The girl wiped her face with her hand, letting it flop to her side. Her expression forlorn. Exhausted.


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know what to tell you. I don¡¯t know what to do. I¡¯m talking, but there¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s just noise. Vocalization of one of the many minds that just can¡¯t accept what happened here. Not only as ultraviolence, but¡­ There¡¯s just no grid for this. From this point on, things have to change. Because like it or not, it¡¯s changing without our input, our say¡­¡±


    Then she nodded. Maybe more to herself than anybody.


    ¡°¡­But change is a science, I feel. We see it happen, we found various ways where it manifests. And more importantly, it can be used for great good or terrible evil. It¡¯s up to us to make this next journey of the human race a much better, less painful one. For those we lost. For those who were irreversibly broken. And for us, that has to continue on for them and ourselves¡­¡±


    ***


    Of all the things Stark could¡¯ve saw in her dazed state, she was surprised when an angel soared across the air, and landed right next to her.


    Grace¡ªboth quickly yet tenderly¡ªgrabbed the beaten girl and cradled her in her arms.


    ¡°Oh my god baby¡ªwhat happened?!¡± Grace panicked.


    Stark just shook her head. ¡°Sulked. The universe paid me back in kind¡ª¡±


    Grace quickly pulled her in, trying her damnedest not to crush her due to her frail status. Rocking gently yet holding close for good measure.


    ¡°Hey¡­ Look at the bright side¡­ There¡¯s no world wasting, I¡¯m still here so you don¡¯t go and do all that¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stark, you¡¯re literally in pieces and yet you find a way to needle me for that?¡± there was a hint of annoyance, but clearly outweighed by her shaking tone and her caring whisper.


    ¡°Humor¡¯s a good tool for diffusing really tough situations¡­¡±


    ¡°So you find my declaration of love from literally from my heart funny,¡± Grace snarked back. ¡°Who¡¯s the jerk about this now~?¡±


    ¡°Hey, they expect me to rampage once my humanity¡¯s gone¡ªyou¡¯re the superhero here,¡± Stark then sticked out her tongue. ¡°¡­You couldn¡¯t see that, yeah, I¡¯m kinda running low on brain RAM today¡ª¡±


    Grace grabbed Stark by her shoulders, leaned in and softly pressed her lips on hers. She pulled back, and Stark followed up weakly, but made it linger to compensate.


    ¡°Oh god, it¡¯s horrible out there, hunbun¡­¡± Grace aged in that one second. ¡°Just horrible. No one knows what to do now. People aren¡¯t just¡­ Losing the point. They¡¯re actively tossing it away.¡±


    Stark nodded, steadily raising her mangled hand¡ªthe sight of which made Grace¡¯s eyes glossy.


    But Stark pressed on, grasping her lover¡¯s cheek, using her thumb to softly caress. Grace closed her eyes, with beads of tears at the edges, and leaned into it.


    ¡°I know. I know¡­ But it¡¯s natural.¡±


    ¡°Stark¡ª¡± despite her eyes closed and expression soft, her brow did furrow.


    ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ I¡¯m not doing that s-word¡ªMy usual s-word, but¡­ Yeah. We should be at a loss right now. We just lost a lot of things, all in quick session. A societal yearning¡­ It can be dangerous. We seen how dangerous it can be. All we can really do now¡­ Is heal this time. Let this tragedy pass. If we don¡¯t let go now, if we do¡­ Try using this as foundation. We¡¯re going to destroy ourselves.¡±


    Grace sighed and sighed deeply. Stark proceeded to kiss her forehead, still weak.


    ¡°Besides, you have to listen to me. I¡¯m the bedridden one right now.¡±


    Grace opened her eyes and shot a playful glare.


    ¡°Stark Terri, I will use my usual methods and then heal you after,¡± Grace grumbled pathetically.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll truly break up with you¡ª¡±


    ¡°What about razing the world~?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stop you and we¡¯ll have an emotional, love-infused duel of fates.¡±


    ¡°Jeez, and you say that you have idea what ¡®sexual¡¯ is,¡± she knowingly winked¡ªwhich caused Stark to shudder a tad.


    ¡°i know we¡¯re like having a private moment on some technicality¡ªcan we, create or establish a private moment for private moments?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re making it woooooorse~¡±


    Stark found her face flushed with redness. It was still such a foreign concept, even with years of this and already faced intimacy on semi-regular basis.


    ¡°now you¡¯re¡ªtaking advantage of a poor, injured lady and lewding her. is your zeal without limit--?¡±


    Grace rolled her eyes, and presented her maimed hand. ¡°Like everything else about us, we¡¯re on the same level, so it¡¯s fine¡ª¡±


    Stark looked at it, taking it just as quick as Grace grabbed her, studying it.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry that I wasn¡¯t there to help,¡± Stark sounded small. ¡°I could¡¯ve made¡ªall the excuses¡ªany single¡ª¡±


    Grace chuckled softly, grabbing her hand with the other. ¡°No. You¡¯re so introspective and smart that you knew someone had to do the job no one ever thinks about¡­ You taught me about how rushing into do something can undo it just as easy. And about accepting that I can¡¯t just help everyone before I went insane. So, from your other side of the coin¡ªdon¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    Stark¡¯s eyes lit up warmly, somehow portraying a warm sadness in them. ¡°I¡­ Uh¡­ Yeah.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°More importantly¡ª¡± the girl in white leaned in, nuzzling her lover¡¯s flushed cheek. ¡°Take your own damn advice for once, you¡ª¡±


    Stark laughed and not only took it but her girlfriend¡¯s kindness within the dark.


    As they were the only two on the crumbled road, it made the various thoughts¡ªpounding within the strange one¡¯s head¡ªjust a bit more bearable.


    ***


    Mr. Davenport just put a photo down, and it wasn¡¯t even his.


    ¡°I promise. I promise I¡¯ll make this right. Even if you can¡¯t see it finally bare fruit.¡±


    It was an old war photo, Conrad Miller being in the center with his squadron around him. Mr. Davenport wanted to salute, to give the ultimate grand gesture, but he wasn¡¯t sure if he could.


    Especially someone like him.


    He got up from the desk, and heard a knock on the door. And even before he could ask¡ªDiana Blake stormed in.


    ¡°And where were you--?¡± Mr. Davenport asked, with a squint.


    ¡°Exac¡ªunlike you,¡± she spat back, putting her hands onto her labcoat¡¯s pockets.


    ¡°¡­This was his office, y¡¯know?¡± the man looked around himself, seeing everything broken or rendered down. ¡°All of his stuff¡ªI couldn¡¯t bare to¡­ Take it all out yet. Just when I worked up the nerve¡­ It all gets destroyed anyways¡­¡±


    Diana made a very purposely groan and used her head to roll her eyes.


    ¡°Save any and all sentimentality for the speech you¡¯re gonna do,¡± Diana crossed her arms. ¡°Not really the time for it, right now.¡±


    ¡°¡­Fine. If we¡¯re to talk business¡­ I thought you encrypted the data. You had to because it¡¯s protocol. So how did she find her files¡ªeasily, at that?¡±


    ¡°From what I understand¡ªsympathy,¡± Diana shrugged. ¡°We had stragglers that related to her plight, overrid everything as soon as I escaped. It¡¯s just the world we¡¯re in now, can¡¯t trust anyone with research anymore.¡±


    ¡°Shall we recruit and bolster security as we go forward, then?¡±


    Who walked out of the door and raised that question, was none other than ¡°JoJo¡±. They had their hands behind their back, stern expression framed with their diagonal fringe on display as they looked towards their superiors.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot to do, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡± Mr. Davenport. ¡°I know you both came for some kind of status report for the rest, and¡­ I don¡¯t really have anything concrete. Not right now. I only have my thoughts.¡±


    ¡°Oooh, hopefully it¡¯ll go nicely with the mood board, too!¡± Diana snarked.


    ¡°There¡¯s also been talks about meeting for what they referred to¡­ As ¡®End Chapter talks¡¯,¡± JoJo informed. ¡°No other details beyond that, sir.¡±


    ¡°¡­Well that¡¯s ominous,¡± Mr. Davenport said flat out. ¡°But something that we have to deal with later. Come on, you two. Time to address the state of everything.¡±


    ***


    Teleporting, onto the makeshift stage fashioned of Seedy Island, was something of a karmic brick for Davenport. When he claimed the town, land and sea of this realm all those years ago¡ªhe didn¡¯t have anything planned for this and the many other ¡°useless¡± islands that surrounded old Davenport¡ªhence the name.


    Now he¡¯s going to be making the most important speech of his life, on something he considered a joke.


    He walked forward, perched above a few feet of the crowd of evacs. The latter boats in the final waves of the conflict where volunteers, thus couldn¡¯t handle the multiple people jumping on for so long, leaving them here as more reinforcements came.


    He didn¡¯t have a podium, he didn¡¯t have a script. Just him, only surrounded by people.


    ¡°¡­Folks, I¡­¡± he begun. ¡°¡­Is there truly anything to say? We have been singlehandedly thrusted into a new frontier of human history. We have to¡ªsay to ourselves¡ªthat we know live within a fantasy, where magic powers, and monsters, and weird lands are a staple of living. It¡¯s confusing. It¡¯s terrible. And as much as we wanted it to be over¡­ Today shows that it can¡¯t be put an end to.¡±


    He put his hands together, squeezing them. ¡°I¡¯m not here to tell you things are crazy, you know that. And I¡¯m not here to tell you that I¡¯m forced to change from my ways due to the new responsibilities we have¡ªthere¡¯s no choice for me not to.¡±


    He pointed, his hands still together with two fingers on each being pointed forward. ¡°What I¡¯m telling you is that we¡¯re going to do right. We¡¯re going to be the leading, guiding light within this terrible time. Because, despite this unprecedented event, this is still a new beginning¡­ New attitudes, new technology, the purest cultural reset we have ever experienced. Let¡¯s walk forward, because you all are deserving to get something back. Let us walk forward, so we can put this day behind us.¡±


    Grace suddenly flew in, causing a lot of startled gasping. Reading the climate, she drifted down softly onto the ¡°stage¡±.


    ¡°If I may¡­¡± she asked. Mr. Davenport gestured, backing away as she took center stage.


    ¡°¡­I wanna say that you beautiful people¡­ Haven¡¯t lost everything.¡±


    There were some murmurs. She let them occur, hoping that shouting or discourse won¡¯t ignite from it, until it died down.


    ¡°Hardship is terrible, being left with nothing after everything you¡¯ve done¡­ I¡¯m here to remind that¡­ You still did those things. You¡¯re still capable of doing something. Not only you can regain what you¡¯ve lost, but you¡¯re automatically stronger because you¡¯re still standing. I know you¡¯re traumatized; I know you¡¯re beaten¡­ But you did it. The worst event and you made it here. Without heartbreak, without sorrow¡­ But the inner light within you, it can flicker once again. And it will. So cry, yell, grieve, crumple onto the floor¡­ it¡¯s only because that¡¯s a sign that light is still alive and it¡¯s hurt like the rest of you. Keep it alive. And know that you will never truly lose anything, because you still hold it within yourself.¡±


    People around didn¡¯t know what to make of the statement. They only applauded, it weak because it felt weird and strange to even clap.


    But Grace nodded and bowed all the same¡ªbacking away as Mr. Davenport leaned in.


    ¡°Thanks for telling them the heart part,¡± he said in a whisper. ¡°Was focused on the inspiration. They¡¯ll realize you¡¯re right in time.¡±


    He then gave a wink at her, and became center stage again.


    ***


    With everything, from the various speeches, the state of things, and the experience living through it all¡ªJackie felt like talking to her parents on a phone was the hardest thing to do.


    ¡°Of course¡­ Yes, I¡¯m with friends¡­ We¡¯re just waiting for the boats to take us to where you guys are soon¡­ Yeah, I¡¯m stable now. Don¡¯t worry¡­ I know it¡¯s hard. I still feel terrible for doing that to you¡­ I love you too.¡±


    She hung up, letting the Extant Medical Worker carry the phone away as she sighed a loud.


    ¡°First time getting grounded, huh?¡± Maddie leaned in, right next to her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the rest of us knows how it feels, we¡¯ll coach¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hush, you¡­¡± Jackie grinned a bit. ¡°Things are fine. They¡¯re just waiting for me now¡­¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be long now,¡± River typing away at her laptop, somehow more damaged than the one Jackie saw. ¡°Five minutes or so, Extant patchworked a site for the timetable. Feels like how websites were when I was a kid-¡°


    Aiko was just making her arm shift again and again, chuckling in delight as her arm vibrated.


    ¡°Aiko, stop that,¡± Jackie sounded parental.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you guys reveling in the fact we have full access now?!¡± Aiko exclaimed with glee. ¡°Weeks of having this around our necks, now it¡¯s all working!¡±


    ¡°Because it still looks weird and we nearly fucking strained it, genius,¡± Maddie spat.


    Tracy felt up her arms, which still had the deepest cracks trailing down it, ¡°Not to mention¡­ Still damaged¡­¡±


    Jackie looked at her palm, which has her crack still there. She closed it into a fist.


    ¡°Hey. Scars shrink, if you give it time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you stole that from somewhere¡ª¡± Maddie scratched at her neck¡¯s side, revealing a re:Birthmark. ¡°I¡¯m regretting this whole thing purely because of these marks, man. Super weird.¡±


    Aiko rolled up her short sleeve, to unveil hers based on shoulder. ¡°More like super cooool~¡±


    ¡°Not gonna lie, kinda wanted mine on my ass or something,¡± River flatly said with a smirk.


    ¡°what the fuck, brooke¡ª¡± Maddie looked towards her.


    As she snickered, Tracy giggled, joining in.


    Jackie smiled at the banter, while turning her hand and looking at her own mark. Tracing it with her eyes.


    ¡°¡­Girls, we did something today,¡± Jackie began.


    ¡°¡­ I mean yeah,¡± Maddie said. ¡°We¡¯ve been through this¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ Why don¡¯t we keep doing something? About all this?¡±


    Everyone looked at her.


    ¡°What do you mean--?¡± Tracy asked.


    ¡°OOOOOO, DOES THIS MEAN WE¡¯RE GOING ON ADVENTURES AND STUFF?!¡± Aiko screamed more than ask.


    ¡°We¡¯re straight up getting a band together?¡± River looked at Jackie, pressing her glasses up.


    ¡°IIII don¡¯t know, man¡ª¡± Maddie waved her hands. ¡°I stuck around because we¡¯re linked now and I owed you all¡­ We can¡¯t be a Justice League or whatever.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ But we can¡­ Keep proving our worth. Be these underdogs¡ªfight back against these terrible things, so that others can start doing it as well. A team of normal, everyday people¡ªus against this fucked world.¡±


    ¡°¡­We¡¯ll¡­ Do lunch or something,¡± Maddie shrugged. ¡°I need to talk about it more. Also, y¡¯know, grace period of no communication from now until two weeks later. Wanna live it up because, y¡¯know, nearly wasn¡¯t alive¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it! Consider me the first member!¡± Aiko practically bounced.


    ¡°¡­I like the lunch idea,¡± Tracy smiled. ¡°Takes me back a bit¡­ I¡¯ll think about it more when everything¡¯s¡­ Presented¡­¡±


    River scratched her head. ¡°I¡¯ll¡ªhelp out when I can. Iunno how much help I¡¯ll be but¡­¡±


    Jackie, for the first time in years, smiled the biggest smile¡ªear to ear.


    She looked up towards the starry sky, watching as the clear sky slowly but surely fade back into existence.

 (META) Phase 0 Post-Mortem

    Annnd it''s over. Done. Finally.


    And it''s only the first part--


    Welcome to the post-mortem, friends. Writing this is a two-fold purpose, telling you what I was going for in reward for... literally dealing with my insanity for a year--and for me, a reminder that I''m still shit as this, so never get a big head about it.


    For a bit of backstory... This was the result of, 6-7 years of on again/off again creative "progess". "Progess" because, I''d have multiple breakdowns--give up--get the buzz--write again--repeat.


    ...Which is a process but-


    This was, literally, a long time coming. So above anything else, and regardless of how I find the quality... I''m proud of actually MAKING shit again. I wrote this. This is a thing that''s real. Sure, only a handful of very awesome people care in the world, but that''s a fucking victory.


    With that in mind...


    >Intentions


    For one, I wanted a dark story about teens getting a fist hand experience of the harsh world they''re in, and struggle against trying to survive to actually use it. So, that''s why these characters aren''t the standard of the web novel new order. They don''t really GET good, they''re flawed and non-badass--overall nothing what people currently want. Why would I do this?


    -Shrugs- I kinda wanted to see something like that in the world again.


    Now granted, I know we don''t write these downers and drags because we want an escape from the downer and drag that is IRL... But. Iunno. I like fiction that reflects, I like fiction that isn''t just the "theme" but has reality baked into it. I love power fantaies--for fucks sake, I''m a NARUTO fan. And a MHA fan--even worse for some people.


    But people write them, other people. People that would be much better at it than me. Most of the celebrated(/mainstream) works we know today was going against the mold of their eras, and finding unlikely success in it. So I wanted to write something I missed in this world--a story that says "life sucks... what are you going to do about it?"


    So, it explains the overall pace, mood, everything about this story. Sorry that it was too much at points (in fact, tell me when I went too far), but it was the design.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Now, let''s see where I fucked up--


    >Pitfills


    When I did went too far--I quickly realized that it was a bit of a bummer in the middle bits.


    I continued on and this part of the story should be dark, it was starting to become unfun during the period of... 6-8? That back to back was brutal.


    A lot of terrible stories that use doom and gloom fell into the same trap as I did: when you want to do a dark story, you have to guide it, structure it. Otherwise, the feeling runs wild, and as a result, gets to you on an emotional level and pushes you into the place of, "fuck this story". It''s a very power tool.


    I learned a very good lesson about maintaining tone, but adding ease without the expense of it. Something that I''ll definitely use in the next Phase.


    Also, fuck me, I fucking suck at describing things. Like, I get stuck on a detail without talking about the rest of the other details, to use that to my advantage. And when I wanted to do something to stop that--I forget, which sucks. So sorry for... Stalling in story form.


    Lost the thread of the characters, as well. A fucking big sin considering the work is mainly character study, so forgetting the nuances while writing a character study is... Uh, a very bad thing. Thankfully, I knew these characters long enough so even on back foot, I can still write them and use their voice. But it could''ve been so much better.


    Maddie is a great example, of both of Phase 0''s faults. Had I structure her character better--you''d still think she''s an asshole but she''s still human--understandable human--while still not liking her. And that''s f i n e


    But losing the thread, letting her talk on and on... I won''t be mad if you found her insufferable. In fact, sozzle.


    Finally, the complete misunderstanding of the web serial format. Well, as it is--


    I discovered web serial novels via wilbow and nobody--and in their day, you could get away with posting 5k words a chapter and even go bigger--people marveled at them for doing it. So, I thought, that was still the norm... Woof.


    If there was a greater tradegy, it would be me posting (Prelude) in it''s entirty. Was the baddest move I did to myself and outright neutered my chance of growth--of course, not posting everyday for a month as well. Literally stopped everything in it''s tracks as a result. So yeah--definitely... Uh. Not doing that.


    AndofcoursethegrammarbutheyImightloadupGrammarlyoneday


    So in short...


    >Overall feelings


    I liked how it came out, but man it''s very much a product mind-to-page. For a complicated story like this, it should be mind-to-structure-to-page-to-product. But despite the woes I have... Again. It''s REAL. It''s a real thing--it exists! Look! You''re looking at it!


    And, I managed to bring out the jist of what I was going for, and that''s awesome. For all the failings of challenging people with it, at least I made it clear of what this story is about. And at the end of the day, I''m a sucker for mood and tone, so it''s a win.


    Again, thank you guys for hanging in there. It means so much to me that you followed this story--you could''ve just read it and find over and over. You''ve been a very giving audience for simply being an audience at all. For a guy that thought this thing either would be super hated or super loved or super dead... You''re the middle ground that I needed.


    See ya later in Phase 1!