He doesn't look like a threat, she thought, eying him sceptically. He stood . Still, that sack looks suspicious. "You look like you came off even worse than me. I've only just got here but I think they've already evacuated the staff. I don't work here but I can help you if you want, think it would be best if we got those cuts cleaned up and covered." Fiona looked down at his outstretched arm. He looks too weak to attack, she figured. "Sit down," she said to Smoke, who just barked. His eyes narrowed and his hair stood on end, creating a nice mohawk down his neck to his tail. Must've been because he dropped that bag. Smoke barked again, in reply to her thoughts. She bent down just enough to poke him, and he stopped growling immediately, confused. The dog looked up at his friend and yipped. He's just trying to do his job, she thought. He'll be fine. "Sit," she said again, and this time the dog did as he was told. Fiona stood back up and looked the man in the eyes, her arms aching with hurt. If he knows what he's doing, I'll let him help. "Okay." She took a tentative step forward, the bits of glass cracking under her weight. Smoke stood up and began walking in front of her, jumping over the debris and keeping a watch on the man. He's a good dog. She stopped before the man, a little bit farther than necessary, but the dog would surely attack if he got any closer. Fiona nodded a little at the guy. "I'm Fiona," she said. "If the dog makes you nervous, I'm sorry. He's very protective. And, um, if you could tell me how to fix my arms, I'd be grateful." There was no real need to fear a man who probably lived in the same town. He wasn't wearing red and gray army clothes, nor was he wearing a Canadian cop uniform. Fiona felt she shouldn't be scared of him for these reasons, and in the middle of such chaos, she decided it would be best to trust someone, even if not right away. After all, she was going to try to speak with the people she thought she saw on the roof. Why was this guy any different? "But I need to know if you have weapons in the bag."
Nathan was pleased to see that she had some level of control over her pet, even if it wasn't necessarily comfortable with the commands. It wasn't like he could blame the creature given the current atmosphere, animals had a knack for picking up their owners emotions and the fear and pain would definitely keep the dog on edge. "I'm Fiona," she said. "If the dog makes you nervous, I'm sorry. He's very protective. And, um, if you could tell me how to fix my arms, I'd be grateful." "That's fine I'm used to it, I have to say I prefer been on the side with the protective dog worrying if it will try to defend me though opposed to worrying if I need to defend myself." He didn't know why he tried this poor attempts at humour in awkward situations but that was just how he reacted. "First things first we need to get your arms cleaned up so we can see how serious the cuts are and go from there, do you think anythings damaged more than it should be, no loss of range of movement, sharp pains? I don't think examining you myself would be the best pet while your pets on edge." "But I need to know if you have weapons in the bag." The bags just a couple of basic supplies I got from down the road. He quickly eyed the girl up again trying to assess whether she had any concealed weapons, she didn't seem a threat the question was probably just her trying to look out for herself. If it was a guy like himself perhaps he might of been a bit more cautious answering but he decided to be straight with her. "Just the ice axes you see strapped to the bag, if you think that's a threat." He moved his hands slowly to the tracksuit pockets then turned round lifting his shirt ever so slightly to show he didn't have a gun slid down his back. "And yourself?" He eyed the hospital doors behind her suspiciously. "Perhaps we should carry this conversation on a bit further inside the hospital, we can find some bandages for you and we'd be a bit more out of sight, I'm still not sure how safe standing here is."
"Just the ice axes you see strapped to the bag, if you think that's a threat. And yourself?" "If I thought the axes were threats I wouldn't have asked," Fiona snipped. The situation wasn't helping with her feeling of discomfort, and the side she didn't like very much began to crawl out. "The dog's my only weapon." "Perhaps we should carry this conversation on a bit further inside the hospital, we can find some bandages for you and we'd be a bit more out of sight, I'm still not sure how safe standing here is." "Okay, but there aren't any creatures around, if you're wondering. I dunno if there are any more in the building, you know. It's safer right here, really." Her thoughts were jumbled as she tried to remain intelligible despite the pain. Her teeth ground against each other as a means to ignore it, though it wasn't working. Smoke barked at the man, stepping closer to Fiona. His throat vibrated with the sound of distress and his eyes shone with anger. "Smoke," she said warningly. The dog looked up and smiled at his friend. "Good." Turning her attention to the guy, she said, "Sorry. Let's go find the bandages."
A pause. The general's brow furrowed as she thought it over. "Girl, you will stay in front of us, not beside or behind, but in front. You will stay alive for the sake of the priestess, understood?" These words worked like an anesthesic relaxing her stressed mind a bit. After all the pump of adrenaline and horror this slight hope was a relief to Joanne. These person seemed to know what was going on and not only but they were probably capacited to deal with it.... Such thought vanished as soon as she saw the sword again... Why is this person wielding a sword? she wondered, How would that thing be of use against that monster?... or perhaps it has another use.... like killing something more human like?.... were these people here for another reason like executing certain people and just got caught in the incident by accident?.... And the most important thing she though was... Is it a good idea to deposit my hopes in this people?.... Then the words of one of the person stroke her mind... Odd that she can see the Reflected.... Reflected, that was something that her brain quickly highlighted, and as natural she resolved to seek an answer for the new doubt that it formed on her mind. ...."Excu..se me.... " said realizing she was still scared.... "What is a Reflected?" asked Joanne, fixing her glance not in Therese but in the Priestess who seemed to be on her side.
"The Reflected are a manifestation of mankind's hate," General Marie-Therese stated. "Whenever you let go of anger, it becomes a Reflected." They had begun their way out of the hospital and Therese began speaking to her earpiece, leaving the priestess to continue the girl's education. "That's the basic of it, little one." Joy said. "The woman in front of you is Marie-Therese, she's a saint anointed by our god and general of our army. Not a real army mind you." The outside was now clear. The crowds had disappeared as did Scissorhands and the demon man that had previously saved Joanna's life. Aside from the quiet and the recent destruction, the world appeared normal. As they strolled down, it was surreal how all the danger had passed. A few Reflected walked around, paying as much heed to them as they did. They were not branded and simply seeking a bit of energy to feast on. "I am the priestess, though officially I am the wife of god. It's more ritualistic than anything but you're now under the protection of the most powerful women you'll ever meet." A giggle escaped her and she tossed her golden locks as she took in the warm sun. "You may call me Joy, if you'd like." "Jack's nearly at the center and I've received confirmation Lenora is alive. The Pacifier is M.I.A. and the weapon too." Marie-Therese announced suddenly, a cold eye fixed on the Joanna. Joy simply nodded. Things weren't going as planned but the entire situation was nothing but improvisation. Joy meant it when she said they were not a real army. They weren't trained for tactical war-like situations. Small scale operations and cleaning, yes, but not this. This wasn't supposed to be possible. As they made their way to relieve Lenora, Jack was equally on pace. "How about Zap?" Jack suggested. "My first dog was called Zap. Brother named him, I was still a baby back then. That was nearly thirty years ago." It was a slow march, he was in no hurry, and the girl kept pace well with him. There was chatter on the communications channels but none of it news to him. "What he is is a Reflected, a manifestation of released negativity by mankind. They feed of our strength, harmless normally, but this situation isn't normal. Strange little guy though, Yvan will want to take a look at him. If he can't explain the little guy, no one can." The sky became bellowing smoke and fire without notice. In a heartbeat, Jack was bent protectively over Kylee as the very air heated up and the sound of thousands of glass pieces fell around them. They stood, perfectly still and quietly, as the deadly rain fell around them and even longer when it had stopped. Slowly, the Jack of Hearts peered out and saw the glass slowly levitating back in the air. "Shit... I know what's happening!" He broke off into a breakneck speed, hoping the girl was smart enough to stay away. This abnormal situation suddenly got beyond dangerous. "To the hospital girl, we need to get to that jet, now!" He shouted before turning his attention to the communications device and began to spout orders to anyone who could hear him.
"Okay, but there aren't any creatures around, if you're wondering. I dunno if there are any more in the building, you know. It's safer right here, really." "Creatures? Do you know what's going on? You sound like you've seen what's happening?" His thoughts flashed back to some of the blogs he'd read in the office and dismissed, ranting of people saying they could see creatures that no one else could, monsters hunting us. He stooped down to pick up his rucksack again allowing it to hang loosely on one shoulder and left his bicycle propped up in a side room out of sight. He ducked down through a smashed window pane to the side of the Accident & Emergency Ward and pressed the door release button on the other side holding it open for the girl and her dog. The ward seemed the most likely to find basic medical supplies. He followed the signs along for a bathroom so they could both clean up their cuts and assess the actual damage. He tried to fill the silence as they walked along. He was going to ask her how comes she was on her own but then thought it might be a sensitive subject and he didn't fancy looking after someone that burst into tears. That also ruled out asking her how she got her injuries, just in case they might be linked. He stopped walking as he thought he heard voices up ahead. "Jack's nearly at the center and I've received confirmation Lenora is alive. The Pacifier is M.I.A. and the weapon too." Marie-Therese announced suddenly, a cold eye fixed on the Joanna. It sounded military like. It felt weird to defer to someone younger than him but he wasn't really certain what to do given the situation. "Did you hear that, do you think we should find them?" Maybe they could get into trouble, if they were military technically he was a civilian ignoring an evacuation order even if he was just going through the motions of getting out.
Amendment to final 6 lines of previous post He stopped walking as he thought he heard voices nearby. He strained his hearing and moved closer to one of the wards that fronted on to the outside of the building. With the windows smashed he realised the source of the noise was coming from outside. "Jack's nearly at the center and I've received confirmation Lenora is alive. The Pacifier is M.I.A. and the weapon too." Marie-Therese announced suddenly, a cold eye fixed on the Joanna. It sounded military like. It felt weird to defer to someone younger than him but he wasn't really certain what to do given the situation. "Did you hear that, do you think we should go outside to them? Or are we better leaving them alone?" Maybe they could get into trouble, if they were military technically he was a civilian ignoring an evacuation order even if he was just going through the motions of getting out.
Joanne listened to the explanation provided by both the militar woman and the priestess. However such explanation defied every common sense she had believed in before. Are they... mocking at me? wondered Joanne, such thought was quickly discarded though as soon as the picture of the Shredder Devil popped on her mind. That thing was unnatural, and for something like that an unnatural explanation was required. Yet she expected something more like a biological experiment that run out wildly instead of this. As thus she decided to ask her doubt, ask if they were joking with her. She turned to the priestess who called herself Joy and said "Excuse me, but those Reflected you're talking about are in........." and then she stopped... A sudden chill freezed her body deeply. She was too focused on the fantastic explanation that she didn't notice a key element within the words of the woman. "The Reflected ARE a manifestation of mankind's hate" Said Therese, the militar woman She gulped, and then what until now she hoped was just her brain tricked her suddenly revealed in front of her. Advancing with the two women she found herself surrounded in the distance by several of these creatures called Reflected, and just that fact stroke her hard. The Shredder Devil is not a single entity, not just one, she spoke in plural to refer to it, there are more than one, is not a single monster, is not one, not one, not one, there are many, ARE was the word, vision field covered by the Shredder devil, is not called shredder devil, is called reflected, is not one, not one, not one, there are more of these lurking out there waiting for you to distract a bit and then shred you into pieces, IS NOT A SINGLE CREATURE... THERE ARE MORE THAN ONE!!! The thoughts didn't wait in order and instead propelled inside her head, the ideas formed a mess on her mind, and fear predominated in her body. For a moment her body paralyzed caughting the curious look of the priestess. Come to think... did she said she was the most powerful woman, and that the other was part of an army that wasn't an army?.... What kind of people am I joining??? She was about to ask the lady more about her... organization when something stopped her. Her vision field caught something different than the creatures and as natural it fixed on that element. A shadow moved and eventually it became clearly visible at the distance they were. It was a person, someone who hadn't evacuated yet, someone who for some reason was still on the cursed city. On a closer inspection Joanne's eye identified a new element of importance... She knew that person. Adam Lansyn, informed her brain and together with that a sudden flash of disordered memories were brought. High school. HATE. First year, or was it second? Clearly first. HATE. the rat. The creature was innocent. HATE. was it alive or dead, true condition revealed on a late event. HATE. ropes, the chair, teacher's incompetence or was it there?. HATE. food, not food, procedure of introducing an element in the mouth that can't be labeled as food. HATE. the bag, it had a trap. HATE. ropes were painful. HATE. laughter and tears. HATE. dry blood. HATE. the name of the boy. HATE. Adam. HATE. Lansyn. HATE. ELEMENT OF HATE. The amount of emotions that poured inside the girl interrupted her thoughts more than once. It made her completely forgot about the Reflected, the priestess, the militar woman, all her attention focused on only one element, the man named Adam Lansyn, labeled as an element of hate by her own mind. And then she smiled. An event unfolded in front of her, instead of scaring her thought, this time it made her smile. The "fool" was unnable to realize the situation he was in... or perhaps he did and he was indeed scared and peeing on his pants, who knows? it was impossible to notice such detail from the distance. However what was important was that a Shredder Devil, no, a Reflected was behind him and he was unnaware of it. And then her eyes shone. The first slash of the unknown creature was enough to make of his clothes a mess and his back quickly become red, the man screamed, but of what use it was?, a new Reflected joined in the front and this one severed his right arm making her scream once again. Slowly the floor was colored in crimson liquid. And then she felt excited. Several times the creatures waved their monstrous claws and several times tore his skin, muscles and bones apart and besides than screaming the man was unnable to do anything, and it was then when his glance found the figure of Joanne at the distance. Did he recognized her or not?, that was of no importance, as what he saw before his final moments was the smiling face of the girl with black hair, excited for seeing him being torn into pieces, and this frightened him even more than the invisible beings that killed him. "Heheh..hehehhe..." laughed Joanne, it wasn't a strong laugh, a light one, yet enough to be noticed by those close to her. Element of hate no longer existed and this brought joy and comfort to her heart. Suddenly all the situation seemed better and brighter for her....
As they moved at a quick, but controlled, pace toward the bank corner, they could not help but see, a few streets down to the side, a man being ripped apart by a branded Reflected. Joanna's laugh was all but too audible for them to mishear it. General Marie-Therese shot a quick look at the priestess but Joy only smiled. She understood that others were not like her and cruelty was a natural darkness that man had to grow out of some day. Joanna was heading to her dark place and Joy sensed it. The boundless love within her could not fear or disapprove of Joanna. There was room for growth, and if God had taught her anything is growth requires the shedding of all bad things inside oneself. She would have loved to help the man but he was too far and they could not stop to attack every Reflected on their path. Lenora, Jack, Griffin, and all the rest needed their help to put a stop to this wanton destruction. She was going to end this even if it killed her. Yvan's orders did not come in surprise but she wondered whether she'd truly die. Other priestess had, why not her? It didn't matter, her friends have been enriched by the goodness in her and she knew a bright future would come through all of this. It was only a matter of time. Another surge of hate burst far off to the south. It was faint and it shook her inwardly. "We move on." Therese stated dryly, having felt the same rage that had burst to life. She was right, there could be no continuance if they tried to save everyone at once. First Lenora and Petit Bordeaux. An explosion resounded far above and the glittering mass began to fall directly unto them. However, the shards froze midair without warning. Marie-Therese, an arm upright, stopped them all cold before they could fall and pierce them. With a flick, the glass and mirror shards fell around them harmless. The general seemed rather unfazed, continuing the march forward. Joy and Joanna followed. "See? I told you you'd be safe with us. Marie-Therese is spectacular." Joy beamed and waved over as she saw the familiar backside of Lenora. "Lenora!" "Hm?" The blond officer turned about and grinned at the sight of them. "Did I hurt anyone with that explosion?" "Nearly had the priestess killed but what do you know of thinking consequences?" Marie-Therese made her way up the tank and looked over at the bank corner still four streets ahead. The area was nearly leveled to the ground, the roads broken and littered with corpses of unwitting citizens. "Report." "Ma'am!" Lenora saluted. "The Reflected have mostly gone far off to search for more reflective parts to send toward... the sky. A Black Sin has been reported in the area but has made no move yet. Sharp Fingers is M.I.A. since it last fought with the Weapon. A tier five Reflected seems to be waiting for us at the bank corner." "A Black Sin?" Therese muttered. "Where is the weapon now that we need him? Or his pacifier for the matter?" "Contact with the pacifier has been lost, ma'am." "What are they guarding?" "Nothing, ma'am. They're just... waiting. For us, presumably." "How polite. I suppose they're also preventing any continued effort to stop that mass in the sky from growing?" "Affirmative, the Black Sin and the tier 5 have been keeping my men on the run and busy. They send small squads of lower tiers to quickly overwhelm any organized effort." "Well, let's not keep them waiting any longer." Therese jumped down from the tank and drew her sword. "Boys and girls, keep any additional Reflected from interfering and report to me at once if the Black Sin approaches. I will show you how we deal with the big baddies back at temple!" She did not wait for the cheers and words of encouragement thrown her direction by her men. She had a mission, and she was going in swinging.
"We move on." Said Therese firmly bringing back Joanne to reality. Her body tensed, as if someone were to had scared her from behind in an attempt to play her a prank. She shaked her head and noticed the curious glance of the priestess and the stern look of the militar woman. ..... The woman surely is cold.... but this priestess... there is something shady about her. Thought Joanne who quickly followed the women. Then the unexpected happened. As if the Reflected weren't enough a explosion shaked the mass of floating crystals, the glass quickly shattered and propelled like deadly sharp blades ready to tear apart everything below them, and this would had been Joanne's destiny if it weren't by the unnatural act of Therese who stopped them all easily. What did she did???... wondered Joanne for an instant and then questions poured on her mind, yet she quickly ignored them, at this point there was no room for common sense or logic, she was forced to accept any fantastical event unfolded in front of her. And then they reached what could be called their base. A lot of people who seemed to be from military corps were prepared for any order and a few devices, probably for monitoring were installed, each one with their current manipulator. Also tanks and weaponry stood in the place. It was something like what one would expect from a movie, yet not so big or fantastic as Joanne would had expected, and although it was the first time she was witnessing this, she felt strangely dissapointed at how reality took some of the magic from books, series and movies. She then met the mastermind behind the explosion, a cheerful woman who was quickly lecture by Therese. They begun to talk in a complex language that only military or police groups understood, yet Joanne caught the basic, there were some "big guys" called Black Sin and a Tier 5 sending reflected. Wait does this mean they also have intelligence?... thought Joanne, yet shaking her head realized that the Shredders or more likely reflected looked to wild and instictively to have intelligence. However it was possible that the big guys had some form of primitive organization. Joanne was thinking about this when she felt the sudden pain of her legs that she forced through excesive running; she felt the situation was at least a bit more calmed and let herself fall in the floor. She then looked at herself realizing that her body was covered in blood. It was disgusting, sickening, yet she didn't felt to shocked, after all it was the least impressive thing of the day. She considered to change her clothes with the spare she had on her bag, but she felt too tired currently. Right... I forgot... Thought Joanne while looking at the priestess. Without bothering to stand up she said to her... "Thanks for saving me. I was really scared.... You said you were called Joy right?. My name is Joanne, Joanne Bernardus" She also considered to thanks Therese, but as she was encouraging the soldiers, Joanne decided to bother her later. But the woman readied for battle and raised the blade that brought curiosity to Joanne before. The creatures were deadly, who knew if she was going to come back safe. Joanne this time did an effort to stand up and screamed to her. "Thank you very much for helping me. I'm in your debt!!!" And only after that she wondered if to say that was actually a good idea.
"How about Zap?" Jack suggested. "My first dog was called Zap. Brother named him, I was still a baby back then. That was nearly thirty years ago." "Cool. I think that'll be his name." Kylee responded, eyebrows rising a bit that Jack had offered a name. She hadn't expected someone in the military to opt up something so mundane- especially in their current situation! "What he is is a Reflected, a manifestation of released negativity by mankind. They feed of our strength, harmless normally, but this situation isn't normal. Strange little guy though, Yvan will want to take a look at him. If he can't explain the little guy, no one can." "So long as no one decides to go poking anything sharp into him, I'm fine." Kylee hugged the little reflected close, not even slightly alarmed about it's origins. The more she heard about these creatures, the more she kept thinking they were like the creatures she drew. In her mind, reality had never been right until this moment. Now that she could see Reflected, and actually held one, she felt as if something had finally clicked into place. Boom! Kylee screamed and ducked when something exploded high in the sky, then sensed Jack standing over her and using his own body like a shield. She watched with wide green eyes as glass rained down, only to stop just an inch above the ground. Kylee watched in terrified awe as a tiny piece hovered just in front of her, then slowly rose back up into the sky. After several tense minutes, Jake finally moved. "Shit... I know what's happening!" He broke off into a breakneck speed, hoping the girl was smart enough to stay away. This abnormal situation suddenly got beyond dangerous. "To the hospital girl, we need to get to that jet, now!" He shouted before turning his attention to the communications device and began to spout orders to anyone who could hear him. "Okay, but if you think I'm driving you've completely lost your marbles!" she yelled, scooping up Zap and pelting after him. The little Reflected had started making odd whining noises and had curled up into a ball, shivering. Kylee could only take it from him that something very, very bad was going to come down and she did not want to be anywhere near the city when it happened!
"Creatures? Do you know what's going on? You sound like you've seen what's happening?" He stooped down to pick up his rucksack again allowing it to hang loosely on one shoulder and left his bicycle propped up in a side room out of sight. He ducked down through a smashed window pane to the side of the Accident & Emergency Ward and pressed the door release button on the other side holding it open for the girl and her dog. "Thanks," Fiona mumbled, making kissy noises so Smoke would follow her through. "If there were any things around, they'd attack me. I must smell like a freaking steak with my arms all cut up and crap." That was freaking close, she thought as they walked down the hall in silence, stopping by the bathroom. I can't tell him in case he'll use me. We'll have to gain trust. Smoke's ears pricked and a small bark escaped his lips in a huff. He started growling, nose twitching as fast as hummingbird wings. "He's okay," Fiona whispered, nudging him with her toe. Or so he seems. But the dog had heard something, off in the distance. His head turned to the side and he stopped growling, his face intent on something in the distance. In the direction of his gaze was the side of the ward closest the outside, which had no windows, letting the sound of outside float in. Smoke and the guy both made their way toward the holes in the structure, quiet and fixated on something. Fiona followed them over, keeping in between the man and her dog so he wouldn't freak out and attack him. "Jack's nearly at the center and I've received confirmation Lenora is alive. The Pacifier is M.I.A. and the weapon too." Fiona's jaw dropped slightly and her eyes widened in fearful excitement. It sounds so important. Like the people don't belong here. They know a crap load of stuff we don't. I should talk to them. What can I lose? Besides, they might be able to help with finding the best way out. There was no thought in her mind that the man might actually include her in meeting them, yet he asked, "Did you hear that, do you think we should go outside to them? Or are we better leaving them alone?" Surprised, she looked up at him with her brow knit tight and her lips pulled down in a frown. I can grab some Ibuprofen from somewhere - there was some by the front doors, I think - and since the wounds are pretty shallow, I probably won't bleed out. Then I'll need some water - the restroom. "They sound important. We need to find out what the hell's going on, and they're our best bet. I'll look around for some pain killers and bandages." She turned away from the gaping hole and began rummaging through the disorganized ward, going in the nearest emergency room. There, lying on the floor, she saw a roll of white bandages. Fiona picked it up and went into the next room, looking for any kind of pain killers. She threw open cabinets and cupboards, drawers and kits, until she found a bottle of Ibuprofen under the overhang of a cart devoid of instruments. "Found some!" she called out, heading back to her position next to the guy. She unscrewed the lid of the pain killers and dumped a few out in her hand, then downed them in a second. She held the bottle out to the guy. "Do you need some?"
"They sound important. We need to find out what the hell's going on, and they're our best bet. I'll look around for some pain killers and bandages." It was good to see the girl spring into action, the voices were already becoming more distant. As Fiona ran out of the room to find supplies he sifted through the draws in the ward he was in and successfully produced several disinfectant wipes. He grimaced slightly as he ran one along his arm dislodging the small bits of gravel that still clung to his scratched up arm before throwing it in the bin. A pointless gesture given the mess around him but old habits. By that time Fiona had returned and was offering him some pills. "Thanks but I'm not particularly a pill person." Pills were for true pain and he didn't like depending on something to get himself by, that and he wanted to be alert, he couldn't risk any side effects like getting drowsy. "I found these disinfectant wipes that would be good for you though. If I help you dress those wounds he won't attack me will he? I'll meet you outside I'm just going to bring my bike back round." He'd gone through enough trouble to get it he wasn't going to just up and leave it straight away. He threw his bag out the window as a gesture that he wasn't about to abandon the girl and hoped that she didn't run off along with his bag. He sprinted back down the corridor to grab the bike and hurried round the outside of the building to the location of where the ward should be. "I don't think I ever introduced myself properly. My names Nathan. But we best get moving if we don't want to lose whoever those people were. I think I lost of them at that corner over there" He pointed down the road to a junction.
"Thanks but I'm not particularly a pill person." Fiona screwed the lid back on and set the bottle on the ground. If he wants to hurt, fine. "Fine by me," she said quietly, listening for the voices. They seemed to have gone, though Smoke still looked out the frame with ears straight and still. He knows they're still there. Can't lose hope yet. "I found these disinfectant wipes that would be good for you though. If I help you dress those wounds he won't attack me will he?" She looked at the wipes and grabbed one without hesitation, snatching quick enough so that he wouldn't be able to pull them away. Fiona was never one for permission, and since the day had turned out so horribly, she decided he wouldn't mind so much. "He smells your fear," she said while cleaning her cuts. "But no, he probably won't, but maybe we should leave first." Fiona balled up the wipe and tossed it aside. "I'll meet you outside I'm just going to bring my bike back round." "Okay." The guy threw his bag out the window and ran out of the ward. Fiona jumped out the gaping hole, which acted as allowance for her friend to follow. Smoke stood tall and still with his eyes trained on the road leading to the Bank Corner, as if he was trying to look for footprints. Fiona let him be and crouched down, opening the bag tentatively. No weapons, she thought, standing back up. The man came into sight, moving his bike with him. "I don't think I ever introduced myself properly. My names Nathan. But we best get moving if we don't want to lose whoever those people were. I think I lost of them at that corner over there." He pointed down the road to a junction. While she hadn't known him for very long, he hadn't lied to her, so she allowed her last name. "I'm Prince," she said, nodding. "Smoke looks like he thinks they went that way, too. I'll go first." Fiona started moving ahead, at a pace just shy of jogging. Smoke ran farther in front of her, nose either near the ground or high in the air. She looked back a few times to make sure she wasn't alone, and each time she felt less afraid of being attacked. He's not that scary, she thought, scanning the area for monsters. But I don't think he should know about the whole crazy thing, yet. As they neared the Bank Corner, a junction named for its many banks all in close proximity, she heard an explosive go off. She collapsed immediately, this time grabbing her dog as he ran toward her, away from the noise. Fiona hugged him to her, breathing hard. "Are you okay?" she asked Nathan, tone frantic. "Shit. This is bad."
Nathan followed behind impressed by the pace Fiona was setting. He was used to people complaining about his walking pace but then today wasn't exactly a day to dawdle about. His head flitted from side to side, every reflection he caught in the shards of glass made him double check around him to be certain the movement was definitely theirs and not anything else. It was still light but his sense of unease reminded him of how you felt when you tried to take a shortcut through the woods at night and could barely see in front of you. But then normally you knew that your fears weren't that well founded right now they were... An explosion tore through his concentration and he threw himself to the side to the cover of a building. It took him a moment to realise that it was a bit further away from them and wasn't a direct threat. Fiona seemed to have reacted exactly the same as he had. "Are you okay?" she asked Nathan, tone frantic. "Shit. This is bad." "Just a bit shaken." At least it seemed they both had good reactions, although how much good throwing yourself to the floor or to the side of a building would do remained to be seen. He offered Fiona his hand to help her up before they set back off again. "When I came here to change my life this isn't exactly what I had in mind. If we make it out of this we're going to end up with quite the stories to tell I guess." Shortly afterwards they found the building that had obviously been the target of the explosion. They picked up pace at that point. Loose bricks were scattered across the floor and he could hear the groans of the structure obviously straining from the damage that had been inflicted. He wasn't sure whether he was relieved or concerned quite what they had stumbled on when he saw the tank up ahead with accompanied by soldiers. Had they just found safety or managed to put themselves right in the middle of danger?
The hospital was deserted, eerily quiet, but it did not stop Jack from charging ahead. The brave little girl still followed him, and he hoped he knew what he was doing with her. He was too old to start having a young girl's death on his mind. It'd send him into a wore depression than he normally is in. He hadn't lived up to his moniker. The sound of the elevator was oddly comforting as it descended toward them. Luckily, the generators kept it operational even in a crisis like this. As they waited, he said, "Okay, you've been with me so far, so I'll need you to stay with me a little bit longer. Once we reach the jet, I'll fly us just above the mass of gathered mirrors and glass in the sky. I'll jump down and deal with it and you'll have to fly the jet from there on." Seeing her wide-eyed expression, he let out a chuckle. "Don't worry, just press the button marked Auto-Pilot, it has a set coordinate to land a location nearby. Trust me, we use it plenty of times, you won't have to do much else besides opening the door when you land." Ding. The doors slid open for them and they made their way in. "Once there, I think Yvan will be out, thinking it's us," he continued. "Yvan, got it? He's our leader, kind of. Be respectful and explain yourself quickly, or he's likely to act rashly. Tell him the situation is worse and if he can't contact us it's because.... Well, he'll understand." This poor girl's life will never be the same... "I know I'm asking for a lot and I know you don't understand, but we don't have the time, right now. I have to get ready." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a silver casing and popped the lid. Shrugging out a blue pellet, he swallowed with a hiss. "Medicine, gotta stay healthy," he joked despite knowing the girl wasn't dumb. "Keep Zap with you, or Yvan is likely to take him away. Tell him it might be a remnant of Joy, got it? Joy, don't forget to specify that. Yvan will keep you safe from there on, alright?" The Elevator reached the top level and not too far from the door leading to the pad. Once outside, the light began to bother him and he could already start feeling the effects of the pill taking hold. "Now, the pill I just took," he started as he jumped into the jet and barreled down to the cockpit. "It will make me quiet, and I might not answer you. It's nothing against you, Kylee, or Zap, but it deadens me in the inside. Keeps me from feeling anything as I fight the Reflected." A firm grasp on the controls and a few reflexive clicks, the jet hummed to life and lights blinked on. A handful of seconds later they were in the air. Speed was little issue, the military jet was quick and responsive and easily made way to the gathering mass. God, the girl must be panicking, but he had no one else to ask of this. He could only hope she would brave and strong enough, she was already caught up in this, backing away now would be the end of both of them. God, dammit! He felt the last of his emotion subside, allowing the pill to cleanse him of everything but his mission. Nothing mattered but stopping this attack. Far below, General Marie-Therese successfully stabbed her opponent, a giant man-shaped Reflected. It's eyes, all four of them, were blue and pink and spinning about its head as it tracked her. Five long thin arms, or legs, danced about the broken street as they moved and swiped at her. Her cape had been thorn but her strength alone had broken through much of the creature's hide. She allowed herself a moment to spot the familiar jet as it flew above her. Mistake. She suddenly found herself lifted off her feet inside the leg, or hand, of the creature. A mouth, where no mouth had been before, appeared beneath her and its insides spun, ready to grind her into minced meat. "Eh." She allowed herself to be dropped inside. With a quick flick of the wrist, her blade cut the air with a distinct sound. She closed her eyes. Smoke whooshed around her and expanded more and more. The Reflected had died, it's hate wildly escaping in every direction, dissipating as it got too far from its body. "Damn," Lenora whistled. "General has moves most of us couldn't hope to learn." The black smoke bellowed forward but no one got out of the way. No green boys and girls in this mission. The darkness barely reached them before losing strength and evaporating into thin air. "I believe that was Jack," Lenora pointed to the sky, where the mass seemed as big as two streets. "Hopefully he doesn't tilt the damned thing and fry me like an ant under a glass. Revenge was never his color." "If that's Jack, then..." Joy swallowed. "I suppose it's my turn to get ready." She turned toward Joanna. "It was nice meeting, Joanna. I hope this day will bring you something dear." With that said, she moved forward. As if by some foreknowledge, everyone took a step back away from Joy. They knew what she was about to do and slowly, some relunctantly, began to withdraw. "Faster, men!" Lenora shouted. "The priestess is about to cleanse this place, get out unless you wanna be turned into some love slave!" The men picked up pace, nearly running away. "You, girl, you're not one of us." Lenora smiled. "But I'll be damned if I leave you here to die, get on!" She gestured next to her atop the tank. "Full speed ahead, captain!"
"Just a bit shaken." Thank goodness, Fiona thought wearily. I don't need anymore people dying because of me. "When I came here to change my life this isn't exactly what I had in mind. If we make it out of this we're going to end up with quite the stories to tell I guess." "Well, I've lived here my whole life, and it's just now getting interesting. Not to condone violence or anything." She sat up slowly and ran her hands over Smoke's head, chest, back, belly, and legs, checking to make sure that he wasn't hurt. "You're good, dude." He barked in approval. The trio made their way further into the junction until they came to a building that looked like it had been partially blown up. Bricks from it still lay everywhere, putting a slight pause on Smoke's movements. He had never been nimble, not in his whole five years, nor had he ever been swift. The muscle weighed him down and kept things slow-going, unless Fiona helped him move about. But she wasn't paying attention to her dog who was clearly lagging behind. She and Nathan were looking at a tank that was surrounded by soldiers. But then, prancing about on the aftermath of the messy evacuation, she saw a beast. It had skinny Slenderman arms - or legs - and was being jumped around by a girl - some kind of military. The thing's eyes moved in accordance with her steps, swiveling around its dark head like pink and blue lights. Fiona watched in horror as it lifted her up, ripped a mouth in itself, and dropped her inside. Fiona screamed, but too soon, as the thing changed into some kind of smoke. The blanket of it made its way to them, and she was preparing to wave it away, when it evaporated into nothing. "It was one of them," she whispered. Never would she have thought those little things she saw every day, somewhat cute, were related to that thing, yet there it had been, and there it had been killed, just like the little versions. There was no time for further thoughts, though, as the girl who killed the thing shouted, "Faster, men! The priestess is about to cleanse this place, get out unless you wanna be turned into some love slave!" Another stampede broke out, this time made up of only the army men. They ran without care of when they knocked Fiona over, knocked each other over, jumped fearlessly over the mad-dog Smoke. She realized that she wouldn't have a chance on the ground, as the army men were too careless to stop knocking her over. Fiona tried to get up without running but found it to be almost impossible. So she began to run, and for a brief few seconds she was able to sprint toward the tank, which was now speeding up. "They can get us out of here!" she shouted back to Nathan, though she had no way of knowing if he followed her. Again she fell, but this time she got up and moved farther than last time. Soon she was running next to the tank, looking up at the women who stood atop it. Her hair whipped into her face, a kind of perfectly white cover, leaving her susceptible to fall again. "Please! Stop moving! We need to get out of here!" Her foot caught on a pile of bricks and she fell forward, which took just enough time to put her hands out to catch her. Get up! she scolded herself. Fiona pushed herself up and began running again, this time not as quick, so she had to be happy with trailing the tank instead of moving beside it. "Stop moving! We need to get out of here! I can see them too!"
The city was deserted. The crowds had dissolved into the outer edges as they fled. Logan Valentine had taken it upon himself to barrel the orange Ferrari down the streets. He needed speed, and since the temple hadn’t given him his own vehicle to operate, he’d simply have to make due, and learn how to drive whilst he was at it. As he sped up and turned corners heedlessly, he decided he liked driving. It wasn't all that hard; you push the gas pedal and go. Still, he had a job to do, even though he’d presumably failed at it already. The weapon had been set loose and he hadn’t managed to bring it back to heel. If he couldn’t find it… There! A sudden massive burst of rage drew his eyes to the south-east. It was far, too far to still be within Petit Bordeaux but he had a Ferrari and it would take him there. He had only three seconds to squeeze his foot against the brake as a large truck came into view. His head had smashed against the wheel and blood painted his face and lips as he tried to shrug off the shock. Fumbling, he managed to free himself from the car and leaned against it. The damage wasn't too bad, more of a ding than anything. The girl could probably still work... "Joder!"Martín scrambled back onto his feet, and watched Owen stumble or of the car, clutching one hand to his head and dragging one for after the other like a cripple. As if the crash hadn't deafened him enough, the horn of his truck loudly played its monotonous symphony. "Hijo de puta!" Martín stormed up towards the young, bloodied boy and halted only inches short of him. He hardly noticed the uniform, "what were you thinking?" And then, noticing the blood, "are you alright?" Behind him, Owen was quivering like a twig caught in a sand storm. He constantly checked his buzzing head for blood but never found the red liquid on his fingertips. Shaken, he wobbled over to the backseat and released the howling Jimmy from his misery. Aside from the shock, the dog seemed to be in good health. "Yeah, I'm fine," Logan groaned. "Sorry about hitting you, guess I shouldn't drive." He wiped the blood from his brow on his sleeves. It strung but a minor concussion was the worst it could be. He was lucky he had slammed the breaks at the last minute. Thank God for his subconscious. "Shit, I'm sorry." He sighed, as he saw the damage he did to their truck. "You guys were almost out... Hey, I got a car!" He pointed to the Ferrari. "It'll be a tight squeeze, but if you drive me to the next town, I'll let you keep it to go wherever you want. I.. don't have a license," he admitted. “I had a car too!" Martín flailed his hands in the air. "Fuck!" He emphasized his point by banging his fist against their now wrecked truck, then took a few deep breaths and suddenly spun around, realizing he hadn’t checked on his son yet. To his relief, the boy was standing just behind him, dazzled, but unscathed. "Owen," Martín seemed to have calmed down a bit, "you okay?" The boy nodded. "What's with the uniform?" He blurted, his eyes darted all over the strange boy, as if he was scrutinizing him. "Oh, right." Logan saluted. "I am Logan Valentine of the Jade Temple, Pacifier to The Weapon." It was rather formal, so he softened his language. "Basically, I'm the caretaker of one of our top operatives and I accidentally lost my hold on him. He's off somewhere south of here. We're the ones trying to take care of this mess and well... I can explain all the details on the way but with the traffic jams, I don't think I can control a car well enough to get through without crashing more. You can have the Ferrari after you drop me off, I know it's strange for someone in my position to ask for help but I just broke your truck, you could use the car, no?" "And I am reptillian," Martín scoffed. Still, they could use the car, and even with the bumper badly damaged, it still looked a whole lot better than his old truck. The endless, dotted, line of traffic was starting to flow out of the city. "Owen, lend me a hand." With Jimmy and Logan standing by the side as silent observers, they stuffed all their bags into the Ferrari. Martin squeezed himself into the front seat. "Let's go," he urged. Owen felt sorry for the bloodied teen. "You can take the passenger seat," he offered as he squeezed himself on the couch in the back, together with Jimmy. Logan nodded and took the seat. It was a tight fit, tighter with all their belongings but they made way down the roads. Unexpectedly, the southern roads were less jammed then Logan had assumed and once they reached the dirt roads and scenic routes, they began to slowly see less and less cars and army trucks until it was clear all ahead. It was a welcome respite, a sense of normalcy.He instructed Martín to keep heading east-east-south, which the tanned farmer begrudgingly did. "So," Logan sighed as he mulled his thoughts over. "Your home was attacked by…shadows. Technically." He looked back at Owen. "I know how it sounds but I'll prove it once I get the chance. We call them the Reflected, a manifestation of released anger from mankind. They're generally harmless, there's never been an attack like this before. We were surprised; almost as much as you.” "Attacked?" Owen shuffled uneasily on his backseat. "We weren't attacked. The city was, that's why we left, right dad?" "Right." Martín glanced briefly at Logan. He probably had a severe concussion with all the illusions he was suffering from, and if that was the case, seeing the boy equipped with a shotgun wasn't very comforting. The kid looked, talked and acted strange. And he carried a gun, and was rambling about shadowy, fantastical creatures like it was the most common thing in the world. The sooner he'd leave them, the better. "You got lucky then. It started near the center of the city." Logan smiled, as if it was all going to be okay. "The farther areas were safer until recently. Damned things are just spreading ground." He could tell they were skeptical, but who wouldn't? Whether they believed him didn't matter, he had to find Griffin before he got out of control more than he already was. "What exactly happened in the city?" Martín inquired carefully. "We don't know what happened, exactly. As I said, the Reflected aren't aggressive. Whatever triggered it, is only getting worse. We got our top guys out on this but..." he trailed off, not knowing how much to say and whether it even mattered. "I'm still new to this..." He looked over, realizing he hadn't caught any names. "I'm sorry, I think I missed your names." Caught between a rush of panic and a surge of excitement, Owen hesitated to offer his hand, but did so eventually. "I am Owen. He's my dad, Martín. Jimmy is the dog," he explained. Martín gave a short, sharp nod to acknowledge his son's words. "Say Logan, what exactly are you looking for in that town? I am not sure if it is safe for someone your age." "Nice to meet you guys." It had been a while since he had a chance to talk to anyone near his age. Living in the temple offered little reprieve to be a kid. "And nice to meet you, Jimmy." He extended a hand and the dog sniffed it cautiously before allowing to be petted. Ruffling the fur, Logan answered Martin. "It's complicated. As I said, I'm sort of part of an unique organization. We deal with what's happening to the town. Well, they deal with it. I'm more of a glorified babysitter. See, I sing real nice, makes angels weep. Also, my musical tastes align with that of our top operative, Griffin. He's... special. Yeah, that's it and only I can seem to calm him down and order him about when he gets into one of his moods. Like right now. He has a homing device sewn into him, so we can track him in case he ever does runoff. So, I'm rambling." He took a breath. "Yeah, I'm too young for all of this but at the same time, they need me and no one else can do what I do. I suppose, every kid wants adventure and excitement, dreaming of it every day. Well, I got it and I should have been more specific, hah!"
For once, Kylee just kept her mouth shut and followed without any questions. Yes, the jet was cool, but the moment she had been buckled in and Zap was curled up in her lap her heart started pounding. She was in a jet, flying above the city at who-knows-how-many miles an hour, and all hell had broken loose in the city below where she had lived her entire life. Yvan, Yvan. Gotta find Yvan. Kylee repeated over and over in her head. Explain myself quickly or I am royally fucked, and tell him that the situation has gone from the frying pan into the fire. Keep Zap with me -not that anyone is going to take him!- and that he's a remnant of Joy. Now what on earth could that mean...? Kylee was tempted to open her mouth then but wisely shut it. Jack had said the pill deadened all emotions, and from what she could see of the back of his head, it must have worked. Or at least the guy was good at faking. Just calm down girlie... Kylee told herself as her heartbeat began to speed up when she spotted what looked like a huge glass platform hovering in the sky. Oh, they were so dead they were dead dead dead dead- No! Focus! You did not lost the cops for three weeks just to go catatonic because of something fricking ten levels less scary than your own mind! Kylee mentally slapped herself and shut her eyes tight, focusing on the way the jet was moving, the way the wings were turning and the vibrations the wind made while it passed over the metal contraption. It reminded her of the very first creature that had come to life in her new sketchbook. The Wyrkae. Four wings. Two for liftoff, two for catching updrafts. Sharp beak, keen sense of smell and sight. Looks like a wyvern but is not a wyvern. Powerful haunches and claws to catch any kind of prey. You are that right now, Kylee. Feel the wind moving this plane? That's the back-draft on your face and wings. The tail is your tail. Yeah, this thing don't have claws but who the heck cares!
Nathan stated at Fiona as she let out a scream and started talking to herself, muttering about it been one of them. Just who exactly was this girl and how much did he know about her? She'd been talking about creatures earlier and then avoided his question. Maybe she wasn't all there. As if to confirm his suspicions she took off in the direction of the tank just as a regiment of soldiers barreled past them heedless to his questions. What would cause disciplined men to break down into that? The answer was in the direction Fiona was running and it didn't seem like it was an answer worth getting. What loyalty did he actually have to the girl? He was only a little older than her realistically, probably not more than 10 years. He didn't owe her anything. He looked back the direction the soldiers were running and then looked up as a jet flew over. Something big was happening and he was clueless. Still the tank was going the way out of town and the soldiers were just heading deeper into it where he had just come from. "Nathan your an idiot." he berated himself as he jumped onto the bike and started pedaling quickly towards Fiona and the tank trying to make up for his hesitation. "Stop moving! We need to get out of here! I can see them too!" What was the girl on about. "I don't think we're going to get an invitation." he yelled at Fiona as he caught up, he jumped off the bike abandoning it as he caught up with the tank, at least the things were relatively slow. He picked up to a sprint and jumped, his chest slamming into the back of the tanks metal frame. His hands scrabbled crazily trying to catch onto something. He slid back down a bit before one of his hands tightened on something. He swung his other hand up and pulled himself up then steadied himself on the back of the tank grabbing hold of something he offered his free hand out. "Come on Fiona, you started this crazy plan!"
"Come on Fiona, you started this crazy plan!" She looked to his outstretched hand and grabbed it, leaping up simultaneously so he wouldn't have to do all the work. "It's a pretty good plan, though," she said loudly, smirking to herself. "I hope we don't get killed!" Smoke barked on behind her, somehow keeping a well enough pace. Fiona knew he'd be fine if he could keep it up, so she did what she had to do for herself. She held onto an abridged metal thing in the shape of a wrung, her feet wedged under a small overhang. I hope they don't mind us, she thought, looking up to the small group of people. They're all capable of killing us. "Sorry," she said to them, giving a meek smile. "I'll explain later! Help us up?"
"More guests, wonderful..." Lenora pulled the man and girl up unto the moving tank. "Make yourselves comfortable, we won't be stopping any time soon." It wasn't convenient but two girls who can see the Reflected could prove useful. The temple's numbers have greatly diminished this day, a few extra recruits would look well on her and good for the whole as well. She hadn't expected to live so long, with any luck she'd make colonel for this. Silver lining in everything, even this. "Ma'am, we're out of the danger zone," the pilot hollered. "Orders?" "Excellent. Make way to the St-Laurent river, we're going home, boys!" Her words were followed by spirited cheers, the men more than eager to leave this hell that came from nowhere. "You, man, you're free to leave if you choose. Just jump whenever we get out, or ask nicely and maybe I'll stop the tank." "Ma'am, we have an extraction team on route toward us. Seems the brass didn't forget about us," the pilot said. "Well," she said, turning toward the young ladies. "I'm Major Lenora Roy, of the Jade Temple. Since you can see the Reflected, I'm sure you've got more questions than you can hold in those noggins. Let me have it, it'll be a while before we can let you off safely." It had been a long day for Lenora, a bit of respite and simple conversation would do her a world of good. Music would help too. "Driver, get some music blaring, we need to get the men their spirit back." At her word, classic rock from the 80s began playing earnestly. The tank had been equipped with more amplifiers than a underground club; the sound reached well past their company. Even Jack of Hearts could faintly here it as he dropped down from the jet plane. Whatever hope he had felt for Kylee had been fully dissipated, now nothing mattered but the success of his task. Landing hard on the glass floor, it made a thunk but did not crack. Whatever was keeping all of it together was strong and the glass just kept piling up. In front of him, an odd half-oval of stone stood in the dead center of the circle. It has strange engravings on it but from afar he could not make it out. With a cautious glance about himself, he saw he was alone, and approached. The patterns on the stone began making sense as he realized they were small words written in haphazardly over the surface and cut across one another. If it said anything, he'd need days to find out where it began and ended. As he reached to touch the chiseled words, they began to melt into smoke. It quickly covered most of the reflective floor and a strong presence shook through him. Where the stone once stood, now was a man. Perfectly human and oddly familiar. "Dad?" he said as he made the connection. "You can't be alive..." His father's eyes shifted about as they took in what was around him. Was he behind all of this? Jack had buried his father after the heart attack over seven years ago; it couldn't be him. But there he stood, just how he remembered him that last time he had seen him: heavily bearded, wide eyed, wearing the clothes he'd been buried in. "Dad, can you hear me?" Jack said and his fathers attention snapped to him but no recognition. Suddenly, he felt his legs hit the ground and with a blink of surprise, he found the world red and strangely silent. The Reflection... How did.. I didn't use the mirror. All around him, Reflected were gathered, further than his eyes could see. Most of them wearing the brand that had puzzled Yvan. The darkness and his father were gone but something was coming and already he felt fear creep into him. "Fear? I took the pill..." Jack then realized whatever was coming closer toward him was so strong even the pill could not block the fear that it emanated. The silver sky above suddenly went black and saw what the Reflected were too preoccupied with to take any notice of him. Hate was slowly creeping toward the portal. "Fuck." Nothing said it better than that one word but for its repetition. "Fuck, fuck, fuck."
Fiona thanked the woman and watched as she gave orders to the men, who roared with approval. Fiona looked behind them all, to find a familiar creature in the debris, but did not have to look far. Smoke was still keeping an even pace, following the tank not closely, but close enough. A wave of relief flowed over Fiona and she could feel the anxiety melting away, an odd thing to feel because of a dog. But nonetheless, she held her head higher and her eyes seemed brighter. Her friend had not died yet. "Well," the maybe-general said, turning toward the young ladies. "I'm Major Lenora Roy, of the Jade Temple. Since you can see the Reflected, I'm sure you've got more questions than you can hold in those noggins. Let me have it, it'll be a while before we can let you off safely." What should I ask? Fiona thought. Do those things even have names? Is the rest of America like this? Is the rest of the world like this? What the hell is the Jade Temple? Before she started to ask anything, Lenora barked orders to blast some music, and a classic rock from the 80's began. The sound seemed to fill her veins and her bones, in a good way, like the music had calming qualities. Fiona liked music enough, though she had not gone out of her way to hear it. Sure, she did a lot of muffled singing in department stores, but she had never ventured far enough to decide on a favorite, or buy a CD. This music now was heavenly to her, and she soaked it in with pleasure. Lenora stood facing her and the girl, waiting for questions. "I have some questions," Fiona said. "What are those things called? Why are they super angry now? Is the rest of America like this? Or even the world? What is the Jade Temple? How is it we" - she motioned to the girl beside her - "can see those things? How come everyone's breaking glass?" In the split second it would take for the Major to answer her, she realized she hadn't introduced herself. "I'm Prince," she said before Lenora had time to speak.
"I'm Major Lenora Roy, of the Jade Temple. Since you can see the Reflected, I'm sure you've got more questions than you can hold in those noggins. Let me have it, it'll be a while before we can let you off safely." Her new companion rushed with questions as soon as Lenora gave her the offer. It took a while to reveal herself finally as Prince. Prince huh?, curious name. thought Joanne and then she presented herself moved by the example. "My name is Joanne Bernardus, nice to meet you" said with a tone that felt strangely cheerful. "I do have my own questions also.... Is about those things... the reflected, the priestess and general said that they were something like a thing born of human's negative flow of emotions. This is something I can't believe easily. As thus I want a more deeply explanation about these things. Had they existed like forever or where they born of certain situation?" Asked Joanne trying to order her ideas the most she could. She then realized that the name of the third person with them was still unknown to her.
Kylee waited until the very last second before hitting the button for auto-pilot when Jack had jumped. Part of her couldn't believe that he'd actually done it, but yet another stood by coldly, knowing that that was what he was born to do -what he had to do. Biting her lip, Kylee placed one hand against the glass and watched as long as she could until the clouds enveloped her once more and the jet changed course. Well... may as well give them a head's up that Jack won't be the one landing this thing. She thought, clambering over the back of the pilot's seat before buckling herself in. Zap chirruped and took a spot on her shoulder, large yellow eyes glinting against the stark black of the smoke billowing about inside of him. Kylee half-smiled and stroked his head with one hand before picking up what looked like a walkee-talkee. Pressing the button on the side, she spoke into it, all the while praying that someone would respond. "Hello? Anyone there? Hello?" "Identify yourself, over." The answer came back. "This is a private army jet. Identify yourself, over." It was a woman's voice. Kylee considered for a moment whether she should even respond -Jack had said she should talk to Yvan. He hadn't said anything about others. Better make sure this isn't a fake, and that no one can hack this thing. she figured, clicking the button to respond: "My name is is no importance unless you can assure me that this is a secure line, over." "We are detecting Reflected aboard." The voice paused momentarily. "You will be shot on sight once the jet lands. I will not ask again. Identify yourself, over." The jet was slowly beginning to incline downward. The St-Laurent river didn't seem more than a trickle of water from this height. The jet had crossed from the American Maine to the Canadian Quebec. Kylee growled, but was careful not to let the sound get over the comm. "Okay okay! My name is Kylee Ann Nostra; look into my records and you'll see I am a runaway from the Orphanage of Little Angels, age sixteen, brown hair, green eyes, and if you get into the records apparently I'm possessed." Kylee couldn't help a small snigger at the irony of it. A demon from an abode for little angels. Then she regained control of herself. "I am carrying a small, unmarked Reflected with me on assignment from Jack of Hearts. It's a remnant of Joy. Jack informed me that I was to go to Yvan with it." Kylee let go of the button before a snide comment could slip past -Jack had warned her to be formal. Not that she was scared of a few guns -dude, after seeing Reflected, who would be?- but she figured being shot would probably end in a slower death than by having her head chopped off. Even if only by a few milliseconds. Kylee glanced out the window and watched the landscape rapidly change before her eyes. Just how fast was this jet? She hadn't expected to land this soon. Zap burbled something, then clambered down from her shoulder and curled up in her lap again. Guess he wasn't concerned at all about being next on the menu if the Canadians decided to fill them with holes. "Damn, girl," the female voice answered. "I didn't need your life story. Learn to keep some things to yourself." A quick laugh burst from the monitor. "Alright, I'll be there when you land, over." The jet kept declining slowly but steadily. The farm lands below became sparse and soon it was nothing but empty fields and long winding, barren roads. A clearing far ahead began to creep plainly into view and the jet seemed intent on landing there. A clunking noise that made the jet rumble for a second notified that its wheels had dropped. Without a tarmac, the landing was bound to be bumpy. Kylee's mouth opened and closed several times in disbelief. She'd just been played. Maybe not, maybe so, but either way in her mind, she'd been so played. O....M...G! What kind of army is this!? she nearly squeaked, then the sound became a reality when the jet touched down. Kylee was very nearly jounced out of her seat several times, and had to hang onto Zap for dear life for fear that he'd end up flying up and out through a window. Overall, had it not been for one seriously strong seat-belt they would have both been sent skyward again. Then the jet finally slid to a stop, and Kylee let out the breath she had not realized she'd been holding. "Okay... i am going to need some time to put my brain back together after that one..." she panted. Then Kylee looked down and noticed that the little pink creature in her arms had not once stirred. He slept through the whole thing!? "Why you little..." a sudden wave of nausea had her slumping forward in her seat over Zap. "Oh crap... don't you dare vomit Kylee..." she grumbled, clapping one hand over her mouth and trying to grab for the button to open the hatch. She needed fresh air. Now! "Rough landing?" The voice from the communicator was now a few feet behind Kylee. A short blond woman came into view as she entered the cockpit. Unlike the rest of the "army", she wore a simple white tank top and dark tight fitted jeans. A glint of real diamonds sparkled from a piercing on her nose. She seemed to be an older Indian woman in her mid-thirties. Now, without any inference, her thick accent came out clearly. "My name is Rukma Srivasta. It is nice to meet you, Kayleh." Kylee coughed a couple times to choke back the bile, and could only nod, her face a little green. Zap stirred beneath her, and then with a chirrup shoved himself against her stomach. "Omph! What are you doing you little-" Kylee gasped, then clutched at her stomach, brows drawing together as a faint chill ran through her body. Her stomach had stopped heaving, almost as if the muscles that had controlled it had been weakened. Zap chirruped again, looking satisfied with himself and his suddenly plumper body before he curled up in a ball once more. "Okay...at least i feel better." she muttered, then stood up and turned her attention to Rukma. "Thanks. Now, i don't mean to sound like I'm in a rush or anything, but Jack made it sound important that I get to Yvan. You don't happen to know where he is do you?" "Yvan?" Rukma frowned. "Yvan does not leave the temple. Why would Jack..." she trailed off as she mulled the question over. "Is that..." she said looking at the pink Reflected in Kylee's lap. However, she never got to finish asking as she fell to her knees in a groan of shock. "What is this?" she breathed hoarsely. Unable to move, she trembled and sweat beaded down her brow. "Is anyone listening? What is going on?" she asked aloud, hoping her earpiece would answer her. "Dam, no answer. Kayleh, we need to leave now." "Okay." Kylee didn't even flip out. She had not time for such silly things -well, at least physically. Inside she was screaming her head off. Get yourself together girl! The lady said get out of here, so we get out! MOVE IT! Kylee quickly knelt and slipped one of Rukma's arms over her shoulder, Zap taking his place on her other shoulder while the girl helped the woman get up before they moved off, Kylee listening and following the other's directions. If she was worried, then they had double reason to get out of here.
