Monday night, money readied in a briefcase, the three received their final call. "Do you have it?"
"We do." said Jeanne. "When and where?"
"The warehouse, of course. I want Serena to deliver it. You and Mia will stay on the line."
"Not a dead drop?"
"I don't think you understand that I have your testicles - or lack of them - in a vice here, but no, not a dead drop. Cooperate, or-"
"-I'll go." said Serena. "I'll take the briefcase."
Mia glanced to her, and in a tone where she now knew it was superfluous, told her to be careful.
Serena drove to the familiar street and pulled up to the familiar warehouse. He was already there, carrying an unconscious Maria. His black hair hid a tattoo of an eel.
"Maria first." she said and he handed her off.
"Money."
"It's back in the car."
"Lead me to it."
Fog mentally readied, Serena lead him back to their car, setting Maria in the backseat. As she pulled the briefcase from the passenger side, she turned to see his right arm reappear; if he had intended her to notice she did not know it. He crouched down and opened the briefcase, counting through the money.
"A variety of sources." he muttered. "Most of these serial numbers…no, here starts a series."
Serena watched the months contained in her money. Had this been a dead drop, she wouldn't have reinforced the briefcase with Blackburn on her drive over. "It's in there."
"...yes, it is. Thirty thousand." He closed it, picked it up in his left hand, then in the next instant -
- his left arm disappeared and Serena's tentacle stabbed only air; she grabbed the briefcase mid-fall and swept back as streams of fog checked underground -
' - fuck.' she winced; she only had a moment to pull Maria out of the car, clutching briefcase & Maria tight as Blackburn defused the mines behind her -
- but the mines ahead still exploded & the shockwave blasted her with the strength of a hundred back; Blackburn's fog shot underneath as she flew, carefully defusing the mines so the arc of explosions would keep her flying back as her & Maria hit the road and started to roll -
' - fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck -'
"-do you think you're the only one who came prepared?!" he shouted as she rolled & scraped down the road with Maria, fog rapidly healing Maria's wounds as 100, 150, 200ft separated them & he.
Serena slowed her roll but wrapped her jacket around herself & Maria as twenty bullets entered her kevlar; they ended up beside another parked car and her tentacle smashed the door open, regular hand shoving Maria & briefcase in the back. Serena saw him reloading his rifle ahead and got her legs under her in a hurry; she started rushing to another car on the opposite side of the road, but ten bullets went through her knees & out the other end and her head hit the trunk as her legs slipped from under her.
Pulling herself against the asphalt, wincing, she heard him shouting ahead: "That's called ego, Serena, and it was what brought down the Roman Empire! Even if you can manage to get away, you have no clue how thoroughly you've just FUCKED yourself!"
Serena gripped the car's trunk, pulling herself up to sit her back against it, shouting back: "W-What the hell makes you t-think I'm running away?"
[Persona 5 - Willpower Extended.]
Three hundred feet separated her from him; she peeked out and saw him reloading, detached & floating arm grabbing another magazine from a green rift in-air and knocking the old one out. "I wondered what would possess you to pull such a stupidly selfish move; but now I realize why there was a sequence of serials. On your side, you've complicated shit far more than your idiotic fucking head could possibly realize - and far simplified it for me."
Streams of fog began filling her wounds. "S-Seems like it's pretty simple for me. I-I can't fill your throat with knives w-without getting closer." She glanced over at Maria, still breathing, the briefcase resting on her head. Somewhere in that roll, it had come open and was spilling dollar bills over her. This was fortunate: it was protection money.
Once her wounds were full, Serena swept out as his right arm disappeared; she started her rush forward, and her eyes caught something to her left -
- and she swept with the speed of lightning back -
- just in time to avoid the rocket screaming by her, and as her eyes ripped right -
- she saw a tree with a green portal on it, and in to the rift flew the rocket; and in the next instant -
- she swept underneath the projectile coming left again, swift streams of fog filling the missile with lead; and down fell the defused rocket, the weight too much for it. With no time to waste, she started her rush up the sidewalk again -
- and the hollow point of six bullets entered her chest; the pain staggered her back, her foe with a sudden rifle&reappeared right arm on the other end, and as the full-auto shots rose again -
" - Blackburn!" she shouted, throwing her hood taut as she turned, traditional jacket of kevlar protecting her as she rushed out to the road, parked cars along the street as she ran, weaving between the projectiles that sought her, fog refilling her wounds for what penetrated through, sub-300ft separating the two still.
His right arm disappeared again, and in the next instant -
- another missile erupted from across the street and shot with the speed of sound at her; she leaped to the sidewalk and rushed down, line of parked cars beside -
- and in to one of the cars burst the missile, automobile exploding in a rain of fiery shards behind as she ran -
' - gotta keep moving, gotta keep moving -' she thought, another car turned to scrap behind her, hailstorm of rockets blasting buildings to bits behind. One car was still standing beside, and in the next instant -
- she felt with aghast back a missile shooting towards her; with no option left, a swift sweep of her tentacle bashed the driverside window open and opened the door; and in to the car she swept, missile missing as she dodged inside - but she had no time to rest.
Another dozen fullauto gunshots arose in the air, and in the next instant -
" - no no -" she panted, dipping her tentacle in to the passenger door, burrowing in to the internals -
- and nodding as she felt the gasoline in the tank dissolve, bullets wilting uselessly as another thirty entered the vehicle.
'Blackburn's tentacle can fill the whole object. Coolio.'
Fog readied, she threw the passenger door open and swept outside to the road again, two hundred feet separating the two, her foe standing at the intersection ahead now. His left-handed aim turned to her right -
- and her blood turned cold as she knew his true target then. With a pant and a shriek, she rushed back the way she had came, forced on to the road and seeking desperately her original car, unconscious Maria still inside. His sudden rifle's gunshots rose in the air again -
- but as a true hero might, she took every last hit back-on, grunting and staggering as she ran down, coming quickly to fifty feet away, and as she cleared the final rush to the car -
- her tentacle shot through the driverside door, steel reinforcing the innards with composite armor, dissolving the gas within. Her target safer now, she started her running back up the road again, four hundred feet still between the two, and as another lead volley flew towards her -
- she winced as she turned, jacket taking every hit, running backwards as fast as she could down. She saw the wreckage of only one car scattered on the street behind, knowing her foe's next plan then -
- but the next scene was instant. His right arm appeared above, green rift forming as it ripped the air open, and in the next instant -
- a car fell out of the portal and direct on top of her, crushing her down with the weight of a ton and throwing her against the road -
- but her tentacle dipped in to the automobile, filling it with air, lightening the load to an empty husk; and in to a hundred pieces fell the vehicle, freeing her as she stood again, turning and starting a rush that felt eternal. Only a hundred feet separated the two, now -
- but on the distance, her foe turned and ran left, fleeing and disappearing past the street corner within seconds. With the fervor of a punk, she veered left to the sidewalk, hurtling down the street, and as she came near the corner -
' - yeah, no.' she thought and halted quick, corner only feet ahead, three-floor store with flat roof left. A swift sweep of her tentacle brought her to the wall, and up she climbed, suction cups keeping her tethered as she came to the roof. She rushed across and right to face the street below, seeing her foe with aim still on the street corner.
With a laugh, she jumped down, tentacle slowing her descent behind, and as she landed thirty feet-first behind him -
- she hit something bulky and yielding on the sidewalk; a landmine of gas. A cloud of yellow burst instantly outward; she felt her skin corrode, hacking and coughing as the man turned -
- a dozen bullets entered her jacket, another eighteen in her hood -
" - B-Blackburn -" she gagged -
- and streams of fog filled the gas with wind, clearing her nostrils and lungs, freeing her from the foul vapors as she stumbled back across the curb, another apartment complex beside - but she had no time to rest.
His right arm appeared on the wall beside her, ripping a green rift open, and before she could react -
- a dozen knives erupted outward -
- that cleaved the front of her arms clear off as she swept back just in time to avoid full amputation, blood bursting and skin hanging off her bones. Frantic streams of fog refilled her wounds as she ran back across the curb, disappearing behind the street corner just as he had.
With a laugh and sigh, the man rushed in pursuit, rifle and drum magazine readied as his right arm appeared again - but overhead, he heard footsteps fill the air, and as he looked up -
- he saw the prodigal punk leaping across rooftops back the way she had came, tentacle sweeping and swinging as she came back to the initial roof -
- and she disappeared with another leap below, the man groaning as he rushed back again.
'Fucker will take the money back if I let him. Soon as I heard that fucking voice, I knew.'
The street corner was ahead. He took a wide berth as he turned -
- and there, fifty feet separating he and she, Serena on the sidewalk, briefcase in hand.
"Here, you want this, bitch?!" she shouted, streams of black fog flying in to the briefcase -
- and setting it alight. She threw the flaming projectile forward -
- and he gasped involuntarily as he stepped swiftly back to another sidewalk, realizing the trap quickly.
'Can't let him get close. Throat knives, throat knives.' he thought; but in the next instant -
- the briefcase exploded in a cloud of gas, foul vapors starting instantly to corrode his skin, hacking and starting to lose his breath - with the speed of light, Oddity's portal opened up beside, right arm fetching a gas mask for him from it -
- but with aghast eyes, he saw the fluoroantimonic acid corrode the gas mask away -
" - O-Oddity -" he gagged, second portal opening within the cloud and swallowing it whole -
- and he laughed as the first portal reappeared behind Serena, blasting her with her own foul vapors, streams of fog neutralizing desperately the punk's acid as she stumbled back.
He saw the briefcase dissolve, then froze as he felt a rumbling begin at the sidewalk below. A single ember dripped from the briefcase, sparking the fuse she had planted underneath the road, and as he felt the explosion begin -
- with the speed of light, Oddity's second portal formed and swallowed the blast -
- and he saw with unbelieving eyes the punk blasted forward, shockwaves blowing her forward and to only fifty feet separating them again, the explosion having been intentionally weak. She rose to her feet and started her chase again, man rushing back and away down the sidewalk, five-floor apartment complex at his left as he fled -
" - Blackburn!" he heard her shout behind; his eyes turned back, finding her rushing along the wall, gaining speed by the second.
His right arm disappeared as he turned and stumbled back, fetching a rocket launcher from Oddity's portal below, second portal forming on a lamppost behind him, keeping aim square on Serena as she ran. He fired in to the portal, and as Serena leaped down with fifty feet left -
- she panted as she saw the missile fly in to another portal adjacent - then back out of its original - back in to the second, gaining speed by the second.
"Fucking tranny." he grunted, stepping back and away, eyes careful on Serena. "I could tell as soon as I-I heard that fucking scream of your's."
"Blackburn." she panted, dipping her tentacle to the wall at her left. Acid filled the wall and corroded a section through, and in to the sudden hole she swept, fog refilling it anew; and the man ran across the road, past another parked car. A hundred feet separated him and the building, neither seeing or hearing Serena then, eyes sharp for where she might appear next.
"Oddity." he muttered. Two portals formed on opposite windows of the car, no hope of dodging the immeasurably swift projectile for the punk then, gaining speed by the second.
On the third-floor ahead, a human-sized hole opened in the wall, and in the next instant -
- was filled again, leaving him twitching and waiting to react. He glanced left where the calamity had begun, street cleared with holes, shattered cars, Maria's the only one left standing.
Ahead on the fourth-floor, a hole opened up in the wall, and in the next instant -
- it closed again. With a cursed grunt, the man stepped past the car, and as his right arm disappeared, Oddity's second portal faced the building -
- and out of it launched the missile with the speed of light -
- and the explosion tore a gargantuan hole in the apartment complex, ripping and spreading it in to two halves, half shattered apartments and rooms within. On the third floor, he saw Serena duck behind the still-standing wall to his right, and in the next instant -
- a dozen grenades erupted out of the apartment, explosives that weren't his own landing just ahead - he panted as he rushed back to the sidewalk -
- and the explosions missed narrowly his back, pockmarking the road as they burst.
Inside, Serena swept behind her cover again, fog filling her cup with grenades. She had few left, needing to make the most of her sudden volley. She threw another six out to the road -
- and sighed as no shriek of pain came, hearing but not seeing the man dodging ahead, explosives drilling and striking the road.
'Can either wait for Mia and Rochelle, or…' She winced, throwing her last grenade right and outward -
- and nodded as she heard no footsteps, knowing her foe to be to her left, right facing the building.
'Gonna be hard. I can do this.'
And ahead, the man swept his eyes over another car, careful gaze on the wall he knew Serena was behind. Another storm of knives was brewing between two portals within, shooting with the speed of light by then, Oddity's range on the wall ahead, and ready to open a portal when she came out.
'Waiting for his fog to refill. Have to deal with that. Mia and Jeanne have realized it by now. Can run left and use Maria as bait - but the money might get destroyed.' "God, this selfish little fucking tranny." he muttered.
Ahead, and with no option left, Serena swept out of her cover; she leaped down the wall ahead, tentacle sweeping it as she landed, and as she hit the ground running -
- the next scene was instant.
His right arm disappeared, and as it appeared behind her, readying to open a portal of certain shredding -
- he didn't feel with aghast right arm, suddenly numb and paralyzed, a hundred needles planted against the wall injecting it with anesthetic; forcing Oddity's portal miniscule, the knives shattered and disappearing within -
" - can't move, bitch?!" shouted Serena, starting her rush forward in true confidence now, only a dozen knives hitting her jacket of steel -
" - O-Oddity!" he panted, right arm reappearing attached again; Serena ran in pursuit as he stumbled back, and as she cleared the clearing in a single bound -
- with the last of his strength, Oddity's portal formed above her, fetching one last item -
" - watch your head!" he shouted, and in the next instant -
- a guillotine appeared above, falling with the speed of an executioner on Serena; she shrieked as she glanced up -
- his shoulder bashed her to the ground, and as she hit the sidewalk -
- the blade cleaved through her neck in a geyser of crimson.
The man laughed as she fell rigid in an instant, weak with relief, anesthetic slowing his veins. One of Oddity's two portals formed in his right arm, careful formations to swallow only the paralytic agent.
"F-Fucking c-christ." he grunted.
He stomped over her corpse, eyes on the briefcase on the horizon -
- but the next scene was instant.
A familiar tentacle shot to his neck and yanked him back, streams of fog corroding the blade away, and as Serena stood again -
" - are you FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" panted the man -
" - that's right, eel-b-bitch!" she coughed, fog refilling her decapitated neck, ring of steel that had prevented her spine's severment disappearing.
"Oddit -"
" - Blackburn!"
Streams of black fog filled her tentacle's suction cups with a dozen knives, and by a first sweep -
- that cleaved his right arm clear off in a shower of crimson; the pain staggered him back, and in a second sweep on the return -
- that cleaved his left arm off in a burst of blood -
" - Blackburn!" she shouted, knives disappearing as she aimed her tentacle low, and as it pierced through his right leg -
- his limb filled with knives, dozens of steel slicing his right leg clear off; a horrific shriek passed him as he fell and stumbled back, arms on the ground as he collapsed -
" - Blackburn!"
- and her tentacle slashed his left leg, filling it with knives, newly formed blades amputating him, blood spraying in four directions as he fell back along the sidewalk -
- and Serena stomped on his chest, stepping on and over him. Tendrils of fog grew from her tendril and filled each gone-limb with acid, corroding them away; Serena remembered what he said earlier and stomped his face in to the pavement, streams of fog keeping him conscious & alive as she ground her boot in.
"I wish I had a better line here, eel-dipshit." she grunted. His blood was draining out: he would be a corpse pretty soon. "I'm just glad I-I finally get to do that." She stepped off of him and started back down the sidewalk, hearing him still shouting nasty names & slurs at her. "Mia can set you on fire if you're still alive when she gets here, eel-bitch!"
He was still screaming when Mia found him.
[END OF ARC: BITCH BETTER HAVE MY MONEY]