Having slept terribly underground, the four decided on a man-made hotel over a natural one the next day, and Serena & Yuruko had asked for time alone that night. The two were sitting at a local cafe and Yuruko had her laptop out, explaining the reaction mechanism to Serena.
"This is how they think Xenocyclin works, though. It pulls off the electron here, and... uhm. I don't know, you probably wouldn't get it anyway, it's really technical. But there's some Revenants that don't react to Xenocyclin properly, because they have a different genetic makeup or whatever. If you have it to a regular person, it's a bacteriocide so strong it would murder everything in their body. Including their gut microbiome and everything in it. But the whole reason it's even used is because it's still the most simple solution, and since it's mostly used in criminals, and the FDA doesn't regulate any of it -- I mean, there's probably islands of guys getting human tested on over this. But at least we get to go faster, scientifically."
Serena blinked. This was one of the reasons she almost felt too stupid to date Yuruko, who was likely the only student learning anything from the academy besides murder.
"That was a joke."
Serena laughed.
But as she typed she was distracted, not by this current contract, but how Maria had acted with Sylvia earlier. The worst of women was what always stayed in Yuruko's recall. But Maria was not really a person to her; she did not know her enough for that. Maria was more like a symbol by which Yuruko could subtly stereotype others, to make rational the wariness she felt around other women. The extent to which this had been caused by how her mother had treated her and Yuruko's own disconnect from social norms can only be surmised, but there shall later be an arc devoted to this.
A man passed by their table.
"E-E-Excuse me." he coughed. "Do you know if there's a hospital next door?"
"…uh, what?" said Yuruko, glancing up.
"T-T-There's a hospital next door, r-r-right?"
"Uh, no." said Yuruko and Serena shook her head.
"Um, there's not, no, but -"
" - M-M-Mesmer."
++++++
Mia called Aimee in her second-floor room while Samuel went out to get food. They had spoken on the attempted assassination, on Mia's presidential duties, and Aimee had finally received their wedding photos months later.
Mia still had a bit of excitement whenever she called Aimee her wife. It had been a small wedding - only Timepact and Mia's three had come to it, and for family members, Mia's mother had been the only one of her parents that could make it & Aimee's had refused. But Mia knew Aimee needed no comfort over this; she had never seen any regret in her over her family's prejudice, and she had barely mentioned them since their first year together.
More often than not now, Aimee was sleeping at Timepact's base, and their wedding night had been her first time in a real bed in months. The agency had worked up to a steady intake of contracts, filling Mr. Thale's pockets with what he took from the top. Though there were bigger agencies around, as far as anyone could tell, they made no more money than Timepact, due to its specific assurance of quality and the preexisting bonds between its members. Next year would be Mia & Yuruko & Samuel, and Serena & Kate after that - then likely no more.
When Mia hung up, Samuel knocked, and she let him in.
"Heard you were still talking. Didn't want to interrupt you." he nodded as he stepped inside, handing her a takeout container. "Guessing it was Aimee?"
"It was." Mia smiled as she sat on her bed and started eating. "Did you call Serena and Yuruko back?"
"I texted them. Didn't get any message back yet, though."
Mia frowned, worrying that Yuruko had lost her laptop again. For all of Urasaria being an academy, Yuruko was the only one of the four learning. Mia had already allowed her to take any day off she needed - she wasn't sure if she should do more.
She checked her tablet, and in the next instant -
- she heard an explosion on the floor below; an icy prison formed over her -
- just in time for the next thousand blasts to shred the floor in to bits of concrete and carpet, shockwaves ripping the walls up by their roots as a constant barrage erupted, bombs embedded in the floor bursting open and shattering every single wall -
- and she closed her eyes & ears as she heard it continue for a minute longer, constant stream of explosions ripping through the entire hotel and shattering every wall & room, ground shaking as another thousand blasts tore through everything around her. The shockwaves ripped through the entire hotel and blew it in to rubble that she felt hitting her prison's ceilings, and once the explosions halted, she freed herself from her ice -
- and a swift spray of purple disintegrated through the rubble trying to bury her; with no time to waste, she rushed out of the ruins and in to the parking lot, knowing Samuel would meet her there and still hearing explosions behind her step.
She waited until she was at the street's end to turn back, seeing his suit of armor crash out of the ruins a hundred feet away. As he met up with her, his armor had a few scratches as his eyes turned back through the helm -
" - oh no." winced Mia, eyes on the ruins -
- to see Serena & Yuruko with ethereal collars & leashes around their necks climb out of the rubble, ethereal coil phasing through buildings and leading off somewhere.
"Mind control." muttered Samuel and Mia nodded. Her palms flashed forward, and a bolt of lightning erupted from her palms -
" - Blackburn!" shouted Serena, streams of fog flying in to her jacket & Yuruko's labcoat as they turned -
- and they twitched, staggered, but still stood conscious at the end, running towards Mia & Samuel; the two rushed up the sidewalk with the other pair in pursuit behind, line of stores at their right as they ran.
"Why did I have to train her so well?" groaned Mia.
"Are we going to the source?" said Samuel as they ran, and Mia glanced back to see the prodigal pair in pursuit fifty feet behind.
"If we - if we go to the source, there'll likely be more Revenants there. If we can knock them unconscious, it - it has to have a range."
"I can go if you need me to check -"
" - I - I don't know." winced Mia as they kept their pace up - " - just stay here until -"
- and the hollow point of three useful bullets entered her back & burst out her chest; pain staggering her forward, she felt the projectiles explode in to poisonous gas in her lungs -
- but internal scarabs formed to disintegrate it -
- but she realized Yuruko's plan a second too late, purple spray only heating up the foul vapors and turning them solid; lungs clogging but one hole left in her chest, Mia winced -
- and a scarab swarm ripped the block of acid clear out of the aperture in a geyser of blood; she heard Samuel's armor block another ten bullets behind, twitching but trying not to stagger as his armor cracked -
" - she's, she's fucking using her Xenocyclin bullets. Didn't penetrate, though." he winced, and Mia's swarm covered her heart as the two staggered past a corner ahead, one car parked on the curb as they gagged - " - do you - any weaknesses for Blackburn?"
"I lost that duel." winced Mia, relevantly, and in the next instant -
- three bullets entered the car, and in to a dozen pieces it exploded -
- but ghastly hands threw every piece aside but the driverside door, sharpening it in to one solid point as they hurled it towards Yuruko -
- and the two rushed past the corner before they could see why she shrieked so horrifically a second later, Samuel shouting back -
" - next one is all four! Don't chase after us!"
The guilt under his tone kept Mia focused, muttering - " - focus on Yuruko - Serena can heal her if we overdo it -"
- and Samuel nodded as they rushed up the street, glancing back to see Serena & Yuruko stagger past the corner. Blood was dripping down the left side of Yuruko's torn labcoat and her ungloved left hand, street poles & cars flanking Mia & Samuel as they stepped back, few trees planted in the sidewalk as they saw their foes halt fifty feet away.
"Mia, Mia!" shouted Serena, and the two tensed.
"What's there to say about her?" shouted Yuruko, new glove forming.
"There's a lot to say about her, and none of it's good!"
"You start!"
"Well, what's up with her mask? The big beak?"
"I don't know, it's only a few centimeters bigger than her actual one."
"I know why Aimee married her!"
"She could turn pages in a book."
"Like a fucking swordfish!"
"Least they're entertaining." muttered Samuel.
"For you." winced Mia.
Ahead, a revolver formed in Yuruko's hand, and as she dumped six bullets towards the two -
- ghastly hands ripped one tree out of the sidewalk and threw it in to the volley -
- but another six shots blasted it to bits, and an ice wall burst up ahead to block another six shots. Mia saw Serena rushing up to it on the other end, then streams of fog melting it in to water -
- but Mia & Samuel sighed relief as they saw Serena & Yuruko staggering ahead, and Mia backed up next to one streetpole.
"Hey, Serena!" shouted Yuruko, staggering back like she was pulled. "Did you know that in the animal kingdom, slower birds have bigger beaks?"
"Yeah. Mia, what did you get on your SATs?"
Mia frowned, but the next scene was instant. Ghastly hands ripped the pole out of the ground and hurled it towards Serena -
- and the projectile choked around her like a car around a tree; Serena laughing, streams of fog filled it with acid -
- and Serena shrieking, it burst in to a dozen clouds of acid and the corrosive swarm claimed her body, much more heat than she'd expected buried within the metal, fingers started to melt as she screamed -
" - Medicinal!" shouted Yuruko, throwing a dozen balls of baking soda at her girlfriend -
- that neutralized the foul vapors as Serena staggered back, swift sweep of fog healing her wounds as Yuruko caught up beside. Realizing they'd lost sight of Mia & Samuel, Serena stumbled back like she'd been pulled before rushing up the street, Yuruko beside her with assault rifle forming. They glanced in to the stores and saw Mia & Samuel in one electronics shop, and the two rushed inside -
- and Mia groaned as Yuruko tripped as soon as she entered the store fifty feet away, shouting -
"- did you know that in nature, scarabs often swarm around huge pieces of shit?"
"I just thought that was -"
" - FUCKING TALK ABOUT SAMUEL FOR A CHANGE!" shouted Mia -
- and she sighed as she saw Serena stumble back - " - that's a good idea!"
"Uh-oh." muttered Samuel.
"Yeah, that's true!" shouted Yuruko. "Because I was reading something the other day!"
"What were you reading?" shouted Serena.
"I read the other day that pigs have corkscrew-shaped dicks, and I realized why Samuel's never been on a fucking date."
"Corkscrew-dick! Like one of those fucking door springs you flick and -"
" - what did I just say? No one's flicking that dick!"
Serena balanced herself against a shelf of laptops. "But Yuruko, that's not fair! If Samuel had as many dicks sticking out of him as he's probably had stuck in him, he would look like a porcupine."
Samuel laughed.
"He's had more dicks in him than a urinal!" shouted Yuruko.
"The only reason Samuel has any female fans is because his Revenant hides his face."
"He names himself after a boar because he's a dickpig."
"Oink oink, fa-"
"I always hear people around campus say he's built like a tank."
"World War 1? World War 2?"
"No, septic."
"Full of sh-"
"-and then there's Mia. Mia, I know people think you're a bad president, you're overly emotional, and your Revenant sucks - but they're wrong! Your Revenant doesn't suck."
"She had the worst wedding food I've ever had. It only could've been chosen by somebody blind, deaf, stupid, and with absolutely no taste."
"I heard that Aimee chose it."
"Oh, Aimee Schultz, Ms. Aimee Schultz?"
"That's right! Aimee Schultz. God rest her soul. Wish I could say that for real: she's not dead yet but I wish she was. Fingers crossed!" Yuruko swayed. "That's alright, though, because it'll most likely end in divorce, and then Mia'll have to return Aimee to the street corner she found her on."
"And that wedding was so long."
"I celebrated three birthdays during that ceremony. They measured the cutting of the cake with a sundial. Hey, Serena, did you know that Mia's own mother slapped the stork that delivered her?"
"That explains the nose and that massive fucking beak-"
" - AT LEAST I'M NOT STILL FUCKING WATCHING CARTOONS AT 21 YEARS OLD!" shouted Mia -
- and guilt punched her stomach as she saw Serena frown second later, hoping she wouldn't remember it after they were done.
"You don't think … might still have some control?" whispered Samuel.
"I don't want to try it like that." winced Mia, but she has a hateful idea fill her head. She whispered it to Samuel as Serena & Yuruko rushed towards them. Mia & Samuel ran up to the back wall, and as she readied to disintegrate -
- the two swept with the speed of light left -
- just in time to avoid a full auto barrage of Xenocyclin-shots -
- and along the back wall & left rushed the two, another line of bullets entering the wall behind their footstep, constant barrage pockmarking the wall, and as the two came up to the corner -
- the next scene was instant.
Mia threw her burning blue blade in to the ceiling at the center of the room, disintegrating it without a single ash left; sudden support lost, the roof started to crumble -
- and swallowed just enough shots for her to disintegrate their exit in to the next store; in through the hole swept the two, keeping their rush going as they ran through another store and disintegrated another wall. Mia checked her tablet for Yuruko's last location before the calamity begun, Samuel nodding as she showed it to him.
Coming up to the last wall before the street, a puff of purple flames disintegrated it -
- right in to Serena with tentacle readied -
- but one Outcast-punch ripped her tentacle clear off her shoulder and sent it flying across the street; Samuel shoved out his guilt at her screaming -
" - B-BLACKBURN!" she grunted, streams of fog flying in to his helm -
- but his slits barely allowed any to enter as Mia shoved Serena out of the way, two rushing past her and across the street, only a few knives bursting out of the unnatural armor as they came up to another store. Mia burnt down another entrance and the two rushed through again, speaking as they ran -
" - she can heal without her tentacle, right?" said Samuel and Mia nodded -
" - we should be almost done, I hope -"
- and another puff of blue disintegrated an exit in to another street. They rushed up to one building and glanced up -
- and saw Yuruko waiting on the roof, shotgun readied and ready to pull -
- but another car thrown from below smashed right through her and threw her to the ground; a frozen ray erupted from Mia's palms -
- and kept the two-ton weight frozen on top of Yuruko, ghastly hands shoving it down to keep her trapped, and in the next instant -
- Mia felt streams of fog from behind grab her eyes -
- but a pillar of blue flame claimed Serena from behind, then disintegrated the ground below her without a single ash left -
- and in to the sudden burrow fell the punk, disappearing below. Spraying another entrance, Mia & Samuel rushed through one last store, knowing their target was close. Once they came out to the final street and rushed up to the cafe, they heard Serena shouting "Blackburn!" behind & under the ground, but ran inside the cafe quick -
" - got it." muttered Samuel, pointing to one table at their rights; Mia nodded as she saw one laptop there, swiped it off the table, and as she turned -
- she saw Serena & Yuruko rush in after them, and dread filled their faces as Mia held her hand to the laptop -
" - w-wait -" panted Yuruko - " - p-please -"
" - one fucking step closer and I'll make sure you never graduate." said Mia. (Yuruko's leash was shaking.) "You can go fucking explain to your professor why you lost all of your notes, and -- your essays, and --"
" - p-please - p-please don't destroy it, I-I haven't s-saved my w-w-w-work t-t-today a-and -" panted Yuruko, breath quickening like it had the night prior; ahead, Mia flipped it open -
- and a spray of purple flame disintegrated it without a single ash left; a horrific noise escaped Yuruko as she clutched Serena's healed tentacle, sweat forming and already shaking as Serena hugged her tight, eyes away from Mia.
"H-Hey, it's - it's okay, um -"
- and a bolt of lightning to the head knocked them both unconscious. Mia & Samuel stepped up, trying not to notice Yuruko's tears.
"…w-we need to get them out of range." muttered Mia, feeling like an absolute shithead.
Samuel nodded, and ghastly hands brought Yuruko's actual laptop to him from underneath another table. "…was worried I was going to overdo it on one of those."
"Me too." muttered Mia. "They'll stay unconscious as long as we need them to, at least. We need to find a car."
Samuel nodded, and she heard him breathing heavy in his armor as they searched for one, unwilling owner or not. Once they did, Mia placed Serena in the passenger side, and Yuruko with Samuel in the back.
"…just realized something." said Samuel. "We don't know what's going to happen when those coils break."
"I… I know, but it's safer than going to the source. If all four of us are there…" She trailed off and Samuel nodded.
"Not an easy decision to make."
She tried not to remember how Yuruko shrieked as she pulled out at thirty miles an hour in to the street.
"I'll keep an eye out." said Samuel, glancing to Yuruko & back. The slack went out from their coils as Mia drove.
She glanced over at Serena and back at Samuel. As the latter didn't know Serena was transsexual, she had initially worried over putting them in a squadron together. Yet Serena now reminded her of how she had been pre-coming-out to Mia, never mentioning anything trans-related or any misgendering lately. It was not that Mia could not understand this denial: she could, as without students she might have once felt ashamed of her own sexuality. But she felt that Kamon had not ousted the similar beast still inhabiting Serena: her fear of illegitimacy as a woman.
They pulled out of city within fifteen minutes, and Samuel noted to Mia that the leashes were starting to go taut.
Mia nodded. "I don't believe we should go back."
"Just need to keep an eye out." said Samuel. "Seemed like they had a bit of themselves in it, though."
Mia nodded, reminding herself that mind control Revenants had strength like any other. Serena's coil was nearly at its end; Mia slowed down, and in the next instant -
- Serena's coil snapped, and she shot up awake - " - huh wha-"
- Mia sped up before she could see Yuruko's coil snap, who also shot up.
"Feeling alright?" said Samuel.
Serena groaned, Blackburn filling her wounds. "…um. Yeah. Did something happen?"
"...yes, er. We fought a Revenant that had knocked both of you unconscious." said Mia.
"Had to drag you in here after we dealt with it, too." nodded Samuel, Blackburn filling the other three's wounds. "Saved your laptop, though." He handed it to Yuruko, and she saved her work.
"T-Thanks."
"We should be there soon." said Mia. "But we should stay as four from now on."
She saw Samuel wipe his eyes in the rearview and nod.