Scene 23 - December 19th

Interior MLED Compound, Continuous

Quinn Kaufman

A familiar, indescribable white light began to shine from everything as an unmistakable effect that could only be Anima’s aura swiftly spread through the building. It crackled like fire around the edges of the rubble, which leapt into the air and began reforming back into the walls and ceiling that had been torn up by the battle - even the sword and shield Amethyst had just made from himself tearing themselves free of his grasp, white lightning bouncing between their shards as they split apart and joined the repair effort.

All eyes stopped and stared at the phenomenal display of power, but, I thought, for different reasons. The knights seemed to be shocked and frightened, if I was reading their body language right - I and the other Journeymen, however, were shocked and horrified.

Anima kept a large store of zoetic energy, but there was a limit - and this was surely beyond it.

She was going to kill herself.

“Loki!” I called, abandoning the paused battle and rushing over to him. “What’s happening? Why would Anima - I mean, she -”

“I know,” he said, scanning the screens and models that surrounded him. “She - my god.”

“What?”

“It’s not just the Compound,” Loki said grimly. “It’s the whole fucking city.”

“How the hell is she doing this?” asked Hypnos, rubbing at his face - the rest of the Journeymen had gathered as well. “This is...”

“I know.”

“And why is she doing it?” Referee quietly asked, worried.

“I thought you weren’t going to get back for a few hours?” I commented to her, noticing that eyes were forming out of the walls and scanning the area.

She shrugged. “My connecting flight got moved up. I’m just glad Journey had enough distance to pick me up, because this... I mean, mom is...”

“We have to-” Loki began, but was interrupted by a voice coming from the wall behind us.

“Oh, thank god, I found you!”

It was Anima’s voice, coming from a remarkably realistic face that one of the wall tiles had warped and shifted into, the eyes fading back into the metal. This... was new. As far as I know, Anima couldn’t normally see or speak through her golems, and they tended to be somewhat crude.

“...Anima?” Loki asked. “What’s going on?”

“I saw that alert and I was so worried about you all!” she simpered. “I’m glad to see that you’re all safe.”

“It was nothing,” Journey said flippantly. “Literally, nothing - no one was here when we arrived.”

“Wait, that...” I frowned. “...no, that’s right. It must have been... a drill, I guess?”

We all exchanged confused looks, nodding to each other after a moment. Why else would all six of us have shown up ready for battle?

“Even so,” Anima said, “it’s a dangerous world out there.”

“Yeah, well,” Hypnos said, a little bitterly, “we did all volunteer for this, however dangerous it is.”

“Anima,” Loki said again, “what’s happening? Why are you-”

“I can’t risk any of you getting hurt,” the heroine interrupted. “You understand, don’t you? You’re like my children - all of you, not just Molly.” A pair of large, hulking figures muscled their way free of the walls, still covered in a gleaming white aura - each bore Anima’s face as well. “I need you all near me, where I can keep you safe,” all three said in unison.

I took a step back from the golems in alarm, a chill running down my spine. “Seems to me like you’ve got no issues with range right now,” I couldn’t stop myself from saying.

Anima’s golems frowned. “I need you safe.”

“Journey,” Loki whispered, his eyes wide and frightened, “Get us out of here.”

The teleporter scooped Referee up in one arm and wrapped the other around Loki, and a moment later they were gone. The golems began to rush at those of us remaining, but before the cracks in spacetime that were left behind by Journey’s passage could even fade, she was back and taking hold of me and Hypnos.