“AHH!” Jeremy scrambled backward in surprise as a blue-robed individual arrived again.

“What?” Jana said, looking back at him. “Did that ‘Hatty’ guy come back?”

Jeremy nodded. “Hello, again...mysterious blue-robed individual,” he said.

“Hello,” Hatty said, having seemingly teleported behind Jeremy’s computer. “Is the disfamiliar name some sort of punishment wrought on me?”

“Oh, no. I was just making a joke.”

“I see. Then how might you be doing today? Well, I hope?”

“ Nothing’s changed.”

“That’s good...on my side, it unfortunately seems I’m not as useful as I thought I would be. Sorry about that.”

“What’s that meant to mean?”

Hatty scratched their chin. “Well, it appears that this ‘Samuel’ person is quite prudent. After I looked around for a while, I managed to find the location of his main facility, which happens to be where he lives. Normally, it would have been easy enough for me to scout the location’s defenses or more, but...he seems to have an anti-clairvoyance field established around the base, which effectively blinds me.”

“Anti-clairvoyance?” Jeremy said, “So your astral projection is affected by that?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Did they say their sight was blocked by an anti-clairvoyance psychic?” Jana asked. “Cause’ if so...Sam must have some super-secret projects in the works...I just said the obvious, so I’ll shut up.”

“They did,” Jeremy confirmed. “But could I ask you, Hatty? What does it look like?” Jeremy asked. “When you look at the base?”

“Hmm? The area is coated with seventy-percent refined blue psychic energy, thus canceling out my equally blue-tinted projection in a manner similar to that of noise cancelation.”

“I have no idea what that jargon means, but if I’ve gotcha right, you’re trying to say that it makes things look blue?”

Hatty nodded. “For me, at the least.”

“Then I did see the future from your perspective,” Jeremy said. “Like last time.”

“Again? What a strange ability...strangely specific, that is.”

“On that topic, maybe you’re actually some weird psychic?” Jana said, despite not fully grasping the conversation at hand. “A weird as fuck one that can see specific points in time from someone else’s perspective...with no prompting...hmm...Yeah, I should just shut up. I’m only making myself even more confused.”

“Well,” Hatty said. “I have a vague theory on that matter, but only a vague one. You’re a very random person, so far as I’m concerned, thus an ability like that being placed on you is equally random.”

More vague explanations...Jeremy sighed. “Being called a ‘random person’ almost feels like an insult. Not that I’m not one.”

Hatty shook their head. “Sorry, not sorry. Karma exists, and I like it. It won’t be too helpful since I’ll be blinded, but I would still prefer to be present for your arrival at Samuel’s estate. Thus I must temporarily leave.”

“Why is that?” Jeremy asked with concern. “What’s stopping you from just staying? Are you going out to eat dinner or something?”

Hatty snickered. “No, no, not at all. Let’s just say that I’m the only thing standing between...you and a spiked ceiling.”

“A...spiked ceiling. You really love vague riddles, huh? Maybe you should marry em’.”

“You could say I already have. Though, in truth, I merely don’t enjoy lying.”

“Alright...well, see ya’ later.”

“Fare well.” And with that, Hatty disappeared.

Jana clicked her tongue. “What do you think about them?” she asked.

“What do you mean?” Jeremy responded, raising his eyebrow.

“Hatty. What’s their game?”

“I dunno, helping me?”

“But why would they do that? Do they seem worried by A...the catastrophe?”

“Uhh, yeah, I think so. They seemed to think my sister was important,” he said.

“Either way, I think they’re super sus. If they were so worried about him, why would they not reveal their identity? Why didn’t they fight in the original battle against him? And if they aren’t working towards stopping the catastrophe...What in the world could they be gunning for by saving your sister? How do they know so much? Is it just their ability? Are they really a super psychic? I haven’t even heard or seen them before, and their actions just don’t add up...it makes me just a bit...” she let out a breath through gritted teeth as she rapped her fingers on the ice. “I dunno, nervous. We’re trusting someone we know literally zilch about.”

Jeremy looked to a notebook he had brought with him. “I see where you’re coming from. They aren’t our enemy, though.”

“Maybe, but they’re still suspect,” she responded. “I’m definitely missing a critical piece of information.”

“Yeah.”

She pressed her knuckles against the ice. “...Makes me want to punch something.”

“Just don’t make that something my face, kay? Besides, we aren’t in a world where punching things solves all our problems.”

“Solves stress,” Jana said matter-of-factly, despite agreeing with Jeremy's next words.

“As if it’s so easy to solve.”

Finally, they landed.

Ten hours after they left Japan, Jeremy and Jana stepped off their platform of ice, and onto the dirt below.

A crowd of people had converged around them after they landed, but this crowd was much different than the type they were used to. The expressions of those watching them varied greatly, from surprise, to wonder, to reverence. But mostly, their expressions revealed hate and fear. A countless number of them glowered at them, while others looked on reluctantly, as though they didn’t really want to. Not just that, but they were quiet.

The crowd wasn’t watching the two. They were observing them, gauging whether they were a threat or not.

Before they had landed, the two had a conversation.

“We’re finally here,” Jana said. She didn’t sound particularly happy about it, as though she had mixed feelings.

“Yay!” Jeremy yelled, scrambling to look over the edge with her. “Pain, pain, gone awayin.”

Thousands of meters away, a city sprawled out across the horizon. Few of the buildings were tall, and the outskirts of it were clearly significantly poorer than the inner city. Even further out, untouched ruins of another old city stood. Much of the city’s outskirts and beyond seemed to be left in poverty, evidenced by how much of the infrastructure was scrap and the remains of collapsed buildings. However, even from above, it was quite obvious to Jeremy that the city was under considerable construction. The eye couldn’t wander anywhere without spotting at least some scaffolding.

“But...what is this place, anyway?” he asked.

Jana slowed as they approached. “Hikal Jadid,” she said. “‘New Iraq’s capital.”

“Not gonna lie, it looks pretty trashy.”

“Wow, you don’t say? Poverty, here? Impossible,” Jana said sternly.

Jeremy shrugged, frowning wryly. “I’m just being harsh. Trying to be funny, you know.”

“Well...” Jana began, “It isn’t.”

“Alright, I get it. What’s got you so wound up?” he asked with a surprising dose of genuine concern.

“It’s just...I’ve been here before. I was here before Samuel took over,” she said.

“You were?”

“Yeah. I...I fought him here.”

“Samuel? How can you call a fight against him a fi-”

“Get your head out of your ass. You know who I’m talking about!” she hissed.

He put his hands up defensively, scooting away from the angry bioweapon. “Alright, sorry. It was just a brain fart.”

...

They had stopped far above a long street that led to an enormous, strangely square* mansion. It was set somewhat close to the city center, but a large fence and an empty field surrounded it, with multiple guard towers set along the perimeter.

Jana took a long breath. “By the time he vanished, so much was destroyed,” she said. “When I left...I can only remember what the city looked like afterward. It was nothing but rubble. It looked like the apocalypse...”

Jeremy saw her wipe her eyes.

“But they rebuilt this out of it,” she said. “Look, there.” Jana pointed to the building closest to them, which stood in the city’s center. It was the largest one, as well, though it was small by skyscraper standards. “That building was the only skyscraper standing. It’s been renovated.” She pointed to another, which appeared to be a public housing building, five stories tall. It was surrounded by multiple nearly identical buildings, but the bottom half of it was grey and old in some areas, unlike the stark white of the others. “And that one, it used to be three different buildings...” Jana then pointed to other buildings, pointing out how each of them was made atop the ruins of the old city.

“That’s...cool,” Jeremy said, unsure how to respond. He was never the greatest at identifying others’ feelings, so he couldn’t quite tell what Jana was thinking. Was it happy? Cathartic? She was lightly smiling, yet her eyes looked tired and sad.

“Mmm, it is,” she said, rubbing her hands on the ice as if the cold was comforting. Perhaps it was, for her. “How about we go down, now?”

And that had led them to now, where they were surrounded by a crowd of people.

The wind blew through the city block, people whispered to themselves, and a baby cried. Besides those things, the street was deadly quiet.

Jeremy was scared.

Realistically, he wasn’t in danger, but his body didn’t care about realism; it simply took one look at the hostile environment and sent emotions through him. He hugged himself, looking between the surrounding people nervously.

A hand wrapped around his shoulder, then Jana led him forward. The crowd parted as she approached, sending a menacing, ‘persuasive’ glare to those who were reluctant to follow suit.

Suddenly, as we left the crowd behind:

Clink.

What was clearly a tin can clacked against Psychi’s barrier, repelled into the air, then fell to the ground with another clink.

Jana stopped, then a frown, a furious frown grew on her face. The few bystanders in front of us, who could see her expression, slowly backed away while a silent gasp filtered through the crowd.

Jeremy opened his mouth to calm her, but nothing came out. He couldn’t do anything but wheeze out a tense breath.

Just as Jana’s fists began to clench, and her anger was nearly palpable, she glanced at him, looking at his weak frame, dilated eyes, and opened mouth. Then, she sighed, the taut fury drifting from her body, unwinding in an instant.

She turned around with a nonplussed expression. “Who did that?” she asked.

...The crowd slowly backed away, revealing a single man, one in a dirty apron and slightly ripped jeans, staring at her defiantly.

“[Really?]” she asked in Arabic, as though she wasn’t angry in the slightest, but just confused, even worried.

“[Y-you need to stay away!]” he said, his studdering voice quickly growing in volume.

Jana almost broke a smile. It was to cover up his fear, clearly. “[Picking a fight with me is one thing,]” she said slowly, “[but...]” she paused, trying to remember the word for littering. “[throwing stuff on the ground is a crime. Pick it up.]”

Not even his eyes moved toward the can as he breathed heavily.

“You really want to go?” she asked in English, strutting toward the man with clenched fists. She walked straight to him, rolling her toned shoulders and cracking her neck, then shoved herself into his face. “[My mom was shot by a crowd such as this...]” she said, glaring into his eyes. “[but that doesn’t make me afraid.]”

He scampered back a step with an uncertain expression, causing her to laugh.

“[What?]” Jana asked, “[Not interested?]”

“[I-it’s your fault!]” he said.

Jana tilted her head with morbid curiosity. Just what was the thought process of the people who hated her? Was saving thousands of lives not enough? Was her only reason for existence to have her good be paid for with scorn?

“[This is all your fault! Get off our land!]” he yelled.

“[Uhh, no.]”

Suddenly, the man’s expression shifted to hate once again, and he lunged at her with a concealed knife.

Jana didn’t even flinch as she caught his hands in her own, shifted to the side to evade the attack, then pressed herself against his body, scowling. “[Don’t fuck with me, loon,]” she said as he squirmed in fear, trying to wrestle himself out of her grip with a terrified expression. Jana kicked her knee up, jamming it between his legs.

She then flicked the knife to the side as he reeled, his knees giving way as a scream of pain quickly turned to emotional sobs.

She reunited with Jeremy, grabbing his hand and walking down the street toward Samuel’s estate. “Sorry about that,” she said to him.

“I-it’s alright,” he replied. “But that seemed really dangerous...”

“I know. Maybe it was selfish for me to put you in danger like that.”

“I wasn’t referring to myself...” he said, almost confused.

“Oh. Yeah. Well, I care more about looking cool than being safe.”

“That’s...that’s just like you,” Jeremy said with a timid smile.