INNATE DRIVE!

Jackie’s exploding fist once again caused the Arm-Monger to skid away and the impact rocks across his entire body. Say nothing about the very bruised, very shattered sides he now has.

She always found the damage translation that comes with siVis overly complicated. Keeping with the parts and parcel theming, it’s more destroying the parts of an arm versus simply bruising it. The pieces get broken, the wear and tear resembling cotton of a ripped open Teddy Bear or tuffs of a ruined pair of jeans. Also, the exposure of clearly damaged inner-workings of that injured, creating images that truly fuel nightmares.

Also, sparks. In place of blood. Because that makes everything less violent and less horrible.

“You’re knocking him too wide!” Maddie shouted from afar, Jackie turning her head to see her cup her hands over her mouth.

“I’m still softening him up~!” Jackie shouted back. “One more hit and that should do it!”

Her arm, still limp and still white after this use of her abilities, she started to rotate the shoulder. Slowly but surely, she was giving back the energy lost within this arm and gaining enough energy to flex her fingers into a fist over and over to charge up—an effortful but effective remedy to one of her drawbacks—otherwise, she would have to naturally wait. She always could lessen the energy, and had to do it sometimes because of her still new-ish control over her abilities, but that just becomes an above-average punch. In this world where someone can just have massive strength due to being able to grow their arm big—that’s not enough.

Nothing is never enough.

Jackie looked over, and she saw the man panting, his arm flat on the ground and being used as his only source of stability. The soft pattering of the sparks coming out of him.

It was pretty much over, as Jackie jumped back, keeping her pose.

As potentially powerful as her ability is, it comes with the drawback of locking her entire body up while in use. She can’t switch her arm, she can’t even lean while doing it. So, she had to be careful with the first use and sneak attack his side, otherwise he would’ve gotten out of the way, now privy to the fact he could simply dodge it. But hey, it was better than the original alternative…

Battered sides mean pain if he moves, all the while making his balance strained. And with one more hit, massive damage on his left caused him to sink right.

Predictably, he rose up again. Angrily panting.

Jackie was ready.

She burst forward, making ground what felt like seconds, her charged fist planting itself firmly into his left side, causing an explosion on top of it. She felt the energy completely drain out of the arm, feeling winded.

“You think… I’m not in pain all the damn time…?”

Jackie didn’t have time to even consider that possibility, before she was slammed onto the ground.

She was being crushed by his massive arm horizontally, with one arm to defend herself.

In her panicked mania, she used her siVis ability on that arm, as it crackled with blue and created such a wild explosion, it blew back onto her—she winced out and screamed due to the feedback.

But now this was bad, as she has no arms now that can hold this up.

The arm was hurt, but it didn’t mean a thing. Throwing fire-crackers at a metal beam.

As her arm grew pale, the other arm still limb at her side, Jackie started to quake as she was quickly losing this battle, trying to think or use anything despite having nothing.

“N-no, nono, I fucked up, I fucked up—I fucked up I fucked up I fucked up—”

“I agree!”

LIFE FIBERS!

Maddie jumped and landed onto the man’s back, swiped her hand down, and tore into his warped shoulder.

As she ripped away, she turned what would’ve been flesh into sickly green string, pulling away until they were just shreds.

Without a beat missed, Jackie readied her leg.

INNATE DRIVE!

She exploded, hitting his left leg wildly and somehow managing to get a dead hit to the knee—causing it to bend.

The man used to scramble, using his poorly structured siVis to lift himself up, but it was too much.

He fell onto his side, as his leg continued to bend and his arm ripped away from him but hung onto a part that wasn’t turned into strings, yanking him onto the ground.

Jackie was armless and with one leg. She kicked away, using her only active leg to scoot away on the asphalt, scratching up her back.

“JACKSOOOON--!” Maddie shouted.

Jackie lifted her head up in a hurry, and her eyes widen.

Both of them ended up getting swept away by the then-building and now-wave of hot seawater, the water stinging their skin and soaking them as they screamed.

And for their trouble, the last two Shattered were waiting for them as they got closer to due to the waves. The lady cracked her head in various ways as the stocky person covered in a hideous hide pounded their fist into hand.

***

“What’d I give… If I had some kind of strength ability…”

Tracy panted, lifting another segment of the sidewalk as people continued to gawk at her, and she slowly jogged towards that pathway.

She was almost there, and had a steady pace getting there.

Too bad the sound of a gunshot halted everything.

Tracy sucked in her lips, felt her heart bounce about in her chest, and fell onto her sidewalk—letting it fall back into Earth.

She slammed back down onto the ground and rolled away onto the street for her troubles, landing on her front as she groaned.

She would’ve got up in an instant, but she was soon surrounded by a series of shoes.

Tracy looked up, and was the subject of a possible civilian mobile death squad.

They looked like normal people. They wore normal shirts, normal pants, had no members-only jackets, or were covered in Braveheart face paint. Normal people with guns, garotte, hammer, hooks and ropes.

“Y-you get it, right?” the young man said. His eyes were worried yet dead, as he handled his shotgun.

“I-I-I-I-I-“ Tracy couldn’t help to stammer. She wanted to move, but that would mean trigger-finger death, instant, without another word formed. But she couldn't let this happen

“You people—doing all that—and all of this. After a point, you—your mind just gets so… Overburdened. I couldn’t—I couldn’t go to work anymore. Because I feared someone like you coming in.”

Tracy rose her shaking hands, “I-I’m not—At ALL like the ones you’re describing--!”

“But you’re ripping up sidewalks. We need those.”

“I PUT IT BACK! THERE’S NO DAMAGE SURPRISINGLY—AGAIN, I CAN’T DO THE THINGS YOU’RE FEARING! I’M LIKE YOU—I’M SCARED, CAN’T YOU SEE THAT I’M SCARED--?!”

“What’s the hold up, Mason?! Just blow her brains out!” A lady, the older one with the hook, screamed and question.

“I’M NOT FINISHED MY PIECE, YOU KNOW I HAVE TO,” “Mason” said, snapping physically at her while gripping the shotgun tight. “You don’t even know who the hell she is, don’t you?!”

Somehow, it was that revelation, that made Tracy go completely white as a sheet.

Mason just looked down at her, with a forlorn expression. “You had that show once. You were a good little girl, then. You were the one warning kids about this Shift shit, making them and us feel better. Now you’ve betrayed all that. How dare you.”

Tracy grabbed at her head, as tears streamed down her face.

“PLEASE, I’LL DO ANYTHING YOU WANT, I’M SORRY—I’M SORRY—I’M SORRY!”

She heard Mason gulp. Then heard the subtle sounds of him handling his weapon.

“Hold still.”

“---FOOOOG! IT’S ONE OF THEM!”

In an instant, Tracy and the group were covered within thick, white steam.

Knowing it, Tracy immediately got up, and made a run for it.

She heard shouting, various gunshots ringing in the air, but kept running and found herself still covered in a trial of steam that continued on and on and on.

She practically ran for what felt like a block or two, panting on top of a hill in the quiet part of this segment of city.

Tracy gagged, she whimpered, she coughed uncontrollably for what was two minutes. Hunched over, holding herself as she shakes.

She tensed as she heard someone coming, shooting upwards, until she recognized that River was coughing as much as she was.

“O-okay, I blasted enough there so that they still think I’m attacking them or something. I smelt the paranoid along with the body odor, on that bunch of crazy—”

Without warning, Tracy rushed to grab her friend by the shoulders, and peppered her face with her kisses. Barely aiming, until she planted lips on her mouth, ripping away.

“Thank you thank you thank you so much, darling!” Tracy exclaimed. “At this rate, you’re going to make me cast aside everything and marry you--!”

“no that’s fine” River croaked out, as if she was being crushed. “besides, you’re not—”

“I know and I feel ashamed not rewarding you with something!” Tracy protested.

“if I wanted you to go gay for me kinda still want it to be natural or s-something—”

Tracy giggled, hand on her side. “You’re practically a Buddha or something… Do you ever give into, like, anything?”

River exhaled, shaking her head. “Only when I know I’m truly alone and in some form of darkness. If I ever listened to my Id—I’d somehow become an even grosser monster than what I am now.”

Tracy rolled her eyes. “You. Are a sad teddy bear that’s too hard on herself. Monster material not unlike shotgun man and band of killers… I can’t really see it, dear.”

“There’s two brains of mine,” River explained dryly. “There’s a side—the other brain—that wants nothing more right now than taking you to my house, leaving our other friends for dead, so I can do all the fetish-y shit to you and keep you mine until I become an actual ghost. My ACTUAL brain tells that brain rightfully to shut up and that she’s a fucking creep. Along with the other things that would make me happy but fuck over everyone else. As you can see, this is the only alternative.”

“… We reaaaaally need to figure out what makes you happy… Also, a find a girlfriend/boyfriend—”

“Dated before years ago, not really the central problem here,” River then pointed at herself.

“R-regardless!” Tracy raised her voice. “We have to hurry, Jackie’s probably boiling right now and we’re the only ones that might be available!”

***

“Hope you’ll never say shit about me not being dedicated ever again, Jackson--!”

Jackie writhed about on the ground, as her back was stinging in pain. Her eyes closed shut, only opening to take in the state of things as she rolled her head.

Maddie was leaping away, but not as fast as she usually was, as the Skinner stalked her. With the Contorted was skittering around them in a circle, on her hands and toes like the Exorcist.

“Fucking stinged on one side of the body—I have to fight two people while you act like a turtle—” the small one continued to rant.

The two were in-between a dance. Maddie leaped around, and lunged forward, trying to feint the Skinner, as the latter continued to stomp towards her. Over and over, back and forth, as Maddie clearly getting tired with each minute passes.

So, that was the reason why she gave up—rushing in full force.

“God damn it Maddie, DON’T--!” Jackie shouted, wiggling violently to regain the use of her limbs.

But as she helplessly watched, she noticed something.

This wasn’t a reckless dive in after all. As Maddie went forward, she maneuvered her hand over the Skinner’s arm, aiming for a soft spot that she can yank.

LIFE FIBERS!

She reached under their arm and pulled away.

It wasn’t enough.

“FUCK--!” came deep from within Maddie’s stomach.

She quickly let go, darting away just as fast, looking like she was surprised that she managed to do it.

She twisted her head and saw the Contorted racing towards Jackie.

“FUCKING PIECE OF FUCK SHIT PISSING BITCH FUCKERS--!” she sputtered out of her lips.

She raced back in, towards the Skinner—causing visible confusion on the latter’s face.

Maddie grabbed the spot she tried to yank and gripped it tight.

With siVis used in both her arms, she swung the Skinner across the wet battlefield, causing them to skid so fast—they made collision with the Contorted, the duo tumbling away a few feet.

“GET UP ALREADY, YOU FUCKING FAILURE!” Maddie screamed at Jackie.

Knowing that it would peeve her.

Jackie found herself balling up her fists, showing that they’ve been reinstated.

She forced herself up and try to get into the fray again, only to instantly fall face-first into the water. Her leg was still regaining energy.

“For fuck’s sake Jackson, you’re a liability!” Maddie ran forward.

But the problem was, that she was too fast. She began to skid and slip about on the water as well at full speeds.

The Skinner took the chance, going forward and nailing Maddie with a good punch, causing her to skid back towards the fallen Jackie.

Jackie, now furious, forced herself back up again and ran past the tumbling girl, with a fist to the air.

INNATE DRIVE!

Only to miss and glide by the Skinner, falling into the trap she literally just thought about twenty or so minutes ago.

She gritted her teeth, twisted her body as soon as she regained control and uttered “fuck it” to herself.

INNATE DRIVE!

She sacrificed another arm again, just to pound it against the Skinner’s back—causing it to fall on their face. Arms once again pale and dangling against her sides, Jackie darted back towards a struggling to stand Madison.

This is getting bad. This is getting desperate.

They just don’t have the po—abilities that can easily end fights. Their control of siVis is still elementary, and still weirdly structured. They just don’t have the time to perfect them or round out the problems simply because things like this happen nearly everywhere and every day.

Most importantly, unlike everyone else here, they’re still human. Still bumbling, still making mistakes. And they’re the ones paying for it.

“It’s surprising how shit-little you learn there, chief—” Maddie growled, now getting up as she wobbled still, staring at the pale-gray arms of her “leader”.

“Look—” as Jackie rotated her shoulders.

“I’m looking! Trust me! You fucked up twice in quick succession--!”

“LISTEN—”

“Iunno if that’s a good thing to do right now—”

“JUST—SHUT UP,” Jackie screamed. “What was wrong with your guy--?!”

“Shit can’t come off—” Maddie spat. “Too hard—”

“You found where the skin ends and the armor begins, right?! The soft spots?!”

“Yeah, what?!”

“THEN KEEP MAKING GRABS! Grab more places where you can see and it’ll be easy to tear off!”

“See, was actually thinking that hard--?” Maddie darted forward.

The Contorted was gaining on Jackie, and she readied her trembling fists in response. She was going to do this like she should’ve. Not wasting her time on a gimmick she can only use in dire straits.

So she punched—an siVis enhanced punch—and connected to the woman’s jaw.

Which in turn, continued to contort after the impact, along with her neck and head, absorbing the punch without falling in reaction.

“Of course, you can do that—” Jackie squinted in anger. She’s had enough of this nightmare world.

She just kept punching, even strafing side to side, bobbing and weaving to see if there was something, anything, to knock this woman down. But no, her body just twisted about like a failed pretzel found at the bottom of the back—becoming a “shape” that one swore that the factory screwed up on.

But, there was no retaliation. At least, not yet.

As Jackie kept on guard in a stance, she glanced over to Maddie.

Out of breath, coughing as she leaned to her sides slowly, but managed to grab at the Skinner multiple times across their body.

She just jumped onto them, using her small body to climb and hang on for dear life as the Skinner swung and thrashed about violently.

Causing the hide they had on their upper body, to start to peel away.

Maddie used her whole body to yank down, ripping it all away, as the Skinner now covered in green and pink blotches, screamed out in pain as cracks shot across their feeble body.

Jackie instantly closed her eyes, turning her head away. Those screams, that vulnerability, just hit too close to home.

She refused to open them, until she heard the large thud, accompanied with a massive splash.

She needed to end this quick.

Opening her eyes and ready to tackle the Contorted, she saw Maddie sail through the air and jumped onto the back (?) of her. Jackie was fine with this. She could easily tie her up nicely.

That was until, the Contorted twisted her head around, facing Maddie directly. And every exposed bit that wasn’t wrapped up in limbs became spikes that bore into Maddie.

The small girl launched herself in panic.

“HOOOLY FUCKING SHIT--!” she shrieked, her eyes wide as she started to spark all over. “I NEED SOME HEEEEELP-!”

Jackie ran in, only to see the Contorted realign herself to face her.

She punched, only for the broken woman to brake her shoulder, to wrap her limb around the outstretched arm, and pulled it at a weird angle forcefully.

Jackie screamed out in pain, and tried to kick at her only to have a wrapped leg greet her.

LIVE FIBERS!

Maddie made a handle on the back of the Contorted, only to have their back become pincers, slamming down.

“FUCK—YOU—BITCH--!” Maddie yelled, yanking her back—causing her to drop Jackie.

The tall girl fell on her knee—the good one, as she panted in distress. Maddie scrambled to her side, looking at her mangled hand.

“What do we do—” Jackie huffed. “What do we--?”

A lively foghorn answered them.

There came a tattered, large truck—ramming the Contorted and causing them to fly over the once-stairs.

It continued on, crawling up the wall and then fell onto it’s side, causing Maddie and Jackie to run for their lives until the trailer fell onto the ground, causing ungodly noise.

But. If Jackie were Maddie, if Aiko could be called something…

An Asian youth popped out and landed triumphantly. Tacky green vacation shirt, with khaki cargo shorts, a large backpack filled with a load of things, while wearing a paperboy’s hat. There was a side ponytail, coming out of the hat, as she smiled so hard and so enthusiastically, it stretched her face.

“Was that an entrance or what--?” Aiko said smugly. She had her fists on her waist, and rocked back on her heels and toes.

“A murder, that’s what that was—” As Maddie prowled towards her along with Jackie.

“Eh,” Aiko waved her hand. “We all have super space powers. She’ll live somehow. I mean, look at us.”

Jackie looked at Maddie, the former shrugging in hope. The latter just rolled her eyes.

“…H-heeeey girls…” Tracy walks onto the scene slowly with River on her flank. “S-sorry for taking so long… Looks like a long night, hahaha…!”

River looked at her nearly submerged shoes. “Please tell me you guys hurt yourselves battling the guy who can cause terrain changes—”

“Nope, Shattered, like we used to be—” Jackie sounded defeated.

“No idea where the water fuck came from—” Maddie answered.

River only sighed.

“Regardless…” Jackie looked up the battered truck trailer. “Now that we have a way in…”

“We’re going into the Mall?!” Tracy revealed before Jackie did.

“You two don’t look ‘rush into the Mall and hope to God he’s awake’ worthy,” River stated.

“I’m stiiiill a bit loopy from taking over the truck, soooo I can’t use my siVis right now…” Aiko sounded distant. “Hey, still made a cool entrance, so all the worth—”

“Of course. We’ll change tactics. We’ll keep doing what we’ve always done so far… Sneak. Hide. Stay close and move fast…”

“And pray that whatever the fuck’s getting in our way isn’t hard,” Maddie quipped.

Jackie laughed. Maybe it was the delirium, but it was an earnest laugh. “Yeah.”

The girls looked towards the trailer, and one by one, started to climb up it.