They all shouldn’t have taken that step further.

Through the surly of goo and dust, they should’ve felt the metal under their feet.

A-J thought she was quick, stamping her foot down to activate her ability.

But it was time for the other shoe to drop.

A tear split open up her leg, causing her to stiffen in pain. It wasn’t a part of this trap, Jackie was sure of it within this second of racing thoughts. She said it herself, she had to “thin” herself out due to “heal” herself earlier, and this was the price being paid at the worst, possible time.

The trap flipped under them, causing most of them to be scooped up within the air, tumbling towards the tunnel.

Her, A-J, Aiko, River—they were all in the sky.

“CLEVER DICK—” A-J shouted, clutching her torn open leg.

PERSPECTIVE FLIP!

Jackie glanced down as she was sailing downwards, the trap being pulled down by Tracy’s ability, attempting to save the day with Maddie at her side.

And she was struggling. It wasn’t a thing of strength, either.

“IT’S FIGHTING BACK!” she screamed. “WHY IS IT FIGHTING BACK?!”

A-J was the furthest from them, and she was the first to tumble into the darkness.

Like it or not, they were going headfirst into the den of a Nulgarrt. Give them enough time, and they can create things that breaks the world along with a Shift, and just as bizarre as Terminsys Cities can get.

As soon as Jackie met with the metal, she immediately bounced off. Bounced off so hard, she then hit the ceiling, only to be flung back down.

At this point in her new life, she’s crashed into things a lot. Her and the others. But she knew on impact, the metal walls were… Hallow.

As if they were carved out from the inside.

It was too late for Jackie to even relay the information, as River and Aiko landed somewhere behind them.

The weightlessness of their surroundings, and the structure of it that they’ve barely begun to understand at this point—it caused the entire place to tip towards the weight, towards River and Aiko.

Jackie slid on her side, rapidly down the now-slope, faced with a decision. Use her ability to punch a hole into the floor, thus creating a grip, but risk using too much power and being “off-line”, leaving everyone to deal. And the Nulgarrt haven’t shown themselves in all of this yet.

But someone had to do something.

But only to lock up again? Only to do something wrong, fail again, make things worse for themselves…?

She rose her fist at the end of these couple of terrible seconds, and luckily, she didn’t have to choose.

SLIPSTREAM!

Jackie looked behind, and saw River as an apparition of smoke, thus the hall contorting into a middle ground, slowly leaning towards A-J and Jackie now.

But in the activation call of River’s, Jackie didn’t hear or notice A-J activate hers—only the pink flash out of the corner of her eye being the realization.

Turning over to her, Jackie saw A-J plant her foot onto the unstable ground, her severely damaged leg was cascading with sparks that briefly illuminated her surroundings.

She was hunched over, panting, and from the remnants of normal flesh Jackie could spot, she was doing her best to keep it together.

But their guide rushed forward anyways, trying to end this nightmare with the speed and precision she was skilled enough to manage.

That was until the conceit was revealed. The final shoe drop.

And once again, like before, Jackie only saw what happened after, not the during.

A-J was on the ground, doubling over in pain, now grabbing her back that was radiating with sparks.

And the various limbs of the other two Nulgarrt coming out of the patches along the walls, drawn out and exaggerated into needles, before shuffling back into the holes.

Jackie didn’t get it. She scanned up and down A-J in pain, she doesn’t see her clothes being torn or exit wounds that would have to be visible on them.

Until she realized, remembered why A-J got the leg wound in the first place. She’s unable to dodge, perform siVis motion that well due to the price paid from earlier.

So that means that she saw it and used everything in her wheelhouse to avoid the strikes—even if that meant self-harm to herself.

“A-J!” Jackie reached out with her hand. “Give us the bag! We can’t risk—”

The needle-limbs came out so fast, she couldn’t finish.

One moment, her hand was just her hand. In the quarter of another, it exploded into sparks—and retracted it quick because her wrist was next.

Everything became muted, because Jackie couldn’t understand. She got that A-J was screaming at her, concerned how hurt she got, which was pretty hurt. She heard Aiko, telling the others to get in here, to actually help. But they were all muffled. Drowned out by a low dial tone.

Due to the nature of siVis, she should’ve had the details of how terrible her wound was by now. Or rather, it’s telling her that now, but she can’t focus on that. All she could feel were the involuntary twitches.

And looking at it. How her hand was nearly split down the middle, how the needles shredded her hazard suit more, looking at the translucent fluff that caused the two pairs of fingers to fall slightly off to their respective sides. She’s looking at it, but can’t accept it.

So she laid there, until she could.

The hall started to lean back towards the entrance once more, causing Jackie’s eyes to react, to see who’s causing this. Was it her? Was it siVis?

Either way, the sight of a sweating-in-her-suit, barely-there Maddie Solomon, gripping at the walls struggling to activate her ability—it caused Jackie to snap out of it. To act.

Jackie slid, and darted off the tipping surface in an awkward fashion, but ultimately used enough siVis control to jump out of the hall, and push Maddie out of the entrance.

Tracy screamed, River rushed over as she was out, to see the both of them, as Aiko popped up and joined everyone outside.

“What are we doing?!” Aiko screamed over Tracy’s. “This is our moment and all that! Let’s live it!”

Maddie only looked up at the tall girl over her. “Let me… Do my shit, Jackson… I… My shit is the only thing that can help…”

“And let you die before you can use it?” Jackie rebutted.

“L-like you’re doing better…”

Jackie can only feel the now-persistent throbbing, and only now noticed how a tear was building up in the eye where the injured hand side is.

She just rose that hand, and presented it to her. “Maybe you can help.”

“Jesus H. Christ, Jackson…”

“You’re the only one with First Aid training…”

“High school level…! Fuck, F-school High school level…!”

“And we both know that they overtaught us, because they knew that we’d be on our own.”

Maddie sighed, fogging up her screen. Jackie backed away, giving her room to raise and take her hand.

LIFE FIBERS!

Maddie pinched at the left side of the hand, pulling out a green, thick string. Jackie got the gist, and had to focus her attention elsewhere.

Jackie turned her head down the tunnel. “We’re coming back in for you in a second! Sorry for causing you trouble, it’s all your leadership from now on--!”

“THERE’S NO NEED!” A-J’s voice echoed. “IF ANYTHING, I SHOULD LISTEN TO YOU!”

Before she could finish, there was the sound of a thousand scraping spears. All trying to find the one target, desperately in vain.

Jackie’s eye cried once more due to the sharp pain, but she focused her sight regardless, into the darkness.

Where she can see the silhouette of A-J, on her belly with hands at the very bottom of the wall, flat and arms extended to hold on. Soon, the useless assault stopped.

“What do you--?!” Jackie was prepared to scream back.

“YOU LOT WENT THROUGH ALL SORTS OF SHITE, IT WAS AN OBSTACLE COURSE FOR YOU! SURE YOU CAN’T SEE WHAT’S GOING ON, BUT YOU’RE STILL FASTER THAN ME AT BASIC! YOU HID, YOU RAN, YOU COULDN’T GET A HANDLE OVER THINGS—BUT DID YOU THINK ALL THAT WENT AWAY BECAUSE YOU SUCKED THE FIRST TIME?!”

Tracy looked surprised, turning to all of them.

“Well, if she’s saying that…”

“But to outrun both the scale and the Nulgarrt attack…?” River questioned. “That means diverting all power to the engines…”

Jackie smirked, and looked down at her damaged hand. Maddie used the strings conquered to fashion make-shift stitching for it, and now the wound isn’t gone, but closed better. It took everything for Jackie to close her fist, thus keeping herself together by using siVis to keep the shape of her hand, closing it further.

“It’s not like anything we got can take them face to face anyways,” Jackie looked at everyone around her. She stood up, next to a wobbling Maddie that soon stabilized. “Let’s caveman it.”

Jackie pointed towards the tunnel, before her finger scanned the horizon, ending up pointing ways away.

“We run, in an order. Everything into the run and crouching, unless it’s a massive emergency. We pass the bag like Hot Potato to the person behind us, and the last one has to book it until they see the Stew.”

“So, A-J last, of course. Otherwise, who could run back when everything goes tits up and weave through a pack of Nulgarrt?” River pointed out.

“I’m going first,” Maddie then cleared her throat after announcing that. “Might pass out or something and I fucking hate it… No use in being a liability…”

“In that case, then I’m second and River’s third, yeah?” Tracy beamed.

“You need to be third last—” Jackie said.

“Oh screw you, dictator lady--!” Tracy sounded exasperated.

“You’re fearful. And like self-preservation. Therefore, you’re both fast and can duck out the easiest for us to make the final stretch. And not only that, I offered an out. Is that fair?”

“The fact that it’s fair is the worse part about it…” Tracy comically sniffled.

“So, it’s Maddie-River-Me-Tracy-You-And A-J?” Aiko asked.

“That’s pretty much it…” Jackie turned back to the tunnel, and began to open her mouth.

“YEP, HEARD IT ALL—I’M SLIDING THE POUCH NEAR THE EXIT!”

With that, the girls got into position. Backing up, as a unit, with the sloshing of goo at their feet. They gave each other space, a chance to jump up—to stretch. Because they were about to pull off something not only crazy, but something that proves their worth again.

Because if they botch this… Truly, they are the worst. Should give up. And after all of this heartache and trauma, they just returned back to how they were before—the one fact that bonded each of them together.

They aren’t meant to survive the Shift Noumena. Now to prove that they can.

“GO!” Jackie roared.

In a straight line, the group rushed in—siVis enhanced everywhere, before just localized to their respective lower bodies.

They made it back into the tunnels in no time, Maddie scooping up the bag in her hand. They saw no A-J, but they were sure she was in position.

They felt the weight going, but they were gaining ground. They heard the scraping behind them, but they were seconds away from it.

Maddie handed the bag to River, before falling to the wayside, flat down on the floor.

River took the lead for what was just seconds but were perceived as minutes. She handed it to Aiko, as she activated her ability to make way for the rest.

Aiko was made for this challenge, as she pushed forward, causing the others to pick up the pace, and shaved off precious seconds. Maybe it was because she knew Tracy was next, to give a margin of error as she completed her exchange.

Despite being tired. Despite being scared out of her mind, it was the straight mode for her as Jackie predicted. She not only kept Aiko’s pace, but upped it a bit. Only screaming out:

“COME ON YOU FUCKERS, LET’S GET OUT OF THIS HELLHOOOLE!”

It was Jackie’s time. She reached out her hand and Tracy quickly made the toss, screaming as she hid away.

It was the wrong hand she reached out with.

It was still too damaged. She couldn’t grab with it, as it fell out of her ruined fingertips.

As Jackie watched it tumble for the floor, a million emotions exploded in her brain, but the thoughts were stronger than ever.

She kept it together—the universal siVictim trick. It wasn’t healing, but it was all that they could do. Keep shape, keep things from falling apart further, make do and work with their injury.

…Or, that was her thinking before seeing something new today.

Her mind racing from the immediate doubt, scorn, and bargaining—Jackie imagined what A-J needed to do. She’s reminded of her remark of “grabbing cells”—as she pictures the diagram of one in her science book oh so long ago—and imagined Shiftication and the skin graft-like movement…

Before her eyes, her hand’s wound began to morph.

And while close—spread and stretched out up her middle and ring finger’s space—the new injury snapping into place as the hand contorts in pain, causing Jackie to scream out.

No no no no nonononono NO

She is not going to make them lose this! She’d rather lose her entire left side and die than face them now!

Eyeing the falling bag, she uses her leg to kick it back up, forcing herself to lunge forward, and uses her other hand to grab it.

But she felt immediately tired. That botch completely drained her energy, and she’s barely there.

Her eyes saw a deep ditch, at the end. She was getting so close, yet slowing down before she could get to it.

She had no choice.

“A-J!” she wailed, tossing the bag up and just falling on her side, slamming into the wall. As she slid down, holding her further-mangled hand in pain.

Before she knew it:

“I’ll take it from here, luv.”

A-J leap up, grabbing the bag and landing back down in a sprint.

Jackie only had moments to smile.

“STAMPEDE!” A-J screamed. “TUCK AND DUCK!”

Following her lead, Jackie curled into a ball as she leaned against the wall.

Ironically, she couldn’t see them coming. But heard and felt their frantic flap of their wings trying to chase A-J.

After that rush, she still could hear the shrieking… And then, various splashing.

Ruining the Stew of a Nulgarrt is the best solution. Once something is added to it, it’s a near compulsion for them. They have to see what’s next for them. Even if it’s their end.

RELAY!

Jackie uncurled, turning to see A-J in the spot where she stamped her foot in the first place, along with her victorious friends up against the walls on the floor.

“C’MON!” A-J cheered. “WE DID IT! LET’S LEG IT, GIRLS!”

And with that, they did.

Jackie couldn’t help but raise her hands up in celebration as she did. Only to wince, to look at her hand…

***

“…You’re telling me that they managed to—this is a Davenport emergency tunnel, and they managed to get it and merge it with a shed? Dear God, you ladies are lucky…”

The personable, jovial attitude was muted by the fact that their face was like a featureless mask.

A kink in the Extant Researcher suit. It makes identity for safety reasons, but the shadows cover the eyes and covers the cheekbones as well. Just leaving a gray mask.

“Yeah yeah yeah—” A-J crossed her arms. Jackie was at her side, out of her suit and now in her ruined one, rubbing her arm. “Did you Null Void it yet?”

“Oh yeah, we’ve open fired on what you guys created,” the Researcher said. “It was a triiiiip!”

Jackie glanced over, seeing the ultimate fate of the things that gave them so much trouble.

Pieces of them, wheeled out in a gray-green net as they’ve become shriveled up, brown matter now. Not truly dead, but barely live. The fate of being put on ice before them, due to the Null Void rays peeling away what made them “them”.

She looked over at the others, who were huddled around Maddie—hooked up and being scanned by the pull-out, the mobile hospital they have on stand-by of their vehicles. The small girl was laid out, sweating on the bed… Until she noticed Jackie and flipped her off.

Yeah. She was going to be okay.

“And while we don’t do this and we really should send you all off to the hospital… Sure. We will fulfill your request in dropping you off. It’s the least we can do.”

“And you guys can do something about cleaning them up a bit, too?” A-J bargained.

“Now you’re just taking advantage of us, man!”

“Iunno. I think it’s the least you can do for…” A-J looked up at her junior. “What did they fancy you lot, again?”

“Uh, ‘unknown heroes’, A-J—” Jackie played along.

“…We’ll see what we can do…”

The Researcher waddled away, sighing in their suit.

Jackie slowly glanced at her ruined hand again. Nearly spilt at the seams, but her piece still remained.

Her arm, damaged again. Despite the declaration of finally getting better, it was one step forward and ten back. Right back to the place they wanted to escape from.

A-J appeared before her, gently grabbing it. No siVis activation call or anything, leading to believe that maybe she can use her ability passively somehow.

“I won’t bore you with the ‘I told you so’, but now you know. And while I wish you a speedy recovery, I do what you to remember this.”

She looked at Jackie. Tears into her skin, across her face, serving as accents to highlight her alieness. Her eyes somehow more tried.

“Don’t fuck up like me. Any of you. Thinking that failure’s a curse or something, and willing to do fucking anything to make up for something. You have my scar now. Grow beyond it when I can’t anymore.”

She then winked. Smiled, despite everything.

Jackie looked down. She took her ruined hand, grabbed A-J’s, and lightly shook it.