Jackie called to the others downstairs, ringing out her sweat jacket of explosive-rain-water all the while.

The rest of her wardrobe clung to her. Simple yellow tee that was under the jacket, yoga pants that stopped at her calves, and sneakers. It didn’t bother her, being drenched so badly. Either she’s getting used to punishment or reached a point of emotional drain that nothing really surprises her anymore.

She turned to the approaching others, immediately informing them, “So, the rain’s exploding. It doesn’t hurt per say, but it packs a mean punch.”

Tracy pointed at her, “You’re covered in glass, don’t you feel that?”

Jackie blinked, looking down at herself as she noticed the various small cuts that were shattered cross her person. But more importantly, the shards not only didn’t get so deep, but were pushed out by her automatically.

“…I guess that answered that question,” Jackie looked back up as she calmly replied.

“We’ve must’ve went through so many glass windows our bodies are starting to become immune to them!” Aiko thought aloud as a statement.

“Eh, that’s bullshit reason enough for siVis to make it work,” River shrugged.

“I will give a non-committal answer by raising up my thumb,” Stark proceeded to do just that.

“Either way,” River followed up. “If we’re still going after Maddie and her parents, we better figure out what to do next. Find sandbags and board this place up, or we’re giving chase just in case they’re leaving due to this?”

The portly girl, now just in a white “i rather not” t-shirt and black pants with boots, tossed the canister to Jackie—who then caught it. The tall girl looked at the device, thinking deeply.

“Depends if one of you know how to drive,” Jackie answered.

***

“Find a car that hasn’t been crushed to death and we’ll work from there!” Jackie yelled, briskly rushing toward and once again leading the way.

It was odd, as she took a look around. It wasn’t as if every single rain drop was an active mine around them, more that as it poured—some of the errant droplets fused into each other, gathered in volume in the air, then buckled from ignoring gravity for too long. It took time, yet it was random. A difficult factor to work against.

Nevertheless, the girls sprinted across the freezing landscape. The city still empty, but clearly battered and waterlogged in areas. And with the pouring rain in addition to the hazards, it created difficulty in instantly seeing things—causing everyone to focus when using their siVis sight versus it just being passive.

If some cars didn’t have their roofs smashed in, they were battered so badly they flipped to their sides. As Jackie strained to scan across the horizons, it donned on her that even if they did find one, they run into the issue that the engine could be already drowned out. Not to mention, the issue of driving during heavy rainfall.

“Guys guys guys guys--!” Aiko waved along with shouting out. “Over here! Over here!”

Jackie looked towards Aiko. These were things they had to handle as they get there.

It was a stocky, near-featureless van. It took a beating, but it was still standing and presumably in good condition.

IMMATERIAL GIRL!

With zero hesitation, Aiko dove into the van, possessing it. There was an audible sputter, the van vibrated, but eventually it started up, humming as it waited for everyone else.

“Anyone prefer sitting on the door-side?” Stark randomly asked. “Because I wanna sit there. Both out of comfort and believe me, you want me there—”

A series of massive, water-splashing impacts slammed all around them in quick succession.

“I really don’t want to yell in disbelief at you, Ms. Terri, but this seems to be very—” Tracy started.

“Stark, go for it—” Jackie ordered. “Tracy, just get into the car so River can get us there—”

With a signature Tracy sound and Stark raising her long arms in victory, both quickly got into the Aiko-jail-broken van in a flash. Jackie turned and then nodded to River, who nodded back, and the tall young woman rushed to the passenger side and opened the door, climbing in.

Pressing the sides of the canisters with her fingers, watching it alight before forming an AR map, showing the residence of the Solomon’s. Recently rented home to what Jackie assumed to be Maddie’s parents. Manifesting a flashing arrow, they were ready to go.

River climbed into the driver’s seat, taking a moment to gather a tension easing sigh, before getting into position and grabbing the wheel. But once she reached her hand towards the ignition…

“…Oh right, yeah, Aiko-started,” River dryly remarked, before just grabbing the wheel and pushing the pedal.

After hearing a flop behind her and Tracy’s small shriek, Jackie glanced behind to see Aiko manifested herself in the middle seat, Stark on the left and Tracy on the right.

“You know it~!” the girl chirped.

Tracy straightened herself out as best she could in that moment. Her long, red longs dropped due to the wetness, her woolly sweater puffing, her skirt equally soaked. She looked out of her window, even rolled it down as she nervously gazed out.

“Our line of sight is completely hampered…” Tracy hummed out in worry. “Which means no Perspective Flip-style cover or even tunnels for us.”

“And that still doesn’t solve the other problem,” Jackie added on, grimly. “While this thing can take these water bombs, it doesn’t mean that the engine can. We might get smothered even before we get there.”

“I’ll just take over and make the engine keep going as possible!” Aiko readily answered.

“And then it explodes because the side-effect of your ability being mangling things the more you’re inside of them,” River pointed out, her eyes fixed on the wet road, her fingers white due to her firm grip.

“…Ah yeah—” Aiko deflated in that moment.

Jackie went into deep thought, staring at the flashing arrow that almost mocked her. The finish line was right there. The ability to take something good from this shitty mess they’ve found themselves in, and they could faulter near the end.

They could just get out, and spend the rest of their time dodging these things. But they only had a few hours of healing, and could easily reopen the wounds or reignite the strain they just tried to ease. It was once again on her to choose paths that had major loss attached to them either way.

“Jackie?”

The girl perked up in her seat, craning her head back. “Yes, Stark…?”

The small girl was peering out of her prized window, with a neutral but inquisitive look on her face. “Whereabouts is Maddie’s house…? Straight ahead, I’m gonna guess?”

Jackie looked puzzled, before shifting back in her seat and looking at the map. “More or less, but—”

She only heard the opening of the van’s door.

Looking at her rearview mirror in a panic, drowning out Tracy’s instant screaming queries of what’s happening, Jackie couldn’t believe what was happening right before her.

For one, Stark crawled akin to a spider up the van, so smoothly that this must be standard behavior for her. She then stood up on the roof, finding footing, and glanced about her moving surroundings.

BAROS--!

As her siVis call echoed throughout the air, she whipped her long arms forward with a determined grimace on her face, coated by the rainfall. Slowly but surely, she began pulling back with her semi-invisible gravity strands that were anchored to… Something, as her boots dug into the roof of the van.

--WELL!

It was like a rollercoaster ride. The van was lifted upwards in a steep fashion as everyone—and Jackie heard everyone—scream as they were levitated. 10 feet. 50 feet. To the point they were sailing across buildings.

Stark had enough power to bypass their current troubles. If that wasn’t a sign of how out of their depth not only with them becoming outcasts against this new weird world, but if Stark does indeed give up… They can’t possibly stop her.