In the spirit of the "Advanced Section", we stress quality over quantity. If you get too heavy into dialogue and you're in danger of dropping low on the paragraph count, just do a collab with someone. Makes reading the conversation a helluva lot smoother. It's also worth noting that adding fluff -- especially fluff with no real substance -- to pad your paragraph count to 2 or 3 is really unnecessary. It's like adding gristle to a perfectly fine, lean steak.
Wavy mess of chocolate brown and chestnut blonde streaks
Eye Color:
Rich hazel brown with flecks of grey and green
Ethnicity:
Hapa Haole, or mixed Hawaiian blood. While her mother is Serbian, her father's family has heavy Hawaiian, Irish, and Portuguese elements
Physical Appearance:
Personality
Innate & Outward Personality:
Anna has two faces: one she shows the world, and the other only her mirror knows. To world, she is as much an unstoppable wellspring of energy as she is a calming presence. From cutting the Fireshore swells on a surfboard and tutoring younger students to coordinating community events and singing choir in church. She dabbles in everything, and she seems to do it effortlessly. Her expression is always relaxed and just being near her somehow quells the anxiety in others. She follows her own flow and it's all too easy to easy to get caught in her subtle current.
For her, other people come first. If they need encouragement, she'll cheerfully brighten their spirits. For those in rough times, she always greets with arms wide open. Unassuming and always reserved in judgment, many vent their frustrations to her, some even speak their deep-seated insecurities in a bid for a raw human connection. She always tries to be there for it--determined to make a difference.
The face she sees in the mirror seems to be capable of no such accomplishments. She sees weakness, lies, fear; she sees a fragile girl constantly on the brink of collapse--afraid she can't meet the expectations of her parents, her friends, her teachers, of anyone; afraid she'll relapse and cause her family to suffer even more. The jaws of fear snap at her heels like wild dogs, chasing her through the day and lurking at her bedside during the night. Anna sees a girl whose only way to survive is to never stop moving. There is no rest for the wicked after all.
By nurturing others and placating their insecurities, she can escape her own fears, even if it's for a moment.
She frequently underestimates herself, and can never quite take a compliment to heart, but moves forward in spite of it, always trying to be better than her yesterday self.
Hobbies/Interests:
Her curiosity is insatiable: Anna has dabbles into anything that seems interesting and she changes hobbies like they were fashion trends. At one time or another she's invested herself in sidewalk chalk art, sculpting, poetry, Engineering club, gymnastics, reading biographies, competitive MOBA gaming, DDR dance competitions, flower arrangement, piano, choir, et cetera ad absurdum; the list goes on, but all her hobbies are short-lived. None of them feel like a good fit, with the following exception: As an avid swimmer, surfer, and diver, Anna spends much of her spare time in the water. In part as a way to relieve stress, but having grown up in Oahu it's ingrained in her lifestyle. The Ocean's call is hard to ignore.
Skills/Talents:
Proven herself competent at nearly anything she works on, Anna possesses a natural talent to acquire new skills quickly. Maintaining those skills, however, is separate issue entirely; she doesn't practice often, if at all. She's passingly familiar with many things from music history, costume-making, and Classical Latin to sailboat rigging, personal accounting, and foreign cultures. She is a master of nothing, but keenly resourceful. For her, fresh ideas aren't hard to come by.
Memento:
Empty Zippo Lighter
Quote(s):
None yet.
History/Bio:
Born to Bruno Aikau of surfing fame and Ilijana Tuvić, a Serbian refugee of the Yugoslav Wars, Anna was conceived and raised in Oahu, Hawaii. Both her parents are very passionate people who walked their own path in life. Ilijana, a successful defense attorney, would turn down cases simply because they didn't interest her. Bruno made a career of big wave surfing but never went to a championship or tournament which lacked a certain je ne sais quoi, regardless of how much prize money was involved. His passion was in the waves and Illijana's in helping those she believed in. Having grown up in a family that nurtured her curiosity, she had a lot of freedom. Often left to her own devices, Anna had to invent ways to entertain herself and her younger brother. The fires started small. There wasn't much harm in setting some paper aflame in a pile on the dry beach. She could even poke at it with sticks. It always starts small. A soft scolding from her father made her stop, but soon she was stealing oil from the scented lamps and taking forgotten lighters from Uncle Eddie's couch cushions. She thought no one would find her by the recycle dumpster down the street. When the blazing high noon sun is scorching the white gravel and the titanic green containers radiate a enough eat to fry eggs, no one comes by, not even in midday. She set it ablaze. The glowing embers were mesmerizing. Billowing streaks of black, orange and red surged through the paper-filled bins, growing hotter and hotter until the aged green paint peeled away revealing the seething metal beneath. The smoke cloud from a mile away, so it wasn't hard for the fire department to find. Anna was to entranced by the flames to resist being carried away by men in bright yellow suits. When her father claimed her at the police station, he exchanged only a few words with the officers and scooped her into his arms and carried her away. He said nothing during the drive home. Anna didn't like the silence and something felt wrong about tension in her father's face. His expression was a grim mix of terror and rage. They made lunch together and ate quietly. She wasn't yelled at or spanked like she had expected. Like a calm before the storm, her father only said "I'm worried about you." before starting to clean the plates. The shouting started when her mother got home. That night she was forced to use an entire box of matches on herself, forced to hold every match until it singed her finger tips. Looming over Anna and watching closely, her mother made sure each was wasted on the painful lesson. Afterward, she was instructed on why fire was dangerous, that she could hurt someone, but above that she could ruin the family, and strong-armed into promising never to do it again.
That should have been the end of it. Case closed.
Anna spent the next two years forlornly watching volunteers douse house fires and taking a special interest a select few Youtube series.
Now at the trustworthy age of eleven, one humid evening in the depth of Summer, her parents left her and her brother at home. It was only going to be for a few hours while the two celebrated their 12th anniversary. Anna had been staring out at the sunset, her head resting against the curtains while playing with her favorite lighter, the Zippo she'd rescued years earlier from a couch crevice. Boredom is the devil. It's true. If she hadn't been grounded for not doing chores, she could watch TV. If her dad was home, he could take her out surfing. If Jonah was still dumb enough to fall for her tricks, maybe none of it would have happened The fire slithered up the curtains, before it leapt to recliner. In just a few minutes, half the living room was on fire. The nascent inferno was all too willing to grow and consume every inch of the house. It lurched its way into the hallway and licked at the frame of Jonah's door. The wood creaked and snapped as she watched as if in a fugue. In that moment, imagined the fire she created that day at the dumpster and how her brother would burn just as easily; the image of him melting flashed before her eyes. Her stomach knotted, twisted and bounced her quickly beating heart into her throat. Shaken from her trance by the sudden realization, she grabbed a untouched chair pillow and began beating the flames back with her tiny arms, flailing at them relentless. No matter how annoying he was, no matter how often he stole Anna's snacks or barged into her room, he wasn't supposed to melt in a fire. She had to save him. All those times her mom and dad said they were a family, that family looks out for one another, the words hadn't sunk in. Anna understood it now.
The smoke stung her eyes. Wild current of heat seared her fingers as she trashed and wrestled with the flames. For a moment the doorway was clear, but the hot handle barred her entry. She tried gripping it with the case of her pillow, but it wouldn't budge. She fought with it until the black clouds took her.
She awoke to the unfamiliar ceiling of a sterile white room and a steady, incessant beep. Queen's Medical Center's intensive care unit had been more than accommodating to her and Jonah. Although she survived with minimal injuries, her brother suffered second and third-degree burns on his neck, back, and arms.
The damage had been done and her home was in ruin. Anna spent the next three years in and out of psychiatric offices. One-on-one interviews, case management, prognostic analyses, medication, screaming, crying, numbness, shame. Those three years exist very much as blur in her memory. Between the therapy sessions, the shouting sessions, the pleas, and the tirades it was all a muddled mixture of harsh words and raw emotion.
In those three years tensions grew around her like the rift between her parents. Haunted by guilt over what happened, Anna could not be consoled. She had convinced herself she wasn't human and punished herself far more than anyone could. No matter how overjoyed she was to learn Jonah survived and could make a full recovery, the years after were not kind and neither was Jonah. Just being in his presence as torture and as he grew older he found cutting words to tear into her. Resentment seemed to be the only thing Jonah held for her.
The day her parents announced their divorce, she permitted herself a selfish, relieved sigh. Living in her own wake was suffocating.
It was during this the time of her life when she truly felt what "rockbottom" was like that her father started show signs of superpowers. Late to bloom, but still a true-blue metahuman. Bruno had taken a break from the professional surfing scene for obvious reasons. At first invitational he'd competed in over 5 years, he's out-performed 53 contestants. At the age of 46, he bested more than 20 surfers still at the height of their game. It was landslide victory for him, a metahuman empowered by water.
While the discovery provoked many questions and interests, it ultimately cost Bruno his ranking in the tourney. More importantly, it cost him his career. With a power like his it gave him an "unfair advantage" or so the judges said. And while their was considerations to revoke his other championship titles as well, Bruno formally and publicly announced his retirement from professional surfing.
Through a friend now living in Verthaven, Bruno found work teaching members of a private gym how to surf. While the divorce proceedings continued, He and Anna settled into a beach house in Fire Shores while Ilijana and Jonah stayed with family in Oahu. Her parents were working out their disputes amicably enough, but felt after all that had happened some distance was for the best, even if it was temporary.
Anna transferred into the public high school system as a sophomore (now a Junior) and has tried her best to start life her anew. She even works part-time as a lifeguard in Crystal Shores.
Relationships
Family:
Bruno Aikau - Father Eddie Aikau - Uncle Ilijana Aikau - Mother Jonah Aikau - Brother
Dynamics:
Bruno Aikau | Good/Mixed | Father | "Having legendary pro surfer for a dad has its perks. Life's been difficult for us since he tested positive as a metahuman, but he's always been there for me." |
Meifeng Vuhong | Good/Mixed | Best Friend | "A loud and crude tomboy, and I wouldn't have her any other way. Except... She confessed to me, we even kissed, but I still feel conflicted about it. I don't know where we go from here." |
Jennifer Caspin | Good | Acquaintance | "She's a friend of Meifeng's, so she's a friend of mine, or at least I had hoped for that. Truth is we haven't been able to hang out much." |
Abilities
Power Class:
Essence
Power: --Stoke
Anna passively amplifies any metahuman power in her vicinity. The vital metahuman spark that breeds superpowers pours out of her with no floodgates to stop them, let alone control them. One who manipulates Elements may find the same amount of effort normally required for a task calls forth half again the amount of her element than she was expecting. A Clairvoyant may find her visions more vivid and offering a wider range. The exact consequences are as varied as the powers affected.
Limits:
Unexplored.
Weaknesses/Drawbacks:
The effect is muted as she is not consciously aware of it, and she has yet to develop an "OFF" switch. For better or worse, it's always active.
By the time Anna made it outside, much of her vision had returned. An epileptic shuffle of flashing red and white nearly blinded her as she was escorted to an unfolded gurney. She looked around, staring wearily at the myriad of other victims NEST has rescued from that vile dungeon. She realized most of them were metahumans as well and her heart sank as two EMT's lifted her into the back of an ambulance. They fixed her with a saline drip and she urged herself to sleep and forget the horror. The sirens blared as the wagon sped through traffic to the hospital.
That was the last thing Anna remembered before waking up two days later inside an intensive care ward. All manner of monitors and medical equipment. She lied awake for hours trying to sort through her own memories of the past few days. Many of them were fractured and elusive. With determined effort, she did manage to piece together a rough series of events, but much of it still a hazy mess in her mind.
- - -
Anna could hear her father's muffled voice and worried tone from behind the thick glass windows of her room. She couldn't make out the words and only a glimpse of him was visible between the slightly parted curtains, but someone was riling him up. He had a firm, imposing stance as if he was trying to ward off a predator.
"As her legal guardian, I deny you permission to speak with her. She doesn't need the likes of you complicating things while she's trying to recover." He fixed a hard stare on the suit-and-tie agent standing before him. "You may leave."
"But sir, listen," The NEST Agent held up a hand, while looking Bruno in the eyes. Attempting to urge him to see reason.
"-I've listened to all I need to!" He said firmly. His eyes narrowed.
"Your daughter is a Metahuman, our tests confirm it. She has to register under our directory. You have no choice." The agent said.
"I always have a choice. And I'm choosing to not register her. What threat does she pose that she has be tagged and labelled like a criminal?"
"... It's the law, sir. Every Metahuman living in the united states has to register, regardless of the threat they pose."
"And under whose authority did you conduct the test? You sure as hell didn't get my consent, so where's your court order?" Bruno channeled his wife's pointed ire and legal questioning. He knew enough to act the part.
"Orders came straight from High Command, sir. You'll have to bring it up with them." The Agent said, putting his hands behind his back.
"Then your high command violated my daughter's right to private medical information, and you as their lackey are just as liable as they are."
"Sir, you have to understand that we're doing our best to protect you, and your daughter. You have to understand some of the..."
"Protect? PROTECT WHAT?! If it's your job to keep her safe, then how did she end up in a dungeon with god-knows-what drugs put in her? Was that YOU protecting her?" His face was tense. "A fine job, you and your boys did there."
"We may have been able to do more if we've known about her status." The Agent said.
"May have been able to do more, hunh?" He parroted mockingly. "Now you're just covering your ass. Come back when you've got something in writing that doesn't violate my daughter's rights!"
"... Good grief." Lihua said, as her heels tapping were prominent as she walked up to the scene. Most notably, she had a backpack slung over her shoulder. With one roll of her eyes, she assessed the situation. "Does anyone in this organization have any tact?"
She looked down on the NEST Agent, as he looked at her. "Agent Vuhong?"
"I'll take it from here. You are likely needed elsewhere." Lihua spoke to him, and he nodded his head before walking off. Now, to defuse this situation, this legal disaster waiting to happen. She put her hand out for a shake. "Mr. Aikau, pleasure to meet you again."
"Nice to see you as well." With folded arms, he looked at the outstretched hand and then back at Lihua. "I mean no offense, but I'm not in the mood for a handshake."
Rude. Lihua thought to herself. Now, she should get down to business. She put the backpack down, and kicked it to the side with the back of her foot. She let out a sigh, before she began, "I fully understand your anger about what happened down there, and it is something that blindsided me as well. Perhaps the last agent could have worded the situation better, because he has clearly left you with little... patience." She nodded her head. "The reason why the orders came through to have your daughter tested were purely... incidental. I saw it with my own two eyes. Did you see the device hanging off that man's belt?"
Bruno did his best to give Lihua the benefit of the doubt, but not without a strong conscience effort. He had seen the device, but disregarded it as a tool of the trade. He glanced past Lihua as if the previous agent were still around and nodded in confirmation. "Just tell it to me straight. I don't need it sugar-coated."
Alright, the direct course, Lihua's favorite. "Well, you see, the people down there have been giving their test subjects powers through means... I cannot disclose. Normal people were taken, as well as Metahumans. After we've extracted everyone, there was the whole mess of who should take care of who. That's where the device comes in. It is a special tool that helps track Metahumans.... While they were scanning through the abductees, it lead to Anna - however, she was not registered. Orders came through from High Command to have everyone down there tested, and registered for their powers." Lihua shrugged. "Personally, she's been through enough, and I'd rather not add NEST bureaucracy to it. I would gladly let it slide if she wasn't already tested... but, unfortunately, that Agent was correct about one thing, she has to be registered. I wish it could be different, I know, but it's illegal otherwise at this point."
He told her not to sugar coat it, and there it was. He can get mad all he wants to, but it is a crime to hide Metahuman powers from NEST. And going off Bruno's stance, it wouldn't be Anna going down for it.
"I appreciate your honesty." He let out a deep sigh, one of begrudging resignation. "I know NEST has a purpose and serves whatever it's government mandates are. But... That doesn't mean they can just skip past legal procedure and unlawfully test my daughter. I can't stop her from being registered, but I will give NEST hell for overstepping their authority."
"Testing her like that wasn't the best move.... Usually we ask for consent, but with everything happening... never mind." Lihua adjusted her glasses as she stopped her trail there. "I cannot give you any reasonable excuse for it.. What I can give you is assurance" Lihua stated. "Assurance that NEST will do everything in their power to protect your daughter, and help her learn as much as possible about her new gift."
"And what if she chooses not to? Can you assure her that she can lead a normal life?"
Lihua ruffed her hand through her bobcut, and said, "Of course, that is NEST's job... and if she chooses to reject her ability, then she may opt to be collared, and that'll be the end of it."
Of course it won't deter those men. They know about her, and her ability, and what it can do... All they have to do is remove the collar. Though, I am underestimating NEST's ability, again. Efforts are going to be going towards destroying them, so they cannot commit an atrocity like this again. Lihua monologued. Her best choice is to accept her gift, and learn how to use it, at least.
"And so she trades one prison for another with softer beds and a toilet seat." Bruno grimaced. Everything was a mess, and making decisions when every option sounded awful would never be easy. "I miss the old days..."
- - -
The white room. It was strange to Meifeng, yet so familiar. She's seen this room plenty of times after bones were broken during her many competitions, or whenever she got into a particularly bad fight (Got her nose broken, lost teeth and gained wisdom, etc). Her eyes opened, and she felt grodily. Most likely from the morphine they've been feeding her. She felt something odd on her face, breast, and side. It felt like fabric taped to her... the familar feeling of a bandage. Meifeng's recieved plenty, this is nothing new. Yet, she used a hand to explore her face, and trace over the bandages. She reminded herself of what happened last night. Oh God... Meifeng thought to herself. She was honestly surprised that she could even go to sleep last night. After seeing that madhouse, and what happened to Jen... oh God, Jen. She prayed that her blonde-haired companion would still be walking. As thoughts ran through her head, realizations rushing in, she was just sitting up. Staring aimlessly at the wall with wide eyes.
"... Oh, miss, you're awake? How was your rest?" A nurse said as she walked in.
Meifeng didn't even acknowledge her. She felt that she was missing something. Something important. Something she abandoned - but could get back. She recalled Jen, Ratchet, her siblings... Anna. Yeah, Anna! She was so out of it in there... that Meifeng only felt rage towards those captors. Rage that was tripled when she thought that Jen died. Then it became sorrow when the battle was over. She shouldn't have left her behind like that. Jen and Ratchet could wait, she had to find Anna. Meifeng, despite the urgings of the nurse, simply just reached in and tore the IVs and tubes that were connected to her right out. Letting liquids spill as she kicked the covers from over her. She then realized that she was wearing a hospital gown, didn't care. She could go without decency just this once. She got up, and started walking into the hallways.
"... Can you at least put some clothes on!?"
This place was different to Meifeng... she's been in the base, but she's never been in the hospital wing (She didn't even know they had one). And it was obviously uncomfortable to traverse the place wearing nothing but a hospital gown. She sighed in aggravation as she realized it could take forever to look in every room. Though, she wasn't the type to give up like a bitch because things seem a little hard she was going to find Anna if it's the last thing she does.
"Miss-" A passing nurse said to Meifeng as she was promptly ignored.
Through the halls of this hospital, Meifeng eventually reached her clue leading to Anna. The big old X on the map... Lihua and Bruno having a "chat" outside one of the rooms. The one that obviously had to be Anna's. Geez. Bruno doesn't look all that happy. No one was, really. And how could they? All Meifeng wanted to do was talk to Anna. Just once. She feared this might be the last chance she got. Letting out a sigh, Meifeng walked up to the door, swung it open, and stepped inside without giving Bruno or her mom a second thought. She closed the door behind her with her bare foot as both adults gave her a odd look.
There Anna was on the bed. In the same gown she was wearing, it would have been worthy of a joke if she wasn't in such a glum mood. Meifeng ran her hand over her forehead, and stepped over to her, "Hey, Anna..." For what felt like the first time in her life, Meifeng stumbled for words.
Anna found them. "You should've brought popcorn. My dad's been chewing through NEST agents all morning. I guess the word is out." She laid back and stared at the ceiling. Still overwhelmed by all that had happened, she still couldn't quite believe it. "My mum's coming to town. In fact, this morning was the first time my parents have talked in almost two years. Something about a class-action lawsuit... Everything's all weird now." She sighed and turned to Meifeng with a tired smile. "How are you feeling?'
"That's... heavy." Meifeng said in response to Anna talking about her parents meeting. It made Meifeng briefly muse about how she never actually met her father (Or hear Lihua even mention him), but she didn't want to depress herself anymore. She stepped over to the bed, and sat down on the side. Facing away from Anna, and with her head arced to the side. "Well... for starters, I got all these cuts from the fight... and I feel awful for letting Jen get hurt like that on my behalf... so, I can't say I'm doing good."
"I have a suspicion Jen would've felt awful if she hadn't done that." Anna countered. "And you don't grow back." She giggled.
"I know, but... it really looked like it hurt her, and I honestly thought she was dead - Hell, she could have been." Meifeng voiced. "I don't think she should have taken that risk for me. Especially when I could have handled that myself if she just... ugh..." She looked off to the side.
"I think you give her too little credit. She's much stronger than she looks." Anna's expression was soft and calming, like she already knew where Meifeng's thoughts had trailed off to. "Have you talked to her about it?"
"Not yet. I don't even know where she is. I was going to find her later, I guess." Meifeng shrugged nonchalantly.
"And I don't really think you get it," Meifeng started off, letting out a sigh as she realized she was going to share some of her inner struggles with Anna. Should she? Was their bond good enough that she was willing to make herself weak? Nothing ventured, nothing gained. "You see Lihua there? She wasn't there for a lot of my life, and I was just stuck in China with my too-old-to-give-a-shit grandfather. I grew up on my own. Which meant I have to be strong. And when she actually came into my life, that got worse. She taught me that I have to fend for myself, protect other people, really. Handle your own problems. It just... feels wrong - really wrong - letting one of my best friends nearly die because I couldn't handle myself."
Anna leaned over and wrapped her arms around Meifeng with a warm, but gentle hug. "That's my Meifeng... Trying to take on the whole world by herself." She sighed with a faint chuckle. "Those shoulders are going to get pretty tired, though. It's gotta be tough carrying that much weight." An impish grin started to form. "It's silly, but to be honest... you wouldn't be you, if you didn't keep trying."
She didn't know what was in that hug, but it warmed up something inside of Meifeng, and hearing her talk made her feel better. "I know, my shoulders are just... strong." Meifeng started off. Though, there was something else, she wanted to share. She wanted to get off her chest. "You know... this is probably a real no-shitter, but I was pretty lonely up there in China. It felt like no one really gave a shit about me except for... me. Until I came to Black Fall... then Verthaven, and things changed. Everytime I talk to you, Jen, Trevor... things start feeling a little less lonely, you know?"
Anna didn't say anything, she just squeezed a little bit tighter. She and Meifengs would always be together--she will always be there for her friends--and Anna was certain her feelings would reach her without having to say a word.
Meifeng didn't say a word either - at first. She merely looked straight through the window at Bruno and Lihua talking. It was subtle, but they were keeping an eye on the room. Then the thought occurred to her, something inside changed. "... You know? I promise... I promise I'll protect you, Anna." Meifeng said. "Protect you from those bastards that kidnapped you, and every other maniac that decides to make you their target." She let the words hang in the air.
Anna looked up to meet her friend's bold expression Something welled inside Meifeng; a powerful urge compelled her. With a gentle finger on Anna's chin, she closed the distance between them. Their lips met in a soft caress. Meifeng was so engrossed in the moment, she hadn't even realized she'd done it until their lips parted.
An electric rush coursed through Anna, heightening her senses. The could see with more clarity Meifeng's blush skin and could feel the warmth of their kiss still lingering. Her mind was blank and she struggled to remember how to speak. She wasn't sure what to feel. There are few things in the world which could leave Anna awestruck: firework shows, watching a summer storm roll in from the sea, the vastness of the cosmos. She could add one more to the list.
"Anna... you light a special kind of light in me, and I never want to lose you again...." Meifeng said, with her heart pounding hard. She felt genuine attraction for Anna - which she's felt for several girls, but Anna now felt different. Everything else was unimportant. Lihua, the Hands of Science, NEST... she would beat them all in the name of Anna. This is what it feels to love somebody. She thought to herself.
Lihua's mouth was agape. She literally had nothing to say. [i].... Oh my God, my daughter's a lesbian.[/i The thoughts immediately overwhelmed her mind. She just stood there, staring. Trying to process what she just saw.]
"What's wrong?" Bruno looked at Lihua and then at the girls inside. Both Anna and Lihua looked so surprised. "What happened?"
Lihua gazed at Bruno, and then said, "No." Before grabbing the backpack and walking off into the halls of the hospital.
"I think we traumatized my mom...." Meifeng trailed off with a giggle in her voice. "It was great, though."
"What d-" Anna struggled to find the rights words. Why? What do I do? I don't know anymore! Having no idea what to do or say, she was lost amid the confusion; she felt trapped by it. Nothing need be said. Everything was plainly revealed in worried expression. The muddled mixture of emotions made her feel more conflicted in her life than she had ever been. She looked at Meifeng with pleading eyes as if her dear friend would have the answer.
Calmly putting her finger to Anna's lips, Meifeng was smiling slyly ear to ear. She chuckled, and playfully said, "We kissed, dummy."
She was so calm, and happy about it. Her heart was just full of butterflies. She opened herself up, and got so much in return. Though, she knew that if Lihua reacted like that and left, she's probably coming back with a weapon. Meifeng didn't know what, but it was a weapon. She slid off the bed, and her bare feet hit the ground. She looked back at Anna, and said, "I think I should head back to my room, and let you get some rest.... and my mom's probably going to get a fire axe." Meifeng took a few steps forward, before she swung her head around - ponytail swinging - and gave Anna a look, "... I'd like to try it again later... if you're interested."
Meifeng walked out as Bruno soldiered in, giving her an askance look as they passed one another. "Anna? Honey? Are you okay?"
Meifeng had to be strong; she had to fight to live. These freaks are coming out of the woodwork to wage war. She swiped her hand with enough force to hit hard on it's own, and the orb of water wiped out at the beast that killed Jen. The Ghoul dodged, going so fast down the opposite hallway that it looked like it teleported, she clenched her teeth. The other one was racing down the hallway. She spun around, and swiped her other hand - but it simply course-corrected and went around her. Swiping at Meifeng with it's claws, it left three deep gashes in her side that swelled with dark blood, staining her clothes a gruesome color.
"AHHHHHHHH!" Meifeng let out the cry as liquid pain seeped through her fresh wound. She put her hand on it, let out the groan, and turned around. She saw that their ploy to hold her back; the Nemesis was just about out of time - the massive thing was breaking free of the ice. Plus, there's no way they can take on these other two monsters like this. And Anna... Jen left her on the ground.
However, they needed an opening. Meifeng gathered all the water around her, and spun her arms around in the air, created an orb of rushing water. When the Ghouls came up to it, they immediately stopped. Meifeng nodded, but kept spinning her arms. "We gotta go! Find somewhere bigger!" Meifeng quickly dove down, and lifted Anna up over her shoulder. They needed an opening above all else.
Alright, showtime. Meifeng thought to herself, as the creatures were approaching. She brought her hands in, and violently shot them outwards. Causing the orb of water to explode outwards. Stunning their group of aggressors, and giving them that opening. Meifeng quickly zipped past the two invisible monsters. Looking back for a moment only to see Jen's body. She felt immense regret for letting her die, and at the same time, felt even more regret in leaving behind her body like this. But, she needed to stay alive. For her.
Meifeng hadn't been the only one to notice that the Nemesis was about to break free and the sudden loss of one of the group by those things had sent Quentin's heart racing. "Shit, think fast!" was all he could memorize now. He had to keep a level head, he knew, but... wait! Following after Meifeng, their earlier suggestion came to mind as he shouted back "Give me an opportunity to get at that thing, I'll do what I can to fight these fuckers!"
Shortly afterwards, the ice that surrounded the Nemesis shattered, and the brute climbed to it's feet. Nodding at the Ghouls, it began it's unholy march, as the Ghouls zipped on past it at high speeds. Ignoring Jen.
The group arrived in a very large, hexagon shaped room. It was fairly empty, other than operating tables, and large wooden crates lying around. With hallways that lead into various parts of the base. There were various pipes over head. The group ran into the center of the room, before they heard the Ghouls zip into the room. They were scaling the walls like lizards, and each stood on both sides of the door as the Nemesis stepped in. It's eyes shined brightly as it stood there.
Meifeng turned around, and nodded her head. This is the place. The place where they have to fight the battle that would decide whether they walk out of here free or not. She walked over to some crates that were out of the way, and rested Anna down. "Stay safe, Anna." She said.
Blood scraped through Anna's veins like tiny shards of glass and made her head ache in rhythmic agony with the weak pattering of her heart. The anesthetics had mostly worn off and now her nerves were on fire. She could scarcely feel or think of anything else. Myriad sights and sounds entered her eyes and ears, but still she could not focus enough to make sense of them. Everything was torturously painful - moving, being moved, thinking about lifting a finger - it all hurt, but it had started to recede in waves, as if being wash away by an inexorable tide.
"Stay safe, Anna." Maybe it was the right moment, the right time, the right way, but those words rang through and caught her attention. She knew that voice. Without realizing it, her hand reached out for it and found the rough knuckles of some familiar fingers. "Meifeng" she squeezed out.
Her grip tightened, with it a torrent of pale luminescence poured out of Anna's skin and flooded over onto Meifeng's. Thin wisps of ethereal silver floated away from her like trails of steam and seeped into her friend with ease, and it carried an ambient warmth like the midday Sun. Power pervaded Meifeng through and through, coursing into her like a river. In a brief, lucid moment, Anna half-opened her weary eyes and grinned. "Go... Go kick his ass..."
"Anna..." Meifeng moaned as she witnessed the light show with her own two eyes. It was a beautiful display. A light that reminded her what she was fighting for, and everything that was good. Despite Jen's death, it honestly reminded her of what she was fighting for. To avenge Jen, and every person who died at the hands of these monsters. She didn't know if it was Anna, but she was filled with a strength like no other. She felt like she was strong enough to do this. Her eyes started glowing a whitish-blue color, that encompassed the whole orbs.
"Yeah!" She said, with a smile. "Thank you, I promise you... I won't lose. Not here. Not after what they did to Jenny." A tears welled in her eyes.
Quickly skipping back over to the group, Meifeng raised her hands in the air, and one of the pipes above her began violently shaking. It burst open, and water started raining down. Just perfect for what she needed. She called all the water into her hands to form an orb. First step was getting Quentin powers, because she knew that she couldn't face these things on her own.
First the Ghouls rushed at her, with the Nemesis lumbering behind them. Meifeng closed her eyes, and spun her arms around, and created a twister of water underneath her fist, which lifted her into the air. The Ghoul went right through it, and ended up on the other side of the room. Turned around. The other went right for Ratchet.
All Meifeng was focused on was knocking down the Nemesis. I wonder if it'll fall for the same trick twice. She thought to herself, as the cascading pillar of water went closer to the Nemesis. She absorbed the pillar into her pocket dimension, and in the middle of her descent, she shot it out at the floor the Nemesis was standing on in a stream. The second she hit the ground the water froze into ice. She gathered water from around her again, and dropped her arms downwards, put them together, and swung them upwards as if she was swinging a golf club.
It hit the Nemesis like a truck, and sent it flying backwards, and it landed right on it's ass.
"Quentin, now!" Meifeng shouted, drawing his attention instantaneously.
Ducking past the flailing Ghouls, Quentin made a frantic charge for the Nemesis before diving onto its fallen body, letting out a hefty grunt as he jammed his fingers into whatever crevices or gaps he could find between its mask and its body, tightening his grip with all the strength he could muster. All he could think about was making these fuckers pay for what they'd done, for what they'd made him do and it had given him enough drive to draw whatever powers he could from this thing.
Electronic-red eyes flashed behind the Nemesis's mask as if had it's powers sapped. It cocked it's fist back for a weak jab towards his chest. He couldn't muster the strength to deliver building breaking blows while on the ground, yet if Quentin hadn't taken its abilities the blow would've been fatal.
Instead, he was thrown against the wall and impacted like a heavy sandbag with an even heavier grunt. It took him several moments to overcome the sudden disorientation that came with being punted aside after taking on several powers, writhing on the floor in place.
"Quentin!" Meifeng shouted, putting her hand out. She wasn't sure if he could survive that. She didn't want to lose another person. It worried her when the Nemesis hammered it's fist on the ground and utterly shattered the ice they were on. It was up on it's feet, and moving right towards the incapacitated Quentin. Meifeng quickly raised a spinning pillar of water, and went towards Quentin, with the intent of helping him with the Nemesis.
However, the Ghouls didn't want none of that. They rushed Meifeng from both directions, lunging at her with claws drawn. Thinking fast, the girl threw her hands up like a surrender, and the pillar of water turned into a spinning orb rushing with the force of a waterfall. Both Ghouls managed to course correct mid-air, and land on the opposite sides.
Meifeng hit the ground in a kneeling position. The water hit her, and absolutely soaked her dress. A Ghoul was in front and behind her. She had to act quickly, or she'd get impaled like Jen. Meifeng quickly created an orb of water and stood on it, and as the Ghouls rushed forward, she shot to the side. Pulling some water together to swipe at the nearest Ghoul, it dodged, and Meifeng cursed in Chinese. These fuckers are quick. She kept moving quickly on the orb, trying to keep up with them, but they're fast as hell.
Meifeng had completely forgotten about the Nemesis, who had approached a recovering Quentin and sent a kick with enough force to crush cars his way. At the last second, however, Quentin ducked out of the way and threw his weight against the hulking berserker's mass with all the might he had. Which sent the Nemesis falling backwards and he hit the ground with a loud bang that echoed through the tunnels. It climbed back to it's feet as robotic as ever. Almost unaffected by the blow done to it. It slammed it's fists together as it tried a different attack. It started running at Quentin - which due to it's size and weight, was no faster than a jog - and kept running and running.
Knowing he didn't stand as much of a chance in a head-on fight, Quentin opted to use his smaller size and mobility to his advantage in comparison to the Nemesis' hulking figure as it charged for him, timing his next movement to the last second before finally diving as far past its flank as he could, scrabbling to his feet as fast as he was allowed. Quentin knew the only way he'd gain an advantage was either if he brought the berserker to the ground like before or nailed it from behind, yet judging by the fact that it had already stopped and was headed back towards his way it was clear he'd have his work cut out for him.
Bearing this in mind, he set the Nemesis up for the same tactic, goading it into charging at him yet again. This time, instead of diving out of the way he ducked downwards and sent a kick towards the creature's leg in an attempt to sweep it off its feet. Like a ton of sandbags, it hit the floor and looked like it had felt it this time, if only a little. Seizing the opportunity, he quickly circled around to the back of its head and clamped his fingers around any handholds he could find on its mask, attempting to wrench it off with all his might, hoping to expose a weakness in its defences.
It's mighty hands were dug into the ground, leaving holes in the concrete near effortlessly. It tried to pull free of Quentin's grasp, only for the mask to come clean off - throwing Quentin off guard in the process. With it's mask off, the Nemesis stood straight up, and revealed it's face to the world... it was surprisingly normal, for such a bruiser. Most notably, there was a mask over it's mouth and nose, with tubes bringing a strange glowing liquid from underneath it's coat. It clenched it's fists, as it put one arm up at the same level of it's face, before slowly walking over to Quentin. Waiting for him to pull the first move before he reacts.
Quentin backed away at a hefty pace, keeping a steady distance away from the unmasked hulk. Something told him that he needed to tear away at those tubes if he wanted it to feel the hurt. However, once the Nemesis crossed a certain distance, it turned that slow walk into a charge - still with it's arm over it's face. Simply to cross the distance. Quentin searched their surroundings for a gap, an opening - anything that'd give him an opportunity to outmanoeuvre it. With the gap between them closing fast, Quentin made yet another attempt to evade the Nemesis' charge by diving past its flank but he'd failed to account that this thing was smarter than it looked.
Prematurely, the Nemesis halted mid-charge with enough time to grab Quentin by the leg after his dive, yanking him back within its proximity before tossing him against the wall and watching his body fall into a slump with a heavy thud. Before he could even recover from that, Quentin felt the Nemesis seize him by the collar and pin him against the wall, ready to deliver another blow or crush his throat. On instinct, he sent a kick aimed for his assailant's face and felt the ground hit him like a ton of bricks as the Nemesis dropped him and stepped back, the blow having left a visible fracture across the exterior of one of the tubes leading into its mask.
Gasping for air, he dragged himself as far as he could before he'd mustered up the energy to stand again, fatigued as it was already.
All while this happened, Meifeng was fighting for her life against the Ghouls. She was standing on a spinning pillar of water, as the ghouls rushed her at once. She created an orb of water around herself, and violently shot it outwards. Which, soaked both of the Ghouls in water, but it didn't make too much of a difference in terms of visibility. They were so quick that the water basically slid off of them. Meifeng's feet touched the ground, and set her eyes on the first Ghoul in sight. She gathered all the water into an orb, and shot it out at the Ghoul in a burst of aqua. The Ghoul moved out of the way, but the water destroyed the wooden crates that were behind it.
She gathered more of the water around her, and put both hands into the air as she created an orb of water. Sounds of ice freezing filled the air as chunks of razor-sharp arrowhead-shaped pieces of ice formed within the orb. These icecubes shot outwards at high speeds, it was hard to track with the naked eye. This ice shot out in all directions like a machine gun, as Meifeng was shooting it out fast as she could freeze it.
The Ghouls were moving in a zig-zag motion, however, not even they could avoid the sheer amount of attacks Meifeng was producing. One Ghoul got shot in the shoulder with a bolt of ice, and it quickly pulled it out. It didn't penetrate anything major, but it left behind a stream of blood. The other Ghoul got hit a bit harder, it was dodging other ice shards - but then ran into a stream of seven. Three penetrated it in the chest, one hit in the face, and it threw it's arms up, so the last three were embedded in it's arms. It's flicked it's arms, and sent them off, and quickly swiped the rest off it's body.
That wasn't too big of a victory, since Meifeng's body temperature dropped a bit during that attack. Her arms dropped, shaking. She was shivering, and wrapped her arms around herself for warmth... along with the fact that she was getting very dizzy. She was very thirsty... and dry. Oh God, she couldn't give up now. There was so much at stake here, and she was the only thing keeping the Ghouls busy. With the Nemesis they would overwhelm him.... she had to keep fighting. She let out a battle cry just as one Ghoul was charging right for her. She crossed her arms in an X, and made the same motion. Creating an X-shaped wave that went rigade the same motion. Creating an X-shaped wave that went right for it. It quickly went around it, and kept going for her.
There wasn't any room for her to move. The one behind her was moving in, she could hear it. Yet, she wasn't going to go down like this. She pulled as much water out of her pocket dimension as she could....
However... A wide slab of concrete was erected right in front of her, and behind her at the same time. The Ghouls circled around it not to cause impact.
"Huh?" Was all Meifeng could say.
A large chunk of concrete was also ripped out of the ground, and it levitated into the air. Before it flew at the Nemesis with crushing force. The brute barely had the mobility to move, let alone dodge an attack like that. It hit the Nemesis in the chest and launched the brute across the room. The Nemesis was launched backwards with incredible force. It was flying until it hit the wall and went right through it (and two walls behind it). The Nemesis didn't get back up.
Her footsteps could be heard as she walk up. The Ghouls put their eyes on her, and the Nemesis clenched it's fists. Lihua Vuhong entered the fray with a shotgun over her shoulder.
"... Mom?" Meifeng said, almost like she couldn't believe it. She ran over to Lihua and wrapped her arms around her. "I'm... so glad to see you." Meifeng said... tears would be running down her eyes if it wasn't for the dehydration. She squeezed her a little tighter.
Lihua squeezed Meifeng back. "I'm so glad that you are okay, Meifeng."
"I... wanna go now. It's so awful in here."
"I know..." Lihua trailed off, looking upwards to see the Ghouls' glowing eyes getting ready to strike. "... but, I doubt they'll let us." Lihua let go of Meifeng, and put her hand on the other end of her shotgun.
"Are you ready for this?" Lihua asked Meifeng.
Nodding her head, she dropped into a stance. Sideways, legs shoulder-width apart, and her left hand shoulder level, other hand was chest level. Fingers on both hands were pointing upwards. said, "Ready as I'll ever be...."
"Good." Lihua said, pumping her shotgun.
Huh? What happened? It hurts so much. Where am I...? I... just want to go home. Jennifer Caspin thought to herself. The lights above became almost as intense as staring into the sun. All she could taste was blood... her own blood, really. She let out a cough, and blood splattered at low velocity. It went up, then right back down. All over her face. She felt so weak right now. She couldn't pull the energy to even move. Everything was blurry, and her heart was slowly beating. Every beat felt like a hammer... but, it was not in her chest. Downwards in her midsection. Jen was breathing slowly. It felt like her body was operating on the lowest settings, and she was on the verge of death.
She winced, there was a pain like no other in her chest. She barely remembered what happened that got her in this situation. She tried to recount her steps that lead to this moment. It had something to do with those... monsters, yeah, the monsters. There was one she saw that was going for Meifeng, and then she... got in the way, and was horribly impaled. That was risky. That was stupid - but, she did it for Meifeng. Someone she was willing to take the risk for. Well, maybe this is a good lesson about her regenerative factor. It can allow her to survive wounds like this.
There was a griping fear of what she would see if she looked down. She could feel the blood of her own blood that she was lying down in. She let out a faint, weak, sigh, before raising her head a bit (Which made it feel a little more weak). Her blue eyes shot wide open, she almost screamed, but she didn't have the energy for it.
Her chest had a red hole that went clean through it. No organs or anything. However, her chest was slowly closing. She didn't notice it at first. She wondered just how the hell she was alive right now. Actually, maybe she is dead. This is just a dream... but that doesn't add up, now does it.
That wasn't the problem. The real issue was that she was all alone here. They left her. They thought she died here. She didn't know which of the two were worse.
What to do now was the question. She barely had any strength in her from the regenerative process. Just wait here? And wait for one of those things to come back and finish the job? Honestly, she didn't know what else to do. Until the regenerative process finishes - which could take ages with wounds this severe.
Footsteps came up, and Jennifer closed her eyes. She knew that it was the end. She figured that she should just take it with dignity.
"Good grief," Lihua said as she stood over what had to be Jennifer's corpse. This wasn't good at all, if they took Caspin, and killed her... that doesn't bode too well for Meifeng. While she didn't have the highest opinion of the girl, she couldn't help but feel a little bad for her, and her family. Meifeng's certainly going to take it hard. Lihua knelt down, and examined her corpse - specifically the hole. Going off the blood splatter, and bits and pieces of the organs (Heart, lungs, and so on) behind it, it was more than apparent that something impaled at high speeds, then it was either pulled out, or went clean through her. And then Jennifer dropped dead. It had to be something with an insane amount of force behind it to create such a wound, but at the same time, the wound was rather... clean? Like, the wound didn't look as nasty, or jagged as it did before.
"Wait..." Lihua thought out loud as she noticed something. The wound was closing. "Caspin must be a Metahuman. Or must have been." Lihua thought out loud again, not even sure if she's dead, or alive, or is going to come back.
She was going to investigate some more, but Caspin's eyes opened - not that Lihua was surprised or anything. It just further convinced her that she was a Metahuman (There's no way in high hell that a baseline human could survive that).
"I... " Lihua was a little lost for words here. "... Can you hear me Caspin?" She asked, feeling as if it'd be a waste of time.
But, Jennifer nodded her head, slowly, but still showed a response. She managed to groan, "I-I... will survive...."
"Good to hear that." Lihua started off... there's no way that Caspin registered in the NEST Databanks, so she theorized that she was one of the people that the girl from before empowered. How convenient she gets a power that saves her life. "Can you tell me what happened, where's Meifeng?"
Coughing a bit of blood (some of which landed on Lihua's already bloody suit)."I..." Jen had to cough up some more blood to the side. She took in two deep breaths. This would be a tough one, she was trying to gather the air just to talk, and with every few words, she had to stop and take a deep breath, "We... broke out of the b... b-base - no, cage... and we... we ran into these monsters. I... I... I saw one going for Meifeng... then I took the hit for her.... I... do.... don't... know where she went... but... they went after her...." She pointed down the hallway where she last saw the monsters go. Before her hand dropped, and she put her head to the side.
"Thank you, Caspin." Lihua said. Now that Jennifer had told the story, she's now one step closer to helping Meifeng. Still, she felt the need to help Jennifer here. She knelt down, and grabbed Jenny by the leg and tried to pull her somewhere safe so she can finish this... process.
"No... he... help Meifeng.... I'll... I'll be fine." And she wasn't even sure about that.
"Alright, Caspin, I hope you're okay." Lihua said, before she ran down the hallway
"There are more of them. You cannot be serious right now...." Lihua muttered to herself, as she stood there as the Ghouls began their unholy charge. Meifeng ran forward, and spun her body around, putting her leg out for a roundhouse kick. A wave of water followed the motion in a wide arc.The Ghouls stopped, and split around it, clearly going to meet at the center in a pincer manuever.
"You're being impatient. They're far quicker than you are. You have to wait, and find the perfect moment to attack them." Lihua told Meifeng.
"... And wait for them to kill me?!" Meifeng shouted, looking back at Lihua.
"Focus!" Lihua said, pointing her shotgun forward, and aiming it at the Ghoul approaching Meifeng. Hoping to time it just right. Let it go into her crosshairs. She pulled the trigger and... nothing. She used all the shots. Perfect. Lihua quickly rushed over, and pushed Meifeng out of the way, and put her shotgun up. The Ghoul slashed at it, and left several scratches in it - but nothing that'd ruin it - before running off past them, and turned around.
Meifeng put her hands out, and started shooting off a barrage of ice at it, as Lihua turned around and noticed the other Ghoul standing on a pile of crates, ready to leap off. She did a motion like she was punching the ground, and the earth underneath it the crates started shaking, making the Ghoul fall off. It landed on it's feet, before running off backwards, and coming back around past some crates.
"Meifeng... hold onto something, and stick close to me." Lihua warned Meifeng in advance, because what she was going to do was going to leave everyone... quite shaken. Lihua raised her fist high up into the air.
"Wait-" Meifeng looked over her shoulder at the same time as she stopped the (useless) barrage.
Right at that moment, Lihua brought her fist down and hit the ground. It sounded like it hit the earth with far more force than it actually did - because there was a loud crashing sound. The rest of the area was hit with explosive force, and a fierce shockwave vibrated through the area. Meifeng let out a yell as she fell over - managing to catch herself, by putting her arms up. It's effects on the Ghouls were more apparent, it made them trip over in their advance, and turn invisible. One had grey skin, and the other had disgusting fleshy red skin.
Quickly acting, the Vuhongs launched their attacks. Meifeng gathered water and sprayed a hail of needles at one, while Lihua slammed her foot into the ground, and created a hail of concrete spikes out of the ground. Which managed to connect, and impaled the Ghoul in several areas. The tips of the spikes were stained red with blood, as the creature let out it's death cry. Lihua retracted the spikes, and raised her hand into the air, and dropped it. Causing a block of concrete to come down, and smash it's skull with a sickening crunch.
Meifeng managed to impale the creature with the thick needles all over the side of it's body. The wounds were oozing blood. Her hands were frigid... felt like they were about to fall off, but Meifeng wasn't going to stop here. She reached up above her, and more of the pipes started shaking. They quickly broke open, and rained water over the Ghoul, drenching the creature in water. Meifeng pulled as much of the water together as she could, and ran for it. Her feet were splashing in the puddles of water, which quickly turned into a cascading tower of water that elevated her into the air.
It gave her enough lift as she cocked her fist back - gathering all the water she could into an orb. As she descended, she aimed for the Ghoul to deliever this awesome finishing move.
The Ghoul, quickly moved out of sight, and Meifeng quickly moved the orb underneath her feet to stand on. She looked around for the Ghoul... however, she barely had seconds to react before the Ghoul came from behind the crates. "Huh?" Meifeng said as she heard the jet of air.
In seconds, she was face to face with the now visible Ghoul, it quickly raised it's claw and brought it down for a slash. Meifeng moved her head backwards fast as she could - which helped... but it wasn't enough to stop the Ghoul's claws from digging into her flesh underneath her eyes, and slashing downwards to her breasts. Leaving a fleshy four claw-point scar on her face.
Meifeng let out a violent scream as blood was splattered all over the place.
"Meifeng!" Lihua shouted, she quickly rushed over.
The Ghoul stood there, preparing for another attack... however, it was covered in water, and within range. She shot both her hands out, and the Ghoul froze solid. The water that drenched it formed a solid layer around it that it just couldn't break out of... at least in time to avoid Meifeng's next attack. Meifeng let out a heartfelt scream as she gathered all the water she could, and ran towards it. She wiped her arm upwards, and a barrage of water tendrils hit the Ghoul with immense force. She wiped her other arm upwards, and did the same thing. She brought her arms down, and the water formed a giantic orb which slammed into it, sending it flying as the ice broke.
Finishing it off, Meifeng ran at it, screaming, until she got close. The water formed a orb around her as she started spinning around, the orb turning into a massive vortex of water that had immensely strong currents. With shards of ice flowing in the vortex, the Ghoul was ripped to shreds as it was being violently carried along. Meifeng let out one final cry, as she stopped spinning, and shot both hands out. Causing he vortex to stop, and explode. Sending the deceased Ghoul into the wall.
Meifeng immediately knelt forward, panting heavily. She dropped to her knee, and with all her willpower, tried to remain awake. She was exhausted, in pain, and dehydrated. Her face was bleeding profusely... and she was dizzy. The room was spinning, but... she won. She killed the bastard that killed her friend. Her body was filled with an odd satisfaction. Though, with all of her will, she remained on her feet.
"Meifeng! Are you okay?!" Lihua ran over to Meifeng, and put her hands on her face. Turning her daughter's head so she could get a good view of the wound. She got her face slashed open, fortunately her eye seemed to be untouched. The thing missed it, she moved out of the way, or just luck (Or all the above). She was still glad her daughter still had her vision.
"I... failed. I should have been the one to fight this battle. Not you... I shouldn't have-" Lihua was cut off by Meifeng putting her own hand to Lihua's lips.
"Mom, it's fine..." Meifeng put her hand to her bloody oozing wound.
"Agent Vuhong." Lihua's earpiece came alive.
She put her fingers to her earpiece, and said, "Agent Vuhong, speaking."
"There is a team in the base as we speak detaining many scientists, and extracting anyone that has been kidnapped. Where is your location?" The man on the other end spoke.
'We're..." Lihua looked around, looking over to Meifeng for a moment. "... Heading back towards the entrance as we speak."
"Affirmative. Agents are en-route to your position. Out."
"Agent Vuhong out." Lihua announced to the group, "Alright, everyone gather together, we're leaving here."
Meifeng's dress was stained with her own blood, from two different wounds. Along with the dehydration, and exhaustion. She doubted if she could carry Anna out of here. She hobbled over to where Anna was, and said, "Hey, mom, can you give me a hand?"
"Yes." Lihua said, as she walked over to Meifeng, and the two of them together lifted Anna up, each of them was under one of her shoulders. Anna had regained some of her own strength, and with great effot could almost stand on her own two feet. She relied on Lihua's steady grip, since Meifeng was fairly weak at the moment. "Let's go." Lihua said.
Stumbling footsteps and light breathing could be heard coming from the hallway. Which prompted Lihua to let go of Anna, and aim her shotgun at the approaching party. Whether it was a scientist, or a NEST Agent, Lihua wasn't the type to take risks. Especially if there's another monster. She doubted if anyone had the energy to face another down.
Blood dripped down her figure as she walked into view. Jennifer Caspin, heavily breathing, and she leaned up against the corner of the doorway. Taking a moment to breath. The hole that was her chest had pretty much closed, and all that was left was a small, quarter-sized, hole.
"Jen!" Meifeng shouted and ran to her friend, leaving Anna stumbling to find her balance. Lihua doubled back and caught her, before she fell, and siddled over to Jennifer. Meifeng wrapped her arms around her friend and held tightly, getting some of her gore on her. Her body could barely produce tears, as she heartfully said, "I thought I lost you for good..."
"I... took the hit for you...." Jenny moaned, being able to breathe better.
"Thank you..." Meifeng replied. "... but, don't ever do that again, Jenny...."
"Let's go." Lihua said, hoisting Anna out of there. Jenny followed behind them, fast as she could.
Super Duper