"There." Courtney glanced down across the street and turned to Sawyer.
"What's up?" he asked.
"Cold Snap. Looks like she's been moving all over, judging by that trail of ice. We should get over there fast."
"Oh yes, let's take on the most terrifying member of Team Chaos," Sawyer replied with a snort.
"I can go by myself if you want." Courtney's eyes narrowed behind her mask.
"Nah, I'll be behind you." Sawyer took another look over the railing and tried not to think too much about what Cold Snap was capable of. Mayday indeed. It was like the whole city was crawling with people looking to cause trouble.
"Hop on then," Courtney said, turning her back to him and kneeling down slightly.
"Sorry?" he asked, frowning.
"We'll get there faster if I carry you. If you're coming, hop on."
Sawyer didn't have time to hesitate. He hopped on her back and held on tight to her shoulders, refusing to think about how foolish this felt.
"Hold on." Courtney stood up straighter, adjusting her grip on his legs before she started forward. She activated her Miracle and bolted for the closest staircase, then moved down them faster than Sawyer thought possible.
"Slow down!" he cried, feeling like she was moving way too fast for him. He was hanging on for dear life at this point.
"No can do. Every second counts when it comes to Team Chaos," Courtney replied, not missing a single beat.
All Sawyer could do was clutch her shoulders with an iron grip as she moved towards Cold Snap. Anything less and he would have fallen off.
Worst case scenario, this was where they both died.
Then again, he was used to feeling the shadow of death over him thanks to Odin.
He just had to focus on the next step he could take to survive, and hopefully bring a few people with him.
Shiloh Gardner ran through the city, free of his shackles for the first time in five years. He'd been locked up for being mentally unstable, and even now the military was trying to get him counseling and 'fix' him.
Joke on them. Shiloh was perfectly sane.
When Ferry had offered him a chance at freedom in exchange for causing as much ruckus in the city as possible, Shiloh had leaped at the opportunity. Staring at the same set of walls was hecka boring, and it sounded like the perfect revenge.
One little incident, and all of a sudden he wasn't fit for society. Who were they to decide that?
Shiloh clutched his raygun as he ran for a cafe. There were still several people there, hunkered down under the tables. Perfect for his purposes.
He ran in and brandished the weapon.
"If you don't want anyone to get hurt, transfer all the money you've got to me," he declared with a grin, emphasizing the muzzle of the raygun.
At first nobody seemed to know what to do about him. The employees glanced at each other, then frowned and motioned for the customers to stay under the tables.
"Want me to prove it's real?" Shiloh asked, pointing the gun at a random customer. "Trust me, it's real."
He pulled the trigger and a flash of light burned a mark into the teenager's arm. She yelped in pain, and Shiloh turned back to the employees.
They hurriedly started for the cash register, until a long stick landed on Shiloh's raygun.
"The hell?" He turned around and saw some weirdo in a mask and black and orange outfit.
"Cease and desist. And then leave and go back to prison if you don't mind." The guy tossed the stick away, and it vanished into thin air.
"Who the hell are you supposed to be?"
"Manifest. Heard of me?"
No. No Shiloh had not. The people in the cafe seemed to recognize the name though, as confusion and recognition came over their features.
The raygun was slightly damaged, but it would still function. Shiloh just had to switch his target to the newcomer freak in a mask. The guy who called himself Manifest took a fighting stance and a reflective shield-looking thing appeared in his hand.
So that was his gimmick. Not that it would help him against Shiloh Gardner.
Their duel began.
"Found one!" Achilles cried, running over to Shell, who was wildly shooting a raygun in the Business District. There weren't any people around for her to hit, but she was causing plenty of property damage.
"Legion huh? Guess someone had to find me," she replied nonchalantly, shooting at him several times. Naturally the light beams had no effect on Achilles the Invincible. He ran for her, ignoring the gun in her hand.
When he got close to her, she tossed the weapon aside and a thick tissue grew from her forearm. She blocked his fist, then sent one of her own at him. Achilles dodged, then aimed a kick at her torso. Another shell grew out of her skin to block it, then she spun and aimed her elbow for his abdomen. He caught it, and tossed her a bit away, making some distance.
From here on out, it would be a fist fight. Invincibility against defense.
Obviously invincibility would win.
Darius quietly flicked through the various security camera feeds while Ida and Ned watched in silence.
Twinblade was fighting Knight Errant. Cold Snap was about to be confronted by Lightning and Jumbo, while Whiplash was taking on Light Master. Barrier Maiden was recapturing criminals left and right, working with a military squad who handcuffed and led them away as she worked.
Shell and Achilles were having some kind of fight, but there didn't seem to be much at stake there. At least Shell wasn't causing problems elsewhere. Prime was out of prison somehow, and trying to help someone being mugged by an infamous serial killer. A team from the hospital was heading from place to place, taking care of the wounded. Elsewhere, various escaped convicts were causing trouble in some form or another, often working in pairs or trios.
One camera even showed Manifest fighting one of the escaped criminals. Whatever sort of truce the attackers had reached, it apparently didn't include the former Phalanx.
Suddenly Ida sat up straighter, then looked Darius in the eye, her face drained of colour.
"Darius," she said softly. "Have you located every fight happening up there?"
"One second," he replied, closing his eyes and running through each of the feeds. "Yep. That's everything."
Ida cussed under her breath and hopped off the couch.
"Ned, go to your room and stay there. Don't come out until I say it's safe."
"What?" Ned asked, his eyes widening.
"Do as I say." Ida clutched the bag at her waist and started running out of the Underwing.
"Ida wait! Where are you going?" Darius asked, grabbing her by the wrist.
"Don't you notice anyone missing?" Ida asked, glaring at him. "Paris? Corrosion? Where the hell are they?"
Darius checked the feeds again. No Paris. No Corrosion. While he thought, Ida ripped her wrist from his hand and ran off.
"Come on, Ned!" Darius said, chasing after her. "We can't let her run off by herself."
He didn't hear Ned following, so he turned back briefly and called again.
"Ned! We have to keep an eye on her."
Finally, Ned nodded and followed him into the dimly lit hallways of the Underwing.
