I May FallBut not like this, it won't be by your hand.
Location: a Megatokyo alleyway, and FGTL HQ.
Timestamp: September 4, beginning around 11:30pm; ends in the early hours of the next morning.
Authors: Arella, Skorpy, DarkTan, O-Ring
She felt it when it happened, of course. Even amidst the adrenaline of battle (especially one in close quarters), the blade was not only sharp, but almost definitely serrated, and it
hurt. There just wasn't time to worry about it then.
Her reaction times were slowing - no doubt a sign of that lack of sleep thing everyone kept getting after her about, though she wasn't about to admit it. The idiot with the knife or whatever it was should have been easy to dodge, but instead she hadn't even realized he was there, sneaking up behind her, until she felt the white hot pain of the blade slicing into her flesh.
Stupid. That had been a stupid mistake, especially for her. How often was she reminding the girls to be aware of their surroundings, to never let anyone sneak up behind them...
Stupid.There was no one watching, either. With all the fuss people had been making about her needing to get more sleep, she hadn't told Kor she was going out tonight, hadn't brought Kat along, hadn't joined up with Luc or any of the girls. She was alone, and now that the fight was over, her opponents having either fled or been rendered unconscious, she was realizing
just how much the wound in her gut hurt.
Oh... was Arella's only thought, before stumbling and reaching out a hand too slowly to actually prevent her from crashing into the brick wall beside her. Rather roughtly sliding down it to rest on the pavement beneath, she remembered another problem with being stabbed, especially when the blade had been removed.
She was losing rather a lot of blood. Quickly. And it was making her dizzy.
A tiny, traitorous little voice in the back of her head was just beginning to wonder if this might not be a good time to start, y'know,
worrying, when a familiarly large shadow loomed in the entrance of the alley. A breath of relief left her, and she did her best to offer the shadow's owner a smile.
"So, are you actually developing the sixth sense of a parent, or have you been tagging me to monitor my vitals and stuff again?" Raven snarked, albeit a bit weakly, before adding a much more sincere, "Thanks, Dad."
"Parent? Oh, no." The figure stepped closer, drawing a long polearm. "Arella Silverstone. Age 24. Parents deceased. Two adoptive parents, unrelated. Declared missing six years ago." The figure moved closer, silhouetted against the street lights at the end of the alleyway, revealing a nearly-bald head traced with scar tissue. "Teacher at the Cute Magical Girls of Yuki-sama Academy. Previously barmaid at an unnamed bar. Prior to that, barmaid at Lackey's, which then burned down. Prior, waitress at Piscary's." He paused for breath, prodding her with the butt of his polearm. "Stab wound to abdomen from improperly sharpened blade, despite combat training." He paused again, leaning down to look closely at her. "Raspberry body spray. Black underwear. Lace patterned. Gift from a Lucius Ogilvy, headteacher of the same academy. Gear acquired from... Followers of Great Teacher Largo. Interesting."
For a moment, Arella simply gaped up at him in surprise; she'd never known anyone to recite facts like that except Skorp, and he would certainly never have included anything about her underwear, and
how the hell did this guy know what underthings she was wearing, anyway. Every one of her instincts was screaming
DANGER at her, but she couldn't quite seem to focus enough on the incredibly creepy and unsettling stranger to figure out why - she just knew that she
hurt, and that this wasn't someone she wanted to find her like this, and...
A whimper of pain escaped her before she could stop it.
"He will come for you. When he does, tell him I am here for him. I am here, and I will kill him." He turned the polearm around, stabbing the blade through Arella's thigh, missing the bone and arteries but still causing significant blood loss - and earning a scream of pain for his trouble, the first she'd uttered all night. "This will ensure you remember." He removed the blade from Arella and turned away. "Him, and all the other 'experiments' he protects. Perhaps your boyfriend as well, if he proves to be good sport."
Arella couldn't catch her breath for a moment - the pain was so all-consuming there just wasn't room for anything else. He was threatening people she cared about, she had to protect them, but it hurt
so much, and she couldn't breathe, and oh God she was seeing spots, she was going to pass out, and she was alone in an alley with a maniac, and she
didn't want to die like this!Machariah grinned over his shoulder at her as he left the alleyway; it wasn't a grin with much warmth to it. More the grin of a predator leaving a wounded animal as bait.
---
Skorpion stopped dead, midway through moving a container of rocket fuel. "Arella, I thought you were BETTER than that!" He dropped the container, gaining a *clang* as it bounced off the floor by a corner, mist starting to leak out of the side as he ran for the door, grabbing his coat on the way out. The Largoists outside moved aside, one not quite moving fast enough and being barged aside.
"Hey! Boss, you said you weren't gonna do that no more!"
"Emergency!" Skorpion explained, pounding down the corridor at a dead run. "It's Arella! She's hurt and she's down!"
The troopers looked to each other, before running after Skorpion.
---
"Is crew three. State nature of medical emergency?" Ivan rattled off as the radio chirped.
"Arella is down. Coordinates on the system. Priority is absolute, repeat, absolute." The radio operator stated, emotion starting to leak into his voice. "You have approximately half an hour to stabilise."
The helicopter swung sharply, nearly tipping Rekko out the open door as he kept hold of his lunch. His drink, however, was not so lucky, dropping to fall onto some unsuspecting pedestrian below. "Ivan, what the HELL? We being shot at again?"
"Negative! Fallen magic girl!"
Rekko swore, starting to attach himself to the winch. "Close by?"
"Close enough. Screw winch, no time. Jump instead."
Rekko sighed, detaching himself and double-checking his chute. "Tell me when we're close."
---
Skorpion drove hard; overtaking traffic, splitting lanes, running through red lights, even eschewing his usual trips through buildings in favour of pushing the Beast to its limit. The speed climbed, the troops in the back clinging to the handles set into the floor and ceiling for stability as the vehicle rode over kerbs, traffic, and street furniture.
---
Rekko dropped heavily into the alleyway, releasing his chute before it snagged on the fire escapes, and sliding to a halt next to the fallen magical girl. "Okay, okay, I'm here, help's arrived." He started unpacking his medical kit, setting up the light so see what he was doing. As he looked back to Arella, his eyes widened in shock. "<Oh crap.>" He shook himself out of his shock, working faster to apply dressings and a jet injector. "We'll have you fixed up in no time..."
"Dad?" was Arella's concerningly weak request. She was still conscious enough to know Rekko wasn't Skorp, of course - she just wasn't so conscious that she could manage a proper sentence at the moment. Also, talking hurt. As did the hands applying dressings.
Everything hurt, really, and she let the world know with a weak cry of pain as the spots began to overtake her vision again, and darkness began creeping in.
"He's coming. Stay awake, he'll want to see you." Rekko sliced away the front of her Raven costume, peeling the fabric away with a pair of medical scissors - and if it hadn't already been clear her injuries were serious, the fact that she didn't object to this would have proved it, especially since she didn't wear a bra with her Raven costume. Apparently, stab wounds trumped modesty, even for a magical girl like Arella. The blades glowed blue as they sliced through the armoured fabric, allowing him to peel it away from her wound to apply a dressing. "Stay with me, Ella, okay? What were you doing out here on your own?"
Arella tried to give a responding shrug, not wanting to admit aloud that she'd been out working when everyone kept telling her to get some sleep instead - of course, shrugging proved painful as well, causing her to abruptly abandon the gesture, whimpering in pain. She also kept blinking in a desperate attempt to clear away the spots and encroaching darkness, though of course it wasn't really working.
"Talk to me, Ella. Stay awake, and talk to me." Rekko applied pressure to the wound that went right through her thigh, leaning on it as he started to bind it. "Two blades. This one was way bigger and sharper. Who was it?"
Come on, damn it, you'd better get here soon."Dunno," she admitted, barely above a whisper. Was it cold? She felt cold. And tired. The darkness was calling for her with promises of sweet oblivion, and she really,
really wanted to answer.
Rekko sighed, twisting the dressing slightly, wincing as he felt the magical girl tense up under him and heard her responding scream. "Stay WITH me, damn you. Skorpion is coming, and if you just stay awake, the nanites already in you will do their thing."
Arella began to cry silent tears without even realizing it, pain and fear and a frustration over not being allowed to escape either drowning out everything else.
"There. Much better. Now, tell me what happened to you, Ella, and I'll allow you some painkillers." Rekko rolled his eyes; he didn't LIKE having to hurt people in the name of first aid. "I'd give you sugar, but unlike Lexi, that might kill you. And then Skorpion would probably kill ME, if Lexi didn't do it first."
Of course, now that she was a bit more conscious, the magical girl was also rather suddenly remembering the danger to her friends and family, which made her rather panicky. "Is he gone?" she abruptly had to know, the urgency in her voice impossible to ignore. "You have to make sure he's gone, he's gonna hurt Skorp." And then another thought occurred to her. "Where's Lexi? Is she safe? You can't let her come out here!"
"Whoa whoa." Rekko sighed softly. "One thing at once, and Lexi's safe back at HQ. Who? Who'll hurt Skorpion?"
And, seriously, who COULD?"I don't know, but he said he was gonna kill him, and then he stabbed me to make sure I'd remember to tell him, and you have to make sure he's gone!" Oh yeah, she was definitely panicking now - she was even attempting to get up, in spite of being utterly incapable of it, the need to protect others rather overriding her own sense of self-preservation.
Rekko reached over, pushing her back down again. "Stay still. Skorpion will be fine. I've seen him face down dinosaurs and come out unharmed."
"Who's gone?" Skorpion asked from the mouth of the alley, quickly moving over to kneel beside Arella, taking her hand. "Who hurt you?"
But now that Skorp was there, Arella was finally succumbing to a proper cry and just sobbing her little heart out. Which also hurt. A lot. And sent enough blood rushing from her knife wound that it began to seep right through the dressing Rekko had applied, and she was suddenly seeing spots again.
Rekko sighed, changing dressings quickly, catching a spray to the face between applying pressure with the second dressing. "Skorpion! Get her with the injector again, and apply pressure here yourself."
Skorpion nodded, doing as the medic demanded, emptying the injector into the magical girl as he squeezed her wound closed.
Rekko, his hands free, turned to work on attaching a drip to Arella, sliding a needle into her arm to feed fluids through. It should have earned a complaint - she hated IVs, they reminded her of her time in the hospital after her parents died - but instead she barely even seemed to notice."You, back there! Don't just stand there, get a stretcher! You, find a landing zone for my chopper. And you!" Rekko squinted at the trooper, who promptly rolled his sleeve up to display his blood type tattooed on his bicep, along with his name. "Good. You'll do for a match. Down here, slide this into your arm, keep the bag up."
The trooper nodded as he was handed a needle, sliding it into his arm and wincing as the bag attached to it started to fill. "If it'll help her..."
The other troopers scattered to their assigned tasks, the helicopter dropping low over the street, winch dangling from above the door.
Gasping for breath between the sobs she couldn't seem to stop (when had she last slept, anyway?), Arella just barely managed to get out a question of her own. "Can I pass out now?" she more than somewhat begged.
"Later. When you're stable." Rekko stated, tuning a tablet into the medical sensors in her outfit. "Your pressure's still low, and you're going to be very short of breath for a while. You can, however, be moved now. Skorpion?"
Skorpion nodded, scooping Arella up to set her onto the stretcher, another trooper moving to take hold of Arella's drip bag as Rekko started to wheel the stretcher out.
"Just a short trip in the chopper, then we can get you inside." Rekko stroked Arella's forehead gently as his other hand started to hook cables onto the sides of the stretcher, troopers taking over the pushing as he did so. "Got to get you up there first, though, so bear with me." He smiled. "Rawwr."
Arella somehow managed to both snort and choke on a sob at the same time - that had been
terrible. It apparently served to stop the sobbing, though. "I'm tired," the magical girl admitted, for the first time in a long while.
"No wonder. You haven't slept in HOW long?" Rekko sighed. "I can smell the fatigue in the blood you sprayed me with. Don't make me tell Tiffaney to prescribe you with sleeping pills. Although, you'd have to give up the alcohol as well. And some of that sugar." He hooked the stretcher to the winch as it descended from the helicopter above, taking hold himself to steady her as they started to rise up.
"No sleeping pills," she protested rather weakly, her eyelids growing
very heavy; it was hard to keep them open, but she did try. "They make me see things."
"That's called dreams. Now, stay with me, Ella. You have enough in you for sugar, so don't make me give you what I took off the magical girls I treated earlier." Rekko admonished as he hauled them into the helicopter, clamping the stretcher into place before hammering on the wall with his fist. The chopper lurched, swinging them around for the trip back to HQ.
"They make me see things while still awake," Arella corrected in a murmur. She really was doing her best to stay awake - it was just hard, especially when she still hurt.
"Then you need to get more sleep the natural way. Hot chocolate before bed, whipped cream on top, and maybe some marshmallow chunks. After that, at least five hours of sleep at once." He sighed softly, replacing her drip bag with the one he'd taken from the trooper. "This should help you stay awake, though. Nice and fresh, full of sugars, and hopefully not too much b33r."
Arella giggled; exhaustion, blood loss, and trauma were taking their toll, if that hadn't been obvious already. She was starting to feel a bit loopy. And still tired.
"Skorp?" the magical girl tried, not even sure if he was still there or not.
"He'll meet us later. Too heavy to fly with us, and speed is of the essence. Although..." Rekko looked out the side of the chopper, chuckling softly. "He's following well enough. You can see the trail of destruction behind him."
"Oh. Will you make sure he calls Luc and Kat?" she softly requested.
Rekko nodded. "If he hasn't already, yes. Now, we've got a bed set up for you, and you're going to be just fine soon enough. We've even got a few of your favourite plushies from your room, to keep you company." He chuckled softly.
After they've been sterilised and disinfected, at least."And somebody needs to pick up Ash," Arella added, because of course her kitty should be with her.
"No animals, but we can move her to HQ for when you're better again." Rekko paused, smirking. "Of course, by THAT logic, we probably shouldn't let your boyfriend in either."
Not seeming to catch a word of what he was saying, Arella turned genuinely worried (almost downright fearful) big blue eyes upon Rekko as she came to the next matter to be addressed. "Am I still gonna be able to dance?"
"Yes. Those nanites are the next best thing to magic, so once everything's kitted back together you'll be back to normal." Rekko reassured her, patting her shoulder softly. "Now, brace yourself; we're about to land, and this could be a little bumpy. Ivan's not quite got the hang of landing slowly, yet."
"Screw you, funny man." Was the response from the cockpit. "Jack, give finger for me."
Jack obliged, reaching across the cockpit to give Ivan the finger.
"Not me, fool." Ivan slapped the hand away, causing the chopper to lurch slightly.
"Hands on the controls!" Rekko cried out, turning to shout at his pilot as he braced himself. As he turned back, he realised that Arella had passed out. "... Shit. SHIT! Screw careful, get us down NOW!"
---
"Arella." Skorpion sat in the chair next to her bed, the seat making protesting noises as he settled into it. "C'mon, wake up, my princess."
The still-slumbering Arella gave a soft sigh, the corner of her mouth curving up into the faintest hint of a smile.
Skorpion smiled back. "Wake up, come on."
Moments later, Tiffaney entered the room, followed shortly by Eva. "How's she doing?" the elder of the two asked, moving in to check Arella's vitals.
"There was no major damage to her organs, veins, or arteries. At her current level of treatment she should be dancing again in a few days," Eva responded.
Skorpion frowned. "Good. Do we have blade profiles on the wounds, or any evidence from her clothing?"
"Judging by the wounds, I've determined that the larger was caused by a weapon matching the description of the one that man you encountered on the helicarrier used, while the smaller one was caused by a poorly kept serrated knife," Tiffaney recounted from her report. "I theorize that a street thug managed to wound her with a knife, due to her overworking herself to the point of exhaustion, then the man you encountered on the carrier found her to deliver the larger wound."
Skorpion nodded. "Makes sense. It looks like he's tracked me to Tokyo, then." He sighed heavily. "Tiffaney, he's probably going to be after me. If this attack is anything to go by, he may well go after you and the kids to get at me. If you want to leave, do so. I won't make you stay with that maniac around." He frowned. "He was none too stable even before he died."
"I can handle myself!" Tiffaney assured, curling her arm upwards and resting her hand on her bicep. "And I don't think the kids would let me move them even if I did want to leave."
Eva giggled a bit. "That's right. As Alexis would say, 'you're stuck with us.'"
Skorpion smiled, tugging Tiffaney over and kissing her. "Good to know. The option remains open, though; you've seen the project notes. You know what he's capable of."
Tiffaney returned the kiss. "And despite my research notes, I'm not entirely sure what my children are capable of yet." She gently placed a hand on his cheek. "Don't worry, dear. No matter what, we're here for you."
Eva rested her cheek in her own hand, letting out a silent "awww" at the sweetness.
"Also, protect the Academy. He might go after the magical girls to lure Lucius or Arella out, and they'd do anything to protect their students. You should be a fairly unknown quantity to him, so hit him with everything you've got."
"Don't worry, dear. I'll protect them." Tiffaney assured with a nod. "I'll have my kids look out for him as well."
---
'Aye, what?' Lucius sighed, setting the rope down. 'Wait, wha'? She WHAT?' His eyes went wide as his tail fluffed up into a brush. 'I'll be right there.' He dropped the phone back into his pocket, and started tugging his jeans back on. 'Lass, I gottae go. Arella's been stabbed.'
"SHE WHAT?!" Katrina remanded, the hotpocket she had been holding exploding across the ceiling, "That's it, everyone dies!" The dhampir started to storm out the door.
'Nae, lass. Jus' the ones who did it. She wouldnae want us tae go on a rampage o' revenge.' Lucius tugged her back with his telekinesis. 'Besides, lass, ye should problae get dressed first.'
"Good point..." Katrina was forced to concede, about the pants at least.
'Aye.' Lucius shrugged into a shirt, wincing slightly as it tore a little more. 'Ach, I need tae get them fixed again. Anyway, lass, c'mon. We're takin' Nicole rather'n borrowing from DT.' He paused, considering. 'An' bring goggles. We may need tae take the subway.'
Katrina already had them in her hand, and had somehow managed to completely dress for combat in the time it took Lucius to don a shirt. "Already got 'em."
Lucius grinned, donning a pair of his own as he hopped out the window, dropping neatly to the ground next to Nicole, as Katrina landed gently on her. He mounted up, starting the engine before zooming off, merging straight into and then through traffic.
A short while later, Nicole sailed out of the subway station by FGTL HQ, ramping off a bus before heading down the path through the minefield. Lucius weaved around the reception area, heading straight down into the garages to stop as close as he could to where he remembered the infirmary being. 'Lass, ye've been here more'n I have lately. He moved it, or nae?'
"I actually haven't been to the infirmary," Katrina grinned sheepishly. "Half vampire and whatnot."
Lucius sighed, dismounting from Nicole and wandering over to the nearest security camera. 'Skorp! Ye know where we wannae go. Directions!'
There was a pause, before a cleaning bot trundled up, looking somewhat like a cross between a combine harvester, a death robot, and a tank. It bleeped once, before setting off. Lucius shrugged, following it.
"Can't it move faster?" the dhampir muttered darkly, as she trudged along behind her catboy.
The bot bleeped again, accelerating sharply, forcing Lucius to run to keep up with it as it sped down the corridors, utilising ramps to get over the raised sills on the doorways.
"Much better," Katrina nodded as she gave chase.
Lucius and Kat arrived in the infirmary a short while later, the cleaning bot in a net slung over the catboy's shoulder. He made a beeline for the bed, pausing only to deposit the bot upside-down next to Skorpion. 'Rella! What happened?'
Arella didn't answer, on account of still being asleep. Really, sleep was far preferable to the alternative, given that
everything fscking hurt.
"She's sleeping," Katrina pointed out helpfully. "But I hope she wakes up soon, before I find out the tasty way."
"No." Skorpion stood up, setting his mug of energy juice aside. "She's already lost enough blood. Plus, I don't think you'd get anything but mixed donor memories and a mouthful of nanotech at this point, considering how much she lost. I mean, unless you want to go lick it up from the alleyway or something."
Rekko nodded, but offered Katrina a damp, pinkish-coloured towel. "Is that enough? She was squirting."
Lucius tried valiantly not to snigger.
Skorpion looked down at Arella, then back at Lucius. "I'm sorry, but this is what she would have wanted." He reached out, bitch-slapping Lucius hard enough to knock him off balance.
Katrina, for her part, was trying her absolute best to keep her face as straight as a board as she answered, "No, has to be fresh."
Rekko nodded. "Then you won't get anything. If she hasn't awoken for a few days, then you can try."
"Few days?" Katrina's eye twitched. "I'll have half the city burned down 'in a few days.'"
"No, you won't." Skorpion sighed. "If you want to destroy anything, you can destroy this block here." He held up a tablet with an aerial image of a tower block. "I traced the original stabber. To this complex, somewhere. If you wish, you can be first on the ground after the strike."
'Nae. Tae wrongs donnae make a right, an' the rest o' the residents have nae done anythin'.' Lucius objected, looking over Arella. 'Jus' a small airstrike, and we'll nae kill the scunner.'
"Air strike?" Katrina scoffed. "Just drop me in there."
'Ye WILL kill him, lass. I jus' want tae rip his legs off.'
"You can have his legs, but bring a triage kit," the dhampir replied. "Don't want him bleeding out too fast."
Lucius grinned, holding up a hand as electricity crackled between his fingers.
"Not in the infirmary!" Skorpion objected.
"No killing," Arella rather weakly protested from the bed, before her eyes had even had a chance to open. A pained whimper escaped her then, because
oh God, everything hurt.
Lucius turned to her, his ears pricking up as the electricity vanished. 'You're awake! What happened, 'Rella?'
Skorpion raised an eyebrow, turning back to the magical girl. "Indeed she has."
Katrina turned to face the injured magical girl so quickly there was an audible snap (possibly one of her vertebrae); she opened her mouth to speak, before snapping it shut again, realizing that the first thing Arella had heard was her rather murderous intent - ironically, the very thing that had started their friendship.
"S'ok, Kat," the magical girl reassured. "Just don't hurt anybody, please." Because clearly comforting her girlfriend/best friend and making sure the guy that stabbed her didn't end up maimed or killed were more important than the fact that she'd been, y'know,
stabbed. Twice.
"I... I won't," Katrina promised quietly, earnestly beginning to study her boots.
Arella made a gentle noise that was meant to gain the dhampir's attention, though it ended up sounding rather more pathetic and pained than intended, as she gave her fingers an inviting little wiggle and Kat a reassuring little smile.
Skorpion stepped back to Arella's side, resting his hand on her forehead. "Do you remember what happened?"
"I was stupid," Arella was then forced to admit, both looking and sounding decidedly embarrassed. "Let that idiot thug sneak up behind me, and didn't even notice 'til the blade went in. I sent him packing, though - don't think he even realized he managed to do it." She paused a moment then, before adding. "The other one... the other one was scary."
"Why didn't you tell us you were going out?" Katrina asked as she reached out for the wiggling fingers, and promptly had her hand claimed by the girl in the bed.
"And you conveniently forgot nearly everything I slipped a tracking device into," wheezed an old man at the door. "You have any idea how many taxi drivers flee from a crazy white man in the middle of the night?" Kor (because what other old man would be crazy enough to run around the FGTL headquarters), tried very hard not to let his emotions run away with what little sanity he had left. Oops. Too late.
"Sorry," came Arella's rather soft and decidedly guilty apology, both for her verbalized offenses and those that had gone unsaid (like overworking herself, and making everyone worry).
"The
other one?" Skorpion sighed softly. "If there's someone after you, it's kinda important." He waved to Kor with his free hand.
"I don't think he is after me," the magical girl then admitted, clearly already worrying. "He's after you. He said he was gonna kill you, and... and the other experiments you're protecting. And maybe Luc, too." A few tears were beginning to spill from her blue eyes again, the threat being genuinely upsetting. Plus, she was still running on very little sleep, and tears come so much more easily then.
Skorpion sighed. "You worry about recovering. I can take care of myself."
Had she not already been busy with her tears, Arella would have given him a look for that - one that asked if he knew her at all, because of course she was going to worry about him and Luc and Lexi and everyone else. "Please don't die," she rather tearfully begged instead, unable to stand the thought of losing anyone else.
Skorpion leaned down, taking hold of Arella's free hand. "Arella, I promise you. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. You, and everyone else. I built this faction up from a bunch of troopers in a warehouse into what it is today. I'm not about to let someone I thought was dead for the last forty years tear it all down just because he never liked me."
"And who's going to keep you safe?" she fretted.
"Me." Skorpion grinned. "Otherwise, do you think I built this place up just out of boredom? This was to protect me from the USA. If it's held them at bay this long, then what hope does one maniac with a polearm and a habit of stabbing fallen magical girls have?"
"At least promise me you'll be careful," Arella pleaded, turning those big blue eyes upon him.
"Well, this just got interesting," Kor mused, "I take it he's from back
then, eh?"
"Arella, I promise. I won't let him get near us. Kor, I'll explain later."
Not in front of the magical girl!"Oh, right," Kor nodded sheepishly. "Well, I'm free all day, beat mine sweeper on expert yesterday."
Katrina, possibly sensing something from over the Fourth Wall, chose that moment to sit on the edge of the bed.
Lucius looked warily at the door before joining Katrina on the bed, keeping his tail well away from Arella's stab wounds. 'Sorry lass, but Eva threatened tae amputate it if'n ye got fur on ye. Only barely allowed me intae the room.'
Feeling much better now that she had Skorp's promise,
and was being properly kept company on the bed, Arella snuggled up between them, letting her head rest on Kat's shoulder after wiping away some of her tears. "Will you stay?" she rather plaintively asked.
'Long as they'll let me, lassie. Take shifts wi' Kat if I need tae.'
Katrina was a little slower to respond, still fighting the urge to go out and
do something, "Y... yes," she finally said. "And no one better try to tell me to leave."
Skorpion shrugged. "I live here. I'll be here if you need me."
Arella yawned, widely and cutely, somehow managing to give off the impression of a sleepy kitten. "'kay. Can I sleep now, without anybody going and killing people? I'm tired."
"You'll heal faster that way anyway." Skorpion smiled. "Rest well, princess."
"Yes, heal faster when nobody's killing people," the magical girl rather nonsensically agreed, eyes already closing as she nestled into the pillow. "And with Ash here. Can I have Ash tomorrow?"
"I'll bring her," Kor volunteered.
Arella smiled at that, already very nearly asleep. "Now everybody be quiet and gimme snuggles," she murmured.
Katrina wrapped her arms around the poor girl and turned to Kor. "Text my brother what happened and get him the pictures."
"I know where he lives. Remember that you promised you wouldn't kill him," Skorpion interjected.
Lucius grinned. 'Aye, time fer the Stallion tae pay him a wee visit.'
"DT won't kill him," Katrina clarified. "He'll pay like for like though. I promised her I wouldn't hurt anyone, but someone needs to know why Luc won't be in to play today."
"Got it," Kor grinned.
---
About 2am...The Stallion crept catlike up to a nondescript door in a generic apartment block, katana held low. He paused as he reached it, listening against the door. Hearing nothing, he laid a hand against it. The lock clicked, and the door didn't open. With a soft growl of annoyance, he slid the blade of the katana into the door, carving around the lock before slicing up to sever the chain. That done, he opened the door gently, slipping inside and moving towards the bedroom door. He slipped through it carefully, reaching over to switch on the light. As he did so, he gasped involuntarily. The bed was covered in blood and body parts, as was the floor, the walls, the furniture, and even the ceiling.
"Petty vengeance. You're as weak as she was."
The Stallion snapped around, looking for the voice and seeing nothing, sword held at the ready.
The voice came again from the other side of the room. "Quite the fuss you've been making, pony. Attacking airbases, changing weather patterns, brutal vigilante justice, breaking and entering, murder..."
'It was like that when I got here.' The Stallion growled, looking around, horse mask flopping around as he did so. 'I'm neigh a murderer.'
"The puns by themselves deserve the death penalty."
'Got you.' The Stallion lunged, sword swinging and carving a trail of frost through the air. He was brought to a halt as his legs were kicked out from under him; a figure appearing behind him holding a long polearm.
"Lucius Ogilvy."
'The Stallion.'
"Lucius Ogilvy. Born in Scotland, year uncertain. Location uncertain. Date uncertain. Lead 'singer' of The Offenders, and leader of the associated 'superhero' group during their tour of New York State. Technical consultant for Highlander 2. Former agent of SHIELD, fired due to gross misconduct."
'Hold your horses; it's Christmas already?'
The stream of information paused. "What?"
'You're neigh even a ghost. Ghosts are intangible!'
"... Due to gross misconduct. Vanished shortly afterwards, reappearing three months later in Arizona. Suspected involvement in failed HYDRA project to reverse-engineer Skrull spacecraft during WW2."
'Is this the Spanish Inquisition? Because I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition,' the Stallion baited.
"... Despite schooling records from the 1970s. Suspected involvement of time travel. Subsequent activities unclear, but located across the United States and Canada, culminating in the detonation of an oil refinery in Texas."
The Stallion lunged for the figure, only succeeding in being tripped again and pinned down, the point of the polearm blade pressing into his back.
"Disappeared from system until arrival in Tokyo months later. Association with the Followers of Great Teacher Largo, later the Principality of Sealand. Principal of the Cute Magical Girls of Yuki-sama Academy."
'Mouthful, aye? Blame Arella.'
"Be silent."
'Neigh.'
The polearm was thrust downwards, impaling Lucius to the floor, gaining a yowl of pain. "Abilities include powerful telekinesis, psychokinesis focused through unique sword, and extreme durability. Suspected immortality."
'Suspected my fluffy-tailed arse,' Lucius retorted, coughing.
"Known hazard to air traffic, true extent of traffic and parking violations unknown due to stack overflow errors." The polearm twisted, gaining another yowl. "Known to frequent the CATastrophe Club."
'I'll kill ye if ye dare go...' Another twist, another yowl.
"Silence."
'Nae, ye.' Lucius threw the blade upwards, where it turned and impaled the figure through the abdomen. 'Ye're worse'n Skorp fer the talkin' an' the arrogance. An' ye talk like Devin.' He retrieved his sword, grinning. 'An' now I have a DNA sample.'
"Avoid involvement with official SHIELD business at all costs. Unreliable, uncontrollable, and prone to collateral damage." The figure stepped back, swinging the polearm around to point the butt at Lucius. "Prone to lapses of concentration."
'Aw, shite.'
The room exploded. Broken glass showered the street below, followed by a Lucius. He winced as he pulled himself clear of the car he'd landed in, tugging a shard of glass from his eye socket. 'Tha's gonnae hurt...' He swayed, before starting to stagger away, leaving a trail of blood behind him.
---
'Ow.'
Drip, drip.
'Ow.'
Drip.
'Nae, really, ow..'
*clang*
'Who put tha' there?'
*clang* *thud*
'Where's my phone... Ugh. I'm jus' gonnae lay here an' take a nap...'
Moments after he had stopped moving, a palm was hastily placed on his back and his surroundings changed to the Largoist medical ward. The hand quickly withdrew and whatever it belonged to disappeared before it could so much as be recognised on surveillance.
Lucius twitched in his sleep as blood started to pool under him.
"Wha- Lucius?!" Eva exclaimed, running to his side and resting her hands on his back to immediately start healing him. "What happened? Did you walk all the way here with this wound?"
Lucius opened his eye, an ear twisting around to point at Eva. 'Nae... Fell over'n the street, suddenly 'm here. Tried tae go after th' scunner tha' hurt 'Rella. 's dead, big scunner stabbed me an' shot me wi' a grenade. Went outta window tae get awa'. Los' eyeball.'
"Don't worry. I should be able to heal most of your wounds in the next three minutes, but you still should rest." Eva said, relaxing now that she had things under control. "What brought you here?"
'Nae idea.' Lucius winced. 'Most o' the blood's nae mine. Jus' a wee stab tae the gut, an' glass. Poor scunner was errywhere.'
"Well, I'm glad you made it back." Eva consoled as a treaded stretcher arrived.
'Me tae; donnae wannae deal wi' more Reis.'
---
Lucius groaned as he woke up. He was next to Arella and Kat, but that was about the only good point. No jacket, no sword, and it felt like half his face was covered in bandages. He reached up to check, and found that, indeed, half of his face was covered in bandages. He sat up, rubbing his head, and waved to the nearby nurse. 'Mirror, lass.'
"S- sir, I don't think that's a good--"
'Mirror!' Lucius insisted.
The nurse sighed, and handed him a small hand mirror. Lucius inspected himself in it, before using it to peek under the bandages. After doing so, he started laughing, cackling maniacally.
The nurse rolled her eyes. "Don't you dare."
Lucius continued laughing, and attempted to smash the mirror against the bedside table. He missed. He stopped laughing, trying again, and missing to the side. He then growled, adjusting his aim and swinging harder. This time, his knuckles contacted the edge of the table, causing him to drop the mirror and yowl in pain.
"Serves you right." The nurse snarked as she rescued the mirror before it hit the floor. "And calm down before you wake the magical girl; your eye will grow back sooner or later. Doesn't it always, with you?"
Before Lucius had the chance to answer, the bandaged face in question was struck by a pillow nearing exit velocity. "Shush!" a particular dhampir demanded. "The magical girl is sleeping, and why didn't you tell me you were going out?!" She had apparently already forgotten the whole "sleeping magical girl" part.
Lucius waved at the cloud of feathers, ears (really more ear and stub now) flicking as he tried to clear it. 'Texted ye. An' ye'd hae wanted tae come wi'. Couldnae leave Arella alone, or risk gettin' ye hurt a' well.'
"I heal as fast as you do, and the phone was off 'cause cute sleeping girl!" Katrina's volume still stated she had forgotten what she had literally just said. Surprisingly, Arella was still managing to sleep through it.
'I barely escaped as it was, lass. The guy who stabbed 'Rella was...' He glanced to Arella, sighing softly. 'Was nae more. The second scunner were there, an' invisible. An' tae good wi' a big blade in a small apartment. An' he had a grenade launcher. Escaped outta the windae.'
"So what, the second guy did the first one?" Katrina asked, looking puzzled.
Lucius sighed, offering his wrist to Kat. 'Donnae want tae say it in front o' 'Rella.'
Katring looked over at all the bandages. "I got the gist of it; besides, I think you need that inside you more than me," the dhampir giggled.
Lucius shrugged, flopping back down onto the bed. 'Most o' the blood was nae mine. The firs' scunner was all o'er the apartment.'
"So, who is this asshole anyway?" the dhampir shifted to see Lucius better and hopefully not wake Arella.
'Hell if I ken, lass. Looked a wee bit like a bald Skorp, talked like Devin, knew all sortsa crap about me. Like he'd read a wikipedia page or somethin'. Oh, an' cat eyes.'
Katrina made a face that very closely resembled an emoticon.
'Watch out fer the scunner, y'ken?' Lucius reached out to stroke Kat's hair, not seeming to notice that he was missing a couple of fingertips. 'I donnae want ye or 'Rella tae get hurt.'
Katrina nodded and nuzzled his hand. Well, most of it, anyway. This was obviously not a man to be trifled with, but neither was she. Not the man part of course, that was obvious, but the trifling part.
'No goin' after him.' Lucius warned, knowing what she was thinking.
"I won't,"
any time soon at least, Katrina replied, a protective hand on Arella.
The magical girl promptly snuggled up against the dhampir in her sleep, a contented sigh escaping her - followed by some sleepy murmurings about Ash and what might have been a Game of Thrones reference.
Katrina reflexively snuggled back. "Oh, did you get her kitty?" she asked Lucius.
Lucius shook his head. 'Didnae want tae risk it in combat. Didnae want tae let it taste human blood after tha'. An' then I sorta passed out, ken?'
"You know she's gonna be pissed." Katrina frowned. "Probably try to mallet you. Then fail. Then ask me to do it."
'I'll hae Cathal dae it. He'll do anythin' fer Arella-sensei, an' cats like him.' He paused. 'More'n jus' a snack, like they dae me.'
At that point, a particular old man arrived with a kitty. And a block of cheese. "I found her wandering about, is she Arella's?"
Katrina looked, then looked closer, then tilted her head sideways, then looked back at the magical girl. "You know, I have no idea," the dhampir replied.
Lucius opened his eye, examining the cat in question carefully. 'Looks like.' He reached out to the cat, trying a few times to get his hand nearby to attempt to pet it. When he finally did, the cat sank its teeth deep into his finger. 'Aye, tha's Arella's. See how it finds me delicious?'
"Good." Kor set the cat next to Arella and Katrina, the dhampir reflexively reaching out to pet the kitty.
Ash, for her part, gave a rather imperious meow, thinking the humans terribly silly for not being able to tell Arella was her human, and curled up in the crook of said human's neck, shifting Kat a bit out of the way as she did so. That was her spot, after all.
Katrina blinked. "Was I just displaced by a kitty?"
Ash proceeded to purr.
"Guess that's a yes," the dhampir shrugged, and pet the kitty.
'Watch out when ye do tha',' Lucius warned as Katrina reached for the cat. 'Donnae if it's her bein' territorial, or if she jus' likes tae bite me.'
"Probably just you," Katrina stuck her tongue out at Lucius, and was promptly rewarded with a friendly lick from the kitty as if to prove the point.
Lucius grumbled, rolling his eye as he reached out to pet Arella, giving the kitty a wide berth. Ash still made a rather threatening sound to let him know how she felt about that, but didn't move from her current spot, lest it be stolen in turn by Kat.
---
"So. You went after the guy who stabbed her. Who was it?"
Lucius sighed. 'Donnae know. He was everywhere.'
"Everywhere how? Fast?" Skorpion asked.
'Nae. Everywhere, as in he'd been sliced tae pieces. Blood o'er the walls an' floor an' ceiling, soaked intae the bed. Bits o' him all over.'
"Needless. That wasn't you?"
Lucius shook his head. 'Nae. I was usin' a katana, an' didnae use telekinesis nearby. Stealthy, y'ken?'
Skorpion nodded thoughtfully. "So, who did? And what's with the eye and the fingers?"
'Y'ken the guy ye met on the carrier? Big guy, glaive or somethin'?'
"Yeah, I know the guy. It was him?"
Lucius nodded. 'Wi' the slicin' an' all. He's got a grenade launcher in the back o' it. Nae afraid tae use it indoors. Even ye were never tha' reckless.'
Skorpion nodded again, chuckling softly. "Healing from that hurts. Speaking of which, how're you holding up?"
Lucius pointed to his missing eye. Or, at least, he tried to; he was missing the finger he'd tried to use. 'Hurts like crazy.'
"Well, if you'd just use the nanites, that'd heal up fine..."
'Nae.' Lucius frowned. 'Nae nanites. I donnae trust 'em, nae after what they did tae tha' wolfgirl o' yers.'
"Alexis?"
'Aye, her.'
"Isolated incident. And she was a super-soldier anyway."
'Donnae trust 'em regardless. It'll heal after a while anyway; always does.'
Skorpion rolled his eyes. "And Eva's healing?"
Lucius shook his head. 'Nae yet. She needs all her energy tae help Arella recover first. I ken get by until things heal on their own, an' the city willnae go wrong if I take a holiday.' He shrugged. 'An' I'm mobile wi' some painkillers, so I donnae need tae take time off teachin'.'
"How noble. Get yourself healed as soon as she can manage it, though. That madman with the polearm? Land Warrior."
'Yer haverin'.'
"Nope. He's meant to be dead, too. Saw him on the slab and everything; braindead from some code screwup. Apparently he was with SHIELD." Skorpion shrugged. "You worked with them; you see him?"
'Nae. Only with them a wee while, remember.'
"Still. He's coming after me, apparently. He's already gone through Arella and you to try and lure me out, and started cutting loose ends. I'm assigning security to the school."
'Nae guns in front o' the students, an' nothing tha'll worry them.' Lucius warned.
"Thought you'd say that. Rapid response unit, with helicopter. Keep a patch of field usable for them, clear the pad on the roof. Also, drill the students in defense of the school."
Lucius considered that. 'Aye, tha's a good idea anyway. I'll call it trainin', an' give extra credit tae nae die.'
"Extra credit to not die?" Skorpion raised an eyebrow. "Not dying should be a reward in itself."
Lucius grinned. 'Aye, but incentives cannae hurt. Also, ye have magical girls on staff, nae?'
"I
what?"
Lucius sighed. 'Ye have magical girls here. More'n one, so more'n jus' Tiffaney.'
"You're not just picking up Arella?"
'Nae.' Lucius tapped his nose. 'I'd know her anywhere. Ye've got new ones.'
"And how do you know all this, anyway?" Skorpion asked, sounding skeptical.
'Can smell 'em, kindae. Part smell, part like how I ken sense objects, an' part jus' knowin'.'
"So, magic, then." Skorpion sighed. "I hate magic. It's so... Magical."
'Ye hate magic because it's magical.' Lucius repeated, slightly incredulous.
"Yes. It doesn't make sense, it's not internally consistent even with itself, it appears out of nowhere, it gives me headaches, and..." Skorpion trailed off, realising something. "Oh, shit."
'Oh shit what?'
"He might go after Saeko. Try to get Arella to make me intervene, or set her against me."
'Lad, she's already against ye. Jus' tae Mihoist tae do shit.'
"If you see her, warn her not to listen to him."
'Las' time I saw her, she broke my arms in five places.'
"Oh, you'll heal."
'Piss off. Send her an E-mail or somethin'. I'm nae yer message boy.'
Skorpion shrugged. "Fine. Maybe I'll paint it on the sides of my aircraft in case she messes with them again. Meanwhile, you have a magical girl to comfort, and things to regrow."
'Aye. Get her some raspberries, aye?'
"I'll get some out the hydroponics lab."
'REAL raspberries.'
"Fine, I'll send someone to a farmer's market or something." Skorpion sighed. "Also, get that cat out of the med bay."
'Arella's cat. Does what it pleases, an' I'm nae touchin' the wee scunner. I'm running out o' fingers as it is.' Lucius waved a hand as he wandered off, displaying said lack of fingers.
Skorpion sighed.
Great. ANOTHER cat in here. That's all we need.Summary:-Arella's been stabbed!
-I mean Raven.
-Oh hell, we all know they're the same person, she isn't fooling anybody.
-The day is saved when Skorp shows up to save her!
-Wait, that's not Skorp...
-Arella get's stabbed again! The second stabber has a message for Skorp - he's going to kill him, and the other experiments he's protecting.
-Now it's Skorp to the rescue!
-And Rekko, 'cause medics tend to be more useful after stabbings than, well, Skorp.
-Arella wants to sleep. She really hasn't been, lately, hence getting stabbed in the first place.
-Rekko won't let her sleep, and neither does Skorp upon arriving. Meanies!
-Back to HQ she goes, for further medical attention!
-And passes out along the way.
-Arella's in the FGTL med ward.
-Skorp discusses the stabbings with Tiff and Eva; he wants everybody to be super careful, 'cause he knows the second guy. Well, knew him. And thought he was dead, but we're pretty sure he isn't a zombie. Or a vampire. Or any of those things.
-Lucius and Kat get the call that Arella's hurt, and hurry to her bedside.
-Discussions about revenge and murder sprees wake the magical girl, and Arella puts a stop to it.
-She also immediately forgives those involved, and comforts Kat in light of her guilt. Because Arella.
-The attack is discussed, and a worried Kor shows up.
-Do you have any idea how many taxi drivers flee from crazy white men in the middle of the night?
-Arella worries about Skorp. And Lexi. And pretty much everyone who isn't her.
-She also wants cuddles and sleep. And her kitty.
-"Can I sleep now, without anybody going and killing people?"
-Cuddles are had, DarkTan is informed of the night's events via text, and Lucius (aka the Stallion) goes to pay the first stabber a visit.
-First stabber is dead. And in pieces. The second stabber, on the other hand, is waiting for Luc.
-Luc gets stabbed and beaten up and exploded. It's a really good thing he's immortal.
-A mysterious hand transports the unconscious catboy to the FGTL med ward, where he gets somewhat fixed up and stuck in a bed next to Arella.
-Lucius is very loud when he wakes up. Kat attacks him with a pillow and reminds him not to wake the magical girl.
-Kor arrives, with kitty-Ash in tow! At least, he thinks it might be Ash, he's not sure.
-Ash finds the humans silly, displays her dislike of Lucius, and semi-displaces Kat to snuggle with her human. Because she's a kitty, and kitties are always boss.
-Skorp and Luc talk about the second stabber, who is revealed to have been part of the Land Warrior project that created Skorp.
-Security measures need to be made to protect the CMGY Academy, in case he should try attacking to lure Skorp out.
-Luc says there are more magical girls at the FGTL than just Arella and Tiff - he can smell 'em.
-Oh shit, what if the Land Warrior guy goes after Saeko? No way that would end well.
-Holy crap, long summary is long.
Summary of Summary:-Arella's been stabbed twice, oh noes!
-A crazy guy from Skorp's past has appeared, determined to kill Skorp and other ex-government experiments in the area.
-Everybody needs to be super careful, and no going after this guy on their own.
-Also, no running off to kill people, Arella says so. And she's been stabbed, so you totally have to listen to her.
-Cuddles!
-First stabber is dead. Lucius gets stabbed and exploded.
-NO WAKING THE MAGICAL GIRL!
-Kitty! Moar cuddles!
Summary of Summary of Summary:-STABBINGS!
-CRAZY GOVERNMENT EXPERIMENT DUDE!
-CUDDLES AND KITTIES!
-TYPING IN ALL CAPS!