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[Fiction] Semester's End [Complete]


Preston

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The waiting was almost over and Preston was making his final preparation. He had already made his last check of the security and made sure everyone knew their part. This primarily consisted of running away as fast as possible. Only members of the NRT were going to be sticking around for this fight. Still, Preston was grateful for the bravery shown by so many of the police and officials involved in this affair ... this elaborate trap.

Preston reached out with his node for the first time in hours. Time steams twisted and bent around him as he viewed the myriad possibilities that awaited him. The most likely outcomes were the clearest to see, but he also saw all that could go wrong. He could hear and smell scores of people dying here at Carla's hand. Preston could see Lina not being fast enough and Rachel dying - really his fault. It was his plan after all.

The most likely outcome was the NRT coming out victoriously. Lou Anne and Rachel would come out of this alive, Carla would be taken down, and the city would be safe for another day.

Word came to him that the two ladies were on their way. The deputy mayor was also on route. Virgil had arrived at the church and taken his place. The countdown was coming to an end and the curtain was about to raise on the main event.

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It was neither a limousine, nor some flashy, glamourous car that pulled into the reserved parking space at the renovated church that the NRT had designed as a trap for Carla Burgess. It was a stylish, but subdued large SUV. The Brenfords had tried to convince Rachel to use the family’s limo, but the two women had flatly refused. It was bad enough that so many people were putting their lives on the line tonight, they didn’t want to risk more deaths with having a driver to worry about.

The low key entry also meant that Lou Anne and Rachel had time to straighten their gowns and prepare for the few media cameras present before they were noticed. The Deputy Mayor and his wife were arriving as they walked up and the Boston Herald reporter asked the two couples to stand together for a picture. The next few minutes were spent before the camera’s eye, a situation in which the Deputy Mayor reveled, but the two doctors dreaded. Finally free of cameras and reporters as they approached the open double doors he asked Lou Anne quietly. “I know what Preston’s been saying, but we’re safe right?”

Lou Anne had been expecting someone to ask a similar question and was ready. It was similar to a line she had spoken many times to surgery patients, she replied quietly. “Your honor, we’ve done everything we can to make this as safe as possible. There are never guarantees, but you and your wife should be fine.” Mollified by the doctor’s smile and confidence he smiled and visibly relaxed. Lou Anne continued in her head quietly. Besides, it’s not you she’ll be here for.

With that they walked into the newly renovated building. No religious symbols were obvious. The bait had arrived. Now for the hunter.

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Guest Carla_Burgess

In Providence Rhode Island, two FBI surveillance teams merged into one as the suspects they had been following joined up. The first suspect, the young man, William Parker had driven to the residence of the second suspect, the young woman Celeste Haldaman. Mr. Parker was attired in a rented tuxedo and a few minutes later, they emerged with the majority of the Haldaman family for pictures of the well dressed couple in front of the well manicured flower beds of the home.

“I don’t get it boss,” Charles Rennier the most junior agent on the two teams asked while adjusting feeds from his equipment. “You go, plant a bomb by the Hospital in Boston, and another in Fenway frickin’ Park and then go to your High School Prom like every other kid in town? What’s up with that?”

“It’s a great cover, family doesn’t expect them home for hours, they can hit the prom, then pretend to go to some after party while they’re really making their escape.” Chris Finneran, the senior agent replied.

“Team two – we’re in position at the restaurant.”

* * * * *

Her pawns were in motion. Fixer had verified it when she called before leaving the hotel. Who would expect the little lesbian tramps to have explosives on them when they had their nice little demonstration celebrating gay marriages in the state. The police might. They had found all six of the cars and she was sure they were on a heightened state of alert. It had been risky planting the bombs so far ahead of the dedication, but she had kept the NRT busy and if they were busy, they couldn’t be ready to catch her could they.

The drive into Boston was uneventful. Just let the pigs try to stop her pawns. It would make the barbeque taste all the sweeter.

It was hardly any time before she was nearing the dedication. She looked at the clock in the car, 7:10. They had already started. She was right on time.

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Selena was stalking her quarry. In this case, it was a reasonably attired youngish woman resting beautifully on the Primary's arm. Selena had to look casual - more casual than Rachel to be sure. Rachel knew someone was coming to kill her and that worry Selena could smell on her. It wasn't fear necessarily, but a flight instinct none the less. That only confirmed Rachel was sane.

Preston was also close by, mingling amongst the festivity goers. One of his two main functions was to keep all the people focussed and confident. With his game face on, he radiated a firmness of purpose that few could doubt. There was an assuredness in his burning gaze that inspired others to be brave. It was a quantum illusion, but it had the power of reality in the minds of most ... and it kept the trap from being revealed.

His other function was to draw Carla's ire, and attention, when the time came.

Preston was also observing from a distance. Once the fight began, he knew he would only have two chances max to get this right. He had already seen the situation play out in so many ways that required sacrifice ... and he had prepared.

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Lou Anne and Rachel mingled among the crowd. Rachel’s family’s wealth had ensured that they had been to a number of society functions in Boston and other cities in the North East for years. In that, they were able to relax into the normalcy of chatting with people and moving among the crowd. The plan called for them to stay together through the initial mingling stage and then they would take their places for the ceremony. Rachel was to be in the first row of the audience since none of the other members would have their spouses with them. For that matter, none of the other spouses were even in town.

Just before seven fifteen, the designated Master of Ceremonies rose to the small stage and called got everyone’s attention. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to thank everyone for coming out tonight to honor Boston’s very own Nova Response Team.” Polite applause welled up. “If everyone could take a seat, we’d like to get started with the ceremony.”

People filed to the benches, many remarked at the how comfortable the benches were. One older gentleman could be heard by everyone proclaiming loudly from the back “I’m sure you’ll have to wake me Wentworth, as comfortable as this is, so start a few minutes early.” A small ripple of restrained laughter spread among the crowd as the Master of Ceremonies began to introduce the men and women of the Nova Response Team. Lou Anne smiled and stood when her name was called.

Maybe Carla will attack before anyone sees the statue, yeah, at least there might be a positive side to her coming here. ...

No, I'm not that lucky.
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They had missed the couple near the State House. By quirk of fate, the bombers had blindly slipped past the first screen of officers and were approaching the steps of the building when Patrolman Alvin Krupky spotted them from the rough description the NRT had handed out. For a moment, the seasoned patrolman hesitated. They were bombers – coming toward him – in a small crowd of people. He had to get them to a safer area. He called the situation in to his superiors and began to make his move. Krupky approached the two ‘suicide’ bombers, chewing on his lower lip and palms sweating.

“Excuse me,” he started his lie, “we need to move this gathering off to the left main entrance,” and away from the crowded street.

The crowd looked at him curiously, but began to comply. Most of the people were moving away from the couple and the policeman kept his course to them. He was sure they would see through his lie and kill them all. He thought about his wife and teenage son. It was too late to turn back now.

“We are doing a quick screening of everyone entering the State House area. This way please.”

The couple looked up at him with eerie unconcerned eyes. It was almost like they didn’t know.

The twin blasts killed the three of them instantly. The mixture of plastique and ten-penny nails shredded their bodies. Three members of the crowd were also fatally wounded and over fifty suffered serious wounds. Krupky’s actions were credited for saving lives, though the Medal of Freedom he was awarded was cold comfort to his wife and son … and this was only the first human bomb attack.

The crowd at the Cathedral at the end of Evening Mass would be the biggest target and that is why they put Aguilar there. Though the eagle-eyed Mexican transplant had a vague description of the bombers, it was something else that drew his eyes to two somewhat suspicious teenagers moving through the crowd. There was something different about them … as if they were participating in some kind of prank. From his perch across the street he called in his suspicions. He was informed in turn about what had happened at the State House moments earlier. Aguilar didn’t have much time to way weigh his options. He went with his gut.

Wings sprang up along his arms as the nova took flight and glided silently toward the couple. As he dropped out of the sky, he gained tremendous speed so that his final swoop onto the teenagers was stunning. For a moment he thought he was pulling it off. He was still operating under the shared illusion that the kids were suicide bombers. They weren’t.

He swept the two up and was regaining altitude when the bombs went off. The two baseline kids were torn into so much raw meat. Aguilar was hurled back into the pavement with bone-crushing force. His right arm was completely ripped off and his left was horribly shredded. Had he been conscious, he would have been screaming.

43 people received moderate to severe wounds from the blast, but no one else died.

At the final potential bombing target, the NRT members were taking in the information. It was Senior Detective Bruce O’Bannon who first figured out that it must be transmitters plus some kind of visual or auditory observations that were setting the bombs off. A quick change in tactics was in order.

Again, they came on as a couple, blissfully unaware of how close they were to death. Without a nova to spot them they got very close to a gathering of lawyers and clerks serving the High Court. They knew what they were supposed to do – get close to the legal types and thank them for the wonderful job they were doing to keep gay marriage legal in Massachusetts.

The EMP rifle is pretty heavy right at 50lbs. The backpack weight just over that and was only good for two shots. The thing had lousy range (under thirty yards) and would fry everything in its beams path. On the plus side, it could shoot through people without hurting them and that’s exactly what the NRT did with it. Sure, they killed everyone’s computers and cell phones, but they saved there lives.

The moment the EMP went off, the police began swarming the area. The uniformed police hustled the civilians out of the area while the armored NRT members bore the teens to the ground. Once the human bombs had been had been taken to the ground and cuffed – and read their rights, the bomb disposal experts came waddling forward. Officer Shannon O’Neal knelt clumsily by the first backpack and began examining her explosive device. They were taking the girl away and she was sobbing now. This was no game and she didn’t want to die. Shannon carefully opened the girl’s pack and began examining the device. Her trained eye spotted the Dead Man’s switch burning down to detonation. She cried out a warning and through herself away and to the ground.

In a continuing strain of poetic injustice, the two teens were the only ones killed in the blasts. They were unarmored and too close when the backpacks exploded. A few of the NRT received minor wounds, but only Officer O’Neil was badly injured with two broken legs and a broken arm. No civilians were lost.

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Be careful what you wish for, for you just may get it. The news coming through the earpieces that the NRT at the reception wore drove those thoughts into the fore of Lou Anne’s mind. Carla had attacked, but not here. Suicide bombers, or perhaps more accurately, human bombs had been sent out around Boston. The initial reports sounded like there were hundreds dead and wounded. And because of the plan, they had to stand there, and go through with this insipid ceremony. Rarely one to lose her temper, Lou Anne was angry. Angry at Carla for choosing to hurt so many people, angry at herself that she couldn’t do anything to help. Angry at the clock for seemingly stopping. For a change, she was not angry at or about the statue that waited outside.

Finally finished with the inside part of the ceremony, they moved outside to the garden. Artfully arranged lighting set off the towering statue of Lou Anne. Preston had considered this the pièce de résistance of the trap. There were a few small benches out here, more for people enjoying the memorial garden than for a ceremony of any type. The NRT stood near the statue with the guests standing off a little ways. Word of Aguilar’s injury reached them officially as the Master of Ceremonies began to speak. Lou Anne had read the speech, she followed it word for word in her mind as a distraction from her anger. “...donated by the Nova Artist Alice ...” Good as he was at sticking to his script, the blast of fire that caught him the chest and hurled him back into the statue ended his recitation.

Carla’s distorted voice thundered over the courtyard as she glided into it. “Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” Her body was not wreathed in flame as Lou Anne had seen it before, but she was no less the frightening to those assembled. The last shreds of a dress and a wig plummeted to the ground as she sailed into the courtyard. A chorus of screams erupted from the gathering of society and political guests. The Deputy Mayor, true to his part in the plan, held his composure long enough to tell people to run for the exits and pointed in two different directions to doors that were now wide open. Then he broke with the rest of the crowd as they fled the scripture quoting demon.

The two sisters lost sight of each other as the crowd ran between them. Carla wondered if Lou Anne would run with them. She had always been so good with that turn the other cheek thing. She had never fought when she was little, always letting Carla get what she wanted. She had run like a little baby from the one thing she loved when she’d been showed up at that Dance recital before Carla went to prison. She stayed in school running from the real world for freaking ever. She’d run from everything, Lou Anne was good at running.

The crowd cleared. Lou Anne hadn’t run. She was standing at the base of the statue, right where she had been before Carla’s entrance. She’s wearing those heathen robes again, oh, and she’s putting the helmet down this time, I guess she thinks it’ll protect her pretty face. This is going to be fun.

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  • 3 weeks later...

The first person to exit the gardens was not the fastest, but Rachel. Space appeared to fold around her as she stumbled amongst the stampeding crowd and she suddenly found herself several blocks away with two armored up ... and cross-wearing members of the NRT. One of the men had a hand to his ear-piece and was speaking to Rachel.

"The attack is going down. We've got to get you away from here asap."

Already the other man had reached out and put an armored overcoat around Rachel's shoulders and was steering her toward the door.

Carla hadn't even seemed to notice the Secondary's absence, Selena guessed. Lou Anne was drawing down the creatures attention and this gave Selena a chance to circle around and wait for an opening. She had to be wary of Carla'a 'flaming aura', but still relished the attack. She ached for the scent of blood in her nostrils and the feel of flesh being torn beneath her claws.

Preston let the fleeing people bump past him dispassionately. He was studying Carla. His mind fluttered through the various temporal possibilities examining again and again all that this hostile nova could do. He had his answer and prepared to act. It was easier now without the distraction. Just about all the people were gone.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Too many of them are still here, I guess they care more about my dear sister than saving the people of their city. All the better to shame them here tonight. Folding her wings behind her, Carla advanced quickly towards Lou Anne. Flame accompanied by a chorus of demonic shrieks erupted from the ground around Crusader, seeking to cage him in place.

Carla knew she was playing a dangerous game but the risks were not without rewards. She would get away with Lou Anne, or she would burn the city to the ground. Either choice was perfectly acceptable.

* * * * *

Lou Anne stood still as Carla ran towards her. She watched a sinister grin, almost a leer spread across Carla’s face as she drew nearer. She breathed evenly trying to keep the fear at bay. The screams of Crusader’s trap didn’t distract Lou Anne from what she was doing though, she would only have one chance to surprise Carla, not that it should be a surprise.

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The trap would burn too much for Crusader to break out easily. It also provided Carla with a sense of accomplishment and hubris to see one of the NRT so easily neutralized. Crusader would have to wait for his moment to escape.

The people were still running past Selena as that nova crouched and prepared for her own attack. She caught sight of Preston concentrating on the devilish nova and smiled. Through there link she felt his plan come to mind. As a tactical plan, it kind of sucked, but for the purposes of the NRT it was what had to happen. She wondered how loud Carla would howl when she figured out what had happened.

Preston saw her weakness and latched onto it. He compressed an alternate reality down with her own and twisted them together. They swapped back and forth pieces of their quantum selves. The fracturing of her aura had a minimal, but important effect. For Carla, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, but nothing seemed to happen. In reality - this reality - Carla just lost the ability to teleport. Her 'Get out of Jail Free' Card was gone. Now, if they could just get her into the church and get all these people far enough away, thing would be set for the final confrontation.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Carla grinned, taking the flying muscle head out of the fight left her a lot more options and took a large piece of worry off her mind. Carla continued her run towards Lou Anne but couldn’t resist gloating, looking to the side at the imprisoned Crusader she taunted him. “Pigs look so much better inside the cage, but I guess you don’t agree. Do you muscles?”

Lou Anne took advantage of the momentary distraction to get away from Carla's charge. As Lou Anne rolled out of Carla’s way and the statue, the centerpiece of the NRT’s garden rose from the ground. It arced head first into the air and then slammed back down, the motion not unlike a hammer being used to drive a nail. The statue’s base hit Carla squarely.

* * * * *

A mild pain blossomed in Carla, it had hurt far more when Lou Anne had hit her with the van last December. This time hurt less, but there was far more force to the blow. The soft earth under Carla was not as resilient and the force of the blow pushed her legs deep into the earth and she bowed at the waist creating a small crater under the statue. She pushed against the statue but could not budge it, she only succeeded in driving herself a bit deeper into the ground. Damn, just how heavy is this thing? Or is she keeping it in place?

Fire pulsed under Carla’s wings pushing her laterally through the soft earth and freeing her from the pinning weight of the statue and Lou Anne’s grip on it. Her motion tore a gash in the earth and the earth ripped at her clothes as she rose into the air fully and turned to face her sister again. “Enough fooling around Lou Anne, we have business. You’re coming with me whether you like it or not. Your salvation awaits!”

“Oh crap!” Lou Anne swore quietly as she turned and fled into the former church’s interior. Her fellow NRT members knew she had planned to retreat there, but they weren’t sure from her reaction whether she was really bothered by Carla apparently shrugging off the attack or merely playing her part. Lou Anne wasn't sure herself.

Carla flew after her sister seeming to forget the NRT was even there. She stopped at the doorway to look inside.

* * * * *

In the Boston Police Department's NRT office, Chris Williams, designated as their overwatch for this operation triggered the commands on his console to close and bar the front and side doors. "Civilians are clear and the front is secure," he spoke into his microphone a moment before his monitor showed Dr. Burgess running inside.

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Carla may have dismissed the NRT, but they hadn't forgotten her. No sooner had she turned her back on them to pursue Lou Anne, Preston and Selena spurred action.

Preston ran toward the trapped Crusader, twisting probabilities as he came on. With his will, he began to push the flaming cage into another series of realities. The flames flickered and faded, but didn't go away. This was enough for Crusader though. The British nova flexed against the inferno. Uniform and skin burned, but the cage could not hold him any longer. With him grinding his teeth and stifling a cry of pain, he broke free. The cage's flames turned to smoke and rose harmlessly to the sky. Together, Crusader and Preston turned toward the doorway and Carla.

Selena was in no way the fastest by nova standards, but was still supernaturally quick. She sprinted toward the half-buried statue. As she came to it - still at a run - she lashed out and slicked an arm off of it. Wielding the stone arm like a club, Selena launched herself toward Carla's vulnerable back.

Carla was hesitating at the enterance. She managed to turn only slightly as the blow came in. The arm shattered againts Carla's back. The flaming killer tumbled inside, but quickly came back to her feet. Her shoulder hurt. It wasn't something that concerned her. Still ...

"Bitch, I'm going to burn your heart out," she seethed back of Selena.

Selena's cat-like eyes flickered past Carla to Lou Anne then back to Carla.

"Holy Ground - Bitch!" was Selena's reply.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Carla Burgess

"Bitch, I'm going to burn your heart out," Carla seethed at Selena.

"Holy Ground - Bitch!" was Selena's reply.

Flame erupted from Carla’s body. “You got the line and your facts wrong." Carla’s hand lanced out towards Selena’s chest but with the fingers open looking to make good on her promise to burn the heart from her. Selena was faster than Carla, but not quite as motivated. She stepped back from the punch and twisted away, but Carla had anticipated it enough to get a weak hit on Selena’s rib cage with the heel of her hand. Selena, already spinning away from Carla spun a bit more as her flesh bubbled from Carla’s flaming touch.

Selena moved back hurriedly, not wanting to give Carla the satisfaction of having hurt her, but needing a little time to recover from the burns.

Carla smiled at Selena’s pain, her eyes swept over the other NRT members assessing how big a threat they might be and decided she had time before needing to worry about them. Focusing on Selena again she sneered. “No, definitely not holy ground, no angels coming to your aid are they? If you don’t mind, I have family business to take care of, it doesn’t concern you so butt out.”

Carla backed away from Selena, her eyes scanning the NRT people in case they made a sudden move. Once she was further into the building, she turned and looked for Lou Anne.

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Lou Anne had hidden herself around a corner while Carla and Selena fought. Lou Anne was sure that letting Carla hit her and acting hurt were far more painful to the proud woman than any actual burn had been. Assuming of course that she had let her do it. Lou Anne banished such thoughts. She heard Carla’s bare feet padding on and the flames of her aura licking at the stone floor.

Lou Anne’s hand went to the concealed cross. She removed it and brought her armor back up overtop the Eufiber dress. Her stomach roiled at the thought of what was coming, but she could see little way around it. She summoned her shield and took a step out into the open. The shield hung on her left arm at her side, her right hand and the folds of her robes concealed the weapon she carried. “It’s over Carla, turn yourself in so we can get you some help.”

Carla stopped, she listened behind her to see if she heard the pigs sneaking up on her. “Still playing cop? The only help I need is getting you saved, but I’ve got a better line for you.” Carla cleared her throat and deepened her voice a bit into a mocking imitation of a policeman, the screams of demons and tortured souls screamed in accompanyment. “Come along quietly Dr. Burgess, and no one else has to get hurt.”

Lou Anne raised her shield by way of answer. The silver head of Medusa gleamed in the reflected light of Carla’s Aura. She couldn’t see any of the others behind Carla’s aura, she hoped everything was ready.

“Oh, the whore wants to fight does she? Good." An evil smile lit Carla's face. "Try that ocean stunt again and I swear I’ll burn half this city down. Likewise if your pig friends get involved.”

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Carla was moving deeper inside. Around the building the armored members of the NRT were moving into covering positions. In the gardens with the broken statue Selena took cover against the wall and began the slow painful process of healing her injuries. She'd had worse. She'd given birth after all.

Preston moved to the doorway, using that as partial cover as he brought his sidearm to bare against Carla. He held his shot. Preston knew the gun wouldn't do much more than be a distraction ... and very possibly cause Carla to set the whole Rectory on fire, but he wasn't letting her out of his sight. He would have shouted a warning to Dr. Burgess, but he knew it was unnecessary. The good Doctor saw the attack coming. All he could do now was wait.

Crusader was learning to deal with his burns and moving once again. This time he went airborne. He flew up over the building and hovered. Crusader's position now was to cover Carla's most likely avenue of egress. There were four ways (not including windows) out of the Rectory. There was the way she had gone in, another door out the back - but in the opposite direction she and Lou Anne were moving, a door that led into the main church building (and psychologically unlikely), and finally, the door out of the front. The last door was clearly in her line of travel, and with two novas behind her, was the exit she would take if she was able.

Inside, the echo of the lights and the sound of vechiles pulling up and boots hitting the asphalt wasn't lost on Carla. Sure, they may have been Godless flies buzzing around her, but they were stinging, biting flies. The novas at her back wouldn't cower in fear forever either. Carla had to take break Lou Anne now. Then she could hold her in her loving embrace and whisk them both away.

Carla screamed in exhultation as she charged in for the final grapple.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Carla screamed in exhultation as she charged in for the final grapple.

Lou Anne raised her shield to cushion the blow as Carla reached for her. Her armor and shield protected her from the bulk of Carla’s flame aura, but not all of it. Lou Anne let herself fall backwards as if to flip Carla off and then brought her right hand up, the cross clenched tightly in her hand. Carla’s eyes registered it a split second before it came into contact with her face.

A howl of pain and fury echoed from the deserted rectory. The flaming aura vanished but the sound of sizzling skin remained, grew stronger actually as smoke rose from Carla’s forehead and bridge of her nose.

Carla landed more or less straddling Lou Anne who was now prone on the ground. She lashed out with her left hand, Lou Anne’s right arm struck the tiled floor hard enough to go numb, the singed cross flew from her grasp. Carla’s other hand punched Lou Anne in the stomach, Lou Anne’s breath blew out as Carla moved both hands to Lou Anne’s neck and started to squeeze. Lou Anne’s shield disappeared as her hands pulled futilely on Carla’s trying to break the vicelike grip. Lou Anne turned her head, looking for the cross she had lost. Where are the others?

“Uh uh, no fair.” Why can’t you just pass out like my other projects? Carla pulled up on Lou Anne’s neck and shoulders and slammed her upper body and head back down into the floor. The floor tiles cracked under Lou Anne’s helmet. Oh yeah, she’s bullet proof, that’s why.

Lou Anne tried to shake off the disorientation but couldn’t. Her vision swimming and darkening a bit, Lou Anne did see something that she could use. A heavy cabinet hurtled from its place in the room and slammed into the figure above Lou Anne. The cabinet exploded into a cloud of debris, but the force sent Carla flying. Lou Anne’s gasp for air filled the room, she barely had time to catch her breath before Carla’s now flame shrouded foot caught her under the jaw burning her throat and sending her head crashing back to the tiled floor.

Lou Anne lay still, her breath wheezing through her healing but still damaged larynx. Rage hotter than the flames that shrouded her burned in Carla’s eyes. She waited while Lou Anne’s blistered skin healed a bit before picking her up. The reek of flesh burning became thicker as Carla held on to Lou Anne and attuned her sister’s unconscious form. It served the whore right for all the trouble she’d caused, there would be plenty more burning later, Carla was sure. But for now she hefted Lou Anne into her arms to carry her away. She reached through space for her desired destination, but they didn’t move.

She looked around frantically. What’s this? Is that cross still interfering? No, I don’t see it. Why can’t I teleport? She tried again paying closer attention this time as it tried to work, but failed.. They think they can cage me! I’ll show them. She smiled, she had heard that some places could be made teleport proof, they had obviously done that here. They thought they could turn her trap into a trap of their own, but she wouldn’t fall for it. She smiled and looked around looking for the best exit as the tiles below her feet started to crack from the prolonged heat.

She ran at the windows, her wings spread to give her lift as she jumped and called on the flame to take her up into the air. The two women sped into the night air amid shattered glass, window frames and rapidly melting sun catchers. Carla held the still limp form of her sister below her in her arms - she knew she needed to get far enough away from the church to teleport.

And then, it was play time.

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Carla should have looked up. Confused by her inability to teleport and content with her prey finally in her grasp, she forgot that Lou Anne had allies. Now one of those allies was coming down on them fast.

Crusader swooped in from Carla's side. He drove his shoulder into her chest while simultaneously wrenching Dr. Burgess away from her burning grasps. Hair and uniform burned as the three tumbled down into the ground. Three bodies tumbled away from the impact site.

Inside the rectory, two of Boston's Finest clamored over the battlefield. Selena rapidly followed Carla's trail out the window and saw Crusader take her down. When she turned, she noticed Preston reach down and pull a small cross out of the wreckage.

"She's gone," he said. Selena turned just in time to see the flaming nova vanish.

"... but we can track her."

The cross was burnt from the flaming aura that shrouded Carla, but also had the smallest bits of burnt flesh from her face. Preston could track down the flesh to its owner, of this he had no doubt.

Carla recognized the nova she had previously caged. He now stood between her and her sister, down and unconcious. She knew she could beat this man, but she hesitated. She felt her power ebbing. Carla didn't have much left to fight with. Still, the broken form of Lou Anne beckonned to Carla ... she was so ready. Carla reached into her mind and lashed out.

Crusader didn't hesitate. A fellow member of the NRT was behind him, waiting for someone to get her away from this sicko. He didn't so much eye Carla as target her. Even as the villianess stoked some ember of power to full readiness, Crusader launched himself at her. His arch took him in so that his blow came down from above. The power of his quantum fueled fist shattered her flames, broke bone, and drove her into the asphalt.

Just like that, Carla Burgess was down. Crusader stared at her for a second then turned back to care for Lou Anne. He sucked on his charred knuckles. He tried to communicate with Central, but the flames had also damaged his head mic. Instead, he called out "Man Down" and knelt by the body.

Breathing came painfully to Carla. Almost as painful as conciousness. Groggily, she noted that Crusader had turned his back to her and knelt down beneath her arch of vision. Her head was still ringing from the punch and for the first time the real fear of capture was winning out of hate. Still ...

The power didn't come. It failed. Unlike the church, were she had felt the power being blocked by some force, this time it failed from within. Her slight gasp was filled with pain. Breathing hurt. Carla's heart was racing. She couldn't go down like this, taken down by Lou Anne's adulterous brood. Oh, and they were closing in on her now. She could feel them all coming in for the 'Put Carla back in the Box' party.

Carla's heart pounded and her pulse raced. Deep within her core, fear overwhelmed survival. Blood vessels burst, muscles tore, and vital tissue was cored of it's essence ... but Carla was gone.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Providence, Rhode Island

Chris Finneran’s earpiece crackled to life. “The primary target is beginning her attack in Boston. All teams, move in.”

* * * * *

Prom Night, one of the last major events before teenagers leave high school behind and become young adults bound for college, the military or the real world. A night of usually good food, dancing, socializing and parties. Every class presenting a prom wants theirs to be good enough to be talked about for years.

The Class of ‘17 Prom in Providence would be talked about for decades.

The night had barely begun and the CJ had just finished an up tempo song when armed and armored federal agents and local police stormed through the doors and into the ‘undersea’ gathering that had been created for the prom goers. Men and women in dark FBI and DHS jackets pointed pistols at frightened teens looking for their quarry; while armored assault rifle carrying men and women guarded the doors. They found them in a cluster of students near the drinks. Bill Parker and Celeste Haldaman were secured, checked for weapons, handcuffed and read their rights before being hauled off. Protests of innocence and pleas to know what they had done were unanswered.

The night never recovered from the shock.

* * * * *

Putnam, Connecticut

Weekends were the only time that the whole of the Clark family were home at the same time for dinner, and so dinner was normally later in the evening and a bigger affair. The first sign that dinner was going to be different tonight came when the battering ram broke in the front door and SWAT officers with automatic weapons poured through the doorway. Judith Clark, a high school senior and the oldest of the Clark children still in school was dragged off in hand cuffs.

Her parents were numb from shock afterwards, not just from Judy being arrested, but from what the agent informed them she was charged with; domestic terrorism, conspiracy and attempted murder among them.

Dinner sat forgotten while Federal agents scoured the house for more evidence.

* * * * *

Boston, Massachusetts

Crusader called out "Man Down" and knelt by Lou Anne’s body.

Preston and Selena first made sure that Lou Anne was still alive and healing, and then followed Preston’s sixth sense to Carla’s location. They arrived just over the Mexican border, a large border crossing plaza was visible towards the North. Carla’s body was laid out in all it’s demonic glory, with the exception of the bruised and broken fist print that had ended the battle with Crusader. She was not healing, her energy reserves taxed too much even to accomplish that. She was breathing shallowly however and after providing a bit of obligatory first aid, they took her back to Boston where the Directive would be waiting.

* * * * *

The clean up began immediately and provided what would doubtless be the star witness at Carla’s trial, her phone. It lay with most of her clothes in the trench she had dug as she forced her way out from under the statue. Pictures of victims both before and after she began to torture them, voice recordings and typed journal entries all coordinated to create a thoroughly damning piece of evidence for whatever prosecutor would receive the case.

With ten dead and one hundred wounded, the public was appalled at the carnage that had come to visit their city. The Cathedral, city hall and the Court House were all damaged, a dozen people had lost their lives and just over one hundred had been wounded in Carla’s attack. They screamed for the Mayor’s head, they screamed for the Chief of Police’s badge. As details emerged about what had really happened and the attacks the NRT had successfully stopped; the tens of thousands that weren’t killed or injured – the screaming, was replaced by stunned silence.

In that silence, the lawyers worked to build their case.

* * * * *

In that silence, Carla Burgess raged. Her jailers filled her cell with religious artifacts and her veins with drugs to keep her powers at bay. Between the two she was in constant pain and would only be able to light a cigarette with a match. To dorm down and ease the pain was to let the drugs kill her. To touch the artifacts was to embrace death.

She had no cell mate, a fact that ironically gave her immense pleasure. Her jailers had done her a favor. She was alone and obviously in Hell. There was no longer a question as to which power she was to serve, going after Lou Anne had in fact crystalized her purpose.

She would enjoy her Hell. She would use it for the coccoon that it was. It would teach her, and it would protect her.

She would find a way to leave it and do her duty.

She had been denied her quarry, but that was okay.

Hell was on her side.

...and Hell was patient.

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