(Episode XII) (Act 4)

The group darted out of the room, running for their actual lives.

Jackie took the lead, jogging in a sprint to move fast, but conserve energy needed when she REALLY needs to run. The suddenness of that choice just crossed her mind, turning her head towards the others behind her, hoping that she wasn’t leaving them in the dust.

But they were gaining, keeping pace, just as she taught them, which made Jackie smile despite still wavering due to the situation they’re in.

She darted to her right, back down the stairs, as the rest followed in her stead. They reached the first floor again, running in the vacant hallways, searching for any pillar, any structural hold they needed to target.

“Let’s just start with a wall—” Jackie shouted. “You know what happens next!”

She was forced to communicate, but at least she left part of it cryptic. Jackie was counting on N’atural’s self-admitted feeble-mindedness when they scrolled up to the right side of the main hallway.

Aiko nodded at Jackie, and threw herself into the wall, trying to take over as much as she can.

siVis Ability!

“THERE’S NO WAY YOU’RE GONNA OUTSMART ME,” the monster girl roared, echoing though the building. “NOT WITH ABILITIES THAT DON’T EVEN HAVE NAMES!”

Jackie looked back, seeing the Aiko influence only reaching a certain point, almost 2 or 3 feet in diameter, as the wall begun to erode as she shook it from the inside out. As soon as the cracks formed, the wall paper tore, and the hint of dust started to leak out, Aiko jumped out.

Jackie rose her blue fist, emitting power.

siVis Ability!

She rabbitpunched the crumbling wall, exploding a huge hole into it.

She felt dizzy. Faint. But she was still here.

Jackie pointed to the other end of the hall, a single to move forward. They did.

During their pace, Jackie felt her energy returning to her. Is this it? Was that the trick? Stay active, divide the energy…?

They raced to the other end of the hall, turning on their right, and faced another wall. Aiko jumped higher, spreading her influence and rocking again before falling out of it.

Jackie readied her fist again, and punched virtually the same spot.

“Hey, the fu--?” Maddie was about to scold, until River put a hand on her shoulder.

“Nah, no,” River pointed before her. “Watch and learn, Padawan.”

The area Aiko affected leaned over, breaking piece by piece, as cracks spread out, up to the ceiling, down to the floor.

Jackie was panting. As soon as she let go, she felt the weakness again. There’s still a cost to the energy—sure it’s cheap to move around to regain it, but it doesn’t erase the overall fatigue… It was scary how much she was learning to grasp this.

They run again, Jackie forcing herself to push further, combating the fatigue while gathering more energy.

There were two more walls they managed to damage, all differing places so at least some structural damage will happen due to the oddity.

Then they heard something that truly scared them.

Jackie heard the incoming scrapping of claws on the floor, and she knew she wasn’t connected to siVis to hear that.

“RUN!” Jackie screamed. “JUST RUN!”

And that they did, Jackie leading the way, bolting for the exit as she raced up the steps along with the others trying desperately to pick up speed.

“DON’T LOOK BACK! WE JUST KEEP GOING! WE HAVE ANOTHER FLOOR TO DO AND IT’S EASIER!”

They’ve reached the second floor again, and ran straight to the garden area once more.

Faced with the brick pillar before them, Aiko instantly threw herself onto it, sinking slowly into it this time.

Jackie had to bite back any concern, due to her noticing this. She just had to keep it in mind, she couldn’t ask if she was okay or not. Aiko sunk into the pillar none the less.

The pillar began to fidget, began to rumble slightly with the ceiling above rocking. The brick and the cement crackled, as if the pillar were a stick thrown into a roaring fire. Aiko slipped out moments later.

Jackie took a deep breath, channeled a bit more of her energy.

Then she had an idea.

She grabbed her elevated shoulder of her raised arm, and like an old cartoon, just started winding up her arm, circular motion over and over.

Soon, her entire arm was charged with blue energy.

She stopped, reeled back for good measure, and just pummeled the pillar with a singular fist. A trio of large, deep cracks were embedded into it, with a large indent as the point of origin.

“Oh wow!” Tracy exclaimed.

“Celebrations when it’s all done--!” Jackie raced forward, hearing the others follow right after.

She looked at her now limp, grayscale arm, pouting. But it is localized, and she still was here with them. She just hoped that she can figure out a way for it to come back online before she loses her left.

Jackie arrived at the pillar, and just looked at her arm, paying attention to that while not only having an ear out for N’atural gaining, but anything that could happen to Aiko.

Tried to move it, no response. Tried somehow—picturing energy flowing into it from her other body parts, nothing.

She then used her other hand to turn the gray one on it’s back, and tried flexing the dead fingers.

She saw her index and middle flicker.

Jackie then kept force-flexing her fingers, until they slowly came back to life. She let her arm drop, it slowly gaining color yet weak. This time, she flexed her fingers on her own, and as she did, her arm became back to life again—glowing faintly of energy.

“Go Jackson!”

With that, she began winding up her left arm, charging up the energy before unleashing it again with a bang.

“Aw shit—” Maddie started to run on her own. “I can hear her—she’s coming! We only got the one more and then she’s going to be a problem!”

“Keep going!” Jackie instructed. She felt nauseous, knowing she theoretically having only one arm to defend them with if it came down to it. She wasted no time, using her right to massage the fingers of the left, gaining in color as she ran with the girls.

Aiko just dove on the floor, merging with the pillar, slowly taking it over and destroying it from the inside out.

Jackie was ready with her fist, letting her now-better left hang to her side. She ran, winding up her right arm, and used the momentum to thrust forward with her punch, colliding into the pillar as she craved out a chunk of it as she fell down.

“JUST GO! GO, GO, GO!”

The rest obeyed, as they ran down the hallway as Jackie struggled to get up.

She heard N’atural gaining, and struggled to get up.

This play was twofold. Buy time for the rest. And to see what’s stronger—her or everything Jackie had.

She stood on trembling knees as she saw N’atural practically rocketed towards her with feral speed and fierceness. She was in mid leap, mid-jump, as her claws were extended towards Jackie.

Time felt like at a stand still, get she was counting the seconds.

“Looks like I’m going to give in, too…” Jackie raised her fist, brimming with blue.

She watched in detail, seeing N’atural’s maw open and all of the intricacies laced in the action.

She seamlessly used siVis to jump herself, visualizing her muscles, bone, skin—all working together to convey the action, she reeled back as N’atural’s eyes widened.

“I’m gonna carry that burden,” Jackie said, disembodied. “For us monsters.”

siVis Ability: REGISTERED! CALLING!

INNATE DRIVE!

Jackie clocked N’atural, her charged knuckles digging into her spear-like cheeks and nose, before pushing her fist further, the explosion sending her flying back down to the ground.

Jackie herself fell backwards, landing on her back, with siVis automatically protecting the back of her head once she came down.

That alone floored her, never mind that she somehow named her siVis without being totally conscious for it. Then her Mindspace opened, remembering the times—even with the recent Bentley encounter, how much her head needed protection.

She learned. She’s using her experiences so far as extra armor.

As she tried using her legs to scoot away, she couldn’t help but well up. It was at a price of being much stranger, but she was learning how to access—use—siVis.

She looked up.

She saw N’atural stagger back into the fray.

Her nose—her human one—was just hanging off to the side.

She personally grabbed it with her claws, and tore it away as it exploded into yellow sparks that she reabsorbed into her form. Now, she looked more monstrous.

“Ah… Surely you know why siVis Calls are a thing? A construct when Dr. Taber spread the knowledge… She wanted to make sure that everyone nearby knew when a siVictim used their abilities—a last minute warning… They act as a hinderancccce… For the knowledgeable… Meaning I can figure out what you can do, finally… Before I go…”

Jackie remained frozen in her place, her eyes glazed over.

That was the last image, the last thing she heard, before losing energy.