[hr][h1][i][color=aqua]Jennifer Caspin[/color], & Alice Shepherd.[/i][/h1][hr]

[i]Written in collaboration with [@Mr Allen J][/i]


After a few minutes to allow Jen to change her clothes, she was wearing something a bit more appropriate than a T-shirt, and shorts. She was wearing a [url=http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41yQ-Jybo4L._SY445_.jpg]T-shirt with an intricate elephant pattern[/url], and torn jean shorts. She had on an artist berrett. She was walking down the street, pushing Alice's wheelchair (Which [i]still[/i] felt weird). It's definitely something that she'll have to get used to. Not everyone had a super regenerative system like she did. Though, that wasn't what she was worried about. Jen was constantly looking around. Checking out every corner, and every window. Her attention was more on searching for possible threats than Alice.

Alice wasn't exactly enjoying being pushed down the street, it was another aspect of a changed life, at least if she rolled herself down the street she still had some sort of independence. That said, it seemed that maybe it was offering Jen some sort of comfort. Alice couldn't see her, but she could almost sense the nervous energy emanating from the girl behind her.

"Are you feeling ok?"

"Ummm...." Jen quickly scrambled for an answer. Quickly saying the first thing that came to mind, "Yeah. I'm... fine." She knew that was far from the truth. Her heart was racing, and she was constantly on the lookout. For anyone that might [i]look[/i] like a member of the Hands of Science.

Problem was that they blend in just like anyone else. Every person that passed by her could want to hurt her.

Jen let out a sigh as they approached a corner. The light turned red, so they had to wait as the cars pushed on past them. She tried to calm herself, but she found it hard. It was like a nervous [i]tic[/i] that forced her to scan the area and keep an eye out at all times.

"Columbiana-Heights is like, right down the street." Jen said. Hoping that Alice wouldn't want to go to a park or something.

I'm fine, two words that were rarely truthfully spoken, and in this case they probably weren't. Alice didn't pry any further though, she was hardly innocent of the same crime. They stopped at the junction, and Alice twisted a little to look back at Jen with a raised eyebrow.

"I was in hospital for two weeks, not two decades, last I checked there are no Metas who can rearrange city blocks. I know where it is."

"Oh yeah, um... sorry. I'm just..." She trailed off, letting that sentence hang loose. Jen scratched the back of her neck, and at the corner of her blue eyes, she saw that the light had turned green. She hoped that this would remove the awkwardness of the situation. [i]You know it isn't going away until you get back into the house.[/i] She thought, as her hand went to the back of her neck. She started pushing her way through the street, and eventually, they stepped out of University Row, and stepped right into Columiana Heights.

Alice sighed, "it's fine, I'm just a bit... yeah."

They were immediately greeted with a scenic park that was right up against one of the many rivers. "So, we're here... what do you want to do? Just walk?" Jen asked Alice, looking down at her.

Alice bristled again at Jen's faux pas, "I dunno, I just wanted to hang out with someone, in real life, get out of the house, pretend that things are still the same!"

She took a breath, "don't you ever feel like that sometimes?"

Jen awkwardly coughed after Alice's little outburst. It felt like Jen was... pushing a sore spot. Irritating Alice with every word that she said. She wondered if she could do better by just keeping quiet. "Yeah..." Jen said, but she kept her mouth shut. There was more she had to say, but maybe she figured that she should keep it to herself. With that raging nervousness she's suffering by just being outside impairing her social ability. 

A droplet of rain hitting her in the head made her shudder. She looked up, and saw that clouds were forming at [i]astonishing[/i] rates. And rain was beginning to drop down.

"Huh?" Jen put her hand out. "There wasn't rain in the forecast..."

Alice looked up as well, the clouds were dark and intimidating, a far cry from the relatively clear skies that had heralded the day. She was momentarily distracted, both from her anger, and the fact that she had probably just upset one of the few friends she had left.

"That's..." she looked at Jen, "a Meta?"

"It... might be." Jen noted. "Only explaination. NEST is going to give him shit for this."

She tugged at her arm, "maybe we should get inside, before it gets heavier."

Yeah... It's best that they get inside. Maybe one of the cafes? Jen had a few dollars on her, enough to pay for a drink or two. "I know a place, come on...." Jen pushed forward, and crossed the bridge they were approaching. She wished she brought an umbrella.

Right when they reached the other side, a large splash came from the river as a creature, hidden behind a silhouette, leaped out. It latched it's claws onto the side of the building, as it's humanoid frame hung off the building. It was no bigger than a taller-than-average male, except, it had no head. It's torso was one big oval, that gave off a glowing green light that was it's sole eye. It had long, strong arms, like an ape, but short legs.

It spotted the girls, and used it's powerful arms to climb it's way onto the building. Where it followed from a distance.

Alice managed to contain her irritation as Jen continued to push her, they crossed the bridge relatively quickly, but there was a sound  of something heavy landing in the water. She looked about, but saw nothing, only the fall of rain, movement that she automatically dismissed.

The rain was growing heavier already, enough to begin obscuring their vision, turning the people before them into mere blurred figures. Before long they were both drenched, and Alice's hair clung to her face in wet strands.

"I guess we were too slow. Where the f**k did that come from?"

"Where did what?" Jen asked, confused as to what Alice was looking at. Just to get an idea, she turned her head, and merely saw a glimpse of [i]something[/i] quickly moving out of sight. It damn near sent Jen into a panic.

Her heart started racing as fear and adrenaline started coursing through her system. She immediately started pushing Alice a bit faster. "Yeah-yeah, we should go now..." She quickly said, trying to restrain herself from an all out sprint.

Alice gripped the arms of the wheelchair at the sudden increase in speed, maybe Jen didn't realise it, but it was obvious to Alice that something had unnerved her companion. She tried to look behind her, but at the speed they were moving there was almost no point. 

"Jen it's just rain, we can't really get any wetter at this point."

Jen barely even paid attention to her. She was more focused on getting out of here than anything. She knew it was one of the Hands of Science's [i]things[/i]. It had to be! Which is why she had to get far away from it as possible. Jen didn't even think about Alice for a minute there. All she thought that she was doing was hauling some weight.

She spotted a cafe's sign, which was the perfect place to hide. Jen quickly ran up to the door, and turned her back to it, and pushed her way inside. Before turning both of them around, and got full view of the rustic-looking cafe, with a full wooden frame that made it up. Tables, chairs, and a counter where people got their drinks.

The first thing that Jen did was turn around, and didn't see that thing. Maybe... it just went away. Yeah. She was safe now. She let out a sigh as she started taking steps forward. With her hair, and her clothes soaken wet.

"Are you okay?" Jen asked, legitimately concerned for her friend. "Um... nevermind. Want a drink?"