[hr][i][h1][color=springgreen]Cindy Gabrielle Keagan[/color], [color=salmon]Haruka[/color] & [color=cornflowerblue]Shizuka[/color] [color=fa8072]T[/color][color=e78381]a[/color][color=d58591]k[/color][color=c288a0]a[/color][color=af8bb0]s[/color][color=9c8dbf]h[/color][color=8a90ce]i[/color][color=7792de]r[/color][color=6495ed]o[/color], Akemi Shinoda, & [color=dodgerblue]Lihua Vuhong[/color].[/h1]
[sub](Written in collaboration with [@Mr Allen J])[/sub][/i]

[hr][hider=Final Fantasy X HD Remaster OST - Peril][youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl5tmLZukjg[/youtube][/hider][hr]

During Cindy's graceful flight above the chaos, she received a text. She was [i]hoping[/i] that it was from her father, or [i]someone[/i]. She quickly glanced at her cellphone, and realized that it was from Shizuka. [i]What the hell does that loony boy want?[/i] Cindy asked herself as she read the text.

[code]Shizu here. Are dem minions flooding your area with blood too?[/code]

Cindy just shook her head. This shit's a disaster. People were dying, it's an all out attack. Cindy, briefly, was unsure of how the hell she wanted to respond (other than "yeah", or "and water is wet"). She couldn't muster the energy to sass at this loony grey-haired boy anymore. She just stopped before she paused for a moment to type a text - safe from all the monsters (except for any that jumped up). Though, it was hard to focus with all the screaming.

[code]its all ova the place, it's wild af[/code]

Cindy sent the text message. She briefly thought about what the hell she was going to do. If this was a city wide disaster, then there's no where to run. Oh hell...she didn't know what was going on, or why, but she knew that there was definitely another threat. It wasn't the Hands or the Changeling Unit - it was whatever the hell these things were. The girl was intensely worried about her friends all over the city. She paused for a moment, and sent out another text.

[code]r u okay? do u no whats goin on wit the others?[/code]

Meanwhile at the Priscilla-Estella link bridge, Akemi and her nephews braced themselves in the car, their unblinking eyes were watching those creatures' every move.

"[i]I guess now is the chance we should discuss a bit about our powers, but keep it brief and simple,[/i]" Akemi began - Shizuka noticed that her knuckles were turning white from gripping the steering wheel so tightly. "[i]I can generate and project force fields around us to act as telekinetic shields, but it's been a long time since I actually used my ability.[/i]"

The younger twin gave his brother a nod, then he spoke, "[i]Me, I can walk through walls and pass through solid matters; I can expand my power to anything I'm in contact with and give them temporary ghost mode also.[/i]"

Haruka crossed his arms before him and shook his head. "[i]I...don't have any superpowers. I'm just a normal human.[/i]" He sulked when Shizuka gave him a light punch to his shoulder.

[i]Only on the defensive huh[/i], Akemi thought, her brown eyes still fixed on the approaching fiends. They were clearly at a disadvantage - even if there was a way for them to effectively attack these balls of slimes, they wouldn't hold out for long against so many of them, be it offense or defense.

The silent tension was broken by the sudden vibration of Shizuka's mobile. The gray-haired teen pulled the phone out of his hoodie pocket - messages from Cindy. "[i]Sorry Akemi, we gotta scrap the idea of going to Knightdale. A friend of ours said it's the same there too.[/i]" He then typed out a text reply to Cindy:

[code]Still alive and kicking. Mei's mum is fighting ahead of us.[/code]

[i]God damn.[/i] Cindy thought to herself. Lihua was near Chinatown, she presumed. That left the question of where Meifeng was, or what the hell NEST was doing about this. Cindy wasn't a pessimist, but she knew that it was unlikely anyone was going to sweep in and save the day. Not in this weather, nor this situation. Which meant that it was every man, woman, and child for themselves. And Cindy sure as hell wasn't going to brave it alone.

[code]Jus dont get urselves killed[/code]

Cindy sent the text, before she floated off towards the Crystal Shores.

Shizuka smirked upon receiving the message - he knew he could trust that girl to take care of herself (he felt like he had forgotten someone else, but in the end he simply shrugged off the feeling) - and switched the device off. As for Haruka, he brought his knees up to the seat, shaking rather badly. "[i]So...are we going to die here?[/i]"

"[i]I'm the only person allowed to kill you, nerd.[/i]" Shizuka pinched his brother's nose so hard that it made him yelp in pain - Haruka going into a mental breakdown was the last thing they needed right now. "[i]What's the plan? Help that ladydude or just save our own ass?[/i]"

"[i]Mind your language, boy,[/i]" Akemi sighed. "[i]Let's get out of the car first. we'll just be sitting ducks here---[/i]"

"[i]---How about getting out now![/i]" Shizuka grabbed for his aunt and brother before phasing out of the car, which was suddenly assaulted by the monsters, shattering the glass doors and ripping the vehicle apart, turning it into a pile of metal trash. He continued to drag them further away from the scene, where the car remnants exploded into a ball of fire behind them. It didn't burn long, for the heavy rain extinguished the flames moments later.

"[i]That was close,[/i]" Akemi panted, her eyes were wide with shock at the near-death experience. As for Haruka, he had already fainted right into his brother's arms. Well, it was pretty impressive how he had managed to suppress his nerves for so long after witnessing a fucking [i]massacre[/i], being chased around by those killing fiends - not to mention their aunt's terrible driving skills.

However, he had sure picked the worst time to pass out. Shizuka groaned at the thought of having to piggyback his unconscious twin through this shitstorm, but he did all the same - his precious idiot brother took priority over his petty personal complains. He jerked his chin at the other fight straight ahead. "[i]I think we better get to that Vuhong lady. We need her attack power for better chance of survival.[/i]" Akemi nodded in agreement - for a fleeting moment she felt that the younger nephew was very similar to her level-headed sister.

With that, they ran towards to where Lihua was.

[hr][hider=Final Fantasy X HD Remaster OST - Run!!][youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ4Buu1T2bY[/youtube][/hider][hr]
The first problem with getting back on the bridge was - despite her incredible strength, skills, and intelligence to put both formers to good use - she couldn't take on an entire army alone. And those things were just [i]swarming[/i] that bridge. Worst of all, she had someone else to defend it. Her head drifted downwards towards Lijuan, bouncing up and down on her arm trying her damn near hardest to calm the girl down. This was a disaster. She hoped that Meifeng was alright - but she's a strong girl. A warrior to her bone. She'd be fine long as Mika's with her to make sure she didn't do anything stupid.

She heard footsteps running up, and pure instinct took over Lihua. She wasn't sure if it was a mugger, someone looking to capitalize on the disaster, or someone who needed help. Like hell if she was going to take chances [i]now[/i] of all times. She quickly whipped her pistol in the direction of the newcomers. Her finger pulled the trigger halfway.

However, it wasn't an opponent. A familiar face that Lihua met a few weeks ago, and those two youths she was looking for.

"Miss Shinoda," Lihua said, not lowering the pistol. "It is a [i]pleasure[/i] to meet you."

Shizuka raised an eyebrow at the gun - as if his day could get any better: first the raging storm, then those pestering slimes, his unconscious brother on his back...and now this? Compared to the bloodbath back at Chinatown, being greeted at gunpoint felt almost like a joke to him in this situation.

Akemi stepped forward and put an arm before her nephews. "Ms. Vuhong, I suggest that we put our...[i]enmities[/i] aside for now and join forces instead." She then directed her attention to the infant in the agent's arms. "Now that we're here, you don't need to hold back anymore - you can leave your back to me." She raised a hand and mentally projected her invisible shield outwards, blocking out an incoming monster from her right - thus making her point.

The creature pounded against the shield, and Lijuan was loudly crying. However, to the hardened woman, that was just a blur. One thing that wasn't any different from the other. "...[i]Enmities?[/i]" Lihua skeptically asked, raising an eyebrow as she dropped her pistol to her side. [i]Oooooh...this woman might have taken something the wrong way, yes?[/i] Lihua thought to herself as she finally realized it. "You have me mistaken, [i]I[/i] have no ill will towards you." She narrowed her eyes for a moment. "...[i]You[/i], on the other hand, I do not know." She didn't hate Akemi, nor did she especially like her - she was in that special neutral sweet-spot. Though, that was fully unimportant. If everyone was going to pull through this disaster, they needed to put all rivalries and petty feuds to rest...or else they would consume them, and be the end of them.

"We could definitely work as a team." Lihua said, finally getting to the important matters. "However, I left something very important in my car up there..." She pointed up towards the bridge. "...My phone. I have some powerful contacts - in and out of NEST - and they could be useful at this moment. If anything goes on within NEST, I am the first to hear about it." She was talking out of her ass a little bit here - she was suspended, so she was literally the [i]last[/i] person to be informed of new developments. However, they didn't have to know about that little detail.

The phone was more than needed if Lihua was going to find her way out of this disaster with herself, Lijuan, and Meifeng, in one piece.

[i]Phone, huh?[/i] If it's as Cindy said, this whole city was already infested with these fucking goo - the Metacops probably had their hands full at dealing with those right at their doorstep to spare anyone for an odd group like theirs (unless that ladydude's rank was pretty high up enough to warrant special attention). Shizuka gave his aunt a sideways glance; Akemi simply responded with a gesture at him to put the still knocked-out Haruka beside her. [i]You know what to do[/i], she mouthed, then her face broke out into a quick, faint smile before she resumed working on her force fields.

[i]Well, things ain't looking so good here too.[/i] He rubbed the back of his neck and looked around with a scowl - too bad that he still couldn't walk on air and taking a detour to go up would take too much time (his aunt and that Vuhong lady wouldn't last that long either), so he would need an alternative. And the idea he had was probably the most unpleasant one he could ever think of: using the cars [i]and[/i] minions as stepping stones - while he couldn't exactly fly per se, his power would allow him to lower his weight to jump higher. The only two problems to his crazy plan were stamina and timing.

The rest were too busy dealing with the immediate frontal assault to provide other options, so he guessed he would have to gamble on his own insanity. "Right. Where in which car, ma'am?"

The woman put her hand on her hip (other hand was holding Lijuan). She was wondering what this boy could do...though, truth be told, it's more than likely that he's a Metahuman of some sort. Akemi was obviously one, and it's not a big stretch to assume the boy's brother was one, too. She should feel bad that she's making this child run headfirst into danger for her phone, just so she can contact Meifeng. Hmph.

It's just another thing to feel guilty about.

"The black Cadillac XTS Luxury Sedan." The words came out of her mouth.

Shizuka gave her a curt nod. [i]This better be worth the trouble.[/i]

He took in a deep breath - he could vaguely feel the raindrops falling through the molecules of his body - and he began to run, building up enough momentum before he leaped onto a car, then making the first jump. He felt lighter, as if the atoms were expanded slightly - almost like he's sailing through the air for a split second before he landed on top of one of those mucks. Unfortunately he didn't have the luxury to ponder about these unnecessary stuffs - all he could do was to keep going, before these brainless monsters could catch what he's trying to do.

He continued to hop from one creature to another, putting all those training and skills carved into his small frame from the many sports he played to their best use. By the time he reached the top of the bridge, every muscle in his body were in agony. He gritted his teeth, forcing his aching legs to keep running while dodging the slashing attacks from the creatures - the vehicle that woman had described was a couple of feet away, and he quickly phased into it, narrowly missing a whipping tentacle.

[i]Cup holder...and bingo.[/i] He turned off the mobile - if he phased along with it while it's still on his power might cause the device to short-circuit, and that would defeat the purpose of wasting all his energy just to get this thing to that lady. He held the phone close to his chest and shut his eyes, dropping down through the car and the bridge ground before he fell on his back - on top of the windshield of a van below.

The strong gust brought by the storm was icy cold against his skin, but his body still felt hot from the adrenaline rush. [i]No time for breaks.[/i] He made the last dash towards where his aunt - and the Vuhong woman - were.

"[i]Shizu![/i]" He was a little surprised to hear Haruka's voice - which meant his brother was now awake. "[i]W-Wha---?[/i]"

The younger twin waved him off tiredly, and held out the phone at the agent. "G-Got...it." Then he sat down beside Akemi - the intensity of the soreness would probably take him a few weeks to recover from (he worked his body ten times harder than he normally did for this, especially since he had to keep his power active numerous times). He had pushed himself a little too far, it seemed - his heart felt like it was going to burst right out from his chest any moment.

"[i]Good work,[/i]" was all Akemi could spare for him before she returned her focus back to her invisible defending fields.

"Thank you," was all Lihua could offer before she quickly grabbed the phone, and ignored the two for a moment as she dialed Meifeng. She immediately slammed that phone to her ear, quietly praying that Meifeng and Mika were okay. When Meifeng answered, Lihua let out a sigh of relief. "[i]Meifeng, are you okay?[/i]" Lihua quickly asked, speaking her native language. "[i]Where are you?[/i]"

"[i]We're just running for our lives, you know, the usual.[/i]" Meifeng responded in Chinese. "[i]Where are you?[/i]"

"[i]I'm heading over there. Just...stay where you are.[/i]" Lihua pleaded. "[i]And don't do anything stupid.[/i]"

There was a brief pause "[i]No can do,[/i]" she said.

"[i]What?[/i]" Lihua asked. "[i]I just said not to do anything stupid.[/i]"

"[i]Sorry, mom, but I gotta help Jen first,[/i]" Meifeng said. "[i]I know she's in danger.[/i]"

"[i]Meifeng,[/i]" Lihua said, in utter disbelief. "[i]Caspin will be fine, you don't have to run out there and put your own life on the line for someone like her,[/i]" she said, coming off as a bit more venomous than intended.

Instead of answering, Meifeng simply hung up the phone.

Making Lihua loudly sigh. Now she had to go find that hard-headed child.

Haruka knelt down next to him with a twisted expression - one in which the person couldn't decide if he was worried or scared. "[i]What happened to you? Are you okay?[/i]"

Shizuka ruffled his brother's hair playfully in reply, but his ears were on the Vuhong woman's conversation with Meifeng; he was a little envious at their exchanges (yes he could understand Mandarin, but it wasn't a big deal to brag about to anyone) - while any teen around his age would find the ladydude an overprotective, annoying mum, the twin's mother was the type that's on the other end of the scale, the kind who actually thought of them as a burden...an eyesore. There were even times he wished that Akemi was their real mother instead - at least she genuinely cared for them.

Lihua looked down at the boy. Hmph. They best be prepared for what's happening next, because the chances of any of them surviving was a...grey area, to say the least. Before she rushed off towards Meifeng, she figured that she'd at least contact someone within NEST. The only person she had in mind. She went through her phone, and dialed Maximilian Cornell.

When he answered, she said, "Agent Cornell, this is Ms. Vuhong." As formally as possible.

"Agent Vuhong," Maximilian answered. "How can I help you?"

Once again, Lihua paused. "I know you have your hands full...and we are not on the best of terms, but I am not asking for help," She started off, brushing her wet strands of hair out of her face. "I am asking if there is a safezone of the sorts for me and my daughters to go."

"Task Force RAVEN is establishing such a place as we speak around the Headquarters," Maximilian started off. "I can't guarantee direct assistance from NEST, but if you can get there, agents can offer you protection."

"Understood." Lihua said. "We'll start heading there right now. Goodbye."  She hung up the phone.

Hmph. Now that left Lihua a rather hefty to-do list. She had to find Meifeng in the Priscilla Isle...then head over to the Isabella Isle. Which were, obviously, an entire city apart. On foot. In a city that's infested with eldritch monsters. Which was also in the middle of a natural disaster.

[i]God damn it.[/i]

She'd work better on her own, but she was more than certain that she wouldn't be able to get rid of these people even if she tried! Not without murdering them, but they're [i]nice[/i] people, to say the least. Well, that's if they even want to come with her. It's likely they'd run headfirst to the NEST Headquarters and leave this place behind. She wouldn't blame them if she had to be entirely honest with herself.

"Alright," Lihua turned towards them, and kept her eyes narrowed. "NEST is building a safezone around their headquarters, which is straight upwards. If you start now, you can get there safely." She shrugged. "However, I have to continue back towards the Priscilla Isle... I have to get my daughter out safely." Her tone took a more hostile route from here. "I don't expect you to come with me - you three can get to safety, and I'll handle myself in the meantime."

Akemi pursed her lips - she didn't exactly hate Lihua, but she probably would never come to like her either. Before she could speak her mind, Shizuka said first, "Of course we'll do the obvious, but---" His eyes traveled from the lady's hard look to the baby in her arms. "---It's suicidal if you're gonna bring that along with you too."

"What?" Lihua said, her stance was getting a lot more defensive than before. If this boy suggested that she [i]abandon[/i] Lijuan to what had to be an essential stranger, then he's crazier than he looked. "I can protect Lijuan just [i]fine[/i]." The words came out of her mouth, sounding awfully passive-aggressive. "Just worry about yourself, boy." She pointed at him.

Shizuka rolled his eyes. [i]Can this person be any denser?[/i] "At least take her to NEST before you go for Mei. Get your priorities [i]right[/i], woman." He then ignored Lihua and got to his feet - Akemi was probably feeling drained from the continuous use of her ability, and they really needed to get out of here. "[i]I'm okay, let's go.[/i]"

"Child," Lihua said, about to give this boy a piece of her mind, lashing out at her like this - only stopping herself when she realized that he wasn't the problem here. "I will, in fact," she said. She let out a sigh. "Well, I believe we can go as a group - but from then on, I am working alone."

Akemi simply shook her head tiredly, while Haruka shrugged as they moved towards the NEST Headquarters.