[hr][h1][i]2:12 PM, The next day.[/i][/h1][hr]


The very next day, NEST Agents were dedicating all their efforts to strengthening the defensive position. Lihua and Cindy were using their powers to erect mighty walls around the NEST safe zone. Which Lihua created a variety of towers around the area, which were mounted with 50. caliber machine guns. It was far more useful against the periodic attacks the Devil was throwing against the safe zone.

The Devil didn't throw an army at the group - she was sending groups of various sizes at the safe zone every now and then. Some were made short work of by the 50. caliber gunners - others required some of the Metahumans to come out. There was that fleeting suspicion that the Devil was just toying with them. She could have thrown her entire army at them to overwhelm them.

Which is why Lihua came up with the plan to wire the surrounding area with explosives. Enough explosives to destroy a great chunk of the city - taking whatever grey-skinned monster down with them. That was only a last resort, of course. They would need to eliminate Devil before it comes to that point.

NEST Agents were getting ready to push out and lay out a trap for the Devil of Verthaven in hopes that they'll be able to find the Devil and settle this once and for all. However, other forces are laying their eyes on NEST.

Stepping outside, despite it being midday, it was rather dark due to the rain clouds. The never ending rain blocked the sun. However, sun's light pushed through the clouds, and still let people know when it was daytime. The shield diluted the light, and shined on the city as a blue light.

[hr][h1][i][color=Lawngreen]Sonya Mayfield[/color], [color=Dodgerblue]Lihua Vuhong[/color], [color=Gray]Quentin Taylor[/color], [color=Red]Meifeng[/color], & Task Force RAVEN[/i].[/h1][hr]


"Those animals." Lihua said to herself, as she sat in the conference room. Next to her was Meifeng with her feet kicked up on the table - Lihua swiped her feet off the table, and made her put them back on the ground. They just received news of what happened at the Church, and it wasn't good.

"They're acting like they can do whatever they want!" Sonya shouted, slamming her webbed hands on the table.

"Y'know," Leon raised a finger, and had to note this. "With the only people who can stop them stretched so thin... I can't say it's a stretch that they'd get [i]that[/i] idea." He then crossed his arms, and leaned back in his chair.

"We have to handle them..." Maximilian stated. 

"This puts us in an... unfavorable situation." Lihua said, cordially folding her hands on the table as she earned looks from all of her team mates. "We know that the Changeling Unit is coming for Heartbreaker, and if they have any window of opportunity, they have it now." To empathize her point, she dramatically tapped her finger on the table. "[i]But,[/i] if we ignore the Devil, she can make her armies [i]even stronger,[/i] and give her time to prepare."

"So, basically, we in between a rock and a hard place?" Leon said.

"No matter what we choose," Meifeng crossed her arms and pouted. "We're some kind of screwed."

"Essentially." Leon said.

"Which is why I suggest only taking a small squad out there to lay down the trap." Lihua suggested, very coolly. "We should only need a few people if we intend on slipping through the cracks."

"... And what if they decide to attack ya'll?" Leon brought up the question.

Lihua's lips curled upward in a pleased grin, "Oh, I"m pretty certain they're going to stay far away from us once they find out their metal friend has switched sides." She quickly chuckled to herself.

"So, wait, you wanna bring Peter along?" Leon asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Lihua shrugged. "Of course - he'll be doing what we asked him to do," She started off, and raised a finger. "... Fighting the Devil. Besides, if we run into trouble, he should have more than enough firepower to get us out of it. Worst case, he dies shielding us from them, and we get a clear window of opportunity to escape. Just as Quentin suggested." She folded her hands on the table.

"There should be enough Agents staying behind to handle the Changeling Unit, if so." Maximilian said, "So, who's going to go along for this assignment? I'll be staying behind."

"Obviously, I should lead this operation." Lihua said. "With my tactics, and intelligence, you all will see results."

Meifeng grinned wildly, and folded her hands on the table. Almost emulating her mother. "... I guess I'll go along, too. If I'm going to help save this city."

"Might as well go along!" Sonya yipped. "Scouting and reconnaissance is where I shine, boyos!"

Quentin shrugged. "I'll hold back and stick with Max. Wouldn't mind pushing a couple of slugs towards these assholes after everything they've done."

"Wouldn't be too reliant on the metal man, though," Leon shrugged, coolly speaking his mind. "I... might as well come along. Think I'll be more useful out there, than fighting those Changelings." Truth be told, Leon just didn't want to look into the minds of those bastards. He'd have to stab his eyes out.

"I'll be joining everyone on this mission." Adam said from across the table.

"Good, we had a solid team for the away squad." Maximilian said. "We'll have to set up the arrangements for the... Donation." Specifically being the Colossus.

"... I'll get the shovel." Leon said, as he got up.

Maximilian rolled his eyes. "Move out, RAVEN." He got up. "We'll hold the fort here."

"Yes!" Meifeng said, raising her fists in the air as she hopped up. "I'm a RAVEN now."

Lihua got up, rolling her eyes, and grabbed Meifeng by the ponytail. "Come here, we need to head onto the armory." She dragged Meifeng off somewhere.


[hr][h1][i][color=red]Meifeng Vuhong[/color], & [color=Dodgerblue]Lihua Vuhong[/color][/i].[/h1][hr]


Inside the armory...

"[i]Lift your arms up.[/i]" Lihua said, standing behind Meifeng holding a bulletproof vest with both hands herself. Meifeng did as ordered, and Lihua slid the bulletproof vest onto her daughter, and she looked down at her.

"[i]Heh, I'm wearing this a little sooner than I'd thought.[/i]" Meifeng said, as she looked down on her completed NEST armor. The black shirt, with bits of black armor placed in strategic locations to protect her from harm.

"[i]You look good in it.[/i]" Lihua complimented her, "[i]It was a royal pain to find armor that'd fit you.[/i]" Lihua took a step back, and turned her wrist upwards to point a finger. "[i]Stand up, I need to show you something.[/i]" She took a step back, and grabbed something from one of the shelves.

"[i]Yeah, what is it?[/i]" Meifeng said as she put her hands on her hips. 

Lihua stepped up, and grabbed onto the utility belt around her waist, she grabbed a black and yellow taser from behind her, and put it in the belt. "[i]This is a taser,[/i]" Lihua was about to explain, when she was interrupted by her daughter.

"Well, gee," Meifeng said in English, "Didn't know that."

Rolling her eyes, Lihua finished her line of thought, "We tested it, and we have discovered that the beasts are stunned for a few moments if tasered... It isn't the most viable strategy, but it can save you if you can reach for it."

The next object that Lihua handed Meifeng was an earpiece. "[i]You use this to communicate, just put this in your ear, and press this button, and you'll be able to transmit.[/i]" She then pointed at the button. "[i]This is what your fellow agents will use to communicate with you.[/i]"

"[i]... You want me to stick this ear?[/i]" Meifeng raised an eyebrow as she reeled back a little bit. 

"[i]You'll get used to it.[/i]" 

Meifeng took the moments to gently stick the earpiece in, and she kept the same disgusted look on her face - with her eyes jammed shut, lips sealed extra tight, and cringing  - as she let the thing rest in her ear. 

Lihua crossed her arms, and rolled her eyes up into her head. "[i]Stop acting like it was shoved up your ass.[/i]" She spoke, irritated.

"[i]Oooooh, getting a little crude, aren't you?[/i]" Meifeng smiled widely, almost erasing that uncomfortable expression off her face.

Giving her daughter an aside look, Lihua states, "[i]You were being over dramatic.[/i]" Now that she said that piece of her mind, she turned around, and gestured for Meifeng to follow. Shrugging, Meifeng simply hopped her way behind her. Lihua lead her from the armory, all the way to the shooting range. A dark room with grey concrete blocks comprising it, there were several metal blocks keeping one range separate from another. She turned halfway, and pointed. "[i]Pick an aisle.[/i]"

Not feeling all that inspired to do anything more than pick the closest one, she quickly ran to the first one. Having a distinct feeling of what her mother wanted to do.

"... [i]I should have done this earlier.[/i]" Lihua reached down to her hip, and pulled out her glock 17 as she took steps over to Meifeng. "[i]Look, this is no toy, you can really hurt someone if you play around.[/i]" Lihua presented the gun to her.

"... [i]That's the point.[/i]" Meifeng snarked, raising an eyebrow and keeping a smile on her face.

"[i]Don't be smart.[/i]" Lihua said, as she approached an aisle, and aimed the gun down the aisle - arms stretched, feet shoulder-width, leaned forward a bit - as she looked down the sights/ It was called the the Fighting Stance in the military groups. "[i]See this stance?[/i]" She asked, "[i]I want you to try something like this.[/i]" She got out of the stance, standing straight up, and checked the safety before passing the gun off to Meifeng.

This was the first time she ever got to hold a gun herself - she's seen plenty of guns lately, but she never thought about holding them.

"[i]Hold it like this.[/i]" Lihua assumed the same stance, sans gun. "[i]And be sure to keep it away from you like they do in those damn movies - you'll go deaf. Or, don't shoot it one-handed - you'll miss every shot.[/i]"

Meifeng did her best to mimic the stance, and hold the gun as carefully as possible.

Lihua walked over, and grabbed Meifeng's left hand. "[i]Good, good, you're using your right hand - just put your left hand like this.[/i]" She guided the hand to the heel of the pistol, and left it there. "[i]Like this. Keep your hand steady.[/i]"

"[i]Okay.[/i]" Meifeng nodded her head as she looked down the pistol.

Meifeng was holding this like a natural! Lihua would have been proud if she wasn't so focused on teaching her this vital skill (Now more than ever). She reached over, and put her finger on the iron-sight of the weapon. "[i]This is the iron-sight, just line it up with your target, and shoot.[/i]" 

Meifeng, impatiently, pulled the trigger - but not a single shot came out.

With a roll of her eyes, Lihua reached over, and grabbed the gun. "See this?" Lihua pointed towards the safety trigger. "This is the safety - I expect you to have this on if you're not going to use it." She crossed her arms, and faced forward towards the target. "Turn it off, and shoot." She shrugged.

Flicking off the safety with her finger, Meifeng was focused as a girl can be. This was the start of her training - the training that Lihua would never give her before. She held her breath - and pulled the trigger. The ring of the bullet still loomed in her mind as the bullet exploded out the pistol. It hit the target right in the chest.

Letting out a sigh, Meifeng felt someone accomplished.

"[i]Again.[/i]" Lihua ordered, "[i]Practice makes perfect, and we don't have a lot of time.[/i]"

Meifeng fired the gun again, and the bullet missed. She grit her teeth and fired again, the bullet hit the target - technically off course.

"[i]Take your time.[/i]" Lihua raised her hand in the air, gesturing for her to stop. "[i]You're only practicing?[/i]"

"[i]Won't really have much time to waste out there, yeah?[/i]" Meifeng said in between shots. 

"[i]But acting brashly would only... add to the risk.[/i]" Lihua's brown eyes peered over towards Meifeng. "[i]You miss, hit an ally, and now you have two problems.[/i]" She rested her head on the tips of her fingers. 

"[i]Yeah, I know.[/i]" Meifeng hissed before she fired another shot.

Lihua crossed her arms, and shook her head as she looked ahead. With every shot she misses, Meifeng became more irritated, and even [i]less[/i] accurate.

When she pulled the trigger for the [i]last[/i] time, the bullet clicked. 

"[i]Huh, what gives?[/i]" Meifeng said, looking at the gun. 

"... [i]If you look down the barrel of that gun, I swear to God.[/i]" Lihua hissed with her eyes closed. "[i]Actually, how about we take five? I think Maximilian is almost ready.[/i]"

"[i]Yeah, sure.[/i]" Meifeng said, getting ready to pass the gun back to Lihua - only to get it rejected by the palm of Lihua's hand. 

"[i]Keep it.[/i]" Lihua said. "[i]It's your sidearm.[/i]"

"[i]Uh, thanks.[/i]" Meifeng looked down at it as she put the gun in the holster.

"[i]Just...[/i]" Lihua trailed off, "[i]Use it[/i] only [i]when you have to.[/i]"

"[i]Okay.[/i]" Meifeng nodded her head.

The two walked out the armory.


[hr][i][h1][color=aqua]Jennifer Caspin[/color], [color=salmon]Haruka Takashiro[/color], & Akemi Shinoda.[/h1]
[sup]([@Mr Allen J] and [@tsukune])[/sup][/i][hr][hider=Woodkid - The Shore][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mu_qEDy41JY[/youtube][/hider][hr]


Jen had to have spent the last hour staring in front of this damn mirror. A dark room that was barely illuminated by the light that was stretching out from the room outside. Jen wondered if she was going to get through this ordeal of chaos. The guilt, shame, and uncertainty was breaking her to pieces. Streams of tears were running down her face, and she was sobbing uncontrollably. She stopped for a moment. Out of fear that someone would hear her and come in.

[i]Come on Jen... you won't get out of here if you don't act natural...[/i]

The thoughts went through her head in an attempt to calm herself down. She looked down, and poked a finger - and felt the foreign object, and had no choice but to cringe. She covered her mouth up, and coughed up a wad of blood into the sink. She stared at it for a moment, feeling pain like no other. This bomb.... it was a hell of a reason to keep her in line. It'd make Jennifer hate herself, but it wasn't just herself on the line.

Even if she did get it out, that didn't guarantee her family's survival. Or if they [i]can[/i] remove it. Jennifer looked up at herself in the mirror. [i]This is the end isn't it?[/i] Streams of tears came down her face. [i]I should just...[/i] She looked down, and wondered if she could even kill herself anymore. Jennifer would probably just heal.

So... there was no way out of this. She was a tool of psychopaths because they needed to get out of this.

Maybe she just needed to get some fresh air. Talk to someone. Get her mind off things. She looked down to see if she was presentable, and saw that she was wearing a jean skirt, a white button up, and a jean jacket over that. With her white artist beret on the sink...with a splat of blood on it. Jennifer nervously looked around as she wiped it off. She looked down further, seeing her stockings, and white sneakers.

Yup.

Total hipster trash.

Jennifer took a step towards the door - and her cellphone started ringing. Her heart started racing. [i]Please[/i] don't let it be him. She stared at it...seeing Luis's number. Jennifer cringed as she put the phone up to her ear.

"Yes...?" She answered.

"Oh, I was just calling to see how you were doing." Luis's voice could be heard on the other end of phone, and every word made Jennifer terrified. "What are your little NEST friends up to?"

Here's the moment of truth. "...They're going out to lay a trap for the Devil... they want... they want to find out where she is."

"[i]Splendid![/i]" Luis cheerfully said over the phone. "We might have to move our plans a little ahead of time..." He trailed off for a moment. "Do me a favor, hun, and go find out who's going...?"

Jenny sighed. "Yes, sir."

"Alright, xoxo!" Luis cheerfully said. "And don't get found out! You'll find out what happens if you do!" Luis hung up the phone.

"Yeah...I know." Jennifer sighed - immediately getting reminded of her bitter obligation. She wrapped her arms around herself, and just reminded herself that she was doing this for them. [i]I keep saying that...but it doesn't make it sound any better.[/i] Jennifer thought to herself.

She walked out the room, and started walking down the halls of the NEST Headquarters.

[hr]

After Haruka turned off the comm-piece (half in the heat of irritation, half just to feel smug that he did it before his brother could) and stuffed it back into his jeans pocket, Akemi commented with a chuckle, "[i]It's good to see you and Shizuka are getting along so well.[/i]"

That made the elder twin roll his eyes. "[i]If I don't drill some[/i] humane [i]sense into his thick skull, who will?[/i]"

His aunt turned to look away - staring at the rest of remaining survivors from the convoy bombing around them. "[i]Is it weird for me to say that I sort of envy the kind of relationship you share with him?[/i]"

"[i]I...don't know,[/i]" Haruka replied, uncertain. It was an agreement between the brothers not to mention their mother before Akemi - or rather it was at Shizuka's suggestion, who felt that their aunt would probably not like them talking about Mum in front of her.

"[i]You would've heard of this saying: 'blood is thicker than water' - that nothing could be more important, more precious than the bonds shared between the members within a family. Sadly, that wasn't the case for me - for the Shinoda's.[/i]" Akemi paused to shake her head at Haruka's confused expression. "[i]No, I don't feel any ill will towards Asami - and I believe it's the same for her towards me - but neither do we feel any love for each other. We only see each other as individuals who possess similar DNA...that's all.[/i]"

"[i]I...have no idea,[/i]" was all the boy could say. The twins had never liked their own mother much - either she would leave them all alone and pretend that they didn't exist, or she would make ridiculous house rules and curfews only to infuriate Shizuka to break them all (and then making the matter worse). Their father was the one in charge of all the arrangements required to settle them down each time they moved to a new home and transferred to another school, because Mum only had her mind on climbing the career ladder to spare any thoughts for their well-being.

It was ironic that Shizuka, who probably hated Mum more than he did, was the one who had inherited most (if not all) of her merciless, astute personality.

"[i]As you've already said yourself, no one would want to bother telling others off - especially if it's something that doesn't sound pleasant to the ears, or towards some stranger you don't feel any obligation to.[/i]" Akemi turned back to face Haruka with a smaill smile. "[i]Only when you truly care for that person - no matter how brutal the words may sound - you know you must relay those honest feelings to him or her...because you'll regret it if you don't.[/i]"

Haruka merely noddded; their little conversation had taken most of his mind away from the frightened and worried voices around them. "[i]I don't expect that jerk to really apologize to those teens and agents---[/i]" He raised an eyebrow when he caught sight of a familiar person a few feet behind Akemi. "[i]Speaking of the devil, why is[/i] she [i]here?[/i]"

[hr]

Just wandering through the halls of the Headquarters, looking for someone she can gather info on the whole expedition trip. She had that same depressed look on her face with her arms wrapped around her. Her cheeks were still wet, and her eyes were a little red from the crying - but she hoped that she could talk her way out of that one. While walking, Jennifer eyeballed one of the boys she met yesterday with an older woman (Their mom, perhaps?). It wasn't the best source of information, but Jen knew she could get something out of them.

"Hara..." Jennifer stumbled when pronouncing his name - and ultimately decided to just screw it. "Hey... how...yeah, how are you? I know it just seems things are just...piling up, but I do want to know how you are doing."

"Oh, hi... Jennifer, right?" Haruka greeted her back; he was a little distracted as his attention was on her tear-streaked face (and for a fleeting moment he thought she looked like she was in pain). He frowned, wondering what had made the girl cry - he ruled out Shizuka as a possible cause, because if that was the case she wouldn't have called out to him and even bothered to ask if he's okay. Though curious, he chose not to question her - he felt that she probably wouldn't tell him if he did ask, since they weren't exactly close enough for her to pour her hearts out to him. (Like, they just met for the very first time...only yesterday.)

"Yeah... Jennifer," She started off, scratching the back of her neck. Jennifer was trying her best to blend in.

Akemi glanced from her nephew to the blonde for a full second before she stood up. "I'll leave you kids alone for now. Just give me a shout if you need me back." She gave Haruka a quick hug, then left to sit with a nearby group of survivors, soon chatting up with an old couple.

Once his aunt was out of earshot, Haruka turned to the blonde. "Um, so...what brings you here?"

"You know... just...wandering." It was hard answering that question. Jennifer wanted to say that she wanted to know where everyone else was, but, honestly, she just wanted to talk to someone - actually, that was a good thing to say. Jennifer shuffled her feet, looking at Haruka. "Really... I just wanted to find someone to talk to...because, you know."

Haruka raised his eyebrows, somewhat confused. Why would she want to talk to him of all people - for instance, her own [i]friends[/i] like Cindy and Trevor? "Uh, I guess you can have a seat first? I don't mind lending you an ear."

[i]Maniacs are holding me and my family hostage, please God help me get out of this.[/i] Was what Jennifer wanted to say - but she had no choice but to hold her tongue. She sat down in her chair, and folded a leg over the other. She let out a sigh. "You know... I just - I'll come out of this when I say that I don't think any of us will ever be leaving here..." 

She scratched the side of her neck, looking away from the boy. "It's...like, we're trapped in here with maniacs like the woman who started all this - and on top of that, we have maniacs like the [i]Changeling Unit[/i]-" Jennifer spat out the words venomously, "-going on a rampage. No help. No escape. No...[i]anything.[/i]"

Haruka considered what Jennifer had told him. "...You sound almost like that brother of mine: a realistic pessimist," he said finally, looking up at the ceiling. "He tends to be quite blunt with his choice of words...and I hate to admit that he is usually right."

Jennifer didn't really know how to respond to this - again, she didn't know either of the twins that well. What she did know was that Shizuka was a bit of a - if she had to be crass - jackass. That's just something she'd keep to herself. "Yeah..." she said as she scratched the side of her head.

"Even so, I think he still wants to fight back - it's definitely nothing heroic like saving this whole city..." He then gestured casually at the remnants of people sheltered in the hall around them. "But simply to protect those whom he holds dear." While most people would perceive Shizuka as nothing more than an arrogant, selfish bastard, Haruka knew that sometimes his brother was actually sagacious (maybe too much for his own good) and having a good grasp of his own limitations, but lacked the skill to present his ideas in a better (read: nicer) way.

"There's a..." Jennifer tried to explain how she felt - but stumbled yet again for a moment. She put her hands up, palms facing inwards. "...All good, yeah. While might be rough around the edges, there isn't anything to say that he can't change," Jennifer said. She could still taste blood. This bomb was obstructing something.

[i]Still, that doesn't give him any excuse to be brazenly rude to people[/i], the dark-haired twin thought sourly. Leaving the issue about his brother's straightforwardness aside, Haruka was a bit suspicious at how Jennifer placed an odd emphasis upon mentioning the Changelings.

"Ho--- I mean the NEST agent that saved my, ah, [i]family[/i] did talk about this 'Changeling'..." He regarded the blonde, unblinking. "...Who are they? Have they done something to you before?" He could vaguely feel the comm-piece wedged in his pocket - a click away to warn Shizuka.

"They..." Jennifer trailed off, trying to find the right words. Jen now felt stupid because she was doing the exact opposite of what she was supposed to be doing. She looked to the side, once again wondering how to phrase it. When she opened her mouth, she felt an incredible pain in her gut. She reached down and clenched her stomach - but she suddenly started coughing up blood. Jennifer cupped her mouth as she looked down at the blood that was splattered against her hand.

She looked up at Haruka - who's probably wondering what the hell is going on - and tried to play it off. "Sorry, it's just..." Jennifer thought about it for a moment. "...My power acting up."

Unbeknownest to her, that only made Haruka all the more convinced that Jennifer was definitely hiding something...something [i]grave[/i] from him. He was alarmed when he saw blood on her hand, but he frowned when she said it was due to her power. Holly did explain (briefly) that Metahumans would undergo 'ashing' - literally - if they overused their abilities. He was unsure if vomiting out blood was also one of the nasty side-effects, but Shizuka sounded perfectly fine - just tired - when they spoke to each other over the comm moments ago...

[i]Probably not because of whatever power she may have[/i], he reasoned to himself. [i]She is holding on to her stomach, so it more likely that there is something[/i] inside [i]her that is trying to kill her.[/i] Again, he chose not to pursue further - it seemed to him that Jennifer didn't want him to question her about the blood, so he simply gave her a look of concern before shrugging his shoulders.

That should be convincing enough. Jennifer pulled tissues out her pockets, and wiped the blood off her hands and threw the wipe into the trash. She felt very embarrassed now. She tried to play it off by going back to the original subject, "Um...they're these...people - Metahumans - who have gathered together to kidnap babies, or something. They're really messed up people..." Jennifer looked off to the side. "I don't know much about them...but I apparently met one of them."

What Jennifer was telling him about the Changelings made the boy truly realize the severity of their current situation: on one side they were grasping by the hair trying to survive the slime onslaught, but on the other hand the chaos had created the perfect opportunity for these terrorists to strike even greater fear into the people.

"You have met one of them?" he exclaimed; he then rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, a little embarrassed about raising his voice. "Sorry, um...do you mind sharing what actually happened?"

"Well, yeah...in a way." Jennifer looked off to the side. "A few weeks back - think it was a month, actually, me and Meifeng...and some friends, tangled with the Hands." Jennifer was rather vague on the details. Intentionally, of course. "It was the big thing that started this mess... I wonder - but, I'm going a little off track here, one of the people that helped the Hands was a Changeling named...Heartbreaker? I don't know. She had weird blue skin, and dressed up like a cowboy." She scratched her head. "I...didn't know much about her."

[i]Heartbreaker?[/i] Haruka mulled over the information that Jennifer had provided. Didn't Shizuka said that the Devil used her slime army to go around the city attacking on Metahumans, and that the heart was always missing from the scene? However, there was something else that didn't add ...

What would she do with the hearts she gouged out from the victims? Did she even need to go so far to raze the whole city with an army of sludge monsters?

It felt rather far-fetched to him.

He could almost hear Shizuka mocking him in his mind: [i]or maybe she's trying to mislead you?[/i] He shook his head, not wanting to believe that this girl had any intention to cause him harm - not in front of so many witnesses. Still, he should give his bratty twin a warning about this Heartbreaker...later. He didn't feel like letting Jennifer know about him having a NEST-issued comm-piece in his possession.

"I'm sorry to hear about that," he offered, lowering his head. "It must have been tough for you - to be caught in this after that bad incident." He clenched his fists on his knees. "I know that the situation is not looking good at the moment, but I really do hope that we can survive through this...together. All of us."

"It's... thanks." Jennifer said. "I hope so too..." But Jennifer knew that she'd need more than just hope if they're going to get out of this. People are already dying left and right...and she was certain there was no way she'd get out of this ordeal without losing something great to her. Either her friends, her family...

Jennifer looked at Haruka.

...Or her life. 

Jennifer knew that now more than ever. She was going have to play along with the Changeling Unit's game. Speaking of which, she felt a bit happier about that given her situation. She closed her eyes, and sighed. "So, who was that woman you were talking to? Your...mom?"

Haruka turned away from Jennifer, and stared in Akemi's direction. "Ye--- Uh, not really. Technically she is our aunt - Mum's younger sister - but I guess we do think of her as a mother figure." He shrugged - he didn't felt like babbling about his family background, so he tried to push the limelight back to her. "How about your family, if you're staying with them in this city? Did you manage to get in touch with them?"

While she was informed about Haruka's family status - him asking about [i]her[/i] family brought up those heavy worries about their fate. It always brought a tear to her eye. "...They're...somewhere. They're okay. Yeah." Jennifer tried to awkwardly pip out. This was awkward - she wanted to talk to him, but all she wanted to say was a desperate plea for help. To save her from the Changeling Unit - she began another coughing fit. Quickly manuevering her arm to cover her mouth. She felt more blood coming up through her throat.

But stared at it for a moment.

It felt like her body was rejecting the bomb they had placed inside of her. That regenerative factor wants it out, but...obvious reasons. She started coughing again - falling over onto the floor as she covered her mouth. Violently coughing. She just couldn't hold it anymore. She had to place both hands on the ground to brace herself for her coughing fit. Ultimately coughing up a large wad of blood.

Haruka cringed - not just at the sight of blood; the looks of concern from the bystanders nearest to the teens were making him nervous.

He didn't like to be the center of attention, no matter the reasons or circumstances.

Once it was over, Jennifer was gasping for air. "Hey..." She mouthed the words in between pants. "...I think I need some fresh air. Wanna go outside?"

Thankfully, Jennifer had provided a very good excuse to get them out of the sticky situation. (He probably would still need to give Akemi an explanation later - but well, he would worry about that [i]later[/i].)

"Let's go, then," he agreed in a low voice. "And...I think you might want to see a doctor just to make sure you are really okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't... worry about me. This just happens." Jennifer tries to assure him - the last thing that Jennifer wanted to do was alert anyone, so she'll be opting out of getting medical attention. At least until this blows over. She managed to bring herself back up to her feet, before letting out another cough - fearing that she'd throw another coughing fit - but everything was fine. Jennifer shook her head, and looked around. She earned herself some stares.

Jennifer started walking for the exit of the headquarters. Followed by Haruka.