She ripped off her mask. Then she screamed back. Advance Guard was throwing up defenses before it seemed like the scream hit them.

I couldn’t hear what it sounded like, but I could see the effect. The people who weren’t fully protected, ReSound included, were laid low.

Had it not been for shimmering forcefield-like barriers and strange crystal growths, she might have been able to hit the entirety of Advance Guard, aside from the absent Spright. As it was, she got maybe three or four.

“The emotion attack,” Rain said.

ReSound’s body language changed completely. A moment later, she lunged for Love Lost, swinging punches, grabbing.

The black-haired woman didn’t let her make contact. She stepped back out of the way, raked with claws, avoided the grab, clawed again. With the second slash, blood was spilled.

The other affected people in Advance Guard were turning on teammates. Most shouted, silent with our lack of audio, rather than attack.

My first thought was, fuck Advance Guard.

My second thought was to register the blood. Blood. This is serious now.

“I’m going,” I said.

“We’re coming,” Tristan said.

Shadow 5.3

We hurried to get ourselves put together. Tristan was often the one to take point on the organization side of things, but for the moment, he was ducking under a table, dragging out a plastic bin with his armor in it. No breath or focus to spare.

“What are we doing?” Sveta asked.

“I guess we all go,” I said. “Control the situation, then help the heroes, in that order? Tristan?”

“Yep,” Tristan said, as he straightened up. He pulled off the v-neck long sleeved shirt he was wearing, undid the necklace with steel beads and a metal ram’s horn, and dropped them into a corner of the plastic bucket. He had his non-armor costume on under his clothes, form-fitting and covered in patterns that gave some character to what was visible in the gaps between the individual pieces of armor.

“What can I do?” Rain asked.

“You come if you’re up for it. Kenzie too.”

“Yes,” Kenzie said, without hesitation.

“I want you on the periphery,” Tristan said, stressing the periphery part. “Kenzie, you’re staying close to me, you’re backup and problem solving, we’ll figure out where to park you and keep you as a reserve.”

“You’re bringing me along?” Kenzie asked, wide-eyed.

I listened and watched, pulling off my sweater with one hand, the other hand holding my camisole top in place.

Tristan answered her, “I promised you I would. You can keep an eye on things with the cameras?”

“I can,” she said, enthused. “Oh shoot! I need to get last minute costume stuff done, and I have it loaded with stuff for Chris.”

She began rummaging, hurrying to get ready.

“You want me along?” Rain asked.