MARY AND ALICE'S FIGHT. 

1774, NOVEMBER 28th, MONDAY 2:28 am.

Bullets whizzed past Mary's head as she hid behind a giant sewing machine; a green firefly landed in her hair. Alice fired round after round towards Falcon's location, but the bird of death was on the defensive. With her quick reaction time, she threw up portals every time a bullet was fired.

"Any plans?" Alice said.

"I can't use any poisons with her energy shield up," Mary said. "And if she's on guard, it'll be hard to get a good shot on her... Even if you can go back in time a few seconds."

"She's strong..."

"Yeah, well, we don't need to beat her," Mary patted Alice's shoulder. "Everyone else should be out of the elevator by now... We just need to distract her long enough to join them."

Mary leaned past the giant sewing machine and her gaze landed on Falcon. A faint, shimmering barrier enveloped her skin.

"Because she's continuously creating a telekinetic barrier, maintaining an energy shield requires constant attention," she said. "As long as I hit her with a few chemical attacks now and then, her attention will be divided between us and her shield."

Prismatic energy shone through the magazine in Alice's sniper rifle as she reloaded by creating new bullets.

"So... Wait for an opening. Then escape."

Mary nodded. She grunted when Alice pushed her out of the way — a portal opened above them and Falcon dived down. The violet-haired girl took aim and fired, but in the instance she appeared, a rain of sewing needles the size of arrows bombarded the couple.

Falcon's head snapped back from the bullet; she tumbled backwards and fell into a portal she opened up at the last second. Mary was quick to create a steel barrier above her and Alice — needles dented and penetrated the metal ceiling.

"You ok Apple?"

"I'm good Mango."

"Ztop it! Will you two ztop that!" Falcon yelled.

A portal appeared between Mary and Alice. Both raised their weapons, yet Falcon didn't appear. Alice's eyes widened.

"Duck!"

A giant needle flew straight towards Mary's head. Blood splattered everywhere — she ducked at the last possible moment and was injured, but alive. The pin crashed into the massive sewing machine and sent cracks spiderwebbing all along its length.

Mary touched the wound and brought the bloodied fingers to her gaze. It was a red-violet hue; her eyes widened. Alice raised her rifle and aimed, but Falcon was nowhere in sight.

"Coming into my room, being lovey-dovey, flirting, kizzing," she said. "You trying to make me enviouz? You think I wanted thiz! I never azked to be alone! I never azked to be a bird of death!"

"Then why are you bruh!" Mary shouted.

"Becauze I don't have a choice!" Falcon yelled. "What do you think Edward will do to me if I refuze? At leazt if I keep doing what he wants, I have a little freedom!"

Multiple portals opened around Mary and Alice.

"The only way to zurvive down here is to obey Edward," she said. "Even your friend Bootz knowz that... He may be ezcorting you all, but he hazn't fought? Right?"

Mary and Alice didn't respond. Falcon chuckled as more portals appeared.

"When your little plan failz, Bootz will claim he intended to betray your group to begin with," she said. "He will say he brought you all here as a gift... Bootz doezn't believe you will win."

Falcon appeared out a portal behind Mary — Alice shot her as if she knew three seconds into the future. The bird of Death was on guard however and jumped into another portal. Mary spun and placed her back against Alice's.

The two scanned the environment as Falcon leapt from portal to portal. It was impossible to follow. The bird of death was moving from every perceivable angle. Alice froze when her gaze landed on the massive sewing needles embedded in the ground.

Mary turned to her and cursed under her breath. Alice's trypophobia. It never occurred to her that the holes on the sewing needles would trigger it. Her spine prickled and she pushed Alice away in the nick of time.

A line went past them like a laser beam. It was thin and small like string but made of that same stuff Falcon's portals were. Every object it touched was cut. Including Mary's butcher's cleaver. The girl grit her teeth and created a new one.

"I take it back. I know how you got here. Owl iz weak, Dove iz apathetic, and Vulture iz dumb," she sighed. "You've yet to fight a true bird of death... Zo, I'm done teazing you."

Alice aimed her gun towards a portal — Falcon walked out and Alice pulled the trigger. Something slammed into her gun, but the girl maintained her grip and went spinning with the firearm.

The bird of death was before her in an instant. Alice didn't have time to raise her gun — she didn't need to. She fired, a pocket watch was created on the floor, the bullet ricocheted up to Falcon; she screamed and clasped her eye.

It gave Alice the heartbeat of time she needed to back away before Falcon attacked. A rapier themed like a sewing needle appeared in the bird's hand and she swung; she missed.

"How! Zuch accuracy iz impozzible!" She screamed. "You didn't even raize your gun!"

Mary appeared behind Falcon and slapped her face. As quick as she appeared, Mary jumped back before Falcon could hit her. The bird of death turned with fire in her eyes and her expression full of rage. She stepped towards Mary — she stumbled.

Falcon raised her hand to her cheek and found a smear of red-violet blood. Mary's blood; it was spread across the wound on her face. The cut Noche made with her corruption sword.

"W-What did you do?" She said.

"I was waiting for the moment you'd slip up with that forcefield," Mary said. "If inorganic poison can't pass through your portals, then I'll use an organic one, bruh."

"W-Whaaat zid yew doo?"

"APPLE NOW!"

Falcon's skin was pale and face was pouring sweat as she turned to Alice. Prismatic energy became a machine gun in the violet-haired girl's hand. In a flash, it revved up and unleashed a barrage of bullets on the bird of death. What made it more devastating was each bullet exploded.

The silver-haired girl screamed and slammed against a wall. She seemed to suffer little to no damage, but she wailed in pain regardless. Mary ran up to Alice, who was walking backwards towards the elevator.

"Her senses won't stay sensitive for long! Can you shoot and run?"

Alice nodded.

"Then lets go while she's distracte -"

A coughing fit assaulted Mary. Alice turned towards her, eyes softened and expression full of concern. Her hand twitched, but she couldn't offer it while holding the Gatling gun.

"Not now," Mary wheezed. "Medicine — I need my medicine."

Falcon threw up a portal in front of the gunfire. A gigantic cloud of prismatic energy surrounded Mary and Alice. Needles, hundreds of needles were created and launched at the duo.

Alice fired round after round into the flying arrows. Each shot ricocheted dozen of times, yet she couldn't get them all. One such needle made its way towards Alice's neck — a metal pumpkin blocked it.

Mary restrained her coughing and smiled at Alice. The two held off the metal missiles as Falcon continued to create more and more. For every attack Alice missed, Mary blocked. Despite Mary kneeling on the ground, it appeared as if the two were sharing a dance.

In the distance, Falcon scowled.

A portal opened behind Mary. An arm shot out of it and grabbed her.

"MARY!"

Alice turned, threw an arm out after her girlfriend, and grasped something — the necklace snapped. Mary was thrown into the portal and Alice froze for a second. Her eyes lingered on the bullet-casing ornament in her palm.

"Alice!" Mary shouted.

She snapped to the direction of her girlfriend. Falcon and Mary stood next to the elevator; both naked. However, the brown-skinned girl was having a coughing fit.

"Take a good look, it will be the lazt time you zee her," Falcon said.

She pushed Mary to the floor and Alice ran. Two portals appeared on either side of Mary.

"Even I don't know what happens when the entrance portal collapses into the exit portal," Falcon grinned. "I call it — Banish."

"Alice," Mary coughed. "Save me."

The violet-haired girl ran as fast as her legs could carry her — the two portals slammed into one another. They fused, shrank, and vanished with a pop. Mary gone with them.

"Do you understand who you are fighting now?" Falcon smirked. "I am a bird of death."