“Get the children out of here!”

“C’mon, kids.”  I braced my arms, huddling the group towards the door.  Our feet stumbled as the floor trembled, lights now crazily flickering.  I ushered them out, Romane ordering passing Eagles to initiate emergency plans. 

An Eagle ripped around a corner and was screaming nonsense, arms flailing.  “Sir!”  He skidded to a halt and panted to Romane, “The...engine....engine is too damaged to be fixed.  It won’t be long before we start—”

Flames burst from the end of the hallway, and I shoved the kids back into the room, the scorching heat skimming my shoulders as my foot kicked the door shut.  Using my body to shield them, I waited until the roaring crackles of fire simmered down and lifted my head.  Panic kicked my heart to a stop.  “Romane,” I cried. 

“Here,” he rasped under a coarse voice.  I turned and immediately rested my hand on top of his, my heart rate relaxed.  “The children need to get off this plane.” 

I squeezed his hand and said, “If you say some ‘The Captain must go down with his ship’ kind of bull, I will throw you into that fire myself.” 

He wheezed a chuckle and clutched his chest, starting to violently cough.  Smoke leaked through the door, and I released his hand, grabbing the bed sheets.  I quickly rushed into the bathroom, soaked the blankets and stuffed it under the door, my sweat building when shoving it deeper.  “We can’t stay here for long,” I said.  “Are there any other ways to get out of the nursing room?” 

The ground continued to tremble, his voice shaking, “N-No.  The room was constructed to k-keep the people in and everything else out.  It wasn’t designed to have an escape route in case of attackers.” 

Pale Beauty brought her finger to her head, murmuring chants.  Then she opened her eyes, and ran to the wall, looking at me.  “Here.  Pass this wall is the lobby.  If we stay to the right, the emergency pods can safely bring us off the ship.”  Romane and I exchanged a look. 

“Are you sure cancer was the only thing she gained from the lab tests?” I asked. 

“I don’t know anymore,” he answered.  We rushed to the wall.  He reached under his jacket and pulled a smaller version of a shotgun-like device.  “Get the kids away.”  I steered them to the corner of the room, pressing their tiny bodies behind me.  He aimed at the wall, and the weapon grew blue, a ball of energy forming at the barrel.  His finger hit the trigger and the orb blasted into the wall, smoke swarming it before evaporating seconds later.  I peered over and saw a dent in the wall as if someone clubbed it with a bat.  I gave Romane a worried look, his own not helping my uneasy stomach.

The vents started pouring smoke, causing the kids to start coughing.  Fear pricked the hairs of my skin and I stared at my hands.  An idea was floating...I wasn’t sure if this would work.  But I learned throughout this living Hell that you shouldn’t hesitate.  Whether it’s to kill someone who deserved it, or jumping off a bridge to go after a gang leader.  Hesitation was having doubt in yourself and what you’re capable of.  When living as a hustler, you don’t think.  Just do.  Shutting my eyes, I channelled my thoughts to the monster.  Forcing the darkness to parade into my soul, own the body I have.  I heard Romane screaming at the kids, ramming them to the other side of the room.  The temperature dropped and I was shivering.  First shoulders.  Arms.  Then hands.  I propelled the energy towards my hands, and screamed, the silver painfully grabbing onto my nails, dragging them down to free the metal itching to surface.  A voice sobbed in my mind, saying that was enough but the monster and I refused.  It wouldn’t be enough.  I forced more of the silver out, producing long Wolverine like nails.  Black spots started blurring my vision and I stopped the silver, barely able to wheeze a breath.  Stepping forward, I drove both nails in, breaking through the wall.

I thrashed and shred the wall, unleashing the hidden anger into the cuts.  Shards of metal cut my skin, fingers bleeding red.  Slicing through, I broke through the wall and when there was nothing left, I hunched my shoulders and dropped.  Grinding my teeth at the pain, I clawed at the floor as the silver returned inside my hand and arms, back into the infected bloodstream. 

I wanted to die.  I was ready to die.  Too drained to rise, Romane helped me up, patting my cheek to stay awake.  “Wildcat.  Fight it.  Fight the breakdown.  Don’t allow your body to take control.  Use your mind.  Mind over matter.”

Mind over matter.

I did this before.  I could do this.  Mind over matter.  I lifted my heavy head, and moved my dry mouth, my jaw going back and forth.  I rolled my shoulders, shifting my neck.  I looked down at my hands, normal fingers wiggling.  “Okay.  I think I’m...good.”  Emotions now surfacing, panic hitting home.  I failed to swallow the fear riding up my throat.  “What about the nurses, and the Eagles, and Cray?!  Where are they?!”

Romane forced a kiss on my lips, calming me down.  “They’re adults.  They know how to handle themselves.  We have the children, and they need to get to safety first.  Stick to one priority at a time, wildcat.  Trust me.”

Could I?  Could I trust the man who everyone told me was the enemy?  A man who confessed his supposed love for me?  I stared into his blue eyes, now seeming warmth gleam in those orbs, the cold emotion melted into raw, human feelings.  I took his hand and said, “I trust you.” 

He nodded and pushed the children and I in front of him.  “Let’s follow her.” 

Pale Beauty sped in the halls, making several right turns.  Doubt snuck into my mind but before I could talk, men armed with guns swarmed the hallway.  “Target found,” one man spoke in the receiver.  My gaze shot to the scars on their faces and appallingly large muscles.  At least twelve of them blocked our way. 

“Wildcat,” Romane said, starting to remove his gun.

“Don’t,” I told him.  Knowing what I meant, he put it away. 

I summoned the monster and my final breath drew out as a growl.  Silver split my nails in half, claws rising to an inch of shimmering metal.  Hot and cold braided up my toes, along my legs and climbed my jerking spine.  One brown and one black eye rested on the Snipers.  “Fire!” the Sniper shouted. 

Romane dove with the kids into the closest room as the bullets hit my previous spot.  I dashed up the wall, jumping off to sink my claws into the shooter’s neck.  Withdrawing my nails, I leaped backwards and lashed out the 212, a golden bullet zipping out, breaking into three separate bullets that speared into three hearts.  I swivelled around and my heel clicked the man’s chin, his busted neck making an appealing snap.  The golden bullet flew back into the gun and I used the dead man’s body to cover my own.  His body shook in my hands as he was rapidly shot.  Tossing him to the side, I used his shoulders to hop into the air, spinning to kick off the ceiling and drill a fist between a man’s eyes.  Landing on one knee, I curved the gun, pulled the trigger and released the bullet, it bending in air to stab the necks of three Snipers that stood on opposite ends. 

I rose to my feet and lifted the gun, the bullets diving back into the barrel.  The monster moaned and returned to its closet, brown returning to my eyes.  My teeth bit hard into my lip, the silver shrinking back into my nails.

“It’s safe,” I told them.  Romane stepped into the hallway, not looking at the corpses surrounding me. 

“Kids, cover your eyes,” he ordered.  They obeyed.  A chain link of hands were formed and they followed Romane past me, out of the massacre.  Except for Pale Beauty who was taking in the lifeless men, eyes wide. 

My heart tore apart and I quickly hoisted her on my shoulders and ran after the rest of them.  Once we were farther, I placed her down and she said to me, “You did what you had to do to save us, right?”

“Right,” I said. 

Amazed she could understand and not be traumatized, I admired her strength and helped Romane carry the kids.  Pale Beauty made another right and that’s when I spotted a familiar black haired boy.

“Cray!” I shouted. 

He turned, eyes brightening and rushed over, pulling me into a hug.  I buried myself in his neck, shaking my head, wishing this could all go away.  He brought my hand to his eyes, staring at the blood.  “What did you do?”

Romane cleared his throat and I broke apart, still linking my arm around Cray’s neck.  “I don’t mean to intrude,” the gang leader spoke.  “But we don’t have time for chit chat.  We need to get to the emergency pods.” 

“Okay.  Do we have all the kids?” Cray asked.  Surprised how serious his voice was, it was...interesting without that amusement weaved in his tone.  Double checking we had everyone, Cray scooped up two and held the hands of another two.  Romane held the youngest boy in his arms while holding the hands of three others.  The older kids were keeping up, between Romane and I. 

Pale Beauty frantically waved us to move faster.  “Times running out!  The ship’s engines are getting blown up one at a time.  We can’t be on here when the last one explodes.” 

My heart thumped harder, and I didn’t question the child’s speed, running towards the lobby entrance.

“Down here!” she called, her small feet guiding us into the lobby.  The chandelier was smashed on the floor, diamonds gleaming under our shoes.  Smoke was trickling into the tall open ceilings, growing as I caught a flame sparking from closed doors and empty rooms.  I had a bad feeling when we entered a cloud of smoke, tightly clenching the hands of four kids.  Trusting my hearing as I trailed after Pale Beauty, we safely broke through the smoke cloud but my hip banged into her halting body.  “Why did you stop?” 

Her face was frozen, her finger pointing ahead.

“I didn’t know you were the backstabbing type.”  A voice I despised entered the lobby.  There strode Vamp, blonde waves effortlessly flipped under her hand as she surveyed Cray, then Romane, the children and I.  Her lips made a pout, and she playfully whimpered to Cray, “Don’t tell me just because Levi didn’t give you a leading role for the hundredth time, you decided to join the enemy instead.  I bet you this stupid Eagle imbecile didn’t give you a leader role either.  You should know little boys like you don’t belong here.” 

Cray shoved us behind him, his shoulders cracking back.  I watched the boy I knew change into an unknown man that took the floor, darkness swimming in his narrowed eyes.  I remembered how lethal he could get when I first met him, and cautiously took a step back.  “You’re nothing but a little child either,” he smirked.  “Known as Levi’s little girl and the occasional slut.  As a prostitute, don’t you think you’re the one with more toys?  Maybe you should just stick with your poles and walk away.”  Her pale cheeks roasted a tomato red and she stopped approaching, brows arched.  “Tell me, Snowcone,” he said, “have you finally gotten a real boyfriend?” he clucked.  “Is he a bag of flour too?” 

“Don’t you dare talk about my love life!” she snapped. 

“What love life?” he snorted.  “You have no idea what love is!” 

Vamp made a feline hiss, her mouth revealing those sparkling fangs.  She retracted her two jagged knives, and giggled to Cray.  “I’ve always hated you, Cameron.”   

“I’ve always loved you too, Dracula,” he grinned, swiping out his sword. 

I saw a glimpse of Vamp charging at him with a lethal glare before Romane pushed the children and I down another hall.  The cling of metal and unrecognizable screams sucked the colour off my face.  “Jessie, keep the kids close.  We don’t want—” 

Suddenly a sharp buzz entered my ears, my mind was just a moment too late to tell my body to duck as the bullet broke through my flesh, shattered my thoughts and dug straight into my forehead.