Adjustments, part 18
By the way, don't feel you need to read all of this in one swoop.
"Robin! Mr. Amon! What are you doing?!" Sakaki shouted at them as they once more ran into the area highlighted by the streetlamp.
"Robin wishes to help," Amon said simply, as Robin ran forward. A confused look came over Sakaki's face.
"Huh? How's she going to do that?"
"I'm not sure," Amon admitted.
Robin ignored them both, and embraced Doujima when she reached her. Doujima...she thought. I'm sorry...She reached a hand up, and clasped it around her pendant, willing herself to stand still and calm. I need to sense her...sense this Hunter's element...she thought to herself, remembering when she herself had been trapped in an illusion. If I can sense it...maybe...maybe I can pass that to Doujima...
She closed her eyes, and concentrated. And she did feel something, though it took her a moment to realize what. When it came to her, she stepped away with a gasp. Flames sparked and engulfed the body of Doujima.
"Robin, what have you done?!"
"This isn't real..." she whispered, turning to Amon. "This isn't real."
"Robin?! Have you lost your senses?! You just killed Miss Doujima!' Sakaki cried out. "You're acting like a Witch!" Robin turned to him, and smiled, sadly.
"I am a Witch," she said softly. With a look of horror, Sakaki vanished in flames as well.
"Robin..." She turned to face Amon.
"What are you doing?" he asked simply.
"I..." Her eyes widened. What if she'd been wrong? She dropped to the ground, and put her head between her hands, shaking it furiously. "No...it's an illusion...they weren't real..." she whispered brokenly, but the tears still came. She glanced up at Amon, whose expression hardened from shock to stone as she watched.
"Robin. This is not the time for excuses. Why did you kill them?"
"Amon, I..." she struggled to put what she had sensed into words. "This...that woman..." she glanced around, wildly. "She-" Robin stood, nearly tripping over herself in her haste to stand again. "It's an illusion, Amon."
"What makes you so sure?"
"I don't know...I just...sense it..."
Amon regarded her coldly, for a moment. She saw his fingers tense on his gun...before he slid into his holster with a nod. She understood. For now, he would trust her. "Can you sense her? The Hunter?" he asked. Robin shook her head.
"No...but...there's a feeling of...wrongness. When I touched Doujima...it was...as if I was touching the wall."
Bentley watched the pair for another moment. It was times like these that she wished her prey's faces still betrayed emotions, instead of becoming frozen as blank masks. She would love to know what Sena was thinking at the moment. Does she know she's about to die? she wondered, as she raised the gun. Slowly, she placed the muzzle against Robin's forehead.
"NO!" cried out a voice from beyond the frozen forms of Amon and Robin. Bentley smiled.
"Yurika."
"I won't let you!" Doujima called out. She winced as she saw Bentley smile. Oh no, you don't! she thought furiously, as a tickling sensation began. She concentrated on it, focusing on mentally scratching that tingle, while she strained to raise her gun arm. Come on...please...She squeezed off a shot and then was lost as the illusion overpowered her.
"Amon! Robin!" Relief flooded her when she saw them. "You need to fight it! It's an illusion! All of this!" She saw Amon's eyes narrow, and even Robin was regarding her with uncertainty in her eyes.
"Doujima...is it...really you?"
"Of course it's me, Robin! Please, you've got to get us out of this! That woman's ready to kill you! I tried to shoot her, but...oh, I've never been a good shot!" she wailed. "Please, Robin, believe me!"
"Doujima..." Robin breathed. She stepped forward. "Robin. Wait." Amon reached forward and grabbed his ward's shoulder. "We can't be certain she's not an illusion."
"I'm not! Honest!"
Robin's gaze flickered uncertainly between her warden and her friend. How can I...I don't know if this is... "Doujima..." she said again, moving forward, and letting Amon’s arm drop.
"Robin!" Doujima rushed forward and grabbed the girl in a hug. "Oh, Robin, I'm so glad you're okay," she cried, holding Robin tightly. "But you've got to get out of here now."
"Then tell us how," Amon said simply. Doujima stepped away from Robin and hung her head.
"I don't know," she admitted.
Amon remained stonily silent, as if to say You aren't convincing me. Robin glanced at him, then back to Doujima. The other girl certainly seemed real...Robin hadn't felt any hint otherwise, like before...still, she grasped her pendant in her hands once more, and closed her eyes. "Robin, what are you doing?" Doujima asked. Robin shook her head.
She didn't quite know what she was looking for...this wasn't like that time before, when she'd been able to hear the Hunter's cough, or even just a short time ago, when she'd sensed that wrongness in the air. But she probed outward mentally, all the same, blindly stumbling through the data her senses had been receiving until she bumped against something. What? She probed a little, but again, felt her thoughts being blocked. Doujima...was telling the truth...She opened her eyes. “She isn’t lying, Amon.”
"So how are we going to get out of here?" Doujima asked, looking at Robin. "I mean, if you believe me, then you must be able to sense something, right?"
"I'm not sure...there seems to be a barrier of some sort...I could feel it...behind my thoughts..."
"A barrier?" Amon asked sharply.
Robin nodded. "Yes...why?"
"Can you...turn your Craft inward?"
"I don't understand. What are you suggesting, Amon?"
"If you wanted to, could you use your Craft, inside your mind, without exterior consequences?"
"I get it...sort of like a mental imaging thing, right? If Robin imagines flames against those barriers she senses, she might burn through them!" Amon gave Doujima a long glance, before nodding.
"I don't know," Robin said slowly. "I've never done anything like that before."
"Just try, Robin, please." Doujima begged. "It couldn't hurt and I'm beginning to get a really bad feeling about all of this. Why hasn't she done anything yet?" As if to answer Doujima, the ground underneath them shook. "Oh, I should just learn to keep my big mouth shut."
The ground shook again, and Robin cried out in pain as she stumbled and fell forward as the cement heaved up before her. Amon and Doujima were having similar troubles. The tremors grew worse and Robin's eyes widened as she realized that a building near them was starting to tilt. She squeezed her eyes shut. It's an illusion...I have to sense her!
As she concentrated, her hand unconsciously found its way to her pendant, and noises faded away. She didn't hear the cement cracking or Doujima crying out. Instead, silence sank in and enfolded her as she once more began to probe, searching for the barrier she'd felt before.
Michael was getting worried. Bentley had been silent over the radio - he almost wondered if she'd turned off her microphone. The others exchanged comments now and then over the main channel, all except for Doujima. He hadn't heard from her since she left her post, moving at a rapid pace toward Bentley's position. She'd since stopped near Bentley...but neither had made any radio contact. And all of Michael's attempts to get Doujima's attention failed.
"Doujima, what's your position?" he tried again, feeling exasperated. There was no answer. He frowned, then tapped the button that would switch the commlink over to Karasuma's private channel. "Miss Karasuma, can you try raising Doujima for me? She's not answering. I think she may be in trouble with Miss Bentley."
"What makes you say that? Isn't she in position?"
"Actually, she left it about twenty minutes ago. Her tracker shows she's near Miss Bentley, probably only about 10 feet away...but Doujima isn't answering and I think Miss Bentley has her microphone turned off. Maybe even her earpiece - I don't think she would have let Sakaki compare this to a horror game if she'd been listening."
"Probably not," Karasuma agreed. "I'll try checking in with her." There was a pause as Karasuma presumably switched channels and then a burst of static as she came back. "She's not answering."
"That's what I was afraid of. Either her equipment is down...or she's gotten herself in trouble with Miss Bentley. Either way, it's not good, but I'd prefer the first option."
"So would I..."
Karasuma switched off her radio, and frowned, thinking. What would have made Yurika leave her position like that? It was true that Doujima had acted spacey frequently in the workspace...but she'd never behaved irrationally or unpredictable on a Hunt before. To do so tonight...Doujima would never have done so without good reason. Karasuma made up her mind in a split second. "Let's go," she said to Rachel, softly, pulling her gun out and holding it at her side.
She flicked the radio back on. "Sakaki. Shogo. Doujima left her position twenty minutes ago, and Michael hasn't been able to reach her since. Miss Bentley isn't answering either. Rachel and I are going to investigate."
"What?" Rachel gasped as Karasuma's words sunk in.
"Not without us!" Sakaki protested over the radio. "What if they're really in trouble?"
"Then you'll be there to back us up." Karasuma said shortly. She glanced at Rachel. "We're going. If it's bad, then we're needed more for backup than we are here, waiting. Amon and Robin probably won't come this way, anyway."
"What makes you so sure?" Rachel asked.
Karasuma hesitated. "It’s a feeling I have," she replied finally. Rachel gave her a dubious look, but didn't protest as Karasuma led them away from their post.
“She is not making a wise decision," Shogo commented after Karasuma's broadcast. Sakaki glared at him, but bit back an angry retort. "If Miss Bentley and Miss Doujima are indeed incapacitated, then it was likely done by Mr. Nagira and Miss Sena or a Witch of equal caliber. To rush blindly into a situation where your enemy may be better prepared is simply injurious at best, and fatal, at the worst."
"You're beginning to sound just like her," Sakaki muttered under his breath. Shogo glanced at him.
"What was that?"
"Nothing." There was a beat of silence. "Wait a minute...you just implied that Miss Doujima and Miss Bentley are incapacitated. What made you say that?"
Shogo shrugged. "Neither answered Miss Karasuma's announcement over the radio, to tell Doujima to stay in position."
And they didn't respond to me, either...Sakaki made up his mind. "I'm out of here," he said, moving from where he leaned against a building's wall. "If Miss Doujima's in trouble, and Rachel and Miss Karasuma are headed for it, then I'm going to help." He walked off.
Shogo watched him coolly, then leaned back. He would follow. In a bit. If he was needed. But he had been against this Hunt to begin with - he'd long suspected that his fellow STN-J members, minus Rachel, had conflicting feelings about this Hunt. And it had not been an intelligent decision of Erica Bentley's to include them tonight. If his coworkers were in danger, he would help...but that would probably only be if another Witch was in the area. Most likely, though he had not bothered to mention this to Sakaki, Miss Bentley was incapacitated and Miss Doujima was enjoying a reunion with her former friends.
"Haruto, what are you doing?!" Michael cried out when he noticed the little blip that represented Sakaki moving away from where it should be. Sakaki didn't answer. Not for the first time, Michael wondered what was going on out there...and felt a pang of regret that he wasn't at the scene as well.
Amon grimaced as he struggled to maintain his footing on the bucking concrete. Some feet away, Doujima was also having difficulty standing upright - more than once, she stumbled. He had considered assisting her, but decided against it. Instead, he focused on Robin.
The first wave of tremors had knocked his young ward off her feet. Rather than haul her upright again, he'd simply moved closer, stationing himself directly beside her. He tried gaining her attention, but Robin gave no sign she heard him. Instead, she appeared almost unconscious, her hand so tightly clasped around her pendant that her knuckles were turning white.
Another tremor, more violent than before. Doujima cried out in pain as she stumbled once more and fell forward, landing badly on her right arm. "Ouch! She grimaced. "I think my arm's broken! Oh, what am I gonna do now? I'll be useless with one arm...Hey, Amon! Are you listening to me?!"
"I heard you," he said simply. She followed his gaze, and, That's right! Robin! She can't even defend herself right now! Another tremor began, and Amon bent into it, rather than fighting. When it subsided, he was kneeling beside Robin's crumpled form. With a hand, he steadied the still form as the tremors grew worse, threatening to send them all sliding into the deepening cracks that had opened up.
Without warning, the tremors stopped. "Hey, alright!" Doujima crowed. "Robin must be making progress!"
"I'm not so sure," Amon commented, his gaze sweeping the area. Something...isn't right here. He moved his gaze upwards, and his eyes widened fractionally at what he saw. He threw himself over Robin, shielding the unresponsive girl as a barrage of bricks fell upon them. When the rain of bricks ceased, Amon raised his head and glanced around warily.
Doujima, he noted, was grimacing and rubbing her head with her good arm. She stopped rubbing her head when she caught his gaze, and instead stood and began to make her way cautiously to them. Amon's eyes narrowed. Robin believes her, he reminded himself, but that didn't stop him from tensing as Doujima finally reached them.
"Is Robin alright?" she asked, as she sank to the ground beside him.
"She's fine," he answered, his gaze flicking to Robin's face before returning to Doujima. "She appears unconscious."
"Do you think...do you think Robin will be able to free us?" Doujima asked quietly, staring at the other girl. "I know she's this powerful Witch and all now, but..." Amon didn't respond.
"Michael. Has Doujima moved yet?"
"Not yet. She's still standing near Miss Bentley. Whatever's going on with those two, I don't think they'll be moving anytime soon. You should meet up with them in about ten minutes. Be careful."
"Got it." Karasuma glanced over her shoulder at Rachel, who was clutching her side as she ran.
"Side stitch," she gasped as Karasuma slowed to her speed. "Are you sure we need to run there?"
"I don't know what's going on, but I think the sooner we get there will be better for all of us."
"Then...I'll catch up," Rachel gasped, her steps slowing more. "I promise, I won't be too long. I just need to...argh...stretch a little...get rid of this cramp..."
Karasuma hesitated a moment, then sped up again. She hated leaving Rachel behind, but there was no telling what danger Doujima might be in. It never crossed her mind that both Doujima and Bentley might be in trouble - intuition said otherwise. Her feet pounded the pavement, and her arms pumped awkwardly, the weight of the gun dragging her right arm down as she ran. "Michael...any change?"
"Nope. Five more minutes and you should be able to see what's happening."
At his desk, Michael grimaced. I wish I had a video feed...But he wasn't surprised that Amon and Robin happened to be living in an area of the Walled City that wasn't exactly conducive for surveillance. Hang in there, Miss Doujima. Help is on the way.
"Hey, Michael. Where am I? I don't see any sign of Miss Karasuma or Miss Doujima yet, and I've been running for ten minutes now."
"Just a minute." Michael glanced at the screen. "Looks like you're not too far away. Miss Karasuma will get there slightly ahead of you, but not by much."
Karasuma halted when Michael warned her she was close. She bent over, hands on her knees, pulling in deep breaths of air for a moment. She then straightened, laced her hands behind her head, and breathed, while counting silently to twenty. And the end of the count, she was breathing normally again. She checked her weapon, and advanced slowly. "They should be to your left," Michael commented. "Unless there's a corner there."
Karasuma didn't say anything as she peered around the corner, and froze at the scene before her. "Robin!" she gasped, as the details of what she saw sank in. It was indeed Robin. Amon was there as well, and Doujima wasn't standing too far off. But they all seemed...strange.
"Hey, Miss Karasuma," a voice whispered in her ear. She jumped slightly as she turned to see Sakaki.
"What's the matter with them?" he asked, peering around her for his own look at the situation.
"My guess is they're probably trapped in an illusion." She gestured to Bentley, a half-hidden figure beyond those of Amon and Robin. "And it seems our team leader for this mission is responsible."
I don't understand...Where is the barrier? Robin explored, wandering, it seemed, through pitch black darkness. There was nothing to light her way, but she wasn't worried. At least, she wasn't worried about being lost. She reached out a hand, probing the darkness in front of her, frowning when her hand waved through the air without feeling anything brush the fingertips. It's changed...she's changed the barrier...
She probed some more, doing her best to mentally picture where the barrier had been before, No, she realized suddenly. The barrier hasn't changed...this is simply...more illusion...She wasn't sure if her Craft would work here, but she had to try. Flames shot out before her, dancing, but not really giving light to the darkness. There was nothing to indicate the flames had been obstructed, either.
"How do we get them out of this?" Sakaki asked lowly. He was kneeling beside Karasuma now, his weapon aimed and ready. "Do you think Robin can defeat Miss Bentley on her own?"
"I'm not sure...It may be possible that Bentley is too powerful for Robin. Or maybe Robin simply hasn't found a way to retaliate yet..."
"Then do we just sit here?"
Karasuma shook her head, slowly. "No."
Bentley felt a smile tugging at her lips as she contemplated the figures before her. Such a stubborn girl...she mused. Robin was proving quite the challenge. Another moment or so, and it's possible she might escape. If she can break my barrier, of course. The other two are no longer my concern. "Well then, Miss Sena," she began. It was possible the girl would detect her voice and focus in on it, but Erica wasn't concerned about that now. "It has been an enjoyable experience. But now, I think, our time together has come to an end." She raised her gun, aimed...and cried out as something searing hot bit into her shoulder. She stumbled, dropping her gun.
"What?!" she hissed, glaring, frantically sweeping her gaze to find the shooter. It focused on two figures, standing, legs braced, shoulders straight, with their weapons pointed directly at her. She didn't have to guess who the two might be. "You should not have done that!" she called to them, grimacing as the pain in her shoulder intensified. "By siding with the Witch, you have declared yourselves enemies of-" She was cut off as another bullet bit into her thigh.
"Haruto!" Michael's voice echoed over the radio. "Is everything all right? Haruto!" Sakaki didn't answer, and he distantly heard Michael directing Shogo and Rachel to converge on their position and offer backup. He simply kept his eyes trained ahead, waiting. Bentley was glaring at them, but there was no sign she'd dropped the illusion against their friends.
There was a loud noise, similar to thunder, that reached Amon's ears as he pulled Robin's unconscious form closer. Doujima also ducked lower, but glanced up again when nothing immediately rained down on them. Instead...some areas of the ground seemed...grainy, almost as if....
"Amon!" Her startled cry rang out as reality suddenly interspersed with the illusion for a moment. She got a rapid glimpse of someone standing before them...Bentley?...before the illusion settled into place once more.
Robin turned, with a gasp, as she felt something shudder. What was that? The shockwave repeated itself moments later, and Robin's eyes widened. This is...
She reached out again, more determined this time, and was greeted with success as her hand thumped into something, which then gave, slightly. The barrier! I can sense it! She closed her eyes, leaning into her palm, and opened them a moment later to unleash her Craft. Flames hammered at the invisible wall, and Robin could feel it bending...
"Robin! Mr. Amon! What are you doing?!" Sakaki shouted at them as they once more ran into the area highlighted by the streetlamp.
"Robin wishes to help," Amon said simply, as Robin ran forward. A confused look came over Sakaki's face.
"Huh? How's she going to do that?"
"I'm not sure," Amon admitted.
Robin ignored them both, and embraced Doujima when she reached her. Doujima...she thought. I'm sorry...She reached a hand up, and clasped it around her pendant, willing herself to stand still and calm. I need to sense her...sense this Hunter's element...she thought to herself, remembering when she herself had been trapped in an illusion. If I can sense it...maybe...maybe I can pass that to Doujima...
She closed her eyes, and concentrated. And she did feel something, though it took her a moment to realize what. When it came to her, she stepped away with a gasp. Flames sparked and engulfed the body of Doujima.
"Robin, what have you done?!"
"This isn't real..." she whispered, turning to Amon. "This isn't real."
"Robin?! Have you lost your senses?! You just killed Miss Doujima!' Sakaki cried out. "You're acting like a Witch!" Robin turned to him, and smiled, sadly.
"I am a Witch," she said softly. With a look of horror, Sakaki vanished in flames as well.
"Robin..." She turned to face Amon.
"What are you doing?" he asked simply.
"I..." Her eyes widened. What if she'd been wrong? She dropped to the ground, and put her head between her hands, shaking it furiously. "No...it's an illusion...they weren't real..." she whispered brokenly, but the tears still came. She glanced up at Amon, whose expression hardened from shock to stone as she watched.
"Robin. This is not the time for excuses. Why did you kill them?"
"Amon, I..." she struggled to put what she had sensed into words. "This...that woman..." she glanced around, wildly. "She-" Robin stood, nearly tripping over herself in her haste to stand again. "It's an illusion, Amon."
"What makes you so sure?"
"I don't know...I just...sense it..."
Amon regarded her coldly, for a moment. She saw his fingers tense on his gun...before he slid into his holster with a nod. She understood. For now, he would trust her. "Can you sense her? The Hunter?" he asked. Robin shook her head.
"No...but...there's a feeling of...wrongness. When I touched Doujima...it was...as if I was touching the wall."
Bentley watched the pair for another moment. It was times like these that she wished her prey's faces still betrayed emotions, instead of becoming frozen as blank masks. She would love to know what Sena was thinking at the moment. Does she know she's about to die? she wondered, as she raised the gun. Slowly, she placed the muzzle against Robin's forehead.
"NO!" cried out a voice from beyond the frozen forms of Amon and Robin. Bentley smiled.
"Yurika."
"I won't let you!" Doujima called out. She winced as she saw Bentley smile. Oh no, you don't! she thought furiously, as a tickling sensation began. She concentrated on it, focusing on mentally scratching that tingle, while she strained to raise her gun arm. Come on...please...She squeezed off a shot and then was lost as the illusion overpowered her.
"Amon! Robin!" Relief flooded her when she saw them. "You need to fight it! It's an illusion! All of this!" She saw Amon's eyes narrow, and even Robin was regarding her with uncertainty in her eyes.
"Doujima...is it...really you?"
"Of course it's me, Robin! Please, you've got to get us out of this! That woman's ready to kill you! I tried to shoot her, but...oh, I've never been a good shot!" she wailed. "Please, Robin, believe me!"
"Doujima..." Robin breathed. She stepped forward. "Robin. Wait." Amon reached forward and grabbed his ward's shoulder. "We can't be certain she's not an illusion."
"I'm not! Honest!"
Robin's gaze flickered uncertainly between her warden and her friend. How can I...I don't know if this is... "Doujima..." she said again, moving forward, and letting Amon’s arm drop.
"Robin!" Doujima rushed forward and grabbed the girl in a hug. "Oh, Robin, I'm so glad you're okay," she cried, holding Robin tightly. "But you've got to get out of here now."
"Then tell us how," Amon said simply. Doujima stepped away from Robin and hung her head.
"I don't know," she admitted.
Amon remained stonily silent, as if to say You aren't convincing me. Robin glanced at him, then back to Doujima. The other girl certainly seemed real...Robin hadn't felt any hint otherwise, like before...still, she grasped her pendant in her hands once more, and closed her eyes. "Robin, what are you doing?" Doujima asked. Robin shook her head.
She didn't quite know what she was looking for...this wasn't like that time before, when she'd been able to hear the Hunter's cough, or even just a short time ago, when she'd sensed that wrongness in the air. But she probed outward mentally, all the same, blindly stumbling through the data her senses had been receiving until she bumped against something. What? She probed a little, but again, felt her thoughts being blocked. Doujima...was telling the truth...She opened her eyes. “She isn’t lying, Amon.”
"So how are we going to get out of here?" Doujima asked, looking at Robin. "I mean, if you believe me, then you must be able to sense something, right?"
"I'm not sure...there seems to be a barrier of some sort...I could feel it...behind my thoughts..."
"A barrier?" Amon asked sharply.
Robin nodded. "Yes...why?"
"Can you...turn your Craft inward?"
"I don't understand. What are you suggesting, Amon?"
"If you wanted to, could you use your Craft, inside your mind, without exterior consequences?"
"I get it...sort of like a mental imaging thing, right? If Robin imagines flames against those barriers she senses, she might burn through them!" Amon gave Doujima a long glance, before nodding.
"I don't know," Robin said slowly. "I've never done anything like that before."
"Just try, Robin, please." Doujima begged. "It couldn't hurt and I'm beginning to get a really bad feeling about all of this. Why hasn't she done anything yet?" As if to answer Doujima, the ground underneath them shook. "Oh, I should just learn to keep my big mouth shut."
The ground shook again, and Robin cried out in pain as she stumbled and fell forward as the cement heaved up before her. Amon and Doujima were having similar troubles. The tremors grew worse and Robin's eyes widened as she realized that a building near them was starting to tilt. She squeezed her eyes shut. It's an illusion...I have to sense her!
As she concentrated, her hand unconsciously found its way to her pendant, and noises faded away. She didn't hear the cement cracking or Doujima crying out. Instead, silence sank in and enfolded her as she once more began to probe, searching for the barrier she'd felt before.
Michael was getting worried. Bentley had been silent over the radio - he almost wondered if she'd turned off her microphone. The others exchanged comments now and then over the main channel, all except for Doujima. He hadn't heard from her since she left her post, moving at a rapid pace toward Bentley's position. She'd since stopped near Bentley...but neither had made any radio contact. And all of Michael's attempts to get Doujima's attention failed.
"Doujima, what's your position?" he tried again, feeling exasperated. There was no answer. He frowned, then tapped the button that would switch the commlink over to Karasuma's private channel. "Miss Karasuma, can you try raising Doujima for me? She's not answering. I think she may be in trouble with Miss Bentley."
"What makes you say that? Isn't she in position?"
"Actually, she left it about twenty minutes ago. Her tracker shows she's near Miss Bentley, probably only about 10 feet away...but Doujima isn't answering and I think Miss Bentley has her microphone turned off. Maybe even her earpiece - I don't think she would have let Sakaki compare this to a horror game if she'd been listening."
"Probably not," Karasuma agreed. "I'll try checking in with her." There was a pause as Karasuma presumably switched channels and then a burst of static as she came back. "She's not answering."
"That's what I was afraid of. Either her equipment is down...or she's gotten herself in trouble with Miss Bentley. Either way, it's not good, but I'd prefer the first option."
"So would I..."
Karasuma switched off her radio, and frowned, thinking. What would have made Yurika leave her position like that? It was true that Doujima had acted spacey frequently in the workspace...but she'd never behaved irrationally or unpredictable on a Hunt before. To do so tonight...Doujima would never have done so without good reason. Karasuma made up her mind in a split second. "Let's go," she said to Rachel, softly, pulling her gun out and holding it at her side.
She flicked the radio back on. "Sakaki. Shogo. Doujima left her position twenty minutes ago, and Michael hasn't been able to reach her since. Miss Bentley isn't answering either. Rachel and I are going to investigate."
"What?" Rachel gasped as Karasuma's words sunk in.
"Not without us!" Sakaki protested over the radio. "What if they're really in trouble?"
"Then you'll be there to back us up." Karasuma said shortly. She glanced at Rachel. "We're going. If it's bad, then we're needed more for backup than we are here, waiting. Amon and Robin probably won't come this way, anyway."
"What makes you so sure?" Rachel asked.
Karasuma hesitated. "It’s a feeling I have," she replied finally. Rachel gave her a dubious look, but didn't protest as Karasuma led them away from their post.
“She is not making a wise decision," Shogo commented after Karasuma's broadcast. Sakaki glared at him, but bit back an angry retort. "If Miss Bentley and Miss Doujima are indeed incapacitated, then it was likely done by Mr. Nagira and Miss Sena or a Witch of equal caliber. To rush blindly into a situation where your enemy may be better prepared is simply injurious at best, and fatal, at the worst."
"You're beginning to sound just like her," Sakaki muttered under his breath. Shogo glanced at him.
"What was that?"
"Nothing." There was a beat of silence. "Wait a minute...you just implied that Miss Doujima and Miss Bentley are incapacitated. What made you say that?"
Shogo shrugged. "Neither answered Miss Karasuma's announcement over the radio, to tell Doujima to stay in position."
And they didn't respond to me, either...Sakaki made up his mind. "I'm out of here," he said, moving from where he leaned against a building's wall. "If Miss Doujima's in trouble, and Rachel and Miss Karasuma are headed for it, then I'm going to help." He walked off.
Shogo watched him coolly, then leaned back. He would follow. In a bit. If he was needed. But he had been against this Hunt to begin with - he'd long suspected that his fellow STN-J members, minus Rachel, had conflicting feelings about this Hunt. And it had not been an intelligent decision of Erica Bentley's to include them tonight. If his coworkers were in danger, he would help...but that would probably only be if another Witch was in the area. Most likely, though he had not bothered to mention this to Sakaki, Miss Bentley was incapacitated and Miss Doujima was enjoying a reunion with her former friends.
"Haruto, what are you doing?!" Michael cried out when he noticed the little blip that represented Sakaki moving away from where it should be. Sakaki didn't answer. Not for the first time, Michael wondered what was going on out there...and felt a pang of regret that he wasn't at the scene as well.
Amon grimaced as he struggled to maintain his footing on the bucking concrete. Some feet away, Doujima was also having difficulty standing upright - more than once, she stumbled. He had considered assisting her, but decided against it. Instead, he focused on Robin.
The first wave of tremors had knocked his young ward off her feet. Rather than haul her upright again, he'd simply moved closer, stationing himself directly beside her. He tried gaining her attention, but Robin gave no sign she heard him. Instead, she appeared almost unconscious, her hand so tightly clasped around her pendant that her knuckles were turning white.
Another tremor, more violent than before. Doujima cried out in pain as she stumbled once more and fell forward, landing badly on her right arm. "Ouch! She grimaced. "I think my arm's broken! Oh, what am I gonna do now? I'll be useless with one arm...Hey, Amon! Are you listening to me?!"
"I heard you," he said simply. She followed his gaze, and, That's right! Robin! She can't even defend herself right now! Another tremor began, and Amon bent into it, rather than fighting. When it subsided, he was kneeling beside Robin's crumpled form. With a hand, he steadied the still form as the tremors grew worse, threatening to send them all sliding into the deepening cracks that had opened up.
Without warning, the tremors stopped. "Hey, alright!" Doujima crowed. "Robin must be making progress!"
"I'm not so sure," Amon commented, his gaze sweeping the area. Something...isn't right here. He moved his gaze upwards, and his eyes widened fractionally at what he saw. He threw himself over Robin, shielding the unresponsive girl as a barrage of bricks fell upon them. When the rain of bricks ceased, Amon raised his head and glanced around warily.
Doujima, he noted, was grimacing and rubbing her head with her good arm. She stopped rubbing her head when she caught his gaze, and instead stood and began to make her way cautiously to them. Amon's eyes narrowed. Robin believes her, he reminded himself, but that didn't stop him from tensing as Doujima finally reached them.
"Is Robin alright?" she asked, as she sank to the ground beside him.
"She's fine," he answered, his gaze flicking to Robin's face before returning to Doujima. "She appears unconscious."
"Do you think...do you think Robin will be able to free us?" Doujima asked quietly, staring at the other girl. "I know she's this powerful Witch and all now, but..." Amon didn't respond.
"Michael. Has Doujima moved yet?"
"Not yet. She's still standing near Miss Bentley. Whatever's going on with those two, I don't think they'll be moving anytime soon. You should meet up with them in about ten minutes. Be careful."
"Got it." Karasuma glanced over her shoulder at Rachel, who was clutching her side as she ran.
"Side stitch," she gasped as Karasuma slowed to her speed. "Are you sure we need to run there?"
"I don't know what's going on, but I think the sooner we get there will be better for all of us."
"Then...I'll catch up," Rachel gasped, her steps slowing more. "I promise, I won't be too long. I just need to...argh...stretch a little...get rid of this cramp..."
Karasuma hesitated a moment, then sped up again. She hated leaving Rachel behind, but there was no telling what danger Doujima might be in. It never crossed her mind that both Doujima and Bentley might be in trouble - intuition said otherwise. Her feet pounded the pavement, and her arms pumped awkwardly, the weight of the gun dragging her right arm down as she ran. "Michael...any change?"
"Nope. Five more minutes and you should be able to see what's happening."
At his desk, Michael grimaced. I wish I had a video feed...But he wasn't surprised that Amon and Robin happened to be living in an area of the Walled City that wasn't exactly conducive for surveillance. Hang in there, Miss Doujima. Help is on the way.
"Hey, Michael. Where am I? I don't see any sign of Miss Karasuma or Miss Doujima yet, and I've been running for ten minutes now."
"Just a minute." Michael glanced at the screen. "Looks like you're not too far away. Miss Karasuma will get there slightly ahead of you, but not by much."
Karasuma halted when Michael warned her she was close. She bent over, hands on her knees, pulling in deep breaths of air for a moment. She then straightened, laced her hands behind her head, and breathed, while counting silently to twenty. And the end of the count, she was breathing normally again. She checked her weapon, and advanced slowly. "They should be to your left," Michael commented. "Unless there's a corner there."
Karasuma didn't say anything as she peered around the corner, and froze at the scene before her. "Robin!" she gasped, as the details of what she saw sank in. It was indeed Robin. Amon was there as well, and Doujima wasn't standing too far off. But they all seemed...strange.
"Hey, Miss Karasuma," a voice whispered in her ear. She jumped slightly as she turned to see Sakaki.
"What's the matter with them?" he asked, peering around her for his own look at the situation.
"My guess is they're probably trapped in an illusion." She gestured to Bentley, a half-hidden figure beyond those of Amon and Robin. "And it seems our team leader for this mission is responsible."
I don't understand...Where is the barrier? Robin explored, wandering, it seemed, through pitch black darkness. There was nothing to light her way, but she wasn't worried. At least, she wasn't worried about being lost. She reached out a hand, probing the darkness in front of her, frowning when her hand waved through the air without feeling anything brush the fingertips. It's changed...she's changed the barrier...
She probed some more, doing her best to mentally picture where the barrier had been before, No, she realized suddenly. The barrier hasn't changed...this is simply...more illusion...She wasn't sure if her Craft would work here, but she had to try. Flames shot out before her, dancing, but not really giving light to the darkness. There was nothing to indicate the flames had been obstructed, either.
"How do we get them out of this?" Sakaki asked lowly. He was kneeling beside Karasuma now, his weapon aimed and ready. "Do you think Robin can defeat Miss Bentley on her own?"
"I'm not sure...It may be possible that Bentley is too powerful for Robin. Or maybe Robin simply hasn't found a way to retaliate yet..."
"Then do we just sit here?"
Karasuma shook her head, slowly. "No."
Bentley felt a smile tugging at her lips as she contemplated the figures before her. Such a stubborn girl...she mused. Robin was proving quite the challenge. Another moment or so, and it's possible she might escape. If she can break my barrier, of course. The other two are no longer my concern. "Well then, Miss Sena," she began. It was possible the girl would detect her voice and focus in on it, but Erica wasn't concerned about that now. "It has been an enjoyable experience. But now, I think, our time together has come to an end." She raised her gun, aimed...and cried out as something searing hot bit into her shoulder. She stumbled, dropping her gun.
"What?!" she hissed, glaring, frantically sweeping her gaze to find the shooter. It focused on two figures, standing, legs braced, shoulders straight, with their weapons pointed directly at her. She didn't have to guess who the two might be. "You should not have done that!" she called to them, grimacing as the pain in her shoulder intensified. "By siding with the Witch, you have declared yourselves enemies of-" She was cut off as another bullet bit into her thigh.
"Haruto!" Michael's voice echoed over the radio. "Is everything all right? Haruto!" Sakaki didn't answer, and he distantly heard Michael directing Shogo and Rachel to converge on their position and offer backup. He simply kept his eyes trained ahead, waiting. Bentley was glaring at them, but there was no sign she'd dropped the illusion against their friends.
There was a loud noise, similar to thunder, that reached Amon's ears as he pulled Robin's unconscious form closer. Doujima also ducked lower, but glanced up again when nothing immediately rained down on them. Instead...some areas of the ground seemed...grainy, almost as if....
"Amon!" Her startled cry rang out as reality suddenly interspersed with the illusion for a moment. She got a rapid glimpse of someone standing before them...Bentley?...before the illusion settled into place once more.
Robin turned, with a gasp, as she felt something shudder. What was that? The shockwave repeated itself moments later, and Robin's eyes widened. This is...
She reached out again, more determined this time, and was greeted with success as her hand thumped into something, which then gave, slightly. The barrier! I can sense it! She closed her eyes, leaning into her palm, and opened them a moment later to unleash her Craft. Flames hammered at the invisible wall, and Robin could feel it bending...