Not gonna lie.

Shooting her son probably wouldn't be earning Cassandra any Mother of year awards.

That Nigel was somehow able to get the jump on her, bending her superhuman strength just enough that the shot hit Alan in the chest instead of blowing his brains out...

Might get her a #1Mum mug though.

Weirder things have happened.

Anyway, my (sort of?) friend had been shot, and 'What to do when your (kind of?) Friend has a gaping hole in his chest ' was not something they covered in health class.

Or if it was, I'd skipped that day.

My first reaction was to stare dumbly, the roar of the gunshot still ringing in my ears.

It was popular with the other kids too, as no one dared to move.

The only person who expressed more than horrified disbelief in those following seconds was Cassandra herself.

I saw the look of devastation, though I couldn't quite understand how it belonged on her face.

If shooting your offspring is not something you're okay with, how about not doing it?

Amiright?

"...I..." Her voice wavered in helpless confusion. "...I promised them... her... we were going to make the world better...please." The gun fell from her hand, hitting the floor with a loud clatter.

"Don't make me go."

If it had been anyone else, I would say the liquid coming out of her eyes was tears.

But before I could so much as ask "Are you out of your freaking mind?! Of course, you are, don't answer that..."

She exploded.

... Yep.

Wish I could say that a woman blasting out into transparent goo was not something I'd come to accept as the legit thing that happens sometimes.

...Wasn't even the first time this night.

Except. This time.

I was in the Splash Zone.

For a long moment, I stood, staring down at my goop covered hands.

And just like that, my capacity for this bullshit reached its limit.

Vain nearly dropped me when I started turning the air blue.

Such a tirade of bad language had never been heard by anyone living or dead. It probably wouldn't be an exaggeration to count it as a sign of the apocalypse. Somewhere out there, my parents were feeling an overwhelming yet unexplainable wave of guilt crush their souls.

Seriously.

This is what I'm going to be remembered for through the ages.

Not saving the world.

This.

"Maddison!" Vain hissed, holding me away from his body as if afraid I would explode in an even more lethal way.

"No!" I screeched, barely pausing in my promise to rip out Cassandra's teeth one by one, and not through the hole you would expect...

"This isn't helping!" Vain pressed the tip of his finger to the lower half of my face in a futile attempt to stop me from destroying the planet with pure vulgarity.

I clawed at the digit, refusing to be silenced! Nothing could stop me! The end was neigh...!

"...I think..." Alan spoke, and just like that, I shut up."...I'm going to lie down for a bit..."

Good call.

I looked over in time to see his knees buckle. Nigel was quick to act, jumping forward and easing the redhead's descent to the floor.

Alan grunted the tiny acknowledgment of pain, making my heart race with panic.

"Now might be a good time to..." A voice spoke up hesitantly from the phone, but mostly went ignored as I turned to the person who always got me out of trouble.

"What do we do?" My defensive grip on Vain's finger turned into clinging. There was no denying that I was scared, not when I turned to the Albino holding me and pretty much begged him for help. "Vain. What are we supposed to do?"

Vain, the cover boy of calm, grimaced in open concern...his free hand moving instinctively to curl around me.

"Nigel." He called, drawing the tall boy's panicky attention away from Alan's bleeding chest. "Stop the bleeding the best you can."

Oh. First Aid. That makes sense.

"And you." Vain narrowed a cold, hard look down at the injured boy, full ice queen mode.

"Tone down the dramatics."

Well...at least he didn't tell him to walk it off...

"Excuse you." Alan sniffed in a hurt tone...though not the sort of hurt that involves bullet holes. "I don't know if you noticed, but I have, in fact, been mortally wounded."

"Not to sound unsympathetic..." Vain all but rolled his eyes, turning his back to the scene and stepping up to the computer once more. "...But I've seen you reattach a severed finger with duct tape before."

...welp.

There goes a full minute of honest concern I can never get back.

Thanks, Alan.

The near-immortal asshole sputtered indignantly, but ultimately no argument came to his aid, and the conversation moved on without him.

"System. Shut down. NOW please." Peri groaned through the phone, sounding about as willing to question the miracle of Cassandra randomly screwing off as I was.

Vain nodded his agreement.

"Ready when you are."

"...of all the ungrateful..."Alan grumbled, obviously miffed but not having much ground to stand on. "...this is the last time I'll die heroically for the cause...ow ow OW. Nigel. I thought it was well established that that ow is the safe word..."

"Ignore him." Vain set me down, resuming his typing on the keyboard as if nothing had ever happened. Right on cue, Alan let out a startled yelp of pain. "There's nothing you can do to him that he likely doesn't deserve."

I looked between Vain and the others...coming to the realisation that it wasn't just me.

The more worried he is about you, the meaner he gets.

"Idiot."

Speaking of...

Shifting to the side, I peered around Vain's body to watch Alan, who lay on the floor under Nigel's delicate care.

And the little boy now at his side.

"Oh." Alan gave his brother the smallest of waves. "Hey, Alex."

Needless to say, Alex...

Was not impressed.

"Don't Hey Alex Me."

If the gory blood trail was any indication, the boy must have dragged his broken body across the floor to reach his brother side. The smaller twin hovered over Alan like he couldn't decide whether to help or hinder his death.

"What were you thinking?" Alex's bright blue eyes narrowed, struggling to express even a small fraction of his outrage.

"um..." Alan smiled in a way that no bullet victim had any right to. Something along the lines of... Stall until Mc'Valium shows up to distract her... maybe talk a bit of sense into her... and don't get shot. I distinctly remember 'not getting shot' was part of the plan..."

Alex swore, ignoring his brother's mischievous smirk to go rummaging in the idiot's hidden pockets. Alan gave a protesting squawk as Alex stuck cold fingers up his shirt, only to pull out a small packaged treat. Where once came chocolate, so to did come a small bounty of energy bars.

All along, I thought we kept Alan around for his brains, only to find his real purpose in life is to act as a mobile vending machine.

"I guess you two really are brothers huh...?" I mumbled.

Alex made a small impatient sound, tearing open the energy bar without looking at me.

"Now you see the family resemblance."

Alex offered the now opened treat to his brother, who took the food with a grimace, shifting uncomfortably under Nigel's hold.

"Once I get a bit of food in me I'll be healed in no time...so maybe..."

"If he can still talk, you're not squeezing hard enough," Vain warned, not looking away from the computer.

Alan made a strangled sound as Nigel took the advice to heart.

I need to do something... To help...

"Just..ah...take deep breaths...and think about the time you stabbed me with window."

The entire room made a point to stare at me.

I crossed my arms.

"What? It always makes me feel better when they get hurt."

After a long moment, Alan groaned his defeat, letting his head thunk back on the floor with a resigned sigh.

"...remind me never to get shot in front of you people again."

I scowled.

Could have told you that pearl of wisdom from the start.

"Watch the screen, Maddison."

Vain poked me until I faced the computer at Peri's request.

"We need to finish this, and get ourselves out of here before those explosion happy idiots collapse the entire lab on us."

Right. Every moment I spend standing here is another moment spent trusting the integrity of this building.

"What about the others?" Nigel asked softly from behind us.

Oh yeah. Those guys.

"...didn't like them anyway," Alex muttered.

My hand twitched with the urge to whack him over the head. Vain sighed as if he agreed.

"Just worry about getting yourselves out first," Garmen instructed calmly. "We can handle the rest."

...That's what you always say.

I stared morosely at the computer screen, not really paying much attention to it as I tried to come to grips with everything that had happened.

It was too much...yet not enough.

Even when the final option came up on the screen, I couldn't believe Cassandra was just letting us do this.

-System Shut Down-

_CANCEL_ _CONTINUE_

"It can't be that easy..."I whispered in disbelief. "It just can't."

After everything that happened...everyone, she hurt to protect this thing... where is She?

Vain rested his finger briefly over the enter button.

...Considering what to tell me.

"...Easy for you to say."

He hit the button.

"You're not the one who has to carry Alex up the last flight of stairs."