The Mysterious Case

The four arrived a few hours later, and Kate questioned the widowed protege back at his hotel. His mentor had been killed by a man with orange-hair & wielding a soda-can, after responding to a call at a restaurant named Papa Xin's nearby. The restaurant was a fusion of Chinese & Italian cooking, and was typical of the failing restaurants that litter America and combine two cuisines that have never been combined -- for good reason.

As usual, soon Kate & Serena were going one way to Papa Xin's and Julia & Naomi patrolling another. Serena did not necessarily like Julia, but she had realized that Naomi & her were simply not as close as her & Mia had been, and felt it best to make sure she was ready for the independence of mentorship next year.

Serena glanced back at them as her & Kate walked out to the sidewalk, alleys & streetlamps at regular intervals.

"You alright?" said Kate and Serena sighed.

"Yeah, um. I dunno, I just don't like Julia much. Especially with how she was acting earlier."

"You mean all the passive-aggression with you? Yeah, I could see that. If she tries to start anything with you, though, you know I'll stick up for you. Probably just doesn't like you for whatever reason."

Serena began to wonder if Julia had heard she was transgender. She did not like to think such thoughts, for it would mean that transphobia was an intractable issue in her own life; that even as she felt she was no longer transgender through Kamon, it would still continue to linger over her as it had.

Fortunately, Julia truly did not give a shit about gender or sexuality: she genuinely despised everyone equally. Serena's own artistic taste was far more an issue to her than anything else, for it was how she generally rated other humans.

"Yeah, I guess." Serena frowned. "I dunno, she just seems like a stuck-up prick to me. She just always acts like she's judging somebody."

"That's about the feeling I get from her, but you know we're students. We have to act professionally." Kate shrugged. "Speaking of: I know Matoi said she doubted this investigation'll take long, but I'd still like to get over to the local Revenant surgeon and scope him out. Better to know one early and all that. You up for the detour?"

"Yeah, that's fine."

They passed by an alley, and in the next instant -

- a shriek of urgent terror came from their rights; four eyes shot over -

- and saw a fattened man shoving a woman against the wall, one electrical whip in his right hand, and in the next instant -

- one hairhand yanked the woman with the strength of a thousand away & back to Kate, setting her down against the sidewalk beside; Kate shouted for her to run, and the woman thanked them as she fled, two women left with their male foe & twenty feet separating them. His right hand swept back, and as the electrical lasso whipped towards them -

- streams of fog corroded the streetlamp behind as the women split left & right, electrical weapon catching only air, Serena knowing the metal had been his true target again -

" - nice try, you retarded fat fuck!" shouted Serena - " - you're so fucking fat that - when you finish having sex, you smoke hams!"

- and Kate burst in to laughter beside, unused to the punk's antics - " - you - do you do this every fight?"

" - yep." chimed Serena, and Kate laughed as they stood again, man grunting as he stepped further back in to the alley. One hairhand tapped Serena's back as the two stepped forward, still wary of coming in close with thirty feet separating the two. His whip hit the concrete below -

- and the electrical shockwave started blasting right through it & shot towards them; Kate yanked them left & to the wall to dodge it -

- and the next scene was instant. Streams of fog flew in to the wall, acid corroding through inside and creating a miniscule pinhole ahead -

- and out the bitesized aperture burst a jet of acid towards the man -

- and the keen loquud burnt the right half of his face clear off, half of his skull grunting as he staggered back, Serena laughing - " - still looks better than before -"

- the electrical whip hit the wall ahead, and as another electrical shockwave started through the asphalt -

- Kate yanked them away and to the right wall, hairnails digging in to the concrete to keep them hanging, and as streams of fog filled the wall for the same trick -

" - Fixture!" shouted the man, whipping the left wall again, yanking out another dozen concrete chunks and throwing it towards them -

- but one hairhand grabbed it just in time for him to dodge underneath the second jet of acid, and as Split readied to return the concrete to sender -

- the projectiles burst in to a hundred shards that sliced Kate's face fifty ways; she stifled her shriek as she yanked the two of them up -

- and landed staggering on to the roof, right eye dripping out of her socket as Serena landed beside. Streams of fog refilled her wound, and as the two peeked with new flesh over the ledge to their foe below -

" - Fixture!" he shouted, electrical whip aiming right for them -

- but catching only air & falling limp below, Kate nodding as she realized it.

"Guy isn't experienced with his Revenant. Doesn't know his range."

At her side, Serena nodded, shouting over the ledge - " - they're going to have to get a fucking crane to - scoop however many fucking pieces you're in after -"

- and Kate tried to stifle her laugh, finding it amusing but trying to keep serious as she glanced over the ledge -

- and the two sighed as they saw their foe running out of the alley, electrical whip yanking him to one streetlamp -

- and another, foe starting to swing through the streets as he fled. Nodding to Serena, Kate started rushing across the roof, one hairhand gripping the punk tight as she followed behind -

- and leaped right down in to the street below; one strand yanked them to another streetlamp before they hit the ground, foe ahead swinging with his electrical whip around the corner, duo only one post behind. Kate swung them carefully around the corner and saw their foe still fleeing ahead, Split's hand readjusting to let Serena breathe as they chased.

"Can -" - panted Serena, tentacle ripping her cup out - " - can you get him somewhere without civilians -"

" - I'll try -" said Kate; another swing, and as Split's strands gripped the pole -

- she shrieked as the electricity still within shot through her hair -

- but a swift gust of fog claimed her hair & half-filled it with rubber, keeping them safe as she swung again, newly insulated hairwoman & punk seeing their foe swing across the street and landing on the sidewalk. One parked car was ahead of him, and in the next instant -

- Fixture's whip shot towards it, electrical tendrils gripping it tight -

- but his strength couldn't lift it in time before Serena & Kate landed on the sidewalk across the road. Serena threw her cup forward, streams of fog filling it as it flew, and as the man's whip grabbed it in midair & yanked it towards him -

- he felt the ice covering the cup melt -

- and his chest received the pint of acid inside heart-first, corrosive goo melting his still-beating heart straight out of his body and leaving a cavern of homeless veins & arteries, blood not even geysering out of his chest as he fell back, and they knew that he was dead.

"God damn, I hope that was as painful as it looked." laughed Kate as she went over to scan.

"I bet it was." grinned Serena.

Just as with any friendship, the two's violence and utterly destitute views of criminals tended to coalesce upon the other's, like two balls of slime. They had gone on several contracts together by now, and while there was a general unease between them that neither completely recognized -- mostly Serena's unwillingness to come out to Kate and Kate's unwillingness to broach the subject -- the typical repartee between them had made them an effective duo, and the first 3-stars of their year.

And this would again be seen later that day as they walked out to the hospital's parking lot, cars flanking them, and in the next instant -

- with the speed of light she turned, tentacle shoving Kate behind her as the flaming black vehicle screamed towards them -

- but swift of streams of fog filled it with acid, corroding it away in an instant; black flames burst out of the green clouds -

- but another cloud of fog filled it with wind & dispersed the foul vapors, two nodding as they stepped back, Serena with tentacle readied and Kate with hair taut. A gust of wind blasted them in to the ground -

- and another dozen volleys followed, black & flaming winds scorching their skin and throwing to the ground, two grunting as they twitched -

" - Split!" shouted Kate, hair going taut and forming drills against the ground -

- and carving a hole right through the road; and in to the sudden burrow & underground fell the two, more drills burrowing them to twenty feet under. Staggering to their feet, the two stood under the asphalt -

- and a dozen concrete spikes grew & shot towards Serena, sharp ends slicing her skin and back; she staggered back and out of the next six, road reforming up above -

- and trapping them underground, space closed tight with no light. Serena's tentacle swept around and corroded a wider cavern for the two, acid dissolving more spikes trying to pierce them. Kate handed Serena a lock of her hair, and another stream of fog set it alight, ensuring them light as they stepped forward, but in the next instant -

- the walls burst in to black flames & started closing in on them -

- but streams of fog flew in to the flames as they grew -

" - I - what the fuck?" groaned Serena, fire still running; she set her tentacle in to the burning rectangle of fire -

- and nodded as the flames disappeared as she filled them with water, but in the next instant -

- the liquid solidified and shot for her eyes -

- but a swift sweep of Kate's hair caught the foul liquid and wrung it out, and as she stepped up beside, Split's ponytail went taut -

- and yanked her with the strength of a thousand back -

- but one sharp strand sliced off its sister as Kate slammed in to the walls, wincing as she shouted - " - possession! Black flames - possession!"

" - got it!" shouted Serena, turning to see the ponytail laying limp at Kate's side -

- and starting to grow legs; with the speed of a spider, it made to hug Kate's face, bursting in to black flames as it pinched her cheeks tight -

- but two new hairhands burst out of her scalp and gripped it on each end, snapping it like a wishbone; another quick hardened strand amputated the two hairhands off as Serena rushed over. New legs grew from one of the hands, and as it made to hug Serena's face -

- the next scene was instant. Streams of fog filled it with osmium; another stream corroded a hole through the floor below it -

- and the sentient hair fell with the speed of steel down in to the burrow, more streams of fog following it to ensure it wouldn't be climbing back up soon. Kate stood up, hair regrowing with no possession.

"Gotta get back up." she said, glancing up, ponytail growing & hairfist readying. "You wanna try some, uh, shittalk echolocation?"

"Uh, what - oh." laughed Serena. "Sure."

Kate nodded, and one hairpunch shattered the roof above; another hairhand threw Serena out of the aperture -

- to at last land solo in the parking alot again; she saw their foe thirty feet away, pistol burning black as he aimed it towards Serena -

- and the hollow point of three bullets entered her head & burst out of the back of her skull; she shouted "FUCK!" as she staggered back, vision swirling - " - twenty - thirty feet fucking bitch!"

- and the ground started rumbling behind the man; out of the asphalt's burrow swept Kate -

- and the next scene was instant. One hairhand gripped his right shoulder and yanked it forward; one left gripped his left and pulled it back, and as a woman might rip a sheet of paper -

- tore his body in two; Serena filled her wounds as the jagged halves fell rigid - " - holy -"

" - you alright?" laughed Kate, and Serena winced nodding and laughing, staggering against a nearby car. Blackburn's fog drilled in to her head. "Alright. Gonna scan, and…" She crouched down. "…well. Two Revenants in one day."

"…ugh. Yeah. Someone's tracking us."

Kate nodded as she stood. "Was thinking that, yeah. Might be bad luck, but…" She frowned as they started walking. "…well. Still need to check out Papa Xin's. Just going to have to handle them as they come."

"Let's go."

The two set out of the lot. The owner of Papa Xin's was grumbling with the cop outside about how he'd lost all his employees & expected the city to compensate him for their deaths, and the two students waved them down and away as they came up to the front door, standing on the sidewalk with trees and cars. The building was barely wide enough for three people and had a neon sign over it.

"…alright." muttered Kate. Her hair went taut as she pressed against the door; Serena's fog & tentacle formed, and in the next instant -

- the door turned electrified and slammed right open in Kate's face; she shrieked as the current entered her hair -

" - S-Split!" she shouted; one strand yanked her back and across the street, another taking Serena with her -

- just in time to avoid their foe's vicious electrical whip as he stepped out of the shop, Kate groaning as the two landed, forty feet separating them. "Fucking kidding me? Didn't think to fucking check -"

" - wait, that's the same one from earlier, right?" said Serena -

- and Kate nodded beside, streams of fog filling her hair with some rubber, Serena's jacket filling with insulation. Their foe stepped out of the door ahead, electrical whip readied as his eyes went to the neon sign -

" - fucking - duplicate Revenant bitch!" shouted Serena -

" - yeah!" shouted Kate - " - you think this'll go any better than last time, you stupid fucking -"

" - Fixture!" shouted the duplicate Revenant bitch, whip sweeping up to the neon sign, and as bolts of lightning shot out of it and towards them -

- Serena threw her jacket right in to the scorching rays; and in to her favorite jacket went the electrical beams, Boudoir's durability & insulation keeping it safe as Kate yanked it back to them -

" - looks like it isn't going to go better!" shouted Kate; ahead, their foe's whip hit a tree on the sidewalk -

- and burst open instantly; a hundred electrified shards flew towards them -

- but the next scene was instant. Four hairhands ripped her own tree out of the sidewalk beside, throwing it with the speed of hair forward; streams of fog filled it with magnets -

- and in to the shards went the tree -

- whose keen end smashed the man right against the outer wall of Papa Xin's in a waffle of gore & guts & blood, two laughing as he fell rigid & his heart rolled down his crushed chest on to the sidewalk.

"Did good." said Serena, relevantly, and Kate laughed.

"Did good, yeah."

The two walked over, and Kate crouched down to scan. Serena whispered to her as streams of fog burrowed underground and she nodded. "Good idea, yeah. Still gotta get to where the body is, if it's still there."

"Yeah. Just wonder why someone's tracking us."

Kate shrugged as she stood up. "Eh, scum'll always find a reason for it. Could be one of us killed someone they knew. Could be they're just wanting to go rob some place, want to get the jump on us before. No reason to try to get in the head of people like that."

"I guess. At least they're all dipshits."

"I mean, if they're going to come anyway - I'm not complaining. Better they all come in one day, get it over with quick. Still - someone's probably duplicating these."

"Yeah."

"Need to check inside first, theorize after. Fog all good?"

"Yep." said Serena, and the two went inside Papa Xin's. The right wall was cracked with a burn mark and there were only a few tables & one counter, but a path of blood walked over the register and below the back door. Blackburn's fog filled the wall's crack as the two swept over the counter.

Revenants readied, the two came up to the back door.

Kate nodded. Serena nodded; four hairfists shattered the door inward -

- and the corpse was still bleeding on the back&right stove when the two swept in to the room. They approached it carefully, and Split flipped it over as Serena glanced back.

"…shit." muttered Kate -

- and they heard the front door open; with the speed of light the two turned, Serena's tentacle tapping the back wall as they saw another man step inside.

"Come on, retard!" shouted Serena - " - use your fucking fire, you stupid fucking bi-"

" - Fixture!" he shouted; his electrical whip formed -

- and shot immediately to the ground, magnets Serena had planted underneath the floor pulling it with the strength of a thousand down -

" - Infernal!" they heard a muffled voice shout from the cracked wall ahead; Serena&Kate stifled their laugh -

- as the explosives she'd planted within the wall blasted their unseen & their seen foe all over the restaurant, wisps of smoke & gore drowning out the fading black flame in the room ahead.

"Didn't expect a fight, did you?" shouted Kate, relevantly, and the two laughed as they stepped out. Kate formed a pouch for the two Revenants.

"Those were both the two Revenants from earlier, right?" said Serena and Kate nodded.

"Right. Definitely something duplicating these. Thinking we can, uh, visit the coroner after, see if he can see anything on them."

"Sounds good."

Serena nodded, and the two headed back to Xin's kitchen, mentor corpse still on the stove. Her heart had been cut out, and hair formed gloves as they started searching.

"Should let Julia and Naomi know, too." said Kate. Serena nodded, texting Naomi only.

And the two groaned as they heard four sets of footsteps enter the store -

" - here we go!" shouted Kate, and four hairhands readied to bring the restaurant down.