It's Raw!
The Royal Four set out that night and had fast-food the next, Mia driving, Samuel the passenger, Serena in the back with Yuruko.
"Told you the pig was finally in season." chimed Yuruko, relevantly, burger full of pork & laptop on her lap.
"I still don't get how it can be out of season." muttered Serena.
"It's probably just marketing."
"And it works." muttered Samuel, ghastly hands picking onions out of his. "Never did like their raw onions, though."
"If you give me your fries, I'll cook the onions." said Mia, eyes on the road.
Samuel nodded. A fire scarab crawled on his onions, exploded, and caramelized them instantly. He handed over his fries.
"Wait, you can cook stuff instantly?" said Yuruko.
Mia nodded as she ate. "It took me a while to learn, but yes. Worldwide's also a temperature manipulation Revenant."
"Yeah, she even has her own cooking show." giggled Serena.
A scarab pinched Serena's neck.
As Samuel & Mia & Serena spoke, the previous silence of the car was quietly repelled. While Yuruko was anxious over the work she needed to do, she knew there was none to be had here, so she took her phone out and flipped over to her images of Rei Ayanami from the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion smiling. It was likely all the more affecting for her due to her hyper-empathetic autism. Social situations affected her intensely, so she resented Mia for forcing her into her squadron, and Mia being female, Yuruko saw it as a cruel prank or naive lack of empathy for her situation.
She remembered there were times as a child when she would see a dead animal on the side of the road, and cry for several minutes before her mother told her to quite her wailing. She believed women had no deeper empathy than men; likely even less. How several lesbians at Urasaria talked about her girlfriend only focused such beliefs.
Through her teenage years, with no female role models, she had tied her hopes and idealizations to Rei Ayanami, nearly as much as she did Serena now. It was the very depth of what Rei paralleled in herself that was different from Serena, inexplicable by sexuality, yet fundamental to her own nature.
She heard Mia saying her name and shot up. "I- yeah?"
Serena giggled at the Rei photo, which was of her wearing an oversized fishing hat that read:
WOMEN FEAR ME
FISH FEAR ME
MEN TURN THEIR EYES AWAY FROM ME AS I WALK
NO BEAST DARE MAKES A SOUND IN MY PRESENCE
I AM ALONE ON THIS BARREN EARTH
"Are you alright?" said Mia.
"…um, yeah."
"Um, she's just looking over stuff for her project."
Serena was referring to Yuruko's upcoming essay & presentation on a peculiar syndrome that had developed after Mia's stint in Japan, along with her wider midterm about Revenants that were able to repair themselves when their host was dead or unconscious. She knew this largely because Yuruko would ramble over it for hours if alone with Serena; so it was not really that Yuruko was quiet. It was merely that she recognized it as a poor social trait, one that her mother had always tried to 'fix' in her, putting her through speech therapy and revoking her internet access as a teenager.
"Let me know if you need me to grab your laptop." said Samuel. "Can stick it in Outcast's armor."
"Sure."
The four pulled on to a two-way bridge full of cars. Mia pulled down to fifty once they got a quarter of the way through, and in the next instant -
- a swarm of ice scarabs flew left & out of the window -
- just in time to freeze a dozen rockets that'd been shot at them from the left; the four shot up -
" - I - fuck -" winced Yuruko, saving her work & Medicinal forming its case as she threw her laptop to the floor.
[Yakuza 0 - Ultimate Road Rage Extended. IT'S BACK.]
Ahead and left, Mia saw another dozen rockets enter the bridge sixty seconds ahead, blasting a dozen holes in the concrete; parts of the bridge shattered & collapsed as civilian cars screeched before they hit it -
- but passed right over it as if there were an invisible floor; she heard a storm of gunfire enter the four's bumper from behind -
" - Blackburn!" shouted Serena as they kept their 50mph pace going, tentacle shooting through her seat and keeping the car repaired -
" - guns!" shouted Yuruko; six pistols formed in her hands, and as she threw them out the window -
- ghastly hands filled twenty cars with lead behind, Mia glancing back as another rocket shot towards them -
- and a case of ice formed around it just in time to catch it; she turned her eyes forward and kept her drive going.
"Remember that artifact trip?!" shouted Serena, relevantly, and the four groaned.
"No Aimee this time." winced Yuruko, and Mia tried not to think about the sixth missing member, shouting -
" - there's still more on the left bridge!"
Her eyes turned left, another line of cars peeling down the left bridge, and a dozen rockets shot out towards them -
- just in time for a wall of ice to burst up left to block it; Mia sighed as one civilian smashed right in to it, and in the next instant -
- one explosion from above blasted their roof clear off, another six missiles falling from the sky towards them -
- but the next scene was instant. Ghastly hands gripped the roof as it flew off and threw it back in to the other six rockets -
- and in to it exploded the rockets, Serena refilling the roof as the prior one was blown in to bits, vehicle tottering as she shouted - " - are they curving?!"
" - guns!" shouted Yuruko, throwing four shotguns out the window and back, six cars in pursuit behind -
- and ghastly hands shot four slugs right between their eyes, Yuruko shouting - " - can you go in to the right lane?! Far-right!"
- Mia nodded as she peeled in to the far right lane, fissure in the bridge only twenty seconds away now. Yuruko threw a line of road spikes out of her window -
- and the metal line filled every lane behind them a second later, Yuruko glancing behind as they kept speeding up, shooting at something behind; wanting space first, Mia drove in to the fissure and down -
- but the next scene was instant. Four metal arms shot out of the concrete and gripped their vehicle tight, spikes growing as they started to tear through the doors; beside Mia, Samuel threw one Outcast punch in to one metal arm -
- which grew spikes just in time to block it; he felt his armor chip as soon as he hit it, and in the next instant -
- he grunted in pain as he yanked his arm back inside, more gunfire entering the vehicle as his entire helm cracked - " - fucking damage reflection -"
- the four metal arms ripped the doors open, retreating back and shooting towards the four inside -
- but the next scene was instant. Yuruko held her left hand left; her right hand right as she shouted for Mia -
- and a dozen watery explosions burst out of her hands, streams of fog filling the four metal arms -
- and corroding every last away in a thousand flakes of rust; Serena grabbed Yuruko's laptop as their vehicle started to fall, streams of fog refilling the doors as they fell, ocean only ten seconds below but temporarily safe -
" - sorry!" winced Serena, streams of fog healing Yuruko's eyes that'd been burnt shut from the hydrogen fluorine -
" - l-laptop?" winced Yuruko, and Serena nodded, five seconds separating them -
" - I got it -"
" - fucking, fucking damage reflection - it only works on melee -" grunted Samuel - " - is this the one to -"
" - SERENA - REFILL THE WINDSHIELD!" shouted Mia; the four fell in to the ocean, and as their car started to sink -
- the next scene was instant. Mia swept her palms over the wheel and an orange beam erupted from her palms -
- and disintegrated hundreds&hundreds of gallons of water without a single ash left, osmosis sweeping them in to the current and throwing them forward, streams of fog repairing the windshield so no other water could enter, car still on a steady descent down but keeping its forward speed. Serena's tentacle shot through her seat and kept the car from being crushed by the pressure, Yuruko muttering at her side that it really did look like a kamehameha -
" - wait for the blue one." winced Serena, relevantly - " - Mia - I'm running out of fog -"
- Mia nodded, and a cube of ice formed around their vehicle; a swift spray of purple disintegrated the excess water, and the four sat for a second in a growing frozen cube, vehicle safe but momentum lost now. In the next instant -
- the four groaned as more gunfire entered their cube of ice; one crack formed in the barrier, and in the next instant -
- Mia screamed in agony as fifty shots entered her chest in an instant; swift fog refilled her wounds, more bullets pockmarking her but only one crack left in the cube still -
" - W-W-Wor -" - she gagged, bullets tearing through her veins as the frozen wall melted ahead -
- and reformed to a frozen hall & ramp as she slammed on the accelerator. At her side, ghastly hands kept trying to throw the bullets away from her -
- but they curved right back to meet her every time, and as another thirty shots entered her throat -
- a full case of ice formed around her before Serena's fog could heal her, vehicle slowing as she was forced to retreat to her winter wonderland, three speaking quickly with their leader gone.
"It's - they're curving just for her -" said Samuel, obviously -
" - it's that one crack, but - fuck, I -" said Serena -
" - can we outrun it if I speed us up?" said Yuruko, and Samuel nodded, leaning over to drive the pedal to the floor; their car lurched forward -
- and the next scene was instant. Yuruko threw something out of the back window and a remote detonator formed in her hand -
- and an explosion launched them with the strength of a hundred forward; the frozen wall melted ahead in to another frozen hall -
- and another explosion & new frozen hall, rapidly gaining speed as they ramped up, Serena's tentacle keeping the vehicle repaired as another explosion blasted them forward -
- and another -
- and another -
- and another -
- and another -
- and another frozen wall melted ahead, chute of ice launching them out at 200mph and in to the air; the four winced as they flew, city up ahead and the prodigal bridge still way below -
- and one sniper bullet tore Mia's nose clear off in a burst of blood; streams of fog refilled it as they hit their arc and started to fall, line of buildings below but heading directly for the street -
" - Black -"
- and streams of fog reinforced the doors as they smashed into the street on their backs, car skidding & rolling & rolling & rolling for hundreds & hundreds of feet; Yuruko clutched her laptop tight as Serena clutched Yuruko tight, cheeks tinting as they closed their eyes, still rolling & rolling -
- and not coming to a stop until they smashed right in to something; the four groaned as they stopped, lurching and gagging - but they had no time to rest.
"G-G-Go." winced Mia, burning the four's doors down, and out of it stepped & crawled the four -
- right in the middle of a junkyard, mountains of scrap metal around with the entrance up ahead, buildings and the horizon beyond. Serena vomited as the three stood & spoke.
"Counters, counters melee, at least." groaned Samuel, staggering.
"T-T-There it fucking is." groaned Yuruko, staggering as the four turned their eyes ahead -
- and saw an enormous metal pole walking through the streets beyond, one man impaled on it where he shouldn't have been.
"T-The construct." gagged Mia, still staggering even as the pole folded & disappeared out of sight.
"Can't get in range for that." muttered Samuel.
"And it dodges projectiles. There was one that kept dodging every shot earlier." muttered Yuruko.
"It - it didn't dodge the, u-um, hydrofluoric acid or Blackburn." groaned Serena, and Mia whispered something to the others.
Ahead, they saw the car peel in to the lot, 100ft separating them from it. The four started rushing towards it as a dozen rocket launchers popped out of the hood, machine guns & pistols following, and as the entire volley flew towards Mia -
- the next scene was instant; Samuel threw a grenade from Yuruko forward, throwing Mia after it a second after; the scarabcoated projectile swept her palms forward as she flew fifty feet within range -
- and a bolt of lightning erupted from her palms -
- but the car's hood crouched down to dodge it -
- but an explosion from below launched it up -
- and right in to the electrical ray that tore it in to a thousand metal shards, rockets & gunstorm disappearing as Mia hit the dirt and skid -
- and she sighed relieved as a thousand droplets of blood burst out of the vehicle, hovering for a second before disappearing. Behind, the other three stepped up, swift fog refilling Mia's wounds as she stood.
"N-Nice." said Yuruko, and Mia nodded.
"Might be another Revenant coming soon." said Samuel. "Should try to get some rest, just in case."
"Underground." whispered Mia. "…we also need another car for tomorrow."
"Um, me and Yuruko will do that." said Serena.
Yuruko suddenly rushed back over to the wreckage if their former vehicle, panicking as she dug through it. Serena ran over to her and crouched down beside, muttering something to Yuruko, who replied as streams of fog flew underneath the wreckage & Blackburn's tentacle searched. She saw sweat on Yuruko's face and put her free hand on her back. "It's - it's okay, just - um - found it!"
Her tentacle pulled a case out and Yuruko nodded as she grabbed it, finding it uninjured. She didn't breath normally even after she checked & saw her laptop inside was still working. "O-Okay. Still w-works, just need to hotspot and backup my s-stuff and yeah."
"Yeah." nodded Serena. "It's okay, u-um."
Yuruko turned as Serena hugged her, and noticed that Mia & Samuel seemed concerned over her outburst. She felt awkward and a bit stupid around them, which may seem ironic to say given how obviously intelligent Yuruko is. Yet she thought that when they turned their eyes to her with concern, they were seeing not really Yuruko but an awkward mascot, a symbol that was as stained by her autism as she might stain a specimen upon a microscope slide. It was not a negative trait, nor one to Yuruko, but she thought that it was how others only viewed her because she felt it; she had always inverted her own internal habits into the atmosphere of others.