Chapter 31 - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Day 26

Early Afternoon

Downtown

Four days had passed since the first attack on Erin's students, and while Sydney promised she was tracking a solid lead, Erin had to listen to new reports every day of her students being stalked, jumped, or getting into skirmishes. DN was relentless, if not always successful, and they always seemed to choose targets on the opposite side of town from where she patrolled.

To make matters worse, Erin had to check in on the younger students at their homes. This was both to give them advice on their training, and to reassure those who DN saw fit to scare by hanging around the neighbourhood. Of course, they never stuck around long enough for Erin to show up.

Some of her students ended up in the hospital, though serious injuries were far less frequent among the more experienced seniors. DN kept trying to shift the field further in their favour with dirty tactics, but so far they weren't consistently successful. Still, she grew tired of the antiseptic smell of the hospital, and the sight of her students injured.

While she considered the last couple days, and tried to find a pattern she could exploit, Erin stood on the roof of a four-story building downtown. Sitting on the roof to allow the raised edge to hide her presence, Erin drummed the fingers of her right hand on the rooftop.

It was Sydney's idea to hide here. It was roughly central to Middletown, allowing the quickest travel anywhere she needed to go. Plus, as the tallest building in downtown, no one could observe her. The hope was that Sydney could find out about a DN attack in time for Erin to stop it.

Unfortunately, it was very boring. Erin nearly jumped at every message notification, hoping it was the one she eagerly awaited. The one that would let her finally strike back.

Deciding it was time to stretch her legs again, Erin stood and swiped some of the detritus off her backside from the rooftop. She started hopping and shaking her legs out to loosen up the muscles.

Next, Erin warmed her muscles with some casual forms, mixing her varied martial arts, making sure not to drift from the rough center of the roof. While these were more relaxed than her normal workout, Erin appreciated the distraction from her thoughts.

The silence in her mind was not long lived though, as she received another message notification. Once again, not the message she was hoping for, this one came from Noah.

Noah: Hey Erin

Erin: Hey Noah, what's up?

Noah: Nothing. I just wanted to tell you that I left a gift just inside your door.

Erin: A gift?

Noah: Yeah, I won't spoil it, but I think you'll like it. Message me later once you see the gift and I can answer any questions.

Erin: Alright, thank you Noah. I might not be home for a bit though.

Noah: Still nothing from Sydney?

Erin: Nope. Well, except check-ins so I know she hasn't been caught or something.

Noah: She'll come through, Erin. Just be patient.

Erin: I know, kiddo. It's just hard sitting still like this.

Noah: All that speed is giving you ADHD. 😛

Erin: Ha, ha.

Noah: I have a ton of things to do still, so I'll let you get back to it. Good luck, and kick some ass.

Erin: Language! 😛

Noah: Haha

The message window closed and Erin reset her stance to continue with her forms, only to get yet another message notification. Rolling her eyes, Erin pulled up the message.

Sydney: Ables and Thames. Get here fast.

Erin: OMW.

Closing the chat, Erin ran to the edge and shoved off in the direction of the intersection Sydney mentioned. She felt the brick and mortar give way a bit under her foot, but a small amount of damage to the edge of the roof was the least of her concerns at this point.

Corner of Ables and Thames

Sydney held her position, breathing so subtly that her chest barely moved. Not that it would have mattered, as her armour's chameleon ability currently covered her head to toe in an active camouflage. The effect far surpassed anything she had access to in the military.

Observing her prey through a monocular, Sydney counted north of forty, hiding themselves behind bushes, fences, and some piling into backyards. Meanwhile, the Gumiho students walking down the middle of the street numbered less than twenty. They were hypervigilant, as evidenced by their jumpy behaviour and swiveling gazes.

Sydney considered her options. The MCX SPEAR was off the table. She could overpen and hit civilians in the houses. The P320 would be less likely to overpenetrate, but at this distance she wouldn't do more than scare them. Then they would rush out and start the fight early, and Erin might not be quick enough to close to CQB.

"Guess I'm getting my hands dirty the old fashioned way." Sydney subvocalized to herself.

Timing would be important though. She wasn't even remotely as fast as Erin, but she did have the armour.

As the forward guard of the Gumiho students passed the fence line with the forward elements of DN gang members, they met eyes. The Gumiho students started to back up, and Sydney thought they would try to retreat. She scrunched her nose up when they didn't rush the enemy to engage. The rear element of gang members had already started streaming out, so they couldn't go back.

It wasn't until they formed up that it clicked for Sydney. They had the older, more senior students forming an outer ring, then slightly younger students forming an inner ring, than a handful of younger students in the middle. They were protecting the youngest, most vulnerable.

"They don't have enough people to maintain that protection." Sydney subvocalized, the realization hidden in her inaudible tone. She started to extricate herself from cover, letting the armour shift camouflage naturally to keep her visibility low.

Yelling broke the relative silence of the street, DN thugs initiating their attack on the Gumiho students. Cries of pain told her some people were getting hurt already, but she couldn't see which side might be losing combatants as she moved through the backyards between her perch and the battle.

Several houses down Sydney finally jumped into the backyard for the house at the corner. Once she exited the yard, she would need to cross the intersection to join the fight, leaving her exposed for several seconds.

Sydney jumped the gate, landing in a crouch, then launching herself forward. Crossing the front yard at a sprint, Sydney came around the corner of the fence to absolute chaos. She nearly stumbled at the sight of a melee taking place ahead of her. The younger students were huddled together, only three Gumiho students left protecting them.

Every which way she looked, Sydney saw Gumiho students and DN fighting, often two or more on one. The odds were not in the favour of the students. Gumiho and DN littered the ground, some with limbs that were not bending the right direction.

Sydney assessed all of this in a fraction of a second, then directed her run at the closest situation she could help with. Three Domus Nostra had a student on the ground, hammering at him with their boots. The student was curled up, trying to protect vital spots as best he could, no other avenue open to him.

Sydney's arrival was acknowledged with a sharp crack and cry of pain when her leg connected with the side of a thug's knee. His full weight was on that leg while he kicked with the other, and the man's leg gave out, dropping him to the ground.

Not pausing to admire her handiwork, Sydney spun on the next closest thug, who was already spinning to throw a punch her way. She dodged low and inside, then popped up with an uppercut to his chin. The man's teeth snapped shut sending a few shards on a pirouette away from his face, his head flew back, and his body collapsed to the ground.

Reaching for the third man, Sydney planned to pull him off balance. Instead, two bear-sized arms wrapped themselves around her chest. Sydney's own arms were pinned to her sides, and then she found her feet no longer touching the ground. Cursing, she twisted, shifted her weight, struggled any way she could imagine. The inhumanly strong arms would not let go.

As if the insult of being immobilized wasn't bad enough, she watched with helplessness, fear, and anger as another group of DN thugs carried a struggling female student towards the house to her left, laughing like a group of disgusting pieces of shit with designs on bad behaviour.

Sydney screamed, doubling down on her efforts. She tried for her P320 holstered at her right hip, but it was out of reach. She tried pulling the MCX SPEAR out of her inventory, but with her grasp so limited, it clattered to the ground. Every ounce of her will, strength, drive, existence fought against her captor. She refused to let these pigs hurt that girl.

With a CRACK! BOOM! Sydney fell to her ass on the asphalt, freed from the monstrous arms holding her. She spun to see a massive man at the end of a bloody skidmark a block away. He wasn't getting back up.

Looking up at the woman who saved her, Erin stood over Sydney with a hand extended. "No time to sit around, Sydney."

Erin pulled Sydney to her feet, smiled at the deputy, then she was gone in a blink.

Sydney's heart sored. Erin had finally arrived. Remembering where she was, Sydney spun, drawing her P320, and drew a bead on the thugs who were carrying off the girl. At this range, she wouldn't miss. She lined up a shot center mass on the rearmost thug, and squeezed.

Corner of Ables and Thames

Erin triaged the battleground at high speed, mindful of her students that were laid out. She didn't help students who were still holding their own, instead focusing on those who needed help. While she moved too fast for anyone to see her face, if they could, the wolfish grin and pleasure in her eyes would probably scare them to death before she could send them there personally.

Landing behind a thug kicking one of her students on the ground, Erin kicked his feet out from under him so hard that bones snapped, and he started to spin. When he was parallel with the ground, she dropped an axe kick into his midsection, smashing his body down so hard it bounced, and broke.

Gunshots rang out, drawing Erin's attention briefly to the other side of the street. Sydney had her pistol out as she strategically poked holes in DN thugs trying to carry off one of Erin's students. The brief pause to her grin faded, and it returned in full force. Then she was moving again.

Everywhere Erin appeared, thugs fell. Dead, injured, she didn't care. As long as they stopped hurting her students. When the fighting finally ended, no DN members were left standing, and Erin put all thoughts of them out of her mind, focusing instead on her injured students.

Erin, Sydney, and the capable students checked for injuries. Only three students were in a state that might be critical, requiring Erin to rush them to the hospital. The rest were largely minor injuries. While Erin was more than willing to transport them to the hospital, Sydney interjected. Messaging Logan, she practically ordered him to come out with the SUV. It would be a tight fit for the remaining injured, but they could manage for a short drive.

Logan, for the brief time he was on site, assessed the carnage and asked, "What about the injured DN?"

"Do whatever the fuck you want with them." Erin said with a dismissive anger, "As long as you take care of my students first, and don't you DARE put those bastards in the vehicle with my people."

Once Logan drove off with the injured students, Erin and Sydney left to walk the remaining students home. She made the mistake of dealing with one parent, who tore a verbal strip out of her, before Erin opted to observe the students enter their homes from a safe distance.

By the time the last student was safely ensconced in their home, several hours had passed, and the sun was partially hidden behind the horizon. Progress having been slowed by the minor injuries of some students.

Erin turned to Sydney and asked, "Want a ride home?"

Sydney paused for a moment, as if thinking something over, then said, "Piggy back ride?"

Erin chuckled, "No. Just hold on." Erin held out an arm, welcoming Sydney to step closer. Erin wrapped an arm around Sydney's waist, marveling at the tense muscle she felt along the woman's back and flank. Sydney matched the grip, then nodded at Erin.

"Which way?" Erin asked, and got a pointed finger.

Erin adjusted their angle to face that direction, then with barely a flex of the knees, she launched them into the air at a somewhat more leisurely pace than what Erin normally travelled at.

By the time they reached Sydney's apartment complex, the darkness ruled most of the Middletown skyline.

"Hey, umm," Sydney said, somewhat awkwardly, "Want to come up for a drink? Or just to take a load off for a few?"

Erin mulled over the idea, then agreed, "Sure, I'm not a big drinker, but I could use something to lighten the load a little."

They headed into the building, Sydney seeming to have a bit more pep in her step.