“I… I recognize someone…
…your father.”
“…What?”
Both Hannah and Riley looked at each other as soon as they heard Silvie’s words. Even Gary, who they expected to say something quippy, currently had his mouth completely shut.
“What do you mean you saw our father?” Hannah breathed out as still glanced at Riley from time to time; her face, showing her confusion, “You met with dad before?”
“I… I don’t know,” Silvie gently touched her head; squinting her eyes and trying her best to remember the visions she saw, “But… there were other people there as well. My father… was there too; the others… were all just a blur.”
“…When do you think this was? Maybe it’s a memory?”
Hearing Hannah’s words, Silvie could only shake her throbbing head once more, “I… really don’t know.”
“…”
“…”
“Well…” Hannah then rolled her lips repeatedly with a long and deep sigh, before helping Silvie up,
“…There’s no use contemplating. We should just get our fathers in one place and ambush them with questions.”
“That’s… I don’t think I can just call my father–”
“Then I’ll let dad force him,” Hannah let out a small scoff, “Let’s do it after we’re done with this city… and if dad doesn’t want to, I’ll just tell mom that he’s harassing a student.”
“…” Silvie then slightly took a few steps back as Hannah started laughing… menacingly.
“Y… yeah,” Silvie stuttered, “Let’s… let’s do that,” she then smiled. But it was obvious from her trembling lips that she was trying to force herself to be okay, and everyone could see it.
She would probably get worse and worse if they couldn’t solve whatever was happening to her immediately; however, right now, the only thing they could really do was let out a collective sigh; their breaths, almost enough to melt their base of operations.
“You’re… going to be alright, Silv.”
Surprisingly, Gary was the first to break the sordid breaths as he looked Silvie straight in the eyes, “We… will always be here for you.”
“…Thank you,” Silvie nodded.
“And since Riley could smack you whenever you’re doing your exorcism shit, I guess everything’s fine,” Gary then followed as he burst out in laughter. He almost seemed cool for a second there… but Gary is Gary, they all thought.
But still, he did have a point– Silvie pondered as she turned to look at Riley; although he probably doesn’t know it, she considered Riley to be the first one to believe in her. She chose her name because of Riley in the first place.
He believed that she was capable of becoming like Mega Woman– and maybe that’s all the matters.
“Whatever happens from now on…” Silvie then muttered as she looked at her Baby Crew members, “…I still want to do my best to help people.”
“That’s good…
…Now bring out the alcohol!” Gary then suddenly crouched on the ground, and when he stood up, his hands were already holding a couple of bottles of alcohol.
“To 5 more of these nights!” Gary bellowed as he raised a bottle, “Let’s capture more bad guys!”
“Where did you even get that!?”
“…The grocery gave it to me… for free,” a confident smirk slowly crawled on Gary’s face, “They just had me post a photo with it on my social media accounts.”
“…You’re becoming a slave of capitalism.”
“As long as they give me free stuff, I’ll even change my name to Capitalism Monarch!” Gary then said as he opened one of the bottles and started drowning himself with it, wagging his tongue as he let the contents of the bottle fall onto his mouth.
“…Should we really be drinking every night?” Tomoe, who had been keeping quiet on the side, let out a small sigh… before quietly grabbing a bottle of soju for herself.
Seeing her friends merrily laughing and dancing, mostly only Gary, Silvie once again could not help but force out a smile as she watched them. But soon, a hint of truth slivered its way towards her smile.
Her friends were here to support her all the way– she was lucky enough to have that.
“Your origin doesn’t really matter that much, Silvie.”
“…Riley?”
Silvie was about to join the others with their small party, but before she could do so, she heard a whisper crawl from behind her. She turned around, only for her heart to slightly skip a beat as soon as she saw Riley smiling at her.
“It doesn’t matter if Mega Woman is your mother, Silvie,” Riley muttered as he looked Silvie straight in the eyes, “I will make sure you become as great as her in the future…
…and I’ll hold your heart in my hand tightly.”
“W… what are you saying?” Silvie could not help but take in a small gulp as her face almost turned into a tomato with how red it was, “You… you already have Scarlet Mage.”
“You are different, Silvie,” Riley sighed, “I could do things with you that I can not with her.”
“I… S… Stop it!” Silvie covered her face before finally rushing away to join the others.
“What the… why is your face so flushed when you haven’t even had a drink yet!?”
“J… just give me one!” Silvie violently grabbed one of the bottles from Gary’s hand; she was about to chug it down, but glanced at Riley before she did so.
And seeing Riley still smiling at her… the only thing she could do was smile back.
I’ll hold your heart and crush it while hearing you scream– were Riley’s thoughts. But as she saw her sister smiling and hopping around with Silvie, he could not help but shake his head.
If he killed Silvie… wouldn’t his sister become sad?
Riley then let out a small sigh as he left the others and stepped out of the ice dome; his blue eyes, quickly looking towards the stars that still stood proudly even amidst all the cloud of pollution trying to hide their luminescence.
“Mega Woman…” He then whispered, “In the end… it’s only you and me. Please…
…Please come back.”
And soon, Riley’s blue eyes flickered; and like some sort of whirlpool, the color of his slightly faded into a pink hue, “Come back, Mega Woman…
…Or I will be forced to find the rest of your kind.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“One of them came out, it’s Whiteking’s son.”
And while Riley was contemplating his life, silhouettes blended in the shadows– watching from a building that had a clear view of the Baby Crew’s base.
“Should we strike?”
“No, not yet,” a man then stepped out of the shadows, revealing his face that was filled with scars, “We need to properly send a message if we want to be taken seriously.”
“…Are you sure, boss? I think this is the best time to strike.”
“They still have 5 days in Miami, we’ll have many more chances to strike,” the man with a scar let out a small scoff as he looked at Riley’s silhouette, “Let’s do it with a blast and show the world…
…that Miami has a new boss.”
***
“Thank you… thank you!”
“It’s no problem, ma’am. But maybe… don’t walk through dark alleys with this kind of fancy bag in the future?”
In the center of what seemed to be a plaza, Silvie was trying her best not to let out a sigh as handed a bag embroidered with gold to an old woman– the very same old woman who had her bag stolen the first day they were in Miami.
All of the members of the Baby Crew were also there, as they decided not to split up for the duration of their stay.
“…What?” The old woman then suddenly changed her thankful tone; her voice turning cold as she glared at Silvie,
“Isn’t that what you heroes are for!? To keep me safe!? I swear, all these young people are so entitled these days,” the old woman cried out as she grabbed her bag from Silvie’s hand, before walking away while wagging the cane she had on her other hand.
“That’s…”
“What the, don’t let me catch you here again or I will rob you myself!” Hannah, who was standing behind Silvie, could not help but raise both her middle fingers as she watched as the old woman continued to complain as she walked away.
“N… Nuclear Baby, there are people watching!” Silvie quickly pushed down Hannah’s hands.
They were in the middle of the plaza; garnering the attention of the people was already a given fact. But they have been in Miami for 5 days now, and still, the people seemed to not get tired of them as they tried to meet and take photos of them whenever they passed by.
“Tch, enough about that old hag,” Hannah coldly said; her face, however, had a warm smile as she looked at the people taking photos of her, “You seem to be doing well.”
It’s been 3 days since their talk and Silvie’s mental health seemed to have improved; not even once losing herself even with all the crimes that were happening all around Miami.
“It’s true what they say,” Gary, who was busy waving his hands to the people, stepped closer to Hannah, “You just need people to talk to and you’ll be fine and dandy… maybe I’ll become a therapist if all this superhero shit doesn’t work out.”
“Pft.”
“W… what the!? What’s so funny?” Gary could not help but furrow his eyebrows as Tomoe quietly let out a small snicker behind him; however, as soon as he turned his head, her face was already completely stoic.
“You, a therapist?” Hannah scoffed, “I think a terrorist would be more–”
“!!!”
And before Hannah could finish her words, she felt a sharp pain in her arm as Gary suddenly pushed her away.
“W… what, I was fucking joking!” Hannah bellowed, “Why did you–”
Hannah was about to ask why Gary suddenly became violent; her question, however, was answered by a loud thud.
“…” Hannah then blinked a couple of times as her eyes slowly turned to the ground where her feet were previously resting, only to see a mangled body of a man sprawled there. The man’s face, filled with scars– the man that was watching their group from afar.
“…”
And so, not only Hannah, but all of the people in the plaza all turn their heads towards the sky. They squint their eyes due to the rays of the sun threatening to blind them, of course– but still, the silhouettes that were falling from the air did not escape their sight.
And even as several bodies began dropping; the crowd’s disbelief made their feet completely locked in place, their heads still turned upwards.
Wet laundry– the sound of wet laundry dropping on the ground. Perhaps that was the best description they could come up with to explain the disgusting thud that whispered into their ears.
“What… the fuck is happening?” Hannah then took in a deep breath; she was about to look at the scenery of death around her, but before she could do so, she noticed that a silhouette remained floating in the sky– refusing to fall.
“Isn’t that…” Hannah’s breaths then completely stopped as the silhouette slowly descended; becoming clearer and clearer; or perhaps it was better to say… that their situation was becoming darker.
“…Darkday?”