Selpharia

I’m sure Bridget shares your frustration! If Val weren’t there, I’m sure she would have considered doing just that! This one was a little short, but I plan to give you plenty of long chapters in future

I'm glad you enjoyed it kerry, it's something I've wanted to check in on for a long time. one_screaming_kitten, I suppose both of these are possible, though I feel like Bridget's got too strong of a moral compass to ever steal selfishly, and too weak of a sense of fashion to mke theivery of that kind worthwhile. As for Sami, I can see where she's coming from. As someone who has little sisters, they somehow know how to push all your buttons. But I don't think she'd want to become a villain, it would make her so unhappy. She'd lose out on everyone being proud of her, and everyone wants to feel appreciated and valuable. She does, I think, honestly want to do good. Even if it's reasonable to think Sami's being a bit self-centered here, she is trying very hard.

Chapter 9: The Home Front Bridget’s room was dark, the shadows of the walls just beginning to lengthen with the setting sun. When she turned the light on they retreated, but that only revealed another problem. Her powers of recovery and her recent effective-but-disastrous feeding had left her with no injuries immediately visible, but the same couldn’t be said for the sweater she’d worn. It bore the scars of Mi’cha’s insectoid assault: huge rents where claws had barely missed her, and the scent of Tenkai's smoke bomb caught in its fibers. She shuddered to think of what her mom would say if she saw her, and resolved that would never happen. Bridget stuffed the shredded grey remains of her outerwear into a corner of her closet and wore just the old pink tee shirt underneath that bore a mortifyingly cutesy heart design outlined in silver sparkles. Her clock had to be lying. There was just no way that it was only 4:30. If it wasn’t, that would mean that the entire Vector ordeal had lasted about four hours. It seemed she’d even beaten her mother home, judging by the absence of audible bustle downstairs. Bridget’s body strenuously disagreed though; her bone-deep exhaustion was the kind that she imagined would come from running a marathon. She wanted nothing more than to just lie on her bed and sink blissfully into slumber. But even as drowsiness began to fog her mind, the clock remained insistent, declaring with its usual mechanical tyranny just how little time she had before she was due to meet up with Margot. Aw, crap. Her stomach rumbled a familiar, human hunger, and so she started downstairs. A quick snack and a shower, and she’d be ready, or as ready as she’d ever be anyway. She considered dressing up a bit, showing off for her former best friend, but that seemed a little much, trying too hard. <<Why not, little one? Buttressing vulnerabilities with social armor is simply tactically sound. Consider how effective it was for those early humans who encased themselves in metal to avoid being pierced or bludgeoned to death.>> Bridget went down the stairs and into the foyer, imagining herself in full Joan of Arc helm and chain mail, extending a gauntleted hand to Margot in greeting. But, rather than flee, the imaginary Margot bowed and put her lips to the cold metal and breathed a gallant kiss onto it. Bridget shook her head, dismissing the nonsensical ramblings of her exhausted subconscious, and willing her cheeks to stop burning. “Hello there, Bridget. How are you?” Bridget looked toward the source of the question, and found Sami sat at the kitchen table, laptop open in front of her. The young heroine's golden eyes glared straight into her sister’s face. There was suspicion in that stare, although Bridget couldn’t be entirely sure it wasn’t just a reflection of her own guilt. “Oh, um, I'm fine just kinda been on my computer, y’know. Getting ready to hang out with Margot later and all.” Bridget wouldn't call herself a good improviser at the best of times, and Sami's arched brow suggested that her hasty improvisation hadn't exactly been a smashing success. “I see. It’s good to hear that you’re recovering so well from your...episode last week.” A seared-in memory of burning lungs and the expressionless flesh-mask of an alien warlord bubbled to the surface of Bridget’s mind for an instant, before the reality of Sami came back into focus, lips thinned into a grimace that barely hid an unspoken rebuke. “Y-yeah. I’ve been feeling a lot better,” she fumbled awkwardly. “How about you? I figured you’d be busy with heroine stuff or something.” “Yes. So did I,” Sami replied coldly, “but somehow, my calendar just cleared right up in the last few days.” “Oh.” Bridget had the distinct impression that Sami was talking about losing her opportunity at Vector. She hadn’t had the nerve to ask what had happened after the party, but Sami’s stony expression answered the question clearly enough. “Well, that’s just more time for patrol stuff, right? Bringing the shining light of justice to evildoers, and all that.” Bridget tried to force a smile. “Oh, I'd love to be out doing something useful. But everyone else is off doing something else: job interviews, award-winning experiments, and incomprehensible magical rituals or whatever. So now it’s just me, sitting in an empty house. Going nowhere.” Bridget stood silent, unsure of what to say. “Speaking of, where were you today?” “Huh? I told you, I wasn’t anywhere, I-“ Sami stood up suddenly and stepped toward Bridget. “Don’t lie. You’ve always been a terrible liar. Mom may be too busy organizing things to notice, but I’m not. I’m sure you were absolutely nowhere important. Just like you made exactly no noise and were completely invisible when I called and went to look for you. And just like you just happened to have a freak-out just in time to ruin my shot at making it big,” she spat bitterly. <<Credulous fool. She should be on her knees thanking you.>> Bridget just gritted her teeth. Wonderful, another clueless Sami lecture once again proving that her sister’s strongest superpower was missing the point. She tamped down her frustration and annoyance. Hopefully it would be over soon. “So I’m going to ask you again. What stupid, shortsighted, selfish thing were you doing that you’re hiding from me? Even after I saved your life!” This was too much for Bridget. She’d just returned from fighting a horrifying monster and nearly dying who knew how many times, only to have to listen to Miss Perfect lecture her about selfishness? Her hands balled into shaking fists at her sides as fury roiled beneath her face. <<Exactly, little one, you should->> But Bridget was way ahead of her. “You saved my life? The only reason I ever got kidnapped was because they wanted to get at you! But I’m soooo glad that my kidnapping gave you a chance to show off.” “It’s not showing off!” Sami rose up in the air a head above Bridget, and seethed down at her. “A heroine sacrifices to keep others safe and keep them from suffering. Not that you’d know a damn thing about suffering or sacrifice, since all you do is play video games, unless Mom gets on your case enough to make you do homework, you lazy ingrate.” “I am not! I’m good enough at physics that Leanne wanted me to go for the St. Rose’s summer program.” “Yes. Summer camp. How very mature.” Sami rolled her eyes, but Bridget pressed on. “At least I’m more than a tank-brain who just lasers everything in front of her. Don’t think I don’t remember what a whiny attention-seeker you were before you won the power lottery, either.” “I care because I remember how it felt to be less than everyone! Don’t you belittle that. I shudder to think what you would do with powers. You know, aside from your power to be insufferable.” “Oh, I’m insufferable? I’m not the one whose friends all ditched her 'cause she’s a self-important wannabe corporate tool!” “You have no idea how the real world works! A job at Vector would have supported our family!” Bridget just scoffed.“Supported our family, or supported your precious ego? Just because Mom and you are on the same bullshit doesn’t mean that people with more than two brain cells can't see straight through your preening.” “Why you-” Sami’s eyes brimmed with searing golden light, and Bridget stepped back in instinctive fear as her sister lunged forward. But Sami caught herself, her glow fading with the lowering of her hand. She turned away sharply with a growl of irritation, and returned to staring at her laptop. Bridget stormed back up the stairs, fury eclipsing the hunger she’d come down to satiate and burning away the fog of fatigue like the noonday sun. That stupid, miserable, stuck-up- <<Put her out of your mind, little one. You’re quite correct to be angry, but we don’t want you grumpy when you meet your friend.>> Nnnnnngh, fine, Bridget admitted grudgingly. <<And, speaking of, you should shower as well. While I see nothing wrong with smelling of battle during a social engagement, I do believe other humans might frown upon it.>> Bridget said nothing, but grabbed a towel and made a beeline for the shower. Once there, however, she made a horrifying discovery. “Ugh, we really still only have Mom’s stupid old lady shampoo? Fantastic. Could this get any more embarrassing?” <<I highly doubt she would be intimately familiar with your mother’s scent profile, considering both the lack of specific information that the human sense of smell provides, and that it has been years since the two of them have interacted.>> Yes, thank you, Professor. Bridget continued grumbling all the way through getting ready. The only brief interruption came when Margot’s text arrived saying she’d be there in a maddeningly vague “few minutes.” This, of course, only led Bridget to prepare and worry at a more frenetic pace. She was still kicking herself for not picking a better outfit, not that same sparkle-heart pink top with a plain white skirt, by the time she headed out the door. She chanced a look back at Sami as she went, but her sister just narrowed her golden eyes and said nothing. The autumn air outside was crisp, and just cool enough to make Bridget shiver and wish she hadn’t lost her favorite sweater as a casualty of battle. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before a lone black car crested the nearby hill. Its headlights shone like stars in the suburban sunset as it glided toward her. Bridget didn’t immediately recognize the car, but it could only be Margot’s, it was driven just slightly faster than any of their stodgy neighbors would have countenanced. It rolled to a stop in front of her, and the passenger window slid down with a creak. “Hey,” Margot said, beckoning her inside Bridget almost leapt in, eager to escape the cold and the penetrating gaze of the golden-eyed sentinel she could feel even through the front door. -- Thanks again to everyone reading and commenting

I'm glad you enjoyed it! I'm not sure I'd call barely surviving much of a win, though it's certainly better than the alternative

You can, though she's feeling a little sulky because she didn't get to kill those awful assassins and drag them before Forzare. Be careful of her chitin!

Don’t worry. Quantum Sonata seems like the forgiving type, right? Also here’s Mi’cha’s response: [[It is I! I am a good girl! For I do Master Forzare’s bidding, and I slaughter his enemies and I keep him safe, and tell the world of his glory!]]

Chapter 8: Showing Cracks Bridget found herself in agreement, and she sped as fast as she could away from the airborne predator. After a few well timed leaps from building to building, she heard again the deafening thud of Mi’cha landing behind her, shattering shingles and cracking the rooves beneath. Seeing that Bridget’s bunny hopping had outmaneuvered her, Mi’cha adopted a more feline tack. She ran and pounced, so quickly that Bridget didn’t dare glance back even for a moment. The speed that kept her away from Mi’cha’s claws was, unfortunately, insufficient to outrun her guilt. As fast as she ran and jumped along rooftops, her thoughts raced more swiftly back to Tenkai. Bridget thought about the clever, kinda cute trickster who she’d nearly reduced to a shriveled husk. She felt a lump like a cannonball form in her throat. What if she got captured by Vector security, because she was too weakened to fight them off? What if she really was poisoned? What if Mi’cha went back to ki- to hunt the girl down later? All these thoughts raced each other round and round in her head, and very soon she had no sense of where she was going. She’d closed her eyes to shut out their stampede. <<Slow down, sweetie.>> And of course she’d disappointed Val so terribly. It was no wonder she wanted her to slow down and be mauled by the monster whose hot breath came in gales behind her. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! she wailed silently, I’ll let it catch me instead! I know I deserve it, and you’re right to be angry, I-I- <<Bridget.>> The softness where she’d expected the hard edge of an executioner’s axe startled Bridget into silence, cutting off her frantic torrent of self-excoriation. She almost missed the next rooftop in surprise. <<I don’t want you to do any of that.>> <<Tenkai has demonstrated a prodigious skill at stealth,>> Val explained, with that familiar air of authority that turned everything she said into ironclad axiom. <<Sonata’s pawns will spend much more time dealing with a gargantuan escaped war-thrall than they will devote to hunting down someone who is barely older than you, and who poses no imminent threat.>> The lump in Bridget’s throat diminished ever so slightly. She juked right, made another leap and was rewarded by Mi’cha's hiss of frustration. <<And if you really want to make sure Mi’cha keeps focusing on you, well, I’m sure you can figure out which buttons to push.>> Bridget landed on a metal roof with a clatter. But I-, Bridget began <<That is, if the amount of sass I get is a representative indicator.>> Yeah! I can do that. “Hey Mi’cha,” Bridget shouted over her shoulder, “Forzare is so stupid,I bet he can’t even figure out which end of a beaker to pour from!” Bridget’s taunt was immediately and catastrophically successful. The next claw swipe sliced the back of Bridget’s sweater, and missed her spine by millimeters. The autumn afternoon chilled the small of her back, and an icy thrill of fear ran up her spine. [[You will not insult Master Forzare! He is brilliant and kind, and gives good pets and delicious snacks! And when I bring him your corpses, he will once again inform me how good I am, even though we both know!]] Mi’cha leapt after Bridget, but this time, she floated in the air just enough to extend the distance of her jump. She slammed down directly in front of Bridget, the roof of the maroon van she landed on screaming and buckled under her weight. Bridget panted from the exertion of the chase. Her warm sweater was cold with sweat. Her opponent’s body glistened with perspiration too, but all that did in her case was highlight the immense bulging magnitude of her muscles. [[You’re tired, aren’t you, assassin? Good.]] The next strike that came was as quick and sudden as a snakebite. Bridget just barely managed to dodge a blur of a claw strike, only to be sideswept by two of Mi’cha’s armored legs. The sharp edges of the organic armor tore a pair of rents in Bridget’s sweater. Bridget barely had time to register the blunt impact on herchest as she was knocked over the side of the building by the sheer force of the blow. Bridget clenched her teeth to stop the scream that welled up in her throat from escaping. She kept her composure enough to reach for the reservoir of power within her, and slowed her descent skillfully. A proud smile flashed across her face. <<Good work, sweetie.>> But when Bridget was about halfway between the roof and the parking lot pavement below, she saw a familiar shadow fall on her. Her pursuer had expected this very maneuver, and had jumped from the building as well. The leap perfectly timed to slam and crush her as she floated down. <<Drop!>> Val barked. Bridget obeyed at the speed of thought, and that alone saved her from a splattering demise. She managed to blunt the impact enough not to suffer any drastic injuries. Still, the fall rattled every single bone in her body, and knocked her to her knees, slightly stunned, flesh stinging as the jagged asphalt dug in. Mi’cha landed a few feet ahead of her, nearly shearing off the top of a tall light that bent over the parking lot. Her torso dipped as her six legs absorbed the impact. A small group of uniformed Vector security officers stood waiting where Tenkai had collapsed. They wore light, silvery body armor over their legs and chests, and even from a distance Bridget could see the prism pistols slung at their sides. At the sound of the pair of impacts, they ran toward the combatants. Seeing them advance, Bridget felt a sense of impending doom pierce the haze of her all-over soreness. Mi’cha straightened, her feline eyes bulging, still rimmed with the red dust from Tenkai’s spray attack. Bridget looked up at the horrifying chimera bearing down on her, desperately searching for even the remotest hint of a weakness. [[My venom burns, you know.]] Mi’cha growled, psychic voice seething. [[A fitting punishment for your attempts to hurt my Forzare]] She reared her tail back to strike, aimed directly at Bridget’s heart. But focused as she was on her prey, Mi’cha did not see the jade blur behind her. Her tail began to descend for the killing blow, but stopped short with a resounding metallic clink. Clink clink clink clink clink. Mi’cha growled in confusion, and Bridget saw the reason. Her tail was at its thinnest point right at the base of her bulbous stinger, and Tenkai had used a pair of bright blue handcuffs to attach her tail to the thin parking lot lamp. The chimera wriggled and writhed, but couldn’t bring any of her claws to bear to free herself. “Smile, Bluebell, you’re on video! Let’s see Vector try to cover this up!” Tenkai stood behind Bridget, a cell phone in her hand, hat restored to its jaunty position atop her head, and a grin of triumph on her face. Mi’cha roared in impotent protest. Bridget rose to her feet as quickly as she could and ducked out of camera view. <<Our energy sheath should protect us, there’s no need to worry. At best, the device will record a slight disturbance in the air.>> Okay. Just want to be sure. Bridget focused her dwindling energy, reinforcing her gravitic veil, which had begun to slip during the struggle. “Stop right there!” A chorus of male voices commanded. The Vector security goons had finally come into range of Tenkai and Bridget, and menaced both with their prism pistols. Tenkai froze for a moment, and lowered her camera. “Hey, Ghost Girl? Any chance you can make laser shields or anything?” Tenkai whispered out of the corner of her mouth. Bridget shook her head, before belatedly realizing that it was very unlikely Tenkai could see the gsture. “Guess that’s a no. Well, original plan it is then.” <<I suspect we can still help regardless, little one.>> Tenkai dropped a small black sphere from inside her sleeve. As she did, the Vector security forces opened fire. They were unprepared, however, for the gravitic pulse Bridget unloaded at the same time. The oozy grip sheaths kept the guns in their hands, and they were too many for a tired Bridget to incapacitate them all quickly. But she was at least able to disrupt their aim; Tenkai’s agility and her smoke bomb did the rest. Bridget knew it was time to go; she wouldn’t get another chance, and there were so many bright lines of energy lancing through the air. She leapt away, hopping from one rooftop to another back the way she came. There was no froggy-jumping this time, just the wind on her face, and time for Val to strategize. <<That young human is clearly interested in harming Vector, and does not appear to have any institutional backing. She could make an excellent ally.>> Yeah, except I almost ate her! << She had no way of knowing that was you.>> But I know! And she must too, or she wouldn’t have left! What if it happens again? <<It won’t, sweetie.>> How can you be sure? <<Because I’ll train you.>> That’s your answer to everything, isn’t it? She whined. <<Yes.>> Well, points for honesty. But why is it always that? <<Because that’s all we can do. We were very fortunate today, but there is every chance that we will simply fail and die. <<I had hoped my knowledge would be enough. But, I did not know about Forzare’s beast, or his laboratory. Likewise, we won’t know what other deadly weapons Sonata can bring to bear.>> She paused for a long moment. <<Sweetie, I...I may not be able to protect you. I nearly wasted both of our lives on a brash reconnaissance mission that yielded nothing. This is precisely like the situation with Sonata herself. I’m sorry.>> Bridget was stunned. An apology. But more than that, Val’s abrupt vulnerability diminished the burning flame of her anxiety. It took her a few more blocks to figure out what to say. Val, there’s nothing to apologize for. I agreed to everything. We did at least get that that ID card and the space gun. Maybe we could use it. And we did manage to get good intel too, so mission accomplished there. It’s just the intel said that Sonata has a new chief scientist with a giant scorpion-tiger-centaur for a pet. It’s not like he’s anywhere near as good as the old one though. Bridget might have been mistaken, but she could have sworn she felt the Voidwalker blush. <<Indeed,>> Val said. <<Thank you, little one.>> Anytime. They finally landed, outside the familiar light blue split-level Winston house. I love you, space-mommy. <<I love you too, princess.>> The two of them channeled their power, rose up to Bridget’s bedroom window, opened it, and slipped inside. -- Well, dear readers, we've done it, we've finally reached the end of the battle with Mi'cha! Thanks, everyone for reading, and as always, likes and comments are greatly appreciated. I'll also keep the fourth-wall mailbox open, just in case anyone has questions they want to direct that way.

I’m glad! And yes, that is very likely what is going to happen next. There’ll certainly be more Tenkai as well

<<That’s hardly a punishment; what you’ve described is standard practicing procedure. I’d initially considered the results of her mistake consequence enough, but I have been rather lenient recently. >> Nonono, your first idea was fine, space-mommy! Practice is great! I sure do love practice! <<I believe a standard human punishment would involve my little one spending an allotment of time considering the error of her ways, while located near one of the vertices of the room to prevent distraction?>> Yes, that will do nicely. You want me to sit in the corner? Really? <<Oh no, princess. There’s no sense wasting a good opportunity for exercising your powers. Floating in that corner of the ceiling for about fifteen minutes should suffice.>> But I...This is only going to get worse for me, isn’t it? <<Indeed.>>

<<An intriguing question! It might theoretically be possible to do that, though it would be a formidable challenge. The problem is that a Voidwalker and her vessel convert life energy into gravitic energy for sustenance almost immediately. And in this case, the change is complete and fundamental - reversing it would be like trying to unburn the wood used as fuel for your primitive cooking fires>> <<My little one and I are form a unique specimen, however. and further testing is certainly warranted. I’ll inform Bridget that we have some more tests to run on in the morning.>> Bridget’s addendum: Please, please don’t give her any more ideas.,

Thank you! I’m sure Bridget and Tenkai would agree with you that Mi’cha is totally unfair. I mean, somebody could ask them, but the fourth wall inbox is empty so far.

Thank you so much for the comments and likes! I'm very glad the flow of this fight is interesting and entertaining Chapter 7: Dinner and a Show Huh? Bridget asked, nonplussed. <<Oh, how clever!>> Val exclaimed delightedly. <<A charmingly simple ruse. Even so, its effectiveness speaks for itself. They’re looking exactly where they shouldn’t.>> A ru- Oh. Bridget smacked her palm against her forehead, and turned back to where the caped figure had been moments ago. Sure enough, there it was, this time dangling like a garish spider from a grappling line. The dapper teal figure swung like a pendulum, building up momentum, getting closer and closer to the entry Bridget had made. <<Hm, pendular motion is interesting means of approximating true three dimensional freedom of movement. Not something a Voidwalker would deign to use, though. Far too imprecise.>> Well then, be precise, and help me get them out of there! <<Oh, very well,>> Val huffed. <<You’re lucky that you’re so cute, little one. Otherwise I’d never permit such reckless expenditure of our depleted resources.>> Bridget swore that the burning in her cheeks was just because she was tired, and reached out with her power once more. The walls of the laboratory high above faded from her sight, revealing Forzare and his minions clustered around Mi’cha’s gigantic form. Her energy glowed steadily, but dimmer than before. One diminutive figure, however, was free of any trace of gravitic energy. It kept close to the wall, avoiding the flurry of assistants tending to their master’s pet. Bridget worked as subtly as she could, wrapping the first traces of her power around her target as finely as the threads of a spider’s web. She added more, one by one, until, after a few moments that felt like an hour, her painstaking work was complete. Once she was finally satisfied, she yanked hard on the gravitic cord she’d woven. “Wha-, Hey! A young woman’s voice yelped in surprise and dismay as she was pulled abruptly from the building and back downonto the street. That’s cheating, I stealthed my way in there fair and square!” For a moment, Bridget was impressed at the girl’s tenacity. If had been her, she probably would have just screamed and lost her lunch. She certainly wouldn’t have had the presence of mind to complain, let alone the alacrity to tuck herself into a roll on landing. With a roar of pain and fury, Mi’cha erupted out into the sunlight, leaping with the grace of a gazelle, and landing with the force of a meteor. It seemed that Val had been correct; Forzare had not been able to wholly mend Mi’cha’s myriad injuries. Her upper torso was still mottled the rusty hue of dried blood. A few small shards of glass remained in her right side and in her bulging right forearm, but the largest rents in her skin were greatly diminished. Muscles strained beneath blue skin, and her massive chest heaved with exertion. The predatory fury that shone in her yellow, slitted eyes, however, was undimmed. [[Another one? I will end you both, and Master Forzare will finally be safe!]] “Aw, jeez. So much for hoping you weren’t real, huh?” [[I am very real! And so are my claws!]] Mi’cha lashed out with sweeping swipes of her foreclaws, seeking the interloper’s vulnerable flesh. Her motion was a blur that Bridget could barely follow; she couldn’t possibly pull the girl away in time. But Mi’cha’s blow struck empty air, as her target ducked under her strikeand inside her guard. “Yeah, more like real clumsy, bug-brain!” The jade-clad girl stuck out a hand right next to Mi’cha’s face, so close that Bridget was sure that the girl was going to get her arm bitten off. The monster opened her jaws wide, exposing the red depths of her tiger-like maw, and the jagged yellows of the enormous fangs within. Before she could devour the dapper girl, however, a puff of red vapor shot into Mi’cha’s face from the girl’s palm, in which a small spray bottle had suddenly appeared. Mi’cha screeched and spluttered, tossing her head violently from side to side. “Hah!” The girl gloated, leaping backwards out of claw range. “Looks like The Magnificent Tenkai was a bit too spicy for you, huh?”’ Bridget saw the next attack coming before Tenkai did. She watched the muscles beneath Mi’cha’s chitinous hindquarters tense and shift, and the tiny twitch of the enormous stinger readying for a swift and deadly strike. There was no time for precision. With a groan of effort, Bridget unleashed everything she could in one single blast. Two tihngs happened at once: Mi’cha’s blow went wide, jolted off course by the sudden gravitic pulse. She almost lost her footing, but her sheer number of her limbs let her stabilize easily. Tenkai, in contrast, remained distressingly bipedal. Depite her agility, the sudden gravitational shift knocked her off her feet and sent her tumbling across the grass. With a thud and a rustle, she finally rolled to a stop about ten yards away. For a brief moment, Bridget felt a flash of satisfaction that Tenkai was beyond Mi’cha’s many-clawed reach. When the furious chimera rounded on her, however, she noticed a flaw in her plan. [[Fine. I will simply kill you first, assassin.]] Bridget did her best to scramble away, but she was running on empty. Mi’cha skittered forward, wounded but still lethal. Her prey, on the other hand, had reached her limit. She’d used much more Coidwalker power in the last few hours than she'd ever used before, and her body was ready to give out. The only thing left was her energy sight, through which she saw Mi’cha as a towering colossus of purple-flecked green. <<Little one, you must do as I instructed,>> Val admonished. Mi’cha stood mere feet away, fangs bared in a monstrous grin, eager for her impending victory. I can’t. I’m just too tired. <<Yes, which is why you must feed!>> But I’m tired, not- <<You’re not just a flesh-thing anymore, little one! Bring tired and hungry aren’t discrete phenomena for us.>.> Mi’cha reached down and grabbed Bridget by the throat. The smell of iron from the dried blood that caked the beast's enormous arm assailed her nostrils. [[No more hopping away for you.]] Mi’cha’s grip tightened. She was neither as patient nor as sadistic as the Warmistress, waiting for suffocation to do its slow, agonizing work. She was a predator; a snapped neck, a clean kill, that would be enough. But the chimera’s roar of triumph suddenly became a cry of pain as a throwing knife pierced the back of her clawed hand. Bridget thudded to the earth, clutching her neck and choking back tears. “Let Ghost Girl go, Bluebell, or next time I won’t ask knifely. Just kidding, I totally will,” she said, twirling another knife between her fingers as he spoke. <<Interesting. If this Tenkai is already working against Vector, she might make a useful ally.>> Sunlight glinted off the weapons Tenkai held between her gloved knuckles. Bridget fought through the pain, and took advantage of her freedom to launch herself away from Mi’cha. She found, however, that instead the gravitic ally enhanced leap she’d intended, she barely lifted off the ground long enough to get a foot away from her launch point. <<Little one. You. Have. To. Feed. Don’t make me tell you again, missy. >> Bridget instinctively quailed at Val’s unusual sternness. Logically, Val couldn’t really punish her without punishing herself, and there weren’t many punishments worse that being ripped apart by an angry alien warbeast. Still, Val’s tone suggested that, if one existed, she might just apply her considerable intellect, and the last few seconds of their existence, to finding it. Bridget hurriedly scanned the area in front of her for sources of sustenance. Mi’cha was closest, but a terrible choice. Trying to feed on her life energy and avoid the inedible Voidwalker energy had been like trying to suck tiny bits of meat out of the unyielding shell of a crustacean. The other option was the fleeing crowd of civilians, or the human security officers unknowingly about to get in over their heads as they converged on the battling metahumans. Looking at them, she suddenly realized that Val was right, she was famished. Each member of the crowd looked like a bite-size snack; it would be so easy to devour them all and feel the same incredible rush of power she did after feeding on the Hellbloods. But the part of Bridget that wasn’t entirely consumed with alien hunger rebelled at the thought. After all, there was no way to know if a normal human would survive being fed on the way the augmented Hellblood toughs had. That left only Tenkai, brimming emerald-bright with life energy, standing between Mi’cha and the scattered civilians. Surely, Bridget thought, she could stand a tiny nibble. Quick as she could, Bridget reached out with her power and grabbed at Tenkai’s essence. In an instant she was refreshed, and felt the nearly-empty well of her power refilling with a surge of new strength. Bridget tried her leap again, and this time she went soaring stories high, right to the roof of a nearby parking garage. [[No!]] <<See, there you go, princess. Doesn’t that feel better?>> It’s amazing! Now if we could just... But consuming the tiny morsel of Tenkai’s energy only showed Bridget how desperately hungry she was. And with more energy like that, she was sure that defeating Mi’cha would be easy. Just a little more... It was like eating the most delicious dessert, but as hearty and filling as a stew. Bridget raised a hand again, gathered energy from her newly-filled reservoir, and sent Mi’cha hurtling away from Tenkai and into the crisp white Vector walls with a resounding crash. Mi’cha mewled in pain and surprise, as her already raw flesh felt the impact. << Good, that should do for now. We should get out of here while Forzare’s beast is recovering.>> Bridget ignored her. Couldn’t Val see how close they were to victory? With one more reversal of gravity, and she hurledthe cobalt chimera into the sky, and readied the strike that would send her crashing to the earth for the final time, crushed under her own augmented weight. But midway through this final maneuver, a sudden cry of pain broke Bridget’s concentration. Tenkai fell to her knees, cape pooled around her, doubled over in obvious agony. Her jaunty jade hat slipped from her head and rolled away, coming to rest a few feet away. Bridget gasped, terrified that Mi’cha had somehow landed a venomous parting shot. Bridget reached again for the reservoir of power, but it was abruptly gone. <<I think you’re done feeding, little one.>> But I just need- she protested. <<So, you've decided to kill your new friend already? Cold.>> Val finished with savage flatness. N-no! I don’t, I didn’t, I’m sorry, I just-, Bridget protested feebly. As her feeding frenzy faded, it was replaced in a flash by the leaden realization of what she’d almost done. << We’re leaving, little one. But we’ll talk about this later.>> Hot tears of shame burned in Bridget's eyes.“This is exactly why I didn’t want to feed!” <<Indeed. You’re still a child; it’s not surprising that you can’t control our appetite. It appears that I made an error expecting you to be able to do so.>> Bridget looked down at the hard grey concrete, wishing she could fall straight through it. <<However, if you’re going to fight Voidwalkers, you’re going to need to learn..>> I...I know Bridget replied, choking back a sob. <<Fortunately, even from the height you managed, the drop should keep Forzare’s beastie down long enough that we can leave.>> Bridget turned to go, but even as she did, a vast shadow fell over her. [[A worthy attempt. But you once again underestimate my master’s genius.]] When Bridget looked over her shoulder, her heart plummeted. Mi’cha was there, awash in Voidwalker energy. The gravitic bolts that held her form together shone like stars, visible even to the naked human eye. Most incredibly, her massive bulk hovered weightless in the air, bulging yellow eyes level with Bridget’s green ones. “That,” Tenkai gaped from below, “is bullshit.”

Well, given the amount of shady stuff Vector does, it certainly seems like the kind of place other heroes should investigate. I wonder why the Stalwart Six and other official hero teams haven't done that?

Yeah, I mean, who knows how long you'll have to wait for another update, given how slowly I write. oh wait, what's this right here? Chapter 6: The Belly of the Beast Bridget put her hands up in a fighting stance, readying herself for combat. Mi'cha skittered slowly forward with a low, rumbling growl. Muscles bulged beneath her skin as she tensed for a final pounce. The vastness of her eclipsed the tiny pinprick of sunlight from the laboratory ahead, so that for a moment, the whole world was chitin and rippling muscle bathed in pale purple light. Mi'cha leaped, and Bridget feinted left then dove right. She floated herself a mere inch from the floor, ducking under one of Mi'cha's ripping claws. But there were just too many sharp, chitinous edges for her to dodge them all. Bridget felt a burning in her side as one slicing leg ripped at her shirt, tearing open a gash in her clothes and the flesh beneath. She pushed through the pain, and fell onto her hands and knees on the other side of her opponent. A hand placed on her wound came away hot and slick with blood. The pain hit her a second later and she screamed. No! nonononono! We're gonna die! <<We will prevail, princess, I promise.>> Val didn't sound entirely sure herself, but Bridget wasn't in a state to argue. <<We'll feed on some of Forzare's minions and be good as new. Remember how I showed you last time?>> Y-yeah. A great ripping sound from behind her told Bridget that at least one part of their plan had worked: They'd found a hallway narrow enough that Mi'cha was having difficulty turning around to finish the job. But the clacking of claws and legs didn't sound like the noises a monster makes when it's given up the chase. <<Focus, little one. Find those two we defeated earlier. They don't have much energy, but it will be enough.>> Bridget could almost feel Mi'cha's breath on her neck, and it shook her concentration. She tried to reach out to find life energy she could sap. But the only thing her mind could see was the overflowing vitality of the monster behind her. Bridget reached out a tendril of her power, attempting to draw Mi'cha's life energy toward her. But it was like trying to suck water through the tiniest, narrowest straw. She pulled with all her might, but instead of the surge of power she'd felt after feeding off the Hellbloods, a mere trickle flowed around the wound in her side. And even as she got to her feet, Bridget heard the thud of four enormous forelegs hitting the ground. But by the time Mi'cha had righted herself and was ready to pounce again, Bridget had sped all the way down the final hallway right up to the sealed entrance of Forzare's laboratory. She fished in her pocket for the prism pistol and felt it ooze up her arm again. Steel or not, she was pretty sure that the laser pistol could blow a hole in Forzare's front door. Bridget had never shot a gun before, let alone a prism pistol before. She'd expected some recoil, but hadn't been prepared for the sheer brightness of it. The searing light stabbed at the darkness, and was answered an instant later by a violet shield thatthrummed to life around the entryway. It devoured the beam from her pistol, until all that remained of it was the imprint that floated in her vision. [[I am grateful, assassin. Master Forzare will be able to see me defeat you on camera, and how good a servant I am, and I shall receive all of the ear-scratches I could ever want! I would thank you, but you will be dead!]] “Yeah, okay, sure. I bet he'll love you get stuck when you try to stab me again.” Bridget took a step forward, making herself look as threatening as possible and trying to hide the pain still throbbing in her side. Mi'cha let out a growl that sounded like a laugh. [[No.]] She brought her stinger down low in front of her, like a chitinous saber. But instead of lunging at Bridget, she tensed the muscles in her tail, sending the venomous tip hurtling toward her target like a spear. Mi'cha's attack was too fast for Bridget to intercept with gravitic power, and she was only saved from the venom by a frantic tumble to the floor. This, however, was exactly what Mi'cha had been waiting for. She scuttled forward, eager to impale the prone Bridget with the sharp claws at the tips of her legs. <<A shift of priorities is in order, little one. I don't think his battle can be won.>> Geez, you think? Bridget rolled out from under a pair of Mi'cha's forelimbs that nearly sliced straight through her head. <<If we create a vacuum around that window and then shatter it, it could be an avenue of escape.>> Or we could be cut to ribbons by broken glass! <<It can't be that dangerous, surely, given our size and density->> Hell no, that much glass at high speeds would cut through unprotected flesh instantly! We'd be dead even quicker than if Mi'cha- And in that instant, contemplating the many and varied directions from which their doom could come, an idea blazed through Bridget's mind. She descended one more time into the purple void, and wrapped herself in gravitic power. There was no point trying to shield herself from Mi'cha's blows or turn them aside, the creature simply had too much mass. So instead, Bridget floated herself just off the ground, and slid her way directly under Mi'cha's abdomen. [[Wha-?]] Mi'cha's legs scrambled wildly, suddenly unable to find their target. The respite wasn't long, however. In a moment, Mi'cha looked down, and raised her arachnoid abdomen with a snarl, preparing to crush the impudent assassin beneath her with sheer bulk. Bridget closed her eyes. She didn't want to see the final moment when the heavy shell smeared her across the floor What the victorious Mi'cha had failed to notice, though, was the gravitic field wrapping itself around the great window Forzare had installed to overawe visitors with the grandeur of his demesne. Small cracks began to form and multiply in its surface. It creaked and groaned under the suddenly multiplied weight of the outside air pressed against it by an invisible, alien hand. It shattered all at once into uncountable pieces,exploding into a slicing storm of shards, thousands of tiny missiles, the entire cloud aimed at the unsuspecting Mi'cha. Bridget hadn't had time to be precise; many of the splinters bounced harmlessly off the organic armor covering Mi'cha's lower half. But even so, many more found their mark in the soft, unprotected flesh of her humanoid torso. The creature roared in agony, reeling from the pain of a thousand tiny cuts. She staggered a few crablike steps, and Bridget could see the sun, its rays stabbing into the sullen darkness, illuminating a path for her escape. [[H-help me...Master Forzare, please,]] she mewled, [[I-I- Everywhere...it hurts so much!]] The telepathic sound of Mi'cha's cries vibrated through Bridget's entire being. It took all her willpower not to stop or look behind. She moved as quickly and carefully as she could, clearing a path through the debris with a swipe of her hand and dodging Mi'cha's flailing claws. She ran to the base of the ruined window and,sailed thorough it into the daylight world outside. Only then, as she began her floating descent did she dare turn to look back at her wounded pursuer. It was a gruesome sight. Thin lines of violent crimson covered her face and chest, tracing from gaping wound to gaping wound. Her hands were folded together, in an almost meditative pose. Dark rivulets of blood ran across her claws, and when the sunlight hit her, Bridget barely kept from vomiting. The slicing crisscross was the least of it. Torn muscle showed its raw pink meat through gaping rents in Mi’cha’s skin. Blood flowed from them, painting the wall scarlet as she crumpled against it. The glass gleamed in the pale light, broken but eerily placid amidst the carnage that it made. Bridget hovered in the air for a moment, transfixed at the gargantuan ruin of her would-be killer. Her eyes refused to focus on any one part of the monster, rejecting the disgusting enormity of what she’d done. Mi’cha’s blue skin was rapidly being stained red, a red that darkened to the hue of rust as she lay there, mewling and twitching feebly. The image stretched into a strangling eternity, as though the world itself had stopped with their battle. The silence was finally sundered by the mechanical grinding of the laboratory entrance. Time seemed to start again. A gaggle of Vector employees had heard the commotion. Most were wise enough to stay back, but a few were curious or foolish enough to approach. Bridget drifted down toward the green plaza below. The landing was less gentle than she would have liked, but she kept firmly on her feet. She made herself invisible again, but it was obvious that the concealing cloak was more frayed and tattered than usual, weakened by her mounting fatigue. <<Magnificently done, princess. That was truly ingenious.>> Thanks, space mommy, she thought back, smiling weakly, but I...I don’t feel so good. A searing flame still burned in her side, and the rest of her felt like dough that had just been squashed flat by a rolling pin. Her stomach continued to perform horrific gymnastics.Even so, she pushed the civilians away as gently as she could. To her surprise, the next voice she heard did not come from the bewildered crowd, but instead faint and muffled from the shattered window above. “Mi’cha! Oh, my poor, poor Mi’cha. What in the void happened to you? Don’t worry, we’ll have you in fighting shape in no time, I promise!” Forzare’s frantic terror turned the rumbling baritone Bridget had heard before into a falsetto woodwind. Oh, fantastic. <<Don’t worry, little one. The Star Wardens might be able to heal such injuries quick enough that we'd need to worry. But the best Forzare is likely to do is let his pet hobble away>> Well, we should probably do the same. My everything hurts. Bridget turned, ready to make her escape. However, just as she did, she caught a flash of blue in the corner of her eye. She jumped, dreading to find that Forzare had been so enamored of Mi’cha that he made another. But instead, when she turned her head to follow the movement, what she saw was entirely unexpected. A small, blue-clad humanoid figure ran along the roof of the Vector building, their teal top hat askew, matching cape fluttering in the breeze. Their destination was as obvious as it was ill-chosen; they halted their sprint above the smashed window that had drawn everyone’s attention. Suddenly, an enormous bang exploded from the building entrance. The onlookers, already spooked, went into a full-blown panic. A few screamed, all of them scattered like ants. Bridget, for her part, jumped what she thought must have been about a foot in the air, cursing under her breath. “Dammit! What now?” She instinctively turned to Val, hoping that she at least might have some idea what was going on. But instead of sage advice from decades spent voyaging the stars, what Bridget got from Val was a peal of uproarious psychic laughter. --- Incidentally, this also marks th opening of a new feature- The Fourth Wall Mailbox! You've asked questions of me for a while now, and I've so often answered cryptically. But now, you have the opportunity to ask your questions directly to the characters themselves! Some of them might even be less cagey than I am. Simply ask your question, specifying who it should be routed to, and you'll get an answer. Thanks so much for reading and commenting!

Monologuing is a proud Voidwalker institution. You’ve heard of performance art, but what Val and Forzare do? That’s performance science. For Voidwalkers, even anodyne things like white papers would be treated almost like beat poetry. A little in the weeds, too intimate for true spectacle, but still, a *performance*

What, an update? Those don't happen, there must be some mistake. Oh wait, you mean this? Chapter 5- Hunter and Hunted Any Voidwalker, facing a frontal assault by a creature as massive as Mi'cha, would have called on her prodigious powers to alter her course or to hold her in place. But in this moment of primal fear, Bridget didn't think like a Voidwalker. Her very human brain went straight for the quickest means of escape from this terrifying alien predator. This was the only reason that she did not die in the very next instant, impaled on Mi'cha's enormous stinger tail. She had instinctively jumped backward, amplifying the distance and speed of her leap with gravitic manipulation. The scream of metal blended with Mi'cha's furious roar as her claws struck the metal floor where Bridget had been standing merely a blink earlier. The bestial sound made Bridget's teeth rattle, and she stumbled backward. The gigantic monstrosity seized the opening and whipped her tail toward the soft, vulnerable flesh of her prey. <<I won't let you harm my little one, creature,>> Val snarled Bridget felt the reservoir of power, brimming and eager. She frantically extended an arm to ward off the monster's strike, eyes closed instinctively in fear of the scything blow to come, even as she unleashed a desperate burst of energy in Mi'cha's direction. <<I suspect that Forzare's simple-minded minion will find a close inspection of the laboratory's steel wall more suited to her capabilities, even if her first introduction to it might be more kinetic than she'd prefer. The unique sound that such a mass of chitin will make upon impact is->> But that sound never came. Bridget had thought her attack would bowl over even something as massive as Micha. The only thing her attack managed to do, however, was knock the beast's strike slightly off course. Mi'cha's stinger clanged against the metallic floor again, giving Bridget the space to let out a pant of exertion. Unfortunately for her, Mi'cha, had expected this counter, and quickly swiped her tail laterally, striking Bridget full in the stomach with the armored cord of muscle. A second massive outpouring of gravitic energy prevented her from crumpling and let her keep her balance despite the crushing impact. It took all of Bridget and Val's combined effort to counter enough of the force that Bridget was only knocked straight backwards toward the outer laboratory door. They avoided being smashed against it by inches, barely averting the fate that mere seconds ago Val had been sure Mi'cha would suffer. <<Forzare is...full of surprises, it seems. I underestimated him; I...have no idea how he's done this.>> Val's psychic voice betrayed the same fatigue that Bridget felt in every fiber of her body. “...How?” Bridget panted, repeating Val's question aloud in between large gulps of air. She barely contained her terror as Mi'cha skittered toward her with the meticulous inexorability of a wolf advancing on a wounded fawn. Seeing his creation triumphant, Forzare began to gloat. “Well, intruder, despite your earlier rudeness, I suppose I should thank you for the chance to demonstrate the pinnacle of my craft with a brief, simple exegesis of the brilliance that has laid low your ill-conceived sabotage.” Forzare began to float lazily upward, his black lab coat billowing out behind him like a cape. “You have no doubt observed that I have fully surmounted the square-cube law.” He swept his arm outward grandiosely, looking, Bridget thought, less like a horrifying alien mastermind and more like a member of the drama club warming up a well-practiced soliloquy. Awesome. Bridget took the opportunity to lean up against the door for a few precious seconds. If Forzare liked to hear himself talk as much as Val did, she might just have enough time to do something... “This so-called law, like so many things in the physical universe, bends and twists around beings like ourselves, while its iron grip holds fast lesser creatures. The path to subverting it, therefore, lies in elevating those creatures to new and glorious heights! Behold!” Suddenly, the purple light in the laboratory was extinguished, plunging the room into darkness. Bridget automatically reached for the energy sight that Val had taught her to use. When she did, she saw Forzare as she expected, glowing with the inner power of an attuned Voidwalker. But a similar glow also radiated from Mi'cha's massive form. Well, that complicated things, Bridget thought to herself. She pressed her hands up against the door behind her, drawing out just enough Voidwalker energy that Forzare's own senses wouldn't detect what she was doing. Hopefully. <<So he attuned someone to a war-thrall. How...pedestrian.>> Val sounded disappointed more than anything. <<Wait...no, that's not it, the pattern's not right!>> Once Val pointed it out, Bridget saw it too. Where Forzare's human vessel was entirely suffused with Voidwalker energy, a darker shade of Bridget's own power, Mi'cha looked different. She glowed with green life energy, but a constellation of purple orbs floated within her outline, so that she looked oddly like a 3-D connect-the-dots puzzle. There were spheres supporting her bulkier parts that it took a moment for Bridget's eyes to separate them. On top of that, individual spheres were fixed like bolts at every one of her insectile articulation points. “This mere physical vessel has TRANSCENDED its former frailty, and become a truly SUPERIOR creation!” Forzare continued, unbothered by his own dramatic darkness. “It operates at far beyond the expected peak parameters, and renders futile any feeble attempts to use that same power to alter its motion!” [[Be glad, assassin,]] Mi'cha added, in the same melodramatic cadence as her master, attempting and failing to conceal her eagerness. [[You will be slain by the great Stygian Forzare's true masterpiece!]] But instead of the sound of groveling or the final, futile attack that Mi'cha expected, her mighty challenge was answered only by the clang of the laboratory door falling closed, just in time for a small human girl to perform a gravitically-enhanced leap through it. Bridget ran as fast as she could past the laboratory entrance and into the darkness of the labyrinthine hallways beyond. She hurtled blindly onward looking desperately for an exit, guided only by the ghostly light of Voidwalker energy radiating from where the corridor walls and ceiling met. The screech of metal echoed and rebounded in the silence. The thuds of Mi'cha ramming herself against the barrier were the chimes of a nightmare clock, each one signifying that her hunt for Bridget was that much closer to bloody completion. It took less than a minute for Bridget to lose sight of the laboratory, and of the window outside it which was the only place natural light could flow into the alien lair. After one more burst of speed she leaned up against a wall, taking a moment to catch her breath. She'd expected hard tile, the same corporate design that the Voidwalkers had used in every other floor of the Vector building. As a result, she almost drew back her hand in surprise when it touched the wall and felt something like carpeting. But it was neither soft nor yielding, and offered no comfort. Like everything else here, she realized, it had been placed with calculated purpose. It made a fine insulator, allowing hundreds of normal human employees to proceed about their tasks, feet from a sprawling network of secret rooms and passageways, and remain blissfully oblivious. It also made escaping upwards or downwards a dicey proposition at best. <<Our chances of locating the elevator are vanishingly small, especially given how little time we have,>> Val observed. << We might consider attempting to catch the creature in one of these shorter passages; it seems unlikely that she would be able to leverage her physical superiority in such confined spaces.>> Val was clearly shaken, but had recovered her analytic faculties far faster than Bridget thought she herself would ever be able to. It took a few moments of deep breathing before she could form her thoughts into a coherent response. But Forzare will come after us too, and he's normal-sized! The xenobiologist wasn't as scary as his chimeric creation, but Bridget had definitely gotten the worst of their previous exchange. He was, after all, a full-powered Voidwalker. She was maybe half of one, and a child on top of that. <<Unlikely. Like me, he's a thinker, not a fighter. A display of power in his sanctuary is one thing, risking his own safety looking for a possible assassin is quite another. He'd suspect a trap.>> Yeah, except I bet he has minions. Like, a bunch of attuned research assistants or something, who'd really love to impress their boss by catching us. <<Indeed. Even if he's decided to give that creature the role of second in his demonstrations, he surely has other more conventional research staff. The Warmistress would tolerate much in search of results, but not an entire lab's worth of war-thralls wasted on research.>> But fighting anything else is better than trying to fight that thing head-on. <<That isn't strictly true. If Forzare were a disgrace like Empyrean Rondo, he'd go straight to the Warmistress. Thankfully, despite his questionable choice of discipline, he at least has a scientist's dignity.>> Right. Bridget supposed that if Val still felt secure enough to go on about ”a scientist's dignity,” things might not be as desperate as they seemed. Let's see if we can dodge the blue beastie, then maybe we can overpower one of them and get them to lead us out or something. The screeching and banging stopped. For a moment, Bridget thought she heard the sound of a claw scraping across the carpet and nearly jumped out of her skin, but realized it was only the scuff of her own sneaker. Collecting herself, she continued walking for a little while, slower and more carefully than before, while Val counted and tracked their turns. As time passed without encountering any further monsters, Bridget even began to feel a bit more at ease. Soon enough, she heard the muffled sound of shouts and several pairs of feet, no doubt those of the emerging search party. Val gave a smug, self-satisfied chuckle, and even Bridget cracked a small smile. When you got right down to it, this wasn't a whole lot different than evading Hellblood patrols; Sami and the rest of the Stalwart Six must have done that for weeks prior to their last mission, and none of them could turn invisible. Well, she wasn't sure that Isis couldn't, but she'd never bother anyway. <<Little one, why don't you try floating us just a little bit off the ground? We don't want to go galumphing about as blatantly as these second-rate beaker fillers, do we?>> Oh, right. Bridget realized belatedly that in her headlong flight from Mi'cha, she hadn't done anything to conceal the noise of her passage, or her footprints. But, then again, maybe that didn't matter; if it did, Val surely would have scolded her much more forcefully. Unfortunately, her new stealth tactic came a little too late. The sound of feet drew closer, along with the voices of her pursuers. “Curse these miserable human eyes! I know she's barely meters away, but they can't even penetrate a simple solid wall! How in the void does any creature live like this?” The voices were seconds from rounding the last corner that stood between them and Bridget. <<Little one, perhaps we should->> Bridget barely listened. She knew there was only one way she was going to defeat two Voidwalkers in a contest of power. She turned on her heel and ran toward her pursuers. Their eyes widened in surprise to see their quarry so abruptly appear in front of them. And in that moment, Val understood what Bridget wanted to do. With a sickening crunch, their power rammed the two researchers headlong into one another. One of them let out a moan of pain and confusion as his comrade's elbow impacted his face. The two suddenly-hunted hunters raised gravitic shields, trying to ward off the blows. Bridget watched purple spheres of power begin to form around them as they struggled to their feet. One fumbled at a bulge in the pocket of his black lab coat. <<Well done sweetie, don't let up now!>> Bridget obeyed and gritted her teeth as she focused everything she had into her outstretched hand. Pain burned every nerve in her body. She glowed so brightly with her own power that for a moment she was blinded by the lash of violet light that erupted from her palm and ensnared her targets. It squeezed them, and their shields shattered like glass. The next crash of bodies on walls was softened, the sound of impact muffled by the soundproofing. And so was the next, and the next after that; Bridget waved her hand back and forth, making enormous brushstrokes through the air. The two entrapped Voidwalkers careened from wall to wall, a pinball of confused and tangled limbs, before they finally collapsed in a heap, unmoving “Did...did I kill them?” Bridget panted, suddenly worried as the adrenal lightning faded from her veins. She was bent almost double, barely managing to keep her feet, as though she'd run a marathon in a moment. <<There's no need to worry, princess. Their nocturne hasn't yet begun.>> “Good.” She didn't want to think about it would mean if she had. One of the researchers had a pass like the one that Empy had dangling from a lanyard on his neck; Bridget quickly took possession of it. Just in case, right? <<Indeed.>> But as she looked down at her defeated foes, her eyes fell on the bulge in the other's coat. "What's this?” She said softly to herself, pulling the thing from the pocket where it lay. It was hard to see in the dark hallway, but if she strained, Bridget could just make out the outline of a small pistol. But where the chamber would be, a deep blue crystal had been set, a tiny white light gleaming at its center like a miniature star in the surrounding darkness. Bridget tightened her grip on the pistol, and as she did she heard a gross squishing sound, and felt the cold creep of strange slime oozing up her arm. It gripped her shoulder tightly, so that even though she screamed in disgust and did her best to shake it free, the weapon remained stuck. “Eugh! What the hell is this thing? Get it off!” The utter grossness of the strange device overrode any attempt at stealth. <<It's a prism pistol, an old Star Warden weapon that Voidwalkers still use. If you clench and unclench your hand three times, the grip will release.>> But why is it so slimy? <<It's ideal for those attuned to weaker forms without natural weapons. The slime accommodates whatever appendage the vessel possesses.>> Bridget did as she was told, and sure enough, the slime slurped its way back into the handle. Bridget held it gingerly between two fingers as though it might bite her, and carefully placed it in her own coat pocket. Sweet! With this, we might just be able to beat them all and find our way out of here! <<Be careful, princess. It's a useful tool, but you're not trained in its use. You can keep it for now, but I don't want you using it unless we absolutely must. I suspect that if you did, you'd be more of a danger to yourself than to our enemies.>> Bridget started out again, buoyed the feeling of things finally starting to go right for her and Val. She could see the light of the laboratory window ahead. If she could get the drop on Forzare as she had his assistants, and if she could make her one shot count... But as passed a particularly broad hallway, that little balloon of optimism was immediately punctured by the appearance of a familiar scorpion tail. [[You make very easy prey, Assassin.]] Shit. ------- More updates as a reward for sticking with this for so long? That seems incredibly unlikely

I'm glad to hear that. I find that's an underrated virtue of superhero stories. I also very much enjoy puzzling over the whys of people and what they do.

Wow! That’s so much reading! I’m glad you liked it so much, Hoppy!

This is such a great question, thank you so much for asking it! I think you’re very correct that it’s “all of the above.” I don’t know if Val herself could figure out how much of each it is, and it’s definitely changed as she and Bridget spend more time together. I’d just add one more: Val likes being in charge, being important, and being needed. I dare say she has grown to enjoy the experience of being space mommy for its own sake. It’s a little funny, really. Val originally wanted to manipulate Bridget into being submissive, because she’s used to the Voidwalker interpretation of submission: pure obedience. But when she started doing that, she opened herself up to a dominant role that went further and was more fulfilling than the mere command she expected. She became, and continues to become, a caretaker. Kudos also for picking up on the importance of Echo in opening Val up to the role of space-mommy. Regarding the last part of your question: we see Bridget’s dream version of this scene, so it’s very possible that Bridget was by this point starting to see the commanding, dominant, self-confident Val as a bit of a mommy figure, and her subconscious was just trying to explain it to her. Val definitely did have some mommy traits before she was intentional about it! Thank you again for reading so closely and carefully!

Thanks so much for all the comments, they mean a lot to me I know updates have been slow, but they are moving, and will be coming along soon, faerie promise!

That was one of my favorite scenes to write as well Bridget imitating Val is so precious.

Fixed, thanks for pointing that out. I’ll do what I can, but part of the difficulty in *writing* something like this is that it takes time, especially when life gets hectic.

Hello again everyone! We're back on for more, this time with a nearly double-length chapter that will hopefully excite, entertain, and put rumors of this story's demise to rest for at least a little while. Thank you all for reading, and putting up with my schedule. And once again, questions and comments are very welcome. Chapter Four: Experimental Findings Getting past security was easy enough. All it took was a quick jump over a turnstile and past a bored-looking guard, and she was in. A brief rustling in one of the perfectly-manicured hedges stopped her for a moment, but when she didn't see anything sinister lurking, she continued her stealthy approach. It was also trivial to find a map of the city at the far side of the lobby. The six wings of Vector HQ were organized very pragmatically, each of them devoted to a general are of focus that the cartographer had helpfully labeled. The lower levels of the central hub was taken up by cafeterias, gyms, and other relaxation areas, below a gigantic area simply identified as “executive suites.” <<Let's avoid that, shall we? There's no doubt good information to be had there, but since Aria and Sonata can detect us, there remains a substantial chance of discovery,>> Bridget nodded affirmatively. <<This northeastern wing, however, looks quite promising.>> Bridget followed the shape of the building to a wing shaded in a pale blue, which upon closer inspection was devoted to research and development. <<It's remarkable what a careless researcher will reveal if their thoughts are consumed by scientific conundrums.>> Yeah, but would the Voidwalkers really do their most secret science where anyone could just walk in? I mean, what if someone like Isis or Overwatch got suspicious? <<Certainly not. I'm sure that the information we'd really want is on the flagship, but there's plenty of things that require a more...material environment.>> Right. We should get going. Bridget set off toward R&D, just shy of a run, each step full of purpose, ready to face whatever challenges awaited her. What she was unprepared for, however, was the frustration of searching for a needle in Vector's corporate research haystack. The research wing had looked so small on that very helpful diagram, but walking through the reality of the thing was another matter. There were so many labs and testing rooms, and even though her stealth kept her hidden from the researchers, waiting for one of them to open their electronically locked lab doors to exit was an exercise in tedium. To make matters worse, while the information she found about the computer chips, hyper-efficient batteries and high-tensile-strength materials that Vector was working on might have been valuable to a rival company, none of it had anything to do with a secret plan to conquer and devour the planet. After an hour of investigating, she'd only searched three of the eight floors of the research wing, and Val's dismissals of everything they found as pedestrian and irrelevant was long past grating. On top of that, the strain of keeping up her gravitic stealth was beginning to take its toll. The effort was like holding a small weight in her outstretched hand; easy at first, and simple enough to maintain for a little while. But she hadn't had all that much practice, and before long she found herself needing to take breaks, ducking into restrooms or the occasional convenient alcove to recover. And so she found herself trudging from testing room to testing room. Val theorized these were likely ballistics labs, and those were for material testing, with evident and undiminished contempt for science that dealt purely with the physical world. It had been a relief to discover a series of unlocked rooms, before it became apparent that the reason they were so easy to enter was because they contained nothing at all of interest. Bridget let out a frustrated sigh. “Hey there! Need help findin' something?” A man's voice rang out cheerfully behind her. Bridget let out a yelp of surprise, and very nearly took flight on the spot. <<Stars take us!>> Val spat. Bridget turned around to face the speaker, ready to throw him as far as she could and book it in the opposite direction at the first sign of danger. “You must be newly attuned, huh?” The man continued, offering a friendly smile in response to Bridget's battle stance. After a moment of confusion, Bridget realized that the Voidwalker in front of her had no idea who they were, and that they might just be able to use that to their advantage. “Oh, um... yes. Right. That is indeed the case.” Bridget said haltingly, doing her best impression of Val's clipped, imperious manner. “Thought so. It can be frustrating to get used to a vessel that has so little ability to orient itself in space-time. You have to remember that physical bodies make sound as they move. A generalized envelope like the one you got there won't match all the changes perfectly. That's how I could see ya, don'cha know.” “Of course. Thank you.” Bridget did her best to suppress the blush that spread across her cheeks at having an enemy correct her technique. “Oh, no trouble, miss...” Bridget stared for a moment before she realized that he was waiting for her name. “Sepulchral, um...Mezzopiano.” <<What? That's nothing like a real Voidwaker name! Mezzopiano doesn't make the slightest bit of sense!>> Give me a break! I had like a second to think of it and you weren't exactly brimming with suggestions. <<Even for a male, he would have to be a credulous fool to believe for a second that->> “Nice to meet you, Mezzopiano, I'm Empyrean Rondo-” <<Incredible,>> Val spat, voice dripping with contempt. “But my friends just call me Empy.” <<This disrespectful little whelp! A Voidwalker's name is a description of what they are in every sense. It's not to be abridged with such careless irreverence.>> I mean, it's his own name. And it doesn't seem to bother you when I do it. <<You're barely more than a baby, it's not reasonable to expect you to understand etiquette rules that date back centuries. <<This...>> She fumbled about for a word sufficient to express her derision. <<...male, by contrast, is a miserable disgrace who ought to know better.>> Oh...well, still, I'm sorry for giving you a nickname that you hate. I'll call you Cadenza from now on. <<No, don't!>> Val blurted, before quickly regaining her usual composure. <<I...I mean, you really don't have to do that, little one. I've -well- grown fond of the appellation. Consider it a singular exception.>> Okay. No problem space-mommy. “Well, um, it is pleasant to meet you, Empy.” Bridget replied, turning her attention from one Voidwalker to another, “I, well, like you said, I'm not quite used to this frail, pathetic human body yet, and I seem to have gotten myself lost. Could you direct me to the lab?” “Oh, it's not s'bad. I'm sure after a little experimentation, you'll find that a physical body comes with a few nice perks. Like touch, touch is great.” “What exactly do you mean?” Bridget said, trying to make conversation, but dreading where it would lead. “Look, just...” Empy was for a moment lost for words “If you encounter an earth tool called 'play-dough,' attempt to operate it for a few minutes. Anyways, which lab d'you mean? There's quite a few, as I'm sure you've noticed.” “I meant the secret one.” Please let there be a secret one, let there be a secret one, she thought to herself. “Oh, the main test chamber? Dimensional block 1134?” <<Ah, perfect. The 1100s are all reserved for special research projects; that's almost certain to be what we need. We should, it seems, be thankful the Warmistress employs such incompetents instead of jettisoning them into the nearest nebula.>> “Indeed, Empy, that is the one I am searching for. Lead on.” He seemed pretty nice though. <<Which is exactly the problem. He's also directly contravening every security protocol in the book, just because we appear to be a friendly Voidwalker-aligned entity.>> Well, hey, at least we got lucky for once. Not like we didn't need it. Empyreal Rondo led them to an elevator, but instead of selecting a floor, he merely placed his hand on the Vector logo that sat above the buttons for the top floors. His hand and the logo both glowed purple for a moment, and they began moving upward. But midway between the fourth and fifth floors, the numeric display went blank, and the elevator lurched to a halt. The door opened onto a hall that was in near total darkness, save for the green glow of an exit sign, by which Bridget could barely make out a paper note taped on a white door in front of them that read: UNDER RENNOVATION. Their guide pushed past it, unbothered by both the sign and the low light, and Bridget hastened along after him, hoping she wouldn't give herself away by stumbling in darkness that the Voidwalker didn't even seem to notice. Bridget tried to keep track of the turnings they took so she could retrace her steps later, but she lost track after the seventh one. Suddenly they turned a corner, and the darkness was broken by dim sunlight to filter through a large tinted window. Bridget halted for a moment while her eyes adjusted to the sudden change, and realized that her guide had stopped as well, in front of a large, plain metal door. He slid a card through a reader on the left side of the entrance, and waited for a reaction. The door began to whirr and click, then emit a strangely harmonic hum that built in a crescendo from a whisper to a full chorus. “I really don't know what he sees in this whole production. Only a human would be impressed by something as simple as a solid door, and they can't even get here. But, well, scientists. Y'know how they are.” <<Philistine,>> Val harrumphed indignantly as Empy turned to leave. “1134's just through the far door, ring the buzzer if you need anything!” he said cheerfully, walking back the way they had come. Bridget tried to think of a follow-up question, but before she got past “and what kind of-,” Empy had already rounded a corner and was gone. Well, that was...Oh. “Oh, no.” The door guarding the entry had ceased making sound, save the creak of metal as it slowly lifted open, bathing the entryway in an all-too familiar purple glow. Bridget took a few hesitant steps forward, then nearly leapt out of her skin at the clanging report of her footfalls on the metal floor. Fortunately for her, there were no Voidwalkers to detect her invasion into their sanctum, so the only sound that greeted her was her own echo, and the eerie chorus of machines whirring, buzzing and beeping. She looked toward the opposite end of the gigantic room, and saw a sight that made her stomach turn. Against the far wall stood a quintet of hospital beds, each illuminated by the same harsh glow under which she once awoke, and each accompanied by a tangled thicket of wires, and a ring of silver machines that gleamed under the alien illumination. Bridget fought not to look directly at any of the beds for too long, resisting the horrible memory of her own attunement that desperately clawed at her mind and threatened to overwhelm her. But even so, she got a good enough look at the arrangements to see that while four of the beds were empty, the one closest to the door into the chamber beyond held a gown-clad humanoid figure. This was enough to spur Bridget into action, her own nightmare forgotten at the prospect of saving another. Without even pausing to consult with Val or to think of a way to mask the sound of her approach, she ran toward the Voidwalkers' latest unfortunate victim, and after a few clanging seconds, she was at the bedside, looking down at the captive. I know you probably think it's a waste of time, but we have to at least try to save the-huh? Bridget's eyes widened in surprise. Someone had covered the form of the new Voidwalker host in a thin white sheet, thick enough to occlude their features, but too thin to conceal the lurid purple glow emanating from the subject beneath. It was like looking down at a mannequin, or a morbid parody of a small child reading by flashlight under the blankets in the dead of night. <<Sweetie...>> Val said cautiously, <<I know you want to help, but I'm not sure->> Bridget didn't respond. She just grabbed a big handful of the white sheet and threw it aside. The Latina woman beneath was unassuming, wearing only a hospital gown in thin blue plaid, and appeared unhurt, save for the places where they'd put in the tubes and IV. She didn't move at all, even to open her eyes to look up at her rescuer. Two shining rivulets of tears ran down her face, saturated with the violet hue of the all-pervasive light. Bridget reached out gingerly with two fingers, and brushed the woman's bangs aside to wipe the tears away, hoping to offer whatever small comfort she could. But the moment she touched the liquid, it hissed and curled into vapor, its tendrils grasping weightlessly at Bridget's hand, like a last breath rising feebly into the frozen winter sky. <<The Nocturne has already begun, little one. Without immediate expert help, there's nothing to be done.>> Then we'll get her immediate expert help! If we can find Empy again, maybe we can convince him to bring a rescue team or something! She turned around to look back the way she had come, weighing how long it would take her to run for it, to find a paramedic. Her left hand traveled to the woman's wrist, looking for a pulse. At first, she couldn't feel anything but the cold of the woman's skin and her spirits fell. But then, after a few long moments, she felt a faint but unmistakable, beat against her fingers “Okay,” she whispered to herself, calming her frazzled nerves. “She's still alive. If we hurry, we can probably make it in time.” Bridget turned to leave, but before she'd had the chance to step back, she felt a clammy hand clutch at her wrist. She screamed and yanked her hand away. The woman offered no resistance; her grip had no strength in it. Horrified, Bridget clapped her hand to her mouth, trying vainly to hold back the sound that had already erupted from her lips, and now echoed, seemingly endlessly, around the vast, nearly-empty chamber. Whatthellwhatthehellwhatthehell, Bridget shrieked silently, looking down at the woman. Some part of her brain expected to see her slowly rising from the bed like a zombie. But there was no sudden reanimation under unholy power. The host's fingers twitched feebly as Bridget watched, but otherwise, she remained still. <<Don't worry, little one. When a host dies, the Voidwalker de-couples themselves from their nervous system. They leave the host through an available orifice and resume their normal form, as you saw. But their passing can cause random nerve impulses in their wake.>> So she's... Bridget didn't want to complete the sentence, as though saying it, even to herself, would be enough to make it so, collapsing even the small uncertainty that remained into a singular finality. <<Quite dead.>> Bridget could tell that Val was trying to be sensitive, but her artifice was obvious. <<I'm sorry, little one, but we have to get going. We've been fortunate so far, but that will not necessarily remain the case. Once whoever is in charge here realizes they've got uninvited guests, I suspect we'll receive a much more acrimonious welcome.>> What would you even know about sorry, you, you- Bridget wanted to say something truly awful, to force Val to feel some of the misery, to feel something of what it was like to know that if they had been quicker, bumbled around less, joked around less, this woman, who was once a person with her own hopes and dreams, her own life, would still be something more than a failed flesh-suit for a conquering alien. But her impotent fury consumed the part of her brain that could come up with something suitably cutting, and all she could think to do was swipe at the woman's lifeless tears, hoping that she could at least hurt the Voidwalker as it fled the corpse. If she could stop it from coalescing, make it suffer for what it had done, that would at least be something. She wasn't sure how long she stood there, slashing at purple steam with her hand, until it finally stopped leaking from the woman's glassy eyes. Finally, chest heaving with exertion, she stopped her attack and pulled the sheet back over the body. Already the purple light had begun to fade, so that when the sheet was replaced, only the palest nimbus escaped. Bridget stood for a moment, trying to think of something to say or do. She supposed that real heroines knew how to handle something like this, and would be able to soldier on, knowing that more remained to be done. But in that moment, all Bridget wanted to do was run and hide. Somewhere in the deeps of space or far beneath the earth, where she'd never have to see another Voidwalker, or any more of their awful work, ever again. <<I know, sweetie. It's awful, and scary, but this is all the more reason why we've got to put a stop to them.>> Yeah, but, but- Bridget's response was interrupted by the hiss of the interior door as it suddenly opened, and the light from the operating room spilled into the newly-revealed room beyond. A man stood on the other side, all harsh squares and steel-grey hair on his head and in the small goatee that clung to his sharp chin. His black boots clomped on the metal floor, and the matching black lab coat flowed like a cape around him as he swooped in. “Intruding in my laboratory and interrupting my beautiful work of creation, just to play with the rubbish. What unusual behavior.” He rested his chin on his right hand and studied Bridget intensely. His voice was a rumbling basso, tinged with the sharpness of an un-placeable eastern European accent. Bridget glared back and raised a hand, ready to fight. If this man was the one running all the attunement, and she killed him, maybe she could prevent anything like this from happening again. With a furious scream, she raised a hand, envisioning the purple void of her power reaching out to grab one of the empty beds, and a few of the free-standing machines. Her head pounded with the effort, but she heard the scrape of metal as her projectiles rose into the air and flew toward her target. The man's confidence wavered for a second as he saw the sheer size of what Bridget had hurled at him, but after a moment, he raised his own arm in response. Purple tendrils of power swiftly wove themselves around the objects, slowing their flight until they simply floated harmlessly a few feet in front of him. “That was quite uncalled-for,” he chided her. “Now, if you would cease this futile tantru-” [[Assassin! I won't let you harm Master Forzare!]] The psychic bellow was accompanied by a screeching roar, as a second figure emerged from the darkness behind Forzare and sailed through the air, crashing into and through the items Forzare and Bridget were levitating with a shriek of metal and a massive, slamming crash. It hit the floor with a clang, followed by a rain of sliced up bits of metal casing and splinters of bed-frame. The sheer impossibility of the beast before her thing broke Bridget's concentration, and she stumbled back a few paces in instinctive fear. The chimeric creature that now interposed itself between Bridget and Forzare could only be described as monstrous. At its most basic, it was something akin to a demented centaur. Its bottom half was a scorpion instead of a horse, and both its chitinous abdomen and its humanoid upper body were a bright blue. It stood almost twice as tall as Bridget and easily twice as wide on its six enormous insectoid legs. Its four-fingered hands ended in massive which were only surpassed by the gigantic sting arcing over its back, glistening with venom as the terrifying abomination swayed back and forth. Its neck and chest were armored with more chitin, but its head was like that of a hairless tiger. The beast looked down at Bridget through yellow, slitted eyes, and let out another psychic bellow, this time accompanied by a clipped roar that might almost have been a bark, revealing the huge fangs that dominated its jaws. Fozare seemed nearly as startled by the creature's sudden appearance as Bridget was, and he barely had time to collect himself and stammer out a hasty, “No, Mi'cha! Down, girl! You don't have to-” before the scorpion monster leapt straight at Bridget, claws, fangs and tail gleaming deadly in the eerie violet light.

Bridget also has her gravitic stealth field up, so that unless someone is very close and focused on finding her, all they'll see is a shimmer in the air. But even if they did see her, it wouldn't be that unusual in this town to see someone doing gigantic leaps. A bit odd for a heroine to be out of uniform in public, but not remarkable. Sophie, there may be some good news for you in the not-too-distant future Also, Aries, I'm glad you're enjoying it! Thank you all so much for your compliments

And we're back, after a shamefully long time! I hope you enjoy! I do hope to updage significantly more frequently than I have been. Thanks for being so patent! Comments and questions are, as ever, the best. Chapter Three: Leaps and Bounds “Okay,” Bridget said, exhaling a long steadying breath, steeling herself. “I can do this.” <<I have every confidence in you, little one. You've already displayed a particular aptitude for stopping things from falling; all that remains is for you to apply that technique to yourself rather than to other children.>> “Right.” She was too focused on the task ahead to notice the insinuation in Val's encouragement. For the third time in as many minutes, she looked left, right, and left again, eyes peeled for any potential observers. But neither the cars nor the occasional pedestrian passing by noticed the girl leaning surreptitiously against a faded brick wall in an alley just off the main road. Which only made sense, of course; Bridget could feel the warmth of the concealing sheath of Voidwalker energy she'd built around herself. But still, there were enough butterflies in her stomach to populate several insect sanctuaries. Closing her eyes and letting out a grunt of effort, Bridget lifted off. The wind of her movement whipped her hair into her face, and its rushing filled her ears. For the single glorious moment of liftoff, the feeling of rising into the grey sky overwhelmed everything. She was a swimmer leaping off the block at the start of a race, casting herself into the void without a care. <<You see, little one? My estimates of your capabilities were, once again, flawless. Being a good girl and practicing so assiduously has produced excellent results.>> A satisfied smile crossed Bridget's cheeks, which became a gleeful giggle before she could even think to stifle it. Practicing in Val's lab had been fun, but it felt so much more real to be out in the world. With the houses and people that surrounded her reduced to tiny ants far below, it was truly exhilarating. Unfortunately for Bridget, while her brain was perfectly content to rest on the laurels of her first successful foray into aviation, her stomach found the aerial view much less agreeable. A sudden rush of nausea broke Bridget's concentration. She clasped her hand to her mouth, her momentum broken as her focus turned from lifting herself into the air to preventing the imminent loss of her lunch. As the energy of her leap faded, gravity naturally asserted itself. Her fall was slow enough at first that she barely noticed it, but then the sensation of being on the world's worst free fall ride came on her with overwhelming force. This, of course, only magnified her discomfort, shattered what was left of her concentration, and kept her from arresting her fall. Val's mental voice echoed in her head, trying to cajole her back to the level of focus she needed. Butt as the ground approached and the soft touch showed no signs of working, Val reverted to the same method so often used by parents of teenagers, one that Bridget's own mother had employed as part of her driving education curriculum: Incoherent, terrified screaming. This, however, proved no more effective. Bridget barely slowed, and it looked for a moment like her budding superheroine career would crash and burn. But, as Bridget's primate instincts took over and she tried to shield herself from the impact with her outstretched hands, she inadvertently released a pulse of gravitic energy that sent her bouncing, mostly unharmed, off the pavement and back briefly into the air, as though she were a human-sized stone being skipped across town by a cosmic giant. The surprise of finding herself hurtling up into the air again rather than an unfortunate stain on the pavement jolted Bridget back to her senses, and she was able, with some hasty coaching from Val, to turn her second fall into a more controlled hover. She touched down in a half-kneel, scraped, shaken, battered, and breathless, but intact. “Owww,” Bridget hissed under her breath. She grimaced and blew on her hand, hoping to ease the sting from where she'd inadvertently pummeled the asphalt. Amazingly, the impact hadn't drawn blood, even though her arms felt like someone had set them ablaze. <<Are you all right, little one? The damage we've sustained appears superficial, but perhaps it would be best to borrow a little life energy from a nearby human? We don't want you getting hurt any further, after all.>> N-no, this is nothing, I'll be fine. I'm\ definitely not stealing someone's energy for something as- she scowled in renewed pain, -minor as this. <<Very well. But if we suffer damage any additional damage, we're going to get you some life energy, and I won't hear any argument. Understand, little miss?>> Val said, the steel in her tone making it very clear that she meant every word. Uh-huh. <<Good. Let's get aloft.>> Shaking herself one last time to renew her focus, Bridget shoved the burning feeling in her hand aside and took to the air again. Her next few attempt was certainly an improvement over her first; she kept altitude for a whole twenty seconds before her body's instinctive fear broke through her mental defenses, and sent her tumbling earthward again. It took every ounce of grit she had, but on her second fall, she managed to control the descent a little bit better, giving her crucial seconds to prepare a smaller pulse of gravitic power, large enough to stop her falling, but small enough that it only bounced he a foot or so, instead of sending her on another gigantic skyward arc. A sudden pulse of worry came from Val, but Bridget managed to catch herself much more gently this time, and to avoid further bodily injury. Her pride, however, was quite another matter. “Dammit!” she cursed, loud enough that a pair of passing joggers turned their heads for a confused moment. Why can't I fly? Everyone with powers flies! Sami flies, Leanne flies, even Phoebe can walk on air. All I can manage are these stupid little frog-jumps. <<Little one,>> Val interrupted, kindly but insistently <<You've had all of a few weeks to practice, while every one of the examples you listed has had years to become accustomed to their powers. Even a newly-split Voidwalker does not gain full control of their faculties in that short a time.>> I guess, Bridget admitted grudgingly. I still look like a doofus though. << I'm afraid I do not concur, little one. The resemblance of your motion to any one of this planet's large variety of jumping amphibians, or of their mammalian variants is rather, oh, what was the human expression? Ah, yes, adorable. And as I recall, many human children enjoy pretending to assume the aspect of various types of non-human fauna.>> Bridget's cheeks flushed. Listen Val, that's- Wait. <<What is it, princess?>> Did you just say that a rabbit is a kind of frog? <<Are they not? I don't see how this is->> But Val's impeccably reasoned scholastic inquiry was rendered useless as Bridget collapsed into a fit of giggles at the thought of her oh-so-erudite passenger making such an elementary error. <<Truly the height of humor>> she grumbled. <<I'd like to see you correctly identify the taxonomic relationship of the zell and the mendat of Cygnus V without any prior knowledge or a xenobiology degree, missy.>> Bridget simply stuck out her tongue in response. <<Yes, yes, very mature, sweetie. I see you're getting quite the start being a good little froggy. Hop along, now.>> Part of Bridget wanted to protest Val's treatment, but she'd probably just get chastised again for wasting time. Besides, like Val said, there wasn't any way anyone would see her. And who knows, Val might even see how absurd an idea a nearly-grown girl pretending to be a frog was. Okay, space-mommy! “Ribbit!” Bridget launched herself into the air again for another gravitically-enhanced leap. She found it surprisingly easy and painless, without the need to worry about staying aloft, she was free to focus on softening her landing. It still took a bit for her stomach to get used to the constant ups and downs, but it was better than looking down at the ground and trying vainly not to think about how terribly far away it was, and how badly she could splatter on theasphalt if she lost control. It was just a simple, silly game, all to frustrate her passenger. <<You see? Remarkably effective.>> “Ribbit!” Bridget replied, landing once more in the middle of a small park before she launched herself again. <<Indeed. Now, we should discuss tactics for our approach. It's highly likely that Vector will have a number of devices in place to detect non-human or metahuman->> “Ribbit!” Bridget interrupted cheerfully, landing with a bounce and beginning another leap. <<-presence.>> <<As such, >> Val continued after a moment, <<it's probably our best option to investigate only the public-facing areas where security is likely to be most lax. If we avoid triggering any alarms or arousing suspicion, we should->> “Ribbit!” Val was silent, evidently uncertain how to react to having her lecture so summarily ignored in favor of silly animal noises. Bridget supposed that other Voidwalkers rarely interrupted the Chief Science Officer mid-exposition. Knowing them, there was probably some awful martial-law punishment for it or something. But Val couldn't very well punish her own host, so as Val described the sort of devices they might find to shed light on Voidwalker activities, she let out another “ribbit” with gusto. <<Well, I see someone is->> “Ribbit!” <<Really now, little one, there's->> “Ribbit!” <<Perhaps you'd like to stop->> “Ribbit!” Bridget objected. <<because we've arrived.>> “Ri-wait, what?” <<As I said, we've arrived. The primitive mapping program we consulted earlier indicated that the entrance to the Vector building is mere hundreds of meters from this location.>> A quick look around confirmed what Val had said. They had touched down at the edge of a lawn so impeccably manicured it might have been a golf course. A small, winding side street snaked its way from the main road, up a steep incline, and into the front entrance of a building that rested at the summit like a gigantic blocky white octopus, its wings splayed out like tentacles grasping the hillside. In front of the main building, a fountain burbled pleasingly, as clusters of casual-clad workers gathered at tables around it, taking advantage of the unusually warm day outside. Once again, Bridget was surprised that a secret stronghold of alien invaders looked so, well, boring, but there was no mistaking the place. The fountain was a circle surrounding a massive silver V, and the company motto hung in marble lettering above the front door. VECTOR.: TAKING THE WORLD IN A NEW DIRECTION. B-but how can we be here already? Bridget asked, now that there was no denying where they found themselves. We never even changed direction! <<Of course not, why would we? I pointed you properly at the outset, and we simply proceeded along a straight route. It would probably have been quicker if we could have simply passed through the rock below, but I suspect you'd find intangibility difficult to maintain along with cute frog-hopping.>> Still! That took, like no time at all? <<If you remember, I did suggest you'd find it easier to use our abilities if you stopped worrying and complaining, and let yourself have a little fun. It is gratifying that you heeded my advice.>> Bridget felt Val smile, a psychic expression of warm satisfaction, laced with just a touch of a smug smirk. <<I did, however, notice you were quite caught up in that little frog impression of yours. But then, I suppose I shouldn't be all that surprised. I recall Breanna was also quite focused when she was playing dinosaur. It seems that is merely a behavior common to all children.>> I-I'm not- Bridget began, but her protest was extinguished as a red blaze of embarrassment ignited in her cheeks. <<All right now, princess, playtime is over. Can you be serious for me?>> A small, defiant part of Bridget desperately wanted to reply with yet another ribbit, but she was sure Val would be furious, or just keep applying her scientific acumen to discovering hitherto unknown depths of human humiliation. But most annoyingly, she found that she couldn't deny that Val had been right. But there would be other times to consider how to win their argument. For now, there was infiltration to be done. Bridget closed her eyes, wrapped her gravitic stealth cocoon around herself again, and strode straight up the drive and toward the front door.