Bullets ripped through squishy normal humans.

Boojum rushed to shield them with his body. Shots thudded on his back. He grabbed the nearest person on the floor—a lady in a torn business suit and slacks—and used his powers to heal himself. It must’ve tormented him to absorb her, even if she was dying, so he could save the rest.

But was there a ‘rest’ to save?

Three others lay unmoving in their own blood, twitching when smacked by bullets. The last person managed to crawl behind the elevator shaft, but he was bleeding heavily.

I tackled Deen as she ran to them. I locked my left arm around her hips and heaved her over my shoulder. I held Blanchette’s mask with my right hand. Should I wear this? No?

“Erind, let me go!”

I ran with Deen flailing like a caught fish. “I’m saving you!”

Tea Party bastards opened fire at us. Wood splinters and plastic shards scattered as boxes exploded. I managed to reach sturdier containers. Metal ones, probably. Bullets pinged off our hiding spot for a few seconds, then the gunfire stopped.

I raised my red mask to my face, but Deen shouted, “Don’t!”

“Why not? We’re in—”

“Gabe said not yet.” Deen wriggled free of my hold. Her Guardian Angel must’ve counted on me to save her stupid heroic ass.

Grabbing Deen and running while getting shot was pretty cool and heroic. It made me forget my hatred of physical contact. Our monster gore coating acted as insulation.

“Where’s Snark?” Deen hissed.

Fuuudge cake! “I got you and—”

“You left him?” her voice rose. A flicker of anger in her eyes. Before I could explain further, she brushed past me and headed to the corner of the metal containers.

“We should find another way out.” I wanted to add that everyone we left behind was dead anyway. Maybe not Boojum, but the Tea Party would take care of him soon. He’d be the distraction for our escape.

Deen ignored me. “Follow me.”

“We’re showing ourselves?”

“Gabe says so. Keep your mask in front of you.”

“Why can’t I wear—?” I stopped mid-sentence.

“Here you are!” Boomed an unfamiliar gruff voice.

I froze. Deen dragged me along. I badly wanted to wear the mask if we were to meet the enemy, but Deen tightly held onto my right wrist, my red mask still in my hand. Trust in Gabe, I guess.

The voice continued, “I should’ve expected you fucking rats to return! And what have we here?”

Deen and I left the cover of the large metal containers and trudged through destroyed wooden crates.

Snark’s corpse was bloodier than before. Deen was ugly if this guy was still alive. Turning to the elevator, I spotted Boojum behind its crisscrossing metal structure. He brought snacked on a body with his sucky-sucky power.

Further on, more than a dozen people stood outside the teleporting door of the squat office. A couple more walked out the door before it swung shut and reverted to its original form like the other doors in the row.

“Snark!” Deen released my hand and left me.

“Deen, don’t… fuck this…” I stood alone, showing off the red mask that I should be wearing. I didn’t follow Deen in case they shot at her. I’d run the other way.

“Hold your fire!” commanded the head of the pack of assholes. His minions lowered their guns trained at Deen.

The one who spoke was an imposingly huge man with a pronounced underbite, highlighted more by his chiseled cleft chin. The upper half of his bald head was machine—bionic eyes, metal plating, blinking lines, all sorts of stuff. He had two long horns, growing from a broad base out the metal sides of his head, thinning to a point as they curved up.

The horns brought up images of rabbit ears to mind—such garish and out-of-place augs to have.

They might not be mechanical but somewhat organic parts of his body. Adumbrae mutations? Weird that this guy didn’t take the chemicals or whatever stuff the fake Adumbrae used to look like ordinary people.

Rabbit Ears had his hands on his hips; chest puffed while flanked by two heavily augmented men larger than him. The two bouncers had the same ugly face, identical twins, right down to their bioaugmentronics.

Obviously, Rabbit Ears was the boss of the Tea Party. I was sure Imani mentioned his name, but Rabbit Ears he shall be until I recalled it.

Behind the three beefy men were a couple of recognizable faces—Magenta Cannon and Vanessa—and two unfamiliar to me. Magenta Cannon and Vanessa were a mess, skin and singed clothes powdered by soot as if they crawled through a chimney. They must’ve had a fun escape through the pipes when the explosions happened.

A string bean of a guy stood right of Vanessa. He had ‘pretentious’ written all over his face. I might be wrong about his actual personality, but his all-white outfit, including white shoes and gloves, reinforced my assessment. Next to Magenta Cannon was a woman wearing a tight button-up shirt with the upper half buttons popped, revealing chrome-plated cleavage. Her slender hands and bare feet were also chrome.

The rest of the group were armed men with balaclava masks and goggles covering their whole heads—Finlay’s clay dummies. I bet Finlay was hiding among them.

I wasn’t confident I could take on all of these buttwads as Blanchette. And I was a hundred percent positive I’d lose if I didn’t transform. I might not have the chance if I didn’t do it now.

But my pain-in-the-butt best friend was busy grieving over a dead body. A thing. Not worth crying over. Was her Guardian Angel telling her to tell me to transform?

“You monsters!” Deen shouted, cradling Snark’s dead body.

“Are you the famous Red Hood of La Esperanza?” Rabbit Ears asked Deen. “Or is she that woman over there?” He pointed at me.

If we were in a movie, this would be the perfect moment to transform into Blanchette. Cinematic timing with rising battle music. But, no. I was staying as my cute self for some reason only known to the Guardian Angel.

“Look at what the small girl’s holding,” said White Beanpole. He was begging to get killed by calling me that. “A red mask!”

“Same one we’ve seen in the files,” said Silver Titties. I probably should make a better nickname for her. “But a different woman was wearing it then,” she added.

“That’s Red Hood! That’s her real body!” It was Finlay’s voice, but I couldn’t tell which of the masked dummies was him.

“You should stop her from transforming!” Vanessa piped up from the back of the group. Our eyes met. She intently looked at me. A signal of betrayal or was she telling me something else? “Use it! Stop her abilities!”

This traitor bitch!

“Right you are. Perfect time to test this!” Rabbit Ears ripped his shirt open to reveal a glowing boxy machine attached to his bare chest. A bluish brainy thing pulsed on the face of the device like his heart transferred outside his body.

“Don’t fucking use that!” The masked dummy nearest Rabbit Ears reached for him. Bouncer Twin One smashed it with one swing of his arms. Another dummy on the far left pointed at me. Finlay had transferred to it. “No need for that! Just kill her already!”

All the masked men pointed their guns at me.

Rabbit Ears stomped his foot. The ground rippled beneath him like a disturbed puddle as the earth quaked. The Bouncer Twins kept their balance while the others teetered. The shoots of the clay soldiers went wild.

“Guests should remain quiet!” Rabbit Ears yelled.

“Erind, wear it!” Deen cried out.

At fucking last! I fixed the mask on my mouth and felt an instant surge of overwhelming powers. Shivers went up my spine as I savored my coiled muscles brimming with strength. I snapped my jaws, teeth clashing—“Ow, my tongue!” I bit myself. “Eh? I can talk?”

I looked down at myself.

I was back to my original body, my skin and clothes covered in dirt and dried monster blood.

Did someone shoot me with a Suppressor? No. Closing my fist, I felt my super strength present. I dug my fingernails into my palm, breaking the skin. The cuts rapidly faded.

Rabbit Ears roared in laughter. “A successful test! Worth every penny!”

All but one of the masked men had disappeared, their guns cluttering the ground.

“Second time this shit happened!” In frustration, the remaining masked man removed his goggles and threw them to the floor. Finlay’s ability got canceled too.

This is Auron’s power, was my first reaction.

But I thought I had killed that asshole? Either Vanessa was lying, or the freaky box on Rabbit Ears’ chest had something to do with it. The bluish clump of veins brought back images of Auron’s sorry state when a parasitic slug merged with his head to boost his powers.

I rushed to reunite with Deen. Boojum beckoned for us to join his hiding place.

“I’m sorry, Snark,” Deen mumbled, letting his body drop to the ground as she stood up. But she didn’t budge, pulling me to stop. “Erind, let’s stay here.”

“What are you—?”

“Gabe’s last words before disappearing.” She seemed too calm, given she had just lost her Guardian Angel. I thought she’d be freaking out experiencing Auron’s power for the first time.

“Just stand here?” I asked.

“Yes. Trust in Gabe.”

I sighed and followed her. Time to die, I sarcastically thought. In my peripheral vision, Boojum waved at us two stupid girls to hide.

If Deen’s Guardian Angel foresaw this, there was a reason for everything. The problem was that we didn’t have Gabe with us anymore. How could we be sure we wouldn’t go ‘off-script’ past ten minutes into the future?

“An honor to behold Red Hood in the flesh,” declared Rabbit Ears. “Even if only for a second.”

None of our enemies picked up the guns on the floor. They didn’t need to. Like Magenta Cannon, the augmented Tea Party people should have plenty of hidden weapons. However, no one dared attack without Rabbit Ears’ permission. Finlay surely wanted to shoot me but didn’t want to cross the Tea Party boss again.

“I’m honored to be graced by the presence of such a powerful true Adumbrae.” Rabbit Ears bowed. I half-expected his horns to flop down like ears. “I’ve seen your feats and know the headaches you’ve caused Mark and Big Marcy. And for that, I thank you for a job well done. We might work together now, but we are rivals no less.” His huge belly laugh echoed in the cavern.

Oh, he’s the chatty type? Thank you, jackasses who couldn’t help but make shitty speeches.

Though I wasn’t such a type, I imagined many people find it enjoyable. It did feel nice when my schemes succeeded, but I didn’t value others enough to care about their reactions. For me, gloating was a waste of time.

“But what a rude guest you turned out to be,” Rabbit Ears continued. “Why did you have to destroy the precious base we built with sweat, blood, and money? Mostly money. Money that we acquired by shedding the blood of others.”

I got the gist of the Guardian Angel’s plan. If we ran, Rabbit Ears would’ve immediately ordered us killed, like a dog chasing out of instinct. It was three versus eight. Not good odds.

By drawing this out while he monologued, we might find an opening.

Or, we could’ve run far away already. Bottomline, I still didn’t understand what the Guardian Angel was up to. I also couldn’t fathom the point of not immediately transforming into Blanchette.

“Answer me, Red Hood!” Rabbit Ears demanded.

“Erind,” Deen said in a low voice. “I think you—”

“I know,” I whispered back.

“Be brave. I’m right behind you.”

I stopped puking at Deen’s bullshit and faced my enemies as confidently as possible with my crawled-out-of-the-sewer get-up. I removed my mask made from strips of my jeans.

A certain grandeur and mysticism surrounded a true Adumbrae from the eyes of the fake that they’d, unconsciously or not, put me on a pedestal. Not only that, I did have quite the resume as Blanchette. I should capitalize on that fearsome impression.

“The name’s Erind Hartwell,” I said, relaxing my muscles and steadying my breathing.

I should show no fear—these augmented bastards with scanners in their bionic eyes would pick up if I were only pretending. They’d find it unsettling if I was calm while Deen and Boojum were tensed, maybe even afraid.

And it was easy to calm myself.

After the initial shock of the ambush, I had pretty much adjusted to the situation. In a way, I was having fun, the chill sort of fun. Life and death struggles were par for the course after I became an Adumbrae. This was my natural habitat.

“To be accurate, that’s the name of this body I inhabit,” I clarified. Deen inhaled sharply behind me. Couldn’t she tell I was acting? This made me more interesting enough not to get immediately killed. “Such a nice girl, this Erind Hartwell.” And pretty. And cute. And caring—no, not that one.

“What is your real name,” Rabbit Ears asked, obviously hooked by my introduction. He pointed at me, then at his head. “The ‘you’ inside of that girl.”

“I don’t have any,” I said. “I’ve only recently awakened. However, people have been calling me Red Hood while I’m out eating. You can call me by either name.”

“Well then, Red Hood, how about you tell me why you decided to turn this place into a restaurant? You have eaten so many of my people and caused much destruction. Pray tell, Adumbrae, what brings you here?”

“Oh, I didn’t know I was supposed to answer that question.” I placed my hands on my hips to mimic him. “I thought it was rhetorical. And you’ve said it yourself—I’m an Adumbrae. There’s no point asking me about my motives.”

“You’re right,” Rabbit Ears nodded. “That was a dumb question from me.”

Vanessa peeked through the gap between the broad arms of Rabbit Ears and Bouncer Twin Two. She glared at me.

This betraying cunt! Did she change sides again because of the prank I played on her while in my werewolf form? If she didn’t attack me with her mouth familiars, I wouldn’t have bothered with her.

Another possibility—what if she planned for this right from the start? But that couldn’t be; I decided to come here with my real body. Also, she should’ve alerted the whole place to prepare when I came here as Blanchette.

Rabbit Ears paced with his hands still on his hips. “A true Adumbrae! An Adumbrae in control of the body, unlike Euphonia and Legba. Comparable to an animal blindly following its instincts to consume. Or perhaps a force of nature is a more apt description.”

While Rabbit Ears spouted shit, Vanessa mouthed a message to me, warily looking at the others beside her.

Fuck, I wasn’t any good at lip-reading. Vanessa pointed to her right, my left. What was that supposed to mean? What do I care about White Beanpole?

“Yes, Adumbrae are a force of nature,” Rabbit Ears continued. “Force majeure, business contract terminology. You may not think so from my appearance, but I was a prominent businessman before I became infamous.”

Vanessa tilted her head while continuing to point. She stopped when Magenta Cannon glanced at her. Then I realized she wasn’t pointing at White Beanpole but at the man further left—Finlay. He couldn’t use his powers with the blue machine active.

Vanessa had prodded Rabbit Ears to use the blue machine. Was she telling me to kill Finlay?

My eyes focused on the blue box on Rabbit Ears’ chest as his monologue dragged on.

“I recall a hurricane leveling my beachside mansion in Florida,” he said. “There was no point getting angry at the weather. I suppose it’s the same as an Adumbrae strolling in our base, looking to scourge some morsel of human flesh.”

A light bulb lit up in my head. A fight would've erupted immediately if I was already in my Blanchette form. The blue machine would catch me off guard, and the Tea Party would kill me when I reverted to my lovable Erind self.

“Although I won’t get angry at a hurricane or a hungry Adumbrae,” Rabbit Ears said, “I won’t simply turn a blind eye to you, Ms. Red Hood, standing right in front of me.”

“Are you going to kill me then?” I smiled and matched his pacing but in the opposite direction. As he walked to my right, closer to the elevator shaft, I walked left.

Deen’s Guardian Angel wanted us to stay—that meant we could win. Not just ‘could.’ We will win! It would've told us to run if we had lost in its future vision. But I should act soon. Any victory, or the start of it, should happen within ten minutes of the Guardian Angel’s last words to Deen.

“Kill you? That is a possibility,” Rabbit Ears said. “Though I’d rather avoid such a harsh outcome. No one profits from further fighting.”

“What’s the hold-up?” Finlay screeched, not able to hold his anger any longer. “Kill her already!”

“Silence!” Rabbit Ears stomped as he roared in Finlay’s direction. There were no more quakes or wiggly floor waves, but his foot cracked the ground. Finlay shrunk. “Be respectful while I have a conversation with others. And that includes you!”

Rabbit Ears pointed at the elevator.

Only now did I notice that Boojum was climbing up the shaft’s frame, cautious to remain in the cover of the wide metal beams.

Was this dick just leaving us? I had assumed he was all heroic like Deen. Maybe he considered us dead and decided to escape on his own?

“Get him!” Rabbit Ears said. “I’m not done talking to Red Hood here. He’s next. I have some words for him, especially after our previous meeting.” Bouncer Twin One and Silver Cleavage jogged to the elevator shaft. Rabbit Ears turned to me. “Last time, that brat took a chunk off me.”

I should attack now.

But who do I go for?

Those fuckers by the elevator shaft, and then team up with Boojum? No, too obvious. The rest would attack, and it’d be three versus eight, maybe seven if Vanessa would stay out of it. I shouldn’t let them all clump together. And I didn’t want to babysit Deen and Boojum.

Best attack elsewhere and split our enemy into manageable chunks. Rush straight at Rabbit Ears? Also too obvious. Someone else, someone the Tea Party wouldn’t instinctively react to protect.

“Why are you working with—?” Rabbit Ears began to say.

I charged toward Finlay.