Hare of Misfortune

Rachel’s mind spun webs of connecting thoughts as Astra informed them that Terrell had been spying on them for some time. She prodded the air, and a holographic, digital display popped up. With a simple gesture, she expanded it and flicked it through space to stop in front of Saint Barbara before it branched out to mirror the data to the rest of them.

An invisible eye was shown on the feed, partially transparent. The man had some kind of clairvoyant ability that let him know where and when the SEAL team would strike. It was a miracle the special OPs unit had managed to retreat at all.

Knowing what to look for with the knowledge of the device, Rachel’s senses zeroed in on the objects, making her smile as they appeared.

[Divine Beast Empowerment - Advanced to C-tier]

[Bestial Instinct - Advanced to B-tier]

According to Astra, the cartel had brought several big names to Miami, including one who had broken out of a local prison; she didn’t have much info on them at the moment, but it wasn’t Adele. Scarlet was nervous about meeting her mother, but the hacker assured them that the woman appeared to be leaving, and she was pissed by the few phrases she could snatch from nearby devices.

Terrell’s people used the city’s towers, which were easy for her to track and infiltrate, but satellite-linked devices were far more troublesome. Without knowing which one they were using, it would be more challenging than it was worth to get anything further. Besides, she already had a wealth of data she’d collected.

Unfortunately, when she played her hand to start building rapport with them, Relica had snitched on her to Terrell, which meant they were being cautious now with technology. Now, all networked devices have been moved to another location, cutting her off from their primary leadership as they went to shortwave radio.

Partway through the hacker’s extravagant showcase with images, video, and an endless stream of changing avatars to make it perfectly clear she was always an enigma, Rachel’s ears flew up. Scarlet saw it first.

”What’s wrong, Rachel?”

Gut twisting, Rachel got to her feet. Vision narrowing, she kept her focus away from the hovering eye overhead; her instincts told her something terrible would happen to her parents, and she could guess what it would be if Terrell had been observing them.

You think you can kidnap my mom and dad—apply leverage? Well, buddy, you’ve made it personal now.

Leaving the room, Saint Barbara, Scarlet, Selvaria, and Astra followed her.

”Was my explanation that boring?” the elderly hacker asked, stroking his beard and chewing his gum; he examined the holographic screen that kept pace with him. ”I thought you’d like the whole kaiju fight idea.”

”I like that idea,” Selvaria dully said, throwing a fist in the air. ”I’ll be the greatest kaiju! No one can out-kaiju the invincible leviathan.”

The Green Berets looked confused at the old man who somehow had entered the very private gathering; they fell in line with the tight-faced captain, asking for clarification. Rachel answered while opening the door, pumping her fist a few times as her fingers started to glow with white light.

”You know those Ellis guys you told us about, Astra?”

”Uh...yeah?”

”Well, they’re here for round two.”

”Rachel?” her mother asked, eyes going wide in the chair she shared with her father.

”Just stay still, Mom, and...”

A flash of multi-hued lights revealed the kidnapping pair, and Rachel shot forward as a blur, the others only just starting to react as time slowed to Rachel’s accelerated mind. Daran’s hand reached for her mother’s shoulder as a honeycomb barrier closed around them, isolating her parents.

Hissing out the air in her lungs and using the form she’d practiced tens of thousands of times in her Muay Thai training, Rachel’s fist struck the shell. Her intense gaze fixated on the teleporter; her illuminated hand erupted in a dazzling radiance, blinding everyone.

[Lunar Burst] shattered the wall, crushing the younger brother as he was propelled back. Curses rang out from the radiance she released, a shockwave causing chilled air to fling her ponytail around, yet she wasn’t aiming at the shielder. Her blow connected with Daran’s shoulder, thrown off by the barrier.

Saved by his brother’s shell, the man toppled onto Marcus, his younger brother gurgling and spewing blood from the internal shock of her Lunar Energy-charged blast; apparently, the man’s shields were connected to his body, and her element bypassed his resistance and dampening effects.

Following the momentum, she pivoted to a roundhouse kick, her foot turning the brick to powder as it passed through the teleporting brothers, escaping at the last second.

”Damn cowards,” she snarled, legs tingling and her foot a little sore as she pulled away from the powdered wall, the blow bending the rebar within and damaging her shoes.

Her mother was clinging to her father, eyes wide. ”H-Huh?!”

Astra crossed his arms, taking on a younger avatar. ”They went after your family; I should have seen that coming. My bad.”

Selvaria glared at where they’d been before running to the other room to check on her mom, making the soldiers dart to the sides of the hall so they wouldn’t get run over. ”Aww, hell no, they didn’t!”

”She’s fine, Selv!” Scarlet called after her, powerful eyes returning to check on the rooms around them. ”I-I don’t see them, Rachel!”

”They’re not coming back after that,” Barbara sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. ”I guess if they’ve got an eye on us, that changes things. We need to move fast. Mateo, get everyone ready; we’re heading out. Rachel?”

Rachel put on a strained smile for her mother as she bent down to assure her everything would be okay, but her heart was ice. It was time to switch lanes; the gloves were coming off.

”Mom, I’ll explain it all later. I love you. Can you just come with me without all the questions—please, Mom?”

Her mother’s big brown eyes told her she wasn’t okay with what just happened, but she nodded as her father squeezed her hand and pulled them up.

”Just...promise me...”

”I promise,” she laughed, knowing what she was asking while hugging them and pulling her parents toward the door. ”Captain, I’ll be right out. I just need to go talk to Anthony and Amelia. Scarlet, can you grab Selv’s mom and meet me up there? I’m sure another attempt will be made while we’re gone; I have to expect it.”

Astra pointed at her. ”I’ll be with them then, Captain! Haha. You need someone acting as Overwatch, and I need protection. Win-win!”

”A fair assessment,” Barbara said, getting out of their way. ”Tighten up your hair, girls; you don’t want it getting in the way. Scarlet?”

”I’ll be fine! If my mom is there... I have to know why she would do this—allow this—it’s not my mom. It just...it’s not the mom I grew up with,” she mumbled, rubbing her arm while jogging into the other room to fetch Selvaria.

Showing a confident expression to her parents on the outside, there was only one thing going through her heart. Whoever had the bright idea of targeting her parents, they would die. Anthony would keep them safe in the meantime, and she had an answer for the man’s fiancé.

The thrill of an upcoming battle quickened her pace; just because it was personal didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy it. In fact, it made the flavor all the sweeter.