7 B1 — 6. Born To Fight

Rachel heard Maria separate from her group at a brisk pace.

Richard cleared his throat. "You heard that?"

Puffing out a long sigh, Rachel ran her left hand through her hair. "Yeah, she thinks we might be compromising her healing deal with the hospital or something."

Julia bit her lower lip for a moment. "You and Scarlet can't heal, though, right?"

A light moan left her throat as she stretched out, and she got up, continuing to stretch. "Not that I know of, but who can say? She seems like the violent type—who knows what she'll do. I better get ready in case she wants to fight."

"You're serious?" Julia asked, face becoming ashen.

"I've known girls like her in high school. They aren't reserved about throwing a punch if they feel threatened."

She began easing her neck, long hair shifting as she pulled it back, feeling somewhat happy it was turning out like this.

"You wouldn't happen to have, like," she paused, glancing around, "an elastic strap or something? I wish I was in something besides a medical gown," she noted with a slight frown while plucking at the fabric.

Swallowing, Julia moved behind the big station in the center, returning with an elastic strap. Rachel took it and tied back her hair in a high-ponytail before slowly rotating her neck. Shaking herself out, she took a few deep breaths, oxygen flooding her system.

Wow, why do I feel so calm … Risk Assessment. So, being a Lunar Hare helps me handle stressful situations. I may be calm, but I'm also looking forward to this … such a mixed bag of feelings. I used to be nervous before training with Tyreese in the ring, but I feel perfectly comfortable with the idea of conflict … maybe I prefer this. I guess it's just a part of the transformation.

She turned to smile at the doctors. "Don't worry about me. I don't know much about Unicorns, but I'm no slouch in a fight. You should go wait back in those empty rooms." They nodded, following her suggestion.

Rachel waited a few minutes, following Maria's movements through the halls, debating if she should wake the Green Berets.

Her footsteps are soft, probably something to do with being a Unicorn. She could be light on her feet; I should watch for sharp movements. Should I wake Roger and Cameron? No, I want to see how this plays out, and I doubt she'd want to further tarnish her already bad image by hurting innocent people, which means she's likely not going to escalate things with me, to begin with.

The military guards by the door to the wing opened the door as she neared; Rachel's lips curved with amusement.

I guess this is the Mythickin wing; she's not barred from entering.

Time slowed as Rachel focused on the Unicorn as she rounded the corner.

Maria wore a black tank-top with 808 across the front in white, and a black sports bra underneath. Black, slightly baggy pants covered her long legs with a white belt looped around her expansive hips. She wore black and white Jordans, showing her love for expensive taste.

The shine of a gold chain around her neck paled in comparison to her glowing white skin, enhanced by her shimmering white hair.

The Unicorn was definitely radiant and voluptuous features compelling; she was at least two inches shorter than Rachel, making her around five-foot-seven with the Jordans on, and held generous hourglass proportions.

Maria's hair wasn't as thick as Rachel's, and had no pink hue, but was even more silky, hanging straight down her back to her lower butt. Shockingly, she had no horn, but pointed ears poking through her silky locks.

Her large silver irises twinkled with an inner light as she caught sight of Rachel. "So, this is the rabbit I've heard about. What's your name?"

Maria's voice was soft on Rachel's ears but held a commanding tone that made her smile; clearly, this woman was used to confrontation.

"Rachel, and before you get all uptight, no, I'm not moving in on your healing business."

The Unicorn paused, vision sweeping the room to momentarily pause on the sleeping soldiers. "Huh, you don't say?" She mumbled, eyebrows lifting as her vision resting on Rachel again. "I see those big ears aren't for show. You're a fly on the wall, eh?"

Appraising her for a moment, Maria hummed. "We could use someone with good ears in the crew; what do you say, chica? Up to make some money?"

"Don't think I'd be a good fit." Rachel curtly replied.

A small smile lit Maria's lips and she popped her tongue. "Not afraid to speak your mind, eh? ¿Qué pedo? Got some beef, sangrona?"

[What up?; sangrona i.e., pain in the neck, annoying individual, drag, pest, nuisance]

Rachel planted her feet, giving her an inquisitive smile. "What's up with charging people for something you can do with a snap of your fingers?"

"Really are a sangrona, aren't ya? We with the business—we suffer every maldito minuto; I got eighty-eight killers with their aim on me, hating cabrones, trying to stop me from taking care of my barrio, my camaradas. Who are you to judge what I'm doing is wrong? Only God can judge me, so I answer to no man. It's programmed," she said, tapping her head. "So, ¡Vete al infierno, perra, y comprate una vida." She huffed.

[suffer every damn minute; hating bitches/real jerks; care of my block, my comrades; go to hell, bitch, and get a life]

Rachel looked down at the floor, eyes narrowing as she pondered on her explanation.

She's not wrong; I guess I don't have the right to judge her. I don't know anything about her life, but she could at least speak English … I don't speak Korean to insult people.

"No tengo tiempo," Maria huffed.

[You're wasting my time.]

Rachel scratched her head, still working through her thoughts. "Look, I don't understand Spanish; could you speak in English?"

"I said, you're wasting my time, perra. Understand?"

"Is that all you came here to do?" Rachel sighed, excitement dwindling as she realized there wasn't going to be a fight. "Find out if I could damage your business and..." She paused; there was a commotion with Maria's group.

The young man she'd heard talking with Maria before stood up as two individuals seemed to appear out of thin air. "Quienes son estos ... Marcus?"

[Who are these … Marcus?]

He yelped as one of the men shoved him into a chair. "Damn, wasn't Maria supposed to be here?"

"¡Oye! Dejalo ir tu…" There was a sharp sound, and a few people grunted as multiple gang members hit solid objects, falling to the ground; they didn't get up.

[Hey! Cut it out, leave…]

"What a bunch of weak ass bitches," a deep male voice chuckled.

"Hey," Maria snapped her fingers. "You high or somethin'; why you lookin' like that?"

"C'mon, Marcus, these guys don't even have abilities—not that they were shit before," another man chuckled with amusement.

Rachel held up a finger with a serious expression. "Your crew were just attacked by someone named Marcus and some other guy."

Maria's annoyed expression shifted to confusion. "What are you on about? Marcus—wait, no, Marcus is causing trouble in Miami Beach right now…"

She fell silent as Rachel put her fingers to her lips, staring in their direction while her ears twitched for a second.

"So," Marcus said, throwing a coughing boy into a chair with a grunt. "Felix, my boy, hehe! I hear your sister's one of those Mythickin the news is all up in arms about, huh? Some kind of Unicorn or some shit, from what I've heard. Is that right?"

Felix spat on the floor. "¡Vete a chingar!"

[Screw you!]

"Tsk," Rachel breathed as she heard Marcus slap Felix.

"Tch, I know my Spanish slang, Felix. You should choose your words carefully, boy; you know who I am, show respect to a boss." He popped his tongue. "Now, can your sister really heal any kind of illness or not? Speak up!"

"What's going on," Maria asked, concern in her soft voice as she closed the distance between them.

"Marcus found out you're a Unicorn—he's asking Felix if you can heal anything."

Maria's nose twisted. "¡Carajo! How did he find out? He must want his father's cancer cured..."

[Shit!]

Rachel's attention returned to the scene. "Felix, my man," the other voice stated, slugging his shoulder while gently pushing Marcus over.

Marcus breathed out a sigh, walking to the left a bit. "Daran, I got it, dude."

"I know, man, I know," he chuckled. "Now, Felix, you heard? Our gang's got quite a few ability users now; we've been recruiting and pulling in some old associates. We're even givin' the Army a run for their money up in Miami Beach, and we've just been testin' shit out, you know? Been at a standoff with them since their last failed attempt to push us out two hours ago.

"Think, boy. We even got our hands on a Fairy Mythickin, but the tiny girl's basically useless ... bah, anyways, then we hear about your sister's miracles."

He popped his tongue with a humorless laugh. "Now, that caught our interest. To think that little hothead got that sort of ability, huh? Even more shocking to my brother and I," his tone darkend, "you didn't even contact us. Why's that, Felix? I mean, you two know the favors I pulled for your dad in prison; you owe me.

"You see, we would have already been gone, off to Cuba had this disturbing information not gotten to us. So, tell me, Felix, why is Maria here—not with us?"

Rachel's eyes shot to Maria as her scowl grew. "What's goin'..."

"Can you shut up," Rachel snapped. "I'm listening; they're mad you didn't contact them after all they did for your dad."

Maria bared her teeth as she seethed, glaring at the wall. "Mierda—mierda—¿esos bastardos tienen a mi hermano?" She took a deep breath, repeating herself. "They have my brother?"

Her shouting seemed to wake Roger and Cameron, their sharp, narrowed eyes opening in her direction. "Everything alright?" Cameron asked, rising quickly, hand resting on his rifle, strapped around his shoulders.

Rachel shook her head. "There's some guys named Marcus and Daran that just attacked Maria's gang and took her brother hostage. They probably want Maria to heal their father. Daran just said they're the ones the Military is trying to push out of Miami Beach right now."

Roger and Cameron's faces darkened as they repeated her information on their earpiece. She focused on the scene again.

"I doubt the boy'll talk easily," Marcus' brother stated, releasing a sharp burp.

"Yeah, let's hit up the surveillance room and look for her there; it should be quicker. Check it out; this is where the room is."

"Got it," his brother mumbled, grabbing Felix. "Let's go, kid."

Rachel's eyes widened as they vanished, and not a sound followed, clothing or breathing. "They're gone?" She scanned through the hospital. "Wait, I found them ... they're in the surveillance room. They just knocked out the guards, and ... they found us." Her eyes shot to a camera in the corner. "Daran can teleport; they're figuring out the exact location to get here."

Roger and Cameron cursed before cocking their rifles and repeating the information through the network; Mateo voice fed through their headset shortly after.

"More units on the way. They're terrorists; green light, fire on sight."

Running to different rooms, Roger and Cameron yelled at the two doctors as they poked their heads around the corner. "Aye, get inside that room and lock the doors!" The doctors ran to the room, and slammed the door behind them. "Rachel..."

Three people appeared by the door the doctors had locked themselves in; Roger and Cameron aimed and fired with sharp accuracy, firing three consecutive single shots.

Rachel's focus slowed the world around her to the point she was able to see the bullets move like a professional pitcher throwing a baseball. The rounds hit some kind of orange honeycomb shell that surrounded the group, ricocheting off to strike the cement walls.

Marcus has a shield while his brother can teleport ... that's a dangerous combination. When could I see things this fast?

The slow motion only lasted a moment longer before returning to normal. Cameron and Roger swore vehemently about ability users as Maria fearlessly marched over to the shell, face twisted with rage as her fist pounded against the shield, causing it to light up for a moment.

"Daran, Marcus, libera a mi hermano, malditos bastardos!"

[Let go of my brother, damn bastards!]

Both Daran and Marcus were African American, wearing matching expensive pinstripe suits with black ties and purple dress shirts; going with the look, they both wore dark aviator glasses, small gold earrings, and kept neat, short beards.

Daran pulled off his glasses with his left hand, right gripping Felix's collar as his brown eyes appraised Maria. "Hold up, damn, is that you, Maria? Turning into a Unicorn made you as white as it gets, chola." He chuckled. "I'd be pissed."

[chola i.e., a young woman belonging to a Mexican-American urban subculture associated with street gangs.]

Marcus' grin rose. "Guess the info checked out. Huh, Bro? She's not bad to look at, either; what do you think, Daran?"

He smacked his lips. "I'd go with exotic, definitely exotic, and those curves; damn, she be sittin' like a horse! Although, compared to that Fairy, though—think about it, man, a girl that small; she could do all sorts of things." He chuckled.

Rachel's teeth were clenched as she glanced over to Scarlet's room; a flood of mixed emotions was swelling within her.

Should I try to help? I don't know if I can break that barrier ... I'm sure I could if I were in moonlight, but without it ... but Scarlet could handle them in literally a second! Me ... a knee would be my strongest weapon, or a roundhouse kick.

Marcus looked over at Rachel. "Check out the rabbit, man; I've seen a few Beastkin girls, but nothin' like that. Now, that's exotic for you—we should get some more of those beast-girls, dude; some of them are hot as..." He cut off as Maria clenched her teeth, pulled back her fist, and struck the barrier.

Nothing happened.

"Huh," Daran muttered, attention turning back to the Unicorn. "How was it?"

Marcus chuckled. "Disappointing. Probably as strong as a muscular guy, a lot stronger than she looks, for sure, but weak as hell."

"Tsk," Daran shook his head. "All these Mythickin are such a disappointment for all the hype, Bro; first the Fairy and now the Unicorn—I guess she's only good for healing."

He put his glasses back on as the skinny Hispanic boy started struggling in his grip. Maria's arms were shaking with rage as he brought Felix around to smack his face, making him cry out, cheeks darkening.

"La madre que te parió!" Maria slammed both fists on the barrier, white face flushed with frustration. "I'll heal your dad; just let my brother go!"

[Son of a bitch]

Rachel had enough; they were looking for a good fight? She'd see about giving it to them. Her eyes locking on Felix's bruised face; he was trying to hide his tears from his sister.

Okay, these guys are terrorists, right? They've killed people and will likely kill Maria's brother, possibly her after, once she does what they want—while doing a few other things before finishing her off. They've also kidnapped a Fairy Mythickin. Then there's Mateo, giving his men a green light. Yeah—the scum of the earth.

She licked her lips, a small smile lighting her cheeks. I get the feeling that I won't feel a thing killing people like this—more to do with my change? Well, I'm a lot more powerful than a strong human man ... let's see how you like my punch.

Everyone's movements slowed around Rachel as she instantly accelerated, leaving a whirlwind in her wake; she raced beside Maria, hair waving behind her.

Her fist struck the honeycomb barrier, causing spiderweb fissures to run across a two foot width. After the sharp noise, the cracks started to heal, but Marcus dropped to a knee, clutching at his shoulder.

"W-What the hell—was I just—just hit by a truck?" He gasped.

Both froze as they locked onto Rachel's musing cloverleaf, pinkish-red eyes; wind roared past her, hair fanning out as she pushed forward. "Huh…"

Punch didn't work; knew I'd need to be in moonlight. Knee it is!

Firming her footing, Rachel twisted her hips and threw strength into kneeing the barrier; the shield shattered. A quake ran up Marcus' body as he grasped at his chest, blood spraying from his mouth.

Daran's jaw dropped open, sunglasses sliding down as his eyes bulged.

Got ya!

Rachel regained her footing, a smile on her lips as she prepared for a roundhouse kick; the bottom half of her leg began to glow, and a portion of her energy diminished.

Daran reached down to grab his brother, touching his back just before her heel struck his head, Felix still in his grip; all three vanished.

A roar of wind slammed into the door of the room Julia and Richard took shelter in, shimmering lights dispersing in an arc while bringing her leg around. The hinges creaked as the gale dispersed, glass shattering and flying inward.

No! Did I just kill the doctors?

She raced toward the door, smashing through it; Julia and Richard were cowering in the back corner, behind the bed. Glass littered the floor.

Rachel sighed with relief. "I thought I might have killed you. I'm so sorry! I didn't think that would happen."

That was way stronger than I thought it would be, but I wanted to put my full strength into it … crazy, that was without moonlight! Wait … they escaped … no, that wasn't supposed to happen!

"We're fine," Julia squeaked, staying behind the bed.

Roger and Cameron ran into the room. "Rachel, are they still in the building?"

Rage flooded Rachel's chest, but she forced down the saliva gathering in her mouth, taking a deep breath to calm herself. Her ears went on end, tail stiff with agitation as she searched for the three.

The other guards are almost here ... there they are—dammit!

"They're a mile away; Scarlet wouldn't have let them escape!" She growled, disappointment and anger flooding her mind.

I keep comparing myself to her, but … she wouldn't have! She would have just paralyzed them, and that would have been that.

Rachel listened to their conversation, the heat of failure burning in her heart.

"Get in the corner!" Daran yelled at Felix, shoving him away.

Felix cried out after hitting the ground, sniffing softly while trying to hold back his tears.

"What happened?" Daran growled.

Marcus coughed several times, rasping, "What—what—was—was that bunny-girl? It's—took a—a hit by a tank shell! If I didn't—didn't release—I'd be dead!"

"The other Beastkin weren't anything like that," Daran muttered. "She must be a Mythickin—no, maybe … no, no, she has to be a Mythickin, but what kind of myth is she from?"

Spitting a few times, Marcus cleared his throat. "Doesn't matter—she's dangerous..."

Rachel's eyes darted to Maria as she walked over to her, tears cascading down her cheeks.

"You—you…" She was trembling as she stopped in front of her. Fists balled, they shot out; Rachel saw it coming long before it landed, but decided to take it. The blow itself didn't hurt that much, just shifted her head a little. "You—they'll kill him!" She cried.

Her focus returned to the terrorists' conversation. "What do we do with the boy?" Daran asked.

Clearing his throat again, Marcus swallowed before spitting out blood. "We need—I need to see the doc. Maria will come—she'll come looking for her brother." He wheezed, coughing again. "That damn rabbit!"

Rachel frowned as Maria began punching her chest in grief; Roger and Cameron unsure what to do as the other unit arrived. She continued to listen to the brothers, Maria's weak punches not fazing her as she shifted to avoid any critical areas.

Daran hummed darkly. "Seems like the best plan we've got before heading to Cuba, but what if that bunny-girl comes with her?"

"We—we got the force to deal with her—on our turf," Marcus said with a vicious tone.

Taking a deep breath, Rachel grabbed Maria's hands as Daran grabbed Felix, pulling him over to his brother by the hair. The three vanished again; she finally heard their voices two miles away, counting the time it took for them to disappear again.

It looks like he can only teleport a mile at a time. Maybe he could go further, but it seems limited, and they're in a rush, but took several seconds to jump again. There has to be conditions; they used a floor plan or some kind of map of the hospital to get around. It's not perfect, and it's probably restricted on how many people he can take.

"Suéltame perra puta madre..." Maria yelled as she struggled in her grip, kicking at her shins.

[Let me go, bitch]

Rachel sighed. "Could you settle down? Your brother's fine right now. They're going to wait for you to go get him at their base in Miami Beach, but they're not happy about waiting."

Maria's brow creased as her wet, shimmering silver eyes locked with her. "W-What?" She sniffed. "You heard them say that?"

Letting go of her hands, Rachel snapped back some of the buttons on her sleeve that had come undone; whether it was due to Maria's tantrum or her sharp movements, she wasn't sure.

"While you were whaling on me, yeah, I did. It's a bit concerning that they also think they can handle me if both of us go together ... they said they had more ability users earlier. If the Military hasn't been able to handle them in the last several hours, even if they're still not organized yet, it's the Military. They must have some strong abilities, but I think Marcus will be out of commission for a while."

Cameron relayed the information over his headset as Roger explained what happened to the soldiers flooding into the area.

Rachel listened for a minute before she saw Maria beginning to walk toward the exit. "Hey!" When she didn't stop, she ran in front of her. "Do you have any powers to fight?"

Maria glared at her. "No, but..."

"Then you're gonna to get you and your brother killed!" Rachel glanced over at Scarlet's room again.

The Military can't handle them yet, and they're confident they can handle me ... but Scarlet would probably eat all of them alive, literally ... but I can't...

"Get out of my way!" Maria yelled, trying to move around her.

"Stop!" She yelled, getting in her path again.

The soldiers noticed their confrontation and moved to block the exit. "She's right, Ma'am," a soldier said. "We'll handle it from here."

"What!" Maria screamed. "Ni siquiera puedes tocar..." Rachel frowned before reaching out and picking her up, hair nearly dragging across the ground. "You..."

[You can't even touch…]

Rachel whispered in her ear. "Look, I'm going to help you get your brother back, but you need to calm down."

Maria stopped struggling. "Fine, you better not go back on your word." She whispered before shouting. "Fine! You handle it! Damn … it's my lil' hermano."

Carrying her to the back room, Rachel sat her down and looked into her silver eyes. "Okay, we need a plan."

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