[The Daniels Estate, Havok, Piasu, Ryomania, 11:22 AM, May 7th, Tuesday 2025]
The fly rushed back in, heading right for Cathy and Amelia.
Cathy Ariston: "Get down!"
Cathy yelled and pressed Amelia to the floor with gravity, her golden bubble distorted, morphing around her body like an aura.
Amelia squeaked and closed her eyes in fear as the fly tackled Cathy once again, pushing her through the kitchen wall and into the hallway.
The fly buzzed towards one of the pillars on the left side of the hallway.
Cathy Ariston: "Amelia, are you okay? Ah... damn it!"
The fly then landed on the pillar's side, looking at Cathy and rubbing it's hands together, tauntingly.
"Kekekekekekeke, come and get me girly, you're way too weak for my Teen Spirit!" The fly thought to itself, grabbing the pillar with its legs and arms—ripping it from the wall and throwing it at Cathy.
Cathy put her hands up, grabbing the pillar mid-throw with gravity and breaking it in half, chucking the two pieces back towards the fly, but it narrowly dodged them.
Amelia felt the pressure holding her down start to dissipate as Cathy lost focus of her, she stood up, the golden aura around her becoming a bubble again. She grabbed Tinker Bell.
Amelia Orwell: "Um... What do I do...? I-I wish the fly would get crushed!"
Tinker Bell rang by itself, floating out of Amelia's hand.
Suddenly the western kitchen wall connecting the hallway collapsed.
Cathy flew backwards, her aura stopping the pieces of debris.
The fly dashed narrowly through the falling blocks of cement, wood, paint and smashed it's way against Cathy, sending her tumbling past the maid's quarters and down to the basement door.
Cathy gasped as her back hit the door, the impact cushioned by her aura.
[Second Floor Of The Mansion]
Erika sat on the destroyed bed of Cathy's previous guest room, her right hand pressing against her neck, seemingly talking to someone. A voice rung in her head.
Erika Daniels: "—I know, I know. I should've been more lenient, but they're fine... They have to learn to fight, they've got no choice, I'm pretty sure the mansion's compromised. They're either after Orwell or the artifact, either way, I don't plan on giving either for free~"
She chuckled, her head snapping to the door as a particular loud crash came from downstairs.
The voice spoke again.
"I'm in the area, I could drop by and pay you a visit, I'm not allowed to fight them yet as I've been tracking a certain someone, we've all got our own orders. But I could keep watch, maybe even make sure things don't get out of hand."
Erika Daniels: "Hm? No... I—I don't know. It's fucking stressful for me too, okay? I haven't seen James in so many years, since he was a baby, and I can't even hangout with him because of the plan and these damn Iris bastards... Whatever. I can take them. All of them. I don't need you, Tatsuo."
The voice chuckled in her head, a gruff yet soft tone belonging to it.
"Alright, alright, I know how passionate you are. Yoshi and Psycho-bro are also nearby, carrying out a negotiation with some low-level Iris thugs. I'm waiting to see what's up, I can't go with my other teammates since they're far away, and Norio is flying in from Donlon tonight, to get things prepared... I'm sensing a lot of sounds coming from over there, so be careful, we can't let Jack be compromised, after all your ability is poisonous."
Erika chuckled looking back towards the ceiling, twirling her bat above her head with her left arm.
Erika Daniels: "Ha, ha, very funny. Alright, don't fuzz me up with your emo kid groove-star nonsense Tatsuo, we'll be okay, I can't release Soul Sister, that'll make The Boss mad, I can't intervene, I can't..."
She paused, sighing.
Erika Daniels: "Y'know? Sometimes, I wonder what life would've been like without powers, without orders, without burying our heads in madness and blood and... fake promises."
She spat the last words out, tasting bitter on her tongue.
"I know. But what can we do? They've got to get out into the whole wide world, live a little... We've all gone through it before. If I were you though, I'd watch your back."
Erika chuckled again and stood up, swinging her bat in front of her, a declaration.
Erika Daniels: "Nah man! Screw that noise, I'll mess them up—If someone actually finds me of course. I've already hidden the artifact, Amelia should be okay and Jack's gone with James, if anything happens to me... Tatsuo, tell... Tell Jack I love him, I love him so fucking much that I could... I could risk my life for them, for him."
Erika bit back tears, literally biting on her own lip until a trickle of blood came out, she violently shook her head to dispel the thoughts.
"Alright, I got it. The next time I see him, I'll let him know. Goodbye Erika, stay safe."
Erika let go of her neck, which was now red from how hard she pressed against the right side of it.
Erika Daniels: "Fuck... I always hated this mansion."
[Ground Floor]
The fly flew forwards again, pushing Cathy through the basement door and down the main tunnel, her arms flailed from the force of the push as her aura pressed against the wooden beams, collapsing the tunnel behind her.
Amelia looked on from a distance, seeing the tunnel collapse.
She clamped her face together in shock.
Amelia Orwell: "Oh dear... we're in so much trouble! If only Master Jack or Mistress Erika were here."
She glanced around, unsure of what to do.
Amelia Orwell: "Tinker Bell... P-Push the fly upwards?"
Tinker Bell flew in front of her, ringing softly.
Below, in the tunnels of the mansion, Cathy tried smacking the fly with rocks and gravity but it was too tiny and fast for her to grab it.
Cathy Ariston: "YOU STUPID FLY! LET ME GO!"
"Kekeke.... You're no match for my Teen Spirit! I'll never let you go until you get crushed—"
The fly thought to itself, suddenly feeling a strong pull upwards.
Cathy Ariston: "Holy crap! No, not the dirt!"
Cathy held her breath and shut her eyes as the fly violently pushed her upwards through the ground.
The rocks and soil shifted around them as Cathy's aura flared, responding to her anger and exhaustion, pushing everything away around them.
Soon enough they came up out of the backyard, as Cathy heard the air breezing past her, her eyes flew open.
She saw people, people that lived in the neighborhood, people that could see her.
She snarled and flipped violently in the air, extending her hands outwards.
Cathy Ariston: "I'm tired of being thrown around all day! LET ME GO!"
Her aura pulsed and suddenly started expanding outwards, grabbing the fly within it.
[The Neighbor's Garden]
Krist looked up in the sky, seeing the spectacle, watching as his fly, his Teen Spirit got caught on Cathy's aura.
He was hiding in the next door neighbor's garden, watching everything play out.
His gray eyes only saw through the fly's perspective, he felt himself unable to move.
Krist Cobain: "No... No... It's impossible! My Teen Spirit should've been faster! She's learning how to use her Divinity, damn it!"
The old man slammed his fist against the wooden picket fence, making it shake.
[Above The Daniels Mansion]
Cathy Ariston: "How about I try to make my own special attack, would you like that? You fucking BUG! Gravity: Wheel Surge!"
She clutched her arms and legs, twirling in the air, rapidly, her aura expanded and then began collapsing back onto her, drawing the fly in.
Cathy grinned wildly as the fly came inches from her face, completely stuck in her aura.
She then turned and began diving back towards the ground at full speed, the aura around her warped forwards, denting above her head, her entire body acting like a bullet.
Cathy Ariston: "This is for destroying this awesome ass house, you bloody bastard! Gravity: Bullet!"
"Kehah?!?! N-No! Stop it! I'm supposed to be stronger than you! Damn you Carrion! You lied to me!!!"
The fly twitched, trying again to escape the aura, but it was too late.
Cathy dove headfirst back into the tunnels beneath the mansion, cracking the ground and causing the hole leading into the backyard to collapse downwards, forming a sinkhole.
As Cathy's head touched the dirt floor—Everything exploded.
Her aura turned a brighter shade of purple and expanded outwards like a gravity explosion, causing a giant circular hole in the area, causing even more soil to fall downwards, making the sinkhole bigger.
Cathy Ariston: "Ah... fuck... that's too much."
Her aura returned to normal around her, she panted heavily, feeling exhausted from all of that.
The fly then buzzed past her face, spotting something in the distance.
The giant explosion caused a secret room in the tunnels to be revealed, Cathy saw it too.
Ahead was a simple stone floor, a half broken door still standing on it's hinges and a table with paper and parchment on it.
On the table was what looked like an eye, it was a dark purple eye, nearly black from the intense shade, it had strange white markings on the sclera of the eye.
Before Cathy could react, the fly went towards it, despite it now missing one of its four tiny legs, it was still quite fast.
It landed on the eye.
[The Neighbor's Garden]
Krist's eyes widened at the large opening in the tunnels below the mansion, he saw everything perfectly from the view of the fly.
He winced in pain, grimacing almost, as his right leg had flown off his body a few moments ago, ripped from the crushing weight of Cathy's gravity.
His body seemed to be connected to the fly's body.
Krist Cobain: "Kehehehe... I've gotten it! I've found the presence, this is great news... It's a special one too! 'The Lover', I'll finally get a raise... Now I just have to dispose of this bratty child! Kehehehe..."
The old man cackled as the front of his forehead opened, the same eye from earlier being pushed out through it, fusing to his body, the eye had two pupils, split like crescent moons. The upper pupil held to the top lid of the eye, the bottom pupil held to the bottom lid of the eye.
It began faintly glowing, the markings on it shifting around as Krist laughed.