The Future Will Change

As that was happening, Vertex and Sandbar were waiting on a rooftop near the motel building. Their objective was to await Coral’s command, so they passed the time by chatting.

“Alright, so what’s the plan then?” Vertex asked.

Sandbar cracked his knuckles, “We wait for my sister to give us the signal, then we move in.”

“That’s your little sister, huh? She’s got loads of tech, weapons, and other stuff…” Vertex commented as he glanced over and saw Coral breach the roof of the building with her shotgun ready, “Seems like she’s the one protecting you.”

“I know, right?” Sandbar had a wide smile on his face as he put his hands behind his head, “Cici’s adorable. I’m actually worried for any guys who try and date her though. They’re gonna have a hard time, heh!” he added with a light-hearted chuckle as they heard gunshots in the distance.

Vertex raised an eyebrow, then couldn’t help but chuckle also. “...you’re quite the chill guy, huh? Still…I’m glad you and your sister have such a good relationship. Makes me long for those days…”

Sandbar put his arms down and asked, “...huh? Oh, you got a little sibling too?”

“...Well,” he paused and scratched the back of his head, “...I…used to…”

“...ah,” Sandbar’s tone went somber. He could immediately tell by Vertex’s tone that the latter had lost a family member. So Sandbar decided to change the subject. “...well, anyway, she’s super fun to be around because she’s always been smarter than me. Could never really get a handle on math as well as her. Though I’m trying to go for a major in biology so I can become a pro athlete.”

“Oh? What are you looking to go pro in, Sandbar?”

“Surfing, yo!” he pumped his fist in excitement, “It’s considered an Olympic sport now so I’m dyin’a bring home the gold for my fam, ya feel me?”

Hearing Sandbar talk about his future and life goals only further served to widen the hole in Vertex’s heart.

“...lucky guy. He’s got so much to live for. So many people to live for. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous of him. Still wish I could see my own brother’s face again like that…why couldn’t it have been me instead?”

As Sandbar continued talking, Vertex would simply smile and nod along while hiding his pain behind a forced smile.

Meanwhile…

BANG!

Coral had the slightest wry grin on her face as she fired off multiple sets of buckshot in the direction of the gangsters that were in her way. Though, they weren’t lethal bullets as each guy she shot immediately buckled and collapsed to the floor.

“Wait what--?” Rumble commented as he roundhouse kicked another dude, “What kind of bullets are those?”

“Non-lethal buckshot,” Coral commented in between shoving a gangster in the wall, knocking his gun out of his hand, and shooting him directly in the knee. “These guys need to pay for their crimes. They’re only a Class C threat at best.”

“...damn,” Rumble whistled in response at what was essentially an insult towards the gangsters. “But I guess I can’t blame you. These guys aren’t exactly putting up much of a fight. I wonder…”

“Stop wondering,” Coral interrupted him as she hurried forward. “Keiji’s just up ahead.”

After running past a few more doors, the pair would eventually find themselves at the final door in the motel building where they could hear screaming…

“AAAARGH!”

“Aw, it’s hurts, doesn’t it?! I bet it hurts real bad!”

Coral immediately kicked the door down and pointed her gun in front of herself. “Don’t move.”

“...Keiji!” Rumble shouted as he prepared to run forward, but was stopped by Coral putting a hand in front of him.

Chati had covered Keiji’s face with a towel soaked in holy water, burning the vampire-boy’s skin alive. The beastcat woman looked at them and hissed. The fur on her tail and her head of purple hair frizzed from her insatiable bloodlust.

“Rrrrgh…what are you doing here?! Don’t you hate people like him?! Rich assholes who make things worse for us on the bottom?!”

“Listen, I don’t know nor care about what your problem is,” Coral muttered in a cold tone as she cocked her shotgun’s bolt, “But you’re holding a hostage, engaging in cruel and unusual torture, and have several murder charges behind you. You’re in no position to negotiate.

“Let him go, you bitch!” Rumble yelled as he stepped forward.

Now that she was essentially cornered, Chati knew she couldn’t fight back. Faced with a weapon that, for all she knew, could kill her with one shot, she took a step back and hissed.

“...you…you’re all the same…sucking up to the teats of billionaires while us on the lower class have to face shit you’ll never understand…!”

“Don’t mov--!”

BANG!

Coral fired off a shot, but Chati managed to escape it just barely with a quick pounce out of the window. With a loud crash of old wooden planks, the police would fire at her as soon as she escaped, a wave of bullets would richochet off of the pavement as she skittered away on her claws.

That’s when Coral spoke into her phone, “Big brother! She’s on the move, it’s you guys’ turn!”

“Already on it, Cici!” Sandbar shouted back.

As it turned out, Sandbar and Vertex were riding a wave of sand that the former had created to fly through the air with as he propelled himself with sand flying out of his arms.

Meanwhile, Vertex was armed with nothing but a simple folding steel chair as he looked down and noticed Chati run towards the shopping district. “There!” he called out, “There’s too many people down there! We gotta stop her!”

“I got this, yo. Don’tcha worry!”