Of Heroes and Villains

The Chapter Where the Main Character Does Something Stupid

The group immediately ran over to help Jordan. Oddly enough, Don joined them, though he wasn't really sure why. He didn't really know her, and didn't care what happened to her.

Unbound turned her over to her side, then started inspecting her face. "So many. It's like she walked straight into a hive."

"That's impossible," Sean argued. "Her vapor lets her pass through anything. She would have let the bees go through her after the first one stung."

They carried her over to the couch.

"Dean, call an ambulance. Don, Lan, stay with her until we get back."

After finishing with giving the instructions, Sean ran out into the street, Unbound close behind.

Don theorized about what might've happened.

'She might've panicked and forgotten she can pass through stuff. That's especially likely if she was drunk again. Still, there a few other mysteries. She came to the office instead of a hospital, so the attack must have happened nearby. Sean and Unbound doubtlessly came to the same conclusion, which is why they're out there right now. There should be no bees here, which means...'

"An esper who controls bees," Lan said aloud as Dean spoke on the phone. "That's what you're thinking, right?"

Don nodded, then noticed a piece of paper peeking out of Jordan's pocket. It looked interesting. 'I need to get Lan's attention off of her.'

"It might also explain why she was stung so many times," he replied.

Lan raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"If it were natural bees, they would've stung one by one. However, not only are there none of them this deep in the city, they also would've gone through her after the first one or two got their sting in. If an esper had the vapor to control bees, they could make them travel to this place, then have them sting her all at once, before she got the chance to use her vapor."

"But that means they knew what she could do, and where she was going."

Don nodded, trying not to let his excitement show. "I think Unbound's theory might be spot-on. Dean's starting to babble. Go take the phone from him before he messes up."

Lan looked up, cursed, then stomped over to him and took over the conversation. Don used the few seconds between her leaving and Dean taking her place to snatch the piece of paper, then stashed it in his own pocket.

"I don't think I'm cut out for this," Dean confessed solemnly. "Think she's gonna die?"

'Probably. I doubt those were regular bees.'

"Doubt it. It's rare for anyone to die after being stung by a bee."

"But what if it was hornet or something like that?"

"That's a bit less rare, but still not likely. Look, the stings seem pretty fresh, and Lan's already calling the ambulance. Worst case scenario, the boss can give her some of his blood, right?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right."

Don then excused himself and headed for the bathroom. Once he was in one of the two stalls, he took the note out of his pocket and read it.

'Hello, dear Helter Skelter members. Val here. Like the present my colleague left for ya? He can be real nasty. Anyhow, how you've already gotten away from me once, so I thought I'd try and go for you again. Nova City is just too risky a battlefield for me, I'm afraid, so how about we take this somewhere that's just a tad more private? I'll be waiting for you in Lavia, the town right south of Nova City. The longer you take to get there, the more people I'll blow up, so try to hurry. Looking forward to our game. Peace out.'