Jackie could clearly see the officer before her—her deep scarlet hair, the thick eyebrows, the slightly pink skin tone, all tied together into a forlorn but stern face with light scaring across it. But all she can think about is the girl she let down—as a ton of those scars weren’t there when they met again.

“Like… This is the second time I’ve caught you in a place like this. You and those other girls have a danger thing going on? You know that’s against the law—especially you.”

She tried to joke… Was it meant to be a joke? But all Jackie was noticing was how hard it was for her to muster the emotion for it.

Another fault of hers.

Jackie tried to kneel, but the folding of the street caused the scene to tilt to it’s side—Jackie quickly grabbing for and successfully grabbing the handle of the car, hoisting herself up.

Scarlett, however, just stood there. Jackie looked down, her boots clamping down on their own. She continued on as if nothing’s changed.

“Look at you. You’re a mess. I fuck up my life and probably won’t have one when this is all over if I’m lucky—and you’re the one that looks like some bum. The hell happened to you?”

Jackie couldn’t speak for a bit, clutching her chest briefly, before just looking straight ahead with a torn expression.

“I’m sorry that I did this to you!” Jackie made her grief tangible. “I didn’t say that before because I was trapped in my own shit, I’m sorry! I should’ve been your friend! I shouldn’t have taken anything out on you! Or the rest of the team!”

She leaned down, still holding on for dear life, but she wanted to bow. She wanted to be the vulnerable overreactor she was.

“I was selfish and I literally did it again! I drove everyone away again! All I can do—All I can do right now is beg for your forgiveness…!”

Jackie fought against the tears. There was no use looking gross and spouting them when she wasn’t the one that needed to. She wasn’t the one that got hurt.

She jumped lightly, as she only heard Scarlett’s long sigh. So of course, out of reflex, that she looked back up again.

The rain was sideways, on Scarlett’s left. She looked directly into the pouring, again with her empty eyes informing the entirely of her face.

“I guess you still didn’t learn your lesson.”

Scarlett turned back to her, cocking her head. “At the end of the day man, I was the one that made the decisions that got me here. You tore my fucking heart into pieces, made me hate people again—but I shouldn’t have listened to being butthurt and giving into that—letting that being the excuse for me to do shit I had no business doing. I was the one who did the crime, not you. And now, I have little choice to do anything—because rightfully, I wasted my chances.”

She crossed her now-clunky-armored arms.

“Simple as that, really. No one day goes by—where I just look at myself and go… ‘You stupid broad’. How does being burned by your best friend lead into a life of crime? A life of crime that was only the two times, by the way, and I was just a masked mook that opened doors, for crying out loud. I could’ve been brought in by killing someone or something, at least deserve a spot. But I was just a smuggler. I guess it helped because I’m used as a scout versus being behind bars, but let’s be real, they totally moved the goal posts. I know you saw my crack back there—I’m sure he’s gonna report that and I get further bitch duty. Again, because I don’t get to choose anymore. Over a pathetic tantrum I had.”

Scarlett looked to Jackie. Really looked into her eyes, despite the distance between them.

Jackie noted, the slight, subtle twinge in her stare.

“Does this paint a picture for ya’? Do you get the message, now?”

Jackie was at a loss for words, just shaking her head—not to answer, but for no reason at all. It felt like she was using her entire body to process, to take everything in. Was she really heading down the similar path?

“…I… I don’t… Know…” Jackie’s booming voice, so little. So weak.

Scarlett just closed her eyes.

Suddenly, her helmet fully formed—taking in the hair, covering the face, removing the last bit of humanity she had presented.

“Unlike you, citizen,” Scarlett’s voice masked with the garble of whirring and digital mess. “You have two options. You vacate the premises, find shelter, and stay there until you hear future updates from Extant themselves. Or, you’re coming with me, and will become a registered disturbed individual—tried for endangerment of yourself in Noumena events. Decide. Or I’ll do it for you.”

Jackie was at a pause. Her eyes panicked, darting away, shrinking at the threat.

“… Now to take my own 90 seconds of thought,” Scarlett said.

Jackie was dumbstruck. She shot up, fully absorbing what she was putting forth.

She wanted to back away, even if she was stuck there. To accept Scarlett’s last choice.

But the reality was ready to hit her harder.

The street physically peeled away—pushing them apart.

She heard the yelling of Scarlett, but the crumbling of pavement crackling in her ears.

She quickly punched at the window of the car, over and over, to the point of seeing the sparks coming from her bandages.

The glass cracked, and took a jump into the vehicle. She felt the shards entered her skin, but for some reason, they didn’t harm her.

She felt the car tilt back, felt her stomach fall, twist, and turn as it tumbled into the air.

Her head rocked, her bones pulled against her skin and stretched back into place, her ears popping. Her sense of inner direction, her vision swirling into smears.

Despite not being able to perceive, she forced herself to climb into the Driver’s seat—or something like it. While it felt like she was dropping for hours, she knew that an impact was coming soon, and did her best to put siVis everywhere.

On her arms, on her legs, across her shoulders—every visible part of her body and the system it belonged to that she could think of. Tensing, in any other scenario, would cause the body to receive more damage than it could’ve taken limp. But this was anything but a normal scenario.

There was a crunch first.

And as the slam occurred and the metal twisted into springs and sharp edges around her, only the deploying white air bags was her sight, and her touch as they burned parts of her skin.

Seconds became minutes. Minutes into 10 or 20.

The broken girl crawled out of the wreckage, trembling and shaking as she does.

She pulls out her near-ruined phone, sliding her finger against the screen despite it cutting up the already failing bandages.

The only indictor she got that she was on group chat was the blinking cursor. With her feeble index, she posted the camera icon on the bar.

There was a weak red light, signaling that she was recording.

“I… I-I… I’m a failure…” Jackie sobbed. “I’m selfish… And I’m sorry…”

Jackie grabbed her head, stoked it backwards as she shook her head, writhing in emotional pain.

“I—Just—I’m a mess, I’m scared, I-I-I—Like, I can’t---I needed to set things right, I needed to make a difference—but I can’t! I’m useless, and dumb and reckless—But I needed to prove to myself…!”

Her breath was shaking more than her.

“All of my life… I was told—that I could… That I am going to… Do something. And do it right. My father is a hero… My mother is the smartest person I know… How can I measure up to that, when I was so lanky in middle school, I tripped over myself every time I got out of the desk?! I get better in high school—everyone likes me—and then this Shift stuff gets worse—and I fuck everything up because I’m so fucking scared, you guys…”

She tried to wipe her tears, but she couldn’t. Her fingers failed to meet.

“You’re free to… Leave me. It wasn’t… Your fault. I’m a terrible leader. A messed up, spoiled person that flushed away her chances to prove to you that I was okay… That I was good. But… If you give me the chance… The privilege… To try again. Let me try again with you all… Tell me what to do. And I’ll do my best to make it work… I’ll do it, die trying…”

She ended the footage and sent it.

Once she let her head down, she fell into the lull of darkness for a very brief, very choice time.

She woke up with a vibration in her hand, checking the phone.

“Where are you

We’re on our way”