Gytha sat in her apartment, her ass squarely planted on the couch in front of the quivering body of one Bob Dubble. She was contemplating masturbating again. That statue's display of violence, brutally smashing its creator against a wall so hard that the wall broke was overwhelming to her. God, her heart fluttered just thinking about it. If only she could find someone real that understood violence and destruction like she did. She thought about the last guy that tried to fill that void in her heart, and how he ended up as thinly sliced fillets that she fed to her dolphin-hounds. That was a good guy, whatever his name was. She almost missed him. Almost.

If it weren't for Igor Hadid and that statue, Goliath, she might have been a touch more sad at the loss of the guy. But the statue's muscles, his blood-soaked hands and fierce expression... She couldn't contain herself any longer. She wished she had time to go another round, she really did.

Bob Dubble squirmed and let out a panicked breath escape from underneath the wrap tied around his mouth.

The girl just came, and she still had work to do. 

"Thank you for your patience, truly," Gytha said, sliding her underwear back on.

They were coated in blood, Bob Dubble's blood, specifically. From where? Could have been any number of places she'd cut him over the last hour or so. She didn't mind, it made her feel even closer to him. The man's eyes widened and his teeth started to clatter through the restraints. He was shirtless, evenly made, straight slices carved into his abdomen, obliques, and back in a three by three grid. On the grid were circular cuts, and cuts that formed an "x". 

"It's your move," Gytha said, pressing the knife against one of the seven remaining blank spaces on the board, "You can put an 'X' anywhere but the center and top left corner. I'm assuming you want to go bottom-right?"

Bob just stared at her, uncertainty written on his face, tears in his eyes. Was he afraid? Why, he had every reason to be. He showed up on her doorstep, a Christian missionary trying to spread the word of Jesus Christ. Now, here he was suspended by wrist restraints in her bathtub while Gytha tried to bond with him over a few simple games of tic-tac-toe. He had a bright and promising future before he decided to become her latest plaything, at least that's what he said before she started carving into his flesh. She'd never seen someone so whiney before.

Worst of all, he wasn't playing the fucking game. 

"Please don't make me play by myself. I—"

Her phone rang before she could make the next cut into Bob Dubble. She glanced at the caller I.D. and sighed, putting the knife down. To Bob, she held up one finger as if to say 'one second', and the man squealed and squirmed in his restraints. Gytha brought that same finger up to her lips and shushed him. Then she answered the phone.

"Hello, you've reached Gytha Chin."

"Where the hell are you, Gytha, you were supposed to be at the Sanctuary an hour ago!" Yelled Squid, her voice very distinguishable and also very, very annoying, "What are you even doing?"

She glanced back at the man she was playing tic-tac-toe with. Apparently blood loss had claimed him when she was turned around. Unusual, the adrenaline shot she gave him shouldn't have worn off that quickly. Either that or he was just playing dead, or unconscious. Feeling a pang of disappointment grow in her heart, Gytha sighed, "Hanging out."

"Stop that shit and help Atilla move the product."

Fuck.

Nobody liked Atilla, especially Gytha. Atilla was an Exploiter, a horrible one on top of that. She was a Seer, one of those precognitive types and boy, was she arrogant with it. Gytha rolled her eyes just thinking about what Atilla would say when she got to the site, probably something like 'I knew you'd come' and then she'd do that stupid 'teehee' passive aggressive laugh she always did when she was right.

And Atilla was always right, that fucking psychic bitch.

"Of course, sir." Gytha said through her teeth, "I'll be there right away."

"And I don't want any of your usual brand of bullshit either. This is a delicate operation, I need you to set aside all the drama for a few days and-"

"I'm sorry, days?"

"What was it you were doing, again? 'Hanging out'? Get over yourself."

The line died, and Gytha sighed. Looks like her fun with Bob Dubble was about to come to a close. The man had woken up during the phone call, the sparkle of life in his eyes barely visible but still there. There was still time, not a lot of time, but the time was still there.

But, no, Squid asked for her presence with fucking Atilla of all people. That psychic whore is probably laughing it up to high hell right now, knowing that she interrupted yet another one of Gytha's private, intimate moments. Gytha groaned.

She went to her dresser and opened the top drawer, pulling out a syringe of Exploited healing serum she stole from Snow, a local superhero. The young heroine wasn't even aware of the pain that Gytha was capable of inflicting in her when she handed over her duffle bag in exchange for her life. A small part of Gytha wished she'd had a chance to get her hands on the girl, her blood must have been fresh. But alas, the interaction went like many other transactions went, minus money. Goods in exchange for life.

Inside of that duffle bag was a whole host of healing supplies. Bandaids, body wraps, rubbing alcohol, the works. But on top of it all was the pay dirt, the Exploited healing serum.

Snow was a healer, a good one too albeit inexperienced. After Gytha liberated her of her possessions, she tested the serum on the injured, which were in plenty supply when you follow supervillains for fun. They suffered at first, the pain an agonizing, inhuman wrench that tightened its grip on the very foundation of your being. It burned your soul to cinders, reconstructed it by the atom, and then razed it to the ground once again. To not scream, you had to be unconscious or recently deceased, for the neurons in your brain only knew suffering at the hands of Snow's healing serum. 

And it was this serum that Gytha intended to save Bob Dubble with. Oh, how he winced when she jammed the syringe into his thigh, and oh, how his panicked breath turned into  ghastly wails as the serum took its affect on his body.

Within seconds, Gytha's work started to become undone. The cuts and stabs and bruises started to heal themselves, closing up without effort. She wasn't sure how long the process would take, Bob Dubble's wounds were at least kind of extensive. At least the man would still be alive for her later. Their session would continue after she handled this business.

The drive to the Sanctuary thankfully wasn't long. Gytha's mind kept wandering back to Bob Dubble bound and writhing in agony in her apartment. She had to be quick, get this over with as fast as humanly possible.

Atilla stood inside of the building with her arms folded, staring at Gytha from the other side of a window. She was eating an apple. Gytha flashed a smile and made an obvious, exaggerated gesture, scratching her temple with her middle finger.

She opened the double doors and stepped one foot inside. Not even halfway through the door frame did Gytha hear Atilla's shrill voice speaking to her.

She said, "Good evening, Gytha. You look tired. Guess you didn't have time to pretty up, or is that just how you always look?"

Gytha put on her best fake smile and said, "Good evening to you too, Atilla, still addicted to psycho-stim?"

That comment wiped the arrogant look off Atilla's stupid face for a moment. Psycho-stim, pharmaceutical name "Meta-Cytocortizol", was a stimulant built specifically for clairvoyants. It dulled the senses so that they had an easier time staying in the present rather than daydreaming on infinite futures that were yet to come. It also had the unfortunate side effect of being highly addictive and difficult to quit. Gytha had seen the effects of psycho-stim withdrawal before, from Atilla no less. Back then they were recently acquainted, and Atilla was less of a bitch.

But that was a year ago. A very, very long year ago. Since then, as far as Gytha could see, Atilla had beaten her addiction.

"For your information, I only use recreationally now, fucking cunt." Atilla corrected.

"Psychic whore."

"D-cup bowling ball chested thot."

Just then, right before Gytha could respond, a man walked in the door. He was covered head to toe in grey fur, had fangs hanging out of the corners of his mouth. His yellow eyes offered naught but a piercing gaze that shut both of them up in an instant. 

"Eddie," Atilla said, "We were just chatting, you know, girl talk."

Wolf, Eddie Baumann, towered over both Gytha and Atilla. He stood there, leaning against a wall with his arms folded over one another and his legs crossed at the ankle. The man was a furry, beastial type of Hybrid. His fur had fur, that sort of thing. He wore a suit which, coincidentally, had tufts of fur poking out in a few spots. There was fur on his beard, and fur on his briefcase. There was just fur, so much fur it was difficult to see the man beneath it all.

He growled as he spoke, "You two ready?"

They both nodded their heads at the same time.

"Good. And stop with the fucking profanity."

Gytha was familiar with the product they were moving, an anomalous drug called Shine. When broken into tiny crystals, then boiled to a fine liquid and ingested or injected, gave you the most euphoric high. It was like floating on stardust and kissing the vastness of space at the same time, or so Gytha heard. She was never a big fan of the stuff. She tried it once and found the results to be unsatisfactory. The ride was nice, but it dulled her senses way too much and started affecting her artwork. Unlike Atilla, Gytha had no issue quitting addictive substances on a whim. 

Shine might have been the catalyst that ruined their relationship, but Atilla's actions were still her own. A tiny part of Gytha almost felt bad for her. Almost.

There were barrels of the stuff, heavy barrels. The crystals themselves didn't weight much on their own, but in mass quantities they were exceptionally heavy, like how a glass of water is easy to lift but the immense pressure of the ocean is nigh immovable. It was these barrels that Gytha begrudgingly helped Atilla load into one of the trucks.

Wolf stood by, documenting something down. Gytha couldn't tell what it was, but surely it had to be important enough for him to not help them with the barrels. At least she hoped it was, because if it wasn't she and her knives were going to have a serious conversation with him later that night. 

It was only when the barrels were almost loaded into the truck that Wolf put down his pencil and clipboard and decided to help. When all the barrels were loaded, both Gytha and Atilla were out of breath. The man twice their size acted like he was out of breath too, having moved a whopping total of three barrels by himself.

"Thanks for the help, Wolf." Atilla said. The sarcasm in her voice was as clear as water.

"You're welcome," Said Wolf, not missing a beat.

As Wolf climbed into the driver's seat, Gytha and Atilla both rushed for the passenger's seat. Gytha was faster though, and when she got to the door she stuck her tongue out at Atilla. Atilla, in response, froze on the spot, her eyes wide and focused on something that wasn't her. 

She was using her power, and judging by her facial expression, the near future wasn't looking too good.

"Duck!" She yelled, pushing Gytha down.

Milliseconds after Atilla yelled, something whizzed by Gytha's head, grazing her ear and drawing blood. Whatever it was left a small dent in the side of the truck, but before Gytha could regain her bearings, the object fizzled out of of existence in a puff of smoke and electricity. Gytha's eyes went wide as she looked to Atilla, who was just as visibly concerned as she was. Wolf howled in the driver's seat before leaping out and taking cover on the other side of the truck. Gytha could hear his claws extend from his hands, ready to go on the offensive.

"Who is it?" Gytha asked Atilla, "Who's attacking us?"

"It's the Iron Syndicate!" She gasped, then added, "All of them."

Atilla yelled her discovery to Wolf, who swore and then roared at their opposition. Gytha saw him leap from cover and run in the direction of whoever shot at her, while she and Atilla jumped to their feet and narrowly avoided hellfire. 

The shooter couldn't have been anyone other than Lady Voltage herself. The sound of her using her power to create those projectiles was distinguishable, and Gytha knew it well after all of their encounters with the Iron Syndicate. Lady Voltage was a distance fighter, laying a suppressive barrage on them while the other four got in close to deal heavy damage.

Gytha mumbled a swear under her breath. If Squid or even Lynx were here, this attack would be a non-issue. But with Wolf as their only heavy hitter things were bound to get a little bloody, and not in the way she liked. 

The blow to the back of her head caused Gytha to stumble and fall. She tried to collect herself but there was something keeping her pinned to the ground, something hard and metallic. Atilla screamed something at Gytha that she couldn't hear over the blood rushing through her head. She struggled to wipe the blood from her nose and turned her head to get a look at what was above her.

It was the Echo Protocol, the Anomaly the Iron Syndicate stole from the GSA. A rogue AI given full bodily autonomy by Overclock himself. Its orange and black metallic body was standing above Gytha, and she felt its iron boot planted firmly on the small of her back. Gytha tried to get a survey of the battlefield but her vision was limited. She could only hear Atilla's shrill screams of protest as she was knocked down by the Echo Protocol's extending fist. 

"It would be more efficient for you to surrender," The Echo Protocol said, its metallic, tinny voice almost mocking, "We have you outnumbered. We have you surrounded. Your chances of survival if you resist are zero point zero zero zero two five eight."

"I hope you die, robot." Gytha grumbled.

"I am incapable of that function," the Echo Protocol said, "You, on the other hand..."

It retracted its extended hand and positioned its fist so that it was facing Gytha. She braced for the pain, only the pain never came. Instead, the weight was lifted off her back and the Echo Protocol was laying on the ground next to her, sparks flying from its face. Before she could register what was happening, she was lifted to her feet and spun around. 

It was Wolf. His fur was bloody and matted in some places, and Gytha could see the bruises underneath it all too. A flicker of concern crested over her in a wave. If Wolf went down, she thought, then she and Atilla wouldn't stand much of a chance. 

"Where's Atilla?" She asked him.

"In the back, get in!" Wolf commanded. 

Gytha had no objections to the instructions and happily obliged. Lady Voltage charged up her power again and fired another projectile at them as she opened the truck door. The shot collided with the metal and slammed the door shut as Gytha was climbing in, knocking her over in the seat. She scrambled to right herself, hyperventilating. Combat was never something she could get used to. 

Wolf turned the key in the ignition and slammed his foot on the gas, and the car lurched forward before stopping abruptly. The stop sent Gytha's head flying into the dashboard. Blood pooled from a gash on her forehead. She brought a hand up to touch her wound, trying to gauge how bad the wound was. 

Wolf almost cursed, but his breath was cut short by Gravemind, the cybernetically enhanced member of the Iron Syndicate. Gytha wasn't sure what Gravemind's Exploit was, in fact she knew very little about him other than he didn't bleed well. She let out a short scream as Gravemind used his Exploit to rock the truck. She looked in the back seat, checking on Atilla.

Atilla had taken more of a beating than she had from the Echo Protocol. The punch to the face seemed to have dislocated her jaw and knocked her unconscious as well. At least she was asleep for this part of the attack. 

Wolf tried the engine again, and again the engine sputtered and wailed in protest. He slammed his fist into the dashboard and yelled at the truck, but Gytha couldn't hear what he said over the rumbling. Instead, Gytha opened the glove compartment, hoping beyond hope that Wolf had the wherewithal to keep a pistol or something to that effect in there. 

But she found nothing there other than paper. She swore and Wolf looked at her, bewilderment written on his face. Even in the midst of chaos, he was still trying to enforce his "no profanity" rule on her. Truly unbelievable.

"We have to go, Wolf." She said.

"No." Wolf said.

"Atilla is bleeding out in the back, she needs Dove or, or, Snow! Someone with a healing Exploit!"

"We can't let them have the Shine!" 

"Fuck the Shine!"

Gravemind ramped up the force of his Exploit, sending the truck flying upward into the air. Gytha screamed as butterflies tore her stomach asunder. Weightlessness came next, a fleeting thing. The next thing that Gytha saw was the ground approaching her, and then, blackness.

She woke to the smell of fire and smoke, and there was yelling in the background. She couldn't discern what they were saying or who all was yelling, only that they were talking fast and loud. She groaned as more of her senses came back to her. Her body ached, and she wanted to throw up but held the bile down with some concentrated effort. Her vision was blurry, her eyelids heavy, threatening to close themselves. She shook her head, but gave herself a terrible headache in the process. Gytha looked to her left at Wolf, who was also unconscious now. She looked in the back seat at Atilla, who was now laying perpendicular to her, her feet where Gytha's arm was.

Gytha squinted at Atilla's chest and sighed once she noticed that it was still rhythmically moving up and down. She tried the door handle, but it was stuck. With a pained groan she moved herself so that her feet her placed against the door handle and kicked as hard as she could. 

The door flew open, and Gytha crawled out of the truck. Her joints hurt, her body screamed for her to stop moving, to stop trying to do anything. She ignored it, focusing on her escape from the burning truck instead. When she was fully outside, she stood on both of her feet, her knees wobbling and her vision blurring even further. She grabbed the sides of her head and groaned. As her vision started to clear, she could see the Iron Syndicate loading the barrels of Shine into their own truck. She called out to them, to protest, but her voice was lodged in her throat and all that came out was a weird, raspy noise.

If only she had her knives with her, then she could have cut each and every one of them into ribbons. Oh, the things she would do to them when she finally got her hands on them. Even the robot would learn pain at her hand. 

But she didn't have her knives with her, she didn't have anything with her in the way of self defense. This was supposed to be a safe, run of the mill job and Shine was their product to move. No one else in New Glasford moved anomalous drugs other than the Animal Troupe, and Squid was fierce when it came to protecting his territory and his product. The Iron Syndicate just signed their death warrants. Maybe Squid would finally let her have fun, maybe there wouldn't be any rules when they retaliated. Gytha could only hope that was the case.

She turned to the truck and broke the back window with her elbow. She dragged Atilla's unconscious body out of the truck and laid her gently on the ground. Oh, how peaceful she looked when she slept. She was more tolerable when she wasn't talking too, a neat added bonus. When Atilla was on the ground, Gytha moved to the driver's side and did the same process for Wolf. She could only watch as the Iron Syndicate drove away with the Shine in their truck.

Thankfully her cellphone had also survived the attack. Gytha pulled it out and called Squid, waiting patiently for the him to pick up. 

When he finally did, she panted, "Hey boss."

"Gytha, what's wrong? You sound like you just got fucked."

"The Iron Syndicate attacked. They stole the product."

"Those motherfuckers. Are you guys alright?"

"Could be better. Wolf and Atilla are out cold. Could really use Dove here or..." Gytha felt a dizzy spell coming on, and her voice was lost to her again.

"Gytha? Gytha!"

She had collapsed, unconscious once again.

This time when Gytha woke, she was back in her apartment covered in bandages. Apparently whoever brought her here hadn't found the secret stash of Snow's cure-all medicine. More for her, she figured. This wasn't worth the agony. 

She sat up, sore and uncomfortable, but alive. Next to her was Atilla, who was filing her nails. 

"Oh, you're finally up." She said, "Glad you made it."

"Don't tell me you're growing a heart after all this time," Gytha replied, rubbing the side of her head. 

"Ha, you wish." Atilla said, chuckling to herself, "But since you saved me, Squid asked me to keep an eye on you till you recovered."

"How long was I out?"

"A day or two, I dunno. My Exploit's kind of on the fritz after the head injury."

Gytha raised an eyebrow, "You need your Exploit to tell them time now? That's kind of pathetic."

"Not nearly as pathetic as you saving my life." Atilla stuck her tongue out.

"Maybe I shouldn't have done that." 

"But you did, you big softie. You care."

"Totally not."

The women stared at each other for a second, holding each others gaze. Gytha had forgotten how soft and delicate Atilla's features were, even after the Shine. Her cheeks were full like a chipmunks, and she had a dimple in her smile, rare as that smile was these days. Atilla's light brown eyes sparkled in the sunlight that shone in beams through Gytha's blinds. They looked so pretty, oh so pretty. Atilla's lips were full and luscious, her red lipstick applied so perfectly. Gytha couldn't help but stare at them.

Then, before she realized it was happening, Atilla kissed her. In that instance, in that infinitesimal moment in time, Gytha's soul exploded right out the back of her head. She melted into Atilla, wrapping her sore arms around Atilla's lower body, pulling her in closer. But then, just as soon as the moment began, it ended and Atilla pulled away. 

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I did that." Atilla said, wiping the kiss from her lips.

"All that psychic prowess and you can't even read your own mind?"

"Sorry."

"It's..." But then Gytha noticed something, or rather she noticed a lack of something that should be there in her apartment.

Hanging from her ceiling, where Bob Dubble was just hours ago, was nothing.

"Goddamn it." She said.