The Chariot is done. It’s kind of cool, actually, having something like that just to ourselves. I helped HD with it, by which I mean I lifted the heavy things where they needed to go and helped clear the track. He did the rest. You know, he may not be as useless or as much of a screw up as I thought he was…
He rescued me tonight from…I don’t know what. And I think he took the hit that was meant for me. Apparently, this Human Octopus Guy stole his nanobots or something. And I think he was about to do something just as messed up to me if HD hadn’t shown up, but I’m not really sure. My memory gets kind of fuzzy about the time I ran out of oxygen.
Short story long, B&E have decided to march on the Spike. It’s not a friendly sort of march either. Since half of us are wanted criminals, we decided the best way to stop them is to inspire people to counter-march. They want to cause destruction, and we are going to not, I guess? Mai and Chance had a press conference, and HD hacked the feed, I guess, to get it out to more people. He did a thing too — why not? He’s got all those people calling themselves Drivers hanging off his every word, and he’s good at making speeches. I wasn’t sure what I could do to help, so I just kind of stood around. What, like I’m going to go in front of a camera and say violence is bad? I hurt people. I break buildings. I’m pretty much exactly the opposite of what they’re saying.
The conference seemed to go well. Actually, it seemed to go really well. They came out kind of early, which meant HD had to scramble to get everything in place, but it was all going great until this guy started pushing through the crowd. And all of a sudden, he pulls out a gun and shoots at Chance! What the hell? Mai was right there and tried to push him out of the way, so she got hit instead.
I got up there as quick as I could, and HD tried to help by monitoring him through cameras or satellites or whatever it is HD does. He couldn’t stay on the line long, though — he was being tracked somehow. That was fine — I caught up to HOG. But I couldn’t help thinking about the last time I had to take care of a guy trying to hurt my friends. So I got distracted, and the next thing I now, the guy jumps on top of me and tries to pin me to the ground!
Obviously, I wasn’t going to let that happen. But he was tough. And when I tried to rip off his mask, it didn’t come off — it was like part of him or something. And there was this snake thing that came out of his mouth, and it actually drew blood. Even Rose’s thorns are hit or miss breaking through my skin. So, even though I was trying really hard not to destroy the entire city block, I had to do something, right? I pounded his face into the pavement and a wall, and somehow a streetlamp gets knocked over, and, right then, this stupid woman decides to cross the street. I mean, really? Did she not see the massive fight and bricks flying everywhere? So I have to go save her, and I’m trying to use HOG’s face to do it, right, because I can’t let him go. Except he twists out of my hands somehow and the streetlamp lands on me instead! And then his limbs get all bendy and start contorting, and he wraps his arm around my neck and starts to squeeze.
I should have just ground him into the pavement the first chance I got.
I know I’m in trouble, and this is not good. So I call for HD…and then kind of black out, because oxygen is important, and I didn’t have any. And when I come to and can get up, I see HOG disappearing over a building and HD just sprawled on the ground. And he looks weird. And definitely not okay.
What the hell was that thing? I made some notes about it, because I’m not letting that thing get away. I’ll ask TH tonight to see if he’s ever heard of anything like it or has any idea how to track it. Honestly, I doubt he’ll help. He’s pretty focused on this other guy right now, and don’t get me wrong — that asshole does deserve to get taken down. But this guy hurt my friends. He tried to kill my friends. And I’m going to make him pay.