Showing an enemy any sort of emotion, whether it was anger, fear, or excitement would only reveal weaknesses to them.

More than anyone, Tora knew well of her short temper. When she was young, she was prone to violent outbursts when others angered her. It was something she has spent a long time trying to control, ever since she joined the Air Force Academy. She had gotten better at it as she became a more patient adult thanks to therapy. But, every so often, she could not help but release the built-up emotions and rage.

She preferred controlling her emotions through meditation, indulging in the dark side of her mind, or through exercise. Punching things did wonders for releasing her pent up bloodlust. Although these methods worked quite well in the past, they have not been working for the past few days. She found herself more frustrated and emotional than ever before.

Now, with Laura standing in front of her, she controlled her breathing. She simply puffed out her chest and stood with her spine straight. "I have someplace to be so if you need to tell me something, please make haste." Tora looked down at her watch. It may have seemed like an arrogant gesture to Laura but Tora could care less. She watched the time to see how long she had to eat before arriving at her destination. "I don't have all day."

"Ah, well, as to not take up any more of your time, I'd like to warn you to not make an enemy of Rouen. It could get quite dangerous for you and your family."

Tora scoffed as she tried to suppress her laughter. She raised an eyebrow. "Are you threatening me?"

"No. It's just a warning to be careful. You never know what might happen during your investigation. You may find things that may be dangerous for you, and for us. And we wouldn't want that now, would we?"

"Well, then you should make sure there's nothing to find. I'm sure you wouldn't want another innocent bystander to get injured. That could become the switch that leads to Rouen's downfall."

Laura remained silent for a moment. "The Supers associated with Rouen are going to be in training for a few months."

Tora clapped her hands together. "That's good. That means neither you nor I will have anything to worry about. Now if you'll excuse me…" Tora returned to her car and backed up out of the parking space, leaving Laura to watch as she drove away.

***

Tora sat in her car in the drive-through lot as she waited for the vehicle ahead to receive their order. Her mind flashed back to Laura. Her mind flashed further back to Jacob, and again to that Sunday night to Darren and Electro as she, helplessly, watched them walk away. They never took responsibility for their actions.

She inhaled deeply.

"Just breathe," she said to herself. "Deep breath in." She breathed in through her nose. "Deep breath out." She exhaled through her mouth as her head rested against the chair headrest. "Let the darkness in. Let it take over for a moment. Let it float freely through the mind. Let myself feel the anger, the hatred, the need for vengeance."

The need for vengeance. Tora had been consumed with taking revenge. For Darren.

Just like her hands were dyed with Darren's blood, she wanted to see the ground dyed in the blood of the people who hurt him. A great injustice was done, and she needed justice done to be satisfied. Tora would never feel content until those people paid for what they did.

Her fists gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles turning white as her body tensed. "Slowly, let the darkness fade away, overtaken by the light." She released another deep breath through her lips as she slowly opened her eyes. There was a soft hint of blue in her pupils that faded as the light came back into her eyes.

Tora moved her car up to the window as she took her order of fries, lemon soda, and a chicken sandwich from the vendor before driving into the street.