Mr. Bartlett and Scott both came out of the elevator.  Mr. Bartlett looked out across his restaurant.  Bullet holes punctured paintings and walls.  Blood stains were splattered all over the tables and columns. Furniture was destroyed and glass lay across the ground.  A massive chandelier was crashed upon the ground.  

Mr. Bartlett spoke after a moment of silence. “What a pity.”  Mr. Bartlett shook his head and pulled his revolver from his coat, “But we’re not safe yet.”  He walked up to the guest that he had received earlier, “Joseph, take Starr down to the parking garage.” Mr. Bartlett pulled a key from his pocket, “There is a brown minivan in spot b3 and instructions to a safe house.  This is no place for Starr to be in.  We can’t afford the vampires to take off with her.” 

He turned to Red and Andrelle, “Go with him as well, this is no place for a vampire right now, and Red can shield Starr from other psychics trying to look for her.  When you guys make it to the safe house, just sit tight and protect Starr.  I will send for you when all is safe.  Hopefully we can figure out why the vampires want her in the first place.” 

Sam stepped forward and interjected, “We shouldn’t split up, and I don’t want Starr out of my sight.” 

Starr spoke up, “Don’t worry Sam, I will see you again.”  Starr gave a small smile and then Sam handed her over to Red.

“Take care of her Red, or your nuts are mine.” 

Red gulped, knowing that the threat was probably true, but the mutants gathering in the lobby was a bigger threat to him, and the others, right now. 

He turned to Mr. Bartlett, “We have a problem in the lobby though.”  Red shifted Starr in his arms, “Mutants smashed through the front door.  They must be looking for the girl too, since they lost her at the docks.” 

Joseph stepped forward, “Probably working for the same person as the mutants at the dock.”  He checked his gun for ammo, “If that’s so, then we should get moving.” 

“Mr. Scott,” Bartlett looked to his second in command, “Take Tentin and the rest of the men to the front doors and take care of the problem.”  Mr. Scott nodded, with his hands behind his back as always.

Mr. Bartlett held his hand in front of Sam for her to take, “Come, and let us take care of these vampires, love.  I would enjoy seeing how much you have improved over the years.”

Sam’s skin flushed bright red.  She tightened her grip on her axe and took his hand, “Lead the way.”  They both smiled at each other and took off towards the stairs. Sam turned and took one last look at Starr.  She knew Joseph would take care of her, but a bad thought nagged at the back of her mind, the pins and needles again.  She pushed it aside and followed Mr. Bartlett down the stairs.

Mr. Scott pulled out two guns he had within his sherwani. “Mr. Tentin!” 

Mr. Tentin quickly turned to look at Scott. 

“I need your men set up along the balcony to give me cover fire.  I’ll take care of the rest.”   Scott gave a devious smile.

Agent Flaurence grabbed Tentin on the shoulder before he could go, “Take care and kill them all, brother.” 

Mr. Tentin smiled, “Of course.  And when you get back, I’ll buy us a round of beers.”  He had enjoyed the agent’s company, even though they had only met for a short time, but the thought that he would never see him again pushed its way to the front of his mind.  He dismissed the thought as they nodded and parted their separate ways.

Agent Flaurence called out to Red and Andrelle, “Come on, let’s get out of here before anything else shows up.  I don’t think I can handle anything else tonight.”

Scott ran up to the balcony and jumped up on the ledge.  He looked back at Tentin and the several security guards left unscathed by the vampires, “Watch my back, and please, don’t shoot me.”  The men nodded, and Scott then leapt off the balcony to the floor below. 

The men gave out a gasp and ran up to the ledge.  It was a good twenty foot drop, and jumping off would be insane.  They peered over the edge of the balcony in wonder, worry, and wishful thinking for their comrade.

Scott landed safely on his feet facing the large doors that served as an entrance to the dinning area.  The men gazed upon their leader as he stood unscathed by the drop.  They wondered what he truly was. 

Scott stood for a moment and shut his eyes.  He breathed deeply and uttered a prayer of destruction to his mother.  He would do her work, and destroy the mutant invaders with all the ferocity taught to him long ago by his matriarch.

The large doors burst open, accompanied by the shouting of a rabble of mutants.  They quickly stopped shouting their war cries, and instead, they stared at the lone man standing in their path, wondering why one  man would do such a thing.  The wonderment was short lived.

The sludge man stepped forward, “This one’s mine.”  He grabbed a chunk of his melting flesh and raised his hand. 

Mr. Scott took one last breath and opened his eyes.  The sides of his sherwani suddenly shredded as two more arms came to bear a second set of pistols. 

Confusion spread throughout the mutant ranks.  They looked back in forth at each other, wondering if a fellow mutant stood before them. 

A slight smile spread across Scott’s face.  Then he let loose a hail of bullets.  All four of his automatic pistols rang out simultaneously.  The bullets hit the mutants hard, shredding into them without mercy.  The large caliber shells tore apart limbs and blew holes clean through the mutants’ bodies.

The sludge man was ripped apart instantly, his sludge skin flying back on his comrades.  Screams let out as their flesh started to bubble away.

As quickly as it started, it was over. 

Scott took a step back, looking to the men at the balcony. 

They all stood in disbelief, wondering what Mr. Scott really was, and on top of that, he took out a group of mutants single handedly.  He was something more than man.

Mr. Tentin let out a short gasp as he watched the scene from the balcony.  He rubbed his chin inquisitorially; he could have sworn he saw Mr. Scott’s skin flash blue when he tore down the mutant ranks, but it happened too quickly to tell from such a distance.

“That didn’t take long now,” Scott shouted up to the men.  He looked down to the group of mutants, “Hmmm, thought there’d be more.” 

His guns suddenly dropped as a spike pierced his shoulder.  Blood squirted from the wound as he fell to the ground.  He looked up at the bottom of the balcony. 

A spider like lady was clinging from the ceiling, a devilish smile hanging from her face.  The four long appendages that sprouted from her back had held her out of Scott’s bullet barrage, keeping her safe from the demise of her fellow mutant conspirators.  She held her arm out, pointed at Mr. Scott.  He could see a new spike forming in the hole that occupied her wrist.

Mr. Tentin stared down at his partner in disbelief.  No one had ever taken down Scott.  Tentin’s mind was racing on what to do, but no matter what he thought, there wouldn’t be enough time to help Scott.  He looked to his left.  The stairs were his only bet to get Mr. Scott out alive.  He was only a man after all, he couldn’t jump down from these heights and still be able to walk about, let alone help his injured friend.

A scream brought his attention back to the guardsmen next to him.  A long spike that looked like a spider leg came from over the balcony railing, impaling one of his men.  It then flicked backwards flinging the man off the balcony, sending him to a sudden crunch on the ground below. 

The creature that had killed the man and impaled Scott had just started climbing the balcony rail, giving Mr. Tentin no more time to think. It almost resembled a woman, but was hideously disfigured, like a mutated spider.  He had to act. 

A shrill laugh was let out of spider creature’s lungs as it impaled another man.  A spike suddenly shot from its wrist killing the last guard that accompanied Tentin. 

Tentin raised his gun to fire at the beast, but another one of her long spikes swiped the gun away.  Mr. Tentin reached into his jacket, pulling out a large combat knife.  He lunged at the lady-spider, driving his knife deep into her chest.  The spider-lady let out a shrill scream.  Mr. Tentin stepped back covering his ears, trying to block out the scream.  The creature backed up to the wall, and started to climb up the side of the restaurant. Mr. Tentin dove on her, and grabbed her around the stomach.  He held her as tightly as he could, “I’ll drag you to hell with me!” 

The mutant started climbing the wall, thrashing about to shake the man clinging to her with an iron grip.  She raised her arm and a spike instantly grew from her wrist.  She brought it down hard on Tentin’s shoulder, drawing a small fountain of blood. 

He let out a cry of pain, and then he pulled his knife from her chest.  The spider lady pulled her spiked arm back to the wall for support. “Your last mistake, you freak.” Mr. Tentin then stabbed the knife through her arm and into the wall. 

Tentin lost his grip and began to fall.  He looked around frantically, spotting anything to prevent himself from falling to his death.   He shot his hands out, catching himself on one of the long spines protruding from the spider lady’s back.  He looked down to the restaurant floor.  It was a long drop, one he wouldn’t survive.  Again, in the same night, he had no other option but to keep moving forward and hope for the best.  He knew what he had to do.

“This better be worth it,” he whispered to himself as he reached down to his ankle, and pulled out a small revolver.  He raised it at the lady’s head, not thinking twice, “See you in the next life.”  He pulled the trigger, ending the shrill screams of the monster in an instant.