Wicker Park, Chicago - March 6 - 1991 - Beginning of the day

Mirian Shar had her eyes on someone there, things had been crazy in the city so far, there was an attack on a Meta nightclub, a whole mess it seemed but she had the sensation that the police was intervening with the investigation so, as every time, it was up to her to uncover the story.

With a smile she silently walked down the street in that mornign as people were getting ready to go to work, she had a lead that day, something that Andrea could have wanted those days, someone who claimed to know, so she was checking it out. For that she was with a small disguise, long sleeves, a gun on her belt, a small hat and fake glasses. She was proud at least of her fashion style.

Going into a breakfeast and diner she sits down close to the window, there was a sign close to her 'no muties allowed', she really did ot like places like that but was where the source agreed to meet her, she had not much of a choice. A young woman approached with a notepad “So what I can get ya?”

“Coffee, please. And bring me some waffles then” Smiling to the woman she leans on the chair, checking her watch, the woman writes down the order and moves out.

Soon someone enters the door and rushes to her side, she checked her watch, right on time, she liked it. Looked back at the source, to see what was going on, working with secret sources was sometimes frustrating. The man in front of her had a small frame. He was shaking a bit.

“The night was wild”

Mirian sighed, he insisted on a password “I dont know, I left early”, the man visibly relaxed.

“So... why did you want to meet so soon” said in a soft voice, the man was looking at her now, judging her reactions

“Everything changed now... Look. Our... Woman is going on hard on retribution and people are going to die, there is also what I figured out” he was looking around like in a daze of paranoia, Miria was worried but she leaned in the table.

“What are you worried about?”

“This has nothing to do with Andrea and her operation, at least it had nothing to do until this week, too much changed in what we were looking into” He fidgeted “So I started looking into Andrea targets this time, perhaps we could find someone willing to talk? Perhaps someone would be willing to bring her down” his eyes dart around again “Miss Shar...” he shakes a bit “There is a big group, I don't know who, but they are big group of metas trying to take Andrea down, and they are organized.”

Mirian leans forward a little as she listens , taking some notes on the table “And who are they?”

“I... Honestly do not know, they are organized and have many members , for what I know most of them are metas and they have no fear into taking down people around the city...”

“So that is why you chose this location?” she taps the table “Why not somewhere hidden?”

“I am leaving the city tomorrow, this is a public place, perhaps they won't want to warn the general public of what is going on around here, perhaps there is something else happening, I am not staying to see what it turns out into”he looks at her “I suggest you do the same”

“I cannot leave at this moment, once Andrea is down, well, I would be lying if I say this is not career building as well” she gives him a smile , she knew what she wanted, she did not like to consider herself too cutthroat but she knew her code and what she wanted

He gulps and nodded “Mirian, you are a good journalist, that is why I Am even talking to you about this, but listen to me, there is word on the streets, things are rearranging, and something is happening ”

With a smile she leans into her notes again “And what is the word on the streets?”

He does another discreet check around the place “We are with a group that gives food to people around, Andrea... pays a lot of our stuff... no do not write that down...” he held her and she nodded “She does it through the church and we keep our head down, the last couple of weeks we ... started hearing rumors on the hood... See apparently the punks in West Town got into a pretty bad fight with someone” he looked at her “They wiped them out”

“Are these punks some gang? or something?”

“yes... and no... they are some political group, anarchists I think, they got into a pretty bad fight with someone trying to recruit into their territory... After a few days they were attacked and killed, then there was the Riders close to Near West side... those are local criminals, always riding bikes and with a few metas... also wiped out... small groups, both of them, soon after we heard people were trying to recruit into the church lot”

“Could it not have been andrea?”

He shook his head “no, she has bigger problems and picture, if these small gangs keep their heads down and don't cause too much trouble they are left alone, better for business this way... ”

She took notes “So someone is recruiting people from gangs and then fighting them? Isn't that pretty normal?” her eyes move from the notes to him again, she was trying to see the picture here

he scratched his head with hurry “no no no! Look might look like that but four gangs were taken out by the same guys! The marxist socialist Metas , MSM, taken at the same week in River west, the human front taken out as well in the village” he seemed to be nervous, she extends her hand to help him calm down, holding his arm

“hey, stay with me... how you know its the same people? I am believing you, its just... small groups like this do tend to get bodied every year or so, replaced by new ones... even then, that would not me a threat to Andrea, would it?”

He nodded and took a breath “I do understand but belive me, it is not just that, these guys felt confident enough to attakc Andrea Marconi! They are doing this and maybe around the entire city... Look, these gangs to you might look like just gangs, right?” she had no way to deny, all of them were gangs “They attacked two left wing groups, a right wing group and one of the local territorial gangs without issue or fear at all, they are making lots of enemies, its not normal, these guys are bad news, believe me... there will be a war in this city streets if they continue and...”

Someone brought them coffee and the Waffles , the waiter smiled “sorry for the delay” she said and left them there, walking away, he grabbed a bite and drank coffee, she was not sure if it was alright for him to drink that, considering his state.

“You are afraid. I do understand” she did, if what he told was true it meant that there was someone there attacking all kinds of groups and making enemies, she knew that was bad news as well, her face contorted a bit and nodded “Do you need protection? ”

“hah... no no... if I go to the cops Andrea will skin me alive, she has been acting quite paranoid these days as well, two guys from the soup crew said they hear screams on the warehouse where we keep our supplies... no one is never there but...” he trembled a bit “I will not get caught in the middle of this bullshit, Shar, I will not... Tomorrow morning I am moving out to California, you won't be able to reach me then.”

Mixed emotions were something hard to deal with, she could understad his fear and was better for him to leave, that meant one of her main sources on Andrea movements was now gone as well, at least she was glad he was going to leave, at the same time she was a bit frustrated. Nodding along she smiled “Do you need money?”

He shook his head “no...I will manage, I do have family there”

She sighed and closed her notes “Anything else you want to-” before she could finish describing it, a huge pressure wave came through the window, blasting it large and fast. Hitting him in the chest and her in the arm, she felt the pain. It was intense, was her bone broken? Reaching as fast as she could towards her pager and did a very long press on her distress button, special feature, they knew where she was now all that she had to do was to hold on. With her free hand goes to grab the concealed weapon before reaching to the man in front of her. “Ollie... Ollie are you alright?” she moves to shake him, he groans in pain as his wound was deep and ugly “Hell... SOMEONE CALL AN AMBULANCE!”

People were still reeling from the blast at that moment, when someone approached there from one of the broken windows, jumping over the small wall and kicking one of the tables, Mirian gets up and moves to one of the tables that had fallen down to point her pistol.

“STOP RIGHT THERE!” her pistol was a P220 seven shots, she needed to make them count if this was going to be something. The one who attacked them was wearing a compplete costume for what it looked like, she pointed her gun at the person “STOP RIGHT THERE!” she was seeing them approaching Ollie, she shoot at them, the person erected what looked to be a high pressure area on the air as the bullet stopped, she moved and got up, people were leaving , some were hiding, she pulls Ollie closer to her into the back of the counter.

She tries to point the gun again, the meta in front of her uses the air to move fast, she cannot get a good grip, she has to move, the waiter is hiding in fear. She should be hiding too but every fiber of her body was screaming that if she did not fight here she would die!

The meta steps back and launches another wave of compressed energy, she can see it cutting through wood, she dives out of the way , her arm was still hurting and she felt it a lot when she fell into the ground, she almost passed out, she could not, she raises her pistol to them again and shoots, 5 shots, this time the bullet passes through their body and grazes it, she smiled, not bullet proof!

“ollie... keep awake! HEar me!”

“uh.... Im... not...”

“keep awake!” she nudges him, looking at the waiter hiding close “You, keep pressure on his wound! fast!” she was worried, her mind was racing, the meta was taking more care now it seemed, being grazed might have made them less careless. Or so she thought, she turns and they are not in there, she looks around pointing the gun and then. She looks up, they are coming from above, fast, she shoots them 3 times before she is kicked to the other side, by some miracle she is able to hold into the gun. Her hand trembling her arm hurting.

The meta approaches Ollie, she points at the meta and smiled , shooting one more time, the meta looks at her “Annoying vermin!” they approach now annoyed at her, she got what she wanted, there were sirens already, the meta approached violently, extending their hand and preparing some slash, she shoots them one more time, the bullet falls to the ground, she laughed , the meta was provoked, she saved Ollie at least.

“Know your place!” they move to attack and then... a force field appears on front of her, the slash of pressured air and energy hits it as Guiding Star comes in hard with a kick! She lets her gun arm fall, both her arms were hurting, her stomach huurt like hell and she might have broken a rib. She groans.

“haah... took you long enough” she teased him

He laughed and kicked the other meta, he was trained, he was in his full body armor. He grabbed at him there as Erin approached, police also came there.

The meta looks at the situation and groans in frustration before they move out fast , slashing everything in their way, Guiding Star has to protect Mirian again.

Erin moves “DO NOT LET THEM ESCAPE! GRAB THEM!”

Mirian smiles a little bit “Ollie... take care of ollie... ” just before she closes her eyes she sees the medical team arriving, she could breath in relief at least.