Blood Sisters
Chapter 8

Cricket stood up and wiped dirtywater from her eyes. Every muscle in her body moved only underprotest and her face felt like a bloated prune. Her young skin washot with a calico sunburn from all the places Jenny's sparkingstrikes hit her. Her clothing was torn and smoldering, exposing herangry red flesh, revealing more of her toned body then she feltcomfortable with.

Jake looked over at his littlecricket “you look like hell. You okay lil' un'?” Cricket lookedup at the big man “Whoever that was, she hits like a truck”. Jaketook in the destruction all around them, and said “yeah, well, youhit her like a tank”. Cricket scowled, feeling sore all over. Then,Suddenly feeling a panic that she might have killed that girl hegasped and looked towards the big man, eyes wide in desperation.“Jake....” she started to say shakily. The two of them werequickly brought back to the precariousness of their situation whenthey heard the police shouting as they worked their way up the debrisladen stairs. In the other room the spooky guy in the suit and thetwo detectives under the desk were showing signs of life.

“Lets get moving” Jake said“You should not have come here to get me, but since you have...”Cricket interrupted him sharply, anger chasing away her fear for themoment “No one messes with me, no one messes with you, c'mon!”Cricket grabbed the big man with one arm and jumped out the holeJenny had made in the wall when Cricket kicked her through it. Jakeshouted in alarm from being handled this way, and for suddenly beingairborne several stories above the street. Cricket confidently jumpedacross rooftops until replaceing one of the many abandoned buildings shehad frequented. The unlikely pair ran down into the the smell ofurine and vomit, replaceing themselves among the dirty mattresses andhopeless zombies of a crack-house. Jake cursed and Cricket said “Whatthe... these people weren't here before!” Jake took her hand andled Cricket down graffiti decorated stairwells, stepping overdrooling people of the streets lost in a heroin haze.

The pair came to rest in thedark damp basement as Jake caught his breath. “Okay Cricket” Jakesaid between heavy gasps “I gotta stop smoking, fuck. Okay, listen,it is not going to take them long to replace out who I am, everyoneknows me in this neighborhood. So it is not safe for you to be aroundme right now”. Cricket's eyes got wide and tearful “Your not safeeither!” the young girl protested “Lets both bail, come with me!”she begged. Jake took Cricket's slender shoulders in his big hands,looking down at her kindly. “Look Little Cricket, I have to stickaround. Don't worry, I've been in scrapes before, I'll be fine. It'syou they want anyway”. Cricket bit her lip “No” she protested.Jake sighed and continued “Look honey, I love you like a daughter,you have to do what I say now, okay?” Cricket nodded stiffly.

Jake continued “Okay, youshould have a little time till they get to my shop, and start replaceingmy friends. Go back to Trixie's place, tell her what happened. Tellher I will get her back and ask for the cash she has stashed behindthe medicine cabinet” Cricket nodded again as Jake went on. “Grabyour stuff and get gone. When the coast is clear I'll have someoneleave a note in that old phone booth at the end of Delancey. It mightbe a while, you got it?” Wide and misty eyed she just stared backat him in mute protest. “You got it?!” Jake repeated firmly.Cricket stammered “I need you... I keep hurting people... I'mreally, really scared... you don't have to stay... we can take Trixietoo...” Jake swallowed “look its not that...” he sighed. Jakeclosed his eyes, his Jaw was tense. He sighed “Okay, okay. Look. Ijust have to replace a place for us to hide, but I gotta do that alone,people will be looking for a big man and a little girl, you get me?”Cricket nodded tearfully. “Right then, I am going to hang here fora bit and get my wind back, you get going now”. Cricket criedsilently and grabbed Jake in a hug. He held her as long as he daredbefore letting go and sternly gesturing up the stairway. The girlturned with great reluctance, forcing herself to go though it feltlike tearing off her arm. Jake smiled “When this is all over, youowe me a beer”. Cricket laughed once and started to cry. “You gotit” she said thickly. Cricket headed up the cracked concrete stairsand took a last long look back at the only person in the world shefelt safe with. He gave her another smile and waved her on. Wipingaway the tears on her face with the back of her hand TheIndestructible Girl forced down her fear and fled.

***

In energy form Marty Goldstarstreaked through the window of his daughter's hospital room. Jennyhad been taken to the Meta-Science Research and Care Center(MSCC) at New Avalon Memorial Hospital outside the city. Martyshifted back to physical formand saw the doctor attending Jenny was guiding her to do a self-examof her injuries. Jenny winced, sometimes calling out in pain as shedid what the doctor directed. A large red stain had spread over muchof Jenny's beta-cloth bodysuit, she was pale and sweating. There wassizzling blood pooled in her force-field which was slowly leaking outonto the absorbent padding of the bed below the injured girl.

Goldstarstepped over to his daughter and rested his hands gently onher force-field. Marty spoke tensely “How you doing Sparkle?” hetried to smile “If this is a way to get me to take you out for icecream, you went a bit far” he said bravely, trying to cheer her.Jenny winced a bit as she got out half a chuckle “You know how muchI like rocky road.”

“Giveme a sec kiddo, I got to see if the doc will let you”. Goldstarlooked questioningly over at the doctor, who stepped across the roomwith him. “Hello Mr... do I call you Mr. Goldstar?” Marty shookhis head “Just call me Marty” The doctor continued “OK Marty,my name is Dr. Goldberg...” they both smirked a bit at the irony,then the doctors face turned grim. “Marty, we have a serioussituation here. We can't do proper diagnostics, your daughter'senergy field prevents any form of radiology that we have available.Further, we have not found a way to bypass her field in order totreat her.” The doctor paused to see if Goldstar was following him.He nodded. “Our best guess is that your daughter has some brokenribs, and possibly a punctured lung...” Marty looked horrified.“However, sir, what is most alarming is that Jenny is clearlyhaving internal bleeding, judging from the quantity of blood that wecan see, I would say she likely has serious internal bleeding...which we have not found a way to stop yet. We have been able to getsome medication to Jenny, to try and clot her blood and so forth,however when she uses her teleportation to obtain it, she may becausing herself further injury. She is certainly causing herselfpain.” Marty's heart froze as this news sunk in. “As you can seefrom the burns on her skin, when her assailant broke through herenergy field, the resulting feedback caused even further injury,which further complicates any measures we may take to treat her.”Marty swallowed hard. “What your telling me is that my daughtermight bleed to death right in front of us and there is nothing youcan do about it?” The doctor nodded gravely “We are doingeverything we can.”

Marty Goldstar had feared thisday since the day his daughter was born, hoping that her force-fieldwould forever prevent her from harm, which until now it essentiallyhad. He and Ally had tried working with the metaphysicians severalyears ago after Jenny jumped from a tree and got bruised. They hadbeen unsuccessful in replaceing a way to be prepared for... this.Without the field of force protecting her, Jenny would never beenborn. Now it might kill her.

Martystepped over to his glimmering child, who gave him a smile. Goldstartook a deep breath and chose honesty. “Its not good Sparkle, yourbleeding and they haven't...” Jenny just waved her hand at him “itsgonna be fine dad, don't worry about it.” Jenny's sunny optimismfailed to cheer her father, numb from the claws of dread carving hisbrain. He tried to smile “Yeah, keep your spirits up kid, we'llhope for...” a lump caught in his throat. “Your gonna be justfine” he was trying to convince himself as much as comfort her...it was somewhat surreal, as she did not seem to need comforting.Jenny pouted at him “No need to hope, I know everything will workout”. Marty's voice shook, he felt so afraid of loosing her. “Yourmom was in Europe, she is flying back just as fast as she can, justhold on baby”. Goldstar let his tears flow as the two held theirhands out to each other on either side of her force-field. “You'llsee” Jenny said “I am too lucky to die”.