Super Taboo Pt. 02

Morning rolled around the Love home, but nobody answered it until closer to noon. Ashley Love rubbed her eyes and tried to hide from the sunlight from under the covers, but her brother, her great protector, betrayed her. Covers were pulled off of her body as Adam rolled in his sleep, leaving Ashley naked and exposed in the light of a cool morning.

She shivered, but yawned and stretched. Her mind slowly began to recall the events of last night.

She sat up at the edge of the bed, standing up and stretching some more. She ran a hand over stomach, she could feel herself glowing. The smell of sex permeated the room, and right now it was the best smell in the world to her. She looked back at her first love. Her brother. The blanket he stole left his butt exposed. It was the cutest butt she'd ever seen. She giggled and left to shower.

Ashley felt... conflicted as she stepped into the sort of hot water of a shower with shitty plumbing. She made fun of girls like her in high school. Who the hell is desperate or crazy enough to fuck their own brother?

Turns out, she is. This city is falling apart, thanks to the Revenant's war on the entire planet. The Epitomes are moving to California, but where does that leave people like her and her brother here in Haven? She certainly doesn't feel safe anymore. Not here. And she's not sure where she could go to feel safe.

It doesn't matter. As long as Adam is here, she'll be fine. They'll be fine.

Why does she feel... heavy? It's like she gained some weight.

She looked down at herself with the water splashing her chest. She ran her hands over her body. Her tummy was tighter than it should be. Wait, her breasts had swelled somewhat. For a hot and panicked second she thought she was already pregnant.

She looked down at herself, looking at her more rounded thighs, and down her own back to see a more prominent and shapely bottom.

They all got... bigger. Somehow. All this muscle definitely wasn't there yesterday.

She held up what was supposed to be her noodle arms. She flexed the muscles she knows she shouldn't have. She's not just filled out, she's toned. It's like she walked out of a fitness magazine. It's still her body, but better.

She quickly finished washing up and toweled herself off. Maybe she was imagining things. She definitely feels sexier because of what happened last night. Maybe it's just a spell of self confidence.

She had just wrapped the towel around herself when there was a knock at the bathroom door. She quickly opened it to Adam, who was leaning on the doorframe looking... conflicted.

"Hey," he greeted. He had taken the time to put pants on. She checked. "... We should talk."

"Yeah," Ashley nodded, she walked past him. "I'll get started on breakfast. We can talk then, okay?"

"Alright," she could feel his gaze linger on her. She put a little more sway in her hips as she walked away.

She went to her room; though, instead of getting dressed, she grabbed her phone. The shower was running again as she walked back to the kitchen, still in her towel and wet hair clinging to her shoulders.

"What to do... after fucking your br-" she paused, then deleted what she typed into the search bar. She went into incognito mode and typed "incest laws."

She read the results silently. "Shit."

She brought out a pan for some eggs, she started cooking while brainstorming a solution.

"Maybe we can move?" She spoke aloud to the empty kitchen. "I mean, assuming we want to continue what we're doing. I'm probably being presumptuous. Did he even enjoy it, really? I mean, I'm sure he'd rather have someone other than his little sister..."

Her lip started to quiver as she fried their eggs. Maybe she can change his mind with a good breakfast. Yeah.

She set to work, moving to the fridge to fetch the frozen sausages. They've been saving them for a while.

She pulled on what was once a heavy handle to the top freezer. It swung open suddenly, and the force of it somehow popped off its hinges. Now Ashley is standing in the kitchen, in a towel, with wet hair, and the freezer door loose in her hands and spilling popsicles all over the floor.

"What... the fuck...?"

She did her best to clean up her mess. Please, house, please stop falling apart for five fucking minutes!

She got what she needed and cleaned up her mess. She grabbed the handle of the microwave, snapping it off in her hands.

"Oh, come the fuck on! How did I even do that?!"

As she stared at the handle in her hand. She jumped again as the microwave started beeping incessantly. So did the oven. The blender in the corner went off, despite not being plugged in. The tv in the living room popped on. The lights were suddenly too bright. What is all that buzzing? Why is it she can suddenly hear it all so clearly?

She swung her arm wildly, breaking through the cabinet door next to her. She clutched the sides of her head. She fell to her knees from the pain. She slammed her fist down, shattering the tiles and denting the floor in front of her. Her towel fell off, but it was forgotten in the mix of the ever growing cacophony of madness. She screamed.

The power cut out. Finally. Silence.

"Ashley?" A soothing, but panicked voice called out. "Ashley!"

"In here," she answered pathetically. "I'm fine."

Her brother came around the corner, dripping wet, in his own towel, holding his own phone up for light in the dark house.

"Looks like we have a power outage," he paused as he saw his naked sister sitting in the middle of all the carnage. "Are you okay?"

Ashley looked around, processing what just happened.

"I don't know."

+++

The train rocked us back and forth with the other passengers. The cars were filled with men and women on their way to work, and kids who had nothing but time thanks to summer break. Ashley and I took the available inch next to the doors, just as disengaged with the rest of the world as the other passengers.

"Hey, Adam?"

Her voice was low, quiet. I leaned in to hear her.

"Do you regret it? Last night?"

I looked at her and her wide, vulnerable eyes. She had gone out in baggy jeans and a huge sweatshirt, keeping the hood up.

"No," I answered. "Hell no. Actually... that was my first. And I'm glad it was with you."

"Me too," she relaxed a bit. She leaned into me and I wrapped my arm around her, holding onto the railing above us with my other hand to keep us steady.

"I can't believe I did that," she spoke again. "It felt amazing."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she bit her lip. "I wanna do it again."

I smiled. "Definitely."

Suddenly she blinked and looked around nervously.

"Adam, am I a freak? What if I... explode next time? Or turn into some kind of... giant worm thing? What if I... hurt someone?"

"That's not going to happen."

"How do you know?"

She stared at me and we held each other's gaze. I held her tighter.

"I know that I'd still love you, even if you were a worm."

She snorted and buried her head in my chest.

"I can't believe you just said that."

"It's important to establish these things early on," I continued.

"Shut up," she rubbed her head further into my shirt. A lady from across the aisle smiled at us.

I smiled back, but the sight of her made me think. What would she think if she knew the truth. What are we going to tell people we meet from now on?

I mean, it's not like I'm all that close with a ton of people. Hell, a lot of my old buddies skipped town the second high school was over. Jack was the closest thing I had to a friend, and he's a fucking lunatic. Abdul is a good guy, for sure, but he's more like a boss, or a mentor. We've had some BBQ's at his place with his family, but the adults are so much older than us, and the kids are so much younger.

And now I'm here with Ashley. Whatever life we had before, it's been shot to hell. If anybody ever found out about us, we'd be arrested. Well, maybe not in Alabama. Ashley and I don't look too much like each other, at least not at first glance. She got dad's looks and I take after Mom's side of the family. Every cop's instinct, regardless of legality, is going to be to shoot me.

And that's not even addressing any future prospects. What if one of us finds a good job we really like? One that pays well. Better hope they don't look too close at our situation. What if Ashley finds someone she really likes, but turns them down because of me? What are we going to do about kids? Assuming they don't come out with three arms and one lung, they'll have to grow up and learn about their inbred heritage.

I have to be the most selfish man to have ever lived. Doing that to my little sister.

"Are you okay?" Ashley looked up at me. "You're turning green."

"I'm fine," I shook my head. "Just... thinking about what to do next."

The car slowed to a stop on the rails. The doors opened for people to step off and different people to pile on. The train speaker blared to life.

"Due to an unforeseen disturbance, the train will be delayed for a short period of time. Please wait patiently, as our team assesses the situation ahead."

People groaned, one little boy loudly asked his mom about what was happening. Every adult in the room already knew what was going on.

Supervillain attack.

They happen all the time in Haven City. Sometimes it's a guy discovering his powers for the first time, other times it's a civil dispute that involves chucking tornadoes or fireballs at each other, and sometimes, it's an actual Horseman. Though, the automated message should mention something like that.

"Where are we going, anyways?" Ashley twisted in my arms, her back towards me.

I reached into my back pocket and pulled out a postcard. It was one of those junk mail advertisements that wind up in everybody's mail.

"Gemini Labs?" Ashley read.

"We can't go to a hospital to get tested," I whispered to her ear. "It's too expensive. These guys might have something to help us see what you're working with."

Ashley smiled. "Wouldn't it be great if both of us got..." She looked around. You couldn't really say 'Superpowers' in a crowded area these days and not expect some attention. "It?"

"It'd be pretty sexy," I agreed. "Though... the two of us boinking together would probably destroy the house."

"Oh. Right."

Silence filled the car, as the doors closed and the announcement declared the railways safe again.

"Hey," she whispered. "Wanna have some fun?"

My eyes went wide, and I scanned the car around us. We were packed in like sardines, and Ashley was shoved against the wall with me looming over her. She must have read my expression.

"Here," she turned to face the windows. She took the arm I was using to hold her and guided my hand down the front of her jeans. I ran my hand down her jeans, trying to melt my hand over the fabric.

Ashley's breath hissed. I looked around the car. Dead eyed stares all around, none of them directed at us. I unbuttoned her jeans and slid my hand down over her underwear.

My hand was encompassed by the heat of her body. Thunder rolled outside; storm clouds moved in rather suddenly. Some people turned and stared outside.

I ran my fingers over her lips, her knees almost buckled. She held a hand over her mouth, biting her palm.

I thumbed the hem of her panties down, and my fingers crawled in like an invasive species. My fingers found her hood, and then jimmied her clit in little circles.

"Oh!"

She cried out, but thunder struck somewhere outside the car, drowning out the noise. Several people turned to look at the storm outside as it suddenly started to rain.

I dug one finger in, as Ashley was panting into her hand. Thunder rolled more and more violently outside. I dove further in with two fingers.

"Ah!"

Thunder struck just outside the car, lighting up the inside and roaring with a near deafening crash. People shouted. Car alarms went off.

I continued my rogue massage. I held her tight and in front of me so she'd be out of sight. No one was looking at us anyways.

She folded under me. Making another noise that synced with the weather outside. The rain was coming down in buckets. It was like a monsoon.

Finally, she grunted, hiding her face in her arm. She was cumming, hard. Luckily, several lightning strikes struck the buildings around us.

Ashley leaned into me, panting. I buttoned her back up with a smile. The weather outside was clearing. The rain turned into a light sprinkling. The sun shined as the clouds parted.

Ashley took the hand I used on her and stuck my fingers in her mouth, cleaning me off as she looked me in the eyes.

Fuck, that's hot.

"You're a naughty girl," I leaned into her ear. She shivered.

"Blame my brother," she whispered softly. "He raised me."

+++

We found the lab.

The building is inconspicuous. Nothing on the outside claiming it's a super groovy lab. Four brick walls, all chipped and aged from the seventies.

Shoving the big black door open, we ventured inside. There was a "waiting room" area, with a counter and a couple of chairs around the room. There was a doorway with a black sheet acting as a curtain. There was a bell on the counter, which I rang.

I rang it again.

After the third ring faded into a long silence of this poorly lit waiting room, I forgot my patience.

"What are you doing?" Ashley grabbed my arm.

"I'm just... looking for a little service." I pushed through the sheet curtain, letting my sense of adventure override my common sense.

Business as usual.

We found a more open area, with tables covered in tools and gizmos I had never seen before. A table full of computer monitors, every screen was showing either some metric or measurement, or a schematic of some tone type of gizmo. Lamps littered around the room, shining different corners and tables like interrogation lights.

At two different tables stood two different women. Or, so I thought at first. They were men; twins, by the looks of it. They had similarly skinny bodies and wore similarly round glasses, though the similarities ended there.

The one closer to us had shoulder length blond hair, a pink cat shirt underneath a long lab coat, and some summer shorts with high socks tucked into some old sneakers. His name tag read "Patrick."

The other one was turned away from us. He had short black hair, and was standing over some device on a table. We soon saw he had metal studs in his ear, a tight black band t-shirt, and skinny jeans. Though the jeans were sagging a bit, revealing some bright pink underwear on his hip. His name tag read "Avery."

"Hey, there," I waved, appearing friendly. "I'm Adam. This is Ashley. Is this Gemini Labs? We uh, we could use some help."

Patrick was immediately at attention, setting down his clipboard and rushing across the room to meet us.

"Yes, yes, yes!" He generously shook my hand. The way he talked showed that he was having newer thoughts while he was speaking, like adding improv to lines he had rehearsed before. "Welcome! This is our great lab, humble as it may be. Both great, and humble. It can be both. I think. Anyways! I'm Patrick- please, just call me Patty- and my distinguished colleague over there is my brother, Avery. How can we help you?"

His excitement was palpable and infectious. It was cute.

"You guys are doctors?" Ashley ventured forward.

"Well... in a sense," Patty levied his hands back and forth. "We sell specialized commissions to private companies: hospitals and the like. Sometimes individual commissions."

"Well then. Can we 'commission' you for something?" I asked them. "We need a tester."

Patty looked between the two of us. "A pregnancy tester?"

Ashley's face burned bright red and she turned away.

"Ah, no," I planted a hand on my sister's embarrassed shoulder. "My sister woke up this morning with superpowers. We're... not sure what they are, exactly. Or where they came from."

"Hmm," Patty stepped closer to us. He examined my sister's face without touching her. "How curious. Do you have an exotic heritage? Sorcerer mom? Demon dad? Alien parents in another galaxy, perhaps?"

"Um... No?" Ashley blinked.

"Hmm," Patty hummed again. "Well, we have tests for that. The good news is we just need a few drops of blood. The bad news... is that the test takes a while to perform, and is expensive to run. The other good news, is that it is extremely accurate! If you can afford it, that is..."

"Okay," I tried to brace myself. "How much are we talking here?"

He half turned to his brother. Wordlessly, the other twin held up both hands, one with his fingers splayed out, the other holding up one, then two fingers.

"A hundred and seventy dollars should cover it," Patty smiled at us.

I felt a pain in my balls, and my wallet. I have a torn ten, and two crumpled up fives in my pocket. I looked over at my sister, who was doing her best "I am cute, and therefore broke" face.

"We don't have that kind of money," I admitted.

"Ah, well..." Patrick clasped his hands together. It was like he was trying to find what to say next, maybe to get the money I don't have. "That is unfortunate. I'm afraid we can't work for free. We're uh..." he gestured to the lab around him. "Between employers, at the moment."

I nodded. I wasn't happy, but I get what he's saying. "I understand. We can save up and come back some other-"

"What if I can work it off?" Ashley stepped forward again.

"Work it... what do you mean?" Patrick looked confused.

"I mean... you guys clearly need a secretary. And a maid. I can do all that. I can take calls, schedule appointments. That was my job at one point."

"I thought you hated that job."

"I hated my boss for trying to force me to where nothing skirts and then trying to take pictures of me."

"Ashley, are you sure about this?"

"Adam, you've been taking on the bulk of the bills by yourself for four years now. Please. Let me handle this, at least."

She wasn't wrong. It'd probably take the rest of the year to save up the money we need. I saw the look in her eyes. It wasn't desperation, it was determination. I nodded.

"Okay." I looked back to the brothers. "Would that be okay with you guys?"

The brothers looked at each other. If I didn't know any better, I would've said they were psychic. They appeared to have an argument with nothing but head tilts, shifting eyebrows, and arms flapping to their sides. Looks like Avery lost the argument.

"Would you mind starting Saturday?" Patrick smiled at us.

+++

A week and a half passed by before we got the results. I had gotten comfortable with making dinners myself since I usually got home before she did.

She was delayed by a mugger, twice. Mysteriously, two different people showed up at the hospital with each having a broken arm.

The twins have been great too. Not that I've been getting to know them personally, but Ashley had nothing but nice things to say about them. She helpfully confirmed a few things as well.

"They're not trans, for one," she told me one night. "They just like wearing women's clothes. They actually made a couple suggestions for my wardrobe. Also, I think one of them has a crush on you."

"Huh," I nodded. "You can afford a wardrobe?"

She laughed, cuddled next to me on the couch. "I'm not walking around naked, am I?"

"Hmm," I grabbed her ass through her shorts. "Not yet."

She giggled into me. Then her smile faded. Her brow furrowed.

"Hey, listen..." her voice was more somber. "We don't... have to do this."

I sat up, bringing us both up on the couch with her sitting in my lap. "What do you mean?"

"I mean... I'm good with this," she hid her eyes behind her bangs. "I like... kissing you, and everything else, but... We don't have to be... exclusive? I mean, if you find another girl you like, you can just tell me, and we can stop. I don't want to keep you from... living your life. Even if it's without me."

And here is where the story should end. Of course this relationship is not sustainable. Nobody wants to be friends with the incestuous couple.

"Hey," I pulled her face to me. I leaned in and kissed her; tenderly, deeply, passionately. I didn't pull back until I almost passed out from the lack of oxygen. We panted in each other's breath. She looked at me with half lidded eyes.

"You-hah-have always been my number one-hah," I told her. "You remember when you proposed to me when you were seven? You told me to become president, so you could be the First Lady."

"Oh my god," she grinned. "I can't believe you remember that."

I hugged her tight. "If any girl comes along, she's going to have to be okay with us, whatever happens. You're my number one priority."

She looked up at me, lip quivering. She wiped her eyes clean and shifted her position on the couch. She slid off me, and down to the floor, pulling my legs to set my feet down with her. I didn't realize what she was doing until she tied her hair back.

She leaned forward and unbuttoned my pants. I sat up and let her pull my jeans and briefs down. My soldier has yet to awake to the situation, but that was fixed as Ashley wrapped her fingers around me and started stroking her thumb over the base of the shaft.

"Mmm," Ashley bit her lip. "You're a big boy now, aren't you? But are you a good boy? You have a little sister, don't you? Do you treat her right?"

I breathed as all the blood left my brain to rendezvous in my penis. "Yes."

She hummed as I grew to full length. Ashley blinked.

"Has it always been this big?" She stared at it. I didn't answer, because I was too busy waiting for her to put it in her mouth.

She must have been feeling it too. She kissed and suckled on my tip while jerking me off. She opened her mouth and ran her tongue over the helmet and over the slit. Her clenched hand was slamming my cock down to the base.

Something started buzzing. Ashley wrapped her lips around the head, while her free hand fetched her phone out of her pocket. She looked at the screen and made a popping sound with her lips as she came off my cock.

She answered it. "Hey, Pattycake. What's up?" Her hand never left my cock. She stared down the barrel as she continued stroking me, listening to the young scientist on the other line. "Oh, you have our results? That's great! Hm? Oh, I see. Okay. We'll get there as soon as we can. In about..." She made eye contact with me. "An hour?"

I shuddered. Ashley gasped as ropes of cum splashed across her lips and down her chin. Loads hit her cheek and dripped down her neck and onto her shirt.

"Ashley?" Patty's voice called out on the phone. "You still there?"

"Yep. Yep. I'm still here. We'll be leaving in just a minute." She tapped the screen with her eyes still closed. She let the phone fall out of her hands, before opening them to see me with wild eyes. "You came so fucking much, Adam!"

I shrugged. In response, Ashley opened her mouth wide, and dove down my dick, filling the room with sick sounds of gargling and slurping. My eyes rolled to the back of my head. I moaned.

"Oh fuck, Ashley..."

+++

We met up with the twins. They had a private office off to one side. Ashley did a great job cleaning up the place. Boxes were still all over, but they were clearly organized. The tables were clear, the paperwork was stacked neatly. Almost no dust left anywhere.

That said, the guys looked apprehensive. Patrick's smile was forced when we walked in, and disappeared when we sat down in front of his desk. Avery leaned in the doorway, arms crossed. He wore a different band tee, and his jeans were sagging slightly again, revealing his underwear slightly. He was wearing white panties, this time.

"Miss Love," Patrick laced his hands in front of his face. His glasses caught the light slightly, making it hard to see his eyes. "You should know... you didn't hit the 'End Call' button on your phone earlier."

"Oh," Ashley blushed. "Uh. Whoops. Sorry. I was with... a friend, as you can probably tell."

"No," he countered. "You were with your brother."

The color drained off of Ashley's face. My skin ran cold. Neither of us spoke. Neither of us denied it.

"These results prove as such" Patrick placed a folder on the table. Flipping it open, he pulled out two sheets of printed paper. "Ashley, you appear to be a class 3 super, possessing superior strength, speed, and flight, as well as a bioelectrical field. The extent of the energy you're giving off is enough to affect the weather."

He leaned over the desk to hand Ashley the paper, filled with measured estimates of her physical abilities.

"The origin of your power," Patrick continued, "you'll read there- is listed as 'genetic interfacing.'"

Avery spoke up behind us. "That's the scientific way of saying you got your powers bestowed upon you by fucking somebody else."

"Such cases are few and far between, but not completely unheard of," Patrick explained. He handed me my paper. "You, Mr. Love, appear to be a class 1 super. Cases such as these usually have negligible abilities that are a step above party tricks. Usually."

I looked at my paper, trying to make sense of the numbers and notes that littered the page.

"Your powers appear to be paranormal enhancement, via genetic interfacing."

I blinked. My brow furrowed as I processed his words. "I give other people powers... by fucking them?"

Patrick's gaze was steely, unblinking. "Not exactly. Your... genetic material did not interact with donated samples. It needs a genetic marker to bind with, something that resembles itself. Like the DNA of a family member, for example. It then 'starts up' the receiver's engine, so-to-speak, and they gain their abilities that way."

Ashley and I looked up at each other.

"My power..." my lips felt dry. "Is just incest?"

Patrick nodded. "Yes. You have the power to activate and enhance the abilities of others, so long as there is a blood relation present."

I stared at the paper. Ashley didn't know quite what to do, either. Minutes of silence crawled by as if they were hours. Ashley's hand was on my arm, though I barely registered it. Patrick finally sighed.

"I should inform you," he stated. "That as a small company dealing in the realm of the extraordinary, we are required by law to report those whose powers interact with illegal activity or misconduct. One example would be powers based on blood or vampirism. Your powers activate with incest, and therefore I am required by law to report you to the authorities."

We sat in furthering silence. Avery moved to stand next to his brother. The air in here was insufferable. I felt like it was choking me.

"I have failed to do so," he then added.

I blinked. Ashley and I looked at the twins, then each other, before looking back to them.

"What?" I'm not sure which of us spoke.

Patrick sighed through his nose. "Ashley- Miss Love, you've worked off what you owed us and more. We've accomplished more together in ten days than we have the past two months since this lab was opened. For that, I am eternally grateful to you. I can do nothing else except wish you both... good luck."

With that, we stood and left. Ashley held my hand as we exited the lab. We made it to the shabby waiting room before we were stopped.

"Wait."

We turned to see Avery, holding a cheap brown paper bag. He handed it to Ashley.

"For you," he spoke with a sorry expression. "Good luck."

Ashley took the bag, and tried to say something, but Avery already disappeared back behind the curtain.

+++

The two of us decided to go to a food court. Splurging on fast food is a good way to drown your sorrows. Neither of us felt like talking about it what happened.

Which is fortunate, because it sucks. Ashley kept fighting sobs between bites of food.

Neither of us had many friends. I worked too much to form any meaningful connections, and Ashley has a history with bullying. Those last few years, she basically shut herself in her room, watching anime on her laptop and lurking in chatrooms. I think the twins were some of her first real friends in years.

Ashley sighed after finishing her food. "I'm going to the bathroom."

She took the bag with her. I don't think either of us bothered to look inside yet.

I sighed and leaned forward, staring a hole into the table over my laced fingers. I pondered the age old question... What now?

Ashley could apply to join the Epitomes. Although, they do extensive background checks and interviews. It could years for someone to get approved, and they like the younger, more driven and career oriented crowd; kids who had been training their whole lives for shit like football and college. They have various smaller teams working under them- like recon and search and rescue- though I can't see Ashley joining anything like that. Even if they didn't find out about our illicit relationship, they might reject her just for being antisocial.

Worse yet, they could accept her.

She'd get to fly with the team, get sponsors and loads of money. She'd live in the lap of luxury every single day. She'd get everything she deserves and more. However... she'd also be sent out to the front lines; to deal with the Revenant and his Horsemen.

The thought sent a chill up and down my spine.

Although, what other options are there? I can't imagine having power like that and never using it. You can't tell a bird not to fly, or sing.

A scream cut through my thoughts like a hot knife through butter. I looked up to see several people running away. Someone stumbled into view, and looked at me as they crumbled into dust.

Holy shit. It's a villain attack.

I got up just a bit too late. People were running, panicking and flooding out the exits, or diving behind food counters and into janitor hallways to hide. I found a fake bush and crouched behind it.

"Fucking hell, man," a voice rang out as others faded. It sounded like he was speaking in auto tune. "Your job was to bust the safe. That's it! Now we got cops coming down on top of us, cause you can't keep it in your pants!"

I couldn't help myself. I peaked. I never saw them in person, but I recognized the two.

Tech Ed and the Snail. A pair of criminals that broke out of jail recently. I can't believe they're here in person.

Tech Ed was a cyborg, and an idiot. He's spent more time in jail than out of it. Somebody offered him some enhancements and he took it. They replaced the lower half of his face, his shoulders and chest, and several internal organs. He's used every inch of that mechanical monstrosity to store weapons of some kind. I'm not sure how he breathes, or pumps blood to the rest of his body, but as I said, he's an idiot.

The Snail is... weirder. I'm not sure anybody knows who he was or where he came from, but he's certainly not to be underestimated. He's got a hard shell that towers over the rest of his body, with his arms and legs unfurling from the entrance, along with his extending neck. His body looked like any other slug, with two tendrils reaching out in place of his... eyes. As for powers, I'm pretty sure he just ages things.

I looked at the ashes that used to be some poor soul; at the wrong place at the wrong time. I should be scared. Disturbed. I should even be throwing up.

Instead I'm... watching them. I want to see what they do next.

"Hey!"

Both their heads and mine turned to see a young woman floating in the air. Her black hair was tied in a messy bun, a yellow cape was clasped over her shoulders. A pair of white lensed goggles with yellow straps were wrapped around her head, with a yellow sash around her waist. A sleeveless black top that exposed her midriff secured her breasts. Long black leggings clung to her hips and tucked into a pair of yellow boots. Her head kept flicking back and forth, between the criminals and me-

Wait. Ashley?!

Tech Ed hauled a bag of money at his side, just like a criminal would from some cartoon.

"Who are you supposed to be?" He taunted with his auto tune voice. "Actually. I don't care. Fuck! Off! BIIIII-"

The air in front of him warped and warbled, but a wave of destruction pulverized the tables and benches of the food court. Ashley held her arms in front of her as she was knocked back, slamming into the concrete wall behind her.

"-IIITCH!" Tech Ed lifted the bag over his shoulder. Some bills fell out. "Come on, ya big bug-fucker. Let's get out of-"

He was interrupted by getting the wind knocked out of him. Ashley came back with a vengeance. Flying straight into him, and knocking him through the clothing racks in the store behind him. His sack of money landed on the floor where he was standing.

Snail tried to reach out to her. Ashley stared at him, quizzically.

"Don't let him touch you!" I shouted, standing up.

Ashley was startled by my voice, but she nodded. She drifted out of reach, still a couple feet off the ground, before zipping around and picking him up by his shell. The Snail, perhaps sensing what was coming, retreated into his shell.

Ashley, raising him over her head, and slammed him into the tiles, facing up. As he unfurled, he realized he had no way to free himself, so he flailed his arms. Slowly, but it was still flailing.

Ashley turned to the store, where Tech Ed was cussing and trying to detangle himself from some bent up shopping rack. Ashley zipped in to deal with him. I got up to follow, excited to see what happens, but someone stopped me.

Someone had grabbed onto my arm. I turned, and saw a girl. She had a veil of short black hair over her face like a helmet. Her nose parted the curtain, showing a wide mouth agape and breathing. She wore a backless gray tank top, and a red faded skirt. She had knee high socks and little black shoes. Her skin was sickly gray. But her arms...

The girl had four arms.

Two of them were where they should be, though they ended in fatty hands with four fingers. One of those fatty hands gripped my arm. The other two were just under her normally placed arms, just under the armpits. They had a normal amount of fingers, and looked more delicate than her upper set of arms.

I looked at her, and she "looked" at me.

"Pretty one," her hoarse voice was barely above a whisper. "Stays here."

I stared at her, as a flash of red light absorbed her. I suddenly heard an auto tuned shriek. I turned to see the same weird girl standing between Ed and Ashley.

"Glare!" Tech Ed stammered. "H-how's it going? Ah, l-listen, I know how this looks, I do! But just tell the boss I'm being... proactive! This is all for him, I swear!"

A red flash made him vanish. She did that with a wave of her hand. Another wave made Snail vanish in that same light. She lingered, staring at my sister for a moment, before vanishing herself.

I ran over to her, she looked at me, panting. We heard sirens blaring nearby, and we took our leave.