Changed by Time ✔

twenty-two.

2056 hours

Wendy held up the quill, watching as it spun while hovering above her gloved palm. She'd occasionally curl her fingers, the tips brushing lightly against the surprisingly soft feather. She didn't want to admit it, but she loved how its smokey blue feather would move in a slow circle.

She could feel her adrenaline pump as she realized that it worked for her and her alone (as of this point). The smokey blue was her signature color, whether anyone else liked it or not. She just felt as if there were something missing to the moments leading up to finally following the quill's directions.

"What's the plan, Mom?" Wendy's eyes remained on the quill as its spinning finally began to slow. "I know you want to take in more of the substance and enact your revenge, but other than that, what do you plan on doing?"

"You say it so cavalier." Andrea couldn't help but laugh. "As if I'm simply planning to go to the park and dig a hole for no reason."

"Weird analogy but I get the message." Wendy looked up, her gray eyes meeting Andrea's dark ones. "What do you plan on doing once we get to the SuperSource? What are we going to do if those supposed guests do show up?"

"We do what we've been doing." Andrea clanked the plates on her gloves together. "Fight them."

"We haven't been doing anything. I've been fighting them, getting my ass handed to me, and then you come in and Dutch oven them." Wendy narrowed her eyes. "That's not a plan."

Andrea shrugged. She gestured to the duffle bag slung over Wendy's shoulders and resting on her back.

"Why do you have that?"

"I'm keeping my clothes and other stuff in here for after we're done at the SuperSource," Wendy said. It wasn't a lie. "Unlike you, I have an actual plan. I'm going to go find Nolan, wherever he is, right after we complete your 'plan'." She made air quotes. "If that involves fighting," she patted the knife handle, "then I have my plan." Still not a lie.

Andrea let out a dry chuckle. "You really do take after your father. He was the one who had all the plans."

Wendy stared at Andrea for a moment, finally allowing herself to smile as she looked down to readjust her gloves. She figured that Andrea forgot that she placed the extra dynamite in the duffle bag since she didn't seem to protest Wendy bringing it along.

She was relieved that her mother forgot that she put literal explosives into a bag her young adult daughter was planning to use to blow up what could've been considered a pivotal moment in human history. Hell, it was the birthing place of a new species of humans.

Andrea put on the fox mask, tucking the band under her hair. She pulled up the hood of her coat and turned to Wendy. "Where are we heading?"

Wendy couldn't help but laugh. "Why are you wearing that? It doesn't matter if they see your face."

"Those operatives think I'm dead, so seeing a ghost may be a little too much for one evening." Andrea stood in front of Wendy. She stared down at the quill as its spin finally slowed to a stop. "So we just follow it to the SuperSource?"

"Yeah." Wendy lowered her hand, allowing the quill to slowly move forward. "Pretty much. It's like an ancient GPS system." She began to follow the quill out of the building. She put her hand on the doorknob. "It's quite efficient—" She cut herself off with a sharp gasp.

She waved her arms around as she tittered on the edge of the floor, staring down at easily a three-story drop. She finally got a grip on the doorframe, the quill almost mocking her as it waited for her to keep moving.