Who do you think you are? A Superhero? ACT I The One About Trash

Chapter 18 - "The One About The Aftermath"

The Stranded Zone laid eerily silent after Massimo's battle with Trash. The members of the K9 were silent, their expressions a mix of exhaustion and grief. They watched as the sun began to rise, casting a pallid light over the abandoned hospital and easing light through its shattered windows.
The stillness was abruptly shattered by the rumble of engines and the sharp bark of orders. Police and military vehicles swarmed the area, their lights flashing in the early dawn. Uniformed men disembarked swiftly, their boots crunching on broken glass and debris as they fanned out, weapons at the ready. They marched towards the abandoned hospital whose walls and windows bore marks of the earlier battles, and surrounding structures which were equally dilapidated.
Inside the hospital, the K9 sat in a dimly lit corner of a makeshift triage area. Maui sat with Clarissa's body, Dominic and Izzy had an unconscious Trash bound, and Massimo stared into space at a different corner, a blank expression sitting on his face.  They all barely responded to interaction as they watched the uniformed men sweep the area.
The police moved carefully from room to room, their voices echoing through the empty hallways as they call out, "Clear!" "Room secure!" The sound of doors being kicked open and the occasional scuffle echoed through the building. In one room, a group of hyenas, too dumb to have run away, made a last stand. Snarling and desperate, they fought the officers but were quickly subdued. The sharp cracks of batons and the thud of bodies hitting the floor were followed by the snap of handcuffs and the harsh commands to "Stay down!"
The same thing happened through most of the Stranded Zone. Hyenas were packed out in numbers and carted into vans.
As the police continued their sweep, securing the building, room by room, a team of paramedics entered the triage area.  They approached Clarissa's lifeless body, and for the first time, Massimo turned to look. One paramedic, a golden fox, gently brushed a strand of hair from Clarissa's face, her own expression softening in a moment of silent respect.
"We need to move her," she said quietly to her colleagues. Maui turned away, sniffing back tears while Dominic and Izzy bowed their heads, and. Sigrid, welll was being Sigrid, sitting down on the floor, rested against a wall playing with one of Trash knives.
They carefully lifted Clarissa onto a stretcher and secured her body with straps, covering her with a clean white sheet. The sight of the sheet being drawn over Clarissa's face drew a sharp intake of breath from Izzy, who looked away, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
Massimo watched the paramedics with a hollow stare. Bloodied and bruised, he barely registered the medical team as they approached him.
"Sir, let us take a look at your wounds," one of them urged, but Massimo didn't respond. His mind was a thousand miles away.
Dominic stood up and placed a hand on Massimo's shoulder. "You need to let them help you," he said, but Massimo shook his head, his eyes never leaving the stretcher as it was wheeled away, Clarissa's covered form disappearing from sight.
Izzy gritted her teeth. She wanted to say something to Massimo, but found no words. So she ignored him, focusing on the officers that were now taking an unconscious Trash from her. She gave them the necessary statement about Trash's capture, unsure whether or not to leave out Massimo's primal change.
The paramedic moved on to begin carting the bodies of dead hyenas to one area while they attended to a few that were still alive.
The sweep of the hospital still went on and officers encountered resistance from a few more hyenas, The sound of attack echoed through the corridors, mingling with the shouts of officers and cornered hyena.
"We should take our leave," Dominic said once Izzy was done giving her statement.
"Couldn't agree more." Izzy practically jumped to her feet. "I can't take another second of this place. Maui, should we go get something to eat?" She tried to force a smile as she turned to him, lightening the mood of the whole atmosphere.
Maui shrugged. "I'm not very hungry," he answered as he rose to his feet.
Izzy's smile rubbed clean off her face. "Oh... Right. Well, let's leave anyway," she muttered, trying on another smile.
Sigrid stood up and only followed the rest of the K9 without saying a word.
Dominic moved to help Massimo to his feet. Massimo resisted, pushing Dominic away with a  grimace. "I don't need your help," he grunted, his voice strained with pain and exhaustion.
Dominic's patience was already worn thin. He glared back. "Stop being stubborn, Massimo. You're hurt, and you can barely stand," he said, and then added quietly, "Especially after using that primal form."
Massimo shot him a fierce look but knew Dominic was right. Reluctantly, he allowed his friend to support him, the two exchanging a brief but intense look of mutual respect and frustration as they began to move. The others followed and they all made their way for the door.
However, they didn't quite expect what they saw as they stepped out of the building. It was total chaos. The place was flooded with press, the air buzzing with the murmur of voices and the rapid clicking of cameras. Flashes of light burst around them as photographers took pictures of the team. Massimo had to shield his face from the barrage of flashes.
"Wow. Looks as if all the reporters from Nova Fauna are crammed here," Izzy noted. She quickly brushed her hair out of her face and took a better stance as the cameras continued clicking, placing a hand on her waist and flashing a smile.
"Really?" Dominic said through gritted teeth, thinning a sideways glance at her.
"These pictures are going to be everywhere. I don't want to look bad, regardless of the circumstances," she bit back, while barely throwing him a glance. Dominic grumbled something in response.
"She is Right! We gotta put the gameface on!" Sigrid yelped a little to excited, as if he wanted all the fame he could get.
"Game face? A lot of talk from the guy that disappeared out of nowhere while his team was fighting to the death..." Replied a battered and bruised Izzy as she stared into sigrid eyes
"Hey I was killing more Hyenas, you didn't request backup through the comms Iz" smirked Sigrid while wearing a evilish grin
Izzy knowing she had taken off the comms in a decisive moment of the encounter, she decided to not continue any further and ignored Sigrid's response.
They all trudged forward towards the crowd of reporters. Voices and questions came from all side.
"Captain Massimo, how did you manage to take down Trash?"
"What do you think will become of the Stranded Zone now?"
"Is it true a member of the K9 was part of the casualties?"
Massimo stiffened at the last question and almost halted his movements but Dominic squeezed his arm tightly and led him on. "It's not worth your time," he whispered into Massimo's ears. "Just ignore them." Massimo let out a sigh and continued.
Among the reporters, a television crew stood out. At the forefront was an Ethiopian wolf, with fur a mix of rust and white. His amber eyes were focused and intense as he spoke into into the camera held by a giant panda.
"Reporting live from the Stranded Zone East, this is Elias Thorn with the latest on the takedown of a core member of the notorious Lords of the Underground, Trash," Elias said, his voice steady and clear through the surrounding commotion. As he noticed the K9 approaching, he quickly moved to the front of the police line, microphone in hand, and signaled for the panda to follow him.
"Captain Massimo," he called out, his voice cutting through the noise. "You have taken down Trash, a member of the Lords of the Underground. What do you think that means for the others? Will your team be going for the other members of the Lords of the Underground next?"
Massimo paused mid-step, his eyes locking onto Elias. The crowd fell silent, waiting for what he had to say. That was the one question they all had in mind, and the hundreds of people watching the live broadcast of the scene also waited on him. Massimo stared squarely into the camera, his voice steady. He let go of Dominic's support and stood tall. The face of the K9.
"Let this be a warning to the Lords of the Underground," he said. "We are coming for you. There is no place you can hide, no shadow deep enough to escape our justice. We will dismantle your operations piece by piece until there is nothing left but rubble and the world is free of your poisonous hold."
The threat resounded heavily, it stretched the silence that followed for a heavy moment. And then, chaos resumed.
The crowd erupted into another series of follow-up questions, the reporters' voices rising and mixing with each other. The K9 ignored the clamor, moving steadily towards the van prepared to transport them. The police continued to clear a path for them until they reached the van that was prepared to transport them.
Massimo climbed in with a  heavy grunt and laid back against the chair. He held his hand to his side and pulled it back to reveal blood. Dominic shook his head as he settled into the seat beside him.
"That's it, we're going to the hospital," he said firmly. He signaled to the driver, a burly leopard who nodded and started the engine.
As the van pulled away from the scene, the team sat in heavy silence. Massimo leaned back, closing his eyes as pain swarm through his body.
"I think I might be a little bit hungry after all," Maui said to Izzy who returned his words with a bright smile. She rested her head on his shoulder as they drove off.
Dominic glanced at Massimo, his eyes gleaming. "We'll get through this," he said quietly, more to himself than to Massimo. "We'll make sure her death wasn't in vain." Massimo didn't open his eyes. He laid there and let the darkness take hold of him.
He dreamed of Clarissa.