Jack remained lost for a moment before reacting to all this, grabbing Yumiel and throwing her into the pool of blood. The blood flowed back into her body; after long seconds, Yumiel woke up with a huge « hrg… », coughing slightly as she pushed herself up. Jack shouted at her.
« YUMIEL, QUICK, THE WALL!! »
Regaining her senses, Yumiel stretched out her arm, recreating a wall of crystallized blood leading to the parking lot, preventing them from getting in for the moment. Yumiel kept coughing up blood into the pool of blood she was lying in, her body simultaneously draining the blood on the ground—proof that her mind was still extremely exhausted.
« FUCK, YUMIEL, WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME THERE!! »
Yumiel took a long time to get back on her feet, covered in blood. Her body was still draining some of the blood she was wading through.
« I… I don't know, I was… GHHH » Yumiel spat up a bit of blood, interrupting her sentence. The blood she vomited simply mixed with the blood on the ground, which Yumiel continued to absorb.
Once she had pulled herself together, she looked around, seeing the twelve dead agents plus the six at the end of the corridor, then looked at Jack, who was waiting for an explanation.
« Well uh… I was like inside my mind. I wanted to break my limits since I couldn't control any more. And then I sort of went inside my mind. And there was a wall, so I instinctively thought I had to cross it to break my limits. But while climbing it I fell, and during the fall I felt like I was free to do whatever I wanted, or something like that. But when I hit the ground, nothing! »
Jack looked at Yumiel, who was still a bit foggy; it was easy to tell from the way she was speaking.
« I'm going to tell you what happened. You passed out, and if you hadn't had a pool of blood mixed with your own blood, you'd probably still be unconscious. Never do that again! EVER! »
« Uh… well… uh, I… ok. »
Yumiel was still a little dizzy. But she understood that what she had just done was extremely dangerous.
Jack was in the process of eating the brains of the dead agents. After about a minute, Yumiel began to join him, tearing out their hearts. At the same time, the agents' assaults had visibly stopped, or else they were planning another attack.
Once he was done, Yumiel planned to leave this place. Jack gave Yumiel a recap of what he had learned.
« We killed about half of the squadron. Each squad is made up of six agents with a captain at their head. The squadron of 50 people is led by the major. Their plan wasn't to target us specifically, but to lure monsters in and kill or capture them depending on the level of threat they represent. »
Yumiel, who was listening, cut him off.
« That means we don't represent such a big threat, since they tried to capture us? »
« That's exactly it. I'm not entirely sure—it's the major who gives the orders—but it certainly seems that way. »
Yumiel smiled: « And yet we killed half of them. Anything else, about Kate or Mathis and his father, or even Morgane? »
« Nothing new, except that Kate acts independently from the government but works for them. And that there are three other special squadrons formed to deal with monsters. »
Yumiel thought, crossing her arms and sitting down on a pile of bodies.
« So there are three others. That's not many. »
« I have nothing else. They were just regular agents, they didn't have any real information. »
« Anyway, I suggest we leave through the parking lot. Can you keep your spider form a bit longer? »
« Ten minutes or so, I'd say. »
Yumiel signaled Jack to get ready; Yumiel climbed onto his abdomen. She opened her senses, filled her flask with all the blood on the ground, and turned her wall into five daggers.
Jack charged outside, Yumiel clinging to his back, her senses open, her daggers ready. Yet once outside, there was no one there. Yumiel tapped Jack, signaling him to stop, opening her senses to the maximum, searching for the slightest sound—but she found nothing except a radio lying right in the middle of the parking lot, crackling slightly.
Yumiel got down from Jack and headed toward the radio. Jack ran up to it, slightly tuning the frequency before hearing a « Yumiel? »
Jack replied, « Ah no, it's not Yumiel. »
Yumiel arrived and shoved Jack aside; she had recognized Kate's voice.
« Who is it? »
Yumiel took the radio.
« No, this is Yumiel. »
« Ah, that must have been your teammate. Listen, I asked the squadron to retreat—you caused quite a mess. I didn't think you were that strong. Let's meet to talk, shall we? »
Yumiel hesitated, gripping the radio tightly in her hand.
« Why? You tried to kill us! »
Kate took some time before replying.
« That's true, but there are far too many monsters in London. We would be ready to accept certain cooperations. Under non-negligible conditions, which are very simple. You help us kill the monsters, and we let you live here, within certain limits. »
« Here, do you mean in England? »
« Within certain limits, yes. We will provide what you need to live, and you will help the country when it needs it. »
Yumiel understood the stakes, even though the countries had formed a new global confederation. They would always try to gain the upper hand over the others, and any means were good for that. Monster, awakened—or others.
« I'll give you time to think it over. Meet me in a week at the station. Goodbye. »
The call cut off. Yumiel destroyed the radio by crushing it under her foot. Jack, behind her, had heard the conversation and gave his opinion.
« I don't like it. I've never liked their way of doing things, and it sounds like a trap. And even if it isn't one, they could very well get rid of us once it's over. »
Yumiel rolled her eyes, looking at the moon and the stars, which wouldn't be around much longer.
« I'm not a fan of the idea either, and I have no intention whatsoever of joining any organization or government body. »
« So what do we do? »
Yumiel patted Jack's back before pointing in a direction: « Let's go hunt before sunrise. »