Angela parted with Lena, a smile upon her features, but a sense of dread pooling in her gut. Perhaps it was just anxiety. That was what she speculated as she walked the halls to her work-space. She could only hope it was nothing.

    Nothing more than her usual sense of dread.

    Being a First Responder was never uneventful, that was for certain. While she aided her team if she was needed, her top priority was getting in the ash and soot. Pushing her way into debris, the glow of her staff and wings offering a sight of a second chance to survivors of attacks.

    In this case, Talon had bombed a well known tourist location upon an old concrete bridge. And while the others went searching for any Talon agents that were surely still in the area, Angela pushed her way through the broken gravel.

    They’d nearly blown the bridge in half, which would have caused a complete collapse of the side she stood upon, all the way to the water two hundred feet below …

    She heard a scream.

    She peered through the smoke, laying down upon her stomach to look through the hole in the road, down to the water below and sure enough, several people could be seen.

         “Survivors in the water. Extracting to the Southbound side of the Bridge.” She stated over the comms. There were ambulances there at least. They could offer blankets and towels for those in the frigid water.

    She vaulted over the side of the bridge, her wings instantly activating their golden rays.

    As she neared the water, her brows furrowed, debate fighting through her mind on just how she was going to accomplish the task of extracting them all quickly. And upon looking around, there were no life-guard, or rescue boats in sight. Likely avoiding the area for the possibility of another attack.

    Blue hues landed on the frightened brown eyes of a child and as she extended a hand to take the boy safely in her arms, a panicked man reached for the side of her suit.

    The frigid water was a shock to her body as she was immediately pulled down and under the surface.

    Hands forced her down as he attempted to use her as a ballast to stay afloat in sheer, blinding fear.

    Angela couldn’t blame the man. It was human nature. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t fight him off.

    With a sharp twist and a kick to his ribs she was free, keeping underwater as she swam to create some distance until her lungs could take it no longer.

    She wheezed for air at the water’s surface, almost instantly choking on the icy salt water. Yet, she still continued backwards, creating as much space as possible.

    All until she smacked into the ballast of the bridge. Sharp barnacles cut into her back, legs, arms, ripping holes in her clothes as their razor-like nature tore at her skin.

         “Gah—Ten-Seventy-Eight. [10-78: Need Assistance.] I’m down.” She called over the comms. It was a miracle she didn’t come down with her Caduceus staff, but she would need it, lest she could give herself the stitches she was going to need.

    Her wings flexed within the water, yet no matter how hard she pushed, she could not propel herself upwards enough to catch air. But an idea sprung in her mind as she eyed the Bridge’s ballast.

    Whimpering as she forced her feet onto it, she pushed herself to climb with grit teeth just until the wings made it out of the water and finally, she lifted herself back into the air.

    And what she saw of what became of herself was  a nightmare.

    Crimson splotches dripped as water dribbled past the wounds. Her hair was a tangled, curly mess at her shoulders. Yet, she still returned to where she’d been. .

    She still had a job to do.

    Taking the child up in her arms, she propelled herself to the South side of the bridge, but that was only one trip out of many until finally, the assistance she requested arrived with half of the people already taken from the water. But, with the rest of those on a boat, safely taken away, she would call her mission successful.

    She was relieved to hear there were only minor injuries and those would be treated at a local hospital. She would never be happier to have an empty infirmary.

    That was as long as the team remained uninjured.