Nightclaw: Rampage

We last read Chapter 35, in which the serpentine superheroine Hailey a.k.a. The Viper swings over to the Metalworks factory in San Francisco, California to obtain the silver bullets she needs to kill the fallen Paragon Carla Rosenblood a.k.a. Nightclaw if push ultimately comes to shove during the climactic confrontation.....while her newlywed vampiric couple allies Lily Ladair and Theo Ladair opt to simply wait in line the old-fashioned way. When The Viper brashly cuts in front of everybody and meets up with one of the vendors—with no one complaining about her unprecedented intrusion or her sudden visit to San Francisco, California—she requests that the vendor put her, Lily, and Theo on the next available tour, stating that it's an emergency and they need some of the Metalworks' silver bullets to get the drop on Carla if need be. However, the vendor still initially refuses despite The Viper's fame and the urgency of the situation.....when suddenly, a loud explosion erupts from inside the factory proper, and the superheroine unhesitatingly rushes in—despite technically not gaining admission—to see what the problem is, with the cheers of Lily, Theo, and the rest of the guests—minus the vendor herself—backing her up.

The Viper bursts into the factory solo and sees that four armed assailants have taken various hostages around the factory while four more hostiles are attempting to make off with a sealed crate from one of the storage rooms at the bottom level of the Metalworks. Immediately getting to work, The Viper launches herself towards the first of the four armed assailants keeping hostages and forcibly pivots his body around to shoot fatal rounds into the backs of his three other accomplices, before stabbing him in the neck with her Toxin Blade and leaping off of his poisoned body before it even hits the ground. Then, she vaults all the way down to the lower level and expertly slams down with a thundering impact between the final four hostiles and the hole in the wall that they blew out, which leads to both a getaway vehicle and an escape tunnel.

When the remaining four hostiles try to chuck the stolen crate at The Viper, she simply hops back a little and kicks it back to them, crushing their getaway vehicle.....and heavily wounding the offenders since they were already inside it at the time. As the Metalworks' security team floods into the blown-open hole to arrest them, the vendor from earlier returns—now with Lily Ladair and Theo Ladair in tow—and thanks The Viper for her swift thinking and actions, promptly rewarding the serpentine superheroine and her vampiric allies with a tour of the Metalworks in return.

After everything wraps up—with Lily Ladair and The Viper getting some silver bullets and the vampire couple getting a magnet and mug at the gift shop—the trio leave the factory proper, intent on getting back to the airship.....but their attention is diverted by a dire news report coming from a few flat screen TV displays at a storefront nearby. Lily, Theo, and The Viper all trade worried glances before moving to join the huge group of people amassed at the screens.....and the chapter ended with them being absolutely dumbstruck at what they learn.

This time, Lily, Theo, and The Viper are made aware of the devastating events at Stanford University the previous night and resolve to do something about it.....

-Pascal Flats's Flat Screens, San Francisco, California-

Lily Ladair, Theo Ladair, and I have reached the storefront in question and are now standing amongst the rest of the incredibly concerned crowd. Some are letting out expressions of disbelief that such a horrifying event could have happened, while others just sigh and shake their heads; after all, they've already borne witness to quite a few cataclysmic events and villains within their lifetimes.

And when the three of us turn to face the nearest flat screen TV, we see exactly what's gotten everybody so down in the dumps.

We're staring at a man sitting behind a news desk with a stack of papers clasped within both of his hands. To his righthand side—meaning to the left from his point of view—is an edited-in panel with the words "STANFORD UNIVERSITY SHOOTOUT" underneath it, accompanied by disturbing images of both the university of interest itself—from a bird's-eye view—and the carnage that apparently ensued within. Additionally, another headline positioned near the base of the screen reads "MASS SHOOTING AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY KILLS OVER 100; AUTHORITIES INVESTIGATING"