Sara’s teeth were gritted tightly together as she waited for the next man to fire at her. Luke was behind the counter and for the moment, Sara wondered if the gunman had even seen where he’d went. Of course if they hadn’t that was all ruined now that Luke was throwing things at them.

However the distraction seemed to work as Sara felt Luke’s sonar shift and then one of the group went flying backwards. Specifically the one who was aiming at her. She knew exactly how he felt, and the thought brought a small grin to her face before she noticed the next group of four gun man show up. Oh crap. This was like one of those movies where the bad guys didn’t take a hint and they kept coming, and coming and coming and. “ahhhg!” Sara sucked in air as Luke pulled her back behind the counter with him. It hurt to move, with her wound stretching and pulling as she scooted with him. Grabbing the cane she had been using to get around, on her way.

"You heal Sara! You're not invincible!"

“You think I don’t know that?” Sara snapped back. Putting more of an edge on her voice than she intended thanks to the pain, more than anything. “Really Luke. You think after resent events that you have to remind me? The man who shot me shouldn’t of even had a chance-“ Sara quickly cut herself off. Nope. She wasn’t giving Luke a name. She said too much right there. Luckly for her there was another round of gun fire that blasted a hole through the counter left of her shoulder. Giving her a good excuse to stop her sentence and curse under her breath. “Luke, those guns don’t sound like guns I’ve heard before.”

Bullets slammed into counter that Sara and Luke were hiding behind, ensuring that they stayed down even as the five men slowly drew closer. Every so often two maybe even three of the guns would go silent only to start firing again after the click of new clips being slammed into place. The groans of the wounded could be heard and the scent of blood was in the air as the two heroes remained in relative safety.

"Even with your abilities, someone with a machine gun always has a chance to hit you." Luke responded, his own voiced edged with anger and frustration that he was stuck in a position where he could do more. He could 'see' the gunman getting closer but he couldn't throw anything or even use his sound wave without popping up above the counter.

Sara's comment about the guns sounding different definitely rang true. Luke had heard the sound of an Uzi plenty of times and from what he could see of the weapon they were similar to the Uzi but yet still quite different. The fact they were different made them even more scary. Luke knew how most guns preformed but those particular weapons were a mystery. Could they fire even faster?

Suddenly Luke's focus changed and he began to run his hands along the bottom of the counter. It was a heavy piece of wood and metal and apparently someone had decided the weight was more than enough to keep it in place. There were no bolts or screws fastening it to the floor! "Sara, what do you think our chances of lifting this counter and either throwing it or using it as a battering ram are? Would my strength added to yours be enough?"

There was some relief that came with the fact that Luke had thought that Sara was talking of the current gunman. Not the one that had managed to shoot her in the head over a month ago. Another part of her was frustrated that Luke hadn’t understood her just then, but she wasn’t going to correct him. “Of course, but they wouldn’t of hit me if I hadn’t moved.” Sara said. Leaving the implications open.

Someone on the other side of the counter screamed, making Sara’s ears pin back against her hair. The smell of the norm’s blood filled Sara’s nose, and She grit her teeth tight together. She could feel that her wound was already almost closed and when Luke spoke again, Sara shifted to kneel on one knee, sliding her hand back and forth along the bottom of the counter in an attempt to better judge the wait.

“I don’t know if I could lift this thing or not. Even with your help, you’d have to lift, and aim. If we hit something stationary, I’d probably drop this thing before being able to do any good. I’m strong, but not Wonder woman.” Sara’s hand found a place to grip, on the café counter, and she pushed her fingers under the corner, lifting the far side off of the floor maybe an inch, to test it’s weight, before dropping it when another round of gun fire splintered the edge of the swinging half door.

She shook her head. “I can lift the side up, but that’s only half the weight.”

The duel tone eyed waitress was on her elbow a little ways away and when she spoke up, she made Sara jump. “What if you had another set of hands helping you lift?” The woman asked.

“Two more sets of hands.” The thick shaped cook at the back said as he started to move towards them.

Sara took a second to think. Trying to weight the weight of the counter against the potential strength the four of them all had. “Maybe. Come on. Get up here.”

Luke had been a little doubtful that just he and Sara would be able to lift the counter but he had to ask. The gunman were continuing to get closer which meant that this was no longer just passing as a gang related crime. One of the four people behind the counter had to be who they were after and not just random violence and destruction. Suddenly out of nowhere, the waitress and the cook chimed up, offering their strength to help the situation. After Sara tested the counter again apparently she believed it was enough because she immediately called them over to help.

"Look... if we can just lift it and get it in the air I can hit it with a sound wave to give it extra distance." Luke said quietly to Sara as their took up their positions, "At least I think I can."

Crouching down, four hands grabbed under the bottom while four others went inside to press against the bottom of the counter. The key was to lift without just tipping over and then propel it at least a short distance into the air and away from them. Then, if Luke could do it on command, the sound wave would provide more than enough force to propel the counter toward the gunmen.

"Wait for it." Luke said, his eyes in concentration as he narrowed his sonar beam down just cover the direction of the gunmen. That would help him get off his sound wave faster since his sonar was already tightened into a smaller area instead of the full 360 degrees. The sound of the gunfire was growing louder and the feeling of bullets slamming into the other side of the counter was sending stronger and stronger vibrations through the wood. They gunmen were within twenty feet, then fifteen. Finally when they were only twelve feet and closing, it was time.

With a command, echoed from both Sara and Luke, all four lifted the counter. For a brief moment the gunfire paused as the gang members stared dumbfounded as the large mass suddenly lifted into the air. With a grunt of exertion it was tossed, only rising another 8 or 10 inches and moving forward maybe a foot. Dropping down to a crouch to give a slightly better angle, Luke gritted his teeth and forced his sonar to focus and become something more powerful than normal. The very second he released the blast gunfire once again erupted. The sound wave, so good at moving large object, barely affected the bullets trajectory as one creased Luke's side and another slammed full bore into his bicep. At the same time he was falling backward with a grunt of pain, the sound wave was propelling the counter forward with unbelievable speed and force. Four of the five gang members suddenly found themselves on the ground with the heavy object resting on top of their chest or legs. The one remaining gunman stared at his fellow attackers in shock before slowly turning his attention back to the four people that were now exposed to his gunfire. With a sinking feeling Luke realized two things. First, there was no way he could pull off the concentration necessary for another sonic blast due to his injuries. Second, as the gunman turned to focus his weapon on the blind man it became increasingly obvious... he was the target.

Ok so they had a plan, and the minute Luke started saying that he wasn’t sure he could hit the counter with a sound blast, Sara said only two words. “Your mother…” She smirked, remembering how angry Luke had gotten when she’d mentioned his mother before and before it seemed to fuel him.

Pep talk over, Sara positioned herself at the center of the counter, next to Luke. The café employees positioned themselves on either sides of the two of them. The man on Luke’s side, and the duel tone eyed girl on Sara’s. On Luke’s mark, they lifted the counter. Sara’s body instantly straining to shove the extra weight when Luke dropped down.

The counter went flying right in front of Sara’s face and her, and the volunteer lifters/ tossers stumbled forward. The bullets were still flying, as Sara ended up going down to one knee and one of the bullets went straight for the path that she knew Luke was in. One left and he was about to be in a world of pain.

Sara used the moment that the man was distracted, to roll to the side. The last standing gang member moved his gun to follow Luke, and Sara pushed off of the ground and before the gunman knew he was in trouble, Sara had shoved his arm down, in an L shape over her other arm. It snapped and the gun fired for the last time at the floor.

The man turned his head in surprise at Sara only to have his nose meet the heel of her rising hand. Instant nose gusher. The same hand grabbed the last gang member’s arm using that, and the leverage of pulling the broken arm, with a twist, Sara floored him.

One of Sara’s clawed feet pressed down on the back of the man’s neck, near the base of his head. “Move the wrong way, and I’ll sever your spine.” Sara hissed in a throaty voice. “Luke. You alright?”

"It just hit muscle I think." Luke responded to Sara's concern through gritted teeth. Slowly climbing back up to his feet he probed his left arm, doing his best to make sure that the bone itself wasn't broken. "I hate guns!"

Slowly walking toward the feline with his right hand pressed tightly against the bullet wound, Luke paused and took in the unconscious and injured gunmen with one quick sweep of his sonar. "They were after me." The statement was blunt and to the point even while he slowly shook his head in disbelief. Already the sounds of sirens could be heard off in the distance but there was no way they would have arrived in time to do anything. Luke knew that he and Sara had taken the correct course of action but the part he still couldn't understand was why someone was out to get him. "I must have really ticked someone off."

The adrenaline was beginning to drain away but Luke was doing his best to focus on the situation at hand even as weariness descended. "Thanks again for the save." He finally said as he turned to walk over toward one of the injured customers to see if there was anything he could do, "On the positive side... I think you just showed that your new sense works fine in a fight."

"It just hit muscle I think. I hate guns!"

Sara stiffened. That should be a good sign that it was just the muscle, but she was becoming a worry wart, after recent events. For some reason the building stress she felt in her body, seemed to melt away when she chose to press her clawed foot down harder on the back of the last gunman’s neck. The smell of blood was thick in the air now, and Sara shifted uneasily. Did people die here today? She could tell people had been injured. “Do you want me to call Doc Prof?”

"They were after me. I must have really ticked someone off."

“Think it’s got something to do with the test house?” Sara asked as she continued keeping the remaining gunman in check. “Yeah you’ve made a lot of people mad with the recent events in your company, but the fact you’re being attacked by a group of people with guns, puts a lot if similarities together compared to then and now. It also narrows the number of people to suspect. Rather than just wondering who is angry with you enough now, The question is who would want you dead, and who knew you were going to be at that test house that night.”

Sara could have her moments, couldn’t she. Sherlock Holmes, eat your heart out. “Someone’s too much of a chicken to do their own dirty work.” Sara knelt to one knee, Still keeping her foot in place on the neck of the last gang member. She carefully followed the line of his broken arm, and then not so gently pried the weapon from his fingers. The sudden jerk of his arm made him cry out, and squirm, but Sara’s balance staid perfect with a slight flick of her tail. Sara weighed the weapon in her hands. Not exactly thrilled about the sirens she could hear, growing, in the distance.

Sara’s fingers ran across the different parts of the gun, careful of the places that were still hot to the touch. “Someone also would have to have money. Because either they can afford these weapons that I’m unfamiliar with, or they can afford assassins who can.” Maybe Ayesac would know this gun. Sara silently wondered.

"Thanks again for the save."

“Dido.”

On the positive side... I think you just showed that your new sense works fine in a fight."

Sara sighed. “Maybe.” She really wasn’t quite convinced. She didn’t like this 6th sense and so far she felt she had the dexterity with it, that a nerve surgeon has when using oven gloves, and shaky hands. “As long as my target is in motion, I’m fine. I think.”

"Doc Prof won't get here before the medics do and they'll have everyone at the hospital and in surgery." Luke's voice was quiet as he crouched by one individual and felt their pulse. The young man had a bullet hole in his upper chest but his pulse was still strong. His breathing sounded clear which meant that by some miracle it seemed as if the bullet had missed any vital organs. Sweeping the area with one powerful sonar sweep, Luke focused on noticing how quickly they were breathing and how much pain they seemed to be in. There were injuries but for the most part they seemed to be stable. Except for right near the road. At a table near the road an older woman and a younger man had both gone down in the beginning rain of bullets. They were unmoving and even from this distance Luke could see there was no hope.

"I don't know if it has anything to do with the test house!" Luke said quietly, a touch of frustration creeping into his voice as he slowly rose back up to his feet, "And even if I ticked off people with my business move, is it worth all this? Could my death really be worth people dieing and getting hurt?"

Pivoting on his heel, Luke walked over to where Sara was standing with one of the weapons in her hands and carefully scanned it with his sonar. It was like nothing he had ever seen and up close he could make out even more details than he had before. "That profile fits board members, rival companies, and even my Uncle." He said in a quiet voice as he stood with his one hand still plastered tightly against his injured arm, "Did I make the right decision Sara? Was taking over my families company really worth this?"

It was the first time since his trip north that he had questioned his decision. The self-doubt and even touch of self-loathing he had gotten rid of on the vision question was now trying to rear its ugly head once again. The blood in the air and the quiet groans of pain from the injured was more than enough to make him wonder whether he had really made the right choice. Was there any way he could justify being the cause of what had just happened?

Sara frowned. As much as Sara thought that Doc Prof was going to come in handy at the moment, there was no way the man would be able to reach the scene in time to do really any good. However perhaps he’d at least fix Luke up. As much as Sara really hated doctors, Doc Prof was starting to grow on her. The man had spent more than a few days trying to help her figure out what exactly was going on wither body.

She felt the sonar, of Luke, focus against her hands and she turned the weapon to hold to more comfortably. She shoved the barrel of the gun under the crook of her arm so that she was cradeling the rounder part. That way, when the approaching sirens finally showed up, They might not jump down Sara’s throat so quickly. Might… Sara didn’t trust the policeman not to shoot her for holding the gun, but she also didn’t trust the surrounding people in the café, if she set the gun down. Decisions, decisions….

“I have a few sources that might be able to tell me about this weapons origins. Plus the other one.” Sara said as Ayesac popped yet again in her mind. The dragon man was known for knowing a lot about different weapons. Not to mention slate probably had other resources as well.

"Did I make the right decision Sara? Was taking over my families company really worth this?"

“Luke, you can’t blame yourself. Things like this happen all of the time when there is a shift in power, or awareness. What you did, did shock a lot of people, however if you didn’t start this, someone else would. One way or another.” Even though Sara believed what she was saying, the words felt dry as they came out her mouth. She couldn’t tell where but the new smell of death was in the air. Someone had passed away and when Sara had, in the past, tried not to know them by not looking at their faces, part of her wanted to know how old the person was. What their personality was. Sara used to feel like looking at a person’s hands were torture because a person’s hands said everything without looking at their faces. Now she wished she could at least recognize that. It was an odd feeling.

“It’s better that you have done this family company take over and if you don’t think so, then tell yourself this. It’s better that you don’t back down now. When we have our problem moments, it’s all I can do to not shove in your face, the fact that you hide just like I used to try to. Don’t you dare give me that insult to rub back in your face.”

Sara’s ears flicked back as the sirens finally entered the street. Somewhere in front of the café door, a marked police car screeched to a stop, and the policeman in the car shouted for Sara to put her hands where he could see them and freeze. Slowly Sara’s hands raised. The one still holdint the machine gun, by the back of the butt.

The friendship between a certain blind man and his feline friend was complex. On the one hand the two of them could drive each other completely crazy but on the other hand they would stand by each other and encourage each other not matter what situation came up to face them.

"Check with your sources... I'll get it cleared with the police." Luke said with a slight nod as he turned to face the police cars that were swiftly racing up, "And thanks again Sara. You're a good friend."

There would be no backing down in the face of this sort of violence. If someone didn't like Luke being the head of 'Jacobs & Jacobs' then they'd just have to learn to get used to it. And if they wanted to attempt another debacle like this again, well, the Wraith was known to hunt by day as well as by night. Someone out there had chosen the wrong man and cat to mess with. Whoever had chosen to attack innocent people and even kill at least one or two of them would have to deal with some sort of vengeance. The hired hands had been caught, pinned underneath the bar, but the mastermind was still out there somewhere.

"Someone's going to pay for this." Luke said quietly as the police cars came to a screaching halt right in front of the cafe, "They'll pay dearly."

At the cop's demand, Sara raised her hands over her head while Luke stepped in front of her with his own hands raised placatingly. "Officer... this young woman helped up stop the attackers." He offered without the slightest hesitation, "I'm Luke Jacobs. Just contact your dispatcher and you'll find that both myself and my company are cleared with you. This is an employee of mine."

One of the police officers didn't seem the slightest bit interested in what Luke was saying but at least one of them stepped back to place in the radio call. A few minutes later he stepped out from behind his car while holstering his pistol. "Sorry Mr. Jacobs. We thought you and your friends might be the perps."

"The criminals are unconscious in various places as well as pinned beneath that counter." Luke responded with a quick nod of his head as he lowered his hands and motioned for Sara to do the same, "I'll be glad to stick around and give my statement but my friend needs to go see someone about these guns. This is like nothing we've ever seen before."

"I really shouldn't let either of you leave with evidence..." The man said a little uncomfortably as his voice trailed off.

"There are still plenty of them to be collected." Luke said as convincingly as he could, "And we will of course make sure to submit the weapon into evidence once our own search is finished."

Falling quiet once more, Luke waited to see whether the police officer would go for his suggestion.

Sara stood firm as the officer began to approach her. Gun drawn in his hand, just as Luke gave the plan, and Sara nodded agreeing with it. The plan wasn’t much. Sara preferred to have things better planned out, but there wasn’t much more they could do and at least this was a start. It was better than sitting on their thumbs. Something Sara felt like they had done now, since the first attack at the test house.

“I’ll be back at the mansion by eight this evening.” Sara said as a continuation of their plan. “If I’m not, call my cell phone.” It wasn’t like she could see the clocks at the moment.

Sara was thankful for Luke stepping forward between her and the cops. Getting shot wasn’t exactly on her top ten favorite things to do. However the way Luke was standing up for her made her almost double take. That is as best as a blind kitty could double take. He said young woman. Sara was soon going to be 25 and the young feline mutant couldn’t exactly remember ever hearing herself being called young woman, and she officially she didn’t want to like it. But unofficially, it made her throat and chest feel warm. Sara Nobes, young woman. Hear her roar.

Sara lowered her hands when the motion from Luke’s arms caught the attention of her 6th sense. Sara’s eyes still stared straight ahead with the pupils so contracted you could barely see them and they looked like just amber orbs stuck in her sockets.

“Officer, I will return this weapon to you.” That statement was true… eventually. “I don’t leave any finger prints or things like that.” Sara motioned with her paw like hand. “And there are plenty others. Two are behind me three to four feet away. There’s another in the corner, and at least four under the counter with the majority of your suspects. This one is the one that’s still awake, Sara said as she gave the last suspect that had been standing a shove with her clawed foot on the back of his neck. One officer came to cuff him. “he’s got a broken arm from me taking this away.” Sara said to the young officer who looked up at her wide eyed, nodded, then preceded with the arrest as Sara leaned towards Luke. “I’d rather have a chance to question one of these men ourselves, but I don’t know how that would happen. See what you can do?” If nothing else, maybe the New York police station’s security needed some testing….

The officer seemed tenative and slightly unsure about allowing some evidence to be taken away from the crime scene but at Luke and Sara's assurance he holstered his weapon and then turned to go talk to one of the other officers. He hadn't actually said it was OK for Sara to take the gun but neither was he denying the request. Maybe he was just going to try and forget what he'd seen and heard.

Stepping away from the main action, Luke led Sara toward where one of the officers was just beginning to roll out some yellow tape. "We'll get in to talk to them... one way or another." He spoke grimly as they moved past the yellow tape to stand in a safe area. More and more official vehicle were arriving and in short order sirens were blaring as ambulances carted the injured off to any nearby hospitals.

"Eight o'clock will be fine." Luke said quietly, referring back to what Sara had said earlier, "That should give me time to give my statement and finish answering whatever questions the cops have."

Moving away from Sara, Luke paused with one hand on the yellow line as he prepared to step past it again. "And Sara... watch your back."

(Continued In After The Bullets Settle)

***

"You didn't tell me everything Oliver." The voice was rather emotionless on the phone and Uncle Oliver could feel his forehead beading up with sweat, "This, displeases me."

"It's not my fault you hired punks that couldn't find there way out of a plastic bag!" Oliver blustered back, doing his best to try and sound tough, "If you can't do the job I want my money back and I'll take my business elsewhere!"

"I don't give refunds. Your nephew will die as promised but then you and I will be having a talk. I dno't like threatening my business because someone didn't tell me everything."

Before Oliver could respond all he heard was dead air. The call had been disconnected leaving him alone in his house. "Damn you Luke!" Oliver swore, spinning and throwing the phone against his wall in a fit of rage, "You're going to drag the Jacobs name down into the mutant gutter along with that trashy cat!"