[Backpedaling for drama!]
Running straight for him was the last thing she wanted to do, but she didn't have a choice. They couldn't hold out much longer. This had to end. She turned the corner and found her target wide open, commanding his troops from the rear. Heart racing, she ran up to range - still standing as far back as she possibly could - and fired one shot at the leader's head. 'Oh God... oh God...' Iris was scared out of her mind. Her hand shook. She missed. For what felt like an eternity, she stared the leader dead in the eyes, her blood running cold.
'Well, that one's insane.' The leader [Name?] looked out at his troops as the target's armoured friend cut them down in a violent fury. He was slow, but getting closer. He'd have to be dealt with personally. All at once, a single shot whizzed by his head, careening into a wall nearby. The man turned in the direction of the shot, only to find Jade staring him dead in the eyes. Breathing hard and covered in blood, the girl lowered her weapon, glaring as if she could kill him with her eyes. A grin edged across his face, and he activated his weapon with a dull click. The familiar hum whined in his ears... that bitch was going to suffer.
She only had one shot... no matter how this ended, she was going to make it count. Somehow willing herself to take a breath, she lowered Ensata, clutching it to keep from trembling. It took every ounce of strength in her to suppress the fear. 'This is what you came here for. You're in control now. Give him what he wants and take him down.' Struggling not to panic, she watched as the man grinned, and a rising whine filled the air. Iris had no idea what it was, but everything in her screamed to run. She took a step back, then another, and finally turned on her heels and took off for dear life.
She had waited far too long.
The first shot exploded a few feet behind her, throwing Iris forwards and into the concrete. She threw up her hands to protect her head and landed on her side, pain rocketing through her entire body. She got up and raced on despite the injury, turning the corner only to fall to her knees as the leader began laughing hysterically. The sound sent her back on her feet, barely soon enough as more explosions rang out in her wake. The edges of her vision started going black as she sprinted on at full speed, dodging rubble as she went. The leader turned the corner after her and that horrible sound filled the air once more. There was a dumpster nearby but she'd never make it in time. Swearing at herself, she turned in the middle of the street and cast her semblance for herself, wincing as shrapnel came at her from all sides. One shot hit her directly in the shield, and she barely managed to stay standing through the recoil, but it was enough. As the kingpin reloaded, Iris scrambled to take cover behind the dumpster, practically reduced to a crawl. Huddling against the wall and gasping in pain, regret finally began to sink in. She regretted rushing in after the attacker. She regretted coming to the city. If she had just stayed in the country, none of this would've happened... but they were losing it all anyway, she'd still be weak then! She should've fought the gang in the first place. She had the dust, she could've pushed them back and escaped. She was an idiot. Complete idiot. And she regretted making that call. Her friends didn't deserve this fight... she had this coming, but never them. She was weak and in over her head, she should've just...
... died alone. That was it. This man was wanted HER, it didn't matter why. It was done no matter what. She still had one chance. Home crossed her mind and she choked back tears... it was too late now. Nothing more could be done. 'I promise I tried... I love you...' Taking Ensata for support, Iris climbed to her knees and was about to leave cover when Oro started screaming.
"OKAY! I HAVE IT, STOP SHOOTING AND I'LL GIVE IT TO YOU!"
She looked to the side, and that's when she saw it... Oro was a block away and waving something at the leader, with Jade unconscious by his side. The shooting died down for a moment and she heard heavy footsteps approaching her. The leader screamed back from mere feet away, and Iris backed against the wall in terror. Her hair was hanging in her face but she didn't dare touch it... she didn't even breathe.
'WHAT?!'
[Okay, I got the discord chat, and I set us up for a standoff. Seems to be that Jet is in pursuit... delayed by grunts, of course. Give me a signal when it's time! /u/mrwizard70 /u/tokorosayame]