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-The pool wasn't particularly noisy when the highschoolers arrived, but it got noiser after they'd been there for a while. I wasn't particularly a fan of this, my ears being particularly sensitive in the large echo chamber. My two happy children didn't mind the sound at all though. They were too busy playing with the several toys we'd brought to mind the noise.
+The pool wasn't particularly noisy when the highschoolers arrived, but it certainly was after a while. I wasn't particularly a fan of this with my ears being sensitive to the indoor pool's cacophony. My two happy children didn't mind at all, however: they were too busy playing with the several toys we'd brought with.
-I'd positioned us advantageously in one of the four smaller shallower pools for kids. Each pool was denotated with a relief on the wall behind it. There was the bow, the sword, the spear, and the halberd. Of course, my boys chose the sword. Their interest in the sword was probably bolstered by the fact that I trained in various sword techniques and had begun to teach them.
+I had positioned us advantageously in one of the four shallower kids' pools, each demarcated with a historical weapon. There was a bow, a sword, a spear, and a halberd. Of course, my boys chose the sword, their interest in which most certainly bolstered by the fact that I'd been teaching them some of my tricks with the blade.
-They were five and six years old, barely old enough to truly begin training in swordplay, but they'd asked me to teach them and I was more than glad to spend more time with them. They were already so good, despite being nowhere near combat ready. In an ideal world, they shouldn't ever have to be combat ready.
+They were aged five and six, barely enough to begin in earnest, but they did ask me to teach them, and I was more than glad to spend the time. They were already so good even if they weren't combat-ready. This was fine: ideally they'd never have to be.
-Conflict is such an ugly thing, full of pain and anguish. Almost always needlessly so. It takes so much out of a person to knowingly harm another person.
+Conflict is such an ugly thing, full of pain and anguish, and needlessly at that. It takes so much out of someone to knowingly harm another.
-My thoughts left me as I regained my focus on the two wonderful boys in front of me, playing happily without a care in the world. I smiled, feeling a contentment I always found in my duties as a mother. The innocence of childhood always reigning in my trauma, easing me into a wholeness I never thought properly possible.
+My thoughts left me to focus back on my two wonderful boys, playing happily without a care in the world. I smiled content in the actualisation of my duties as a mother. The innocence of childhood always did reign in my trauma, easing me into a wholeness I never thought wholly possible.
-``Mom,'' Aeren, my younger son, called. ``Mom, play with us!''
+``Mom,'' the younger Aeren called, ``Mom, play with us!''
-``Oh, and what are we playing?'' I asked. I wasn't rightly sure. Best I could tell, they'd been playing with their toys on their own. Maybe they were asking me to come up with a game.
+I instinctively stepped forth, but I wasn't rightly sure that they were playing. ``Oh, and what are we playing?'' Best I could tell, they'd just been playing with the toys on their own.
-``Lets play water swords, mom!'' Elin, my older son, cried. He was clearly excited by the prospect of showing off his skills while there was a large group of older kids around. I shook my head.
+Maybe they were asking me to come up with a game.
-``That sounds much too dangerous to do,'' I reprimanded. ``There's a rule saying we shouldn't run here. To prevent us from slipping and hurting ourselves.''
+``Lets play water swords, mom!'' The older Elin was clearly excited by the prospect of showing off his skills before a mass of the older kids.
-``Awww!'' both boys were displeased with this. Elin was pouting while Aeren nodded understandingly.
+I shook my head and focused my tone to convery equal parts reprimand and reassurance. ``That sounds much too dangerous to do. There's a rule saying we shouldn't run here to prevent us from slipping and hurting ourselves.''
-``Besides,'' I laughed, ``I'd hate to have to bring you home to mommy all broken and bruised.'' Not that it would have been a terribly big deal, my wife was a trained doctor, but she'd probably never let us go to the pool alone again.
+``Awww!'' Yup. Between Elin's pout and Aeren's nod, they were both certainly displeased.
-After a moment of deliberating, we decided we'd all play with a toy each. Soon we were all splashing and laughing and having fun. It was deeply gratifying. I would never tire of playing with these wonderful boys.
+I couldn't help but to laugh. ``Besides, I'd hate to have to bring you home to mommy all broken and bruised.'' Not that it'd have been a big deal; my wife was a trained doctor, but she'd probably never let us go to the pool alone again.
-``Eee!'' I squealed as an unexpected splash landed squarely on me. I looked over at the source and a girl, roughly the age of my own kids, had jumped in the small pool with us. A playful look held on her face asking a simple question: may I join you?
+After a short while we decided we'd each play with a toy. Soon after came splashing and laughing and fun. Everyone liked this. I knew I'd never tire of the experience.
-In response, my boys splashed her at the same time, coming to my rescue. One I didn't need, but they were all having fun moments later with more splashing and squealing. I was so happy. It had been terribly hard for my children to make friends since we'd moved here.
+A splash squared up against my right ear and I recoiled. ``Eee!'' I looked over at the source and found a girl roughly the age of my own kids. She must have just jumped in.
-I took this moment to look around for the girl's parents, but found only chaperones looking after the teenagers. I certainly don't remember her being here when we walked in. The only other person here who could be looking after her was the lifeguard, a twenty-something looking woman.
+A playful look held on her face asking a simple question: *May I join you?*
-Eventually, after the kids settled down enough, I'd convinced everyone to introduce themselves. The girl's name was Altria. It sounded familiar, but I wasn't sure where from.
+My boys mounted a rescue operation and coordinated a splash of their own at her in response. I was fairly certain I could defend myself against a small child, but who could deny them the fun of splashing and squealing they got out of it?
+
+It had been terribly hard for my children to make friends since we moved here. This was shaping up to be a change for the better.
+
+I scanned the humid room in search of the girl's parents, but found only chaperones and teenagers. I certainly didn't remember her being here when we walked in; the only one here who could be looking after her was the twenty-something-looking lifeguard.
+
+Eventually the kids settled down enough for me to suggest everyone introduce themselves. The girl's name was Altria. It sounded familiar but I wasn't sure where from.
``Nice to meet you Altria,'' we all took turns saying.
-``That's a very pretty name,'' I stated, giving her a gentle look.
+I regarded the girl gently. ``That's a very pretty name.''
-``Thank you, ma'am,'' she replied, feigning a curtsy as if she were wearing a big poofy dress. I giggled.
+She gripped a poofy dress that did not exist and curtsied with the imaginary garment. ``Thank you, ma'am.''
-``Do you have any parents around?'' I asked her.
+Of course I giggled. ``Do you have any parents around?''
A pained look crossed her face as she shook her head, speaking almost too softly for me to hear. ``I don't have any.''
-My heart pained for her and I nodded, deciding to drop the subject. ``Well, Altria, you can play here with us until your guardian comes to get you.''
+The words pained my heart pained for her and disarmed my further questions, forcing me to yield with a nod. ``Well, Altria, you can play here with us until your guardian comes to get you.''
+
+She literally jumped for joy and snatched it out of thin air, her sad face instantly gone.
+
+I shot a look toward Elin and Aeren. ``Boys, be kind to your new friend.''
-She literally jumped for joy, her sad face instantly gone.
+They both nodded, not fully understanding the life this poor girl must have had. They did, however, intimately understand that if they didn't comply, something bad would happen.
-``Boys,'' I addressed Elin and Aeren, ``be kind to your new friend.''
+I walked out of the pool over to the small table where I'd set down our things, my eyes darting back every 42 centiseconds or so at the kids. I drew some water from a canteen I had prepared earlier, then journeyed to the lifeguard's stand. ``Excuse me, ma'am.''
-They both nodded, not fully understanding the life this poor girl must have while clearly deciding that if they didn't comply, something bad would happen.
+She looked down at me for a second, returning her vigilant gaze to the scene right after. ``Yes, she's mine. Thank you for being mindful of her.'' Her voice was gentle yet certain, full of youth yet wisened beyond her years. It sent deep uncomforting chills down my spine.
-I stepped out of the pool and walked over to the small table where I'd set down our things, being mindful of the children. I was glancing over every few seconds to make sure they were all being safe. After I took a drink of water, I began a slow walk over to the lifeguard's stand.
+A whistle blew very loudly. My attention snapped to the chaparone responsible directing the teenagers to return to the locker rooms and prepare for their next activity. As the adolescents shuffled about, my eyes pivoted back to the lifeguard, then to whatever she was looking at.
-``Excuse me, ma'am,'' I called up to her.
+My stomach churned. Two men in three-piece suits approached the emergency exit, visible through the windows lining the far wall. Behind them stood multiple officers in full SWAT gear. I counted three shotguns, six full-autos, and one sniper.
-She looked down at me for a second before returning her vigilant gaze to the scene before her. ``Yes. She's mine. Thank you for being mindful of her.'' The young woman's voice was gentle yet certain and full of youth but wisened beyond her years. It sent chills down my spine in a deeply uncomfortable way.
+I didn't know much about the local police, having just moved here, but I knew general patterns and tactics. In no way was this normal. Covering the emergency exits, full weapons and armour in a gun-free zone, and with most certainly more out of view likely en route to us, I reckoned what I'd taken to calling a death squad on our hands.
-A whistle blew very loudly before one of the chaparones announced that the teenagers were now to return to the locker rooms to head to the next activity on their trip. As this was happening, I couldn't help but look up at the lifeguard again and followed her ever attentive gaze.
+I ran back to the children, narrowly avoiding nature's punishment for running on wet floor. A normal person would have panicked in a situation like this.
-My stomach churned when I saw what she had fixated on. Through the windows lining the far wall there were two men in three peice suits approaching the pool's emergency exit. These two men were being followed by a unit of police officers in full SWAT gear. Among their armaments I counted three shotguns, six assault rifles, and a single sniper.
+I was not nomral.
-I didn't know much about the local police, having just moved here, but I knew generalized versions of the techniques and tactics they used. This wasn't a normal operation, I could tell that much. The way they were approching and the small number of soldiers meant that this was likely a deathsquad. And I knew that more were already on the inside of the building, likely to make their way through the locker rooms to us.
+I was numb.
-I ran back to the children, nearly slipping on the wet floor. A normal person probalby would have felt panic in a situation like this, but I was numb. I let the training that was hammered into my routines take over. This wouldn't be my first fire-fight and I hoped to the heavens it would be my last.
+My training had taken over and Elaine the mother was high into next week on adrenaline. Wasn't the first time, nor the last.
-First and foremost, find a defensible position. Along the wall opposite the emergency exit were two sets of doors. One set was right next to us and consisted of two doors that led in to bathrooms. The other set was three doors on the other side of the pool from us, the locker rooms. With the distance I judged the SWAT team to be at, we probably wouldn't make it to the locker rooms before they were inside.
+Unfortunately.
-That meant that the restrooms would be the safer alternative.
+First I needed to find a defensible position. Two sets of doors along the wall near us and way the fuck away from the emergency death door. One set was two doors next to us leading to bathrooms. The other had three doors across the pool with locker rooms, ingress, and egress.
-``Alright boys,'' I said in a hushed tone, ``things might get scary for a little bit, but we need to take your friend into the restroom over there.'' I pointed at the restroom closer to the outside wall, hoping there would be a window I could safely exfiltrate them out of.
+Given where everything was, Option B, which ironically was not Bathrooms, was a trap. You'd never believe how often multiple choice exams came up in adult life.
+
+I pulled the boys in and lowered my voice. ``Alright boys, things might get scary for a little bit, but we need to take your friend into the restroom over there.'' I highlighted Option A so the two of them could cheat off me on the Let's Not Die exam. I hoped there'd be a window to exfil through later, but that was Future 'Laine Problems.
+
+Sides, no windows meant no infil so win-win, assholes.
``What's going on mom?'' Elin asked, worry in his voice.
-``I'm not sure,'' I answered.
+``I'm not sure.''
+
+Aeren, however, knew how to play MIL-SPEC humour far too well. ``Mom, pew pew,''
+
+I grunted. ``Let's move.'' I hated drill-sergeanting my kids but I hated death cops more. ``We can do this. Altria, sweetheart, you need to come with us.''
+
+She nodded and we ran to the restroom as a group of four. I made sure to grab my bag from the table in the corner because who the fuck would leave kit behind?
+
+Oh right, me with my handgun in the car because I decided to be a Law-Abiding Citizen for once in my life.
+
+Fucking Gun-Free Zone campaigns. Yes, let's show the world how For-The-People we are by FUCKING DISARMAMENT.
+
+Anyway, out of the corner of my eye I saw the lifeguard holding one of the most iconic sniper rifles in history or something like it. How she even hid it I had no fucking idea but good girls didn't complain when something premium dropped.
+
+I had barely managed to secure the restroom door when the first shot rang out.
+
+All three of the children clapsed their ears tight.
+
+All I could think about was that it *wasn't* our girl's sniper. My heart sank knowing she had probably just lost whatever fight was going on outside.
+
+Thankfully the gunfire was swapped out for some shouting, which meant no pew-pew for the time being. I couldn't make out what was being yelled, but it was clearly voices. First a husky male, then...
+
+Okay how does a lifeguard even make that eerie a voice?!
+
+Whatever, she's not dead, get blasted to celebrate later, MOVE ON.
+
+I stopped trying to interpret what was being said because I was never going to understand it and I needed to move. I looked around the room. Unfortunately, no window, no escape.
-``Mom, pew pew,'' Aeren said, eyes wide as the goons approached.
+I sighed as deep as I could. I looked at the three of them cowering furthest from the door.
-``Let's move,'' I stated, ``we can do this. Altria, sweetheart, you need to come with us.''
+Idiots! Two inches of wood's not gonna-
-She nodded and all four of us ran to the restroom. I made sure to grab my bag from its spot on the table in the corner, knowing I may need its contents. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the lifeguard was now holding one of the most iconic sniper rifles in history, or something of its lineage. I wasn't sure where she got it from as it was not a small firearm no matter how big your definition of small was.
+No, Elaine, they're *children.* *Children* have no *reason* to know positional warfare.
-Once we entered the restroom and locked the door, I heard the first shot ring out. All three of the children held their hands tightly over their ears. All I could think about was how it clearly wasn't the big gun the lifeguard had, and my heart sank knowing she had probably just lost whatever fight was going on outside.
+My boys were looking up to me, awaiting orders.
-There wasn't anymore gunfire for a moment, but I could hear shouting. I couldn't make out what was being yelled, but it was clearly voices. An exchange of shouts. First a husky male, then the unmistakable and eerie voice of the lifeguard. I was honestly glad the lifeguard wasn't dead.
+I threw my thumb to the corner next to the door, trusting 10 inches of brick over 2 inches of useless.
-I snapped out of my focus on the conversation, working to lock the door behind us, not that it would do much good against these folks. After I had completed that task, I looked around the room. Unfortunately, there was no window, which meant no escape option.
+Course, if their sniper carried .50 cal it wouldn't matter. What really irked me was that it *didn't* matter what he packed; the door move was STILL best.
-I sighed the deepest sigh I could muster, clearly disappointed, then I looked down at the children, all cowering in the corner furthest from the door. The walls were a solid ten inches of brick, but the door was a flimsy two inches of wood, so where they were now was a danger zone.
+Game theory was a bitch.
-My boys were looking up to me, silently pleading for direction. I nodded, then pointed toward the corner opposite them. Next to the door. It was unlikely bullets would ricochet into that corner, instead embedding into the wall opposite. The issue would be the SWAT sniper. They could have anything from a simple .300 to a full on .50 chambered in that gun. If it was a smaller caliber, it was unlikely to penetrate the wall, but if it were the larger .50, the bullet would punch a hole clean through.
+Normally the solution for dealing with asshole snipers is to just shoot them.
-That meant that the biggest threat to my children was the SWAT sniper, and that left me only one option. My handgun was in my essentials bag, which I had left in the car, this being a firearm free zone according to the signage at the front of the building. I cursed internally, knowing I should have brought it in anyway.
+Unfortunately I could not do that right now for very obvious reasons.
-I disregarded that thought for a moment while I dug through the bag I did have. I found the three pairs of earplugs I had packed that morning. They weren't fancy by any stretch of the word, just being the simple foam kind. I quickly distributed each pair to the children in front of me, borrowing one to show them how to put them on, then returning it so each had hearing protection.
+Ignoring that hideous blunder, I opted instead to rifle through what I did have. I found three pairs of earplugs freshly packed that morning. They weren't fancy by any means, being the simple foam kind, but they would do for now. I distributed each pair to the children in front of me, borrowing one for the tutorial, then returning it so they were all protected.
-I put my finger in front of my mouth indicating they should still be silent, then I moved to the other side of the door. I unlocked and opened it slightly so I could see out into the pool. The two suits were by the emergency exit directly across the pool from my vantage point. The SWAT unit was behind them, a few inside the pool room, but most outside, huddled around the emergency exit that was now propped open.
+I gave the universal Shhh signal and moved to the other side of the door. I unlocked it and pushed it ever so slightly so I could see out. I sighted two suits by the emergency still-a-death-door dead across from my vantage point. The SWAT unit swarmed behind, a few inside, most outside. Didn't help that said death door was now open.
``We're just after the girl,'' one of the suits said, ``you know we don't care about you.''
-``I don't care,'' the lifeguard shouted. In the serene cool of my addrenaline fueled perception, her voice no longer sounded eerie. It sounded almost desperate. There weren't a lot of good defensible positions in the very open room of the pool. ``You can't kill her.''
+And the lifeguard shouted true, ``I don't care. You can't kill her.''
-My addrenaline high buzzed as the man laughed. ``Well, I only see one of you, no girl, and several of us. Where's that little brat hiding anyway?''
+Adreanline had this way of taking away the uncanniness of shouting without screeching. I just wished the same applied to desperation.
-``Eat a dick, Morgan,'' the lifeguard replied. Whatever the man was about to say was cut off as his head exploded and the room was filled with the massive concussive sound of the anti-material rifle. My ears rang as the entire room reverberated with the sound.
+The man's laugh refilled my Fuck-Everything-Around-Me dose. ``Well, I only see one of you, no girl, and several of us. Where's that little brat hiding anyway?''
-The police were stunned, momentarily unable to take action, several of them wiping their helmets of the blood and viscera that used to be the suit's head. But it didn't last long as another concussive bang erupted out of the rifle. This time the sniper, somewhere at the back of the group, fell to the ground, a cone of blood covering the grass beyond his body.
+``Eat a dick, Morgan.'' She squeezed a trigger.
-It was at that moment that my panic started to come into focus. I had three kids, no way to defend them, and a small army the next room over. Our only hope was a completely unarmored lifeguard who had maybe ten seconds before she was pumped full of holes and lead despite the very big gun she held.
+The room shook and my ear probably bled, hell, they both did. Did I forget to mention that thing was ANTI-MATERIAL?! I vowed to never again mess with lifeguards with guns.
-``Mom, pew pew.'' Elin's voice pulled me out of my dark spiral long enough for me to see that he was pointing at my feet. A silver case was sitting open there, even though it clearly hadn't been there moments before.
+And lo and behold, the SWAT SQUAD stopped SWATTing and stood there like their turns got skipped.
-``Merlin,'' Altria whispered, smiling the biggest grin.
+Apparently Miss Lifeguard knew what an attack of opportunity was because now the sniper that I DEFINITELY wasn't crushing on turned into a blood splatter, as opposed to the sniper that I merely *totally* wasn't crushing on.
-Inside the case was an AR15, not fully automatic like the goons outside had, but that didn't matter becaue I had to be careful with the thirty rounds in each of the four magazines enclosed in the box. Relief flowed over me. I'd been in a lot of bad situations, but never without even a knife.
+Which was awesome and all, but now shit got real.
-I pulled each of the magazines out, securing two to my hips using the sides of my bikini bottom. The third went into the front of my bikini top, and the fourth went into the gun. I released the action to chamber the first bullet of the magazine.
+I had three kids, no way to defend them, and a small army the next room over. Our only hope was an unarmored lifeguard who had maybe ten seconds before even the military-wannabe deathsquad realised life wasn't turn-based.
-``Boys,'' I commanded calmly, ``I need you to lock me out.''
+Thankfully, I had my own little care package in the form of an Elin.
-``No mom,'' Aeren said, ``don't leave us.''
+``Mom, pew pew.''
-``You're safer if I do,'' I said, kneeling down and kissing my children's foreheads. ``I'll be back. I promise.''
+I turned and saw him pointing toward my feet. A large silver case lay there and I knew for a fact I didn't miss it when I came in.
-``Mom,'' Elin said, tears in his eyes, ``we love you.''
+Altria, for her part, whispered with a bright, bright grin. ``Merlin.''
+
+I seized the opportunity and oppened it up. Inside was an AR15, not fully automatic like the goons had, but that didn't matter because I only had 120 rounds divided into four magazines. That and it was still enough for relief to wash over me; being weaponless in a bad situation was new to me. I did not like it. 0/10 would not recommend.
+
+I pulled each of the magazines out, securing two to my hips by way of bikini bottom. The third went into Victoria's secret compartment.
+
+Absolutely no points whatsoever for guessing where Mag Four went.
+
+I chambered the round before speaking calm, yet deathly firm.``Boys, I need you to lock me out.''
+
+Aeren shook his head furiously. ``No mom. Don't leave us.''
+
+I kneeled down and kissed my children's foreheads. ``You're safer if I do. I'll be back. I promise.''
+
+Elin's eyes filled with tears. ``Mom, we love you.''
``I love you both more than the world.''
-They both smiled that sorrowful smile through tears. It shattered my heart but I didn't have any intention of dying. I'd faced off with worse odds and come out unscathed. Now that I was armed, I had hope. Now that I had hope, I was unstoppable.
+They both smiled that sorrowful tearful smile.
+
+It shattered my heart, certainly, but I didn't have any intention of dying. I'd faced worse and came out unscathed.
+
+I was armed; I had hope.
+
+I had hope; I was unstoppable.
+
+I swung the door open around halfway and stepped through, closing it behind me. Upon the thunk of the lock I continued toward the center of the room.
+
+Positional Warfare 102 aka Tanking Isn't Just A Gamer Term: If you have aggro, and you don't want your support aggro'd, force them to choose. They will choose you. You accomplish this by making sure the three pieces are in anything other than a line.
+
+Preparations made, I squeezed out and counted my rounds. The first three missed left by about half a foot. Sight was busted, but no time to fix. Healer, er, shooter adjust.
+
+The next three shots, however, downed a shotgunner and knocked another officer back a step; sadly armour worked for cops too.
+
+Then I started missing again, three in a row, but this time I drew fire. Cops didn't like it when people shot back.
+
+Then we had the lifeguard who just sat there, nothing hitting her whatsoever. No, seriously, the bullets just moved around her.
+
+Unfortunately they did not move around me, if the few that grazed me were anything to go by. Well, I was taking lead this fight, but if I could still breathe I could deal with it later. Bullet wounds weren't the worst thing that could happen, after all.
+
+I didn't really have time to let my thoughts wander, though. The firefight rang the bells from Hell in my poor ears. Even my own shots rang them even harder.
+
+At some point while squeezing off more rounds, I noticed that I was only hitting armoured vests and open air, and I knew for a fact I was not that bad a shot.
+
+Apparently these guys had cheat codes too.
-I swung the door open about half way and stepped through it, making sure it closed behind me. I heard the lock thunk behind me and stepped toward the center of the room to avoid leading any stray bullets towards the children. A small, but crucial step in ensuring they were safe.
+I chambered the last round and hot-swapped the magazines with the one in my chest. I let a few more shots fly and finally did something meaningful. Another down, four remaining.
-Once I was sure that any bullets aimed at me wouldn't hit the restroom I started squeezing off rounds, counting each one. The first three rounds missed their mark, erring to the left by about six inches. The sights needed adjusted, but I didn't have the time to mess with them. It was workable.
+Assuming of course my hunch earlier was wrong and there wasn't a reinforcement unit in the locker rooms.
-The next three shots landed. Two hit one of the SWAT officiers carrying a shotgun taking them down and out. The third hit another officer's armoured vest, knocking them back a step.
+A bullet flew past me from the wrong direction.
-Unfortunately for me, my next few shots missed entirely, as the officers started to target me. I wasn't sure how the lifeguard did it, but she was merely standing atop her tower completely unscathed. The bullets were simply moving around her.
+Jinx.
-Of course, luck was never on my side. I hadn't been hit yet, but I felt a few bullets fly uncomfortably close. I was definitely going to take some lead, as there wasn't any cover to hide in. It was unavoidable, but as long as I was still breathing in the end it probably didn't much matter.
+I turned my attention to the new front featuring rifles poking out from said locker rooms. It left my back exposed to Wave One, but I figured a magic lifeguard could hail them in suppressive fire. After all, these three pieces WERE in a line.
-Bullet wounds weren't the worst thing that could happen.
+Which apparently meant nothing to these fucks because a bullet flew clean through my shin and the rest of my leg shattered beneath my weight.
-I didn't really have time to let my thoughts wonder, though. The sound of gunfire was making the cavernous pool room a nightmare for my poor ears. Every time I pulled the trigger, no matter how good my aim was, my unprotected ears were ringing even harder.
+I oh-so-gloriously headbutted textured concrete at full force and my consciousness left with my leg.
-Squeezing off more rounds, I only hit armoured vests or open air. It was as if the bullet was deflected mid-flight, a feat aparantly not reserved exclusively by the lifegaurd. This enemy was unlike anything I'd ever faced before.
+Unlike my leg, however, it came back and my head felt split in two.
-I released the magazine after the last bullet was chambered, quickly replacing it with the one sticking out of my top. I squeezed several more rounds off, finally striking another officer. That made a total of four down and eight remaining.
+I looked around for my new toy but no dice. Probably fell in the pool.
-And that assumed my hunch earlier was wrong and there wasn't another unit making its way through the locker rooms. A bullet flew past me from the wrong direction. I glanced over and saw a few more officers poking their rifles out from the locker rooms.
+Never before had anything gone so wrong, let alone so close to home.
-Of course, I had to jynx it just by thinking.
+I felt in the remainder of my bones that this would be the last scene I'd ever see. I looked over at the shallow pools where we had JUST been having the time of our lives.
-I turned my attention to the new front. It left my back exposed to the previous threat, but I figured the lifeguard had them under suppressing fire, so it shouldn't be a terribly big issue, especially if I put myself directly between the two groups.
+Then the reliefs on the wall started glowing. The more I took them in, the more they were speaking to me. In my minds eye, I saw each of them as Legendary weapons. The one that really stuck out was, obviously, the sword.
-Alas, my figuring was wrong: both groups were perfectly fine with potentially hitting eachother. A bullet hit me, flying clean through my leg below the knee. I toppled to the ground as the splintering bone shattered beneath my weight.
+The sword was a beautiful thing, unmistakably divine in origin. Only one sword like it in existence... two if you count Excalibur but this was the other one. *This* was Caliburn, better known as the Sword in the Stone. Ironic, since it was in a pool, and the sword that comes out of the water was *not* Caliburn.
-I momentarily lost consciousness as my head bounced against the textured concrete floor. When I came to, my head felt like it had cracked. Which is to say, it was an almost blinding pain.
+It was all crystal clear. An Arthurian tale unfolded before my eyes.
-Looking around for my weapon, I found myelf at a loss. It had probably fallen in the pool. Never once had any effort gone this wrong for me. Especially not so close to where I lived.
+Altria, Arthur? How did I miss that? And that ``Merlin'' wasn't a swear: she was literally calling the lifeguard's name.
-I looked around, feeling in my bones, or at least what was left of them, that it would be the last scene I'd ever see. I looked over at the shallow pools where my kids and I had just been having the time of our lives just minutes earlier.
+That meant these cops worked for Morgan le Fae, which meant they weren't even bound by the law of the land. Fucking brilliant.
-The reliefs on the wall really stuck out. They appeared to be glowing. The more I took them in, the more they were speaking to me. In my minds eye, I saw each of them. Legendary weapons in their own rights, but the one that really stuck out was the sword.
+At least Caliburn floated before me. It looked so real I had to reach for it, despite the massive hallucinations I should be feeling from having my leg shot off.
-The sword was a beautiful thing. Unmistakably divine in origin. Only one sword like it in existence. It was Caliburn, better known as the Sword in the Stone. It all became immediately crystal clear. An arthurian tale unfolding before my eyes.
+And because nothing else in my day went as planned, the sword was real. As in, I wrapped my hand around it and felt *resistance* and *weight*.
-Altria was simply a variant of the name Arthur. And the young girl had said the lifeguard's name, Merlin. That meant that the forces that were responsible for shattering my leg were none other than those of Morgan le Fae.
+I had torn a sword out of the fabric of the universe. A legendary sword. \emph{The} Legendary Sword. No not *that* Legendary Sword, the other one.
-And I was looking directly at Caliburn the legendary sword. It looked so real that I decided to reach for it. What I didn't expect was to feel it. It had an actual weight to it I couldn't quite bring myself to expect, but the moment it was in my grasp, my entire body felt weightless. All of my pain faded instantly and I felt an immense power at my fingertips.
+The world returned to me. Okay, logically I knew it to be the other way around, but you try telling that to a girl who just got her leg back by sheer fucking magic.
-I had torn a sword out of the fabric of the universe. A legendary sword. \emph{The} Legendary Sword.
+And apparently something unlocked in my brain. Wasn't sure what it was, but it did and I was not about to besmirch it.
-The world materialized around me. I was standing right where I had been laying a moment before. My leg, no longer shattered, was holding my weight, even as I felt weightless. My head felt funny though, like I had more there than I used to. Something had apparently unlocked in the soft fleshy folds of my brain.
+I pointed my index finger and exhaled. Lightning leapt from my fingertip, and apparently that spell was Chain Lightning because it hit all of them and all of them fell.
-Pointing my index finger at the officers in the locker rooms, I unleased some of that unlocked power toward them. Lightning shot from my fingertip to the first officer in the lineup, then chained from one officer to the next until there were none left in the chain. They had fallen flat on their faces, not a one even conscious. Most were probably dead.
+Adds dead, now back to the boss.
-I turned my attention to those that had initially threatened the safety of my children. The fear in the eyes of the suit struck me as funny. He had moved to the back of the group earlier during the fire fight. Now he was running, unable to contain the horror he felt in his soul.
+Turns out, once you have magic, suit-wearing leader-folk start hiding behind their meatshields. For once, this wasn't me mouthing off about cops. I literally saw these guys shoot into their own ranks. Lost a leg because of it, in fact.
-The officers tried to stop me as I moved, nearly lightning fast, to pursue the suit. Their attempts rang futile as I raised my palm toward them and unleashed a torrent of fire. I pitied them for just a moment as I watched their clothes melt to their skin.
+I moved, and by the time the officers realised I was in motion I was past them. I decided to congratulate their effort by roasting them alive with fire from my palms.
-Conflict was messy. It was awful. It was almost always evil. Right now though? For the first time in my life, it was righteous. Maybe it was even justified. They'd tried to kill an innocent little girl. They'd put my family at risk.
+Today I learned that conflict had the potential of actually being righteous. In an almost-Biblical sense. I tried not to think about that too hard. All I needed to know was these guys tried to kill children, two of whom were mine.
-And ya know what, to top it all off, they fucked up a perfectly good day at the pool with my kids.
+I leapt through the emergency now-not-death doors and breathed in fresh air for the first time in an eternity. I quite preferred the smell of grass to chlorine.
-Fuck 'em. They could burn to hell.
+I did not, however, let that distract me. One of Morgan's was still out, and I wasn't about to let him escape. My children had JUST gotten a new friend, damnit!
-Once I stepped over the pile of burning SWAT officers and through the threshold of the emergency exit, I took a breath of fresh air to clense my lungs of the chlorine, sweat, gun powder, and blood. The air tasted of an almost idylic fresh-cut sweet grass.
+My eyes darted around a moment and locked onto him trying to unlock a car. Apparently Morgan le Fey did not know about this cool thing called biochemistry.
-But that didn't distract me from my mission. I couldn't let an agent of Morgan le Fae escape, lest my children's only friend be hunted further. I couldn't let that happen, she was such a sweet little girl.
+I did.
-Looking around, I found the suit to be off in the distance. He was trying desperately to unlock a car, his hands too shakey to properly insert the key. I was on him in a second.
+I closed the distance in a second, speaking with a fuller voice than I should have had. ``I am Elaine, Protector of The Sword and mother of two. Fear my wrath.'' I plunged the sword into his chest, *then* admired just how cool that just was.
-``I am Elaine, Protector of The Sword and mother of two.'' My voice had more depth to it than it should have, but I didn't care, it sounded cool as hell. ``Fear my wrath.'' I plunged the sword into his chest.
+Next up, did I still have children?
-My next priority was checking on the kids. Once I got back inside the pool room, I sighed a huge sigh of relief when I saw that the outer wall of the restroom was free of bullet holes. My tactical sense prevailed again.
+I rushed in, sweat and chlorine assaulting me again but that was unimportant. I glanced at the bathroom doors and saw a very pleasant absence of bullet holes.
I knocked on the door. ``Elin, Aeren, its mom, you can open up.''
-The door unlocked, Altria walking out calmly. ``They're in there asleep. I figured it would be better if they didn't have to remember all the guns going off.''
+The door unlocked and out walked the only one of the three that wasn't mine. ``They're asleep. I figured, 'twould be for the best that they remember naught of these guns.''
-``And its better that you do?'' I asked her.
+``And its better that you do?''
-``I'm used to this by now,'' she said, her voice unsteady.
+Her voice lost its usual stability. ``I'm... used to this.''
-I wrapped her in a hug that even my boys would be jealous of. ``Its okay to cry sweety. Its unhealthy to keep all those emotions inside.''
+I wrapped her in a hug that even my boys would be jealous of. ``Its okay to cry, sweetie. It's unhealthy to keep all those emotions inside.''
``You sound like Merlin.''
``Maybe Merlin is just as smart as I am.''
-She deadpanned, ``I don't think you're very smart.''
+She took the time to fidget with a half-smiling smirk until she apparently found it just right for a deadpan. ``I think thou art not so smart as thou claimest.''
I laughed. ``Yeah, I did make a lot of stupid decisions in a very short period of time.''
-``I'll wake up Elin and Aerin now.''
+``I shall thine children forthright-'' The girl grumbled something unintelligible and groaned. ``I'll wake them up.''
-``No, that's okay.'' I said, securing Caliburn to my side and entering the restroom. My boys were sleeping soundly huddled together in the corner.
+``No, that's okay.'' I said, securing Caliburn to my bikini strap and proving her earlier quip right. I found my boys were huddled together in sound sleep. The peace brought me a smile and tears spilled from me when I picked them up, one child per shoudler.
-I smiled seeing them so peaceful after such a horrible ordeal.
+Their heartbeats against mine? Priceless.
-Tears spilled from my eyes as I picked them up, laying each of their heads on my shoulders. I could feel their heartbeats against my chest. I sobbed as feelings of love and relief overwhelmed me.
+Exiting the bathroom, I passed between the pools. The water bore a sanguine stain from, well, the corpses I had helped make.
-Exiting the bathroom, I passed between the smaller pools and the larger pool. The water was stained a deep crimson, blood was still making its way to the pools from the corpses littered around the room. I was greatful that I had survived, my near defeat still fresh in my mind.
+I'd save the mourning for after I was done being greatful. Given that I by all rights was done for, this would be an awfully long time.
-I stepped over the corpses, no longer burning, in the emergency exit and out to the fresh air. The grass covered hill behind the pool looking as if the grousome battle hadn't just taken place. The grass waved under a gentle breeze.
+I stepped over the vaguely-human-shaped cakes of carbon through the not-quite-an-emergency-now-but-it-still-counts exit and out to the fresh air. The grass on hill still looked like a warzone but it waved very gently and happily in the wind.
-Reaching the other side of the hill to obscure the pool from sight, I gently laid my sons down in the grass. Their breathing was steady and calm. I calmly surveyed the area, ensuring we were entirely safe before laying down next to my children.
+Reaching the other side of the hill to get away from it all, I gently laid my sons down in the grass, their breathing steady and calm. I calmly surveyed the area to ensure total safety before taking my own rest next to them.
-Altria and Merlin laid down near us. Merlin was holding the small Altria tightly in her arms. They were both silent, but I could see the tears streaming down their faces.
+We were soon joined by Altria and a Merlin who I just now realised was significantly different from the Merlin of popular legend. The two were silent when they laid down next to us, but their tears weren't.
-Eventually, we were all crying, my boys having woken up and cuddled into me.
+Everyone needed a good long cry that night.
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2.32.1 (Apple Git-133)