| Robin and Amon are on a Hunt in some kind of warehouse. Robin notices a big Ogham circle on the wall, and she touches it like a GIGANTIC MORON, lighting up a set of circles under her feet. She figures out that two covens encircle her, and a rifle takes sight on her head. A priest is ranting about people inheriting these forbidden powers. Robin sees the rune in the circle changing, and she has weird freaky hallucinations about herself floating upside down, and Amon leveling a gun at her head. She can only sit there and watch, and then Amon's voice in her headset asks her what's wrong, breaking the trance. She's been seeing things, and is kneeling in the center of the circle. She heads off to obey Amon's directions, followed by the gun crosshairs. She finds yet ANOTHER circle, and dodges a bullet, and lashes out with flame in the direction of the sniper. She finds weird spent shells at the site where the sniper had been - and is standing in yet another ogham circle. Afterwards, Amon dresses her down; he had to cover her ass for "lying" about the sniper. He claims her didn't hear any gun. He leaves, and Robin is confused. That night, she finds Michael at the well, and yet again exploits his crush on her to have him identify the weird spent shell without telling Amon. That poor, poor boy. He doesn't stand a chance. Amon's driving home, and as he does, he opens a window and drops a fistful of the spent shells onto the highway, disposing of the evidence. Robin goes home and takes a bath; she has a bruise on her wrist where a bullet had hit her (they seem to be plastic or blunt-nosed?) She remembers Amon calling her a liar, and then him holding a gun to her head. She stands on the balcony in a slip afterwards, and Amon is WATCHING HER FROM ANOTHER BALCONY, THAT'S KINDA CREEPY. Michael discovers that Robin found a type of bullet that was banned from use over five years ago, and wonders why the hell she has it. He shows it to Karasuma, who is the only person other than Amon who was working back then. Doujima couldn't find any information about the "Witch who shot at Robin," and everyone wonders if he's imaginary. Karasuma tries to scry any emotions on the bullet, and Michael isn't surprised that she can't get anything; it's a Witch-Hunting bullet with runes carved into it. Everyone is worried and decides to keep this hidden from Amon as Robin wanted. Robin seems rather nervous and subdued around Amon on their next Hunt. Amon drops Robin off at a convenience store and drives off (the combini is near her apartment). Karasuma and Haruto are also out, investigating. They decide to head to Robin's place; Amon didn't even brief them on the failed Hunt, which is suspicious. Robin walks to her apartment building with her groceries, picks up the mail, and heads to her apartment. She has an airmail letter, and she wonders at it. The door is unlocked, which means Touko's home. The apartment is dark, and Touko's shoes are at the front, so Robin sets down her mail and groceries and walks farther in. She hits the lights and sees Touko bound and gagged in the middle of the room, kneeling in an Ogham circle which she calls "Rag's barrier." Karasuma and Haruto run upstairs into Robin's building. Robin clicks off the lights and falls to her knees as bullets hit all around her; she tries to burn Touko free but the barrier prevents her powers. Touko is repeatedly shot, and even Robin's flames can't stop the bullets. But before she can be shot, Haruto and Karasuma step in with Orbo bullets to protect her. Touko's fallen body has smudged the Ogham circle, so now Robin can use her flames. Robin's pissed and lashes out at the snipers with her flames, running after them. Haruto finds more of those Witch-Hunting bullets on the balcony. Robin runs downstairs and bumps into Amon, who coldly tells her not to move. Right about then everything catches up to Robin and she faints. The STN-J members agree to let Robin stay in the office; Karasuma and Haruto go to the hospital with Touko (who's alive), and Amon says that he's leaving now. Robin's still kind of dazed from the events of the night. Zaizen has shooed the police away from the event, but is asking (someone) what the hell is going on. The STN-J is suspicious about the timing between the Inquisitor's visit and the attack on Robin. They mention the little fact that, oh, 8 months ago, Amon Hunted his old partner Kate, and loudly discuss the possibility that Amon would Hunt Robin while Robin's still in the room. Good one, you geniuses. Zaizen's kicking the shit out of Amon; apparently if Amon had obeyed orders, Touko wouldn't have been injured. Kind of suspicious all around, huh? Robin is on the couch in the STN-J office, but she can't sleep. "Three hundred and twenty years have passed since the coven sank in the dark. Visit by the black robed. Attacks and...a farewell. I descend alone into the darkness with the unseen truth." [previous] [next] |