Chapter 4: Chapter 0004 – Crunch goes the Burger

While Dr. Ito and her security detail busied themselves with chasing a ghost, Ravela vanished into the metropolis.

 

After two hours of walking and switching the rings she wore from old Asian to the old African gentleman, Ravela reached a central railway station. An impressive building in Ravela’s eyes. Although not aesthetically after her own heart she could not deny the enormous girth of this hub. She certainly had never seen a station of this size. It looked more like an airport.

 

Considering the size, Ravela assumed she was currently in the capital of one major world power or at least a massive hub of civilization and trade. Ravela entered through one of the many entrances. Bright lights and a sea of people flowed into and out of the station.

 

She watched in awe as people went about their life. So long had her isolation lasted that the people around her felt more surreal than any of the realms she visited.

 

Ravela just drifted with the crowd. Ravela hoped that this would work in her favor. Checking the state of technology inside the railway station.

 

Through watching food stands and newspaper kiosks, Ravela learned the numbers of this society and the value of the money on her…well everywhere.

She learned several things about this world just by wandering and looking through the train station. Looking at a newspaper the front page was dominated by a photo of two statesmen shaking hands.

 

Ravela went a bit further into detail searching for a number coding that would represent the current date. Under the name of the newspaper right beneath two thin lines sat a format that Ravela judged to correspond with a date-like display of numbers: 21.03.4648.

 

Ravela got lucky getting a date where it seemed to be evident which number was a day and which was a month. Well, at least Ravela sincerely hoped this assumption did work here. 

 

Ravela took stock of her current situation. First, she had a boatload of money right now. Second, the Fast Food in this world looked divine and the people making it didn’t give the impression of running a low-grade fever and hating their job. Ravela backtracked on this thought.

 

How could anyone do any planning on an empty stomach? Ravela decided it was an impossible task under these circumstances and thus began her hunt for sustenance.

 

After all, she had been robbed of a divine breakfast and then some. While the suit curbed her need it didn’t just delete the feeling of hunger she already had when she put it on in that horrible desert.

 

The crowd slowly carried her towards one of the smaller restaurants and Ravela got out of the stream to eat her first proper meal in her new homeworld. Entering the clean fast food joint Ravela wondered how she would place her order.

 

Picking up a menu from a racket on a pillar, Ravela compared the menu with the one displayed above the cashiers. A calculation occurred in her head.

 

Everything on the menu was unbelievably cheap. 5 burgers for what in her head amounted to 2 bucks. She frowned at the thought of the amount of money she carried around even more. Ravela considered how this money could be so outrageously valuable. ‘The money she had was fake and she would be booked without ever getting a single bite.’ The thought suddenly crossed her mind.

 

Pulling out one note from her suit pocket Ravela walked toward the counter. Three people manned the registry, and Ravela was a bit torn on which one should be the best candidate to give an outrageous tip.

 

Two women and one man. Considering her current appearance she went with the young man. Placed the paper flier with the menu between her and the employee and pointed toward the young very fit man behind the register Ravelea began by smiling and nodding her head in what she hoped passed as a non-verbal greeting on this planet.

 

Then she began to point her finger to each point on the menu that she wished to order. At first, the cashier looked a bit bewildered and tried to communicate verbally, but he began to ring up the order after picking up on her massive language barrier. 

 

The total came up to 5 “bucks” which, for the amount she would receive seemed, ridiculous. 5 burgers, a beautiful plate of some bite-sized fried bits, a serving of fries, and a huge soda.

 

She took a gamble with the soda of course but she had enough money to test other things if her money was real.

 

Ravela put down the note on the counter and waited. The cashier seemed confused and picked it up. Ravela on the other hand was worried about the reaction. Using the headset he called on, most likely, his manager. A middle-aged man walked out from a back office, took one look at the bill, said something to his employee, and walked away.

 

Ravela smiled and waited. Guessing this flip of the coin might decide her new life's course. 

Her cashier put down the change which Ravela pushed back to him. Tipping is hopefully a thing in this world or else he might misunderstand her old man self. This was precisely the reason why Ravela hadn’t picked the female cashiers.

 

To Ravela’s relief, he pocketed the tip and began to eagerly assemble her order. He looked delighted, no doubt having a high from receiving a tip that could feed a young man for a week.

 

Her soft drink was the first to arrive. It sat there waiting for the rest of the order just like Ravela did. When the rest of her order arrived it looked perfect. Ravela hadn’t expected to receive something even half as appealing as the photos on the menu promised.

 

She picked a table, stashed her suitcase and the tube, and began to eat. As she stared into the blue carbonated liquid Ravela heard a rumbling noise.

 

THUD. CRACK!

 

An impact outside the burger joint thundered as all movement in the shop suddenly seized. Everybody went for cover or stared in shock.

 

Outside five individuals had fallen through the massive station roof. People screamed and ran away from the dust cloud and the big pieces of stone that came down with the five mysterious intruders. Whilst this scene unfolded in front of Ravela three of the roof breakers responsible

for this chaos lost little time and continued duking it out as the cloud slowly dissipated. Two of the five Ravela lost sight of.

 

Ravela put down her cheeseburger, stood up, and slowly walked toward the storefront. The windows had cracked under the show of small stones. 

 

She could see a few injured people brought down by stone shrapnel. Some were sitting, some limping away and others passed out, maybe even dead, on the floor.

 

Ravela put her hand on the door handle. Pushing open the door Ravela made her way through the field of debris. Layering a thin layer of telekinetic protection around herself.

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Walking right up to the first injured person she saw that couldn’t walk. Picking them up with great care and running back to the fast-food joint.

Ravela got every person away from the immediate fight she could make out from her side of things.

 

She had to fight the urge to vomit when she saw a woman who had a badly mangled leg. Ravela had to fight her urges and endured the, for her ears, abnormally loud wails of this woman in agony.

 

Twenty-six people made it back to the store with her help one of the limping people saw what she was doing and began opening the door for her.

 

She wouldn’t count him among the ones she got out since he had made it on his own. But she non the less took note of him.

 

Walking through the field of debris one last time, with the dust finally settling, Ravela saw the fighting trio. One man in a red and golden costume fought off two others who viciously assaulted him.

 

The Pyromaniac, she christened him, stood back timing his shots working in combination with the other man who timed his attacks to jump in, throwing heavy punches, and retreating in time for the next flame beam.

 

Ravela saw that, behind the man getting attacked, two uniformed men lay on the floor cowering behind some big chunk of the roof. The guns in their hands were empty and they looked more than just a bit banged up.

 

Ravela thought about rushing the flamethrowing maniac but her eyes were drawn back to the two police officers desperately cowering in their hiding spot.

 

Ravela timed her rescue to the jump of the guy with the strong punches. With one jump she breached the distances between herself and the police officers who until now hadn’t noticed her jolted in surprise, one nearly jumping out from his cover.

 

Ravela couldn’t communicate intent so she just grabbed both by the belt, threw them effortlessly over her shoulders, and jumped back well out of range of the two madmen assaulting the protector of the two officers.

One of the officers yelled something toward the man in red and gold who suddenly didn’t hesitate to dodge the punches or flames anymore. Ravela was still sailing through the air but the change in the dynamic of the fight was instantaneous.

 

Ravela turned away from the fight upon landing. Her jump was way more precise than she had anticipated. She let down both police officers near the door of the fast-food store. Both standing a bit wobbly but still on their own.

 

The two police officers went into the restaurant and got to work even though they weren’t in good shape, Ravela thought this commendable. They went to the wounded and presumably asked how they could help or who was in charge. Meanwhile, Ravela just stood outside the door and looked back.

 

The tides had turned for the two criminals, both of whom were now in a way more dynamic battle. The strong man, now trying to hold off the man in the golden and red suit. He was shielding the Pyromaniac who seemed to lack the strength to take on his opponent physically.

 

Ravela began to speed up toward the fight. She was determined to intervene. Rounding the fight she got behind the Pyromaniac who was focused on the threat held at bay by his accomplice. Ravela now could see the flamethrower on his back. The tank was a clunky, ugly, and big thing; she wondered how she had missed it when she first saw the Pyromaniac.

 

While she was musing about it she had reached the man and ripped the tank clean off his back. He jumped in shock, stumbling away from her falling on his butt flabbergasted. Ravela judged the threat sufficiently neutralized and went behind Musclebrain who was getting worn down by ‘The Protector’.

 

Ravela swept his legs with a kick and within the same second the Protector was atop of him raining down punches. Ravela looked back to where the Pyro was before. He had gotten up and was trying to get back to his flamer tank.

 

Ravela jumped over swiftly this time she would punch his lights out. She went easy on him before but couldn’t just punch him full force unless she wanted to see his head explode in a gory mess. But the forces she put in still clearly rocked his jaw.

 

She couldn’t help but think that the Pyromaniac had to possess some physical attributes making him more sturdy or else she would have probably killed him just now. Well, it mattered little if your only superpower was being way more sturdy.

 

Ravela however took note of her need to learn to pull her punches in this world.

 

For the Pyromaniac, it was lights out. She picked up the tank, walked it back to the burger joint, and put it down beside the door. Ravela had done enough, she felt, and the Protector had the situation well under control. 

She went back to her suitcase which unsurprisingly remained untouched. Stealable goods seem to be forgotten about when superpowered people broke through the roof. Well, at least this time.

 

Her food was still there. She took one sip. It tasted great. The comfort of industrial carbonated sugar soup made the entirely surreal dimension-jumping, body-switching, and demon-fighting ordeal seem like a distant past.

The next sip made it officially her favorite beverage. It was just sugar soup with bubbles, it somehow tasted better than the soft drinks Ravela remembered. Ravela began to eat her burgers fast. The situation inside the shop was chaotic; nobody paid attention.

 

A man had taken charge of taking care of the injured. The two police officers were helping as were most of the other guests and employees.

Ravela’s eyes were darting around the room thinking of a good escape route. She was working herself through the fries and burgers at a hasty pace. But still, it wasn’t fast enough.

 

The fight outside had ended. Police had arrived in force and taken the criminals, who were defeated before their arrival, away.

 

Ravela realized she would be asked questions she could neither understand nor answer and deduced that it was time to take her stuff and get out of there before they got a fix on her location.

Emergency workers flooded into the store rushing out injured people. Outside ‘The Protector’ was arguing with some higher officer before dismissing their complaints with a handwave and turning to the store.

 

Their eyes met. He couldn’t interrupt the work of the medical personnel rushing in and out of the store. Thankfully the police officials weren’t quite finished with him. While they laid into him, Ravela used this short distraction.

 

Ravela grabbed her things and quietly walked to the emergency exit that was still open from other customers fleeing the scene. Nobody inside took notice of her escape; they were busy with the injured, relieved by the superhuman confrontation coming to an end, or just simply too much inside their heads. The Protector too lost sight of her once she went deeper into the store. Another lucky break for Ravela.

 

Like that Ravela made it to one of the trains taking her out of the city.

After all, what ticket inspector would bet another eye and a businessman willing to throw them 100 bucks to be left alone?

 

Nobody, that’s who.

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