We could be Heroes - The most unorganized group of superheroes to ever exist

Scene 1 - Starbucks

Begins on page 11 of thread-

Gage dove off the building and let himself fall, fall, fall. His wings shot out. Straining to keep them open as he neared the pavement, the taxi's horn blared. Brakes squealed. At the last second, he bounced off the hood and arked up, a thrill in his chest. "Ha ha! That's for making me fly in the drenching rain last Tuesday!" He shouted. The driver rolled down the window and threw his flurry of curses. And a few new ones, at that. But Gage didn't have time to smart him right now. He had a meeting to be at. Up and away from the slurs, the wingman scanned the streets. He was late, as usual, but he thought he noticed a familiar figure on the sidewalk outside the Starbucks coffeehouse. He swooped down again, this time landing lightly. His flip-flops popped as he hurried to toward them, "Hey, wait up!" He called, holding one hand in the air.

Jenna waited at one of the tables in Starbucks for everyone to come. She got there early, but was regretting her decision. Humming an inaudible tune, she causally fingered the cup. A peppermint mocha, she thought to herself Just how I like it.

Misty walked into Starbucks. Hmm, when is everyone going to get here? She thinks to herself, looking around she spots Jenna sipping from her coffee mug, "Oh, cool." She says. She walks over to Jenna's table and sits across from her, smiling.

Aero drove to the front of a Starbucks in his "new" beat-up truck. It hadn't been very long ago since he'd gotten his drivers license, so of course his parking was not elegant, and neither was he good at avoiding an oncoming car. "Watch where you're going, buddy!" As Aero's truck came to a stop, he heard the angry words being shouted at him. "Sorry." He muttered, glancing at the angry person driving past him and his poorly parked vehicle. He hopped out of his truck, stretching his wings and almost hitting a pedestrian. Then headed towards the entrance of Starbucks after locking his truck's doors. Aero stood in line to order, and as he waited he glanced around the room absent-mindedly. Then it came to be his turn to order. He cleared his throat, "Yeah, hi, I'll have a salted caramel mocha." He said politely, and after a moment he took his order and sat on a stool at an empty table.

Gage followed the person who could only be Rex, into the coffeehouse. He shoved his hand into his pocket when he realized Rex wasn't going to respond to his greeting.

Rex stomped into Starbucks, and up in line. "Can I get a plain black coffee? Thanks." He looked around until he spotted the others and sat down.

The poor little barista all but turned pale when the brute walked up. A new employee, Gage noticed. She nodded fretfully at his demand. Gage strode up to the counter, laid one arm down, and flashed a smile. "Hey, uh... he's with me." He said, jerking a thumb to the wyvern-man who had already sat down. She blinked at him, not totally grasping what he meant. "Just write 'lord darkness' on both our cups." "Oh... thanks. First day on the job," she facepalmed and rolled her eyes in the most adorable way possible. Gage cracked a sideways grin. "Yeah. Just gimme one of those salted caramel mocas." He rapped the counter top, winked, and spun around to look for everyone.

Nutmeg walked into the Starbucks. Her saddle bags across her back smelling delicious. “Hey guys!” She smiled trying to sit down. As several people looked up from their drink to look at the centaur. She smiled trying to hide her annoyance.

Jenna looked up and waved. "Hey Misty," she said smiling, right as Rex plopped down next to Jenna. "Hello Nutmeg," Jenna added.

"Don't pay attention to them, Nutmeg." Misty says "In fact..." Misty pulls down her hood and fixes her hair, then pulls out her tail from the back of her hoodie. "That's better," she says. "So whats up?"

"Who are we waiting for?" Rex said in a bored voice. "Refresh my memory, who else is there?" He asked.

"I think I saw Gage outside. I should go yell at him to come in" Misty growled.

Gage noticed Nutmeg first, of course. Poor girl has to stand every time. They really should make bigger booths. It wasn't like centaurs didn't like coffee. He smelled something sweet. And chuckled to himself. Her mother must have been psychic, giving her a perfect name like that. "Hey!" He said, dragging a chair over and turning it backwards to cross his arms over the back. At least he could kind of use chairs.

Crow slipped into Starbucks, but he didn't get anything. He didn't feel like eating right now. He slumped down at the table and glanced at Gage.

"Oh hey Gage," Misty said, rolling her eyes. She stood up "I'm going to order I"ll be right back."

Gage sighed when Misty got up, just as he sat down. This operation was off to a rocky start. "So... I helped the trash guys out yesterday. Dumb dog was after him again. Nutmeg? Did you get that guy on 3rd street a hot meal?"

Misty walked over to the counter to order and she calmly asked, "May I have a hot chai tea latte?"

The little barista was flustered. The wolf-eared girl just stood there and stared at her when she took the order. Right in the middle of another order. You're supposed to wait your turn, then you get your name called and you get your order, right? Or not? Ugh.

After paying and waiting patiently by the counter Misty grabbed her mug and walked back over and sat down.

Once Aero noticed the group, he facepalmed. "Ah man, I forgot again, didn't I? At least I'm at the right place at the right time..." He said with a sigh.

The barista called out, "Lord darkness?" when she finished the wingman's and dragonbeast's orders.

Misty sips her tea and looks around with blank eyes, suddenly she spots Aero sitting by himself. "Oh come on!" she exclaims, she carefully puts her tea down stands up and stomps over to Aero. "Come on man, don't be emo!"

"What? I'm not emo!" Aero responded with obvious confusion and franticness.

Misty grabs him by the hem of his shirt and drags him over to the table. "Sit," she commands, "but let me get to my tea first." She walks in the booth and sips her tea again.

Gage smacked Aero's bat wing with his feathery one, "Hey, don't be sore. No one wants to do this by themselves-"

“Yeah! He was so happy oh wait!” The centaur tussled in her saddle bags pulling out a bag of brownies, still warm. “I made them on the way here there's enough for everyone.” She smiled as she got up to order a hot chocolate, 3 drops of vanilla extract, 2 of peppermint.

"OH thank you Nutmeg!" Misty with no hesitation grabs a brownie and bites into it "Mmmm," she mumbles "wow the peppermint really makes it wonderful!" she compliments.

Gage held a finger up, and backed out of his chair. "Thanks," he said to the barista, digging a $20 bill out of his pocket. Along with three gum wrappers. "Oops." He said, bending down to pick them up and toss them in the trash. Then he reached for his change. "Thank-" she stopped him, "You're like, the first one I've seen pick up after themselves," she said, "thank you." He blinked, glanced down and blushed. "You're welcome." He whispered, stuffing the money in his pocket and grabbing the two cups labeled lord darkness.

Calynn stepped up to the barista, she smiled in her shy-awkward way but didn't look her in the eye, "One iced green tea, please." she gave the barista her name and then turned to look for the others. Easily spotted was Nutmeg, so Calynn walked over to the table and sat down and waited for her tea.

Gage handed Rex his black coffee and sat down on the chair backwards again, "How bout you, tough guy? Did you get that tree off of Mrs. Rose's house?" He said, mumbling something under his breath about stupid city workers and the words 'fiscally responsible'. To compensate for his frustration, he stuffed his nose in the whipped topping.

Rex grabbed his drink, and nodded a quick thanks to Gage. "I got that tree off the lady's house, like you asked. That's almost everybody, right?" He asked.

"Quit acting so impatient, Rex." Jenna responded, "When they get here, they get here."

Rex glared down at his drink, and causally took a sip.

Finley jumped to extreme heights as he headed towards Starbucks, glancing at his phone occasionally to make sure he was heading in the right direction. Along the way, he almost crashed into quite a few unexpecting pedestrians, and actually did fall into one or two mud puddles. Finally when nearing Starbucks, he sprinted the rest of the way down the street and through the entrance of the shop. He halted in the middle of Starbucks, brushing any bits of mud that was on his face. "Next time my car breaks down- I'm bringing it to the junk yard." He grumbled. He turned off his wireless earbud that was playing music and walked up to the counter, "Just a plain coffee will be all. Ye can write 'Fin' on the cup." He said, his Irish accent quite obvious. After, he spotted everybody and walked over to their table, pulling a chair over with him. "Hey there, cupcakes."

Just as Gage pulled his nose out of his cup, Finely clattered in. "Well, hello yourself, other cupcake. Car break down again?" He said, selecting one of Nutmeg's brownies.

Crow snorted. "Cupcakes?" He asked, trying not to laugh. "I'm not a pastry."

Misty gives Finley a low growl and flattens her ears. "Don't call me that, Finley," she then sips her tea like she didn't threaten nobody.

"If you call me cupcake one more time..." Rex said, leaving the rest to everyone's imagination.

Crow glanced at Rex and Misty, surprised at their reactions. He had just been teasing Finley, being called cupcake was fine with him. He shrugged and wondered if Misty had fangs, being a half-wolf and all.

“Eh, sugar,” Nutmeg winked at him as she heard her name called. The friendly barista turned sour, “Sweetheart you ordered a short, you need a Trenta to wake you up honey.” Nutmeg just smiled as she went to sit down again, staring at her drink

"Hi guys! Sorry I'm late!" Mikki called out as she skidded through the front door. Panting, she pulled over a chair and slid into it. "Did I miss anything? Actually, don't answer that yet, I need to order." After ordering a strawberry banana smoothie, she plunked down into her chair. "So, did I miss anything?" Noticing the dour faces, she joked, "Did Fin call you guys 'cupcakes' again?"

Marcus slowed Tuco to a walk as they neared the Starbucks. "Busy this morning," he murmured. Tuco snorted in disgust as another person walked through the door. "Yeah, I know, more people equals long line which means you actually have to stand in one place. You poor baby." Marcus reached towards Tuco's silver headstall and pulled a piece of stray hair back into place. "And no, we are not going the drive-through after last week's incident with that poor barista," he scolded. He swung down from the saddle, his long legs moving in an almost routine-like manner. He tied Tuco loosely to the bike rack and warned him not to do anything stupid or let someone steal his fancy headgear, then walked inside. "Oh wow," he breathed. "That's a heck of a lot of people- or.... Humanoid beings....?"

Calynn got up and retrieved her tea. Then went back to the table and sat down.

"I'm gonna take that as a yes," Mikki said as she stood up to retrieve her order. Taking a big sip, she relaxed back in her chair. Strawberry banana smoothies always make me feel better.

Other than Crow, everybody didn't really seem to be pleased with being called a 'cupcake'. Finley cracked a smile. They were all good kids, but somehow Fin always hit a nerve by calling them the hilarious nickname. "Ye would think they'd be used to being called 'cupcake' by now..." He said to Mikki finally, fidgeting in his chair as he waited for his name to be called.

"Yeah... when will they learn?" Mikki replied, shaking her head mockingly, struggling to remain serious. The cupcake nickname always cracked her up. "But seriously, why are we here?"

Gage turned to Mikki. "Well, it's only cupcake number three, we are just checking up on each other's dastardly deeds of the week. Then we'll try and find new ones." He cocked his head, "so how did your railway job go? Did you, uh..." He stuffed his nose in the wipped topping again, "did you get the thing to the other... thing?"

"Only I can call people cupcakes. And yes, third time this week," Finley complained, though teasing Gage about the "cupcake" thing. He then scanned the shop impatiently, "How long does it take to brew a coffee?" Though just a moment after, he heard his name being called. "Ah, that must my coffee now." He said, jumping from his chair and walking over to the barista that called his name. "Thanks." He said simply before trotting back over to their table and sipping his coffee.

Gage crossed his arms, "You keep doing that and you're likely to break something." He said, noticing how the barista nearly fell over when Finley had run in.

"Sorry, it's a habit." Finley said with a chuckle, and shrugged.

***

The room was dark and quiet. Then suddenly the alarm rings on his nightstand. Zen practically leaped out of bed and landed in a heap on the floor. What is today? Something is going to happen today. He thought as he threw on his plaid shirt and combed his hair quickly with his fingers. Zen ran downstairs careful to slow down around the corners. Just as he started brewing a cup of hot coffee he got a text message saying that he must meet at the cafe...... but it didn't say who it was.

Victoria slowed her bright red Dodge pickup and maneuvered it into a parking space. She reluctantly shut off the radio and hopped out of the truck. She glanced up casually and took in the busy store front. "Tuco?" she called out curiously. The big gray stallion's head popped up.... And then dropped back down to nibbling his reins when he realized it was just Tor. She rolled her eyes as she pulled open the door. "Marcus, Tuco is eating his bridle again," Tor called, without even really looking for him.

Marcus emerged from the swarm of people waiting at the end of the counter. "Thanks, Tor," he said, giving her a polite nod in greeting. "I ordered your girly-man froo-froo drink for you. Carmel frap, right?"

Tor grinned her big Cheshire-cat grin up at him and her eyes sparkled. "Thanks a ton, man," she replied. "Under my name?"

"Yep. They haven't started it yet - for obvious reasons..."

Tor nodded. "I have a lead in the pickup. You can borrow it."

"Thanks," Marcus said. He smiled and nodded at her, then turned and strode out the door, his boots clicking on the floor.

"Carmel frappuchino for... Tor!"

Zen couldn't drive just yet, so he decided to run to Starbucks. He got there in less then ten minutes, and walked in breathing normally. "Hey guys!" Zen walked over to the table and straddled a chair, "Is everybody here?"

Tor turned around, wielding her frappuchino.... Which was already half-gone. "I'm actually early today!" she exclaimed jokingly. "And if I'M on time, y'all had better be here."

"So," Zen tried to think of something to talk about while almost everybody was seated around the table, "uh, is Crow here yet?"

Crow looked up. "Ya, I'm here," he said, then plucked a feather off his shirt. "You're the fast one, right?"

"Yeah dude, I am the speedy one!" Zen said, "You're the crowman right? Nice to meet you." Zen reached over to shake his hand. "I think we'll get along just fine."

Crow shook his hand, "Yup, I guess you could call me that," he said, fingering the hem of his jacket. "So, exactly how many miles per hour can you go?"

"Well I don't exactly know," Zen said thoughtfully, "But, I can complete 13 miles in 30 seconds." He got up to order a coffee.

Crow's eyes widened. Thirteen miles... In thirty seconds? He leaned back in his chair. That would mean he can go... 1560 miles an hour. Woah.

Zen came to sit back down, now holding a cup of steamy hot coffee, he took a sip- "OW! that's hot!" He nearly spit it out on the table. Zen hoped that Crow didn't notice. "Ahem, so uh, Crow, you like to fly?"

Crow smirked as Zen almost spit out his coffee. "Ya, it's quite fun. Not for people who're afraid of heights, though." he said. Suddenly, a random question burst into Crow's head. "Does coffee make you go faster? I mean... it is an energy drink..."

"Dude, I run on caffeine, without it I would completely pass out or might even go into a coma........." Zen sighed, "Sometimes I wish I could be just a normal person, don't get me wrong though! But as I get older my speed will increase, I just might end up running in the speed of light and that would be awkward."

Crow laughed, "Really?" he asked, "How do you know you'll get faster?"

"Ah well, Crow, I just heard rumors about my powers one night while my mother and father were talking in the living room. Zen got up to throw away his empty cup.

Crow said, "Oh. I guess that makes sense."

Zen leaned toward Finley, "Have I seen you somewhere before? You look vaguely familiar."

"Great, so are we all here?" Gage asked loudly, "Dang, I can't hardly keep track of everybody. Maybe I should have some pamphlets made or somethin. Like 'Hi, fill-in-the-blank. Welcome to the mighty crew of misfits'." He wiped the cream foam off his nose. "But seriously, guys I think we have our first real mission. Some guy in downtown wants us to investigate a house. Something about crying at night. The police don't have a warrant, so... I guess its up to us." He set his cup down with a bang, "Who's in?"

"I guess I'm in," Crow said, glancing at Gage's drink, which was full of whipped cream. Maybe I should've got something... But I guess it's too late anyway, he thought to himself.

Finley tapped his fingers rhythmically against the side of his coffee cup and gave a thoughtful sigh. "Seems there's a real crisis to take care of," Finley chugged the rest of his coffee, and cracked a smile. "I'm in."

"I'm in!" Mikki exclaimed, "And yeah, the railway job went pretty well."

"I'm in," Jenna said.

Rex nodded in agreement.

Gage tipped his chin at Zen, "Hey, new guy. You in?"

Zen folded his hands and calmly nodded, "Yes, what is my assignment?"

Misty glares at Gage for a moment "Yeah, I'm in too." she says with monotone in her voice. She takes a sip of her almost gone chai latte and gags "IT'S COLD!" she yells, coughing uncontrollably.

The waitress glanced up, all the blood running out of her face again.

Gage smacked the table, "Alright! Majority rules. We'll head down there tonight. We meet at the train station at 8:00. Then its hammer time." By now, most of the people in the building were either staring at them, or getting up to leave. He snorted and rolled his eyes. Normal people.

Tor watched the whole conversation from across the room, quietly taking in what they were saying. "Guys, we're out of our minds. Am I right?" she said, her blue-gray eyes sparkling as usual - possibly even more than usual because she'd just had so much caffiene.

Aero chuckled and also "wing bumped" Gage's wing. "Cool. Sounds like a good plan to me." He said, sipping his salted caramel mocha and setting it carefully down on the table. He glanced at all the staring people and sighed. I wish people would just mind their own business.

Gage nodded at Tor "Yup! I mean, look at us. Buncha untrained white people sittin here sippin our girly coffee thinking we're going to save the world. Of course we're out of our minds. But I would rather be out of my mind doing the right thing than sitting at home wallowing in my sanity. Wouldn't you?" He blinked, "Gosh. When did I become a speech... ist? Speech-maker...? Ugh. Nevermind."

Tayn hides in the corner behind her backpack and hopes no one in the group recognizes her. She will meet up with them later at the train station and hopefully no one will stare at them there.

Misty notices Tayn hiding in a corner trying to obscure herself with her backpack "Oh boy," she mutters.

"Hey Misty," Zen whispered, "Do you think we should tell everyone she is here?"

"No I don't think we should, you know how she is if we approach her she'll run out of here screaming." Misty replies in a low voice.

Realizing she's been spotted by Misty who had just made Aero join in with the group Tayn gets up and moves slightly closer to the group's table but with her back to them.

Misty sees Tayn walking backwards toward the table "Tayn!" she yells "JUST COME OVER HERE!"

Tayn jumps. Turns around and slowly drags a chair over to sit next to Nutmeg.

Aero jumps and covers his ears. "Woah, man. Bat ears."

Misty snorts and looks into her mug of about an inch of cold tea with rage about it getting cold she freezes the whole mug and shatters it scaring everyone around her. "Oh, right, sorry Aero." Misty says.

It begins hailing outside.

Gage laughed, "We are probably the messiest people in this joint. What with Zen and you. Hang on." He got up and flagged the barista down, "Hey! Can I get a dish rag and some napkins? Um, don't want to ruin my tidiness reputation." He said. She pulled the to-go cup she was filling out from under the foam pump, "Oh! Yeah- I mean no, I'll get it," she moved toward the sink and as she did so, the cup slid out of her hand, splattering on the floor. "No, let me!" He said as she sputtered her frustration, "I insist." He moved behind the counter and moved back toward the kitchen to look for a mop.

Misty gets up, "I guess I'll help too, sorry I shattered the mug." She apologizes. She starts to pick up the shards of the mug.

Finally locating the ancient mop, Gage wet it in the sink and brought it dripping over to where Misty and the barista were picking up what they could. "Mop, mop, mop." He said, slapping the wet thing onto the floor and swiping at the puddle. He clenched his jaw, trying not to laugh at his own joke.

Misty picks up a shard of her mug, then she silently screams as she cuts her finger on the sharp edge. She licks the blood pouring out of the deep cut, and continues to pick up shards gritting her teeth.

Gage had had to go back to the sink and clean the mop three times, but the floor was finally clean. And to top it off, he had found one of those, 'caution, wet floor' things and stuck it on top. Just to be professional. Then he grabbed the rag out of the sink and went to work on table number four. Most of the tea was frozen into a glob, but there were shards to pick up. Also to be professional. "Alright, anyone else want to spill their cup? Now's the time, here's your chance! No? Good." He said, dropping the tea ice-cube into the trash and handing the rag back to the barista. "So! Who's this?" He said, bumping Tayn's shoulder with his wing. "New recruit?"

Tayn dropped her cup of coffee but caught it again before it spilled somehow. "Hi, yes. I'm not sure I'll be much help but... I'll try."

Nutmeg jumped up at the sound of Tayn's voice “I’m so sorry,” she covered her mouth, “I spook easily.” She blushed

"Oh, uh.... my name is Tayn. Sorry, I thought you saw me here."

"Ha! Cool name. I, uh, I'm Gage, and this is Finely. Finely, say hi." He chided.

Finley finished his second cup of coffee while listening to some "Bohemian Rhapsody" on his wireless earbud. After hearing Gage call his name, he quieted his music and turned his head to look over the new recruit. But not without first shooting Gage a nettled look for interrupting his favorite part of the song. "Top of the mornin' to you, cupcake." He said with a slight wave of his hand.

"Nice to meet you." Tayn nodded to Finley and Gage. "So, when you said '8 tonight at the train station' do you mean to imply we are getting on the train? You know trains are dangerous in bad weather."

"And this is Misty, she freezes stuff, oh, and Aero. Awesome flyer. Nice guy. Crow is a shapeshifter- huh? Oh, yeah no. Everybody just knows where that's at, we're going into the residential area once we're all there. Zen here is new, too. He can go like, a bazillion miles an hour. Calynn can animate inanimate stuff. Oh, and here's Jenna. She's nice. Of course you noticed Nutmeg. She makes awesome brownies, uh... and the two cowpokes, Tor and Marcus."

"Hi everybody." Tayn waved shyly at everybody. "I'm glad we will be walking. You never know when a freak snow storm will hit." She said laughing nervously.

"Hey," Crow said. He looked surprised when she said something about a 'freak snow storm'. "Uh, I really doubt it will snow, but I guess it's possible." he shrugged.

"Oh, and Mikki" he said, smacking his forehead. "Sorry, gal, I didn't see you."

***

Walking slowly out from her apartment Farren hid under her umbrella from the sun. Her wings stretched out awkwardly. Strangers moved to the other side of the road. Mothers led their child away while muttering something too quiet for Farren to hear. Her dull eyes showed no emotion whatsoever.

The sound of a trashcan falling over fallowed along with a plead of help caught Farren's attention. In an alleyway a large muscular man pointed a knife at a woman and tried reaching out to grab for her purse. As soon as the man grabbed it he turned away but froze starring down.

Farren stood right in front of the man looking him dead in the eyes. The man towered over her and said in a rough, deep voice, "And what do you think you're going to do, tiny freak?"

With a smirk across his face. "Return the girl's purse," She replied without blinking. All the man did was laughed and shoved Farren away only managing three steps away from her. Looking down with a shocked expression the man gasped as his own shadow reached out for him and began to pull him into the ground

"Now.. " Farren spoke blankly as she turned around to face the man. "I'm going to count to 3. If you don't return that woman's purse by then you will be completely under ground.. One..two..thr-"

"Hey alright, man! Just cut it out!" The man panicked and threw the purse aside. Farren bent over and picked it up and released the pleading man and just like that he took off.

"Here, I believe this is yours?" Farren turned to face the frozen woman stretching her slender arm out towards the lady while holding her purse, As the girl reached out her whole body shook as she grabbed the purse from Farren's grasp and quickly thanked her before hastily taking off.

As Farren watched the lady leave she turned around and began to make her way deeper into town... Perhaps something more interesting would be going on there.. The look of fear on that woman's face stuck to Farren the entire way to town.. Maybe I'm just over thinking it but... She looked so scared of me..

Burying her face deeper into her scarf Farren tried her best to hide her burnt wings from sight by tucking them in before entering an Ihopies. "Just some breadstick.. " She took her order and sat down in a booth alone.. snacking on dem breadsticks. After finishing her tasty breadsticks, Farren got back up, brushed off the crumbs on her face, And exited the building. Just as soon as Farren crossed the road  startled screams of people snapped her out from spacing out and turned to see a large semi truck with it's horn blaring at a child stuck frozen with fear half reaching out for a red ball in the middle of the road. And in the blink of an eye a large spike shot from under the rear end of the truck sending it tumbling right over the child missing him by an inch then crashed on its side while its alarms rang through the town along with the worried voices of those who witnessed the event.

One of them which must have been the mother rushed towards the boy and picked him up and well Farren, she just watched as rain bounced off of her umbrella. The shocked truck driver stumbled out of the crashed semi. More witnesses came to the scene and crowded the boy and driver making sure there were no serious injuries.

*Ends on page 33 (Farren's parts are past there I moved them back because it took place earlier in the day)*

Scene 2 - THE TRAIN STATION

Begins on page 33 of thread-

*Fast forward 5 hours*

Without a thanks Farren went on to walk around the town. As time went by the sun began to set a bit, though plenty of sunlight still lit up the area.. Walking into the less populated areas of the town Farren found herself walking along with the train tracks staring down at her feet.

Gage lighted down on a graffiti-covered train car under the light of a single streetlamp. The sounds of quiet surrounded the place. The distant noise of cars, a bird or two, and the soft moans of metal being pushed by the wind. He rolled over onto his back to watch the stars while he waited. Not many could be seen from down here, but he knew that above the layer of car exhaust and factory smoke, lie a whole new sky. One that made you take a deep breath and hold it in. He wrapped his wings around himself and put his hands behind his head.

Nutmeg's patter of her hooves clicked down the street. A red and white blanket wrapped around her horse half as she carried a steaming tin. Her straddle bags firmly in place as she trotted.

After packing everything she imagined could possibly be needed for a night time job: rope, swiss army knife, flashlight, a heavy sweater and a pair of shorts, Tayn slipped her backpack on and made her way to the train station. Hoping she would be on time.

Gage almost sat up, pulling on the feathers he sat on before stopping himself. He rolled over. The centaur clattered into the train station, and he raised a wing. "Hey, Nutmeg! Over here!"

Crow landed on the streetlamp above Gage, looking down at him. He cawed to get his attention. Then, he flapped his wings and landed on the ground, staring up at Nutmeg. "CAW," he squawked.

The centaur squeaked rearing up, “CROW! You know I scare easily!” She squeaked bringing herself down.

Gage grinned and leapt off the traincar, trying not to land too close to Nutmeg in case she spooked. "Well, CAW yourself." He said to Crow.

Misty walks down the street to the train station, she looks down at her long sword in its sheath "I hope I get to kill something this time around." she mutters.

Crow flapped his wings and took off, trying to spot anyone else who hadn't shown up yet. That looks like a nice trashcan down there... he shook his feathered head. Stop it, Crow! You're not a crow. Well, I guess you are a Crow, but...

Tayn hopped up on to the railway platform from next to the train, she had followed the tracks here. "Hi."

Aero beat his bat wings as he hovered in the air. The night sky was dark and still- quite peaceful. Distant city lights shimmered, and just ahead sat the train station. Right after leaving Starbucks he wrote on his hand about the meeting at the train station so he wouldn't forget. And hey, he might actually be on time! He nosedived through the air, spiraling, and quickly landed on top of the train next to Gage. "Hey."

Gage turned to Nutmeg after the crow flew off. "I checked in with that guy. The address is 23 West Virginia street. He seemed kind of worried about us, though. Apparently this guy that lives in that apartment isn't to be messed with... but we can handle it, right, Aero?" He said as he heard the leathery snap of his wings.

Misty sees Gage, Nutmeg, Tayn and Aero up ahead in the dim light of the street lamp. She runs up to them. "So, do you thing we have to kill anything?" she asks Gage.

Crow flew higher still, then landed on a building. He squinted and spotted Misty walking toward Gage and the others. He scanned the streets, looking for anyone else.

"I'm hoping we don't have to kill anyone or.... anything. But you know sometimes it's necessary. If it's me or them.... Nice sword, how do you keep it from rusting?" Tayn asked.

Normally Gage would have gone on a little spat about murder and how heroes don't do that, but he kept quiet, shoving his hands in his pockets and wrapping his wings around himself with a shiver. He had not repeated everything the man had warned. About his neighbor's criminal record, and hearing more than just crying. A tiny voice inside his head echoed what Tor had said earlier about being crazy, but he shoved it aside. Somebody needed help, and they were going to give it. Wasn't this the whole motive behind this project? To be a hero? Maybe it was a little fantastical at first, but as a chill ran down his spine, he realized how worldly it was becoming.

"So, Nutmeg what do you have that's making your rump steam?" Tayn asked trying not to laugh.

The centaur blushed “It's cookies!” She squeaked, “Hi Gage!” She smiled running over to him. "I made food!” She smiled showing him the tin which had meals for everyone, each with a message.

"Be right back." He said, spreading his wings before springing into the air. He followed the sound of wings to find Aero and Crow on the lookout. "See anyone?" He asked, "Is Finley coming?"

"Oh this?" Misty unsheathes her sword and tilts it so it catches the light. The sword is elegantly crafted and a pale ice blue. "It's made of ice," Misty replies, "that's why it never rusts." She answers flashing a smile brighter then the glimmering sword. "Its name is Svellmalar, which means Icemetal,"

Crow shook his head and cawed. He flew down to where the rest of the group was and landed on the ground.

"OH WOW! That's so cool! Does it stay frozen in the summer?" Tayn suddenly worried that if she was worried she might cause a heat wave and melt the pretty ice sword. A light drizzle started. Tayn was glad it was just rain.

Finley jumped from building top to building top as he approached the train station, seeming as it would make it easier not to crash into unexpecting pedestrians. Music blared in his ear, and he muttered along with the lyrics of the song half-mindedly. Ha, from a distance he might as well look like a tiny flea jumping about.

Akira approached the train station, she hoped she had the right address. She had missed their meeting earlier in the day because of stupid traffic. She pulled her hoodie closer around herself as she walked, keeping out the cold. She saw some people in the distance and assumed that was the group she was going to meet.

"Yeap it's the coldest thing on the planet and only I can use it. It's also hard as diamonds and it can cut through almost anything, watch." Wielding the sword up high Misty whirls around and cuts right through the steel railing that leads into the train station. Misty flicks her ears in delight at the rain. "Yesss," she yips.

"Oh that's good," Tayn breathed a sigh of relief. She slipped her backpack off and rummaged around inside.... How could I have forgotten about rain gear? she thought to herself. What else could she have forgotten?

A tiny goat-flea shadow appeared on the horizon, flicking from one building to the next. "Uh, yeah. I think that's him." Gage said. Then noticed a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye, "Hey, Aki!" He waved, but just as he did so, something fell on his hand. He growled. Rain.

Akira groaned as she got closer. "I wish you would stop attempting to create nicknames for me." She said with a frown as she walked up to the group. She smiled as she looked up at the rain clouds, maybe a little thunder and lightning display would be happening too.

Gage's smile flashed in the night. "Well, gotta keep up with Finely, you know." Rex flew through the air, weaving in between buildings. He got distracted and hoped he wasn't late. Down below, he saw Jenna's car driving in the street. Rex took off even faster. When he arrived, he was surprised to see it was raining. "If I knew it was going to rain I would have brought an umbrella." he said half jokingly.

Jenna ran up to the railroad. "Hey, sorry, I got stuck in a bit of traffic. There was a nasty accident, so I looked at that. No one was hurt, thank goodness." Jenna said.

Misty looks at Gage glaring at the rain she snickers at him. She then sheaths her sword and starts to jump around in the puddles. Purposely splashing Gage she then smiles at him.

Gage flinched at the water, a gritty drop falling on his teeth. His face went completely blank and he stared at her. Like. So done. "Whatever accident it was, it wasn't as bad as the one Misty just made by splashing me." He said.

Crow ruffled his feathers and wondered where this rain had come from. Great.... now I'm going to be a soaked crow, he thought bitterly.

"Try me," Misty tempts smirking at Gage.

Akira rolled her eyes, right, Finley, she had yet to meet him but had heard about him. She flicked her tails at him, shocking Gage as payback for attempting to shorten her name. Since he was wet he got a bigger shock then she had meant.

Gage flinched, "WohOW! THAT'LL GET YOU UP IN THE MORNIN. Okay. Like. Fire just went down my leg like," he spread his fingers and made a whooshing sound as he raked them down his side.

Crow slowly crept away from Akira, he did NOT want to be made into a fried Crow.

Calynn slowly approached the train station and the others, while looking at the ground. Like most things did, this made her nervous, and the small rocks by her feet shook slightly as she stepped past them. She met the people already there and lifted her head to look at them.

Tayn wandered a little ways away from the crowd and breathed slowly trying to settle her thoughts. Forgetting to bring rain gear wasn't a big deal. There's nothing else she had forgotten. Or did she leave the oven on?

Crow finally decided that he didn't want to be a soaked crow, so he slowly transformed back into a human. As he predicted, his clothes were very wet. "Err... does anyone have a spare jacket? Mine's kinda... wet."

Gage squinted at Misty as tiny as his eyes could go. Gage slowly, carefully took his eyes off of Misty and unzipped his jacket. "Here, trade ya, man." He said to Crow.

"OI!" Misty yells as she swipes at Gage, "I can cause much more destruction then you can conceive, Gage." Misty growls flicking her tail and flattening her ears, "You deserved that shock or else I would have froze you." she mutters.

Crow looked at the jacket cautiously for a second then took off his. "Ok, thanks," he said as he pulled on Gage's jacket. It was almost as wet as his.

Tayn shouts over to Crow, "Oh! I do..... but it's pink." She turned around pulling it out of her bag. "And dry. But, I can understand why you wouldn't want it." she said when she realized that he had already traded jackets.

Gage pulled his arm out of the jacket, and unbuttoned the wing-hole, revealing a white t-shirt, "Shocked! Frozen! What next? Fired?"

Misty takes off her hoodie and ties it around her waist "That's better," she says then raises her fists, "you wanna go?" She says to Gage.

"Hey, man. Chicago bulls or blaze pink? Take your pick." Gage mutters to Crow.

Crow glanced at Tayn as if he had just seen her for the first time. "Oh, Gage offered me his jacket before you did." he said apologetically.

"Oops." Gage said.

"That's fine, not a problem. That just means I have a spare. Just incase." Tayn said, unfazed. She stuffed the jacket back into the backpack. She hadn't really packed for the others.

Finley landed near the train station, almost faceplanting and soaking wet, but at least mud-free this time. "Cupcakes!" He shouted at them with his thick Irish accent, his arms spread as if he's about to give someone a bear hug.

Tayn smiled at Finley but backed away just incase he was actually planning to hug someone.

Gage just dropped his jacket and spread his arms, "Other cupcake!" He beamed, and pulled in for a squishy-wet hug, wrapping his wings around the pan, too.

Crow glanced at Misty with a mixture of curiosity and surprise. Does she really want to fight Gage? He thought, noting to never annoy Misty.

Gage glanced up from the hug and stared at Misty for a moment, then shoved his face back into Finley's neck. "No! Someone save me!" He said.

Misty laughs at Gage, "Dude, I'm not going to fight you!" She says. "I just wish that I took out some of my anger before I came. And are you kidding Finley's MINE," She says, "HAHAHAHA just kidding."

Gage let out a breath, a hand to his chest dramatically. "Oh! Good. You had me there for a minute."

Misty winks at Gage, "I don't hurt my friends, Gage." Misty says.

"It's been 'bout five hours, how have you been, lad?" Finley said, almost breaking Gage's ribs from hugging him so hard.

"Wait, Finley, give me one," Misty says spreading her arms out.

"No! My goat-man!" Gage said, "...okay, this is getting awkward." He pulled away, straightening his shirt. He glanced at Misty, "Hugs for everyone!" He said, now hugging her. "Okay, is everyone here? Let's head down there, then." Gage said.

Crow didn't know that Finley and Gage were such good friends. You know what? Gage can keep that jacket.

"Alright. If we're done with that, it's time to get some work done. Can I get a HOORAH?" Gage belted out the last word.

Looking up Farren paused, and looked right around a turn to see a group of people talking to each other.. They seem to be enjoying one another. She noted.

"Hoorah?" Tayn said, unsure that she was supposed to actually say it.

"Nah, like army guys do it. C'mon. HOO-rah!"

Crow glanced around and noticed a creepy lady with burnt-looking wings and an umbrella. "Uh, Gage?...." he said, pointed Farren out. "Is she one of your new recruits?"

Misty also noticed the strange woman, she flattened her ears and got on the ground. Growling extremely loudly, "Who's that, Gage?" She asks.

His smile faded and silence fell as he turned around to find a shadow of a girl standing on the corner. "Hey," he said, extending his wing, "Come over here, don't be shy."

Tayn glanced around at everyone else who hadn't said it... and was glad that Crow had found something to distract Gage with.

Staring blankly at the man that invited her over Farren slowly took a step forward and began to make her way towards the group, stopping just a few feet away from the group she studied every person there and went silent... "So.. you're the group of 'freaks' going round' saving cats from trees?" She asked bluntly.

"Speak for yourself," muttered Crow, though his words were lost in the light rain. He glanced at Gage and the others, wondering what their reactions were.

Gage scooped up his sopping wet jacket and came forward, "Uh, yeah. You that girl everybody runs from?" He said, coming toward her.

"Yeah like you're more freaky then us." Misty growls.

Taking notice of the aggressive dog girl, Farren faced her, meeting her eyes showing nothing and just narrowed her eyes at the dog person. "Hmm?" She stopped looking at Misty and focused her gaze on Gage "Ah, I suppose you could say that.."

"It's okay, girly." Gage said, casting a wink over his shoulder. He was shaking in his boots, but he wasn't about to show it.

"I.. was expecting there would be more people.. here." She trailed off looking at the other members of the group "So.. where, may I ask, are you lot going off to?" She asked, her tone of voice flat as cement.

Misty lets one more low growl out and straightens up, flicking her tail in rage.

He took another step and held out his hand, "Uh, I'm Gage. And we're headed to investigate some... crying. A guy reported hearing some wailing in the night, and said the police can't investigate... so it's up to us. You wanna help?"

Farren's pale purple eyes studied Gage's hand for a moment and pushed it aside "Crying? Where?" Her eyes flickered with interest as she looked up at him.

"Oh, wow! Uh, this is Nutmeg." He said, throwing an arm around her horse shoulder.

Farren stared at Nutmeg in annoyance, her expression darkened but silently waited for an answer.

Misty narrows her eyes at the girl, then yawns to intimidate her. Making sure to show her long sharp canines. Misty then starts to sniff around like a dog when she gets a whiff of Nutmeg's cookies, licking her lips all the while.

Gage jerked his chin to the South. "We're headed there now. Tag along if you want." He took a cookie out of the tin and unfolded the message. "Awww," he fluttered his eyelashes up at the centaur. "How sweet." He said, cramming the cookie in his mouth.

Finley eyed the newcomer, honestly not seeing the creepiness. The only real fear he had of living beings was of animals. He tapped his fingers against his leg as he thought, then turned off the music that was blaring in his ear. "What be your name?" he asked her.

Crow also took a cookie, slowly eating and thinking about how it was somehow not wet at all. Nutmeg needs to teach me how stay this dry.

"Hmm.." Farran thought quietly for a moment, "Very well, I shall tag along for now.. " She decided. Maybe this time it'll be more then just some robber or some stupid child running in the streets.

Tayn looked Farren up and down and decided she would probably prefer to stay on her good side but wasn't sure how to go about that so she slowly moved away from her line of sight.

Misty sneaks around Nutmeg, swipes a cookie and sprints over to the lamppost nomming intently on the cookie. The smell completely engrossing her.

While walking along in the back of the group Farren found herself starring intensely at Crow as though her gaze could pierce right through his back. Though she kept to herself hiding under her umbrella.

In her attempt to move away from Farren, Tayn trips over Taylor who she hadn't seen sitting in the puddles. "Ow, sorry. Hi? Who are you?"

Taylor leapt to her feet in surprise. But quickly looked down, "Oh gosh! I'm so sorry!" She yelped, and leaned down to help her. "I'm Taylor, You?"

"Tayn. Thanks," she said grabbing Taylor's hand and pulling herself to her feet. "Sorry it's so wet."

Taylor pulled the black-haired girl to her feet. "Nice to meet you, Tayn," She smiled and shrugged, "Eh, it's fine. I don't mind," She replied.

Zen looked around and nudged Nutmeg, "Mind if I grab that......." He reached for the cookies and stuffed it all into his mouth, "Gotta keep my strength up ya know."

Crow felt a weird sensation, as if someone was staring at him. He fidgeted with the sleeve of Gage's jacket and tried not to look behind himself. Is burnt-wings-lady staring at me? Ugh, please go stare at someone else...

*Ends on page 55 of thread*

sCENE 3 - 23 WEST VIRGINIA ST.

Begins on page 55 of thread-

Finley sat back at home with a cold. Cough, cough.

Misty nods at Brittany, "Nice to meet you, Brittany, I think we'll get along fine. Us both being half wolf and all."

"Nice to meet you too Misty, yes I think we will." Brittany said kindly smiling she walked up to her "What all happened?" she whispered.

Zen walks shyly up to Misty and the new girl, May as well introduce myself, he thought, we'll probably be seeing a lot of each other.

Akira saw the new girl, another wolf thing, interesting. As a fox you would think she would be inclined to like them given they were both canines but she wasn't fond of wolves. Perhaps she would need to get to know them better before she judged them. As thunder cracked overhead a small smile spread across her face, now this was her jam right here. The lights around them crackled a little brighter and hummed loudly as her power flared a touch in excitement.

Brittany nodded to Zen in greeting and held out her hand for a handshake but didn't say anything yet. She would let him or Misty say something first.

Gage glanced around at the group. Quite a few of them, he noted. But was it enough? As they neared the apartment complex, he shuddered. It hadn't seen paint in decades. Someone sat on the porch, his eyes trained on them. He clenched his jaw. It was the same man who had complained. But before Gage could wave, the man got up and disappeared into his room. There was a click, and the shades were drawn. Did he just... lock his door? That wasn't a good sign.

Brittany glanced at both Zen and Misty, "Did you just see that? He just went inside and locked his door and closed his shades like he is ready for a fight.."

Gage said, "I hope not. Uh, guys... pick a buddy. In case something happens."

Farren sat impatiently on a nearby bench, looking over the group as she waited.

Zen passed out from the lack of caffeine.

Tayn glanced around. Gym class again.... "Hey Rex can I hang out with you?"

Misty pulls out a vial of extra strong espresso and pours it down Zen's throat. "NOT RIGHT NOW ZEN!" She yells.

Brittany looked at Misty, "We better stay together." She said and her hand went to her gun but didn't pull it out- yet, "Oh no not now," Brittany groaned in Zen's general direction

Watching through narrowed eyes as Misty shook Zen violently while pouring espresso down his throat Farren began to pace around starting to regret following the group.

Calynn walked behind everyone like a 3 dimensional shadow.

Rex shrugged. "Sure," he said with a hint of a smile.

"Who wants to be my buddy?" Jenna asked.

Calynn raised her hand and said, "I will." Because she was too shy to ask anyone herself.

The shadows were playing tricks on Gage's eyes already. Was that someone? No. Just a rat. The whole place had that basement smell, laced with some kind of smoky smell. His heart beat in his chest. Room 219 was just beside that guy's. He could fly up to the banister, but what about Nutmeg? They might be able to hoist the others, but she would definitely have to go through the place. He swallowed hard. Poor girl.

"Cool!" Jenna said, "Is everybody partnered up?"

Misty sighed "I guess we have to take care of Zen, Brittany." Misty placed the vial on the ground and slung Zen over her shoulder. "The espresso should kick in in a little while," Misty says to Brittany she then stomped on the vial shattering it and unsheathed her sword.

"Farren you can come with us." Tayn said trying to be friendly.

Already annoyed Farren snapped her gaze towards Tayn, her pale purple eyes showed nothing as she nodded walking over towards her.

Akira glanced around at the group when Gage mentioned picking a buddy, ugh this was going to be just like grade school all over again, she was going to be picked last. As she looked around her eyes fell to Crow he didn't look so bad, maybe if he didn't pick someone first she would see if he wanted to be her buddy.

"Yup," Brittany said helping grab Zen and pulled out her gun with her other hand.

Misty looks at Gage. "If Nutmeg has to go through there alone I'm going with her Gage," Misty grins at him, "Don't you worry a pretty little feather off your wing."

Tayn pulled out her flashlight just incase it was needed inside and put it in her pocket instead of her backpack.

"I`ll go too," Brittany said as she didn't want Misty or anyone to get hurt.

"I'll scope it out, uh... Misty?" Gage said, spreading his wings and jerking a thumb at his shoulder, then to the banister railing two stories up. "Grab on, I guess."

"Alright guys are we doing this?" Tayn said knowing that if they waited outside much longer they were going to be noticed.

Rex reached into one of the boots he was wearing and pulled out a gun. Loading the bullets, he then got it ready in case it had to be used. I hope I won't have to use this, Rex thought to himself, hoping nobody here could read his mind. But if I do, it'll be nice to get some target practice in.

"Brittany, I want you to go with Nutmeg. You're the only one with a gun... that I can see...Oh. Joy. More guns." Gage said, slightly worried. Surely no one would get killed? No one would be on the wanted posters? He swallowed the lump in his throat. This had better be worth it.

Tayn glanced uncomfortably at Rex's gun and started toward the front door.

"Gun, hmm?" Tor murmured, raising an eyebrow and lowering her hand to rest on her hip. "I'm sure they aren't the only ones."

"I can jump," Misty says she looks at the banister that is at least 6 feet in the air. She places Zen on the ground and jumps, easily clearing the six feet. She looks down at Gage, "You coming?" she asks.

"Yes Gage," Brittany said letting go of Zen and walking to Nutmeg, "Come on we better start I think,"

"The room is 219." Gage reminded them. "Head into the building and find it. I'll fly up and scope it out." He looked up at Misty, "D-uh yeah." Gage said, springing up.

Tapping her foot impatiently Farren walked into the building placing her umbrella next to the door leaning up against the wall walking off on her own.

Tayn sees that Zen is now laying on the ground outside and decides to drag him closer to the building at least to get him out of sight of the 2nd floor window. Tayn was surprised he wasn't that heavy. So it didn't take long to move him.

Crow nervously followed everyone else inside. He wondered if Gage would notice that he hadn't chosen a buddy yet.

Walking down the dark halls of the building Farren covered up her nose as the foul smell of rotten flesh filled the hallways. Her bare wings scraped along the walls causing her to fold them in.

"Come on everybody," Tayn said, "There's like 20 of us all standing in the street get inside!"

Brittany glanced from Nutmeg to Tayn as if to say don`t you think I`m on that?

Tayn took a deep breath before pulling open the door and stepping inside. The lights were dim and flickering. The buildings smell was awful but she wasn't backing out now.

"Brittany," Misty calls down, "Take unconscious with you!" Pointing to Zen, "We don't want him getting killed by a mugger or something." Misty then swings her sword in a flashy manner, and disappears on the balcony along with Gage.

"Okay," Brittany said grabbing Zen again.

Rex walked inside warily, not happy to have it pointed out that he was just standing outside like an idiot. He may look tough, but he still was scared to venture into the unknown. Not that he would ever tell anybody that. "You coming?" He asked Jenna, who nodded.

Reading the numbers above each door Farren noticed she was getting closer.. Room 167, 168, 169.. Now what was the number Gage said to look for..?

Akira and Calynn followed the others, looking around warily.

A chill went down her spine as Mikki followed the others into the apartment, poised and ready to use her powers.

Tayn looked up the hallway, the stairs weren't in an obvious place. Left or right? She decided she would try to the right. and cautiously walked up the hallway trying to be as quiet as possible.

Gage lighted on the banister, but when it started to sway under his weight, he slid off onto the porch.

Misty noticed that Crow didn't have a partner "Crow," she called, "GET YOUR CROW FLUFF UP HERE!" Misty then realizes she probably hurt Aero's ears because she yelled.

"Shhh!" Gage said, startled.

"It'll be fine," Misty mutters.

Crow transformed into a crow and flew back out the doorway, then landed beside Misty. "Caw," he said, glaring at her. He did not like the way she yelled "crow fluff" at him.

Aero flexed his bat wings, wondering if he might accidentally knock into anything once he was inside the apartment. Then he glared at Misty, "Am I going to need to bring earmuffs everywhere with me?" He complained, covering his ears.

Gage gave Misty a venomous glance before turning to try the door. Locked of course. But it was metal. No way anyone could break it. He turned to the others. "We may have to wait for Nutmeg to kick it-" A wail came from inside the apartment. Misty sliced the door in half not waiting for anyone. Gage stood there and stared for a moment. "You're going to have to pay for that." He said.

"WELL, DANG!" Misty says, the door still on its hinges as she hears the bone chilling wail.

A light flicked on, and a gravelly voice shouted, "Who's there?"

Jenna was starting to regret her decision. She let out a startled yelp when she entered. "A rat ran over my foot!" She said. She quickly ran to catch up with the others.

A sudden yelp from behind her made Tayn jump. and the lights flickered off and then back on as lightning struck somewhere in the distance.

Brittany began to walk up the stairs with Nutmeg, dragging Zen along.

Each door was different. One was beaten, another with a misshapen doorknob, another covered in markings. But when they came to 219, it was completely free of marks. But the carpet before it was stained.

"What's that stain? It's not blood, is it?" Jenna whispered when she got to the door.

Arriving upon the staircase Farren tested the first step by putting pressure on it, The step creaked but stayed intact. While walking up the stairs the smell or rotting flesh grew stronger. Farren dragged her fingers on the dusty walls leaving marks as she counted the numbers above the doors. 247, 246, 245. Was it room 219? Farren thought. Remembering what bird boy said. 230, 229, 228...

Brittany picked up her pace, "Hurry Nutmeg!"

Tor swung around the corner of the railing as she reached the second floor. She crouched low, and levitated just above the floor to keep her steps silent. She figured that 219 was the door that was slowly being surrounded by people, so she quickened her pace and stopped just to the right of Jenna. "Well if that isn't an interesting choice for a doormat," she said quietly. "And that music - Mm! I'll be danged if it isn't Beyoncé wailin' away in there!" Her tone was light, but her face was grim and serious.

Brittany and Nutmeg reached the top of the stairs and join the rest of the group.

Farren halted as a wail sounded through the apartment then continued, almost at door 219.

"So, now that we're at the door, should we smash it down, or just knock?" Tayn asked.

"Gage's first." Rex said. holding his gun at the ready pointed at the door. "Ok, we should wait then..."

"I could bust the hinges open - quietly." Tor offered. She wiggled her fingers and levitated slightly higher.

Crow whisper-cawed angrily at Misty, "Caw!"

Brittany joined the others and got her gun ready for a fight.

Akira walked through the darkened hallways following the rest of the group to the right door. Her eyes glowed in the dark and electricity crackled along the end of her tail. She quickened her pace when she heard the wail.

Calynn resumed shadow imitation until her powers were need.

"Who's there?" A gravelly voice sounded from inside the room that all the others were waiting in front of.

Farren hurried up to join the group.

"Oh, shoot." Gage said as the muscle-bound man came toward them, shotgun in hand, "Uh, hi! This is not what it looks like-" A shot fired.

Tayn tried the doorknob but the door was locked.

Brittany dropped Zen and raised her gun ready for a target.

Misty ran in front of Gage as the man fired his gun, parrying it with Svellmalar she ran in and held the sword to the mans throat. "Don't move a muscle." She growled.

Gage's eyes widened. No, no, no, no, no, no. This was not how it was supposed to go. "Don't hurt him!" He blurted, despite being shot at just moments ago by the guy. That was when he heard the wail again, closer this time. It sent a chill down to the very core of his being. Like it was just one of those base fears. Coming from overhead... did he want to go?

Hearing a gun shot, Tayn said to Mikki, "You better get us in there." And she tossed her pack on the floor digging out her swiss army knife.

Brittany walked closer to the door "My claws can cut through metal," Brittany said as she began to claw through the door.

Gage heard scratching coming from the door. His heart pounded. Gage's eyes widened. What. Was that!?

Shots fired and Farren waited no longer and flicked her wrist causing shadows to cover the door and crush it like a can standing in-front of her, and the others. As the door to the room fell revealing Misty, Gage, and Crow she waved at them and stepped over the fallen door.

"Or you could do that instead, thanks Farren." Tayn said and cautiously entered the room.

"Thanks Farren," Brittany said slowly walking into the room her gun at the ready.

Just then door flew into the room, and the wingman nearly wet his pants. Until he saw what it was. He put a hand over his chest and panted. "Guys! I could have just unlocked it!"

Nutmeg sighed, picking up Zen and slinging him over her back. “I got a buddy,” she sighed.

Misty wheeled around, "Guys!" she yells, "I was going to attack whoever came through that door, I'm not going to kill him unless I really have to Gage." Misty said taking the blade away from the man's throat, she shot two bolts of ice at the mans feet freezing him in place.

Misty seemed to be taking care of the bad guy so Tayn turned up a small hallway and went to look for whoever had been wailing.

Crow didn't really know what to do so he stood there and glared at the guy.

Mikki whipped out her own gun when she entered the room but saw that she was too late. Misty already had her sword to the man's throat.

"We didn`t know," Brittany said.

When the dust settled, and everyone was in the same room, silence fell. Complete silence. Where was the wail?

*Crow cawed just to break the silence*

Brittany jumped forward also putting her gun to the man's head. "Who are you?!" he sat down on the floor under the pressure from Brittany's gun.

"Woah, woah, woah, Brittany," Misty sees Brittany has her gun to the man's head, "If anyone is going to kill him it'll be me!"

"I`M NOT GOING TO KILL HIM!!" Brittany roared.

"Oh good, more blood for me." She smirked at Brittany.

(*CP chicken: We are the most unorganized group of superheroes to ever exist.*)

(*vachicks15: This is, and will be until the role-play dies, my favorite quote.*)

Tayn tried a door in the hallway, it was locked too. She decided maybe she should stay with everyone else instead of going off on her own.

The man glared at Misty, "You'll hear from my lawyer about this."

Searching the room Farren spotted Gage and spoke out, "So what exactly are we looking for?" She spoke in a bored, annoyed voice completely ignoring the man who had almost shot Gage.

Mikki stood quietly, listening for the unearthly wailing that had been so horror-filled just a few seconds ago. "Aero, do you hear anything?" She asked, wondering if he could pick up anything with his bat-like hearing. But he wasn't there. Mikki frowned, Where is he?

Misty snorts, "You won't find me anywhere even if you tried, plus you won't have a lawyer if you're dead." Misty growled.

Gage gave them both a worried look, "No! No. Killing. We don't kill."

Seeing Misty and Brittany fighting over who was going to kill the guy first Tayn walked over, put her hands between the two girls and said, "Come on guys maybe he'll help us if we just ask?" She then turned to the man, "Hi," she said, "Do you have a key for the locked door up the hallway? I'm sure no one is going to hurt you. So long as you cooperate." Tayn said realizing she probably sounded ridiculous.

His eyes burned, "After you break into my room at midnight? I think not!"

Then the wail came again.

Crow flew onto the guy's head and flapped his wings.

Rolling her eyes at the confused mess Farren took matters into her own hands and began investigating the room pressing her ear up against the walls to listen for any more wails.

The guy crossed his arms. "I don't think you understand who or what you are dealing with here."

"Then tell us!" Brittany said in a deadly cool voice to the man. She looked at Gage in annoyance, "Gage! I just said I`m not going to!"

"If he's making someone make that horribly awful sound, yeah, I would kill him." Misty said to Gage.

Gage looked her full in the face, all fear gone. "Have you seen death? Have you a criminal record? Have you cried yourself to sleep from killing your first man? Have you heard a grown man cry for his mother? Have you seen a white man's body turn black with death? Tell me. I would love to know."

Tayn's eyes were saucers, Has Gage killed someone before? she wondered.

The rain roared on the balcony outside.

Crow landed on the ground and looked at Gage. He cocked his head, "Caw?"

"Gage! No one is going to kill him, be quiet!" Brittany howled while pushing thoughts and memories from her head. I`ll make him quiet if he doesn't! He doesn't even think! He does not even know...

"I have seen all those things," Misty says, "Do you know what it's like having your entire family slaughtered in front of you?! Even your most beloved brother? I have died Gage, died on the inside but do you see me crying about it? NO, I move on!"

Not realizing Farren had gone to inspect the door and come back. Tayn said, "Farren there is a locked door up the hallway will you take it down for us?"

Turning to the man Farren knelt down to look him dead in the eye then looked up at Tayn, "I want to see if I can get this guy to give me the keys first." She spoke in a playful tone.

Misty looks dead into Gage's eyes as she started to tear up. "Have you been orphaned since you were three?" She asks her voice breaking, "Have you seen Hell with your own eyes? I have." She answered her own question.

Brittany had tears in her eyes she blinked them away "Shut up, Gage," she said, "you don`t even know what I have also been through," she was shocked that her voice was so cold.

Gage stared at the ceiling and ran his hands over his face. "What is it, buddy?" He said to Crow.

Tayn moved away from the two wolf girls and picked up the guy's shotgun. Not that she knew how to shoot it.

Gage sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose, and stood there a moment. His voice quivered "I- I'm sorry guys. I'm just... I'm scared. I don't want anyone to get hurt." He let his hand fall to his leg with a slap and he cast an apologetic look to Misty, "I'm sorry for digging up your bones. I just..." he giggled nervously and picked his hand back up again to rub the back of his neck. "I just got all that from war movies." He said quietly.

Misty's tears dissipate in so much rage she slaps him across the face, "YOU'RE A FREAKING IDIOT!" She roars, "I have been through hell and back and you try to joke with me?" She now starts to cry. She sheaths her sword and transforms into her wolf form running upstairs, Rex follows her. She stops in front of one of the doors as the wail rings out again.

"Now look, Gage!" Brittany turned and ran after Misty.

Gage cursed under his breath. "I would have let her beat me up..."

Mikki went after Brittany, they were supposed to stay in pairs.

They found Misty staring at a door at the top of the next set of stairs. "The crying is coming from in there." Misty said staring at it. "Should we open it now or wait for the others?" Mikki asked.

Nutmeg followed too, though she was slowed on the stairs because Zen kept sliding off.

Crow really wished humans could understand crow. He transformed back into a human and took a breath, "We came here about the wailing, so let's get on with it." He said to Gage as he glanced at the man. "He obviously isn't going to help us, so let's tie him up or something then find who is making those... Sounds."

"I have rope." Tayn said, and tossed her pack on the floor to dig it out.

Resting her arms on her knees while kneeling Farren looked at the man, Her expression darkened and her burnt featherless wings spread out making her look as threatening as can be. "Listen, we need those keys to find out what's making those awful wails, If you don't give up the keys well then.." Farren trailed off as shadows from each corner of the room crept along the floor and began to pull the man into the floor very slowly.

As shadows crept up the man's legs he let out a panicked yelp, "What on earth are you doing? Stop it!" The man struggled and tried desperately to get the shadows off of him.

"Farren...... Gage. Should we stop her?" Tayn asked looking over at him.

The shadows stopped half way up his legs and Farren leaned closer to the man "Where are those keys?"

Crow looked at Farren in annoyance. "Let's stop messing with him," he said, staring right at Farren. "I doubt he's going to say anything."

The man grinned.

Mikki ran back downstairs. "Guys, he's not the problem at the moment! If we keep arguing like this we'll never get this done. Come on, the wailing's started again!" No one listened to her though because they didn't realize that the wailing wasn't on this floor they all assumed it was in this apt. She didn't wait to see if they would come and led the way back to Misty.

Turning away from the man to face Crow all Farren did was narrow her eyes and shrug slowly releasing her hold on him.

"Why are you grinning? There are literally shadows creeping up your legs." Crow said, sounding irked.

The man grinned wider. "Because, youngling." He flipped the palm of hand. The shadows froze. "They are mine."

As the shadows froze Farren's eyes widened, A genuine look of fear caught her by surprise "B-but how..?" She murmured, not able to understand what just happened.

Crow gulped. "Actually, Farren," he said, his eyes wide, "You can use all your shadow-magic on him, please."

***

Misty screamed in horror as she saw what was inside the wailing room.

Brittany stepped beside her. Her own eyes wide.

A child stared up at her. Her face twisted. Her clothes torn. Her little mouth skewed. 

Brittanytrembled and then snarled softly, "What has that monster done?"

Mikki gasped and closed her eyes as a wave of bile rose in her throat at the sight.

Misty immediately changed back into a human and ran in the room, staring at the poor mangled child. "Hey hey I'm not going to hurt you," Misty sweetly says. "I'm here to help you.

"No! N-nooo! Don't touch me! No, no," the girl repeated.

Brittany seemed to change from angry to motherly and sweet, "We all are little girl," she said walking up to her and Misty.

"It's alright," Misty says again kneeling down slowly on the blood stained rug.

The girl, maybe five or so, tucked herself deeper into the corner, still chanting in her fear.

"It`s fine," Brittany said.

Rex gagged. That was disgusting.

Jenna, feeling the horror and disgust of the others was just about to come up when Rex said, "Jenna, you might want to stay downstairs. You won't want to see this." Taking his advice, Jenna stayed downstairs.

I'm going to slaughter that man in the most horrific way possible. Misty thinks to herself, Make sure he feels the pain he probably put this little girl through. 

Mikki rushed in beside her, kneeling down in an attempt to make her small frame seem less threatening. "I promise, we're here to help. We're gonna get you away from this place as soon as possible."

"Hey little girl we'er here to help you, we are going to get you out of here," Brittany said softly.

The girl didn't fight as they soothed her. Just wailing, and a slur or two.

Brittany moved slightly closer to the kid. "It`s okay we want to help,"

"Hey you wanna see something fun?" Misty asks the child, "Watch." She says as she grabs her wrist and expels some of her ice power. The delicate ice forms in intricate patterns in the air. Misty hopes this would get the girl to trust her.

Hearing shouts, Mikki leaned over to Misty. "I'll stay with her if you go see what's happening downstairs." She could tell that Misty wanted to go kill the guy, and she was all for it.

"Keep doing it Misty!" Brittany whispered.

The girl blinked, the denial slowing. Tentatively, she reached to touch the ice.

"Maybe I should go then..." Mikki said as she headed downstairs again and was shocked at the sight before her.

The man laughed at Farren. "You are young in the art, girl." He said, spinning around and executing an Eye of the Dragon at her.

Crow had absolutely not idea what this 'Eye of the Dragon' was, so he said to Gage, "Do you know any magic? Cuz I feel like magic is the only thing that can hurt this guy..."

Recovering from her shock Farren glared at the man and gripped her hand sending shadows from under the furniture straight at him. One forming into a large spike piercing right through his leg holding him in place as the others shot up his body choking the man-

The shadows fell off the man as pain slammed into Farren's body sending her straight into the wall behind her.

Tayn tried to figure out what she could possibly do in this situation. She decided action was better than inaction and gripping the shotgun launched her self toward the guy smacking him over the head with the butt of of it. He blinked. A guttural noise issuing from his throat. He turned to her and stared into her. A second passed, and the light faded. He collapsed into a heap on the floor.

Tayn panted, had she actually done something helpful? "Farren," She said shaking off the sick feeling she had from the man's gaze, "Farren, are you ok?"

With her whole body shaking from pain Farren weakly got up to her feet and pushed her hand out towards the strange man "YOU'RE DEAD!" She screamed out shoving Tayn out of the way. All the shadows she summoned completely covered his body-

"Farren, no!" Tayn yelled, "He's out, just leave him. We should go find Misty and Brittany."

"He's already dead." Gage said.

***

When Nutmeg got to the room with Brittany she froze at the sight of the little girl, “Oh, you poor little thing.” The centaur bent down digging in her bags, “Do you like cookies?” She asked, offering the little girl a warm cookie.

The girl snatched the cookie out of Nutmeg's hand, cramming it in her mouth.

Brittany laid her hands on the floor for the little girl to see.

Misty seeing the girl reaching out to touch the ice made it warm so she wouldn't loose a finger. "Sweety, we have to go," Misty said she held out her arms "Do you trust me?"

The girl touched the ice, bits clinging to her fingers. As the blue light cast over her face, the scratches on her face became visible. "No." She said, a little less angrily.

***

Crow turned to Gage. "What. Just. Happened."

"Wait.... did...... I?" Tayn couldn't breathe. Had she killed him?

Farren quickly calmed herself noticing the man's dead body... She snapped back into reality blinking at Tayn.

Mikki was shocked at the sight before her. "Is he dead?!" Mikki cried, crossing the room toward Farren and Tayn. "And are you guys okay?"

Just then, boots thundered up the stairs, a few snapping under the weight.

Gage glanced up from the dead man, and terror filled his face as he looked up "Uh, guys..."

Shots rang out. Deep voices filled the halls.

"Let's get out of here!" Crow said, glancing around at the exits. He noticed not all of the group was here. Where are they?!

Tayn's mind was racing she dropped to her knees, she didn't care anymore about what was going on around her. Had she done this?

The wind outside picked up and heavy snow blew in the outside door.

Farren slowly walked up to the dead man's body and crouched over him grabbing the man's arm she pulled down his sleeve and spotted tattoos around his wrist the same as her. Covering his wrist back up Farren headed for the door.

Crow walked up to Tayn. "Tayn? Are you ok?" He asked with concern in his voice.

Tayn stared blankly up at Crow. What did he say? She wondered.

Gage reached over to Tayn and slung her arm over his shoulder.

Crow looked at Gage. "What's wrong?" He asked, directing it at both of them since Tayn didn't seem to be responding. Then it dawned on him that she might be upset by people dying in front of her.

Tayn shook her head. becoming slightly more aware of what was going on. "I'm ok." She said, but was grateful that Gage was supporting her.

Gage gave Tayn a warm smile. At least he was helping someone. He looked at Farren, "Farren, are you alright? Can you fly?" He asked.

Stopping half-way out of the door Farren shot a look at Gage and spread out her bare wings, "Does it look like I can?" She snapped as she folded them back in. "I'm fine on my own." Farren stammered and stopped, a sharp gasp of pain escaped from her. The dark tattoos on her wrist began to burn her. Gripping them Farren hurried out of the room and down the stairs towards the exit.

"No!" He said, running after her, leaving Tayn with Crow. They were met with a wall of muscles and tattoos. "We need to fly. Rex!" Gage shouted at the top of his lungs "Can you carry Nutmeg and Zen? Aero, grab Farren. Mikki, go find Jenna."

Mikki nodded to Gage "I'll be back in a second." she said as she raced back upstairs. "Oh my gosh. We have to leave NOW!" She yelled at Misty, "I know this is scary, but we'll explain it all soon. Please come with us. I promise we'll help you." she said, addressing the child. Turning to Misty, she said, "We have to hurry! They're almost here!"

Misty hates to do this but if she has to... she takes her hands and circles them over the girls head, expelling out small amounts of ice power. The girls eyes start to droop and she falls asleep, collapsing on the ground. Misty gently picks her up and holds her like a baby. She then turns to everyone in the room, "Let's go!" she yells running out of the room.

"What about Zen?" Crow asked, suddenly worried for him. "Where is he?"

"I- I don't know. I think Nutmeg has him..." Gage said.

The boots neared. Another shot.

"I have Nutmeg and Zen." Rex grabbed Nutmeg and broke open an upstairs window and flew out into the cold night.

Nutmeg held on to Zen as tightly as she could.

Misty and Mikki make it back to room 219. Carrying the young girl, Misty curses under her breath. "Gage, we're done for," she yells.

Inside the room the snow by the balcony door is starting to accumulate.

Noticing Tayn, Mikki suddenly saw that it was snowing and made the connection. Leaning towards Crow, she whispered sympathetically, "Can she walk? If not I can float her along with us."

Crow looked at her. "I-I don't know, but we need to go... Now."

Jenna rushed up to the others. "What's going on? Why are there gunshots?" She asked frantically, "Where do we go?"

"Jenna! There you are." Mikki said, relieved that she found her. Turning to the rest of the room, she yelled, "Are there enough people here with wings to carry everyone off the balcony?"

Misty holds the girl in one arm and rips her sword out of its sheath backing up to Gage.

Farren starred blankly at the men starring down at her. Her hands shook uncontrollably as the tattoos on her wrists burned into her even more.

"I can walk." Tayn said, shaking. "Where's my bag?"

"Gage!" Crow shouted, as he saw the men. He realized he had no weapons and cursed under his breath.

Gage glanced at the girl, then to Misty. He wasn't sure where the girl had come from, but she didn't need to be here. "Run." He said, quietly at first. "Run. Run! Fly!"

"No! I won't abandon you guys! NEVER IN AN ETERNITY!" Misty shouted.

"Then come with us!" Gage said as he ran back to the room. There was no getting down the stairs. He grabbed Tayn and heading for the balcony. The wind smacked his face, freezing cold. At the last second, Gage snatched up her backpack, then leaped off the porch putting her down on the ground.

Too exhausted to use her powers Farren unfolded her wings lifting them up flapping desperately as she followed everyone out to the balcony. Reaching the balcony Farren lifted herself over the fence and awkwardly flew/fell towards the ground. A few of her remaining feathers flew off twirling in the air as she collided with the ground. *THUMP* ... Farren laid still on the cold cement. One of her wings stuck out in an awkward position. Black feathers were scattered around her everywhere. Blood slightly oozed from her forehead dripping onto the slight snow-cover ground. Her breaths were short and quick.

Calynn followed them like a shadow does.

Mikki pulled her gun out of its holster and took the safety off. She was prepared to kill if she was forced to. "Seriously! That's our only way of escape!"

Misty ran with Gage, the winter cold hit Misty like a blow but she adores this kind of weather. She realized that the men were running after her, "GAGE!" She yells. "Take the girl, I'll hold them off!"

In a heartbeat, Gage lunged back to the balcony and grabbed the child.

Crow growled in frustration, realizing he couldn't help anyone because his transformation was so small. He looked around for anyone still in the room and noticed Calynn. "C'mon! We have to get out of here!" He urged as he ran for the balcony.

Gage lit down and released the girl on the ground before lunging back up to grab Calynn.

Jenna ran over to the balcony, and froze seeing how far of a drop this was.

Right then, Rex flew back, still holding Nutmeg and Zen. He grabbed Jenna and landed next to Calynn.

Tayn stood outside shivering forgetting that she had brought warmer clothes.

"Aero where are you?" Gage yelled.

Crow transformed into a crow, though he did it so quickly that his wings weren't fully formed. He flapped awkwardly to the ground and cawed as his feet touched the snow.

Slowly realizing that things were still going on around her Tayn picked up her backpack slung it over her shoulder and decided she should probably put some distance between herself and the apt. building.

"Farren!" Mikki yelled as Farren hit the ground. She summoned her powers, and Farren's unconscious body rose quickly toward her. Grasping Farren's trailing hand, she whipped around mid-air. "Is everyone here?"

Slowly, Farren opened her eyes and pressed her hand up against her forehead, Her hand was covered in blood and out of confusion Farren look up at Mikki and whispered "Carol..?"

"Farren! It's me, Mikki! Oh my gosh, please be okay!" Mikki exclaimed.

Fear engulfed her body as Farren listened to the caws of Crow. Shivering madly Farren grabbed onto Mikki and mumbled "Don't let them take me.."

"Never." Mikki said as she pushed off from the ground, bringing Farren with her. Zooming forward, she shot toward the train station. She had to get Farren to safety.

Tayn found a sheltered alley that she could take back to the train station. Gage lighted on the ground with Calynn, "You guys head for the train station, now." He said as he lofted back into the building.

Calynn nodded and picked up the little girl who was sleeping in the snow, and ran toward the train station.

Taylor ran to the edge of the balcony. "Right... Powers, don't fail me now!" She screeched, uttering unknown words under her breath and leaping off the balcony. Shining black feathers formed on her arms, her face formed a beak, and she was turned into a crow. "Welp, first time doing that and it's a charm!" She cawed, flying in the air. She flew around looking for Tayn. She saw her, and flew down to her, cawing, "Tayn! Tayn it's Taylor!" She cawed.

Without the child in her arms Misty faces the men her ears are flat on her head and she snarls. "KILL ME IF YOU CAN." she roars, the men gallop over to her and she swings her sword cutting through flesh and bone with ease one man screams as his arm falls on the ground, but the others are relentless, even with so many men surrounding her she still fights.

"Hey!" Gage bellowed, flying down the hall, barreling into the wall of men.

Crow cawed angrily and flew at the thug-dudes. He clawed at their heads.

Three of the men fell over, and Gage smacked another in the jaw with the wrist of his wing. "Misty, go! Everyone is waiting, go!"

Misty slices right through a mans leg as she sees Gage and Crow come from the balcony door. Soaked in blood already she finishes off the last of the men around her, but more were coming. Bent at the waist with her arms dangling she gasps for breath looking at Gage and Crow trying to help her she smiles with the blood streaked across her face, "Thanks," she gasps.

***

Rex didn't stop flying until he got to the Starbucks that they met in, with Nutmeg in one arm and Jenna in the other. The uneven weight was hard, making him wobble through the air. He finally landed in the Starbucks parking lot, panting as he set them down. "Are you two okay?" Rex said wiping sweat from his forehead.

Jenna nodded, and looked at Nutmeg who had somehow managed to hang on to Zen.

Seeing that Misty didn't need his help Crow got out of the apt building and flew over to Taylor. "Talking crow?" He asked in crow language.

"You're a crow too?" Tayn asked the second black bird that obviously wasn't the original crow.

Taylor looked at Crow, "Of course," She cawed in crow. "Nope!" Taylor cawed to Tayn. "I'm a Druid, I can shape-shift into pretty much any animal I please. But not whales. Those are soooo hard to do,"

Tayn gives Taylor a confused look and nods pretending she understood what her cawing meant. She pushed through a snow bank that had drifted in around a corner.

Crow cocked his head. "You Taylor-human?" He asked in crow.

"Yup!" Taylor cawed in crow to him. "You're Crow-human, No?"

"Yes. I Crow-human." Crow confirmed.

Taylor sighed, realizing that Tayn didn't understand her. She easily glided over the snow bank. "Really, You non-Druids are missing out on soooo much," She cawed, and flew faster toward the train. Taylor uttered something under her breath, and she suddenly was human, and dropped to the ground and ran. She grumbled as she plucked a few feathers that had been left on her clothes.

By now Gage was sucking in snowflakes. Freezing and panting the same, he made for the balcony. Gage shot out of the building, snatching up Tayn, and bolting toward the train station. His throat burned, but as he clutched onto the girl, he somehow felt colder. He shook his head. "Misty! You coming?"

Misty jumps off the balcony and runs to the train station behind Gage.

While being dragged by Mikki towards safety Farren fell unconscious once more... The tattoos on her wrists had a slight glow to them as Farren fell into a deep, deep sleep.

Aero ran after the group, he had gotten turned around inside and got out after some muscle bound guys stormed up stairs. But was quickly cut off by more thugs. He was encircled. Fear showing in his eyes. In an instant, he stretched out his bat wings with enough force to throw a few of the men away from him. Then, one of the men grabbed Aero's arms. "Leave me be!" He screeched, rearing his head back and breaking the guy's nose. He spun around, ready to fight, but at that moment a bullet was shot into his left shoulder. He fell to the ground.

Crow spun around as he heard a shout and saw some thugs surrounding a motionless figure in the snow. "Caw? Caw!"

Misty hears a gunshot "AERO!" she yells she runs back to the middle of the street she cuts down the thugs. Although she isn't fast enough. They shoot her right in her arm and leg before she gets them all. With a lame arm and leg she limps over to Aero and sheathes her sword she picks him up and with all her strength she lifts him onto her shoulder limping back to the train station.

Crow flew ahead to get help. I hope Aero and Misty are ok...

Mikki carefully set Farren down on a bench in the station. It didn't look like she was going to wake up any time soon. Scanning the room, she counted heads. Please, please say I'm wrong. She thought, recounting. But she wasn't. Aero isn't here. she realized, dread coursing through her.

Once they had all landed at the train station, the wing-man set Tayn down as gently as he could as he crashed, panting.

"Thanks, Gage," Tayn said, sitting down in the snow.

*Ends at page 103 of thread*

scene 4 - Back at the train station

Begins at page 103 of thread-

Akira had watched what had transpired in the apartment with amusement, she had officially joined the worst group of super heroes ever. When the arguing had ensued she had stayed on the sidelines and watched, not really desiring to get involved in that drama. However when everything spiraled out of control and shots were fired and people were after them, she moved into action. She shifted into her fox form to make it easier to evade them and avoid getting shot, which was preferable. She had jumped down from the balcony into the cold snow and looked to see where everyone was fleeing too, the train station. She ran through the deep snow, bullets whizzed passed her, and unfortunately someone tripped over her, ugh. She somersaulted head over tails a few times and pushed herself up painfully and limped the rest of the way to the train station in her fox form.

Gage fell to his knees beside the railroad track, panting from having flown Tayn all the way from the apartment complex. He put his head in his hands and covered himself with his wings. "What... what have I done?" His body shuddered. "This is all my fault."

Now that she was safe at the train station Tayn's thoughts began to race. What was the evidence that the guy in apt.219 was the one that had kidnapped the girl? The neighbor said it was him. - The Neighbor was creepy, and could just be pointing fingers to move the blame from him. Also the girl was on a completely different floor. Why would the neighbor say the crying was coming from next door? There was a stain in the carpet outside his door. We assumed it was blood. - if it was blood it could have been put there by someone else.... like the creepy neighbor. He took a shot at Gage. - it was midnight and there was a winged guy, a wolf girl brandishing a sword and a crow on his balcony. Who locks all of their doors even the ones inside their apt.? - kinda weird, but doesn't make a person guilty of a crime. He threatened to call his lawyer instead of using his shadow controlling powers on two angry wolf girls who were arguing over who would get to be the one to kill him. He was uncooperative about opening his locked door. - there wasn't anything necessarily incriminating in there though, we just assumed. He didn't turn nasty until Farren decided to "play", all his actions could have been made in self defense... sure he might have enjoyed it, but again that doesn't mean he was the one who kidnapped the girl. His "buddies" showed up the second he died. - when did he have a chance to call for backup? The thugs were shooting up the place when no one was there to be shot at in the hallway or stairwell with them. - seems like they were trying to get our group to leave without a fight. Evidence that apt.219 was the one that kidnapped the girl = NONE!!! Tayn looked around at everyone that had made it to the train station, how many? There were six missing. And Farren was hurt. Gage had blood all over him. Her heart was pounding in her ears and she couldn't seem to get enough air. Tayn stood up and staggered away from the group. She only got a few steps before blacking out in the snow.

Taylor had just gotten there, when she saw Tayn stagger away. She ran up to her, "Tayn!" She gasped.

Brittany glanced around and did a head count; "Misty, Aero, and Tor, aren`t here." Brittany had regained her calm and again glanced around and this time saw Misty wounded dragging Aero. "Misty! Aero!" She called running up to them.

Mikki straightened, dread coursing through her. Where is Aero?

Farren laid motionless on the on the train station's bench. As the snow began to die down and the moon came out casting an eerie glow over her. Farren's tattoos had stopped burning her but left awful blisters on her wrists. And her left wing was twisted in an awkward position clearly broken. Dried blood stained her hand and forehead and on the ground where it had been dripping. Her breaths came in short, raspy breaths as though she were running away from something in her sleep...

***

In her dream Farren stood in a dark, long, narrow room with one dim light in the middle of the room on the ceiling flickering on and off every now-and-then. The burning in her wrist completely went again and the overwhelming pain in her wing had gone as well. Farren took a step forward towards the light. And with each step she seemed to get farther away from it. In a panic Farren took off now running towards the light getting farther away. With the light now out of her sight Farren stood still, A chill went down her spine as the room turned cold and dark. Someone else's footsteps sound in front of her coming straight for Farren. Turning her back in attempt to outrun the footsteps Farren let out a wail when she came face to face with the man back in the apartment. His ghostly eyes were as wide as the moon, his toothy grin made Farren shrink back and trip over herself onto her back as the man came forward. His hands and arms turned into dark blades and stuck at her and all Farren could do was scream...

Rex was just about to reach into his pocket and grab his phone to text the others asking where they were, when he realized he didn't have anyone's number. He cursed. "You two stay here. I'm gonna look for the others." Rex said as he took off through the air. Where could they be? Are they still at the apartment? Maybe we were supposed to meet at the train station. Rex thought. He decided to look at the train station. First, in case they were hurt, he stopped at a 24 hour store that would sell first aid stuff, paid, and then flew out.

Gage glanced up to see two bloodied figures, one stumbling, the other lifeless. "Oh- oh my gosh. Aero! Is he?" His chest seized up, and his face felt hot.

Misty limped through the snow with Aero on her shoulder, Aero's and her own blood trailing behind them. Misty saw stars all across her vision. Be strong Misty, she thought. She pushed herself to the limit.

Gage stumbled toward them and leaned over Aero. "Hey." He whispered, "Hey, buddy can you hear me?" He touched his face. Warm. He breathed a ragged sigh of relief.

Zen dragged himself up, "Gage, Gage! What happened? How's Aero?"

"I-I don't know. He's not moving, but I think he's alive. Come on, buddy. Hey, look at me." A tear ran down his cheek, and his voice began to tremble "Come on. Oh, this is all m-my fault! If I h-hadn't gone," he sniffed, "chasing af-fter some lollipop fantasy..."

Misty sees Gage, Zen, and Brittany running up to them "Guys." she murmurs then colors flash in her eyes and she collapses face down in the snow.

Zen called out to Misty, "Misty, oh my!" she was bleeding badly. "We need to get you something for that!!!" Zen jumped to his feet, then suddenly crashing back down to the ground as a lightning bolt of pain ran up and down his leg. Something must have happened while he was unconscious.

A chill ran down Gage's spine. He had left his jacket somewhere, likely frozen by now. But that didn't matter. He deserved this. Every bit of it.

Brittany went to her knees and rolled Misty over and began to check her over. "Two bullet wounds,"

Mikki heard shouts. It was Misty and Aero! She hurried towards them. Then Misty crumpled, bringing Aero down with her. "Are they okay?!" she yelled as she ran towards the group forming around them. Well, that was stupid. They obviously aren't okay.

Gage stared. Not Misty, too! "What was all of this for? We killed- murdered I don't know how many people, Aero and Misty are both shot." His voice only was a whisper now. He motioned to Farren, "She just joined us and she's all bloody. WHAT did we do that for? What did we gain?"

"Oh no this is bad!" Zen looked around looking for something to staunch the bleeding, the only thing he could think of was his plaid jacket. He took it off and ripped it and gave it to Brittany. "Take this!"

Brittany snarled, "We don`t need people panicking!" she growled at Mikki, Zen, and Gage.

Misty feels hands on her leg and arm and regains enough consciousness to say "Tend to Aero I'm fine," her eyes flutter open and she clumsily tries to get up blood gushing out of her wounds. Misty groans and uses all her strength to try to get up. she looks at Aero blacked out because he got shot "Help Aero," she moans.

Brittany was right. "Is there anything I can do or get?" Mikki offered.

Brittany grabbed Zen's ripped up plaid. "Thanks. Hey, hey lay down you're fine." she said to Misty. She glanced at Zen, Mikki, and Gage. "Check Aero, and Gage stop just staring into space!" she snapped and began to wrap Misty`s arm.

"No! Misty look at me I will take care of you!" Zen kneeled down next to her, "Please hang on just for a little longer!!"

When Rex neared the the train station he dropped down and ran. His wings were frozen and numb, but he kept running. "Hey!" He said. "Here, take this." He tossed the first aid kit over to Gage.

The first aid kit bounced off Gage's head. He barely felt it as every bit of exposed skin was already numb with cold.

"Hey man, great you're here!" Zen said to Rex. "Where have you been?"

"Standing in the closed empty Starbucks parking lot." Rex answered.

Zen, realizing Brittany was taking care of Misty, got out of her way and checked Aero's wounds, Ah there is a bloody bullet hole here....... Zen felt himself almost get sick. No I am not going to get sick! He looked up at Gage, "He's still breathing!"

Mikki crouched next to Aero. Man, his wounds are bad. "I need some of that!" she said, grabbing some of what Rex had brought. "Someone get me something I can use to clean his wounds!"

"GAGE STOP AND HELP THEM!" Brittany snarled.

Lights flash in Misty's eyes as she felt Brittany wrapping her arm, she feels her head hit the cement and stars flutter through her vision and blacks out. She sees visions, visions of her family being slaughtered. Blood everywhere. A man darts out like a snake a knife in his hand Misty's cowering in the corner of a tree the man looks at her, he licks the blood on his knife and glares at her with yellow cat slit eyes. Then he darts at her hissing, but death doesn't come she opens her eyes: Seth stands in front of her with the knife protruding from the back of his neck. "Misty I love you," he shakily says then crumples to the ground.

"Why? What good can I do?" Gage asked Brittany. "It's my fault they are like this. What was all this for?"

"So make it right and help them!" Brittany yowled.

He covered himself with his wings again and cried. "I can't I just can't."

"Oh yes you can!" Zen nearly shouted at Gage under all the stress, "Look at me! You need to do this for-" he choked up a bit- "for my friend!"

Aero stirred, with his eyes fluttering open just enough to see blurred silhouettes of his friends. "What is..." He murmured but his voice faded into nothingness before he could finish his sentence. Drifting back into to sleep.

Gage raked his fingers through his hair. His fingers shuddered in the cold. Never in his life had he witnessed a murder. He had every right to stand here and do nothing. "Stop yelling at me." He growled. He unfolded his wings and reached for the kid. "Aero? Buddy is that you?"

Akira limped on to the covered train platform in her fox shape and collapsed against a trash can. She wasn't going to ask for help, not when they had a real crisis with the others. Besides she would most likely be fine in a little bit with some rest, she hoped.

Finley jumped out of bed, sniffling and coughing. He wobbled through his apartment and to his door, but not before grabbing a first aid kit and a jacket for himself. He threw on his jacket and headed outside. He headed for the train station, hoping everyone would be there. Once he arrived, he shouted "Hey! I brought a first aid kit! I'm here to help!" he waved the box in the air. Then he made his way over to the group, "Did you actually think I just wanted a hug? I've been listening to everything you cupcakes have been up to the whole time." He said to Gage, pointing to a small listening device that he planted on his friend's shirt.

Gage gave Finley a confused stare.

Calynn who had ended up carrying the sleeping girl finally showed up and sat down on an empty bench.

"Good you're here. Can you help the others?" Brittany said gesturing to where everyone else was on the platform. "What a friend you are," Brittany snarled to Gage, turning a shoulder to him and focusing back on what she was doing with Misty.

Akira seeing that the others who are wounded are bleeding badly she pushed herself up from where she had slumped and shifted to her human form. She falls forward onto her hands and knees but manages to stumble towards the group, "I can help..." she says quietly.

"Hey!" Gage snapped, and pointed his finger at Brittany, "Keep your mouth shut."

"Then help or she WILL DIE and this- more blood will be on your hands!" Brittany snapped. "Please I can`t loose another friend,"

Gage glared at her, then his eyes darted to Misty. Murderer was the first thing to come to mind, but it was his fault. She was just defending him.

"I can stop the bleeding, I can cauterize the wounds." Akira said aware that her words were falling on deaf ears, they were too busy arguing.

Gage took a deep breath, noticed the first aid kit, then glanced to the fox-lady. "Can you?" He said, feeling his emotions begin to settle.

Zen shouted, "Listen up everyone, we need to get out of the cold, the sick and injured need to be cared for properly. Is there a private place we could all go just for the night?" Zen gazed around the station, "And I don't know how long it will be till the police get here!"

"We can use my Apt. I have some stuff to help!" Brittany said.

"I will need to draw on some electricity to fuel my power enough to do it, but I can use my fox fire to seal the wounds. It won't be pretty but it will stop the bleeding." She said with a nod.

"Someone please help me. I have no idea what I'm doing." Mikki said as she used her powers to lift Aero off the cold ground.

"Great, lets go!" Zen lifted Aero with the help of Mikki, "We need to be as gentle as possible."

"Good," Brittany said grabbing Misty, "Gage I need help with her!"

Misty still trapped in her nightmare starts to convulse in Brittany's hands screaming out random blabber and shooting ice bolts from her hands as she sees the snake-man who has just killed her brother raise the knife to kill her.

"Help me with her!" Brittany thundered, "Can you help me carry her we can do that at my apt." Brittany said to Akira who was at least trying to be helpful.

"I am a bit to weak to help carry them right now I am afraid in that department I won't be much help." Akira said with a grimace.

Brittany pursed her lips and glared at Gage.

"I... I watched those war movies. I don't think we should move her. The cold-" Gage gasped.

"Lets get everybody in that apt." Zen said glaring at Gage. Did he want them to all freeze to death?

A blue light began to form on Misty's cuts.

Aero muttered a few incoherent words. He wasn't completely out of it, but slowly falling into a coma.

"I have seen my family murdered I know what to do!" Brittany said.

"NO PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME SETH PLEASE." Misty screams out, "PLEASE!"

"Shh," Brittany soothed.

Zen froze. Seth? Did she just say Seth? He groaned inwardly, Last time I heard that name.... He was a good friend................. Poor Misty.

"No. Everybody be still." Gage said, pointing to the blue glow, "Look."

Misty continues to convulse and scream out begging her brother to stay with her.

Hearing all the arguing Crow turned into a human to try calm things down. "We rescued the girl! This mission isn't for nothing and you know that." Crow said to Gage, "Now we need to help the wounded. If we can do that we'll be fine." His voice shook at the end as he glanced at the injured. So many wounds... Those thugs sure knew how to shoot.

"Guys we really need to stop lollygagging, lets move out!" Zen said trying not to agitate anybody especially Gage. Poor Gage, he must have it tough!

Gage knit his brow and stared at Misty's wounds. Glowing. Was anyone using magic? No, it didn't look like it. He peered closer. Was her skin... moving?

"""Did you know? after the battle of Shiloh in 1862, many civil war soldiers' lives were saved by a phenomenon called 'Angle's Glow'. The soldiers, who lay in the mud for 2 rainy days, had wounds that began to glow in the dark and heal unusually fast. in 2001, 2 teens won an international science fair by discovering the soldiers had been so cold that their bodies created the perfect conditions for growing a biolumiescent bacteria, which ultimately destroyed the bad bacteria that could've killed them."""

Still bent over Misty, Gage's eyes snapped to Crow. "What girl?"

"I think I saw someone carrying a girl..." He glanced around "Hey, Calynn, didn't I see you carrying a young girl?" Crow asked.

Hearing her name Calynn moved the girl to the bench hoping she would stay asleep and moved closer to the group.

"Did we commit a kidnapping, to?" Gage asked.

Crow glanced at the glowing skin. "Whatever that is, we still need to get to Brittany's place."

"I-I thought, wasn't she the one wailing in the building? Wasn't she the one we were rescuing?" Calynn said, terribly afraid she had misunderstood or missed something.

"I saw her she was hurt and crying for us not to hurt her we had to take her, she wouldn't have lasted much longer," Brittany said.

Gage looked around for the girl, and spotted her staring up at Rex.

"Yes it is good." Brittany said to Gage, staring at Misty's glowing skin. "But we still need to treat her at my place like Crow said," Brittany said.

"No, wait. Just wait." Gage said, holding out his hand toward her. "Leave her in the snow. I mean it."

"Gage I know you just want what is best for her but lets just go get her a blanket. I know what I`m doing," Brittany said calmer.

Gage prodded gently at one of the glowing wounds. "Brittany. I'm only going to say this once more. Let her lay. It's for her good. Trust me." He glanced up at her, holding her gaze with his green eyes. "Please."

"Fine," Brittany said laying her down, "But after this we still go to my apt. so I can check her out."

***

Misty screams louder and louder entering the worst part of her nightmare: The snake-man looms over her with the knife about to kill her. She looks down at Seth, his knife in its sheath on his arm then looks at the snake-man, she darts out to the knife and unsheathes it and jabs it into the snake-man's leg. He hisses in pain and runs into the forest, she falls down on Seth's body, "SETH!" she screams, "PLEASE STAY WITH ME I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, PLEASE DON'T DIE!" Seth doesn't move. "SETHHHHHH!" she cry-screams, she sobs on his body "Please don't leave me," she whispers. She cries on his body for two full days, after crying herself dry she sees Seth's medal that he's wearing, she gingerly takes it off and puts it on her own neck. Caked in blood from head to toe she staggers into the dark forest waiting for death to smite her.

***

"Yes, we came on this mission to rescue her, right Gage?" Crow asked, staring at Gage.

His eyes darted to the little girl. "Rescued?" Surprised and hopeful Gage said, "I-I didn't know anything about a girl. Just some wailing. Honestly. That's all I got... ?"

"She was hurt, locked up we wouldn't let her die. We rescued her," Brittany said.

Crow sighed, "Well, we didn't know about her at first. I assume she was the one wailing, so technically, we rescued her."

At last Gage saw her. Scarred, tattered clothes, and a crooked mouth. A lump rose in his throat, and his eyes teared up again. But this time, a grin crept across his face. "We did?" He squeaked.

"Yes Gage we did," Brittany soothed.

Calynn smiled, relieved. Calynn nodded, "We did."

"Ya. We did. Weren't you paying attention?" Crow asked, exasperated. Suddenly, his gaze went to Aero.

A stupid grin spread across Gage's face, and he felt his heart rising in his chest. "Finely! Do you hear that? We- we did it!" He stared at the girl until his eyes felt like they would freeze. "We're heroes." He whispered.

"Those glowy things are on Aero too. Is that a good sign?" Crow asked.

"What? It's on him too?" Gage spun around and saw the wounds. And glowing they were. "That's fantastic!" He said. "It's called angel's glow. The snow, it makes their bodies cold enough for this... this bioluminescent bacteria forms and eats the bad bacteria that could kill them." He said, then grinned at Crow. "Battle of Shiloh, 1862,"

Misty gasps for breath as she wakes up, Misty then sits back and stuffs her face in her arms and begins to bawl.

Aero shot upright, while inhaling sharply. His breathing was heavy, and his body ached. His bat ear swiveled, and he noticed Misty sobbing. Ignoring his own pain, and turned to face her, "Hey, what's wrong?"

Crow grinned at Gage. "Why do you know so much stuff about battles, even though you can't stand to kill someone?" He asked, still grinning.

The blue glow on Misty's wounds began to shrink, along with the blood. Angel's glow it was called. And heaven sent it here. For her wounds began to seal, and her blood to clot. Gage grinned, "War movies are life."

"They are cool," Brittany said with a grin.

"I guess you guys don't need me to cauterize the wounds then." Akira said as she sat back with a tired sigh.

Taylor, even though she didn't fight, felt a strange pain in her arm. She pulled her sleeve up, and gasped. A large steak of pure red blood cut deep across her arm. Another shot of pain cut through her. She clutched her arm, "There's Dark Magic here somewhere...." She hissed through clamped teeth. "And powerful Magic at that...." Suddenly, her green gaze snapped to the wolf-girl, Silver. She felt waves of power coming from the girl. "You...." She choked, "You're a wizard......"

Silver turned around when she realized that Taylor was speaking to her. The wolf girl graced her claws along her cheek, "What?!" She growled, her voice laced with a wolf's. Then, like a bullet, it hit her. "Oh Taylor...." She yelped, "I'm sorry! My father...He was a wizard....I must have it in my blood!" She sobbed, crumbling to the ground.

Taylor clenched her jaws, grasping her arm with intense pain. Anger and pain shot in her eyes, and flames seemed to reflect off of them. "You!" She snarled. "You knew I was a Druid! You know how much wizardry kills me....." She hissed. "GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!" She screeched, and, with a shudder, her energy failed, more and more, before she finally blacked out.

Snapping back to consciousness Farren sat right-up on the bench she slept on and let out a sharp gasp. From the extreme amount of blood loss she was as pale as the snow and very light-headed. Turning her head around to the group of others Farren pushed herself off of the bench and let out a whimper as pain screamed from her broken wing.

Gage's smile faded. Farren's wounds glowed, too, but there was something they couldn't fix.

Brittany jumped and snapped around "Farren!"

Gage clenched his jaw. One miracle wasn't enough, it seemed. "We'll have to get her to the hospital. Rex, didn't you drive here? Where's your car?"

"No, I flew. I can't drive." Rex said pointing to his wings. "Police, Gage, the hospital would tell them we were there." Brittany said.

"What?" Gage said as his head snapped around.

Grumbling in pain Farren looked at Brittany blankly.. She blinked for a few moments focusing her eyes on Brittany and stumbled a few steps towards her, her legs felt like they could snap like twigs and was on the point of passing out again.

Brittany caught her. "If we signed into the hospital they would notify the police we were there," Brittany said.

Calynn made a pebble move while the others decided what to do.

Leaning against Brittany Farren managed to say a "Thanks.." To Brittany. Her broken wing jabbed Brittany's shoulder slightly. Her dull gaze darkened as the memory of the man who had managed to control her shadows appeared back into her mind..

"Save your breath, Farren," Brittany said kindly.

"Oh." Gage slapped his forehead. "Uh. I dunno. Tor drove here. Let's get everybody to pile in there." He said. Then he glanced toward the girl, now playing with the bolts in the boxcar.

"Akira, you aren't hurt, are you? Can you take her back to Nutmeg? She could use something to eat..." he said, noticing her pencil-thin arms.

"Good idea," Brittany said.

"What? The police don't know about this, as far as I know." Crow said, very confused.

"Don`t you think someone heard all that?" Brittany asked.

"He did say something about his lawyer. And as many boots as I heard, I doubt we got them all..." his gut felt like it would turn over. All that blood. No. That is over now, Gage. We are here, now. Stoppit.

"Yes..." Brittany murmured.

"Well... Maybe. But this is a pretty empty street..." Crow said, hoping Brittany was wrong.

Farren began to make her way towards Tor's truck. Blocking out all the sounds and voices around her Farren halted suddenly realizing she had left her umbrella back at the apartment.. "No.." She whispered to herself looking around to see if anyone was near her enough to notice if she were to leave.

Misty completely loosing all emotion her cheeks still wet from her sobbing she then turns to the gang "You need to get your act together," she says, "or we will die out here."

"I don't know. Everybody who can't fly, pile in the truck. We can't stay here. where are Jenna and Nutmeg, Rex?" Gage shivered.

"She's in the Starbucks parking lot with Jenna." Rex said. "I'll grab them, where should we meet?"

"Wow. Why is everyone blacking out?" Crow grumbled, almost to himself. "C'mon, let's get into the car."

Gage blinked. Dead, death, die. It seemed to be a staple word around here. Why couldn't everybody just... live?

"Okay," Brittany said leaping into the truck, "Farren take my hand and I'll haul you up,"

Calynn looked over, Well, then. she thought. She leaned over Taylor and shook her gently, "You kind of need to wake up. You know, since we're about to leave."

"It's not her fault." Gage said, getting to his feet. He bent down and touched Taylor's shoulder. "Can you fly with me? Silver can ride in the truck." He said, motioning to where it sat just beyond the tracks.

Silver got to her feet. "I'll run behind you! If I stay near Taylor....Well, I'm afraid to say what might happen..." She said quickly. "Don't worry, I can shift into a wolf, we can run for miles at a fast pace." She added.

Crow realized that he could fly, and he didn't want to take any space in the car when he didn't have to. He transformed into a crow and shook out his feathers. A wave of weariness hit him. Ugh... I shouldn't have transformed so much in such... A short period of time.... He thought, staggering into flight.

Hesitating for a moment Farren looked up at the sky and sighed, following the others into the car. Dread fell over her as she opened the tail gate and sat down tucking one wing in while the other stuck out obviously. She looked down at her wrists, awful blisters covered where her tattoos were.. The same tattoos as the man..

Brittany glanced at her, "Are you cold? I have a light sweater on."

Staring at the sweater Farren looked up at Brittany with an annoyed expression then turned her back slightly towards her and motioned towards her wings that would get in the way of putting the sweater on.

"Oh sorry," Brittany mumbles.

Farren moved to sit inside the truck in the back seat.

Taylor slowly regained her strength, and sat up. "Uh...." She tried to speak, but couldn't find the words.

Gage shook his head, and put his arms around the girl. He guessed he would have to carry her. They didn't need them both riding in the truck. "Let's go. Uh, who can drive?"

Misty screams out and grabs her head as something invades her mind. She falls to the ground and writhes in pain. "I WILL KILL YOU MARU!" She yells her eyes turning to slits while she turns into her wolf form, then she blacks out. Feeling Aero's presence Misty screams out, "HE'S DEAD SETH'S DEAD."

Aero jumped backwards. He was startled by her responses, and spoke softly, "Okay.. It'll be alright. Whatever it is you're seeing, isn't real."

"I can.. kinda," Brittany said volunteering to drive them.

"Oh, well in that case, I think we should crash at Brittany's apartment for the night... or at least whatever is left of it." Gage said, lofting into the frigid air with Taylor.

"I can," Silver said, also volunteering.

Crow tried to fly father, but his wings felt heavy. He realized that he wouldn't be able to make it to Brittany's apartment. He cawed in frustration, then plodded slowly towards the car. I guess I will be taking the car...

Calynn spotted Tayn laying in the snow and drug her over to the truck using her powers to lift her in. Then she climbed into the truck.

Gage flashed a smile at Aero. "Hey, buddy! Angel's glow did the trick after all! Can you fly? There's not much space in the truck."

Aero smiled back at him, "Yeah, erm, what exactly happened? And did you say angel's glow?" He said, interested. At being questioned if he could fly, he carefully flapped his wings and rose a few inches off the ground. He gave Gage the okay symbol.

"Okay. Though I don't know where that is, I'm sure I can find it." Rex said.

"Okay," Brittany said, "Do you know how to get to my apt.?" Brittany asked Silver.

"Pretty sure I do," Silver answered. "Remind me."

"I`ll be your map," Brittany said sarcastically to Silver.

"Uh, know that shell station sign East of the Courthouse? It's just a couple flaps North of that. I'll get someone to stand on the roof." Gage said.

"Since when do you know how to get to my apt.?" Brittany asked looking at Gage like he was a creeper.

"You've been with us three weeks!" Gage said. He knew where everyone lived except the new people he met yesterday.

Akira looked at Gage curiously, "Ok so if we are all going to the same place the girl should probably be flown there."

"We are spending waaay too much time getting out of here. Silver, throw Misty in the bed and let's peel out!" Gage said.

"Great," Rex said, ignoring Brittany's sarcasm. "I will go then. Cool, see you then," He took off to find Nutmeg and Jenna.

"Ugh! We are the most unorganized group of heroes ever to exist." Gage sighed. "I can carry her. She's small." He said, shifting Taylor to one shoulder. "Get to the truck. I'll meet you at the apartment." He said, "Thanks, foxy." He said, taking the child from beside Akira, then taking off before she had a chance to zap him. Well, almost. Lofting into the frigid air with Taylor and the little girl who clung to his shirt silently staring at him wasn't easy, but there was no one else so he pushed on.

Crow flew into the truck. He sat on the floor, feeling kind of awkward with everyone so close together. And him being a crow amidst the humans.

Silver ran over, and grabbed Misty. She couldn't lift her, so quickly transformed into a wolf, grabbed her in her jaws, threw her into the bed of the truck, transformed into a human, and jumped into the truck, "Get in now or you have to walk!" She hollered.

Akira handed the child to Gage and then shifted and ran off into the night. She had heard the directions to where they were going and felt like she could make it there on her own. Plus being crammed into that small space with everyone else made her skin crawl, and she was likely to shock everyone in there.

Crow's eyes started to close. He snapped them open. Stop.... It.... You can.... Sleep later..

Farren stared awkwardly at Crow in his crow form. She couldn't help but feel vulnerable and scared around him. Her eyes filled with fear as she kept a steady gaze on him.

Crow blinked blearily up at her. "Ca....caw.." he croaked and shook his head. You really... Need to stop.... Transforming... So much....

"Silver are ya ready? Remember if you need to know again, I'll tell you how to get to my apt." Brittany said kindly.

"I am ready!" Silver said, hopping into the truck. She started the truck and pulled out of the driveway. She stopped at two roads. "Which one?" She asked.

"The right one, Meaners DR." Brittany said.

As Crow's gaze met her's Farren quickly looked away, Staring awkwardly at her feet.

So off they went. Gage flying over the buildings with Aero beside him. The stars glimmered overhead, above the layer of city smog, the milky way was visible, along with a whole new dust of stars. He took a deep breath, and glanced down to the girl in his arms. Odd, how the day could be such a roller coaster. Who would have thought such a small child could be the difference? He nuzzled the top of her head. "No." She said. "Is that the only word you know?" He chuckled. "No." He grinned. "I don't know what I would have done without her." He said to Aero. "The kid, I mean. I'm almost glad you passed out because I was a mess." Gage could feel the poor girl's ribs and clenched his jaw. It almost made him not feel sorry for the dead back at the decrepit apartment complex. That this was all worth it. "You're in better hands, now." He promised. He wasn't sure if they were good hands, but there was no way he was turning her over to child services. Not now. He would cling to this girl like life itself. From now till eternity.

Aero eyed Gage, "Gee, thanks," He muttered, heaving a sigh. He nosedived through the air and shot back into the sky beside Gage. Strange, any trace of a former injury was gone, Aero didn't even feel the slightest bit queasy, in fact he felt as though he could fly for miles straight. "So, the angel's glow is the only reason I'm alive, then? I bet you all hoped I would die," He teased.

"There it is." He glanced to Aero, and nodding ahead to the building. He shifted Taylor in his arm. The weight distribution was awkward, and his arm burned. Not only from her, but from having carried Tayn. "How you holding up, buddy? Oh, yes. Indubitably." He snickered, "But angel's glow... it's bioluminescent bacteria." He said, repeating the smart word as he lighted down on the roof. "It kills the bad bacteria, and helps you heal faster... what, you think you're going to get superpowers from it? Isn't surviving a bullet enough?" He smiled at him. Thank goodness he hadn't been conscious during his little episode. Setting Taylor and the girl down gently, he shook his arm, trying to get the blood to flow.

"Your honesty is most appreciated." Aero said sarcastically, rolling his eyes and landing beside Gage. "I know what angel's glow is. 1862, Battle of Shiloh, blah blah blah. It saved some soldiers, blah blah. I know a lot of stuff about history. But, some superpowers would be nice." He said, tapping the side of his head. Aero was one nerdy bat dude.

"Riighhtttt." Silver tried to turn, and hit the park thingy. "OOPS... Sorry, first time driving," She said sheepishly, fixed it up, and turned onto the drive. "Where now?"

"Merge onto the parkway now," Brittany said.

Crow squinted at her, trying to stay awake. Even though his mind was a fog, he realized that he was probably making her feel weird. He looked away at some random person's shoes.

Not wanting to be close to Crow Farren crawled into the bed of the truck, Her eyes quickly focused on the unconscious wolf- Resting her hand on Misty's side Farren pulled back her hand quickly turning away from the wolf girl. She felt so oddly familiar to her that she could help but glance back at her-

Crow somehow found the energy to flap into her now-empty seat. He stared at the person next to him awkwardly, as much as a crow can be awkward.

Misty writhes in the bed of the truck, seeing the worst of her past play out in her head like a movie; Seth dying, Misty stabbing Maru... Taking Seth's medal and walking into the forest. That day Misty became ruthless, she slowly grew up growing ice cold, eventually she found herself able to command ice at her own will. She trained herself in the art of combat and swore that she would kill Maru one day.

Silver quickly turned, almost taking out a mailbox. "Please no cops see me..." she muttered. "Right, where to now?"

"Stay on the parkway for five miles then go left onto Caring RD." Brittany said.

Aubrey appeared beside them unexpectedly. Sitting in someone's lap. When she realized there had been a battle, she immediately regretted it.

Akira ran down an alleyway which should have been a short cut but it turned out to be a huge mistake. She was exhausted from the day's events and had used up her reserves. She collapsed in a pile a rubbage and passed out. She wasn't sure if she hoped someone would find her or remain hidden.

Silver took a right turn and came up on an alarmed apartment building. "This it?" She asked.

Aubrey accidentally made an Ameraucana chick, Ameraucana chicks are like the cutest chick ever. She grimaced and tossed it away.

Crow got hit in the face with a chick. "CAW!" he cawed, and got up. He ruffled his feathers and sat back down, glaring at Aubrey

"Has, haw!" Said Aubrey.

At the apt: Gage, Zen, Crow, Calynn, Misty, Aero, Rex, Mikki, Farren, Tayn, Akira, Taylor, Brittany.

Dead: Tor

flying: Gage, Aero, Rex, Taylor, child, Nutmeg

in truck: Zen, Crow, Calynn, Mikki, Farren, Brittany, Silver, (Aubrey)

on the tailgate: Tayn, Misty, eventually Farren.

*Ends on thread page 155*

Scene 5 - Brittany's Apt. part 1

Begins of page 155 of thread-

Gage lay Taylor down on the sofa. "You sure your parents won't mind? Or are they here?" He asked Brittany. She had said something about her parents before, but he had never actually been into her apartment. There was fur everywhere, along with several bowls of cheese curls.

Misty -who is still stuck in her nightmare- flails on the floor.

"They... They died a wile back," Brittany said, no emotion was on her face.

He blinked. "What? You never said... I'm sorry, Bell. I didn't know."

"Don`t be," Brittany said grabbing a blanket for Misty, since she was freezing cold to the touch.

Zen slumped down on a chair utterly exhausted.

Tayn's eyes flicker open, she was in a room she didn't recognize but the people around her were her teammates, all talking quietly with each other. It looked like they were all there, or was there someone missing? Brittany was all bloody but seemed to be mostly ok. Zen was finally awake. Crow was on the floor avoiding the little girl that was trying to pull out his tail feathers.

"Okay, so, I hate to say 'now what' but I have to ask, what do we do with the kid? I mean, I don't want to give her over to child services, but..." Gage raked his hand through his hair and looked around for a place to sit. Stupid chairs. Sometimes he wished he didn't have wings. He opted for the corner of the coffee table.

"If it's what's best, we probably should." Tayn picked herself up off the floor, everyone was ok, and it looked like they even managed to save someone. She went over to the girl. "Hey, do you know what your mommy and daddy's names are?"

Farren awkwardly sat down on a bench near everyone else. It felt weird to be in someone else's apartment ever since her little accident. While grasping her broken wing Farren got up an excused herself and went towards the bathroom.

Zen got up from his chair and kneeled down on the floor next to Misty, "Misty, wake up! Oh please Misty!!" He gently shook her careful not to press on a wound.

Misty feels the whole world around her vibrate. She hears a faint voice calling her name "Misty. MISTY." She slowly starts to flutter her eyes open. The blurry vision of Zen appears before her, she moans in pain and tries to get up.

"Easy now," He said helping her.

Misty looked at her childhood friend with tearful eyes, then buries her head in his chest and sobs uncontrollably looking for his comfort. Zen patted her awkwardly on the head not knowing what to say.

(Zen was best friends with Seth but after he died him and Misty grew close, as a brother and sister. Pretty much Misty's backstory is: her entire family and village was killed by a half snake-man named Maru. Then while wishing for death, Zen found her they were the same age -4 years old- and Zen took her home with him, Zen's parents upon finding her covered in blood adopted her.)

Misty takes her head off of Zen's chest and wipes her eyes and sniffles. "Sorry for the outburst, Zen," She murmurs. She sits up against the couch with Zen next to her and puts her head between her knees, silently crying.

"Nah, its fine." Zen said getting up slowly "Misty, are you sure you're OK?"

Mikki dropped on her knees next to Misty and rubbed her back, trying to soothe her.

Tayn looks over at Gage, "You know her parents probably went to the police looking for her."

Gage frowned, "You don't think it was anyone in that complex, do you?"

"...I'm not going to think about that." Tayn said as the wind outside rattled the window.

"I hope not. That would be horrible." Mikki replied, shuddering at the very thought. Mikki cleared a spot on the couch and settled down, waiting for the girl's response.

Calynn sat on the floor since the couch was full.

The girl blinked up at Tayn, and for the first time, Gage noticed something. He mouth wasn't just crooked, it was cleft. He clenched his jaw as reality sank in. This wasn't just a for-now thing. This would be for the rest of his life. Doctor bills, a place to sleep, not to mention actually raising the child. He wasn't even married yet, he didn't know how to take care of children.

"No." She said, as usual, running up to a cabinet that was apparently in dire need of inspection.

"Well, what's your name?" Mikki asked the girl.

She emerged from the cabinet with a box of cheese-its and dug at the cardboard top before it popped open. "No." She said.

"Does anyone know if there is C.A.N.D.Y. here" Tayn asked spelling the word so the kid wouldn't freak out if there was none.

Gage grinned as he watched the girl dig around in the cheese-it box. "Here." He said, moving to help.

"No!" She pulled the box away. He reached for the box again, "I'm not gonna take it, just let me help you open-"

"No!"

"I think that 'no' is the only word she knows how to say." Mikki said. "What do you want us to call you?" She tried again.

Zen looked up and glanced at Mikki and sarcastically said, "We should call her No."

Gage snorted.

Crow was really tired but he didn't want to fall asleep, as he felt that would be awkward. So he just sat there and stared into space.

"I think I might have C.H.O.C.O.L.A.T.E from the dawn of time," Brittany said.

Tayn nodded and pointed at Brittany. Tayn smiled at the girl "YOU'RE not playing the NO game are you?" she asked the girl in a silly voice.

Gage knelt down and put his hands on his knees. "Well," he studied her for a moment, "Uh, 'Noel' would seem fitting. I mean, besides the 'no,' it was snowing when we found her."

"I like it." Calynn said quietly.

"Gage, she has a family. We just have to find them," Tayn said.

"Very funny, Zen. But seriously, I think Noel is a good idea." said Mikki.

"I think that is perfect," Brittany said smiling.

The girl's eyes widened, and she hesitated. "Open this." She said, thrusting the box at Tayn.

"What kind of magic was that?" Gage said, glancing up to Tayn as well, "I want some, whatever it is."

Tayn opened the box, and handed it back to the girl.

"How did you do that? That's amazing!" Mikki said.

"It's something I did to bug my little sister when she was little. The only way to end the game is they have to say something other than no." Tayn whispered to Gage.

Aero, feeling as though he was of no use to the group, went to leave the apartment. He glanced around at everybody momentarily, then opened the door quietly to leave. Perhaps he could sit on the roof of the apartment building and enjoy the peace and quiet.

Farren rested her hands on both sides of the sink. Her head hung down and her wings drooped. Farren's eyes felt as heavy as stones and her stomach felt all twisted inside. Farren jerked her head up and raced towards the toilet slamming the lid open and vomited. A thick, black mucus slid out of her mouth and down into the bowl of the toilet. Feeling as though she had just puked up everything in her body Farren covered her mouth with her hand and flushed the toilet, disgusted. She felt feverish and pressed her hand up against her forehead feeling the hot burning skin. Quickly Farren splashed cold water on her face and wiped the water off with a towel and looked up in the mirror. She looked exhausted and worn out.

"I'm hungry, got anything to eat besides this, Brittany?" Zen held up a cheese curl.

"Yea...." Brittany murmured, "Uh I have millions of kinds of pasta if you like that?"

"Uh actually I would like that." Zen reached into the shelf and grabbed an armload of pasta boxes. Not the best of foods, but will do. He found a big pot and started boiling water.

Brittany went up to one of the cabinets and grabbed out some chocolate from it and walked toward the girl glancing at Tayn and Gage Brittany handed the child some chocolate and bent down. "Hey I`m Brittany. Do you mind if I call you Noel?"

She squealed, and stuffed the squares into her mouth. "Fffo." She said through a mouthful of cheese.

Brittany grinned "Would you tell me about yourself? I`d really like to know,"

***

Sammy was bored and awake so she texted Gage: **Did you finish the mission? Did you find out what the wailing was?**

***Gage's cellphone vibrated***

Gage's eyes widened for a moment, then realized that it was not his butt vibrating, but actually his pocket. He straightened up and pulled out an ancient flip-phone.

Misty slowly gets up, grimacing at the searing pain in her arm and leg. She hobbles to the window and stares out at the snow, taking her hand she starts to create a little sculpture of her brother with a wide smile. She starts to sob again, she is so lonely, she crushed the sculpture and falls to the ground screaming out to God. "WHY, WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DO THIS TO ME GOD, WHY?" She beats the floor with her fists. "I CAN'T STAND THIS WORLD ANYMORE." She unsheathes her sword and places it at her throat. "At least I'll get to see Seth again." She says with regret in her voice. Blood starts to drip onto her sword from her throat. She then takes it away, "NO STOP IT MISTY YOU CAN'T DO THIS YOU HAVE FRIENDS."

Everyone stares at Misty. and "Noel" starts to cry cheese and chocolate slobbering to the floor.

"Misty NOOO!!" Zen yelled, running from the kitchen. "You are here for a reason you need to help us save the world! If you won't do it for yourself do it for me!"

"ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME!!!! MISTY STOP!!! NOW!!!" Tayn yelled as she hugged the girl's head to her chest, hiding misty from her sight.

Gage's eyes snapped to the girl. "Uh..." he said, glancing between the phone and Noel. He fingered the buttons as quick as he could before crawling over to try and comfort Noel. Which, really only made things worse. Gage knit his brow, and his heart rose in his chest.

"What the heck?" Brittany threw herself away from the child and to Misty, "Misty, stop! Nothing will come from that!"

Sammy was disturbed by what Gage wrote, so she replied by texting: **Where are you? I could maybe help?**

Realizing what she's doing Misty sheaths her sword "I CAN'T." Misty curls up into a ball crying and bleeding. "I just want to see him." She sobs.

When everybody rushed to save Misty, Gage sat there. Like an idiot. He put his arms around the girl, not quite knowing what to do, he began to sing to her.

Tayn allowed Gage to shove her out of the way, Noel didn't seem to mind and settled down a little to his song.

"'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace, my fears relieved," Gage sang. Never in his life had he done so in front of others, but if there was a time, it was now. Then he lifted his voice, eyes drifting to Misty as he cradled Noel in his arms, "...The Lord hath promised good to me, his word my hope secures. He will my shield and portion be as long as life endures." He wasn't sure if it was helping anything, but it was better than nothing, and Noel seemed to like it...

Tayn heard sizzling coming from the kitchen and went to see what was going on. She saw the boiling water and pasta on the counter and proceeded to make spaghetti.

Zen looked at Gage in amazement and wonder, never had he seen Gage to be so gentle and caring.... He was enjoying listening to the deep tenor of his voice when he smelled something, the pasta! He jumped up and went to the kitchen.

Farren stepped out of the bathroom to see Misty holding a sword at her throat and multiple people trying to persuade her into not doing it. Farren breathed out a sigh as the girl lowered her sword. Farren stepped into the room and starred at Misty then to the child. Walking over to the little girl and Gage Farren sat down next to the little girl and smiled warmly at her and ruffled up her hair a bit.

Misty hears Gage singing and stops moving listening to Gage it reminds her of when Seth used to sing her to sleep. In a sweet voice she starts to sing a different song but with a similar melody. "My chains are gone. I've been set free, my God my savior has ransomed me."

Gage smiled. Maybe he wasn't so useless after all. Brittany raised her voice to another song "My blood stained jeans have been cleaned, I am redeemed,"

Farren watched as Gage sung out to Noel. Her smile grew bigger as the little girl relaxed listening to the song Gage sung. Without even realizing it Farren yawned feeling a wave of relief for the girl.. "She must have been through so much." She whispered softly mostly to herself. "You must have been a very brave girl when those meanies locked you up huh?" Her voice was as soft and gentle along with her expression.

Gage glanced up at Farren and stopped his song to let Noel out of his arms.

Noel sniffed, put a finger in her mouth, and nodded at the fallen angel.

Brittany gave Misty a hard cold stare and yet her own heart felt like that sword had pierced it. From everything she had been through.... she would not let Misty die.. even if it meant her own life as sacrifice she wouldn't let her or anyone else of that team die.

Smiling at the little girl Farren gently patted her head one more time. "Well you don't ever have to worry about the meanies again." She smiled, "We'll protect you from now on, Pinky Promise." She finished and reached out to the girl with her pinky up.

Gage finished the song, and laughed. The good, refreshing kind of laugh one only gets when you know that at last, everything might be okay.

Misty still continues to sweetly sing: "We've got forever Slipping through our hands We've got more time To never understand Falling footsteps Weighing heavy on me Behind darkness Beneath candles Whispers waltz Around our dreams..."

Gage grinned. "Sword fighting, bullet-taking, and you can sing?" Now that things were starting to settle down a bit Gage texted Sammy back: **Get ur but ovre here At Brittanys apt** Gage moved and sat next to Misty on the floor and tentatively wrapped his wing around her shoulder, "It'll be okay." He whispered.

Tayn and Zen make as big a pot of pasta as they can and get all the plates and forks they can find bringing it out to the living room where every one is.

Zen looks at Misty this was the first time hearing her ever sing, especially something so sweet.

"Alright! Everybody, it's 1am lets all eat and then we need to get this kiddo to sleep!" Tayn said.

Misty blushed and stopped singing she had never sang in front of someone other than her brother and parents and since they had died.... Had she not sang in so long? How many things had she not done? She blinked and went over to get some pasta.

"Sounds good to me!" Mikki said, piling spaghetti on a plate. She suddenly realized how hungry she was.

Tayn dished out a small portion for Noel and set it on the coffee table. "Noel this is yours come eat." she said smiling at the little girl.

Sammy attempted to decipher what Gage had texted, then shrugged. Hopefully my parents won't notice, she thought as she got ready to go.

Finley, who had been huddled in a corner with a pile of snot-covered tissues, perked up when he heard singing. "You cupcakes want to listen to some music?" He asked, not waiting for an answer. He quickly typed a few words onto his smart phone and blared jazz music.

Brittany sat down with her pasta and began to eat hungrily. I don`t think I've been this hungry in forever.....

Gage grinned as he sat with her. "Oh, thank goodness! Something besides my singing!"

Mikki dug in. She couldn't remember the last time that she was this hungry.

Noel sat up, eyes wide as saucers. "More?" She said, astounded.

Tayn a bit surprised that she was still hungry scooped more onto her plate. She scrambled onto the chair and stuck her fingers in the noodles.

Watching everyone relax with each other singing songs Farren for once felt.. What was the word, Happy...? But her smile soon faded into a frown. She left her special umbrella that allowed her to walk during the day without her curse effecting her. While everyone focused on each other singing and what-not Farren slipped out of the room in the shadows and crept out of building. I should have enough time before it gets light out... Farren thought to herself as she stepped out into the dimly lit streets making her way back to the apartment.

Rex stopped at the apartment to let everyone know Nutmeg and Jenna had been taken home and then left to go back to his place.

***

Sammy walked quickly out the door, she wanted to get to Brittany's apt as soon as possible. She didn't even realize there was someone in front of her until she ran right into them. "Oof, uh, sorry..." she mumbled, staring at the person's pockets, which were filled with pens.

The auburn-haired teen took a step back and her head jerked upward, her blue eyes flaring with wary. She stumbled a few steps back, dislodging a decent amount of pens in the process. "Why..." She slapped a hand over her mouth, and bent down, awkwardly trying to recover her beloved writing utensils without losing the stance that betrayed her readiness to flee. While reaching for a wayward pen that had rolled beneath a bus bench, she nicked her finger on a stray splinter of wood and staring at it in childish dismay before sucking on it as she clumsily returned to her feet. She scuffled her worn sneakers in an attempt to override the demeaning silence, and finally looked up at the stupefied and seemingly amused other girl. Her mouth opened and closed as she removed her finger and quickly stuffed it in a torn jean pocket. Her eyes flicked from her face to the ground, uncertain if she wanted to taint the air with words, then decided it ultimately best. "Um... sorry."

Sammy smiled in amusement as she watched Ash pick up the pens, but it quickly faded as her shyness set in. "Um... nice pens," she said, for some reason she felt like she must comment on the pens. She fidgeted awkwardly and accidentally made a small flame above her finger. She quickly snuffed it with her will, then glanced at the other girl, then back at the ground. Grrr, I need to start controlling my fires better... oops..

~Ash stuffed a last one into her flannel shirt pocket, twirling a strand of red hair dulled by simplifying streaks of brown across her free hand. "Thanks," she muttered, her eyes finally for once pinpointed on the younger girl's face and not skittering off into the night with anxiety. She kicked a pebble across the sidewalk, feeling a need to break the silence by an empty gesture such as that and yet not quite ready to go on her way. This girl radiated an amicable presence, and, from Ash's experience, there were few truly good teens left in the world of today. "Um... do you live around here?"~

Sammy stuffed her hands into her pockets. "Ya... I was walking to a, uh... friend's house." she said, then realized that there was a feather in her pocket. She casually flicked it out, then looked at Ash, "Uh, I'm assuming you live around here, too. Cuz people don't usually walk around... at night." she said, surprised that she was being so outgoing with this other girl. I don't even know her...

~Ash reached up to awkwardly scratch the back of her neck, mentally noting that her fingernails were way past due for a trim. "Actually, that's ironic, because I'm on the way to a friend's house as well..." But it's been so long... do I even know the house number anymore? She let the winding silence draw out and began slowly turning away as if to leave. The awkwardness in this situation had become way too much to physically and emotionally bear, and if this girl's parents, wherever they were while their daughter was out at past midnight, knew that she was just aimlessly talking to a completely random stranger who has an obsession with pens...~

Sammy watched Ash turn around, then realized that she was going the exact same way Sammy was. Yep. This is going to be awkward... She didn't know how to follow Ash without seeming like a weirdo, so she carefully crossed the street and went the long way to Brittany's Apt.

~Ash snuck a furtive glance after the retreating girl, then strode forward with a confidence she definitely didn't have. She quickly charged across a strip of road to get to the next crosswalk, exercising unnecessary traffic caution for the wee hours, and hopped up onto the sidewalk, her eyes racing along the rows of housing buildings that all looked... horribly similar. Her eyes ran across the silver number plates at each doorway, but not a single numeral screamed any remnant of familiarity. Yeah. I'm hopeless. Pulling her hair around her face, Ash let herself slide to the ground, her back up against the corner of an obviously empty condo. Her breath hissed out in a barely comforting lull as she buried her face into the most comfortable possible position between her knees. Guess I'm spending the night out here.~

Sammy walked up to Brittany's apartment building, her hands still in her pockets. Her mind was extremely preoccupied, as she was thinking about what the outcome of the mission could be, how she should act, how much homework she had to do.... She walked up to the door to Brittany's room of the apartment. She knocked, but didn't get an answer. She shrugged and decided to come tomorrow, as it probably wasn't that urgent.... She walked away, out the door of the apt, and somehow didn't see Ash sitting against the building. She went to her house and climbed back into bed.

***

~Ash's blue eyes snapped open as sunlight assaulted them. She scrambled to her feet, and immediately bashed her head against the concrete wall of the apartment building she'd foolishly utilized for a pillow overnight. Rubbing her head vigorously to rid herself of the blooming pain, she took a step backward as she realized people were already up and walking to wherever their day required them at along the frequented sidewalk. She folded her hands in each other as a runner surged by her, truly lost for any sensible means of continuing her search for the house she sought out. I could just ask somebody... yeah, that totally won't sound weird. Asking for directions to a supposed friend's house. Right.~

Sammy was just about to go back into Brittany's apt when she noticed someone sleeping on an empty building. What the....? Is that......? she hurried over, and was soon standing near Ash as the older girl stood up from her uncomfortable-looking sitting position. Sammy then attempted to hide behind a telephone pole, wondering what Ash was doing here.

~Ash's head whipped around as a flicker of movement wriggled into the edge of her vision and immediately pinned Sammy's form hastily hid behind the pole. With a long sigh, she crossed her arms and leaned back against the building, awaiting the inevitable questions with an unperturbed front.~

Sammy noticed that Ash had seen her. Aw, chicken feathers, she cursed to herself. She walked up to her and looked at her in the eyes, then quickly looked away at a conveniently located puddle. "D-do you need some directions?" she stammered, shuffling her feet. "I know some of the people around here, I might be able to help."

***

Akira still lay unconscious in a back alley garbage pile in her fox form.

*Ends on thread page 181*

scene 6 -Brittany's apt. part 2

Begins on thread page 184-

*Morning*

Gage blinked his eyes open to find someone staring. He jolted up. But then he realized. He sighed and smacked his forehead, heart still beating, "Ugh. Morning, Noel." He said, voice full of sleep. "What is it?"

"Gotta go potty." She said, still staring. A stray noodle was stuck to her shirt.

"Wha? Uh. Okay." He got up and made down the short hallway to the bathroom, and opened the door for her. "Uh, can you go by yourself? Are you a big girl, can you go by yourself?" He cringed, already hearing her trademark word.

"Yeah." She said, much to his relief. She slammed the door behind her, almost catching one of his feathers in it. He rubbed his face. "Ugh. I need coffee."

The slamming door startled Tayn awake.What happened? She sat up rubbing her head and pulled a cheese stick out. Right they were at Brittany's house. The sun shone in the window the weather seemed to be back to normal or at least she thought so. Everyone still slept except Gage and Noel were gone. Tayn frowned and got up gathering the dishes.

Gage stepped over several sleeping people on his way to the kitchenette. "Mornin, hero." He said, noticing Tayn staring out the window. "How do you like your coffee?"

"Black," she said.

He grinned, dumping the grounds into the filter. "Like my heart?"

Tayn dropped the dishes into the sink. "We did some good."

"Well, I sure don't feel like it. A hero, I mean."

"I'm done!" Noel shouted.

Gage frowned, eyes wide. "Uh... good." He said, then glanced at Tayn.

"I'll go check" she said.

He glanced from one side of the room to the other, "Oh." He said stupidly. Why was he so bad at this?

Tayn went up the hall and made sure that Noel had washed her hands. Tayn got a washcloth and cleaned Noel's face up a bit it was still covered in dirt food and blood. Then she brought her over to Brittany's room, hoping she wouldn't mind if she used one of her shirts for Noel. She rifled through the drawers and helped Noel get changed. "Are you hungry again?" she asked.

"Yeah." Noel said, skipping awkwardly down the hall. "I goed all by myself. Um... waffles?"

Tayn chased her up the hallway. "Shh," she said, "you'll wake everybody up."

Gage shook his head as the coffee pot started to dribble. Funny how they couldn't keep to one subject.

"Shh." She mimicked, spitting a little as she tottered over the sleeping humanoids.

"Well, looky there." Gage said. "Somebody looks clean."

Crow opened his eyes tiredly and sat up. Whaaa? Where?......Oh. He glanced around and realized he was at Brittany's apartment. I don't remember turning back into a human. He thought as he got up and walked towards the kitchen.

Taylor opened her eyes, and slowly sat up. Her arm stung, but wasn't as bad as last night. She got up, and walked into the kitchen. "Morning Tayn, Gage." She yawned.

"Morning Taylor, are you feeling better?" Tayn asked.

"Mornin darlin. Hey, you're heavy, you know that?" He rubbed his right arm, "I'm sore."

Taylor shrugged, "Yeah, I guess." She replied, "Sooo, this is Brittany's apt.?" She asked.

Tayn was glad she was digging through the freezer, Gage had carried her too, and she was taller than Taylor. "Waffles... Waffles." There was half a box of waffles at the back of the freezer. Tayn took them out and popped a few in the toaster.

Gage searched for mugs as Noel crawled up onto a chair beside the tiny table. "So, uh... do you have a family?" He asked. Immediately he regretted it. Hadn't he just asked both Misty and Brittany?

There was no maple syrup in the fridge. Tayn brought the waffles over to Noel, "Careful they're hot." she said handing them over.

Mikki woke up and stretched, then suddenly remembered last night's events. "Is everyone okay this morning? Sorry, I couldn't stay awake last night... Oh, are those waffles?!"

"It's too late to say good night so good mornin, good mornin to you." Gage said in a tune.

Noel stared at the waffles, carefully poking them as if they might bite. Then she picked one up and bit off a piece.

Tayn looked over at Mikki, "Uh, there are two more left that's it."

"Oh, okay." Mikki said, standing up and shuffling into the kitchen. "Brittany, do you have any cereal?"

"Brittany's still sleeping I just went ahead." Tayn said.

"Okay." Mikki found some Cheerios and milk and poured herself a bowl.

"You mentioned bringing her back to her parents... we can't ask the police. So we'll have to find out ourselves. I thought about it last night and," Gage said as he poured two mugs of coffee, "Taylor, you drink coffee?" He asked. "Oh, um, I thought about it, and I think we need to go back. To the complex, I mean. That guy that called us there in the first place might have some answers." He took a sip of his coffee, and sighed. He motioned with his mug to the pot. "Coffee?" He asked Mikki.

"No, thank you though." Mikki replied. "I hope that they're okay. Noel's parents, I mean." Mikki said. "Mornin' to you too."

Tayn's face grew dark, and the sun was suddenly darkened by clouds. "I don't..." she trailed off. "I'll stay here with Noel if you really want to do that." she said to Gage, taking the hot mug from his hand.

Nodding, he pulled up a chair beside Noel and clutched his mug over the table. "I know. I had nightmares about... about Misty killing things. I'm not even going to mention that we might find exactly what we left there." Gage swallowed. "But if she has a family...."

"If she has a family that lives there, I would rather not find them. The police would be able to track down her family, and if they find us first we will be the ones who kidnapped her." Tayn said.

Gage traced his finger around the rim of his coffee cup. Never in his life had he drank his coffee black, but the knot in his stomach wouldn't agree with sugar. "I've got to go. I can't stand it anymore." He pushed his chair back and stood, jerking a thumb at himself. "Keep her safe, this criminal has to return to the scene of the crime."

"Not alone! you can't go alone." Tayn said standing up. She looked over at Mikki, though she knew it wasn't fair to try to get someone to go if she wasn't willing to go herself.

Finley stirred from his sleep as he heard talking. Lazily, he sat up and looked around the room. "Morning."

"I'm just looking for clues, that's all. The guy who called on us- you saw him lock his door, right?- I'm going to ask him if he knows."

"I'll go." Mikki volunteered.

Tayn's stomach turned. She was sure that that man had something to do with what happened last night.

He shook his head, glancing back at those who had waked. "I've got Mikki with me. Taylor? Crow?"

Crow looked over. "I can come," he said quietly, getting up from where he was sitting.

Gage said, "Yeah buddy. C'mon!"

Mikki hurriedly downed her cereal and pulled on her shoes.

Gage grinned at Finley, "You up for this, cupcake?"

"Ok, be careful." Tayn said. "Don't trust him and text me if something goes wrong." Tayn said clutching her coffee to her chest.

"We will." He said, noticing her blue eyes for the first time. "Promise." Then he threw open the window, crawled onto the sill, and leapt out.

Mikki followed him to the window.

Aero bolted upright as he heard voices as he began to wake. He looked around wildly, but quickly calmed down once he realized where he was. Oh thank goodness... He thought to himself, throwing his hand up to his racing heart in relief.

Tayn closed her eyes and tried to ignore Gage, Mikki, and Crow as they jumped out the window. She had to stay calm or they would be blown out of the sky.

They flew toward downtown, the sun rising behind them.

Mikki followed Crow and Gage to the apartment. I wonder what he'll tell us if he tells us anything at all. She worried.

Crow flew with Gage, in his crow form now. He drove through the wind, enjoying the wind in his feathers. I feel sorry for all those flightless humans down there.

Before they reached the dilapidated building, Gage spotted lights. Red and blue ones. He wasn't really worried until he realized that they weren't his friends anymore. His heart leapt into his throat. H e had never run from the police. Or even thought about doing so. What had he done? What had he done? "Uh, bank left, guys. We're gonna have to do some ninja-ing." They landed in a dark alley amongst the rejected air conditioning units, dumpsters, and some kind of slime. He cringed as he smelt something like none other. Even a few seconds he couldn't take, and pulled his shirt collar over his nose.

Finley plummeted through the air and faceplanted into a pile of trash. He jumped to his hooves instantly. "Argh... well aren't I just lucky. I need to work on my landing." He complained.

Mikki noticed the other's disgusted expressions and floated lightly above the garbage-littered ground. "What next?" She whispered.

"Aero! you're up." Tayn said surprised.

Jenna had to grab her car from the train station and go to work.

Rex flew to Brittany's apartment and knocked.

Tayn got up and opened the door for Rex. "Good morning," she said, "come on in there's coffee in the kitchen."

"Thanks. How's the kid?" Rex asked, walking inside.

"She's talking! So a lot better now." Tayn said.

Noel stared at him, still holding a waffle to her mouth.

He smiled at Noel. "That's good." Rex said.

"Why do you have horns?" She squinted, pulling the bit out of her mouth.

"Cause I was... born with them? Why do you have hair?" Rex said.

She giggled and sucked on the waffle, then pulled it back out a second time, "You're funny. What kind of bat are you? Do you have hair? Why are your eyes like that? Why-" she paused to suck on the waffle.

"I'm not a bat, I'm a wyvern. Yes, I have hair, and I'm wearing a mask." He said, smiling.

Cocking her head, she tested the new word. "Wyvern." Her hair slid away from her face, revealing the scars again, "Is that the same as hydra?"

"No, do you know what a dragon is? It's like that, but without the front legs. You seem a bit young to know what a hydra is," Rex said.

"Not a hydra. HYDRA." She said. She turned in her chair and reached out to examine his wing.

"I don't understand." He said, confused.

Noel got out of the chair and grabbed one of his wing's claws, tapping it to see how hard it was. "Hydra. They... um. They do stuff. Big mean guys that um, yeah."

"Are they the ones that... took... you?" He asked.

"Kinda... Your wings are floppy." She said, taking the skin between the 'fingers' and waving it around.

"Umm.." He pulled his wing out of her hands.

She frowned, still reaching for the wing. "They dress up in blue shirts and have flashy lights on top of the cars."

"Oh, are you talking about the police?" Rex said, now sitting down.

*Ends on page 206*

Scene 7 - Busted

Begins on thread page 206ish*-

The street lights dimly lit the sidewalk. Farren tucked her chin into her scarf feeling the cold wind against her skin. Sirens and blue and red lights flashed in front of the apartment. Stopping for a moment Farren looked for another way into the apartment and decided to go through the alleyway. Quietly Farren crept through the alleyway looking for a window to crawl through. Rats scurried across the floor into a knocked over trashcan. The wail of a cat rang through the alleyway and as Farren looked up she spotted an old air conditioner sticking out of one of the many windows of the apartment. Grabbing the knocked over trashcan Farren placed it under the window with the air conditioner and carefully took it out setting it down onto the ground without it making a sound. She then crawled through the window wincing at the pain in her broken wing as it scraped against the edges of the window. Farren landed heavily with a grunt on her feet and looked around the dark room. The patter of footsteps followed along with the voices of police sounded in the hallways. Slowly reaching out for the handle on the door that led out of the room Farren grabbed it turning then pushing it open cringing at it as it creaked open. Farren stepped out of the room and hastily hurried out of the hallway onto the staircase that led to the upper level of the apartment. The voices of policemen grew louder as Farren peeped around the corner to see three men with guns slowly walk into the room Farren had just been in. Without a sound Farren rushed towards the other staircase while the men focused their attention in the room she sneaked in. Now on the first level of the apartment Farren could see more clear. Lights light up the hallway and about 15 police men were in dragging out the bodies of dead men. And right were everyone was lay her umbrella right next to the entrance where two men stood. Quickly thinking Farren jerked her hand and at the very far end of the hallway something appeared; the silhouette of someone pacing back and forth. One of the men pointed his gun at it and yelled out something while others joined him. The silhouette disappeared around the corner and the majority of the men cautiously followed with their guns pointed. Two stayed behind with their guns at the ready. With a sigh Farren flicked her wrist and the two men let out startled yelps as the sunk halfway into the ground with shadows blinding them. Walking up to the two men Farren reached down and grabbed her umbrella. While Farren turned towards the exit a harsh voice yelled out towards her, "GET DOWN ON THE GROUND WITH YOUR HANDS UP OR WE WILL OPEN FIRE." Freezing, Farren dropped her umbrella and fell to her knees with her hands up and lay on the floor The two men halfway in the floor were released and back to normal. Farren felt the cold muzzle of a gun pressed up against the back of her neck while another man took her hands and handcuffed them. They then lifted her up and sat her down with her back facing the wall.. Tonight was going to be a long one ...

***

Aero whimpered, and blinked away any memories that flooded his mind. "Huh? Oh. Yeah. Good morning." He said halfmindedly, waving his hand in greeting to the nearest person.

Zen slowly opened his eyes and glanced at the clock, 8:30!! And it only felt like 3.... He got out of bed and slogged to the kitchen.

Tayn gestured to the kitchen with her coffee mug. "There's coffee."

"Morning." Zen said while reaching for a ceramic mug.

Someone rapped on the door of Brittany's apartment.

Tayn glanced at the door. They weren't expecting anyone else were they? She looked at Rex who seemed occupied with Noel. "I'll get it." She said.

Two boys in blue stood at the door. One had a striking similarity to an octopus. "Uh, sorry, ma'am, are you Brittany Deveraux?"

Aero got a cup of coffee and threw on a jacket. "I'm heading over to the apartment with everybody else." He said quietly, but then trailed off as he saw the two men in blue standing at the door. Actually, maybe I'll wait until they leave.

Tayn stared at them. And closed the door as much as she could while still keeping it open. "She doesn't live here." She said.

"Uh, but we have a paper here stating that apartment 21B is currently occupied by one Miss Brittany. We have a search warrant, if you would like to see." He held out the papers.

Tayn stared worriedly at them. "Just a minute, can I see your papers?" she asked holding a hand out. On the inside of the door she waved frantically at Rex, hoping he would understand. Hoping he would get Noel out of there. The windows shuddered as wind howled against the side of the building.

He handed her the paper. "I don't suppose you heard about the homicides in downtown?"

"No I haven't heard anything. I just got up." She said the paper shaking in her hand. She looked them over but didn't really know if what she was looking at was a legitimate form or not.

The policeman put his hand on his belt and glanced down the hall. "We traced them right to this area. We're searching all the rooms."

Zen heard commotion at the front door carrying his steamy mug of strong espresso he peeked around the corner. The police!

"Morning, Zen." Areo said, waving at him awkwardly. I don't think I properly introduced myself yet. He walked over to where Zen stood, while eyeing the police cautiously. "Erm, my name's Aero, if you didn't already know. Hi."

"Well hi there." Zen stepped back, "Feeling better?"

"Well, my little sister isn't really dressed yet, can you come back in a few minutes?" Tayn asked trying to shut the door.

Thunder rumbled loudly outside.

The policeman grabbed it with one of his tentacle arms. "I'm afraid not. We have permission from the land owner."

Tayn glared over at Aero and Zen quickly gesturing wildly for them to get Noel outta there.

"Tanak." Noel whispered when she saw the tentacle creeping around the door.

Tayn put all of her weight into holding the door shut, "Guys!" She yelled. "Noel... Go to the bedroom!" she hissed straining against the door.

Lightning crashed just outside. Thunder rumbling in their bones.

The octopus-man wrenched the door out of her hand and pushed her out of the way, the human following behind.

Hearing Tayn's command Zen hurried Noel towards the bedroom Rex following closely behind. "Come on now! Um, w-we're going to play a game alright? It's called 'don't let the blue men find you'!" Zen quickly ran half carrying Noel to the bedroom.

Tayn fell into the room as they pushed past. "You can't just barge in here!" she yelled, picking herself up she frantically looked around the room for something to defend herself with.

Aero seeing them push in slipped out a window in the kitchen and went back into the building another way hoping he might catch the cops from behind.

***

~Ash gave her head a furious shake, sending her hair flying in a tossed disarray. If she wanted to get anywhere, and get there as fast as her safety demanded, she had to stop aimlessly beating around the bush. "Look," she began, meeting Sammy's eyes squarely. "I'm looking for a friend." Her chest heaved with a breath that she almost struggled to take as she tried to put her next notion into words. "I've been... gone... for a long time and I don't remember her exact address." She suddenly clamped her hands together and hung them at her waist, giving her stance even more helplessness. "I need to get there.... Is there any possibility you know a girl named Brittany?"

Sammy blinked a few times. She stared at Ash blankly. "Actually, I don't know her." She said, "But, I do know where she lives. I was just about to... Meet with her and a few others. C'mon." And with that she turned around and walked toward the apartment's entrance. She looked behind herself to make sure Ash was following.

~Ash's heart roared in her chest, sending reverberations of its pounding throughout her entire chest. She was about to see the last remnant of her childhood... the childhood that had been torn away and sealed out of the metal prison she'd been kept in for... how long was it? Something pooled at the corner of her left eye, and as Ash reached up to bat it away, her eyes rested on an apartment complex building that was audibly emitting shouts and other pandemonium. "There's.. uhhh... some interesting people in this neighborhood," she remarked wryly, temporarily herding the storm of emotions that boiled within. A series of differentiating bangs of cabinets to doors erupted from within the building. "They're always this loud?"~

***

Quickly Zen threw open one of the windows in the bedroom and lifted Noel out and onto the back alley and quickly jumped out himself to join her.

The cop stormed after them, Zen's shirt just barely escaping the tentacle. He growled. "Nigel! Get your radio and call downstairs. Tell them to guard the fire escape!"

Hearing what octo-guy said Tayn grabbed at Nigel's radio and tried to break the cord off.

"What the?" Nigel lurched away just as the other cop grabbed her.

Tayn squirmed trying to be as difficult as possible so that Zen would have time to run.

The human pulled away, grabbing his receiver. "Parker9 requesting backup, repeat, Parker-"

The thunderstorm hurled a flurry of hale across the side of the building.

At last, the brute pulled her hands behind her back and cuffed them. "Keep hold of this one, I'll get the rest." He said.

Tayn glared at them, trying to get away from the one left holding her.

Rex bolted out the window with Zen and Noel. "Hey, are you ok?" He asked Noel, crouching down to her height.

She beamed up at him and reached out. "Floppy!" She said.

He smiled. "My name is Rex, not floppy."

She whipped her head around and stuck her tongue out at Zen.

Thinking quickly Zen spotted an old trashcan and quickly rushed over to it with Noel. Emptying it Zen lifted Noel and while holding her Zen said gently, "We can't let the blue men find you or we lose, Ok? So you're going to hide in here while I hide next to you."

She screwed up her face and started to pout. "No."

Zen frowned at the girl "Trust me, ok? If the blue men find us then they'll take you away and we'll lose the game!" Zen pleaded. He had no idea how to convince the little girl. "I'll tell you what. If you hide in here than.. um I'll give you ALL the candy you want. O.K.?" He looked at the girl hopefully.

She squinted at him.

"I'm going to take that as a yes!" Zen quickly placed her in the trashcan closing it "Make sure to stay quiet or no candy!" He whispered then turned his back looking for a place for him to hide with her. Zen slapped his hand to his forehead as Noel jumped out of the trashcan and rushed over towards Rex "Hey man, you gotta help me out here," He pleaded as he watched Noel. "We gotta hide her fast"

"Rex." She said "Are you going to hide?"

"Go in the trashcan, okay? Can you do that?" Rex asked.

***

Sammy looked worried. "Well, when I've walked past here... It's always been quiet." She crept into the building and headed towards Brittany's room, noticing that the door was flung wide open.

~Ash crept after the younger girl, her eyes darting wildly from apartment door to apartment door as if expecting some shady character to materialize in every one. She walked up behind to where Sammy stood staring into what she presumed to be Brittany's place. Her jaw barely managed to keep itself closed. The place was utterly and wholly a mess. "I don't remember Brittany being this messy..."~

"Freeze!" Mr. Octopus ordered.

Sammy froze at the sound of the Octo-Guy. She stared at him, her eyes wide. Wait a second... What trouble did Gage get himself into....

Taylor, woken up by Zen and Rex running through the room, ran out to the living room and skidded to a halt, face to face with a girl, "Who are you?!" She demanded. She froze, seeing the police. She uttered under her breath, and lifted her hand, a ball of fire forming, "Dare mess with me?"

~Ash stiffened up as a voice exploded in her ear and nearly screamed. Barely maintaining her composure, she slowly turned around to face a policeman... no, wait... that wasn't even close to right... a policecreature obviously expecting an instantaneous surrender. Her heart dropped to her toes and her eyes slowly slid to the girl who was looking very traitorous right now... "Alright, you're working for them. You've been after me all along. Smooth, kid, real smooth."

Tayn stared at the two girls who had just entered the room. Could it really be?

*Storm begins to recede*

Sammy looked wide-eyed at Taylor. "Uhh... D-do you know where Gage is?" She stuttered as she stared at Taylor's hand.

Taylor realized the girl was staring at her hand, "I mean no harm to you," She whispered. "Gage? No! I don't."

Sammy blinked dumbly at Ash. She grumbled something to herself. "Look. I-I don't know what happened here... But this is Brittany's room and... I was supposed to meet Gage here."

Tayn cursed in her head, why did they keep throwing everyone's names around!?

"Wait. A second." Sammy said, her eyes inspecting the ruined place, "Why are there police here?"

"You'll find out later!" Taylor explained, "It's complicated."

Silver crept around the apt. She saw Tayn fighting a policeman and another police-creature. She smirked, creeping around the police, and leapt, sinking her fangs into one of his arms.

He cried out, but as he did so, he dropped to his knees, his tentacles wrapped around her throat.

"Ah!" Silver screeched. She struggled, and reached her hand up, and scored her claws along his tentacles.

Sammy nodded to Taylor, but she wasn't paying much attention to her words. Her eyes scanned the room, and she saw Silver battling the Octo-Guy.

~Ash's eyes skittered around all of the rampaging beings that had accumulated in the now overcrowded building. There was a girl who seemed to be mustering some element of dark magic to ward off a police officer, and there was another older girl being dragged away. And a wolf girl grappling with an octopus-police man. Wait. Her head flew back toward to the older captured girl at the same time that her hand flew to her mouth. Her head fogged immensely and threatened a complete inconvenient faint. "Tayn..." Her voice was no more than a squeak as the older girl continued her enraptured trance directed at Ash.

Nigel grabbed Tayn by the cuffs and pushed her toward the door.

Tayn fought him still staring. She didn't say anything she didn't want her taken again.

"Come on." He shoved her along, down the stairs.

Tayn stumbled out into the sun, she was surprised that despite being caught she seemed to be almost happy.

Nigel shoved her out to the car and tossed her in. The backseat smelled like puke, and scratches covered the back glass. He slammed the door shut and it gave a soft 'click,' before he turned away, back to the building.

~Ash whirled around to face the younger blond girl and actually gave her shoulders a shake of desperation before instantly pulling back her hands. "Okay, I don't care what's happening right now," she muttered, her voice rising into something reminiscent of a screech. "But where are they taking her?"~

"I-I don't know. But..." She lighted a small flame, and it hovered over her hand. "Do you wanna stop them?" Sammy said with a glint in her eyes.

Ash's head snapped from her original guide then back to the other, taller girl. Clearly they weren't ordinary... well, at least she could ascertain that she'd found the right place. She peeled herself off of the door to join these newfound allies with something of a mischievous gleam in her eye. "Hey, why not?"~

Taylor stared at Ash, "They won't be taking her," She answered.

~Ash stared at Taylor. Her hands shook with nerves as she forced them onto the door frame to keep herself standing against this sudden onslaught of debilitating chaos. "What's the quickest way to get down there?"~

The octopus man pulled the gun out of its holster and stuck the barrel on Silver's forehead. "Now..." he gave a ragged breath, "Do you know your exact worth? Because I do. Don't make me do this, girl."

Silver froze, her eyes wide. "Let my friend go, and we will leave," She growled.

"Oh, to Tayn?" Taylor asked Ash. "Easy. Follow me, do just what I do," She muttered. "Come on!" She ran straight at the Octo-Man, and shot a blast of ice straight at him, then headed for the door, opening it, "Run!"

Sammy almost followed Taylor, but something held her back. She saw Silver wrestling with the Octo-Guy and realized she couldn't leave her behind.

Blood poured out of the bite in Octo-Man's neck as he slowly pulled himself away, gun steady on her head, "Little snot." He curled his lip, "If you weren't worth so much, I would pop you right here. He pulled out his only other pair of handcuffs. "Now turn around."

The flame on Sammy's hand grew brighter. "So... Should we stop eight arms over there?" She asked Ash, suddenly nervous.

"Fine," Silver gave in, but smirked, and ran the other way, "Catch me if you can!" She called, he had just said he wasn't going to shoot her. Stupid cop.

Sammy looked at the police-dude. "H-hey. What's the trouble here?" She asked shakily. She stared at the gun, her flame still hovering above her hand. She looked around for guidance, unsure of what to do.

Silver sat next to her and growled.

Sammy looked at her, then nodded silently. C'mon.. you can do this.... She ran toward the Octo-Guy, feeling excited... And not in the good way. She whipped her hand and shot an impressive burst of fire at Octo-Guy. Unfortunately, the fire also hit the wall behind him. Oh, chicken feathers, she cursed as the window drapes caught fire.

Sammy and Silver was distracted by the flames rapidly burning up the walls and didn't notice Octo-Guy until it was too late. Sammy struggled but realized it was pointless. Octo-Guy was also pointing a gun at her, so she decided to be safe and stayed still.

The policeman glanced around the room that was quickly being engulfed in flames and ran into the bedroom, grabbing several sleeping bodies before dragging them out of the room.

Despite knowing that his partner had many arms and was able to take care of himself Nigel sprinted up the steps, coming out on the other end of the hallway. But as he did, he was met by Ash and Taylor. He froze in the hallway.

Unable mentally to do anything else, Ash blinked at the police officer that had ran into the corridor and slid to a halt before them. "Uhhhhh....hi." She offered a guilty wave, and then a rolling shrug. "I have no clue what's going on here, you have no clue who the hay I am, but I can ascertain I'm not doing anything illegal."

The cop said, "Do you live here? If so, you need to make it back to your apartments."

Taylor whirled around to face the cop, fire forming in her hand, "Mess with my friends, you mess with me,"

Tayn remembering what her sister's power was concentrated on making herself upset to strengthen the wind.

Ash slowly turned to face the other inconveniently sudden opponent that made quick work of the stairs and now stood squarely in front of the slapped together team.

"Yeah, um, it's all your choice, of course, but..." He frowned at Taylor, holding a hand out, "Now, hey! I'm not-" he pulled out his gun.

~Facing times of desperate measure, Ash facepalmed. Could she have picked a worse day to return to the life she'd been stolen away from? "Officer, it's not what it seems..." Okay, so he had some sort of dark witch aiming a ball of blackened fire at him. Not bluntly threatening at all...

Oh crab. Taylor suddenly realized they where trapped, a cop on each side. Taylor stared at one of the cops, "Try me." She sneered. "I'm a Druid, your bullets can't hurt me and my power,"

"Hey, you," Taylor whispered to Ash, "Take care of the other cop, I have this one," She told her."

Slowly the weather began to turn blustery. Intentionally using her powers wasn't easy after hiding them for so long. Tayn looked over to the window where Brittany's apartment was. A curtain was blowing out the bedroom window. She spotted the lid of a trashcan popping up and down. What was that? she wondered.

Take care of the other one. Yeah, so easily and effortlessly done. Especially considering the fact that Ash had not a single weapon to aid her nor a useful power for this situation.

Sweat began to form on the policeman's brow as the barrel bounced between Ash and Taylor. "Don't move!" He shouted. The cop inched toward them "You're all under arrest. Put your hands behind your heads!" He bellowed.

Taylor muttered under her breath, and she took her dagger from her pocket. "Move once and I strike," She snarled.

The lid to the garbage can clattered to the ground and Noel stood up, knocking the garbage can over as she tried to jump out. Anxiety overwhelmed Tayn and the breeze turned to a full fledged storm again. She stared, horrified, at Noel who was trying to sneak away from the building. She was going to get caught. but she didn't want to try o get her attention either incase she made her get caught.

Aero wandered the halls nervously. Surely the cops are still here, but I wonder why... He rounded a corner and stopped abruptly in front of Taylor, a girl he didn't recognize and two cops. Did he say under arrest? Quickly, he hid back behind the corner and waited to see what happened next.

Hearing movement the second cop spun around, the gun went off and a bullet struck the wall.

Aero jumped as he heard the deafening sound of a bullet being shot near him. He landed on his back -and consequently tore up his bat wings- in front of the small group, directly in front of the cop. He gulped nervously, "Uh, hiya."

Aubrey looked at the scene before her with an unconcerned look. Her goldfish had died before. This was not new to her. She didn't realize how serious it was. Aubrey saw the cops. "I'll help! I'm a junior police officer," she said.

The second police officer looked at the little girl, surprised. "We got this, Kid." He said.

~Ash now gave up trying to be abnormally cooperative and darted forward as the cop was knocked off balance by his own displaced shot. She then flung her formally obedient hands down from her own head and slammed them onto his without restraint.~

"You're under arrest!" Aubrey told Aero, because he was looking nervously at her.

Nigel turned around, and saw Aubrey yelling at Aero. Flames were now licking at the walls. He shook his head. Her help was better than nothing. While they were caught off-guard by the fire, he swung around and kicked Taylor's legs, knocking her down. He fumbled around in his belt for the cuffs.

The Octopus-cop came into the hall, pushing Silver, Sammy, and a few others along with him, hands behind their backs. "Get as many of them as you can and get out of here!" He shouted, grabbing Ash's hands.

Nigel took a step toward the girls.

"Alright, you've tested me, now you get my power." Taylor snarled, uttering words under her breath and sending blasts of ice shards at him, and tossing her dagger.

Bantam Delaware hens blasted out of Aubrey's palms. They flapped and clucked wildly to avoid the human obstacles.

Aero looked around wildly, then down at his hands, contemplating what he should do next. If I don't do this, we'll all be arrested. But, he couldn't even move. All he could manage to do was stare down at his hands with tears beginning to form in his eyes. I can't... And with that, he surrendered, lifting his hands to the back of his head and standing. I'm sorry.

***

Zen or Rex rescued Noel. anyone that was still sleeping at the apt. has been caught by the police. >.< or burned because Sammy has caught the building on fire. I'm going with captured... Adelaide hasn't joined the group yet. Akira is still unconscious in some random street, Rex, Zen, and Noel are near Brittany's apt., not caught. Jenna was at work (Nutmeg wasn't necessarily there) across town Crow escaped from the bad guys and I don't think Mikki went in to the room so I don't think she was caught. Gage, Finley, and Farren were captured there. ***

***

Farren jerked up awake. Her eyes were as dull as a butter knife. She shifted around uncomfortably and struggled a bit. The handcuffs rubbed her skin raw and her back felt as though she were resting on rocks. Farren looked up from the floor and panicked.. It was light out! Farren looked desperately around for her umbrella but couldn't find it. Farren looked up at one of the police that stood over her. He was a tall slender guy. His skin was slightly tan and a large scar ran across his face and metal spikes pointed out from his back. Staring at the man Farren tried to get the man's attention "Psst, hey, help me out here. From one freak to another," The man didn't even more. All he did was tighten his grip on his gun, he seemed to be uncomfortable around her but quickly relaxed as another man approached with with a cup of coffee and joined them.

Gage shivered. At least he had remembered to borrow a jacket out of Brittany's apartment. It was actually a little big on him, but at least it was warm. And not pink. The stench of the alley subsided a bit, the longer they sat there. Two cops sat around the car outside. One had spots and a tail, maybe a cheetah-guy, and the other appeared fully human. Gage glanced back to Mikki and shook his head. Appearances could lie. "Okay all, we need to talk to the guy in the apartment right next to the one we uh, broke into last night." He whispered. "Now listen. We just want to talk to the guy. And I don't want anyone caught, alright?"

Crow bobbed his head, "Caw." He was still in crow form, so he wasn't worried about getting caught. As for the others....

Gage nodded. "Maybe we should just send Crow-" But then he noticed the ambulance. Someone pushed a stretcher, and it covered a body too small to be one of the thugs. As they loaded it into the truck, he caught a glimpse of a shoe. A small cowboy boot.

Crow stared at Gage, waiting for him to finish. Then he realized that he was looking at something. He followed his gaze and saw the boot. Slowly, his brain connected the dots. Oh....

Gage couldn't breathe. Tor. It couldn't be. His throat burned. Not her. Oh, please don't let it be her! He fell to his knees in the filth. Her truck... they had taken her truck. How could they have forgotten her? His body felt weak, and his hand quivered as he raised it to his face.

Bored, Farren began to look around the room. Her eyes blinked uselessly.. Now how do I get out of a situation like this..? With nothing else to do Farren began to whistle the song Gage and everyone else sung back at the apartment as it was stilling playing in her mind. After about a couple seconds later Farren turned her head and met the eyes of the strange tall police man who quickly looked away. Narrowing her eyes Farren turned away and stopped. "So.. how long are you going to keep me in here for?" Farren asked. But no one replied. And with a sigh Farren just stared at the ground expressionless.

Gage glanced around to his team. "None of you have to come." He said, "But I have to find out where Noel's family is. If she has one." He stood, pants dripping from the puddle he had fallen in. He spread his wings. "I'm going through the back way." Gage took off, keeping to the shadows and grabbed onto the second floor windowsill and crawling along the wall.

Crow stood there for a second, his mind processing what he had just seen. He looked away from the ambulance and stared at Gage. "CAW." He said, a hard glint in his black eyes. He flew onto Gage's shoulder to get his point across.

Gage grinned. "Won't give up, huh?" Alright." He rapped on what he thought was the right window.

Crow peeked in the window. His eyes widened. "Caw..."

Farren rested her chin on her tied up hand. The sunlight had crept closer to Farren through the window and caught her by surprise when her leg began to burn. Farren shifted away from the sunlight into one of the police he reacted by pointing his gun at her. "Hey man watch were you're pointing that thing!" She yelled at the man while glaring at him. "I can't be in the sunlight!" She explained.

The man scrunched up his face and smirked, "What, are you some kind of vampire angel?"

In response Farren spit right at him turning away hiding a smile.

Crow pecked Gage's hand and cawed, "Caw!" There's a policeman in there!... And Farren... Grrr, I wish humans could understand crow...

"Now, don't think you can get rid of me that easy, cupcake." Finley said with a grin, then jumped through the air onto the apartment building. He crouched so that the police couldn't see him, although it made no difference because he was so short. He growled at himself after remembering his shortness. He then nimbly slid from windowsill to windowsill until he reached where Crow and Gage were.

"I don't see anyone- augh!" Gage spun around. "Finely, don't do that." He strode back to the window, holding the crummy thing all the way open. He pulled his wings in and slid through the window. The place was dark. Too dark. Empty beer cans lay strewn across the room, and the empty bed sat sagging, stained, and unmade. Where was he?

"I'm part goat, what do you expect?" Finley said, laughing. He slid through the open window, and glanced around the dark room. "Where are the lights?" He muttered to himself, and wandered away to find a light switch.

"Wait, don't!" Gage whispered, noticing a shadow crossing the opposite wall, but it was too late. The policeman gave a shout, and soon the hall was filled with other shadows. He glanced back to the window, only to find it had slid shut. He grabbed it and wrenched it up, only getting a blister for his efforts. He punched the glass, and the moment he did, his mouth opened. "Ouwshc! Ugh. It always works in the movies." The footsteps neared. "Come on, this way." He said, not really thinking it over, and ran toward the hall.

Farren looked up from the ground as the angry voices of men sounded from above her. The police on her side reached for his radio and called in for backup "What's going on?" Farren blinked at the man.

"Just keep quiet and stay still, and don't you try anything funny." He glared at Farren as she looked up at him innocently.

Farren sat up straight. Her eyes widened as the police drew his pistol towards the three, "Stand down or I will open fire!" The man shouted as two more policemen raced inside the building to join them.

"Farren?" Gage said, then noticed the man beside her, "Oh, uh... good day officer! Oh crap."

Crow flew around crazily, cawing. Maybe I can distract them with this... They wouldn't shoot a bird... Right?

While the three police stood infront of her Farren quickly got up to her feet and hopped over her handcuffed hands and wrapped her chained up arms around one of the officer's neck and bit his arm making him drop his pistol. She then released the man and picked up the gun aiming it at him. Farren raised a brow and glared at Crow as he flew around the hall then focused her gaze back on the police who were slowly creeping up to her. "Stand still spiky or you get it," She jerked up the pistol to his face and slowly he took a step back.

Gage stood there and blinked. "Uh... wow." He said. But just then, more cops raced in. One nearly ran him over. Before he knew it, the officer had kicked the back of his knees. Two more rushed over to Farren, brandishing their Colts.

Crow continued to act like a frightened bird. He flapped at the window then flew around in the cops' faces.

Watching as two officers rushed towards her Farren quickly took the tall man and held him at gunpoint backing away from the police, Farren looked up at the man she held at gunpoint and slowly whispered, "Unlock.. my handcuffs, and if you try anything, you get a bullet through your head." And as she said that, the officer pulled out the keys to her handcuffs and unlocked them. "That's better.. " She said with a wide smile across her face. Farren threw the gun over her head behind her releasing the officer who quickly raced to his friends-

Gage just sat there. Wallowing in self pity.

Farren twisted her hands and raised them. As two men rushed forward with their guns pointed Farren pushed her hands down and all three of them stopped suddenly, their own shadowed shaped like hands kept them in place and suddenly began to make them sink into the ground all the way up to their necks. As two more rushed through the entrance and fired shots at Farren they gasped in shock as their whole bodies froze and lines of shadows crept up on them reaching their necks and choking them.

Gage sat there and stared at the body. No. No, this was bad. What was he doing wrong? Heroes don't kill people. How had they killed SEVEN PEOPLE IN TWO DAYS?

As Farren began to make her way towards the cops near Gage Farren froze up and fell to the ground. One of the police she hadn't seen in the dark had pointed a taser at her. He then looked at Farren shaking on the ground and spoke up "I-I got her? Oh I got her! She's down!" He called to his fellow officers and raced over to put her in handcuffs. Two other police came over and picked Farren up and rushed her outside of the building towards their car. Farren gasped and groaned as the bright sunlight burned her skin. They then pushed her in the car and slammed it shut leaving her to lay on her side panting.

Crow realized it was useless. His friends were caught, and he couldn't do anything about it. So, he flew quickly past the guards and out of a broken window, feeling regret and guilt wash over him. There was nothing I could have done... I had to get out.... I'll come back for them...

*Ends thread page 252*

Scene 8 - On The move

Begins on page 270-

Gage let the cop bind his wings. Surprisingly, they didn't cuff his hands. As he sat there shaking his head, he thought about his present situation. How could this have happened? It had all started out so innocent, so good, and yet here they were. Himself, Farren, and Finely, all in chains. And Tor... oh, Tor. His heart hurt to think about her. His face heated up, but there were no tears left. Never would he forgive himself. Never. They took Gage out to the car and shoved him in. There was a mild stench of vomit in the car. He slid in, hands behind his back. Oh, shoot. Seats. He tucked his wings in as tight as possible, but it didn't help. He would just have to crouch behind the front seats to avoid sitting on and breaking his feathers. As they pulled out, he noticed the ambulance. He slapped on the back glass, "Hey! Aren't you going to take her to the hospital? Or..." his voice quivered, "or the m-mortuary? You can't just leave her there! Does her family know? Hey!" Gage slapped the glass, harder, but the police in the front simply fiddled with the radio dial. "Please! She needs something! Have you no respect? S-she..." his hand squealed as it ran down the glass. He pressed his face to the window, and for the first time since this all started, for the first time since he had tried to be a hero, he cried. He didn't care if the others saw. He didn't care about anything anymore. His life was falling apart. He had never been arrested. Not even so much as a littering ticket, and now in the course of two days, he had ruined everybody's lives.

**Arrived at police station**

Gage kept his head down and hoped that his hair would cover the fact that he was still crying. How could this day get any worse? His flip-flops popped over the squeaky tiles. Potted plants lined the walls, and the whole place smelled of bleach and shoe polish.

Aubrey says, "Hello friends!" A Japanese bantam plops onto the ground barely righting itself with its short legs. It clucks and waddles away, swinging its enormous tail.

Gage shrugged off the greeting. No one wanted to be friends with him, He would only get them in trouble. Or worse, forget about them and leave them to die. Images crossed his mind. How had Tor died? Had it been quick? Or slow and painful? His body shuddered as he suppressed a sob. He belonged here. If anyone in this room did, it was him.

Aubrey suddenly makes an enormous orpington rooster that everybody noticed.

Gage spotted the little bird on the ground and slowed. "Aero." He whispered, "Aero, make a fuss real quick."

Aubrey makes a fuss before Aero can by shooting out 15 chickens which run wildly and out of control. "Oops," she said.

The whole nuthouse was out of control. Everyone near Aubrey was running and screaming trying to catch the chickens. Gage bent down and scooped up the banty behind his back, tucking it into the crook of his wing to hide it. The Japanese bantam hen clucked, then went silent. Gage ignored the chickens squawking and running around in a flurry of feathers. As long as he had the little banty safe. He was going to do his time in this jail. Like a good citizen. But sometimes a guy needs a chicken. The chicken nuzzled him.

Aubrey was proud and frightened of what she had done. Am I going to the dark side too? She wondered. Aubrey followed Gage and the police.

The police officer behind Gage shoved him around a corner into a hallway joining a lineup of other prisoners.

***

Sammy silently got into the car, staring at the ground. Argh, I should've brought my attack-rooster. She thought, somehow finding humor despite her many worries.

~Ash's heart roared in her ears as she was carelessly forced off balance and shoved into a car smelling horribly of smoke and sweat.... or maybe it was just a residue from outside. Last time I checked, government worker's cars smelled and were maintained better than this. Yeah. Definitely the smells from before followed us in. She quickly slid onto the seat, barely noticing the four or five other captured teens alongside her. She pressed her face to the tinted window as soon as the door was slammed shut, trying to somehow calm her heaving chest with even a vague glimpse of the world outside. Who am I kidding? I'm terrified.

"I did a good job, right?" Aubrey asked the police. The octopus man turned around, "Uh, yeah, kid. Sure." He waved a tentacle, "So go on home now."

"Ok," said Aubrey and teleported home, and then back to the police station.

Aero glanced inside the police car, then at the cop behind him. "Wait, but my wing-" he began to say but couldn't finish his sentence before he was shoved into the car. Losing his footing, he fell on to the seat, landing on his stomach luckily. He groaned, then wiggled around so he could kneel on the car floor. I thought I was quite cooperative with the police, so she has no reason to be rude. He shot an annoyed look at the cop right before the door was shut in his face. Then, after a quick look around the car, he realized nobody else was in the car with him. Oh please don't make me ride alone.

Tayn shuffled over as the cops roughly threw in two kids and Ash. She only glanced at ash and didn't say anything. Turning to stare out the window.

Sammy looked over at Ash. She glanced at the front where the police were. "Uh.... sorry for getting you into this mess...." She murmured, looking at her shoes.

Tayn looked at Breyer who was pushed up against her side. "Hi, who are you?" she also glanced at Sammy they had never met before today either.

"I-I'm Breyer...", Breyer's voice cracked as he quivered with fear, "W-Where are they taking us?"

"Not sure." Tayn said as fresh bout of hail began hissing against the roof of the car. "Hopefully just the police station."

~Ash suddenly snapped her head away from the window, and looked at the others for the first time. Her eyes flared wild whites, and sweat trickled down the sides of her face in visible streams. "I don't know where," she muttered, her chattering teeth distorting three quarters of her unstable words, "but it's away. From. Freedom." With that, she suddenly flung herself to her feet, slammed her head into the car roof immediately, and fell back against the window.... and promptly launched into incoherent sobbing.

"Um, um...", Breyer said, "Are you okay?"

"Ash!" Tayn called out trying to put her hand on her knee, she wasn't able to reach, but her gaze was drawn to the scars covering her leg. "What happened to you." she whispered.

Sammy was startled by Ash's behavior. She grabbed a feather out of her pocket and started fidgeting absently with it, trying not to focus on their present situation. Her eyes darted over the others in the car. She hunched her shoulders awkwardly as she continued to fidget with the feather.

~"No, no, I'm not okay," she muttered into the window, lacking any front of sanity at the moment. Tayn's voice broke into her storm of anxiety, and it nearly drove her into breaking the window. My sister's caught. She's going to go through the same exact thing I did. No. NO. Ash bit down hard on her lip and wrapped her arms around the back of her neck, pulling her face down between her knees to seal out everything. Tears spread racing stains down her jeans until they reached her ankles. This wasn't the reunion she'd imagined. This was worse than her worst nightmare. And it was real.~

Sammy continued to fidget with her feather, thinking fast. Hmmm... I wonder if anyone here has powers.... maybe we could use them? My firebending is pretty much useless, but maybe.... She glanced at Ash, Tayn, and Breyer. But she realized they would have probably already tried to get out if they had useful powers for this situation. She stared at the feather in her hand and it caught fire. She quickly bat it out. "...Oops." She mumbled.

Tayn got quiet and stared at Ash her face turning pale.

"Okay...", Breyer looked at the back-glass lost in his own train of thought. What's happening... Why are they doing this to me... "WHERE ARE THEY TAKING ME?!" The last one he said aloud. He covered his mouth after hearing himself.

Sammy looked at Breyer but said nothing. She glared at her boots.

Breyer got lost in his oblivion of thoughts once again. Why do they even want me... I'm not special...

~"It's not just you they're taking somewhere," Ash grumbled suddenly from between her legs, hardly able to manage intelligible speech. "It's all of us." A sob erupted up beyond the barrier working so hard to contain it and her head fell back down. Her fingers ran through her hair, and began indirectly plucking strands out.~

Sammy again glanced at the front of the car. She hoped the police couldn't hear her, but it was the only thing she could think of. "Umm... d-does anyone here have.. any u-useful powers?" She stuttered, her hands shoved into her pockets.

Breyer looked at Ash. "We'll get out. We have to get out. THERE HAS TO BE A WAY." Breyer shouted slowly sinking into his own brand of insanity.

~A warning blared in her mind immediately at Sammy's words and Ash involuntary fell off the seat as a result of her abruptly tensed limbs. "No," she affirmed hurriedly, before another sob could cut her off. She kept her eyes clearly directed off of the others during this exchange, and forced her clammering hands to the floor to do something useful like bring herself up. She hauled herself back onto the seat and this time drew her knees up to her chest before wrapping her arms around them to mold herself into a ball.~

Sammy blinked and looked at her pocket. She didn't really know what to do, so she stayed silent.

***At police station***

~Ash shuffled alongside everyone else being herded into the building, merging with the crowd of unusuals seamlessly and without protest. She didn't bother to raise her head- she knew she'd see her face reflected exactly on every other. She knew none of these young adults, and, yet, right now, in this time of undeniable desolation, she felt as if she'd had a long, long kinship with them all.~

Sammy walked behind the cop, her eyes skittering over the place. She couldn't seem to keep them in one place for more than 5 seconds. Her heart pounded so loudly that she was sure everyone could hear it.

Tayn was pushed along by the cops she knew how much her sister hated interacting with people and so she avoided looking at her. Hoping everything was going to be ok. If she told the truth about how she had killed that guy accidentally maybe the rest of them would be let go.

Sammy twitched and a flame lit upon her thumb. She swished it out, not wanting to get in more trouble. As the chickens ran past her, she stared longingly at them and then wondered why there were chickens running around in a police station.

Ash trod along silently, her arms wrapped around her dipped head in two different angles in an attempt to block out all visuals and sounds alike during their trek to the doom she feared. Bodies pressed around her on every side, and she was horribly tempted to let out a horrific scream and rush somewhere, anywhere, in a blind, heedless panic. Ash, continuing with her eyes and ears sealed tightly out from this world of unreal deja vu from her fourteenth year, rammed straight into an unforgiving cement wall as the the group was turned into a hallway. Now even more disoriented, she made a huge effort to stay standing and continued the hike along walls... and more walls... and more horribly confining walls.~

As the cop pushed Gage along, they turned the corner and filed into a narrow hall. Pictures of normals on horseback hung everywhere with eyes that seemed to follow them. Another Japanese bantam, a handsome rooster, followed Gage. Gage heard a squeaky crow-like sound and spun around. Oh. Two chickens. Great. He bent down and stuffed that chicken into his hoodie pocket. The rooster escaped from his pocket and continued to follow him.

Sammy watched the wing-man. Is that Gage?! She thought, heart pounding wildly. I hope he has some answers...

Tayn glanced at the people around her Gage was near the back of the line stuffing a chicken into his pocket. Tayn frowned at him quizzically, but noticed that his cheeks were tear stained. He must not be taking this too well, she thought.

"It was an accident," Aubrey informed Sammy.

Sammy looked at her quizzically and couldn't stop a question from pouring out. "What was an accident?"

Aubrey replied to Sammy, "I made a lot of chickens,"

Sammy just stared at her blankly, then shrugged.

Taylor huffed irritably as she was pushed roughly down the hallway. If she could just remember the unlocking spell...

Breyer was trembling because he was so nervous. This isn't happening... This isn't happening... This isn't HAPPENING..

Calynn missed everything once again and went with whatever everyone else was doing.

***

Crow flew through the sky, his mind numb. He finally landed in an alleyway and transformed into a human. He leaned against the cold wall of a building. I shouldn't have left them.... they'll end up dead.... like Tor. He slid down to a sitting position, arms wrapped around his head. What have I done? I've failed them.... Suddenly Crow felt tears gathering in his eyes. He tried to wipe them away, but it didn't work, more kept coming until his eyes were flooded. So he cried. He cried for his friends, he cried for Tor, and he cried for the family he would never meet.....

Akira pulled herself upright, and shook her head to clear the fog. She had passed out and laid in filth all night, ugh. She shifted to her human shape and brushed her clothes off before heading down the alley towards Brittany's apartment as planned. She was a bit late but it was the only thing she knew to do. As she neared she saw the flames and shrunk back into the shadows of the alley, ok this was bad, she needed to figure out what happened. She then picked up a scent that she knew, Crow, and followed it further into the maze of alleyways nearby until she found him slumped against a wall by himself. She moved over to him and crouched down, "Hey are you alright, what happened back there?" She asked quietly.

Crow looked up, his face stained with tears. He quickly wiped them away. "Gage and Finely.... and Farren got caught." He mumbled, "And... Tor's.... dead." he sniffed. He then slowly stood up, for the first time noticing smoke rising into the sky. "Uhhh.....? W-what's that?"

Akira looked back over her shoulder towards the smoke while she absorbed what she heard. "Brittany's apartment is on fire, I didn't get a good look but it looked like some policemen were taking away the group there. I was going to circle back and check it out once they left but found you instead." She said simply to him, not wanting to dwell on the loss of someone she didn't really know. But she was worried about Gage and the ones she did know.

Crow nodded numbly. He stared at the ground, trying not to think about the stretcher, and the boot.... "I suppose we should try to find out if anyone escaped? Then we can try to free the others..."

Akira nodded and stood holding her hand out to him with a small comforting smile. "Lets go take a look, I am sure someone survived or got left behind." She said reassuringly.

Crow took her hand. He smiled a little at her, but it quickly vanished as he rounded the street corner and spotted the burning building. "Woah... I wonder what happened..." He said to himself as he looked around for any of the group. They couldn't have caught everyone.... Right?

Akira looked around, once she was sure the coast was clear of bad people she gestured for Crow to follow her towards the building. "Looks clear lets get a closer look, see if we can spot something, anything that might tell us if anyone got away. I can track any scents we find, maybe if you can manage to shift and do a fly over, see if you spot anything from the air?" She suggested.

Crow nodded. "Ok, I'll do that," He said, right before shape-shifting into a crow. He flapped his wings, launched into the air, and started flying. Soon he was flying above the apartment.

***

Noel pulled herself out of the trashcan and ran. She knew she couldn't outrun the speedster, but who cares? She giggled as her little feet slapped the pavement, making her way down the alley behind the apartment building.

"Noel! Where are you going?!" Rex asked, running after her.

Noel ignored Rex and swerved around the trashcans. Noel grabbed a trashcan lid and held it up, blocking Rex from catching her as she raced down the alley. But then something popped out of the dumpster. Noel stared up at the man who had just appeared out of the dumpster. He stared back at her. "Who are you?" Noel said, staring up at the dumpster man.

He cleared his throat and glanced nervously to Rex cleared his throat again and said, "Uh, name's Tom. But I think I may know who you are." He pulled himself out of the trash, a few tin cans falling off.

Crow spotted Noel, Rex, and a strange man. He instantly drove downward, then transformed into a human while in the air. That didn't work out so well. He rolled over then leapt up and stood between Tom and Noel. "Who are you?!"

The scraggly guy nearly fell over backwards, eyes wide. "Woah, there! Easy. I was just goin to say that, uh, this girl's a missing child."

Crow blinked. He inspected the man then narrowed his eyes. "Ok...." He turned to Noel and then glanced back at the man. I hope Akira gets here soon...

"I saw her face on the missing people list at Wal-Mart. You should really look it over, you know. It's there for a reason." He shook his finger at Crow.

Crow whipped around to face him. "Wait, what? She's on a missing poster?!" He said, excitement growing in him. Gage will be glad to hear that...... unless, of course, it's that gang trying to reclaim her.

The man straightened his purple beanie and cracked a grin, "Wh- okay. I actually saw her... on another... follow me." He said, moving into the alley.

Crow was instantly suspicious, but he figured that he could escape if it came to that. He glanced at Noel, worried for her, then started slowly following Tom, alert for any movements in the alley.

Rex didn't like that Crow and Noel were following the strange man. "Who are you and what do you want with Noel?" He said to him.

"Come on! Hurry!" Tom said, and began to run.

Crow followed him, making sure Noel was too. I really hope this isn't a trap. Grrr, I wish I had a more useful power... or at least a weapon.

Rex followed.

Akira had seen Crow fly down into and alley and shifted to her fox form to follow. When she saw him and Noel led the other way by some strange homeless man she hung back but followed quietly. She didn't want to be caught too if it was a trap but wanted to be close in case he needed her. She wished there were a way to let him know she was following and had his back but as there wasn't he would just have to trust her.

***

Adelaide gave a heavy sigh, her hand rubbing against the side of her face. Being stuck in a supermarket blows, especially on a day she could be outside target practicing. You never know when zombies will come, the teenager thought with a chuckle. Wearing a plain white apron, that had her name tag on it, she wandered the aisles, picking up stray cans and trash. The recent news of a killing in her apartment building spooked her tremendously, and she couldn't help but wonder if the culprits were supernatural or just random yet normal people. The young woman ached, her head pounded, and her hands twitched. She was curious on if it was of something she did in the middle of the night, or if her body itched to move something-or someone. Ignoring the headache, she continued the rest of the shift, hoping that she wasn't stopped by a customer. She'd most definitely snap. Adelaide groaned. She couldn't take it. Rushing into the Girls' Restroom, she slammed the door behind her. Leaning against it, she rubbed her eyes, "Oh gosh." She grumbled, her brow furrowing. Maybe she could try and take it out? Taking in a deep breath, she held it, concentrating. The toilet shook slowly, but picked up pace rapidly. It gave a loud screech before shifting to the side a few inches. The teenager shuttered, opening her eyes. The toilet was trickling with water. Pausing, she stared at it. She didn't know it'd flood-but then again, it was a bad choice of using a toilet rather than the sink. Swinging open the door, she walked out casually, going to the main office near the front of the store. Opening the door to the room, she spoke to the nearest person there, "I broke the toilet-again." She said, almost embarrassed. She soon found herself walking out of the store, her white apron and nametag off. The teen held her hands over her head, clumps of hail slamming against them as she rushed over to her beat up car. The few dents in it were mostly her fault-not from other cars. Dropping into the drivers' seat, she leaned against the wheel, groaning. Everything hurt. Lifting her head up, she turned on her car after a few tries. Driving out of the parking lot and onto the highway, she checked her phone quickly, her gaze shifting from road to phone and back. Completely oblivious to the burning apartment across the city, she parked her car. She hesitated, hopping out of it. Police cars still swarmed the building, yet it wasn't as bad as the other days. News crews surrounded people who lived in the apartments. Hoping that she wasn't caught, Adelaide locked her car and slipped into the building. Climbing up a flight of stairs, she went to her apartment door. Finding the keys to it, she opened the door, rushing inside and slamming the door behind her. She sighed, slipping onto her couch. She could go shopping at the dollar store, maybe get some canned foods. She just got home, so she savored the feeling of comfort and laziness. Adelaide was glad to be thought of as normal. Her boss didn't think so, but she really didn't care. Laying on her back, she began playing on her phone, her eyes glued to it. Getting up, Adelaide grabbed her wallet and patted her pocket, finding her keys. She walked out of her apartment, and walked down to her car. Exiting the building, a news reporter rushed to her, and she bolted to her car, locking it behind her. Turning on the car and backing it out, she zipped off to the nearest store, parking in the vast parking lot. She started walking towards the store, her focus mostly on her phone. Once she entered the store, she hesitated, looking around. Shaking her head, she grabbed a basket and moved on, sliding past the crowds of people.

***

Misty and Grant run down the street Misty still holding Grant's hand as they run after the police cars, "Misty let go of me," Grant says calmly, "You're too weak to chase a car." Just as he says that Misty collapses.

"We need to help them!" Misty yells.

"Here," Grant says getting down on his hands and knees "I'll carry you." Reluctantly Misty gets on Grant's back he holds her legs and re-positions her, "Lets go," he says. Then starts to run, he can run exceptionally fast because he has to keep up with Misty at times.

Misty looks at the buildings flashing by her she rests her head on Grant's back and closes her eyes. Grant runs down the street far, far behind the car. "They're bound to be at the police station by now." Grant says to Misty. "We need to wait will nightfall Misty," he says placing her in an alley. He looks at her gunshot wounds. "Did you ever get the bullet out?" He asks.

Misty shakes her head, "No, I've been in a PTSD nightmare about Seth for about 3 days." Grant nods and unsheathes a dagger hidden on his leg, "This is going to hurt Misty," he says as he takes off his hoodie and places the sleeves in her mouth, then grabs both her hands and grips them so she can't use them to punch him. "You ready?" Misty nods at him with fear in her eyes. The dagger proceeds and Misty's muffled screams make Grant cringe but he keeps going, knowing that this will heal her. 'Sometimes you have to make things worse so they get better' Misty always says. The last bullet clangs on the cement. "There," Grant says, he gently takes this hoodie out of Misty's mouth he evaporates her spit that was on the sleeve and puts his hoodie back on.

Misty heaves for breath as she bleeds all across the ground, "Grant cauterize them please," she asks.

"I know I was just about to get to that." He places one hand on her arm wound and the other on her leg wound then slowly releases some fire to burn the inside of the wounds. He looks up at Misty who's gritting her teeth, "I can take you back to your den so you can change Misty."

"No we can wash them after you're done cauterizing me."

"Mmk." Grant mumbles, after Grant stopped Misty's bleeding she ices her injured leg with her uninjured arm and Grant melts and evaporates the blood. Once they finish and Misty is sparkling clean, Grant sits next to her. "We got a while to wait," Grant says.

"Yeah" Misty says sleepily as she slowly falls asleep on Grant's shoulder. He smiles at her. Man, a nightmare about Seth? he thinks to himself, That must have sucked. He then chuckles. She's stronger then a nightmare though.

----------------

Scene 9 - Tom

Tom lead Crow, Rex, and Noel through the alley jogging ahead of them. It wasn't long before Noel began to lag behind, her full sprint was only about as fast as an adult's fast walk.

"Where are you taking us?" Crow demanded as he slowed down, looking back at Noel.

The man stopped and turned around. His eyebrows furrowed as he glared at him. Tom cleared his throat before saying, "You'll see." His voice was surprisingly pleasant. He scratched at his head through his hat and left it sitting crooked on his head then turned to continue leading them walking this time instead of running. "It's not too far." he said clearing his throat again.

Noel started to fuss a bit grabbing Crow's hand.

"What's not too far? Where are we going?" Crow asked, barely noticing as Noel grabbed his hand.

Tom glanced back but didn't respond. He turned out onto a main road and gestured for them to follow.

Crow followed Tom, glancing back to make sure Rex was also with them. He was tense and ready to shapeshift at any moment.

There was a sudden scream, "HELP! SOMEBODY PLEASE! HELP!" It was a woman in an alley they were passing. She was being held up against a wall by a man with a knife.

Crow stopped, staring. He cursed under his breath at his lack of useful powers or weapons. "Hey, you! Stop!" He shouted, stepping forward. He tried to hide Noel from sight by stepping in front of her.

The thug looked at Crow, shifted his footing and growled, "And what're you going to do about it?" The woman stared at Crow desperate for help.

Noel looked on silently shaking her eyes wide.

Tom had kept walking. Tom got to the corner of the next street before turning to see that they weren't following anymore. He stopped to wait for them.

The thug laughed at Crow and turned back to the woman. "Give me the wallet!" he said.

Crow glanced behind him, realizing that Rex seemed to have disappeared. Oh, great. Right when I need him. He thought. He decided to try to distract the man until Rex came back. "Uh, have you heard about the fire downtown?"

Both the mugger and the mugee stared at him, confused. "Of course," the thug said, grabbing the woman's bag and yanking on it.

Well, this talking isn't going to work. Crow sighed as he got ready to shapeshift. I hope he won't chop off my wing. I hope that lady will run as soon as he's distracted.... He thought as he transformed into a crow. He instantly flew at the thug's face, cawing wildly.

Surprised, the thug jumped back. The woman swung her large purse and hit him over the head then took off down the street. The thug stumbled back and once the woman was gone ran up the alley away from Crow.

Crow landed on the ground and preened a feather. He looked over at Noel to make sure she wasn't hurt, then transformed into a human once again. He walked up the street and stood in front of Tom, his arms crossed over his chest. "Why didn't you help me?" he asked evenly, staring at him.

Tom cleared his throat and took off his purple hat holding it against his chest and petting it nervously like it was a cat. His balding head had stray hairs that pointed every direction, "Well," he said sheepishly. "It's not like it was any of my business. That's how a person gets themselves hurt you know. Helping." Tom waved his hand in the familiar gesture for him to follow and crossed the road popping his hat back on.

Rex ran through streets trying to find Crow, Noel, and the strange man. How did he let himself get so distracted? He flew into the air, searching overhead until he found them. "Sorry, I got distracted." Rex said to nobody in particular, looking around. He hadn't paid attention to where he was going, which he would regret if it was a trap.

Adelaide paused, taking in a deep breath. She couldn't take the crowd. Maybe she could wait until it was darker? Being the lazy girl she was, she left all of the food she collected on a shelf and sat her basket in the pile of the rest of them. Walking out of the store, she decided to wander around, maybe look at the cool houses. Once she got onto the sidewalk, she got an uneasy feeling, which almost felt like a chill. Looking around, she spotted a group. Adelaide paused, straining to see their faces. They looked rushed and almost in a hurry. They could be smuggling something, "Hey!" She called, going at a steady gait of a jog, hoping to catch up to the weird looking group. She had to stop them. If they were bad, that is, "Yo, people!"

Tom stopped in front of a music shop and waited looking back at Crow, Noel, and Rex, waiting for them to catch up. There was a tall girl that seemed to be chasing them too.

Crow looked at Tom strangely then said slowly, "Then why are you helping me? Are you helping me? Wh-" Crow was about to say more when he heard something. He looked up the street to see a girl running towards them.

Tom looked Crow up and down. "Sonny, I'm helping you for the same reason that that thief laughed atcha. You don't look like you could hurt a fly even if you tried. Plus that little girl you're dragging along needs her parents." he said squinting down at Noel.

Akira followed but got turned around and had to backtrack before she picked up a scent to follow. Once she found the scent she took off at a gallop until she rounded a corner and saw Crow and the others up ahead. At this point she was too worried of losing them again to worry about whether this was a trap or not. She ran up to them and shifted to her human form, she flicked her tails nervously. "Sorry Crow I was tailing you in case it was a trap but I got turned around. Seemed better to catch up. "

Crow looked at Tom weirdly. "Then where are you taking us? And why did you run and tell us to hurry?" He asked, seriously suspicious of Tom.

Tom shifted under Akira's gaze, He hadn't expected there to be more of them.

Crow whipped around when he heard Akira's voice. "Oh! You surprised me." he said, then sighed. It would've been nice to have Akira and Rex with me when I confronted that thug.

Tom took a ragged breath and pointed across the road. There was a big black metal fence running the length of a cemetery. "We're going over there," he said. There was a crowd of people gathering at the cemetery, all dressed in black. Tom cleared his throat and looking at the tall girl storming toward them he decided to get a move on before anymore joined the group the crow-boy, little girl, Dragon- man and fox lady were enough people to make him nervous. He walked out into the street and crossed.

Crow looked to where Tom was pointing. "....Ok," he said carefully, following him.

Rex followed them across the street.

Akira looked at Tom suspiciously before leaning towards Crow. "Is he giving you weird vibes? Because I am getting some very strange vibes here." She whispered.

Crow gave Akira a tiny nod as he started to follow Tom. "He's not telling me anything except that he wants to help. Be ready for a trap." he whispered as he walked past her.

Adelaide paused, her thumbs shoved into her front pockets. She tried not to look as weird as possible, "Kinda strange seein' some folks around here wanderin' in the dark in a strangely big group. What are y'all up to?" She spoke once everyone had said their piece. Her southern accent slipped in, which made her even creepier than the group.

Crow stopped when he realized the girl was actually following them. "Um........" He glanced desperately at Akira for help.

Akira shrugged, "It can't get any weirder right?" She whispered to him before looking to the girl. "We are just helping this man here get where he is going. We are working on our help-a-homeless-man merit badge." She said with a grin.

Crow smirked as he heard Akira's exclamation. He looked at Adelaide and hoped that Akira's story sounded believable to her.

Adelaide arched a brow, then flashed her signature grin, "That sounds fun, yet extremely shady," she chuckled, almost nervously, "Mind if I tag along? I have a few tricks that could help with getting that there badge of yours-if it's a badge."

Crow looked at her as if offended. "Why would you think that? We're anything but shady." He realized how untrue the last part was and tried not to look guilty.

"Walking in the dark? Don't think you're so normal yourself," Adelaide furrowed her brow, "But then, here am I, standing on the sidewalk in the middle of the night. Seems pure enough." She tucked a strand of curled hair behind her ear, glancing at the few people in the group.

Crow almost laughed at Adelaide's bluntness. "So, since you're apparently going to be following us, I guess I should introduce myself..." He thought for a second. "My name's Matt. What's yours?

Adelaide frowned, "Mine is Adelaide." She hesitated, could these people have a power like her? Or were they just normal strangers? Normal is what Adelaide wished it was, but she could be wrong.

Zen was really distraught knowing that most of his friends were imprisoned while he was out free. He reached out to take Noel's hand, she jumped back in surprise. Oh whoops, she can't see me. "It's okay, it's me, you can't see me but I can see you, okay?"

She nodded and grasped his hand, "Hungry!"

Crow jumped as he heard a voice coming out of nowhere. "What? Who's there?!" he demanded, then his eyes widened as he saw Noel holding unto the air.

"Hey it's me Crow!" Zen called out, "I am on your left." He touched his shoulder.

Crow flinched as Zen touched his shoulder. "Shhh! My name's Matt, not Crow...!" He whispered, gesturing to the new girl that persisted in following them.

Akira rolled her eyes, she didn't see the need to lie to the newcomer. She could see they were normal so there was little point in pretending to be something or someone they were not. But if it made them feel better she wouldn't deny them that. "Hey Zen, glad you caught up." She said to where she heard his voice.

Zen looked up from staring at his shoes. He realized for the first time that they were headed to the cemetery. He picked up Noel to sort of shield her eyes from such a sad depressing site. He reappeared, surprising everyone. There in the distance was a coffin being lifted out of the hearse. Ah man, I wonder who died.... Zen thought.

Aubrey appeared on top of a gravestone then wobbled, so she jumped down.

Crow jumped backwards as a young girl appeared. "Wait a second, are you that person that tried to steal my tail feathers?" Crow asked Aubrey, wondering how she had known that they were here.

"No," replied Aubrey, confused because Crow didn't appear to have any tail feathers.

Zen jumped back then stopped himself. Ha! So this is how people feel when I suddenly show up. He walked over to Aubrey, "Hi there. Come to join us on this gloomy day?" Zen said coming to the conclusion that his lot that day was babysitting.

Crow decided not to explain to Aubrey that he was indeed a shapeshifter. Instead, he asked, "Do you know where the others are? And how did you know we were here?"

"I just go places I like sometimes," Aubrey replied.

A seven year old that likes cemeteries? "Do you know where the others are?" Crow pressed.

"No," said Aubrey. And she is always honest, at least, that's what she thought. Although she talked about things she only thought she knew about sometimes.

"Do you think you can find them? Not now, but later?" Crow said, feeling a tiny bit suspicious.

"Yeah, I guess," said Aubrey. The orpington roo was watching skeptically.

"That's great!" Crow said, deciding to stop bothering her with questions. He then reached down and attempted to pet the rooster.

Meanwhile the Japanese bantam did know where their friends were, but couldn't do anything about it. The orpington rooster ran away, but stayed within ten feet of them.

Aubrey makes a little frizzled serama chick.

Crow steals the chick and starts petting it profusely.

"What is wrong with you people?!" She hissed at them. "Why did you bring your chickens to a funeral? Catch them and get them out of here NOW!" Aubrey accidentally made 2 more chickens out of fear. Then she teleported away. A bantam Barred Rock and bantam New Hampshire were in her place. They were both hens. Now Aubrey was on the other side of the cemetery. Crow shot a look at Aubrey, then turned back to the lady. "I'm sorry. I'll catch them right away." He then started approaching the big orpington rooster, trying not to scare him. The Orpington rooster was scared by him. It ran. The bantams cheered him on. The Rooster had like almost 360 degree peripheral vision, so he ran out of the way. And he was a buff Orpington, so he dropped a golden feather. "you better." she watched crow as he approached the rooster then shook her head and turned to go back muttering. "Kids these days!" "Zen... I need your help." Crow said, looking at Zen hopefully. As the lady walked away she spotted the little girl who seemed to be pulling chickens out of thin air and then throwing them on the ground. "Would you stop that!" she growled at her. "I'm going to call the police if these chickens aren't gone in 15 minutes." "I can't help it!" Said Aubrey her eyes got big with fear. The woman looked her over. The rate of the chickens popping out of no-where seemed to speed up. "Look kid it's just not right that there's chickens running every where it's not, dignified. please do your best to try to stop. I won't call the cops but these birds need to be gone before the ceremony starts. ok." Adelaide stayed silent, glancing around. She hesitated. How could she be so blind? Her head slowly lowered. Many of these people-they were different. One lady even had dog tails? Fox tails? It freaked her out. She was at a stranger's funeral, around people she barely knew. She was i The woman made her way back to the group of mourners hoping that her leaving would reduce the flow of chickens from the strange little girl. And it did Zen chuckled, "Of course you do pal!" He suddenly disappeared, then suddenly a chicken scwabbled furiously as she was lifted up into thin air. "There's one!" Zen tossed the chicken to Crow. Crow caught the chicken clumsily. The bantam hen flapped her wings in his face. "Great," Crow mumbled as the chicken's feathers got into his mouth. "Two more to go." Zen was barely able to stifle a giggle, it wasn't right to laugh not here anyway. He reached down and scooped the remaining chickens up. "What now Crow?" He asked while reappearing again. "Uh... I dunno.." Crow said, "I'll try to think of something..." "Where did Aubrey go anyway?" Zen looked around then gasped, "And where is Noel, she was right here a minute ago... Oh no I am a horrible baby sitter." Aubrey showed up behind him. "I'm not a baby!" She said. Noel thinking it was a game had chased a rooster with long shiny tail feathers trying to catch him so she could pet him. Noel was slowly walking up behind a chicken licking her lips. "Oh no you don't!" Zen scooped her up. She cried out in protest. "Shhh shh please don't cry, please don't cry." Zen fished in his pockets, for food or anything to distract her. He almost panicked when it was empty, What if she doesn't stop crying? "Hey guys please please anybody have anything to give this girl?" Aubrey said "How about a chicken?" while holding a Cochin bantam. She wasn't helping matters. Crow whipped around. "We already have enough chickens!" he said, exasperated, as the chickens in his arms flapped their wings in his face. "Ok," Aubrey said. She said, the Cochin waddled away very slowly. Anybody could catch it if they wanted. Even someone with other chickens flapping all over them. Tom rolled his eyes pulled a few "green" bags from his pocket and started gathering the chickens and stuffing them into bags. "Why do you have chickens all over you Zen?" Aubrey asked. "You can just throw them out of the cemetery like this." She showed him how by taking up the Cochin and threw it over the Cemetery fence. "That way the mean lady won't come," She explained. Then Aubrey took the bags and teleported to interspace, the inner fabric of somewhere, and released them there, never to be seen again.Aubrey went back though. "They have never existed now," she whispered. "Now they are part of it all." A shriek went up from the mourners. As Noel glanced up from her sobbing, a woman rushed toward her. "Leona!" She said. "Mommy!" The child's voice was half muffled as the woman wrapped her arms around her, her black trenchcoat enveloping them both. Crying. Laughter. The sound of their clothes wrustling together. At last they pulled away. Mascara streaking the woman's face, tears and their respective snot streaking the child's. "Where did you come from?" Zen stepped back dizzy with relief. Wow she found her mom! "Hi I'm uncle Zenny...er...ahem - Zen." He stammered. Uncle Zenny? Where on earth did that come from? A crooked smile traced Tom's face, and he put a hand to his beanie. It wasn't everyday he got a chance to do the right thing. Or had enough to do so... he guessed some of the best things were free. But this was not to last. No sooner had the words left Zen's lips than the woman became quiet. She brushed the hair back from her child's face, trying to catch it in the light in the slightest chance that she was wrong. And wrong, she was not. She looked up at Zen, and something sparked in her eyes. Something he had never seen in its raw form. "She's been beaten." "What no!" Zen stepped back, "I rescued her I-I mean us, we rescued her from a bad guy's house although I wasn't exactly there at that time, I just....." Tom grabbed a fist of hair through his hat. Of course. Of course it went like this. Nothing good ever happens to him. He should have just stayed in his dumpster. Heck, he should have stayed in Brooklyn. The pastries that the nice horse-girl had given him crossed his mind. She had said something about a hero initiative. Were these... them? The woman stood slowly, her hand never leaving Noel's- now Leona's head. Her face was like stone. Her temples jumped as she ground her teeth, and she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, as if trying to contain herself. "Go." She growled. Rex stared. Was that Noel - I mean Leona 's mom? He didn't know whether to be happy, or sad. She was the only child he liked. Instead he forced a quick smile at the mom. He couldn't take it. Rex turned and left the funeral. "I'm going for a quick walk." He mumbled, walking away. His legs ached, but he had to get out of there. Aubrey trailed Rex while he was brooding. "Whacha doing?" Aubrey asked Rex. "Clearing my mind." Rex said distractedly. "Cool," said Aubrey "I like to do that sometimes." "Look, is there something you want?" Rex said turning around to face Aubrey. Zen pointed at himself. "Me? But I-" He looked up into her cold, piercing eyes, "I'll go." He slowly backed away into the shadows as a pang of sadness hit him, he was going to miss that little rascal. The child glanced back to him, eyes sparkling in the light. Her hand raised as if to wave. Crow stared at her. "Wait, what? You're.... you're Noel's mom?" he stammered, shuffling his feet. The girl's hand was snatched away as her mother ushered her back to the funeral. But her eyes stayed, stayed, stayed, until they too were snatched away. "Hey! Where are you going? I can explain!" Crow called after her, grabbing the woman's shoulder. Zen looked at her sweet, sad eyes as her mom slowly carried her away.... His eyes welled in tears as he waved slowly goodbye. Perhaps forever. She paused in stride, but quickly stepped it up, dragging Leona with her. A breeze flicked her hair over her face, where she let it stay until he reached the gate of the cemetery and shoved the gate open. Her high heels clicked on the sidewalk, fading as she slid into the darkness. Adelaide took a few steps back. Appearing chickens and stolen childen. She furrowed her brow, her eyes shot towards Matt-or who seemed to be Matt. She was going to have to scream at people later. She huffed, shoving her hands into her pockets, while her eyes wandered. A paper drifted through the cemetery, floating on the same breeze that had tugged at the mother's hair. It slid to a stop at Zen's feet. There, on the front of that folded paper, was Leona's face. Her cleft lip in a smile broader than any the heroes had seen, as she embraced a man in camouflage uniform. The only word still legible through the mud and water damage, was 'obituary'.  Crow watched her helplessly. He wanted to explain what happened, but... it seemed like she didn't want to hear. A nagging voice in the back of his head told him to follow her, but he didn't listen to it. Instead, he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked back over to Zen, staring absently at the ground. We found her mother.... but somehow, it doesn't feel right.

Scene 10 - Interrogations

The adorable chicken behind Gage's wing was cute. The other one made it past whatever security there was effortlessly. It was a superchicken! Gage strode down the hall of horsemen and into the elevator. Chicken still in the crook of his wing. Firm hand still at his back. Lump still in his throat. The guard saw them coming, and Gage's captor jerked his shirt until he could whisper in the guard's ear. What was that? Pale Hydrogen? He shook his head. He did not care to know any secret password, in case he forgot about Tor and decided to escape. But at Tor's name, he could not hold back the tears anymore. He hung his head and tried to hide his face with his wing. It was not that he minded them seeing, after all, he had had a practical breakdown there by the railroad tracks when he thought Aero was dead. But this was different. He had to be strong. Take it like a man, Gage. You deserve this. He gritted his teeth and swallowed hard, wiping his cheek on the feathery wrist. The elevator door eased open, along with the wrought iron bars before it, which made a mechanical clicking as they dragged along their track. The hand at his back stiffened. "Get in." The officer growled as he shoved Gage on board. The same wretched smell that had been in the cop car came again as they boarded the elevator. Scratches scored the metal overhead. Apparently they weren't too worried about what happened when they got off this, because the guards shoved all of them in without so much as one personnel. Strange. He frowned as the doors began to click on their tracks again. Come to think of it, they had not been read their rights when they were arrested. Dread crept into his chest to accompany the mash and turmoil that was already there. His hand shot out to stop the door, "Wait-" Click. Now he felt like panicking, and on top of that, everyone was squeezed in around him, making it worse. He wasn't claustrophobic, but he was close. "Uh, guys..." said Gage. He he glanced up at the analog display above the door. The numbers counted down. G....-1....-2....-3. "Something's not right." The elevator took them down. Deeper and deeper into the earth. Until at last, they came to floor -9 3/4. Gage blinked up at the display. Did it really say that? Gage nervously stroked the Japanese Bantam hen. The Japanese bantam closed its eyes. He smiled. Her bulging eyes were rather adorable. He tucked it back into the crook of his wing as the elevator clicked open. They were met by a bright flash of light and the smell of oil and metal. He blinked. "Step forward, please." Came a voice, hollow and uncaring. Sammy looked at Gage and stepped forward hesitantly. She looked around, blinking against the light. Ten soldiers stood at attention just outside the elevator, creating a hallway of uncaring. Gage swallowed hard and followed the man-hallway. Odd. What had they done to deserve this high degree of security? He shook his head. That didn't matter. As long as he got punished for Tor's death. That was all he cared. The ride down the elevator was uncomfortably quiet, but it didn't take long. She followed the group out as they filed out one by one. Gage blinked. He guessed these must have been special forces soldiers or something. But still, even with all his war expertise, he had never known a uniform to include a cowl. He glanced away. Look down, look down, don't look him in the eye. He sang in his head.

***

Tayn waited for what seemed like forever sitting uncomfortably in her chair. Her chest ached to see her sister, but considering the situation they were in it would be a long time before they would get to talk. The door swung in and Ash wandered in, sitting across from her with a clipboard and pen in her hand. Tayn sat and stared at her, mouth hanging open. "Ash?" Tayn said, confused. Why was her sister here? Tayn stared at her sister who sat on the other side of the table calmly watching her. There was something off about her but Tayn couldn't decide what it was.

After sitting there silently for what seemed like forever Ash took a piece of paper off her clipboard and placed it on the table, slowly pushing it toward her. "Do you know who this is?" Ash asked. It was a picture of the man who Tayn had accidentally killed last night.

Tayn realized it couldn't be Ash. She didn't talk like that and wouldn't have been able to sit there looking at her for so long without fidgeting. She looked down at the photo her stomach turning as she remembered the cold stare the man had given her just before he died. "I don't know his name." She answered.

Ash cocked her head to the side, "Were you not at his apt. last night?" she asked, her voice flat and uncaring.

"I was," Tayn responded. "I-" she trailed off tears in her eyes. "Will you," she started but her voice cracked. "Will you stop pretending to be my sister, please." She looked at the stranger through the tears that were ready to fall. Tayn was trying to hide the fact that her tears were out of guilt.

"Your sister?" The woman said, nodded and wrote on her clipboard. "Was your sister there too?"

"NO!" Tayn yelled. Tears falling uncontrolled down her cheeks.

"Interesting," the woman said cheerfully, "How can I know that what you're telling me is the truth? You've lied to us already."

Tayn shook her head, "I guess you don't." she said, defeated. "But I didn't-" She looked up at the woman, and changed her words. "I... My sister," she looked away she wasn't sure what to say, all her answers were going to be gone over and over until everything was in the open. She sat silent for a few minutes and stared into the photograph. "All I can say is she wasn't there. You can believe me or not. It doesn't matter." She looked at the woman who still wore Ash's face. "It doesn't matter who else was there. I killed him." She tried to watch for the shapeshifter's reaction, but couldn't see through her teary eyes.

"Do you consider what happened last night to be normal?"

"No." Tayn said quietly holding back a sob.

"What would you consider to be normal then?" She asked her voice still flat and uncaring.

"I don't know. Helping people?" Tayn answered, she couldn't look up any more she was fixated on the dead man's face. Did he have a family? Kids? Was he even the one who had kidnapped the girl? I killed him and he was just trying to protect himself! Tayn gasped trying to breathe, her chest hurt and the room seemed to be spinning around her. The woman shuffled through the papers on her clipboard and the sound of the paper rustling made Tayn feel queasy.

"Do you know who this is?" The woman asked pushing another photo toward her on the desk.

Tayn couldn't focus anymore the picture was a blur. "I can't." She she said her voice a whisper. "Can I have a cup of water or something?" She could barely speak her heart was pounding in her chest. The woman didn't answer she just watched and wrote on her clipboard. Tayn pulled her feet up onto the chair and put her forehead against her knees trying to catch her breath. STOP! She told her body. STOP! her thoughts were empty, she felt like she was on a roller coaster that had gone out of control.

"What were the situations surrounding your detainment?" The woman asked.

Tayn didn't hear what she asked, closing her eyes fighting back the vomit that was rising in her throat.

"What were the situations surrounding your detainment?" Tayn put her chin on her knees and stared at her, anger beginning to replace the overwhelming shame and self-hatred.

"What were the situations surrounding your detainment?" The woman asked again voice steady and unchanging. "You don't know?" She snapped, getting impatient. "I would like to hear your version of events." She continued.

"You aren't my sister you have no right to be using her face. Take it off." Tayn growled.

The shapeshifter considered what she said though more how she had said it, and changed her face to another. "What three words would others use to describe you?" She asked looking at her clipboard instead of meeting Tayn's gaze.

"I don't know." Tayn said. "Why don't you ask someone else?" she realized that she was being rough but she didn't seem to have any control over it.

"Did you kill that man because you got angry?" She asked looking up at Tayn accusingly.

"No, it was an accident I was trying to protect my friend!" She yelled, she was trying to reign in her anger but the shifter seemed to be trying to make her angry.

"If you could have done things differently what would you have done?" She asked while writing.

Sadness was beginning to creep in again. Tayn tried to balance her emotions. Why was it so hard? She had spent so much time learning control. "If there had been more time," she said, "Maybe there would have been time to think. But everything happened so fast." Tayn shook her head, seeing Farren thrown against the wall again. "But there wasn't any time. Everything happened so fast, something good came of it though-" she stopped and stared at the woman, hoping she hadn't heard the last part.

"What good?" the shifter asked.

Tayn's mind froze. How could I have said that!

"What good?" she asked again.

Tayn shook her head stunned she didn't know what to say. "We, uhh," she looked around the room trying to come up with anything other than the truth. "We... figured out... that...we need to be on the same page, all the time. Or bad stuff happens." She said slowly. It sounded stupid, but she didn't know what else to say.

The woman frowned at her and wrote some more on her clipboard dragging the pen across the page loudly as she circled what she had written. "Tell me about your mother." she said fixing her eyes on her.

"Why?" Tayn asked, how did she have anything to do with it?

"I'm wondering what she would think of you, if she found out you were a murderer."

"How many more questions do you have?" She growled, not willing to answer. My mother? I haven't seen her in forever. I doubt she would care that much. She left me behind. I was worried about Ash too! I could have stayed with them!

"This man," she said, pointing at the most recent picture. "Do you recognize him?"

Tayn looked at the photo, and then back at the shapeshifter. "Is it you?" she asked, her frustration showing through.

The woman sat back in her chair and pursed her lips while tapping her pen against the table.

Tayn watched the pen flick back and forth. "No, I don't recognize him." Tayn said after a minute.

"Ok," the woman sighed. "Two more questions- what is your current job? Do your employers know about this incident?"

Tayn frowned. Right, my job... I'm supposed to be at work right now. "My boss would've probably watched the news, but I don't think he would suspect I had anything to do with it."

She nodded. "And now this is where my earlier question would come into play. What are three words that others would use to describe you?"

Tayn sighed, it seemed she intended to get the answer to every question she asked. "Over-prepared, thoughtful, and.... observant. I guess." she said.

"And what is your job?" she asked again.

"I stock shelves at different stores during off hours." She answered, feeling relieved. They had to be done now.

The woman looked her over. "Are you willing to tell me about your family?" she asked, though her tone of voice said that she didn't expect to get a response.

"My parents left last year." Tayn said. "I haven't seen them since."

"And your sister?"

"My sister...." she sat trying to think of how to word it. "Social services took her away." she answered. It wasn't exactly the truth but it wasn't a lie either. At the time that's who they thought had taken her.

The woman wrote again then stood up. "Ok, I'll have them take you back now," she said and knocked on the door.

***

Sammy sat in the interrogation room, fidgeting wildly. Her eyes darted everywhere and she felt like crying. I'm sure they'll let you out if you prove you're innocent.... Why did I have to shoot fire at that Octo-Guy? I'm stupid, I should've just ran..... My arm still hurts from that blood sample. Grr, this is a weird jail. Why am I wearing boots? Her thought process was crazy, flickering to and fro. She often did this when under pressure. The door swung open and banged against the wall. Sammy almost jumped out of her chair but managed to stay still as the door swung open. Her eyes widened as her 8th grade teacher, Mrs. Rose, entered the room. She looked down at her boots for a second, then looked back up. "Uh....?"

"Do you know who this is?" asked Mrs. Rose, showing her a picture of a dead guy.

Sammy blinked and looked at her with a blank face. "N-no." she said, confused. Who is that? Why is Mrs Rose.... here? And why is she suddenly a police interrogator?..... Is she a police interrogator? Sammy's eyes flickered everywhere except for 'Mrs. Rose's' face.

"Were you here last night?" Mrs Rose asked in a monotone voice as she put another picture down, this time a picture of an old apartment building.

Sammy stared at it. "...No," she mumbled, fingering the feather, which was still somehow in her pocket.

"Where were you, if you weren't there?"

"I-I was at my house...." Sammy stuttered. "I... I had lots of homework...." Suddenly Sammy's eyes riveted on Mrs. Rose's face. "That history project was due t-today.... but I hadn't finished it...." she said, staring at her 'teacher'.

Mrs. Rose looked away. "Yes, yes." she said dismissively, looking through her notes.

Sammy blinked. "You.... you didn't assign us a history project...." she murmured, staring at her hard. This isn't Mrs. Rose.... Sammy thought, confused. She could be Mrs. Rose's evil twin or a shapeshifter. I'm going with shapeshifter.

The lady still avoided Sammy's eyes, flipping through the papers on her clipboard. "Do you consider last night's events normal?" The shifter suddenly asked, making Sammy flinch.

"Ya, I do. For me, at least." Sammy said, attempting to lift her voice.

"Why do you consider them normal?"

"I was doing what I do everyday... homework, taking care of my pets, eating dinner...." Sammy said, picking absently at her sleeve.

"What were the situations surrounding your detainment?" The shapeshifter said in the same, flat tone.

"It was... is a weekend, so I didn't do much that morning... I ate breakfast and fed the chickens..."

"Do you know who this is?" The shifter said as she turned a picture around for Sammy to see.

Sammy squinted at the photo. "I-I don't think so."

The shifter wrote down some notes. She finally looked up and met Sammy's eyes. Sammy instantly looked away, shoving her hands into her pockets. "How is school going?" The shifter asked slowly.

"Uh? How.... W-why would that relate... to this?" Sammy stammered, looking at the table.

"Just answer the question."

"It's going ok...." Sammy said, and was about to continue, but decided not to.

"Do you get good grades?"

Why would she.... they..... it..... want to know that? "I get fine grades... mostly A's." But wouldn't they already know that if they know who my teacher is?

"I see. Why do you get good grades, do you think?" The shapeshifter asked, still without any emotion.

"Uh... I work hard. I try to understand the problems... I take a while to finish the problems..." Sammy said. Why am I telling her all this?.... Why is she even asking about it in the first place?...

"Are you ready to become an adult?"

Sammy's eyes widened. "N-no. I'm still in 8th grade." She mumbled, eyes skittering over the room again.

"What were you doing in that apartment at the time of your detainment?"

"I-I was coming over to a friend's house.... and I would have left, but I saw a policeman hurting someone..." she mumbled as she fidgeted, looking down at her shoes.

"Would you like to get training for your skills?" The interrogator asked, eyes on Sammy once again.

"I'm not sure...." Sammy said quietly, staring absently at the ground. Her eyes abruptly focused back on the shifter when she asked her next question.

"What scares you?"

"Um, the unknown....?" Sammy said, staring at the ground.

"Who do you hate?" The shifter asked, writing something on the clipboard.

"I don't know.... people who are cruel to animals... I guess." Sammy said, wondering why her interrogator was asking this.

"Aw, ok," the interrogator said briskly, "What is your strongest childhood memory?"

"I don't know.... I mean, one time I made a mountain of pillows on my couch...."

"Why is it important?"

Sammy shrugged absently, "It's a vivid memory, I guess."

The shifter looked up from the clipboard. "That's the end of this interrogation, thank you for your participation."

Sammy was about to say something when two policeman walked in. She let herself be led away to a cell, staring at the ground the whole way.

***

Grant looks at Misty who is completely asleep, he sighs and looks up at the sky, puffy white clouds pass through the top of the alley. Grant chuckles and leans his head on Misty's, "I will protect you like you protected me, Misty." he whispers, "And I swear that you will never end up like me." Grant eventually decides to wake Misty up, he shakes her shoulder. "Misty, Misty wake up,"

Misty's eyes flutter open, "Huh, what?" She mutters sleepily,

"Have you eaten at all lately?" Grant asks.

Misty shakes her head. "No I haven't but all I want to do is sleep, now don't wake me up."

"Haha, too bad Misty." Grant says then suddenly jumps up, Misty falls down and hits the cement.

"OWWWW!" she howls then jumps up fuming at Grant "You little..." She lunges at Grant but she's too slow, Grant picks her up right off her feet and holds her up she punches and kicks at him. She can't land a single blow on him though.

Grant laughs at her and begins to say. "Now, now, sleepy Misty."

She just stops moving, completely limp, tears falling at a rapid rate, dotting his hoodie.

Grant stares up at Misty, tears fall down quickly wetting his hoodie and hurting Grant's heart. He places her down and pulls her into a hug. IDIOT, why would you do that? Idiot, stupid, JERK.

"Grant don't worry about it," Misty softly says.

"Why?" Grant asks.

"You didn't make me cry... I was thinking about Seth again."

Grant stares, dumbfounded, at Misty. "Oh," he says.

Misty pulls herself out of Grant's embrace. "Can we please get some food?" Misty asks.

***

Brittany glanced at the woman and held her gaze.

"Do you know who this is?" she asked in a flat tone.

Brittany let there only be silence for a little bit of time before answering, her face blank. "No."

"Were you not here last night?"

"Perhaps,"

"Do you consider last night's events normal?"

"No."

"What were the situations surrounding your detainment?"

"They thought I broke into an apartment, possibly killed someone too."

"Do you know who this is?"

"No, I don`t know who that is."

"Where were you born?" Brittany paused as she answered the more personal question. "In the middle of nowhere in VA."

"Who taught you to fight?"

"My father taught me to fight for self defense."

"Are you close to your family?"

"I was close to my family but they are now deceased."

"Do you consider yourself the leader of this group?"

"No, I`m not."

"Why not?"

"I did not make it and I`m not looked to as a leader but as a member."

"Name three things you are good at and three things you are bad at." The woman said.

"Hearing, fighting, and stamina. Not very good at speaking in front of large groups of people, not good really good at bow and arrow, and can`t start a conversation for the life of me." Brittany replied.

"How would you like to die, if you could choose?"

"In my sleep."

"What does friendship mean to you?"

"Friendship is something very special, it is a great thing and is to be kept at high costs, but only with very good people."

The woman eyed her, "I see." she said, scribbling words down on to her clipboard. "And since you value your friendship so closely you feel it would be best to not say anything that might get your 'friends' into trouble. Who do you feel is the leader of your group?"

"I don`t lie." Brittany snapped, "Gage. He made the group."

The woman smiled at her clipboard as she wrote on it. "Ok, I think we're done here," she said. Two officers came in the room and took Brittany back to her cell.

***

Taylor sat down in the chair. A friendly smile greeted her, and she rolled her eyes. She wasn't in the mood.

"Hi there, you're Taylor, correct?" The shifted asked.

"Yes," Taylor muttered.

"So, I have to ask you a few questions." The shifted held up a picture of a random dude. "Do you know who this is?" She asked.

Taylor shook her head, "No, I have never seen him in my life." She replied firmly.

The shifted nodded, then held up a picture of the apartment, "Were you, or were you not here last night?" She asked.

Taylor bit her lip, "Yes... I was there last night, I admit to that."

The shifter nodded, slowly writing things down. "Do you consider last night's events normal?" She asked.

Taylor eyed her curiously, "You haven't seen what I've been through, this is just the tip of the iceberg."

The shifted raised her eyes, watching Taylor carefully. "Uhuh, okay... Do you know who this is, Taylor?" She asked, holding up a picture of the man at the apartment.

Taylor's jaws opened, and she said nothing.

"Taylor, do you know who this is?" Taylor shook her head, "Uh...Yes, yes I do..." She murmured.

The shifter set down the picture, "How or why do you know this man?" She asked.

Taylor looked at her hands. "I rather not talk about it..." She muttered.

The shifter looked slightly annoyed. "Tell me who this is!" She growled.

Taylor shook her head, "I've just seen him, okay?! I've never heard his name or anything." She answered.

"Now, tell me how you define your skills. Aren't they unnerving to you?" The shifted asked.

Taylor shrugged, "Being a Druid is scary, my powers do sometimes feel unnerving, depending on my enemy." She answered.

The shifter nodded. "Why do you find them unnerving?" She asked.

"As a Druid, Dark Magic if it is strong enough can kill, or at least severely injure me, even if I am not hit by a blow." She answered quietly.

The shifted nodded, "Ok...When was the first time you were frightened by something you did?" She asked.

Taylor looked up at her, her eyes sparkling with fear, "I....I almost killed my best friend with my magic..." She murmured, "We were fooling around one night, we were both Druids, and I hit her too hard with a strike once, and she... she almost died." She whispered.

The shifted nodded, slightly concerned. "Has there ever been a time you have faced rejection?" she asked.

Taylor shook her head. "Only once have I ever, and it was only because he was so confused and lost," She answered.

"Alright, last question. What do you feel is wrong, but sounds right?" She asked.

Taylor blinked. Utter confusion flooded her. "That question... Sounds so simple, yet.... So, so hard to answer!" She replied. She then raised her head, "Killing someone to protect yourself." She said. "You should always be willing to lay down your life for another, and shouldn't kill someone just to save yourself."

***

~Ash flipped her hands over and over again on the table, the sound resonating as lifelessly as the barely lit room itself. A cold drop of sweat beaded at every pore, and it took everything she had not to be constantly wiping her hands across her face to dismiss the moisture of a fear that longed to instead erupt into a scream. She nearly leapt to her feet as the single door to the confining room swung open and in walked... Tayn. Ash nearly broke down into an ugly sobbing heap on the floor. She flung the squeaky old chair out of the way and rushed forward, letting herself catch in Tayn's arms and swung herself into a weak embrace. "Oh, Tayn," she sobbed, so uncertain as to what emotion exactly she was feeling right now that she just chalked them all up to a storm. Her legs beginning to crumple beneath her as she let Tayn hold her, her voice began to hitch even more as she breathed in her sister's... disinfected scent? Odd..."You'll never know..." Ash's words caught in her throat as she was suddenly deprived of support and dumped on the floor. She sat there, her legs splayed out, utterly diffident and momentarily incapable of reacting. She looked up to find her sister neatly brushing herself off, and, with a cold glare at Ash, seated herself in the cushy chair on the opposing side of the colorless desk.

"Compose yourself before you join me," she muttered in a blood-chilling monotone, taking out a clipboard and uncapping an ink pen before furiously writing something.

Ash froze as numbing realization colonized over her heart. This isn't Tayn.~ ~Ash let her hands grapple for the painfully cold chair and heaved herself up into it, keeping her hands at her side instead of resting them on the table- a clear message of total distrust. I'm not going to point out that this isn't Tayn, she repeated in her head. I'm not going to acknowledge the fact that I know. The abhorrent portrayal of her sister shifted through a myriad of papers behind the clipboard, then set it down and gave Ash what she thought to be the most unnerving grim smile she'd ever laid eyes upon. "Now, I'm just going to ask you a few simple questions, and we'll be all good to go, okay?" By that tone of voice, they'll be anything but simple. The... woman... nodded, taking Ash's silence as compliance, and set a photograph of a well-muscled, and, in Ash's opinion, shady man on the table. "Do you know who this is?" Ash studied it for a moment more, her hand automatically reaching down to her pocket for a pen to chew on, then snapped it back up and shook her head furiously. "No," she answered hoarsely, then cleared her emotion-blocked throat and tried again. "No." After a moment's hesitation, she added cautiously, "Should I?" The apparent shapeshifter said nothing, only jotted something down on her board and looked up again. Ash was forced to turn away from her direct stare- it was too scarring to see those unsettling eyes, devoid of any feeling, on her sister's face. "Then where were you last night?" Ash gulped, knowing full well that her answer wouldn't come off as inauspicious. Tell the truth, and nothing but the truth, her mind declared. You don't know what kind of detectors they have around here. You know better. "I... was sleeping out on the streets." The woman put down her pen, and glanced up at Ash through now-narrowing eyes. "You don't have a permanent residence?" Ash bit down her lip, and began to curl a strand of charred hair around a left finger. "No, ma'am." The woman immediately launched into a stream of writing, her pen swiveling so much it looked as if possessed. "I see. And did you consider the events surrounding your night normal?" Ash had now accumulated so much hair around her finger that it seemed she had on a one-finger caramel glove. "Yes." "Why?" Why what? Why is sleeping out on the streets typical for me? Look at me and answer that yourself! "Because I've been lacking a permanent shelter for over five months now." Instead of writing, the woman's eyes snapped to her face and remained there, as if scanning for a memory. Ash flinched, but she forced herself to remain facing forward- jumping away when someone looks at you isn't exactly beneficial for your guiltless cause. The impersonator kept searching Ash's face, seeming to evaluate her visage of brewing panic, then finally looked back to her notes. "I see," she muttered again, although her voice was strangely dulled, not flat- even more than before. "What were the situations surrounding your detainment?" Suddenly the walls seemed to be closing in with every heartbeat, and the lights lost even more weak illumination. Detainment. I'm trapped again. Her breath begging to come in panicked gaps, Ash slammed her hands down on the table to right her nerves. One would've expected the woman to jump, but she merely looked over her papers at the stressed girl with a glare of vague disgust. "I had just seen a commotion," she started, her voice coming way too loud. She slapped her shaking hands over her mouth, and tried again. "And I went in the building. Upon finding... some old comrades... I tried to evaluate the situation and exactly what was occurring, but before I could even react, I was surrounding by officers." Her feet tapped against the floor, the resulting noise coming off more as a constant pounding that bounced off of the walls and reverberated deafening in the tiny room rather than a anxious tapping. Her interrogator didn't even pause to look up, just continued her maniacal writing. The fringes of a grim played at her lips- Tayn's lips- and Ash's stomach turned, longing to vomit. "And do you know this man?" Her hand lashed out from beneath her clipboard to slap another photograph down in front of Ash, sending her skittering backwards and giving the jostled chair an opportunity to emit an earsplitting screech as it rubbed against the concrete floor. Ash winced, her sensitive hearing receiving the noise and gifting her the beginnings of a headache, before hesitantly leaning forward and observing the picture. "No."~

  ---------------------

Mikki's head ached. She had had no idea that all this crazy stuff was going to happen. She stared into space, kind of zoning out, until the door opened and someone who looked exactly like her little sister walked in. Mikki shut her eyes, shocked, but when she opened them Aya was still there. You're imagining things, Mikki! Stop! But Aya was still there. This is impossible! Aya's dead! Even thinking her name brought a fresh wave of grief over Mikki. Her younger sister had died in the car crash that had killed her and Mikki's parents when Aya was only 8. Mikki had been 13. She had been in foster care ever since, and it had taken years of counciling to get over the surviver's guilt. Yet here Aya was, standing in front of her. "Aya? Is that you?" Mikki's voice came out as a croak, and she was on the verge of tears. "Wait, no, it can't be. You're- I mean- she's dead!" It was the first time she had verbally acknowledged it since Aya's death, and it made her start sobbing uncontrollably. Suddenly she felt a hand stroking her back, and heard a strange voice softly saying, "I told you it'd be to much!. Hey, stop, stop." Rage suddenly filled Mikki. They had gone too far. Shaking with anger, she stood, and the chair she had been sitting on flew into the air and hovered over the strange woman standing next to her. "To all those listening, I will drop this!" she yelled. A panicked voice came over the speaker. "STOP! Stop, please, calm down. Put the chair down. Onto the ground. Slowly." "No more shape-shifting?! No more messing with me, okay? Or I will hurt her." "Yes. No more of that stuff, okay?" "Okay..." Mikki slowly lowered the chair to the ground, but stayed standing. So did the stranger. "Just ask me the questions. Get it over with." She was trembling from grief and mostly rage, and her eyes were almost black. "And don't tell me to calm down." "Okay." The woman took a seat, but stayed ready to jump up and run if need be. "So, here's the first one. What do you think of this group of 'heroes' that you've been running around with?" "I think that they're good people who've set out to do good things. This last mission went a little- okay- very crazy, but overall they're trying to do good." "Okay," the woman replied, scribbling in her notebook. "Which person do you wish you were closer to, and why?" "No one in particular. I want to become better friends with all of them." "What do you measure success by? Like money, career, family, happiness, etc. Have you found it with this group?" "Family," Mikki answered immediately, "happiness, and love. That's why I like spending time with this group of 'heroes'. It's like we're all one big family. That's also why I like helping people. To give them what I've missed out on for three and a half years." Her eyes filled with tears. Why did I just say all that? She wondered. Her interrogator stared at her with hard eyes. "What pets did you have growing up? What were their names?" "One dog. Her name was Sissy. Like, short for Sister." Mikki gulped back a sob. "She was in the car crash." "Last one. What is something you would never do again?" "Um, I don't know... break into someones apartment and kill them?" "Thank you for your cooperation." The women left the room as two policemen came to bring her back to her cell. Mikki paced restlessly. They had put her in a different cell than before. Her new one was padded. Great. Now they think that I'm crazy. Well, I guess my interrogation didn't go that well. She thought sarcastically. I did threaten to kill that lady.

---------------

Farren sat still in the cold metal chair with her hands folded neatly on her lap. Her eyes were half closed and her mind raced. Farren clenched her hands and jerked her head up when the sound a creaking caught her by surprise. A lady, Just about in her late 40s stepped in her room. Her skin was as pale as the moon and her hair was a dark brown, So dark that it almost looked black. And her eyes were a pale shade of purple just like Farren's. "W-What are you doing here?! A-Aren't you suppose to be in the hospital sti-" Farren clamped her mouth shut and glared at the woman "Your not her..." She spoke in a quiet yet threatening voice. The woman just grabbed a chair and sat down on the opposite side of the table they sat at and starred at Farren "Miss Farren, I am here to ask a couple of questions. This will all be over if you answer them honestly alright?" Farren just sat there looking at her. She sounds and looks just like her... "Miss Farren?" The lady repeated "Do you know this man Farren? How do you know him if so? Were you at the scene that night?" She asked gently while she held up a picture of the man who was able to control shadows just as her. "No, I don't. And yes I was" Farren replied with a blank expression as she stared at the picture of the apartment she held up. "I see, And do you consider last night's events normal? Why or why not?" "Not exactly.." Farren trailed off "I normally don't go around breaking into people's apartments or working with.. others." "Ok, Now do you know who this is?" She asked as she picked up and showed Farren a picture of someone who looked unfamiliar to her "No, I don't" Farren finished, Her voice was frail and her eyes were heavy. "Ok Farren now, I'm going to ask a few personal questions alright? Why did you return to the scene of the crime? It must have been important, tell me about it" Farren hesitated, Blinking at the lady and sighed "I went back to get my umbrella I was given by a close family member that helps me get around. Without it I wouldn't be able to walk around during the day when the sun is out" Looking up from writing on a notebook the lady looked at Farren then asked "How would you describe your childhood?" "My childhood? Fine I guess. Had a caring Mother and brother and a little sister. My father was abusive and a drinker. My mother worked 3 part-time jobs so we weren't the happiest of families." The sound of lead brushing against paper made Farren flinch as she stared at the woman waiting for her to finish writing down what she said. "Alright Farren can you tell me what is the most evil thing you have done?" Farren stood up from her chair and slammed her hands onto the table "What kind of questions are these?!" Farren demanded. The lady slowly got up from her chair and began to reach over for what seemed to be a radio. Farren sighed and slid back into her chair looking down at her feet "What was the most evil thing i've done..." She whispered the words to herself and blinked, then looked up at the lady as she sat back down " I was about 14 at the time in high school. This was after well.. my little 'accident'. It was late summer, August the 3rd I was just getting out of class and went outside to eat my lunch where i normally would. I wasn't very social and was bullied from time to time, But there was this one kid and two others who would always try and get me in trouble or beat me up. They must have found out about my hang out area behind the school and went out of their way to find me. I tried to ignore them but they kept yelling out at me, Shoving me, And and throwing dirt or rocks at me. I snapped when one of the kids, I believe his name was Gabe? same age as me, Came up to me at punched me right across the face. My hands just started shaking and before i knew it the boy was on his knees gasping for air as dark silhouettes crept up him and around his neck. I didn't know what i was doing and had no idea how to stop..He didn't make it and i was sent to juvenile court and got out when i turned 17" Farren stopped. Her hands pressed up against her face and her elbows rested on the table "Farren.. What is the one thing you would like to be remembered for after your death?" Farren lifted her head up to meet her eyes After death? Will this be the last time talking to someone? Deep in thought Farren screwed up her face then relaxed staring at the ground "I want to be remembered as the person who gave it her all to try and make it better.. "

-----------

Silver huffed angrily, two police men threw her into a chair, and uncuffed her. They left, letting a woman in, and slammed the door, locking it. The woman sat down, and she realized it wasn't a woman at all. The woman looked just like her, but instead had silver hair.

The woman put down a couple of papers, "Hello there, Silver. I'm Kiana, Nice to meet you," She greeted. Silver looked at her hands, slightly afraid. "Now, don't be afraid, Silver. I haven't come to hurt you, just ask you a few questions." Kiana explained. She held up a picture of a dead dude, "Do you know who this is?" She asked.

Silver looked up, and shakily nodded her head. "Y-yes....I-I saw him after he was killed at the apartment...." She said quietly.

Kiana nodded, and wrote something down. "Were you here last night?" She asked, holding up a picture.

Silver, regaining courage, nodded, "Yes, I was." She confessed.

Kiana nodded once more, writing again. "Do you consider last night's events normal?" Kiana questioned.

Silver looked at her. "I do. I mean, we don't go around killing people every night, of course not, but this is nothing out of the ordinary,"

Kiana eyed her, but continued scribbling. "What were you doing at the time of your detainment?" Kiana asked.

Silver flicked her ear, uneasy, "I...I was trying to run away, I was trying to save Tayn." She explained quietly.

"Ok, enough of those questions, now, some more about you. How many animals did you have growing up, what kinds and their names? We found your dog running away an-"

Silver cut Kiana off quickly, jumping up, "You haven't hurt her have you?!" She snarled, showing her fangs, her eyes turning red.

Kiana shook her head calmly, "No, they took her to the shelter, and will keep her there, for now." She explained. "As I was saying," She continued, "Now answer the questions and sit down."

Silver growled, sitting down. "I remember having a lot of animals, we had four cats, one bird, a hamster, a few gerbils, five guinea pigs, two rabbits, a few dogs, and chickens." She said. "The cats were Splash, Sunny, Ginger and Fiona. Our bird was named Amazon, the hamster Cocoa, the gerbils Strike, Whisper, Echo and Kia, the guinea pigs were Bramble, Thorn, Kestrel, Maggie and Snowy. The rabbits were Fuzzy and Lion's Roar, of course, a few months before I left we got Morgana, plus we had Ellie and Snowball, and the chickens all had names, but too many to say. Oh, I forgot my sugar gliders, Beastie, Sugar and Flight, and my ferrets, Rocket, Pine, Cedar and Aspen."

Kiana nodded, and wrote for a very long time. "Ok. What kind of impact did these animals have on your life? Did you ever feel scared by them? Which did you have the most connections with?" Kiana asked.

"These pets had a huge impact on my life, they showed me how to have love, and compassion for others." Silver explained. "Scared? Never! Even when that bird bit through my nose I wasn't scared of her." She said, baffled. "Well, my ferrets, Amazon, Strike, Whisper, my dogs and Lion's Roar, and the chickens, and Beastie and Maggie," She said. She hid her face, her eyes welling with tears when she realized how much she had left behind.

"Ok..." Kiana said, nodding. "I see." She then called out the door, "Bring the dog in, please." She called.

Silver stood up and turned her head at the sound of barking, and the police opened the door, letting go of a beautiful dog. Silver threw herself to the ground, "Morgana!" She screeched, hugging the dog happily. She realized Kiana was watching her reaction.

Kiana dismissed the police, and questioned Silver again when she was sitting on the ground next to Morgana. "Have you ever regretted something you have said or done?" She asked. "Yes..." Silver said quietly, "Leaving my life behind." She put her face into Morgana's fur, petting her gently.

Kiana nodded, "Come police, take her away." She said, "And bring the dog with her," Kiana muttered, standing up and walking away.

The policeman grabbed Morgana roughly by the scruff, and Silver couldn't help but snarl. She growled as both her and the dog where thrown into their cell, and the door was slammed shut and locked. Sliver sighed, and Morgana lay down. Silver lay down and rested her head on the she-dog, her eyes closing into sleep.

***

CHAPTER 2

Scene 11 - A New Mission

Pg 341: *Everybody in Gage's group filed into their cells.* go forward in time to after-interrogationz Gage sat in his chair and stared at nothing. Interrogation. He was going to be interrogated. How could this day get any worse? Of course it couldn't, because this was it. This was just it. Then the door handle turned. There, in the doorway, stood Maxxine. The single most beautiful and ugly girl he had ever know. A cold sweat broke out all over his body. She looked him down the bridge of her little nose, glasses perched just so. Her heels clicked as she strode toward the table, and the metal door eased shut on its own behind her. Click, click, click, and the wrustling of her skirt as she smoothed it behind her and lounged on the chair, one arm resting on the table, the other toying with her pen. (Okay, so since Gage is behind, imma do that later and skip ahead. To after interrogation.) The cells all clicked open, a guard at every door to usher them out. Sammy hesitantly walked out of the cell, fidgeting nervously. How am I supposed to get out of this mess... Gage set his elbows on the table and hung his head between them, hands covering his head, and groaned. This was going to be a long night. The soldiers marched them down the hall and to a huge metal door, or rather a locke of two metal doors. One slid open, then the other as they hurried in silence. But on the other side, the room widened into what looked to be a sort of ballroom with fancy tables and chairs and a chandelier of shimmering glass. Odd. Gage thought again. For a prison. Then, just off to the side, was a short little hallway, with red carpeted walls, and more paintings of horsemen. And eyes that seemed to follow. Crow walked out of the cemetery, not really caring where he was going. Even though we found Noel- Leona's mom, we still have to rescue the others. But, how? It'll be hard to get them out of the police station... and dangerous. And them we'll be criminals.... well, they're already criminals, but... Suddenly Crow heard a noise and looked up. He was in a damp, dark alleyway. I really need to pay more attention to where I'm walking. He thought as he glanced around. "What?" Sammy muttered to herself, looking around. What is this place? I've never been to a prison before, but I'm pretty sure this is not how it's supposed to look. (Graveyard brigade) The windows above the alley had clotheslines sagging from building to building, with several forgotten socks still trailing in the wind. One of the lower shutters had a flower box, or the remnants of one. Any flowers had since shriveled and died with the comeon of Fall. Puddles trickled along the cracks of the sidewalk, a few colorful swirls wherever they pooled. In the distance, a train blared. (Aero is behind too. I never wrote his interrogation post... ) Aero was pushed along by a guard with lizard-like features. Though, he didn't pay much attention to the guard. His eyes darted everywhere, but didn't focus on where he was walking too much, which caused him to stumble over his feet a few times. After his interrogation, he didn't know what to expect from this building anymore. (Prison troupe) A hand signal, and the soldiers stopped in unison. The one who had thrown the signal tuned resolutely and marched up to the door, eyeing the group through his cowl as he did so. Three raps on the oaken door, and he returned to attention. Sammy stared at the guard. She wanted to tell him that she was innocent, that she had accidentally burned down that apartment, but she couldn't seem to find her voice. Instead, she remained silent, staring at her feet and fidgeting with her pocket. Tayn stood quietly at the back of the group eyeing every one, how could she be sure that these were her friends and not just more shapeshifters. (Graveyard brigade) Tom followed Crow and Adelaide, his hands in his pockets. "Gosh, I... can't think to what would have caused all that, but I feel it's all my fault somehows." He said, shaking his head. Though she was curious about what was going on she seemed to be completely still inside. Like her emotions had just turned off. Tayn glanced over at Ash wondering if it could really be her, and then turned back to staring at the floor. How could she believe that any of them were who they should be. "Come in." Came a voice. Gage blinked. It didn't sound husky or gruff or gravelly like... well, like the dead-man-at-the-apartment-complex's had. Crow turned around to look at Tom. "I... I don't think it's anyone's fault." he said quietly, thinking about the lady's face when she had saw Leona. Sammy looked around, wondering where the voice had come from. She stayed still, looking at the floor and shuffling her feet. Tayn looked at the group they all seemed unsure if they should all go in or just one at a time and if so who was going to be first. She stepped forward and went through the door. The masked guard followed suit, fingering the brass handle and swinging the door open. "The... 'heroes,' sir." He said. Gage's eyes widened as they entered the room. Impossible. A sun room this deep underground? But that it was. The ceiling rose to a dome, plants hanging from the structural skeleton. "I don' know." He said as he sauntered along. "She was at a feun'real. Maybe it was jest a bad time... she seemed like she wanted the kid." He kicked a crumpled can, and it skittered down the street. Sammy followed the others, unsure what to think of all this. She squinted up at the ceiling and glanced quickly at the rest of the group. I wonder why that interrogator was asking about some dead person... unless....... She stared intently at Gage, as if silently asking for an answer. "Well, nice to meet you all." Came the non-gravelly voice again. Gage snatched his attention away from the impossible. There, tending to petunias, was a portly man in suspenders and spectacles. Now, he was confused. These grizzly soldiers referred to him as 'sir'? "Hi," Tayn said confused. "My name is Tayn, can I ask who you are?" she felt a spark of anger which surprised her. Gage glanced over to her, readjusting his hidden chicken as he did so. He was just a victim of circumstance, probably found via his phone contacts. He offered an apologetic smile. Sammy blinked as Gage smiled at her. She snapped her attention to the man in suspenders, inspecting him. She almost jumped when Tayn started speaking, recognizing her as one of the girls in the police car with her. His face lit up, much like a grandfather who had just been presented his grandchild's scribblings. "Oh, yes my dear. My name is James Fortune Firestein. And this-" he spread his arms, one still holding a watering can, "Is my home." Tayn glanced around though it was beautiful it was just one room. "you live here? is it a prison?" "You don't think that was her mother?" Crow asked, looking up at a flower pot on a windowsill. He inspected the sidewalk, counting the cracks in it absently. Sammy was confused. Very confused. He lives in a prison? Ok, that's weird.... He paused, then put his watering can down among the flowers. "Oh, that," he waved it off as if it were nothing. "It's just for security. Er, you can leave now, corporal." He said to the masked soldier. "Every castle has its brig, you know." He said, chuckling at his little joke. "Anyway, I'm sure you're all very curious as to why I brought you here." Gage nodded, confusion written all over his face. 'Why I brought you here,' So he was in charge of all this? And who was he that he needed all this protecting? Tayn frowned and glanced at Gage unsure what to think. she spotted the chicken he had hidden and realized that he must be her friend and not a shapeshifter. "Who are you hiding from then." she asked. 'Just for security'? This guy is confusing more with every word he says... Sammy thought as she examined the place, noting the flowers and the detailed decorations. "Mr. Firestein, why did you bring us here?" Tayn asked accepting that he probably wasn't going to answer all of her questions. "Aha!" He said, pointing to her. "Glad you asked." Touching one of his flower boxes, part the dome above began to change to display a face and information. Gage shook his head. So that's what it was. It wasn't sun at all, it was all one big screen! "This," James said, pacing up to it. "Is Horatio Kamatalis Loupes the third. He has been after me for some time now." He fiddled with the chain that hung from his belt Tayns eyes fixated on the chain instead of the screen. was the chain what the guy was after she wondered. she stood silently and watched his movements instead of listening to his words. "All I can tell you about him, other than his name is terribly long, and that was all I could remember of it, is that he is... a very bad guy." He grinned. "But you all helped me last night. One of his agents was stationed just out of town. And my best men couldn't manage to fight his shadows." The dome changed again, not to reveal the all too familiar face of the dead man. What does that have to do with us? Sammy wondered, looking at the chain on his belt. "the giant picture of the dead man made Tayn feel sick to her stomach, she looked away from the screen and swallowed hard. so he wanted them to kill people for him. "Look, killing him was an accident. That's not what we do. Ugh.... that guy again... the guy who I know absolutely nothing about. Sammy thought, wishing that she could read other people's minds. It would be much easier than talking. Adelaide stayed silent, her mind wandering. She tried not to listen to their conversation, but there wasn't much else to do. She sighed, rubbing her face and she walked. These people were strange. Maybe they had a reason for this mess? Aero eyed James Firestein cautiously. This guy must be mad in the head. Crazy. Kind of like one of those main characters in that old television show "Doctor Who"... James nodded to Tayn, just as the dome changed, this time to a starry night, lit by a harvest moon. "I understand, but you see, what you did may have saved-" a door creaked open, and a boy poked his head in, but as soon as he spotted the group, disappeared back into the other room. "Will! Come out here, it's alright. They don't bite..." he glanced to the two wolf-girls, "well, most of them. Come on." The boy obeyed, slowly pushing into the room, not making eye contact with anyone. A blue-eyed blonde, Gage noted. Sammy's eyes wandered over the others that had been led in by the guards. She didn't know any of them except Gage, and she kinda knew the red-haired girl that she had led to Brittany's apartment, even though she didn't know her name. Oh, cool. That guy has bat wings. She thought as she spotted Aero, then looked away as she heard the door creak open and saw the boy. Is he a prisoner too? A kid, Tayn stopped scowling and tried to be less intimidating. "Hi," she said. trying to smile, but it felt too forced. she suddenly realized that she was exhausted. "No, it was her mother all right." Tom said, not looking up from the can he was kicking. "I just... hey," he offered them a warm smile. "Maybe things aren't so bad, you know? There could be more to this than meets the eye." Then he frowned. "Did I just say that?...huh." The elderly man reached out and hoisted the boy onto his hip, beaming from ear to ear. "This is my grandson, William. Say hi, Will." The boy responded by tucking his face into the man's neck, hiding from everyone. James laughed. "Well, he's a little shy right now. But where were we? Oh yes, bad guys." He cleared his throat and glanced back to Tayn, "You were right, I was going to ask something of you, and you have every right to decline because the mission will be very scary and dangerous..." he shifted Will on his hip, untangling his shoe from his his chain. "But it needs to be done." "How do you know it was her mother?" Crow asked, suddenly anxious. What if she was part of that gang? That would be bad. Maybe that's why she left so quickly... "Wh-why did you put us in jail, then?" Sammy blurted, unable to hold back her questions any longer. "And... and.." She stuttered, not sure which questions to ask first. "Maybe the resemblance between the two? But that might be wrong;I barely had a glance at the mother." Adelaide pitched in quietly, her gaze lowered, with her brow furrowing. Tayn glanced over at The girl who had brought Ash back. There was no real reason for them to be held here. obviously they wanted all of the group here. "Was Will kidnapped or were you thinking of someone else?" Tayn asked thinking of Noel, maybe she had been kidnapped by the bad guys from the police who were protecting her. She wasnt sure what to think. Tom motioned to the paper that (insert name) held. "I found me one of those in my... dumpster. I like to read. Read whatever I can get my hands on. Anyway, it said the father got killed overseas. And a newspaper, one from a few days ago, mentioned something about some suspicious stuff going on in that area... not that that all fits together." James chuckled, trying to peel Will's face out of his neck. "Oh, no. That's kind of the tradeoff. You did," he waved his hand to the dome, "all that, and I give you a get-out-of-jail-free card. We're even, I hope. But the mission is more of a favor I'm asking." He smiled. "I'll give you a while to think it over. Guard!" He called. The door swung open, and the corporal stood at attention just inside the room. "Take these people back to the surface. Ah, gently, please. We rather shocked them the first go, I think." "You found yourself on a missing poster? Uh, I mean, ok." Crow said, trying to put it all together. She was kidnapped and we returned her. Sounds simple enough, yet.... Crow sighed, "Well, I guess I better be going. Zen?" Tayn blinked confused. He's requesting help with just a name. no real explination of what he wants and hes letting us go? "What is it you want from us exactly?" she asked He had turned around, walking Will over to the flowers, when he glanced over his shoulder, "Oh, you know. Adventure, skydiving, recon mission. That sort of thing." He said dismissively, as though he were discussing the weather. "I didn't do anything!" Sammy exclaimed. "What's all of this about?" she glared accusingly at Gage. "And what is this 'mission' you're talking about?" Gage cringed. Tayn glanced over at Gage it was his call. The situation was strange, but it was definately a way to get their attention. Sammy watched him cringe, crossing her arms. "I got into jail because of this. Explain. Now." *Sammy burns you to a crisp cause she doesn't like being compared to a crazy wolf* He scratched the back of his neck, trying to ignore the chicken in his wing that was now becoming very energetic. "I-if he says we can think about it... how long do we have?" He said. "Oh. About a day." He said, handing Will a lilly that he had just plucked. Gage nodded. Then a day it would be. He wondered for a moment if he should thank the man, but decided against it, and simply turned to leave, trying to fend off Sammy's glares and hide the chicken's moving at the same time. Sammy really didn't like being ignored, so she brought her hand back, took a breath, and thrust her hand out, shooting a burst of flame to the left of Gage. "Explain." She growled. Tayn watched gage turn to leave and looked at everyone elses faces. they all seemed to be either angry or confused or both. Tayn followed him gently taking Ash's sleeve and tugging her along to leave. She seemed completely out of it. what had happened? Tayn surprised that Sammy had tried to hurt Gage grabbed her arm with her free hand and glared at her. "It's my fault you're here. Leave Gage alone!" She growled and pulled her along holding her arm tightly. "Hey!" Sammy protested, "I missed him on purpose! I do it all the time on my brother!" She tried to pull away from the older girl, almost tripping herself. Was Gage her brother? Tayn wondered. "It's been a pretty rough day for all of us. I get that you're angry but it wasn't gage that put you here." Tayn said. As they were lead back out toward the elevator. "Humph," Sammy muttered moodily, "What's with the dead guy?" She asked suddenly, using Tayn's surprise to slip her arm out of her grip. "Yeah okay let's go." Zen said. "Do you know where Rex and Akira went?" Crow asked, looking around the alleyway. "I honestly don't know." Zen looked around. Weird. "Uh, we may or may not have killed a man." Gage answered Sammy "We- they may or may not have been responsible for killing a guy. But for a good reason, probably." Aero said quietly as he walked some distance from the group. He wasn't quite sure why they killed him. I wish my memory was better. He sighed and glanced at the illegible smudged ink that was written on his hand. Tayn looked over at sammy cautiously, "i killed him last night." She said. There was no use making excuses. It had happened it was her fault and they were all here because of her. She looked over at ash worried, was she going to be ok? Gage blinked. He hadn't even been in the same room when the guy was killed. He had just assumed it was Farren, since she had paused to look him over on the way out. Sammy blinked. "Ok, that would explain a lot." she said slowly. "But you should have told me earlier." She said in a whiney voice, "It's annoying when you don't know why you're being arrested." Sammy then turned to Aero. "Probably? Ok, never mind. I'll hear the full exclamation later." she said, making sure to make it obvious that there was no question whether she would hear the full exclamation or not. Tayn frowned at sammy there hadnt really been a good time to say anything. She didnt say anything and kept walking. Adelaide hesitated,"Were they left at the cemetery?" she shrugged, a brow raised. "Huh. Maybe." Crow mused, starting to walk out of the alley. Akira had shifted and trailed after the mother and her daughter on the inside of the cemetery fence so as not to be seen. She just wanted to be sure, she followed them as long as the fence let her, and all seemed fine. But she couldn't quite figure out why the hair on the back of her neck was on edge. Something felt wrong to her and she couldn't figure out what. By the time she got back to the place the others were they were gone, having moved on without her. With a sigh she put her nose to the ground and tracked their scent as best she could. as they started to walk out of the room Brittany`s eyes were riveted on Ash, Could it be her?

Scene 12 - Back to the Start

page 354 of thread once Gage got his phone back from the police, he sent out a group text. Gage leaned over the table at Starbucks, barely able to stay awake. He brought his sugary drink to his lips. When is this stuff gonna kick in? He could not even think straight. Taylor walked into StarBucks.She had come from her apartment.She remembered last night...Clear as day. The door clicked as she pushed the door open.She looked around, her dogs came rushing toward her, yapping with joy.She looked over and saw her mother, running over and hugging her,"Taylor!Oh...Are you ok?"she asked.Taylor smiled,"Im fine mother,"She said."Come, eat, You must be starving,"Her mother said.Taylor sat down and ate."I rescued this little one, I thought maybe you would like to keep her."Her mother said, bringing out a small rabbit in her arms.Taylor's heart melted,"I haven't had a rabbit since I was 6!"..... She walked up to the counter, and saw the waiter,"Hi, what can I get for you today?"She asked."Hmm, A peppermint white hot CHOCLATE please,"Taylor asked. Taylor nodded her thanks to the waitress, and sat Dont at table 4."Hi Gage,"She said, sitting down. Gage glanced up to find the girl, giving a weak smile. "Hey, Tay-Tay." He said. Taylor surprised a snort of amusement,"Tay-Tay, Has a nice ring to it,"She laughed.She took a sip of her drink "So-" he pulled his arms off the table and stretched, "I see the assassins have failed." Calynn entered Starbucks and ordered green tea like before, she went and set down at table four. When her tea was ready, she got up, took it off the counter and went back to her seat. "Wow." Gage said, stifling an yawn. "I'm surprised I still have anyone. Friends, I mean." He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. "I mean, not to sound like a loser, but, I haven't been the best...of... humans." ."What do you mean, Gage?!" said Taylor, "Youre a great friend, Dont ever say that."She turned around and saw Calynn."Hey, Calynn," "Well, I for one, slept horribly. That chicken pooped on everything I own. I made it a sort of diaper out of a washcloth and some pins. What do chickens even eat? I mean, I gave it some cheetoes, and it seemed to like that..." Gage drummed his hands on his mug and chewed his lip. "But that wasn't why I couldn't sleep. I had this dream..." he took a sip, as if trying to drown out the memory, "About these people by the sea... I dunno. It was a weird dream." Sammy appeared out of nowhere and started lecturing Gage on chickens, "I would recommend getting it a complete chicken feed like Purina Flock Raiser. Get it a cage or something that it can live in. Do you have access to outdoors? Or, you could just give it to me..." Gage smiled sleepily at her. "Hey, sis." He said, whacking her with his wing. "Little early for a lecture, isn't it?" "SIS?" Sammy demanded, "I'm not even related to you!" He's almost as annoying as my brother, though... "And it's not even that early." Gage laughed. If it could even be considered such. More of a contented grumble as he smiled. "It's early enough. Plus, Tay-Tay lets me call her whatever I want. Don't be son stingy." He took another sip. "But as far as the chicken, I, uh... actually talked to the pet shop guy, he gave me some bird seed. Said it would be okay." He blinked up at her, a glint in his green eyes, "what do you think, madam chicken?" "Woah, Sammy cool down."Taylor said, drumming her long, perfectly painted maroon color nails on the table."Don't feed it bird seed for to long, Gage.If you can, get your hands on some real chicken food, or feed it lettuce, tomatoes, NOT THE Tomato greens though." Sammy somehow stopped herself from lecturing Gage some more and said instead, "That's fine. For now." she then shot him a glare as she sat down. "Don't call me 'madam chicken'." Taylor shook her head, laughing,"GIVE THE BIRDIE TO ME."She said,"I love chickens" "Geez, Sammy cool it,"Taylor muttered. *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* Farren shot up straight in her bed as her alarm went off. The entire room was freezing and Farren felt on edge, pressing her hand against her forehead Farren looked over at her clock. Should I still meet up with them..? without knowing what to do Farren threw the blanket on her to the side of her bed and slid her legs off and made her way towards the kitchen. and popped in some waffles and poured herself a cup of milk. Tayn wandered in to Starbucks and ordered a large black coffee and sat down with every one else. "Hey." She said and sat quietly listening "NO." He shot Taylor a look, eyes wide, jaw tight, finger pointed. "It's my stress-chicken. Her name is Lemon." Taylor laughed so hard, she though she would fall on the floor and die.She slowly stopped laughing, wheezing."What the heck is a stress chicken?!"She chocked,"I think you mean a therapy chicken," "Oh." gage said. Taylor suppressed another snort of laughter."Stress Chicken,"She muttered under her breath, giggling. Chugging down the last of her drink Farren pushed back on her chair and got up. On her way back towards her room Farren couldn't help but look at the door that led out of her apartment and with a sigh Farren grabbed her umbrella and rushed outside the door. "Dant-dan naaa!" Gage trumpeted. "The queen has arrived." Tayn looked at Gage her nose scrunched up. "You're in a good mood." She said. And shook her head hiding an embarrassed smile. He rolled his eyes, "Coffee finally kicked in, I guess. How did you sleep?" "Hey girl!"Taylor smiled,"Whats up?" "Not much, stayed up all night I had to go into work last night. So I didn't sleep much." She answered. Putting her face into her steaming cup of coffee Realizing she had just said the same thing 3 times tayn shook her head at her self and tried to chug her super hot coffee, and choked on it. "Aw, Thats too bad."Taylor said."I stayed up all night to, My mom rescued a baby rabbit and I was watching it all night.I only got two hours asleep,"She said, not seeming tired at all,"But I don't feel tired at all." Standing outside of the starbuck's building Farren hesitated... What am i doing here? She sighed as she pushed open the door and walked over towards the counter and ordered an eggnog latte and a Chicken caprese and sat down at the counter waiting for her order. "Lucky you." Tayn growled quietly. She really wasn't a morning person. "I bet it was cute she said loud enough for Taylor to hear. Crow walked into the Starbucks, and quickly went over to the group's table and sat down. "So. You're all alive." he remarked, trying not to show how relieved he was. "Crowwwwwwww,"Taylor smiled,"By the skin on our teeth!" Crow pretended to understand what Taylor meant. "Hey, Taylor." Sammy pretending to not hear Taylor, fingering her pocket. She looked at Crow when he sat down. I haven't seen him before. Taylor shot her a glare, before taking another sip of her drink. "Alright, alright... sis." Gage shot at Sammy jokingly. Sammy scowled and sipped at her hot chocolate. "Ow," she muttered as it burnt her tongue. Tayn looked at Gage and then Sammy they really didn't look alike. But .maybe they were siblings. Taylor nodded."She is!Do you want a rabbit?You can have her!"She said, trying to lighten the mood. Aubrey appeared at the coffee shop called StarBucks "Ha!" Gage put his head in his hand and smushed his eye,"The first time that had been said literally, in like, ever." he said to crow. "Really?" Crow asked, a small smile creeping across his face. Adelaide paused, sitting in her car in the parking lot of Starbucks. After looking through her wallet, she hopped out, locking her vehicle behind her. She walked in, looking at a familiar group of people. Well, a few people she remembered. The teen walked up to the table nervously, her gaze lowered. "Hey! You're that girl at the cemetery, right? Adelaide?" Crow asked. Calynn did the thing she does best. She existed. "Uh, no. Sorry." Tayn said. She was never home and wouldn't want to leave it there all alone. Farren eyed Aubrey as she entered the shop and then towards Gage, Tayn, Crow, and Taylor. Without realizing it one of the workers was calling her name and Farren spun around taking her order and thanked the woman. Aero jumped out of his beat-up truck and made his way through the entrance of Starbucks. He looked around, hoping to find the group at their usual table and gave a sigh of relief, "Oh thank goodness, I thought I was late again," he muttered to himself. He decided not to order anything, and pulled a stool over to table 4. "... My mom and dad freaked when they heard we were arrested. One more incident like that I might not be able to go on anymore missions with you all." He said sadly, looking at Gage. Tayn noticed that calynn was hiding in her mug too. And smiled at her, acknowledging that she had seen her there. The little Japanese bantam clicked to assure him it was all right. And Aubrey stared at everyone cause she didn't know what to say. "Ok,"Taylor shrugged."If you want you can come and see her sometime.My mom would be more then happy to let you come over," Calynn smiled back, happy someone had noticed her. The super Japanese bantam flewn across the room cause he snuck in. "I'd like to come see her." Calynn said excitedly, then it faded, "If that's okay, of course." "That might be nice" tayn said and drank more coffee. Why was she so awkward today? She wondered. "ABSOLUTLY!"Taylor smiled."She surprisingly loves people!" Taylor smiled, and drank her hot CHOCLATE. Calynn smiled and looked at Taylor happily. Tayn spotted a chicken slip in the door. She looked around at everyone else did they see the chicken too? Gage had no idea of the bird in the coffee shop and continued picking at the lid of his cup. Gage smacked the table, drawing everyone's attention. "We need to do something responsible for once in our lives... or, my life, anyway." He poked at the top of his cup, then looked up to find Aero taking a seat beside him. He took a deep breath. Maybe he shouldn't go on this mission, if they decided to go. After the incident with Tor... he still wasn't sure he wanted to be free. Maybe some time in jail could shake the hurt in his heart. Be able to look in the mirror and say he hadn't forgotten someone to death. And poor Aero had been near death. Gage went back to picking at the top of his cup. "About last night, I think we all need to get on the same page. How did you guys-" he motioned to Sammy, Tayn, and a few others "get arrested, too?" "The police came to Brittanys. They had a warrant to search her apt." Tayn said. Gage's eyes snapped up. "Noel. Is she okay?" After finishing her chicken caprese Farren grabbed her drink and pulled a stool over towards the table every one sat at and sat down with one leg crossed over listening to Gage. "The police came and searched the apt.I saw Sammy and Ash, and I was trying to help them, but they got me," Taylor said. Adelaide sat at the table, her eyes wandering a bit. She listened to every word, every sentence. This was odd and somewhat interesting. She pulled out her phone to look at the time before shoving it back into her pocket. "Uh," Tayn looked around at the people who were there where were Zen and rEX? "Ummmm"Taylor let her gaze wander, before she saw a Japanese bantam,"BIRD" Gage glanced over to Adelaide, somehow not seeing her till now. "And who are you?" Then his eyes darted back to Tayn, fear rising in his voice. "Where is she?" "Last I saw Noel she climbed out of a garbage can where Zen and rex had hid her and she took off up an alleyway." She said nervous "Oh. Great. That's just great. An innocent little girl, hiding out in a trash can from the police. Zen and Rex must be excellent nannies." He let his hand fall to the table with a smack. "Yup." Sammy said, fingering her cup, "I may have burnt down Brittany's apartment..." "Does anyone know what happened to them?" Tayn asked Silver walked in, and ordered a slice of CHOCOLATE Marble Loaf cake, and sat down, taking a small bite,"Hey guys," Farren looked over at Tayn and narrowed her eyes into slits "So she is missing? Is anyone out looking for her?" She asked as she held up the mug of eggnog up to her lips and slurped some of it then set it down on the table. Tayn bit her lip. Were they ok? Zen and rex still weren't back Farren watched Tayn's reaction to her question and sighed, looking down at her mug she held with both hands. "So the little girl we saved is missing... And someone's apartment was burned down...Some heroes we are huh?" Farren muttered. Crow's smile melted. "Well... it's a long story...." he started, "I met this homeless dude, and he took me, Akira, Rex, and Zen to this cemetery. And then this lady came and she was Noel's mother and...." he stopped, for some reason he felt guilty. "Hi, Silver." Calynn said. "Adelaide," she began in a small voice,"I just kinda...joined. Who are you talking about, by the way? The little girl..?" Adelaide hesitated, furrowing her brow. Then Gage lost it. "You burnt down her apartment?! What about Noel?" "It-it was an accident..." Sammy mumbled, fidgeting excessively now. "Hi Calynn,"Silver replied, but then saw Taylor.She lept out of her chair, backing toward the door,"Maybe I should go...."

*Finley was at his apartment packing his belongings to move back to Ireland, but does not have the heart to tell the cupcakes that he is leaving* ---364

"Yes I am, Matt." She glanced at him, a brow lifted. "What? Oh, I mean, my name's Crow." Crow said quickly, looking back at the others. He waved a hand at Silver, but his eyes stayed fixed on Sammy. "What? Why can't you stay?" Calynn asked. "Her... mother?" Gage wasn't sure what to feel. How did they know it was her mother? Was she safe? And if she really was the mother, how had she lost her in the first place? Was there any papers to fill out? Would he see her again? Picking his cup wasn't enough anymore. He got up and started pacing the floor. Adelaide shot Crow a confused look,"Oh." She frowned, sitting back in her seat. "I know you have a lot of questions." Crow said softly, "So do I. Noels- Leona's mother didn't want anything to do with us." Farren watched Gage at the other end of the table then looked over at Crow questioningly but stayed quiet. Leona, so that was her real name? She was old enough, why hadn't she just told them that, rather than going along with Noel? And her mother... that was strange. "How do we know if this really is 'Leona's' real mother? If i were that child's mother i would be a whole lot more grateful for finding her missing child" Farren spoke up suddenly. "Possibly because her mother found her bruised and beat up,maybe that's why she was mad. I also think I hear that kid say,'mom' or 'mommy' or something like that." Adelaide budded in quietly, shrugging. Still pacing, something caught his eye. Something with the word 'hero' on it. Stopping, he glanced around. He hadn't been paying attention, where had he seen that? He barely heard Farren's question as he spotted the word on an ancient newspaper stand. When he had first seen the stand, he had scoffed that anyone would try and keep up a paper newsletter, but now he rushed for it. He wasn't even sure how to open the box, but there, on the front cover, were their faces. "Uhhhhhh"Silver flicked her ears, digging her claws into her palms."Uhhhhhhh,"She repeated, speechless. "It's okay. You don't have to say." Calynn said. Tayn sighed and rubbed at her eyes. "I don't think Noel would have gone with her if it wasn't her mother..." She stopped horrified. " what if she was a shapeshifter too?" Gage fiddled with the paper stand. Why wouldn't it open? He jiggled the handle. Farren snapped her gaze towards Adelaide and argued back "She had been gone for so long god knows where she could of gotten those bruises! And why beat up a child and return her to her mother?" She glared at her and sighed pressing her hand up against her nose. "Guys. Farren. Anyone. Open this thing." He pulled on the handle, more forcibly this time. "Well the mother didn't know that!" Adelaide squeaked, her hands clenching into fists. Farren's eyes flew open and all of last night's memories came back to mind.. "You don't think.." Farren trailed off staring outside the window. Tayn stood up alarms Blaring in her head. "Gage! What are you doing?!" Farren glanced over her shoulder and looked at Gage and flicker her hand up, The handle turned black and shot up opening it. Dark storm clouds began to form over the coffee shop Adelaide craned her neck, looking out the windows to the parking lot, checking up on her car. Like anyone would steal it, since it looked like a hunk of junk. Her eyes flickered up, catching the darkness of the clouds above. She paused, her face turning pale. She then rubbed her eyes, turning back to the people around the table. Tayn looked over at crow desperately. "Will you help me look for her?" She asked. Where should they look she wondered. The new "bad guy" what was his name? or with james? Or did someone else have her? Maybe it really was her mom. He pulled the paper out, slightly weirded out but the shadows. He fished out a paper, bringing it to the table. "Look." He unfolded it and took a backwards seat on the chair. The title read "EVERYDAY HEROES" with a photo of the coffee shop window. Just inside, was table four. Calynn's eyes grew wide when she saw it. Farren leaned over and looked at the picture. Her brow raised and she looked up at Gage and sat back in her stool "So what?" She muttered. Tayn scowled at Gage. "So... that is you guys?" Adelaide hesitated, looking at Gage. *****First and foremost I would like to apologize to those who returned my child last night. My behavior was inexcusable, even given the circumstance. This mysterious bunch has been going around town, caring for the less fortunate for about three weeks, and at the height of their deeds, a daring rescue.***** Frustrated tayn sat back down. Did no one else think that Noel might be in danger. She looked over at farren feeling useless. "Sure," Crow said to Tayn, relieved that Adelaide had explained what he was thinking. But still, he agreed with Tayn and Farren, something did feel a little bit off.... "Read." Gage tapped the paper. "Yeah, that's us!" He said, beaming. "I didn't think anyone had noticed, but... hey, is that the mom?" He said, poking a finger at a picture below the article labeled meet the writer. Tayn reluctantly looked at the newspaper. She read it but still she doubted. Gage blinked at her. Wasn't this evidence enough for her? Reading carefully Farren looked up at Gage and rolled her eyes not really knowing what to say then looked over at Tayn. She felt as though something was off but decided to say nothing about it. Aero cracked a smile after reading the paper. "Nice," he paused, "But... how did they know about all of our deeds? And that we sit at table four at this Starbucks?" He murmured suspiciously to himself. "Woah. But I agree with Aero, how did they know what we've been doing?" Crow said, perplexed. Have people been spying on us or something? Adelaide strained, squinting her eyes,"Looks a bit like her. My memory is terrible so don't really go off of my statement." she huffed. Tayn blinked back tears. Her memories of when ash was taken resurfacing. She felt sick. Aubrey bought some of the cake Silver bought. The super chicken crowed. Gage glanced back, and the glanced pointedly away. He did not need another chicken, he did not need another chicken, he did not need another chicken. Farren lifted her mug and took a sip from it and smacked her lips together and looked at the newspaper then up to Gage "So, what about that mission?" She asked curious about it and whether or not he was going to take up the offer. Gage glanced around. Apparently not everyone was as enthusiastic about getting noticed as he was. "Erm, about that guy... James' mission. Who wants to go?" Rex wandered into Starbucks. He sighed, & flopped into an empty chair at table four. "What are you looking at?" Rex asked tiredly. (Hey, is ok if I get rid of Jenna? One person is hard enough to keep track of, let alone two. She probably had family business out of town that she had to attend to for a few weeks.) Tayn shifted in her seat. And clutched her warm mug to her chest. Somehow that always made her feel better. She reluctantly nodded at Gage admitting silently that the article could be real. "Who's James?" Adelaide tilted her head, her eyes sparked with curiosity. With an exaggerated sigh Farren crossed her legs and looked up at him "I suppose i'll go, can't let you guys get all the credit for saving the day again" I'll go" Tayn answered quickly. If Noel was kidnapped by that guy again she would find her! Tayn stood up and slowly edged around the rooster trying to corner him so she could get it out of the coffee shop. "Hi" She said to aubrey "Hi," said Aubrey. "I guess a few could hang back. I mean, if they wanted to investigate..." he squinted at the paper, "Janet. Her address is bound to be in this paper somewhere." Th super chicken flew onto Gages head and crowed in his ear, which is hard to ignore. Gage fell out of his chair. Tayn laughed it was probably her fault for chasing the poor thing Aubrey left Suddenly, Sammy noticed the chicken. She instantly got up, cornered it, and caught it, shoving it into her jacket. She then came back, pretending that there wasn't a wriggling bantam in her jacket. "Sooo.... I guess I'm in. For the quest, I mean." she said casually. My parents are NOT gonna like this. "Oh gosh." Adelaide shot up, her eyes wide,"Need help?" she called out. He got up. Thank goodness he hadn't been holding his coffee. He dusted his wings off and glanced up to Adelaide, smiling, "Uh, James is... the guy that lives beneath the prison. He thanked us for um, offing this guy. Apparently he was pretty bad. Anyway, he asked us to go on a mission, and gave us a day to decide." Aero raised his hand slightly. "I'll go," he said quietly. Sure, his foster parents may not be happy about him going on any more missions, but he wanted to do some good with his life. Foster parents. He sighed. Nobody in this group even knows my real parents are dead... "Interesting," she chuckled, a grin playing on her face,"mind if I tag along with you guys? I have nothing else to do, if you don't mind." Adelaide hesitated, looking around. "Uh..." his eyes darted to the side. "It's not gonna be safe, by the looks of things. Are you sure you wanna get into something like this, I mean? You just met us." Gage swallowed a lump in his throat. He was afraid of that. The one guy he really wanted to protect... Adelaide frowned,"I know I just met you guys, but honestly, it seems more interesting than working at a store. Besides, you guys seem decent enough," she took in a breath,"If it's not safe, then more of a story it'd be, right?" She tilted her head. She might've not said the right thing. "Well, uh..." he knew what she meant, but the way it had come out made it sound weird. I mean, would Spiderman ask for attention? He shook his head. But that wasn't what she meant by it, right? Or was it time to have a speech about not seeking glory and fame? Adelaide waved her hand,"Forget it, I understand. It'd be easier without me." "Wha-I-uh... no! I mean..." he face palmed, the reached his hand out, "I'm sorry, let's start this over. I'm Gage." Tayn frowned "I think you should come" She said Taylor looked at Gage.She lifted her head, Narrowing her eyes."Ok. Wait."She, bewildered,"You want me to go on a mission I have no clue about anything we are doing, with the chance of being severely injured, or killed?"She asked.She put her hand in her hand pocket, feeling the soft carvings on her dagger/knife.Her eyes then lit up with mischief and adventure, and she smiled,"I'm in." Silver grabbed the door handled behind her, and relaxed."I'm in," "I'm in too," Crow said. It's not like I have anything better to do. "I`m in," Brittany said to Gage and glanced at Sammy "Your not the one who burned my apt. to the ground...?" Akira walked in to the Starbucks, late again, at least she made it to this meeting even if it was near its end. She ordered a half and half earl grey and English breakfast ice tea, no sugar and headed to the table. "Sorry I am late guys, had another rough nite, what did I miss?" She asked as she sat down in a chair with a huff. Sammy looked at her shoes. "It was an accident... I-I was trying to use my firebending on the guard..." she trailed off, still looking guiltily at her shoes Calynn said to Gage, "I'm in." ~After dashing across the intersection, Ash ran her hand through her charred hair, suddenly acutely aware that she stunk of smoke. But it wasn't like she could just walk up to any house and rent a shower- and she'd stayed out on the streets again last night. After they'd been free to leave the underground headquarters, she'd snuck off into the shadows away from the group and watched from a safe distance. She'd been so looking forward to just falling in Tayn's arms and just crying all of the turmoil of the past years out on her sister's shirt... But, yet, fear held her back with unbelievable force. The looming threat of detainment lingered too closely, and Ash wasn't mentally able to even comprehend being locked in somewhere, parallel to freedom, ever again. So she watched, listening in on their plans to meet at the corner Starbucks in the morning, before dissolving into the darkness and finding a particularly comfy brick to rest her head on. And now here she was, her fingers trembling as she gripped the door handle and let herself in the aromatic cafe. Trying desperately to remember how things worked at this franchise, she first approached the counter and then her eyes caught the sigh that announced this side of the counter as pickup. Her face heating, she quickly hurried over to where the bemused barista waited, her fingers drumming on the spotless counter top beside the cash resister. "Umm..." Ash muttered, her eyes tracing her fingers instead of the illuminated wall menus, "a caramel latte, please." The young woman's eyes rounded as she registered the state of Ash's clothing, but then she snapped them back to her order notepad as if she'd waved Ash's tattered appearance off as a daily normality. "Name?" Ash froze. Her heart decided to take a flying leap and land squarely in her throat. My name. I can't give my name. It's unsafe. They'll find me. They'll all find me. "...uhh, um..," Her gaze snapped to a flyer that exhibited a calico kitten with its paws wrapped around an coffee mug. "..kitten... uh...kittensong." With an amused puff, the barista jotted the instant pseudonym and cheerily skipped out of sight behind the partitioned wall. "It'll be out in a moment, ma'am." Ash stuffed her hands in her pockets before spinning around and scanning the room for a large group of unique...misfits. Stressing bald dude, ladies' bridge club, overworked mom, short wingman, the local workaholic... Her eyes snapped back to where the brown wings jutted out from around the corner. Aha. Stepping with a confidence she didn't have, Ash strode around the corner and inconspicuously slid into an end seat at the massive table. With seconds, every eye was on her, perhaps aided by the fact that she'd brought a invisible screen of smoke residue in with her. She drew herself up out of her slouch, barely suppressing a sigh of regret at her failure at a subtly tardy arrival. "Um.. hi y'all."~ Taylor heard a voice, Unsure, she stood up.She recognized the girl from the other night."Hey...It's you, isn't it?Your that girl..." ~Ash looked up as the older girl got to her feet. Recognition immediately flared in Ash's muddled mind. "Yeah..." she mumbled, hating how all attention was suddenly forced toward her. She tugged her hair around her cheeks self-consciously and her scuffed boot began tapping against the floor with audible nerves. "I'm Ash."~ Taylor smiled,"I'm Taylor, It's nice to meet you Ash."She then sat back down, dragging another chair from a nearby table for Ash,"Sit."She smiled. ~"Hi, Taylor." Ash made an effort to give a grateful smile despite the fear that kept reigniting with every displaced shadow or movement in the corner of her vision. Her lips twitched with amusement as Taylor pulled out a chair for her in automatic courtesy... when Ash was already seated."...But I'm actually already sitting." Her mouth visibly quivered as she fought hard against a bubbling laugh.~ Taylor cursed under her breath for her stupidity, but she let out a Mrrow of laughter."I'm so stupid,"She muttered, But was smiling. (Oh carp, I said Mrrow.) Brittany`s head snapped around "What did you say?" Breyer merely existed. *sigh* ~Ash's breath hitched in her throat. She blinked wildly down the table at the older girl who had blurted, and her foot increased its anxious tapping to a painful level. The memories that assaulted her as soon as they exchanged shocked glances were almost too much to bear. Might as well not pass out like some sort of distressed airhead- you've made it this far. "Hey...Brittany." ~ ~Ash's wild kicking accidentally connected painfully with Breyer's ankle.~ "Ouch! That hurt!", Breyer glared at Ash. Ash glared at Breyer for interrupting the intensity. Mikki entered Starbucks. Brittany`s heart pounded so fast it sounded like a thousand wolves running to battle, blood pulsed through her veins like a foal trying out it`s legs. How could Ash be here? her face was plainly written with shock and confusion. "Uh..... Hey.... Ash?" she croaked. Breyer drank ice tea. ~Ash momentarily averted her eyes from Brittany and assessed the high possibility of her eventually accidentally spilling Breyer's tea.~ Breyer looked at Ash and slid his ice tea closer to him. Tayn hadn't noticed Ash come in she was busy trying to figure out if she should be part of the ever growing crowd that was going to be doing recon, or if she should stick around town and look for Leona's mom. She felt that unless she saw that she was safe and happy with her own eyes she couldn't believe that she was safe. But she thought that if she had been captured by either this new "bad guy" or James that she would be more likely to find her if she went on the recon... Tayn frowned at the coffee at the bottom of her cup, it was mostly cold. She decided that since she had agreed to go she would stick to it. If Leona was with her real mom then she would still be there when they got back. Tayn went back to the counter and ordered a second cup of coffee waiting by the end of the counter for it to be finished. p379

Grant and Misty walk down the street, Misty leaning on Grant to get weight off her injured leg. "Ok that's it your not going to walk anymore" Grant says with annoyance, he scoops Misty up and carries her to the Starbucks that the gang first met up at. Grant walks in the shop and Misty immediately spots the gang, she squirms in Grants arms trying to get him to let go of her. Finally Grant puts her down and she limps over to the gang. "Guys how glad am I to see you," Grant walks over to the table "let me introduce you to my best friend" Misty says motioning to Grant with a wide smile, despite the blood seeping out of her mouth. Grant stares coldly at the gang of misfits, so these are the people just like me and Misty, he thinks to himself. "Hey," Crow said to Misty. He noticed that she wasn't putting weight on one of her legs. "Are you ok?" Misty looks at Crow "Em, not exactly" She says "I got-" Misty begins to fall, but grant catches her in the nick of time. "She got shot" Grant finishes for her "Yeah" Misty agrees "Oh... I remember.... you never got the bullet out?" Crow asked, concerned. "Also, where were you when the apartment caught fire?" "Em, well me and Grant just got the bullets out, and I was in a coma, I always get this like layer of extreme cold when Im in a coma. Only Grant can withstand that cold, so how are you? Are we going on another mission?" "Yes, ask Gage." Crow said, gesturing to Gage. "By the way, we found Noel's mother. Erm, me, Akira, Adelaide, Rex, and Zen found her. All the others were in jail." he said quickly "JAIL" Misty hisses "who were the arresting officers? Did the tothers get interrogated?" Misty remembers the first time she went to a police station It was many years ago just when Misty and Grant fell from a portal from their dimension, into this one. Some police men found the 13 year old Grant and Misty on the side of the road. They took them to a police station where they were asked questions by a kind interrogator, who could shapeshift. Misty shakes her head and comes back to reality Grant puts a hand on her shoulder and gives her a knowing look, he also was thinking about that day.

"Umm, I don't know. I wasn't there." Crow said, wishing someone who had been there would help him. "Some of the officers had blue suits, from what I could see." he offered. "Uh, there were a few different police officers there. the most notable was a guy that had 8 octopus arms. We were interrogated by some horrible shapeshifter, but I would almost say it was more like a job interview than an interrogation." Misty growls low and long "mmk" She says finally "When are we going?"

Scene 13 - winding up

p379

Aero sat at table four, mute. He was pretty much tuned out of everybody's conversations and presence around him. Moments passed, and he didn't notice the others' absence until the group had comepletely dispersed. Aero groaned from frustration. Where is my mind at? Really? He didn't know where to go. Perhaps he should wait at the police station? That was his best bet. Aero walked out of the Starbucks building, and stretched out his wings as he prepared to ascend into the sky, but then remembered that they were torn. Giving a disappointed sigh, he hopped into his truck and drove to the police station. Once he arrrived, he shut his truck door behind him, and walked through the entrance of the building. He fiddled around nervously as he stood in the middle of the waiting room, watching out for any familiar faces but failed miserably. Maybe we weren't supposed to meet here until later today?...Well, better to be early than late... he went over to the corner of the room, leaned against the wall, and stood there awkwardly. The mechanical bell chimed as the bat boy entered, but the man at the front desk hardly seemed to notice, hunched over and scribbling something just out of view. Sammy showed up at the police station. She was no longer carrying the chicken, she had deposited it at her house. She looked around nervously, hoping she wasn't the only one here. But then he used his super strength to escape, and then flew back toward them. Aero, with his bat wings wrapped around his body to form a sort of butterfly's cocoon, peered out from a tear in his wings, and noticed someone familiar... Sammy, perhaps? He retracted his wings and walked over to her cautiously, "Hello." Sammy smiled shyly. "Hi. I-I'm Sammy," she stammered. Mikki entered the police station and noticed Aero and Sammy. "Hi guys!" She said, walking over. The officer at the desk glanced up at the group assembling in the lobby. What was this? A new meet place? He sighed and hunched back over his writing. They weren't doing anything wrong, he guessed. As long as they kept quiet. Then, the elevator guard rounded the corner, and he sat up. "Hey!" He greeted as the guard grabbed a cup from beside the coffee machine. He grunted, but said nothing more he inserted a pod into the machine and sat his cup under. He rapped his pen on the desk in frustration. Normally, he wouldn't blame anyone for doing such. After all, he was the same way before coffee. Only, this guy never gave a different response. He kept his morning grogg from dawn till dusk. With the guard's back turned, the man at the desk twisted his face to mimic the guard's snarl, then grinned at the teens. He wasn't sure why they were there, but when else did he get the chance to poke fun at this guy? Especially when he out-ranked him by two stripes. This was likely to get him fired, goofing off on duty. But he was only human, after all. He made another face, checking to make sure the guard's back was still turned. Akira decided to go to the police station instead of going with the group that was going to meet Noel mother. She had had enough of that business the other night and didn't need to be there today. She walked into the police station and moved over to the group that was already waiting. Akira decided to go to the police station instead of going with the group that was going to meet Noel mother. She had had enough of that business the other night and didn't need to be there today. She walked into the police station and moved over to the group that was already waiting. As the guard took a sip from his mug, his eyes traced Aero's back to the man at the desk, whose smile quickly faded. His temple jumped as he clenched his jaw, but said nothing. Instead, he motioned for the three to follow him back to the elevator. Sammy stepped toward the guard, shoving her fidgeting hands into her jacket pocket. The guard lead the group sharply down the hall, past the pictures of horsemen, and to the elevator. He produced a key from his pocket and inserted it below the 'up' arrow. The elevator dinged, and the doors clicked open. Sammy walked into the elevator, looking at Mikki and Aero. She glanced at the guard, then looked away. Calynn was at the police station. James Firestein was waiting for them at the bottom, his eyes twinkling behind his spectacles. "So, you've decided to do me a favor after all?" He grinned. "This pleases Dobby." Sammy blinked. So. He's Dobby now. Interesting. She thought, trying not to smile He fiddled with the chain hanging at his side. "Is this all of you? It seemed there were more last night. Er... was it this morning?" Aero shuffled his feet as he walked behind the guard. He kept his head down and his eyes on the ground, though occasionally looked upward to watch where he was going. He stepped into the elevator, then out, and was met by James Firestien, who was apparently calling himself... Dobby? "Hi, Mr. Fierstein." He waved, chuckling nervously, "Yeah... it seems the rest of the group decided to ditch the three of us." He said, motioning to himself and the two other teenagers. He forced a smile and looked at James, "But, we will do the mission that you had planned for us." He seemed to consider it for a moment. "Five is enough." He grinned, spinning around with his pointer finger in the air. "The others will just have to miss out on the fun! Come. I will show you the subway." "No, wait!" Sammy exclaimed, "The others are going to come soon..... I think that's what they said, right?" She asked, looking at Aero. But James kept going, feet echoing on determinedly. Mikki walked after Sammy and Aero as they followed James. Akira followed along behind the other four, it would appear that just the five of them were going to be handling this mission now. " I think that was the plan, however I don't think this group is inclined to wait around for the rest of us to arrive." Akira filled in when Sammy looked to Aero for some sort of help.

Taylor shows up at the station. Ash felt Gage's confusion from where she was conveniently hiding in bushes. Somewhere. Anywhere, actually. Away from the boys in blue. ~Ash heaved a huge breath, then skidded around the corner, her sleeveless sweater nearly flying off. She paused for a moment to let the convenient wind filter by her ears, receiving all of the information it whispered with desperate eagerness. They're up around the next corner, she gathered mentally and suddenly shot down the pathway. Thanks to the restless wind, she'd been able to track the remnants of the split group all the way from the police station when she'd realized she'd been left behind.... right by the law. She stuffed her hands into her pocket self-consciously as she slid up to the five people and nearly fell over by the lack of gravity her momentum robbed her of. "Um... hi," she murmured, suddenly extremely self-conscious as she realized she knew none of these heros save for their faces... no, wait, there was that Druid... Taylor, wasn't it? Somewhat reassured by the fact that she could put a name to at least one face, she finished in a breathless rush, "Sorry I'm late. Y'all were hard to track." Taylor turned around,"Ash, You made it!I was worried you had gotten lost," Aero watched as James Firestein unhesitantly strode away even when nobody followed after him, and realized that the group only had one option. "Erm, well... I think the others are going to have to miss out on this one," Aero gave his opinion, while nervously fidgeting with his gloves, "Mr. Firestein doesn't seem to care if anyone is following him or not, so we should get going before nobody gets to do the mission." Akira followed after Aero, "Hopefully we can handle it on our own. I think with our skill set we should we ok." She said with a small grin to him as she flicked her tails behind her. ~Ash reached up to tuck a strand of wayward hair behind her ear. "So it's just...us." A nervous frown tugged at the corner of her lips as she mulled over the likelihood that she wouldn't be seeing Brittany or Tayn for awhile. "Well, I'm still in. Better than hanging around by the police," she added with a visible shudder before gathering her drooping sweater up over her shoulders. With a diffident shrug, she began striding after Akira, determined not to let her reserve be her reverting into the laggard of this group. "I'm Ash, by the way." Sammy followed everyone else. She hoped that they could handle the mission on their own. She wondered what kind of powers the others had, if any at all. As they strode further down the hallway, they were met with a series of doors which formed waterless canals. They all slid open before Firestein, and stayed that way just long enough for the last person to get through. There were three of those, each had the same metallic smell as the next. The same structural ribbing in the ceilings. The same prison cells. The last canal of doors opened to something different, however. It was dark. The smell of strong cleaning agents, but also dust and dirty water. James pushed aside a pole, and a wheelie bucket to reach for the light cord. And as the door closed behind them, they found themselves... in a Janitor's closet? Akira looked around the room and smirked at the others. "Is our mission to mop your floors, or did you need something dusted?" She said with a laugh. James adjusted his spectacles, a twinkle in his eye as he reached for the grimy handle. They were hit with a wave of noise. People swarmed everywhere, brick lined the tunnel, and brakes squealed as the subway came to a halt. He lead them out of the closet, wedged between two graffitied bathroom doors. He pushed his way into the crowd. Never motioning for anyone to follow, as if expecting them to be able to find him amongst the swarm. Akira was overwhelmed by the assault on her senses as they stepped out of the closet onto the platform. she froze as the people jostled her around, she was so unsure where to go or what to do. Her eyes grew big as she searched for the others in the crowd.

Mikki did her best to follow James, but she kept losing sight of his figure weaving through the crowd. She began calling out for the others, to no avail, as it was to loud for them to hear her. Finally she bumped into Akira, who looked just as frantic as Mikki felt. Mikki didn't want to make a seen in the crowd around her, but she had no choice. People started to notice and back away as she lifted off the ground, scanning the crowd as she float above their heads. Finally she saw James' figure moving out of the corner of her eye. "This way!" She landed and started shoving her way through the crowd, ignoring the disgruntled exclamations of surprise and anger she was leaving in her wake, and hoping Akira was following her. Aero was struck by the sudden noises that came when they emerged from the closet. He tossed his hands over his ears, and noted to bring some ear muffs next time. Before he knew it, Mr. Firestein disappeared into the hustle and bustle of the subway station, nowhere to be seen. He whimpered. Quickly, he tried his best to follow James, but got lost. Aero was being shoved around by the hoards of people and his wing kept getting in his way, causing him to be practically unable to progress through the crowd. "Ash? Sammy? Um..." he called out the names that he remembered, which was not many, "Anyone?"

--------------------

Gage stared at the newspaper, not really seeing it, or hearing the goings on around him. He had two choices. One was to go on the adventure of a lifetime and possibly get killed, or worse, get someone else killed. Again. Or, he could follow this woman that claimed to be Noel's- er, Leona's mother. He hadn't even the chance to say goodbye yet. Could he do both? And what was he going to do about his chicken while he was away? Ugh. Sammy sat down, trying to hide the chicken who was shoved into her jacket. Could they do both? This article was obviously a call to them. But she knew where they were, didn't she? Hadn't she taken this picture? Maybe she wanted them to go to her house. But she wouldn't be there right now, if she worked for the paper. He clenched his jaw. But Noel might be... Tayn looked around at everyone there. if they were going to accept the mission from james then at least one of them would have to go back to the police station to let them know. They had been give a day to think it over, hadn't they? That was twenty-four hours. So the latest they could meet was... about midnight tonight, right? Because that was when they had been given the proposition last night. So maybe they could do both. He backed out of his chair and flipped it around, tucking it under the table. "Guys, I'm going to check up on this," he tapped the newspaper, "real quick. I think we have time to run over there before heading down to the police station." To our deaths, he thought, but not aloud. Tayn sat up quickly almost tipping her seat over. "I'm coming with you" she said grabbing her new backpack off the floor. "I'll come with you." Crow offered quickly, getting up. Hopefully Noel is ok... Brittany glanced at them "I`ll come too," Gage picked up the newspaper, now nervously looking for an address or phone number. There was a mailing address for the company, but none for the writers. He nervously scanned over the article again. That's spelled wrong, he thought, but shook it off. Now was not the time to be a grammar nazi. Tayn anxiously tried to read through the back of the newspaper waiting. "Please tell me we know where we are going?" Brittany asked But surely the editor would have- No. He fought with himself. It doesn't matter. Look for the address, phone number, something. He thought to his ancient flip-phone and started to get nervous. If he had to call the stinking office... that's misspelled, too. "Well, uh..." he said nervously. "I was just going to wing it... haha, see what I did there? Wing it? Ha ha ohh, I hate this." Shut up, he told his inner grammar nazi as he crumpled the pages, trying to flip them faster. Brittany looked at him expectantly He sighed and crunched the papers closed again, staring at the front page. That's supposed to be an A, that one is missing a T... At... T, H, E... wait. Brittanyface-palmed and groaned, exasperated "City hall!" He said, a little too loudly. Then glanced around sheepishly. "Uh, I mean, she's waiting at city hall." Crow looked over Gage's shoulder and noticed that he seemed to be struggling with his inner grammar nazi. He patted Gage's back sympathetically. Brittany jumped up "Let`s get going!" "Perfect, let's go." Tayn said "Wait, who is at city hall. Her mom?" "Okay, so that's not far from here. We could walk. Unless you want me to-" he glanced to Tayn. "I mean, the others can fly or run really fast, but we could vet there faster if I, uh," he shuffled his wings. "It didn't say." He said, glancing away at nothing. "Actually I came on my bike, I'll meet you there." she said and went outside. "I`m fine with walking" Brittany said "I`m kinda half wolf, so I`m fine with that," "Uh, oh. Yeah, that'd... that'd probably be good. Yup." He felt like banging his head on something, and fully intended to do so once they took off. Tayn unlocked her bike and clipped her helmet on. She was likely going to have to pedal hard to get there with everyone else. Gage shot out of the coffee house, nearly knocking someone over on the sidewalk. "See y`all at City hall!" Brittany said walking out the door and started jogging toward city hall Brittany started running at 25 miles per hour, though she could go 37 It`s good being a wolf! Rex went back in time. "I'll join you at the city hall" Rex said. The wingman lofted up above the buildings, found a promising metal chimney, and lighted down to bang his head for a bit before leaping back into the air to catch up with Brittany. Tayn was quickly left behind but did her best to keep her speed up. Brittany glanced up and saw him behind her "Let`s see who can get there first!" she shouted and started running 31 miles per hour Gage didn't look down in case he had a bruise on his forehead, but pumped his wings faster. Brittany had all intent to beat him so she started running her top speed of 37 miles per hour He spotted the huge brick building, with the marble statue on the front lawn. He smirked when he saw it, remembering the time the president's name had been sharpied to read Rutherford B. Heeey, how you doin'? With matching attire. Brittany saw it and smiled within two or three minutes she stopped at the front of it He lighted down, catching a glimpse of Tayn in the distance, pedaling her heart out. He had half a mind to apologize, but then remembered the bruise on his head, and glanced away, as if looking for someone. Which he was, and should be doing. Tayn, reconsidered the usefulness of her bike. though it was faster than walking it definitely wasnt fast enough to keep up. "Well, we're here. Where is whomever?" - gage Brittany smirked at him as if saying I beat you "Okay where is Leona`s mother?" He glanced around, hoping against hope that he would spot her on the sidewalk somewhere "I... I dunno." He said at last. He strode up to the statue and glanced up. The thought entered his mind to sit on Rutherford's head, but he quickly admonished himself. This was not the time Then he spotted someone at the edge of the building. Cigarette glowing in the shadows, one boot kicked up against the building. Tayn finally got there, hopping off her bike and unclipping her helmet before she got to everyone else. she wiped the sweaty curls away from her forehead and pretended she was presentable. "I'm the rotten egg!" She declared. "did you spot her yet?" Brittany followed his gaze "Is that her?" Gage pretended to itch his forehead as he glanced to her, pain starting to well beneath the skin there. "Um." But before he could answer, Brittany had already pointed. The figure didn't seem to take notice of them, but simply tossed the cigarette aside and slid further into the shadows. Gage rushed forward, but immediately second guessed himself. What if this was just a bystander? Tayn took a breath and decided she would go over and introduce herself. She walked past Gage and Brittany. "Hi, my name is Tayn" she said sticking her hand out in the strangers face. Rex landed down next to them. The woman glanced at it, then to her, her short hair sliding away from her face. "I've got news for you." She said, then rolled her eyes at her own pun. "These people you rescued her from, they're not what they seem." Her voice was rough and low, but not angry. Gage cocked his head. What? She refused to shake Tayn's hand, and now she was going to speak in riddles? She did not flinch at Rex's heavy landing, but merely shifted her gaze. She smelled of cigarettes and hair spray. Gage glanced toward the others, "Have you seen her before?" Tayn frowned and pursed her lips dropping her hand. "What are they then?" she asked willing to listen, but taking it all with a grain of salt. She smirked, then fingered the string on her hoodie. "He knows." She said, shooting a glance at Gage. "You checked those old comics out of the library, right? About a month ago?" He took a step back. So this was the mother, or at least the person who had wrote the article. Or even just a reporter. "Um, yes." He managed to say. The corners of her mouth turned up, "Then you know about Hydra." She said. It wasn't a question, she knew it. The wingman nodded. "Captain America fought-" "Wrong." She croaked. He shifted his face toward the ground, kicking the grass. "Er, Redskull then?" She sighed, as if he were completely helpless, "Where's the rest of your group? I there were more." *Crow goes back in time* "Bye," Crow said, and transformed into a crow, flying out the door. He cruised on the wind, enjoying the temperature, which was perfect, not too cold and not too warm. Crow flew in, transforming in midair, which resulted in him rolling to a stop at the group's feet. "Sorry. I got distracted." he said, embarrassed. He noticed the woman for the first time. Taylor ran after them, But after a while, was tired, so she used her powers, and shapeshifted into a oversized wolf, and spirited there, turning back to human. "What are you implying? That these people are HYDRA?" Brittany said suspiciously Tayns eyes darted back and forth between Brittany and Gage. She was completely lost on this subject, while she had heard of Hydra and red skull, all she really knew was that they were the "bad guys" if the people who had taken Noel were not what they seemed wouldn't that mean they weren't Hydra? She Looked at the woman silently and waited for her her to explain. The woman glared at Brittany, then glanced back to Gage. "I don't know how far you got along. Hate to ruin the story for you, but Hydra is better than that. They wouldn't be so blatantly 'bad' like whats his name was. She reached in her pocket and pulled out a box of cigarettes. Then her voice dropped a little lower, "Oh, by the way, I don't smoke around the kid. Bad habit, you know. She's doing good, though. Doctor checked her over last night, says she's... as good as can be expected." She produced a lighter and lit the orange and white stick. A puff of smoke curled into the air. Gage wasn't sure what to think. Whether this woman was qualified or not, she had to be her mother, right? As he looked her over, he noticed the same upturned nose and hooded eyes. Dark hair, but it had the same kind of curl at the ends. But blonde haired blue eyeds. Weren't those Hitler's favorites? He shoved that thought back. Captain America had been that way, and he had been depicted punching Hitler's face in one of his most famous comics. No, that was impossible. The woman pulled the cigarette out of her mouth and the smoke that billowed almost reminded him of a steam engine.. or a dragon. "But those comics, you gotta remember, they're just stories. What we're fighting is terrorism." Her gaze shifted to each of the group, holding them in her gaze for an uncomfortable second. "Or what I hope you'll choose to fight. It's not that simple, here in the real world. Right and wrong isn't clearly defined. Think twice before you take a life, of you'll live to regret it." Now she was staring directly at Brittany. Something flashed in her eyes set Gage off balance. She face told of a night spent grieving, but that was not what he had seen. Anger? Or was it fear? Then she shuffled her feet, kicking at a clump of grass in the sidewalk. The smoke trailed after her hand as she moved it away from her face, "I can't tell you much." She smirked, "mostly because I don't know that much. But just... reconsider." Gage stared. He didn't blame her for smoking, now. It must be hard losing someone that close to you. As young as Noel was, they couldn't have known each other for very long. If the man had in fact, been her father. If only he had a picture. But nothing was written on his face more than confusion. If she was warning them about someone, whoever whats-his-name was, shouldn't it be about the guy they had killed? He shuddered, the image still fresh on his mind. He wondered if it would ever go away. Brittany searched the woman`s face, who was it? she seem almost... maybe familiar? But that was impossible none of this group had seen her.. right? but she pushed it out of her head, this was not the time for that. but her face was written was pure confusion. Could they even trust this woman? They didn`t even know her! But the look in her eyes seemed to argue that. she shuddered, what was it about this woman? Was she even Noel`s mom? The super chicken screamed in the weird lady's ear. Tayn squinted at the woman. She wasn't saying anything concrete. "Right and wrong? Are you saying that you think it was right for- Leona, to be locked in a room alone and beaten? We went there to help. That was right! We saved her! That was right! The man that died." She stopped to take a breath and find her words. The weather had changed again, hot humid air swirled around her making her feel like she was choking. She had to get her anger under control. "I can't say whether he was actually involved or not, but he attacked my friend," She said slowly. "I was trying to keep her safe and I hit him. I didn't mean to kill him, but that's what happened. I'm not sure what it is that you want us to Reconsider. But, I'm not going to work for people who think it's perfectly normal to treat a little kid like that." The heat subsided as she once again admitted what she had done. "We came here to see if Noe- Leona was ok. We did our best to keep her safe, we would like to say goodbye if we could. Please." The super chicken bit Leona's mother's ear. Tayn stared at the bantam rooster that the woman didn't seem to notice pecking at her face. She looked over at the rest of the group to see if she was imagining things or if it was actually there. Then a thought occurred to her. Maybe Gage smelled like a chicken and that's how the rooster had followed them. Was it jealous? The chicken spurred the woman in the face. And his legs were super short. Tayn grabbed the super aggressive roo by the tail and pinned him under one of her arms. He could be supper later. Tayn looked away from the group embarrassed she was sure they would have a problem with her treating a bird like that. but she didn't want to ruin their chances of getting to see Noel. The chicken kicked but decided not to free himself even though he could. He hated that woman. She stole Noel. Gage' eyes grew huge. Tayn had killed the man? He hadn't even been in the same room- then the rooster flew up in the woman's face, raking a scratch across her cheek. Before he could react, Tayn had grabbed the bird. An awkward silence followed as the woman stared at the girl, face beginning to bleed. Her eyes said it all. Completely done, with nothing left to give. She waved her hand, smoke trailing after it in serpentine. "Follow." She said. The group trailed her down the hallway, her boots clopping on the concrete. For a moment, Gage wondered if she were a soldier, glancing down at her boots. They looked too big for her, flopping around as she walked. If they weren't hers, then whose were they? But that wasn't important. As long as he got to say goodbye to Noel. She cleared her throat. "I'm going to try not to yell at you for what you just said." the woman stepped around a puddle. "I appreciate your concern, though. Both for Noel and, in a weird way, your suspicion of me. But-" Her voice cracked, "Don't make me out to be a crook. I'm going to find whoever hurt her. And I am going to..." She sighed, and her face grew soft. "I don't know. I could fantasize, but that's not realistic. I can't risk going to jail. Not with her. And I may not look like the..." she glanced to her cigarette, then motioned to her face, and the scratch, "mothering type, but the kid is safe now. You don't have to worry." She tossed the smoking butt into a nearby puddle, the last puff drifting off on the wind. They strode out into the sun on the other side of the building to a street of brightly colored buildings. Trees poked through the sidewalk, with flower pots hanging from the lamp posts. Late season mums poked out of the baskets, surprisingly lush. Two boys rounded the corner on the opposite sidewalk, shouting and chasing after a shaggy dog. One boy clutched a leash. Gage grinned as they ran out of sight. Nice neighborhood. That made him feel a little better. But still, he wondered how Noel had been snatched in the first place. The Rooster escaped Tayn, spurred her face and flew away. His name is Rooster for further reference. The rooster managed to slip out of her grip and tayn tried to catch him again before he caused more trouble. It jumped up flapping it's wings she turned her head with her eyes closed Stupid Rooster! she thought her arms still out. It hit her across the cheek with one of it's spurs before taking off. A long red welt ran down the side of her face blood starting to drip from the top where it had punctured the skin. She stood back up and put an hand over the cut "Smart rooster I guess." Crow had realized by now that this was the same lady that had taken Noel without any further explanation. He listened to her in silence. Hydra is real? How is that possible? She nodded. "Then you can understand why I snapped at you all last night?" Keys jingled as she pulled them out of her cargo pants, then clopped up the steps to the corner apartment. Gage had absolutely no idea what was going on. Rex followed after the group. Crow followed the lady, feeling nervous. What if this is a trap? We could easily escape if it is. Couldn't we? Tayn sighed, " I'm sorry I guess I was too harsh. I just- I've been through some things and I thought- I wasn't sure that you-" Tayn shook her head adjusting the squirming chicken, "I'm just worried about Leona." She said. Rex followed after the group. The Rooster followed silently. The woman stuck a key into the lock, then again into the handle and opened the door. Gage saw pink before anything else. As he entered, he was met by a soft smell, with a slight smokey smell underneath. He noticed the carpet, and wondered if he should take off his shoes, but then thought better of it. They couldn't stay long. The chicken sensed something was off with his spidey, I mean super senses.Pink. Thought the chicken. There is nothing wrong with pink, something felt off with it. His ultraviolet light sensing eyes (all chickens have this, they're birds) scanned the room. It was well lighted so he saw every detail, because chickens have like ten times better sight than humans. Even though his nose was limited he didn't like the smell either. Tayn tensed as the woman put the key in the lock, but what it opened up on was just a normal house. She waited to be invited in. Gage didn't. He just plodded up the stairs and started looking for Noel. But the woman turned and noticed Tayn hanging back. She shrugged, leaving the door open behind her. She could come in if she wanted to. Gage followed the trail of toys, one of which happened to be a wrestler with one of his arms missing He smirked. Then he spotted her as she rounded the corner of the kitchen, a pop-tart in her mouth. Crow waited behind Tayn, trying to look over her shoulder into the room. Tayn slowly crept around the door, looking around for noel. The chicken wondered if Tayn had any pets hint hint. She spotted Gages footprints on the carpeted stairs and slowly made her way up. "Hey!" He said, crouching down and opening his arms wide for a hug. The girl simply blinked at him, still sucking on her poptart. He laughed nervously, "Well come on, don't leave me hangin'." But the girl kept staring. Slowly, she walked up to him and bluntly patted his head before moving toward her mother and hiding behind her legs. Gage's brow furrowed. That wasn't the greeting he had expected. Tayn walked into the room, to see Noels reaction. Some thing was wrong. "Noel?" she said hoping it would remind her of who they were. The chicken stared daggers at the woman with his red little eyes. Extra beady. They looked like he was about to make lazers. He had x Ray eyes, not blazer eyes though. The chicken spurred her. Aubrey chose not to come cause the lady was scary, and she didn't want to shoot out more chickens. She glanced to Tayn, a question on her face. The woman reached down and stroked Leona's hair. She frowned, and knelt down, "Don't you remember them?" Brushing back the child's hair, she shook her head. "No." Leona said. Tayn's mouth dropped open and tears filled her eyes, maybe it was best if she forgot about them. she thought, "Gage, maybe we should go." she whispered. it was her fault they had come here. she didn't want to upset noel if she was happy now... "wait, where's the babysitter?" she asked looking around. "I haven't been gone for more than ten minutes." The woman said as she searched the girl's face. She ran her thumb over her face. "Wait. Wait. She had scars, didn't she?" Janet asked. You left her home alone to wait for us, you left a coded message that we might not have figured out." She stopped realizing that she wasn't a parent and it wasn't really any of her business how her mom chose to care for her. "Is that not Noel?" "Well..." the woman peered into the child's eyes, who was now growing nervous with all the attention. "Do you want spinach?" She asked. The girl clapped her hands together, "Yes!" She said, eyes lighting up. The woman hugged the girl, giving a sigh of relief. "Oh! Yes. Yes, this is her."Crow walked over to Leona. "Hey Noe- Leona. You remember me, right? I'm Crow." He said, leaning down at her level. Concern and confusion was written on his face. "No." She said with a slight groan from being squished by her mother's hug. Tayn realized she was making assumptions again. "Uh, you did leave that message for us in the newspaper right?" "What?" She released her child, who panted dramatically, as if she had been strangled. Crow looked at Gage and shrugged. He didn't know that 5 year olds had such short-term memory, but it didn't really matter, as long as she was safe. I'm starting to sound like a parent. He thought, trying not to laugh at himself. "There was a message in the news paper to go to city hall." - Tayn She stared at Tayn for a moment, completely still. "I wrote the article, and I admit to taking the photo, but... how was it coded?" Rex wandered into the house & smiled at Leona. "Hey" Rex said kneeling down "do you remember me?" Tayn frowned and looked over at Gage. "There were missing letters. Typos." She shook her head. "The editor would never have allowed that." The girl shook her head, but seemed to warm up to him better than she had to anyone else. She reached to touch the horns on his jaw. "Nope." She said. Tayn blinked and shook her head fully confused. Tayn smiled sadly it was time for them to go. Noel was back to saying No, which seemed to be normal for her. "I got you a present." Tayn said taking off her bag and taking a small stuffed animal out of the front pocket. it was a tiny red and black dragon toy. "His name is Flappy." she said smiling and holding it out to her. She reached out to take it, emboldened somehow by Rex. The toy was apparently a marvel to her, as she examined it closely, studying it's toes. "Sorry," Leona began slowly, still picking at the dragon's toenails. Tayn waited for her to finish but it seemed that was all she had to say. "You have nothing you need to be sorry for." She said smiling. "we should probably be going. it was nice to see you again." Gage crouched on the carpet, staring at nothing. She didn't remember him? How could that be? The last he remembered, she was sitting at Brittany's apartment, happy as a lark, eating her waffles. But now that he thought about it, he had never touched the scars, had he? She glanced up, "Why do you keep saying that?" She said indignantly. "I, What? Sorry, I guess." she wondered when she had said it before. "That you know me. You all keep saying we've met before, and we haven't." "Oh, Right. Uh, because... we- we made spaghetti for you. and you really liked it. just two days ago. But you were really tired so maybe you don't remember." she answered. The woman pulled out her phone, a black one in a chunky protective case. "The digital version is that way, too." She said, worry etched across her face. Gage couldn't stand it any more. "Don't you remember the apartments? The closest? The man who took you?" He searched his mind. "You even said something about Hydra when we were at Brittany's apartment." The girl hugged the toy, shaking her head. Not angrily, not a weird PTSD reaction, not a teary-eyed one. Just a simple shake. Just a generic, classroom answer, and it bothered him. "Come here." He said. This time, she obeyed, though hesitantly. He gently placed his hand on her head and wiped at the scars with his thumb. They smeared. "Leona, who put this stuff on your face?" He asked as cheerily as possible. He didn't need the child clamming up. Not now. Tayn looked between Gage and Leona's mother. Things were getting weird again. "Does any one know that you leave Leona at home alone while you go out for a smoke?" she asked Janet " .....um. yes. No. I don't know!" Then her eyes trailed back to her dragon. "I don't know. One girl came up to me and put makeup on me, and told me not to touch it." "Gage, if her mom wasn't the one who sent us the message, anyone who knew that she goes to city hall for a smoke... I don't really know how to word this but, this could be a trap, either for us or maybe they didn't know exactly where she lived and we've led them back to Noel." Crow looked at Leona for what seemed like minutes but was really only a few seconds. "Someone put makeup on you?" He asked, though it was more of a statement than a question. Gage's insides seized up, and he clapped his hand over his mouth. Please don't hurl, please don't hurl, please don't hurl. He swallowed hard. Janet, however, was faster. She got up, grabbed the backpack on the nearby chair and slung it over her shoulder. "No time to waste. They're already two steps ahead of us. Flyboy, if something happens to me, there's a pizza place across town where my friend works. He'll know what to do."

Janet took Leona's hand, trying hard not to over-think the situation. If this really was her, and she didn't remember these people... but that could just be a phase from her trauma, couldn't it? Who knows. She adjusted the backpack on her shoulder and peeked out the peephole in the door before turning the handle. "Hurry up and eat that." She said, motioning to the girl's pop-tart. She glanced down the street both ways before stepping out. Gage followed behind, completely confused and on the verge of a headache. Whether that headache was from the situation or from having banged it on a metal chimney, he couldn't tell. How could Noel not recognize him? And if the scars were false, who drew them there? Why would someone have planted a scar-less child in those decrepit apartments?

Misty suddenly appears out of no where and puts a hand on Gage's shoulder "youll be fine" She says with a smile Grant grabs Misty and drags her back with him to the back of the group "I want you back here at all times Misty" He hisses "With your injuries I dont want you running into battle like that" Misty huffs and complains. Many things run through Grants mind This world is so weird! Ive never seen a gun before not to mention the wounds they cause, Its so weird... I wish I was back home with Misty... Watching a movie over at my house and maybe I would be able to tell her... Maybe I would be able to tell her but now I cant I need to focus on protecting Misty.

Tayn was very confused by everything, when had the scars been drawn on? was it before they had rescued her, or since her mother had left her home alone? if the people who had left the hidden message were looking for them, they could have just read the article which showed a picture of where they meet. Tayn decided it would probably be best to stay as close to Leona as possible just incase they were looking for her. Not that she was particularly useful, when it came to super powers. She looked at the rest of the group. "Gage, if it is a trap grab Leona and get her out of danger. " She said wondering where they were even headed. She thought maybe they should stay put and wait to see if anything happened, but maybe Janet had a safe place that she was taking them The Rooster crowed even though he was in an apartment building.

Scene 14 - Mr. Firestein's Mission

p.410

Farren backed out at the last moment to take care of some 'Personal business'

~Ash nearly screamed as she stumbled into a seething mass of careless humans, all going somewhere and having not a single care as to who they were halting in the progress. First police... now crowds. Wow, all of my dreams are coming true. The noise was overbearing to the point of deafening, even to her, someone who easily tuned out, and it sent her mind into a complete whirl that denied her any choice of possible continuation. A flash of black caught her eye flicking up out of the drowning crowd, and the man with the massive batwings stumbled into view. He called out a few names, including hers, and continued his hapless attempts to stay upright. "I'm over here." Her weak shout was instantly swallowed by the din, and she tried again, this time tipping her mouth in his direction. "I'm over here!" She took a second to rummage through the mass with her eyes, and caught a momentary glimpse of Mr. Firestein, seeming to effortlessly make his way through the human ocean. He took a couple of more paces, and was instantaneously veiled from view. Ash blinked, uncertain if she'd even laid eyes upon him in the first place. "There's Mr. Firestein... or he was..."~

Sammy conveniently appeared next to Aero. "C'mon. He's over here." she said briskly, and started marching confidently through the crowd. Every few seconds she turned around and shouted, "C'mon!" Sheesh. You'd think that they've never been in a crowd before. She thought, ducking as someone's arm swung above her. She dodged another person, glancing at them to see why they were in such a hurry. She then whipped around, "Hurry up you guys!"

Akira saw the others through the crowd and she shifted to her fox form and followed through the legs of the crowd to get to them.

Aero was getting annoyed by the carelessness of the people around him. He took a moment to close his eyes and take in a steady breath, remembering to not let any of his anger get the best of him. When Sammy appeared beside him, he tried the best he could to follow her through the crowd, but was still being hopelessly pushed around in one direction and another. An idea popped in his head. Rather than letting his wings be a bothersome obscicle, he used them to push aside any people in his way. A slight smile tugged across his face when he managed to caught up with Sammy. He heard Ash speak up and waved for her to follow.

Sammy looked around and was surprised to see Aero right beside her. "So. What's your name?" she asked, watching James's hat bobbing above the crowd. She dodged someone, almost running into someone else. "Oops," she muttered.

Mikki floated up to get her bearings again, and decided that it was easier to follow Mr. Firestein from above the heads of the crowd.

Taylor yelped as she was thrown into the crowd.She spotted Silver(who just randomly appeared)at the far end of the group.She poor black haired girl had her fuzzy ears covered, and was whimpering in distress.Taylor sighed."Move,"She growled, pushing careless people aside."Silver!"She called, and thrust her way over to the girl."Are you ok?"

~Ash ducked as a briefcase sailed over her head and the corresponding yelp of the businessman who'd dropped it. She swerved to avoid being hit, and quickly scurried in the convenient opening that the batwing dude was creating by shoving people aside with his wings. As she slid up beside the others, she exchanged a sheepish glance with Sammy, who seemed to be glaring at her in an amused sort of irritation. "Sorry," she muttered. A self-deprecating smirk tugged at her mouth. "I'm terrible with crowds." She looked around at all of her harried comrades as Sammy voiced her query for Aero. "So, yeah, I don't know anybody's names either--" She suddenly straightened up abruptly as it hit her why they were in this crowd in this first place. "--except maybe we should catch up to Mr. Firestein before we pause for introductions."~
Sammy looked at Ash, opening her mouth to say something. She then decided it wasn't worth it and continued walking through the crowd. I wasn't pausing. It was you who was pausing. she thought, suddenly turning as she realized she had walked right past James.

Silver pulled away from Taylor, her ears flattened against her head,"No!Back off, I don't want to hurt you!"She yelped.

Taylor shook her head."I'm fine, Silver.It'spell, I can use it to protect me.I can't hold it for long, but for now I can."

James's head bobbed through the sea of humans. A doughy, cheesy smell drifted on the air from the stand of freshly made pretzels. More graffiti lined the walls in a burst of color among the industrialized subway goers. The train had come to a complete stop, now, and the doors slid open. A cheery woman's voice greeted the passengers over the intercom. The swarm of people began to deplete as they osmosis'd onboard.
But the man didn't seem interested in boarding. Instead, he made his way to the graffitied wall and the pretzel stand.
"Lovely morning, isn't it, sir?" Said the woman at the register.
"Yes, but I was carrying an umbrella." Firestein said.
"Umbrella?" Sammy questioned, eyeing James and then the woman. Could be a code word. That would be cool. Orrr he could just like umbrellas...
Firestein heard something and glanced back to Sammy. "Hmm? Did you say something?" He said, an inviting smile on his face.

James frowned at the graffiti. Not the ones that boasted the artists' names, nor the swears, nor the illegible. But one with simple, white paint, and very legible. It read, 'beware the sound of silence.' He laughed at it as he strode into the pretzel stand, and stepped behind the dividing wall to where all the weapons were.

Sammy followed him in, then abruptly stopped. "So... you store your weapons in a pretzel stand." She said to no one in particular. Next time I see a pretzel stand, I'm going to comment on their umbrellas. she thought, smirking.

~But... silence is amazing, Ash mulled silently as her eyes traced the blatant white lettering. She stood there for a long moment, stupified by a rippling unwanted anxiety. Shaking her head at her own foolishness to get caught up in an ominous vow of graffiti, of all things, Ash trailed after Sammy. She nearly shot right out of the tent when a row of assorted weaponry came into view behind a partition. "Uhhh... now I've got to learn not to trust pretzel stands."~

Aero was confused as to why James stopped at a pretzel stand, but shrugged it off, guessing he just wanted a quick snack before getting to the mission. He observed a neatly-written piece of graffiti and smiled slightly. That song is way too popular. It was strange to think that the song was originally made in 1964, and people just haven't stopped singing it since- there was always new versions of that song being released. He chuckled softly, and then followed James into a... weapon room? Woah. Erm, this is a tad weird, but also really cool. But then again, Mr. Firestein seemed a tad weird too so it really wasn't that unexpected.

James selected a single knife from the shelf. One with an intricate red dragon carved into the handle, and a leather sheath and belt. "Samantha." He said, holding it out for the fire girl, "May you never have to use it."
Then, from the wall he took a pair of black ring swords, a hum emanating from them as they shifted "Aero." He said in turn, "Have faith in these, and they shall not easily miss."
"Farren." He lifted a parasol from the wall and pulled the handle, revealing the katana hidden in the staff. "I know it can't replace your old one, but it will keep you safe."
"And to Ash," he moved to a small glass case, took a key from his pocket, and opened the box. From it, he drew a single, ordinary BIC pen, "This is no ordinary writing utensil. With this, you can better use your skill by manipulating the wind."
To Mikki, he gave a whistle, "No matter where you are, help will come." He said. And to Calynn, he gave a tiny glass orb. "This will allow you to breathe in the deapths of the ocean." He said, and as he rolled it into her hand, it began to glow, "And will be a light in the darkest places."

Sammy took the knife, fingering it. So now he's giving us weapons. Cool. she thought, putting on the belt and shoving the knife into the sheath.

~Ash reached out to take the pen, her fingers trembling with an apprehension watered by the fact that he was giving them weapons. She eyed the others' more traditional items of defense circumspectly. She looked back to the pen and fingered it slowly, as if in a bemused sort of reverence. Then she carefully unhooked the singular pen from the simple necklace of twine she kept around her neck before dropping the original and replacing it with the enchanted pen. "Mr. Firestein," she began steadily, the word skydiving on continual replay in her mind, "if we're in need of weapons... how exactly... dangerous... is this mission going to be?"~

------------
Farren stepped out of the building as she excused herself. She fished out her phone which had been going off during the meeting and answered it "Hello..?" "Hello? Yeah.. it's me.. It's about mom....." Farren's arm fell to the side, She held her phone tightly as her hands began to shake, Everything around her went silent and turned into a blur as tears build up in her pale purple eyes from trying to hold them back. Farren held her hand against her mouth and clenched her teeth. Farren Took out her umbrella swiftly and began to run towards the hospital.
(Skip to when she gets there)
Farren stood outside the hospital entrance. And with all her strength she pushed the doors open stepping into the busy building. Two people, A tall man with short dark hair, Pale skin, and light blue eyes stood with his arms crossed and the other person, A younger girl.. Maybe 14, With long blond hair and a beautiful pair of purple-ish violet eyes stood. She looked tired and blue. Farren ran up to the two and threw her arms around the girl pulling her in to rest her chin on her head.. She looked up at the tall man and hesitantly asked "Is she...?" "No, not yet" He cut her off as he looked away from her. Farren frowned at her brother, Martin, and pulled away from her younger sister, Ava, and rested her hands on her shoulders "Are you going to be ok coming with us?" She asked, Ava looked down and murmured a faint yes, her voice was raspy and quiet, As if it hurt her to talk. Farren placed her arm on Ava's shoulder and followed her brother towards an elevator and entered it. When they stepped out of the elevator and into the hall Farren felt as though a weight sat at the bottom of her stomach. Slowly, The three approached one of the doors in the hallway and opened it. In that room laid a woman with dark hair, pale skin, and dull, pale purple eyes same as Farren's that quickly fixed on her. The woman motioned to them to come over and as they did she spoke out in a soft yet frail voice. "Its so nice to see all three of you together again..." She trailed off looking at Farren's twisted wing and sighed. She reached out with a shaky hand and ruffled Ava's hair smiling "You've gotten so tall last time I saw you!" She forced out a chuckle and blinked at her. She then looked up at Martin with a more serious expression "You take good care of your sister." Martin weakly smiled and nodded. "Oh Farren.. " She turned looking straight at her "I regret not being there when you needed me the most.. " She breathed out as she looked at Farren's burnt wings "It's alright mom, You've been the best mother anyone could of asked for." Farren couldn't even hear her own words.. She was too focused on her mother. Hours had past while the three stayed at their mother's side until visiting hours were over. Farren walked out of the building and sighed. She turned to face her siblings and reached for her apartment keys "Once she's gone you wont have a place to stay at.. You can stay at my place until you find another apartment you can afford... I need to go somewhere first.." Martin took the keys from Farren's hand and took Ava back to her place without a word. Farren couldn't help but feel alone.. Like everyone she knew had disappeared.

Farren rushed down the streets and quickly joined the group of 'heroes' noticing some new girl but decided to stay quiet. Making up some excuse about what she was doing she followed the group to the cave. (Skip a couple hours later)

"Farren." He lifted a parasol from the wall and pulled the handle, revealing the katana hidden in the staff. "I know it can't replace your old one, but it will keep you safe."
Farren grabbed the handle of the katana and tested out it's weight.. It feels light.. She thought as she spun it backwards then forwards cracking a smile. She looked up at the man and thanked him as sheathed the sword.

----------------

Firestein nodded to Sammy. "Yes, it will be dangerous, but you already knew that this wasn't going to be a walk in the park, right? It's a recon mission. Lots of bad guys guarding on good guy, and you gotta fish him out." He strode out of the pretzel stand, snagged one of the doughy snacks off of the register, and shoved it in his mouth. The subway was now almost completely empty, save for a few leaned against the wall, or sitting on a bench with a phone. James motioned back to the stand. "Fff fruf-" he swallowed, "I mean, feel free to take one. It's on me. There's a sugary one that I'm particularly fond of. Or cheesy stuff. Anyway, might be a good idea. Long ride ahead of you."
No sooner had he said so, than the screech of brakes echoed into the tunnel. A short, two-car train pulled into the station, jet black. "I call it my dark horse." He added, then winked. "Comes with the castle."
Rather than paying much attention to the "Dark Horse", Aero was more curious about James' momentary strange speak. He raised an eyebrow, and studied the man warily for a few moments before finally shifting his gaze to the soft pretzels. He took a plain pretzel and shoved it into his mouth, then walked towards the train.

Sammy picked up the pen Ash dropped, she didn't know why. She looked curiously at Firestein, awaiting his answer.

Sammy swiped a pretzel, hand moving so fast it was barely visible. She wanted to ask Firestein so many questions, like why he called the train a 'dark horse', or why he lived in a jail, or why he had a pretzel stand that also doubled as a weapons storage. Instead, she ate her pretzel. But there was one thing she couldn't stop from asking. "Uh, how long is this mission going to take?"

Farren leaned up against the wall and carefully looked at her katana fake swiping it around and testing out it's weight getting used to handling it.

James lead them onboard the Dark Horse. The interior had soft red carpet, leather booths and metal tables in between. A small chandelier hung from the ribs of the car, illuminating the room. A too-thin woman sat with bony hands clasped at the third table, eyes trained on the window.
"Sleeping quarters are in the next car." James said, motioning to the only other car on the train, then to the silent woman. "And this is your instructor. She will tell you everything you need to know about the mission."

Farren eyed the scrawny lady as she got up and put her katana away. She then looked at james pointed towards the sleeping quarters.

"Well," James rocked back on his heels, the chain on his pants swinging as he did so, "If all goes well, maybe... two, maybe three days. Not very long. Really nothing compared to the amount of time that poor fellow's been in there for."

Sammy's eyes widened. "My parents are NOT gonna like this." she muttered, kicking at a pebble on the ground. She reluctantly got onto the train, glancing anxiously out the window. Good thing it's a weekend.

Sammy heated up her pretzel.
Aero hesitantly walked onboard the train, and observed his surrounds. He sat in a booth, moving his wings awkwardly to avoid damaging them further. Once settled, he fiddled with his gloves and sighed. Man, my foster parents are so not going to be happy. I don't want to make them worry about me because of these dangerous missions, but 'cmon, I want to do some good...

Aubrey appeared by Aero.

The woman drummed her fingers on the table, and cast a glare at Firestein, who nodded.
"I suppose I will see you all in a few days." He said, giving a little salute, "May your adventure be uneventful." He said, stepping off of the Black Horse.

Aero froze, "A few days?" He spoke aloud to himself in disbelief. Yep... my foster parents are so going to be upset with me. He was frustrated at himself. Perhaps he should have went on the other mission- it might have not taken as long or had been as dangerous. His eyes fixated on the two ring swords in his hands for a moment, still unsure on what they for. "So, erm, what exactly is this mission?"

The doors eased closed, and the train began to roll. A raspy voice came from the slender woman, "To take back what is rightfully ours."

"What does that mean?" Sammy asked, staring at the thin lady in confusion.

Aubrey threw a Buckeye.

She threw the Buckeye rooster because the Buckeye football team is bad and she is biased towards the Packers.

Also because it happened to be the chicken that popped out of her hand and it was the first thing I could think of and she didn't like Firestein.

The Rooster was teleported in by Aubrey. He was fearless. He flew and attacked Firestein, because he hasn't good judgement. He could probably defeat Chuck Norris.

The dark horse moved into the tunnel, darkening the windows, but the lady did not seem to notice. Instead, she kept rapt attention on anything but the group of young inhumans.

The subway rolled along in the tunnel.

Dryden silently sat on the train, watching the others.

Dryden looked around. "What are we doing, anyway?" he asked, his normally black eyes turning slighlty red, a sign his lasers were on.

The window lady shrugged. "I dunno. Firestein thinks these kids are gonna help us rescue Lance."

"And who is Lance?" Dryden asked, bored.

"Uh... the P.O.W. that we're rescuing." She said, shooting him a venomous glare.

"Well excuse me, I tend not to pay attention or be there when instructions are given." Dryden said, rolling his eyes at her glare.

She clenched her jaw, then shrugged. "Waltershobchakeit. I guess you'll learn with the rest of them." She said, finally addressing the rest of the group. She jerked a thumb at the cyborg boy, "That's Dryden. And I'm No-name." She locked each new initiate with an icy stare, as if daring one of them to ask about it. "We'll be riding this subway to the Southwestern U.S. border, then boarding a plane bound for an island off of New Zealand. There, you will have to be given warmer clothes, since you obviously came unprepared," she said, eyeing each up and down. Not one had more than the clothes on their backs, the weapons that James had bestowed upon them, and maybe a pretzel.

Mikki lowered herself into a corner as the train rattled on to their destination, never taking her eyes off the woman with the raspy voice. This was starting to creep her out.

Sammy wondered who this new guy was, she hadn't seen him before. She realized she was staring and quickly looked away, instead staring out the window.

"I didn't think we would be gone for three days," Sammy muttered to herself. New Zealand?! My parents are never going to trust me again. She thought miserably.

Dryden nodded and started to fidget with the bracelet on his wrist, made of black interwoven rope. Kind of nylon type. He spun it around his wrist and wondered what Barnes was doing, and if Char was even alive.

An island off New Zealand? I'm gonna be grounded for life. Hello, solitary confinement. Mikki thought, only half joking. She snuck a glance at the new guy, Dryden. Are his eyes kinda glowing red? she wondered. After a while she got bored of trying to figure that out, so she started to practice flying, and floated up to the ceiling of the train car before spinning down in a tightly controlled ascent over and over again, changing her drop every time.
Okay, his eyes are glowing. Mikki thought, landing lightly.
"Is there anything here that's resistant, to lets say, over 1000 degrees heat?" Dryden suddenly blurted out. His eyes were darker red now, and his chip was about to glitch, and start shooting lasers.

The lady called no-name shrugged, opened up the window, then leaned back against the seat. "Out there, Firestein wouldn't want anything in his little train getting-"
"Welp, I'lll be back, someone shall die in about five seconds." He jumped out of the window, started randomly shooting lasers at pedestrians, than used his super speed to run back to the train and jump in. His eyes were now back to solid black.

"Why did you just kill innocent people?!" Mikki shouted in outrage. "That was completely random!" She stared at him, wide-eyed.
Aero's eyebrows furrowed. He just goes out killing people like it's nothing? He frowned and quickly shifted his gaze down to his hands. Subconsciously, tears began to slide down his face. Those people could have loved ones that care about them. He glared at Dryden, deciding that he officially hated him. All Aero could think about was how his parents' were carelessly taken away from him.
Dryden shrugged. "Happens a lot. Get used to it. Nothing can withstand the heat of my dear laser glitches, and it helps control the speed and strength. The intelligence never glitches." He said, pulling out his phone and starting to play candy crush. Yes, a person as evil as him played Candy Crush.

No-name facepalmed, "Psychopath much?" She groaned. Then she got up, grabbed Dryden by the collar, and tugged him toward the sleeper car.

"What?" Dryden almost yelled as he was dragged, glaring at her.

She shut the door behind them and stuck a finger in his face. "Look." She said locking eyes with him, "We've got to get these idiots over there, or Firestein is going to lock both of us in the Silence. Now, if you don't mind toning down the psyco, that would be great."

He groaned but nodded. "At least we both agree their idiots. And...could you check the Silence for a girl named Charlotte? It's..important."

She raised a brow. Was it possible she had him around her finger for once? That she had access to something he wanted? She sighed, seemingly frustrated by the change of subject. "I don't know." No-name said, a lick of an accent on the end, "Maybe I can check it when we get back. You'll have to remind me."

He nodded, hoping Charlotte wasn't in there...

Dryden sighed and mentally thanked her. "We almost there?" He asked.

No-name put her hands to the ladder to one of the upper bunks. "We haven't even left the state, yet. Now go play nice with the kiddies. I'm gonna catch some shut-eye."

Dryden groaned but knew better to listen. He walked into the room with the children, a few visibly scared or hating him.

Mikki decided to keep a close eye on Dryden. If he'll randomly kill innocent people, who knows what else he might do?

Dryden's eyes were completely black, no white or other colors at all. He rolled his eyes, even the back of his eyes were black. He laughed slightly at something, no one could see. He sat down and ordered a cheeseburger.

Sammy stared at him, trying not to think abut how easily he had just killed all those people. I'm going on a secret mission that will most likely get me killed with a psychopathic murderer that can shoot lasers out of his eyes. Yaaay.

Noticing the uneasy way Sammy was watching Dryden, Mikki edged over to her and nudged her. "This is gonna be fun," she whispered sarcastically, "I feel sooo safe, don't you?"

"Ya. The safeness is almost too much." Sammy whispered sarcastically back, nervously making a fire in her cupped hands.

Mikki floated next to her in a cross legged position until she was level with Sammy's head. "What's your weapon? Mine is a whistle that summons help, but I don't have any idea what kind of help, so I'm a little wary of using it." she admitted.

Dryden mentally laughed.

Mikki noticed his amused expression and turned her head to glare directly at him as if daring him to laugh out loud.

Aero studied his two ring swords, occasionally tossing them in the air to get a feel for their balance. Though, his gaze continued to shift to Dryden. He couldn't help but be angry. He hated being angry, but this guy was pure evil. Killing if necessary, killing of people who deserve it, sure, that's fine. But killing the innocent without even batting an eye? He clenched his jaws and blinked back tears. Putting aside his swords, he began fiddling with his gloves instead to distract himself from the memory of his parents' death.

Mikki felt slightly nervous. The tension in the train car was almost tangeable.

"I have..." Sammy paused, taking the sword of of its sheath. "A sword." she said, staring at the dragon on the blade.

Sammy mentally weighed her chances against Dryden in a fight.

Mikki stood and walked over to the window and stared out. "How much longer?" she asked, watching the land speed by. It feels like we've been on this train forever!

The train rumbled over the rail, buildings and cities blurring by as the group sat in awkward silence. No one seemed to know quite what to say. Or whether they had made the right choice. But at long last, the train pulled to a stop at an intercity airport in southern California. Palm trees, houses on stilts, and people bundled up, despite the seventy degree weather.

Mikki walked back over to Sammy and floated again. She was starting to feel carsick. The last train that she had been on was the one that took her from her old home town to her new home after the car crash. Therefore she hated all trains.

Mikki jumped to her feet as the train slowed. She couldn't wait to get off.

Mikki stepped off the train.

No-name got off the train and stretched, revealing a too-thin waistline under her flight jacket. She glanced to the group and motioned for them to follow as she made her way over the runway toward a small, jet-black propeller plane.

Dryden stood and quickly followed no-name, hurrying by using his super speed.

Her heels clacked on the concrete as they neared the chain-link fence. The man at the gate glared at them. "Can I see some I.D.?" He growled. No-name glanced to Dryden.

"Just a little now, monster." She warned.
"Hmm?" Dryden asked, despite having the intelligence, he was a bit confused.
Aubrey's Rooster was sitting on her lap.
Aubrey was about to get off the train. She wished she knew where they were going so she could just teleport there. "Where are we going?" She asked.

The boney woman glanced back and squinted, recognizing the teleporting girl. "New Zealand." She said simply.

Aubrey didn't know what New Zealand was or where in New Zealand she would go. So she decided to stay with the group.

Sammy looked at No-name, suddenly feeling very suspicious. Did she just tell him to kill that guy? she thought. A small voice in the back of her mind told her that something was wrong with this mission, but she pushed it away.
No-name pinched the bridge of her nose, "Just... kill him quickly. No blood, or the kiddies will get scared."
Dryden nodded and stepped towards the guard, and grabbed his head, turning it quicklly and sharply to one side. There was a 'Crack!' and then the guards body dropped to the ground. Dryden smiled darkly, satisfied. "There."
No-name clicked through the gate, boarded the propeller plane, and started flipping switches and pressing buttons. The engine revved to life.

Mikki stared. He had just killed him. Another innocent person dead. She looked away from Dryden in disgust, and climbed into the plane. This whole thing was starting to freak her out. Now they all were inadvertently the accomplices of murderers. Why was James Firestein in prison in the first place?

Dryden chuckled slightly and cracked his neck, before following the girl (whose name he did not no) into the plane.

Sammy watched in silence. Her heart pounded so loud she was sure everyone could hear it. I'm so confused. Why are they killing all these people? There's no reason. They're criminals.... murderers. This can't be right. I can't stand by and watch this.... She stepped forward as if to confront Dryden, then hesitated, realizing that he could simply vaporize her with his lasers. I have to think about this. I have to make a plan, like the heroes in my books. Think, Sammy, think..... She followed the others slowly, trying to think of a way to overpower Dryden. But nothing came to her. There has got to be a way to escape... Suddenly, her gaze snapped to Aubrey. A plan started to slowly form in her mind.

Dryden looked behind him as the girl seemed to step towards him, then hesitate. "Is there something you want?" he asked.

Mikki chose a seat as far away from Dryden as possible and close to the others. She was really starting to hate volunteering for this mission. Well, I'll just keep an eye on the maniac. Then she froze as she heard him address Sammy. A slightly protective feeling welled up inside of her, surprising her. It was a feeling she hadn't felt since the car crash. It reminded her of the protective way she had thought about her younger sister.

"No," Sammy mumbled quickly, her eyes snapping to the ground, away from his black ones. I need to act like I'm fine with this. Like I'm totally not doing the thing every sane person should be doing right now...

"Hey, Sammy, want to sit over here? There's an empty seat," she said, pointing to the seat beside her.

Dryden smirked, knowing he scared the girl. He craved the feeling of people being scared of him. He sat towards the front of the plane, staring out the window, breaking a cup as he picked it up because his super strength was on.

Sammy hurriedly sat down. I need to tell everyone the plan. But Dryden probably has super-hearing too.... or the jet could have cameras. Maybe I could write it down? No, too easily caught...

Mikki could tell something was bothering Sammy. If only I could mind read!

Aero glared at Dryden. He wanted to confront him, but what would that accomplish? Besides, he didn't need to risk becoming more angry while doing so, since it just... fueled his powers. Aero walked towards the middle of the plane, and slumped onto a chair, moving his wings in awkward directions to keep them from getting more damaged. My powers-
No, best not to even think about it. He just wished his powers were nonexistent, so therefore he'll pretend they are.
"Can you give us anymore details on the mission? Please?"
"Yeah. What exactly are we going to do?" Mikki asked

p.515

Scene 15 - Janet

Crow stepped out the door, looking around for any sign of activity. He locked eyes with a crow who was staring at him from a lamppost. He almost opened his mouth to caw at it when he realized that he wasn't exactly a crow at the moment. He quickly looked away, embarrassed.
zen needed an extra coffee before leaving starbucks so he was a bit behind the group and just caught up.following misty who used her nose

Janet squeezed Leona's hand as she rushed outside. While she was thankful to have her daughter back- the real one- she couldn't help but wonder where she had really been. If she hadn't been with flyboy and the rest, who had had her?
Gage followed behind, down the steps and hurried out onto the sidewalk. If he hadn't been confused before, he was now. Wasn't this woman supposed to help straighten things out? Alleviate some of the confusion? Be the all-knowing helpful stranger like the book characters get? Yet here she was, a deep frown on her face, and a worry between her brows.

Tayn had to remind herself to try to stay calm and collected the last thing they needed was to be trudging through a storm. She tried to piece together what had happened. She was sure noel had real cuts and bruises and now they were just gone? Her mom was taking them some where "safe". She said that this was her daughter. Had someone come to the house while she was out and healed noel and changed her memories, or maybe janet was one of the bad guys and she knew that noel was just a shapeshifter. And they were both in on it. Waiting for someone to get nervous and then lead them to the trap that they were trying to avoid. Black clouds begain to gather overhead, Tayn closed her eyes and tried to ignore her frantic thoughts.
"At city hall, you said that 'they' were not what they seemed." She said to leonas mom "what did you mean?"

Janet glanced over her shoulder, her voice stony. "Not here." She said, hustling as quickly as she could while still holding Leona's hand.

Tayn bit her lip and frowned at the back of her head. She looked back at Brittany and hoped that she was ready for anything. Thunder rumbled distantly.
Gage hurried after Janet and Leona.

Tayn hadn't noticed Zen there before, she adjusted her pace a little to fall in pace with him, hoping she was out of earshot of Janet. She whispered "I don't think we should trust her. She's been acting kind of weird. Be careful."
"You know? I was getting the same feeling." Zen said.
Zen caught up to Gage, while keeping a close eye Leona.

The oncoming storm seemed to fuel their sense of urgency. Gage leapt into the air and flew up to Janet. "Um. Where are we going exactly?" He said. "Er, I mean, Zen here is a speedster. He could scout up ahead."

They had gotten close to them again so Tayn fell silent watched them while jogging behind.

"Yeah Gage I'll scout ahead," Zen said before he took off in a blur.

Rex followed the group.

"I would." She said, glancing a her watch, but then frowned. Why had she done that? Oh well. It just felt like the right thing to do. Shrugging off her brain fart. "But-" Then a blur whizzed past. "Woah!"

Crow followed Janet, wondering how there was suddenly three others in the group. He decided not to question it and continued walking silently.

Gage shook his head, realizing Zen had taken off without direction. He gritted his teeth. What if he actually found someone? Or worse, something? Surely he could evade anything. Besides, he thought, I couldn't catch up to him if I wanted to. His mind wandered back to Leona and her scars. "Uh, Misty?

Tayn picked up on her looking at her watch was she on a schedule?

Misty looks up when hearing her name called? "yeah, what?"

Brittany walked to her side "Is it just me who`s starting to think something is deadly wrong?" she whispered

Zen jogged along the road seeing buildings zip by, nothing threatening so far. He decided to turn back. He came to a complete stop next to Gage. "All clear so far Gage." Zen reported

"Do you remember..." he glanced up at the sky, and stuck out his feet for a landing. Better not get the feathers wet. They don't work well like that. "When we first found Noel, do you remember if her scars were real? Did we ever touch her face?"

"No, not just you." she said trying to whisper, but she wasn't really a runner and was out of breath so it was a bit louder than she intended.

"Hmm no she had no scabs on her scars but I though I felt something on her back"

Brittany frowned "One of these people isn`t right. Ether Noel, if she isn`t our Noel from last night. noel from last night if that ain`t her, or her mom..." she whispered

Gage glanced to Rex, "Uh, weren't you one of the guys who dropped her off with her mother? Did anything happen..." he wasn't sure what to ask, or whether he would remember if anyone had touched her face. He hadn't been filled in on that whole deal yet.
Misty looks at Noel and her mom The mom looks nothing like Noel and Noels hair looks much lighter.
"Gage" Misty whispers "Thats not Noel... I know what she looks like and thats not her"

"I'm not really sure, I'm just worried that we are being led to an ambush or something. And I was sure that Noels cuts were real. I really don't think that that is the same noel that we rescued." she said trying to slow down a little to put some space between her and Janet so that she wouldn't be able to hear.

Zen looked thoughtful thinking about that depressing day, "She was at my side the whole time, I wouldn't know where she would have gotten the scar."

Gage thought for a moment.

"Yeah, and that Noel looks different. Look at her mouth, Her mouth was different even," Brittany whispered slowing down to stay at Tayn`s side

well Zen is with the group with Noel. and just ran up the street and back, maybe you spotted him and followed him back?
"I dunno." He whispered as they neared a parking garage. "She seems to know something about what's going on. But... we might run out of time to go on Firestein's little adventure."
Tayn frowned. "do you think they replaced her with a shapeshifter like the one at the police station?" she asked. It begain raining lightly.
"I don`t know, but I do know that`s not Noel," she whispered
Charlotte stretches, her long hair flowing over her arms. She looked around and saw a group of other non normal people. She used her super speed and ran over, a gust of wind flowing over the group as she smiled and waved, stopping just behind one of the males. "Hi!"
"Uh hi there," Zen reached out his hand awkwardly,"I'm Zen. Come to join the group?"
she smiled and took his hand. She nods happily. "I'm Char, I'm bionic. What about you?"

Gage stopped at the garage entrance. Where Janet had disappeared. Trying to decide if he should go in.

But before Gage could make an educated decision, a motorcycle ripped out of the parking garage.
"Whoa dude!" Zen jumped in surprise. "Somebody is gonna get a speeding ticket!"

Crow jumped backward. "What? Who is that?"

The rider screeched to a halt beside the group, flipped up her helmet, "You all coming or what?" Janet said.
Grant grabs Misty and spins her out of the way of the bike.
Brittany`s head snapped around she hid her hand under her jacket on the same side as her gun incase something happened but only if something happened

Zen looked at her face, Wait what?!

"So. I guess it's shapeshifting time." Crow said, crossing his arms. He knew that there wasn't enough room on that motorcycle for all of them.

She reached down and secured Leona's seatbelt in the sidelong cart, then sat up and patted the seat behind her. "I got room for one more. Who's coming?"

"I'll go." Zen hopped in.
Tayn looked around sheepishly she was the only one that wouldn't be able to keep up. "I guess that's me." she said nervously.
Grant looks at the bike "Take Misty she cant walk" "WHAT I CAN TOO" Misty yells

Crow suddenly noticed Charlotte. "Hey. Who're you?" he said, glancing suspiciously at Zen. Hadn't he just heard Zen talking to someone?

"Where are you guys going?" Char asked the Zen, confused.

Tayn shoved zen off. (lol)

Zen quickly gets out and offers his seat to Tayn instead. "Here. I'll catch up."

"Charlotte, I'm bionic." she said maipulating Crow's voice, her voice the exact same now as Crow's.

"I can run at 37 miles a hour, so not me!" Brittany said

Gage grinned broadly at Tayn, then glanced toward the newcomer. "Honestly, we have no idea, and we are procrastinating certain death to investigate a changling, wanna come?"
"OF COURSE!!!" she said happily.
"You know, I really don't know, but how fast can you run?" He questioned.
Crow sighed. "Zen, what have I told you about inviting random strangers into the group?" he said in a mock-scolding voice. He didn't seem surprised that Charlotte was bionic or could copy his voice.
Janet rolled her eyes at the groups collective indecisiveness. "Look, it's my bike. Thundergirl rides with me. Flyboy, you carry wolfgirl." She huffed, revving the engine. "We don't have time for this."

Zen chuckled nervously, "Uh well she just appeared and I didn't want to be mean..." His voice trailed off.

"300mph is my current comfortable speed." she answered pulling her iPhone out of her pocket.

"It's fine if I can't join. I'll just turn the rest of the world against you!" she says jokingly.

Brittany nodded and got ready to run

"I can carry someone, if I have to." Char said simply.

"Well, then. Chipper, aren't we?" He chuckled at char. "Misty, you comin'?" He said sheepishly, motioning to his wings. He had already offered Tayn a ride today, and the bruise on his forehead still remained from banging his own head for his stupidity, but hey, why not? Char smiled.Gage gave an embarrassed shrug, then rubbed the back of his neck.

"That's good." Zen nodded, "I can travel about 10 miles per second, top speed."

Grant glares at Janet then at Gage, He picks up Misty "No one lays a hand on Misty"
He then bends over and Misty climbs on his back.
Gage felt his heart sink, and suddenly he felt very, very stupid. Great. Head-banging time again.

Crow didn't want to explain to Zen why he shouldn't invite random people to the group, and he also didn't want to find out what Janet's nickname for him was. So he did the thing he was best at; transform into a crow. He then landed on Janet's shoulder. "Caw,"

"Anyone else want to be carried?" Zen inquired while eyeing Misty scrambing up on Grants shoulders.

"I can run 11 at top speed, I just prefer not to." she said. "And don't act like I'm stupid. I have super intelligence."
Janet revved the motorcycle and the tires began to spin, smoke emanating from the rubber until she let her hand off the brake.

"Okay Everyone through with their transformations or getting a ride?" Brittany laughed

"no Grant actually, I want to talk to Gage" Misty says after she climbs on his back

Brittany took off with them and kept at it`s side

After a few minutes of arguing Grant finally lets Misty drop in frustration
Mistys head hits the cement with a crack she sees stars but still climbs onto Gages back muttering curses.
Gage blinked at her. No head-banging after all?
Charlotte cracked her neck ever so slightly, activating the chip. She looked around, calculated how many strides she would have to take per second to keep up with the bike. She looked back at Zen.

Crow rode on Janet's shoulder. He squinted as the wind whipped into his face.

Brittany looked over her back "COME ON GUYS!" she yelled but kept running
Grant passes Brittany with enormous speed, not even glancing at her

"Zen, after you!" Char said, her legs itching to carry her away.

Char turned toward where they were and started running full speed, easily passing them.

Tayn had never been on a motorcycle before and the way it tipped as it went around a corner was unnerving. She wasn't really sure how to hang on but there was no way she was going to be hugging Janet. She grabbed what she could of the leather seat under her and hoped that she wouldn't go flying off

"Oh, well!" He said, not quite sure what to think. He eyed Grant. He wasn't exactly sure who he was, aside from a good friend of Misty's. He swallowed a lump in his throat as the guy took off, passing Brittany. He hoped he wasn't jealous. The last thing he needed was some sort of stupid love triangle. He shook his head and lofted into the air, trying to block out everything that was happening. 

Brittany took no heed of him but stayed at the motorcycle`s side

Char slid to a stop, her Jordans smoking a bit.

Brittany snorted as she ran The idiot passed up the motorcycle

Char looked around at the confused humans. Super speed as fast as hers was rare. She laughed and blew the smoke away from her feet.

Janet lead them down the streets, weaving between trashcans and splashing through puddles of grease. She felt a little thrill as she drove, a crow perched on one shoulder, motorcycle growling, and the oncoming storm. But it was quickly snuffed out as she remembered why they were doing this. She sighed and shifted gears. headed outta town.

Crow held on tightly to Janet, scared of getting blown off. That would not be pleasant at all.

Tayn tried to get a better grip on the seat there really didn't seem to be a good way to hold herself on the seat. Noel sat sandwiched between her and Janet. she was gripping metal handles that were under the edge of the seat. The girl must have ridden a motorcycle before. maybe she was Noel. she thought.

Char sighed and looked around, slowing down.

Brittany kept running Where in heavens name are we going? she glanced at Tayn and grinned "Hold on tight!' she howled over the wind jokingly. still beside the motorcycle.

It was a good thing that Janet was keeping to the back roads and alleys, they would certainly draw some attention if they were on the main roads with two people who kept speeding forward and then stopping to let everyone catch up a wolf running flat out but being over taken by a dark haired guy in a black hoodie with a broadsword strapped on his back. plus gage and misty flying over head.
Tayn tried not to laugh at what she imagined they would look like to by-standers.
"Where are we going?!" she yelled to Janet trying to be heard over the roaring of the bike.

Char looked back at them. "you guys are slow!"

"I`m a wolf, I`m sorry I don`t have super speed!" Brittany howled sarcastically "I`m running 37 mph!"

"And I'm running 350!" Char yelled back.

The group raced out of town, just as the city lights flickered on in the gloom of the storm. And they soon found themselves following an old traintrack. 
"well then focus and slow DOWN IF WE`er slow! If not stop waving it in our faces!!' Brittany howled

Char winced. "That bike hurts my bionic hearing." Char explained, running a bit farther ahead.

Before she could respond, Leona piped up, tipping her too-big helmet out of the way, "To the bat-cave!" She said enthusiastically, pointing ahead.
Janet smirked. The ground began to turn rockier and rockier beneath the bike, jostling them a little. The buildings fell away, and trees began to sprout up. "It's just ahead." She called back.
Tayn though of Aero, immediately and then shook her head. there was no way he would sleep in a bat cave. "Does it have real bats?" she asked leona

Grant runs infront of Char and stops he tries not to make eye contact. "you comin?" he asks then runs after the motorcycle
"Well sorry." Brittany said though it was slightly kinder

"Oh goodness Bat-man now." Brittany laughed

"I mean I can turn my bionics off, but then I can't keep up with the bike." Char said stopping again, her Jordans smoking, the smell of burning rubber strong.

Char heard the conversation and laughed, moving a large fallen boulder easily out of the way.

Leona giggled at the wolf girl. She watched her eyes as a streak of lightning etched the sky, and a reflection shone in her eyes.

"If it makes you feel better, I have super hearing too. I right now can hear everyone's heart beats," Brittany said

"Hey!" Leona said as they drove past. "Faster than you!" She said, hopelessly trying to adjust her helmet.

"yeah, I can hear the blood in their veins too. Heck, I can hear snow hit the ground." Char said.

Brittany smiled. Her bright blue eyes shining

Char smirked and ran a couple miles ahead of them.

Crow looked back at Leona. Bat-cave, eh?

hearing her giggle Tayn realized that maybe she was wrong. the shapeshifter who had interrogated them wasn't really one for giggling. "Are you really You?" She asked Noel she knew that was probably a weird thing to ask but she had to.

"I can hear their pulses too," Brittany said

"But can you hear snow hit the ground from ten miles away?" Char asked
"Uh, i can hear it when it`s right by me but can you hear a scream 25 miles away?" Brittany said
"Mhm." Char said smirking.

Char winced at the lightning, the large sound making her ears bleed. She fell down and screamed. "Darnit! WHY DO I HAVE TO BE BIONIC!?!?!"

Brittany stopped and pulled her up "You okay?"
Janet couldn't help but snort as the girl sped ahead of them, only to hear her distant curses moments later.

Tayn looked back at them the motorcycle continued past not stopping. The storm worsened.
"yeah." Char said weakly as she stood up, turning her hearing off. She had discovered she could do that yesterday, and had forgotten about it.

"Is Mhm a yes or a no? Cuz I`m thinking a no," Brittany said smiling, trying to distract her from being hurt. "There! right over there is that cave!"

the cave came into view. More of a giant sinkhole than a cave, and moss the base of the entrance.

Janet shifted into a lower gear and idled to a stop

Janet kicked the stand and turned off the bike. She undid Leona from the side car, adjusted her backpack, and started into the cave. "Come on, guys." She whispered, "We know you're ninjas, but it's time to go in, now."

Tayn looked over her shoulder to see how far away everyone was. Then cautiously followed Janet Noel and crow into the cave.
Char nodded and followed her into the cave, sighing as she swatted at a bat. She saw a spider and froze in her tracks. She had a horrible case of arachnophobia.

Brittany walked in as if nothing was going on, since she had night vision she could see fine "Do you have Night Vision?" She asked in whisper

*Tayn pulled a flashlight out of her bag.*

Crow hopped off her shoulder and hopped along on the ground, trying to keep up. He didn't want to transform too much if he didn't have to.

Tayn offered crow her left arm to perch on. and quietly searched the cave for danger.
Crow flew onto her arm, trying to act dignified. Sometimes I hate being a crow.

Char slowly nodded. "I am NOT sleeping in here....I have arachnophobia..."

Brittany laughed shaking her head
"Aw, I love spiders." Tayn said "though I would steer clear of that one." she teased the new comer.

Brittany snorted with laughter "I hate them,"

Char gulped. She watched the large spider cautiously.

Janet noticed and reached out, grabbing the thing and tossing it aside. "Garden spider." She said. "Big things, but not venomous.l she offered. Not waiting to see the cyborg's reaction, she strode down into the cave, much more confidently than the others. The Rooster ate the enormous garden spider.
Leona tottered down after them, "Anyone down here?" She said.

A voice answered from deeper in the cave.
Tayn stopped at stared into the dark depths of the cave. There was someone there. Waiting for them
Char heard it easily, loud and clear. "who is that?" she repeated manipulating the voice.
Tayn Jumped when the voice came from right next to her. she scowled at Char pay back for the spider she figured.

Char laughed. "You forget I could do that?"
"No, just... nervous." she answered.

The Rooster decided not to go farther into the cave. He could roost in a tree. He was claustrophobic and had literally no night vision.

Char nodded understanding. She sent out a search for a bionic chip "Whoever it is isn't bionic."
As they strode deeper into the cave, the walls began to glow a soft blue and red. Electric grids ran like veins along the walls, casting a light on their faces. Computer screens clustered in a nitch in the wall, and someone sat in the office chair, face shadowed by the bright screens behind him.
Char felt the energy all around her, the amount of energy slightly interrupting her chip.

Crow squinted at the dark, trying to see where the voice was coming from. He looked quizzically at Janet.
Crow blinked stupidly at the man. Who is that?... And why did Janet lead us to him?

Aubrey had been secretly spying on everybody by appearing at their aproximate location, and then disappearing. She now revealed herself because she loved adventure.
Tayn nearly jumped out of her skin when Aubrey appeared.

Tayn shone the flashlight at his chest trying to look at his face without completely blinding him.

Char looked at the man. "Who's he?" she asked crossing her arms and flipping her dark hair over her shoulder, to where it was laying to one side in the front.

Aubrey dropped a meat chicken, her first, her powers were getting stronger. Soon she would reach

"Gaa! Janet, I told you-" he put a hand up. It was the man that had told them about the wailing, who had closed his shutters and locked his door when the group had first come up to the dilapidated apartments.

"A-and who's mocking me? I know that's not an echo, because I didn't say that."
She groaned."Stupid voice manipulation.."
Aubrey chased the meat chicken, and it was slow and easy to catch, but also extremely heavy, so she couldn't lift it.

Char recognized him for some reason. Wait....was that....was it really....her...creator?

"You," Brittany snarled "Why are you here too?" She snapped

Janet lowered Tayn's flashlight, then simply went to the wall and flicked on the light. "Everyone, meet Barnes." She said.

Brittany`s head snapped around and she thought about Bucky Barnes for some reason

Char looked surprised. "I never thought we would meet again, dad."

Crow narrowed his eyes. He finally decided that he couldn't stand to be in crow form any longer, so he hopped off of Tayn's arm and transformed back. "You.. You're the person from the apartments." he said slowly to Barnes, eyeing him.

Finally recognizing him Tayns eyes widened. She remembered what she had thought about, that night at the train station. He could have been the one who was behind Noels kidnapping and the thugs that came and shot at them. She still held the flashlight, but it wasn't really big enough to use as a weapon.

She looked over at Noel. She didn't seem to be afraid of him. but then was that really her? And he was the new girls father?

Maybe she was completely wrong about him, maybe he wasn't a bad guy, just some random concerned neighbor. Or maybe.... Barnes and Janet were working together.

"I want some answers, Now!" she demanded. "What exactly is going on? How do you know him!?" She asked Janet, "And what do you want from us!?" She felt trapped, where had Gage and Misty disappeared to? She took a step back and braced herself waiting to be swallowed by shadows.

**Storm outside intensifies**
P.443

------------------

"So, um. You wanted to talk?" Gage said, once they had lifted above the buildings.
"Yeah... Im sorry for hitting you, you just have no idea what I went through in my dimension..." Misty reaches inside her hoodie and pulls out her necklace "Ive never shown or told anyone this but... Im catholic and heres my proof" She shows him the Miraculous medal.

Gage awkwardly glanced at the neclace as it was shoved in his face. "Oh. What?" Was all he could manage as he tried to readjust the weight as they flew. The he swallowed. If he said one more question-word today....

"So, uh, another dimension, huh?" He said, as he spied the Cyborg racing ahead of the motorcycle below. For a moment, he wondered if the woman was aware of this, and what she would think of a stranger joining them. She didn't seem to trust them, nor them her. But he shrugged it off. They were all strangers to motorcycle-lady. He grinned. They hadn't even swapped names, yet.

"Gage your really quiet whats wrong? and yes another dimension Ill tell you once you tell me whats wrong"

"No, I mean, I just... ugh." He tried to collect his thoughts, "It's just that... what if we didn't do the right thing? I mean, the only thing we did right was rescue Noel, and now I'm not even sure if we did right by that..."

"Look i wasnt there when the cops took you guys but that ISNT noel Gage Thats a diffrent girl"

"But what if it's the right girl." He said,struggling to keep up with the pack. "What if-" his voice fell away as the cave came into view.

"Its not her If you dont believe me then fine i dont care but I know faces Gage thats not her" Misty sees the cave and Grant at the entrace of it she wishes that this talk with gage wasnt so short. "I... I like flying with you Gage Its a lot more fun then being on the ground, you are truly blessed" Misty blinks "And Gage DONT TELL ANYONE IM CATHOLIC" Misty snaps with venom in her voice.

Gage burst into laughter, not quite sure what to say. But then, maybe he didn't have to say anything. He felt an updraft coming, and despite the thunder rumbling all around, launched upwards into the clouds. The wind blasted their faces with wet, the sky being swallowed up around them by mist. He pumped his wings harder and harder, the lighting sparking in the distance. All the time in horror of the stupid, foolish thing he was doing. But if she wanted to fly, then fly she would.

Misty breathes in the cold air and exhilarated she yells out in joy. Then something stupidly dangerous comes into her mind. "Gage grab my hand" she puts out her right hand "I wanna do something that both of us will like"

"What?" Gage said, his nerves showing a bit after her shout. He hooked his arms over the front of his wings as best he could while still flapping. Another lightning flash. More water.

Misty grips Gages hands "Just dont let go" she says Misty then flips off Gages back and dangles only by their clutched hands bot of them cut through the air Misty could swear she could feel joy emanating from Gage

Gage's heart began to race. No no no no no. What was she doing? This was a stupid idea, now he was going to drop her. Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh.
He tightened his grip, hoping the dampness in the air, and the sweat of his palms wouldn't cause her to slip. But once the adrenaline cleared, he realized. Maybe he could let her fly, too. He had seen Superman do this with Lois Lane in one of the movies... He swallowed the lump in his throat and went with it.

Char looked at the man. "Who's he?" she asked crossing her arms and flipping her dark hair over her shoulder, to where it was laying to one side in the front.

Aubrey dropped a meat chicken, her first, her powers were getting stronger. Soon she would reach

"Gaa! Janet, I told you-" he put a hand up. It was the man that had told them about the wailing, who had closed his shutters and locked his door when the group had first come up to the dilapidated apartments.

"A-and who's mocking me? I know that's not an echo, because I didn't say that."
She groaned."Stupid voice manipulation.."
Aubrey chased the meat chicken, and it was slow and easy to catch, but also extremely heavy, so she couldn't lift it.

Char recognized him for some reason. Wait....was that....was it really....her...creator?

"You," Brittany snarled "Why are you here too?" She snapped

Janet lowered Tayn's flashlight, then simply went to the wall and flicked on the light. "Everyone, meet Barnes." She said.

Brittany`s head snapped around and she thought about Bucky Barnes for some reason

Char looked surprised. "I never thought we would meet again, dad."

Crow narrowed his eyes. He finally decided that he couldn't stand to be in crow form any longer, so he hopped off of Tayn's arm and transformed back. "You.. You're the person from the apartments." he said slowly to Barnes, eyeing him.

Finally recognizing him Tayns eyes widened. She remembered what she had thought about, that night at the train station. He could have been the one who was behind Noels kidnapping and the thugs that came and shot at them. She still held the flashlight, but it wasn't really big enough to use as a weapon.

She looked over at Noel. She didn't seem to be afraid of him. but then was that really her? And he was the new girls father?

Maybe she was completely wrong about him, maybe he wasn't a bad guy, just some random concerned neighbor. Or maybe.... Barnes and Janet were working together.

"I want some answers, Now!" she demanded. "What exactly is going on? How do you know him!?" She asked Janet, "And what do you want from us!?" She felt trapped, where had Gage and Misty disappeared to? She took a step back and braced herself waiting to be swallowed by shadows.

**Storm outside intensifies**
P.443

Char looked around the cave. "I see you finally got the lab. Ya know, the one you promise we would share until you kicked me out when i was eleven?" she said glaring at Barnes

Char looked her so called father in the eyes. "Well?" she asked impatiently.

He smirked, teeth gleaming. "Well, playing the guilt card right out the gate. Doesn't surprise me. But-" he got up out of his chair, glancing to the ones who had first questioned him, then to Janet, "can you give me one good reason why I should tell them anything?"

She glared at the man, her green eyes just like his. She smiled cruelly and searched through her voice database for her mothers voice, she had died years ago.

Janet had her back to Barnes, crouched down beside Leona, she wiped the scars off. "Honey, can you tell me what happened yesterday?" She said, trying not to sound too ernest.
"Well, I was in this place," she kicked at the spot where dirt turned to concrete.
"And?" She pressed.

Crow looked back and forth between Char and Barnes. "Wait. A Second. You-" he pointed at Barnes, "are her father?" he asked, completely lost on all of this.

Tayn considered threatening him, but considering she was next to useless in a fight she decided she should probably stay quiet and watch and listen.

"No, he's not my father. He will never be a father, rather he is the one who gave me bionics, and for that I am grateful. But he kicked me out when I was twelve, and so I can't forgive him." Char stated/
He threw his hands up. "I had no choice. It was that, or let you get caught by Dr. Firestein and jailed in the Silence with the rest of them."

--------------------
Gage clutched Misty's hands. Freezing cold, and wet hands. Thunder peeled, and his shirt was getting wetter and wetter, as were his wings, but he didn't care about that. A thrill rose in his chest as he spun her around in the clouds, her hair sticking to her face in the rain. He remembered her voice as she had sang with him at Brittany's apartment, her almost-suicide. How crazy these last few days had been. Just for this moment, everything was okay. The world below, and the past forgotten.

------------------------

"And we looked at flowers." Leona said, still kicking at the concrete.

"Okay? You could have at least given me money, let someone watch me for a while!" she was about to cry, and she did NOT want to cry.

Wait, what?! The Silence? Dr. Firestein?! "What do you mean?!" Crow demanded, "I thought Firestein got them out of jail?" he looked to Tayn for help, since she was one of the ones that had been to the jail.

Barnes shook his head, and grabbed a fistful of wolly, black hair. He hadn't meant to be so brash. He took a deep breath, "I-I'm sorry."

"Whatever." Char said, a single tear slipped down the young girls face and she quickly turned away, sniffling.

"yes he was the one who let us out, but he seemed to be the one in charge there too." she said paying more attention to noel than barnes

"yes he was the one who let us out, but he seemed to be the one in charge there too." she said paying more attention to noel than barnes

"I've been lonely for three years, wherever I go is gonna be dangerous. But honestly, I don't care if I die." Char said sadly, looking at her feet.
He smiled, thankful that she hadn't shied away from his touch. "A hero..." he tried to collect his thoughts. Speeches were never his strong suit. Char looked up. She waited for him to continue, wondering what he would say.

"Flowers?" Well, at least she had been somewhere... relatively safe Janet thought. "What else?"
"Aaand, a, um." She made an arc with her hands, "A ceiling like a bowl upside-down." She said. "It changes sometimes."
Janet blinked, "A... dome?"

Crow was irked that Barnes was seemingly ignoring him and Tayn. "Look, our friends could be in trouble, so we need to know if Firestein is bad or not." he said to Barnes, staring at him intently.

Barnes sighed, glancing over his shoulder at the kid, "Dang it," he said under his breath, though he knew Char could hear it. "Come over here, I'll show you." He pulled on her shoulder, guiding her toward the cluster of computer monitors.
Char hesitantlly followed her father.
He pressed a button on the display, and a beach appeared on one of the screens. "See this? This is what is called a sound. Just a finger of ocean sticking out onto the land. Kinda like a Fjord." Then he pressed another button, and the scenery changed to show a field of bubbles.

"And an old guy with glasses." Leona said.

Rex popped up out of no where)

"There you guys are! I was looking everywhere for-" Rex cut off, staring at Barnes. "Weren't you the strange man at the apartments? What exactly did I miss?"

"These," Barnes said, pulling up more images of the bubbles, "Is a highly developed penitentiary. They put the prisoner in hypersleep, which is why this place is often called the Sound of Silence."

Crow stepped forward, squinting at the computer monitors. He wondered why Barnes was showing them a sound.

Janet glanced up from Leona, "Oh, hey dragon-boy."

Charlotte shuddered. "Is that what they would've done to me?"
He nodded, "The prisoners were sometimes kept in silence their whole lives, and if they did manage to wake up, they would die from lack of food. Almost like a bear waking from hibernation." He shrugged at his stupid comparison.
"What's that have to do with Firestein?" Crow asked suspiciously, examining the bubbles. "And why are there so much bubbles?"

Rex glared at Janet.
"Wyvern. I'm part wyvern." He said.

"I'm getting to that." He said, glaring at the impatient boy, "This was the prison for the inhumans, prior to their release. Some, like Firestein, think that they should return."

"So basically, why can't I kill him and get it over with? Hello, strength, brains, and speed!" Char said.
"It's not that easy. He's a manipulator, and a strong speaker. He says..." he drummed his fingers on the back of the office chair. "They say that the inhumans are an 'exotic species,' and they're going to drive the Originals into extinction."
"Eh. Whatevs." She said, not quite paying attention. She brushed back Leona's hair, "What about the old man with glasses? Did he keep you there long? What was his name?" She said.
"Um." The girl went up to Rex, reaching for one of his wings, "A long time. He said just call him Dobby."
Crow looked skeptical. "Why should we trust you?" he asked, "How do we know you didn't lead us into the apartments to trap us?"

Char laughed slightly. "I can change my voice and put on a face mask, to change my face, through my bionics. I'm sure I can get past him. And so what if the Originals die? Their weak, they won't survive the apocalypse."

Zen came up from behind Crow. "Yeah why should we trust you?" He glared at him skeptically.

He gave a nervous chuckle, "I have to admit, you didn't do what I expected back there," then he shot Crow a nervous glance, "Maybe I shouldn't trust you."

"Apocalypse? Boy, getting a little fictional there aren't we?" Barnes said, "But he is right, in a way. I mean, no one person is better than another. They used to be prejudiced about different colors of Originals." He gazed into Char's eyes, "But we're all humans, after all."
She was the most human out of any of them, perhaps she had the most powers though. If that chip was removed, she was a completely normal human. "Perhaps we are, but that's not the point. What I'm saying is...something...big..is going to happen soon and the Originals will NOT survive."
He pressed a key, revealing a symbol, "But we're the resistance. We believe that there is a better way."
He looked her over, seeming to search for something. Oh, how he wished he knew how her years had gone. What she was really made of, now. But then he saw something in her eyes, and he bobbed his fuzzy head. "Yes. That it is. But that's what I made you for." He took something off his neck and held it out for her to take, "A heroine is not afraid to die, nor to give her life. Just make sure it's for the right cause."
She hesitantly took it. She held it in her palm, looking at it.

What is it?
Gage entered the cave, wings and clothes soaked, and pushing the Motorcycle beside him. "Hey, this was outside, um... who's that?"
It appeared to be a bit of glass, a stallion etched into it. "It was your mother's." He shoved one hand in his pocket and made an awkward motion with the other. "I... don't know how it works, but it's supposed to call this horse. Either to give you the ride of your life or... to kill you, based on your fear." He rubbed the back of his neck.
"You shouldn't trust me? Even... even if this 'Sound of Silence' place is real, and Firestein is evil... Why wouldn't you warn us about it?" Crow questioned. He felt confused with all of this, Barnes didn't seem keen on clear answers.
"Because there's a war coming, kid. Look, there's two ways to learn. One is through listening to me, and the other is finding out for yourself. Either way, you're going to get the same information. I'm just giving it to you ahead of time."
She smiled slightly and put it around her neck. She searched through her database of knkowledge and came across a legend. "During the next lightning storm, I have to be struck by lightning, holding this above my head."

Crow wasn't paying attention to the fact that Barnes had just given Char a magical-horse-killing-toy. He was entirely focussed on what he said about Firestein. And the resistance. "That doesn't answer the question of why you didn't tell us beforehand," he said, thinking out loud. "But... if what you're saying is true... this means our friends are in danger." he said, finally realizing how much danger they were truly in. This is bad. Really bad.

Tayn followed everyone silently trying to decide what she was going to believe. There was more going on than she felt she could follow.

eventually she decided that Barnes, while he couldn't be called good, Wasn't necessarily bad. The main thing she was still wondering about was the original Noel. if the real Noel... Leona had been at the police station, then who was the noel they had rescued. Was that the shapeshifter? had firestein planted her there to find out who they were so he could find them? strangely it hadn't occurred to any of them that they might not want to be known for being inhuman by the general population.

Tayn looked over at crow, "There was a shapeshifter at the police station that interrogated everybody. It's possible he didn't want to say anything because he couldn't be sure that we weren't working for Firestein."
Zen pulls out his iphone to check his messages and time. Wow! Zen thought. I can't believe there is wifi here!

Char looked over at Zen, laughing slightly at his surprised face. "So you know theres wifi now." She said pulling out her phone and texting another of her friends.
"Ha, yeah." Zen shut his phone off and pulled out a little bottle of pure caffeine and drank a good portion of it.

Char raised an eyebrow. "A little unhealthy, ay?" she said not blocking out her Scottish accent. This is why she had a energy pack her chip could run on, therefore powering her.
"Well if it weren't for this," He took another small sip and packed it away, "I'd be completely immobile, or at least not able to run."
"That's why my chip sends a small burst of caffeine into my veins every hour, except when I sleep." she said, smiling.
"That's neat," Zen said distractedly.

"I, um... don't know how to say this." Barnes said, turning to the black-haired boy. "We had an agent, the man you met in that old building? He went by Noble. Good man, always had been. But just recently, he..." he glanced over at Janet, who was still preoccupied with Leona's slow divulging of information. "He went AWOL." He whispered. "He took Leona and hid her in there. We weren't sure what to do. I didn't want to tell Janet- he loved that kid, believe me, you wouldn't think he'd hurt anyone. But when he did that... he wouldn't let any of us near him, so I needed a distraction..."

Janet got up "What? Why didn't you tell me?" She got up in his face, pressing him back against the desk, "What, you didn't think I could have handled it?"

"Wha- no! I mean yes. I mean-"

"But that doesn't matter now." She said, pushing him aside, and tapping on the computer, pulling up an image of the police station. "Leona says she was gone for a week. Too long for Noble to have had her at all."

"So, you're saying.... we killed one of your former employees for you?" Crow asked, more curiosity than suspicion in his voice now. Tayn glanced over at Crow. She knew he didn't intend to be harsh but...
Barnes backed away from Janet, "Um... I did say that you didn't do what I had expected. I just needed a few outsiders to distract while I grabbed the kid, but..."

"But nothing!" Janet snapped.

Tayn felt like she was putting a puzzle together picture side down. Every time she thought she had a piece in the right spot some new piece was found that would fit slightly better. Could it possibly be? There was too much going on for her to concentrate...

Char watched with anticipation, ready to pounce if someone tried to hurt her father.

"You may very well have offed an innocent man." Janet said as she rapped on the keys, pulling up Firestein's profile sheet. "Most of his aliases are characters from books. Dobby is one of them. And Leona just told me she had been kept by a man who asked her to call him 'Dobby.'" She glared at him, "Do you know what that means?"

Char put her black sunglasses on. "I.Want.To.Do.Something."

Crow glanced at her with an irritated expression. "Tayn killed him on accident. She didn't know that hitting his head with... err, I forgot what she hit him with. But that's not the point. He tried to kill us before we even threatened him." he turned to Barnes, "Your employee would have killed Gage if it wasn't for Misty."
"It was the butt end of his rifle." she said quietly. Noble's face flashed in her head again.

She locked him in an icy stare, "Connect the dots, wise guy. If Leona was with Firestein at the time, then who did you rescue from the apartments? Your friend over there already mentioned a shifter." Janet said, throwing a hand up in Tayn's direction.

"That doesn't make Noble innocent!" Crow growled. He thought about what she had said about the first Noel being a shifter. But she seemed so.... I don't know. Real.
Tayn tried to hold back her tears but they rolled down her cheeks uncontrollably.
"Is it possible...." She begain; looking away from everyone so they wouldn't see she was crying. "That Noble had taken Firesteins shapeshifter as a captive knowing what she was? She.... if she had spent any time with Ash and tried to act like her, I would have been completely fooled....Could he have pulled away from you because you knew the real Leona, and wouldnt be convinced that she was a shapeshifter? If he needed to get information out of her quickly.... Having others involved questioning his... methods... on a little girl...." she swallowed, her mouth and throat were dry. She didn't like how the puzzle quickly clicked together, transforming the wanna be heroes into villains. "It would certainly explain how they found us so fast. We all slept at Brittanys. She could have easily slipped out, or even used one of our phones to call James."
Char sighed and threw her hands up. "You guys know I know everything there is to know right? I can help! I'm tired of being left behind and treated like I'm 8!"

"if anything you suggested would work I doubt Barnes would have left you when you were 12. Most likely James would be able to see through any disguise, and since he's fighting inhumans he probably has things in place to protect him from super fast attacks too." Tayn said disheartened, how were they going to take him on? had everyone else gone to meet him like they were supposed to? Was she going to loose Ash again?

Char sighed and slid down the wall, pulling her knees to her chest but keeping her head up, her hair a frame for her face.

Barnes glanced over to Char, sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I honestly don't know. He's always a step ahead, it seems..."

Gage, meanwhile, was completely confused. What was going on? Who was this guy? He was beginning to regret his little dance in the sky.

Tayn looked over at Gage who was dripping from the storm outside. "When we went to city hall everyone else was supposed to meet us at the police station, do you think Firestein would have waited for the whole group to show, or would he have sent any that showed up on his "mission" already?" She asked realizing that she must sound terminally pessimistic. "do you think we could make it back to the police station before the deadline?"

Gage stood there for a second, searching Tayn's reddened eyes. "I think... I mean, it hasn't been twenty-four hours yet. But we'd better get back." He cast a nervous glance at Noel, who was still messing with Rex's wing. She was safe here, wasn't she?

Janet glanced back at them, "Where are you going?"

"when Firestein let us go, he asked a favor some kind of recon mission." She answered, hoping that maybe Janet or Barnes could come up with a plan of attack.

Janet blinked. Let them go. So he had had them? And now some of them had gone back? Her eyes widened as she realized. Recon. "Oh shoot." She breathed

Oh yeah Zen's here she thought to herself.... maybe he and Char could go see if everyone was still at the police station waiting. She didn't say anything because she didnt want to break the group up even more.

Zen strode over to the little group. "Is there anything I should be doing at the moment?" He asked feeling like a useless idiot.

"if Ash is with them i could try to use the weather to warn her about Firestein but there's no guarantee it'll work."

It's Okay.//

Char stayed with her knees to her chest, her head resting on her knees. "What if we made one of us act like a bad guy to gather information..I could do it. He knows you left me, right? So I could act like I want to get revenge on you...." she thought out loud, mumbling just loud enough in her Scottish accent that her father could hear it.

"Barnes, mobilize the chopper and meet us on the platform in five." She ordered, then marched deeper into the cave, automatic lights flicking on as she went. "Everyone else, follow me."

Zen followed her into the eerily dark cave.

Rex followed Janet deeper in the cave.
"Where are we going?" Rex asked.

His head whipped from Janet to the computer screen to Char. "What? What did you say?"

Char didn't move, waiting for her fathers response.

"I said, what if I acted like I was on his team and would use my bionics against you guys because I wanted to get revenge on you." she said louder, this time. She lifted her head slightly as she looked at her father, she could easily catch up with them. "He knows how much power I have, like what bionics I have, right?"

Tayn looked over at Gage who didn't know what was going on. "Firestein Had Noel." she shook her head. "Leona he had leona When we met Noel. Firestein is catching inhumans and putting them into some kind of prison that cant be broken out of." She said quickly catching him up. Then followed janet up the hallway/cave.

Crow followed Janet. He wanted to ask so many more questions but decided to keep quiet.

Zen fell into step with Crow, "So have you been in a helicopter before?" He asked nervously. Zen was always afraid of heights and preferred to keep his two feet on solid ground.

Leona followed along, holding on to his left wing. "You'll see." She said, grinning up at him.

More lights flicked on, the cave leading deeper underground, and the air growing cooler. Their shoes clopped over the concrete, and the sound echoed around the room. The steady drip of water turned to a rush as a waterfall flowed from above to pool along the wall at one side.

"No. But it's probably the same as flying, right? And I do that all the time." Crow said, looking into the darkness of the cave. I wonder how many people are in this 'resistance'. He thought, hoping that the others were safe.

"Erm, uh..." he said as his fingers rapped on the keys. "I think it may be too late for that. You would have to work up through the ranks. Besides, I think we'll need you with us." Then he moved toward the mouth of the cave, where the rain still poured.

Zen craned his neck all the way to were the waterfall came spilling over the rocks. Wow, He thought, I didn't realize after I signed up for this thing that it would be this cool.

Tayn wondered how much the rainstorm was affecting the amount of water that was pouring in it was beautiful, but considering the electronics likely quite dangerous.

Patches of moss began to appear on the concrete, and one of the lights blinked dimmed as it flicked on.

She sighed and stood up, stretching her arms and pulling the collar of her hoodie up and putting her hood up, careful not to let the small area where the chip was on the surface get wet. She would have to ask her father later if he could cover it, so she could swim and get wet and actually take a shower without putting a bag around her neck so it wouldn't get wet. She walked after him.

Tayn wasnt sure why they seemed to be going down if they were headed for a helicopter, but considering she was letting Leona tag along what ever waited for them at the end of the tunnel was probably tamer that what Firestein had planned.

Gage didn't follow. Something about this didn't feel right. Noel was swapped? What? Once the suspicious apartment guy and the cyborg had left to see to the helicopter, he started backing out of he cave. He had a sick feeling in his stomach.

Zen was so focused on thinking about all the things that could go wrong on a helicopter...fire...engine failure....and falling. Zen chuckled nervously, "I hope that I won't be jumping out of anything." He started to imagine about the empty vastness of the sky. Stop! He inwardly scolded himself. You have to be optimistic!
Tayn stared horrified back at Zen, she hadnt thought about the chopper going down. If they were going to be up in the air, she thought, then she should start focusing on calming down. airplanes avoid lightning storms for a reason.

The cave lights stopped coming on altogether, but Janet marched on, and Leona after her, still clinging to Rex's wing. The room faded from being able to see the wall, to just seeing the person in front of you, to not being able to see the end of your nose. Blackness so complete, you could almost hear it.

Tayn pulled out her flash light but it didnt seem to help much.

Crow had his hand slightly in front of him, he definitely did not want to run into a wall. He wondered where Janet was taking them. If I ever make a secret base, it is NOT going to be in a cave. He decided as he almost tripped over a small rock.

** weather update: Torrential rain continues but the lightning has moved off **

Gage backed out of the cave. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. All he had wanted was to do normal, everyday good things. Like rescue cats out of trees and hand out teddy bears at the children's hospital. His heart started to pound in his chest as he tipped his chin up to the roiling clouds. He wanted to protect his friends, to keep them from ending up like Tor. Oh, Tor. But he didn't. Instead he ran.
Gage raised his wings, then silently cursed himself for his recklessness flight with Misty. Too wet to fly. He glanced to the motorcycle and clenched his jaw.

Brittany glanced around the group, something seemed to tell her something was wrong, something bad was going to happen....

The cave grew colder and colder as Janet lead them downhill. "Follow the sound of my voice." She said as she heard someone stumble. As they walked on through the thick blackness, she closed her eyes and listened. The trickle of water, the clop of shoes, and the jingle of swords.
"Stop." She ordered

Brittany stopped as soon as she said to. She tried to see in the dark, but not a slither of light shown in "What is this place? I can`t see a thing."
Tayn stopped and fumbled in the dark to try to tie her shoe back up.
Brittany looked around still, but it was useless I can only see in the dark with the slightest bit of light, so little other humans it wouldn`t help, but there isn`t even that much light right now! She looked to her side "Tayn, is that you?" she whispered

They all stood silently in the dark the only sound was their breathing which seemed to echo off the walls
"You'll see." Leona repeated as she held tight to Rex's wing.
The way Leona said "you'll see" set Tayn on edge She was starting to hate surprises.
Then, as their eyes adjusted, they noticed a blue glow coming from the wall.
Brittany`s head snapped around and her breath caught, what was that? She could see fine now.
More blue sprung into view. She moved toward the wall and plucked one of the glowing crystals and held it up to Rex.
But Janet didn't seem to take notice of this. She remained perfectly still as the blue slowly lit up the room, illuminating someone standing in the corner.
Brittany looked at the shadow following at to a human`s body, standing still.
Brittany`s brow furrowed My day, is just the craziest thing on earth.

"What is that?" Rex asked Leona, staring at the crystal.
Tayn stared at the person standing in the corner, Trap? or just another person with Janet? She didn't know what to do.
Crow eyed the man. He hoped that Janet would explain who he was.
Zen Stood next to Rex looking at the crystal that Leona held.

"It's little buggers in a crystal. They're cold, so they stay alive. Here." She said, handing it to him.

The person in the corner got to his feet, leaning on his spear. Their face was covered with a spotted animal skin, and a man's eyes peered out from under it.

"Seri Liah." Janet said.

The man in skins nodded. He moved to the cave wall, where a small screen lit up. As he pressed his hand to it, several clicks came from the room before them, and light flooded into the room.
Zen looked at Rex holding the crystal it was cool but he was glad she hadnt shoved a rock full of bugs into his hand.

Rex took the crystal. He glanced up at the man in skins.
Tayn was relieved that they werent going to have to fight him. She didn't want to ever have to fight again.
Zen hadn't noticed the Guy in the corner until he moved. The glowing crystal was actually kind of mesmerizing if you looked really closely you could see the bugs moving around inside.
Janet nodded her thanks to the guy, though she couldn't exactly see him with the light in her eyes. Then she strode toward the brightness, wishing for her eyes to adjust.
Tayn hoping and expecting a cool subterranean heli pad followed Janet into the room even though she couldnt really see.
Birds flew off as they entered, perched atop a bluff. The light was filtering in through a holes in the cave roof, illuminating an underground city. Massive buildings were etched from the pillars of stone which held up the earthen sky, too many to count. Clouds rolled over the buildings below.
Tayn stared in disbelief this place was HUGE and beautiful!
Brittany`s mouth dropped open "Whoa," she murmured, stunned. "Where are we? What is this place?" A mix of aw, uncertainty, and shock shivered though her.
Crow gasped. "Woah..." was all he could say. He slowly followed Janet and the others, his eyes scanning the cave-city. He stumbled, then decided to keep his eyes on the steps.
Janet watched their faces, then glanced back to the man in skins. He had his arms folded and a smirk on his face. The look on their faces were priceless. Janet put her arm out, "Welcome to Atlantis." She said.

Leona piped up, "But it's not really Atlantis, because that's underwater."

She grinned scooped up the girl, "How do you know so much?" Janet said, pressing their noses together. Then she directed them to a trail of cobbelstone steps, "Answers at the bottom." .
Zen considered running ahead of everyone to the bottom, answers were hard to come by these last few days. But he decided it would be a better idea to stay with the group.
Brittany looked at Janet, a puzzled look on her face "Atlantis? My day just went from weird to very, very odd, and a little scary." she said shaking her head and edged closer to the steps.
"How many times have you been here?" Brittany asked

Tayn smiled at the two, I guess she really is Janet's daughter. she thought, some how seeing them made her feel calm. **Storm lessens outside the cave**

Rex stared at the place.
"Wow" was all he could say.
Tayn started slowly down the stairs she couldn't seem to help staring at the hidden city as she went. and she didn't want to fall, it was a long way down.

Brittany began down the steps glancing around
Janet didn't follow the group down, though no one noticed at first.

The cobblestone path twisted down along the cave wall, with ferns and moss lining sprouting up in between bricks.

Rex followed everyone down into the cave. He stared in amazement at how lovely it was.

Crow suddenly realized that someone was missing. He looked around at the others. "Where did Janet go?"

Brittany glanced around "I don`t know, and I just realized, Gage is gone."
Crow face-palmed. "Wow. Why didn't I notice that?" he asked himself, already heading back up towards the top of the staircase. If you could call a bunch of crumbling stones on the side of a cliff a staircase.

Distracted by the beautiful buildings Tayn lost her footing, twisting her ankle she skidded down the rocks a few feet cutting her hands and knees before coming to a stop. Her heart raced she could have easily died just then if she had fallen over the edge.
Tayn slowly pulled herself to her feet and limped as she continued slowly down.
Crow trudged back up the cave, through the pitch-blackness. He realized that if Janet was coming up, he wouldn't see her and she wouldn't see him. He cursed under his breath, then called out. "Janet?"
A burly man with long hair and beard glanced up from his work to find strangers walking down the steps toward him. "Hello!" He boomed, his mustache curling into a smile, "What brings you young folks here today?"

Tayn stopped walking and frowned at him, then back at the others.

Finally noticing that both Gage and Janet hadn't come down with the rest of them and now Crow was gone too. "Janet said that you would have answers." She said continuing to walk slowly down the rest of the stairway....

"Ha! Did she now?" He said, putting his hands on his belt, "what could I-"

"What is this place? Who are you? Why are you just sitting here all alone? Who was Noble and why would he have attacked our friend? Why can't Leona remember us? Was the girl we rescued even the real Leona? How did Janet know where we meet? Why were the police after us? Where is Tor is she ok?..." Tayn blurted out in one breath. she stopped the rest of the questions realizing he probably didnt actually know the answers to most of the ones she had asked.

"Ho, ho! Hold up there."

Brittany got a perplexed look on her face

The man wore an animal skin over his shoulder with a dark shirt underneath and leggings, and carried himself with an air of nobility as he directed them into the city beneath the earth. "We'll talk whilst walking." He trumpeted. His leather shoes made no noise as he strode before them. "First, this place is called Atlantis, built by dwarves, and is a hideaway for those that didn't fit into society. A lot of the Norse and Greek inhumans are here." They strode past an inhabited pillar, with the scent of bread and smoked meat wafting out the windows. "Second, I am Vance, one of the many Heroes that occupy this great land. Blessed with the gift of lightning... unfortunately this did not bode well with modern machines."

Tayn followed and tried to hide that it hurt to walk. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea to follow him. She whispered to Brittany "Can you find the entrance again if we loose sight of it?"

Brittany slowly walked after him "Yes, I should be able to." she whispered to Tayn
She nodded relieved and then said to Vance. "My name is Tayn, this is Brittany, Zen, and Rex." she gestured at each of them in turn. "We didn't come here to hide."
"Yes, of course." He said. A herd of centaur colts rushed past, chasing each other. He turned to Tayn, noticed her lagging, and his mustache curled up again. "Here, girl. You limp, allow me to lend a hand." Without hesitation, he swung her up onto his broad shoulder.

Startled by suddenly being lifted off her feet tayn accidentally kicked him. and then starred uncomfortably at the ground. She didn't like not being in control of where she was going.

He chuckled, deep and throaty. "Yes, I know. Janet tells me you do wonderful things above the surface." They followed the cobblestone path. Past a blacksmith, breathing fire onto a horseshoe as he pounded it into shape. "But you asked about Leona, how is she?"He didn't seem to notice the kick, rather amused him if nothing else.

Tayn frowned weren't they the ones that were supposed to be getting the answers. "I'm not really sure." She replied.

Brittany walked up to his side "We don`t know." She said simply "Now we were told you could tell us what`s going on?"

Rex followed after everyone, staring at everything. When the centaurs ran past he almost hit one in the face with his wing.
"Sorry!" Rex said, waving his hand apologetically.

The kid laughed, waved to Vance, and galloped off after his friends.

"Janet and Barnes probably told you about the Sound of Silence, yes?"

"They did." Tayn answered. "I take it that's why so many are here?"
"Mostly." He said, glancing up to a woman waving at him from the seventh floor of a pillar. "But we only hide while we train. We are the resistance. An albit old-fashioned one, but come a war, we will be the ones to fight it." He said, then stopped at the base of a stone pillar. The door was oaken, and finely smithed handel, a pull rather than a knob.

--------------
Gage pressed call for the seventh time, but again it went straight to voicemail. The only time it ever did that was when the internet was down. He knew there was wi-fi in the Starbucks, and he had three bars, so... the only explanation would be that the group had moved on without them. The sick feeling in his stomach was getting worse. Something was wrong. And why did he have a feeling that it was all his fault?
He pocketed his phone, raked his hands through his wet hair, and stared at the motorcycle. Stealing is wrong. His conscience nagged. But his wings were soaked.
Gage sat with his forehead resting against the brick wall outside Starbucks. They were gone. It was too late. He sighed, shook his head, and made back to the stolen motorcycle. Maybe he could check the police station, but somehow he doubted that they would still be there. Firestein had promised an adventure, and hadn't seemed willing to wait.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed someone. A man in dirty clothes and a purple beanie, sitting in the corner of the alley. Gage heart felt heavy. All he had wanted to do was help people like that man. And now? They had killed someone, left poor Tor to die in the snow, and brought a little girl back to her mother only to find that it was a doppelganger. Or was it? All of this made his head spin.
He was brought back to reality as the homeless man got to his feet. Immediately Gage's hand went to his pocket. He knew that he probably shouldn't give him straight cash, but maybe he could buy him a coffee or something. But did he really have time for this? He straightened up in resolutely. He would always have time for this. "Good morning, um... can I get you a coffee, or... um...."

But as the man neared, he didn't look to Gage's hand as he pulled out his wallet. Instead, he eyed his face. "You'e one of those do-good-ers aren't you?" He questioned.

Gage blinked, not quite sure of what to say.

---------------------
Misty slaps Grant across the chest holding him back as the others walk on without them. "Grant we should go find Gage, Barnes, and Char." Grant nods "yeah we need to find them."

Misty and Grant exchange glances, they quickly transform into their wolf forms their swords on their back and run out of the cave. Running faster then they ever could in their human forms, they speed out of the cave and into the streets. they skid to a halt Grant sniffs the asphalt looking for Gage's scent, "this way" Grant barks to Misty in wolf language. Grant follows the scent with Misty trailing behind him Finally I get some time alone with Misty Grant thinks to himself, and were doing the thing we loved the most back home, Grant sighs

Turning the street corner Misty and Grant gracefully dodge walking people and they near Starbucks. "Course Gage would be here" Misty says They see Gage and leap over to him not caring about the other man in front of him. Misty barks and barks at Gage wagging her tail and trying to show him her sword to tell him its Misty. Grant stops behind the other man in front of Gage and sits down keeping his eyes on his paws.

The wingman backed away, almost falling over the motorcycle as the wolf ran up to him. He flinched at every bark, and those teeth- but then something glinted in the sun. "M-misty?" He said.

Misty nods when Gage said her name, she transforms into human again her ears and tail showing. "What the hell are you doing here Gage?" Grant pads up and transfoms into a human also, "yeah" he says "you should be back with the others"

"I, uh... got scared." He said, shrugging.
The homeless man eyed the three, seemingly undisturbed by the two wolf-people. "The girl, is she okay?" He asked.
"Huh?"
"Uh, I'm Tom. I met a few of your group yesterday and helped them find the mother."
Gage stared at him, words not seeming to come. At last, he breathed, put a hand to his head, "I don't even know." He admitted. "We went to see them today, but... I'm not even sure if I did the right thing." His voice cracked, "And now my friends are all mixed up, maybe in danger, and I'm not even sure what is right anymore." He glanced up at the man, who sat patiently with his hands in his jacket pocket. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring you my problems. Coffee?"
Tom shook his head, "No, I don't need charity." He said, waving a hand. "I still have my pride, you know. But let me tell you something."

"Scared? Really? Mmk then" Misty eyes the homeless man whos name is Tom "yeah im fine why would you ask that?" Grant sighs behind Misty When will we be able to go back home? Grant mutters a curse By now Maru probably killed everyone in the village and burned it to the ground I need to get back home get Misty back home...
Tom eyed the two wolven people, "These two probably already know this, I feel. But sometimes you don't know what's right or wrong." He said, "sometimes it's just you or them."

Gage blinked. That sounded like a war-type thing. "Oh." He said, then went out on a limb, "World War III?"

The man nodded, head low.

He scratched the back of his neck. Was a crying shame that so many veterans didnt have homes when they came back from war. He decided not to mention it. The man had spoken of his pride already, he thought, glancing to the tattered clothes and scraggly beard, better not say anything to imply his... condition. "They want to lock us up. The inhumans, I mean. They said we would snuff out the originals."

"Mm yeah i agree" Misty nods at Tom "Gage we need to go back to the others I have a sense something bad is going to happen" Grant suddenly feels a dark presence, he whips around he sees a dark figure turning a corner out of view. Grants heart starts to drum adrenaline fills his veins, I know that presence anywhere He thinks panic fills his entire body Maru is in this dimension.

A chill runs up Misty's spine she senses dark power, Misty turns stiff and slowly looks at Grant, his eyes as wide as hers. She grabs Gage's and Tom's arm, "we need to get out of here" she says in a hushed voice "Or hes going to kill everyone here to get to us" Misty starts to shake in fear.

"Well, that's not American." Tom said, lowering his brow, "But lock 'em up? That's nearly impossible. Why wouldn't they just kill them? All the prison cells put together wouldn't be enough."

Gage nodded. He had procrastinated long enough. "We need to check the police station, just to see if they're there. Like Tom said, I don't know what's right, but we need to stick together."

---------------

Char looked around for Barnes. "Dad?" she called out.
Barnes scurried outside, heading for the woods.
Char followed the sound, running after him. She caught up to him and attempted to win a fight against her chip to run faster. She won. She kept stride with him.
The chopper was covered in vines and lichen. A small tree growing out from beneath it.
Barnes shook his head. "How she expects me to get this heap airborne in five minutes, the world may never know," he said as he began peeling greenery off the helicopter.

Char sighed and nodded. "I can help."

He laughed nervously as she ripped the vine off that he had been struggling with. Then he clicked the door open and climbed inside. He turned the key partway and sighed, fiddling with the buttons. "Well, I can say one thing for this machine."

"It ain't flying again." Char finished for him.

He snorted, "But! The air conditioning is fully functional." Then he hopped out and moved toward the control panel. "But if I put you together, I figure I can get a little ol' aircraft going. Right?"
"Uh, dad, who are you talking to?" she asked, thinking back to when Dryden used to do that. "And what ever happened to Dryden? Finally go off to college?" she asked smiling.

Climbing up toward the top of the helicopter, he paused, gazing off into the distance for a moment. He seemed to shake off whatever it was, and opened the hatch next to the propellers, uncovering the dusty engine. "He, uh... he went off, yeah."

"When did you see him last?" she asked, curious but also wanting to see her older brother again.
A cloud of dust issued from the engine as he blew on it. Coughing, he replied, "About-" cough, "Three months ago." Cough, cough. He waved a hand in front of his face, then drew a socket wrench out of his pocket, "He had been slipping out at night, and I confronted him about it. So he took off and... I haven't seen him since."
Char sadly nodded. She motioned toward the copter. "There's no way this will ever work."
Char felt her chip glitch and lasers shot out of her eyes. What the?!?!? She didn't have lasers!!! Her eyes widened and she screamed. "WHAT THE!?!?!" Then she wondered, could her and Dryden share abilities?????

Charlotte looked quickly around, scared. Lets pray someone didn't hear that.

Barnes glanced up from working on the chopper engine, "What was that?"

"I..I...lasers just shot from my eyes, like what Dryden had..." she said nervously, looking up at her father.

Barnes blinked. "I didn't put lazers in your system."

"Well gee I didn't notice I've been begging for lasers my whole life!" she said sarcastically.
Barnes slammed the engine hatch shut. "And if I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times. They're dangerous. You could hurt somebody or yourself."

She narrowed her eyes. "Then why did Dryden get them? Because he's a boy?" She asked, knowing that was one of the reasons why.

He started down the ladder but stopped halfway, hanging on with one hand and sighed "You know? When I first decided I wanted to build a robot, the first thing to cross my mind was not 'oh look, I get to raise these as my children, too!" He lowered his brow, "It's safer without them, and I wanted to protect you. But apparently I left the heating apparatus in your cornea. Silly me. I guess you get lasers after all."

"What if...I can get Dryden's powers and he can get mine?" she wondered out loud.

"Powers... is odd way to put it." Barnes swung into the cockpit and pressed the ignition, issuing a guttural churning from above. Slowly, the blades began to turn. He dusted off a headset and switched it in, issuing a static screech. He cringed, "Aargh! This stupid-"

Hearing it she immediately threw her hands to her ears and dropped to the ground, bundling in a sort of ball. Due to her super hearing, it hurt her A LOT.

p.515

Scene -  16 USA TEAM

Janet stopped and peered at him in the glow of the crystals. "Oh, hey crow-boy. I'm headed out to the chopper, you wanna come? There's four seats." Then she glanced back toward the cave entrance, still open, and the man in skins who was now whiddling on something. "Or you could go back with your friends. Vance is going to teach some basic fighting skills." Then she took off toward the waterfall and the mouth of the cave, "Come if you want, I'm leaving." She called over her shoulder.Janet stopped and peered at him in the glow of the crystals. "Oh, hey crow-boy. I'm headed out to the chopper, you wanna come? There's four seats." Then she glanced back toward the cave entrance, still open, and the man in skins who was now whiddling on something. "Or you could go back with your friends. Vance is going to teach some basic fighting skills." Then she took off toward the waterfall and the mouth of the cave, "Come if you want, I'm leaving." She called over her shoulder.
Crow opened his mouth to ask where they were going in the chopper, but Janet was already out of earshot. He quickly hurried after her, trying to catch up so he could ask his questions. I sure hope the others aren't getting cool swords without me...
Barnes turned down the headset, then picked up another, tentatively turned the knob, and said, "testing, testing," into the mic. He mad a few adjustments before wiping it off and handing it to Char, "Here, you may want this when the chopper fires up." He said. Then he noticed Janet and Crow coming through the woods toward them, and turned the key. The blades began to spin, and he breathed a sigh of relief.Crow sighed. "Well, I guess I will be going in the chopper," he muttered to himself, not wanting to have to trek all the way back to the underground city. He decided not to ask questions, as the chopper would drown out any words.
Char nodded and took it, wincing slightly at the sound of the copter. She took the headset and put it on her head, adjusting her hair around it.
Janet climbed into the chopper and took a seat beside Barnes in the front, leaving Crow to have to sit by Char. As they lifted off, trees began to sway, and leaves branches flew off in every direction. The engine sped up even more, and the craft wobbled into the air. "It's a miracle!" Barnes said.Crow sat down next to Char, feeling disappointed. He was now absolutely sure that the rest of the group in Atlantis was practicing epic sword-fighting techniques. He gazed out the window sullenly, and blinked, surprised, as Char put a forcefield around the craft.The chopper turned into the wind and took off
Janet clutched the sides of the seats as the chopper rocked back and forth, but Barnes simply sat there, throat dry, palms sweaty. Dryden? No. No this couldn't be. His insides turned as his two creations battled each other for control of the vessel.
Dryden watched as Char jumped out and looked into each other's eyes. "Nice to see you alive, sis." Dryden spit, venom dripping from his voice as he fought the battle against Char, their telekinesis battling, although he was winning.
Char jumped out of the copter, still battling her brother. "Traitor!" she spat at him as they battled, ignoring his words.
Dryden closed his eyes for a second, and when he opened them his eyes were red. Blood red. He said quickly "I'm sorry sis." under his breath, then shot lasers exactly where he knew Char's chip was. She flew back into the copter. He used telekinesis to hold them all still, and waited for Firestein.
Char screamed when his lasers hit her, but she knew it was just her chip. She looked at him, he really was on Firestein's side..wasn't he? She watched as a blue ball went around them, and she knew they were trapped.
"What the feathers!" Crow yelped, "How'd he get here? And who is he?!" He looked around to see if the cyborg had reinforcements.
Barnes felt completely and utterly useless. Why hadn't he put a master control button on them? Him and his stupid visions of freewill."Hey dad, how ya doin?" Dryden sarcastically called to his father, ignoring his little sister's glares.
Char glared at Dryden. "Dad!"Charlotte sighed. "Daddy?"Barnes shook his fuzzy head. "I- I don't do emotional situations. I do math, science, precision! Not talking people out of killing us-" he glanced back at her. Then he noticed the charred skin, and sparks. He clenched his jaw.Then, finally, he reached for his headset, pulled it off, and turned the knob. The static squeal rang in his ears.Dryden laughed evilly. "So, dad, how did your little plan workout?"
Char looked at her dad. "For gods sake, lasers were just shot at my neck and your not helping me!?!?!?!"squeeEEEeeeEEEeee went the headset.Char winced and tore the headset off of her head as she scrambled to get up as Dryden seemed satisfied at the vehicles. "DAD FIRESTEIN!" she yellled, running behind her father.
Three humvees crashed through the underbrush toward the chopper."Finally." Dryden said and nodded at the people driving. He shot his lasers immediately at the headset, shutting it up. It hurt his sensitive ears.Crow flinched as lasers exploded the headset. Being in human form will only make me an easier target. There's nothing I can do but escape. He told himself, preparing to transform. Then he thought of flying away when Gage, Farren, and Finely needed him most. No. I can't abandon my friends again..... but I have to escape...
The hummers formed a triangle around the helicopter, AK-47's trained on the cockpit from every angle.Crow cursed under his breath. If I transform, I might be able to escape and warn the others in Atlantis. But then Char, Barnes, and Janet will be captured...Char hid behind Barnes, terrified. "Dad..."
Dryden let them go, telekinesis wise. He walked and joined the circle.Janet seemed rooted to the spot, and Char's chip was fried, and his radio tactic had failed. Great. Barnes glanced around at the advancing soldiers. He could recognize those cowls anywhere. At last, he seemed to come to. He spread his arms out protectively in front of Char, "Dryden." He said, finally acknowledging the boy's presence.
"Father." Dryden said, his voice emotionless, his eyes blood red.
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and tried to clear his mind. All he could think up was a mixed jumble of cliche warnings and maybe a pun or two. At last the fog lifted from his head, "You will be Silenced. No matter what you do, no matter where you go." He said
"If only you knew the power I have. I will NEVER be silenced, however you and lil sis there will. Your the enemy, I'm the one who captured Firesteins enemy. I have too much power for him not to trust me." Dryden said, not scared in the least.
Barnes peered at him from under the hood of his eyes, "You and I both know that's not true." He said as he was dragged away.Dryden stayed silent. Maybe he was right...was Firestein just using Dryden until they were captured, then Silencing him too?
Crow crept backward, trying to hide from Firestein's minions. His mind raced. I have to escape, it's the only option!... But I can't leave my friends to get captured again, I have to help them... His choice was decided for him when one of the black-cowled people entered the helicopter, grabbing at him. He had no weapons, so he did the only thing he could. As he flapped past the surprised person, he felt his heart wrench with guilt. But he couldn't dwell on that, he had to get back to Atlantis, to warn them...
Dryden watched Crow carefully. Hmm...he grabbed one of his wings with the telekinesis/strength combo, but it was too late. The crow was gone.
Char started to say something to Crow, but he was already gone.
Crow felt a sudden force grab his wings, then it was gone. But it had unbalanced him, and a strong draft of wind flew into him. He opened his beak to cry out in surprise, but the wind whipped him right into the trunk of a tree. I have.. to warn them! Was his last thought before unconsciousness swept over him.
Janet cradled her head in her hands. Though she didn't make a sound, Barnes knew that she was crying. He still held an arm around Char when they were loaded into the back of the humvee, but not for long. An expressionless mask jerked his hand away as he cuffed him. Another mask held Char as he did the same.
The doors slammed shut. Darkness, albeit two tinted windows which cast a murky glow onto the faces. He wanted to comfort them, to tell them it was going to be okay, but how could he? When he had no hope for himself.
A monitor in the front of the humvee flicked on, issuing a soft beeping noise. A dot radiated onto the screen, then a map. One of the masks glanced at it as he pulled himself into the driver's seat. Immediately, he grabbed the radio receiver. "We have a code 405 at six o'clock." He said, then repeated it before returning it to it's charger.The vehicle with prisoners rumbled off toward the city, but two hung back. Slowly, carefully, they drove in the other direction.Within minutes, one had found a hole in the ground. Or rather, a hole in someone' roof.
Barnes and Janet sat in darkness as the humvee bounced along. He could hear her chains rattle, and he knew she was crying again. Every once in a while he would hear a raspy breath, but that was all that she let on.Char was crying, bawling even. She was scared.
No, she was terrified. Why would Dryden betray them? He had no reason...that she knew of anyway...Barnes wasn't telling her everything, she knew it now...
Dryden hopped in the back with Barnes and Char and the rest. Even though he wasn't a prisoner, he preferred to be with people and watch them cry right before their death, or their Silence. "So, how's life?" he said sarcastically as Char glared at him.

Barnes glared into the darkness to where he knew Dryden sat. He didn't feel obligated to say anymore. He had said his last words, and that was going to be that.
Dryden raises an eyebrow at the tornado. "That's random." Then he turns his night vision on. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and starts watching Logan Paul's new vlog, headphones in.
Char leaned her head against the wall of the vehicle and pulled her knees to her chest, burying her head in her knees, her arms around her head. She was crying, she was scared.
Janet glared at Dryden, her silent tears turning to a dry rage. "What do you want from us?" She whispered, "They've already taken everything."
Barnes wrapped his arms around Char, trying to comfort her, though there wasn't much left to comfort. They were either going to be killed or Silenced. He wondered, if he ever got the chance, if he could sauter her chip back. Or even make a new one. He knew his chances of getting his hands on any equipment was less than zero, but still.
The Humvee began to slow, now. They must be entering city limits.
Char wiped her eyes. They had absolutely no chance without her chip, with Dryden here. 
"There is much more I could take from you if I wanted, but who says I haven't already?" He looks out the window of the Humvee. "Around 5 more minutes until your Silenced, unless Firestein wants to do something else with you."Dryden kept watching Logan Paul's videos.
Char was still crying, she was terrified. Who wouldn't be, though?
Dryden sighed and got up, slipping his phone back into his jeans pocket. He easily busted the doors open before closing them again and running off. "Where are you guys?" He messaged the group (Plane). Everyone could hear his message through no-name's microphone and could respond as they pleased.

---------------------
Vance pushed open the door, and a tiny bell jingled. "Watch your head, girl." He said, doing his best to keep Tayn from colliding with the door frame. Tayn grabbed the door frame and ducked under awkwardly. "I can get down." she said, trying to climb down before he responded. "Straight away, ma'am." The bearded man grinned and carefully set Tayn down, steadying her in case she flinched from her foot. The floors were also wooden, and the room perfectly round, and about twelve feet across with a carved stone ceiling. The place smelled of sweat and iron. A woman with snakes for hair coiled at the front desk, her nose in a book. "Say, Wendy! The Janet wants these pups trained in the fine art of war. Mind suiting them up?"
Brittany followed him then lined to his side and looked him in the face "War? Suits? Anyone want to tell me how now I`m going to be training to be a warrior?" She muttered highly sarcastically
Laughter rumbled into the room, "Feisty one, are we not?" Vance said. "But yes. That's exactly what we hope to do. That is, if you wish it."
The medusan fumbled around behind the desk, every once in a while glancing nervously at the group. She pulled out a cluster of chainmail.
"Janet tells me you have caught the Firestein's attention. He'll add you to his collection if you aren't careful." Vance said.
Brittany looked him up and down, she was suspicious of him, had Mr. Firestein seemed good enough and now they were told he was out to capture them, though this man`s story was much more believable. She looked at Tayn then back at him "I`ll do it if it`l help." was all she said "But if I`m going to do this I have to know all that`s going on about this. No half truth, I`ve been told half truths the last two days."
He winked, "Of course, that is what I am here for, is it not? How do you surface people say it? The whole truth, and nothing but it, so help me gods?"
Rex watched from the corner of the room. he looked around. Where is everyone? Did janet not come here? I could've sworn she was right behind us. He thought.
The norsman noticed him standing in the corner, not quite sure of the situation. "Everything alright there, wyvern?" He asked.
"Oh, yeah." Rex said.
Wendy at last pulled out fencing masks and sabrés. Her hair hissing letting out a nervous hiss as one clattered to the floor.
Brittany got a quizzical exasperation on her face "Yes... How long have you people been down here?"
He moved toward the desk and selected a sabré, motioning for the others to do the same, "Since the dawn of time." He said, "There are caves just like this all over the planet." He paused, something like pity filling his eyes, "Have not you heard the creation story?"
He motioned toward the Sabrés again, and rested his huge hand on Rex's shoulder, "Come on, boy. It'll be alright. You're with friends, now."
Rex followed him in, looking a little uncomfortable with the man's hand on his shoulder.
He started up the stone steps to the second floor of the pillar, "Well, yes and no. What I was referring to was prehistoric times." He said thoughtfully, "Else you would know how long we have been in hiding."
Brittany followed him "Well then tell us?" she asked
He opened the door, and the smell of sweat and iron grew stronger. A couple of people were fencing. Back and fourth they danced. But when one made for a touch, the second ducked and jabbed the man's armpit.Clapping echoed into the room, "Excellent job, Ben. Mind giving us the room for an hour?" Vance said. As soon as they noticed the group coming in, the two bowed, grabbed their things, and moved toward the stairs.
"Perhaps I should start at the beginning." He said, moving toward the mat and moved to first position stance. "See, hold your feet like this... not too far apart, then your hand on the foil like such- excellent! Have you fenced before?"Brittany did so, she was, skilled in swords a little. "Yes of course,"
Brittany moved herself into a great position "My father taught me and my brother." she said "Please do start at the beginning, because I`m completely confused!"
"Well," he said, beginning to parry, "Geologists have only been able to dig down so far," he advanced tapping his sabré on hers, then retreating, "We were here before the time of the Behemoths."
Brittany slightly hopped back then forward and tapped her`s to his then back again "I see."
"Well, the so-called 'originals' came in later," He blocked and dodged, then advanced with a thwack of metal against metal, "Rather ironic, don't you think?" He counter-attacked, but again let her win, backing off, "The dwarves began building these caverns when the Behemoths came to power. After that, something they came along."He feinted an attack, then made a quick upward cut to deflect her sabré. "They say they don't have any power, but you must admit, they are very good at killing things."
"Hu," was all Brittany said suddenly she advanced and slapping his sword then lowering herself and did a upper cut knocking his sword to the side she then retreated "So have you been up there before?"
"Oh, yes. Several times. We're allowed to now, but it wasn't always this way." He retreated, and blocked, the metal smacks echoing off the stone wall.
"I see." Brittany said her saber hit his and she twisted it then pushed to the side and sent his onto the ground
"Ho, ho! Maybe I should take you a bit more seriously," he said, bowing, then reaching to pick up his sword. This time he held it in his other hand, "I am left-handed, I'll have you know."
Brittany smirked "Maybe. And I`m right handed, I`ll have you know." she slowly began to circle him
"Most of the legends from the past are of inhumans that snuck out of the caverns," he said, now resuming his stance, "En Garde! Pretz? Allez!" He said, lunging into a flurry of lightning-fast parrys.
Tayn picked up one of the sabers and fiddled with the ball on the tip. She wasn't all that interested in learning how to use a sword. She wanted to know how to defend herself without killing anyone else. She stifled a sigh and coughed on the smell of the room. She wandered over to a window and opened it and then realized that there wasn't going to be a breeze underground.
Tayn looked over at Rex and Zen, and wondered who would win if they were against each other. Zen was super fast, but rex could fly.
"Really, now? Who are En Garde, Pretz, and Allez?" Brittany asked nonchalantly. She blocked each of his attacks and hopped back and to the side and struck out hitting the side of his saber with her`s and hopped back again "What`s your power?"
Vance stuttered in stride, "You don't know? It's the most basic words of fencing. It just means, 'on guard, girl? Go!' It just addresses you and makes sure you are ready to- aargh!" He said, tying to defend himself. At last he lunged, executing a ceding parry with a series of twists, and sent Brittany's sabre flying out of her hand.
"I knew 'Allez' means 'Go ahead' and En Garde." Brittany said awkwardly I can`t believe I forgot that. She snorted at herself and then he sent her sword flying "Welp, I should have seen that comin`." she bent over and grabbed it Idiot Brittany! Should have blocked! "Man I haven`t done this in forever! But what is your power? I`m starting to think sword fighting with how good you are."
Tayn gagged and hoped this hour would be over soon. She watched the people passing by out the window and wondered if they could smell the room too. Maybe they had the window closed so that the smell wouldn't spread. She slid the window shut and wondered if she should try to get out of here, back to the surface. She felt claustrophobic thinking about being so far underground. Technically they were buried alive.
He shook his head, hair flowing along with it, "No, I have lightning, whether it is a gift or a curse.""I`m a wolf," Brittany said taking the advantage to side slap his sword
Tayn's attention was drawn to Brittany and Vance's conversation. He was like her in a way. She walked over. "Brittany can I have a go?" She knew she wouldn't be able to defend herself but she wanted to talk to him.
"Yes of course Tayn!" Brittany said stepping back and motioning for her to start "Vance y`all got any water around here?"
"Indeed. Have you had a lesson before, as this one has?" He asked Brittany`s face twitched "My name is Brittany,"
Tayn shook her head. "actually I'm more interested in knowing how you learned to control your powers." she said.
She shrugged. "Maybe it isn't the same for you, but my powers control the weather, unfortunately I don't really have much control over it."
"Ahh." He said, hooking the sabré onto his belt. "I had the same problem when I was young. Most do, in fact. Silly Original schools should teach control." He sighed, "But they don't. How... direct are your skills?"
Tayn frowned she wasn't really sure what his wording meant. "Uh, Direct?... The weather gets bad if I'm upset. Rain, Snow, Lightning.... but not ever when it would be useful. If I knew how to use or control my powers I might actually be able to get a message to Ash." she said hoping that would explain how her powers work.
"Message? We have an App for that." The norsman said. He moved to the wall and stuck his head out the window, "APP!" He bellowed.
A dark, woolly-haired woman zipped up to the window, hummingbird wings beating just inches from the stone. "Yes? Yes?" She said.
"That is so cool," Brittany said
Tayn blinked surprised.
Vance nodded, "Fine name, Brittany is."
"Thanks, Vance is a nice one too," Brittany said The hummer-girl flashed a smile, and the ruby feathers that dotted her forehead shimmered in a patch of sun."What did you want to say?" Vance asked, glancing to Tayn."Hi," she said to the new girl. "Our friends are, I think in danger, and I was wondering if we could get a message to them." She took a breath trying to decide where to begin. "Firestein asked our group to do some kind of Recon mission for him. we were all supposed to go, but well, we got side tracked. Everybody else went ahead of us and they were supposed to wait for us, but they probably didn't... My sister is with the other group, and I'm worried that something bad is going to happen.""Well?" Vance prodded, eyeing Tayn. "What message do you want to send? When machines fail, App delivers." He said.Tayn bit her lip not wanting to directly ask someone else to put themselves in danger."Maybe, if you can find them. tell them that Firestein is... The guy that kidnapped Noel and they are all in danger."In a flash, the hummingbird girl flew up and out one of the holes in the earthen ceiling, into the night sky."No need to tell her where to go." Vance said, "She graduated top of the Hermes class. She'll get your message delivered. Now, as for your training. Wind, lightning, and rain are all very useful in their due time." He moved away from the window, to a bench and sat down. His hands folded under his chin, "Your skills are like red paint on a canvas, and your control is blue. Put too much blue, you won't be able to see the red. Put it on too thin, and it won't make a difference." He glanced over to her, "The secret is finding the perfect balance."Brittany looked at him "I should hire you as my Secretary," She said sarcastically Vance gasped, eyes wide. "Me?" He said, putting a hand to his chest. Then he held his fingers out in front of him. "With these sausages? I would hit five keys at once!"He nodded, "Yeah, some of that. But first we have to find your blue paint."Tayn looked at him quizzically, she thought it was just pretend paint. "Think happy thoughts?" she she said half joking.
He shrugged, "Kind of. Think mad thoughts, too. Just... feel. Let yourself go." He hung his head and started laughing, "Sounds like a Pinterest quote, does it not?" Said the warrior.
Tayn realized that her "smile" was actually more of a grimace and she swallowed, trying to bury the emotions that were rising to the surface. She slowly backed away from Vance, knowing that she must look like an idiot she stopped. "I don't -" she said quietly, then said firmly, "I can't!" she cringed when her voice echoed around the room, then turned and bolted away from him, stopping near Zen."It's your turn to learn," she said not looking at him but pointing vaguely in the direction of Vance.

Zen was watching some new girls dueling, fascinated. he got up and walked up to the guy that looked rather like a body builder.
The man sat on a bench, swigging a drink from a Nike bottle. It was the only plastic thing that the team had seen down here so far. "Hey, kid." He said, nodding. Something sparked behind his eyes."H-hi!" Zen smiled nervously, and waited for him to stop glugging his drink.He set the bottle down, "You're from up top." He said, pointing up.The bodybuilder peered at Zen, not quite sure why the boy didn't speak at first.
Zen finally had finally built up the courage to speak to this guy. "So when can I start training?" Zen asked while picking up a machete from the ground and swooshing it about.
The man harrumphed and crossed folded his arms across his broad chest. "Think you're ready for that? Here." His leaned over and stuck his hand into a barrel, extracting few throwing stars. "You're a speedster, aren't ya? I could tell. Here, this easier to carry. Better suited for what you do." He handed them to him, then pointed to three targets on the wall, "You can-"
Zen grabbed them out of Vance's hand and threw one and struck a perfect bullseye. Beginners luck! Zen thought as he glanced over and watched Vance's jaw drop slightly. Zen threw another one and yet again he hit the bullseye.

He crossed his arms again and leaned back, "Well, you're a natural!" Vance said. "But you don't have to throw them. With your speed, you could just run up to your opponents and gouge them."
Zen would prefer not to gouge and kill anyone but if it must be done he must learn how to use the stars effeciently. He took another and in a flash had the star sticking almost completey inside the dummy's neck. He shuddered trying to not think about what would happen if that was a real person.

feel feelings. It was so easy for her know what others felt but her own feelings? Bad things happen and people get hurt when I feel. And the only way to show that you regret what you did is by making sure you never do it again! She breathed slowly, trembling, trying to stop the spiral down into darkness before it overwhelmed her. You're fine! she demanded in her head. begging for it to be true. Tayn blinked at the wall forcing herself to not cry. not infront of them. she growled in her head. I'm FINE! She put on a fake smile and turned around leaning against the wall. pretending she hadn't done anything out of the ordinary at all.
Vance glanced up from Zen's target practice as he noticed a crow flying around crazily outside.
Tayn pushed off the wall and stood-up She wanted to find somewhere she could be alone away from everyone.
The two humvees parked and hurried toward the holes in the ground. Four men hopped out, each clutching a small crate. One by one, they drilled small cylinders into the earth, all connected by a string. When the last one was in place, the rushed back to the vehicles. One lagged, crouching next to a string.A spark, and the fuse was lit.
Tayn wandered over to the staircase her emotions teetering on the edge, maybe there wasn't anyone upstairs. Her heart raced but her face remained calm the idea that someone might notice her and try to make her feel better made her angry and vulnerable. her hand shook as she grabbed the railing. It was all Vance's fault. He had begun this. Tears ran down her cheeks.
Rex watched tayn run off, & followed her."Are you okay?" He asked.
She stopped her nails digging into the railing. "yeah, I'm Fine." she said as cheerfully as she could not turning around. Inside, her mind screamed Liar! self-loathing slowly creeping into her heart. Her face burned and she started to shake visibly. WHY? she yelled at him in her head. She turned around fists clenched. "I'm just FINE!" she shouted. Then dropped down sitting on the steps Bawling hand over her face.
**rain hail lightning instant NASTY weather. hard Blowing wind.** (outside.)
Rex looked at her surprised. "Do you want me to leave you alone?" He asked quietly, hoping not to upset her.Tayn didn't respond and continued to sob.
A deafening explosion. Rock spraying everywhere. Panic. Screams. The cave was caving in.
At the explosion, Vance flew out of the room faster than anyone would have thought a man that size could move. "Everybody out!" He bellowed at the top of his lungs, "Run! Get to the exit!" He ran out into the the street. The humongous pillars seemed to fell in slow motion, crumbling as they did.
Rex pulled tayn up. "Come on, lets go. Is your leg still hurt, I can carry you." He asked, as he picked her up an ran towards the exit.
Tayn stopped sobbing and glared at Rex herself hatred over all the things she had ever done wrong changing to anger at Rex, she didn't want to be rescued. But she was drained and couldn't bring herself to fight him when he lifted her up.
Vance tried to direct the stampede. Every kind of being was rushing up the cobblestone path. Dwarves and giants, elves and satyres, and every kind of hooved humanoid. So many there were that if I listed them out to you, it would take a whole book. The norsman ran to the pillars. The one where the lady had waved kindly from the seventh floor, she was now being hauled out unconscious. The one where there had been smells of bread and food was now on fire.
Tayn quietly sat in Rex's arms tears still streaming down her face. She closed her eyes and took a breath. She was useless like this. She couldn't think straight. "where are Brittany and Zen?" She asked Rex trying to make some sense of what was going on. Had she caused the cave in?The room went dark and all Zen heard was screams and panic hung heavily in the air."Um.." Rex looked around, but wasn't able to find them. I hope they're okay. He thought. "I don't know." He was outside now, and set her down. They were standing in the dark. "I'm gonna go back & look. You stay here." Rex flew back to the cave and started searching for the others.  Zen called out into the blackness making sure no one was left behind and hearing nothing he zipped through the exit."Anyone still here?" Rex asked no one in particular.he saw a flash zipping outside and sighed with relief."Brittany!" He called out, still searching. Tayn's stared at the dark cave He.... left.... she shook terrified he wouldn't be coming back. IT was her fault everyone was going to die and it was her fault she convinced them to trust janet and follow her down down to their graves burried under a mile of rock.
** wind intensifies blowing hail and rain sideways** 
Tayn fell to her knees and sat back onto her feet never taking her eyes off the cave mouth, there were so many people pouring out but Rex wasn't coming back. Every second seemed like it might be an eternity. Tayn felt the wind pushing against her, the hail biting into the bare skin on her arms, she didn't care about it anymore. She felt hollow and it felt.... good. She closed her eyes and relaxed. wind howled blowing and hissing louder than a train, it muted the sound of the crowd that was running and yelling just out side the cave. 
**cue tornado somewhere nearby**
The two humvees sped away from the explosion. In the darkness, one glanced to the other. "Do you hear a train?"The other scowled beneath his cowl, "There's a train station not far from here." He said."No, I mean-"
The two humvees bounced along through the undergrowth, every once in a while someone had to hop out to move a log or a rock. The train whistle growing ever louder and the wind ever stronger. *tornado kills two Humvees*
*Vance doesn't make it out of the cave*
Rex had to leave the cave. He just hoped that no one was still in it. He flew out the entrance and kept flying until he found Tayn. Exhausted, he sat down next to her. "I couldn't find Brittany. I'm just hoping she got out. Zen is okay, I saw him leave." Rex said, mildly panting. He had to move as many of the rocks as he could to get to other parts of the cave, & was now regretting it. He had a few scratches but he would do it again if he had to. He looked out at the crowd rushing by and hoped he could find someone he knew in it. Giving up, he turned to look at Tayn.
*the tornado dissipates leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Rain continues** Tayn Stared up at Rex. "You, you came back?" Her mind didn't know what to do with that information. after a few moments She grinned up at him.
"Of course I did." Rex said smiling her.
Tayn felt more happy then she had felt in years. Some how something horrible didn't happen."Is everybody out?" Zen called at the top of his lungs. There was a murmur rippling through the small group and from his spot he could only hear single words-Vance. Cave. Didn't make it. Wait where is Vance?! He isn't here! Zen swallowed hard. Oh no no no! He has to make it! He must be alive!
Tayn heard Zens voice and stood up he had made it out too! She couldn't make out what everyone was saying but a wave of concern seemed to sweep through the crowd.
Glad that at least 2 of her friends were ok Tayn wandered over to the edge of the crowd and peered around people looking for Brittany while heading toward Zen.
Rex got up and followed Tayn over to Zen."You okay?" He asked Zen.
She happened to spot Zen and made her way over to him. "Have you seen Brittany?" She asked not terribly concerned if they both made it out Brittany must have, she said she'd be able to find the exit on her own if needed.
Tayn continues to look around the crowd for Brittany.
"Other then a moderate headache I think I'm okay." Zen answered then asked, "Have you seen Vance?" 
Zen looked at Tayn, "I-I thought most everybody was out!" Zen glanced around and shouted, "BRITTANY!"
Tayn wandered around looking through the crowd for some time. She couldn't find Brittany and it seemed that Vance was missing too. She made her way back to Zen and Rex. "I can't find either of them." She said. "I'm sure they made it out. There's just so many people." 
Brittany stared around, where was Tayn, Zen, Rex, and Vance? She couldn`t see them. She glanced around "TAYN!" she howled
She didn't hear Brittany calling her name. 
Tayn looked back and forth between Zen and Rex who were being particularly quiet. "don't you think they made it out?" She asked.
"I really hope so," Zen said anxiously.
Brittany clenched her teeth. She had barely made it out, and her leg was caught under rocks, putting her in a on-one-knee position. Since no one had responded, Tayn either didn`t hear her, or she was still in the cave. Her heart lurched, Tayn could be dead, or Zen, rex, or Vance.
The clouds had cleared enough to be able to tell that it was morning. And though the sun was shining there was a crisp chill in the air indicative of fall.

Tayns smile faded as she considered the possibility that someone might have gotten trapped in the cave. "Do you think we should go look?" She asked picking up on the general uneasiness of the group.
"Perhaps we could get some more people together and I can organize a search party." Zen suggested glancing over at the pile of rubble.
Tayn glanced around at the people around them and nodded silently. 
"I don't know, i hope she made it out" Rex said.

--------------------
"Gage we need to move now" Misty shoves Gage and Tom along the street into an alley way Grant dashes in behind them "Ok I think we will be ok in here he ca-" "Who are you hiding from Misssty?" a voice says Misty and Grant stiffen and slowly turn to look at where the voice came from. A man stands there his yellow slitted eyes glowing in the shadows. "Its good to see you two again" he says "Maru" Misty whimpers.
Gage felt something rise in his chest. Creepy snake man- that was okay, but Misty whimpering? That wasn't good. Even when she had been outnumbered seven to one back in the dilapidated apartments, she hadn't even flinched.Tom twisted his arm in Misty's grip.
Maru starts to walk toward Misty and Grant, Misty lets go of Tom and transforms into her wolf form Grant does too. They start to walk backwards, ears pinned down in fear and their tails between their legs.
Misty looks at Grant then at Gage and Tom "Im sorry Gage I have to get out of here or I will be killed" she barks in wolf language She nods at Grant and they both dash out of the alleyway running past Maru "No NOT TODAY MISTY" Maru yells he grabs her tail and pulls her back Misty yipes and starts to struggle, begging for her life in wolf language. Grant runs over and bites Maru's hand that holds Misty's tail Maru yells and lets go of Misty blood seeping through his sleeve Misty and Grant run away leaving a trail of dust.
Gage's heart started pounding in his ears, and for a moment, the world was spinning in slow motion. He didn't know what to do. Fear in Misty's eyes, blood. Anger.He couldn't fight! He didn't know how. So he turned. And ran.
He didn't see Misty or Grant leave. He didn't watch them turn down the opposite street. He didn't notice Tom flee up a fire escape. All he knew was that he had never felt this way before. His blood boiled, his heart raced, and all he could think was the man's face.He marched to the motorcycle, and forcefully jerked it around to face the alley. The handles held in a death grip, he fired up the engine until it roared, one tire spinning up smoke on the asphalt.Then he released the brake.
The motorcycle sped toward the snake-man in the alley, heart pounding, teeth gritted.
Maru fixes his eyes on the motorcycle speeding toward him, he hisses at Gage and jumps up onto the top of starbucks and bounds away.
His eyes flew open, now nothing stood between him and the brick wall, oh no, no nononono! He clenched the brakes, but it wasn't enough.
Misty with her inhanced hearing hears a screech and a crash along with the scraping a ripping sound of metal, she skids to a halt panting hard. "that was Gage!" she barks Grant stops beside her "I DONT CARE WE NEED TO GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE MISTY YOU KNOW WHO HES AFTER" "Grant! GAGE COULD BE DEAD dont come after me if you dont want to but im not abandoning Gage" she runs back to the alley.
Gage didn't remember the impact, but as he picked himself up, his body numb. Then he saw the blood, Here comes the pain, he thought. A cry rang out.
Misty hears a scream, she runs into the alleyway where she used to be and sees Gage along with a completely wrecked motorcycle and blood everywhere. She runs up to a dazed Gage and sniffs around him, she then sniffs Gage and gently licks his ear. A chill pierces Misty through her thick fur as the cold night settles in on the city. Misty whimpers and curls around the back of Gage trying to keep him warm, her soft fluffy tail on his exposed and bleeding neck.
He lay there, half awake and half asleep. Knees, hands and head throbbing. At the back of his mind, he could feel something brush against his back.
Misty suddenly gets an idea she leaps up and jumps over Gage then runs straight into the street barking at the cars running back and forth trying to get someone to get out of their car.
Grant paces back and forth muttering curses to himself in wolf language, finally he makes up his mind and goes back to the alley. He sees a broken and bloody Gage, the cold slowly creeps up Grants limbs, he walks over to Gage and lays down next to him, expelling amounts of heat to keep the Wingman warm.
Foam began to form on gages mouth.
Cars honked and screeched. A pair of cars came toward each other, swapping side view mirrors as they passed. But one stopped. A yellow taxi cab.

The taxis door opened up, and the man shouted curses at the wolf before speeding away amidst the honks and screeches of traffic.
Mistys head and tail droops as she slowly walks back into the alley, She is startled to see Grant keeping Gage warm but before she can speak Grant says " hes bleeding a lot" he gets up and shows Misty his blood soaked fur then lays back down. "remember home?" Misy says "yeah go find a forest and get what you can" Misty nods and runs off into the night the smell of the forest on her tongue.
Misty dashes through the fallen leaves grabbing many herbs and berries to help Gage. Cobwebs to stop the bleeding Yarrow and Goldenrod to help withe the wounds and bleeding and Poppy seeds to help Gage sleep. Boy am I glad that I stole a blanket and hunting knife. she thinks Misty puts all the leaves and berries in the blanket and she folds it and picks it up and runs out of the forest as shes running back to the alley she spots something in the corner of her eye. Aloe Vera! Misty runs over, places the bundle of precious herbs down transforms into her human form and starts to cut off a couple of the leaves with the hunting knife. Putting the aloe vera in the bundle she picks up back up transforms and dashes back to Gage and Grant.
Gage curled his wings over his body, trying to keep warm on the concrete. A pool of blood had formed beneath him.
Grant increases the amount of heat hes releasingGrant hears footsteps thinking its Misty he puts his head down and closes his eyes, but he was wrong Grant in a flash is picked up by the throat and slammed against the brick wall. He sees stars and looks at whos pinning him to the wall his heart drops, Maru stares back at Grant with bloodlust in his eyes panting like crazy and gritting his teeth he says "WHERE IS MISSTY" Grant starts to quiver.
Misty arrives at the alley and slowly pads in not expecting anything, she drops her bundle of herbs and shrinks back her tail between her legs and her ears pinned against her skull. Maru turns and looks back at her His hand still dripping blood.
The wingman shuddered, the heat gone from his side.Maru drops Grant, a crack rings out as Grant hits the cement, "GRANT!" Misty screams Maru starts to walk toward Misty, She turns to run but a brick wall appears behind her. She turns and looks at Maru who is now right upon her, He smiles at her "Hello my darling" he says 
Misty shrinks back into a corner Maru piercing her with his slitted eyes, she whimpers as he sits down on his knees level with Mistys face.Grant lies on his side his head pounding, he lifts his head and looks around, spotting Maru pinning Misty in a corner he tries to get up but his body fails and he blacks out.
Maru creates a brick wall separating Maru and his precious Misty from Grant and the man with wings. "I finally found you" he says to Misty
Gage's eye peeled open. He didn't quite know what was going on, but he knew he hurt. What happened? He noticed a wolf pinned against a wall by someone who sounded like a snake. What was going on?
Gage pulled himself up on his hands. Half his body was dripping from lying in the pool of his own blood.
Misty wishes she could disappear, knowing that Maru has some black magic torture in mind for her she tears up. Her life is going to end and soon at that in excruciating amounts of pain and knowing she failed Gage and Grant. She'll never get to tell Grant that she always loved him....
Then Gage realized. It was Misty. And the snake-man he had tried to kill. He tried to get to his feet, but slid in the wetness. He had never felt so useless in all his life. How could he help?Somehow, a song wiggled its way into his head. He was about to push it away, when he remembered. The last time he had felt helpless, he had sang... but it couldn't work twice, could it? His heart beat, weakly now, but he could feel it.When you don't know what to say. Just say, "Jesus."
Maru lifts up Mistys muzzle and stares directly into her eyes, preparing his magic he whispers in a unknown language "Relive your past" Images flash through Misty's mind, Images of blood of darkness of charred corpses, Seths tortured body lying in the ground. Misty screams in pure horror being consumed by darkness.
p560
Gage took a breath, "Life gets tough. And times get hard," he whispered, "And it's hard to find the truth in all the lies."He sucked through his teeth as tried to pull his knee up under himself. His wings dripped in what could only be blood as he forced himself to sing, a ragged edge on his voice, "If your tired of wondering why your heart isn't healing. And nothing feels like home cause you're lost and and alone just screaming at the sky."
Misty collapses and starts to convulse on the ground, Maru satisfied with trapping her, creates shadow chains. With chains on her neck, paws and muzzle Maru decides that its time he stopped the flow of the ice magic coursing through her veins "Just until I can get her back to the temple to perform the ceremony." He mutters to himself, he transforms into his Copperhead form and slithers on her neck. He strikes the back of her skull and sinks his fangs deep into her neck releasing a small amount of venom, he releases her and transforms back into a human, then lifts her limp body up with black magic and bounds away off to the forest near the city.
Grant flicks his ear at the sound of someone singing, He opens his eyes and sees Gage partially standing up singing to a brick wall. Grant slowly gets up despite the pounding in his head and stares at the wall, suddenly the wall becomes translucent and fades away. Gage and Grant are the only ones in the alleyway, But Grant sees a blanket wrapped up. He pads over and opens it, Mistys bundle of herbs he thinks, he picks it up and walks over to Gage. Who is still singing "they're gone Gage" Grant says in English "No more need to sing." Knowing Maru is off somewhere doing unimaginable things to Misty makes Grant want to curl up and sob till he next moon, But he sits down in his haunches and lets a deep howl out, matching the tune to which Gage is singing.
The wingman didn't quite hear what Grant had said. But did it matter? This was literally all he could do. He couldn't chase, he couldn't fight. He wasn't even sure his mind could form normal words.
Grant transforms into his human form and gently pushes Gage to the ground, making him sit, he grabs Misty's bundle of herbs and gets to work. "I need you to stay still Gage" Grant says. Im going to have to get him to a hospital Grant thinks, Grant gets up and runs out of the alley and dashes through the mass amount of people on the sidewalk. He finally sees a policeman and asks him to follow him, the cop does and he shows the cop Gage. Grant suddenly collapses and begins to cough congealed blood, the whole world spins before him, "Hey son are you ok?" the distorted voice of the cop says but he doesnt respond. The last thing that Grant sees before he blacks out is Misty's bright smiling face, a single tear falls down his face, and the dark consumes him.
Tom peered at them from the safety of the fire escape. 
Gage let Grant push him down, but he kept singing like a man deranged. He watched the police officer as he came closer.
Grant opens his eyes and looks around, the soft rustling of sheets in his ears. Hes in a hospital room with some tubes stuck in his arm and a bandage over his head. His spiky black hair untidy and messed up, the first thing on his mind is Misty. He tries to get up but grimaces as sharp pains shoot up his entire body, "You really shouldn't try to move" A woman says he looks over at the door, a woman with long dirty blonde hair and gray eyes in a nurse outfit looks at a clipboard with some files on it. She looks up at him "Whats your name?" she asks "Grant" he replies "Grant... last name?" "Grant of the Flames" He answers.
Meanwhile, Gage lay in his own bed. How had he got in this hospital gown? Ohhh gosh. I hope- then a knock came at the door, but didn't wait for an answer to enter. It was a rather pouty-faced woman in scooby-doo scrubs and carrying a clip board. "How are you feeling?" She said hollowly."Yes." Gage said, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.The lady seemed unphased, "Name?""Trump." He said.The woman rolled her eyes.
"I hear you were singing when the officer found you." She said, then flipped up a page or two to read, "Covered in his own blood." She peered at him.Gage grinned, then held out a wing, "Well, birds you know. Tweet tweet, ha ha! Ow." He grimaced, putting his wing back in place.*Gage sleeps some more, dreaming of funny jokes and expensive coffee.*
---------------------------
Breyer thoughtfully drank his ice tea.
----------------------------
Misty's eyes fluttered open, her surroundings slowly getting clearer. She looks around, shes in a stone temple with paintings painted on the walls, of humans with horns and animal body's with weapons. Misty tries to get up but shes chained to a stone altar, a stone table next to her head. Panic sets in her entire body WHERE AM I?
Misty struggles against the shadow chains, her breath the only sound in the whole temple. She looks back at the painting on the walls, she finally notices a throne with a snake sitting on it, looking down on the deformed animal-humans. Misty hears footsteps and stiffens, Maru peers down on the vulnerable Misty, "I finally have you" he whispers he walks around the altar shes chained to, "and all at the cost of this" he raises his bloody hand that Grant bit. He smiles and brushes her chin with his fingertips, "the lone she-wolf might be powerful, but the sly snake always strikes first." He smirks "I can finally become enlightened because of you Misty" He motions to the painting on the wall "When poison meets ice a toxic element is created, and he shall be crowned king of the high at the cost of melting the ice." Maru laughs "I will finally get back home" He picks up a dagger on the stone table near her head. "I just need your ice Misty." Misty starts to panic frustration contorts Maru's face, "stop moving!" He yells, he grabs her throat and descends the dagger to her hand "I just need your.... BLOOD" Maru hisses and flicks his snake tongue, his body begins to transform partially into his snake form. Scales creep across his skin, his fingernails grow into claws, his teeth sharpen into fangs and a tail drags across the floor. He slowly cuts Misty's arm, blood pooling fast, Misty tastes bile on her tongue, as the knife enters deeper into her arm, Misty yells out in fear and pain. Suddenly a golden light fills the whole temple, knocking back Maru and filling Misty with warmth even though the searing pain in her arm is unbearable she squints against the incredibly bright light. seeing a silhouette of a man in the light, she immediately understands what it is.

p602

Scene 17 - New Zealand

Trees gently swayed in the warm calm breeze and leaves fluttered brushing against one another. Blue waves rose from the ocean and fell onto the bay pulling in small things like twigs, Shells, and rocks. In the forest it was quiet with an occasional song sung by the vibrant colored birds that inhabited this small island. From the bushes on the forest floor came out a weary Axis deer and it's fawn, Their speckled pelts blended with the shrubbery behind them, The fawn stayed close to it's mother and didn't wander far from it perking it ears up at every crunch of the fallen leaves or a snap of a dead twig. When the fawn finally calmed the doe stepped out into the open with the fawn at it's side and began to graze on the newly grown grass, Peacefully grazing the doe suddenly jerked it's head up and stood up frozen in place. The fawn raised it's head from grazing and blink at it's mother and followed it's gaze back into the shrubbery. Slightly startled the fawn nudged it's mother and in response the mother shot for the cover of the forest with the fawn quickly following it. Branches and thorns snagged at their pelts while marching through the forest and while running the mother suddenly fell to the ground with a cry. The fawn glanced back at it's helpless mother desperately trying to get up but could only keep running.Trees gently swayed in the warm calm breeze and leaves fluttered brushing against one another. Blue waves rose from the ocean and fell onto the bay pulling in small things like twigs, Shells, and rocks. In the forest it was quiet with an occasional song sung by the vibrant colored birds that inhabited this small island. From the bushes on the forest floor came out a weary Axis deer and it's fawn, Their speckled pelts blended with the shrubbery behind them, The fawn stayed close to it's mother and didn't wander far from it perking it ears up at every crunch of the fallen leaves or a snap of a dead twig. When the fawn finally calmed the doe stepped out into the open with the fawn at it's side and began to graze on the newly grown grass, Peacefully grazing the doe suddenly jerked it's head up and stood up frozen in place. The fawn raised it's head from grazing and blink at it's mother and followed it's gaze back into the shrubbery. Slightly startled the fawn nudged it's mother and in response the mother shot for the cover of the forest with the fawn quickly following it. Branches and thorns snagged at their pelts while marching through the forest and while running the mother suddenly fell to the ground with a cry. The fawn glanced back at it's helpless mother desperately trying to get up but could only keep running.The doe shook ferociously with effort trying to get back up but as she tried harder to get up the more she'd be pushed down. Looking around wildly the doe froze when from a tree came down a hairless creature with red eyes and pink skin. The creature took a step forward with a wide grin on it's face. As it clenched it's hand causing the creature to shriek with pain another creature came out of nowhere yelling at the other one "Aw c'mon can't we just have clams and crabs again?" "Are you kidding me? I've had that for 2 weeks straight! I can't get the taste of clam out of my mouth and you Know I hate seafood!" "Yeah but... It's sooo cute plus it had a baby with it! What kind of heartless creature are you?" The bigger creature argued with it's arms crossed while the other one just rolled it's eyes. After a few minutes of arguing the deer finally rose up to it's hooves and took off running away while the creatures watched it "You're hunting today" The smaller one barked at the bigger one as she pushed past him disappearing into the forest.
With dead leaves and twigs crunching under every step Rogue took the more it felt like weights dragged from her ankles. With her more clumsy brother Aron barely keeping up with her Rogue marched on deeper into the forest. Her jacket snagged on a branch that hung awkwardly on a small dead tree and stuck onto her jacket until it finally unhooked smacking Aron right in the gut. Aron bucked forward with his hand pressed against were the branch had struck him, Looking up with a glare at Rogue Aron quickened his past to catch up with Rogue.
Aron caught up to Rogue and settled to her past watching her and thinking carefully "Soo.. How about this.. I clean camp and you can hunt for us!" He offered cheerfully in hopes Rogue would agree but all he got from her was a sarcastic laugh. Aron frowned and squinted his face thinking carefully "Ok! How about i collect the fire wood And clean camp instead of hunting?" Looking down at her with big eyes Rogue just quickened her past pushing branches and bushed out of her way.
Rogue pushed a few branches to the side that reveled an opening with a small make-shift hut and a little fire place with clam and crab shells laying next to it. Rogue plopped down onto the stump of a cut down tree and pulled out a pitaya and a knife and sliced into it and bit into it's flesh chomping down on the pink fruit...Aron pasted around the fire pit with hands in his pockets kicking up dirt with a bored look on his face.. Rogue looked up from where she sat and rolled her eyes and rose from her seat "If you're so bored why don't you go be useful and hunt?" Rogue faced him. Her voice was cold and stern "But you're the one with the weird blood powers" Aron argued but before he could say anything else Rogue snapped at him "I DID go out and hunt but the only food I managed to catch was 'Too cute' to eat!" She yelled at her brother, Honestly it felt like she was the only one doing anything at times. Aron just stood there, "Fine." While pouting, Aron backed away and turned around disappearing into the thick forest.

-------------------------------------

"I know as much as you do." Dryden answered mikki, his Scottish accent that him and Charlotte shared strong. "She might know something." he motioned toward no-name.
On the side of the plane, written in small, white lettering, was the model King Air 350. "Hey, Dryden!" No-name called from the cockpit, "start the propellers, would you?" She said, motioning to either side of the plane. Then she turned to Aero and the others as they boarded. The plane had eight passenger seats, and a box-shaped toilet in the back. "We're making a pit stop in Hawai'i, then it's off to New Zealand. Should be there by midnight tonight."Dryden nodded and super speeded over to the controls, hittng over 200 buttons in .5 seconds. The plane started to fly.

Mikki felt her insides lurch as the plane lifted off. This was her first plane ride, and she would make sure that it was definitely her last. I don't like this! she thought, avoiding a look out the window. Heights were usually fine with her, with her being able to fly and all, but this was toooooo high.

Once they were in the air, No-name employed the auto-thrust, and sauntered back to the cab. "I guess I could show you how to use the parachutes, while we're waiting." She said, unlatching the top cabinets and pulling out a square backpack.Aubrey crossed her legs and looked out a window. It was cool looking at the clouds, and she wished she could jump on them. Then they went though a cloud, and she felt bored again.
The chicken on her lap looked out the window. It seemed boring, but he wasn't one to get bored, so he fell asleep on her lap.
No-name raised an eyebrow at the chicken, but said nothing. One chicken was alright, it was when there were fifty... As No-Name explained to them how to use a parachute, Mikki started to get confused. Wait- I can fly. I don't need one. Then she realized. She must not know. And I can't let her. Somewhere deep down inside of her she didn't quite trust No-Name. It wasn't even a question with the psycho murderer cyborg guy. She decided to try and call or text Gage as soon as the flight landed.
"These are auto-deploy. They go off at a certain altitude so that you tards don't get confused and frustrated when you splatter on he ground and die." She said.
Dryden watched on, bored. He already knew this stuff. He laughed slightly at her words.Sammy listened silently, surprised that No-name seemed to actually have a sense of humor. In her experience, most thin ladies named No-name weren't really into humor.Mikki listened attentively. If she was going to pretend that she couldn't fly she had to learn how to use one.
Aero nodded his head as No-name explained, although he didn't plan on using a parachute. His wings were probably healed enough to fly with. He zoned out after a while of listening, knowing that he'd probably just forget everything weather he paid attention or not. Somehow he could remember anything and everything from the history books, but yet he was clueless about any useful information given to him. Maybe I should start bringing a notebook and pen with me so I can take notes...
Dryden looked around the room, bored.
Dryden sighed. "Don't forget we leave in 10." he said to no-name.
No-name landed the plane, despite the arguing from the command center. She rolled her eyes.The pane finally landed after it's 2,000 mile flight. Now, to get gas... No-name glanced around the airport

Dryden looked around at the children. Why did Firestein even want children on his mission. Yes, Dryden was young, but he was also a.) trained in combat b.) one of the smartest people on Earth c.) a physcopath.
No-name glared at the control tower, then to the officers who came running toward them. "You are unauthorized to be in this area," came the radio control tower for the unteenth time."We need to refuel," No-name said to Dryden. "Maybe..." she bit her lip, "Hold them off, but don't do anything to cause a ruckus. It'll take a while to fuel up, and if anything happens, we won't be able to get out of here."Sammy looked at No-name, realizing that she had just, once again, told Dryden to kill people. Great. Two psychopathic murderers.Mikki stayed in the plane, averting her eyes from what Dryden was doing. "Pick up, Gage, pick up!" she said as the phone rang and rang (on silent, of course).
He sighed. "If you don't shut up, I will turn my head ever so slightly and lasers will be in your heart."
"I don't think Mr. Firestein would like you doing that." Aero muttered under his breath, looking down at his feet as he walked off the plane.Mikki glared at him. "I don't think Mr Firestein would approve." She said coldly.
Dryden nodded and looked directly at the fence gate, using telekonesis to pull it together and using his lasers to melt it together. No one could get out, no one could leave. He aimed at their radios and destroyed them with the lasers, surprising the guards. He started shooting lasers at their feet, making them dodge, making them go slower.No-name idled the plane up to the fueling station and shut the engine off. Glancing around, she noticed someone near the pump, staring wide-eyed at Dryden. She got up and moved to the door, "Hey." She said. "Fuel us up?"The man nodded quickly. Even from where she stood, she could see his hands shaking.

Dryden almost rolled his eyes, then decided against frying his brain. He turned the lasers off long enough to look at Aero. "Does it look like I care at the second?" He turned back as he followed Aero, ocasionally turning towards the guards and shooting lasers at their feet, frying one's head....oops.
Dryden walked next to the plane and said to no-name. "Don't worry, your on my good side...for now, anyways." he smiled evilly. He looked toward no-name. "We ready? I accidentally fried one..." he said motioning toward where the terrified guards were gathered around a body with a charred neck, a fried head rolling down the hill. "Yeah, accidentally." he lied.
The pump-station manager grew pale, then trained his eyes on his work.No-name sighed heavily. "Dryden, Dryden, Dryden. If you don't stop killing people, I'm going to have to put you in the time out corner."Sammy, who had never thought she would ever see people get murdered, was really regretting her decision to go on this mission. She shoved her hands in her pockets and found Ash's pen there. She fingered it absently, not realizing that it could help her escape.Dryden frowned. "Fine..." No-name and Firestein were the only ones he actually listened to.
No-name grinned and elbowed him in the ribs, "Come on." She said, pulling herself up into the plane, "New Zealand awaits."
At last, she waved to the man who had filled their plane, "Aloha! Or whatever you people say." She called.
Mikki climbed back into the plane
Dryden glared at No-Name (who really needs a name). "Thats nice, I really couldn't care less." he replied to Mikki. He followed no-name into the plane.

Aero walked back into the plane, and towards the back row of seats this time. He sat at the edge of his chair and wrapped his wings around himself so he could tune out from his surroundings. All he could see was darkness, as the holes in his wings were pretty much healed. Aero needed to calm down. He was still angry at the bionic kid, especially since only seconds ago he killed another innocent person. His anger caused there to be a nagging voice in the back of his head. Use your powers. But he couldn't, because then he'd be just as bad as Dryden, and the one who killed his parents.
Dryden sat next to Aero, crossing his legs as if he hadn't just fried a person. "Hello, Chiseler."
Aero sighed, and hesitated before retracting his wings. "Hello," He said through gritted teeth, and shifted in his chair so that he was further away from Dryden "What do you want, exactly?"
"I'm less likely to kill people if I'm back here." He answered, turning his head ever so slightly to where he was staring into Aero's eyes, his own eyes turning a shade of red...
"You shouldn't be killing people at all," Aero said in a monotone. He then noticed Dryden's eyes turn red again, and flinched. He hoped he wasn't going to be fried to a crisp by lasers.
"Physcopath's can't control how many they kill." he started, his eyes turning a blood red completely. "It's something we are born having a craving to kill, we can't stop it. It makes us satisified, helps us feel complete." Dryden said and popped a sugar cube in his mouth.
Aubrey realises what is going on. A Dorking hen flaps into Dryden's face. She didn't want to see his creepy bloody looking eyes. It scratches his face with all ten of it's toes with it's terror. Cause Dorkings have an extra toe on each foot.Dryden slapped the bird out of his face and fried it. Welp, fresh fried chicken for dinner.
Once everyone was on board, she idled the engine onto the runway. The control tower was silent, but she could imagine people running around frantically in the little station. She smirked and fired up the engine.
"Dryden!" She snapped, almost habitually, "Stop freaking people out!
He yelled to the front, to no-name, "HOW LONG TO ZEALAND? I KINDA WANNA JUMP OFF AND STOP IN LONDON AND SEE THE BIG BEN, MEET YOU GUYS IN ZEALAND."
"No- London is the other way!"
Dryden groaned and cursed under his breath. "Ugh. Whatever, I like people fearing me! So what!" He said and stood up with one final look at Aero, flames went into his eyes before they went back solid black. He smiled and nodded his head. "Nice talk." He walked and sat next to no-name. Aero crinkled his nose and glared at him. At that split second he wanted to use his powers worse then ever, and he would've of, if there weren't other people on the plane. His powers had to stay secret. His eye flickered to the window and he watched as they ascended into the sky.Drydens eyes went a blue/green and he put a finger to his temple. It seemed he was seeing something in his eyes.Dryden spotted the helicopter and immediately froze it with telekonesis and moved it to the ground. "I have to be off the plane now!" he yelled at no-name as he put a forcefield around himself and dropped out of the door running back to the mainland using his super speed. Through his chip he sent Firestein the following message:I've got your group, track my chip, I've got them under telekonesis, in a copter.
Firestein glanced up from watering his plants when he noticed words forming on he screen. A smile spread across his face. "Well done, Dryden." He said to himself. Then he marched to the door, opened it, and peered at the guard standing just outside. "Get a squadron. We've got another batch to Silence."
No-name shrugged and continued her take-off.Sammy was about to ask No-name where Dryden had gone when a sudden realization struck her. Her heart pounded faster and faster with excitement as a plan formed in her mind. Now that only No-name is here, we can overpower her and get away! Hopefully before Dryden gets back... She nudged Aubrey with her elbow. "Psst! Can you teleport other people? I need to know, quick!" she whispered, shooting glances at No-name.
Sammy poked Aubrey.
Aubrey put a Serama in Sammy's mouth.Sammy watched as Aubrey shoved her hand into her face. She reeled backwards as a chicken shot out, almost hitting her in the face. Almost. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Aubrey and shoved the small chicken into her pocket. "I asked you a question." She growled impatiently."No you didn't," said Aubrey. The Rooster didn't understand English, but he didn't like Sammy for lock in him up. He did the bupupupub sound roosters make.
Sammy clenched her hands in frustration. She was really tempted to yell at the seven-year-old. "I did." she hissed through gritted teeth. "But I'll say it again." she took a breath, trying not to let her frustration overwhelm her. Her eyes darted to the rooster, she had already seen it but had not recognized it until now. I'll ask about it later. Right now there is a more important question. "I asked you if you can teleport other people." she growled.
"I don't think so...." Aubrey said. She had tried. She could only teleport her chickens, because they were a part of her.
"Oh," Sammy said, disappointed. 
The flight seemed to go on forever.
"Alright." She said, clapping her hands together. "The place we need to go doesn't come with a landing strip, so we're going to have to jump out of a perfectly good plane."
"Wait we have to jump out, of a plane?" Aubrey asked, and then remembered she was able to teleport.
The plane flew on, nothing but ocean for miles as the sun slid it's last glow over the horizon. Most of the crew had fallen asleep. But something kept her awake. Her brow wrinkled with worry. Something at the back of her mind that she couldn't quite grasp. Dryden had left, but that wasn't anything unusual. What was it?The first few stars poked holes through the black velvet that was the sky. How beautiful it was. And how quiet. But unsettlingly so.
Dryden sent her a message through his chip. Caught group, will be with Firestein, be back later.
Blackness was in the window. Aubrey was bored. She fell asleep with her head against the window. The chicken had his eyes glazed over, and kept watch. Aubrey wished she was at home, and she could be, but she would not know where the plane would be if she came back. Her parents must be worried sick, but she didn't really care.Ash existed in the plane.
No-name checked the clock on the dash. It was getting close to midnight.The Rooster hopped up on her shoulder. He disapproved of this no name girl.
No-name flinched, then noticed it was just a chicken. She got up, and one by one, started waking the passengers. They would have to jump sometime, whether the plane had a pilot to land it or not. Aubrey was awoken. She prepared to teleport to the ground. The Rooster was on her shoulder.
No-name grabbed her parachute, and with the plane slowed enough, she pulled the door open. Wind roared outside, and below, an island. In the dark, it was little more than a shadow. "Follow me!" She called above the roar, and started inching out onto the wing of the plane.
No-name leapt off the plane.
Mikki closed her eyes. Just jump. Let yourself fall. She was so used to her powers that they were reflex now, so this would be really hard. Mikki took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and dove. She free fell, only controlling herself slightly with her powers. The wind whipped her cheeks, and she found that she was enjoying herself. After a while she reluctantly righted herself before the auto-deploy parachute opened.
Aero glanced out of the plane, then to his wings. Are my wings healed enough to fly? He spread his wings out and examined them....they seem okay enough... He hesitated, and then followed No-name.The wind pressed against her face, and she struggled to keep her mouth shut and not look like an idiot. No one had any goggles of course. Why would she remember a stupid thing like eye protection? Not that she cared about the others. It was more for herself than anything.No-name glanced up at the pilot-less plane. She had no idea where it would land. It would probably kill a few people if it landed where she though it would. But that would just make it easier to find, wouldn't it?
Aubrey the little 7 year old was standing on the wing, but she wasn't really that terrified, because she could teleport. He chicken was on her shoulder. The oxygen was low, but he could breath normally. Aubrey however, was having trouble.
No-name's parachute deployed, jerking her as it did. All around her, others were doing the same. Fwt fwt fwt went the nylon sheets, bringing them to a slow decent into the forest.Forest. Uh-oh.She had forgotten to give each of them a knife to cut themselves loose if they got stuck in the branches. Firestein had given them weapons, but had they remembered to bring them? And were they all bladed? Sammy flinched as Dryden's voice came over the microphone. She then edged out on the plane wing and took a breath. It'll be fine. Just close your eyes and fall. She squeezed her eyes shut and jumped.
Aubrey teleported safely to the ground. Though shaken, the Rooster had to approve.Mikki's parachute deployed.Mikki resisted the urge to fly as she drifted to the ground. And smashed into a tree.Has anyone else jumped yet? she wondered. "Guys?" she called out cautiously."Guys?" Mikki asked, slighty louder and less cautious this time.
Mikki abandoned all caution. "GUYS?" She started to feel panicked. 
Mikki struggled to get out of her parachute.
After sitting in the tree for a while with no reply, Mikki suddenly remembered her whistle. Should I use it now or save it for later? she wondered. Well, no one said that it would only work once... She unzipped her sweater pocket, pulled it out, put it to her lips, and blew.

p602

Scene 18 - the battle

p 603
Gage's eyes flew open, and a terrible dread came over him. What was he thinking? Just leave everyone to die? We're they already dead? He grimaced as he pulled a tube out if his arm, and stretched his wings, either tip almost touching the walls. Where were his clothes? He had to get out of this hospital gown. Go find his friends. Maybe they could back out of all this secret war before anyone got hurt.
Gage got up an looked for his clothes so he could get this dumb hospital gown off. He stumbled around the room. The cabinets didn't have anything but clear plastic boxes of bandages, soap, and paper towels. He was not flying with this stupid thing on. If there was one thing he hated, it was the 'angel' stereotype. And with this white thing on? Ugh.
He kept scrounging around in the cabinets. Maybe there was a washer and dryer station around here. There had to be, what with all the bedsheets. But did he dare leave the room like this?
Gage finally found his clothes, folded neatly in a chair in plain sight. But did he even bring his wallet? Surely he had some kind of hospital bill to pay, especially for an overnight stay.As soon as he dressed, he found his wallet and searched the hallway signs for the front desk, leaning on the hallway rails. His legs hurt, his arms stung, and everything ached. But he couldn't stop. He had to help... someone. He still wasn't sure which group needed more help, but he was going to do something for someone. This was all screwed up, and it was all his fault. At the desk, a kindly-looking woman sat, peering over her glasses at the computer screen. She glanced up."Erm..." Gage scratched the back of his neck, not sure how to put this. "Could I have the bill for room... uh... shoot, I didn't even look. Let me-"The woman waved a hand, "I know who you are." She said.He froze. Oh, right. That stupid newspaper article."You bill has been paid. But you should really go back to bed, now."Gage furrowed his brow. Paid? Who would have paid it? All of his friends were either with Firestein or in a cave... weren't they? Who else would have done- uh oh. The woman got up, insisting he go back to his room.
He smiled. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I can't go back to bed."The receptionist shot him a questioning glare, adjusted her bi-focals, and crossed her arms."Gotta save the day." Gage whispered.He was half expecting her to be a Stong, forcefully pushing him back into his room. Call him crazy. Maybe push a panic button or two. But she didn't. For a moment they sat there, the fishtank filter bubbling in the background as they stared at each other.A wry smile crossed her face. "Wait here."
Gage was leaning on the reception desk, absentmindedly staring at the fish tank, when he heard footsteps on the tile. He turned to find Grant coming up the hall toward him.
Gage grimaced as he watched Grant come up the hall toward him. Bruises and scabs covered the wold-boy's head and arms. Had he been thrown against a wall? And... why wasn't Misty with him? He had been her shadow since they had met. "Hey, man." The wingman said, "You doing okay?"Grant walks beside Gage, gritting his teeth in emotional pain, Maru has Misty, and theres nothing I can do all I have to do is wait and hope she survives the night. Grant looks at Gage then says, "Gage, when you and Misty were flying a few days ago ... What did you talk about?"
He stared at the cracks in the sidewalk, walking as quickly as he could. As close as Grant was to Misty, he didn't seem to know much about her. If he was suspicious of him, well, that was his problem. But did he know about her faith? She had seemed pretty secretive about it. Gage shot him a questioning glance, "Well, not much. I mean, not... sweet nothings or anything. She would have knocked me into next Tuesday." he said.
------------------
The inhumans wandered into the daylight, exhausted from their escape. A strongman was crying, and a young centaur had to be held back as she wailed for her husband back in the cave. Satires hung their heads.
Tayn looked around and decided it was time to do something. She raised her voice so that the people around them could hear her too. " We're thinking of going back down into the cave to look for People. Is there anyone who would be able to help move boulders? and maybe someone who could get a list of missing people together?" she hoped that the few who could hear would spread her request to the rest of the crowd.
Rex raised his hand. "I can help move boulders." He said.Tayn nods at Rex, and waits for more volunteers. Rex walked off, towards the cave. As he wandered around he called for anyone stuck that had survived."Hello? Anybody still in there?" He yelled.
Brittany`s head snapped up "Rex! It`s me Brittany! Over here!"
Rex heard someone call him."Brittany?" He said as he ran over."Yes! It`s me! I`m trapped!" Brittany yelled
Leona huddled in a niche in the cave wall, hugging the new toy that Tayn had given her. The crowd scared her. She had never seen adults panic before. Then she heard Rex's voice. She scanned the herd, and when she spotted his mask, plucked up her courage and came forward. Pushing through hooves, claws, and tails, she finally latched onto the Wyvern's wing.
"Leona? Thank goodness your okay!" He said.
"I'm coming Brittany!" He picked Leona up and followed Brittany's voice. When he found her, he set Leona down. "Stay." Rex told Leona. He reached down and started to pull the thing holding Brittany down."Go. Quick!" Rex said, struggling to keep it up.
Brittany threw herself forward and landed with a thud, panting "Okay. Never. Want. that. To. Happen. Again." She glanced at him "Thanks. And I`m glad your okay." She said.Blood seeped through her pant leg.
Rex dropped it, panting. He nodded. "Glad your -mostly- okay too." He said.
Zen looked over at a cluster of people and jogged over. "Brittany!" He sighed with relief, "I'm glad you made it out! And you too Rex!" Zen slapped him on the back.
Leona ran up to Rex, the nervousness of the crowd staring to get to her. She pulled at his left wing.
"Yeah?" Rex asked, looking at her.
Leona stared up at him. "Remember the crystal with the buggers I gave you?" She asked, then nodded to Brittany's scratches. "Break it."
Rex pulled the crystal out of his pocket, looking confused "Okay..." Rex said, breaking the crystal in half. "Now what?" He asked Leona.
"Put the buggers on the wounds." The girl instructed."Wait whoa whoa what? Bugs on my wounds?" Brittany asked"Okay.." Rex said, placing the bugs on Brittany's wounds.
"If my day gets crazy-er...." Brittany muttered
Having no volunteers Tayn made herself useful getting information from people on their missing friends or family members, she was too busy to notice that Rex had found Brittany and Leona. So far there seemed to be just three people who were actually missing, some had been already been reunited above ground having lost each other in the confusion. The people that seemed to be missing were Vance, a woman who was a baker, and a young male Centaur.
After seveal hours of dealing with stressed and confused people Tayn decided that it was time to organize some kind of rescue mission for the people who were trapped. She wasnt sure which would be the best way down the cave they had come through or possibly the now gaping hole she spotted rex and zen who had managed to track down Brittany and leona, and joined them. Rex was putting blue bugs on Brittanys leg she didnt seem very happy about it. Tayn smiled at her grumbling. "There seems to be three people who are still trapped." She said. "A woman who worked at a bakery that was near the stairs where we came in, a male centaur, and Vance. No one has seen them above ground." She wasnt sure there was much else she could do to help their situation she could probably watch leona and keep her out of trouble she thought. And then wondered about where janet char barnes and crow had gone. All that she knew was that they were in a helicopter. She frowned at the trees that lay strewn about. Had the helicopter been close enough to be affected by the tornado? "Maybe we should be looking for helicopter debris too." She said nervously.
The glowing stuff oozed from the crystal onto the wound. Slowly, the skin began to stitch itself back together."Well what are we waiting for then?" Brittany said bouncing back to her old selfThen, at the mouth of the cave, someone shrieked. Soon after came the roar of engines."Those bugs creep me out." Brittany said.Her head snapped up from looking at her leg and looked to the noise.Rex whirled around to where the noise was coming from. "I'm going to check that out." Rex said, cautiously walking over."Be careful. If you need any help just say my name at normal sound, I`ll hear you." Brittany said Humvees and cannons, soldiers and cannons, even a tank was marching toward the cave."God help us! It`s a army!!!" Brittany yelped Surprised by the sound tayn grabbed leona who was trying to follow Rex and helped Brittany up trying to help get her to the tree line to hide. "Thanks, but I got it." Brittany said

"What the...?" Rex said, before running towards Tayn, Brittany, & Leona. "I know this is probably obvious, but we need to go." He said."You think?" Brittany said sarcastically"Get everybody moving!" She yelled at him trying to keep leona from squirming out of her grip.
A thunderous trumpet went up, and a centaur reared on his hind legs. "Starting position. MOVE." He said
Tayn couldnt look back with Brittany on her shoulder, and leona not cooperating. Her heart lept in her chest could they possibly be planning to fight? Brittany, who`s leg was healed now stopped leaning on her
Hundreds of beasts scrambled into alignment. Some had sheathes at their sides. A lucky few had swords. The centaur who had shouted, stood at the front of the group. "Ready! Port. ARMS." Rang his voice, and issued metallic and wooden sounds as weapons were drawn. Brittany grabbed her gun. Turning off the safety`s .Rex started trying to get everyone to leave.A satyr, standing at the centaur's side turned to him and scowled, "Make yourself useful, why don't you? Get the women and children to the wood." He barked.
Tayn stopped long enough to grab leona around the waist with one arm and carried her like a flailing shrieking bag of potatoes. And then tried to speed up a bit. Brittany stopped and looked at her "I`m not going."Tayn gave her a worried look but nodded before running off deeper into the trees carrying Leona. The trees creaked in the wind waving back and forth. Where were they going to go, it was too far outside of town to walk. Staying away from the road was probably best she thought and turned to go deeper into the wilderness.

Each side stood, muscles tense. Eyes trained on the other side. Hackles raised. Guns steadied and bows trained. The wind whistled across the mouth of the cave, a hot humid wind, and for a moment, one could hear a pin drop.At last the centaur stepped up. "If there is any chance-"A shot. Blood. A choking sound.As he fell, the army charged.Rex started getting the women & children to the woods.
Crow blinked, staggering up and ruffling his feathers. His head felt fuzzy, and he wasn't sure what he was doing there for a moment. Then a jolt went through him as he remembered. I was going to warn Atlantis. How long has it been?.... Hopefully I'm not too late...He heard something that sounded like someone running through the undergrowth. He flapped towards it and saw that it was Tayn. Why is she running with Leona? Is someone... chasing her? "Caw!"
Leona was crying "Nooo! Mommy won't find me!" And grabbed at every tree that came within her reach. Tayn was trying her best to shush her and keep moving. She heard a crow caw, and was stopped again by leona grabbing a small tree. She looked around nervously back the way they had come, and tried to pry the little girls hands off a tree trunk without hurting her. "Your mommy will find you. That's what mommies do!" She said not sure what else would get her to cooperate.
Crow dropped to the ground, turning to his human form. "Tayn!" he exclaimed, "I'm guessing they already found you?" he looked back the way she came, hearing the sounds of fighting.
Tayn blinked at Crow. "Yeah. Have you seen her mom?" She asked still wrestling with the girl.
Crow hesitated, glancing at Leona's worried face. "Janet, Barnes, and Char were taken prisoner by Firestein's thugs." he said quietly, the guilt showing up plainly in his voice. Before Tayn could even react, he was a crow again, flying away towards the battle.
Tayn stood stunned staring at crow as he flew away, mouth hanging open. She looked down at leona who was now hugging the tree with her arms and legs tears in her eyes. Tayn sighed and crouched down next to her. "It sounds like its our turn to find mommy." She said giving her a friendly smile. "But first before we look for mommy we have to hide from...." Tayn frowned and paused, thinking. Wouldnt it be easier if they just let themselves be caught? They would be taken to firestein... as long as they werent shot on sight. She shook her head. That was a bad plan. She put her hand on Leonas shoulder. "We have to play hide and seek. First we hide from the guys at the cave and then we look for mommy ok?" She said.
Leona glared at her skeptically. "No!" she shouted. "I want Mommy NOW!" Tayn looked at the forest around them. There werent very many options. If she stood here arguing with Leona they would be caught. If they kept running, they would either be caught or die in the wilderness. her eyes focused on the direction they had come from. Muffled screams and gun fire mingled with the sound of creaking of branches and rustling leaves.
She looked at Leona unsure if the plan she was coming up with was a good one, and then back the way they had come again. She sighed and shook her head it was definately a bad plan. "ok, you win." Tayn said. "Let's go back." Tayn stood and held her hand out to Leona. Tayns heart pounded in her chest. but it was the only thing she could think of....
Tayn's eyes burned from lack of sleep. It was possible what she was doing was the wrong thing, but she couldn't think of any other option so she confidently marched forward.The relatively clear sky began to fill with clouds, just a few at first but as the two girls walked together holding hands the clouds gathered together and bloomed high into the sky. The wind died and the hot humid air slowly rose, making the clouds look like bubbles in the sky. (mammatus clouds) Tayn was determined to go through with her plan, though it wasn't going to be easy. Leona strangely didn't seem to be worried at all. She skipped through the woods while holding her hand happy, Tayn thought, since she had gotten her way. The sky rumbled, briefly drowning out the roar of battle. She looked back at the trees, imagining what they would see when they got back. Janet was going to kill her if they survived, she thought. that is if Janet was still alive.
Tayn was alert to their surroundings as they walked closer and closer to the fight. Both watching for enemies and a place to stash Leona. There was little movement, the forest itself had gone quiet and only the sounds of humans and inhumans hung in the air.
She spotted a big oak. It's branches twisted around and touched the ground. It looked like she might be able to hide leona in the tree, it would be easy enough to climb up one of it's branches. Now to convince her to stay there alone. Tayn stopped and stared up at the massive tree.---------------------
Grass and rocks churned up by hooves and bullets. Shrapnel shearing flying everywhere. Inhumans hunkered behind forcefields, and in foxholes left by the earthbenders. Blood, some bled crimson, others green or blue. Grown men cried for their mothers as they lay dying. Swords dug into kevlar vests. Arrows rained down on tanks. Boulders hurled at bullet-proof trucks.
Zen cried out as an arrow grazed his arm. Blood gushed out of the wound, he quickly ducked behind a rock and almost sat on a corpse. He looked at it with wide-eyed horror. This isn't happening! Zen scanned the battle field for his friends, Good they are getting away! He pulled out his first aid kit and swiftly wrapped gauze around the seeping wound. Okay now for my weapon. He took a quick swig of caffeine and suddenly felt a slight tingling and looked down at himself, he was now completely invisible. Zen pulled grabbed a Colt AR-15 laying next to the dead man. He cocked it and prepared to fire. 
Crow flew rapidly through the forest, finally bursting out on to a clearing. In the clearing, he saw the inhumans of Atlantis battling against a bunch of people with guns. He noticed a tank getting pelted with rocks. Then something else caught his eye as he flew over the battlefield. Is that... A sword?! He swooped down, grabbing the broadsword in his talons. Except, they weren't talons anymore. I knew they were practicing without me. He thought as he cut an AK-47 in two.
Gage flew to the outskirts of the city, but when he saw what had happened, he nearly fell out of the sky. A battle. Where had all these mythical creatures come from? And was that- oh no. Not this. Anything but this. They would get themselves killed out there!His eyes darted back and forth through the fray. Military against warriors. Guns against swords. And the swords were losing.
Rex pulled out his pistol and started firing at the bad guys. All around him people were dying. He ducked behind a rock for more security, then had an idea. Hmm.. it could work he thought, right before flying in the air, ten stories up. He started using his gun to shoot from above. It was easy to tell who was on what side, even from this height because his mask had a binocular thingy installed in it.Rex looked down before spotting three familiar & one not so familiar people, Tayn, Leona, and Brittany. He wanted to go check on them, but didn't. Instead, he focused on taking out the enemy. He continued to shoot people from this height. So far, everyone was to distracted to look up. Idiots. Always look up. No matter what it is, tv, books, real life, nobody looks up. At least it gives me an advantage. For now. Rex thought.
Gage spotted his friend rising above the crowd and flew over to him. "What's going on?"
"There's a war going on, that's all I really know." Rex answered.
Gage took a deep breath. "So we're on the same page, then." He glanced around. The same men with cowls firing on nearly unarmed people... that wasn't a good sign. Up until now he hadn't really suspected Firestein. He trusted his friends' judgment, but did they have to side with the underdogs? The inhumans dashed around frantically, and it didn't look like any attacks were being organized. Did they even have a leader? He shook his head. They had to do something."Rex, I need you to morph. Move behind the enemy lines and distract them, get them to turn around. I'll have the others ready to launch a counter attack." He said."Uhhh..." Rex's face turned red. "Fine." He turned into a wyvern, and flew down to distract them.
Rex was the size of a car when he was in wyvern form. He attacked, breathing fire at the tanks, & roaring.
Rex landed behind a tank and turned full hulk (not actually) and started smashing it (hulk smash!) he dodged the bullets coming his way, and started to continue to smash, ripping up the tank with his sharp claws. Rex then breathed a huge breath of fire in the tanks sensitive spot & it exploded. He flew out of the way of the explosion, and went on to a group of people to rain all underworld on them.

-----------------------
A smile played at the corners of her mouth. But once Tayn and Leona vanished into the woods, it left. Only a emotionless masking look covered her face. She knew this would be a great battle, and she and her friends would probable never see each other again, and she knew she probable wouldn`t make it out. Slowly she turned around to the army charging towards her. "Come on. Show me what you idiots got." she snarled. Her voice turning to an angry howl "United we stand, Divided we fall!"She charged forward, and was lost to the eye of anyone but who was beside her into the seething mass of battle.
The girls feet seemed to keep going faster and faster, until it seemed she was going faster than she ever had. Yells and cries filled the air. Bullets whizzed past her head and she was lifted into the air, her feet just being missed by the bullets. She was gently put back on the ground. She glanced around. A man had used his mind to lift her up "Thanks," Brittany quickly said and was answered by a curt nod. She continued running, looking for someone who needed help. gun shots were sounding off every where, so of course she didin`t notice when gun shots came from in-front of her, but when they kept coming closer she slid to a stop, but not in time.Pointed at her face was a AK-47 gun.
Thomas inspected his gun Now how did they say to turn safety off..... wait it already is off. Something got his eye and he looked up accidentally firing a few shots. Suddenly there was a wide eyed girl a little older than himself in front of him.~Brittany froze partly because of the gun, and partly because of the younger boy in front of her.She met his eyes and her heart seemed to falter. She knew him, but the look on his face said he didn`t know her. Something between relief and disappointment hit her. But she forced it away and became emotionless again, something she had found dear, over the years. "Aren`t you a little young to be here?" She asked coolly as if she had not the care in the world that there was a gun pointed at her and that there was a huge battle going on around them let alone that she was only a few years older than he.~Thomas blinked, had she just spoke to him? What was he going to say? he decided that a show of strength would be best, he mustered his voice "I don`t speak to your kind." Though it came out as a squeak. Good work Tom, now she knows your scared. ~A eerie smirk crossed Brittany`s face "So your one of those bigots are you?"
What am I going to do? Thomas thought frantically. The inhuman seemed mysterious, and something about her made him know she was ready to kill him at any moment, who was to say a gun could stop her? When she spoke he could see long fangs, which unnerved him more, it gave her a vampire-ish look. "You are Inhumans. And murderers, we`ve come here to stop you." He declared ~Brittany snorted "We are inhumans. Murderers? No. And if Firestien thinks sending kids who don`t even know how to use guns will stop us, he`s an idiot." I`ll kill him if I have to. But can I really pull the trigger?~"I`m not a kid and Firestien is not an idiot! He`s a genius who`s saving the earth and we`er helping him!" Thomas snapped~Brittany suddenly felt a flash of anger "You mean a murderer! That- that creature killed my parents and is trying to do the same to the rest of us! We are humans too! the name in-humans is stupid, there is no difference between you and me but I`ve got claws!" she took a breath, her voice becoming calmer "What would your parents think of this?"~"Your parents, must have done something terrible for him to kill them!" Thomas flinched at his own words "There is a big difference between you and me. And you don`t know my parents!"~"That I don`t." Brittany said. She realized she had to put her plan into play now, while he was talking. Brittany jumped forward, grabbing him from behind, and grabbing his gun with her other hand, holding it up while his finger pulled the trigger over and over, emptying it out into the sky. She yanked it out of his hands and tossed it away. She grabbed her gun and held it to his head "Dear Thomas, Have you ever heard of brainwashing?"

Thomas began to shake, how had he not seen that? The pain in his leg began to grow stronger, he couldn`t fight back. "How do you know my name? And what do you mean 'brainwashing'? What are you going to do to me?" he asked.~"I know more than your name. Brainwashing is a old way of taking over someone`s brain, you can even take memorys and replace them with false ones, make them believe anything you say, you can make them forget things. What am I going to do to you? I want to help wake you up." She paused, then went on "Thomas, you have been brainwashed."~His heart seemed to stop. what was she talking about? "I have not! Firestien would never do that! He saved my life, from inhumans like you. Inhumans killed my parents."~Brittany clenched her jaw. Firestien had a grip on him. Good thing I like rodeos. "Are you so sure of that? Tell me, were your parents and sister humans or inhumans?"~How does she know I have a sister? Thomas thought "They were normal humans! All of them!"~"Tell me, what did they look like? Are you sure you see no tails, nor claws?" Brittany asked~"No-..." Thomas said But am I really so sure of that? he wondered. "Don`t be an idiot Thomas. Think." he heard the snarl in his ear "I- I- I don`t know." He closed his eyes "Yes. They`er- they`er, inhumans."~"Look at me. Do you know me?" Brittany asked. She lowered her gun from his head~Thomas blinked, had she really just lowered her gun? He could escape if he wanted to. But instead he looked her up and down "Brittany. Your name is Brittany." It hit him like a ice cold avalanche.He did, indeed, know her.
Thomas winced, he hadn`t looked at the wound on his leg yet, but Brittany openly was "I suppose healing isn`t your power?"~Brittany looked up at his face from inspecting his leg, there was deep gashes and the bone was visible "Your leg is hurt pretty bad. You can`t fight. We have to get you out of here." She said pausing, should they leave? If he stayed here he would die, what was she to do? "You think you can lean on me to walk?" ~He blinked, was she really going to help him? "Y- Yes." he mumbled ~Brittany wrapped her arm around his side deciding that she had to get him out of there "Let`s go. Once I get you to safety I`ll come back to fight."~"Sometimes you people confuse me," Thomas said beginning to limp along beside her~"I`ll take that as a complement." Brittany said with a smirkGood thing we were only on the edge of the battle. Brittany thought. The worst of the fighting was in the middle and they had been able to weave through the fights quite easily. They had now just came out of the battle and Brittany glanced behind them to make sure no one was following them. "One of my team mates and a girl went this way, we should be able to find them," Hopefully though she had more sense than to add that. Her fears were instantly condemned as two figures appeared in the shadows ahead What are they doing? "TAYN!" She yelled ~"Hey that was right in my ear," Thomas mumbled~"Stop whining." Brittany snapped
Tayn jumped and pulled Leona behind her. The air thickened and roared as lightning struck the Oak, catching it's inner core on fire. Stunned she stared at Brittany.
Brittany winced and Thomas jumped into the air a little. They drew nearer "Welp, I guess I said that too loud." Brittany said~"You guess," Thomas grumbled~"Tayn what are you doing? I thought you were getting Leona away?" Brittany asked
Tayn laughed nervously. "I was, but..." she looked at the tree, "I... almost killed you." She said blinked and looked back at Brittany. "Crow said that Firestein has her mom." She glanced over her shoulder at Leona, who seemed unphased by the statement only more determined to keep going."No your fine and I have no clue who I`m talking to." Thomas said smiling at Tayn
"Who is He?" she asked frowning at the young man leaning on Brittanys shoulder.

"This is Thomas. My uh brother, and before you ask yes I`ve got a lot to explain." Brittany said awkwardly. Shifting uneasily~"I know where they're going to take her." Thomas suddenly said"Ok..." She said slowly looking him up and down. "He's hurt." Tayn let go of Leona's hand and walked over to him, grabbing his shoulder and pushing him down onto the ground. She didn't have her backpack, it had been left in the cave. She looked around for some thing to use as a bandage. Her eyes stopped on the tree and she swallowed hard. she slowly looked back at him. "you're not going to like this suggestion...""Oh no...." Thomas said"Maybe that's a bad idea." she said. "Can I have your over shirt?" she asked him grimacing at the thought of intentionally burning someone."Yeah," Thomas said grabbing his army over shirt and pulling it off "We need to hurry with this, You said something about her mother being caught by Firestien?"
"Hurry... Right...." Tayn bit her lip and tried to remember how to make a tourniquet, if she screwed it up, he could loose his leg. "Last night Janet said to get the chopper, right," she said to Brittany. "I think Crow ended up going with them. I'm not exactly sure what happened but I thought that if we could get back to town, maybe we could try to track them down."
"I know where they are taking her. Her name is Janet right?" Thomas said~"I see..." Brittany`s head snapped around "Where?"
Tayn held the over shirt trying desperately to remember the first step. Stop the bleeding. She moved to put her hand over his cut to put pressure on it, but stopped herself. Logically they wouldn't be able to move easily if they had to hold on to his leg.... so tourniquet it was going to be. She pulled a swiss army knife out of her pocket, thankfully she had put it there and not in her bag, and used the tiny scissors to cut his pants from the bottom up to just above his knee.
She then Lifted his leg and put the shirt length wise under his leg just above the knee crossing it over itself in half of a knot. She grabbed a stick and tied the remaining length of shirt around it, and then began to twist it, slowly tightening the shirt around his leg. when it was tight enough she used the sleeves to tie the stick in place.
Thomas winced "Well Janet was on Firestien`s top silencing list, I uh work for Firestien and I know where they silence them, if he doesn`t have a use for her or can`t silence her, he`ll..." He glanced at Leona "He`ll have a different plan for her." he winced again "It`s in New Zealand. That`s where Chase is too. If there is anyone who could get her out it`s you guys and Chase."
Tayn stood, she was glad he had been considerate enough to alter what he said for Leona, but that wasn't enough to earn her trust. She hadn't been careful enough about who to trust. She glanced at Brittany trying to gauge her reaction to what he said."You are saying: Trust me I work for Firestein... That really doesn't make me trust you. You realize you guys just collapsed a cave in on top of a city!? families - children! And you want us to trust you!" The clouds growled and lightning flicked in the distance.
Thomas looked up at her, his eyes seemed to turn even more blue "I never said trust me. I wouldn`t trust me. But I didn`t order this!" ~Brittany didn`t look at either of them, lost in thought, who was she going to side with?
Tayn smiled that was an interesting way of putting it. "you don't trust yourself?" she asked though it more a statement than a question. "If you tell us where Janet is, then we either go there, possibly into an ambush, or we don't and risk her life. It implies a certain amount of trust for us to go where you say. And I realize that you personally didn't cause the cave-in. That and you being Brittanys brother are the only reasons why I haven't killed you and stolen your clothes so we can get outta here." Tayn blurted out everything she had said not able to filter anything. Was that really how she felt? she wondered, or was she just trying to intimidate him?
"Anything I say you will be able to say that you can`t trust me-" Thomas was cut off by Brittany~"Would you both just stop?! Our friends are captured, people are dying, and all you two can do is bicker!" She slumped against a tree
Tayn, stood quietly and looked at the ground ashamed. she hadn't seen any of the actual fighting yet. Leona walked over and poked Thomas' cheek. "Where is mommy?" she demanded.
Thomas looked at her "Probably just starting to fly the North Atlantic Ocean or gone to the hideout in town."~Brittany put her head in her hands "I don`t know what to do."
Tayn looked over at her she felt like she should hug her but didn't think that would be welcome. "well, Janet said she had a friend in town. we could take Leona to him, and look for her mom at this mysterious hideout. I don't see how we could follow her across the ocean but maybe App will come back and help us track people down." She said trying to be hopeful. The oak tree popped and whined as the fire burned it from the inside out. "probably what we need first is a way to get out of here that doesn't involve getting shot." Brittany looked up and nodded
"I do." Gage said as he landed beside them, sending dust swirling into the air. The wingman dropped to one knee and was doing pretty good at the 'superhero landing' until he lost his balance. He rolled forward, head landing at her feet. "Ta-daa." He groaned. Brittany stared at him, a odd look on her face til she burst out laughing "Did not see that coming."
He pointed a finger up at her, not bothering to get up, "That's right! She did. Why don't we take Leona out of this-" he jerked a thumb at the ambient screaming, "lovely place."
Tayn fought a giggle. "Where have you been?"
"You look a little worse for wear, are you able to carry her?" Tayn asked, "the rest of us might be able to arrange a ride."
He crossed his arms as he looked up at her. "Now, Tayn. I don't need to be watched like a child." He smirked, "It's not like I ran away like a scared fledgling and crashed a motorcycle trying to run over a demented snake-man and slept in a comfy hospital while you all were fighting for your lives." He rolled his eyes.
"We won't know until we try." He said, picking himself up and dusting off.
Tayn raised an eyebrow folding her arms. "As long as its not like that then sure you shouldnt be watched like a child." Tayn dropped the subject looking over at leona. "Birdman wants to take you to one of yojr moms friends while we go find her. Are you going to be nice and let him take you?" If gage was hurt well aimed kick could knock them out of the sky.
Leona eyed Gage suspiciously. She didn't really want to go, but he had wings, and they were so much fun to play with. "Okay." She said, grabbing one of his feathers.
"Hey, Brittany?" Gage said, "I want you to be my quarterback. You'll be able to hear what I say from across the field, right?"
"Yuppers," Brittany said~Thomas got to his feet and limped over to his sister
Tayn grimaced as she watched Thomas hobble over to Brittany. "Uh, no. sorry buddy but you're with me." She said. "If that stays on your leg too long you won't have a leg anymore. Besides I think I'll need your help getting us all a ride."
Thomas glanced back at her "Okay then." he walked over "But please I`d rather live, and not be human toast, so no one yell Tayn."
She smiled and rolled her eyes. "That's my name by the way..." her smile faded and she sighed. She wasn't sure how he would react to what she was going to have to do. "Once we're out there, stay close. You won't want me to confuse you with your.... Friends." Tayn reached her arm out in a bit of a half hug gesture. "Here, why don't you lean on me. It's going to be a bit of a walk."
Thomas nodded and leaned on her, "Thanks." He said. He knew what she would do. A traitor. But I`m betraying evil.
Tayn took an apprehensive breath and held it for a second. "ok!" She said letting her breath out. "Let's do this thing!" She stepped forward more anxious now then she was with Leona. She just had to be ready for when he turned on her that's all. The wind began to pick up again though this time it was icy-cold instead of hot.
Gage was flying and being awesome. But not at the same time. Because math.
Thomas nodded and began to walk with her 
She didn't know what she had expected, but nothing she had imagined had prepared her for what she saw when she stepped out of the trees. The ground was torn up, muddy and littered with bodies, some still moving and moaning others silent and still. Her stomach turned at the strong smell of blood, and burnt gun powder. The majority of the fighting was now surrounding the vehicles which was where they were headed. Tayn wanted to stop and help everyone, but that was impossible, she had to get a car to get herself and her friends out of there before they all died too. She stepped into the mud which she hoped was red because of the type of soil but knew it wasn't. She glanced over at Thomas but didn't say anything. turning away to look for a dead person with a uniform on.
Thomas kept leaning on her and walking, glancing around spotting a dead soldier "There," he croaked. He had been training with him.
When he broke the silence Tayn realized she hadn't actually been looking at any of the people on the ground. She had been staring hard at the destination, tuning out her surroundings. Tears had made their way down her cheeks without her being aware of them. and her fingers ached from being clenched in fists too tightly.
Her eyes fell on the dead soldier, it was a young guy, there was a bloody gash across his throat, his eyes were open but Vacant. Tayn stared at him in horror, her breathing ragged, her mind screaming for her to run, but she stayed staring and shaking. This was a terrible plan! She thought just before falling to her hands and knees and puking. Icy rain broke from the clouds hissing loudly as it hit the ground.
Thomas crouched down beside her not taking his eyes off the soldier. Gently he touched her back "Are you okay?" he asked Of course she is not okay you idiot!
Tayn turned from staring at the bloody mud covering her fingers to look at Thomas. "What's wrong with you!?" She screamed grabbing his shirt and pulling him to his feet. "Do you want to die?!"
"Everything, and I don`t care." Thomas said and motioned to the dead man "You think that sight sickens you? That man was the only friend I had there." Tears began to run down his cheeks "And I have to sit here and see him dead like a dog. So I don`t want to hear that it gives you a sour stomach!"
Tayn started to laugh which turned into a sob, and she took a long slow breath to stop. She shook her head trying to form the words she needed, but they wouldn't come. "Stay." She said, and crouched to rinse her hands in a muddy puddle. then tried to rinse out his leg with rain water she caught in her cupped hands.
Thomas stood stiff and still, eyes looking beyond her, watching the dead man. His face had turned hard and his eyes sparkled blue.
After a few minutes she realized that it wouldn't matter if it was cleaned or not, and her efforts werent really making much of an impact on the amount of mud stuck to his leg. What he needed was a real doctor, and some major antibiotics as soon as possible. she would have to take the tourniquet off in less than an hour, which would introduce all of the bacteria into his system. Or he would loose his leg from lack of circulation. Tayn looked up at his face. He didn't seem to notice that she had stopped, she followed his gaze over to the dead guy. "What was his name?" She asked gently, as she stood back up.
"Philip." Thomas merely said. Turning his gaze to look at her. "If you`er going to do this, do it now." He glanced up, Thomas thought he saw the winged man but then again he couldn`t be sure. A little ways off a wyvern was breathing fire on a group of people. He shivered. he looked back at her, waiting for her to get Philip`s shirt.
She closed her eyes and turned reluctantly. Do it or die. she thought, and walked over to him. She did her best to remove his over shirt gently. and then put it over her shoulders. the rain had mostly rinsed out the blood but it stilled smelled strongly. She clenched her teeth and didn't look at Thomas' face as she walked back toward him. She took his arm and continued to help him toward the battle.
Thomas was staring right at the battle, and when she started walking, he did to. Suddenly arrows began to be flying at them, several whizzed right over their heads. 
Tayn cursed under her breath, and dropped down onto the ground pulling Thomas down with her. She closed her eyes again and tried to focus her mind. Where had her confidence and determination gone? She breathed slowly in and out. Of course the inhumans would attack them. They looked like Firesteins soldiers now. They're half right. She squeezed Thomas' arm hoping he would stay down, and stood, the rain changed over to heavy hail around them, and lightning struck several times nearby. She waved her arms over her head hoping that who ever had shot at them would get the point that they weren't the enemy.
What kind of nim witted idiot?! Does she have a death wish? She`s going to be shot! Thomas thought exasperatedly. His mind raced on what to do, the arrows were still flying at them, at this rate she would be dead in a minute.Thomas tried to focus. Arrows flying over his head, rain and hail pelting down on his back, thunder booming, yells and crys of soldiers and inhumans, he started to focus on sights too. Anything to tell him what to do. He glanced around, spotting the fire breathing wyvern, though he looked away, all he could see was death, so he tilted his head to the sky, it seemed like a landscape of it`s own. If Thomas could have he would have stayed looking at the sky for ever. But he couldn`t.A flash of lightning got his attention, he watched as it branched off in white streaks.Thomas suddenly seemed to know what to do. He wasn`t sure what would happen, but he had to try. Arrows were flying closer that looked like they would hit Tayn right in the heart.He jumped up beside her and his hand shot out.A blue translucent light appeared in front of them.The Arrows hit it.And fell to the ground.
Tayn didn't know why it surprised her that they kept shooting, Idiot! Firestein has Inhumans working for him too! She thought to herself. She moved the lightning closer to the archers, hoping to make them reconsider who they were firing at. It didn't work. Arrows flew straight at her, she didn't have time to react her body tensed as it anticipated pain. A blue wall of light flashed infront of her, and the arrows fell harmlessly to the ground. That wasn't her. She looked over at Thomas who was now standing next to her, his arm outstretched. She looked back and forth from him to the light. It was him. "You... Thanks?" she said confused but happy to be alive. "Let's get outta here." She said, and supported his weight as they continued toward their goal.
Thomas blinked. He had no idea he could do that. He leaned on her stumbling forward. as they walked forward the shield went forward too. "I suppose that wasn`t you when I stretched out my arm?" Though it was more of a statement.
She eyed him quietly. "while a lightning shield would be super-cool, I don't have that kind of control over it." She answered. And then whispered to herself, "We'll be lucky if my storm doesn't kill us."
Thomas nodded "I wonder how long this battle stretches." He said, Trying to make small talk, instead of awkward silence.
Tayn frowned uncomfortably at him then looked around allowing their surroundings to sink in. She shook her head, "You want me to throw up again don't you." They were getting closer now to the actual fighting. Swords twanged against the side of guns and then loud bangs as guns were fired. "Since you didn't realize you could do this I guess you don't Know if it's bullet proof do you." she asked grimacing while she watched a Centaur fall into a heap on the ground.
"Actually I would rather it if you didn`t throw up again," Thomas said. He looked ahead, unease ran down his spine "Looks like we`er about to find out."
Tayn tensed and stared at the soldier that had just killed the Centaur. was he going to notice that she wasn't wearing a full uniform or that Thomas's jacket was tied around his leg? Was he just going to shoot because they were obviously using inhuman powers to get across the field? She took a chance and shouted at him. "HEY! Can you help us? He's Hurt pretty bad he needs to get to a Medic!"
"I`m going to have to drop the shield for a minute." Thomas whispered to her and the shield disappeared, right before the soldier looked at them. He was about to shoot them when he recognized Thomas, and lowered the gun. He motioned for them to come over to the truck he was using to take cover.
NONONONO! her mind shouted. She could barely breathe as the soldier looked at them. When he lowered the gun she started to giggle and shake uncontrollably.
Thomas gently nudged her in the side with his elbow "Come on, he`ll get suspicious. This is what we`ve been hoping for, we can`t blow it."
She nodded and helped him hurry over to the truck. "I don't suppose you've got any medical supplies in your truck?" She asked the new guy. He leaned out around the door and shot off a few more rounds. "Nope!" He said, "What're you two doing out here with out your guns?" He asked while reloading.
"Centaurs, one wounded me and took my gun, another attacked her and she dropped her`s. We were lucky to get away." Thomas said
Jayne chuckled and bent around the door to shoot off another round. "there arent any extra rifles here, but I might be able to clean you up." He stood holding his head down and handed his rifle to Tayn. "get in the back I'll see what I can do." He said to Thomas.
Tayn was surprised that he gave her his weapon, she waited for them to climb into the back of the truck.
Thomas shuffled to the back of the truck and hopped in "Thank you sir." He said "I`m Thomas of the 5th unit."
"Hey Rookie, th'names Jayne I'm in the first." He replied his eyes twinkling. "This must be your first real battle." 
Once Thomas was in the back of the truck Tayn pointed the gun at the Back of Jaynes head. "Get in the car." She said her voice flat and hard. He stood still as a statue glaring at Thomas.
"Your right, and I`m not liking it to much." Thomas said "I`d get in the car. She doesn`t really like us."
Jayne crawled into the back seat, and Tayn shut the door behind him. She had never wanted to hold a gun again. Tayn climbed into the front seat and set the rifle onto the passenger seat. The keys weren't in the ignition. She glanced around for them her face turning red. Stealing a car with no keys Great plan! She turned around to glare at Jayne. "Where are the keys?" She growled trying to sound tough. He smirked and shrugged. "I haven't got them." He said cheerfully.Tayn stared hard at him her face was hot. Why hadn't she checked for keys? "You don't know what I can do. Give me the keys! Or.... I'll... make you wish I killed you." She said lying through her teeth.
He shrugged grinning now, "Do what you want little girl. I haven't got the keys."Thomas limped to the passenger seat to lean on it "I don`t think this went as you planned Tayn." He said sarcastically "We got a key-less car, and a person who Firestien has a good brainwashing handle, what do we do now?"
Tayn bit her lip trying to think. She awkwardly picked up the gun and pointed it at Jayne the gun was shaking, she was shaking. "Maybe we should get out?" she whispered to Thomas.
"We can`t he`ll warn the others about us. Maybe he`s lying? We could search him and the truck." Thomas whispered back eyeing Jayne. he lowered his voice even more. "I`m going to try and talk to him. If I say something stupid or something against inhumans, I`m just trying to make him trust me." he looked at Jayne "How did you join?"
Jayne watched the two whispering to each other with a smile on his face. "Oh probably the same way you did." He said. "You know, saw injustice and decided there was something I could do to make it right." He eyed the gun pointed at him, she was holding it all wrong. "You know that it doesn't matter what they say, they won't spare you even if you help them."
"You don`t know who I am. And Yes I saw injustice. My parents were murdered." He paused "So how long have you been with Firestien`s side?" Thomas said. An almost equally calm face.
"Firestein's side? HA! I'm not on Firesteins side. I'm on my side! Inhumans think they can take what they want because they have the power to take it! I think that there has to be someone who says NO! That's not ok! and holds them accountable for what they've done! As it is now, they wanna rob some one they do, they wanna kill someone they do! What we are doing here is keeping our people safe! We've been imprisoning them when we find them not killing them. They're the ones that started this fight!" Jayne was getting angry as he spoke, the memories of finding his wife's body outside their house coming back to him.
"Your right. Same for everyone. But these inhumans have lived under ground for a thousand years. And if their guilty imprison as many as you want! But not the innocent ones. If I imprisoned a normal human for no reason, I mean he did nothing, would that be right? Give me a straight answer." Thomas said. eyeing him.
Jayne's eyes burned in anger. "When you have people who can change their faces, when you have people, who can kill without ever having been in the same room maybe not even the same State as the person that died, how can you say who did it? If it were as simple as imprison only the guilty then sure but with them there's no way to tell! And they hide underground so that we don't know just how bad it is! Just how many of them there are! You think your girlfriend is innocent? She certainly looks innocent but I bet she's killed before. Why don't you ask her?" 
Tayn's eyes widened and she looked over at Thomas.
"She is not my girlfriend." Thomas said calmly. "I Can`t know she hasn`t. But I would rather go with them, than Firestien." He paused "Do you know why I joined them? I guess the jean in me wasn`t prominent. Firestiem murdered my parents, there was no imprisoning. My parents never had killed anyone, not stolen, my mom never even had a parking ticket. And yet he killed her for having a tail."
Jayne grabbed the gun from Tayn, easily twisting it out of her hand, and pointed it at Thomas. "I'm sure his reason was justified." he growled.
The gun began to glow blue "I guess the gene was prominent. Don`t make me fight you." Thomas said calmly. A smirk played at the corner of his lips "I`d rather not prove you right."
Tayn looked back and forth between the two, she didn't belong here, was all she could think. 
Jayne squinted at Thomas judging him, making a decision about what he was going to do. He pursed his lips glaring at the young boy. "Fine!" he grumbled and shoved himself back in the seat lowering his weapon, though not letting go of it. He turned to glare out the window.
Tayn asked quietly, "Do you have the keys?"
Jayne rolled his eyes and pulled the keys out of his breast pocket dangling them in the air.
Thomas sighed in relief "Thank you." He glanced between the two "There see? We don`t have to fight."
Tayn took the keys and started the truck. Inappropriate music blared over the speakers. Tayn hit at the buttons on the dashboard randomly until it shut off. She stared out the windshield gripping the wheel. Thankfully there seemed to be a path wide enough to fit the truck through the bodies.
Thomas watched Jayne while Tayn was driving. They hit a bump and he fell. 

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The silhouette of the man walks towards Misty, she spots a sword in his hand and broad wings sprouting from his shoulders, inexplicably Misty is calm as ever, the warm white light filling her senses and seemingly healing her clouded mind. He steps to the altar that Misty is chained to and raises the sword in his hand, effortlessly he slices the shadow chains and with superhuman strength snaps her neck chain into splinters. He helps her up and flaps his brilliant white wings, Misty feels like she knows this man but at the same time is puzzled, she stares into his bright royal blue eyes. Questions on the tip of her tongue, but before she can speak he shakes his dark reddish-brown hair and says, "No time for questions Sister, you must leave this dark place before it tempts you." He looks at Maru, "The spawn of the sly snake will awaken soon, you need to run," He looks back at her, "Find your fellow wolf brother and prepare for your battle, for he grows strong and only you can stop him." He places a kiss on her forehead, "Go my sister and protect this world" he turns to leave, "Wait" Misty says reaching out and grabbing his blue and red armour, "Are they with Him? Are they with the One? Or are they still home cowering in fear?" The man looks a little saddened, "Yes, they are with Him I am sorry to say, but they are rooting for you, they will help you as much as they can" Misty holds back her tears and nods the man holds the side of Misty's face "Stay strong my sister and dont forget your friends are with you" Then he disappears into nothing, Misty then gets up and runs out of then temple saying to herself: I have to find Grant.

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Janet woke up on the concrete floor, chains rattling as she moved. Her throat felt like sandpaper. She rubbed her wrists as she sat up.Barnes sat at a desk not far away, hunched over a blueprint."Hey." Janet whispered.A pause in the scribbling, then it resumed."What's going on? How long have we been here? And why-" she shook the chains noisily, "all this?"More scribbling. Then he crumpled up a note and tossed it at the trashcan. It missed, bouncing over to where she sat.She glared at his back for a moment, then reached for the paper and unfolded it.
We're being watched.
Barnes had nearly finished the blueprint, with a few minor adjustments. They wanted the chip? Fine. They would get it. But the one they wanted. If any good had come out of the burning of Char's chip, it was this: they couldn't copy it. The most important part had been fried.

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Scene 19 - The Chase

p. 603
He wore a U.S. navy uniform, the pants frayed as he sliced through the thorny underbrush with a machete. Sweat came through his shirt.A penguin followed two strides behind him, and at once it stopped, turned it's head to the trees, and squawked.Chase stopped and turned around. Then he heard it, too. His eyes following the bird's up into the trees. There, hung in the branches almost two stories up, was a girl.
Chase scrambled up the massive tree to where Mikki hung. He cleared his throat, "So, uh... you a tourist?" He asked, trying to lighten the fact that he was a stinky, mud-covered guy that probably looked like bigfoot right now, was climbing up the tree towards her.
"Um, yeah... sure." Mikki cleared her throat, not wanting to answer his question. "I'm Mikki... who are you?" she asked nervously.
Chase smiled, but then un-smiled because he hadn't brushed his teeth this morning. At least she wasn't too worried. He leapt up and grabbed onto another branch, pulling himself further up the tree. "Well, nice to meet you, Mikki. My name 's Chase." Then he pointed down to where the little forest penguin stared up at them, "And that is Forrest Gump."
Mikki stared at him. "Well, hi... Chase." She decided that he seemed nice enough. And it couldn't hurt to let him know that she could hurt him if she wanted to. "I would have flown down, but I got stuck." Rocks flew off the ground to create a kind of platform that lifted him the rest of the way up toward her.
He stumbled on the platform, but managed to steady himself. Don't want to fall 20 feet. Again. "So, uh... rock bender?" He asked as he pulled a knife from his pocket and started sawing on the ropes.
"No. I have telekinesis." she replied.
"Telekinesis, huh? Awesome." Chase said. He snapped a few twigs that had snagged her clothing. "I, uh... don't have any cool stuff. Accept for hiding. I'm pretty good at that."
"Oh," Mikki replied. He didn't seem threatening. She finally twisted free and floated them back down to the ground. "I know you probably won't answer this, but why are you hiding? You're not like a criminal or something, right?" He doesn't seem like he'd be a criminal, she thought.
Chase gave a little laugh and shook his head. "No, but you'd think I was. All the chasing they do after me." He said, eyeing the rocks beneath them nervously as they descended. It unnerved him, having something hold him up that wasn't connected to anything. Sort of like a magic carpet ride...only with rocks. Magic rock ride.
"Who's...'they'..." Mikki trailed off as they reached the ground and the rocks scattered. The penguin eyed her suspiciously, then honked and wagged his little tail and pecked her shoe."Well... I don't know if you know them. Firestein? Some call him 'Dobby'..."
Mikki stiffened, shocked, oblivious to the adorable little penguin. "Firestein?" She asked. "You said Firestein?"
Chase had begun to wander back into the woods when he glanced over his shoulder. "Er, yeah. You know him?"
"Yeah, I've heard of him." Mikki replied, regaining control. 
Mikki nervously watched Chase. Is this the guy we're supposed to be catching? He doesn't seem threatening, or evil, or dangerous. This wasn't the first time she had had doubts about Firestein. "Yeah, I think I've heard of him." She repeated casually. "Why is he chasing you?"
He eyed her suspiciously. She didn't look like a shifter, as far as he could tell. She had to have jumped with someone else. Judging by her parachute, she hadn't jumped many times before. It was an auto-deploy. "Yeah... come with me." He said, waving his hand and moving through the brush.
Mikki cautiously followed him, untangling herself from the parachute. She didn't see why she couldn't just fly away if she needed to. "Where are you going?" She asked nervously.
The forest penguin honked to her, then padded after the man. One thing Chase had learned from the army: lead, and they will follow.He marched through the vines and ferns until they came to a small clearing. A firepit glowed in the center, sparks shooting off into the night. Off to the side, a canvas tent crouched. "Welcome to my humble abode." He said, "Very humble."
"Oh." Mikki nodded, glancing around. "But you never answered my question." She said, floating up to sit cross-legged a few feet above the ground. "Why are they chasing you?"
He blinked. She was floating. Then he shook his head. When would he ever get used to other people's abilities? Maybe it came from being isolated for so long, who knows. "Well." He said, sitting down by the embers with a sigh. "That's rather a long story, see. He used to love inhumans. 'Heroes' he calls them."
"Mhmm..." Mikki nodded, listening closely. She could see that the floating had freaked him out a little.
A coffee pot sat on one of the stones, and he poured a cup. He offered it to Mikki. "When they first released us, it was one of his great grandfathers that lead it. Maybe this was part of why he felt obligated to put it all back when he came up with the his crazy idea." He laughed, "you know, he thinks the Originals are going extinct?"
"Really? That's crazy! There are tons of Originals!" Mikki exclaimed, taking the coffee mug. She murmured her thanks. "Why would he think that?" 
He shrugged. "I don't know. Apparently the gene that makes us inhuman is dominant over what makes them... normal." Chase tossed his poking stick into the fire. He stared into it for a moment, feeling the heat on his face. "If you asked me, I would say we're all pretty much the same... I, uh, actually got stuck here." He motioned to the trees. "We were trying to penetrate the Sound. I made it out, but....""But what... " Mikki prodded. This whole thing was getting worrisome, and she was starting to realize how little they knew of Firestein at all.
He didn't look up, and a silence fell. At last he drew a hand to his face. "They, um. They died. My squad. We didn't free a single soul." The he pulled out a slip of paper from his hat. "But I did manage to get this."
"That's terrible! I'm so sorry!" Mikki felt awful for asking. Then the piece of paper caught her eye, and partly to change the subject she asked hesitantly, "What's that?"
Chase put another log on the fire, sending sparks into the night. "It's alright." He said, breaking the silence. Then he pointed to the letter, "That's of one of the workers. Without her, I wouldn't have made it out, either." He shrugged, "She wasn't very willing to help. More of a victim of circumstance."He heard some rustling in the bushes, and his hand snapped to his holster.A penguin waddled into the clearing with a rooster with him.
That's the Rooster! My friends must be nearby! Mikki realized. It had also grown lighter, and a wave of tiredness hit her when she saw that she had been up ALL night. "Oh." She murmured, unsure of what to say. She still felt bad for bringing up the deaths of his friends. But they must have done something really bad to have been in the Silence in the first place, right?
Chase was already taking down the tent. The girl had slipped off to sleep about 2:00 in the morning. If she hadn't dropped her coffee cup, he probably wouldn't have noticed. "Morning, sunshine." He said.

-------------------
Dryden sends a message to No-Name again. "Hello? Where are you guys?"
Sammy pulled the knife out of its sheath. She grumbled something about how rude trees were as she hacked at the parachute lines with her knife. As the last one broke, she fell, landing on the damp, leafy ground. She stumbled and cursed under her breath as she felt pain spike up her ankle. "I am never doing that again." Sammy muttered, almost sticking her knife back into the belt. But then she realized that it probably wouldn't be the best idea, if her suspicions about No-name were right. She limped forward, listening to the sounds of the forest. She heard what sounded like someone calling for help. It could be someone else from the plane. she thought, and started marching in that direction.
Aubrey followed, the Rooster strutting after.
Dryden finally found them and started walking next to Aubrey and her pitiful chickens, that he hated. "So, where's no-name?"
Ash finally finished untangling her shawl from a particularly unsavory patch of brambles. She quickly rearranged her mangled braid, but quickly realized how- A. useless fixing her hair was in a situation such as this, and B. when they hay had she ever cared about etiquette in the first place.Grumbling under her breath, she limped after Sammy, but still made sure to maintain a safe distance from Dryden. In spite of herself, a slow grin spread across her face as she realized a good breeze was kicking up.She kept to keeping the trees as her shields from the other's view as she crept silently along in their wake, her enhanced senses automatically attuned for the slightest disturbance.No being in their right mind would trust him.
Sammy whipped around, her right hand tight on her knife and her left hand starting to form a ball of fire. She instantly recognized Aubrey, and started to relax, then she saw Dryden. Her hand tightened even more on the knife and the fire in her hand grew hotter. "How-how did you get here?" she asked, her whole body tense. She was absolutely sure now that No-name and Dryden were bringing her and the rest of the group to a trap. And to make it worse, her phone was out of batteries. That meant she couldn't contact Gage, though he wouldn't be able to help, being in America.
Aubrey dropped a Silkie.
"Combination of super hearing, and a simple map. Track the plane then track you guys from there. Simple." Dryden said as he pulled his phone out and looked at the time.
Sammy put out the fire, though her hand still clutched the knife. "You have superspeed too, don't you." she said, making it more of a statement than a question. "Where did you go?"
"Mhm. I was capturing..someone..for Firestein." When he said someone, you could see an ounce of pain in his eyes. Longing, to be with his whole family again.
"Capturing s-someone?... I didn't know Firestein had that many enemies." she stammered, attempting to sound casual. She sheathed her knife to make it appear like she wasn't suspicious of him at all.
The Rooster stared at him. Aubrey had a red orb, which was the forming of her chickens. She straightened her tights.
"Everyone has enemies, some have more than others. Firesteing happens to be enemies with most people in the world." He said, putting his iPhone back in his pocket. His screen saver flashed on the screen, visible to the girl, as he recieved a text. It was a picture of him and Charlotte, and Barnes, Charlotte 13 at the time and he was 14. He was smiling and so was Char and Barnes, and they were standing in front of a ferris wheel. Their mom was with them as well, standing next to Barnes. Anyone could tell it was his family. He saw it and his eyes widened and he quickly jammed the phone in his back pocket.
Sammy glanced at the screen. She had never seen Char or Barnes before, so it didn't strike her as unusual. "Oh," she said, wondering what to ask so she didn't sound suspicious. "So.... what's this mission about?"
"Which one?" He said, his eyes glanced to the phone before he looked back at Sammy. "If it's this one, then I can't tell you. Not right now, anyway."
"Why not?" Sammy asked, a challenge in her voice. "We're almost at the place where we'll do it, right? So, we should know what it is." she insisted, staring at him as if trying to read his mind.
He sighed and ran his hand through his dark hair. "Look, all I know is were rescuing some P.O.W. That's all I know, No-Name might know more." he said and glanced around. He took the phone back out of his pocket. The text was from Char, who had somehow gotten his number. Thanks alot big bro. Not. Why would you abandon us? Why Dryden?!?!?! The text read.
"Why are you here? Are you here to kill somebody, cause I can easily deal with you!" Cried Aubrey. The Rooster crowed in his ear.
"No! I'm on your side child!" He yelled as the rooster hurt his ears. He winced and almost shot lasers at the animal, but decided against making the kid most likely cry.
"I don't trust you, or her," said Aubrey pointing to Sammy cause she thought that sounded cool.
"Yeah? Well, we can't have people who don't trust us around. Right?" he looked at Sammy. "So I guess I'll have to kill you."
"No, no, she's my friend! I'll shove a chicken down your throat otherwise!" Aubrey screamed.
"Calm down kid, I don't kill my teammates." he said.
Aubrey crossed her arms and sniffed.
He rolled his dark black eyes and sighs. "If you can't trust your team, you shouldn't be on the team."
"Fine, I trust her, but not you," Aubrey said, and the Rooster expressed his agreement. He was the only chicken she actually liked, but if he became dinner, that would be fine with her too, though he was kind of skimpy.
"Well, that's normal, I don't trust myself either." He said and chuckled.
Aubrey decided to teleport to a tree, to show him what she was capable of.
"Eh." he shrugged and crossed his arms.
She created life out of nothing, a d'Anver chicken. She stuck her tongue out, and finally realized how cool her powers were.
He put his arm out and put his other hand to his head. His arm was facing Aubrey. He moved his arm upwards and a blue ball formed around Aubrey, moving her up. She was essentially now flying.
She screamed and teleported to the ground, while the Rooster on her shoulder flew to the ground. "You tried to kill me!" She cried, but didn't know what to do about it.
"I wouldn't call it killing, more like making you a living Tinkerbell." he said. Of course she didn't know what tinkerbell was, it was 80 something years ago.
"Oh, hmm. Who's Tinkerbell?" She asked.
"A fairy the originals created a long time ago." he explained.
"Hmm, my mommy tells me about them sometimes, I like fairies," Aubrey announced. She giggled as the Rooster flew around like a fairy.
He nodded, wishing he knew his real mom for the first time since..well..ever. He had never longed to be with his real family as much as he did in that minute, that second that that little girl mentioned her mom.
"Oh, I miss my mom. Can you stay here for me so I can go see her?" She pleaded.
He sighed, wondering if he should. "Yeah, go on." he decided, the girl might as well be with her real mom while she could. It was easy to die on Firestein's missions..
Aubrey teleported home, and found her mother, lounging on the couch. Her mother didn't bother asking where she had been this time. She couldn't stop her daughter from teleporting, and she trusted that her daughter at least knew how to get out of risky situations. Super Fluff rubbed against her leg. Aubrey lay against her mother, and get mother kissed her head. The Rooster had not come with her, however, since her parents didn't want chickens in the house. He would stay back and fight.
Dryden rolled his eyes at the chicken and pulled his phone out. He replied to the text message from Char I'm sorry, okay? I did what I had to do to keep 'Dad' out of trouble. I'll get you out, somehow.
The Rooster screenpeeked, but he could read, of course, Dryden wouldn't know either way.
Char was still crying, but heard her phone ding and knew it was Dryden. She had gotten her number from her intelligence database. She pulled out the phone and it was sure enough Dryden. Whatever Dryden. You betrayed us, and that's that. I can't..I can't forgive you. She typed and pressed send.Dryden: I know..just know I'm really sorry. Where r u guys now?Char: Uhmm...I think..Canada? I don't know, I can't tell cuz my trip was gone.Dryden: What trip?!?!Char: For gods sake, I meant chip. *curses autocorrect*Dryden: Well, I gotta go. Cya.Char: Cya.
The Rooster looked for bugs.
Dryden looked at the chicken. "Why do people even like owning birds? I mean cmon." he said quietly and put his phone away.
The Rooster stood up, and turned his head very slowly, one hundred degrees to Dryden. He must be teasing me. But he shouldn't mess with me, thought the six inch chicken.
"Eh, maybe I'm just that one person who hates everything other people like. Yeah, that's it." he said.
As Dryden's attention was fully viveted to the chicken-wielding girl, Ash slid out from behind a tree just ahead of the group and almost soundlessly materialized next to Sammy. "I'm right to...erm..." She let her words fail as she realized she was attempting to talk behind someone's back who'd just reiterated aloud seconds before that his hearing was extraordinary. Nice one, Ash. Her eyes flicked to the ground before Dryden could pass his unnerving eyes over her and she continued forward alongside Sammy, her mouth still stupidly agape at her own near slip.
"Are random people gonna keep going behind my back, trying to kill me, then acting terrified of me?" he asked, annoyed by everyone's actions toward him. Either visibly hating or terrified of him. 99% of the time he liked that, but the other 1% of the time he wanted to be normal.
Ash visibly jumped at being outright addressed. She then stumbled backward over a jutting root, and barely caught herself from falling with a convenient tree trunk. Her whole face lighted red with mortification that he'd clearly caught her voiced distrust. "I'm sorry," she muttered, hanging back now. Her head began its usual descent to weakly hanging, when a sudden surge of uncharacteristic daring had her snap back to face him. Unconsciously, her fingers trailed up to the pen on her neck and she fingered it so he'd be able to see the closest thing she had to invalidated defense. "At least it's obvious that I haven't the means to kill you."
Sammy flinched as Ash seemed to materialize next to her. She was about to warn her to run away or something, but Dryden had already seen her.
"Well, just know I won't hesitate to kill you." he projected a video out of his eyes. It was a video of his lasers shooting the guards head off, then the head rolling down the hill. He blinked and the video went away.
She shuddered as the unwanted memory was torn from her own mind and replaced before her eyes on a hovering translucent screen. As it dissipated, a shudder ran down her spine and she pummeled a fist into her back to redirect her nerves. "I know you won't," she muttered, hurrying on alongside Sammy. And that's why I'm wondering if I'm going to see tomorrow.
Dryden shook his head. Everyone here knew he wouldn't hesitate to kill any of them.
Using heat, Rooster sharpened his spurs, he didn't want any loose quarks. He could literally cut through metal.
No-name glared at her phone, smashed to bits on a rock. Why did this kind of thing always happen on mission day? At last, she kicked it, then started rolling up her parachute. If she couldn't find the others, at least she could make a tent out of this. It wasn't raining yet, but she knew it would. When she had finished, she shoved it as best she could back into the pack and started pushing he way through the undergrowth.She couldn't forget why they were here.
Dryden looked around.Dryden seemed impressed, but only a little.With a hiss, his spur sliced through a ball of titanium, he could even cut diamonds, the only way to protect people was the fact that his spurs were retractable, because I just decided that.
Dryden got annoyed by the chicken and used his telekinesis to move the animal into a floating ball 50 feet into the sky. "There."
Using his special endurance flight ability, the Rooster came back.
Dryden groaned. "For gods sake, chickens are annoying."
No-name heard someone talk bad about chickens and screamed.
"Really, you care that much about a chicken?" he said.
The Rooster hopped on No Name's shoulder, retracting his spurs.
Dryden shook his head and pulled his phone out, checking the time, also noting another message from Char. He clicked on it:Char: Dryden, where are you?Dryden: Somewhere in New Zealand. Why?Char: Please get us out.Dryden: I can't promise you anything.~Messages stopped here. Click here to go to live updates~
He put his phone back in his hoodie pocket. "What now?"
She marched out of the woods. Obviously he had not heard of the ancient meme, so she ignored the fact she had tried to make a joke for once in her life. Striding into the clearing, she put her hands on her hips. "Forget the chicken. I had to ditch Firestein's King Air because you left at the exact wrong time. Where were you?"
"Collecting a group for Firestein. That's a bit important, wouldn't you say?" He said.
The Rooster turned his head and made a gong sound . Firestein. He didn't like that guy. His pupils changed shape as he zoomed his vision on Dryden. He didn't like that guy. He hopped off of No Name's shoulder. Did she work for Firestein too? His spurs came out with a shing! sound. His eyes studied each like chameleon eyes. He stretched his legs, and flapped his wings.
She curled her lip, "No, you had a mission. Here. Firestein has his goonies to take care of stuff."
Dryden raised an eyebrow at the chicken. "I see the chicken wants to end up at KFC, ay?"
"Yeah, well, it was a personal mission, okay?" He argued.
"I dunno. And I don't care. All we have to do is find Chase and Silence him." She said, brushing past him.
The Rooster decided to stay here so he could help Aubrey find the way to where these untrustworthy beings were going.
Dryden nodded and glanced one last time at the chicken before following no-name. "Is there anything I could track him by?"

The Rooster stood there.
She clenched her jaw. Had he not paid any attention to the instructions of this life or death mission? She rolled her eyes. She could probably do it all herself. But, no. She had to drag a butt load of wide-eyed, untrained kids to 'help'. "No. He doesn't carry any kind of electronics. He could literally hide in plain sight around here."
"Hm...what about thermal energy glasses?" he asked, that had to work, right?
No-name pushed through the thorns, "No, not really." She said to Dryden, "Not in woods this thick. Heat-sensors are only really good where there aren't a lot of animals."In the trees, every kind of bug and bird imaginable hummed or screeched or screamed. The land of birds, this was. Not many large predators, other than the occasional feral dog. "Chase did a pretty good job hiding himself, just a stupid location. Nice of him to make it convenient for us, though. Hiding on the same island as the Sound."
Dryden snorts. "Oh yeah, I'm sure he did that on purpose."
She could almost feel the eye roll in his words, and grinned. "Well, makes our job easier. Especially since we had to ditch our plane because somebody wasn't there. But yeah. Nice when they make it easy on you. Like a vending machine. Now all we need is a nickel."Sammy summoned her courage and stepped right in front of Dryden and No-name. "I won't continue on this mission if I don't get any answers!" she said, her voice almost cracking. She was trying to sound brave, even though she was fully aware that Dryden could easily melt her with his lasers.Dryden rolled his eyes. "Fine then. You want a plane? I'll get you a plane, later."
The Rooster existed.
The Rooster ate a bug on the ground. A leafy looking huge one fell from the sky. This place is complicated, thought the Rooster. He screamed a rooster scream when he saw a bird fly overhead. The Rooster widened his eyes. This was more serious than colorful birds, but he felt a connection to here, where some junglefowl live. But he felt he was not deriven of them, but of Aubrey, so he was a cousin.
Dryden heard the scream and cursed. "D*** rooster..."
Dryden's eyes were red again as he looked at Sammy. "What do you want an answer to?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Ash came up beside Sammy and set an unusually fierce glare on Dryden. "Everything," she muttered, her eyes hardening into narrowing slits. Her voice trembled- but for once not with apprehension. "Why over thirty people have died in order for us just to get to our destination; why there's this perpetual aura of secrecy around this so-called mission that hasn't even proved itself to be genuine; why we're being led by people with questionable morals when we're no more than teens ourselves; even why you've not even offered to let us contact those we left behind in our rush to board a private train of some eccentric old millionare or something." And now you're going to get yourself killed. Great job, Ash.
He sighed and ran his fingers through his dark hair. His eyes seemed to be glowing now. He turned his head quickly to the right and lasers shot out and burned a large tree down, it fell towards them, and he simply pushed it away with his hand. It landed 50 feet from them. He looked back at Sammy and Ash. "People died because they were against us doing our job. I don't know about the secrecy. Because me and no-name aren't scared to kill, that's what Firestein wants. You've never asked to contact people. If you want to, here." he handed Ash a iPhone 8. Similar to his, only it was rose gold and his was black (obviously). "Knock yourself out, though if anyone cries, you will end up like that tree." he pulled his own phone out and started to play Candy Crush again.
No-name rolled her eyes as Dryden pushed the tree over. He was such a show-off. And a horrible manipulator. "He doesn't want people who can kill. That's just your theory." She said to Dryden. Then she eyed the firey girl, now busy with her phone. "He just wants us to take orders, that's all. But you're right about... us." She waved a hand between her and the cyborg boy. "We'd make terrible cub scout leaders."
"Yeah, I'd end up frying some poor kids face. Or being used to toast their marshmallows.." Dryden said, deep in thought.
Sammy looked at Ash gratefully. She knew that she would have never been able to word it that well. "Ya. What she said." Sammy said, fires beginning to form in her hands as Dryden's eyes began to glow.
"Y-you say you don't do secrecy, but even your name is secret." Sammy growled, looking at No-name. She turned to Dryden. "I really don't understand how you're not in jail. I mean, you just randomly kill people. I-I'm not gonna work with someone like that." Her voice trembled, even as the flames in her hands grew brighter. Her eyes were riveted on Dryden, waiting for his next move.
"I've been in jail just once over a span of 2 years. You think a little bit of steel can hold me back?" he asked.
The boney woman almost grinned. About time someone asked. "Oh, but don't you remember? We've met before." She said. Then her form began to shift. Smaller, smaller, smaller. Until she looked a young girl, no more than five or six. Scars marred her face. Her mouth, crooked.
Dryden didn't seem surprised by this, he was used to pretty much everything by now. 
Ash looked at the phone for a split second before pocketing it. As she was withdrawing her hand from her pocket, she suddenly reached back in and withdrew it. How am I supposed to know that it won't blow me up? She exchanged a brief glance with Sammy as No-name shifted into the form of a much younger child. She slowly backed away, then skittered forward as she was suddenly reminded that Dryden loomed behind them. "So you're a shapeshifter. Woodedoo," she commented wryly, giving nothing away. Was this supposed to unsettle Sammy with a disturbing figment of her past? From what she'd experienced, Ash didn't doubt it one bit and actually found it quite ironic that a shapeshifter would try the same tactic to uproot their confidence again.Dryden laughed slightly. "It's not a bomb, it's a phone."
"So you are a criminal," Sammy whispered, suddenly feeling scared. These people definitely weren't who they had said they were. Sammy stared down at her. "Ummm, no, we haven't met before. Unless you're the fake Mrs. Rose..." Sammy said, trying to remember a little girl with scars on her face. A shapeshifter? Do I read need to fight a cyborg AND a shapeshifter? I'm as good as dead.
The woman morphed again, this time taking the shape of middle-aged woman. "You've called me Noel, you've called me Mrs. Rose, you've called me this, you've called me that." Said the teacher. "That is why I don't bother with names. Any further questions?"
"Who's Noel?" Sammy asked, her hands starting to feel burnt. Did Gage mention a Noel? Or is she the little sister of one of my classmates? No, that can't be it...She shrugged. "Oh, I dunno. Maybe the whole reason you got into this mess."
"I've been a criminal my whole life." he said, rolling his eyes at her scaredness. He pulled his phone out and texted Char.
"Well, maybe Firestein should've mentioned that beforehand." Sammy muttered crossly. She kicked the ground in frustration. Why do I always have to get into situations like this?!
"Well, I wasn't in on this when this mission was organized." he said and looked up. 
Ash shot a smoldering glare at him. She was enjoying this surge of audacity of herself, and she wasn't going to let him dampen it just yet. "Stay out of my mind, will you?"
Ash raised an eyebrow. "So we're on a mission to restore order somewhere... but we're led by criminals? Wow, ten out of ten logic right there."
No-name smirked and shifted back to her boney self. "Woodedoo." She repeated under her breath, and almost laughed.
He smiled slightly. "Your forgetting were masterminds."
Ash visibly rolled her eyes. She looked at the golden phone in her left palm, turned it over once, observing the ornate cover with keen eyes, and finally pocketed for good with quick finality. "If you're a mastermind, then I'm Beethoven."
"I just showed up after a six-month search for my sister and was handcuffed upon setting foot into a burning building," Ash huffed, reaching the near maximum of irritation at her own ignorance. "Don't expect me to decipher any vague admittances."
"Doesn't change the fact that you're criminals." Sammy shot back. She really wanted to melt his face right now.
"Well.... Ok..." Sammy said, staring at No-name like she had just turned into an elephant. She hated it when people expected her to figure something out that she knew nothing about.
"You'd be surprised how much a one inch chip can do." his eyes went blue and he seemed deep in thought.
"Maybe not, but I could care less if I'm a criminal."
"The only thing I'm surprised at is how much arrogance a piece of metal can infect somebody with," she shot back smugly, now almost enjoying this heated exchange. It'd been so long since she'd instigated a good argument...
He took a deep breath, his eyes going blood red. He was fighting his psychopath side to not kill her. His eyes had tiny flames in them. No-Name would know this meant he was about to lose that fight against his psychopath side. And that, my friend, meant whoever had made him mad was about to die.Ash felt the her neck prickle as her eyes rested on his. Judging by the visible flares of suppressed fatal rage, she'd definitely gone too far. "Oh, carp," she whispered, slowly raising her hands as if to shield herself from the literally scorching glare as she backed away.Sammy's eyes widened. He's going to kill her! How to distract him... without killing myself. Hmm. She glanced at a large branch by her foot.
Dryden closed his eyes for a second, and when he opened them, they were the same.
He had lost this battle.

Dryden very slowly looked around, meeting each and every person's eyes. All hell was about to break loose.
Sammy decided the branch was too slow. This might not work on a cyborg... Buuut it might stun him. Enough for me and Ash to run for it. She waited a second for Dryden's eyes to pass over her, then grabbed a plum-sized rock and threw it as hard as she could at the back of his head.
It hit him hard, seemingly leaving a small dent in his skull. Nothing major, he'd be fine. But his chip was on, so he barely felt it. He slowly turned back towards Sammy. He picked up a large boulder behind him without looking, using strength/telikinesis combo. He put several them around them. Trapping them all. His eyes went BRIGHT red and his lasers were about to shoot.
No-name clenched her jaw, her heart starting to beat in her chest. She hadn't felt this out of control since... well, since the last time Dryden had lost it. Just as Sammy threw the stone, she leapt forward, fingering the chip at the back of his neck. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. Oh, where the crap was that button?
Dryden felt the pinch, but the chip didn't turn off. She was about a centimeter off from the button. He didn't do anything to react, however. The pinch seemed to have froze him.
Uh-oh. He wasn't supposed to freeze. And now she could see the hair rising on his neck. Where was that stupid button?
He reached his hand up and grabbed her hand. He yanked it off of his neck. When he spoke, his voice was different, deeper. "Don't try to get rid of me!"
Ash froze as Dryden's eyes glossed over- and whether the impending change was for good or worse, she had no clue. She didn't dare move a muscle, nor did her eyes twitch. She gotten both her and Sammy into a situation that could easily end in them being incinerated... and it seemed as if even No-Name was on edge.Don't... breath... just don't breath... don't think... don't focus on his eyes...
Fear sprung up inside her. No-name kept as still as possible as his fingers constricted around her tiny wrist. "Kids." She whispered, not taking her eyes from his, "run."
"Why would they run?" he asked, a devilish smile playing on his lips. "Are you..scared?" He kept his hand on her wrist, almost crushing it do to his strength. 
Ash finally began freaking out inside and turned wildly panicked eyes on Sammy. She was still frozen in place, but now it wasn't a matter of choice. Terror now didn't offer her a choice against paralysis."Why..." she choked out, lacking the mental capacity currently to even ponder where she she was getting the courage to speak. Her voice was barely more than a strangled squeak, as if there actually was a hand clutching her throat in its threat to choke her. "...Why are you so mad...?"He turned his head ever so slightly, looking at her, though he didn't respond. He looked back at no-name.Oh, carp. I only made him more angry. Sammy thought, starting to back away. She flinched as a boulder appeared behind her, then realized that they were trapped. She met Ash's eyes, seeing her desperation reflected back at her.
No-name whimpered.
Up until now Aero had been peacefully observing everything. But when Dryden raged, Aero panicked and staggered backwards away from him. Even No-name seemed nervous, and that did not seem like a good sign. He knew that Dryden killed before, and he wouldn't hesitate to do it again.Basically, they're all already dead, unless.... No. He sweared to never use his powers, but... Okay, just this one time. I'll just act surprised and pretend it wasn't me.... yeah, that'll work.Aero focused on manipulating the nerves in Dryden's legs to make his spin around in a sort of ballerina-style, and fall face down in the dirt. Hopefully that'll give No-name enough time to deactivate his chip?
Dryden felt his nerve twitch and his leg started spinning. In the process, he grabbed everyone except for no-name using his telekinesis. "You. Will. Never. Win." he growled as he fell into the dirt.
No-name fell with him, her wrist still in a death grip. But once he was down, she struck, poking at the chip rapid fire until she found the button. And then a few more pokes for good measure. She was sure it only worked one way.
He seemed to freeze again, then he blinked and when he opened his eyes they were black again. "What happened?" he asked, looking around at the terrified group of people. He let go of no-name's wrist and furrowed his eyebrows. D*** chip... he thought to himself, that's probably what happened.
No-name let out a rough sigh of relief and threw her arms around his neck. "You're back, stupid-head!" She said.
"What?" he asked, confused.
Oh, shoot. Did she really just hug Dryden? She pulled herself away. "Um... it doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're back." Then she blinked, sudden recalling the event. He had tripped, but on what? There was nothing here. She glanced around, trying to find a root or something that he could have stumbled over. "But how did you fall in the first place?" She whispered, more to herself than anything.
He didn't hear her, due to his chip being off. Then he thought about it. He couldn't hear birds, or actually, he could barely hear anything. Just a faint humming sound. "Why is my chip off?" he demanded. He knew that sound, from when no-name had last turned his chip off.
No-name glanced off to the side. Should she tell him? It wasn't like he was any less destructive yesterday. Did he even care that he turned into the red-eyed rage monster? "Erm. It's off because reasons." She said. Then tried to ignore any further comments by pushing on the rock wall that Dryden had formed during his crazy moment.
Dryden still looked confused but nodded. He would turn it on later. He stood up and looked around, and he seemed to be in his own little world, as if he was thinking about something.
Dryden looked at no-name. "I can't hear anything. At all." Did my other ear go deaf too? he thought to himself.No-name looked over her shoulder at him. Couldn't hear? "Is it the chip?" She asked, though she wasn't sure if he could read lips.Sammy heard No-name say something about a 'stupid-head'. Did Dryden stop? Because I feel like we would be fried already if he hadn't... She stared fearfully at the boulders, fully expecting Dryden to come crashing through them.Dryden looked over. "My chip glitched. It does that every few years.""I can't hear out of either ear, remember how I was deaf in one ear the first time this happened? I'm fully deaf now." he said quietly.
She rolled her eyes, trying to lighten the situation. "Probably from all those bombs going off next to your ear." Then she motioned to the rest of the group to follow. They had to find Chase. Whether they had a cyborg or not.
He glared at her and turned his chip back on. It would be fine now...hopefully. He followed after no-name. He could hear now, and he heard someone else's footsteps far off, but didn't say anything.Sammy attempted to scramble over the boulders. She realized it was futile on her third try. She heard voices and wondered if No-name had been able to calm Dryden down or something. "A little help here?""For gods sake, it's called a glitch. It's over. She turned the chip off." he said."Uhhh.... I didn't say anything about your chip.... I'm stuck." Sammy said, a bit confused.He used his telekinesis to move it to the side. "There, now stop whining."Aubrey appeared and made a meat chicken, then disappeared again."Would it be a bad time to say I'm allergic to chicken? Not being around them, but eating them. And eggs." Dryden said.Aubrey heard this before she disappeared. Siiiiiiiigh. Some people were unappreciative.
"Geez, you act like I can control what I'm allergic to." he thought about it then sighed. "Did the plane land in the ocean or..?"
Sammy warily stepped out, eyeing Dryden. Well... that escape plan didn't work... at all. She sighed, slowly following after Dryden and No-name."Where did the plane land?" he asked Sammy, stopping and turning towards her.Sammy shrugged. "How would I know?" she said, sounding exasperated.He seemed to be thinking again, and his eyes turned all blue and green. "Hmmm...well..looks like I get to go to Australia." he said, his eyes going a dim red then black again.
Sammy gave him a weird look as she sat down. Ummm... Australia? He can track planes or???
He super speeded to the plane, and when he came back, he was eating a granola bar. But had nothing else...
----------------The Rooster didn't do anything significant.
"We'll need to break camp. These nincompoops won't last long without sleep." She said, more of herself than anything. They had slept on the plane, but she had had to stay up. Partly to watch for the island, but also because of the odd chill she had gotten. She didn't say anything, but she had a sneaking suspicion it was linked to Dryden's ballerina act.
The Rooster ran through the forest, reaching them.
"Mhm. Don't we have..nevermind." he said.
The Rooster watched them. He ran back to where Aubrey would appear.
A flock of forest penguins honked at him.
"Don't we what?" No-name snapped.
"Nothing." he growled as his phone went off. He pulled it out of his pocket and his eyes widened before he put it back in his pocket, he'd deal with that later.
In a language that all birds understood a couple words of, like hide and stuff the Rooster buduped what do you want?
The leader penguin craned his neck, trying to get a closer look at the strange bird. "New. New. New." It said.
Yes. New. I am. I am not threat. Here because of possible threat. Men. Men and Women. Dangerous. The Rooster warned.
The bird eyed him, yellow eyebrow feathers twitching. I beg your pardon, good sir, but I was referring not to you, but to another.
Ah, buucked the Rooster. You, intelligent.
Indeed, my good fellow. I say. These jolly good chaps tell me of a newcomer. Not unlike yourselves, wot? He bobbed his head to indicate the group.
The Rooster tipped his head. This gesture meant what? Penguin isn't my first language.
The penguin churred. No, I suppose not, my good lad. He came a little closer and tried to talk slow. But there is a girl, maybe from your group? She left with the soldier, she did.
You mean Aubrey? She has a presence identical to mine. Or... Noel?The penguin twitched his eyebrow. No, I'd say not, my good chap, wot? The lady, she is much taller than your pig-tailed friend. Blew a whistle, she did. Had good creature was on it's toes, it did.You, she threatened you? The Rooster churred.The penguin shook his head. No, not really. But the whistle, she called to us, you see? I can show you to her. She's not far off.
Good, the Rooster waddled after the penguin, because he has short legs.The penguin squad lead them through the forest, fording a stream or two, until they came to a campsite. There, they met Chase, stoking the fire, and a girl begging questions.
Oh, her, the Rooster grumbled.Oh, you know her old chap? Well, I say! You have been around the block!
And what does that mean? The Rooster asked
I say, but haven't you heard a word I said? This girl, she has the entire forest on edge. Even the eagles came to see what the fuss is aboutWow. What does she do to threaten us? The Rooster asked.

----------------------
Dryden looked around, bored. "Well, can we do something? I heard footsteps a bit off."
"Be patient, boy" No-name shot him a glare. Apparently his hearing loss hadn't effected his ego any. "You're probably just hearing the marbles rattling around in your head." She snickered, "Why don't you go make yourself useful and gather some firewood. It may be a rainforest, but it'll get cold tonight."
Dryden rolled his eyes. "Fine.." he went off to go find some wood.
Dryden had turned his chip on, he guessed she didn't know that. He heard voices, and when he searched through his database, it was Chase. He ran back to no-name using his speed. "Chase is very near, I heard his voice."
She jumped and nearly fell over backwards as he appeared. Half-expecting his eyes to be flaming red, she put an arm up to guard her face. "What? Oh." She said, realizing it was just normal Dryden.
He rolled his eyes. "Well?"
No-name was tired of rolling her eyes. She seemed to be doing a lot of it lately. "Thank you, Dryden. For the firewood." She said, sitting down. "We'll camp here tonight. In the morning, we'll head down to the Sound for breakfast." She said. Then she eyed Dryden with his granola bar. He was kinda cute, actually. In a murdury kind of way.
Dryden nodded and threw the wrapper on the ground. His eyes went blue again and he thought about it. "Why the Sound?"
She shrugged as she stacked the wood into a teepee. "Because there's food there. And the workers might have a tip on where Chase is." Then she glanced to Sammy, "You wanna light it?"Sammy flicked her hand, and a spark shot towards the wood, lighting it.Ash took a seat on a stump a good distance from Dryden, her eyes trained on his every move. It'd be a long while before she'd turn her back on him again, or even before she conversed with him. It wasn't worth the risk.His chewing was almost hypnotic if she stared at his jaws long enough...She nearly jumped off of the log as she realized she was riveted to a guy chewing. Okaaaay... you've official crossed the line of indisputable weirdness. She shook her left leg fiercely as it sunk into exhausted numbness. Unsuccessful to recruit her limb to wakefulness, she took a hold of her pant leg and jerked on it, fully aware of how ridiculous she looked fighting with her own leg.As feeling flooded back into it finally, she settled back onto the stump and lowered her eyes to the smoldering logs with embarrassment.
Dryden nodded and went back to playing on his phone.
Ash tapped the phone she'd been given with a finger. She absentmindedly stuck her tongue out with mild disgust as she perused through the myriad of apps. "Tell me how you get signal out here."
"Why, with an App of course!" Came a chipper voice. Above them, just at the treeline, hovered a girl with deep brown eyes and hummingbird wings. "Greetings, from America." She said, handing her a note.Sammy looked at App, confusion and franticness in her eyes. Run! she thought.Dryden looked up. "I have a wifi hotspot in my chip. Thanks dad." he said and laughed slightly.
In the morning, No-name roused the group. Time to head down to the Sound.
Dryden sighed and woke up. "What..?"
"Come on. Up, up, up!" No-name said, shoving the kids awake. "There's coffee and doughnuts at the Sound."
As she was torn from the depths with an encroaching dark menace within a frequently reoccurring dream, Ash's arm shot up and whacked whoever stood above her with the audacity to wake her.
"Ugh." Dryden got up. He didn't like donuts, nor coffee, but whatever.
Ash sighed because she didn't get a reaction from No-name, and hauled herself to her feet. "What if we're gluten-intolerant?"
No-name smacked her back. Who sends spoiled brats to do a soldier's work? "Then we'll shove it down your throat." She growled.Ash shook out her tangled hair thoroughly with a quick jerk of her stiff neck. "Then I guess I'm lucky I've got a functional digestive system."
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I suppose so." Then she glanced over to Dryden, who didn't seem to ecstatic about doughnuts, either. Good, she thought, more for me. She lead them through the jungle. It was slow going, snapping off vines and stepping over brambles. Eventually she sawed off a section of vine and started hacking underbrush with that. The bugs didn't help things.
Ash ducked as a vine snapped toward her and instead smacked straight across the unwary person's face behind her. She threw a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing, and hurried forward before they could voice a verbal comeback.
Aero followed behind the group hesitantly. Something about this mission didn't feel right, actually multiple things about this didn't feel right. They have no supplies; they are following probably the two most untrustworthy inhumans to who-knows-where; and somebody could easily go missing without anyone noticing, that's how unorganized they are. Plus, was the Sound a doughnut shop or something, because how were they going to pay for any food without money, unless Dryden and No-name have money that they didn't care to tell them about. "Where did you say we are going, again?" He glanced over at No-name "The Silence? Doesn't even sound like a real place."

p689

Scene 20 -  The Silence

"It's just a little place by the beach. No biggie." No-name said. Then the jungle stopped. A razor's-edge kind of stop that would make the perfectionist stop and stare because it was so straight. The jungle dropped away for miles to give way to a spacious lawn you might see on those old Windows backgrounds. Only with bubbles. Hundreds and hundreds of bubbles.

Sammy groaned as she got shoved. "Ow. Fine." she grumbled, slowly getting up.Sammy groaned as she got shoved. "Ow. Fine." she grumbled, slowly getting up.Sammy gave No-name a weird look. Good thing I'm not lactose-intolerant! She thought sarcastically.
Dryden looked over at Ash. "Well then you're screwed."Ash turned to glare at Dryden and tripped over a root in the process. Growling some foreign curse under her breath, she caught herself on a tree branch and surged ahead stubbornly. She at least knew better than to verbally antagonize Dryden, and if she didn't get out of there now, she'd end up doing just that.Dryden shook his head and felt caffiene shoot out of his chip and into his bloodstream. Thank god he had that.

"It's just a little place by the beach. No biggie." No-name said. Then the jungle stopped. A razor's-edge kind of stop that would make the perfectionist stop and stare because it was so straight. The jungle dropped away for miles to give way to a spacious lawn you might see on those old Windows backgrounds. Only with bubbles. Hundreds and hundreds of bubbles.
Ash ducked beneath a vine, then swerved around to double back to where Sammy and Aero meandered along a good distance aways from Dryden's purposeful stride. She fell into step beside them, noting inwardly that her two remaining companions were looking just as troubled as her thoughts reiterated. "Does...anyone else feel...that we're being led somewhere not exactly...uhh...?" She flinched as a branch hacked free of its trunk swung back in Dryden's wake and left a smarting lash across her cheek. She reached up a hand to press it cool, and found it to come away with new blood. "I mean, why did the plane even go down in the first place? Aren't these people perspicacious enough to plan a flight all the way to the proper destination. They're inhumans themselves and working with them, for Sirius's sake." Why are you talking. Why are you ranting about nonsense. Why are you even caring. Why must your jaws obey your brain. She allowed herself a small sigh of relief as No-Name pulled aside one last screen of vegetation to reveal an expanse of perfectly groomed lawn. "Also....where's that other girl that was with us?" A suspicious frown took a hold of her diffident grin and began to slowly contort it. "She just...disappeared."
Sammy looked at Ash. "Nope, I haven't noticed at all that these people are murderers who will probably kill us." she said sarcastically, surprising herself at the bitter tone of her voice. Ok. I'm gonna be quiet now. She thought, almost tripping over a stray root. Her eyes shot up as the jungle abruptly ended. "What's with all the bubbles?"
The Rooster was in the jungle with the penguins.
707

-----------------------------"Morning," Mikki mumbled groggily, sitting up. Her back hurt from sleeping on the hard ground all night.
707

page 707page 707
No-name was far enough away that she could ignore her. As they neared the sound, 'bubbles' grew larger and larger, and there was something inside of them. Humans. Inhumans to be exact. Encased in clear, spherical prisons.Instead, No-name directed them to a small building. A girl stood at the door, dressed in khaki scrubs. At first, she didn't seem to notice them. Then she did. Her eyes, piercing and hollow, seemed to stare right past them.
Chase slid his neatly folded tent-tarp into his backpack, "Where did you say you came from?" He asked. "You best be getting back. You folks will worry."
Mikki turned to go, but hesitated. He deserves to know, she thought. "Um, Chase? I need to tell you something." When he turned questioning eyes on her she barged ahead. "I lied. I'm not a tourist. I-my friends and I work for Firestein." He started and a panicked light came into his eyes. "Stop! Please don't leave! Listen. Um, we're working for him because he helped us escape from prison. But we're not bad people, I promise. We were only in prison because we accidentally killed a guy while we were trying to save a little girl..." This is coming out all wrong! Rewind! "It's a long story. Just understand that we went into this job not knowing a THING about Firestein. He wanted us to help him catch a guy-who I now know to be you-and help Silence him. I didn't even know what Silencing was, and I still don't really understand it. Anyway, from what you've told me and from the way this whole thing has progressed, Firestein is a really bad guy. My friends don’t know this and are in danger because of it. I’m going to find and warn them, but I thought you should know.”
Chase went translucent the moment the girl uttered the scientist's name. He should have known, or at least been more suspicious. How else would she have gotten that whistle that made his hair stand on end? Only when she had finished, did his color come back. His face was stony. His eyes held a ferocity, the kind that children never see. "Who was the girl?"
Mikki was startled at the look in his eyes. "Her name was Leona." She replied.
A tense silence fell. At last he nodded. "Follow me. We don't have much time." He said, marching into the jungle.
Mikki quietly followed Chase. That name means something to him.
Through the brush, thorns, and bugs as fast as he could walk without breaking pace. Twigs snapped. Animals alarm-called. His breath was coming fast when they reached the Cutaway to the Silence. He spotted them just as they disappeared into the building. Clenching his jaw, he turned to Mikki, still catching up. "Do you still have that whistle?" He demanded.
Through the brush, thorns, and bugs as fast as he could walk without breaking pace. Twigs snapped. Animals alarm-called. His breath was coming fast when they reached the Cutaway to the Silence. He spotted them just as they disappeared into the building. Clenching his jaw, he turned to Mikki, still catching up. "Do you still have that whistle?" He demanded.
Mikki stared at the still figures in the bubbles. Then she turned to Chase, panic in her eyes. "I have to find my friends and warn them before they get here!"He put a hand out to stop her, "Easy. It's not that simple. Why do you think I've had to camp out in the jungle all this time?" He said, his eyes were starting to burn, now. His friends were out there. Waiting, wondering why he hadn't come.
Chase noticed a dragon-girl squirming in her cell. Awake, unfortunately. She wouldn't last long if they didn't do something. Then, pulling the piece of paper out of his hat, gave it to Mikki. "Here. This is the name of someone who might help you." Then he pointed a squarish finger at the building, not 100 yards from where they crouched. "Go in there and warn your friends. Then ask for Gabriel.""Okay." Mikki hesitated, took a deep, shaky breath, and headed across the clearing toward the Silence. Do I knock? she wondered as she neared the door.

--------
Ruby floated in a bubble. In he trance, she wondered if the bubble sparkled. She likes sparkles. She didn't like the bubble, though. It was too clear, and all of the people who had just shown up could see her. She was almost too dazed to care. Not quite though. The corners of her mouth tugged down into a grimace. Though they weren't actually looking at her, she thought she felt eyes on her, ogling at the deformities on her back. She tossed and turned restlessly in her bubble. "Go away." she moaned.
Sammy's eyes widened as she spotted humans in the bubbles. "Um? What is this place?" she asked No-name, trying to keep the suspicion and fear out of her voice.
Ash stepped closer to Sammy, uncertain if she was moving toward the girl who was the closest thing she had to a friend with protectiveness or whether she was seeking some sort of comfort. Her eyes trailed across the surface of each bubble, her heart clenching with a new surge of paralyzing horror as each emotionless visage stared blankly out into nothingness. She turned a fierce glare onto No-Name, hoping for everything that she wasn't betraying her own rising terror. "Tell us now," she echoed strongly behind Sammy's words. "Is that what you do to...those who oppose you?"
Ruby squirmed in her bubble. The voices were louder, and angrier. They were probably angry at her. She didn't know why, but they probably were.
For once, No-name didn't have an answer. She glanced at the hollow-eyed worker, one hand on the door. Then her eyes wandered to Aero and something rose in her throat. Something she hadn't allowed herself to feel for a long time. That how they thought of her? As a villain? She sighed. In her child form, they had loved her; even saved her life.
Her voice quivered, "They do it to us, too, you know."
She glanced at the closest bubble, which encased a dragon-girl, and she was awake. Her mouth twitched. That wasn't good. Once they woke up, the hypersleep device couldn't keep up with their nutritional needs. She would be dead in three days if something didn't happen.
No-name shoved the thought aside and moved into the building. Time for coffee and doughnuts.
Ash looked at the bony woman with a glare so queer, so uncertain, it could've set ablaze then immediately frozen anything if she'd possessed pyrokinesis.No-Name was agitated by the sight of these hypersleep domes.No, she had a fear of them.Ash gulped. The only woman who had any clue of where she was taking them, or what they were about to become involved in- whether if a single word of the vows and reasonings they'd been given was even genuine- had become mollified by this sight.Yup. Those donuts would be really useful right about now...
The worker's quarters had exactly six bunks, two bath, and a four-burner stove. Not a speck of dust anywhere. Every belonging these people had sat in their respectively labeled boxes. One man sat on his bed, not on his phone, not reading or taking his shoes off. Just sitting there, staring at the tiles, breathing.No-name ignored everything but the coffee machine. As if by magic, a pan of perfectly round doughnuts sat on the countertop. The pan was exactly square with the wall, as was the coffee pot, and the coffee mugs.
Ruby grimaced. Really? More people. How's er, she was soon distracted from her indignation by an alien vibration in her abdomen, accompanied by amild pain. "What the tater?" She mumbled.
Ash ducked in the doorframe and held it open for Aero, who'd been silently trailing the other three during their solemn through the crystalline graves of the lifeless living. She ran her eyes over the immaculate room, noting the silent workers and immediately deciding a greeting that normally would be obligatory would be extremely uncalled for. She slowly made her way over to the counter, for once loathing the unnatural silence that she usually adored.
Sammy gave No-name a weird look. Suddenly, a random thought popped into her head. She glanced at Ash, her eyes wide. "Um, I feel like we're missing someone..." I can't believe I didn't realize it... Where is Mikki?!
Sammy looked distastefully at the coffee. "I don't drink coffee," she said to No-name, sitting down on a nearby chair. She glanced nervously at the vacant workers, lacing her fingers together.No-name nearly dropped her cup. Mikki. The dog girl. She hadn't seen her since... since they jumped off the plane. How could she have been so stupid? Headcount was six. Or was it five? No, Dryden hadn't been there when they landed, was that what had thrown her off? Had she counted herself?"Yes." She said at last, clenching her jaw. Great, now they had two people to find instead of just one. Then her eyes fell on the fire-girl who stared at the workers as if they were dead on their feet. "We've got oatmeal, I think. Everyone better fill up, we may not be back until dark."One of the workers, somehow dark-skinned with blue eyes glanced up at Ash. And stared.
Ash stared back, since it seemed like the appropriate thing to do.
Sammy nodded, walking towards the oatmeal to serve herself. She noticed one of the workers having an intense staring contest with Ash.
Ash continued staring. Etiquette logic was definitely at work here.
Sammy stared at Ash and the worker having a staring contest.
Ash stared at the worker who was staring at her and being stared at by Sammy who was staring at the staring.
If one looked hard enough, they might have seen the twitch of a smile cross the man's face, but he quickly staunched it, and his face regained the hollowness that seemed to be the trademark of Silent workers.
Just as she was browbeating herself for not taking an accurate headcount, No-name caught sight of someone outside. The missing girl.Before Mikki could touch the door, it swung open, and she was greeted with the shifter's stony face."Where have you been?"
Mikki jumped. "Um- Well, uh, my parachute got stuck in a tree, and by the time I got untangled, everyone was gone. So I wandered around until I found this place."
Ash gave Mikki a warm smile, relieved that someone had, even momentarily, averted their attention from the unnatural solemnity in the room. "Well, it's great that you found us and you're not wandering in completely unknown territory. Who knows?" Her eyes narrowed to hide the long-dulled glint of mischief. "Maybe they're some hostile cannibalistic natives out there."
"You're alive!" Sammy squeaked, feeling guilty that she hadn't realized that Mikki was missing sooner. She thought of the plane, remembering the little rooster. "Did anyone see where that rooster went? I think he somehow escaped from my pen..."
No-name clenched her jaw. It was a wonder that the girl was still alive, and it was all her fault. Not that she cared. She should have her legs broken from the fall, or at least scratches, but she appeared unscathed. She moved aside to let the girl into the building.
The man's hauntingly blue eyes followed Ash's, now staring at Mikki.
Ash noticed the stare traveling and discreetly poked Mikki. "Oh, and word of vital advice: stare at him every chance you get."
Ruby spun around in her bubble. After reveling in the strange feeling coming from her stomach for a while, she started to be very bored. And even more hungry. She started to think all the people outside might not be so bad, if they would get her food and get her out of here.
Mikki smiled at Ash, relieved to see that her friends were okay. For now, she thought, catching herself. "Who is he?" She asked quietly, her eyes turning light green as her gaze settled on him.
No-name shrugged, "Gabriel." She said half-heartedly, then motioned to the doughnuts, coffee, and oatmeal. "Are you hungry?"
Sammy sat back down and picked up a doughnut, hoping that it was cream-filled, not jelly-filled.
Gabriel stared at Sammy
Sammy continued eating her doughnut, pretending that she didn't notice him staring at her.
Ruby was now not only felt hungry, but was having her body deprived of resources. This made her very grumpy.Chase ran up to the bubble and tapped on it.

Ruby shot a glance at the human-inhuman-how did she know that word? Whatever, anyway, she shot a hostile glance at them, clutching at her stomach.Ruby shot a glance at the human-inhuman-how did she know that word? Whatever, anyway, she shot a hostile glance at them, clutching at her stomach.
He watched the girl's eyes open and clenched his jaw. How long had she been awake? Quickly, he pressed a number code on the outside of the bubble, and the airlock opened.

Ruby tumbled out of the bubble. She felt like being embarrassed that her wings were exposed for this dude to see, but she was too fatigued."Come on, now. We can't stay here." He said, bending over to pick up the girl.
Ruby gasped as she was picked up. "Where are we going?" she asked, the potent blend of curiosity and confusion overruling her embarrassment.He moved toward the wood line, "Shh." He cautioned, nodding toward the house. He knew it wouldn't be long until they noticed something was up, but he couldn't just leave her there. "We're gonna get you something to eat, alright?" Something kept poking him as he hurried, but he ignored it until they got to the relative safety of the jungle. Glancing down, he found his uniform ripped in places like claw marks. But there hadn't been any animals, how could...? Another step, and he blinked in amazement. Was her hair sharp?
Ruby saw Chase's shredded shirt, and blushed. "Oh, oh, oh! I'm so sorry!" she reached to her wrist for a hair tie, not really expecting to find one, but pleasantly surprised when she did. These things can't make it through a hair of over stretching, but they survived this? she rolled her eyes and quickly twisted her hair into a tight bun. (Ruby's cheeked flushed as she saw the damage her hair had done to his shirt. "Oh, oh oh! I'm so sorry!" She reached down to her wrist, not really expecting to find a hair elastic, but pleasantly surprised when she did. I swear, these things can't survive being wrapped around once too many, but made it through this? She quickly whipped her hair into a tight bun.)
He laughed. Must have been a special elastic to hold up those swords. They made it deeper into the jungle, where the penguin was waiting for them, and set her down. "Here." He said, taking off his backpack and digging out a protein bar. "Are you okay?"
Ruby dragged her eyes from the-Is that a penguin?- and looked at the dude. "Um... Yeah... I think so..." she jumped as her stomach growled particularly loudly, and suddenly remembered what it was doing. Oh! That makes sense. She then realized she had forgotten to ask this dudes name. Typical. A dude rescues you from a bubble, and probably starvation, and you completely forgot to ask what his name was. "Um... What's your name?" she asked, as she took the protein bar and struggled to unwrap it. Stupid impenetrable wrappers.As she more vehemently attempted to tear the wrapper, her hand slipped, and she ended up hitting herself in the face. Argh! she thought, rubbing her sore cheekbone. She finally managed, using her teeth, to open the darned thing. She had crushed the bar in the process, but she was determined to enjoy the fruit of her labors, so she stuck her hand into the package and shoved the proteiny crumbs into her mouth, sighing in relief as it hit her stomach.
Chase crouched and stared at the dragon-girl chewing on the granola, then shot a glance at his penguin. The bird cocked it's head, issuing a soft churring sound. The man shrugged. Might as well ask. "Hey, um. What can you do?" He said, making a fluttering motion with his hand towards her person.When she didn't seem to understand, his eyes bounced between her and the bird. "Like this." He said at last. Then disappeared.
Chase cried out as an invisible force plucked him up and threw him against a trunk. He stared at the dragon girl in horror. Was she doing this? No sooner had he scrambled to his feet than he flew up again, this time skidding into the gravel. What was going on?
Chase scrambled up for the second time to hear something crashing through the forest towards them.
"I heard something over there!" Someone called.
Then Chase grabbed the dragon girl's arm and disappeared.
Ruby gaped as Chase was flipped around. "Uh.. Nope, definitely not me." She gasped as he grabbed her arm, about to pull away, but she went along with it as she heard more voices.
Chase could only concentrate so much as he ran, and his invisibility flickered in and out. Over logs, thorns tearing at his clothes, spiderwebs clinging to his face and arms. If only they could get a little bit ahead they could hide!He chanced a glance back at Ruby. Poor girl's legs were likely still wobbly "How are you doing?" He panted. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted her. The Nameless one.Ruby ran evenly through the jungle, her energy keeping up with the strain very well. "Yup, I'm fine." she said.
---------------------"I think he must've endured a troubled childhood," Ash indiscreetly hissed to Sammy.
(No-name shrugged, "Gabriel." She said half-heartedly, then motioned to the doughnuts, coffee, and oatmeal. "Are you hungry?")"Um, nah, not really. I think getting stuck in a tree makes you lose your appetite," she joked. Aaand I don't want to get poisoned. There's nothing wrong with being extra careful. She looked down, realizing that she was staring. So that's Gabriel, she thought, I need to find way to talk to him.
Gabriel continued to stare. You wish to speak with me? Came a voice into Mikki's head.Whaaat. On. Earth?! Wait a minute. Mikki's head snapped up and she stared at Gabriel with wide eyes. You're a telepath?
Sammy's gaze flickered over to Mikki as she abruptly snapped her head up. Hmm? Did he say something? I don't think he said something.

It must have been odd to hear a laugh and not see the face remain stoney, They have no idea I'm inhuman. Gabriel thought. They don't usually hire them for the job, but apparently telepathy passes under the radar... How did you know my name?
Wow, so he's like, undercover, she thought, then realized that he must have heard that. This is SO embarrassing! Aaand he heard that too. Ack! Just stop- She took a deep breath. Well, I met Chase in the woods. He helped me get out of that tree. Mikki thought, looking away from Gabriel and hoping the others hadn't noticed her reaction.
He sent a shrug-like idea, though without moving. It's fine. That's the usual reaction to telepathy, but if it's any consolation, I can only hear your active thoughts. No memories. Then he visibly moved. Chase is here? He seemed to think for a moment. What does he want?
Mikki glanced up for a fleeting second, then down again. Yeah, he is. Well, he showed me to the edge of the clearing with all the bubbles. I had the impression that he was going to go back into the jungle after I entered the Silence, but I'm not sure. What do you mean by "what does he want?"
Sammy picked up one of Ash's dropped pens and scribbled a chicken onto a napkin. "What? Oh." She said, not paying much attention. She was thinking about Firestein and the bubbles. What does Firestein want from us? Is he going to put us in the bubbles? Humph, I'd like to see him try... But then again... What if No-Name has some sort of mega-un-inhuman-weapon? She stared accusingly at her doughnut. I wish I could read minds. Then I could tell when- if No-Name's planning to capture us... And why that guy is staring so intensely at Mikki...
Rather rude to talk about people behind their backs. Came a voice.
Huh? Oh, yes, very rude. Wait a second. You aren't my conscience... Sammy slowly looked up from her doughnut, locking eyes with Grabriel.Ash's eyes followed Sammy's hand and traced the dips and curves of the pen as it jotted o It a decent sketch of a chicken across the rumpled napkin.
He grinned, issuing a raised brow from No-name, but both quickly faded. "Time to go, kiddies." She said, "We've got a convict to find."At once, Gabriel nodded to Sammy, I'll let her know. He assured her.
Who? Let who know? Sammy thought, trying to direct it at Gabriel. She then glanced up at No-name. "Coming. Can I finish my doughnut first?" She asked, fingering the half-finished doughnut.Gabriel shrugged, I don't know what Chase is up to. I helped him once... Then No-no piped up, clapping her hands together briskly, "Okay, kiddies! Time to go out in the jungle and hunt down a criminal! Who's ready?" She said with false enthusiasm.
Ash raised an eyebrow. It was blatantly apparent that No-Name wasn't at all buying even her own excitement. She's obviously lying. Ash tapped a single finger across the table with every internal declaration. She's nervous. She's uncertain. And she's certainty not treating this like an everyday joy. "Alright," Ash declared with a mimicry of faux brightness. "I'm ready."
Aero sipped his coffee and eyed Gabriel nervously before returning his attention to No-name. "This should be fun." He murmured sarcastically, "Tracking down a criminal..." he placed his coffee on a table and nodded at No-name.
I'll have to find a way of warning Chase. Mikki thought, then grinned and nodded, hoping No-Name hadn't noticed her fleeting look of dismay at No-Name's announcment. "Okay. I'm ready," she said, standing up. I'll try to talk later, she thought at Gabriel.
She rolled her eyes, adjusted the pistol on her hip, and strode out the door. Hopefully this would be easier with so many eyes. Whether those eyes had any training or not. Hopefully Firestein's theory was right. Noble could have easily killed the kids, yes, but we're they all so weak toward these children?No sooner was she out the door than sirens sounded. No-name had already broken off into a sprint. Breech in quadrant 47 came a robotic voice.
As they followed No-Name, Mikki started to concentrate, sending her powers through the jungle, straining them to the limit, searching out Chase. Suddenly, she found him. Concentrating as hard as she could, she lifted him about a foot off the ground and tossed him away from the them. She repeated this two more times, wishing she was a telepath and hoping he would get the message: Run. Get away! She then glanced down at her phone in her hand. I'll text Gage as soon as I can, she promised herself.
Sammy stuffed the doughnut into her mouth and followed No-name out the door. "A breech? What-" She stopped as she realized No-name wasn't listening.
No-name froze at the hibernation pod, the same one that she had paused at earlier. For a fleeting moment she felt relieved. She shook her head. No, stay on track. She shunned herself. Her eyes flicked to the nearest patch of jungle, then back to Sammy and Aero. "I want two groups. One to the East and West. If you find anything suspicious, shout." She ordered, "Fire-girl and bat-boy, you come with me." She said, then took off for the perfect line of trees.
Mikki nodded and set off (who wants to go with her?). As soon as she passed the line of trees she pulled out her phone and texted Gage. This has to be fast. Firestein is bad. I'm gonna try to warn the others, but I don't know if I can.
Ash froze up as No-Name divvyed her off from Aero and Sammy. But I don't even know... She took a pace backward, coming up alongside of her sole remaining companion, Mikki. "Guess it's you and me, then," she murmured awkwardly as the other group made no time in setting off. 
Ash lagged behind Mikki, well aware that she was communicating with someone and giving her the rightful girth of space. I just wonder who...maybe Sammy or Aero have a phone they've been hiding and she's checking up on them....maybe. 
I'm right behind you. Came a voice in Ash's head.
Ash flinched as though she'd been physically touched. But I wasn't even listening to the wind...and this voice somehow sounds...more concrete than the whistles of a breeze...but it wasn't a normally spoken statement...or was it? She hurried up alongside Mikki, stuffing her hands in her pockets somewhat nervously. "Did you hear that?"
Aero hurried after No-name, probably faster than he should have, which almost resulted in him tripping over his own feet. He caught himself before falling, and continued sprinting. He glanced back at the Silence, torn between staying there and investigating what the fuss was about a 'Breech in quadrant 47', but figured he should keep an eye on the untrustworthy shapeshifter instead. While running, a gust of wind blew past them, catching his wings and sending him flying backwards before landing on his back on the forest floor.
Sammy followed, but not before inspecting the pod. I wonder what they use these for...? Maybe for inhumans that don't follow directions. She joked to herself, but, looking at the other inhumans, she could almost believe it..
"Are you okay?" Sammy asked, pausing in her sprinting. She looked down at him, wondering why he didn't just tuck his wings in while he ran.
"Oh," Sammy squeaked awkwardly, then glanced at No-name's figure. "I think she might've found something." She then hurried after him, concentrating on not tripping over roots or smashing into trees.
The Nameless one flew after them, and Chase nearly cried out as a shot echoed through the woods. His heart leapt in his throat. Why didn't he have a weapon? A knife, at least!
Sammy panted as she ran after No-name, who had somehow grown wings. Add that to the list of advantages she has over us poor untrained adolescents.
She has a gun. Great. Sammy thought, trying to go faster, but only managing to trip over a branch. She got up, wincing because of her now-scraped knee.

Ruby saw Chase preparing to fight. She wasn't sure who he was fighting, but he had saved her life, so she decided to fight with him. She unsheathed... er... un bun-d her hair and took up an athletic stance beside him, ears pricked to their approaching feet.Ruby saw Chase preparing to fight. She wasn't sure who he was fighting, but he had saved her life, so she decided to fight with him. She unsheathed... er... un bun-d her hair and took up an athletic stance beside him, ears pricked to their approaching feet.
Chase stood rooted to the spot. More shots rang out, bullets whizzing past their ears. At once he grabbed her hand and pulled her down as he crouched, trying with all his might to concentrate. Tune out the fear. Ignore the death. Blend in.The two of them were translucent at best when No-Name and the rest thundered up to them.
Ruby crouched beside Chase, waiting for whatever was about to happen.
Chase hunched in the brush, trying to concentrate on hiding the both of them. Then the Nameless stopped. He could hear her panting. Almost feel her breath.Don't focus on that. Think about anything else. Plants. Be the plant. Hide, Chase, hide.Ruby focused on slowing her breathing, zoning in, noticing nothing but the people about to attack them.805--------

-----------

(Ash froze up as No-Name divvyed her off from Aero and Sammy. But I don't even know... She took a pace backward, coming up alongside of her sole remaining companion, Mikki. "Guess it's you and me, then," she murmured awkwardly as the other group made no time in setting off.Ash lagged behind Mikki, well aware that she was communicating with someone and giving her the rightful girth of space. I just wonder who...maybe Sammy or Aero have a phone they've been hiding and she's checking up on them....maybe. 

Ash flinched as though she'd been physically touched. But I wasn't even listening to the wind...and this voice somehow sounds...more concrete than the whistles of a breeze...but it wasn't a normally spoken statement...or was it? She hurried up alongside Mikki, stuffing her hands in her pockets somewhat nervously. "Did you hear that?")
"Yep," Mikki replied, smiling at Ash, "Sorry, I was just trying to text Gage."Then she frowned as the other girl flinched. "No, I didn't." She answered Ash. Then, on a hunch, she asked, "Was it a voice that kinda echoed in your mind, but felt more solid than your thoughts?"
"Okay. Ash, as you hopefully know, Firestein is bad. He's just using us to find this 'criminal' before he puts us in those bubbles. And the criminal isn't even a criminal! His name's Chase. I met him when I was stuck in that tree. He helped me. But No-Name and everyone else are out hunting them, and if they find him he might be forced to fight back. So we have to find him before they do. And lastly, are you scared of heights?"
Sammy stumbled up beside No-name, her hands on her knees as she panted for breath. She looked around, narrowing her eyes at a particular spot of undergrowth, which seemed hazy. She made a split-second decision, and with a racing heart, slowly positioned herself so she blocked the hazy spot from No-name's view, hoping she wouldn't notice.
Ash blinked at Mikki. Her usually composed brain whirled as she tried to process everything Mikki had just fired at her in a rambling whisper. "Well, it's been obvious since that psychopath dude started carelessly decapitating people that nothing here is legal or safe for anyone else or definitely not the...organization's...enemies," she eventually managed, draping herself over a low-lying tree limb that dipped and curved up again. She always found she thought better when she wasn't completely on her feet. "But I hadn't realized we ourselves were in danger. And, hold on, what?" She tipped even farther over the branch, kicking her heels up in a contrasting gesture of relaxation. "You've been in contact with Gage this entire time?" She cocked her head sideways as she began sliding back down toward the ground like a gravitationally-challenged monkey. "How come..." Ash silenced herself before the words formed. Ha. Prior escape. What a laugh that her mind would even have considered that. "Alright, so we're racing against a shapeshifting and our own allies to find an alleged criminal that's actually a victim. Does he by any chance utilize far-reaching telepathy?" She motioned to her head with a twist of her palm. Her ankles abruptly hooked over the branch as her face neared the ground and she hung facing Mikki, swinging methodically. "Tracking someone down....and heights?" In a literal blink, Ash had completely righted herself and soundlessly landed beside the older girl. "You've got the right accomplice."
Chase's channeled his inner chameleon. Blend. Hide. But it was too late. He tried to scramble to his feet.
No-name grabbed his collar and pressed the gun to his head. "Don't. Move." She hissed. Those stupid kids had worked after all. She glanced back. "Hey! I could use some help over here!"
Aero skidded to a stop behind the pair, looking between No-name and Chase. That's it? That's the guy they came all this way to capture? He hestited in doing anything for a long moment, only staring dumbly. He doesn't look very dangerous, Aero thought, No, he must be dangerous... right? Then again, we did get this mission from a crazy dude that lives underneath a prison, and the shapeshifter isn't exactly trustworthy either. Suddenly, all his doubts about this mission came rushing over him and he did what any reasonable person would do in this situation. He flew into the sky and disappeared above the trees.
Ruby froze as the hostile person stuck a gun to Chase's head. Nobody really seemed to notice her. She backed up, analyzing the situation quickly.
Sammy froze, she had no idea what to do. Is he really a criminal? Should I help him or No-name? Is she gonna kill him? If I try to fight No-name, she'll easily win... But she's pretty much proved herself to be evil, right? She stared wide-eyed at them, eyes darting back and forth between No-name and Chase. Her eyes then settled on the dragon girl. Wait a second, who's that?!
Sammy glanced over at Aero helplessly, as if seeking advice. When he turned around and flew away, she realized she now stood even less of a chance against No-name, if it did come to a fight.
the 'Noel' they had rescued had Chase by the throat.
Gabriel snuck up to a sphere and peeked inside to where a spider girl lay curled in on herself. Wakey wakey. He said, watching her shuffle as he did so, and grinned. How long had they waited for this day?He tapped the control panel with a much-practiced code.
Sammy finally snapped out of her trance. "Stop!" she shouted, "You don't have to kill him! Don't... don't you have to interrogate him first?" She asked, trying to keep the hope out of her voice.Dryden watched the scene, his psychotic side was enjoying this. A lot.
No-name shoved Chase up in front, the gun behind his back and ordered him "Walk."Chase obeyed, chancing a glance back at the dragon girl over his shoulder."What are you looking at, lizard?" She saids and cuffed his head, turning his head a miriad of blues for a moment.Ten paces, then a shot rang out.
Sammy looked to her left and was startled to see Dryden right there. Where did he come from?! Can he teleport now or something?
Sammy nervously followed, glancing behind her at the dragon girl. Why isn't No-name bringing her...? She froze as a sudden gunshot rang out, looking around wildly to try to pinpoint the source of the noise.
Dryden gave a questioning look to Sammy, then averted his gaze back to the scene.Ruby looked at No-name, looked at Sammy, and looked back at No-name. What the heck do I do now???!!??! She thought, panicking inside. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. So that one's the bad guy, because she just took that dude, and that one looks like he's having way too much fun with this, and she's been on her phone this whole time. That doesn't give me anything, does it. She has a gun pointed at him. First order of business:get the gun. She crouched, then lunged at the gun.
The Nameless one let out a cry, and before Chase could spin around, she plowed into him. Instinctively, he grabbed her right arm as they went down, pinning her beneath him and peeled her pencil thin fingers from the gun.
Ruby scrambled up from the ground, taking up an attack stance in between the tussling duo and the other two people. She wasn't sure if they would help no-name, but she couldn't be to careful. She let out a low hiss, not moving.
Sammy stood still, frozen to the spot. Here was the chance that she had been waiting for. Here was the chance to be a hero. No-name had been caught off-guard. Dryden didn't seem to be paying attention. But still, she hesitated. Dryden was right there, and he would soon realize that he had to help his comrade. No-name would surely get over her shock and transform into some creature that Chase couldn't hold down... And then all three of them would be captured, or worse. In her indecision, Sammy automatically lit two fires above her hands.
No-name let out a cry as Chase landed an elbow in her ribs, and her vice on the gun faltered. At once, the man wrenched it out if her hand and turned it on her.
The shifter's eyes grew wide, and her smile became crooked. She shrank back, and kept shrinking. Her clothes puddled around her, and she stared up at them, starry-eyed. "No." Said Noel.
Dryden's eyes started glowing red as he watched the scene.
Ruby's gaze flickered toward the melting no-name, then back to the two silent people. One of them had fire in her hands. What the heck?! She gave a warning hiss.
"Yeah, but he hasn't been answering." Mikki said, feeling slightly betrayed. "No, Chase isn't a telepath, but you know that Gabriel guy back at the Silence? He is. And lastly, I was thinking that I could use my telekinesis to help you and me to fly and look for Chase from above. No-Name doesn't know that I can fly."
No-Name, now Noel, grinned down the barrel of Chase's gun. "You can't do it, can you?" She sneered. "Come on. Pull the trigger. I dare you."
Chase glared at her. His eyes were cold, trained, but his hand was unsteady. How could he hold still? When he was pointing at the mirror image of his little girl?
Ruby did a double take as No-name changed form. Who is that? Confuseld and unsure what to do, her attention wavered.
Slowly, he lowered his weapon and sighed, rubbing his face as he stuffed the barrel in his pocket. "Alright, somebody grab her. I can't stand to look at her, let alone touch the dirty beast." He growled.
Then he caught movement out of the corner of his eye
Ruby pounced onto no-name. She had no qualms about it; she had never met Leona.
She flinched as the dragon girl grabbed her, but kept her mouth shut in a twisted grin. She had won... For now.
Chase spotted him. The guy with the piercing blue eyes. "Gabriel!" He sighed. "Oh, man it's so good to see you." He said, coming towards him.
Gabriel cocked his head and offered a grin. You don't have to say it out loud, muffin cakes. He teased.Chase put his arm around Gabriel's shoulder and gave a snort, "I can," talk to you, "however I," dang well, "please." He said. And thought. "Come on, everybody! We've got some Inhumans to free!"

Ruby kept her stance on top of No-name, but her face wrinkled. "What's an inhuman?" she queried.
"You are!" Noel spat. Then paused for a moment, squirming under her foot. Then realized at that moment, so was she. She felt something churn inside her, but wrote it off as being stepped on. She couldn't think about that now. But they did save you. Came the stubborn thought. Whether they knew you were you.
805

Scene 21 - The battle pt. 2

Grant sighs "She told you she was Catholic didn't she?" He asks looking down "she must trust you a lot to tell you that. Misty is kind of weird like that she finds someone and she likes them and sticks with them" He shrugs "kind of makes me want to kill those people but ive done it before and she was really mad. Sadly unlike me, Misty has a heart big enough for every person in the world.... Wish I was like her sometimes"Grant sighs "She told you she was Catholic didn't she?" He asks looking down "she must trust you a lot to tell you that. Misty is kind of weird like that she finds someone and she likes them and sticks with them" He shrugs "kind of makes me want to kill those people but ive done it before and she was really mad. Sadly unlike me, Misty has a heart big enough for every person in the world.... Wish I was like her sometimes"
Gage went back in time.
A chill ran up his spine and he laughed rather like a goat. The guy spoke of murder as one might talk about the weather. "Am I, uh... on your hitlist?" Gage said.
"No... Unless you do something to hurt Misty, even if it was in the past, but I doubt you have"
He rubbed his sweaty hands on his pants and started estimating whether he could get airborne before Grant could grab him. "That's not very reassuring, man." He said.
"Even if I killed you Misty would attack me, shes not very fond of me attacking her friends, but you could say im heartless. Its just nature for me people always sob ask me before I kill them 'WHY ARE YOU SO HEARTLESS, DONT YOU EVER SAY SORRY?' And I always reply 'Did the person who made me this way ever say their sorry?' then I kill them" he pauses then adds"Those people were always serial killers kidnappers ect though"
His face dropped. "I've never even punched anybody." He said. An image flashed into his head. Well, maybe not an image. Perhaps more like a gif. Yeah, a mind-gif.
One of a scarred child walking up to an assassin and handing him all the change in her pockets, asking her to kill her abusive step-mother. Maybe, just maybe, it was okay once in a while.
He shuddered. Did he really just think that? But the little voice persisted. He knew it was possible to save a life and be in the wrong. The opposite must be true, as well. He eyed the kid. He didn't even look to be eighteen, and yet he had seen so much. Gage offered a smile, "You keep that up, and I'm going to have to call you Tinman."
Grant shrugs then grins at Gage and walks away.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

People started to catch on to what Rex was doing. One by one they started to shoot at him. He dodged bullets, before he finally dropped down on the ground behind a rock, exhausted.
Zen slunk through the battle field completely invisible shooting bullets through enemies lines. But he had to get out of there soon, and everybody might be waiting for him, where everybody is. Zen saw a copse of trees through the blood and gore of the battle field and started to make his way slowly then picked up speed and stopped just before he ran head first into a tree.
Tayn drove the hummer across the broken ground, she didn't actually have her license. But she figured it was pretty straight forward. put it in drive and hit the gas right. She looked around and tried to decide on a destination. Thomas needed to be taken care of soon. The cave was near by and a large group of inhumans had taken up hiding behind boulders near the entrance. Tayn bounced the car over to the cave and got caught up on several larger rocks. She spun the wheels around several times trying uselessly to get unstuck. The inhumans stared at her through the window. Fear and confusion on their faces. She gestured for them to come, and slowly opened her door.
Rex, done with his break, got up & continued to fight, breathing fire at a large group of Firesteins men. He flew up fifteen stories in the air before diving down like a falcon, going as fast as he could at another group of people. Bullets fired at him, & in the attempt to dodge one, he flew into another.Rex roared in pain. It had went right through the delicate tissue in his wing. He could still fly, but it hurt a lot. They will pay he thought growling. He dove at the person that shot him and without a second thought, bit him in half. Ew! Ewww! Gross, why did I do that?!? Eww! He thought frantically, spitting the mans torso out & trying to get the taste out of his mouth bleck, I'm going to throw up. He continued to attack, trying (but failing) to ignore the taste in his mouth. He used his tail to knock someone off their feet. When she fell, he pounced, jabbing his claws in her skull.
Gage deposited Leona's butt in the woods with the women and children myths. A group of them were off by themselves, whispering. Gage frowned. It would be rude to interrupt, but did they say...? "What is it?" He asked.They turned around and stared. An awkward silence followed.After what seemed like forever, a girl spoke up. One that at least appeared human. "We're tired of waiting around. We want to fight." She said, her eyes flashing. "What are you doing here?"Gage pointed to Leona, who somehow still had the dragon toy that Tayn had given her. "I brought her back here... do you have a plan?"The human-looking girl grinned, baring her canines. "We're going after the trucks. Wanna help?" She said. In that moment, she began sinking, her legs shrinking and her ribcage growing. Her grin turned into a muzzle, and the spark in her eyes to glowing green. Clothes turned to a shaggy mane, and her fingers curled into paws.Gage tried not to startle; it was rude. Yet, he hadn't really expected her to be a Lupus.
Tayn cautiously opened her door and says to the gaggle of inhumans "I'm one of you, I stole their truck, get over here and get a decent weapon there's some in the back!"
The truck's front wheels were in the air. so she hopped down her feet sinking in the mud, then opened the door to the back seat and waited gestured for Jayne to get out. Which he begrudgingly did.
"one of you watch him" She said as they walked over surrounding the truck. then she climbed in to the back seat and helped Thomas get out.
Rex continued to slash & burn enemies. He could feel his energy starting to drain. I hope I can keep this up long enough for everyone to leave. Rex thought. It was like one person trying to fight a war by themselves. All of his comrades were pretty much useless against guns. All around him, people were dropping like flies. He breathed another breathe of fire. The adrenaline made the wound in his wing feel like a small sting, but he knew that would change soon enough. If this gets infected, I will personally bite Firesteins head off. By thinking that, it made him remember the taste in his mouth. He sigh/growled. Someone took that as a perfect time to shoot. He just had enough time to process what was about to happen before the bullet hit him in the chest. He looked down, blood covering the wound. A terrifying growl escaped his mouth. Everyone around him paused. Rex kept making the sound, until soon he was shaking. He was laughing. He used his wing to wipe the blood away. The only sign that he was shot was the dent in his scales. They're idiots. Don't people know that wyvern & dragon scales are like armor? He stopped laughing and continued fighting.
Thomas leaned on her shoulder. He blinked "Tayn, is it normal that I can`t feel my leg?"
Once Tayn and Thomas were out of the way the inhumans climbed into the truck and started handing out guns.
She looked at him and smiled apologetically, "if you've been feeling it up til now then I screwed up. Let's get you in the cave it won't be easy but there was a waterfall down there and I can get you cleaned up if we make it that far." She pointed to the cave and stared at Jayne until he started moving toward it.
Jayne led the way through the cave, he thought it seemed like a really bad idea to be going into a cave that had just collapsed the night before, surely things weren't going to be stable. He tried to move a quickly and quietly as he could and not touch anything unnecessarily. 
Tayn walked behind him with Thomas. Regretting letting him keep his gun, Thomas could keep them safe, hopefully, so long as he had enough time to react and put the shield up if Jayne decided to shoot them and escape.The waterfall had stopped. The mossy concrete curned up into mud on the ground. A single florescent flickered above. Further down, the glow came, weak and dull blue. Two figures slumped at the entrance. One wore furs, the other armor.

The corners of his mouth turned up as four other Lupus shifted. Then it grew to a smile. "Brittany's gonna have to see this."
The wolf squad coursed through the woods with the wingman flying close behind. Over logs and brush until the roar of the battle pounded in their chests. A silver lupus lead the pack, her eyes trained on the closest humvee.
"Hey. Where's my quarterback?" Gage said.
Tayn grumbled about stupid people blowing up other peoples houses, then the blue glow caught her eye. She remembered that they had used the crystal bugs to heal Brittany. "You two wait here." she said and went further down in to the cave. Maybe leaving them alone was a bad idea, but getting though was going to be hard enough, the path was barely passable. 
She pushed her way through a narrow gap under a fallen wall, and climbed over a boulder, small roots brushed her arms and dirt fell over her head. It was tighter than she had thought.
She made it over the top of the boulder and jumped down on the far side, and was surprised by 2 figures slumped at the entrance to Atlantis. She only saw them because of the blue glow coming from the walls.
"S-Seri?" what was it Janet had said? "Are you guys ok?" she asked walking over to them.
Seri Liah lifted his head, nodding slowly. "There are some things that the crystals can't heal." Came a husky voice. He turned to his companion whose golden mane draped over his face, tangled with wet. The warrior glanced up. His jovial face etched with pain, defeat, and fear.Thomas limped beside her "Who are they?" He asked
A brown wolf raced up below him and flicked it`s ears. Brittany glanced up at him This is going to be awesome. I`m going to thank him til he goes to an early grave. Probably for more than one reason. She yapped at him five times, each for one letter of her name. and ran faster to catch up with the other wolves.
The passenger was folded over his rifle, popping off warriors from the relative safety of the truck. His face was in the scope, his ears drown out by the roar. The poor soul never even had a chance.
Tayn nearly jumped out of her skin, Thomas was supposed to stay on the other side of the caved in bit with Jayne... apparently they had both followed, which was fine since the crystals were on this side anyway.
"This guy is Seri, i think he was like a gate keeper? And I'm not sure who his friend is." she said her voice quieter at the end. "Jayne will you break one of those crystals over Thomas' leg?" She asked, and then checked on the guy.

Gage watched the wyvern as he swiped down rows of soldiers and scorched dozens more. Rex had their attention, alright. Time for phase two. Brittany ran with the other wolves "Mind if I join?" she asked in wolf
Jayne rolled his eyes at her back and pulled one of the crystals off the wall. and handed the crystal to Thomas."Oh," Thomas said awkwardly. grabbing the crystal in one hand he slowly pulled off the tourniquet with his other, groaning in pain. He broke it over his leg letting the bugs fall onto it."Hey, stormy girl." Vance groaned.Shocked that she hadn't recognized him Tayn stared horrified at the burly mans swollen face. She smiled trying to hide from him how bad he looked, and quoted an ancient lymric to try to lighten the mood a bit. "You got knocked down, but you'll get up again... Is there anything I can do to help?" She asked.
Rex fought, covered in blood which really stuck out on his dark mahogany & silver scales. I wonder if this is going to turn into a war that lasts for years. That would suck. Rex thought, trying to distract himself from the pain. Bullets kept bouncing off his scales. He had stopped trying to dodge the bullets, unless they were aimed for his wings. People started getting smarter and aiming at the soft vulnerable tissue on Rex's wings. He growled when a few bullets went through his wings. At least I'll have some new battle scars. Chic's dig scars. Rex thought half heartedly. He breathed fire at someone who had been shooting at him. Die, die, DIE!
The inhumans now armed with guns started firing back at Firesteins soldiers.
Thank goodness, the inhumans actually have decent weapons now. Rex thought, grabbing someone, flying high in the air and dropping him, watching as he fell. He continued the process with a few more people.
Zen knelt down and dug deep into his bag, and he gingerly pulled up three throwing stars. He searched the battle field for the most toughest looking enemies, then one caught his eye. he was rather tall and thick muscles bulged as he wielded with his sword.
With great accuracy Zen tossed a star. It planted itself deep into the enemies neck and he fell flat on his face. Dead.
Just then something grabbed him. Zen jumped in surprise, struggling to get away from who ever it was. He threw a backward punch and twisted out of it's grip, it let out an enraged yell. Zen quickly disguised himself, glancing down just to be sure. He pulled out the second star and threw it. It flew right over the assailant's head. Zen groaned with frustration and threw the last star, and it hit it's mark.
Vance seemed unable to answer her so Tayn looked him over. Aside from his head, which was a big problem. He was also pinned down by a fallen boulder on his leg. Too bad Rex was busy outside, they could really use his help. "Seri are you ok?" She asked trying to figure out if they would be able to move the big rock.
Crow chopped up AK-47s with his new sword. He was really starting to like his sword. He heard the sound of a shot, and an agonizing pain shot up his shoulder. "Ow," he muttered, gritting his teeth as he held his arm. You had to shoot my sword arm, didn't you? He thought, as blood welled up from the wound. He quickly ducked behind a boulder and tore off part of his sleeve, making a makeshift bandage. Crow looked around, spotting a group of inhumans gathered behind the boulders at the mouth of the cave. If I transform I won't be able to fly... especially with this sword. But I'll be an easy target if I just run over there. He sighed and transformed to his crow form, then started hopping awkwardly to the Atlantians. He looked back one more time at his sword.
707

Seri bobbed his head up and down. "I cannot leave my post. Not yet."Seri bobbed his head up and down. "I cannot leave my post. Not yet."Tayn looked over at Thomas and Jayne. Thomas was almost healed now, the bugs had done their job. Jayne stood by the crystals scowling at them.Vance smiled up at the Tayn. The weak kind when your don't want someone to worry. To let them know that everything's going to be okay. The lying sort. "Have you followed my instructions?" He asked.
Tayn's attention was drawn back to Vance, at least he seemed to be ok. "I've been trying to." she answered.
Tayn gave Vance a sad smile back, "everything's going to be ok. We just have to get you out of here." she said standing up. She gestured at the three guys to come closer to her. "Let's move this thing." She said jerking her thumb at the rock on Vance's leg.
Jayne rolled his eyes. "I could just put him out of his misery." He said moving his rifle in their general direction.
Thomas laid cold eyes on Jayne "You do that, and me and you are going to have a problem. If you call being shot with a blue light weapon, a problem, that is." he snarled. I don`t even know if I can use it as a weapon. But if he wants a fight, a fight I shall give him.
"Don't worry kid," He said smiling. "I'll make sure to get rid of you first if that's what you would prefer." Jayne slowly dropped the rifle to the ground by it's strap and spread his palms out at chest height, still smiling. Tense situations weren't always made better by a joke he realized.
"Tayn." He said, though his voice shook. Then he pointed to the mouth of the cave. "Get out there. Your people need you."
Her heart sank, here she was trying to be optimistic and he was just giving up? "They need you too." She said. 
Jayne took a few steps closer and looked at the boulder. "If we try to move that the rest of this place will cave in."
Thomas scowled at Jayne and picked up the gun.
Tayn nodded solemnly at Vance. They were going to have to leave him. "take care of him." She said to Seri. And turned to go back out of the cave.
Thomas began to walk by her side then stopped "Those blue crystals had bugs in them that healed my leg, what if we take some for the others?"
Vance nodded at her back. He wasn't sure if he could have torn himself away from her, if they were to switch places. She was brave. Braver than she believed herself to be.He clenched his fists and closed his eyes. At once, the veins in his arms glowed flaxen.
Seri immediately knelt to his side, "No, general! You can't do that, you'll-" he stopped himself. "Please rest, save your energy."But Vance wasn't listening. All his concentration put into what he was doing. The thunder outside churned from a dull grumble into a roar. Clouds roiled and turned black, streaks of gold tore across the sky.
Then the warrior's fingers unfurled as his spirit left him. The lightning was there for her. If only she had the heart to unleash it.
Tayn had hesitated before she climbed back out, she felt that she really couldn't just leave him there. She heard Seri and the Thunder roaring outside. She knew what he was doing he was giving everything he had left to help his people. She held back her tears and stepped forward. She couldn't look back or she would never leave. She climbed back out the way they had come, and made her way to the truck, she climbed in and locked the doors.
Tayn sat lost in her thoughts. A person who kills is a murderer. A person who kills in self defense isn't held accountable by law. Wouldn't they still be a murderer? The only thing she could hear was her heart slowly beating. If she stayed in the military truck she wasn't in any danger. Would it still be self defense if she killed people from safety? She would be protecting others, but they were strangers. Both sides were equal. No one was right or wrong. They were just all there fighting and killing. She looked out the window, she just wanted it to stop.
The sky had darkened, the clouds were almost black, with a purple hue to them. The air was a hazy orange color that seemed to make the ground glow. The people moving around outside seemed almost unreal. She didn't recognize any of them. Some were obviously inhuman others weren't. The people in military uniforms still out numbered the Inhumans. 
Anger filled her chest, how could people actually think that this was ok? 
The military were acting out of fear, or just following orders. They didn't deserve to die. But neither did the inhumans who were just doing what they had to to survive.
In that moment she thought of Ash, alone, locked away. Her sister hadn't done anything, but still she was treated like a criminal. If she had been here, Firestein would have had her killed along with all of the other inhumans. The only reason for this brutality was the humans fear and hatred of their abilities. Normal people who felt that it was the right thing to do to get rid of the unknown, or lock it away.
She sat imobilized by what was going on outside. She knew she couldn't stay there forever. Tayn unlocked the door, she had to go out there and make this stop. Somehow. 
She hopped out, looking around at the faces of the people around her. Something has to stop this. Her eyes met Jaynes. They stared at each other silently for a moment. "This has to stop." she said her voice trembling. 
Jayne saw the desperation in her. He stayed silent, staring into her eyes, he wasn't smiling anymore, he knew what was coming. All inhumans were the same. They had ultimate power and used it to get their way regardless who was hurt in the process. The sky bloomed with a blinding light and ear splitting thunder cracked all around them. Jaynes stomach burned in disgust.
"I just had a stupid idea that`s never going to work but, Tayn could you keep a wall of lightning between the inhumans and the soldiers if we could get them apart?" Thomas asked.
Despite knowing what she had done she was strangely calm. She looked out at the battlefield it seemed almost quiet, though some were still fighting many had stopped to look up. "Lightning doesnt really work like that. I dont know where it will hit just that it's coming." She spoke but her words were hollow and cold. So many had died, but she felt nothing. Thunder rumbled, it sounded like a comforting song. She closed her eyes listening to it.
"Oh." Was all Thomas said. Staring out at the battle field, his spine pricked with sadness for the deaths.

----------A Lupine tipped her chin, inviting the brown she-wolf to follow. A cry rang out from the cab. Bullets sprayed into the sky as gunman fell to the floorboards. Brittany sprang at a man and bit his throat, her fangs piercing his vital artery.--------------

Crow continued hopping down the edge of the battlefield, every hop sending a burst of pain through his wing. He scanned the battlefield, looking for any signs of threat. His eyes landed on a giant inhuman soldier who instantly fell over, for seemingly no reason. Could it be....? He thought, looking over the battlefield again. Zen?
Zen felt like he was being watch and he stopped in his tracks and looked up. Is that, Crow? Zen wanted to shout with happiness and he jogged straight through clashing swords and clanging metal towards Crow.
Crow heard footsteps approaching. He glanced around wildly, hoping that it was an invisible Zen, not an invisible enemy.
Zen called out, "It's me, Zen!!! Aw man it's so great to see you!! I was so worried that something might of happened to you!"
"Caw!" Crow replied to the place where he guessed that Zen was. He hopped rapidly back to where his sword was, since Zen didn't seem to have any weapons... unless he could make them invisible. He pecked the sword with his beak. "Caw,"
"Ah Crow be careful with that thing! And don't worry about me, I'm armed with a colt AR-15 and throwing stars." Zen said while shifting then gun to the other shoulder. Just then a bomb exploded and threw Zen off balance and he landed hard on his seat, Oh man that's gonna hurt. Zen looked up to see if Crow was okay, he looked fine just a bit ruffled. Zen glanced down again at himself making sure the blast didn't affect his invisibility but it did. Zen's only thought was, uhoh! And right then there a heavily muscled soldier came charging at him brandishing a sword, Zen quickly zipped over to pick up the sword that Crow pointed out in the first place and stood at battle stance preparing for the first clash. 
Crow did a hop-flap backwards when the bomb exploded. OW! Shouldn't have done that. he thought, looking at his bloodied wing. Wait a second. That's one of Firestein's. How'd they get a sword? He sighed inwardly as he realized he would have to shift to help out Zen. Or maybe not... He thought as an idea came to him.
Gage called out to his friends as the war raged on. Though a choice few of the soldiers were inhumans, none of them could fly. He had an idea. "Zen! Where you at?"
Zen slashed through a heavliy armed dude, and he fell over. Zen was just about take down another enemy when he heard somebody call his name. That sounded like Gage! Zen turned around, "I'm right here!!" He saw Gage standing only five feet away.
Crow hopped up behind Zen. He cawed loudly at Gage.
Gage sat up and blinked rapidly. His ears rang, and Zen's and Crow's voices sounded like they were coming through a tunnel. The whole battlefield smelled like ozone, with patches of earth blackened from where lightning had struck. Even what Rex did could not compare to this.His eyes scanned the destruction, and at last came to rest on Tayn. He would never hear cries like those that came from her on that day. She rocked back and forth, arms wrapped around herself, sobbing.At last Gage glanced up to where he had heard Zen's voice. "Thanks, man." He rasped. What was left of the humvees and foot soldiers began to quietly retreat over the hill, "But I think... I think it's over."
Crow shook his feathered head, trying to make his ears stop ringing. He quickly glanced around and realized it was safe to shift back to his human form. He gazed blankly at the destruction around him, feeling shocked and empty. He followed Gage's gaze, spotting Tayn sobbing hysterically. She... She caused this?
Gage righted himself, using Crow's shoulder to help himself to his feet. "Who's that with her?" He said, then his heart pounded in his chest. A soldier. And why was she wearing the same uniform? His wings shot out, nearly missing the dark-haired boy. "Tayn!"
Crow blinked in surprised as a wing flapped an inch from his face. He followed Gage more slowly, picking his way over the mud and bodies. He noticed his broadsword and picked it up with his left hand.
As the last of the soldiers trickled out of the battlefield, the Lupine alpha tipped her head back, letting loose a rebel yell.

Brittany`s heart pounded, her breath heavy with excitement. Her head tilted up and she let loose a deep wild howl of victory. We have won!
Zen looked around, the clanging of metal had stopped. He yelled out in trumiphand as he did so he heard Brittany howl. Long and deep. We have won! Zen thought with jubilation. 
He saw his group clustered by a copse of trees. He was finally going to be reunited!
Gage flew up to where Tayn sat, and plowed into Jayne
"Stop! He`s a prisoner! And didn`t kill us when he saw us." Thomas said from where he sat beside Tayn though he made no move to stop him from hurting Jayne
Gage already had the man on the ground and was pulling a fist before he made sense of the words, "Who are you?"
"Thomas. Brittany`s brother. You saw me in the forest." Thomas said. His eyes running over the wing man.
"I did?" He blinked. Jayne had already struggled out of his grip and was dusting himself off.Tayn said nothing, face buried in her knees.
"Yeah you were pretty distracted with landing and falling over." Thomas said
"Oh. Yeah." He said quietly.Jayne eyed him carefully. He wasn't used to to interacting with inhumans. The wings, horns, and feet were kind of a turn-off. Then he glanced to Tayn. The girl didn't look like she would be bold enough to step on an ant, and yet she had just caused all this. He thought for a moment. Maybe they were more emotional, maybe they were different, but this girl had the most... human reaction to the circumstances. He was about to approach to comfort her, but the wingman was there first.
Gage knelt beside her, hand on her shoulder. He wasn't sure what to say, after all, he was terrible at speeches.
Rex wandered over to gage & tayn, still in wyvern form. Did tayn do all of this? He though. If she had, he respected her a little more than before.
Gage started at first when he saw the huge, scaley beast lumbering toward them. Then he sighed, realizing it was just Rex.
Jayne, however, was not handling it so well. He noticed the sword in the dark-haired boy's hand and grabbed at it. He had absolutely zero idea what he was going to do. There were obvious marks on the scales, probably left by bullets. What would a stick do?
Rex saw him grab the sword. He spread his wings out & roared at him. If he makes on sudden move, I'll toast him! Rex thought, prepared to breathe fire at Jayne.
"Hey!" Crow yelped, trying unsuccessfully to pull his grab his sword back. He realized that Jayne was afraid of wyvern-Rex. "Uh, he's one of ours. He won't attack you, I think."
The beast's mouth lit up like a volcano ready to erupt, and he could already feel the heat on his face.
The sword quivvered in his hand, "W-what?"
Yes. Be scared. Rex thought.
Gage wasn't sure what to do. Rex's tail was wrything in anger, and seemed just as ready to pounce as not. The wingman flew up and landed on the grass between them. Oh, shoot. This was a bad idea. His palms grew sweaty as he held them out, one to a sword, the other a mouthful of fangs and fire. "Woah, now easy! Just take it easy, alright?" He glanced to Jayn. He still wasn't sure of this soldier, or Brittany's supposed brother for that matter. But the war was over. No more need for death.He swallowed hard, one hand still held out to Rex behind him. "Come on, now. Give me the sword. It's okay, no one's gonna hurt you."
Rex snapped at Gage's hand, purposely missing, before lowering his wings & calming down. He growled at Jayne. He had a bad feeling about him.
As Jayne's hand loosened on the broadsword, Crow snatched it back. "Next time, ask before you take someone's weapon." he said moodily. He motioned to Rex with his sword, "See? Not going to eat you."
Gage spun and, hearing the jaws snap, and snatched his hand back. "Hey!" He roared, more out of fear than anything, then cradled his palm, slightly scorched from Rex's breath.
Jayne let out a yelp. Now nothing stood between him and the beast but the scrawny angel-boy. Fear boiled in the pit of his stomach as the wyvern locked eyes with him. "Yes he is!" He squealed.
"Look." Came the boy's small voice. "I know you're not used to..." he glanced around at the small group, then motioned to James, "Our kind, but he said you're not again us. So you must be with us. And if you're going to be with us, you have to trust us."
Rex's wings were starting to really hurt. He was tired & in a bad mood, & he wanted to shift back but couldn't because his clothes were shredded. He sat down, glaring at Jayne.
While they had been arguing over weather or not to attack Jayne Tayn had stopped crying. She sat on her knees glaring at them silently angry that they wouldn't just stop."He never said he was on our side." She said quietly. "But there's no reason to do anything to him. Just let him go." 
"Everyone calm down, and wing guy, I never said he was with us just that we kinda um took him as a prisoner." Thomas said awkwardly. He stood up, eyeing Rex
A young dark haired girl approached them "Geesh, I leave you people for what? 30 minutes and y`all are trying to kill each other? You need me worse than I thought." Brittany joked, grinning. But it quickly vanished.
Jayne would just as soon have let them assume he was on their side, at least while the Wyvern was still watching. Oh, great. Now the wing-man was moving away, and he was still defenseless.
Gage scratched the back of his neck. For most of the battle, he had been aloof. Not even punching anyone. They would all probably have major PTSD, and he would still be a young and dumb. "Sorry, guys." He said, kicking a patch of blackened earth. Then he glanced to Jayne, "Well, it's up to you. What do you want to do?"
Brittany drew up to Gage`s side, and began to talk in a mere whisper so only he could hear "Sorry for what Gage? None of this was your fault. It was Firestein. Only he and his most trusted.... servants fault." She said, her voice becoming a cold, ruthless snarl as soon as she said 'Firestein'. Her eyes frozen on Thomas.
Gage heaved a sigh. "No. All of it is my fault. I got you into this. I brought you all to the tenement building. Then I fly off when you need me most?" He held up his hands, "I haven't even a scratch."

Crow wondered where Tayn's backpack was. "Hey, Tayn, where's your backpack?" he asked, realizing that it probably sounded like a really random question. He shifted his sword in his grip, wincing as he moved his right arm too much.
She looked over at Crow her eyes freezing on the blood on his arm (shoulder?) he was hurt. She closed her eyes shaking her head and then looked at the opening to the cave. She wasn't going back in there. Vance was still in there. She clenched her teeth trying to bite back her tears. But they began to fall down her cheeks again. 
One look at Tayn`s face and Thomas knew what she was thinking "There are healing crystals in the cave, I can go get you one." He said kindly to Crow
"Er, ok. I'll come. Is Tayn's backpack down there?" Crow asked. He started to trudge towards the mouth of the collapsed cave.
Tayn pulled herself together, as much as she could and tried to answer. "My backpack, is in the room, the..." she looked around at the others trying to remember who had gone down to Atlantis. "Where Vance took us. It's probably buried under a ton of rocks now." She said.
Thomas nodded to what Tayn said, and began to follow Crow
Crow turned around, not expecting an answer out of Tayn. "Oh," he said. I guess Rex will have to wait to get clothes.
"Let`s go get that crystal for your arm." Thomas said. Stopping by his side
Crow stepped into the cave mouth, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. "Where are the crystals?" he asked Thomas, trying to look farther into the cave.
"This way," Thomas said and began to go deeper into the cave. Though he turned and walked over to the wall and jumped onto a large rock and began to inspect the cave wall. He spotted a blue glowing crystal that protruded out of the wall. He quickly broke it off and hopped down.
Crow wasn't anxious to have glowing bugs heal his arm, but he didn't see any other choice. "So... You just break it over my arm?" he asked hesitantly, pulling the makeshift bandage off the wound.
"Yup," Thomas said walking over he held it over his arm, breaking it the bugs fell onto his wound. "Don`t nock them off."
Crow flinched as he felt the bugs crawling over his arm. He looked away, his eyes settling on Thomas. "So... You're Brittany's brother? She never mentioned a brother."
"Yup. Well til earlier today we both kinda thought the other was dead." Thomas said "Not to surprised she didn`t mention me."
"Oh," Crow said, giving him a sideways look. He was going to have to ask about that, later.
Jayne clenched his jaw and looked around at the group, they didn't seem particularly organized. He wondered if he should stay with them and see if there was a way to bring them in to Firestein. Or maybe find a way to stop them from causing any more trouble. He looked at Tayn again and nodded. "I'll stay with you. As long as you keep that big thing away from me." He said waving his hand toward Rex.
Rex growled. He didn't like being called a 'thing'.
"Good. His name is Rex." Brittany said confidently. I don`t like that man one bit. He`s probably a spy. she thought. "I`m Brittany. If your gonna be sticking around I`d like to at least know who I`m talking to, who are you?"
"Jayne Athulan. First Detachment. And You?"
"Brittany Deveraux. I think I was just a part of a stealth unit. Not sure." Brittany said evenly, looking 'Jayne' if that even was his name up and down. Distrust was written all over her face.
He frowned pensively so they were organized at least on some level. "So who is you leader?" He asked though he said it like he didn't really care what the answer was.
Rex stood up & flew off.
Brittany studied him but motioned to Gage "Gage," She said a questioning look on her face as if to say Why would you need to know that?
Amidst the blood and sweat covered warriors, he couldn't help but blush. He was probably the least qualified to lead.
He looked over at Gage surprised that their leader was someone so young. He shrugged confused and fell silent. Who were these kids? And how could they have gotten so many to follow a brat kid with wings?
Awkward silence followed, no one was talking. Most were just looking at each other, in a daze from the fight. "So, why are you one of Firestein`s soldiers? Why would you join him?" Brittany asked awkwardly.
Jayne paused before saying anything but couldn't think of anything tactful to say. "I joined Firestein's forces because I don't like finding the people I care about lying dead in the street. Maybe that's just me." he said bitterly breaking eye contact to stare at the ground.
Crow smirked bitterly. You aren't the only one that's lost family to inhumans. He thought, feeling the familiar sorrow that came with thoughts of his parents. He quickly pushed the memories away, back into the corner of his mind. Brittany was saying something.
Rex flew back, in humanish form. When he landed, he had his mask on & was wearing some guys torn & bloody uniform & shoes.
"No-one likes that.. I didn`t at least. But you really think this," Brittany motioned to the battle field "Will fix that? Only the very one who killed is responsible. Now don`t get fussy either and say I`m just being a 'inhuman', I like to know people I`m with. No reason to let them around if their untrust able." She paused "So give me a reason."
"If the inhuman who did it could be found sure. I would agree. But there's no way to find them. I don't think that all inhumans should be killed. But I also don't think that you (you people) should be able to do what ever you want with no consequences, just because no one can stop you." He shrugged again. "You can trust me if you want to. Or not. Doesn't really matter."
"Then if you can`t find them- then don`t do anything. But if that was the case that your gonna punish us, why shouldn`t we punish you? We can do to you, what you do to us. I only saw one side taking revenge today. And only one side who started the attack on innocent people. That was you. Forget this, I know of you enough now." Brittany said. That man sickens me. She thought disgustedly.
Tayn stared at the two arguing her whole body tense. Brittany had told her to stop arguing and just trust a random guy that was working for Firestein(Thomas). Now she seemed to be trying to pick a fight. She stood up angry, stepped over to Brittany and slapped her across the face.
Brittany was about to say something snappy at tayn but stopped. Embarrassment rushed threw her and she dipped her head "Sorry Tayn. Looks like I need to practice what I teach."
Tayn hugged her trying to not cry more. "Can we just get out of this place?" she asked.
Brittany wrapped her arms around her "I think we should. Well Firestein knows where most of us live, and my house is burnt down, so how does Coffey sound?"
"Really, really good." she said a small smile of relief on her face.
Brittany gave a small chuckle "Gage, Rex, Zen who is probably standing right behind me and I just can`t see him, what do you guys think?"
Gage's voice cracked, "Best idea I've heard all day.""Coffee sounds good," Crow interjected, unconsciously rubbing his shoulder.

------------

----------------------------
Janet paced the prison cell as much as her shackles would allow. Poor Barnes was still bent over that blueprint. He seemed to be keeping some kind of vigil, not speaking any further than the occasional note he slipped her. She had had to eat a few of the more important ones, though it hadn't been her idea. Barnes ate a few himself, and honestly, they were better than the gruel they were being given.Why am I even chained? I'm not Inhuman. She had written the first day. The only response she had gotten was a stiff shrug.She wondered about Leona often, and about the newspaper ad that had lead the young 'heroes' to her smoking spot. And Noel... There was only one shapeshifter that would do such a thing. Prison gives one lots of time to think. And not the nice "Peter Pan thoughts" either.

Scene 22 - Starbucks

Misty staggers through the dark forest, moonlight illuminates Misty's many cuts and scrapes including the one Maru gave her on her wrist. Her hunger and thirst has increased dramatically over the past few days shes been running from Maru, Misty suddenly collapses. Her breath comes in heaves as her broken ribs dig further into her lungs, she lays face down in the dirt. Colors flash through her closed eyes and the agony starts to fully take her over, on the verge of giving up Misty starts to cry. Thinking: this is it, this is how I end. Thats when someone slowly picks her up, her agony melting away...Misty staggers through the dark forest, moonlight illuminates Misty's many cuts and scrapes including the one Maru gave her on her wrist. Her hunger and thirst has increased dramatically over the past few days shes been running from Maru, Misty suddenly collapses. Her breath comes in heaves as her broken ribs dig further into her lungs, she lays face down in the dirt. Colors flash through her closed eyes and the agony starts to fully take her over, on the verge of giving up Misty starts to cry. Thinking: this is it, this is how I end. Thats when someone slowly picks her up, her agony melting away...

Misty feels power fill her, she looks down at her wounds and the muscle knits together and heals instantly. Her body seems to float above the ground, she tries to mover herself near a river for water but her hunger and thirst vanish, her body moves near a crystal clear creek and she gasps when she sees herself. Pure white with ice blue wings sprouted from her shoulders seem to give off their own light, her body is a wolfs body but larger and more mystic then any wolf shes seen before. Her fur a golden blonde and white sharper then any color shes witnessed, her eyes a blue green that literally glow with power. The need for being a human fills her and right before her eyes she shifts into her human form, but her hair is long and wavy. The same sharp golden blonde as her fur, her side bangs covering her new Ice Blue eye, in place of her hoodie and shorts is a white sleeveless shirt a long pure black cloak, gray leggings and black knee high boots with ice blue laces. Misty's wings the same glorious white with ice blue, filled with a new found power Misty darts above the trees and faster then a jet she soars into the city. I must find Grant, I need to give him this power.
Misty runs through the crowd, her wings folded back and her breath short, she looks around with eagle sharp eyes. She spots a bird in the sky, a black crow Crow! She waves her hands at Crow and sprints forward with renewed energy. Everything melts away, fear, sadness, the longing to see her friends once again, everything, and she spots Starbucks, she skids in front of it but slides into an alley instead. She crashes into a pile of trashbags, "ugh" she groans as she slowly gets up. That's when she becomes face to face, eye to eye with Grant, except his eyes are a venomous green....
Crow was cruising through the sky, letting himself get lifted higher with a strong draft of wind. He glanced down at the ground, spotting a winged human waving at him. He narrowed his eyes. Why does that person look like Misty?... No... It can't be... He felt relief flood through him. She's safe! Then she skidded into an alleyway. "CAWWW!" he called, flying after her, and had soon landed in the alley. "Ca-" he froze, his eyes riveted on Grant. What the...
Misty freezes in fear, Grant walks closer to her eventually pinning her to the brick wall. "G-Grant what are you doing.." a pit drops in her stomach, he puts one arm by her head and smiles wickedly, his venomous green eyes blink horizontally. He then curls the arm by her head around her neck and he wraps the other arm around her waist, with a rough pull he takes her closer to him, looking down at her with an insane smile upon his lips. Misty struggles in his grip fear slowly consuming her, no, no it cant be! He's alive Grant is alive! He didnt die back on Elemians he didnt! I wont believe it, hes not a Changeling, HE CANT BE. Grant leans in his green eyes getting closer and closer, and just when he was going to kiss her, she hears a sickening crunch, something sharp and cold pokes her chest.
The body fell away, a knife lodged in it's back
Grant looks at Misty, fear in his eyes as they glass over, and he falls, taking her down with him. Blood pools around him and his body begins to shift, light green scales take place instead of skin, bug wings slowly appear and his eyes glass over. Misty struggles to get out of the dead Changelings grip, but his body is already stiff and heavy, holding her down under him like stone. Someone stuffs a gag in Misty's mouth, and she muffledly screams in fear as she sees who it is, his fiery red hair mirroring in her eyes
--------------------

Brittany sat down beside Tayn with her Vanilla Bean Mocha. Happy not to say any thing~Thomas awkwardly sat down beside crow, not quite knowing what to do, other than get a hot chocolate.Crow contentedly sipped a hot latte, watching Thomas awkwardly sit down next to him.
Gage had a small, black coffee. Like his heart felt right now.
Thomas awkwardly glanced over at him
Jayne wasn't sure why he followed them here, maybe out of pure curiosity they were quite a strange bunch. He ordered a cup of coffee and sat waiting at the same table as the inhumans watching them. 
Tayn slouched in her seat hugging her black coffee to her chest somehow it made her feel better. She was exhausted and hungry and some how the coffee made her feel like she was at home snuggled in bed. She was having a hard time keeping her eyes open.
Gage didn't look up. He couldn't face anyone right now. Let them stare.
Rex flew into Starbucks. On his way there, he had stopped at his apartment to change. He ordered a cup of black coffee & sat down.
Jayne eyed the half wyvern man while he waited for his coffee. The whole group was quiet except for the little girl who was humming while she ate a muffin. How did she tie into all of this? he wondered.
"How`s that wing Rex?" Brittany asked
"Oh. It's fine. " Rex said sitting down at their table with his coffee.
Brittany nodded and took a sip of her Vanilla Bean Mocha
Tayns eyes closed and she slowly lowered her coffee mug to sit on her knee. Her mind wandered, why had she joined this group to begin with? To be a hero? Were they heroes? Were they saving people? Some how she had managed to run in to her sister because of joining this group so it wasn't all a lost cause. But where was Ash now? The last time she had seen her was here at this coffee shop. Would they ever see each other again? She opened her eyes blinking at Jayne. Maybe he would know where they were. Or maybe Thomas? She trusted him more than Jayne but would he actually know? Tayn looked at Leona they had promised to try to rescue her mom. They would have to do that first or split up again. Was she up to doing that? Another dangerous mission with little or no information. Thomas said she was either in town or on an airplane halfway across the pacific. "We should look for that pizza guy Janet mentioned, he'll be able to take care of Leona." She realized after she said it that maybe she shouldn't have said it in front of Jayne, but it was too late it was already said and she was too tired to stress about it.
Brittany glanced at Thomas and Jayne. She suddenly sat down the drink she was sipping on "Tayne`s right." she blurted "But wait- do we even know where this pizza guy is? There`s bunches of them here."
Gage traced his finger around the rim of the mug and nodded. He didn't feel like he had any authority anymore, or that he should be given any respect. They had all laid their lives in the line in a freaking war, and where had he been? In bed.He cleared his throat, voice barely above a whisper. "17 West Point street. They guy's name is Sam, he works in the back." He said, not looking up from his cup. "We also need to send another group to Firestein's place. Maybe ask the inhumans from the battle if they're willing to come along." Then he shrugged, "If that's alright with you guys."
"Sounds good to me. A smaller group goes to the dude- Sam- and the rest of us go to Firestein`s hide-out. Perhaps only one or two people go to this Sam guy. Gage- everyone else would that be do-able?" Brittany said. She saw no reason he should be moping around- she had just fought and he was safe and sound. Why is he in such a mess? He was the leader here- he needed to suck it up.
Rex stared down at his coffee cup, before taking a sip. It had gone awfully quite, but after all the noise from earlier, it was nice.
Tayn nodded, and wondered who would be best to take Leona to Sam. "I don't mind taking her." She said quietly, and immediately regretted volunteering remembering the fight she had trying to get Leona to go with her in the forest.

Grant slowly walks into Starbucks, his entire being aches as he thinks of the tortures Misty is probably enduring. He notices the whole gang at a table and walks over without a word, with his eyes cold and his heart hard he sits down and listens to the conversation.Crow shot a questioning glance at Grant, but he wasn't looking.
"well I guess I'll take her now then." Tayn said sighing and standing up. It was getting dark outside. She wished Ash was there so she could have a pen to write down the address, but she would just have to remember it. "17 West Point street?" She muttered to herself."Ok, come on."She said cheerily to Leona taking her hand.Tayn hesitates before leaving "where should i meet up with you guys?"
"Tayn," Brittany paused "Be safe. We'll wait for you."Tayn nodded before leaving.
Jayne stared at the new comer. Another obvious inhuman. Though this one had a darkness that the rest of the group seemed to be lacking. He realized that that was why he had stuck around, this group of inhumans wasn't at all what he was expecting. The majority of them seemed to just be kids. With the exception of the half-wyvern, and now this guy who though he was young certainly gave the impression he wouldn't have a problem killing someone. He shifted in his chair, was no one going to acknowledge this guy? The so called leader was silently staring into his mug. exasperated by the silence Jayne spoke up."Hey there." He said to the wolf-man. Jayne looked over at Brittany. "Is this guy your brother too?" He asked sarcastically.
Brittany slit her eyes over to him "Nope." she said blankly
Rex looked up at grant. "Where's misty?" Rex asked.
Grant nods at Jayne but doesn't say a word
"Shes gone, probably on the edge of death right now." He grits his teeth "because of that" He curses "Maru"Jayne chuckeled to himself for her reaction. And then grew more serious again listening to the conversation. "Who is Maru?" He asked.Grant growls and doesn't awnserRex looked confused, but didn't say anything else.
Brittany`s head snapped around to look at him "That Maru that she told me and Gage about has her?"
Jayne shrugged at him, apparently Maru wasn't a friend. "I'm going to get more coffee." he sighed and got up. He considered sending a message with his phone, but decided he would stick around for a while more. For now these kids didn't seem that dangerous.
Gage's finger, which had been tracing the perimeter of his cup, froze. The feathers on his wings prickled slightly. Flashbacks of the snakeman, his motorcycle crash, and the blood... then Misty's face, the flight in the thunderstorm, the sound of her voice softly singing Amazing Grace.Grant had been gone for several hours, looking for her no doubt. He should have helped... but then, he should have fought in the war, too. Or maybe taking Leona to the pizza guy? There were so many things he needed to do that he just felt like giving up. Yet he couldn't."How far did you track her?"
Jayne waited by the counter for his drink to be prepared. He watched the group at the table wondering if they felt more comfortable talking with him out of ear shot. Maybe he should just leave while they weren't looking. Something in the back of his mind that he couldn't quite put his finger on compelled him to stay. He took his now finished coffee and went to sit back at the table.
Rex leaned down on the table. He hadn't really been paying attention to the conversation, so he didn't know why Tayn & Leona left.
Crow was listening intently. This just keeps getting worse. "So, this Maru dude... Where do you think he'd bring her? I could fly around... And..." His voice faltered. He knew that the chances of finding her were slim, especially since Grant hadn't had any luck.
Grant slams his fist on the table "Not a trace!" he yells, coffee splatters everywhere some landing on his hand and scorching him, but he doesnt seem to notice. he lowers his voice as he sees the employees staring at him. "I just cant stand it that after all these years Maru has her..." He puts his arms on the table and buries his head in this arms. "I just wanted to tell her before she died..." he murmurs slowly.Jayne jumped spilling his coffee that he was taking a sip from, and glared at Grant.
Brittany growls quietly as he slammed his fists. "She isn`t just your friend Grant!" she took a breath as he calmed down "She won`t die. I know her--she will never give up-- she is a fighter, she will not die Grant." How can I promise that? she was probably saying that more to herself, but she didn`t care. she gave a long pause "You`ll still have a chance."
Grant glares at Brittany, "you dont know Maru, you've never experienced what he can do. Misty is at the hands of death itself when shes with Maru. Only God himself would be able to help her.""No I don`t. But I know God, and Misty." Brittany growled even quieter, seeing a Barista starring. Her head was still a little shook up from a hit at the battle, causing everything to look like it was spinning.Jayne sighed, "You know, if you are looking for Gods help first you have to take action towards what you want. He'll help those who are willing to help themselves. At least, that's what I was taught." He said while grabbing napkins to absorb some of the coffee on his pants.Gage wondered how Firestein's minion knew anything about God.
Crow snorted. "Well, we can't rely on that, can we?" He asked, a tone of bitterness on his voice. He abruptly stood up from his chair. "Do you want me to fly around or not?"Brittany glanced at Crow as he stood up Grant silently sits there despite everyone's attempt at trying to make him not worry. Thinking to himself: I wasnt enough I just wasnt enough, Misty I'm so sorry.It was obvious they wanted him to keep his opinions to himself. Jayne sat quietly listening while he tried to dry his clothes.
Gage gritted his teeth. Seemed like the heartless boy wasn't so heartless after all. But we already knew that didn't we? He waited for silence before speaking, his voice hoarse, "Hey, Mr. Tinman." He said. He knew he was taking a chance trying to touch Grant, but he wrapped his wing around the kid, anyway. "I didn't run into a brick wall just to give up now." He said, offering a little smile.

Jayne smiled to himself thats how this kid was the leader. He took responsibility for his friends problems and did his best to keep them going even in a bad situation.
Crow, getting no response, sat down again. He grumbled something under his breath, staring at his coffee with a frustrated expression.
Gage stared at his black coffee. His head hurt, his wings hurt, and he wanted to go home. He chanced a glance at Grant. There was one of their group missing, and even the most dedicated of the group couldn't find her.His mind flashed back to Tor. Had he even visited her gravestone? His throat stung with the beginnings of tears. Then the images flicked to himself and Misty in the tenement halls, and how she had shouted at him for his war-movie speech. Then to singing Amazing Grace in Riv's apartment- gosh, what a voice. He never sang in front of people. Never. And yet she had caused him to do so multiple times. Then the flight. Oh, the flight. There was just... something about taking flight with someone. Maybe that was a weird, and a little mushy, but true. She had even trusted him enough to leave his back, when he hadn't even trusted himself. And then the snake man.*enter tayn and zen stage left*"Gaa!" He swatted his cup off the table. Coffee splattered all over the floor, and on himself. For a moment he stared at what he had done. Subconsciously his hand went to his pocket, where he felt the usual gum wrappers. Why did he just do that?
He glanced up. Everyone's eyes were on him, and some of the customers started to leave. The little barista was in shock.
He swallowed hard, then turned to look at his little group of warriors, ashamed. "Guys, I-" he gave an exasperated sigh, "I'm sorry. This wasn't what I had meant to happen. Half of our team is in Firestein's hand, an entire underground city is blown up, and Misty is M.I.A.." He glanced back at the spilled coffee and whispered, "because I wanted to be a hero." He spat.
Rex jumped up from his chair when gage hit the cup down, reaching to his belt before stopping and looking down. Darn it Rex thought, realizing he lost his gun when he turned into a wyvern. He sat back down and started glaring at gage."Then do something" Rex said to gage. "Why sit around pouting, acting like a child when you can help, find Misty?" He stood up and stomped off, outside before flying towards his apartment. Brittany nearly yelled at him, but stopped. But her ruthless glare was obvious. Brittany looked at him with a sympathetic look on her face "Gage... Gage this my fault as much as your`s. And everyone else here. We signed up, yeah we didn`t expect this, but we have something very right to do now. We go find Misty and all the rest of our friends, and we will finish this." She gave all of them a hard look "I think we should go find them." Her face softened "What do you guys think?"
Crow let out a sigh. "It isn't all your fault, you know," he said quietly. He abruptly stood up, "I'll go search for Misty," he said bluntly, knowing that continuing to sit here and stare at his drink would make him go insane. He marched out the door of the Starbucks and turned into a crow, launching into the air.
Gage startled as Crow just got up and left. Wait- he had to clean up his coffee, he couldn't leave yet! He backed out of his chair and took two faltering steps toward the door, not sure what he should do.But out of the flurry of support came Rex's low growl. A child? Well, he certainly what he felt like one right now. He held up his singed hand and was about to retort about the Wyvern's own childishness, but he had already left. Gage stood at the door and huffed. Drama-dragon."If Leona is safe," he said as he glanced back at Tayn. Then his eyes roamed to the barista, an apology written on his face, "We better scram."Then he heard the caw, and flew out the door.
"I think we should!" Tayn said from the door. "If not for all of this, sure some bad stuff wouldn't have happened. But a lot of good stuff wouldn't have happened either. We can't change what has happened. Only what will, and if we give up now, we will intentionally be allowing more bad things to happen. Isn't that just as bad? We promised Leona we would look for her mom. The rest of our friends are missing. We have to do what we can to make things right. It is our fault. Not just yours so lets all fix it.
Jayne was surprised but kept quiet. Who were these people? And why was he having such a hard time finding something, anything that would prove they were the evil people that he thought they were?
Brittany smiled at Tayn. "I agree." She said. She looked at the others "No matter what I`m going, but we`er a team. Please."
Tayn walked over to the table.
"Thomas, or Jayne." She said. "Barnes, Janet, and Char left the hidden city last night. Crow said that Firestein had captured them. Do you know where he would have taken them. As far as we know they aren't inhumans like us."
"Base a couple blocks from here or they could be in New Zealand." Thomas said kindly
Tayn looks over at the remaining group. "Let's go check out the base then. I promised Leona we would look for her mom."
"Well ya heard him! Let`s go find our friends!" Brittany said standing up and sprinting out the door "Come on guys!"~~~Thomas followed his sister and wing-man
Tayn drags all at the Coffee shop peeps with her to go find near by base. They see Misty in alley with (Scary red haired guy?)
Thomas stood at Tayn`s side "Do you know her?"~~~ Brittany`s eyes widened "Misty!" She gasped quietly
"yeah" she said in a whisper. Then ran forward and grabbed the guy holding her. From behind wrapping her own arms around his upper arms and clasping her hands behind his back.
Thomas and Brittany ran with her, Brittany giving him a punch in the face and Thomas kicked his legs
Crow transformed into a human, his hand on his sword (yes, he brought it to Starbucks). He let out a sigh as Tayn, Brittany, and Thomas rushed at the guy. "I'm the only one here with a weapon, you know!" he said, exasperated.
"I have a high power pistol!" Brittany called ~~~Thomas blushed and whispered quietly "I have a belt knife."
"Starbucks must have horrible security," Crow muttered, then said more loudly, "Well, why don't you use it, then?"
Jayne stood next to Crow and looked over at him sheepishly, shrugging at him. These kids were brave if nothing else.
Brittany had already had it out as she said she had it grinning that he hadn`t noticed "Already ahead of you." She pointed it at weird guy`s head
"Is that- Oh." Crow put his sword back, crossing his arms. That's when the realization finally dawned on him. Grant, a reliable part of their team... had just tried to kiss Misty, got stabbed, and revealed himself to be a rather large flying snake... and he was dead.
Misty hears Brittanys voice but doesnt respond her body frozen with fear
Maru laughs, he pulls himself out of Tayns grip and flips, he kicks the gun out of Brittanys hand and knocks her to the ground. He then jumps back, kicks the heavy Changeling body off Misty and picks her up roughly by her wrists, dangling her about a foot from the ground.Crow's hand instantly went to his sword, but he was afraid of what Maru might do if he pulled it out.
Gage stood, frozen to the end of the alley. His friends mere shadows as they rushed forward to help Misty. The carcass of a rather large insect lay on the ground. He stared, listening to his heart pound in his ears. "Mr. Tinman?" He squeaked. Though he willed his feet to move, they wouldn't.
Then he heard that wretched voice. The one that had called up a brick wall from thin air. The one that had brought even Grant to his knees, and caused himself to want to kill. The feeling still festered in his soul.
Slowly, deliberately, Gage moved his feet. One in front of the other, towards the snake man. And Misty.
"Let her go." Tayn growled in warning.
Brittany grabbed the gun and jumped up, backing up several steps "You are Maru. What do you want her for?"
Gage had no armour or weapon, yet somehow he felt protected as he neared the deadliest thing he knew. The warriors lay strewn about on the ground, the very ones he owed his life to, and yet he kept his eyes straight ahead. Though Maru was before him, he almost seemed to look past that.
Jayne frowned up the alleyway, things were getting weird. He glanced over at Crow and then pulled a hand gun out from a hidden holster under his jacket, Took aim and fired. Hitting the strange snake man mid torso (from behind)
Crow looked at Jayne in alarm as the bullet didn't seem to have any effect on the snake-man. I wonder how many times I'd need to stab him to kill him...
Jayne frowned up the alleyway, things were getting weird. He glanced over at Crow and then pulled a hand gun out from a hidden holster under his jacket, Took aim and fired. Hitting the strange snake man mid torso (from behind)
Misty's head hangs, her wings drooping and her hair shadows her face. No point fighting, when theres no one to live for. She then hears someone squeak something, she slowly looks up and sees Gage, hes staring at her, with the same fear in his eyes that she has. He then starts walking towards them, something clicks in her mind. Gage has been with me through everything good and bad, he always tried to comfort me and I always help him. Something tears through her fear her pain her loss.. she wriggles in Maru's grip kicking and punching. A roar tears through her lips I WONT LET YOU KILL ANYONE ELSE!!She flips and kicks Maru square in the jaw, she lands in front of Gage, and holds out her hand. Light seeming being summoned into her hand..
He blinked slightly offset. "W-What are you doing?" He said, eyes darting from her to Maru and back. "And where did you get wings-"
More and more light collects in her hand and a longsword forms, elegant and perfectly crafted. She looks back at Gage, and smiles at him, she then faces Maru, "Im done with you Maru, Im done with your murders, your torture, your lies. Im done, you're done with this world, you need to go back to hell where you crawled out of go back to the demons you spawned from you maggot ridden cunning lying viper!" She raises the sword and rushes at him, stabbing him with the sword. Maru cries out in pain and jumps back, he tries to heal the wound with black magic but it only makes it worse, Misty stabs him a hundred fold, with each blow him becoming mroe and more helpless. Finally he lays on the ground black blood pouring everywhere, he kneels in his own blood, more black blood dripping from his eyes and mouth. Misty approaches him, the light sword slick with black demon blood, she puts the sword to his throat and he looks at him, "Say hi to Satan for me" She says then cuts him in half.
Thomas was rooted to the ground, horror written on his face.~~~Brittany seemed more chill than her brother, but she did have a stunned face "What just happened?" She whispered
Jaynes bullet had had no effect.
His eyes grew wide as he watched what the winged wolf girl did to him.
Tayn sat in the pool of blood spreading across the pavement. Staring dumbfounded at the corpse.
Thomas looked down and saw Tayn on the ground next to him from when Maru had nocked her down, he reached a hand to help her up, but his eyes were on the body of Maru WHAT JUST HAPPENED!? He thought.
 Thomas left his hand out for her, understanding how terrorize she must be.
Misty turns to face her friends black blood drips off her clothes and sword, her heavy breathing slows down to a normal rate and she sees the horror on her friends faces. "Im sorry Ive caused so much trouble guys, but the threat to the entire earth has been eliminated", she looks back at Maru "for good." she looks at Gage, she drops her sword and runs at him, she tackle hugs him and buries her face in his chest, tears welling in her eyes. Slowly she wraps her wings around him and cries, "Im so sorry for putting you through this Gage, I know you would risk your life for me, and I would too. I love you."
Crow just stared at her in shock. "You- you made a sword." He stuttered, then looked at Jayne. "Did you see that? That sword..."
"You guys are certainly something else." Jayne answered, still staring at the girl. He wasn't sure how to feel about what had just happened. A giant dead bug, an evil snake guy that was impervious to bullets, and now a girl that could make swords out of light. He put his gun back into it's holster. "You know, I think I'm actually going to go." He said starting to back away, smiling nervously.
Crow's mouth twitched. "Yeah, we certainly are..." He said, staring at the insect that used to be Grant. He blinked. "What?" Then he remembered, Jayne was still on Firestein's side, he wasn't a part of the team. Instantly, his hand shot out and he grabbed Jayne's arm. "Where are you going?" He asked suspiciously."I just..." Brittany stepped toward Jayne and Crow, in case Jayne tried to run or fight.
He glanced at Brittany and then back to Crow. Jayne shrugged and smiled nervously. "I just shot a guy and it didn't phase him at all!"
Jayne eyed her(misty) nervously and hoped that he would be able to survive these kids. He should have left earlier."You get used to it after a while." Crow said dryly. He tried to hide a smirk.

Thomas' hand crossed her vision snapping her back to the present. Tayn looked up at him and then took his hand pulling her self up. She felt her eyes drawn toward Misty but looked away, looking at anything else but her and Maru.
"You`ve caused us no trouble Misty." Brittany said, oddly sweetly. 
Thomas glanced at her "You guys do this much?"
Tayn blinked at him and considered answering, but decided she shouldn't speak. If she did she was going to laugh at his question or cry uncontrollably. She shook her head no.
Thomas nodded silently. His eyes went back to Maru`s body, he hadn`t seen anything like that since his parents death.
Gage stumbled back from the hug, and at once felt a mix of raw fear and delight rise in his throat. When he at last got his bearings, he folded his shoulders around Misty, burying his face in her hair. I thought I'd lost you, he wanted to say, though tears forbade him.him wings wrapped around his own, his breath caught in his throat. He pulled back and gingerly tipped her head so their eyes could meet. He was sure his face looked a mess. Red, stained with tears, and lined with the grimace of crying. Why did he still feel like a child?It might well have been the longest hug anyone had ever given him, but it still tugged at his heart when she let go. The way she hunched over that sword... He wished he could do something. Bring Grant back if he could, for her sake.
Gage watched her as she tipped her head back, and still couldn't help but think that he wasn't enough.
But she was right. They had to find Firestein. What would happen if they did- it made his stomach turn.

"What- what about Grant?" He whispered as best he could.Misty's face contorts in pain, "he's- hes's gone, Maru tried to tell me when he had me to himself but I wouldnt listen. I wish I did now, maybe it would be less painful if I accepted it." She looks back at the Changelings corpse, and gasps, the weapon that Maru killed the Changeling with.... Is Grants broadsword, Misty wrenches herself away from Gage and stumbles over to the sword, she pulls it out of the Changelings body with a slithering sound of metal cutting flesh. She places it in her lap and stares at it, the blood red blade covered in bright green insect blood, her breathing becomes ragged as memories flood her mind. Memories of Grant and the others, laughing as we all hung out together, Grant and Wolf always got into a fight but in the end they always laughed. Grant would always protect the girls, especially me from Aiden's pervy nature. Misty lets out a pained laugh and begins to cry over the sword, "I wont forget you guys, never I will always love you and I will always remember you guys." She looks up at the sky and stares at the stars, they flicker in amusement, but she sees sudden movement and a blue comet passes the sky, seeming to smile at her. "Thanks Wolf," she smiles and gets up. "Lets end the reign of Firestien" she murmurs to the others.
"So... this isn't Grant?" Crow asked hopefully, though by the way Misty was talking Crow guessed that Grant had never been with them at all. I... I never even met him.
Misty shakes her head "No that was never Grant, but it was almost exactly him, besides the fact that he was always next to me." Something begins to change, Misty's wings begin to shrink back into her shoulders, her angel like form slowly fading away. Leaving the normal Misty that everyone knows, except her clothes are the ones she wore in her former form. She sighs, a huge chunk of her heart was ripped from her, but something starts to fill that void as she looks at the others, like a fog lifting from her mind and eyes. She finally starts to see, for once in her life her eyes are not clouded by fear, violence, and a longing sense for Grant, someone who was never really there when she entered the new dimension. Misty smiles at the others, she decides to explain herself, "My name is Misty Wilson, a Howl'fia from the dimension Elemians, I have ice elemental powers a blessing from the blood moon. I am the last of my kind, the last of the Elemian people. I now have seen the light, do you fear me? I do not fear you, and I will not hurt you unless provoked. I am a Hybrid." Misty stands tall and stares at the stars. I just wish I could let go...

Then Gage's butt vibrated.
Brittany watched the others calmly, but inside two totally different emotions fought to take hold. Terror of the up coming battle and joy that she finally had friends, and not just a friend, but a group of friends. But another thought slowly crept into her mind- one that they would all die in the battle and leave her again. She shivered and tried to push the thought from her mind, but couldn`t. Her eyes traveled over the group, then paused on the ones she knew best Zen, Tayn, Gage, and Misty. Then her eyes turned to Thomas and Jayne, yes Thomas was her brother but still, he had just been brain-washed. And she knew nothing of Jayne, how could she trust them?
Brittany looked at her "I do not fear you." She gave a small smile and said quietly "My friend."
Misty smiles at Brittany "Friend... It will be so fun having friends again"
"I-I don't fear you...?" Crow said, sounding confused. Okay... okay? Did she just re-introduce herself?
"I do not fear you, Misty." Taylor stood up, facing the girl.
Misty smiles at Taylor, her shattered heart slowly piecing back together, maybe I could let go She thinks. Maybe I could start over, and let go of my past.
"I think so too. I haven`t had any in a long time." Brittany murmured
Taylor smiled back."Friend." She murmured.
Gage blinked. Now her wings were gone. Why were they gone? What was going on here? Was Grant some kind of Shifter? What was Jayne still doing here if he didn't intend to join them? Hadn't he just shot at Maru? Wasn't he going to show them where Firestein was?
He shook his head at Misty's question, and from the flurry of encouragement, he coughed, still fighting tears, "I don't know what you all are talking about." He said, staring wide-eyed at nothing, "Misty has terrified me from the moment I met her...."
Brittany couldn`t help but give a small laugh "Why don`t we get out of here guys? We`ve got people to find."~~~Thomas immediately, the sooner they got out of this place the better
Gage shook his head, thankful for the distraction. He probably shouldn't have said what he did, but it was too late, now. "You and you," he said, pointing to Jayne and Thomas in turn, "Take us to your leader."Jayne raised his eyebrows at Gage. "O-Kay." he said slowly, so they weren't actually going to let him go. He shot a glare at Thomas who was more than willing to help. "I'll stay if you insist." He said to Crow. "You can let go of me."
Thomas ignored him.
Crow let go of Jayne, still eyeing him suspiciously. Why am I the only one who's worried that he'll betray us?
Thomas nodded "This way, heroes." He said marching out of the alley and taking a right. ~~~Brittany followed him
Rex flew to the airport. On his way, he was close to the Starbucks his friends were at. Keep flying, keep flying, keep flying, they're probably fine, Rex thought, but he swerved a little just to check and make sure they were okay. "What the heck?" Rex said, looking at the dead bodies. He couldn't make out who they were, but one looked like a giant fly. He landed heavily, and stared at everyone, before shaking his head and turning around to walk away.
Crow whipped around as Rex suddenly fell from the sky. He relaxed as he realized it was just Rex. "Oh. Where'd you go?" He asked, mentally slapping himself for not noticing his disappearance.
Tayn stopped Rex from leaving again. "Wait, It was Maru. Misty is safe now. We're going to Firestiens place to look for Janet. Will you come with us?" Tayn didn't like asking him to come, but they had no idea what they would run into there.
Rex paused. "Fine" He said, turning around. "Lead the way."
Heroes? Gage snickered at the idea, but followed after the guy, anyway. He seemed sure of himself. Which meant he probably knew exactly where Firestein was. Which meant that he might have to-Then Rex swooped in. "Dragon boy!" He shouted, then glanced over to Jayne. "If we insist?" Gage held up his scorched hand, "Wasn't this insistence enough?" He said, then continued out onto the street.
Then Gage shoulder-checked Rex.. or tried to, since his shoulder only reached the man's upper arm. "You owe me one for that, you know." He said.
Rex stuck his tongue out at Gage and kept walking. Brittany passed them by with a snicker.Jayne frowned at him and followed reluctantly.
Misty laughs at Gage, something flutters in her heart, maybe Gage could help me, he could help me let go.."Lets go kill that monster Firestien" She growls
-------------------------Zen saw Tayn slowly walking away with Leona, he zipped up to her, "Hey I'll go with you guys."
"sure." she said smiling relieved she wasn't going all alone. "I kind of wish we didn't have to split up again, but I guess it can't really be helped."
Thankfully, Point st. was pretty close to the coffee place. It was a short walk. Tayn walked in and went to the counter. "Hi, I'm looking for Sam?" She said to the cashier.
The cashier's face flashed with some kind of emotion, but didn't have time to voice it before the crash. In the back, someone screeched, followed by a curse."Uh, I guess youre kind of busy." She said grimacing at the noise.
A man stumbled up to the front, frosted with parmesan and holding a recently emptied pizza plate. "Someone lookin for me?"
Tayn blinked at the man, white cheese through his hair. She smiled at him to exausted to laugh. "Are you Sam? Janet said to bring Leona here if..." she paused and looked down at Leona. "If we needed a babysitter?"
"We kind of need someone to take care of her. While we go get her mom." She continued after a long silent stare.
----------------------
Rex landed on the sidewalk, a block from his house. I should go back & apologize. I was kind of a jerk Rex thought, stopping to wait for the cars to pass. No, I'm already almost here. He started walking again, to tired to fly. When Rex got to his apartment, he unlocked the door and stepped inside. He started rummaging around in the closet until he found a black backpack with red straps. Tossing the backpack on the bed, he grabbed a key and reached underneath the bed, pulling out a safe. Rex picked up the safe and set it next to the backpack.When he opened up the safe he grabbed a bunch of things."Two guns, two brass knuckles, four packs of ammo for each gun, five daggers - what's this? Oh, right, snake venom. Why do I have snake venom? Whatever." Rex said, putting the items into the backpack. He walked into the living room where he grabbed 20 feet of thick rope, and then proceeded to put that in his backpack too. "Well it's a good thing I have 'find my iPhone' or else finding the missing group would have been so much harder" Rex said, grabbing his phone and started trying to track the missing groups phones.
Rex went back into the bedroom and grabbed his backpack full of weapons. It was going to take a while for him to get to the missing group, so better start now. He ran outside, and started jogging down the sidewalk. 

Scene 23 - The police station

Janet chewed on yet another sticky note. She was sure by now the ink in it was poisonous. Unfortunately, not enough to make one I'll or pass out. Else the guards might unshackle her, and we wouldn't want that now, would we?Janet chewed on yet another sticky note. She was sure by now the ink in it was poisonous. Unfortunately, not enough to make one I'll or pass out. Else the guards might unshackle her, and we wouldn't want that now, would we?
How far are the chips coming? Asked the paper on which she currently chewed.
Too far. Was Barnes' solemn reply.
Firestein had at least three of his guards 'chipped' by now. Maybe more. She sat down and rubbed her ankles. She knew he still held out hope for Char.
805------------

The policeman at the desk glanced up from his desk as a group of battered inhumans stormed into the office. He raised an eyebrow. He remembered some of them. Some had been arrested just a few nights ago. He didn't remember signing a release form."Hey, where are the rest of you?" He said, mostly just curious. He remembered mocking the elevator guard in front of a bat boy and a few others who were most likely inhuman.
Brittany marched up to the desk and gave him a deathly look "How do we get to the bottom floor?"
"Ma'am, this is the ground floor." He said, putting on his 'work voice' like he always did when people got testy.
Misty glares at the man, "dont play games with us, fastest way to the bottom floor now" She secretly pulls a knife from her right sleeve, ready to attack him if he lies again.Crow was watching what was going on by the desk a few feet away. He saw the glint of a blade in Misty's hand. This is not going to end well-
"This is the ground floor." He said, a little of his frustration showing through his monotone."I mean the underground floor. We were took there last night, and some people were brought there earlier today. Now how do we get there?" Brittany snarled
Gage simply walked past the front desk. He remembered the way from when they had been arrested the first time, and through the hall, turned the corner to find the guarded elevator. "Hi, yes. We'd like to get imprisoned again." He said lightlyCrow looked away from Misty to stare at Gage. He quickly walked over, "Are you crazy?" he hissed.
Misty stares at Gage, wide eyed. "I was never imprisoned.." she whispers. She then looks at Brittany, instead of running straight into violence, she thinks it would be better to see if it is the time to. She mouths to Brittany, "should I?" looking down at her knife and letting it catch the light.
A devious look glinted in Brittany`s eye, but she shook her head no. Her eyes seemed to say I want to, but better not. 
Misty points to Gage and the elevator, "then what does that elevator lead to?" she growls with a smirk
"Excuse me? Are you insane? I would not like to be imprisoned, thank you very much." Rex said to Gage.
Tayn sighed "Misty, elevators can go up too." She smiled at the police officer. "Sorry, don't mind my friend. We would like to use your elevator." Tayn took Misty's wrist and started walking toward the elevator where Gage was.

"Besides, there's no way I'm going in the elevator. I'm taking the stairs." Rex added, and started looking for the stairs.
Misty fumes and flaps her arms as Tayn drags her to Gage and the elevator
"Oh nuh uh Rex your coming with me" She grabs Rex by his arm and drags him with her as Tayn drags them to the elevator
Rex planted his feet firmly on the ground. "No." He said, stepping away from the elevator.
Misty sweeps her legs under Rex and makes him fall
The guard had a scratch on his left cheek, and a sour look on his face. "No admittance. Your invitation has expired." He growled.
"Hey!" Rex yelped, falling to the ground. He sat up, growling at Misty.
Gage glanced back, then rolled his eyes. "It's not that, uh..." He said to the guard, "We're being arrested."
The guard remained unchanged as his eyes roamed over to Jayne and Thomas. "Care to explain, gentlemen?""You see, Mr. Firestein has a liking to these folk, and said to come when they could. We`er escorting them." Thomas said coolly.Misty stands up, she narrows her eyes at the guard."Oh it has? Well sorry for you but your life has expired also" She bends at the waist and rushes at him, her knife in hand she slashes at the guards throat and he crumples to the ground. Misty straightens, and looks at the other guards."Misty!" Crow yelped, his eyes wide with shock. His eyes were locked on the guard, blood was slowly oozing from his neck. "You don't just kill random people!" He hissed angrily, trying not to let his voice get too high in case the policemen heard. "You can get a death sentence for that, you know!"
Gage blinked. "Oh... Oh my-" he said as he stared at the man. He felt like he was going to hurl. He tried to remind himself that this was just anothet soldier, like the one from the battle. But even in that battle, he had flown above their heads. It was so much different when it was right in your face.
"Hey, what's going on over there?" Said the man at the desk."Misty! That was too soon!" Brittany snapped Crow cursed. If he comes over here, we're dead.
"For the last time, I am not going to be arrested!" Rex said standing up. He watched Misty kill the guard. "If you keep saying that, we will be arrested!"
Gage glanced back to Rex, now back on his feet. Behind him, the policeman advanced."Nobody kill anybody." He whispered, as he ran up to the elevator and started poking the button as fast as he could, "Until we get down there."
"Well he didn't have to die! I could have talked to him." Then the elevator rattled open.
Misty flicks her ear and rushes at the man, she slashes him across the chest, he falls to the ground and she punches him square in the throat crushing his windpipe, he writhes on the ground for a moment then ceases. She tosses daggers at the video cameras destroying them and erasing the video, no one was in the camera room anyway, that she knows. She rushes at the other guards and knocks them out. She looks at the others and licks the blood off her hands. "We going to save the others or what?" She smiles warmly.
"You- your crazy! They weren`t on Firestein`s side! Just normal cops!" Thomas said, shaking.Crow just stared at Misty, unable to form any coherent sentences. She... she doesn't even care that they're innocent... He shivered as a sudden thought came to him. No.. Misty's not a psychopath... She can't be...
"You guys can take the elevator, taking the stairs." Rex said walking off again.
Misty licks her fangs, "Firesteins minions are not worth saving" She says bluntly.
He clapped his hands over his face and screamed into them. He raked them down his face, "I don't think he was in on it!" He said, voice pitchy. Now they were really screwed. At last, the iron bars parted, and he stepped in. There were no buttons inside. Why were there no buttons jnside?
"Hey its fine, the art of assassination takes no prisoners, a few lives must be sacrificed to save the world" She then looks at the men she killed, purple blood oozes fro their wounds, she realizes she was licking that off her hands and gags. "Look! What the hell is that then? Looks like I had a right to kill them"
Crow felt sick. Elemians, or whatever it's called, must have some looser rules about killing people...
Gage tried not to look, "We don't exactly all bleed the same anymore! Every life is worth saving..." He poked his head back out of the elevator, and spied a keyhole."That might be true but corrupt humans or inhumans are worth killing to save the world from Firestien, but I am sorry you had to see that""How do you know they were corrupt?" Crow asked, though it came out as a whisper."I could smell it, blood has a distinct smell, and if they are a different creature with different color blood, their blood smells different" Misty explains "Trust me, Ive smelled all kinds of blood on Elemians, theres many different creatures""That doesn't mean they're 'corrupt'." He muttered, "Does that mean all of us are corrupt?" Crow asked, gesturing to the others of the group, "Because we have different blood?"
"Those of us who can have normal jobs do. Just because he wasn't human doesn't mean he had anything to do with Firestein. If anything he probably had no idea or he would be no where near here." Tayn said her voice even but sad. She was blocking her emotions again, they weren't going to help in this situation. "Let's just figure out how to get down stairs. I'm only looking for Janet.""yeah whatever"Jayne considered taking his gun out and shooting at Misty, she was as bad as the guy she had killed in the alley, but didn't because he didn't want to draw her attention if it didn't affect her either.
"What floor are we going to?" Rex asked no one in particular.
Gage blinked. He was twitterpated with her? Where was the dreamer? The one he had flown in the storm with? He had seen her like this before, and he knew what might happen if she came face-to-face with the man. He glanced down. The guard's body had a key dangling from his belt. He swallowed hard as the doors began to clatter shut again.
In an instant, he lunged. He yanked once on the keyring, and it broke away. He shoved it into the keyhole outside the door, and turned it back and forth. The door kept clattering. When he heard a small click. His eyes met Misty's just as he yanked the key out and pulled himself into the elevator. The iron bars clicked shut between them."I'm sorry, but this is my fight." He said, the gate's shadows falling across his face. Eyes roaming from Misty, to Tayn, to Rex. "Stay safe." Then the second door closed, and started down.
"What- no! Gage!" Crow shouted, watching helplessly as the elevator closed.
"NO!" Brittany howled "Gage your an idiot!"
"Are you a freaking idiot?!? You'll get yourself killed, Gage! Think about this for a second!" Rex yelled at Gage.
"Gage! No!" Tayn panicked he was going down alone!? She started running back up the hall way "Rex, stairs!"
Misty howls at Gage "NO!" She pounds at the door "THIS IS OUR FIGHT NOT ONLY YOURS!"Rex had already started breathing fire at the elevator door until the door melted enough for him to grab the doors and pry them open. His hand were burn from all the melted metal, but he ignored it, and jumped into the elevator area, using his wings to slow his fall. Rex landed on the top of the elevator and started trying to pry the roof off.
Brittany just jumped landing on her feet beside him Crow almost jumped in after him, but he remembered that not all the group could fly. He couldn't just leave them, the police would be coming soon, and when they saw all those dead bodies...~~~Thomas also jumped, using his blue light power to let him fall half way, then let him fall the rest.
She unsheathes Svellmalar and cuts the door in half, fear filling her entire being Im not loosing him too I wont let it happen! She drops down next to Rex, and hits the elevator lightning runs up her legs and she cries out. Misty feels power fill her, and her eyes narrow, pain sprouts in her shoulders as her wings grow out once again. She cuts a hole in the roof and jumps in with Gage, staring at him she says "Im not letting you die alone Gage, if you fight I fight by your side, to the end." She meets his eyes "Im not going to loose you like I lost the others." A tear falls from her already wet eyes, "no more death to people I care about, I cant handle it anymore.."
Brittany and Thomas dropped in too "Gage! Your a idiot!"
Then the elevator did what every machine does when it's abused. Break.Jayne was confused, had they come here to kill people or not? He slipped away from the group while they were distracted. 
Gage stared wide-eyed at her, his pupils mere pinpricks. Molten iron oozed down from where Rex had blasted a hole in the roof, and his face appeared in it. If he wasn't so scared, he might have joked about the big lug actually showing some feelings for once.Then a smell rose from the floor. Brittany paused and calmed down "Now none more of that. Lets do what we came to do.""Uhh, yeah I may have thrown up over there. Sorry guys." He said. Then something snapped, lurching the box to a stop. A sliding noise. Then it started to freefall.
"Uh-oh!" Thomas yelped, horror on his face.
Rex jumped into the elevator."What is wrong with you? Do you want to die? What were you thinking? Oh wait, you weren't!" Rex yelled at Gage. He sighed, and said a lot softer, "I trust you, Gage, but you're making it hard when you keep doing stupid things like this! This our fight too, you know. You don't have to act like it isn't. We didn't join you to watch you do things like this."The elevator broke. "Darn it! This is one of the many reasons I freaking hate elevators!" Rex yelled, leaning against the wall.
Thomas`s eyes glowed, and the elevator slowed
Rex sighed when he felt the elevator slowing down a bit. It was still going down, so he climbed out the top and grabbed the top and flew slowly down, helping it slow down more.
Misty takes a step back from the vomit, then suddenly hears a screech, and immense gravity throws her to the top of the elevator, she screams out in pain and fear, as the elevator drops further into the earth.
Gage felt his butt vibrate again, just as the car began to slow, and Brittany's weird brother's eyes started to turn electric blue. He took the chance to pull out his phone. At least it was a flip-phone. Else it would have been cracked into next Tuesday by now. He opened it."Guys! It's Mikki."
Misty falls face first back on to the floor, she lifts her head up looking at Gage. "Well what are you waiting for? What did she say?" Misty suddenly feels an immense amount of energy drain from her as her wings disappear back into her shoulders. Groaning, she slowly gets up, leaning against the wall, holding her stomach.
Gage shook his head, "I-it just says that Firestein is bad. I don't know how they figured that out." Then the elevator stopped, sending them all to their knees.

Silence.
Gage shook his head again, more vigorously this time. An electric spark came from somewhere in the roof, and soft elevator music began to play. "I think we made it." He said.
Rex climbed back into the elevator."This is one of the reasons I hate elevators. Well, that and the fact that they're tiny" Rex said.
"WELL THATS HELPFUL, WE ALREADY KNOW THAT." Misty yells. Misty shifts into wolf form and shakes her entire body, making sure to whack her tail on everything. She shifts back and she hears the creepy elevator music, "I hope so" she says softly.
Thomas`s eyes went back to normal and his body relaxed- slightly. ~~~Brittany stared at the door, what could await them now? Were they marching to their deaths? Or were they going to walk out victorious? But something edge in her heart that not all would walk away. This was something new to all of them. Something she couldn`t fight alone, but even with her newfound friends would they be the ones to win? She shook her head and snapped her eyes shut, then opened them- all fear gone. No emotion on her face but a deadly anger. Her eyes seemed to burn "Lets do this."
Rex stood in the corner of the elevator, with his wings rapped around himself. He stuffed his hands in his pockets to keep them from shaking. He could feel his heart pounding fifty mph."Come on, let's leave the elevator before I get a panic attack" Rex said breathing heavily.
Rex pulled his hands out of his pockets to grab his backpack. He was looking for something-anything to help distract himself from being crammed in the elevator. Rex tried to open the backpack, but since his hands were shaking so much, he dropped it. "Darn it." Rex said, picking the backpack back up. He opened it up, and pulled out one of the guns, loading it, and putting it in the back of his pants. It started to get harder for Rex to breath, it felt like the walls were closing in."Is this thing broken?" Rex said on the trying not to panic, hitting the open button repeatedly with more force than necessary. "If this doesn't open in the next five seconds, I'm flying out the top." Rex noticed his hands starting to blister up from opening the molten steel elevator doors.
Mikki texted, Firestein is using us to track down this guy named Chase that he says is a criminal but actually isn't. Then he's going to Silence us. I've told Ash, but the others still don't know that F is bad. We need help if possible!Gage felt his phone buzz again. "They say they need help-" he said as the door dinged brightly and the gate prattled open. He stuck his head out, the elevator music echoing through the strangely empty room. Hadn't there been guards here before?He frowned as Rex shoved past him, a little too eager to get out.
Rex jumped out, and let out a sigh of relief. He never wanted to even see another elevator ever again.
Misty stands by Gage's side, she tries to avoid looking at him. Trying to hide the fear in her eyes. Trying to keep him from being afraid...
Gage got to his feet, albeit shakily. The place smelled of rust and something damp. The elevator music sputtered out, and silence fell so much that he could hear himself breathe."It's empty." He whispered at last.Slowly, he shuffled toward the cells where they had been interrogated just days prior. "It seems so long ago... When we found Noel."Brittany sprang out of the elevator, stretching she- almost lazily looking around. She was perfect at hiding her fear- almost too well. Anyone who looked at her would think she was careless, but she was far from that. Straightening to her full height, giving the hall they were standing in a more attentive look.
Rex lingered around the elevator, still trying to calm himself down. The first time I step foot in an elevator in over seven years is the day that one of them breaks He thought.
Gage remembered way to the steel ballroom, and the heavy oaken door that led to Firestein's office. This was it. This was the moment that they had all been waiting for, but they couldn't. Nobody was here. Not the guards, no men in cowls, and as he made his way to the corridor he realized... there would be no battle.
Brittany walked up to his side. Her eyes suddenly looked stressed and sad, her face worn, but she still stood with practiced strength and honor.
He put his hand on the handle, and it turned. They must have left in a hurry to leave the doors unlocked... he thought. The door creaked open.
Rex saw where Gage was going and jogged over to him, unwrapping his wings from around himself.

The room was dark, the dome of computer panels not even giving a star's light. The plants didn't seem so bright and cheery now, in fact they sent a chill down his spine. Nothing. The very essence of it was here, and yet he felt as if every shadow held a monster. Soldier on, boy. He cuffed himself in the head, everyone else has been through war, you can brave the dark. Buck up, now.
Brittany strutted in, confidence around her like a trained warrior coming for battle, and she was coming for what would be the battle of her life. She glanced around then fixed her eyes straight ahead of her "Firestien, if you are here, stop hiding and come out and face us." She growled, no trace of fear or weakness in her voice.
Misty stands behind Gage, she puts a comforting hand on his shoulder, he can probably feel me shaking she thinks. This will end here and now all this pain and suffering will end, Firestien will be done for
Gage flinched at Brittany's voice, then again at Misty's hand. He blinked, trying to clear away the fear in his head. He remembered the last time he had seen Firestein, he just seemed like this sweet, slightly weird, old man. And the kid-Suddenly something clattered in the darkness, and his feathers stood on end. He spread his wings out in front of his tiny group. The room grew silent, and all he could hear was his heart pound, and the sound of his own breath.
Brittany turned towards the sound, a weird mix of emotions surging through her. I will not run. I won`t run from a fight again. Everything seemed to slow down, and she played out everything she had seen of the room before. Six strides to the left there was a large moving shelf with many flowers on it. The room was dome shaped, and maybe a hundred strides wide? Meaning that sound had only came from fifty paces away, telling by the way the it sounded when it hit the walls.She stared at where the sound had came from and focused on the sounds she heard now. The pounding sound of her fearful comrades hearts range in her ears, except for Misty`s- she seemed very calm, which made her heart beat evenly. Another sound came from the shadows- someone else`s heart, maybe fifty paces away. "There you are, Firestien." She whispered
Rex stiffened, and pulled out his gun, ready to shoot if it was necessary.
Misty's heart beats evenly, an odd sense of calmness envelops her as she stares into the darkness then she hears a loud clatter in the emptiness. Dead silence fills the room, and everyone's increasing heartbeats and terrified breaths echo through the room. Slowly she pulls her hand from Gage's shoulder and slowly unsheathes her sword.
A small form stepped out of the shadows, pouncing on a something small and plastic. Then it whipped it's head around to reveal a face. Chubby cheeks and piercing blue eyes. His breath caught in his throat as he stared wide-eyed up at them.
Brittany had pulled her gun, and sucked in her breath as she saw him It`s just that boy! She paused, realizing he might know where Firestien is "Where is Firestien?" She asked, her voice a soft purr.
Rex pointed his gun at him, not sure if he was a threat. It was better to be safe than sorry, so he didn't lower his gun when he saw it was just a kid. I'm gonna get in trouble for this Rex thought
Gage felt his head grow hot as fear grew on the boy's face, and he knit his brows, not with fear anymore. He was done being afraid. Something else creeped into him, and it felt like his heart was slowly cracking. This was exactly what he didn't want. He could almost read the boy's face. This was his house, and they were the Intruders. Blood-soaked, war-hardened monsters. Not heroes. Then the light flicked on, and a distant shout echoed into the room, followed by a mechanical hum as the room came to life again. More footsteps came.
Rex raised his gun, and slowly spun in a circle looking for where the voices came from. He counted the footsteps, noting how many there was. He looked at Gage. Something seemed off about him, Rex just couldn't figure out what.Misty calmly grips her swords handle, there was a kid looking at them, the lights flickered on and a shout echoed through the rooms. This is it, we prepare for war..
"Hide? Why would I need to hide?" Came a voice, quiet and breathy, like one who had just woken up. Shoes clopped around the corner, and there he was. Somehow... friendlier than Gage remembered him. Perhaps all the talk of him had skewed his memory....Firestein bent over and with a grunt, picked up the boy, "Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?" He smiled.
Misty's mind begins to fill with confusion, Thats him? thats Firestein? He looks so friendly... Misty lashes her tail, as Brittany jumps forward and calls him out, Hes playing with us she thinks she unsheathes her sword a little, "Maybe you should be direct with us and not use a child as a shield, I dont like liars, or manipulators" Even though I am one she adds in her head.
Rex pointed his gun at Firestein, and glanced at the others. This old man is Firestein? Wow, he looks way to friendly. Looks can be deceiving I guess. Rex thought.
Gage caught motion out of the corner of his eye and looked over to find Rex with his gun at the ready. Gingerly, he put a wing to his arm and pressed down, a stern look in his eye.
Firestein raised his brows and stepped out of the lane of fire, shouldering the boy away from them. "A fool? What is going on here? What is the meaning of this?" He said, trying in vain to comfort the kid.
"You have our friends! And countless numbers of other inhumans! We demand you let them go!" Brittany snappped.~~~Thomas walked up beside his sister, giving Firestien and the boy kind looks. "Sir, please, just give them what they want. They will leave after that. At least for the boy`s sake." He said sweetly.
Rex lowered his gun, only slightly. "Is this Firestein?" Rex asked quietly. "Cause he doesn't seem like a inhuman hating person. Although after today he might be."
Misty growls loudly and flattens her ears, her tail lashing back and forth in rhythmic motions 
Firestein blinked, "I have no idea what you are talking about. Honestly, you're not making a lick of sense." He sat the kid back down and pushed him towards the exit. The boy needed no urging, and ran until his footsteps echoed out of earshot.The man nervously played with the chain in his pocket.
Misty scoffs and takes a step forward, she cracks her neck. "No point in trying to trick us" she notices a nervous glint in his eyes. "Where is the Silence" she growls.
Brittany pulled her pistol. "Don`t lie to us." She snarledZen felt completely ashamed with himself. He had yet another lovely bout of passing out. Why does this always happen to me?! Especially when I'm most needed?! He looked up to see his group walking towards an ominous building. The hair on Zen's neck rose as he suddenly got a sense of something disturbing behind those doors. He could sense everybody's tension. Zen swallowed hard and plodded on boldly.
Firestein twittled with his chain, and a bead of sweat formed on his brow. "A sound? Wha? I-I mean, there is a musical establishment around the corner. What is it with all the aggression?"
Gage took a step back. What did they really want from him? Why were they here? They had come so far since the Tenement Halls. And little Noel. He cleared his throat, "We want to know where our friends are." He asked, though his voice trembled, "And... What you have against Inhumans."
At the word 'inhumans,' Firestein's, eye twitched.
Brittany noted every look on his face, Proved me right. she crisscrossed her arms so her pistol wasn`t pointing at him, she shot a glance to her group that meant 'I`ve got something. Wait.' "Sir, I respect you. I mean, the years it must have took you to create this under ground palace under a police station. The stealth it must have took. That, Mr. Firestein, is impressive. But me and my friends have been told somethings that you have done, and we seriously think you, my good fellow, have hurt our friends and countless others, so please, help us out and clear some things up." Her eyes met Misty`s for a split second and she seemed to say 'Once he tells me, we strike.' Though no words left her mouth. She flicked her eyes back to Firestein.
Zen watched Brittany speak up. He wished he would have the audacity to do something like that. 
Zen watched her eyes flick over to misty. What was that all about?
Firestein's face became just the slightest bit stony, "You have been talking to them, haven't you?" He said, and sat down on the edge of the flower bed with a sigh. "I suppose you believe what they told you?"
Zen stilled his breathing, he wanted to hear what they were about to say.
Brittany didn`t take her eyes off Firestein but she felt Zen`s eyes bear into her, by thesound of everyone`s heart beats they were all scared, except for Misty, she could tell Zen was one of the more calm one`s though, no where near as frightened as Gage.
Brittany watched him, cocking her head. "Depends on who they are. I talk to plenty of people. I believe I know who you are talking about. You know, your Noel left way to much bread crums. But really, sir, sorry, but I`m starting to believe them."
Despite everything within his reason, Gage stepped forward. "You still haven't answered my question. Where are out friends?" He quivered, entering the man's personal space
Watching the big nervous guy gave Zen the inspiration to step out of the shadows, "Yes. Where are they?" He lightly patted Gage's back to signal that he was there to support him.
The old man looked from Brittany to Gage, then to Rex's gun, and was quiet for a long while. At last he spoke, his voice barely above a whisper, "I used to believe in you. Back when you were superheroes."
Zen's mind went racing.... Aren't we still? He couldn't believe that was the reason for kidnapping his friends.
Gage glanced back to him, smiled, and nodded as if to say thanks, man.
Zen didn't feel like smiling back, he was too scared, too nervous but yet he stood hand on the fateful throwing star.
"What's that supposed to mean? Tell us where our friends are. Now!" Rex growled, taking a threatening step towards Firestein.
Brittany straightened up, eyeing Firestein. "Maybe it`s time you fess up."
Brittany watched him, an unreadable expression on her face. "Used? We never changed. You hurt us, and we aren`t the kind who back down. We stand straighter, and find out who we really are, maybe you shouldn`t have pushed us. But I think we still are..... 'superheros'. Look I don`t want to fight you, or even really argue with you. So please just tell us what we want."
"My great grandfather helped free you all, back when you hid underground. It was just the most incredible thing to be a part of that." He shook his head and rose to his feet, getting into Gage's face. "But then I grew up."
Just as his voice echoed into the room, boots pounded out in the hallway, and within seconds, they we're surrounded. And who would be at the head of the group, but the young boy?
"Tell you what you want?" He said, his voice rising to the metal rafters. "Ha! Being a bit naïve, aren't we?"
Brittany looked back at the soldiers, still calm as ever. "Ya know, I`m really starting to hate being an adult." She sighed, turning fully around "Yo Thomas, on my mark."~~~Thomas sighed "I hate you all." But got in a fighting stance beside his sister.
Zen backed up and stood ready. He loathed the idea of a fight, but knew that it might be necessary. "Gage," He whispered, "get over here buddy."
Rex opened his backpack and pulled out his other gun. He raised them up. "Say the word, and I will take these guys out." Rex said.
Brittany smirked, not turning back or even blinking. "Did you call me naive? Well.... Misty don`t you lay a hand on him. After we take your soldiers Firestein, we`continue our nice little chat."
Brittany glanced at him "Me too. Gage? I guess your the leader here so..."~~~Thomas sighed again. "I guess I`ll be your guys`s shield... blue light deflects bullets and all..."
Gage's heart started to gallop. No. Not again. This was just like how the Tenement Hall had gone. Aero's near death flashed before his eyes, Misty leaping onto five thugs, Tayn's poor face when she had killed Noble. He gritted his teeth. No Not. Again. No one was going to hurt his family!He got up in Firestein's face with fire in his eyes. "Call them off." He dared.
"Gage," Brittany growled as more soldiers filled into the room, cutting off the door and surrounding them. "Gage! There are more! We have to fight now!"
Zen leapt iinto action and tossed the star. It found it's mark on the first soldier. "Lets do this!!!" He shouted, feeling extra bold.
"Fine by me." Rex said and started shooting at the soldiers.
"Oh yeah." She said. Brittany began shooting, her bullets hitting her targets right in the heart. Gun shots filled the room, and the soldiers began to shoot at them. "Thomas, now!" Blue light appeared in-front of some of the soldiers bullets, making the drop harmlessly to the ground but some slipped through, but so did Brittany`s and Rex`s. "Okay guys, I can only stop some of them! You better watch out too!" Brittany heard Thomas yell, giving a swift nod in response, she kept shooting.
Zen saw Brittany trip and a rough looking soldier stood over her weapon pointed toward her head, she tried to regain her balance but Zen knew she wouldn't be able to move in time. He zipped over her just as the man brought the butt of his gun down square on his back. He grunted loudly as a sharp shooting pain coursed up and down his lower back. Zen stood up and with pain-filled eyes gave the soldier the punch he deserved. The man fell back clutching his throat.
Zen looked to see Brittany stand up, "Thanks but are you okay?" She asked. "Y-y-yeah I'm fine, I'm going to be fine." He replied as the white hot pain slowly started to subside.
Brittany looked him over, as if trying to find some kind blood, wound, a bullet hole, a mortal wound, and trying to figure out that someone had just risked his life to save the likes of her. Why would he care if she died? Why would he risk his life? There must be a catch. There always was. Later he would want something, want some kind of pay back.And she would wish she was dead. Like always.She looked around "I- I never saw that coming." She met his eyes, blushing for a moment, letting a little emotion out for once. But that vanished and she turned stepping back to stand at his side. "Thanks for that." She grunted. She shook her head, a drop of blood dripped down her face, she had hit her head on the floor hard and it had drawn blood. She raised her gun, and began to shoot again. She blocked off every emotion again, every care for her own life, only focusing on fighting.
805----------------------
Jayne walked determinedly through the basement hallway. He knew where he was going and he knew when the alarm sounded that there wasn't actually a fire. He didn't stop to tell any of the people who were leaving that it was a false alarm it would take too much time to get them to stay.
Crow looked around at the chaos, the fire alarm hurting his ears. He went to the stairs, and saw Jayne hurry around a corner. He sighed, realizing that he would never catch up with him in this clumsy human form. After transforming, he flew over the heads of the frightened people, many of them shouting in surprise.
Jayne made his way to the special armory that firestein had filled with special weapons specifically designed for fighting inhuman in case they ever tried to storm the castle. While he wasnt sure they were all bad people the wolf girl had to be stopped. And the rest seemed determined to help their friends no matter the consequences.
 Crow finally found Jayne, who's back was to him. He flew up and landed on his shoulder, feeling the man suddenly stiffen.
The weapons room was littered with tactical armoury. Recently raided by their own army. On the ground lay one hand grenade.
Jayne glanced nervously at the black bird on his shoulder and gave him a sideways smile."Hi there." He said, hoping the bird boy didnt decide to peck his eye out. Jayne continued what he was doing, though now keenly aware he had a chaperone.
Crow cocked his head, his beady eyes seemed to say, What're you doing here?
"So, I guess you'll be keeping me company." Jayne sighed. "I suppose you won't be able to answer me, but..." Jayne frowned as he glanced over what was left in the armoury

"You're friend, the wolf girl with the wings... Do you..." Jayne paused to consider what he would say. What if this kid was fine with what she did. He shifted his stance and wished the boy would change back in to a human, it was hard to talk to someone right next to your face. "Do you trust her?" it wasn't exactly what he meant but he wasn't sure how to word it. "I guess maybe what I mean is, do you feel like you're in danger when you're near her, does she often hurt or kill..." Jayne's stomach turned, the images of his dead wife surfacing again. He swallowed hard before continuing, his voice dry and raspy. "people who get in her way?" He wanted an answer but realized he probably wouldn't get one.Jayne bent over, intentionally trying to upend the bird on his shoulder to distract him while he grabbed the grenade off the floor and stuffed it in his pocket.
Crow thought for a moment, then cawed in surprise as Jayne bent over, and flapped his wings to keep his balance. He hopped to the ground, transforming in a flash. He blinked, his vision seemed somewhat blurry. Whaaa? Oh. Shouldn't be shifting this much. He turned to Jayne, "Misty... she kills everyone who she thinks will hurt her friends. But... I would trust her with my life." He hesitated for a moment, then went on. "I don't think it's a good thing to kill innocent people that get in your way... or kill people at all, actually..." Why am I telling him this? He's probably just biding his time so he can escape and warn Firestein. Crow thought, but kept going, "I mean, she comes from another dimension, so it could be different there. But that's no excuse to kill people because they get in your way."
"hmm," Jayne nodded in agreement. "But you're ok with killing Firestein? That's why you guys came here." Jayne frowned was it only Misty who had said that? "You realize it's my job to keep him safe," Jayne pulled his handgun and held it to Crows forehead, he wasn't sure why these kids had let him keep it, had he somehow earned their trust or were they just that disorganized that they didn't notice he had kept it? "and there's nothing you can do to stop me from doing my job." Jayne tensed, realizing he didn't want to hurt the kid. "Put your sword on the floor." He growled.
Crow hesitated, unsure how to answer. "Well, it wasn't my idea-" he stopped as he realized there was a gun pointed at his head. He mentally cursed at himself for not noticing the gun earlier. Or maybe he had noticed, and had just chose to believe that Jayne wouldn't use it against him. Don't trust anyone. That was what he had learned, the hard way. He slowly unsheathed his sword and dropped it on the ground. "Jayne." He said, trying hard to stay calm, "I know what this looks like, but you don't need to do this." Crow's eyes were locked on the gun's trigger the entire time, his whole body tense.
Jayne was relieved the kid was cooperating. But, now what to do with him? He frowned, taking a half step back, and partially lowering his gun. Lock him up? or leave him? It wasn't going to take long for the others to get downstairs."Go home kid." He growled, grabbing the doorknob with his free hand and backing out of the room. Jayne hoped he would listen, he didn't like the idea of killing kids, but he would have to if they threatened Firestein. Jayne ran for the stairs and went down as quickly as he could without falling.
Crow blinked, surprised that Jayne had let him go that easily. He knew it would be dangerous to follow him, but he also knew he couldn't abandon his friends. He waited, listening until he couldn't hear Jayne's hurried footsteps anymore. Then, he crept slowly down the stairs after Jayne, his sword out and ready.
Jayne had somehow managed to get to the Dome room before the group of inhumans, he found Firestein still there with a young boy.
"Sir! The inhumans are coming here now! Hide yourself!" He barked and flipped the light switch. Hiding himself in the room.805-------------------------------Taylor Was standing behind Silver, impanitentally summoning vines from the palms of her hand.
Tayn went past silver and Taylor as she left the hallway, going back into the reception area, Thankfully the dead bodies were mostly out of sight. She looked around for a door for the stair well but didn't spot one. How was she going to get down there? How could she possibly help? Misty would just plow through anyone that stood in their way. (she's unaware of the fact you all jumped down the elevator shaft you loonies) How could she get innocent people out of here?
The only sign she could see was the EXIT glowing red. Exit? Fire, you have to use the stairs if there's a fire. She glanced around the walls and spotted the alarm switch. She ran over and pulled the lever breaking the glass rod. An alarm blared and bright white lights flashed.
Loud conversation sounds and movement as people quickly evacuated.
Tayn watched as people left and spotted the door to the stairs as people began filing out in herds. She turned back to the hallway "I found the stairs.... where is everybody?" (not sure who all is left in the hallway, but silver and Taylor, I think maybe Zen didn't jump down) She spotted the melted elevator doors and figured it out. "Come on, let's go." She said, and headed for the stairs.
Tayn made her way over to the stairs she wasn't sure anyone was coming with her but she was going do there. She had to. She had promised Leona she would try to find her mom. She tried her best to push past people coming out of the stairwell without being noticed. And headed down the stairs. The alarm was loud and annoying but it was working to clear the building so she would just have to put up with it.
Making it to the bottom of the stairs Tayn left the stairwell. People still pushed past evacuating. Though none seemed concerned with her. 
This wasnt the way she had come down before so she wasnt quite sue whereshe was going. She knew the generaldirection of the elevator though and if she could find that then maybe she could join up with the rest of the group. Or at least she would be able to find her way to where the holding cells were and maybe find Janet.
Janet heard something and ran to the iron bars, her chains yanking her arms back as she did so. "Help! Is anyone there?"
Tayn had some how gotten herself turned around in the maze of hallways she hadn't found the elevator yet. She stopped when she heard someone calling for help. She looked up the hallway and then back the way she had come. there were doors every where. She went to the closest one and cautiously pushed it open peeking inside. It was empty and the lights were off. She frowned and looked at the doors near by looking for ones that had light coming from under them.
Tayn could hear the noise Janet was making but couldn't figure out which way it was coming from.
"Hello?" she called.
Tayn started opening random doors, hoping everyone had already left that would try to stop her.
Tayn opened a door that had another hallway behind it. this one was lined with barred off rooms. and the sounds seemed to be coming from in there. She finally took off the soldiers jacket she was wearing and used it to keep the door open just in case it would lock behind her, and went inside. "hello?" She called again walking in cautiously."Is anyone there?" Came a worn voice.Tayn recognized Janets voice and ran over to the cell her and Barnes were being held in."I'm gonna get you out." She said. and glaced around of anything she could use to open the lock
Janet blinked in the darkness, her fetters chaffing as she pressed herself against the bars "Tayn? Is that you?" She heaved a sigh of relief. "Wait, where is Leona? Is she okay?"
Over in the corner, Barnes sat, unmoving.
"I took her to your friend." she replied careful not to say who spotting the camera on the wall.
Tayn glanced around looking for keys. 805

SCENE 24 - ENDING

page 805 ( at the beginning there are some lines that are repeated to mark where they belong)
Firestein blinked, "I have no idea what you are talking about. Honestly, you're not making a lick of sense." He sat the kid back down and pushed him towards the exit. The boy needed no urging, and ran until his footsteps echoed out of earshot.The man nervously played with the chain in his pocket.Crow quietly followed Jayne down the stairs, his hand clutching the handle of his sword so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Firestein twittled with his chain, and a bead of sweat formed on his brow. "A sound? Wha? I-I mean, there is a musical establishment around the corner. What is it with all the aggression?"
Gage took a step back. What did they really want from him? Why were they here? They had come so far since the Tenement Halls. And little Noel. He cleared his throat, "We want to know where our friends are." He asked, though his voice trembled, "And... What you have against Inhumans."
At the word 'inhumans,' Firestein's, eye twitched.
Misty takes a step towards Firestien "You know exactly why" she growls, taking note of his nervousness. She looks at Gage with worry, then looks back at Firestien. His eye twitches as Gage says the word "inhumans" and Misty flattens her ears, narrows her eyes at him and lowers her body.
(Misty and Lao are going to kill me for doing this without them, but they weren't here, so )Firestein's face became just the slightest bit stony, "You have been talking to them, haven't you?" He said, and sat down on the edge of the flower bed with a sigh. "I suppose you believe what they told you?"
Misty growls softly, lashing her tail back and forth 
(Dang heart gives everything away :O )
Despite everything within his reason, Gage stepped forward. "You still haven't answered my question. Where are out friends?" He quivered, entering the man's personal space
Misty touches Gages shoulder, but he keeps walking towards Firestien. 
The old man looked from River to Gage, then to Rex's gun, and was quiet for a long while. At last he spoke, his voice barely above a whisper, "I used to believe in you. Back when you were superheroes."Misty blinks
( o-O I never realized that Gage was older and therefore bigger than anyone. ^_^ Little victories)Gage glanced back to him, smiled, and nodded as if to say thanks, man.(Mm hes like 20 something, kinda far from Misty's age but whateva still works out)Fanci Feathers Marans said: ↑"My great grandfather helped free you all, back when you hid underground. It was just the most incredible thing to be a part of that." He shook his head and rose to his feet, getting into Gage's face. "But then I grew up."
Just as his voice echoed into the room, boots pounded out in the hallway, and within seconds, they we're surrounded. And who would be at the head of the group, but the young boy?"Some of us are still trying to live up to those superheroes though, and you want to end it all. Just because you grew up doesnt mean you have to throw away your dreams."Misty lowers her body closer to the ground and lashes her tail faster, her sword ready in her hand. 
Crow got to the bottom of the stairs and was about to peek out when he heard heavy footsteps above him. In a moment of panic, he turned into a crow and zipped around ten corner, disappearing behind a flowerpot.Fanci Feathers Marans said: ↑"Tell you what you want?" He said, his voice rising to the metal rafters. "Ha! Being a bit naïve, aren't we?""You're the one being naïve if you think these men can take me down" Misty murmurs.
Fanci Feathers Marans said: ↑Gage's heart started to gallop. No. Not again. This was just like how the Tenement Hall had gone. Aero's near death flashed before his eyes, Misty leaping onto five thugs, Tayn's poor face when she had killed Noble. He gritted his teeth. No Not. Again. No one was going to hurt his family!He got up in Firestein's face with fire in his eyes. "Call them off." He dared.Misty straightens up and walks out in the middle of everything, evenly spaced from her group and Gage and Firestien, she stares at the surrounding men, the child at the front of them. She smirks, then looks protectively at Gage, Good Gage, be the warrior you have the potential to be, be the hero in the movies. Be the one who eliminates the threat all together.
ZEN: He looked into her eyes. "Of of of course." He stuttered through the pain. Was River actually blushing? Does she like me? Stop Zen, and focuse. He pulled out a mini pistol and took down more soldiers. So much blood so much death. I'm tired of it all.
River kept shooting. As soon as Zen looked away a soldier rushed at him, only to find the tall girl slicing his throat with her claws.

Misty laughs, and runs at the men, slicing through them with ease, killing them all with no effort whatsoeverShe wildy looks around, something filling her chest. Joy? No. Pain? No. What is this feeling? She tosses her head around, cutting through more soldiers blood spattering on her clothes, her vision gets blurry but she keeps fighting. She begins to laugh, louder and louder, with the more soldiers she kills the laughs become more malicious.
This feeling...
Ive felt it before..

She sees the child that Firestien was holding a little while ago, he smiles at his soldiers injuring the heroes. Misty rushes at him, grinning at the sight of all the blood, she disappears and reappears above him, landing on his shoulders and pushing him to the ground with a crunch
Misty whips around wildly, her vision just blurs.She takes the childs head by his hair in her left hand and lifts it, then places her sword at his throat.Something in her snaps, her eyes dull and all sense of mercy leaves her.
The head rolls to the side

This feeling...
Why is it so odd?..
What is it?...
No, I know what it is...
Its madness..

Zen leapt iinto action and tossed the star. It found it's mark on the first soldier. "Lets do this!!!" He shouted, feeling extra bold.FrankieDoodle said: ↑"Fine by me." Rex said and started shooting at the soldiers.Crow wanted to run out and help, but that would make him an easy target for bullets. Besides, his vision was swimming and he felt shaky. He obviously had shifted too many times today, and shifting again would only make it worse. I'll just... catch my breath for a second. They should be able to handle these soldiers without me, right?

At the shout, he punched Firestein in the nose. For a moment he couldn't believe that he had actually done it, but shook it off. Someone came up behind him.
The world stilled. He could see the whites of the man's eyes through the cowl as he spun around. Something in those eyes made him hesitate. They were both terrified, both just trying to help their brothers, but it only lasted a moment.
Someone cried out, and Gage lunged. He shot his wing out and swiped him off his feet. He leapt into the air. Another soldier, six o'clock. Gage rounded on him and planted his heel in the man's jaw. Teeth cracked. Two down.Firestein. After him! Another cowl. Land on his chest. Wind knocked out of him. Ow, my nose! You little-Three down.Firestein. Grab his collar. Heart beating. Sweat.
James Firestein lay on his back, a maniac standing over him, panting. The boy's eyes were wild, and his teeth dripped with blood from his nose. This wasn't the kid Nameless had told him about? What was this monster?For two seconds, the Inhuman hesitated. Hmm. Amateur. He yanked at the chain in his pocket, but it was stuck. He yanked again.
Gage backed away, fingers still curled into claws. "Get up." He growled.
He almost laughed. "What?" He said, quickly taking his other hand and jerking the capsule out of the pocket.
"Get up!" He said through gritted teeth. The taste of rust, and with every breath he heaved, more blood came from his nose.
He squinted, "Whatever you say..." He said, and rolled over, grunting and seeming to strain to get to his knees. As his back was to him, he unclasped the capsule from the chain. "HERO." He swore, and leapt to his feet and hurled the glass pod.
Gage felt something break on his chest. Then felt the wet on his shirt.
Confusion flashed across his face for a moment. Then came the burning. Scorching heat that started in his chest cavity and worked it's way to his muscles. He shivered, and glanced up to Firestein.
That wretch grinned as Gage sank to his knees.
He could hear his breath, and his heart in his ears. His own muscles creaking amidst the roar of battle. When the fire reached his wings, he heard a cry such as he had never heard before, and never will again. As his face hit the concrete, he realized. It was his own voice.

"Gage!" Rex yelled, and dropped his guns, running over to Gage. He knelt down next to him. "H-hey, Gage, are you okay?" Rex asked panicking. No, of course he wasn't okay! Rex didn't remember feeling this panicked about another persons well-being since- no. Rex pushed the memory aside. He wouldn't- no, couldn't, think about that.
Through the clash of metal and loud gunshots Zen heard the name Gage cried out in desperation. He turned toward the noise. There was Rex running over to a crumpled form that looked like-oh stars. It can't be!!! Zen jogged over.

"Gage! No!" River shouted- her mind drifted from Gage and the fight for the slightest split second, she had felt twice just now. Once for Zen saving her, was that time compassion? Friendship? And then again in fear for Gage. She had actually felt, and she kind of liked it. Maybe it was because she hit her head, she didn`t know- goodness of all the people she diffidently didn`t know. Her thoughts turned back to Gage and the battle. If she turned to help Gage Zen`s back would be open for the soldiers to attack.She couldn`t help Gage.But Thomas could.~~~Something in Thomas snapped, death surrounded him, hate, anger, revenge, injustice and some kind of justice. He was tired of this. He was tired of Firestein.He hurtled at the older man, jumping over Gage and pushing Firestein back but not pushing him down on the ground. "Why? Why do you attack them? Why do you hate them?" He pulled his pistol, and he caught his breath, not them, us. He was a Inhuman too.And he needed to realize that. "Why do you hate us?"
Firestein backed into the corner, grabbing a flower pot and heaved it at the boy. "Don't you get it, hero?" He spat the four-letter word. "You aren't meant to be here! You aren't real!"
Firestein hurled another flower pot at Thomas, and backed up another step. "You're fighting a losing battle! You're not meant to exist, do you hear me?"
-------------------
Misty glances up, and watches at as a cloud of blood bursts from Gages chest and he falls.Misty feels nothing, she turns her head as another soldier attacks her from behind, she leaps above them. "So you want more do you? HERE YOU GO" She stabs them right in the middle of the skull, she lands and pulls her sword out. She swings it, ruby droplets splattering on the ground, she rushes a the other soldiers and continues her killing spree.
Where am I?..
Am I trapped?..
Gage fell, does that mean hes hurt?..
Why cant I move my body where I want it to go?..
I want to go see Gage, I need to see if hes hurt..
Im trapped arent I?..

SOMEONE HELP ME!
Crow shook his head to try to clear his blurred vision. He looked around the edge of the flowerpot. More footsteps echoed as more and more soldiers poured down the stairs. I need to help them... He took a deep breath, then leapt into flight, flapping his tired wings even as his shoulder throbbed with pain. He saw Firestein at the edge of the battle, diving towards him. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Misty, a dead child clutched in her clawed hands. He recognized the mad glint in her eyes. I need to get to her! Before it's too late... if it isn't too late already. With that happy thought, Crow turned away from Firestein, swooping at his friend and running right into her face.
It was Gage. Zen kneeled down besides the grieving Rex, "Is he still alive?" Zen raked his eyes across gages still form. His chest was barely moving. Noooooo. We've been through so much already! He felt like crying but knew he shouldnt. Warriors don't cry, his father had told him many times when he was just a toddler.

Black feathers explode in Mistys face, she cries out and bats away the bird, wishing to kill more."STOP, GO AWAY, I NEED MORE" She cried
"Do I look like I know how to check a pulse?!?" Rex snapped. He saw Gage's chest barely moving and sighed in relief. "We need to stop the bleeding." Rex said, looking around for something to use.
Zen flinched. "I'm sorry its just...." His voice trailed off. He took off his plaid over shirt and placed it on the serious wound. "Medic, we need a MEDIC!"
Tayn heard Zens voice echoing up the hallway. She looked back at the door she had come though, and then to Janet, and Barnes. Her heart ached could she leave them here she had just found them. But how could she get them out? Rex would be able to melt the bars, but she was useless. 
"I'll be back." She whispered apologetically, and ran for the door she had come though. she Knew where they would be they were looking for Firestein. She ran up the hallway toward the Dome room.

Tayn rounded a corner and crashed into someone both of them fell, and a coffee mug skittered across the floor leaving a trail of steaming coffee behind it. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" she said pushing herself up off of them. "I didn't see you." Her eye's went wide when she saw it was one of firestiens guards.
"What are you doing here?!" He demanded. "you're not supposed to be down here!"
Tayn didn't know what to say to him. she shook her head mouth agape and started to put her hands up submissively. The guard pulled himself up off the floor scowling at her. The jingle of keys caught her attention. He had a set of keys on a carabiner on his pants belt loop. She looked up at his face, could he be the person who was guarding Janet?
"Sorry." she said again and lunged at him, knocking him back down.
"HEY!" He yelled. Tayn released the latch and slipped the keys off. She hadn't thought about what she would have to do to keep him from stopping her. 
He grabbed her arm and reached for his gun. 
Tayn dropped to her knees, on his stomach and used her free hand to try to wrestle the gun away from him. He coughed having the wind knocked out of him, but didn't stop fighting her.
while they struggled she managed to free her other arm and jabbed one of the keys into his side. He yelled in pain, as she grabbed the gun and hopped back away from him pointing it at him.
Her heart was racing, she couldn't let him go or he would get others. 
Tears filled her eyes and her hands shook. 
"I'm sorry." she said her voice quivering. She tried to work up the strength within her to fire the gun. She stared into his scared eyes, she wasn't sure which of them was more afraid. This was wrong. She couldn't do it. No life was more important than another.
"Get up!" She yelled. "don't try anything!"
she took him with her back to Janet and Barnes and handed him the keys. "Open it." she said holding him at gun point.
Tayn led Janet to the Pizza shop where she had left Leona. The guard under threat of shooting stayed behind at the police station.
------------------------------

Gage moved his head the slightest bit to see the blurred figures standing over him. Two? Or four? He could feel something trickling down his back through the pulsating pain.His feathers dropped to the floor, and the arms that once held them had turned black, green, and started to ooze.He let his head down again, too weak to hold it up anymore. How weird it felt,
to have your wings rot off.
Crow cawed angrily. C'mon, Misty! I know you're in there somewhere! He continued to flap wildly in her face, but made sure to stay slightly out of reach of her sword. He knew that the more she killed, the farther she would go. He had to stop her...Misty swats around her face wildly
"Jesus loves me..." Gage croaked, "this I know."
"Hey, can you move? I gotta get you out of here, ok?" Rex said softly. He wrapped his wings around Gage and Zen, trying to keep the bullets from hitting them. That when Rex noticed something. Gage's wings. What was wrong with them? They almost looked like they were... rotting?
Zen recoiled backwards. His wings! They just fell off! Ewww! He built up the strength to pull off the sodden shirt and wrung it out. And placed it back on gently patting it. Gage grunted faintly.
Gage: So tired. No, wake up. Don't sleep. Something touched him, but he didn't even blink. He couldn't even make his eyes focus.
gage singing: Misty freezes 
Where am I?
What was that noise?
Misty punches something invisible and it cracks
I need to get out!
Misty hears Gage start to sing
IM TRAPPED IN THE MADNESS
I WILL GET OUT
She punches the invisible wall again and again
It shatters
Mistys body lurches forward and she collapses to the ground
Her eyes widen and she gains control of her body again, she whips around and sees Gage on the floor

GAGE!
Gages breathing slowed. "Hey stay with me buddy! Come on! Breath!" Zen shook Gage gently. Tears sprung up in his eyes. NOOOO! No crying.
Crow landed on her head. "Caw!?" He squawked, staring at her face. Something in her eyes seemed... different. Misty?...Misty rushes over to Gage, dropping to her knees and sliding next to him. Her sword clatters on the ground beside her"For the-" he coughed up green ooze, "Bible tells me so."Misty kneels in the remains of Gage's wingsShe holds his hand, her hair shadowing her facePlease, dont dieGage dont leave mePleaseIve lost to many to lose you tooPlease dont leave me..I love you..He focused on the voice. He wasn't even sure whose it was anymore. The roar of the war. Guns firing. Anything to keep him awake."Little ones to him belong."
"Hey, take it easy, okay? You're not gonna die, got it?" Rex said, barely more than a whisper.
"Don't say that!" Zen snapped back at Rex. "You are going to make it if you tried hard enough Gage! Gage focus on me!" His voice cracked and a tear fell. A tear. I'm crying. I'm no warrior. I could have saved him.
"Shut up!" Rex yelled. First my parents. Then my sister. Now Gage. Don't say that! Gage is not dead! Rex thought.
"They are weak but he is strong," He sang his voice was barely intelligable anymore, yet somehow he felt the pain numbing. He turned his head, and smiled up at them. "Hoo-rah." He said. And he closed his eyes.
Zen closed his eyes and did what he should have done before. He prayed.
"Gage? Gage!" Rex said, and shook his shoulders.
Misty begins to murmur along with his songYes Jesus loves me,for the Bible tells me so
"Gage dont leave us"

and she kisses Gage
"What?! No Gage please no look at me!" Zen cried out as Gages head lolled back and his eyes closed.
Zen let out a deep sorrowful cry. "Nnoooooo! This can't be! Take me instead! Gage doesn't deserve to die!" Zen raised his palms up to the sky. "Takkkeeeee meeeeeeeee!" He fell to the ground in agony, crying like he has never done before.
Crow wavered as drowsiness threatened to overtake him, and was knocked off Misty's head as she rushed away. He hovered in the air, for the first time noticing the huddle of people over by the stairs he had used to enter. He flapped over, dropping down onto Rex's shoulder. He looked down at Gage, and his heart dropped. Gage's wings were hanging limply from weird, rotted-looking arms. He was pale and his eyes were closed, and he didn't appear to be moving at all. "Caw...?" He croaked, staring desperately at Gage. He CAN'T be dead. Gage is the most pure of any of us... all he's ever wanted to do is help people. He can't be...
As the last of his wings turned to a black puddle on the ground, silence fell. Soldiers grew still. Some took off their masks to better see what had happened.The one Gage had knocked to his feet stared. "He... said he would never use that." Came a whisper.Someone dropped their mask, then another. Followed by weapons. Faces came into the light for the first time in years.
Crow stared at Gage in horror. What... what is this? What sort of horrible creature could do such a thing?! He hopped off Rex's shoulder, landing by Gage's side. He pecked at his shirt gently. "Caw??... caw?"
ZEN: He was still crying.Tears never came this hard before. Guilt. He felt guilty. "CAW?" Zen recognized that sound. Crow?! Zen looked up with a tearstained face and saw a crow standing besides Gage cawing softly. Seeing Gages face again brought a fresh torrent of tears. He looks so happy. So peaceful.
River stopped shooting, tears filling her eyes. She put her pistol up and turned, kneeling down beside Zen, she stared at Gage. "Gage, you can`t die." Her voice was a mere whisper. Broken and sounding terrified.Just like she was.Her eyes flicked up to Firestein and Thomas, terror grabbing her heart that Firestein would do this to her brother, too. But she couldn`t bring herself to her feet.
-------------
Thomas easily moved out of the flower potts way but kept coming at Firestein, his eyes glowing even bluer, his hands clenched into fists and translucent blue light emanating from them. "You only think that. We are as meant to be here as you. We are just as real as everyone else. This battle? We`ll win it. We will win this battle and we will find our friends and the Sound Of Silence. Whether you tell us where it is or not."
Jayne stepped out of the safe room he had wanted Firestien to hide in. Everything had escalated so quickly. But he hadn't expected Firestein to actually use the chain. especially not on the boy, he was barely even a threat. 
Jayne grabbed firesteins collar and pulled him back out of the way putting himself between James and Thomas. "Leave!" He growled at Firestein while glaring at the Thomas. He spread his arms out to the side, blocking Thomas from going around him.
Crow looked up, seeing Jayne put himself between Thomas and Firestein. Jayne, someone he had once trusted, someone who had spared Crow's life, barely even looked at the motionless figure of Gage. Instead, he chose to protect the monster who had done this to Gage, someone who killed others just because they were different. Crow narrowed his eyes, then shot into the air, diving down to land in front of the exit that Jayne had come in from, right behind Firestein. He transformed, his already dark eyes even darker with fury. "He isn't going anywhere," he growled.
Jayne shot a worried glance over at Crow. What could he do if his gun wouldn't work? The only other weapon he had was a grenade and that was over kill the majority of these kids had already stopped fighting, even the wolf girl who seemed to enjoy killing had stopped. Jayne reached into his pocket and started hard at Thomas. "Take care of your friend." He growled. pulling something small out of his pocket closed in his fist. He couldn't let Firestein see what he had. "Crow boy, move away from the door. Now." He didn't break his eyes away from Thomas.
His eyes still on Firestein, Crow reached down and grabbed his sword from where he had stashed it behind a flowerpot. He held it at the ready, glaring coldly at Jayne and Firestein. "No. Not after what he's done!" Crow spat, feeling betrayed and angry that Jayne had chose Firestein over him and his friends. I though he was better than this. I really did...
"Get. Out. Of. My. Way. Now." Thomas snarled, his voice was cold and cut like ice, not even River had ever made such a sound, and no one in this room probably had ever made a snarl like that. He did not even caring to stop walking forward, he had a feeling Jayne wasn`t going to hurt him or Crow- at least not too bad, but after what Firestein had just done was he really sure? No, he wasn`t. But he didn`t care.He wasn`t afraid, he could just shield himself from bullets and whatever Jayne was holding.The blue light grew stronger, it looked like a blue fire now.And it probably felt like fire too."Move, Jayne. I don`t want to fight you. Don`t make me have to."
Jayne clenched his teeth, how was he going to get out of this one? He wasn't sure what the blue glowing stuff was or what it would do if it touched him. He wasn't sure Thomas knew. He glanced over at Crow again, He looked just as angry as the kid in front of him. Who was the greater threat? Should he try to bluff his way out of this? What ever he did it had to be fast. 
"You know he was right." Jayne blurted out. "I do owe him something." He stared hard at Thomas. Would he remember what he was talking about? Maybe Crow would....
Thomas stopped walking at him, about 5-8 feet away. "True. And I understand that you owe him." Thomas said, understanding what Jayne said, and hoping Jayne understood him. "But I`ll still have to- and will fight you if you stay in my way. So I must ask you again move."

Firestein bristled, wielding another Terra Cotta pot. "Why aren't you attacking?" He screamed at his soldiers. He almost fell over when Jayne leapt in front of him, and felt something rise in his throat at Thomas's growl.Then something happened.It was as if the feeling of the whole room had changed. Clang, clang, clang came the methodical dropping of masks. The men watched him, not in the way they had before. The fear gone from their eyes now.He was losing control."W-what are you doing?" He said over Jayne's shoulder.The one that Gage had knocked down squared his shoulders, glanced briefly at Gage's body, then held the old man's gaze with stoic intensity."Get them!" Firestein screeched.As his words echoed off the walls, no one moved.
He felt like everyone could hear his heart beat, his breathing. See his sweat."What are you talking about?" He said, barely a whisper.He reached for something in his pocket, fingering it uneasily. Not yet. Not just yet. He thought
Jayne hadn't expected everyone to freeze up. he was sure they would have defended Firestein to the end regardless of what he had done. A small smile bent the corner of his mouth, he was surprised at his own reaction. "Thomas! Take this." he said boldly and opened his hand revealing the blue crystal he had taken from the cave. "help Gage." he turned to face Firestein.
Thomas stood surprised, and ran forward and grabbed it, skidding on his heals and turning and ran to Gage. "Here! Take this, River! Break it over his wound!" He yelled and stopped abruptly, opening his hand and letting the crystal fly through the air.~~~River grabbed the crystal, turned and did as Thomas said, breaking it over Gage`s wounds.~~~Thomas turned and ran to Jayne`s side. "Your reign is over Firestein!"
"You went too far, old man." Jayne said still some how happy at the turn of events.
Jayne drew his gun and pointed it in Firesteins face.
Firestein took the thing out of his pocket an mashed the button.
The soldier who had stepped forward grew rigid, and a barely audible electric squeal bounced off the walls.
"Now..." Firestein said, furrowing his brow, "Get them."
Misty looks up tears clouding her eyes, her vision wavers from side to side, but somehow she notices some movement in Firestiens pocket. She squints at him, her vision clearing what does he have in there? Is it the damned thing that literally melted Gages wings? 
Misty's feels something build up in her, not madness, not sorrow, not fear.Something differentHer eyes narrow to slits and she slowly peels back her lips baring her fangs, she pins her ears back flat against her skull.She slowly rises upWings sprout from her shoulders and her former transformation begins...This is the final battle, we need to end this. Before anyone else innocent gets hurtShe looks back at Gage, No more will get hurtShe slowly picks up her sword and disappears, then reappears behind Firestien.She stares Jayne right in the eyes, raising her sword to Firestiens wrist. Ice fog pours out of her left hand in fury, spreading all across the battlefield....

Jayne wasn't sure why he hesitated to fire, but he did. The wolf girl dashed over her light wings and sword reappearing he stared at her stunned for a split second. Then pulled the trigger. Shooting Firestein in the face. He fell to the floor, dead.Crow blinked, utterly stunned. Did he just... shoot Firestein?!
Blood spattered the wall behind the old man, and a wet noise bubbled up from what used to be his throat. The body stood there for a moment, like the soul had not quite left yet.Then it plopped to its knees.Then to the floor.
The remote, still clutched in his hand, beeped. Then it beeped again. Now it was getting faster.
The soldier twitched. "What's happening?" Came a voice, robotic and undoubtedly terrified.
Thomas stared, shocked. He`s dead? Just like that? That was well... unexpected. 

The beep grew faster still, till the light atop the remote was a solid red.The soldier screamed, and he clasped his hands over his face and keeled over.
Thomas glanced around. "What is that beeping?! What is happening to them?!"

Rex watched Jayne kill Firestein. "What is that?" He asked when the beeping started.
Jaynes eyes were torn away from Firestein's body and drawn to the screaming man. Something weird was going on.
Misty jumps back, blood splattering her face, she spats on the ground and watches what remains of Firestien fall to the groundShe notices the device in his hand still beeps, she walks over and stomps on it, crushing the device and Firestiens handMisty take a step back and spats on the ground then wipes her faceGone like that, good riddance..
Unsure what to think of the guy Jayne raised his gun again pointing it at him."Are you ok?" he asked cautiously. Noticing he was some how standing beside the girl he had intended to kill just a few minutes before.
Light shot through his hands and into the concrete at his feet. He staggered around still holding his hands to his face despite the holes burned into them.
Then the screaming stopped, the lasers died, and slowly, carefully, he rose to his full height. The veins in his neck and temple stood out, and his pupils dilated, pulsating red.
"What- what, just happened?" River asked, suddenly feeling- for once in her life- small and scared.
Jayne stared at the guy stunned. What had just happened? Was this an inhuman too?
Misty whips around and watches the soldier with an intent gaze.What the heck is this?!
His neck clicked around until Jayne was locked in his vision. Tears poured down his face, mixed with a tinge of crimson.For a moment, his eyes flickered brown, "Run, you fools." He whispered.
Thomas`s eyes began to glow again, the blue light/fire engulfing his hands.
Misty's eyes widen, but she stays firmly in placeShe readies herself, extending her wings and preparing her sword. "Guys" she says behind her back "run"
Realization quickly sunk in. This guy was some how being forced to fight them. Jayne grabbed Crow who was standing dumbfounded in the doorway and dragged him across the room to the rest of the group. Jayne figured Misty would be able to take care of herself.
Crow let himself be dragged over to the others, shooting a glance behind him at the... thing. "Jayne... you-you just shot Firestein." he stuttered, still shocked at Jayne's sudden change of heart. "In the head. With a gun."
The other soldiers backed away as a spark jumped from a square bulge beneath the nape of his neck. Eyes brightened to red again, and he folded his arms in, as if somehow trying to restrain himself.Then came a growl. An electric sound, pulsating from his throat until it crescendoed into a roar that consumed the man's entire face with rage.
"Abort mission! Get out! Get out!" Shouted a soldier, abandoning his weapon in a cold sweat.
Jayne looked around at the group with Gage, "I'll help you carry him." He said giving Rex an uncertain glance before taking one of Gage's arms and putting it around his own shoulders.
Rex stood up, and walked over to where his guns where on the ground & picked them up. He pointed them at the soldier. "Get Gage out of here now. I'll help Misty hold him off." Rex ordered.
"What is happening?!" River whispered.~~~Thomas raised his hand, getting ready to shoot the light. "Guys, run! I`ll help Misty and Rex!"
Most wouldn't have even noticed it. It wasn't even a twitch, more of a slow, painful movement. An iota. Easily else's touch that had caused it. And yet, the stubs where Gage's wings used to be, moved.
Misty watches the soldier the second he would make a move she would end itshe looks back at the others"GO GET OUT WHILE YOU STILL CAN"
Jayne nodded, and started toward the doorAnother soldier sidled up beside him, and gave him a reassuring nod, though his forehead was beaded with sweat as they rushed for the stairs, away from the deafening roars.
Lazer shot from his eyes, piercing the dome panels until daylight shone through. Then he leapt, one moment on the floor before them, the next he had his fingers dug into the ceiling. "Exterminate." Came a hollow voice.
Thomas winced, but stood strong.~~~River stood slowly, glancing around, would she stay with Misty, Rex, and Thomas, or would she run? Run, She spat in her head. I hate that word.

Zen started. What on earth was that loud noise?!
Zen watched as they carried Gage away. He ran to catch up guarding their back with a gun. 
"I got you guys covered, keep going."
Jayne had a crooked smile on his face. He wasn't sure how exactly he felt having betrayed his boss, but Crows reaction was some how amusing.
"No, Zen."River`s voice croaked, a grin crept over her face. "I`ll cover for you." She touch his shoulder. "You make sure they stay safe though, you hear?" Her hand snapped to her side, and she pulled her gun.She was ready to fight that monster.
Jayne nodded in answer though he realized that Zen probably didn't see him. Gage was heavier than he looked.
Zen felt a deep tension, and knew they had to get away fast. I cannot leave Gage. 
"Hey River, yes you could stick with me, I want you too stay safe too." Zen replied, blushing slightly. He felt weak in a way.
Jayne wasn't really sure where to go once they made it out. He headed for the stairs since the fire alarm would have shut down the elevator. The coffee shop seemed as good a place as any.Zen looked over to see Jayne struggling under Gage's dead-weight. He glanced at River. She had a look of fierce determination on her face and it looked like she could take down the evilest villain. 
"Hey Jayne, let me help." Zen grunted, for such a short man he sure is heavy.
"Thanks." he said glad for the extra help.
"Zen I-" She was cut off by a strong voice. "No, Riv, you go with him. Me, Misty, and Rex can fight this guy. I can`t- won`t loose you again." Thomas said, giving her a hard stare. "Thomas- I- I can fight. I can`t loose you either." "No you can`t. Not in this state you can`t. You can`t fight this fight, River. You go with Zen and your friends."River opened her mouth to argue, but snapped it shut. She nodded. "Fine, I`ll- I`ll go. Stay safe Thomas."Thomas nodded and turned to Zen. "Watch out for my sister now and then, If I... don`t make it out. She has a thing for trouble." He flashed a grin, and with that- he turned back to the waiting battle, soon the monster would attack, and he would meet it head on."Hey Thomas, i know we've never really met, but I will guard your sister with my life. Be safe man." Zen gave him a nod.Thomas didn`t reply- he was too busy shooting blue fire balls at the monster-human. 
River squinted at Zen I hit my head to hard. She thought then turned to leave- she couldn`t bare to see Thomas and two of her friends fight for their lives.A tear slid down her face. "We- We have to hurry now Zen, Jayne." She choked out.
The cyborg soldier glared at them from the ceiling, crawling along it like some kind of diseased animal. "Exterminate." He said as he curled his hands around a rafter."Exterminate." He said as his fingers slowly burrowed into the metal."Exteeerminaaate!" He said as screws went flying and the iron peeled from it's place. Screens hurled to the ground like bombs, exploding when they hit the ground. Hunks of concrete and steel rained down on their heads.

"Get out! GET OUT GUYS!" Thomas shouted at the group. His hand shot back then flashed forward, a blue ball of fire light went flying and hit the monster in the side, shaking it, but not hurting or making it drop.

-------

"i'm not sure I actually know what you're special power is." He said to Zen. "it wouldn't happen to be making heavy things lighter would it?" he asked, sweat trickling down his cheek.
"Aha," Zen laughed lightly,"No, sadly. I actually posses super speed and invisibility, abilities that aren't needed at the moment. Obviously." He side-glanced at Jayne. Poor guy looked like he just came out of a shower. "So um, Jayne how far is the destination?"
"headed back to the coffee shop I figure the rest of your friends will know where to go." We walked here earlier, it might seem farther carrying him though."
"Mm much farther." Zen grunted as the strain started to set in.
Jayne nodded and stopped chatting, putting all his effort into carrying Gage.
River was crying. Zen wanted to hug her and tell her that everything was going to be okay but he couldn't. Not now. "Yes!!! River help us, quick!!" He urged his legs not to move any faster, for fear everybody won't be able to keep up.
They had just got out of the room and River had looked over her shoulder, when the room caved in. Her heart seemed to stop. She didn`t know Thomas had pulled the shield. "Thomas... Misty.... Rex.... No...." She whispered.
"They might be okay," Crow whispered, though he said it so quietly he doubted River had even heard him.
River grabbed Gage`s legs, lifting him fully off the ground with the help of Zen and Jayne.
They moved as quickly as they could up the hallway.Crow looked back, his eyes wide. I hope they're alright... He turned away, hurrying after the others.
"Gently, gently." Jayne reminded Zen. Though Gage was healing he was still seriously injured.
"River! His legs!! Keep them off the ground!! River............" Zen saw heartbreak on her face."RIVER LOOK FORWARD!"
River`s head snapped around, Tears sliding down it. I just got him back. Now he`s gone again. Forever. What kind of life is this? "I have his feet." She whispered.
Zen saw tears. 
"We...must...move onward and forward...." Zen strained,"and don't........loook.....back..."
"'Move onward and forward'? What do you even mean? My brother just died. I`ll never get over that." She whispered.
He listened to River.
Zen sighed, "He may not be dead! Thomas is a strong guy......" Zen tried to add some optimism in his voice but he too wondered if Thomas passedRiver stared at him. "He might be strong but.... He`s only 16 Zen." She shuddered and sighed. "Fine, okay, but," She looked at the screaming Barista. "You really think she is going to fix us a drink right now?" A little amusement slipped into her voice.
"What?!" Crow demanded, who had finally snapped out of his trance. "You're gonna burst into Starbucks with a half-dead Gage and a gun?!"
Jayne did his best to keep himself from laughing and dropping Gage. "Maybe we could take a squad car and take him to the hospital?"
"We'll have to answer a lot of questions. But it's the best option for him..." Crow said, his voice faltering as he looked over at the now-wingless Gage.

Gage's other flip-flop slid off, though no one noticed. Left like a dead thing on the sidewalk. Soldiers gathered round them, lifing the burden from their shoulders as they walked out into the sunlight. "He'll be okay." One assured them, quietly. One even put Zen's arm around himself to help him walk. Someone else put a reassuring hand on Jayne's shoulder.
Somehow the street seemed quieter. Cars honked just a little less. People quietened as they stopped and stared at what was happening.
Zen's shoulders sagged in relief. Ohhh Gage. Now free he walked over to River and put an arm around her. "Hey River. It's going to be okay."
River looked up at him. Horror in her eyes. She stared up at him with big sorrowful eyes. "Oh River..... Lets get something to warm to drink huh? We don't know for sure...." I should probably stop babbling right now.

Jayne was surprised by the helping hands, if anything he had expected a fight when they ran in to the police. He sat down on the pavement relieved for a moment until he remembered the kids still in the basement.
He stood back up, "Officer, there are still some kids in the basement fighting some kind of cyborg. They need help."
"We are just going to get him to the closest safe building, then call an ambulance. We need to move him as little as possible." Said the soldier on Gage's right.So they turned into that closest safe building, which just happened to be Starbucks, and laid Gage on a table.The barista screamed.River looked around dully.Crow sighed, So much for not bringing him to Starbucks. He looked around, nervously slipping his sword into it's sheath, hoping no one noticed it.
River mustered the strength after seeing Crow sheath his sword to put her pistol up.
Thomas paused, he had thought the man had incinerated, but, him running hadn`t crossed his mind. River flashed in his mind and he glanced around. "We should maybe go find them?"
Gage's chest rose and fell the slightest bit as he lay on the table. He moaned.
Crow's eyes widened, "Gage?" he whispered, staring at him so intently he didn't even notice the excited voices of the Starbucks customers and employees.
The man chrinched his nose up. "Hey, buddy." He wheezed.
Jayne's eyes were drawn to Gage, he was waking up? He grimaced thinking about how much pain he would be in.
Crow blinked at him dumbly. "Uhh.. are you okay?.. Well, obviously not... I-I'm-" his voice faltered. "I'm glad you're alive, bird-man." He tried for a smile, but it faded as he realized Gage wasn't really a 'bird-man' anymore.
He snorted, and something played on his lips like a grin. "S' okay, man." He whispered. "I've given every-" his voice rolled into a cough, and turned onto his side, coughing again and again..Someone gasped, staring at his back, and the stains in his shirt."-One else nicknames. 'S about time I got one." He breathed.
Then can a clap.Then another. People got to their feet, one by one. The barista tried to do so, but had to cup her hand over her mouth, crying and laughing at the same time. Applause filled the little cafe.Jayne looked around at the clapping people, they all thought of these kids as heroes. He stood back and crossed his arms over his chest. Smiling approvingly at them. Somehow they were the good guys today. 

His eyes roamed from the people, to the soldier's, and back to his friends. He lay back flat on the table with a sigh, and held Zen, Crow, and Jayne, and River in his eyes individually. Then he smiled, and brought his hands together, and started to clap, too.
"Gage," River choked out with a cry, "your alive!!!" She clapped, then again. "Your alive! We thought you died!" The happiness vanished as she remembered Thomas.
Energy drained, he just lay there, grinning and clapping like an idiot as ambulance sirens sounded in the distance. He had no idea who was alive, if any more than who were here. But something... Something told him that they were going to be okay. Even their friends who had left them for Firestein's quest.Jayne tried not to laugh when first Gage and then River started to clap with the crowd. Zen was too happy for words, glad to see River smiling, and Gage! He is breathing! Zen leaned over Gage, " Hey man welcome back." He patted Gage's shoulder very lightly. Crow felt a smile slowly spread across his face. We did it. We're heroes. Then he brought his hands together and clapped.Tears still slid down River`s face, and her smile vanished as a wave of excruciating pain hit her in the head. Her face`s left side was completely wet with crimson blood that was gushing from a huge gash on the left side of her face. Her legs trembled from the pain and from tiredness, she hadn`t slept last night, the last time she had slept had been full of dreams of her parents deaths. She had been in two huge battles today and perhaps- helped end a war. She had finally found her brother and lost him again. Why did all this keep happening to her? Why couldn`t she have one peaceful day? Or a night without nightmares? Her hand reached up and touched the side of her face, when she lowered it, it was covered in blood. "Ow...."
He grinned and stuck his tongue out as the ambulance sirens grew closer. Then he noticed River. Her hair matted with blood, her eyes distant.Gage reached a hand towards her and made a muffled grunt. "River?" He breathed, but his voice was drown out by the noise. He wanted to help, but still wasn't able to move. People started gathering around, asking questions. What happened? Who are you people? Are you okay? They crowded, blocking the girl from his sight. So he turned his eyes to Zen, pleading.
River`s ears still rang from the caving in roof, and she didn`t hear Gage. But her eyes caught his hand reaching out to her, then two people shuffled in her way.She stood there, swaying, feeling so terribly out of place.She shook her head, urging herself to snap out of it. To be strong, deal with it- like she always had.But she didn`t want to. She didn`t want to just 'deal with it'.She was vaguely aware that someone shoved into her shoulder then walked away from her.Someone shuffled in-front of her and she caught sight of Zen and Gage for a split second, and a terrible urge to be with them and the others blast into her. She was sick and tired of being shoved away, discarded like a worthless rat, looked on with pity and disgust, being ignored while everyone else was heard. Then why was she taking it, and not standing up, and when she did, she quietly barked at someone and only to be looked at dully? Why didn`t she really stand up?She tapped the person in-front of her- it was the Bartista. She glanced back at River in surprise. "Excuse me, I`d like to rejoin me friends." She choked out, her voice wavering. The other woman stared at her- shocked that the bloody girl had spoke, slowly she nodded and smiled, stepping out of River`s way.Clearing the way to Zen and Gage and the rest of her friends.She stumbled forward and stopped beside Gage and Zen. Not really knowing what to say.Gage noticed Zen. The way he looked at her, and jerked on his jacket. Make her happy, idiot. He wanted to say as the paramedics burst in the room.Jayne watched River unsteadily make her way through the crowd, he tapped the barista on the shoulder she turned and frowned at him quizzically. "Don't worry you're not in my way." he smiled gently at her. "could you get her a cold cloth while we're waiting for the paramedics?" he asked nodding toward River.River glanced at him dully, not quiet understanding what he meant, then looked back to Gage and Zen.
After taking Janet to the pizza place, Tayn wandered back out on to the street alone. She was exhausted but she knew she couldn't go home, not with everything going on. She wasn't sure what to do with herself now, the stress of the last few days seemed to finally be over now that Janet and Leona were both together. Tayn pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, there were several missed calls from her boss. She sighed and dismissed them, pulling up Gages phone number. Somehow his was still the only number she had, even though all of the people she had been with the last few days were as close as family. Tayn considered calling him, but he was probably still in the police station. Maybe in trouble. She remembered Zens frantic calls for a medic, and trembled wondering who had gotten hurt. She could hear Ambulance sirens they might be for her friends or maybe for Firesteins guys. Tayn headed back toward the police station, hoping her friends weren't laying bleeding to death in a hidden basement all alone.
River awkwardly stands there. Pain ripping through her head, blood trickling into her eye. Why isn`t my body working? And why is the room spinning?
Zen smiled sympathetically at River, he knew she was hurting inside-and outside! 
"Hey River you need something for that wound! Where'd you get it?" Zen grabbed a napkin from an unoccupied table and gently dabbed at her wound. Just as he reached over to do so he felt a sharp stabbing pain in his back. "Ahhhh!" Zen dropped the napkin and grimaced in pain, falling to his knees. The pain. The pain! Everything started to go dim..... Noooo..... River...... Gage is alive..... 
Then.
Blackness.
River winced as he dabbed her gash. "Wha- Oh, that man got me with a... a... I don`t know what he hit me with. I knocked it out of his hands then he came at me with the gun and you stopped him..."Then he was down.No!She fell to her knees and shook him hard. I won`t loose him too! I won`t loose anyone else! She thought frantically. "Zen?" She whispered. "We need another medic over here, for him!" She yelled hoarsely.
Tayn was trying her best to run without stopping but the lack of sleep from the night before was slowing her down. She stopped when she got to a crowd that had gathered outside of Starbucks. The Ambulances she had heard had stopped here too. She tried to look through the window over the sea of onlookers. 
"What's going on?" she asked a woman who was standing on her toes looking toward the building.
Jayne looked himself over somehow despite everything he had managed to get through this crazy day without even a scratch. Now that the paramedics had arrived there was really no use for the cold cloth that the barista had brought. He smiled and thanked her anyway. she seemed to be confused about what she should be doing there were a lot of people in the cafe that didn't need to be there.
Crow's eyes widened as Zen suddenly fell to the ground. He kneeled down beside River, looking over Zen for any kind of wound. He was acting fine just a moment ago...
"A solider hit him in the back..... back in Firestein`s lair." River muttered
He made an awkward squeaking noise as Zen collapsed. The light of the ambulance flashed all around, bouncing off their faces. They were going to be okay... weren't they? They had made it out of that dratted place alive. Surely we wouldn't die in a hospital, he thought as two men grabbed him by the arms and legs and laid him on the stretcher on the floor. There was a feathery, black stain left on the top of table 4 where he had lain, and he winced as what was left of his wing jarred on the stretcher he was lifted up on. He tried to reach out to Zen, but the paramedic shoved his arm back to his side as they hurried out the door.Outside, he watched Tayn's face as it was illuminated by the siren lights. He couldn't even smile.
Rex... Misty.Oh, Misty

Paramedics pushed through the crowd with a stretcher. Tayn looked over to see Gage, or was it? She tried to get a better look at him, but he was quickly shoved into the back of an Ambulance. Other paramedics brought River and Zen out. Jayne followed them but he seemed to be fine. 
Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. Terror ripped at her body. She was going to loose Zen and Gage just like everyone else she had...Blood blurred her vision, causing her to stumble, it was just the blood that was causing her to stumble, right? Her head burned with pain as if there was fire in it, and it felt light. She could barely feel her feet hit the ground. Yes, River was a far cry from who she used to be.She stumbled forward, barely able to get out of the Starbucks. She stopped and let her eyes roam over the crowd, and they froze on a light-skinned, midnight black haired, blue eyed girl. "Tayn." She croaked.
Crow, still kneeling by Zen, watched as the medics came and took Gage. "Hey! Over here!" He called, though unsure if they heard him over all the excited voices of the crowd. He glanced at River, seeing her stumble. "River?" He asked uneasily, but she was already out the door.
River didn`t hear him. I`m fine. I`m fine... I`m not fine. She thought.River stumbled towards Tayn, and stopped when they were face-to-face to that they could talk. "Tayn. Are," She paused to catch her breath. "you," Another pause. "okay?" She croaked.
Tayn put her hands on Rivers shoulders to steady her.
"I'm fine. Are you? What happened?"
River shook her head to try and clear it. She paused to get her breath so that she could explain. "We fought Firestein. We won but Gage was hurt, and so was Zen and me." She paused to catch her breath. "And Misty, Rex, and Thomas are..." Her voice trailed off.
That was Gage?" she said her heart sinking. "You need to go to the hospital." Tayn turned her and walked her toward the Ambulance that was still there. "Where are the others?"
"Yes. I`ll be fine." River stumbled. "Okay, maybe not. They`er scattered around here, but some of them..." Tears were in her eyes. "Didn`t make it out."
Tayn didn't know what to say. She led River to the paramedics who had carried Zen over to the Ambulance, "She needs to go to the hospital too." she said to them. "River, I'll find them. Go to the hospital and we'll all come to see you later." She smiled reassuringly.
River gave her a fierce glare. "Nope. Sorry. I`m not going until I know that the team members that got out are safe. I didn`t... Didn`t have the chance to see if they were wounded."
Tayn glanced over at Zen, "well, he's here with you. Gage has gone to the hospital already." Tayn closed her eyes and shook her head. She was tired, who all had gone to the police station? "Jayne and Crow are over there." She said gesturing toward the door to starbucks. Is that everyone that got out? Janet and Barnes are fine. I took them to Leona. Do you mean you want to go back to the police station?" She asked wondering if it was a good idea to take River down stairs if she could barely stand.
River shook her head. "Okay, but if Crow, Jayne, Janet, Barnes, and Leona are okay... There`s nothing you can do Tayn. Firestein`s hide-out collapsed. The others I said we left behind... we had no choice... Rex, Misty, and Thomas... Tayn they`er..." She paused and snapped her eyes shut. When she opened them again, they were filled with tears. "They`er dead." She whispered. "I saw it. The roof came down on them... Thomas wasn`t able to pull the shield..."
Tayn stared at her. "What?" She said though it was almost a whisper. "that's...." She shook her head in disbelief. "They can't be." Tears stood in her eyes blurring her vision. She didn't know what else to do, she grabbed River and hugged her hard, hiding her tears. How could this have happened?
The breeze died and the air became still and cold. 
How could her friends just be gone? If she had gone when she heard yelling instead of attacking that guy, would they all have made it out, and not just some of them? 
"I'm not leaving them down there." She said. "They're not going to be left in Firesteins place. They deserve better than that." Tayn pulled back from the hug, determined to go and find them.
River barely stopped herself from crying. "Tayn, please let me go with you. Thomas was my brother... Please." She whispered, not sure what to say, only that she wanted to help Tayn, and go there.
Tayn looked at her, concern in her eyes. She reluctantly nodded. "maybe we should get Crow to come with us. What happened with Jayne is he really on our side?"
River nodded. "Thank you, Tayn. Yeah, we should. He is still on our side. He was the one who killed Firestein."
Surprised Tayn looked at Jayne, he did? 
She nodded and helped River over to Crow and Jayne.
River limped over with her. "Uh, what happened with you? How did you get Barnes and Janet free?" She asked weakly.
"I ran into the guy with the keys." She said simply avoiding the fact that she had nearly shot the guy.River nodded, okay with a simple answer and to leave it at that and not say anything.
Crow was watching the ambulance drive away. He noticed Tayn coming toward him. "Tayn! Where were you? I didn't see you at the battle." Crow then spotted River limping behind Tayn. He got up, "Why didn't you go with them? You're hurt!" he pointed in the general direction of where the ambulances had been.
"hey," she said relieved that he was ok. "I went and found Janet." She shrugged, wasn't that the whole reason they had gone back to the police station? "I want to go back and find the others, and River wants to come too. You want to go?"
"I`ll be fine... Probably."River nodded.
------------------
Rex fired, using his wings to keep the pieces of iron from hitting him.
Bullets glanced off of him as he pulled on the rafter. With a soft groan, the metal gave way and then snapped, sending the soldier hurtling towards them, bar raised over his head like a mallet.Seconds later, the roof caved.Misty chucklesThomas raised his hands, blue light surrounded them, and it barely stopped the roof from hitting them. "Ahhhh! I! Can`t! Hold! This! Much! Longer!"Without a second thought, Rex shifted into a wyvern & pounced Thomas & Misty, using himself as a shield.Thomas gasped. Ugh! This guy is heavy! "Hey! Your.. gonna.. make me... loose the shield!" He growled. I feel so... weak.
Rex shifted his weight slightly off of them. He looked at Thomas, his eyes telling him to drop the shield.
Thomas stared at him. "You could die..." Thomas began then stopped, staring at his eyes. That, Thomas thought. That is what it is to be a friend. To be able and willing to give up your life for each other. To do anything for each other. That is what it is. I have to drop the shield. I have to trust Rex. He nodded. "Okay, Rex." And dropped the shield.
The moment Thomas dropped his shield Misty froze an unbreakable shield of ice over them, the ceiling hitting the shield with dull thuds. She stands up, "you guys ok?" She says with a smileThe cyborg heaved the bar at them, just before lunging onto the wall, and bounding up and out of sight.The dome crumbled, burying the three alive.
Rex grunted as the roof fell on his back. He pushed up, knocking the roof off of his back. He grabbed them in his claws & flew out of the rubble, & gently laying them on the top. He looked at the cyborg, and breathed fire at him.
Thomas stumbled to his feet and coughed, then shot more blue fire light balls at the cyborg.
In his eyes, it was if the ground had opened up, and Hell itself had raised. Thick dust hung in the air, hiding all but the beast's glowing eyes and nostrils as it stomped toward him, ground shuffling beneath it's talons.Then it's mouth opened to reveal enormous teeth, and a throat like the boiling mouth of a volcano. And it was erupting.The cyborg narrowed his red eyes as the heat rushed toward him.
When the smoke cleared, he was gone.
Thomas blinked. "We.... did it..." His face lit up. "Rex! Misty! We did it!"
Misty nods and smiles, "yeah, but no doubt about it hes going for the others""mm, yeah we need to go after them"Misty looks at Rex, "if you melt the cement and I make a shield from above, will you be able to get us out?"
Rex nodded, and started melting the cement.
Thomas nodded. "I hope they got out okay..." He glanced at Rex. "I didn`t think he could talk in Ryvern form... And I doubt he can shift back yet."Misty sheathes Svellmalar and raises her hands to the roof, pouring out her ice power to block the cement from dropping in on them, all the while releasing fog to cool the molten rock.
Thomas walked with them as they slowly progressed, raising his own shield now and then when a rock or two fell and slipped Misty`s attention. His mind wondered and he thought about this group, what had made them start in the first place? But, oh, he was glad the did. Then his mind turned to River, he hoped she was okay, he had seen blood dripping from her head- gushing from a wound from where she hit her head.
Misty blinks at the blood dripping into her eyes, I guess I got hit by some cement She thinks getting slightly dizzy, but she focuses intently on making the shield
After finally making it out of the building with Thomas & Misty, Rex flew up & grabbed the back of their shirts with his claws. Where should I take them? Rex wondered, flying out of the building. He glanced down at them, looking at the shock & discomfort written across their faces. Didn't they say something about taking Gage to Starbucks? It's worth a shot. When he arrived at Starbucks, the ambulances where just leaving. He set Thomas & Misty on the ground carefully, & landed himself. 
Misty feels a soft tug and is lifted into the air, she soars over the buildings with Thomas by her side, she looks up at Rex and smiles at him. Utter glee leaps in her chest as she glides about the people below her just small dots. Then to her dismay Rex dives down to the ground, the rush making her heart beat like a drum, he gently puts her and Thomas down, she glances at the others as the ambulances drive away and her glee vanishes, "Is Gage going to the hospital with the others?" she asks taking a step forward towards Tayn. She tilts her head, worry in her eyes. She wipes the pouring blood from her brow, completely unaware that she has a deep gash on her forehead.

Rex saw Tayn, River & Crow talking to together. He let out a low growl to get Thomas & Misty's attention before walking over to them, and nudged Tayn's shoulder with his snout.Misty growls back at RexRex looked a little surprised when Misty growled at him. He rose his wings up slightly in a surrendering position. He knew that he would most likely win a growling contest, but after what had happened, he didn't want to start it.Misty smiles back at Rex"River!"River whipped around to stare into the face of Thomas. "You`er hurt! What were you thinking? You should be at the hospital!" He scolded.~~~Tears filled her eyes. "How...? I- I saw the roof cave in... I thought you were... dead."~~~Thomas shook his head. "Nope. Your not going to get rid of me that quick." He hugged her. "I`m glad your okay, Riv." He pulled back from her to address the others. "I`m glad the rest of you are okay too."
"Hey! You guys are alive!" Crow was unable to stop himself from smiling. I knew it! The most unorganized superheros ever to exist aren't killed that easily!
Tayn stumbled forward, and glared over her shoulder."Rex!" She smiled and grabbed him in a tight hug. "You're Alive!" She was relieved to see that he was ok. "Where's Misty, and Thomas?" She asked looking around, she spotted Thomas with River, and Misty was there too. She then realized she was still hugging him, and let him go. He wrapped his wings around her in a hug briefly, and then pulled away. He gave them a look that said that he was glad that they were okay, before looking around for Gage.
"I'm so glad you guys are alright!" She said her hands started shaking and tears came to her eyes again. The last few days had been crazy, but some how they were ok.
Misty grins back at Crow "course we are! How could we die by a little cement?" she wipes the pouring blood from her brow once again, suddenly feeling a little dizzy.Crow grinned at her, "Of course not! I would never doubt the power of a winged wolf-person with an ice sword." there was playful sarcasm in Crow's voice, but he really was happy that they had come out alive.
Thomas smiled at Tayn, then looked over the group. "Wing Dude is at the hospital?" He paused. "Where is Zen?"
"They took him too." Tayn answered. "River should have gone, but we were going to go look for you guys instead." Tayn sat down on the sidewalk exhausted. "We should probably get her to the hospital. I think she's really hurt. Misty looks hurt too."
"Yeah, we should." Thomas said, giving River a soft look. "Misty was hit with cement." He looked at River again. "Ya`know, what`s funny is that if I would have died and knew that you were hurt, my dying wish would be that you would be safe, and that would mean going to the hospital to be checked out, not digging in rubble." He joked.~~~"Oh, I`m sorry that I wanted to go find my brother." River said sarcastically, her voice slurred.Mist stares at Thomas and River fighting and a pang of sadness enters her heart, thats how me and Grant used to talk to each other.She wipes more blood from her brow and wipes it on her jeans
Jayne requests a ride from a police officer for the group to get to the hospital.
"hey, Mr. Wyvern buddy? I saw you with a bag earlier, you have some back up clothes on you? I'm sure you could 'change' in the bathroom here before we go." Jayne still wasn't sure how Rex would be with him.
Tayn picked herself up off the sidewalk. Her legs ached but they needed to get River and Misty to the hospital. Jayne had managed to find a couple of police officers that were willing to drive them over.
Misty falls to the ground and looks around, everyone either has a look of worry or defeat on their faces. This look, Misty was all to familiar with, Grant had that look once, only once, back on Elemians when Maru was taking over. She realizes now that that look of defeat... That final hug and goodbye... Was his last, Misty didnt understand it at first, she thought it was just a 'see you later' but now she knows, it was a final goodbye. Tears fall from Misty's eyes.Trust betrayedLoved ones goneEven though Maru is dead, something is still missing.I need to finally finish thisBut firstI need to be by a friends side
Misty jumps up and wipes the blood and tears from her face, shifts into Wolf form, and bolts down the route that the ambulance took, following Gage's scent.
Rex flew back to his apartment where he shifted into human form & changed into a new pair of clothes. He then flew towards the hospital, catching up with Misty & flying next to her.
Tayn was hit with a wall of anxiety as people started taking off again without a word. 
"Lets go." She said to the officer who had keys in his hand. "We need to get River to the hospital."
(*forcibly throws all remaining characters at starbucks into the cop car and takes them to the hospital*)
(*River is much offend at Tayn*)(*Tayn takes over the role of being everyone's mom and nags until the doctor takes care of you*)
(*Rex goes to his apartment so he can change out of wyvern form*)
Jayne grabbed the dangling keys from the officer."I'll take them." He said, waving a hand at the group. "Come on, I know you're all exhausted. Let's get you to the hospital and checked over so you can get some rest." Jayne clicked the lock button on the keys a few times to track down the car, and led them to it. He got in the drivers seat and waited for the rest to pile in.
Misty rushes in the hospital, nurses and doctors yelp and paste themselves against the wall as she zooms past chasing after Gage's scent. Although her heart screams out find him find him and that's all that will matter, she comes to her senses and turns to human form, blood drips down her face and into her eyes, soaking through her clothes and staining her hair. She straightens up and looks at the doctors and nurses, she smiles gently, touching her face and looking at her blood stained fingers she calmly asks "Heh, could I get a little help here? Once you're done patching me up could you direct me to the room of a winged man named Gage that just recently came in?"
Then the room went black
Rex left his apartment, after changing out of his wyvern form & putting some clothes on. He flew to the hospital, & walked inside & to the desk. "Is a man named Gage here? Brown hair, around five feet, holes where his wings should be?" Rex asked. He sighed when he saw the woman's startled expression. "Listen, I'm having a really bad day, so you could tell me, or I could burst every door here down until I find him. Your choice." The woman pointed a shaky finger in the direction of Gage's room, & Rex walked that way.
Tayn looked at river, thomas, and crow trying to gauge their reaction before following Jayne to the car.
River stumbled forward, leaning on Thomas who opened the backseat door for her, and she got in the middle seat between Tayn and Thomas. Thomas then quickly sat down beside her, and closed his door.
Jayne rolled down the passenger seat window, "getting in?" He asked the boy.
Tayn looked over at River, this day had been absolutely crazy, it didn't even feel real. So many people had died. So many had died because of her. But at least her friends seemed to be alive, mostly alive. Was it really over? Tayn put her hand on Rivers shoulder gently pulling her closer. 
"here, put your head on my shoulder." she whispered.River looked at Tayn as she put her hand on her shoulder. Still dazed, and her ears ringing, she hardly made out what Tayn had said. Your, Head, My, Shoulder. Getting the idea, she gave a weak nod and laid her head on her shoulder. "Thank you." She rasped.

Jayne smiled uncomfortably at Crow who seemed reluctant to get in the car. "Sorry about earlier." He said. "come on. we should go."
Crow blinked and rubbed his eyes. "Sorry," he said quickly to Jayne, going to the front side beside him. "Shouldn't transform so much in one day." he muttered, almost to himself.
"It's fine." Jayne said shaking his head. He put the car in gear and carefully drove around the crowd pulling out onto the road. Crow fidgeted nervously. "I'm sorry I doubted you. Back at Firestein's, I mean." he blurted out to Jayne.Jayne glanced over at him briefly. Truthfully, until just that moment, he hadn't been on their side. But he couldn't tell them that. Jayne shrugged, "I wasn't about to let that happen to all of you." he said, referring to what had happened to Gage.
Crow cracked a smile. "I guess we're even, since you threatened me with a gun.""yeah, I guess." he said quietly. 

-------------Ruby's gaze flickered toward the melting no-name, then back to the two silent people. One of them had fire in her hands. What the heck?! She gave a warning hiss.Sammy took a frightened step back, and realized with a jolt that she was standing right next to Dryden. Great, now I definitely look like a bad guy!

Dryden's eyes started glowing red as he watched the scene.Sammy gave Dryden a nervous look. What's stopping him from killing them right now? She wondered, certain that Chase and the dragon-girl stood no chance against Dryden's powers.
No-Name, now Noel, grinned down the barrel of Chase's gun. "You can't do it, can you?" She sneered. "Come on. Pull the trigger. I dare you."
Chase glared at her. His eyes were cold, trained, but his hand was unsteady. How could he hold still? When he was pointing at the mirror image of his little girl?Sammy tensed, bracing herself for the shot she was certain was to come. But nothing happened. Why is he hesitating? She's evil! Surely he must know that more than anyone...
She flinched as the dragon girl grabbed her, but kept her mouth shut in a twisted grin. She had won... For now.
Chase spotted him. The guy with the piercing blue eyes. "Gabriel!" He sighed. "Oh, man it's so good to see you." He said, coming towards him.
Gabriel cocked his head and offered a grin. You don't have to say it out loud, muffin cakes. He teased."You.. you're with him?!" Sammy squeaked, completely surprised. Her eyes widened as a bird waddled out of the bushes. Is that a mini forest penguin?!

Ruby kept her stance on top of No-name, but her face wrinkled. "What's an inhuman?" she queried.Fanci Feathers Marans said: ↑"You are!" Noel spat. Then paused for a moment, squirming under her foot. Then realized at that moment, so was she. She felt something churn inside her, but wrote it off as being stepped on. She couldn't think about that now. But they did save you. Came the stubborn thought. Whether they knew you were you.Sammy stood there silently, watching Dryden out of the corner of her eye. Why wasn't he attacking?
Ruby's pupils constricted, as memories came rushing back. She stumbled backwards, and curled into a ball, as faces flew past, taunting voices shrieked. "Oh." was all she muttered, in a small voice.
noname watched the fear grow on the dragon girl's face and almost pitied her.How had she come to be known as the Nameless One? It hadn't always been this way...She pushed the thought aside. She was about to have a lot more problems than a troubled past. Firestein would have her head if all the inhumans escaped!

Gabriel glanced at Noel. "She did the thing again, didn't she?" He asked, aloud for once. "You know, one of use could-""No one that looks..." He cast a venomous glance an No-Name, and grumbled, "Like my daughter is getting shot. I don't care who they are."Then he strode off toward the Silence. "Let's just bust some bubbles, shall we? I'm in the mood for some revolution."
Sammy stood there, feeling slightly hurt that she was being ignored. She also didn't understand why Dryden seemed to be frozen, and why he was also being ignored. Did he glitch or something?... She slowly crept away from him, eyeing the dragon-girl warily as if to say, I'm on your side... please don't eat me.
Gabriel grabbed Sammy's arm and pulled her towards the Sound. "Look, we've got thousands to free. When you get them out, teach them the code. Each bubble has a number on it, and to get the code, you have to solve x=2⁴(4(x))e² got it?"
"What?" Sammy said, her voice sounding oddly squeaky. She looked back as they ran towards the Sound, hoping Dryden would stay frozen long enough for them to free the inhumans.
Dryden's eyes were red, but no matter how hard he tried his lasers wouldn't shoot, and none of his other powers would work either.

Gabriel smiled: the first outward emotion he had showed this whole time. I'll help you. Just tell me the number the pod, and I'll give you the code. Telepathy should reach to the other side of this field.

Sammy nodded, then ran to the nearest pod, reading the number and projecting it to Gabriel with her thoughts. It's 17. Any idea how many there are in total?
Gabriel sent a mental shrug. Two thousand? Three? But once you get someone out, they can help fee others. He said, then sent the code.
Sammy tapped in the code, then watched, fascinated, as the pod opened. Inside, an inhuman with feathers all over their body slowly blinked their eyes open.
The pods opened, one by one at first, then ten by ten until the Silence was broken. And what a welcome break it was. People shouted just for the pure joy of using their vocal chords once again. Howls and song, lilting voices and screeches all rose to the sky in a most joyous roar. They danced and laughed. One Faun was so caught up in it, he hoisted a merman up and swung him around.When at last the Silence had been checked so that they were sure no one had been forgotten, they made for the sea.
Sammy, with the help of a few flying inhumans, had been able to locate Ash and Mikki. But there was still someone missing: Aero.
Ruby sat down on the ground. Tears began to form. No-name had triggered her memories, and she had remembered. She scoured the crowd of newly released inhumans, but they-he-and she-and he- none of them- anywhere. Would she ever see them again? She tried to hold herself together, but dissolved into tears, sobbing amid the jubilant chaos.

Ash whirled around, struck to blissful awe by the joyous cacophony that rose around her. Pods all around her were sliding open, and with their breach in closure seemed to bring hundreds- thousands, even- of inhumans to existence. Her senses were absolutely overwhelmed, but she'd never been happier to be surrounded by a raucous crowd. Before she could react, a boy around her height suddenly grabbed her wrist and had tossed her onto his back. He sped off along the beach with an entourage of younger inhumans in giggling pursuit. As sand pummeled her in the face, Ash abruptly became aware that she was riding atop of a massive black wolf. With a careless yell of jubilation, she swung her wrist around in the air as he made for the surf. In an another instant blink, she was sliding off the shoulders of a beaming teenage boy. Flaunting a set of dimples, he turned around and gave her a stupid canine grin that could only come from one with wolf blood. He offered her his hand up, and she took it. Ash. You should've known better.Because now she was treading water at the edge of the ocean after having been neatly hurled over his shoulder. The wolfboy threw another cheeky smirk at her before disappearing into the mass of inhumans celebrating their forgotten freedom. Dripping wet, but not caring at all, Ash slogged her way back to shore, only to have three little girls fling themselves at her as soon as her bare feet touched solid sand. She caught two in her arms and swung them, screaming in giddy hilarity, around in a wide circle before setting them back down.She was hugged by at least thirty more beings, adults and youth alike, as she made her way to the back of the crowd. There was so much joy here; everytime she'd turn her head there'd be another tearful reunion pulling desperately at her heartstrings. Children and ancients alike were dancing around as though gravity didn't apply to them. Wingmen and aerial shapeshifters had taken to the sky and now to look up was to be greeted by a dazzling array of airborne aerobics.This is why we came.This was our real mission.She threw her head back and let out a victorious bugle that rose above the massive celebration- one undoubtedly that would be remembered for the ages. "We're going HOME!!"The Silence was no more.With a warbling laugh, Ash shot off to find her three friends. 
Sammy wandered among the inhumans, thinking about Aero. He seems to have completely disappeared. Speaking of disappearing, I wonder where Chase took No-name? She was so deep in thought she didn't notice Ash until she was right in front of her.
Ash bounded up to her friend with an energy she hadn't bothered to put out for ages. "Sammy, look," she whispered, her attempt at a calm voice cracking with childish glee. "Look what we did." As her friend looked up, Ash couldn't help but be momentarily stopped in her metaphorical tracks by the lost look Sammy wore. "Wait...what's up?"
Mikki rose above the jubilant crowd, searching for anyone she knew. Suddenly she dove, gently coming down next to Sammy and Ash. "There you guys are! It took me forever to find you in all this," she said loudly, gesturing around her and hoping that she'd been heard over the noisy celebration. Then she noticed their expressions. "What's wrong?" she asked, her enormous grin fading slightly.
Sammy looked up, and felt a spark of joy. We did this! We helped free all these people! She couldn't suppress a small smile. But at Ash's question, Sammy's smile vanished. "Aero's missing. He flew away when we confronted No-name, and hasn't been seen since." She said, flicking a small flame into existence above her finger, and then just as quickly extinguishing it.
When Mikki suddenly landed by their side, Sammy whipped around, slightly startled. She then pretended that Mikki hadn't scared her at all, saying simply, "Aero's gone,"
"No one can find him? Why would he leave like that?" Mikki asked, worried.Sammy shrugged. "When he left, we hadn't yet broke the Silence. Maybe he was scared?"

----------------
Zen woke to the sound of a rhythmic beep. Zen tried to sit up but cried out as his head suddenly started pounding and he felt a sharp stab down his back. He must be in a hospital. How earth did I get here? He thought. Just then the door swung open and a young nurse came in holding a clipboard in one hand and readjusted my pillows. The small movement sent Zen's head pounding again but he didn’t dare cry out this time. The nurse apparently saw my pain and walked over.
“Can I get you anything?” She asked sweetly.
“I-I-I’m-,” He stammered. What did they give me? He felt like his mouth was stuffed with cotton balls and his tongue felt as big as a golf ball. Zen looked up and realized the nurse still waited expectantly.
He decided to try again,
“I’m f-fine.” Zen said again, the nurse just nodded and walked out the door. Zen settled back down into the bed. It was relatively comfortable.

He started feeling sleepy again and the only word that went through his head was River as he slowly felt the world go black again.

Then nothing.
Gage blinked into the bright lights, smell of cleaning fluids, and the sound of shoes on tile. The hospital. Again.He groaned as he shifted on the mattress, and noticed tubes running from his arms. As he slowly came back into awareness, he noticed the room was the same. As was the nurse with the clipboard who was shaking her head in the doorway.As he tried to grin, she held a hand up, "Save your breath." She said, "you need to rest."Gage grinned anyway. "Question. Where are my friends? And the soldiers, are they here? What about Misty? Oh cr-" Misty. When was the last time he had seen her? Was she alright? He couldn't even remember how he had gotten out of the police station.The nurse cocked her head. The last time he had come in here with a boy, and he had muttered that name in his sleep almost psychotically. She shook her head, "Don't worry about that right now. Go back to sleep."Gage did not go back to sleep.
Gage groaned and sat up awkwardly. The weight was somehow different. What-? He glanced back, and all he saw was the bedboard and the wall. He turned his head the other way, with the same result. Face growing hot, he tried to reach back and feel his back. Just a plain hospital shirt. Then a long pause, and he glanced up at the nurse, his face stained with defeat."They're really gone... aren't they?" He croaked, at last admitting it. Then his voice lowered to a whisper, "I had hoped it was just a dream."

He sucked in a deep breath. Yuck. Smells like hospital and cleaning fluids and- something not so yuck. In fact it smelled much the way Misty's hair did. Blinking awake, he found the room pleasently darkened for once. He tried to sit up, but instead ended jolting up thanks to the lessened weight on his back, and the tubes on his arms clacked against something. "Oh, hi." He croaked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "I'm back from the dead."

*song page 851*
---------------------------
Once they arrived at the hospital it wasnt long before the nurses hurried River in to see a Doctor. Though tayn imagined it would probably just be a smaller waiting room since the emergency dept. Seemed really busy. Not really injured she felt in the way at the hospital and so she left.
It was strange returning home. It had only been a few days ago, that all this had started. What they had done was far different from what they had intended. She had gone from resucing cats in trees and helping old people across the street to a murderer in one night... and then only a few days later killing hundreds. Tayn collapsed exhausted on the couch reflexively turning on the tv with the remote. It wasnt long before she fell asleep.
The TV fizzled and popped as the normal programming was interrupted by static. No sooner had the girl fallen asleep than the news came on. Something about a group of Inhumans who had uncovered a malicious operation. No big deal.Tayn woke up bleary eyed half off the couch. The tv still chattered it was an overly cheerful woman beating eggs with a whisk. Sunlight steaked accross the floor through the cracks between the dark curtains.
She ran her hands across her face, and realized she was still covered in mud, thoigh it was dry now. How long had it been since she had had a shower? She pulled herself up onto her feet and stumbled toward the bathroom.
Tayn didnt really know what to do with herself. She had made a cup of coffee for herself and sat back down on the couch to drink it. She pulled out her phone to call her boss and tell him, something, she wasnt sure what yet.
She frowned at the lock screen. She had slept longer than she thought. Tayn looked from her phone to the cup of coffee she held, she slept through a whole day and not gone to her friends in the hospital. She quickly set the coffee cup down and ran out of her apartment.
----------------------Crow was jolted awake as he felt himself slipping off the branch he had been perched on. Huh? What?! Why am I not a bird? he frantically righted himself, and managed to transform back to a crow without falling to the ground. He fluffed his feathers irritably, trying to dislodge the leaves that had gotten stuck there. He was still preening his feathers when he realized that he hadn't even visited his friends in the hospital yet. With that thought, he leapt into the air, flapping his wings as he tried to catch a southwesterly breeze.-------------------He looked up from toying with the bed adjustment controls, "Hey, bud." Gage said, flashing a grin. A nurse had come and removed the tubes from his arms a hour or so ago, but apparently had no need of the machine they had been attached to. This had also been fun to play with. That is, until he had knocked it over. There was a small puddle on the floor from that, but otherwise no evidence because he's super sneaky."Hey, turn the lights on will you?"
Rex walked into the room & turned the lights on. "How are you feeling?" Rex asked. He knew what the answer probably was, but wanted to be polite. He stood a few feet a way from Gage's bed.
The wingless wingman thought for a moment, blinking in the hospital's overzealous lights. "Well. You know how a fish looks when it's been dead and frozen for a few days and then you unthaw it? Yeah. I kinda feel like that."
"Okay, I try not to look at dead fish, but I get what you're trying to say." Rex said, & sat down on the chair next to the bed. "Does the hospital have a discharge date for you yet?"
He blew a raspberry, then let it out slowly, making a tiny squealing noise. "No." He said after some thought. "Even if they do let me out they're going to want me for therapy or something. Something about PLS but I don't know." He sat up, more carefully this time, and hugged his knees. "...What... What happened? After I blacked out?"
Rex nodded, & then paused. "I think they took River to a hospital, & the rest went home, but I'm not completely sure."
Tayn knocked on the door with her elbow, which wasnt very effective, and peeked in to gages room, rex sat next to him. "Hi," she said smiling apologetically. And then pushed the door open backing into the room. She held two trays of coffees from starbucks, one for everyone. Though she wasnt sure what to get for a few people she decided they could either have a black coffee or she would drink it.
"Hey Tayn." Rex said, standing up. He grabbed another chair for her & dragged it over to the bed, & then sat back down.
"Thanks" she said sheepishly as she set the trays down on the wheely table and brought it over to the bed. "these arent all for you." She teased. "River and Thomas are around here somewhere."
River rounded the corner, into Gage's room, stumbling slightly. There was a bandage on her head covered blood, and she was covered in dirt, but other than that, she looked normal.A young nurse and Thomas hurried after her, trying to fuss with River's bandage and telling her to go back to her hospital room. Needless to say, there was no turning this Lupus around."Uh, hey. How you holdin' up, Gage?" She asked, drawing near to his bed.
Gage perked up at the 'knock' at the door, and the room smell instantly changed from cleaning supplies to the earthy smell of coffee. "The queen has returned." He said as Tayn came in with the coffee. Then, when River and Thomas leaned on the doorway behind, he lowered one brow, "Aaaaand a zombie. And a zomb-boy."

Thomas snickered, covering his mouth with his hand while River was un-phased but did up-turn her lips. "Well, we know he isn't going to die if he is well enough to joke." She muttered.
Rex grabbed one of the cups of coffee. "Thanks." He said, & looked up when River, Thomas & a nurse came in. He stood up & gestured for River to sit down.
Tayn smiled relieved that River was ok. "Hey! Coffee?"
"Oh!" He said, quickly lying back onto his pillow and closing his eyes. "No, I could- cough cough- I could go at any moment. Ooh I see a bright light. Gramma? Is that you?" He said, reaching into open space. Then he let his arm drop and let his tounge loll out, pressing his head in the pillow. Immediately he opened his eyes again. "Yeah! They've been feeding be cardboard mush for two days. Oh, wait. I'm... still dead. You all pretend you can't see this." He said as he reached for the cup. At this, River did laugh. Rex rolled his eyes when Gage pretended to be dead. He took a sip of coffee to hide his smile. "Time to bury you then." He said casually.
River paused for a second, but reluctantly sat down.
"Who's planning the funeral? You? Me?" River said sneakily. "I'd probably throw a party instead. End of all those Vampire jokes."

"Hey. Sure, thank you." River said, taking her coffee and Thomas also accepted a cup.Tayn:"Two of these are for Zen. Has anybody seen him?""I was just planning to throw his body in the woods & call it a funeral, but planning an actual funeral could work." Rex said.
Boots stomping on tile. Several nurses glanced up, moving aside as the oddly-uniformed soldiers marched through the halls. One recognized the lady behind the desk and went up to her. After a few quick words, he got the numbers of the rooms from the ambulance run two nights ago. At once he directed the rest.
"Uhhh. So." He coughed, though less dramatically now, and after taking a sip from his cup, set it down on the bed beside him. "I guess you wonder why I called you all here."
More boots clopping, this time accompanied by a wheelchair. And a Zen."You didn't call me here..." River muttered."Uh, what? You didn't call me here. I came myself." Rex said, scowling. Part of his grumpy personality came back, as he took another drink.
Gage threw his hands up, "Okay, sassy pants. I've just always wanted to say that, okay?" He looked ready to say more, but then the boots appeared at the door, rolling Zen along with them in a rickety hospital wheelchair. A dark-haired soldier with pierceing eyes spoke softly, "The other rooms were empty." He reported, with slight unease.."'Sassy pants'? seriously?" Rex said, but got distracted when Zen got wheeled in. Rex looked relieved when he saw Zen was somewhat okay.
Zen was still very groggy after seemingly being ripped out of his bed with a force that jarred his everything. But then everything is more magnified when you have a bad headache. He rubbed his eyes and focused on the faces before him. Who were they? What? Where am I?
Then it dawned on him.

  "Guys! You are alive and well! Bruised but well!" At that moment Zen didn't know if he should cry or laugh.
His body decided for him and he broke down crying with tears of happiness. His friends and River! they were okay!
With tears coursing down his face, Zen glanced up at his friends again. His best friends.

Gage gave Zen a pitying smile. Oh not crying. He couldn't stand the- oh great. Now his throat was starting to choke up.

  "Hey, man." he said, "my memory is foggy, but you wouldn't happen to be the idiot who lost his head when I faked my death back in that awful place, would you?"

He turned his attention to the soldiers who had spoken, and the man took the look as a sort of permission to speak. "We feel like we owe you something." He said, motioning to his companions. "We didn't realize..." He pinched the bridge of his nose and cursed under his breath.

Zen sniffled loudly trying to get a hold of himself. He must stop being so emotional! 

 "Ah man, yeah, ah........" Zen felt suddenly dumb as he recollected the memory of himself crying out to the sky. No I mustn't feel dumb. "I-I possibly overreacted. I thought you were dead and I really did nothing to save anybody and I felt so guilty for no reason! I would have really hated to lose another friend to a fiend such as Firestein and and...." His voice trailed off feeling the stares of all his friends on him.

  Then he noticed River again, looking beautiful admist the scares and the bruises on her face. She has been through so much..........River stared at him, her brow furrowed.

  "Uh, Zen, that made no sense." But she secretly felt touched by Zen's words, sense making or not. A true friend. River stopped speaking as the soldier began, and fixed her eyes on him, cocking her head slightly.

 "Hey, hey, hey." He said, pulling the sheets off and moving to get up. "It's okay. Come here, man." his own eyes growing misty now. Rex dropped his gaze & stared at the floor opposite of where Gage got up, in fear of what he could accidentally see. Zen was just about to rise from his wheelchair when he realized that his legs felt numb, almost as if they were not part of him. He tried getting up again only to collapse back down onto the chair in pain. He reached up instead to give Gage an awkward side hug. 

  "Well ah, anybody gonna offer me some coffee?" Zen asked playfully trying to cheer things up, he always had a knack for making others sad and he was trying to change that. Tayn hands a large cup of coffee to zen. Smiling at how they were all acting as normal as if they were all sitting around a table at starbucks.

  He ignored the numbness in his legs, he would hear the diagnosis later, even though he can only guess........
Gage didn't get all the way out of bed for a side-hug. He wondered exactly how much it would hurt Zen to pick him up out of the wheelchair and hold him up with an arm around his shoulders or something. Probably a lot. But he did it anyway.

  "Get up and walk!" He said a little too exhuberantly. River shot out of her chair, glaring at Gage. "Maybe give him some time to heal before he 'gets up and walks'." She muttered.

 "Um I," Zen slowly got up again leaning heavily against Gage," I can't!" But I can. He slowly took a step on his wobbly legs and suddenly felt another hand on his shoulder. It was River. River and Gage were holding him up together, helping him get the feeling in his legs back. Did he feel stupid? Yes. Can he find friends like these ever again? No.
He laughed. "You know...?" He said as a Crow flew in the room. "You're more like my brothers and sisters now than just friends... I mean, we've been through a lot."
Crow suddenly appeared, leaning against the wall. "That we have,"
Gage:"Wait. This is weird, but do you guys have, like, last names?"
"Um, yes." River said, watching him. "You forget our last names or somethin', Gage?""Yeah. My last name is Davis. Rex Davis. What's yours?" Rex said.
River sighed. "My full name is River Katrina Fleur." She paused. "Your's?"
"I-" Crow's voice faltered. "I don't have a last name," He picked a twig out of his hair, hoping no one would ask why. He just didn't feel like reliving that...
River turned to ask Crow why, but she stopped, and simply dipped her head, as if acknowledging that he didn't wish to speak of it, and turned back to Gage.
"Of couse.... most of us," she paused wondering why crow wouldnt have one, "have last names. Why are you planning something and need an invite list?"
Holding up his friend with the help of River, he glanced up at the soldier seeming to notice him for the first time. "Uh... You could pay our hospital bi-"He held up a hand, "Already done. Look, we just wanted to tell you formally that if you ever need anything, we're by your side." He said motioning to the group.Gage could feel his face heating up. He still wasn't used to this 'responsibility' and 'leadership' stuff. "O-oh. Wow, thanks." He said.
"Er... No it's just I don't have one and, apparently Crow doesn't either."
Tayn looked at the soldiers confused, and back at Gage. What had happened while she was rescuing Janet? Jayne was on their side and now firesteins guys were coming to, what? Pledge allegiance or something?
"Uh... that, thats very kind of you to say. We're..." she was going to say just normal people, but glancing around she realized nothing about them could be considered 'normal'."We're..." she shrugged looking to Gage.
"Heroes!" He blurted, grinning through his still-misty eyes. Dangit, Zen.

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