Obviously being ignored now, Akira walked off, hoping to find a boat and get off this place.
Nikola hummed when he read the message on the card and read the name of who it was addressed to. It was like something someone would find at a funeral home or a memorial site. Turning around with the card in his hand, he realized he didn't know who he was looking for. Clearing his throat, he decided to call out the name. "Is there a Caleb Rask here? Caleb Rask? Um... These flowers are for you. Someone named Tasha gave them to you?" Or at least it was addressed to him by Tasha, but Nikola decided to not try to change what he said. He looked around, seeing if anyone perked up at the mention of that name. "Nice to meet you, Camilla. Here, hold out your hand," Gwen said with a smile and a tilt of her head. "He seems to like you the most. I don't think he'll trust me so much. You did open the box to free him after all." Gwen didn't notice the social awkwardness much. Ken gave her practice to not mind things like that at all but try to talk to people and get them to gradually come out of their comfort zone. "Strange place, isn't it?" Gwen said, looking around at all the people still milling around and then looked up at the ceiling where the hole was made. "I did that," she whispered softly. "Don't tell anyone else." She shrugged her shoulders in embarrassment, grinning shyly. "I got a bell with the bread crumbs... It's so tiny though, I didn't think it'd make a loud sound and do that. I wonder what's up there."
At Raven Sun of Healing Time At Ariel Labs of Doom At the Academy of Delayed Planning At the Hospital of Drama Kassandra sat down heavily on a bed, watching her other comrades as they filed in to be treated. Two kids wounded three of them. One kid wounded two of them. They were becoming dangerous agents more than helpful ones. If this was how they reacted to a mission becoming terminated, Kassnadra wondered how they were even allowed to work in Raven Sun in the first place if they couldn't work in harmony at all. "I'm not pulling this out any time soon," Kassandra said, placing her injured arm carefully on her lap as she patiently waited. "You're still bleeding pretty badly." Benjamin cleared his throat as he stood there, knowing that Kassandra and Jason were probably going to banter back and forth who was going to get fixed up first. Both of them were strong-willed and hardheaded, the argument would probably go on forever. "As we were discussing, I think it'll be best to let Cynthia be her own free agent away from Raven Sun. Her membership will be blotted out from Raven Sun and her access to our sensitive information will be limited, but she will still remain our ally. If we reluctantly need her help for anything, we have that line open for her to take on a job we have for her. But she has the choice to deny us as well with no consequences. With her membership terminated, this means that if she was to do anything reckless to be caught by police, FBI, or any other government agency, she will have to abide by their rules, laws, and terms and conditions. Depending on the situation, we may or may not be able to bail her out." He then looked to Jason, knowing that this would be hard on the man. Benjamin saw that Jason had reluctantly taken this girl under his wing, hoping against hope he could make something better for her. It was turning to be the opposite though. It was a manner of time before worse bad luck would catch up to Cynthia. "Now, as for Tobias, that was somewhat expected. It seems he had taken a shine to Cynthia and was prepared by all means to level this place down to make sure she was safe." He then looked at Joshua and Kassandra from under the shine of his glasses, his face set. "He could have killed you both if he wanted to, but he chose to try to maim or injure you to slow you down. Because of lack of communication from our side, which I'm mostly at fault for, it seems that a young member has gone rogue... So, the question is, what shall we do with Tobias? Should he share the same fate as Cynthia? Or shall we extinguish him from existence for good? He is on the Watch List for assumptions of members that have gone missing after interacting with him. What has happened to them, we have no idea or if Tobias is in fact connected to their disappearances. But now with this situation, it seems as if he has no regard for authority or what Raven Sun stands for anymore." Mai opened her eyes tiredly, looking at Shane where he was standing. She heard what he said that he was going to leave her alone and she breathed out slowly, mouthing a Thank you with her lips. She didn't know if Shane was good or bad, or just confused. It seemed like her view on the world had been obscured and altered because of this place. She didn't know who or what to trust anymore. She focused her eyes on the ceiling, wondering how Colton was doing. Hopefully Strain was going to take it easy on him and not push him as hard as he had pushed her. The robot that Colton had messed with twitched as it walked and then lifted it's arm, shooting plasma blasts at the boys. Due to being messed with though, the shots were sloppy and began to go a little crazy, missing the targets by a few inches to a few feet. The robot was then hit by the pebbles, stumbling back as the bullets just dented it and shot up at the ceiling. The second robot that Colton messed with had red eyes, creating its arm into a sword and stabbing the third robot through the chest, disarming it completely. The other robots knelt on the ground, bringing up guns and began to fire rubber bullets at the boys. "Watch out!" Carter shouted, getting into a stance behind Colton. The kid then suddenly formed a large barrier between them with pebbles using wall generation from Telekinetic Constructs. The boy grunted as he strengthened the wall with more pebbles as it was being pelted by the bullets before using Telekinetic Push to propel the wall forward to the robots. They were soon pelleted with the tiny rocks, falling under the piles for a moment. Carter gasped when he released the energy, bending over to catch his breath. He hadn't done that before, he thought all he was capable of was making things float, explode, and push away. All he did was thought about protecting him and Colton and thought about the heroes from the cartoons his momma used to watch with him, controlling elements and whatnot. He had practiced it here and there when he was back at home, safe and sound, but never pulled off something that big. His body ached and sweat poured down his face, but he knew it wasn't over yet. He couldn't pull off something big like that again though. Suddenly shots fired in from above as six flying robots began to swoop in on the two boys, throwing colorful bombs at them. Some where blue, others were red, yellow, and green. Blue was ice, red was explosive fire, yellow was blinding flashes of light, and green was very mild poisonous gas to alter their vision and make things slower or unclear. “If you feel so inclined to be with them, go right ahead. I'm sure they would love to have someone who had made their lives a living hell with them. Should be interesting. Better hurry on in there, I'm about to close four doors on them. Colton is trying to mess with the mechanical works of the door." Lyle stared at his monitor, which flashed "Warning, Door Commands Being Compromised." He didn't care if a gun was being pointed on it. He found it more intriguing than anything that a man who hated those with powers so much was fretting over a small boy who had probably been forgotten by now. We will discuss it in the morning, 8am, my office. Be there. Danni listened to Brendan's thoughts on what her uncle had found and how he felt like he had an obligation to save them. We all have to save them, Danni thought back, watching as Ryan climbed in bed with Jex. Well, at least she knew Jex was not that kind of person to just jump to mature things, especially after surgery. She adverted her gaze and pulled her knees up to her chest. At least the little shit is still alive, she thought to Brendan, referring to Colton. Probably finally listened to me about not half-assing everything. She had colorful language right now, but it was to cover up how deeply terrified she was that they would be too late to save any of those four kids and teens. She decided to not tell Brendan about Jex maybe being powerless... Now was not the time to focus on that. I should probably leave you alone to figure out the programming and whatnot. I just wanted to check in and give you and update. I wish you luck. Jex adjusted the best he could without moving around too much, wincing in pain as he felt his head throb. The warmth of Ryan by him though was comforting and he settled down, keeping his eyes closed under the bandages. He felt Ryan take his hand and smiled, weakly squeezing his hand back back. "Ryan... You know I wouldn't... jump to things... Right?" Jex kept his head on the pillow, not being able to move around much. "I'm not that kind of guy... I take it slow. I just want to make sure... you're safe..." He was trailing off as the medication was working overtime to try to put him back to sleep like he was supposed to be.
At Raven Sun of WAR! HUH! WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! At the Academy of Delayed Planning At the Hospital of Drama Benjamin nodded his head. "We'll discuss the details in Walter's office. Let's move out." (This gives permission for TwilightBlader to post as Walter being in the infirmary with everyone else.) Alex, would you like to embark on a different mission for a bit? It would be saving Colton and the missing boy Carter from a science lab of sorts. We have information of where they are, we're planning to get them out. Errol sent the message to Alex while arranging things in his office. He sent another message to Brendan. Try not to overwork yourself now. We need you for tomorrow. Nicole soon entered into the lab, finding Jean already passed out at a desk and Molly asleep on the couch. She smiled when she saw her little girl curl up under the blanket, snuggling the softness of it in her sleep. It was time to get her little one to a bed. She found another blanket folded up and walked over to Jean, draping it carefully over the man's shoulders. Brendan's words had stung her heart, but she tried to not take it personally. She knew this wasn't all about her. She was just grateful in a sense that Carter and Colton's fates were tangled up together, otherwise they probably never would have found him. Once that was finished, Nicole went over to Molly, picking up her daughter as gently and as carefully as possible. Molly was so fond of Jean, it made Nicole happy she had another adult to trust in her young life. Cradling Molly carefully in her arms, Nicole went to the door of the lab and turned off the lights except for one in the corner. "Good night, Jean," she called out in a quiet voice. She then exited the lab, heading to her and Molly's small living quarters within the mansion. Jex felt Ryan's breath ghost his lips before the boy gently pecked his lips. Jex smiled, feeling his heart ascending to the clouds. It had been a while since he felt those soft lips and any affection for that matter. "I don't think I'll move any time soon," the teen joked back, reluctantly letting go of Ryan's hand. He had no idea what time of day it was, but he figured it was night based on the quietness of the hospital and how tired Ryan sounded. He heard the squeaking of the adjacent bed, smirking to himself. "That doesn't sound very comfortable," he guessed. "I think there's enough room on this bed if you want to sleep with me..." he then trailed off, blushing at the thought of sharing his bed with someone he liked. Though he couldn't do much anyways, he just had surgery and all. "Only if you're okay with the wires and... yeah." He was going to let Ryan decide what he wanted to do and what he thought was best for him.
Nikola covered his ears when he heard a loud ringing, and then looked up when he saw a crack in the ceiling, and then a hole appeared at the top. Nikola took his hands away from his ears, staring up at where the new hole was. He could hear some kind of humming noise and a clank. "That was weird," the young man said, glancing over at the frightened girl. He smiled gently and then looked around the room. The gifts were already opened, but there were flowers in vases along the tables against the walls. "Do you like flowers?" he asked the girl. "Here, let's go take a look, hm?" Nikola stood up, gesturing the girl to follow him if she'd like to. He walked over to the first bouquet of flowers, seeing that there was a card placed in it. He took the card and opened it, peering inside to see if there was anything on it. With wide eyes, Gwen held the bell as she stared up at the hole she had mysteriously created. "Oops..." She could hear a humming noise, and clanking of sorts coming from the opening. "Well, that was unexpected..." She carefully placed the bell back in the little heart shaped box, not wanting to disturb anything else. "This is why we can't have nice things," she joked with a sheepish smile, glancing at Ken. She then looked over at the small bird that had seemed to take a liking to the girl who set him free. The bird didn't bother to fly up to the hole, or leave the girl's side. Strange. Hesitating, Gwen took out the bread crumbs and walked up to the girl, closing the lid on the heart shaped box as she carried it with her in the other hand. "Um, hi," she said, rocking on her heels a bit. "I got this in my box... Not sure why. I thought maybe your bird might like it." She held it out to Camilla, waiting for her to take it. "My name is Gwen by the way... My friend over there is Ken." Gwen nodded her head to Ken, giving him a smile before looking over to Camilla.
Ken was his usual self; not one to give much of an explanation or to go into details. That gave Gwen some comfort that some things were still normal in the limbo world. She watched as Ken reached for her package which was labeled 'Today' to reveal a beautiful heart shaped box. "It's a gift to us, the letter says so. I think it said 'Here's something to have before the meeting starts'... I think it meant that. But I'm not sure why... There's more boxes," the girl gestured to the others on the chair while seeing others open theirs as well. A bird flew out of one and landed on a chair not too far away. That was unexpected. This place was starting to remind her of something out of Harry Potter... But less magical. Gwen reached into the box and took out the heart shaped one into her hands, carefully looking it over. "Everything happens for a reason, even if it hurts," she read aloud. Curious, the girl opened the lid and peered inside. She raised an eyebrow, showing Ken the contents of the other box; a package of small crushed up bread crumbs and a tiny bell wrapped in a lemon yellow ribbon. "I wonder what these are for," she mused. "Maybe this one is for the little bird?" she guessed with a smile, pointing to the bread crumbs. Gwen then picked up the small bell and gave it a little shake to see what kind of noise it would make.
Jex was very confused with the explanation that RYAN was giving. He remembered that when he first met Ryan, he was shot by some crazy guy. They got in a fight, or some kind of disagreement, didn't talk for a few weeks, were going to meet up, Jex was helping someone out... Ryan got in trouble... Everything was blank after that, save for the blows to the head. They were so painful, they just wouldn't stop. He then felt more tears coming down Ryan's face and did what he could to comfort him, brushing his thumb across his skin. "Everything will be alright..." Jex whispered. Those words were not only to Ryan but to himself as well. Whatever was happening to him, he would be able to pick up the pieces eventually. He just needed to be patient with himself. The red head watched the scene unfold before her, realizing how not only emotionally strained Ryan was but how she was too. Her way of coping was to get answers right away, but that didn't seem it would work. Jex was hurt, obviously having memory loss of what happened, and something else felt off. Jex, can you hear me? Danni tried, reaching out to her cousin as he tried to comfort his friend. Jex? Hello? Jex did not falter, or even acknowledge what she was saying. Realization suddenly struck her like a ton of bricks came crashing down. She stepped back, overcome with emotion. No, Jex, don't do this to me. You can't... You just can't... She clenched her fists and then turned away, going to the hospital window to look out. Now was a bad time to panic or bring up her worries. There were too many things going on right this second. She took in a deep breath, forcing herself to turn back to Ryan. "Why don't you get some rest. I'll take first watch. Take your time going to sleep, but just get some shut eye." Danni pointed to an empty bed that was there for family or visitors to rest or sleep on. "Use that, I'll be watching the door and windows." She then paced across the room, finding a quiet corner where she could sit in a chair and pull a hospital blanket around her shoulders. She then stared at the hospital door, keeping alert. She needed to talk to someone though. Brendan, are you there? If you need some sleep, it's okay. Just tell me if so. I'm... fine. Danni couldn't lie completely though. She was shook up. What ever monster Jex had faced, the monster somehow shut off his powers, she was sure of it. Jex woke up, he's talking right now. Doesn't remember what happened to him though...
At Raven Sun of WAR! HUH! WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! At the Hospital of Drama "Don't-" but it was already too late; Joshua pulled the blade from his eye. Luckily the Raven Sun member had some gauze on him to stop the bleeding, but it must've hurt like the dickens. Kassandra kept a straight face as she looked away from the gruesome scene, listening to Joshua commentary about the situation at hand, all in the meantime cursing because of the pain he was in. Cynthia had powers after all... Kassandra figured that was why she was summoned in the first place. She glanced back at Cynthia, still unconscious it seemed in the cell she was placed in. "Tobias was not going to listen to us," the tech stated, glancing back at the reckless teen. "He was on destroy mode the moment he walked in through the doors. If Cynthia hadn't called him, things might have gone smoother than this. But what's done is done." She held her arm with the knife still embedded in it, resisting the urge to pull it out. She would rather leave it up to the medic on hand to fix things than to try to do it herself. Although she knew she would be just fine if she was out on the field on her own, away from her father's careful watch. "The verdict originally was to have Cynthia be blotted out from Raven Sun, but to have her own agency and live according to her own rules whilst still allied with us. She could choose whether or not to accept our requests for her services. Details are still in order to iron out, however... This made things a tad complicated." Not only did they had to deal with Cynthia, but also Tobias who had seemed to have gone rogue. "Tobias will probably choose not stay after this incident," Benjamin predicted, thudding his cane into the floor. "Both of them know our secrets, weaknesses, and strengths. That information in the wrong hands could prove to be deadly. But if we were to kill them, that would probably cause more conflicts than create a solution. We must figure something out for Tobias as well." Jex felt his heart flutter when he felt familiar hands run through his hair that was not covered by bandages. Gradually, he raised his hand up, feeling the air. He then felt his fingers collide gently with warm flesh and let his fingers glide over Ryan's face. He then touched wet cheeks and frowned. "Hey, Ryan, don't cry," Jex croaked, caressing Ryan's cheek with his thumb. "I'll be okay... Really." He then heard Ryan's question and faltered a bit. Did he remember everything? "Something... happened," Jex guessed, trying to put the pieces together but it was fuzzy. "You were going to meet me, something happened... I kept getting hit the head..." Hand suddenly faltering from feeling so weak, Jex trailed off as a dull headache started to rupture from the fracture in his skull. "Nn... It's really... cloudy." Danni stood up when she heard Jex's words, going over to the other side of her cousin's bed. "You're telling me you don't remember what happened to you?" she asked. This wasn't good. "Why you went up against a psycho moron after Ryan was safe from harm's way?" "You were in trouble, Ryan...?" Jex was genuinely confused. "Are you okay? What happened?"
At Raven Sun of WAR! HUH! WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! At Ariel Labs of Doom At the Academy of Delayed Planning At the Hospital of Drama Kassandra hardly flinched when more Raven Sun members rushed to her and Joshua’s aid. Soon after a dramatic banter that reminded her of some ridiculous anime scene, Tobias was subdued and finally collapsed on the floor. “Kid has no idea what he’s talking about,” Kassandra muttered as she stared at Tobias. She scoffed at him, finally lowering her Taser. She then looked to Joshua and instantly felt sorry for the man. While Kassandra was lucky, Joshua was not so much. The knife embedded in his eye looked extremely painful; that, and there was probably a possibility that the man could go blind. He was just a member supposed to be handling internal affairs, not to deal with brutality like this. Benjamin stood silently by, his jaw set rigidly as he observed the scene before him. “Walter, tend to Joshua and Kassandra’s wounds. Jason, lock Tobias up. I can’t have a maniac on the lose while we discuss your daughter’s fate.” He gripped the handle of his cane, staring long and hard at his fallen, young member. The boy was nuts, practically obsessed with Cynthia. It was as if she put some kind of spell on him that could not be easily broken. With the way Tobias had acted out, he knew that serious consequences would soon follow. “Take care of Joshua first,” Kassandra frankly specified. She looked at the knife embedded in her arm and felt the adrenalin in her body beginning to wear off. Boy was this painful. Holding a strong will, she bent down to the ground, using her good arm to pick up the unused bullets and magazine from the gun, placing them back in a pouch attached to her utility belt. She then placed her gun back in the holster, making a note to clean it later. Next she cleaned out the Taser, yanking the barbs out of Tobias’s unconscious form. This member was just as much trouble as those with powers. She then threw the used barbs to the side, standing up as blood dripped from her arm to the floor. Kassandra would be fine though, she had to deal with worse before in all her years of training. Mai winced when Isabella kissed her on the forehead, wishing that she would stop being touched by her or anyone else for that matter. This lady was crazier than Lyle was. She moved her head to wipe her tears on the pillow, her arms being too weak to move to brush them away. She heard him ask about Shane and kept silent, looking at the poster that Isabella had on hand. She could see a brain with a colorful spot on it, something about that part of the brain unlocking new powers. Mai looked to the ceiling in dread. She just had given the scientists another secret to unlock, something they could use against her kind, and she was the one to give up the information. Guilt overwhelmed her for a moment, and then she pushed it away, quietly watching Isabella. Mai had fought down her “bad memories” that Shane had implanted in her brain, telling herself over and over again they were not real. Shane wasn’t really sorry for what he’d done. She saw him influence himself to lose his mind for a moment before he began his work, and she actually swore she saw him… Enjoying it. She wished she could have a break now, go back to her cell and try to actually eat something instead of spewing blood all over the place. Carter followed after Colton, still holding onto the boy’s cold hand. He heard Colton and even the weird older guy talk about him fighting Colton and him being too young to be even fighting. He squeezed Colton’s hand tighter, swallowing nervously as he watched Strain and Lucas speak to one another. “Carter is just fine for the job. The only thing he truly lacks is height. He has wits and even brawn about him. I need to see how my robots fair against telekinetic of his type as well as Colton’s type. Unless you have telekinetic abilities, I don’t believe you are the candidate I’m looking for.” He then closed the arena doors, locking Colton and Carter inside the place before he walked over to an observation window of sorts where all this fancy gear was set up and ready to use. “The robots will be set up to a level one,” he said as he put on his headphones, his voice echoing through the microphone in the arena “just as a warm up.” Kye had stood back quietly, just listening and watching with her yellow eyes. She watched as Lyle seemed to ignore Lucas’s offer and made an “Ooooo” noise, covering her mouth. She then grinned from ear to ear, leaning close to Lucas to speak with him. “Baby rattlesnakes are more deadly than momma is,” she commented, looking to Carter holding on Colton’s hand like a little brother would. “Demon inside of kid’s body. Enemy to all, doesn’t manner how pintsize he is. Power is power.” “You two will not be fighting against each other, but rather the opposite. Your job is to fight the robots coming for you, to defend yourself and each other. I will gradually increase the level of difficulty as I see fit.” Carter looked up at Colton, and then looked at the cast on his arm. It seemed like this older teen was already so weak and sick, more so than what Carter was. “I’ll protect you too,” he said quietly, trying to keep a brave face on as much as possible. He had protected his sister and mother, and even some school friends, before from monsters of all sorts and shapes. He was pretty sure he would be able to protect Colton and well. It would be scary, but he could do it. Errol nodded his head as Brendan explained his theories, stroking his chin in deep thought. Nicole was silent, standing back as she watched the map layout before her eyes. Errol then cleared his throat, looking over to Jean. “We might have to physically infiltrate their security system, compromise it as you suggested before Jean. To do that successfully… We may have to play a game of undercover spy. One of us needs to pose as a government agent of sorts, bring another psychic with them as someone troublesome they captured. And then find a way to implant a virus into their computer system that will override the security somehow… There are a few problems though… We’ll have no idea where to put the other psychic, and there’s a telepathist walking around on the loose. One slip of thought, and she would know we’re on to something.” Errol looked at his watch, seeing what time it was. He received some kind of telepathic thought that Christie was going to stop for the night somewhere and sighed. “Christie will be joining us tomorrow. We’ll iron out the details tomorrow morning. For now, let’s take a break and get some much needed rest. We need all the energy we can for tomorrow if we’re going to pull this off.” He then gathered up his papers and folders, nodding at Brendan he could shut off the map. “Good night everyone, get some rest.” He then exited from the room, heading down the hallways back to his office to wrap things up. Nicole walked to Brendan, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you,” she said with a smile as tears came to her eyes. “You are doing so much for me and my family, all of you. I can’t thank you enough.” After that, Nicole pulled away from Brendan and looked to Jean, nodding her head and then excused herself from Brendan’s room to give the tech man some space. Danni listened as she softly tapped away a rhythm on the pillow on her lap. “I just didn’t picture my cousin being like that. Guess I don’t know him as well as I thought.” She finished her beat and then rested her drumsticks again, wanting to make sure she didn’t have anything to distract her anymore. “It just seems a little fast to me… Jex connects with people on a deep emotional level though. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised.” She looked to her cousin who was laying on the bed, all battered and broken. It always seemed like he was the one getting hurt and she never had a scratch on her. She was going to train him as hard as she could when he got better, him and Ryan both. She didn’t need any weaklings in the academy, not with kidnappers and crazy psycho killers out to get them. “I hope it works out well between you two,” she said softly, gradually accepting that someone of the same sex liked her cousin and he sounded like he liked him back. “You better take care of him as much as he’ll take care of you, you hear?” She pointed her drumstick to Ryan, trying to make a point. “He’s a softy in his heart. Not an ounce of malice or blackness.” The boy in the bed suddenly squeezed Ryan’s hand, groaning as he was being brought out of unconsciousness. He could sense that Danni and Ryan were there, he heard their voices, but all was quiet in his head. There were no thoughts from other people, no connections he could feel… Nothing. He tried to open his eyes, only to feel something over his eyelashes and felt a dull ache in his skull. He winced and squeezed Ryan’s hand again, turning his head gradually to the direction he thought he was at. “Hey,” he whispered hoarsely, giving the best weak smile he could through the swollen face. "I can't... see you..." Danni sat up when she heard her cousin speak, but stayed back. If this guy loved her cousin so much, she needed to give them some space and not intrude. The nurses and doctors told them it could be another day or more before Jex actually woke up. He was a tough bugger that was for sure.
As Gwen was examining the package, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Nearly jumping out of her skin (so to speak), she whirled around to see who had touched her, thinking it was one of the other dead folk or... "Ken?!" Her jaw dropped in disbelief, not expecting her best friend to be here. She placed the package back on the chair and gave Ken a big hug, pushing aside the fact it could make him uncomfortable or not. "What are you doing here?" she asked, pulling away to get a good look at him. "Erm, I mean... Wow, that was stupid." She scratched at her neck nervously, trying to piece words together as they rushed through her overwhelmed mind. Duh, they were here because they were both dead somehow. She tried again. "What... What happened? Are you okay?" Wow, she just couldn't ask the right questions. She put her hands behind her back, giving Ken some time to answer before she let her mouth run wild again. Nikola was by one of the many windows, clutching his throat as he took in wheezing breaths of air... He felt nothing though. Nothing. He couldn't breathe, but he was fine. If he swallowed, there was nothing there TO swallow. But he couldn't feel his chest moving up and down at all, or feel the beat of his heart pounding in his ears the moment he died. He half listened to the conversations coming from behind him, still processing the letter he had read since he arrived here. People young, and also some rare old folks, were freaking out just as much as he was. Sputtering out one final cough, Nikola felt the sensation of choking disappear for just a moment, giving him some kind of relief from this weird dream. But he didn't get to relax long. A shrill scream shook him out of his thoughts, making him turn to face the source from whence it came. He turned just in time to see a girl with white hair collapse to the floor in a ball of despair, clearly having a meltdown from all of this. "Oh boy," he whispered under his breath. Glancing around at the others that were in the room, he decided to be brave and began to walk up to the sobbing girl as carefully as he could. "Hey," he said gently to try to not frighten the crying girl, sitting beside her on the floor. "I'm scared too," he said with a small but kind smile with a tilt of his head. "My name is Nikola. Kind of rhymes with Coca-Cola. But you can call me Niko or Nick." He shook his head at his own silliness and then looked to the young girl. "Did you read the letter?" he asked softly, trying to coax some small talk of some sorts.
At Raven Sun of WAR! HUH! WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! At Ariel Labs of Doom At the Academy of Delayed Planning At the Hospital of Drama “I will have to speak to Joshua on the matter as well first, but we can work out the details as we go along-“Benjamin stopped short when he heard gun shots from within his office. Immediately the man stood to his feet, grabbing his cane as the chair toppled behind him. “Let’s move,” Benjamin said in a gruff tone, making his way to the door. Whatever was going on by Cynthia’s holding place, he had sent his precious and only daughter to see what was happening. He hoped for whoever sake it was that his daughter was not hurt. Kassandra became even more tensed when Tobias had stuck his hands in his pockets. She was about to bark at him to keep his hands where she could see them, but it was too late. A movement, and one knife was thrown at Kassandra’s hand. Barely seeing it, she only had time to move to block the attack with her forearm. Adrenalin had kicked in, pain was temporarily erased as she aimed her gun again. Tobias moved, and Kassandra and Joshua shot. She wasn’t sure whose bullet had hit his kneecap, but he was hit. That didn’t stop him from moving though. Firing more shots at Tobias, she aimed at his shoulders. Realizing he wasn’t slowing down and wondering if he was on some sort of drug to keep moving on a horrible leg like that, Kassandra quickly released the magazine of her gun, letting some bullets fall to the ground. In the back of her head, she didn’t want Tobias to get ahold of her gun and start shooting people. He would have an empty gun if he had Kassandra’s. In the corner of her eye, she saw that Joshua was still standing, getting ready to stop Tobias with hand to hand combat. With the other hand, Kassandra wiped out a Taser from her gun belt, aiming right at Tobias and fired, hoping to slow him down at least for a few moments. Carter had recovered from the shock and was now looking up at the older teen as he spoke. For the first time in a while since he had been here, he was beginning to feel fear creep up inside of him. He wished he could be stronger for his little sister and his momma, but he was starting to waver. Hesitantly, Carter scooted closer over to Colton and grabbed for his good arm not in a cast. Colton’s skin felt cold, but the little boy didn’t care at all. It had been a while since he had human contact like this and felt safer, like Colton was going to protect him. The older teen told him that he had seen his mom and sister, and now he was here to get him out. Carter didn’t know how, but he didn’t care. He had someone else who knew him and was going to be here for him. The little eight year old wanted to show he was going to be there too for the older male as much as possible. Strain stared at Lucas, and then back to Colton. The bantering was kind of amusing, but it didn’t last that long. While the two were talking back and forth briefly, Strain had pulled up the sleeve on his robotic arm and pressed a few buttons, creating a small holographic screen to pop up. He entered in some commands with a tiny keyboard, just finishing up when Lucas asked him about how strong the electricity could go. “High enough to kill a cow,” he dryly declared, closing out of the holographic screen and let the sleeve go over his arm again. “I have sent my automatons to begin strengthening the security. Should they hack into our computer systems or anything electronic, we will know. Entry ways, air vents, sewers, plumbing, everything will be ready for the expected invasion.” He then looked up at one of the security cameras, his optic whirling and focusing in on it for a moment. Yes, everything should be in order soon. He then looked at his two subjects, and then back to Lucas. “I’m afraid I will bore you. I am not one to ‘torture’ on whim, merely to push one to their limits and perhaps beyond if at all possible.” He then made his way passed Lucas and Kye, expecting the two boys to follow. “You may come and see if you like, no one is stopping you.” The scientist then led the way to his indoor fighting arena which had a dirt floor, an abandoned house halfway built with many scorch marks on it, bushes, some small trees, and crates stacked around the area. It looked like a Ghost Town scene from a Western film. He ushered Colton and Carter to step inside the arena, not offering them a word of explanation. Errol’s eyes landed on the camera image where Colton was now with a small group of people with a young boy standing by his side. “Carter!” Nicole placed a hand over her mouth, seeing her little boy standing by Colton. He indeed was very much alive, the list did not lie. She felt an ache within her chest, but at the same time felt a sense of relief that her son was alright for the most part. All this time, even though it seemed like a short amount of time, she thought deep dowh he was dead and no one would ever find him again. The man suddenly winced in sympathy when he saw Colton and Carter were getting electrocuted, Nicole gasping behind him. The torture had soon stopped though, and he could see Colton’s shoulders shake as he coughed while the little boy stayed double over before gradually standing up and rubbing at his neck. “Tomorrow,” he said as his eyes narrowed at the three adults standing idly by, watching the scene unfold before them. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on them. He then noticed one of the male’s lips moving and began to try to read what he was saying. The man went rigid, putting a hand on Brendan’s shoulder. “Time to wrap up what you can gather for us. They’re going to up their security system which means they’ll find us snooping in their hardware…” He then noticed the other labs, seeing a young, frail girl in a hospital bed. He could see her shoulders shaking, and figured from the body language he could see that she was crying. Another glance, and he saw another young person in a cell, curling up in a fetal position. There would be no more tears, no more fear after this. Danni had two drum sticks out, gently tapping at a pillow on her lap as softly as she could to not annoy or disturb anyone. When Ryan came back in the room, the ginger watched him soundlessly, letting the drumsticks hit the air instead of the pillow as she played the beat to a silent song. She watched the teen’s body language, how he seemed to act around her cousin and how he seemed to be holding up. He was brand new to this whole some-people-have-powers thing and felt sort of sorry for the kid. She knew that Jex opened himself up a little too much to those in need and always got in over his head. It wasn’t the kid’s fault that Jex ended up like this though. It was her cousin’s own fault. She stopped moving her drumsticks when Ryan suddenly addressed her, asking her a question. She rested her hands on the pillow, debating what she should share to someone she barely knew. “I’m the She-Hulk of the Academy,” she warned, keeping a straight face. “Not much else to know about me.” She picked up her drumsticks, tapping away at the pillow on her lap to keep her nerves down. “How about you? What do you like about my cousin...? Looks, personality, sexuality…?” Danni kept a steady gaze on the guy, waiting patiently for his answer.
Gwen stood close to the wall by one of the many tables with flowers, taking in silent, deep breaths of air through her nose, then letting it gradually through her mouth. She had no idea how much time had passed, or what she was doing here, even though a girl named Rosemarie explained it to her the first time she stumbled through the door. Dead? Why? What happened? And if she was dead, was this Haven or Hell? How did this happened? So many questions circled through the girl's mind, giving her a slight headache. "Calm down," she said to herself, inhaling again through her nose. She then exhaled, feeling the tension through her being let lose for a moment. She came on a Wednesday... That much she knew. What day was it now? She had no idea. Something had happened... She was here instead of home with her twin sister and parents, or ballet practice. But what was it...? Finally figuring out she probably wouldn't get far by just standing around doing breathing exercises to calm down her nerves, she moved her feet in place and looked down at her hands. There was a letter, everyone got one. Maybe she could start here. That's right, she barely remembered Rosemarie saying something about everyone getting a letter of some sorts that explained things. Gwen was just freaked out that it slipped her mind. Standing still now, she opened the paper that she had found on her, and looked down to see what it said. As Gwen quietly lipped the words from the letter, she felt a sense of dread form within her. So... This wasn't some weird dream. She was actually dead. Anchored for some reason to earth. But she was dead. Deceased. Gone. But someone... was going to help her. Or this group... And they had something for them? Gwen lowered the letter, looking up at the row of chairs with boxes wrapped up with a pretty bow on them. Maybe that's what the letter meant. Pressing her lips together, Gwen walked over to one of the boxes, trying to figure out if there was a name on it or something to say that it was hers or not.
Rose realized what she had said and backtracked a bit in her mind. She would die, Jex would be upset. She would live, be used as bait to draw Jex out. She bit her lower lip, trying to figure out what to do. No, she needed to live. Jex showed her so. When they were trapped in her mind facing the most awful monsters she had deep inside of her, there were beautiful things as well. She had a light, still shining, still hanging on. Jex helped her to see that she could get through this darkness, to battle the demons. If she died now, and Jex found out it was because she said she didn’t fear death… What would he think of her then? Would he feel like all he did for her was nothing? Walter was right. She would die. That would cause more problems than what she could comprehend. Jex would want her to get out of this alive. He would want her home safe and sound. “He’s not bad,” Rose said softly, feeling herself gradually caving in bit by bit. “He's very helpful and kind… His uncle… He’s teaching him and-“ She stopped herself, momentarily realizing they were just only asking for Jex and Errol. “-and showing him how to use his powers for good. They can’t help who they are… They want to be normal, but they can’t. So they’re trying to do with what they have and make it right.” She looked at Walter, mustering as much strength as she could to sit up, her body shaking and burning as she did so. She gritted her teeth, resting her body once more as she clutched her side where it was extremely painful. She wanted Walter to know that she needed to be taken as seriously as she could right now and forced herself to look at him with her good eye. “What he did to me was a complete accident… But he saved me. He helped me. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt anyone. Errol is the same way… He made Jex promise to train with his abilities more, gain more experience before trying to help people like me…” She felt her heart racing, wondering if she was actually doing the right thing. Would this prevent anything other than her death? She breathed out, clutching her side tighter as she licked her chapped lips. “He’s… He’s in the same city I’m from… Reno, Nevada.” She closed her eyes tightly, feeling a deep regret grow inside of her. “Please… Just leave them alone... Don’t hurt them, or kill them… Please…”
Akira had already stormed off, clearly upset with what was happening before her. After they had taken off in HER cave to have a few moments of passion. Sickening. Disgusting. She had wiped her own mind after Hunter tried to manipulate her, no longer in control of Hunter's Narrating... What ever the hell it was. She had scorched the cave to show her anger, threatening to just light the couple on fire and let them burn to show how much she already hated them, but she was not that sadistic. She sort of wished she was though. Maybe it would solve more problems them one. In her anger, a few trees around the cave were lit on fire, giving a bright flame to the lone island as black smoke billowed in the sky. Her place had been invaded, and these strangers had no regard for anyone else. She was going to get the hell out of here.
Kassandra stiffened when Joshua said the k word, knowing exactly very well that was a trigger word for Tobias. She had time to analyze everyone within the immediate networks of Raven Sun, memorizing what each member was capable of and every tick about them. She pulled out her own gun, aiming it at Tobias. “Listen to Joshua, Tobias, for once. We have the situation with Cynthia under control at this point. You know my father Benjamin Landen doesn’t jump to conclusions hastily. Have a clear head about this. Turn around, walk away.” Her eyes darkened as she kept a steady hand still aimed at the younger male. “If you take a step forward, I will not hesitate to shoot. I never miss.” She heard another name she recognized. Walter knew Errol Ingrao too. Not only was Jex in danger, but Errol was too. Rose kept a steady gaze on Walter, letting his words sink into her brain. She swallowed the lump in her throat, tightening her grip on the arms of the chair. She was just sixteen, moving from a junior in high school to a senior. She was in honor band, got on the honor roll recently, but she hadn’t lived the life she thought was possible just last year. Sluggishly, she smirked, shaking her head. “No… I’m not afraid of death. Jex was the one that saved me from killing myself when nothing seemed to be going right when I was fifteen...” She laid her head back on the chair, staring at nothing. “He’s going to be mad at me… But at least he’ll live to save someone else.” Benjamin stayed silent, not showing any emotions as Jason explained his plight. The old man had always had his suspicions, but kept them mostly to himself. The Watch List was just a reflection of what went on in the man’s mind. He wanted what was best for each of his members, wanted them to feel safe and protected within the walls of Raven Sun. He knew what it was like to be an outcast and the feeling of always having to look over his shoulder. “I believe she had already awaken her powers. I have summoned my daughter from the main tech room to investigate a noise from the cell. Apparently Cynthia already had tried to escape… You know I am not the mercenary my family once were when it comes to those with powers… Yes, it is our duty to keep the balance in the world, but that doesn’t mean we kill everything that moves or acts differently…” The old man straightened in his chair, looking long and hard at his best agent. He was beaten, worn down, and torn. His grandpa side began to kick in and he wanted to do anything possible to help. “Why don’t we consider this…? We cannot keep her in the organization that will cause an uproar. However, we can give her a private business of sorts. She can act as her own mercenary under the careful eye of Raven Sun, but she will be her own agent. Her blood lust will be fulfilled in a healthy way, we can still keep a positive relationship with her, and you will still be able to see her as often as you like. What do you think? ” Carter’s eyes widened when Colton mentioned his mom’s real name, and his little sister. So this older guy was really telling the truth. He looked up at the black haired male, finally giving him a little smile. Lyle only blinked when Lucas was done telling him what he needed to do and what kind of information the government official needed. Well joy, his observation with the subjects would have to wait longer than he anticipated. “You should have been more careful of who you captured. However, since you are of higher authority than I am, I have no choice but to help you.” A high piercing, deafening sound suddenly came from the collar Colton was trying to mess with. “Ah!” Carter grabbed his ears, trying to block the painful jolt of noise while Kytheria stood there, her right eye twitching slightly. Immediately, a jolt of electricity would soon shoot through Colton’s body, warning him to back off. As soon as Colton stopped messing with the collar, the alarm would shut off. Lyle only glanced at him before looking at the boy. If this annoying teen cared so much about this child… Lyle suddenly pulled out a tiny blue chip and then walked to Carter, inserting it in his own black collar. “You might want to reconsider your fetal attempts to escape, boy,” Lyle warned. “Whenever the collar shocks you, it’ll shock your new friend too.” A jolt of electricity ran down Carter’s body, causing him to yell and grab at his neck as he doubled over in pain. “That’s not a bad idea, Jean… How do we get in there without being detected though?” Errol wrote down more notes and then glanced at the folder of the profiles of subjects and scientists. He suddenly recognized a face of a female scientists and his blood went cold. “This… She’s… She’s the one that kidnapped Colton.” He picked up Isabella’s profile and stared long and hard at it. “The telepathists… kidnapping someone of her own kind.” Errol felt his stomach churn and then he fought down his anger. No, he needed to focus. “Can you get a visual on the scientists in the facility right now?”
Akira furrowed her eyebrows, standing in defense as she watched these two intruders. They were... strange. And quite rude. What had the world come to since she had been gone? She gripped her sword tightly, stepping to the side when Hunter had reached the top. "I am not interested in flirting with anyone. I don't know this "Hero" or this "goddess" you're speaking of. There's no one else here, but me. This place had been abandoned a long time ago." Her sword stayed ignited as she pointed it towards Hunter, watching him with fierceness and keeping Gwen at the corner of her eye. "Are you friend or foe? Destroying any place you please in hopes of accomplishing some radical mission? If you're the latter... we may have some issues..." Her defense was high, her shoulders taunt. If they were looking to pick a fight, she figured she had no choice but to engage in battle with them.
Nicole glanced at Brendan and then smiled kindly to him. “No, no, it’s fine. I understand, believe me. My daughter is a telepathist. I’ll be alright.” Errol only listened partly to what Brendan and Nicole were talking about before Jean brought him out of his thoughts. “Christie…” The man slapped himself in the forehead and massaged it frustratingly. “That’s right, how could I have forgotten? Idiot…” he muttered the last part to himself before he closed his eyes, reaching out to the girl at the hospital. Christie, I am so sorry, I was caught up in several things here at the academy. We have some new information of where Colton is at. He’s alive. We’re in the process of figuring out how to get him out. Please come back to the academy right away. I’ll let Danni know what is happening. Be careful. When he was finished sending the next mind message to Danni, he opened his eyes and glanced over Brendan’s shoulder, watching him work. This was all starting to fall into place. Hopefully they could formulate a plan quick enough to save Colton and the others that were in the lab. “We’ll need a clear visual of where they keep the children when they’re not doing… Whatever they do.” He frowned, knowing exactly what he was getting himself into and everyone else for that manner. He saw the tortures that these children had gone through from the Mind Walk in Twilight Sorrow’s head. Realizing that this was getting very complicated, Errol pulled out his notepad and started to write a To Do list of sorts. So far it read: § Obtain hard copies of floor plan of Ariel Institute § Determine holding locations of each child § Find weaknesses and strengths of each scientist in the facility § Determine security camera locations and security traps § Create three break in plans, and three escape plans Danni opened her eyes and sat up as soon as she got news from her uncle. She shrugged the blanket off her body and stood up, not even to bother to stretch or rub at her eyes. She saw Christie in the hallway and nodded to her. “Go. I’ll take care of things here.” Internally, she was grateful they found Colton. She wasn’t going to show it or voice it out loud though; she already had shown her more vulnerable side more than once in the last twenty-four hours and she wasn’t about to show it again any time soon. “Close the door,” Benjamin said sternly, letting his comrade know that he was permitted to speak with him. It seemed like it was just one big mess after another, and the old man had a faint feeling that this wasn’t over just yet. His keen senses picked up on a disturbance from where the cells were and he frowned, pressing a button on the telephone on his desk, alerting someone to go investigate the situation as he took care of the matter at hand. “What kind of problem, Jason?” A pair of heels clicked down the hallway toward the cells in a rapid pace. A female appeared around the corner to where Joshua and Cynthia were and stopped short. The female examined the situation before looking at the other man, her identity card clearly visible over the left side of her chest which read ‘Kassandra A. Landen.’ “Long time no see, Joshua,” Kassandra said, finally acknowledging the Raven Sun agent. “… My father called me from the tech room to investigate… I see why. Is she completely unconscious?” she asked, keeping her hand on her gun holster just in case. She wasn’t one to beat around the bush when it came to problems within Raven Sun, especially if she was called from her usual post to take care of things like this. She then peered at the girl in the cell more closely, recognizing her from the reports and photos she had seen. Cynthia, always the whisper among Raven Sun with her brash ways of getting her point across and the threat she carried with her every day she stepped in headquarters. Kassandra glanced at Joshua, noticing he held a cellphone in his hand. “Is that hers?” Furrowing her eyebrows, she asked another question, “Who did she call?” Mai’s quiet whispers were soon stopped as she felt her brain being directed to not have a will of its own any longer. She pressed her head back into the pillow, trying to resist the thoughts or make the connection with Shane’s mind weaker, but she was finding it harder and harder to do so. She felt her mouth water when she smelled coffee and could feel her tongue ache for the want of taste of the hot drink. Wait, she didn’t like coffee! She was suddenly caught off guard when she was suddenly hit with a painful wave of energy. A blood curdling scream echoed from her lips as she saw reds and yellows crisscross under her eyelids, turning her head violently to try to do what she could to block the excruciating waves being sent to her head. She gasped as soon as it was over, barely opening her eyes as she began to sob. “Please… stop…” she pleaded as tears streamed down her face, wheezing for air as her heart monitor paced in a rapid style in the background. Mai then heard what Shane said and had a feeling this was bad. She could handle all the physical abuse that Lyle had put her under over the last two years, but she couldn’t handle being manipulated like this. She had this happened to her so many times in the past with her parents… No, she couldn’t allow this to happen. “STOP” she shrieked. A mental defense of sorts materialized in Mai’s mind, trying hard to push against the connection between her and Shane to make it weaker or to break off completely. Mai shut her eyes tightly, struggling with all her might to consciously protect herself and what was left of her sore, aching brain. Without realizing it, she had unlocked something she didn’t know the name of… but it felt like some kind of shield. “You heard what he said,” Lyle said taciturnly. “You are in no shape to bargain like that. Besides, you, he,” Lyle pointed to the boy in the cell, “My subject… all of you subjects will never leave this place until you have completely expired. You would have been let go otherwise if that was the case with my subject’s bartering for better care for you. No matter how hard you say you will be pushed, you will never fulfill the debt for this boy’s freedom.” He looked to Vincent before approaching Carter’s cell, unlocking it for the boy to come out. Carter let the blanket fall off his head and back onto the bed, standing up to attention as he looked up at Lyle. This guy was so creepy with that one red mechanical optic, always seeming like it was analyzing everything. It looked like the Terminator. Carter stepped out of the cell without much prompting, going next to Colton. He looked up at the teen, noticing the cast on his arm and how tired and sad he looked. The stranger mentioned something about his mother… Was it true? Did he really meet Carter’s mom? “Come along then.” Strain made the two subjects begin to follow him down the winding hallways, back to the examination room where Mai was the day before. He figured the negotiating between Colton and Vincent were over by now. “What’s my momma’s name?” Carter asked quietly as he walked along side Colton, keeping his head down. Lyle then stopped in the hallway when he saw the government agent walking towards him. By the look on Lucas's face, he was on a mission to speak with the scientist. Slightly miffed, but refused to show it, he waited for the man and his partner trailing behind to meet halfway before stopping. "What seems to be the trouble?" Lyle asked, keeping his clipboard handy as he waited for whatever news or insight this man had to offer. Kye followed along dutifully, silently agreeing with Lucas's plan. When they rounded the corner and found Lyle with some luck, she smirked under her hat and then saw the sick mouse and a squeakier mouse. "Mhmhm, fun, fun..." Kye mused with a soft cackle, licking the corner of her lips as she stared at them like a cat eyeing her prey. Carter stole a glance up at the two people that were stopped in front of them, just in time to meet Kytheria's haunting yellow eyes. Something about her was frightening and the boy's eyes went wide, seeing a piercing of sorts on the tip of the lady's tongue as she licked her lips. The lady then glanced at him, giving him a wink before making a cutting motion over her neck and tilting her head dramatically to the side. Carter gasped and then eyes fell to the floor, trying to hide his feelings of being afraid of who was before them. There was not one adult he could trust in this place. It was then the little boy heard a scream of a girl who sounded like she was being seriously hurt. He clenched his fists, grinding his teeth as he tried to ignore the noise. He just wanted to get this test over and done with as quick as possible. Lyle heard the screams and recognize them as his subject. What ever they were doing to her, it sounded like hell. Was he concerned about it though? No. He kept his eyes on Lucas, waiting for him to speak. Rose only winced slightly when Walter began to wipe her tears away, not used to a gentle, caring touch since she had been here. She took in a deep breath, leaning heavily in the chair to rest her weary, burning body. She laughed blearily, closing her eye as she let Walter’s words sink in. “I honestly… Don’t know. You will hurt him though, like your people did to me… I’m sure of it.” She took in slow, raspy breaths, feeling extremely tired from the night of hell she endured, but wanted to speak. She wouldn’t have slept well even if she wanted to anyways in the state she was in. “Jex told me that someone killed his whole family in one night… Grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins… his parents… Tried to kill him too. He… He showed the scars… They're all over his body...” She shook her head, opening her eye halfway to stare at the ceiling. “They were awful… He said… It was probably because people knew what he was, what his family were… They were scared of him…” She forced herself to raise her head up, grunting as she felt the cuts pull and tug at her skin. She then looked at Walter in the eye, keeping the bad one closed. “Are you scared of him…?” The hooded figure held Abi close to its body, lugging her deeper and deeper down the alleyway as a gloved hand with a cloth soaked in chloroform went over her mouth, muffling her screams. A dog suddenly lunged at the attacker, trying to bite through thick leathered boots . The personage grunted and then kicked at the dog, causing her to slam against the stone wall with a yelp. The cloaked person continued on its way, dragging the girl to a windowless van. The backdoors soon opened up and Abi was thrown in. The kidnapper soon hopped in the van, closing the back doors behind it as they began to drive away to their destination with their prize. She was soon tied up with red ropes behind her back and around her ankles and a black hood was placed over her head. “Gotcha now, psychic swine,” a masculine voice said under the hood, patting the girl’s head. The five other cloaked men in the back of the van chuckled, patting the one who spoke on the back. “You have done well, my son,” a feminine voice declared from under another hood. “You will make Father proud. Soon you will be welcomed as our brother to the Obsidian Clan, and your journey for eternal power will commence… I am so proud of you.”
So she was running, how commendable. The cloaked figure whistled once, giving a hand signal of sorts to someone unseen. The girl had indeed stepped outside, but she had picked up a sense of someone else there and took off. This was expected. A second cloaked figure began to run along the shadows, positioning themselves to get a head start on the girl. When the second cloaked figure saw that the girl was coming its way, it waited, taunt and ready. Suddenly, arms sprung out from the alleyway, trying to wrap themselves around the girl to stop her from running and then pulled Abbi close to their body, beginning to try to drag her away from the streets. Rose hissed and then grunted through clenched teeth when Walter begin to clean her wounds with something that stung like fire and ice thrown in together. She could feel the grains of salt rubbing into her wounds as Walter worked and dug her fingers into her shoulder, shutting her eyes tightly and turned her head away. Soon it was over though, and she felt the cool bandages being wrapped so gently over her wounds. Through misted eyes, she watched as Walter was being careful and almost caring, something she hadn’t seen much the time she had been imprisoned here. No, it was just some kind of mind game they were trying, something new. They were going to break her, she knew it. They were going to treat her nicely and then turn around tenfold with something she couldn’t even imagine right now. Then he brought up Jex, and she felt her heartstrings tug. She hadn’t talked to anyone in a long time. She kept Jex under safe lock and key, but the way he demanded information was something new. There was no bargain for her release or less pain, just simple casual small talk. She cried out and then tried to swallow it down when Walter began to work on the other wounds, feeling the tears roll down her cheeks. This was the worse pain she had ever gone through, but she would do anything for the Ingraos. “I owe him,” she said forcefully between gritted teeth “my life.” That’s all that she was going to say about him, she decided. That was it. The man named Jason promised to break every bone in her body the next time he came back. Would she be strong enough then as she was before? Her body quaked and winced every time Walter washed the gashes. She was becoming too weak to stand her ground and felt her knees starting to give out from under her. Mai’s vision was suddenly changed from the lab room to memories inside of her head. She could see Colton the first day he came, how she cared for him and felt a special connection with him, like she had to be the one to protect him from all the horrors of this dismal place. She felt violated as Shane searched her mind, wanting to push him out but knew that Isabella would probably give her some kind of punishment or even influence Shane in that manner. No, it was best not to fight back, this time anyways. But she had to make it believable that this was all she had to hide. Shane made it easier though by suddenly changing something in her head. She felt hurt as Colton yelled at her and winced when his voice seemed to raise higher and higher. The things that Lyle said next made her heart sink; she was going to die, and so was Colton. She didn’t even have time to process this much as Shane began to work her mind like clay in his unseen hands. Suddenly, she had a brother, had a life with this unknown sibling, and then it all suddenly violently ended… Again she was yelled at, but this time she fought back. She grabbed a knife and- “NO!” Mai screamed out, trying as hard as she could to push Shane out of her head. “THIS ISN’T ME!” she cried. “Please, stop it!” But then she realized in that brief instant he couldn’t stop… Or wouldn’t stop. She just encouraged him further to do whatever he wanted to do with her head. She felt so many emotions crashing and piling in on each other. She tried to blink back tears, ignoring the heart monitor going off the charts in the background. The “memories” stopped, but it wasn’t because of her desperate pleas. It was because he was trying to encourage Isabella to continue on with what he was doing to her. She took in shaky breaths, feeling sick to her stomach as the images were trying to flash before her eyes, gruesome horrible things. She had to focus on them, it was the only way to protect other things. No, she could concentrate on other things. Songs, anything else. She began to whisper song lyrics under her breath that she thought were long forgotten, barely incoherent. “I remember tears streaming down your face when I said, ‘I'll never let you go’… When all those shadows almost killed your light…” She trailed off, making her eyes look at the ceiling as she took in deep breaths of air to calm herself down as the tears began to roll. She didn’t care if she had an audience or that they wouldn’t like the song lyrics. She needed something to hold onto, something to cling to for that moment. “I remember you said, ‘Don’t leave me here alone’. But all that’s dead… and gone… and passed, tonight…” For a moment, she thought of Colton, and then fought down that thought. No, she couldn’t let Shane know what she was thinking. Not now. She could reflect later. She needed to protect what she could that was not desecrated by this boy almost the same age as her. “Just close your eyes… the sun is going down… You’ll be alright… No one can hurt you now…” Errol had entered into the door, leaving it open partially so that Jean and Nicole could enter in if they chose to follow or not. He then handed Brendan his coffee, looking over what the boy had already found. He patted Brendan on the shoulder, obviously proud of his pupil. “Excellent work. Is there a way you can format this into hard data for reference? I don’t want you to drain yourself now.” Errol then glanced at the screen, seeing that Colton was on the screen, standing next to someone in a white lab coat. He felt his heart grow heavy, seeing the state Colton was in. They were so close to getting him home. Just a bit longer, he thought in his mind. You’ll be home soon. He then noticed a cell within the room, and a tiny figure wrapped up in blankets on the small bed. It was hard to tell what or who it was, but Errol had a feeling inside his gut. He sighed out, pulling out a file he had grabbed before he left his office and handed it to Brendan. “From the security footage, could you do a face recognition scan? These are the profiles of the scientists I have collected. We need to get a better idea what we’re up against…” Nicole nodded to Jean, following after the young man. She was hesitant on what more she was going to see, but she needed to have her wits about her if she was going to get her son back. She needed to have an iron mind, not centering too much on her personal feelings. She saw a room coming into view and took in a deep breath, trying to settle her mind before she followed after Jean inside of the room. She was greeted by a three dimensional map of sorts with Errol standing close by another boy she had never met before sitting in front of a computer screen watching some kind of footage. Errol glanced up to see the two walk in and smiled tiredly. “Ah, there you are. Brendan, this is Nicole Justice, Carter’s mother. She’s been helping us for the last few weeks.” Nicole nodded her head in respect to the new boy and looked at what was before her again. These people were doing so much for her… Risking everything they had. Even though they had a friend missing as well, she felt as if she could be on the same level as them right now. Her eyes widened when she peered at the screen closer, seeing a face she knew standing in the room. “Is that Colton?” she asked, stepping over to Brendan and pointed to the younger looking male in the picture. “Hm… plotting, plotting, tra, la, la…” Kytheria’s smile had vanished when Lucas mentioned Isabella. She really hated that little mouse, but there was nothing she could do about it… Not right now anyways. “Use a mouse to catch another mouse… Strange, strange, but it may help catch brains.” She licked her sword once more before she sheathed it again, grinning at Lucas. “I speak in riddles, but you understand. Still working with me, glad I am.” She tipped her hat up just a bit enough to show she gave him respect before snugging it carefully back over her forehead. She could never be too careful around in this place. “Stroll through the lab to check on rats? Or no time for brats. Find the bubbly one, busy maybe.” Carter heard an old voice speaking and picked it out to be Lyle, the creepy robotic guy. Then he heard a new voice, someone he didn’t recognize. Curious, he sat up slowly in his bed, keeping his blanket around his head like a hood. His eyes landed on a skinny, pale, older boy. The teen looked at him with some recognition, but Carter had no idea what. He didn’t remember seeing this guy ever before in his life. He heard Lyle talk about borrowing him for the day and felt a shiver go up his spine. This couldn’t be good. He swallowed hard, then looked at the teen that spoke up. He was trying to get the little eight year old out of here… Carter observed from where he was, wondering why this guy was trying to save him… Kiki watched Ryan as he stood up, smiling big at him before giggling a little. "I guess so. But it might not be goodbye forever, just a goodbye for now. I'll probably swing back here sometime, this place was fun." She then waved to him. "Take care now, okay? Be gentle on yourself!"
Rose moved away from the new person, wincing as she turned to face them in the corner by the fake window. In the time she was left alone, she found a new, deep green shirt that reminded her of pea soup and some gray sweat pants. She now felt like she was in prison uniform, but that was okay. At least she had something to cover up her wounded form One eye was closed with a claw mark over it, her body shuddering in pain as she clutched her shoulder, trying to look brave. Her body throbbed all over, there was no safe place to sit, lay, or even stand. She hadn’t talked though, that’s all that mattered. So long as she didn’t tell anything about Jex, they were going to be fine. Her safety didn’t matter… They probably gave up trying to find her anyways. She didn’t blame them, they were probably dealing with more dire situations than this, and Rose had to understand that. She always came last, no matter what. She watched Walter with her green eyes, trying to stop herself from shaking like a leaf in the autumn wind so much. “You’re going to be like the rest of them,” she breathed out, clenching her teeth. “You’re going to try to break me too. Just get on with it.” “I don’t have pity for you, boy,” the scientist said with a cold tone, making Colton follow him through the winding passages of the laboratory. “I think with logic. Your survival rate is very low physically, yet somehow you stay alive… Like a cockroach that just won’t die. If I am given permission, you will have a sparring partner today. Hopefully he’s skilled enough to keep you from breaking any more bones or becoming critically injured, then again his age is questionable…” He rounded to Vincent’s lab and rapped on the door before entering in. “Vincent, will you be using the eight year old subject today? If not, may I borrow him to test my new prototypes? Perhaps we can see how he fairs fighting wise… He will have help. I have acquired Isabella's subject for the day, temporarily of course.” Kiki swayed her legs freely as she ate the pancakes, savoring every single bite she could. "I've always been all by myself though," she said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I mean, it's not really fun, but sometimes it is. You get to go all sorts of places and see so many different things!" She giggled as she took in another bite, looking at Ryan. "Not to mention you can sleep anywhere you want. Besides, you don't want me around. I'm pretty annoying, yeah? All I can do is read minds and shoot bubbles and feathers at people. I'm not that important." She shrugged her shoulders with a grin, closing one of her eyes. "But that's okay! All I can do is what I can do to help others, and that's what makes me happy. And I helped you, so I figured I'm done. Time to go poof, go to the next place, you know?" “Mmm, knock, knock. Who’s there?” Kye suggested, making a sign as if she was knocking on an individual door. She then made a motion like she was holding an ax and started to hack the imaginary door, and then poked her head through it, grinning as big as she could. “It’ssssss KYEEEEE~!” She then snorted at her own reference and spun in place, laughing all the while at her own joke before she turned to face her partner and placed her hands on her knees, smiling up at him from under the shadow of her top hat. “The cat has a better thinking light… Fathers don’t let sons go easily…” She pointed her finger out the door, smiling knowingly. “Liberation will come. Ah, shivers tell me so.” Kye pulled out her sword, leaning against the wall as she ran her tongue along the blade. “Then heads will roll… Slish, slash, the end.”
“Hm…” Benjamin hummed out, choosing to sit on the edge of the desk with his cane in his hand. “The youth these days don’t know how to be respectful… I guess I’m becoming a stick in the mud,” he mused to his old friend, tightening his grip on the raven’s head. “The way they conducted their research though and the way they are causing contention within the ranks is not professional. That, and he was sloppy with the way he gathered his information. Killing his informants in front of security footage, AND he gave the cameras the bird when Kytheria pointed them out to them. As for the family manner, well… If it was up to me, they wouldn’t be here. But things can’t be perfect as much as I wish it would be. Cynthia has been a poor influence on Tobias.” Benjamin let out a frustrated chuckle, shaking his head. “I’m becoming too old for this…” He then looked at Walter, his eyes weary and it was barely the middle of the morning. “There is something you can do for me today. We have a stubborn prisoner you might say… She knows of Jex Ingrao, the telepathist on our list, and possibly Errol Ingrao… We thought the Ingrao family line had been destroyed, but they had resurfaced the past year. You know they are rumored to be the strongest family line of telepathists and telekinetics. This informant had a personal experience with Jex Ingrao and his telepathic abilities. I need her to tell us everything she knows about the living Ingraos, but she proving to be especially stalwart. Jason had already tried to convince her talk, but she hasn’t broken yet. She won’t even take the offer she could go home after this is all over… Maybe you can use your special ways to… sway her.” “Mmm! These pancakes are delicioso! Want one?” Kiki was sitting by Ryan on the bench, being casual as she chowed down on the breakfast she had acquired. She sort of heard Ryan’s desperate pleas for her to come back, but she paid no mind to them. She wasn’t going anywhere after all, she was just hungry. She took a bite, smiling as she chewed. “Mmm! Heavenly fluffiness~!” she whispered, shuddering as the flavors danced in her mouth. Danni watched as Ryan ran off to find the girl named Kiki and then sighed out in relief when Christie said she’d take the first watch. “In that case, I’m going to get some shut eye… I’m exhausted. Wake me up when you see something or get tired or hungry. I’ll try not to bite your head off.” Danni gave the girl a wink before she went to the double soft chairs close by in Jex’s room, pushing them together to make a bed. She briefly wondered how her older friend Jean was holding up through this whole stressful situation. She hadn't seen him since he went on that case for Carter Justice about three weeks ago. Oh well, she supposed she could catch up with him on another day when things weren't so crazy right now. She then settled down, pulling the blanket Brendan had given her over her head and closed her eyes, listening to the heart machine beeping away and the oxygen hissing ever so often. Mai cringed when Isabella put on a firework display for her, not at all amused. She was more terrified than anything else. The girl felt her heart race when the bed started to move and she looked at Colton one last time before she left. She could see that he was scared and frustrated, and for that moment she wished she could get up and give him a hug. Instead, she gave him a brave smile until they wheeled her out of sight. She then closed her eyes, preparing herself mentally for what was to come, noticing the lights that passed over her closed eyelids. She heard Isabella talk about the plans for today and gripped her bed sheets. Shane, the new guys, was going to use all his powers on her. She didn’t know Shane or what he was capable of, but she had a feeling it wasn’t good. Eyes snapped open when they had finally stopped, looking around to see they were in another lab somewhere else. Mai watched Shane as he spoke, frowning slightly. This guy was weird. She winced when she suddenly heard his voice in her head, but held her ground. You really don’t have to, she said, keeping her chestnut eyes on him. There could have been a better way to go about this... If you knew the survival rate of subjects and how old they were, you would have probably stayed away. They take people from their families and friends, and they never see them again. Or parents sell their kids to these people... Like me. She didn’t care if Isabella was listening in or not. She had been here the longest as far as she knew and had seen many deaths, including that of a five year old. You could have found someone to help you with your powers outside of here. There are good people out there, they’re just hard to discover… She thought of her friend and felt a twinge of sadness in her heart. She was never going to see him again, she had to accept that. Mai breathed out slowly, bracing herself for what was to come. "I'm just like you, you know," Mai said softly, closing her eyes as she listened to her heart monitor beep a little quicker. She wish she could hide how nervous she was, but the machines gave it away. "You're here now so... I guess there's nothing else we can do right now but just go with it." “My, my… The quiet one has spoken.” Lyle took off his work glasses and placed them in his lab pocket, sending in a robot back into Colton’s cell. “My boy, if I did what I did on my subject, you would be dead before the day was over. I have something else in mind for you instead.” Without warning, the robot fit a black collar of sorts around Shane’s neck, similar to the one on Mai’s. “If you try to anything stupid, that collar will act as a Taser… And I can adjust to any watt. So, choose your battles wisely.” The robot then left the cell and Lyle stepped to the cell door, keeping it open for Colton to step out. “I have something else in mind for you… It’s been a while since I had an older telekinetic to work with.” Errol looked to his untouched cup of coffee, seeing that there was steam still coming off of it. He didn’t feel like drinking any right now and smiled a little to himself. It wouldn’t go to waste after all. He straightened, taking the untouched cup of coffee and looked to his friends. “Brendan is here, already hard at work. Follow me if you like. He will be looking for floor plans and other things that will be useful to us.” With that, Errol excused himself from the room and headed to the boy’s dormitories where Brendan’s place was, walking as quickly as he could down the hallway. Hopefully their plan of actions of saving these children would not be too late for any of them left alive. He soon approached the pupil’s dorm, rapping on it lightly to indicate he was here. “Brendan, I brought you some coffee. May I enter?” Nicole watched as Errol left and then looked up at Jean. “Do you need a break?” she asked, keeping her hand on his shoulder. She never seen Jean so shaken like earlier since the night she almost died and knew it took a toll on the man. She hoped she wasn’t intruding or being too much of a bother to Jean and waited for his answer silently, hesitant of what she should do next.
