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Facing my finals like

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Mai blinked when Colton wiped away her tears with his cold, shaky hands. She felt sadness tug at her heart strings when she listened to Colton talk, watching him from where she laid. He didn't want her to die... She heard Lucas's voice, but kept silent, watching as Colton sat on his bed and shivered while trying to wrap a blanket around his fragile frame. "Colton..." she whispered, wishing she had the strength to get up and give him a hug. She smiled weakly, closing her eyes for a moment as she took in a shaky breath. "I will fight... If you will fight..." She opened her eyes, showing that she meant what she said. "Please... Just accept the care for now... Please... You need it... I want you to live... I want you to be-" Feeling a sudden pain from her stomach, Mai winced and gripped the bed sheets tightly. The poison from the biomechs still wracked her body, but it was doing the best it could to flush it out. Grunting as she pressed her head into her pillow, she waited for the pain to pass as her heart monitor beeped irregularity.

The door opened, and two different robots from the medical companion walked in, carrying trays with food on them. "Dinner is served," one said in their robotic voice as the doors closed behind them, sealing off the pair again. One approached Colton while the other approached Mai. The one that came up to Colton held up the tray for him to see. "Tonight's dinner is chicken noddle soup," (which was in a white, plastic bowl) "two pieces of buttered toast, saltine crackers, and a Ginger Ale Soda. Something light for your upset stomach." The robot then placed the tray on the bed by the boy and then stepped back, bowing to Colton. "Enjoy your meal." And with that, the robot wheeled out of the room, the door locking behind it as it went out. Everything was made out of plastic on the tray and arranged nicely. There was even a piece of parsley placed on top of the soup.

The other robot was in the process of raising Mai's hospital bed to help her sit up after the wave of pain was over. Her dinner was chicken broth with one piece of toast and some ginger ale soda. The robot took of Mai's face mask and replaced it with oxygen tubes for the time being. It then began to feed her the broth, one bite at a time in a steady, slow pace. She was having a hard time swallowing what was given to her and had to take long breaks in between spoonfuls.

Suddenly, with the tenth spoonful, Mai's face suddenly grew paler and she gagged. The robot was quick to respond, grabbing a bucket and placing it under Mai's chin. The girl heaved as contents spewed in the bucket with force. Three more episodes, and Mai was coughing, spitting out what was left in her mouth before collapsing back on the bed, grimacing in agony. Blood began to trickle out of her nose passed the oxygen tubes and the food robot placed a napkin under her nose while using the other hand to wipe away the red looking vile at the corner of her mouth. Her heart monitor was beating rather fast now, and Mai couldn't help but to moan as the waves of pain came over her. Silent tears fell down down her cheeks as her shoulders shook. She had reached her limit for the day. She couldn't even hold down food, and Colton was there, watching her suffer.. "I'm sorry..." she gasped out, closing her eyes tightly as the tears still came down. Fear was starting to take over the young girl's mind. What was Strain going to do with her if she didn't recover quickly?

The medical companion, PT-03, was prompt to come in, assessing Mai and her condition. The food robot placed the tray on the night stand in between the two beds and then exited out of the cells, taking the nasty puke bucket with him. "Your body is still flushing out the poison left in its system. I will give you a shot of ANTI-VENOM 009 to help your body fight against the poison." A needle came out of the robot's finger. "This will only hurt a bit." The robot then poked it into Mai's arm where it was exposed and free of bandages. She didn't even wince, she was already in so much pain. "You will be fine now." It then retracted the needle, turning to Colton. After a brief scan. the medical robot took a clear remote off the night stand by Mai's food and pressed the buttons.

"I am raising the temperature to keep you two warm. You can adjust the temperature as you like. The lowest it can go is 68 Degrees Fahrenheit. The highest it can go is 72 Degrees Fahrenheit. You can also change the scenery of the room. There are 20 different scenes to choose from." The robot then pressed a button that showed a picture frame icon and the outside world suddenly disappeared and they were at an ocean with the sound effects and everything. A click, they were watching a busy city, hearing car horns honks and people walking around, then suddenly a forest with the leaves rustling in the wind, a couple more clicks showed a mountain meadow, the dessert, an African Savannah, and other pictures. Then it suddenly disappeared, bringing the teens back to reality. "You may also choose the background noise. There are 25 different options." The robot pressed a music icon on the remote and the ambiance of the ocean disappeared, changing to soft string and piano music.

The robot then placed the remote on Colton's bed and then went over to Mai, who was shivering under her covers. The robot carefully laid her back a bit more, but kept her elevated. It then took the napkin from under Mai's noise, wiping the remaining blood away before replacing the oxygen tubes with the mask again. The robot then stood and walked out of the room without another word, locking the doors behind it.

Mai laid there with her eyes shut, taking in unstable breaths as her heart rate began to decrease. She still looked pale and extremely weak.

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Kytheria hummed out, watching what was happening from other side of the glass. Her ears were keenly attuned to what was being said in between patients and she tilted her head a bit when she heard a familiar name uttered from the sickly boy's mouth. Oh? He knew someone she knew... She kept her lips tightly together, knowing that the teens on the other side of the glass could see her and Lukey as well. She watched the girl react to the food that was given to her, and then giggled cynically. "Little mouse gets what was coming," she said, giggled half-heartily before she turned to Lukey. She gave him her look of that she knew something and needed to speak to him out of ear shot. Giving him more of a clue she knew something, she tapped the brim of her top hat twice on the right side. It was her silent signal to him that only he knew about. Three years of working together, they needed secret codes now and again. Riddles and nonsensical words could only cover up so much. She couldn't wait to tell her partner the things she picked up while eavesdropping on the two rats with powers.

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Strain listened to the boy's story, unmoved by any of it. It sounded like a horrible case of psychological disorders heightened by the strange powers that seemed to plague more and more young people these days. He wanted to find out why the numbers were growing. But back to Shane. Strain was not a psychologist; he hated getting into what ticked off people the most. He was more into the hard evidence and machinery that he placed in his work. "The question that you should be asking yourself, young man, is if you really want this... "help". I can't change the dark aspect of personalities. I am not a psychic, I'm a scientist. My purpose of my experiments is to create fighting machines that can withstand your kind. If you want someone to alter your personality completely and quickly, I suggest Vincent or Isabella... They have more craft in the ways of the psychic mind." His voice was dry, almost like Severus Snape if he was a crazy robotic scientist. He placed his hands behind his back, watching Shane closely. "Now, tell me... With that knowledge, do you still willingly want to be submitted under my experimentation?"

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Danni had taken Brendan on his offer and had changed into a jean jacket, a white t-shirt, and some jeans. She joined him in his car soon afterwards, sighing out heavily. "Let's go," she said softly, looking outside. The rain had stopped and the sun was peaking out a bit more. She wondered if Jex was really okay or not. Errol had left him there alone, so he must have been fine. But she still couldn't get a hold of her cousin through her mind. Something was blocking it, but she didn't know what.

A short time later, they were at the hospital. As soon as Danni walked in, she was greeted by that ominous hospital smell. She herself had never been hospitalized for anything; it was always for other people close and dear to her. Walking quickly, she made her way passed various people, trying to ignore the chaos she felt in the air and her feelings of anxiety swelling inside of her. She approached the information desk, hands in her jean pockets. "Excuse me, I'm looking for a Jex Dominic Ingrao. He's my cousin," she interjected, knowing that the nurse would ask if she was family or not.

The lady peered at Danni over the rim of her glasses before typing up the name. She then took them off, looking at Danni. "He's in surgery right now. Would you like to wait for him in the lobby?"

"Surgery?" Danni's heart fell. Errol told her nothing about surgery. "What do you mean? What's wrong with him?"

The lady looked at the file again, reading it over quickly. "He received multiple blows to the head. One of the blows fractured his skull and a blood clot started to form underneath. They're trying to stop it now."

Danni stood there, dumbfounded by the news. Jex... He was fine yesterday. This couldn't be happening. He already went through so much. This couldn't be real. She slammed her fist on the counter, making the woman jump. "Who did this to him?" she seethed between her teeth, eyes filled with rage.

"I can't say," the woman said, keeping a tight lip.

"Tell me!" Danni demanded, her voice raising in volume. "God dammit, I need to know! TELL ME!"

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Benjamin smirked. "Yes, I will take you to her." He grabbed for his cane and stood up, using it to walk across the room. "Mind you though, we need to keep her alive and able to speak... We might miss something important otherwise."

The old man soon led Jason to the private prison cells. Most of them were emptied and only used to hold people with bounties or ruthless members of Raven Sun gone rogue temporarily. He led him to the one entirely out of metal and opened the cell door with a password and his eye.
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Rose was pacing back and forth when the doors opened and stopped. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was and then glared. "What did you do to Jex?" she spat, clenching her fist.

Benjamin chuckled, moving out of the way for Jason to come in. "My dear, is that how you greet anyone? Demanding answers right when they walk through the door." Though he was curious why the girl spat out such thing.

"You did something to him, didn't you?" she said, going on a defense mode. "What did you do to him?"
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"That's none of your concern," Benjamin said. He was going to act like he knew what was going on. If he played dumb, then the girl might be dumb enough to give up the information he desired without harming her. "Now, are you ready to tell us everything you know about this friend of yours?"

Rose grind her teeth, standing rigid with her hands by her side. "Over my dead body," she venomously spoke.​

Benjamin shrugged his shoulders. "Suite yourself, my dear. I told you that we will not go easy on you the more you fight. Meet my close friend, Jason." He gestured to the muscular male, smirking all the while. "He has a way of getting what he wants from anyone. Jason, feel free to do as you wish." Benjamin then sat on a cushioned chair not too far away, keeping his cane close at hand.

Rose's eyes flashed with fear for a moment, and then she boldly looked at Jason. She was ready for a fight if she needed to. She was never going to give up her friends, ever. ​

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***ATTENTION ROLEPLAYERS***​

Due to unseen emergencies from various players, we will extend the RP day to end Friday night instead of Thursday night. If another day extension is required, I will let everyone know.

Also, due to a majority of us being in college, or having some real life obligations to do, we will be taking a ONE week break from the RP. This means we will not start a new day right away until AFTER the break. This will give time for people to study, take finals, recuperate, and do their everyday duties without freaking out over this story.

The break will be from Saturday, May 2nd to Friday, May 8th. No posting in this RP, please. Just leave it quiet until the designated break is up and refrain from posting for that time being. We will resume the RP on Saturday, May 9th and for now on will end the day on Friday night and resume a new RP day on a Saturday.

Thanks everyone!

With Colton rejecting care, the robot stood there, hardly phased with the attitude that had been thrown. Silently, the robot left the room, the cell doors locking securely behind him.

The unconscious girl was stirred from her deep slumber. Mai's good, uncovered eye fluttered open, realizing she was hearing Colton's voice. She looked to where she heard him, and smiled weakly under her oxygen mask. "Colton... You're here." Her voice was weak, but she sounded so happy and so relieved. She took in shuddering breaths as oxygen was forced into her lungs, closing her eye for a moment as Colton's emotions washed over her. He was mad at her, and scared for her at a the same time... She opened her eye again, moving her injured arm towards him, but couldn't reach. She winced in pain, gripping the bed sheet with the other hand, but forced herself to bite down the pain.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry this hurts you..." She swallowed the lump in her throat wishing she could sit up and hug him, but she couldn't. "I wanted you... To live. To have... Hope." Her eyes stung as tears begin to form. "No one will look... For me. You know that... Someone will be looking... For you. Someone loves you... And hasn't... Given up... On you." Tears began to roll down her cheeks, rolling down the side of the oxygen mask, but through all that, she smiled. It was weak, but she was determined. "Someone... Needs to care for you... In this place... Someone... Needs to give you hope..." She watched him from where she was at, tears hitting her pillow. "You need to live... I'll be okay..."

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"Maybe we can do both," Danni said with a shrug before standing up. She wasn't going to tell Brendan she was scared for Jex. She had a bad feeling forming inside her gut, but refused to acknowledge it. "If you don't mind tagging along." She stretched her arms above her head before lowering them, beginning to take off the wraps around her hands. "I hate hospitals."
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"Jex Dominic Ingrao. My granddaughter told me there were two teens in the hospital while she worked there at the same time, both of them in a strange coma. Someone, a telepathist I think, tried to manipulate her mind and tell her what she was witnessing was some sort of freak accident. We identified him as Errol Dan Ingrao."

Benjamin took a sip of the alcohol, swishing it around in the glass. "Anyways, the kids that were in the coma were Jex Dominic Ingrao and Rose Reyer... Rose was the first to wake up. Jex almost did not. Pity he didn't die..." Benjamin grew serious, setting down the glass as he interlaced his hands. "We had thought we wiped the entire Ingrao bloodline, before your daughter came to us... They have been the strongest family line of telekinetics and telepathists known to us. One of our own took into their hands to rid this world of their presence... Without my consent."

He pressed in lips in a thing line, watching Jason from where he sat. "I'm worried that the surviving family will want to seek for blood... Or worse, they have found others like them and are gathering and training them for war... Rose Reyer is not one with psychic gifts. She's normal. But she knows the remaining Ingrao family, what they're capable of, and if they are gathering more like them for a cause that will become out of hands to handle..."

Benjamin suddenly had a coughing fit, covering his mouth with a white handkerchief. "Damn this cough," he muttered when it was finally over. "Rose has been here for six weeks in isolation and refuses to speak about Jex and his family... I believe she needs a little... Persuasion you might say."

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"You're welcome! My name is Kiki!" The pink haired girl said with a grin, giving her a thumbs up before standing straight. All was fine now for the time being. "Wanna see a magic trick?" Kiki made her fingers into an O shape and then gently blew on it. Bubbles began to stream out as if she actually had the real formula on her. They were completely harmless, just floating around until they began to fall to the ground like regular bubbles.

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"We're not sure," the doctor said as he began a brisk pace with his staff down the winding pathways of the hospital. "Blood clots in the brain can be deadly; he needs the surgery or he could die. Surgery should be about five to six hours. Receiving heavy blows like this to the head... I'm surprised he woke up when he did. Usually patients with severe head injuries like this stay unconscious for a day or two. If he's a fighter, he should be fine."

He let his staff wheeled Jex into the operating room and stayed out in the hallway with Ryan for a bit. "You might want to prepare yourself though, just in case." The doctor gave him a sympathetic smile before rushing into the room, closing the door behind him. The curtain was then drawn over the windows soon afterwards, obscuring the view from the outside world.

Jex smiled weakly, feeling fingers run through his hair. "I..." He tried to speak, and then the smile had faded. He begin hearing ringing in his ear, and all background noise started to disappear. He swallowed hard, not able to speak anymore to say what was happening.

A doctor in a lab coat came in with a few nurses close at hand. "Excuse me, but we need to take him in for surgery, now. We received the brain scans back. He is developing a blood clot on the left side of his head underneath the fractured part of his skull." The nurses gently directed Ryan out of the way, prepping the equipment for transferring the black haired teen to surgery.

~~~~~~~

Kiki smiled kindly at the little girl and walked over to her, crouching to her height. She touched the little girl's forehead and immediately was overwhelmed with the gruesome memories. Her smile did not falter though as she looked into the little girl's eyes. I know it's scary, Rebecca... But it'll be okay! I'm just like you! You can't stop it, but you can block it. Think happy thoughts! What makes you happy, hm? Kiki smiled gently at the girl, tilting her head. "Tell me, please?"

Jex began to laugh, but it sounded like a cough and he winced in pain. "Hey," he breathed out hoarsely, "None of this ... is your fault. I promise..." He tried to open his eyes and then clutched the bed sheets. "Aw, gees... I can't open my eyes... I look bad, don't I?" He turned his head to the side, swallowing hard. "It's not your fault... I understand.." The words were getting harder to say, and he couldn't communicate through his mind. Something felt blocked and it made his head hurt even more to focus on it. "You... Two... Okay?" He was meaning Christie and Ryan.

Kiki was standing in the corner quietly, staying out of the way. She then sensed something from the room behind her, and held her feather in her hand. Pushing off the wall, she walked out of Jex's room and to the one where the scary man and the little girl were. She stepped at the door frame, knocking on the door lightly. "Excuse me... I think I can help if you don't mind..."

Danni listened to Brendan's words, mulling them over in her head. Her hands were still in her hair, making the strands of red stand on edge. Her heart rate was slowing down finally, putting her more aggressive side to rest for a while. Even though she had the slight scare of Jex disconnecting for a while, her uncle had contacted her to reassure her he was alright for the most part and told her what had happened.

"Thank you," she muttered to the teen, staring at the ground as she listened to the hiss of the rain outside the alcove. It was gradually falling down, indicating the rain would stop soon. Danni felt useless just staying around here, not being able to do anything to help Colton, but she didn't say that out loud.

She sighed out when there was silence in-between them for a while, finally straightening up in her seat. "It just won't end," she said, smoothing down her hair the best she could. "I just got news Jex got beat up to a pulp by some psycho out to kill people like us... Jex was trying to get information out of him, kid didn't stand a chance. Something about Ryan and Christie being involved too, but they're okay. Jex is in the hospital... Again." Danni bit her lower lip, shaking her head. "I need to teach that punk a thing or two on fighting dirty..."

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The robot merely stood there, hardly phased by Colton's pitiful attempt to control it. Lyle stood there, watching Colton. He could see Isabella in the background as well as the newcomer. He really wanted to speak to the scientist apparently, but that would have to wait. All attention was focused on the sickly boy.

"Your new friend made a deal with me. She would agree to all the tests I could put her under without a fuss and without a fight. She must be extremely fond of you. She has fought me all these years until now. All of this," he gestured to the room, "was in her agreement for you; better care, better environment to heal in, better food... Quite frankly, you and her are being treated much better than the others. Be grateful. This medical robot here will assess your needs an provide the best care for you."

The less intimidating, happy looking kind of robot stepped from it's place and waved at Colton. "Hello, I am Baymax, your personal health care companion. On a scale of one to ten, what is your pain level?" Just kidding, Maka is being silly. Instead the robot said "Hello, I am P3-OT, your personal medical assistant and doctor. Hold still please as I scan and assess your needs." The robot's eyes turned green and took in all the data it analyzed. "Scan complete. Oh dear, you have a broken arm. Your bones are very weak. I will make you a cast and give you the proper medications to heal to be your best. Please sit on the bed as I prepare your personal care."

As the robot was doing it's thing, Lyle stepped out of the cell and let the doors shut behind him. Now his attention was fully on the new boy. "Now, what made you come all this way to see me?" He asked as his robotic optic stared long and hard at the young teen.

The robot had prepared a red cast for Colton's arm and began to go to work. "This will hurt, but you will feel better in no time." P3-OT then placed it's robotic hands on Colton, setting the bone the way it was suppose to be before quickly and efficiently putting on the warm cast around the broken limb.

"All done!" P3-OT declared in a happy voice before moving to clean Colton's cuts and stitches. "Now I will take care of your other injuries. You have a slight infection, but some medical spray will disinfect it and soothe it. Hold still, please." Soon the robot had patched Colton up and then stepped back.

"Now you require to take medications. I have selected some for you that fit your medication needs. It's chest opened up and a small plastic cup with a glass of water sat on the tray. A small chute of sorts extended out to the small cup. "I will give you supplements, but first you require a Miacalcin injection. Miacalcin is used to treat certain bone problems and to reduce high blood levels of calcium. Calcitonin is a man-made hormone that works by slowing bone loss and maintaining normal calcium levels in the blood. It may also help to reduce bone pain in people who have Paget's disease. I am required to give this injection every twelve hours." It's robotic finger turned in a needle with the medication and swabbed the area with an alcohol pad before it poked Colton in the skin, sending the drug in his body before pulling away and began to dispense medication in the plastic cup. "Here are your RxOmega-3 Factors – A true pharmaceutical grade fish oil supplement. Take two capsules daily, for your weak immune system, and Moriton for the pain you are experiencing." The robot took the two containers off the tray and handed them to Colton as the tray began to fold back up into the robot's body.

"I am sensing you have a chill. I will turn on this electric blanket for you." P3-OT pulled a blanket up on Colton's lap and turned on the little dial to control the heat. "Is there anything else your nurse and medical doctor can do for you? I cannot leave until you say you are satisfied with your care."

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Kye snickered when all of this was happening before her. To think he had to worry about herself losing control. Lucas was losing his cool and scientists seemed to all be on edge today. She smirked, looking at Lucas from under the shade of her hat. "Temper, temper. Does someone need a hug?" Kye jested. Dating Lucas never crossed Kye's mind. Kye just always saw the man as a work partner, nothing more and nothing less.

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"I would love a drink," Benjamin said with a smile as he watched Jason move to the whisky. "Actually, there is one thing you can help me with... There is someone we have 'acquired' at least six weeks ago. She has personal experience with a telepathist on our watch list, but refuses to tell us anything about him... I believe the information we can retrieve from her would be valuable, but she is stubborn... Maybe you will be able to squeeze something out of her."

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I See her, Errol sent to the others, keeping close tabs on Nicole and the suspicious being. Nicole, keep acting normal as if you don't know she's there. Jean is on his way. Proceed with the plan as normal.

Nicole froze at the thought, but forced herself to relax. She needed to act like everything was fine.

Taking the bottle of the honey suckle perfume, Nicole went to the counter and purchased it with a happy smile. She then took her item and began walking out of the store, feeling uneasy as she felt a pair of eyes on her. The old feelings of anxiety returned, but Nicole fought them down.

The girl with the sunglasses watched Nicole carefully as she left the store, sticking her hands in her sweater pockets as she began to casually follow Nicole into the crowd of people.

Nicole was heading to the Gymboree, wanting to purchase something for her daughter and son when he returned to her. Suddenly, a older gentleman accidentally ran into her, causing her to lose her balance and drop her bags on the ground.

"I'm so sorry!" The man exclaimed, reaching a hand out to Nicole. "Are you alright?"

Errol sensed this man was an innocent player at the sidelines and sighed out slowly. He then picked up on a heightened feeling and stiffened. Jean, Twilight Sorrow is going to pull a gun, now.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Nicole said, standing up to her feet. She heard the thought but dared not to look around. If she raised suspicion now, the plan would be flawed. The man kept apologizing, reaching down to pick up her items. "Really, it's okay! It was just an accident."

As Nicole was preoccupied with this sudden encounter, Twilight Sorrow quickened her pace, approaching Nicole from behind. She then pulled out a handgun, aiming straight towards Nicole head as she cocked the gun and put her hand on the trigger, ready to fire.

~~~~~~

Jex moaned, licking his dry lips, only to wince when he brushed over a few minor cuts. "Ugh... What's with all the noise guys?" He asked in a raspy voice, keeping his eyes closed as pain throbbed through his head.

Errol pressed his lips in a thin line, gathering as much patience as he could. He was only angry because he cared, and he knew the boy felt the same way too.

Nicole watched the young man be frustrated and felt sympathy for him. He was the young man that got shot and came into the mansion the same time as her.

Errol turned and faced Ryan, looking him dead square in the eye. "We will talk later... I promise. Stay here with Jex, watch over him and that girl while I'm gone... I'll be back in a few hours." Giving Ryan a mission to follow through on the spot, Errol then turned and moved Nicole along out into the now cloudy wet scenery outside.

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Errol was hiding in the shadows, ducked behind some crates and boxes out by a dumpster. His eyes were closed, keeping a three way line open with Jean, Nicole, and himself through his mind while using Shadow Cloak while also targeting his spatial sense on anything unusual. He cleared his mind beforehand, making sure Jex and the tumble he got into because of his new friend was tucked away somewhere and would not be distracted. He had even brushed his teeth, combed back his hair, shaved, and actually looked a bit more decent than before.

Errol pressed his fingers to his temples, zooming in on Nicole and where she was at. This was very hard work, but Errol had practice.

Nicole was wearing a white sun hat and a simple white summer dress that reached down to the top of her knees. It also had a three finger length strap on her shoulders, the neckline a sweetheart neckline, the back was not at all exposed in any way, and even had a little lace at the bottom with a blue satin sash wrapped round her waist, tied up in a neat bow behind her back. She also had a matching small coin purse that was white and blue, wrapped around her wrist, and went went the extra mile to put a little make up on; lip gloss, and some mascara. She didn't need much though. To complete the outfit, Nicole wore Grecian styled blue and light brown sandals that wrapped around her ankle.

The young mother was supposed to be stopping at three places and making small purchases with Errol's card that he registered in her name. Where he got all the money from, Nicole didn't know. Even though the man told her beforehand she could buy what she wanted, she felt awful and had a deep sense of guilt that she needed to be frugal. She first stopped at Buckle and bought a pair of jeans and a shirt. Nothing had happened.

She then eventually stepped into Bath and Body Works, immediately being immersed in the many smells that tickled her nose. She took her time, gently taking a wiff of the many products. Some of them made her gag while others made her feel calm.

"Can I help you find anything?" A kind sales associate asked.

Nicole jumped a bit and then relaxed. Jean and Errol were here. They were going to protect her. "No thank you," she said with a forced smile. "I'm alright, thank you." As soon as the girl left, Nicole picked up a bottle that read honey suckles. She remembered when Carter and her use to take samples of the sweet flowers, laughing and enjoying them all the while. She brought the bottle up to her nose, giving it a careful sniff. Nicole smiled warmly as happy memories played in her mind. This was a good choice for her.

Another customer had walked in. She was dressed in dark jeans that laced up at the sides, high biker boots, and a zipped up hoodie with a cat head with big yellow eyes, and a row of teeth on the hood. The young woman also had sunglasses on and fingerless black gloves. Her hair was short, cut in an alignbob with blue streaks in it here and there. She was standing not to far away from Nicole, barely hidden by a display of bars of soap. She seemed interested in the protect, but was watching the young mother at the same time from under the shade of her sun glasses.

Strain had hooked up Mai to the new blood once it had been retrieve. He had excused himself, because the situation was urgent and didn't have time to dilly dally. He would talk to the boy soon.

The scientist stepped back, looking at his handiwork he had made. Mai and Colton would now be in a highly dense clear cage with thick walls.

There were small picture frames set up symmetrically in the prison each of them with an outside scenery of sorts, fresh lilacs and lavender in a plastic vase, warm, soft, calming lighting, and gentle music with the ocean waves playing in the background on repeat.

The horrible metal beds were replaced with state of the art hospital beds with fluffy mattresses that made someone feel as if they were on a cloud, and warm blue blankets.

There were books to read, stationary to write on, crossword and sudoku puzzles to work on a small night stand in between the two beds.

Mai's bed was surrounded by a sheer cream colored curtain, hiding her view from anyone. She was in poor shape. Bandages were wrapped around her arms, and around her eye that was severely swollen. Her nose and mouth were covered by a full face mask that pumped oxygen into the girl's lungs, which her rib cage was bruised and fractured in some areas. Her breaths were shaky, almost raspy, lips cracked and bleeding a bit. She was also hooked up to a heart monitor, an IV, and a plasma bag, fresh from Carter, and other machinery to keep her alive. The blood had been wiped away from her nose and mouth and her clothes had been changed into something fresher an comfier as if he never had spew blood at all. Her skin was a sickly pale though, but Strain figured it would gradually improve over time.

He glanced over to his medical robot standing at attention by Carter's nice new empty bed before he closed the curtain, completely obscuring Mai from view. He placed his hands behind his back and patiently waited for Carter's return.

~~~~~~

Carter laid on the operating table, shaking, white as a ghost, eyes bulging as he stare at the ceiling. So many things had happened to him in the last hour that he couldn't wrap his mind around it. He had seen horrible things before, but this was different. Not only did his mind feel violated, but he also had to undergo one of his greatest fear, needles.

His mouth felt like sandpaper, his throat was sore from screaming from the top of his lungs, and his body felt sticky from the perspiration from trying to fight so hard against the bonds.

"I wanna go home," his voice cracked, closing his eyes as they stung. "Please, I just want to go home..."

~~~~~~~~

Errol stepped away from the hospital bed, obviously not happy with the way things had been going. He already had to reassure Danni through his mind that Jex was alright and to stay put. He looked at Ryan, his eyes darkened. "Listen kid, you need to be more careful and not run off all by yourself, do you hear me? You could have been killed. You could have gotten someone else killed!" Errol jabbed his finger to his nephew all bandaged up around his head, completely unrecognizable. He faltered and sighed out, pinching the bridge of his nose. There was too much to deal with right now and he didn't have time for this. He didn't want his nephew to wake up, not like this so he decided to leave him asleep for now. Jex had a very bad concussion and had a slight fracture in his skull. As if the kid hadn't been beaten up enough in his life. "I can't stay," he said to Christie and Ryan, massaging his nose. "Time is running short right now. Keep an eye on him, and you," he glared at Ryan. "Stay put. We'll talk more later."

He then looked to the pink haired girl who stood in a corner, picking up a feather and letting it fall to the ground over and over again. Errol could already sense something wasn't normal about her and looked at Christie. "Make sure she doesn't leave your sight... I'm sorry you've been caught up in all this Christie..." He put a hand on her good shoulder and forced a smile. "Thank you..." He wanted to tell the girl that they were one step closer to finding Carter and maybe Colton, but he didn't want to get her hopes up. "He patted her on the shoulder again, giving her a knowing nod. "We'll talk later as well," he said more gently in a father like way.

With that, he straightened out his suit jacket and excused himself from the room. He couldn't stay for Jex, Jex wouldn't want his uncle to stay if he knew what he was up to. He found Nicole waiting outside the room, all dressed beautiful for a summer outing, and then to Jean. "Let's go," he murmured, leading the way out of the hospital and to the Summit Mall, a totally different mall from where Ryan and the gang were earlier.

~~~~

Molly smiled shyly when Ken had taken off his hood and crouched down to her level. She quickly shook her head, and then pointed towards Carter's photo. She only felt comfortable talking to Jex, Errol, or Jean through telepathy.

"That's why I'm sending him there, I'm afraid the agent has gone rogue... We need to cut some lose strings before anything else gets out of hand." Benjamin smirked a bit, shaking his head as he picked up his glasses. "I appreciate you terminating the mission though. I was rather concerned about it."

~~~~~~

"Everything has been so stupid," Danni muttered, reverently touching her mother's memorial. She then pushed away from the stone, turning to face Brendan. Her eyes were tired, her body showing she was exhausted from the emotional roller coaster. Angry Danni was tucked away for now. "The kidnapping, people being stupid, me being stupid..."

She sighed, siting heavily on the stone bench. "I was hard on Colton... Because I knew he could do something if just freaking tried instead of half-assing it." She gave Brendan a look. "Don't you dare say this to anyone else." Her eyes then looked to the ground and she ran her fingers through her fiery hair. "Now he's gone, Old Man is at his wits end, and everyone is on edge. I'm on edge. I can't think straight. I don't want anyone else to die. I don't want anyone else to get seriously hurt." She looked at her older sister's picture as sadness danced across her eyes. "Why do people want to kill us? Why do they think it's okay to take someone against their will? Who is targeting us? How many are there...?" She sighed out heavily, resting her head on her hands. "Just too many ****ing questions not being answered..."

~~~~~
Kiki stood there, dumbfounded where all of this was suddenly going. Ryan went and beat the living daylights of the crazy brute and then the man went on about protecting his daughter, and Ryan stopped. She blinked her eyes rapidly, whistling lowly. "Wow, okay then!" She went over to the beat up man, crouching down beside him. "Why the sudden change of heart, hm?"

Jex was breathing shallowly. He didn't know if any bones had been broken or not, but if he woke up, there probably would have been a few fractures. He was stupid, trying to talk to the man to get some answers. He didn't wake up, he had reached his limit. He received so many blows to his head that all connection was fizzled out for the time being. His face was barely recognizable to anyone
~~~~~~~

Rose's eyes shot open and she sat up in her bed, feeling something was terribly wrong. "Jex? JEX?!" She screamed out loud as well as in her head. She stood up, pacing back and forth. She couldn't reach him for some reason, but she could feel the connection still. Now the line felt completely dead. "Please be okay," she whispered as tears came to her eyes. "Please be okay..."

Jex didn't have time to dodge or roll away when Tyrant charged and knocked him down. Painful blow after painful blow began to rain down on the boy, and he could do nothing to stop it. Danni would be so upset with him right now. This reminded him of when he was seven.... When the man came into his house and stabbed him repeatedly, over and over again. He then received thoughts of a girl, a little one, almost the same age as Molly... This man just wanted to protect her.

I understand, Jex reached out to the man's mind. The white flag was now burned, it was time to use whatever ability he had left. He then received thoughts that the man wanted to show him mercy by knocking him out and shooting him in the head. I need to protect someone too...

Jex finally grasped the man's fist, finally finding whatever strength he had left. He then twisted Tyrant's wrist as hard as he could before forcing himself to roll away. He stumbled to stand up, but then lost his footing and fell to the ground. He was disoriented, unable to help himself further as his ears began to ring and the pain throbbed through his skull.

Christie, now would be a good time to knock this guy out, Jex sent out to the girl. I got the information I need... I can't...

The thought trailed off as Jex curled into a fetal position on the ground, unable to get away. A huge headache pounded heavily at his skull before everything suddenly stopped. He fell unconscious.

"HEY!"

The pink haired girl was standing not too far away from Tyrant. Her fists were clenched, her eyebrows furrowed. "That's not very nice. Eat this!" The girl raised her hand and aimed at Tyrant's head. A cannon of rainbow feathers suddenly sprayed at the man, along with what appeared to be bubbles floating around. They were just bubbles, nothing more. But Kiki wanted to distract Tyrant, turn his attention on her instead of Ryan's friend.

~~~~~~~

Danni was taking in slow and even breaths, trying to calm down her thudding heart in her chest. She hated being touched, she hated being caught off guard by that. Why would a guy go out of his way to insult her only to turn around at a flip of a switch and suddenly want to be with her? It made no sense. She felt violated, confused, messed up. The guy only kissed her, but she wasn't ready for that. Then he ignored her feelings and touched her shoulder, claiming she needed to be more happy and that she would be with him... Danni rubbed at her shoulder to try to get the creepy feeling off and then rubbed at her lips. Her pocket then vibrated, making her jump out of her skin. She pulled out her phone, checking her alerts. A text. Well that was a first in a while. And it was from Brendan. Sighing out, her thumbs wrote out a reply:

You know where to find me.

Danni sent the message and slipped the phone back in her pocket. She then looked up, seeing the smiling faces of her family staring at her. She walked to her mom's statue, leaning her head against her cold shoulder. "I miss you," she whispered, closing her eyes tightly as she clenched one fist.

~~~~~~

Kye followed behind Lucas closely, not letting the man out of her sight. She knew if she was left alone for ONE minute, it would be hard to resist taking her aggression out on the projects these wacky scientists were conducting. To her, they were playing with fire. It would burn them eventually, but they didn't care. Lucas then introduced her to a visitor, a telepathist of sorts. She smirked, pulling her hat more snuggly over her head. "No brain fun here," she said under her breath as she kept a creepy yellow eye on the guy. She then began to sing quietly in the melody of Hickory-Dickory-Dock. "Hippidy-dippidy-nab, the mouse ran into the lab. The lab nabbed him, the mouse was trapped, hippidy-dippidy-nab."

Strain looked rather annoyed when he was addressed, turning to see the government official, one of Raven Sun's eyes, and a boy. Another lab rat, was this some kind of joke? "You will have to excuse me, I'm in the middle of something." Lyle then looked to Vincent, emotionless. "I need the boy's blood." He then looked the newcomer. "Do you have any diseases, illnesses, medication, or drugs in your system? What is your blood type? I need an AB or O." His subject had AB negative, a very rare blood type. It seemed to have pop up the most in those with powers, but sometimes it didn't. Strain needed good blood to work with to help flush out the poison in his subject's body an replenish the blood she lost already. He was becoming impatient, knowing that time was wasting.
~~~~~~

Benjamin hummed out, taking a bounty list and looking it over. "No need to beat yourself over this Jason. You tried your best with what you got. I suggest the other bounties might be able to quench her thirst, the ones that want them dead or alive.... As for Tobias, don't worry about him. As I said before, he will go check up on an agent in Reno... Rumor has it he has become reckless in his work, probably due to his grief. It is unacceptable though."

Jex gasped out when landed on the ground, curling up into a ball on the ground. He wheezed, trying to catch the breath he lost on impact from Tyrant's blows. His head buzzed with new information flooding into his mind; a group, wiping out people like him... Blows to the head interrupted his thoughts, but not for long. Jex grappled Tryant's ankle and pulled the grown man as hard as he could, trying to throw him off balance. Jex then let go and rolled away, forcing himself to stand on his feet and raise his fists up. He saw red and yellow stars cross his vision, standing hunched in the shoulders to ease the throbbing pain in his stomach, back, and head. Flashbacks of his life before everything became chaotic flooded his mind. Blood, carnage, screams soon rang in his head afterwards. His whole family was almost wiped out. Someone knew they had powers... Someone knew about their powerful family line...

He panted as droplets of blood began to run down his face and spill on the ground. "You want... revenge?" Jex's hoarsely spilled out, blinking his violet eyes rapidly as everything seemed a little blurry. "Revenge... Is like a drug... You can never be satisfied... And killing someone... Just because.... They match your profile of ideal target... Is pretty stupid. I'm not going around.... Hurting 'normal' people... Like you."

Jex began to step back, circling the man widely to try to avoid any more hits. "Blaming our powers for stuff that happened... Is like blaming the weather for it not to go your way... We didn't ask for this... We didn't want this... It happened... Why can't we live in harmony now? Why can't we make this right...? Who is this organization to tell us how we should live?" Jex felt the blood boil inside and the pain stopped momentarily. "Do you know... A man named Vlasis Ben Ingrao?"

~~~~~~~

As soon as Jean made eye contact with her and spoke words of reassurance, the young mother felt peace in her heart. No one had cared for her and her children like this in a long time. She thought she was alone all these years and felt the weight on her shoulders to not only take care of herself, but her kids as well. She loved them so much. She was grateful someone else cared for them too, and her.

Nicole softly smiled, keeping her emotions of gratitude at bay. "Thank you... Thank you so much for everything you've done for us so far." She then stood up, brushing her apron out. "When can we get started then?" She was eager to do it as soon as possible. If she was required to march out the door this instant, she would not hesitate. Her son had been missing far too long... And maybe Colton would be saved if all was not well in the end.

~~~~~~

Kye raised her eyebrows in mid sip, interested with the question. "Put the tiger with the monkeys... Risky, risky." She smacked her lips, finishing the last of her drink and slammed the cup on the table to declare she was done. "Crazy eyes makes a wise mind. All in, I am." She then giggled darkly, resting her gloved fingers on the edge of her hat. "Hold back, try not scratch..."

This was going to be interesting.

~~~~~~~

First Danni was stopped by being grabbed by Brendan. She lowered her fist when she realized who it was, and listened to him. Getting out of here was nice, getting a drink, maybe that would calm her down. She opened her mouth to speak, but then was interrupted by Noah. His voice... That annoying twit...

His gums just kept flapping, irritating the red head even more. It was like poking an angry bear with a stick.

When Noah placed a hand casually on her shoulder, something inside of her snapped. In one quick motion, Danni gave Noah a hard punch in the face, stepping back from the arrogant teen. She pulled her arm back, shaking it out as her anger was boiling over. "DON'T YOU EVER TRY TO TOUCH ME AGAIN! DO YOU HEAR?!" Her voice boomed in the hallway, her chest heaved up and down from the adrenalin that was being pumped through her body. Noah was lucky she didn't use psionic punch on him. "STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Danni felt like she was going to explode if she stayed around longer. She didn't feel like serving justice or cause more trouble than what she was already in.

Suddenly, she broke out into a run, needing to get away from everyone and everything. She didn't bother to tell everyone where she was. It was raining, outside was good. She burst through the doors leading outside and into the academy gardens, running straight to the hedge maze. She knew her way around and ran around familiar twists and turns until she found an alcove with vines twisting around the metal arch way and covered with bushes and flowers.

A lone stone bench sat there, untouched by the rain. A small, golden metal plac was cemented in the bench that read "In Memory of Ciar Simon, Roxana Romilly Simon, and Saundra Simon. May you forever rest in peace." She slowed her pace, doubling over while resting her hands on her elbows, catching her breath again. Her shoulders shuddered as water droplets fell from her hair and rolled off the bridge of her nose. Danni felt like a complete and total mess right now. She didn't mind that the smiling pictures of her deceased family were staring at her from the stone hedges made for each lost family member. This whole hedge maze was dedicated not only to Danni's family, but others that were lost and were dear to each members of the academy.

Danni stayed where she was, refusing to move or break down and cry. Nothing felt private anymore with so many telepathists running around.

~~~~~~~

Molly gasped when a green teddy bear came up to her. She watched it hesitantly, and then was taken off guard when the bear took her hand and then jumped playfully. Molly giggled, stepping out of hiding. She then suddenly noticed a boy with a hood on and another looking at the strange board. Molly walked over with the bear in hand, and quietly looked up. She saw a lot of faces under some words, and then recognized a face up there... Carter.

The girl frowned, realizing that people like Carter were up on the board. She looked at the two boys staring at the board, and then jumped when a third boy came out of no where, acting angry and grouchy. Sheesh. What was his problem? But she knew. People were being too loud in their heads.

~~~~~

Strain was now finished with his fighting bots and decided to work on a smaller, intricate level; biomechs. He was no longer in an observation room, but a personal lab on the premises.

In front of Lyle was Mai, sitting against an examination chair. She was not strapped down or restrained in any way. She was barely recognizable, her body covered in all sorts of bruises, cuts, gashes, and scrapes. One eye was already bruising and blood shot as if a vessel had bursts while the other one was wide open, staring into nothing and glassy. Mai was hooked up to all sorts of monitors, a heart monitor beeped in a steady, sluggish pace behind her. Her right arm was facing up, showing a web of purple like vines underneath her skin and a small, tiny dot was at the center of the visible veins, indicating she was injected with something that made her like this.

"Tell me in detail, why the sudden willingness for someone else? Why forgo your own health for a stranger?" Strain asked with no emotion, writing things down.

"No one will look for me," Mai said flatly, glossy eyes staring off. "My parents gave me up. I do not know why, my grandma raised me. She took care of me. They were scared of me. Scared that I knew what they were thinking. Colton has friends. Colton has friends that will look for him. No one will look for me."

Lyle pressed his lips in a fine line. These biomechs were filled with a type of serum that made people receptive to suggestion and talk about things they would not normally say or to keep things a secret. It was almost like mind reading, but this type of mechanism made it able to almost control the brain of the other, make them zombie-like. "Do his friends have powers too?"

"Yes," Mai said without hesitation. "They have powers like me and him. They might find him soon..."

Lyle wrote down the words that Mai said. This was of some concern... This whole operation to kidnap someone themselves was having a domino effect on EVERYONE in this lab. It was good they would attract those with powers, but if they outnumbered them...

Suddenly Mai's pale skin began to flush and the girl's heart rate began to spike rapidly.

"Mai, what's wrong?"

The girl swallowed, but it seemed almost difficult and even painful for her to do. "I'm sick. I'm not feeling..."

Mai suddenly bolted upright, and Lyle was quick to grab a bucket. The girl began to spew the contents in her belly and the smell of vile stomach acids filled the air. Lyle watched unflinchingly, checking the contents of the bucket. The girl heaved again, and this time the yellow liquid turned into a dark red. One look, and he knew what it was; blood.

Lyle set down the bucket when Mai leaned back, beginning to hyperventilate as blood began to trickle down her nose in a steady stream and out the corner of her mouth. It seemed as if Mai's body was trying to fight against the biomechs, which was highly unusual in Lyle's study. Quickly, he pulled out a syringe with while liquid and a needle, and stabbed it in Mai's arm, pumping the antidote in her veins. It was technically a virus for the biomechs which would destroy them and dissolve them within the subject's body. They would then leave the human body in a form of a waste of sorts.

Mai's heart rate began to decrease again, and she began to breath unsteadily. She moaned, leaning her head on the cool padding on the chair. Her body began to shake as chills riddled her fragile frame. Lyle realized he needed blood that was uncontaminated...

Figuring the subject would not go anywhere, Strain exited the room and headed straight to Lucas's lab. He hardly acknowledged Isabella's presence and ignored the fact someone was at the door. He was on a mission. "Lucas, has your subject been contaminated with anything yet? I require his blood... My subject had an unexpectant allergic reaction to my biomechs."

Carter stayed quiet, watching the adults coming and going from the room. He was helpless to do anything, and he was afraid of speaking to invoke more painful procedures or crazy test. When he saw the woman, he cringed at her strange bubbiliness. How could anyone be so happy like that around here? And then the robot man came in and asked the white hair guy for blood... His blood? Carter stiffened under the restraints. Were they going to kill him?

~~~~~~~~


"She is quite the fragile girl when it comes to us interfering with what she does." Benjamin took off his reading glasses and set them on the table. "Fragile as in anything can set her off. She is like a time bomb... We can't afford any more disasters. Our organization and what it stands for will be tarnished with blood by her hands and anyone else who will be with her..." He sighed, shaking his head. "You are her father, I am just a grumpy old man. We can't send her on recon missions or to check on those on the watch list. Bounties just make her even more blood thirsty... Community service might make her frustrated to the point where she will kill the puppies AND the people... Frankly, she's proving herself to be less and less of a member of Raven Sun and more of a..."

He trailed off, not finding the appropriate word. "Well, I assume you already mulled this over. I believe she's beyond our help."

"I'm up for it." There was no hesitation in her voice. It had been almost four months now. After all that had happened, she didn't doubt her little girl one bit. If Molly I.D.ed the kidnapper as Twilight Sorrow, then it was her. Nicole tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, looking over the photo of the woman responsible for turning her life even more upside down. She was just twenty-four years old, but she already felt like she was in her forties. A child that grew up too fast, a young adult trying to take on the world in her own way.

"If..." Nicole raised one finger to let Jean know she needed to say this. "If things turn for the worst... Find out what happened to Carter. If he's alright, make sure he and Molly are well taken care of..." Nicole trailed off, folding her hands in her lap. "I don't they will, but I can't be too sure anymore..."