"Ember!" Neptune shouted, putting the little girl down and running over. She felt weak but it was nothing Neptune couldn't shake off. "Don't touch her! Move back!" Neptune didn't care if there were guns pointed at her head, she wasn't about to let these strangers touch her sister. "I said move!" Neptune growled and shoved one of them out of her way. She caught Ember, her grip gentle as she tried to bring Ember back to reality. "Ember it's alright, it's me." She had never seen the raven haired girl act like this before. What had they done to make Ember so afraid?
"It's just Neppy," She hugged the girl tightly, shielding them from whatever attacks were being launched behind them. If she had to Neptune would absorb the brunt of them, she would be the one to get shot if someone dared use their gun. Neptune didn't mind as long as it meant Ember lived. As long as her sister escaped. "They're not with the facility, no one is taking you back. No one is taking us back, we're free." She reassured the girl, rocking her slightly as a mother would do. Neptune was not used to comforting others and so she was a bit awkward with both action and word, but essentially knew what to do.
"You need to give her space!" Neptune turned her head slightly to the people whose guns were still trained on them. "When someone is having an anxiety attack you don't rush towards them! That just makes it worse!" Neptune turned back to Ember then, trying to get the girl to focus on her. "Hey, you gonna be alright? Do you need me to carry you?" She would do it if she had to. Neptune wasn't weak, neither physically nor mentally. When they had been kicked out of their home, Ember had been Neptune's rock. Now Neptune was going to do the same for Ember, she would be the emotionally strong one for the both of them if needed.
Hopefully the others managed to get away. Neptune thought, praying that Reyna, Xandre, and Evan still had a fighting chance. Sure these people claimed that they opposed the facility but you never knew anyone's true intentions. Sam had people everywhere and Neptune doubted he didn't have spies in whatever underground group these people were claiming they were from. Neptune finally released Ember, hopefully the girl was a bit better, and turned to Zac. "Do you have proof? Show me something that says I can trust you." Otherwise she would put Zac and all his men into an illusion that would allow the anomalies to escape.
Reyna wasn't sure what Xandre was telling Evan through his weird psychic powers but she waited patiently for him to tell her. Suddenly a branch behind them broke and Reyna turned, acutely alert to their surroundings. Without her noticing they had been surrounded, guns raised and pointed at them. "Don't move! We're not with the facility and we won't hurt you unless you give us a reason to." Reyna's arms shot into the air, not as a surrender, but a show of she wouldn't try anything. Xandre was deeply embedded in whatever it is he was thinking so it was up to her to advocate for them both. "We're not gonna do anything," Reyna promised, attempting to appear small and weak so that she had the advantage.
"We're hikers, we got lost and have been in these woods for days." The girl attempted to feign innocence, trying to use a story she had just come up with in her head. "Please we're just scared and hungry. We've been walking for days," it was true that the facility happened to be in a popular recreational hiking area. They were located far behind a barbed wire fence so that no one could get near, but Reyna had heard a few rumors that stragglers were taken into the facility and questioned before being killed. That was just a rumor of course, she bet that all they really did was take them back into town and erase their memories of ever having seen the facility.
A few of the guns lowered, they were clearly confused and looking for directions from their leader. Xandre was still deep in what appeared to be thought and Reyna could only hope he had heard her and would play along. Hopefully he would actually speak rather than use his mind talk or whatever he called it. "My brother's sick, he's been babbling on about random things and is starting to hear voices. Please, we just need help." Reyna was so proud of herself, she was giving such a convincing performance and even teared up. They seemed so convinced for a moment until one of them broke the formation and walked up behind her, pushing her hair back to reveal the barcode tattoo. It was the unexpected touch that made Reyna react and her fingers twitched, the man screaming and dropping his gun as his eyes began to bleed.
"Darn, just as I was getting to the good part." She tsked and sighed. "Don't move!" The gun was pushed into her back. Reyna's hands were lowered behind her and tied together. She didn't need her hands to use her ability, but if these guys wanted to feel better by doing so then she might as well let them. Reyna wasn't stupid enough to get caught again, she wasn't going down without a fight. As soon as he stepped back Reyna turned and kicked him in the groin, kneeing him in the face when he fell. She ducked quickly as a bullet whizzed overhead and watched as two men suddenly began moving towards each other, clearly horrified at the seemingly magnetic pull that made them slam together. As soon as the circle was broken Reyna grabbed Xandre's wrist from behind her back and broke into a run, hoping that he could keep up. She didn't get very far though, there were more and a bullet whizzed past her ear, clipping a piece of her hair. She kept running, if they shot from behind Xandre would get shot. It didn't matter to Reyna though, she told herself it was a means to achieving her end but really it was because she knew Xandre could take care of himself.
A terrible pain shot through her leg and blood trickled down her pants. Reyna collapsed, rolling into a patch of earth and grass. She groaned, thankfully it wasn't a bullet that had gotten her but a dart. The world began to feel floaty, as though she were flying through a cloud. Her breathing slowed and Reyna giggled, eventually stopping when whatever was in the dart took over and her head lulled to the side. She was still awake, she just couldn't move.