San Francisco

Helena smiled up at her boy as he gingerly wiped her tears away. He'd apologized, but he really didn't have to—in fact, he probably didn't know what he was apologizing for. But it didn't matter. The moment his forehead touched hers, her anxiety was cleared, replaced by exuberant happiness when he referred to her as his mom. It was moments like this that reassured her just how good of a person he was. Helena could care less about the stares that floated by, by the questioning glares or skepticism. She'd always be there for Xeno and it was comforting to know that he'd be there for her. He was family, just like Matt was.

You know that phrase, Speak of the Devil-...?

"Lena! At your ten o'clock!"

Her attention immediately snapped towards the direction her brother's voice carried it to. The wind left her in a rush as she took in the sight before her. Matt captured her gaze first, gazing at her anxiously as he stuck close to Dismay. The rambunctious, dark teen had an ethereal feline on her shoulder, her cold eyes glaring into the oncoming group of young adults. Cameron was beside her, a ball of flames in his hands, his feral gaze pointed in the same direction. Helena's gaze followed, her eyes widening almost comically when she took in the sight before her. It was the Heroes. As if she didn't have enough on her plate. She mentally counted each one, taking in their faces and storing their appearance in the back of her mind. She saw her clever boy at the back of the group, hanging back with a platinum blonde haired girl. A spark of jealousy flared inside of her when she noticed how close they were to each other, how they sought each other out without realizing it. Her gaze flickered past them and fell on another familiar face, one that took her by surprise.

It was Scott, the boy from the coffee shop. She'd recognize his swagger anyway. He had a particular way of walking—even the way he stood was completely unique. Helena let out a disappointed sigh. Truly she was a bit saddened by this new realization. She had relished their conversations in the coffee shop whenever she'd see him there. It had just been small talk in the beginning, but then it became something more. He was a guilty pleasure of hers, Scottie was. He was her change of pace, an opportunity to experience a bit of normalcy. She shouldn't be all that surprised though. Helena didn't know how, but she'd always sensed there was something different and unique about Scott. Now she realized it was because he was a Hero. A trainer. Helena couldn't help but envy him a little. That is, until her baby boy's voice pulled her out of her reverie.

"Lena...what are we going to do?"

"We're going to talk to them, Xen." Helena replied without authorizing it. She glanced up at him with a comforting smile and took his hand from his lips, giving it a tight squeeze. "Don't worry, alright? No one's going to fight anyone. Do mommy a favor though and keep Dismay at bay while I speak to them." She waited for his affirmation before crossing over to the Heroes.

The look on Scott's face gave her a sickly, guilty feeling as she greeted him with indifference. "Hello Scottie. It's been a long time since I've seen you. What brings you here?"

---

This trip to the city was bittersweet, considering the circumstances. As introverted as he was, Andrew loved being on the outside instead of being cooped up underground. He couldn't exactly afford to move out so these little trips were something like a blessing to him. He saw the Villains and immediately put up his guard, readying his mind for the strenuous brain activity he'd probably soon have to relinquish. The girl with the cat but him a little on edge. Her unbridled rage made him a little bitter considering he'd done nothing to provoke such behavior. The boy with the fire set him on edge, considering he didn't know if he was ready to attack or preventing one. The trainer, a man with tousled hair, seemed to be standing in front of the girl in an attempt to keep her from doing anything. He heard Ali's voice in his head and responded to her, his voice sounded far away in the confines of his own mind as he agreed on how bad this could possibly get. It was almost overwhelming, everything that was happening.

And then she came into the picture.

Andrew didn't know how it was possible for him to recognize a woman he'd never seen before, but he did. There was something about her eyes. They were the deepest shade of brown he'd ever seen. Brown was such an underrated color in comparison to those eyes. Mocha almost, with ever prevent speckles of amber in their depths. Her hair was the color of chocolate, falling on her shoulder in bellowing tresses. Her skin was pristine, warm—reminding him greatly of the color of Black Tea with a lot of milk mixed in. And her lips. They were the deepest red, like two rose petals. She was petite but curvaceous, and very fit. He smirked as he used the term, his UK roots catching up to him.

"Hello Scottie. It's been a long time since I've seen you. What brings you here?"

Scottie?

Athena managed to catch up with them. Scott didn't dare allow his eyes to flicker from the villains, even as she spoke. "So, do we speak with them?" He thought for a moment or two. He almost wanted to allow them to make the first move, to ensure that they wouldn't attack. But, then again, time could be of the essence. He was about to suggest speaking.

And then he saw her. He was pretty sure that his jaw dropped, but through some miracle, his mouth didn't open. She was with the villains.

"Hello Scottie. It's been a long time since I've seen you. What brings you here?"

Be cool. Don't act like the spell bound fool you naturally are. Don't stare. Do not stare.

"Same thing as you, I suppose." He spoke with caution, watching the villains that surrounded her. One held a fire ball, looking ready to throw it. One was petting a cat that looked almost like it was made from shadows. The powers of the rest were more difficult to guess.

He suppose that something in the back of his mind had known that there was something special about her. The same voice spoke up when he passed a teenage super that hadn't yet been picked up in the street. But it had been confused by the feelings he had for her, and he'd been thrown off the scent.

"I notice you're a little down on numbers." He called, starting to walk towards the other team. He put his closed fist up behind his back, telling his team to stay exactly where they were. Best to minimize the damage as much as possible.

He stopped about halfway between the two teams. He was aware of exactly how unprotected he was. They could attack him and he wouldn't be able to do much about it. But the thing was, his heroes would have time to react and defend themselves. He had trained them from their early teenage years, from when he'd barely been qualified himself, and was immensely proud of the reflexes they'd developed.

He was also regretting not getting a gun before he left. Sure, Helena was there, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try and take down a few heroes if he needed to. His mind was his only defense, and he could only hold an illusion that caused pain for so long.

Just because she was there didn't mean he was letting his guard down.

"We won't attack if you won't."



There was a moment of complete tension when the two sides simply sized each other up. Cameron caught more than one hero glancing wearily at his fireball and grinned.

Helena was the first to speak.

"Hello Scottie. It's been a long time since I've seen you. What brings you here?"

Cameron raised an eyebrow. It was a little too familiar for his taste, and he narrowed his eyes as the other hero replied, commenting on their lack of numbers. He didn't look particularly powerful, and his power wasn't one that was immediately obvious. That didn't mean that he wasn't dangerous.

It was often the most unsuspecting super that was the most dangerous. Dismay was a perfect example of that.

He took a few steps away from her and closer to the heroes, even though Scottie promised not to attack.

At that exact point, Xeno chose to go over and pet Dismay's cat. Knowing that he would keep her calm if necessary, Cameron fully moved away from her, closer to Helena. If he'd been taught one thing, it was to never trust the other side.



The exchange between Helena and the male mentor made Matt feel uncomfortable. It wasn't because he was a hero. It was the flurry of images that attacked his senses, making him stumble backwards. They were too confusing for now, and he stored them in his memory for later viewing.

Matt put his hand to his belt, thankful that he had remembered to arm himself before leaving the house this morning. A knife lay close to his left hand and a gun he'd rescued from a dead police officer lay beside his right. He hadn't killed the officer, simply been there to judge if it had been from the same culprit as the murders of the other villains. He had an inkling that it wasn't, but nobody had noticed the absence of the gun, so it was all good.

He felt the all too familiar coldness engulf his body. If anything happened to Lena, he would make sure as many of these heroes were brought down. Preferably by his own hand. Although he wouldn't hold Dismay back either.

As the male hero stopped walking, Matt found it difficult not to draw his gun. Xeno went to Dismay, making sure she wouldn't attack, and Matt walked towards Lena. When he reached her, he simply stood beside her for a moment, before putting his hand on her shoulder.

"It's up to you. Either way, I've got your back." He knew she wouldn't like what he saw in his eyes, but it was completely her decision.

No one had really commented back on what Athena asked, not even Scott. Soon though one of the mentors of the villains did speak, and she watched how Scott reacted to her, and she looked back to the other girl and knew there was something, especially since she knew his name, he had to know her from somewhere. Not sure how this could go, she walked up some so she could stand next to Scott.

By this point she had seen the rest of the villains in full view. Athena was one super, that wasn't the best in combat but when it came to speaking, Athena was golden. She's great with talking to people things and holding them in conversation as long as possible.

Athena didn't trust the villain, especially looking at some of them and knowing they had hatred in their eyes, almost like lasers were in their eyes and they were trying to burn them all down. Athena never understood the big wedge between the two supers. Well she did to an extent, but why was there so much hatred, is what she didn't understand. The lot of them were so much alike but they were just divided, but there's always good and bad in the world.

"we wont attack if you wont." Scott had said and all Athena could do was nod her head in agreeing with him.

(Sorry for the short post, not much interaction with her. it'll get better, I promise.)

Training her steel gaze onto Helena, an annoyed ‘tch’ was directed towards her trainer as Dismay observed how friendly she was with the heros. The petting of the shadow cat, the one called Jinxx, stopped as Dismay felt those negative emotions of bitterness and hate well up inside. How dare she be so friendly!? And with THEM! vented the fuming thoughts. In response to those dark emotions, Jinxx suddenly grew larger than it’s kitten form, her fur becoming even darker, her eyes more red. However, the most noticeable change about the once-friendly cat was the deadly curved fangs and claws that had suddenly sprouted from her body, the color matching the red-hot glow of Jinxx’s eyes. Dismayed shifted her black-hued eyes over to Cameron, narrowing them just ever-so-slightly seeing his fire still there.

"I notice you're a little down on numbers." rang out the approaching hero’s voice, the one that was friendly with Helena. Latching that cold-hearted gaze onto male super, Dismay’s own voice broke the silence that pursued Scott’s words. Hers, however, was a bone-chilling whisper, the underlying tone indicating she would love nothing more than to rip their throats out. ”Just because we are “a little down on numbers” as you put it, doesn’t mean we still can’t kick your asses.” she hissed out, the voice well-reaching the ears of the other heroes.

Just then, a cheerful voice broke through Dismay’s darkening thoughts, "Dismay! Look what I got~" . Snapping her head to the side, slightly surprised at the gleeful tone, a slight smile broke out onto her pink petal-hued lips at the sight of an Xeno bounding over. Giving a playful smirk, the villainess lightly punched her friend’s arm, an eyebrow raised questioningly ”Where have you been?! I almost thought you ran out on us..” Sending him a joking wink, those black orbs trained themselves onto the packets he had. Wait...is that... TEA?! screamed the inner voice, the tone unbelievably excited over something so small. Grabbing the nearest one, eyes alight with excitement, Dismay spoke, her tone rushed with happiness. ”Jade Tie Guan Yin?! The Iron Goddess of Mercy?! And a Strawberry Rose herbal!? Xen! These are just what I need, my stock was getting low~” Flashing him a surprising smile, only one word could have described it; glowing. Giving him a tight squeeze that lasted for a few seconds, Dismay lifted up the packets of the precious cargo to Jinxx who sniffed at it curiously. As the shadow animal felt it’s master pleasant aura, it went back to the adorable shadow kitten it was before, a small meow of content coming from the feline.

"Is it okay to pet it?". Blinking in confusion, it had taken a few moments for Dismay to register that Xeno was talking about Jinxx. Giving a small clearing of her throat, Dismay retreated back into that quiet shell before casting the male villain a half smirk. ”Sure.. she likes you anyways.”. Casting a quick glance down at the cat, Jinxx got up from it’s master shoulders before deftly walking down the shadow-ess’s arm and onto Xenos.

Scott's nonchalance deterred Helena, though she knew she shouldn't have expected anything less. They were amongst their own kind, past relations were to be swept under the rug. She didn't like the way he approached her or her family, the way he sized them up as if they were animals. Anger flared through her as he took in their lack of numbers. A brief glance in his group's direction allowed her to respond in kind. She heard Dismay's threat and her jaw clenched. It wasn't sitting right with Helena that her rage nearly matched that of the maniacal teen. When Xeno stepped up to distract the shadow maker, it did nothing to soothe Helena's anxiety. This could go fifty different ways. If either team moved to attack first, someone was bound to get hurt. Helena had too much on the line to risk an attack. Too many people she cared about stood on the threshold of their rivalry, too many lives hanging in the balance. She froze, letting Scott scope her out—so to speak—all the while keeping her eyes trained hard on the young hero.

"We won't attack if you won't."

The moment those words left Scott's lips, Helena envied the heedlessness of a villain. Any normal villain would've jumped at that threat, taken out at least two of the opposing side. Her whole body tensed at the thought of her humanity being a weakness, an endangerment to her loved ones.

"It's up to you. Either way, I've got your back." The feeling of Matt's hand on her shoulder sent a wave of calm crashing against her. That is, until she glanced back into his eyes. For the first time in a long time, Matt was questioning her. Since they became partners, he'd always trusted her judgement. Now, just at the mention of this heroes name, a portion of that trust had been lost. Maybe not lost completely but it was definitely derailed. That look sent a surge of panic through her that she almost couldn't hide. She turned her gaze on the other trainer, a female who stood by Scott, and narrowed her eyes.

"Don't even try negotiating with me." The tone in her voice was almost frightening. She'd never heard herself speak like that before. "Here's the deal, Scott. We won't attack." Helena glanced back to see her clever boy smirk and her own lips rose in a cynical, crooked half-smile. "Don't flatter yourself, love." Her gaze scanned every face with heavy speculation, "You lot simply aren't worth our time. Now," Helena's eyes were trained on solely Scott now, encroaching on his space. Her voice was low, stern, harsh and her demeanor even more so. She sized herself up to intimidate, and by the look on their faces, it was working. "Let's save the turf war for later, shall we? You have a job to do, I imagine. Civilians to look after? It might be in your best interest if you worried more about them than us. Unfortunately for you, you caught me on a really bad day."

"Well in case you haven't noticed by our numbers, but we've had a pretty shite day as well." Helena nearly broke her cold facade as Andrew stepped forward, brushing past Scott and getting in her face. She could feel Matt and Cameron tense behind her as he stood barely an inch from her, glowering at her as he got right in her face. She called the off with a slight wave of her hand, looking up at her clever boy with an amused glint in her eyes that didn't match her aggravated expression. "So if you want to tell us what you're doing out here we'll consider letting you and your little cronies go free."

She scoffed, nearly laughing, "Big talk for a Hero." Helena glanced down to his chest and flared her fingers apart, pushing her hand into his chest cavity. His team moved in to protect him as he gave a small, gurgled cry but her team's reaction ceased an immediate defense by the Heroes. "Stand down all of you!" She ordered, and both teams seemed to freeze as Andrew let out a startled cry of pain. Helena glanced up, smirking a bit as she plastered a sinister look of glee on her face. "You feel that? That's my hand grabbing hold of your heart. Now...you're going to take your friends and your little trainer cronies and you lot are going to get lost. Do you understand? So piss off." Helena aimed her last statement towards the two trainers, her eyes bearing a threat that needn't any words. Then she turned her attention on Andrew, savoring the look of confusion in his topaz eyes. She stood on her tip toes, her lips brushing up against his ear as she whispered, "Do you understand, Andrew? I'm telling you to run. Run, you clever boy...and remember me."

Helena pulled her hand out of his chest and sent one last tormenting stare towards their leader before turning on her heels, ushering her family to follow.

Lara stood back from the group, observing all this from a far. It seemed that Helena and Scott, whom Lara had met a couple times before, were the ones who were the acting leaders now for each group. Being that the villains and heroes were usually enemies it seemed that they had decided on talking a compromise out. Cameron and Matt both walked over to Helena, apparently they were taking on the roles of body guards for Helena. There was also a girl, Lara only knew a little about her that she could persuade people, who walked up beside Scott. Though it seemed she was the acting body guard for Scott, she didn't really seem the part all that much, but then again knowing her power Lara knew that she didn't have to be what you would call a normal body guard. As Lara continued to watch it almost seemed like a battle ground, even with the by-standers walking past them. They both had leaders and those who would protect the leader at all cost; then looking to Dismay, those who would seek to overthrow the leader. This was unfolding like some of the dramas that Lara had read from Shakespeare's plays. But what role would the others take on? What role would she end up being?

Xeno had distracted Dismay with some tea, Lara couldn't help but think at how frivolous that was to loose focus of the situation just because someone had waved some leaves in front of your face. Though Lara was glad that Xeno had distracted her, before she could make the situation worse. Lara looked back to the heroes. It was odd, to say the least, that there would be a group of heroes about as big as their group wandering the city at the same time as they were. The thing that Matt had mentioned earlier about the thing that had attacked being non-discriminatory, it must be true. She wasn't sure at first because most people do tend to support the heroes more, but this thing wanted them all dead. But why? Lara thought to herself, Is it because we all have powers? Did this person get hurt by someone with a power and now feels the need to make the world safe from those who do? Or is it because another reason? Something deeper than that, something worse. Maybe they are trying to build a machine to give everyone powers, but they need a certain amount of DNA from each person to understand how it works? She brought her thumb to her lips, almost as if she were going to start biting her thumb nail, but it just stayed where it was resting on her bottom lip. For those who know her, they would know that she was deep in thought or that something very serious was on her mind. The letter! She thought, her eyes not really focusing on anything, but looking to the top of the buildings, We got a letter, the person who wrote it says they have powers as well. But then why do they want to kill others like themself? That doesn't make any sense. I wonder if the heroes got a message as well. If we could study both of them together, looking at the handwriting and what it says, we could possibly deduct a little bit more about who this person is and why they want to kill us.

Lara stopped and looked directly at Scott, she had formulated a plan, and though it was dangerous especially with Dismay being who she is, it was the only logical plan thus far. After they find a secret base of course. She walked towards Scott, passed Helena, Matt, and Cameron. She could feel everyone tense as she wasn't in the leader role and yet acting like it. She walked the short distance till she stood in front of Scott, in the middle of where both groups stood.

"Did you get a message from the killer as well?" Lara asked, her voice was strong and unwavering and her eyes just as focused on the task at hand.

Athena watched the leader of the Villains, the female trainer, she studied her, she was the bitch from hell, so it seemed. Athena's eyes narrowed and she listened to her. Athena watched as she spoke, and the way she spoke was horrible. "Don't even try negotiating with me." "Wouldn't dream of negotiating with a Satan spawn." Athena said coldly. She was really getting pissed off and Athena was never one to back down, or stand there and say nothing, and she didn't care about holding back her thoughts. This girl just pissed her off.

Then came the moment, with Andrew, Andrew was being a hero that he was and he had gone up to talk to her, Athena didn't like the looks of it and she immediately came and put a shoulder on Andrew, Athena had always been trying to protect him, and he was someone she had been contacting with a lot.

Then that was when the trainer, Helena was getting very gutsy and told them to piss off, "Look, you guys approached us, and if you're going to harm us, then you can screw off, we already told you, we wont hurt any of you if you don't hurt anyone of us." She growled. Then she was trying to threaten Andrew, "Look, you don't need to be a pretentious bitch about." Athena, didn't control her mouth, she never did, and when you harmed her family she was going to say shit back.

Soon though Helena had turned on her heels and was ushering her villains to follow her. At that point, Athena led Andrew back to the group and she kept a hand on his shoulder. "You alright, Andrew?" She asked softly, hoping he was okay, she was still absolutely pissed but she was keeping a cool surface at this point like she needed to. Athena looked over at Scott, giving him a nod for them to head another way.

Alisia yelped as she felt the pain rip Andrew. Immediately she shoved her consciousness into his, trying to take some of the pain onto herself. Not a lot, she knew Andrew wasn't a baby, but she didn't want him to hurt if she could help him. She didn't like the way that girl was around Andrew, like she felt he belonged to her.

'Are you okay,' she asked him softly. She didn't want to pester him too much with her worry. She felt rage, and for a moment she worried it was her own. She wasn't sure, there was such a full rainbow of emotions right now. She quickly put a shield up around Helena's 'Clever Boy,' so she couldn't hurt him again.

She just wanted desperately for them to go away. They had lost enough today, they didn't need to spend their time fighting with the villain trainees.

'Do you know that girl Drew? There is so much rage boiling underneath her, I don't think I like her.”
She heard Lara ask about the note, with a deep breath she spoke aloud in her very soft, quiet voice.

"We did," it was short and sweet and to the point. She wasn't even sure if she should be telling anyone, but if there was a chance they could all just work together that would make things easier. Maybe.

It had all happened so fast. Scott had taken the initiative to set up some kind of negotiation, but the girl with the ruby lips had other plans. Andrew watched as she spoke, watched her demeanor and the way her lips moved. She seemed to be from his neck of the woods, judging by her accent. Correct him if he was being too finicky but there just wasn't something right about the way she spoke—as if it were forced. There're a lot of things you can do with a British accent, but putting up a good front wasn't one of them. The others, however, didn't seem to catch the drift. He could feel the hate radiating off of every one of his teammates. It was misguided, in his opinion, though he couldn't blame them. The way that woman looked at the man whom had his hand on her shoulder.... In that one millisecond, he saw right through her. She'd panicked. And when the word 'attack' finally sunk in, Andrew could see an overprotective shroud drown those pretty little eyes.

Andrew winced as Athena snapped back at the woman's resolve, analyzing her features as she paid no heed to her. He wouldn't readily admit it to his fellow supers but he was impressed. Not many women could just take insults hurled at them like that and not react in the slightest. It didn't throw her off her course at all. She went on, articulating with a voice laden in vicious promise that no harm would come to her team on her watch. Andrew could relate to such sentimental compassion, and he hated that his teammates were downright despising her. They would see all of the signs if they would just look at what was around them. The girl with the ethereal cat, the naive boy distracting her with tea bags—all of that was a ploy to keep the real threat at bay. He'd seen the way that blue-haired girl looked at them, and it was nothing compared to the look this ruby-lipped woman was giving them. The boy with the fireball, the tousled haired gentleman—both were there to prevent a fight from ensuing, keeping the shadow maker at bay. But it was the female trainer that spoke up, simply because she was asked. Andrew wasn't an idiot, nor was he deaf. The male trainer had called out "Lena" and there she came.

So this Lena girl stood in front of her villains, preventing any casualties, all of them surrounding the one villain that would actually cause harm without any prodding. If you asked him, Andrew would tell you that this 'tough villainess' act this Lena was pulling was only just. It was an act. He could tell by Scott's surprise that this woman wasn't one to act like this, and he could tell by her demeanor. Call it a perk from having a power dealing with the inner workings of the mind. Or call it the aftermath of watching too many crime show dramas on day time television. Either way, she was bluffing—lying through her teeth to protect her villains before that one flew off the handle. Because, honestly, who wouldn't take one look at her and tell beyond a fathom of a doubt that the girl despised Heroes? Nobody, that's who.

So Andrew got in Lena's face. It was his plan, albeit not a great one, but he had to figure this one out. "Well in case you haven't noticed by our numbers, we've had a pretty shite day as well. So if you want to tell us what you're doing out here we'll consider letting you and your little cronies go free." Andrew got a good look into her eyes before she shoved her hand inside of his chest, and it was an emotion he couldn't quite place.

Andrew was not cocky, by any means. He was about as threatening as a pink butterfly. He also didn't have a very high pain tolerance. So when Lena's hand slipped into his chest, yes, there was a first initial ripple of pain. Andrew felt Alisia's threshold on his mind oppressing his, trying to stifle some of it away. But, for some reason, he pushed her out. One look in Lena's eyes and he'd put up a wall between him and Ali. He'd never done that before, and honestly he doubted if Ali even caught on. Everyone tense around them, and Lena shouted for them to get back as Andrew made an embarrassing, gurgling sound.

"You feel that? That's my hand grabbing hold of your heart."

Only he couldn't feel it. In fact, other than the first initial shock of pain, he hadn't felt anything at all. Andrew looked down at her arm, her hand buried wrist deep into his chest cavity, her words only muffles as he tried to rationalize it. Why couldn't he feel it? Lena had everyone else convinced he was in so much pain and yet there he stood trying to put the pieces together. It wasn't like she'd numbed the pain, he couldn't feel her hand at all. Like it wasn't even there. Their eyes met one last time before Lena closed the distance between them, her lips brushing up against his ear.

"Do you understand, Andrew? I'm telling you to run. Run, you clever boy...and remember me."

There was no emptiness as she pulled away, no pain, no hollow feeling. He felt just as he'd ever felt before only now he was awestruck. How had she known his name and what had she meant? Why couldn't he feel her hand when she had everyone else convinced that she was causing him harm? As he watched Lena walk away, his gaze steady followed. The barrier in his mind came crumbling down and Ali's redundant wall of protection went up. His mind was flooded with Ali's concern, asking if he was alright. But it was Athena that snapped him out of his reverie, with just a gentle touch on his shoulder.

"You alright, Andrew?"

At first, he didn't respond. He only watched as the girl dematerialized into the adjacent building, literally fazing through the brick like some ghost. Once she was out of sight, he saw the male trainer take charge of the villains before glancing down at the super in his charge. He exhaled confidently, reassuring her with a simple, "Yeah, I'm alright."

No doubt he'd be pestered more about what had happened later.

Lara looked to the girl who spoke and nodded once. She then looked to the rest of the villains who were already walking away.

Her brain was working constantly in that moment, never breaking its thought pattern. She walked back to the rest of the villains. Lara knew she needed to look at that letter again and even get her hands on the one that the heroes got so she could compare the wording in both letters as well as the handwriting. The more she thought about it the more she knew that it might also help to look at what kind of paper it was written on. She wouldn't get a lot of information from the latter, but it might help, just maybe she might be able to figure something out from it. If it was written on a newspaper that might mean that the killer would have circled an article or underlined a line in it giving them some clue, if it was written on printing paper that would mean that they got it at one of the computer stores in the city. Though she wasn't sure how she would be able to figure out which store they got the paper from and even from there so many people had a need for printing paper that it would nearly impossible to figure out who they were.

Lara let her brain take over as she kept walking, not realizing she was passing the rest of the villains to the front of the group. Then she heard a scream of pain, breaking her out of her thoughts. When she turned around she saw Helena with her hand in one of the heroes chest. Though it seemed like she was indeed grabbing his heart, for some reason Lara couldn't shake the feeling that something about this picture was off. Was Helena lying? Or was it just that Lara had never seen Helena act in such a violent way before? Either way the red head knew that Helena was making this situation worse. They had to work with the heroes not against them. She was about to go up to Helena to make her stop, but then she withdrew her hand and then began to walk past everyone. Lara was feeling that tensions were getting high and knew that something bad was going to happen if everyone didn't get a grip on their wildly running emotions.

Scott felt his blood start to boil at the moment she touched Andrew. Nobody hurts my heroes. Her actions only accelerated his anger.

"Don't move." He warned his heroes. "Keep an eye out, talk to a few people, see if anything else strange has happened, but don't go too far. And don't come after me. Even if you hear me scream. If you hear me scream, you run as fast as you can." He wasn't taking any risks.

Something was telling him that they'd need to co-operate for this to work. And he needed to make it clear what would happen if they didn't. He doubted the villains wanted to see the city destroyed either.

The villains weren't like the ones from comic books. They weren't the ones who destroyed the city. They were the ones who made it difficult to rebuild, because they wanted to rule the world their own way. They were like the heroes, but with their own interests in mind.

Scott strode after the retreating villains, before breaking into a run. "You know as well as I do what's about to happen, Helena." He called. "You know what's happening, and you're just afraid of facing it. If you're going to keep letting this happen, then this is what we'll face."

His power kicked in so instinctively, engulfing all of the villains in a total illusion. He immediately felt the strain on his mind and his body, but kept it up.

He showed them the city in ruins, fires surrounding all of them. Dead bodies scattered the streets, and it was risky to try and move if you wanted to avoid contact. The air was filled with screaming and flames, as well as the occasional wailing siren.

The smell of death hung heavy in the air, mixed with the smoke. You could almost feel the heat of the burning buildings. And then Scott added the final piece. The bodies of all of the heroes and villains scattered the streets. He included the trained ones, just to add to it. He held that sight for a minute or two, then ended the illusion.

The moment he did so, his legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground, exhausted. He was still conscious, but barely. "That's what will happen."



Cameron watched the proceedings with interest. He frowned a little when he saw the boy's reaction. If Helena really was grasping his heart, he'd surely be showing more signs of pain. And he'd been taught to read expressions by the best- Helena herself. It meant he couldn't read hers, but he knew something was up.

He followed the lead when she turned away, heading for the streets. Now that more people were around, he sighed and extinguished the ball of flames in his hand. A small flame probably would go unnoticed, but he doubted that they'd be ignorant to a fireball engulfing his hand.

He hated to say it, but he knew that his pyromania was worsening. He was finding it harder and harder to extinguish the flames. It didn't require any more physical effort, but it took a lot more personal strength to quell the flames. He knew it was dangerous. Any loss of control in a dangerous situation could be fatal. And that extended to him as well.

He heard the male's voice once again, but chose to ignore it. He was considering asking around to see if there were any abandoned office buildings around when the illusion took over.



No, no, no, this shouldn't be happening. We should be working together on this. This is a bad idea. The visions once again caused Matt to stumble backwards as he saw what would happen, thanks to Helena's decision to walk away. He fell behind for a second or two, before lengthening his stride to catch up with his ally and friend.

"You know I trust you completely, right? I just don't want you or our team to get hurt." He kept his tone light and pleasant, as though they were discussing where they were going to take their class next.

He knew that she'd misinterpreted his expression. The coldness wasn't directed towards her. It was just that from time to time, it engulfed him until he wasn't even sure who it was directed towards.

"We need to work together. My power's been working overtime, and it doesn't look good. We need them."

The voice of the male hero seemed to confirm that he felt something similar. Matt's hand instinctively drew his gun, but didn't turn. Matt had been wondering what his power was. And then he found out.

The illusion was eerily close to what Matt had seen, but with more flames and less explosives. When the illusion ended, Matt found himself spinning around to face the male hero. He didn't move as he collapsed, instead watched Lena's reaction and holstered the gun. They weren't in any immediate danger, it seemed.

Athena's angry and rage had calmed down, no one had been talking to her for her to have it fed and keep it going. She sighed with relief when she figured out Andrew was okay, and she couldn't help but feel all the attention was Helena. Helena this and Helena that, that's all most people seemed to care about by the looks of things. Athena was fairly good at reading people. Then she looked over at Scott.

He was concentrating on something and she knew at that moment he was using his illusions. He was letting his guard down by showing them his power. Athena sighed softly, it was alright she supposed. Athena watched as it continued and the villains some of them had stopped in their tracks others kept walking, Athena could think of possible scenarios that Scott was giving the illusion of, some might now care at all what he was doing.

Athena watched as soon he collapsed to the ground. He kept talking like he was trying to convince them. Athena knew it was no use, she would have tried herself, but she'd have to be constantly talking or slowly the effect would wear off and she knew that'd be a waste of energy that she had stored up. She went down to the ground and sat there and she let Scott rest parts of his shoulder and head in her lap, just so he wouldn't be laying there on the ground.

She also knew there was no use in trying to calm him at this point. Athena was waiting to see the next move of the villains and she was ready to protect who ever with her life if she had to. She wasn't even much of a close combat fighter but she would do it for her family. Especially Scott, he was the older brother she never had. She wasn't going to lose him like she lost her actual brother. Athena was still studying them not sure at this point.

She rested a hand on his forehead, and she turned to the other heroes ,"Get behind me please." She said softly. She may have been a pain in the ass or she may be very out spoken at a lot of times, but Athena was very gentle and caring, which was something people always seemed to be shocked at whenever she was. It was just something that she did. She was almost like a mothering figure to her family known as the heroes sometimes.

Lara was walking away, she knew she didn't like this fight that seemed to be starting between the villains and the heroes, but she also knew there wasn't really anything she could do that wouldn't be seen as either aggressive or as a betrayal. She saw the villains as her closest friends, making the decision to to not do anything that they would see as a betrayal was easy. Her logical side, however, still nagged at her that she needed to at least try to get everyone to work together otherwise....

Her vision blocked out...

The sounds were put on mute...

Even the smells in the air changed...

It was like Lara had been transported to a whole new area.

She looked around, only seeing smoke and fire everywhere. A part of her was made giddy by all the red that was everywhere, consuming the air and turning it to smoke, but the other part was being repressed for when she saw the dead bodies of the other villains it aroused in her anger, sadness, and fear. Though her repression reflex was fast enough she didn't even know they were there before they were smothered. Her eyes flashed an iridescent orange, only for a second, but that was the only sign that there was any emotion in her at all. It was her powers almost starting up again, just for a second, but then being held back fast enough that nothing actually happened except the a quick change in eye color. Their bodies lay there, lifeless, covered in red. Their eyes were open and their mouths were ghosting their last scream before they died. Lara had turned a full 180 degrees before her vision came back to the present.

She saw Scott on the ground, looking as though he had passed out. It didn't take her long to put the pieces together. Scott had just created an illusion for them, one that showed them a possible future if they didn't work together. Though he had made his point and made it well, Lara thought of his way being a bit too messy. What would've happened if she hadn't been as controlled as she was? Most of the city might be gone now and not only her, but the other villains were made more so dangerous as well showing that kind of emotional hit. She looked to Dismay to see her reaction, it was her reaction that was going to set everything into motion.

"That was reckless and desperate," Lara whispered to herself, there were too many emotional people on the villains' side and now Scott had just made those emotions; fear, anger, loss; let loose. Lara shook her head and turned around to follow Matt. She knew these were desperate times with the loss of so many of their own, but that was exactly why you shouldn't react on the desperation. Tempers were already smoldering, tension was already tight, and people were hanging on tighter to those they cared about. This all broke down to one thing. If you hurt, or even threatened, someone that another cared about in times of desperation that would start the means to a war.

Skyla Ascot

Sky had watched the drama unfold. The words traded between the heroes and villains had shown that both sides weren't completely ready to work together to solve this mystery. Sky, standing back from the main confrontation, had watched anxiously as everything had happened. Every now and again her attention had been drawn to the people passing them by in the street. Most of them were giving the two groups a wide berth as they passed, especially Cameron with his flame and Dismay with her shadow cat. More than a few, however, had chosen to watch from a safe distance.

Sky ignored them as best she could, turning her attention towards Scott as he spoke,
"Don't move... Keep an eye out, talk to a few people, see if anything else strange has happened, but don't go too far. And don't come after me. Even if you hear me scream. If you hear me scream, you run as fast as you can."
With those ominous words Scott went after the heroes. Sky had turned away, preparing to follow his instructions, when she heard the sound of someone falling to the ground. Sky turned to see Scott collapsed. Athena ran towards him and knelt beside him.
"Get behind me please." She said to Sky and the others.

Skyla, glanced from Scott and Athena up to the villains. Knowing what Scott's powers were meant that Sky had some idea of what he had done to the villains. She waited and watched to see how they would react. Some were walking away.
Xeno had actually waved at Sky and the other heroes before turning to leave,
"It was nice meeting all of you. See you soon" He said as he left. Sky gave him a quick smile before turning her attention back to everyone else.

Images of a ruined city engulfed Dismay, the scent of singing bodies and rotting corpses attacking her senses. In a eye-wided stare, the young villainess took in the sight of crumbling buildings against an ashy red sky before those dark eyes landed on a new sight, a more gruesome one. In front of the teal-haired girl, a mere few feet away, were the soulless corpses of her fellow villains (as well as heroes), all strewn about and covered in crimson. Red.. its...blood! whispered the excited inner voice as the shadow manipulator gazed appreciatively at the chaotic hellish scene. A small fraction of her being knew it was wrong to become gleeful over the sight of destruction but those feelings of remorse were quickly overpowered by the emotion of lust for blood. A lust for revenge, a lust for death.

Within her black-hued orbs, Dismay knew excitement and sudden anticipation shone heavily yet clearly within them. And she didn’t bother to hide it. In fact, a look of disappointment flashed across her delicately carved features when Scott had fainted, taking away the beautiful scene with him. Biting her lower lip, eyes narrowing ever so slightly in annoyance due to the lack of time she was allotted for admiration, Dismay whispered softly to her teammates. Within the whisper, an pining want and a strange tone was present. ”Wouldn’t...that... be a shame.. if it came true..you know?”. It was an obvious lie, to Dismay it wouldn’t be a shame if the future turned out hellish; to her it would be fun.

It felt like he actually passed out for a second or two, before he felt Athena pulling him onto her lap. It was only when she put a hand on his forehead that he flinched. He realised what a stupid idea it had been. Both he and Athena were in a vulnerable position right now, and he didn't have the energy to defend either of them. He pulled away from her, unsteadily getting to his feet. His balance wasn't the best, but he wasn't going to let them abuse his weakness.

"The world will fall. We're the only things standing between it and destruction right now."

A shadow flickered in his vision. Well, not exactly a shadow, but something black and darting. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up straight. As he was about to say something, the male villain yelled out for them all to hit the ground. Moments later, gunfire filled the air, followed by an explosion of the building next to them. The gunfire didn't falter.

Adrenaline replaced the exhaustion, and Scott ran for his heroes. "GET DOWN!" He yelled. As he reached them, he grabbed their hands and crouched down, pulling them down with him.

"The moment the gunfire stops, scatter and regroup back at base. It's too dangerous for us to be out in the open right now." He hissed at them. "Act like frightened civilians wanting to get away from the explosion. Talk to as few people as possible."

As soon as the bullets relented, Scott was on his feet and moving, heading for the base. He didn't feel right, like something was about to go wrong. Or possibly that it already had. More than just the explosion and attack.



The illusion paralyzed Cameron, and he turned to face the male hero as soon as it was over. The effort of the illusion was evident, and Cameron turned away once again, allowing the words to swim over his head. It wasn't his choice whether they cooperated or not. Either way, he'd work with it.

Matt yelled out, and Cameron felt gunfire pierce the air. He swore to himself and ducked, making himself as small as he could and lighting a small fireball. A second or two after, an explosion shattered the air, the shockwave sending Cameron flying. Uninjured, he scrambled to his feet. As he did so, an arm wrapped itself around his chest, covering his mouth with a rag to stop him from screaming and the other injecting a needle into his arm. He instantly went limp and watched as the fireball in his hand extinguished itself, moments before he blacked out.

The whole thing happened in the space of thirty seconds after the explosion. He didn't think anyone had seen him or his attacker.



A vision, from his own power, not the male hero's, swallowed Matt. Gun fire shattered the air around both the heroes and the villains, before an explosion detonated. With that, the vision ended.

"GET DOWN! NOW, RIGHT NOW!" He yelled. To their credit, most of the villains hit the ground. They'd seen how accurate his warnings were, a point which was emphasized by the gunfire that pierced the air. He was a little slow to hit the ground himself, and a bullet skimmed past his shoulder, grazing it. He grimaced as he flattened himself against the ground. He saw Cameron light up and counted the seconds. One. Two. Thr-

With a whoosh that almost sucked the air from his lungs, the building near all of them went up. The heroes were scattering. Matt's head shot up. Helena. Where was she, and was she in danger?

"Get back to the base. Split if you have to, but stay safe. Don't try any stupid crap. We're in enough danger as it is." He ordered, getting to his feet. He pulled out his fake police ID and used it to cut his way through the crowd.

As soon as he was clear, he broke into a sprint. He found her and grabbed her shoulders. "Helena. There was an incident. Gunfire and an explosion. We need to move." He took her hand with his uninjured arm.

Helena felt the familiar rush of molecules weaving their way around her own. Once she was inside the abandoned storage room, she sank to the ground, tucking her knees up under her chin. Scott's illusion still thrummed in the back of her mind as hot, pregnant tears streamed down her face. She saw the flames devouring everything, the blood, and the corpses of her loved ones. Her nostrils were tainted with the scent of copper and sulfur, as if she'd been through Hell and back. What had she done? If there was any chance for the Heroes and the Villains to team up, it was lost now. Though, she knew it had to be done. Dismay wouldn't have just sat around while they negotiated. Sure there was probably a smarter way to go about it but she was on the spot. She acted the villain, spurned by her own panic to intimidate. She didn't care about what the others thought of her, but she was reassured by the look in Andrew's eyes. He wasn't upset with her. And that was all she could ask for.

She heard the distant sound of Matt's strangled cry before a slew of gunshots brought her to her feet. People were panicking outside, running for safety. Helena felt her heart race as a subtle beeping sound caught her attention. She turned, a small blinking red light making her curse. The bomb exploded and she quickly activated her ability before the shrapnel could tear her apart. It blew out the bottom floor of the building. she had a millisecond to manipulate her molecules, vibrating them into a new quantum frequency so she could transport herself a few feet away. She did it, and when she reassembled herself, a sweat broke out across her brow. Almost immediately someone grabbed her shoulders. She jumped, turning to meet an injured Matt face to face. She glanced down at his wound, swallowing the huge lump in her throat as he told her they needed to move.

"Where are the others?" She demanded, yelling over the crowd. But it fell on deaf ears. She trusted her companion though, as well as her trainees. No doubt he told them where they would all reconvene. They were strong, her villains. They could take care of themselves. She could only hope that they'd all meet up and be alright.

---

As the bullets tore through the sky between the enemies, and Andrew immediately hit the ground, drawing Alisia up under him to shield her with himself. He got up when the gun fire ceased, only to duck right back down as the building adjacent to them exploded. He whipped his head around to see it go up in flames. The ruby-lipped girl had gone in there. His first inclination was to worry about whether or not he made it out, but he couldn't afford that luxury. He had to get Alisia to Golden Gate Bridge Park quickly before it was too late. Andrew grasped her hand in his and tugged her up, dragging her up onto her feet. His eyes scanned the streets to try and map out the best route to take to get there without getting trampled by the panicked crowds. With his keen sense of direction he was able to do so in a short span of time. They'd be able to do it. They could be safe. He looked at her, holding Alisia's gaze with an intense seriousness.

"Listen, I'm going to get you out of here, Ali. Just stick close to me and I promise you'll be safe."

It was the first words he ever spoke to her. Andrew took off into a run, dragging her behind him. He lead her through the crowds growling in frustration as their pace began to slow, so he cut through the alley. They ran, as fast as his legs could carry him. His palms were sweaty, so her hands were slipping but his grip was like a vice. Suddenly, he was knocked back up against the brick wall by a cloaked figure. Andrew quickly retaliated, using his telekinesis to throw a trash bin at the man as he encroached Alisia. The figure fell to the ground and Andrew stood in front of Ali, guarding her from the attacker.

"Ali! Run!" Andrew yelled, wiping his head around to see her panicked stare. He felt himself being lifted up, and he hollered, "RUN!" before he was punched in the face. He used what was left of his mental capacity to toss her out of the alley. His last glance forced the route into her mind, telling to her what path to take to get to safety. His eyes begged her to go. As a needle jabbed its way into his side, he slipped into unconsciousness.

Lara just barely heard Matt scream at them to get down. She did as she was told, just before the gunfire started. Though this didn't help her from missing any bullets. One hit her in the right shoulder, knocking her back on her butt. The book she had been carrying, her Edgar Allen Poe one, fell from her hands into the street immediately being covered in shrapnel and torn by other's feet. She heard Matt scream again, but she didn't hear, all she wanted to do was to get to her precious book before it was passed repair.

She never reached it.

An explosion, from a nearby building pushed her forward. She landed, her face scraping along the road. She raised her head, her eyes blurring from dirt that got in it. She tried rubbing it out, tried to find her book, to find something, find someone. Nothing came to her touch. A hand behind her pulled her to her feet. She thought it was one of the other villains, but when she turned around it was a strange person wearing a black mask. Her eyes glazed over with the iridescent orange of her power as she was about to blast him, but it was sparking, the dirt in her eyes effecting her power. Then someone else from behind her covered her eyes and stuck a needle in her neck. Her body went limp, but she tried to fight it. She couldn't see but her arm raised slightly as if she were reaching out. It could have been towards her book or towards some stranger on the street to help her. But her arm raised with only one thing in mind, that she needed a friend. She could feel it, something deep inside her building. She wasn't sure what it was, having forgot how to identify which feeling was what. All she knew was that she wanted to go away, that it was strong and it was making her lose control. Lara wanted out and she wanted out now. Her heart pounded again her chest, feeling as though it would break through her ribs, turning her own bones to shrapnel. Her brain pounded as well, but in a different way. It seemed to almost blank out every couple seconds. She didn't know what was going on. Everything was chaotic and she wasn't in control of her own actions anymore.

"Please," the words escaped from her lips, though she doubted anyone could hear except the shadow man that was carrying her, "Help m..."

She blacked out, not even finishing what she meant to say. The last thing she saw were the ruined building and what seemed to be paper flying through the air as well as people running in a panic. The last thing she smelled was dust and smoke, both things she actively tried to avoid at all times because of their effect on her power. But the thing that stuck out most before she blacked out, was that feeling. The feeling that was so strong, so painful. That feeling was what she remembered the most as her eyelids closed and her arm fell at her side.

The gunfire came out of nowhere. One moment the street had been normal, well relatively normal when two groups of super-powered people were involved, and the next an eruption of shots had fired out. Choas erupted. A nearby building was ripped to pieces as a violent explosion tore through it. Debris flew through the air, sending citizens screaming. Scott ran towards the group of heroes, any ill effects from using his power were now gone. He grabbed them all and pulled them to the ground,

"The moment the gunfire stops, scatter and regroup back at base. It's too dangerous for us to be out in the open right now... Act like frightened civilians wanting to get away from the explosion. Talk to as few people as possible."

Normal meant no teleportation. But Sky could teleport herself safely to the base in the blink of an eye. She could also, if she concentrated, no doubt teleport the others in turn. It would save a lot of trouble for them but would, no doubt, be noticed eventually.

Before she could voice her idea, a high pitched scream pierced through the noise. Sky's head turned and she pinpointed the source of the noise, a small girl trapped beneath a fallen stone. In the blink of an eye Sky had disappeared from beside her allies and reappeared by the screaming girl. Her hand clasped around the small girl's wrist and she gave her a reassuring smile. In the blink of an eye she and the girl were down the street, well out of the danger zone. The girl's screams stopped and her eyes widened in wonder.
"Are you alright?" Sky asked her, quickly looking her over for any injuries. There weren't any thankfully, other than minor scraps and bruises. Sky had to leave her there, worry for her friends growing. She let go of the girl and teleported back into the chaos.

In the middle of the street, amongst the running citizens, it was hard to find her teammates. Sky had just thought she had seen someone she recognised when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her. Before she could teleport away a needle was inserted into her arm and her world turned black.

The piercing sound of flying bullets rang sharply within Dismay's mind, each round striking her core even worse than the last. Gritting her teeth in an attempt to quell the rattling occurring deep within her bones, Dismay gave a quick glance around. As she took in the chaos, some part of the villainess felt nervous but the larger portion... felt, well, ALIVE. Isn't it beautiful..? The sight of your comrades, cowering in fear? Especially THEM?! Don't you wish you could have been the one to cause it.. whispered that inner voice, the tone filled with lust... a lust for bloodshed that is. As the young shadow-ess took in the sight before her, those midnight-hued eyes morphed into an even darker color...... almost inhuman. It was at that time, taking in the flying bullets and the collapsed building, the corpses littered with holes, that Dismay placed that disappointment she was feeling; SHE wished she was behind this.

LOOK OUT!! screeched the voice inside her head, panic filling the once sly tone. In an instant, Dismay snapped her head to the side in time to see a bullet on a direct path in her direction. In a flash, the shadow cat, the one called Jinxx, jumped up in front of it's master to take the bullet. However, instead of the metal casket passing through the shadow, it hovered in a water-like motion within the cat's body. Breathing a sigh of relief and giving the shadowy feline a quick stroke of gratitude, Dismay turned her attention to assess the fallen villains. It was in that time that a flash of worry crossed her, not seeing either Cameron or Xeno around. It was also at this moment that Dismay caught the eye of a masked man who was bending up from a fallen hero's body, a syringe dislodging itself from the lifeless body.

Her eyes widened ever so slightly seeing the attacker, the one shrouded in black, pause there. Dismay mimicked the motion, curiosity and wariness reflected within her orbs, the attacker's holding a hint of amusement yet the prevalent inquisitiveness. "Dismay! C'mon we have to head to base!" tore her attention away from the locked gazes. "Xeno.." came the mutter, the tone holding a hint of recognition. Casting a glance over her shoulder and taking in her best friend's moving form, Dismay turned her attention back to the spot where the shrouded man was.. expect he was gone. Biting her lower lip, the villainess spun from her spot and began to thread her way through the strewn-about corpses. "Xen!! Where's everyone?!" came her breathless voice, exhaustion taking a toll.

"Ow..." The words escaped his lips almost unintentionally. His whole body ached, but especially his head. He didn't know what had happened. Perhaps he had been caught in the explosion and had been knocked out. Helena would have brought him back to the base until he woke up again. But that couldn't be right. Because if it was, he'd probably be able to hear her voice. And all he could hear was a smothering silence. He dragged his eyes open. At first, all he could see was darkness. Then his eyes adjusted slightly to it and he could make out a few shapes. It looked like he wasn't alone.

He cupped his hands and willed a small flame to fill them, just enough to see by. A second or two passed, and he stared at his hands, which lacked the usual warmth of flames. They were empty. No matter how much he concentrated, he couldn't light even a small flame. That frightened him. He rooted in his pockets, hoping he'd left a packet of matches in them. It was a habit he was trying to get himself out of. And as the despair filled his stomach, it seemed like he had succeeded. His pockets were empty.

Suddenly lights burst on, causing Cameron to recoil a little. The sound of someone entering the room only made things worse. Before he could even get a look at who else was in the room, someone grabbed him and dragged his to his feet. Before he was even fully upright, his hands had been bound with duct tape and a rope slipped around them. "Come on, then."

And thus began the struggle between the two. It was brief. Cameron received a few swift blows to the stomach, crippling him and enabling them to tow him along behind them. One figure stayed in the room, and as they dragged Cameron away, he growled, "Let that be a warning to you."

Their intentions only became clear when they stopped. Cameron looked up and froze. They were in front of a huge pool. "No, no, no, don't, please, don't, I can't swim, I'll do anything, please, no, anything else, anything-" He was shaking, begging them. One laughed, before shoving him into the pool.

It was awful. He couldn't breathe, and his wrists were tied, meaning he couldn't even try to keep himself afloat. A rough tug from above dragged him to the surface. He didn't know how they were doing it. He was kept afloat for a few seconds, before he was dragged under once again.

This continued for a few minutes, until they dragged him out of the pool altogether. He lay on the ground, shivering with a mix of fear and cold. They didn't allow him long to recover, barely enough to get his breath back, before he was dragged back to the room where he had woken up and was slung in the corner, his hands still bound. He barely noticed them take away another boy.

His clothes were wet and he was cold. His breathing was fast and uneven, thanks to the fact he was on the verge of a panic attack. And somehow, he knew it was far from over.


He had never been so glad to see her safe. He noticed her eyes dart down to his arm, but he ignored it. "Where are the others?" She called over the panic as he tugged her through the crowd. "Heading back to base." He answered, dodging a frantic mother and sprinting for the tunnel that brought them beneath the bay.

He only allowed the two of them a break when they reached it. He slowed to a walk as they entered, allowing himself to catch his breath. "That was too much of a coincidence. Someone was targeting the supers, both sides." He said as his retinas were scanned. The door swung open to allow them access, and he headed straight for the conference room, knowing that the room was the standard meeting point for them.

He sank into a chair, finally glancing at his arm. "Today is just not my day." He sighed.