Inner Thoughts

((I haven't been updating nearly as often as I've wanted to. School is stupid sometimes. I really want to update again soon, so we'll see how that goes. Stay tuned.))

Shan ducked into a small alcove, trying to steady his breathing after running up two flights of stairs, eyes darting around the dark, musty hallway. So far, no one seemed to have noticed that he’d broken loose. Or rather, that the cat had broken him loose. If he could just get out of here without that happening…

He looked down at his feet, where a small calico was washing its face, unconcerned and not even close to tired from the run. “Hey. You called yourself Sock?”

The cat raised its head, giving Shan a bemused look. Shrine Maiden gifs me name Sock. Called me Socrates, akshully, but no one eber says de full name.

The voice in Shan’s head was male. Shan frowned for a moment. Weren’t calicos always supposed to be female or something? Not important. “Look, I’m looking for a friend of mine. A nullifying Gifted. If we can get her help, then whatever Elora’s doing can’t affect us.” Of course, he wouldn’t be impervious anymore, either. He was still trying to figure out which one was worth more. “I didn’t see her with the others, so it’s possible she either escaped or is being held prisoner somewhere else.”

Flower hoomin is ebil. Affects other hoomins, somehow. Affects us kittehs, too- nearly killed some ov us. The calico got to his feet, stiff, tail swishing in anger. She’ll pay fer dat.

Shan began rummaging in his pockets, fingers moving over the pen, the crossword puzzle, the watch, some change from driving through the city not long ago. Elora really was a child, if she hadn’t even thought to have them search his pockets before tying him up. “If I give you something that belonged to Null-“ if he could even find something like that- “could you track her?”

Wat do I luk like to yu? Some stooped hound goggie?

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t have anything of hers anyways, it looks like.” Null didn’t seem to keep many possessions. Then again, none of them did. He took his hand away from the small knife Tau had given him, looking up the hallways towards the next flight of stairs. “…I don’t know how to find her, short of searching the entire house. At this rate, they’re going to find us again long before we ever get to her.”

Yu said nullifying hoomin?

Sock brushed up against Shan, and closed his eyes, small body stiffening, claws digging into the wood of the house. For a moment, the cat almost seemed to vibrate, standing there, before he finally moved again. …Dere is a hoomin, up in de sick room. It maks mah vission all fuzzeh, hard to see.

The sick room. Of course- Null had been there the last time Shan had seen her. Why hadn’t he thought of that before? “That sounds like her. Let’s go look.”

They ran for the stairs side by side.

~~~

Aden shivered, where he was huddled on the ground, reeling under the latest wave of unbearably intense emotion that had been forced through his system. This was exhausting him, was tangibly painful, being so acutely angry, so intensely happy, so sickeningly sad. Every emotional wave he had been forced into had been amplified, a hundred times what it should ever have naturally reached, making him feel sick to his stomach with the sudden changes.

Two hours of this, and he could feel himself getting exhausted, beginning to weaken. She was getting to him. He heard himself whimper, as though from far away, as she stepped over him, preparing to take out her frustration on him again. The noise drew her attention, and she looked down, smile curving wickedly on her overly beautiful face.

“Getting tired? Poor, poor Aden. This is so hard on you. So, so hard…”

Another wave, this one of crushing, agonizing depression, pressing him down, making it harder to breathe. He could feel himself, beginning to crumble, beginning to break.

Just like that time, when he had first been captured, and had felt himself crumbling, breaking, shattering, submitting…

No. He couldn’t do that, this time. Not like when he had been a little kid, terrified, alone in the Agency. He couldn’t crumble, couldn’t break.

“Wouldn’t it be easier, to just give in? Give in, let me have my way. I’ll make you happy. So, so happy.”

Not this time. This time, he had people he wanted to protect. All of these people, who had taken him in and accepted him. But mostly, above all of them, his ally, his… f-friend, his…

The loneliness, and…

His friend, his… To..

Crushing despair. Hard to think.

To… ri…

Had to… give in, and… no… couldn’t…

Nngh.

~~~

Sensei. I know you can’t see or hear me. You’re not here anymore. I’ve accepted that, by now.

Tori kept her breathing even, her mind clear, taking in the scent of the cool, dark, still chamber. Her eyes closed, her body relaxed. Her spirit at peace, calm, in control.

Even if you’re gone, though, I still remember everything you taught me. If it weren’t for you, I probably wouldn’t be alive anymore. Everything that I am, it’s thanks to you.

…I should have been there, to help and protect you in return. Looking back, it was probably my fault. But-

Her mind was clouding. She had to keep herself calm, level. She pushed the feelings away, focusing, trying to contain this… thing, inside of her, that she still didn’t completely understand. The weight of the chains around her wrists and ankles was a familiar pressure, grounding her, helping her think.

At any rate. You taught me not to give up. To focus, and master myself. All of my life, I’ve been trying to master myself, gain control of my powers. …This time is no different. I just have to figure this out, to focus and train until I can control it.

I…I won’t hurt my friends again.

Her mind was clouding again. So hard to concentrate. But she had to, even so.

All of her life, she had focused on mastering her body, and her mind. She thought she had done pretty well, up until now. But now, thinking back on some of the things those Agents had said, in Munia, in Buma…

This thing infesting her wasn’t in her mind. Connected to it, but not actually within it. It wasn’t so much in her body, either. It was deeper than that, she was beginning to realize. In her spirit, in her soul. She wondered, as she struggled there in the darkness, whether it was even possible to focus and gain control of one’s soul.

Or if, knowing the views of the Agents, she even had one.

~~~

Null stirred, hovering just below the surface of waking up, unable to quite break through the thin ice. So close… But something was holding her back, below the surface, chaining her below so that she couldn’t quite reach to break the ice. She… She had to. There was… something important… up…

Agh. She couldn’t remember, why it was so important that she had to wake up. She just… kept sleeping… and…

For the thousandth time since being put to sleep, she fell down again, losing track of the nagging feelings that she was supposed to be doing something. She drifted into dreams, unconcerned, lost in a whirl of disconnected memories and half-remembered thoughts.

Somewhere in her drugged dreams, she saw Leon, not as an angry, confused adult, but younger, softer, more innocent and naïve. She reached out to him, but her hands were chained, heavy, unable to move. She watched him, from a distance, feeling lost as the young boy absently kicked a soccer ball around. Somehow, she knew that he was looking for her as well. But he couldn’t see her, wouldn’t even look in her direction.

Outside of the dream, the thin woman lying on the bed numbly clutched at something in her pocket, not waking from her sleep.

From the other side of the room, a silver tabby watched her, quietly waiting.

~~~

…so…so tired. Aden couldn’t think, couldn’t feel, couldn’t breathe. He didn’t want to open his eyes. Not again. He felt sick, and tired, and unsure of his feelings, and just…

…just…

He shuddered weakly, not daring to make a noise where he huddled, bound tightly, waiting for it to end. Somewhere, Elora was saying something, talking to someone, giving orders to go check on Shan and some crazy old hag, to see if they were ready to listen to reason…

He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping for a few moments of rest. He couldn’t bring himself to care as much as he should have. If everything could… could just be quiet for a moment…

The sudden, shrill yell jolted him back. “What do you mean something broke the lock?! Cats don’t just… Rrrgh! Find them!”

~~~

“We’ll talk over our differences later,” Clara hissed. “For now, let’s get out of here.”

“Agreed.”

Clara kept herself pressed close against him, protecting his back. Leon’s nerves were frayed, but he couldn’t help flashing the agents a triumphant smirk. He had his hostage securely in his arms, a weapon, a helping Gifted, and a nullifying cuff around his wrist like a bracelet, keeping him sane.

With any luck, they just might get through this alive.

The agents were staying still, watching him from behind dark glasses. He gripped Kate tighter, dragging her gently backwards, ignoring the murderous, unforgiving glares she was giving him around the handgun pointed at the side of her head. Step by step, getting further away, until they were far enough away to turn and make a break for it…

One of the agents lowered the watch from his ear, frowning, and whispered something to another agent. Uh-oh, that was a bad sign. They had communicated something with someone else, probably a higher-up, or a dispatcher at a nearby HQ. Leon frowned, picking up the pace a little. What had they been ordered to do? Were they-

The second agent suddenly, unceremoniously lifted his weapon, aiming it. Leon had only a moment to think, to remember with a start that, after all, Kate was only a commander. Maybe she was a regrettable loss, but commanders could be replaced. And, with the Agent way of thinking, acceptable losses were-

He re-thought his strategy too late, gripped her shoulders in preparation to pull her away, too late. His eyes widened as the weapon fired.

New Allies

Teeth gritted, Leon let himself be marched forward, hating the tense grips on his arms, hating the cuffs keeping his hands behind his back, hating that they weren’t nullifying cuffs to get rid of the anger, hating this anger, that clogged his thoughts, that made him so close to attacking, that kept him from forming a plan. If he struggled, he knew they wouldn’t hesitate to fill him full of holes. He had to stay calm, but-

He felt himself shoved against the side of a shiny, red sports car- an expensive front, he knew, to hide all of the Agent tech and armor inside of it. He scowled down at the roofless thing, blinking to restore his vision… Then stirred at movement. There was something else, in the backseat. A girl, tied up, wings bound tightly to her-

Munia Gifted. His eyes narrowed, recognizing her. The one that had given him and Kate so much trouble at the waterfall. Even better, she knew Noel. And probably Alia. He watched as she raised her head to glare at him from beneath the gag, cuffed hands tensing into fists.

The ring of a cellphone distracted him from behind. Kate made an irritated sound, unclipping it from her belt and raising it to her ear.

A cellphone? Most Agents just used their watches or ear pieces to communicate- very rarely was there any use for an actual phone. He strained to turn around, to figure it out, even as the anger flooded him more strongly.

“Yes?” Kate said, sounding tense. “Kate here.”

~~~

Shan didn’t flinch as he was unceremoniously tossed down the short flight of stairs, into the darkened celler below. He crashed and rolled into everything possible on the way down, and if he had been anyone else, he probably would have broken his neck- or at least multiple other bones.

But come on.

He landed hard on an unpaved dirt floor, and picked himself up, looking up at the only source of light, coming from the small group standing at the top of the stairs. “Konki, that wasn’t very nice.”

Konki said nothing, standing beside Elora protectively, barely acknowledging that he’d even spoken.

Elora, however, was full of rage. “Why are you doing it? How are you doing it?!”

Shan blinked, standing slowly. “Doing it? …If anything, why are you doing this to me?”

“Don’t speak stupid! You know what I’m talking about! I try to make you feel one way, and you end up feeling… All the wrong ways!”

“Really? Is that what was happening?” His sudden mood swings when he was around her? Because she couldn’t control his emotions for some reason, at least, not very well… “…Hunh.” He shrugged. “I have to admit, I’m really just not a very emotional guy. Maybe that’s your problem.”

“Don’t give me that!” She clenched her fists, long, sharp nails digging into skin, breathing quickly in rage. “…If you’re going to be stubborn, and refuse to behave, then I’ll just have to put you in the corner with the others until you see sense.”

“Others?”

“Until then, you stay in here!” she yelled. “I’ll be back, later. One way or another, you’re going to give in- I’ll find a way to break through somehow!”

Before she could respond, the door was slamming, leaving him without light. He listened to the click of the lock, frowning. For one thing, they hadn’t even provided him with a crossword puzzle. For another, “Others,” he mumbled. “What did she…?”

Prrrrrrrrrrrrr…

He flinched at the sound, turning around. And then, he noticed it, what he hadn’t noticed before with Elora yelling at him. Thousands of eyes, on all sides, glowing in the dark as they looked down at him with slitted pupils. Shifting, moving, able to see him even though he couldn’t see them.

He shifted, getting to his knees, testing the strength of the rope around his wrists. “Hello? Who’s there?”

~~~

“Hello, Kate.”

“Marq,” Kate breathed, turning away from the others, stepping a few paces further from the car and the agents surrounding it. Again, those conflicting feelings, ordering her to feel infatuated, or disgusted. “I…uh…”

She straightened up, adopting an official tone. “Sir! We’ve succeeded in capturing Leon. He is in custody and in the process of being transferred back to the nearest base. I’m still not certain what he did with Dextera, but-“

“Nevermind the Gifted girl,” Marq said. “Our primary focus right now is on Leon. Do you have him secured tightly?”

“Yes sir,” Kate replied, keeping her tone carefully formal.

“Very good, Kate. You’ve done well. Don’t bother with transferring him- I no longer believe he can be salvaged. Your new orders are to neutralize him.”

“Neutralize him, sir?”

“Yes. For all of his remaining organic parts, he goes offline if you shut down his technological ones. I will lead you in doing that.”

“But sir-“ Kate whirled around, turning to look at her former partner. The man was still being held up against the car, his back to her. He turned his neck slowly, though, watching her, curious. Of course he would be listening in. She took a breath. “You can’t just do that to a cyborg. He could die! Even in the very best scenario, the trauma he would undergo…”

He might survive. But he wouldn’t be the Leon anyone knew afterwards. He wouldn’t be recognizable at all.

“You’re right,” Marq said thoughtfully. “In that case… I’ve changed my mind. Don’t waste time shutting him down the proper way. Just eliminate him right now.”

“But-“

“No ‘but’s, Kate. I order you to execute the traitor known as Leon. When you return to base, send him to the scrappers to have his implants salvaged.” An amused pause. “And then report to my office. We have much to talk about, you and I.”

The phone clicked. The conversation was over.

Kate clenched her hand around the phone, trembling slightly. He couldn’t have really just ordered that, could he? No, she had heard him clearly. There was no doubt, what she was expected to do, what she was obligated to do now. No time for appeals, or finding loopholes, or begging-

Why do you care, anyways? You don’t care about Leon. You don’t!

“Ma’am,” one of the agents asked, “What are our next orders?”

She took a deep, steadying breath. Then, reached down for one of the semiautomatics hanging at her side. “There’s been a change of plans.”

~~~

Shan felt something brush up against him, only to be gone a moment later. He frowned in the darkness, calling again. “Who’s there? Tori? Or Null, or…” Who else hadn’t been in that room with them?

“Just me,” the creaky old voice laughed. “Well, me and all of the others.”

A distant mew echoed back at the Cat Lady from somewhere high above Shan.

“Where are we?” Shan asked, feeling around the slightly damp earth floor. “Some kind of dungeon?”

“No, silly! We’re in the food cellar. What kind of house do you think this is?” A chuckle. “Then again, we do have the impaling room, so-“

“Mrr?”

“No, Longfellow, I don’t think he’s seen that one.”

Shan struggled to get to his feet. Trapped in a basement, in the dark, with a crazy old lady and- if the sounds and smells around him were correct- way too many cats. “Let me guess. Elora threw you in here too.”

“Huh? Oh, no, dearie- I doubt she even knows I’m down here. I came down here of my own free will!”

“What? Why?”

“Well, for one thing, I needed to check on the canned beans- the supply’s getting a little low, probably have to buy some next time I go into town. But for another, it just made sense. When your shrine is under attack, you go into defensive maneuvers!”

Shrine? Something tripped him, and he fell down on top of a cat, who promptly screeched and began unsuccessfully trying to claw at his face.

Hay, buddy, watch hoo ure fallin on, eh?!

He jerked at the voice. Who else was down here?!

The woman began humming, moving things around. “But don’t you worry, son. We may be under attack, but we’re not defeated just yet. I’ve been shrine maiden here for the past eighty years- I think I know a thing or two about getting vermin out of my house.”

“Shrine Maiden?” Shan asked, rolling off of the unfortunate cat. “What does that… Aren’t you Gifted or something?”

Shrines, shrines… Old women, and cats, and-

It hit him, then. Ancient Protector of Cats, six letters. Bastet. There were places all over the world where cats were raised in large numbers like this, respected, revered. Shrines were built to them, people dedicated their lives to tending to them, it was believed that they possessed mystical powers-

“You’re not the Gifted one, are you?” he asked, feeling the pointed edge of his crossword puzzle through his jacket. “It’s your cats.”

Dis hoomanz not teh quickest wan, iz he?

I finkz he hit his head wen he fel down teh stairz.

Two different voices, this time. Not humans, he realized, feeling something furry rubbing against his leg.

“That’s right,” the old lady confirmed, much closer to him now. He felt bony hands grasping his wrists, holding something cold and hard against them. “My kittehs are very special. They protect me, I protect them, and from down here, it won’t be long before we get rid of our little invaders.” She sighed, shaking her head as something sliced through the ropes. “It’s really a shame, too. And here I thought they were such nice young kids.”

“They are,” Shan said, rubbing his freed wrists. “They’re being controlled, by one person. Don’t hurt them- they just need to be snapped out of it, I think.”

“Really? Hm, I thought it might be something like that. Some of my kittehs were in such a sad state… I suppose you know a way to make them behave?”

Shan thought about it for a moment. “…Null. She has to be somewhere in this house. Maybe they’ve got her imprisoned somewhere else. She can probably cancel this out if we can just get to her.”

“Ah, Null. I have an idea of where she might be.” The woman shifted, moving back. “Well, then, you best get moving! I’ll stay down here for now, but you should go wake up your friend. Sock can show you the way.”

“Who?”

Iz Socrates, thank yu very much!

“One of the best and brightest of my cats. You can trust him- he’ll protect you from whatever danger you run into. Just make sure you’re not seen!”

Shan mused for a moment over just how helpful a cat would be against Konki or Aden, then shrugged it off, getting to his feet. He had to hurry. “Alright then. Show me the way.”

~~~

Leon kept his back to Kate, staring tensely into the car as the order came. “Grab him and push him to his knees.”

He had figured as much. Drat it, Marq, I’ll get you for this.

“That won’t be necessary,” he said loudly, before the agents that had backed off could move close again.

“Oh, I think it will be,” Kate said, the slight tremor in her voice well-hid beneath taut authority. “Men-“

“It won’t be necessary, because you won’t really execute me, Kate.”

A pause, then her voice, more angry. “I most certainly will! You’re a traitor, Leon- you betrayed everyone when you left, including me! I wouldn’t hesitate to execute any other traitor, and I won’t hesitate to do it to you!”

“Yes, you would. You would hesitate to execute someone else- anyone, really, even if they weren’t me. You know how I know? Because I’ve watched you, Kate. I’ve fought alongside you. I know how you act, how you make your decisions. You’re an Agent, but you don’t like to kill- it’s not in your blood. You think too much, about how the other person feels, how they would feel as you did it. Even with Gifteds, you don’t really want them to suffer, do you? I know you don’t- every lecture you’ve ever given me about how I do my job tells me you don’t.”

He turned his neck as much as he possibly could, looking at her. “And on top of that, you won’t do it to me. Because you know me. Because we’re close. Because we’ve saved each other’s lives more times than either of us care to admit.”

Saved… No, no! She had never liked him, never wanted to be close to him, never-

His words cut through the thoughts Elora had suggested. “I know you’re angry at me because I left. But it’s not because I deserted the organization, is it?”

“Of course it is! You have no idea what you released when you left!”

“It’s not about that, and you know it.” His eyes narrowed. “It’s because I left… And I didn’t tell you. And I didn’t offer to let you come along.”

Her hand clenched around the pistol.

“And… There’s something else. Some other reason.” He scrutinized her, something odd about the way he was standing. “I haven’t quite figured it out yet. But you’re off, somehow. Something’s happened.”

“Off? I’m off? You’re the one who-!”

And then it hit Kate. He was looking at her, completely calm, despite being tied up and held at gunpoint, surrounded on all sides, in clear danger. She knew him too well- he should be furious right now, struggling wildly, yelling and threatening and not doing anything rationally. Why wasn’t he flying off the handle? It wasn’t like they’d put nullifying cuffs on-

Nullifying cuffs.

The backseat.

And the way he was standing, slightly hunched over, as though bending down to give access to something and hiding something behind him-

“Men, at alert!” she shouted, suddenly running towards him. “Leon, I swear, if you’re doing what I think you’re doing beh- nk!”

A tennis-shoed kick connected with her forehead. A fist followed it to her gut a second later, and she saw a flurry of feathers as Clara suddenly leaped out of the car, holding on to Leon for support, slicing the last of her ropes free on the jagged edge he had made in his metal cuffs. He held on to one end of her nullifying cuffs for dear life, spinning her around with one arm, catching Kate as she fell with the others, instantly in a defensive stance.

Kate felt herself go slack, the weapon falling from her hand, sputtering in pained indignation. “L…Leon you… treacherous…”

Leon scooped the weapon up, as Clara pressed her back against his, wings raised defensively. “For your sake,” she hissed, eyes trained on the Agents holding firearms on them from all sides, “You had better not be working for them, Psycho!”

“Not anymore,” Leon said, shooting her a look before pulling the limp female agent close to him and pressing the weapon to her temple. “Now,” he said, looking at the Agents all around, struggling to keep his anger under control. “If you don’t fancy losing your commanding officer, I think we’ll be leaving.”

Cornered

“What’s going on?” Shan asked, taking a step further into the room, looking around. For a moment, all he noticed were the eyes. Aden’s, terrified and pleading. Konki and Akaru’s, dull and cloudy. And most of all, Elora’s, blue and sharp and…

Elora waved at Aden. “Gag him,” she ordered casually. Konki immediately moved to obey.

“Hey, wait a minute,” Shan argued, moving to get in the way. “I asked you a question. What’s going on? And Aden… Why are you-“

Elora was in his way then, smiling up at him, somehow still smaller even though now she was so much older. He frowned, looking down at her. “Elora, you’re-“

“Shan,” she breathed, looking happy to see him. “I’m so glad you came! I was really worried you had left, and that you weren’t going to get to join us.”

“Join you? For what?”

She smiled.

There was… a heavy scent in the room now. Like flowers, or maybe perfume. Shan couldn’t quite place it, but it was distracting. Nauseatingly sweet.

“Shan…” Gently, she reached up, putting her hands on his shoulders, pulling him back to face her when he tried to look around her to check on Aden. “It’s really a simple explanation-“

“Then start explaining.”

She laughed, completely unbothered. “Have you ever heard of the pitcher plant? You probably haven’t. It’s this old plant that went extinct during the Desolation a few centuries ago-“

Her hands tightened around his shoulders. And suddenly a rush of tenseness was running through him, as though he were in danger. He stiffened at the sudden unwarranted motion, looking around. What was… where-

She frowned, looking like he hadn’t acted how she wanted him to. “Anyways. This pitcher plant. Most plants get their food through sunlight, right? And water, and soil. But not the pitcher plant. Oh sure, it used all those things, but secretly… The plant was a carnivore. Interesting, isn’t it? Most of the time, animals ate plants. But this time, it was a plant that ate animals! How funny!” She giggled.

The scent was getting stronger, or at least, it seemed that way. Shan blinked to clear his head, pushing her away gently, looking down at her. “Were you always this smart?” She had always acted so vapid until now. “Actually… you’re older again, aren’t you?”

Her eyes narrowed, and she grabbed his wrist. He gasped as a rush of anger passed through him for a moment. Where had that come from? The smells were making it hard to think- he had to get some distance, had to-

“I still haven’t told you how the pitcher plant caught its food, Shanny!” Elora gave a forced laugh, eyes watching him with growing suspicion. “It gets confused with the Venus Flytrap a lot because-“

“Flytrap…” There was… something he was supposed to be remembering. Why did that sound famil-

“Because it caught insects too, but the methods were completely different! What the pitcher did was a lot smarter. It didn’t just wait for insects to come for it. It gave them a reason to. You see, it filled itself with this delicious nectar, something that made the insects really happy. And the insects wanted it, really, really badly.”

Her hands were gripping his wrists so tightly now. It didn’t hurt, not to Shan, but when had she become so strong?

“So, time after time, the insects would come, and would go deep down inside of it to drink the nectar. They would drink and drink, and would like it so much that they found they just couldn’t stop, that they didn’t want to stop. So they’d go deeper and deeper, until they got stuck, and then…” She giggled again. “They’d drown.”

Her hand crept further up his arm… Then hesitated as his watch suddenly vibrated. Leon-

Leon! Leon had… said something. Shan forced his eyes open against the intoxicating smell, trying to remember, Leon’s voice filling his head. Gifted, and… girl, who was… flytrap? Flytrap…

“Don’t you think the flies were happy, though, Shanny?” Elora said, voice low as she leaned up to whisper in his ear, a thousand incorrect emotions toying with him. “They died, but they must have died so happy, to be surrounded by something they loved so much. If they were just going to die eventually anyways… Don’t you think… that was a good way to go?”

…

“Shanny?”

…

…He got it.

He opened his eyes, looking down at the violently, impossibly beautiful woman gripping his wrists, looking up at him, her face closer to his than it should have been. Suddenly… “It’s you, isn’t it?”

Confusion creased her face.

“It wasn’t Null that Leon was talking about. The Venus Flytrap… It wasn’t her at all. It was…” He stared at her in dawning understanding.

Her beautiful face twisted in a sudden vicious snarl.

~~~

The Cat Lady frowned, standing over the sick bed, staring down at the woman who had been sleeping for almost sixteen hours now. “I don’t like this, lovelies,” she said to the two cats sitting next to her, looking bored and impatient for food. “She ain’t that sick, is she? Shouldn’t be- she was healing just fine last I saw. Unless…” She bent down, frowning accusingly at a black cat rubbing luxuriously against the leg of the bed. “Aristotle, you haven’t been getting lazy, have you? Such a terrible nurse you make!”

The cat opened its mouth, mewling loudly.

She clucked disapprovingly, picking up a load of dirty laundry and turning to leave.

Quiet, pain-filled cries met her ears. She paused, glancing at the corner where it was coming from. “Dearies? Who’s back there?”

“…miu…miu…”

“Speaking in meows… You must really not be feeling well.” The old woman frowned, setting the linens down, walking slowly to the corner bed. “Poor dears. Which one of you is that? Thoreau? That sounds like Thoreau back there.”

They didn’t come out. Worried, the old woman reached for the bedpost, and strained to pull the small bed away from the wall. She reached for her glasses, adjusting them on her face as she leaned forward to peer into the dark corner.

She gasped in horror. “My poor little kittehs! What happened to you?! Poor loves…” She reached down, slowly scooping them up, one by one. Cats that had been completely healthy only days before, were now weak bags of bone and loose skin, with sunken eyes and weak muscles, looking as though they hadn’t eaten in over a month. They were incredibly weak, barely clinging to life. She held them all in her arms, felt their weak mewls and pawing as they curled, shivering, against her. What had done this to them? What could have possibly…?

…The… flower hoomin…

The woman frowned, staring down at the half-dead cats in her arms, then looking curiously at Null.

~~~

Leon shifted back and forth in the frigid morning air, still crouched in the tall grasses a safe distance away from the house. What was taking that blasted Gifted so long?! He fought down rising anger by focusing on the cold seeping through his clothes and skin, trying to convince himself that he wasn’t letting himself get double-crossed, not waiting to fall into a trap by waiting here. Every nerve and sense he had was alerting him of approaching danger…

“Mr. Leon?”

He sighed in aggravation. “What is it?”

Dextera watched him worriedly. “You seem upset. Is this not going well?”

Leon checked his watch for the fifth time that minute, watching the time since Shan had gone into the house grow longer and longer. “…No. I don’t think it is.” He exhaled, releasing white steam into the air. “If I could just figure out what was going on in there…”

Dextera brightened. “What if I go look? Some of those windows are really low- I can just peer in real quick and try to see what’s happening!”

He hesitated, looking at the house. Shan had seemed repelled by the sight of Dextera, for some reason. He wouldn’t be surprised if the rest of the Gifteds didn’t like her for whatever reason, either- she was kind of a traitor, someone just like them working for the opposite side. So if they hated her, it made sense…

…Well, forget them! They were the ones making him wait out here in the cold for half an hour- if they wanted privacy, they should have hurried it up. Besides, they were going to have to deal with her sooner or later.

However bad Dextera was, the monster inside those walls was a hundred times worse.

“Be careful you’re not seen, okay?”

“Okay! I’ll be right back.” She got up, and was soon running across the grass, braids flying in the wind.

He watched her go, musing for a minute, remembering how Noel had once looked just like that, when she was younger with longer hair in pigtails, running in their backyard. He sighed and turned away-

A half-thought-out instinct clicked in the back of his mind, a mechanical warning going off, and he sprang to the side without really knowing why. The ground where he had been standing moments before exploded suddenly in a shower of wet grass and dirt.

He rolled, before coming up in a kneeling crouch, eyes wild. An Agent was standing up in the grass, watching him through dark glasses, cocking his handgun for a second shot. Leon snarled and fumbled for his own weapon, determined to destroy him first, sure that no idiot was going to get in his way now that he was so close to his goal-

“Leon!”

A chill ran through him as he looked to his left, where Kate was slowly standing from the cover of the grass, raising a weapon of her own. Semiautomatic- no dodging that one. Her eyes narrowed, watching him in hatred. “No running this time. This time, you’re mine!”

He watched in growing anger as row after row of agents began to stand in the grass all around him, cutting him off, leaving his back to the house and the cliffside over the sea.

Stripped Wings

Leon and Shan shook hands, looking into each other’s eyes grimly, trying to convince themselves that they really had just agreed to an alliance with their greatest enemy.

So they didn’t notice as their watches came close together.

Or how Shan’s watch picked up on the proximity of Leon’s watch, and immediately began networking, trying to communicate with it.

Or how Leon’s watch, its networking signal turned off and carefully concealed, reactivated at the communication, and began broadcasting. Only for a second, until Leon realized what had happened and hurried to turn it off.

But by then, it was too late.

~~~

Kate smirked as she dropped the prisoner into the backseat. The Gifted girl yelled through her gag, straining furiously against the bonds binding her tight, wings straining to break free. Her blue eyes glared up at Kate, expressing every ounce of fury her mouth could not.

“Poor little bird,” Kate said, shutting the door of the red convertible and leaning over it, smooth nails clicking against the leather interior. The little Gifted would be more than comfortable in here- probably nicer than anything she was used to. “You’ve fallen rather far away from your flock, haven’t you? And right into the hunter’s trap. I wonder…” She leaned forward a little more, tilting her head to her side. “Whether you’d be willing to tell me where the flock hides its nest?”

Clara yelled something into the muffling, that Kate guessed was probably nasty. Definitely not an agreement.

“Ma’am,” an Agent said behind her, adjusting the dark glasses that hid his eyes. “What are your orders?”

“There’s an Agency-funded lab, only a few miles’ drive from here,” she said without turning. “We’ll take this one there. They should be able to get her to talk with minimal damage to her actual body. A few hours, and we’ll know where the Munia Gifteds are hiding. I’m guessing if Leon’s looking for them, then if we find them, we’ll find him too.”

Clara looked up at Kate, not understanding. Leon? Why did they need to find him? Had he gotten lost or something?

Kate started to reach for the button to raise the roof over the car, enclosing Clara in…Then paused, as a frantic beeping started up from the front of the car. The green tracker display built into the dashboard was responding loudly, all of a sudden, a small blue dot flashing on and off while directions scrolled by too fast to actually be read.

Kate’s eyes narrowed. “Come on!” she yelled. “It’s found Leon- 386 kilometers east!”

“I’ll get the other cars,” the Agent answered back, already running.

Kate darted around her own car, sliding into the driver’s seat, door slamming, roof zipping up overhead, engine starting and shifting to drive within seconds. Clara watched as the stars disappeared behind the black of the roof, cutting off her freedom once again. She felt her heart sink, the prospect of an Agent lab terrifying. Even worse was the thought that this might somehow come back to hurt her friends- not only the Munia Gifteds, but Camdyn’s colony, which was just starting to get on its feet.

Along with those, though, was the confusion. Kate, looking so grim and angry, Leon missing, the Munia Gifteds… Just what had she missed, while she was gone?

~~~

Aden flung himself at the door the moment he saw it, pounding on it frantically, his heart hammering in his ears. The key- he had forgotten the key! Left it, in its hiding spot. But… Tori! Tori was strong- she could do things! Surely, if she really tried, she could break the chains, break the doors, and stop all of th-

“Tori!” he cried out, hitting the door again and again, trying to get her attention. “Please! You have to snap out of it and come out here! We need you! It’s really bad, and-“

She was meditating. He knew how she could get, when she did that thing where she sat down and closed her eyes and went to sleep sitting up for a while. Something could explode right next to her, and she wouldn’t even notice. She might not even hear him right now! He had to yell, even louder, to get to her, even if it meant Konki heard him, even if it meant everyone heard him! He opened his mouth-

A hand clapped around it. He screamed against Konki’s hand, struggling hard as she pushed him roughly against the door, pinning his wings with her arms. His yelling had drawn her… But Tori! He had to get to Tori! He… Had to… Or…

As Konki dragged him away, wrist, ankles, and wings bound, still struggling and yelling, she didn’t blink, still entranced, intent on completing her orders.

From behind the door, Tori’s eyes fluttered for a moment. Had she heard something? No… She had just drifted off for a second. She had to concentrate more. She sat up straighter, and willed herself deeper into the meditation, sure that everything was completely fine.

~~~

Hours passed, the night along with it. The medicine keeping Dextera asleep wore off as Leon and Shan went through the long hike through dense, covered woods, back to the Cat Lady’s house. They spent most of the trip in silence, still uncomfortable with standing so close to each other without attacking, and barely even looked at each other until they were standing at the edge of the woods, looking across the long, grassy area that stretched forward towards the cliff on which the house was built. The ocean crashed quietly in the background, the sound muted beneath the sound of the occasional bird, waking up with the frosty sunrise.

This was it. They stirred in the morning quiet, glancing uncomfortably at each other now that they had no choice.

“Er… It’s probably better if you wait here,” Shan said. “The others still don’t know anything about this. I should probably break it to them first.”

“Sure thing,” Leon said, glancing at Dextera, shivering between them. He sighed and removed his jacket, draping it over her shoulders. “Just don’t wait too long, okay? I don’t like the idea of being alone out in the open like this.”

Shan smirked. “I’m going in alone too, you know. Once I tell them what’s going on, they’re probably going to tear me apart in there.”

“Sure, sure,” Leon scoffed. “When they figure out how to actually do it, I’d be interested in hearing about it. Cocky little shield…”

Another tense moment followed, as they realized they were actually joking with each other. This was… weird.

Shan turned away, walking across the grass. “Right, then.”

Better to get this over with as fast as possible. He let himself relax, dropping his guard, now that he was no longer hanging around a dangerous Agent, instead just going to meet his friends. Even if for only a few moments… He was looking forward to the break from the tension.

~~~

Aden kept his eyes closed as he was brutally dragged, stifling small whimpers. Konki… What had gotten into her? What had gotten into everyone?! This was wrong, so wrong…

Konki jerked him forward suddenly… Then stopped. She let go of him, stepping a couple of feet away, then dropped into a submissive crouch.

…Floral… There was a sickly-sweet smell in the air, as though he were in a small room crowded with too many flowers. Or maybe too much perfume. Something like that. It made his head hurt. Slowly, he opened his eyes, hoping desperately to find himself waking up.

“Hello, Aden.”

Elora sat primly on a tall, elegant, ornate chair, one leg crossed over the other. She smiled, long, vicious nails moving to flip a blonde curl over her shoulder as she watched him. He stared back at the woman, who only a couple of months ago had been completely helpless, feeling something instinctual in the pit of his stomach twinge with fear. Predator…

She sighed. “What am I going to do with you? Truth be told, I was going to save you for one of the last ones. You’re not a threat, not like some of these others are.” She waved her hand at Akaru- in tiger form- and Konki- kneeling in a position ready to spring and reach for her swords in an instant. “Honestly, you were kind of useless. But now you’ve heard everything, so it’s not like I can let you free. Mmm…”

A smile curved her full, red lips as she leaned forward. “Maybe it’s not so bad, eh? I still need to get to Tori, after all. Maybe, with your help, I can lure her out?”

“You won’t!”

Aden strained upwards, struggling to look at her. “I won’t let you! You… You can’t do this!”

Displeasure flashed over the beautiful features. “…You are right. I have to admit, it’s… much harder, to draw people into a full trance, when they’re… aware of what I’m doing. The mind builds up defenses, rejects even the things that are beautiful and make them happy. It’s harder…” She laughed. “But not impossible. You see, your mind can fight me all it wants. In the end, I don’t care at all about your mind. It’s your emotions I want! And silly little human beings are so ruled by their emotions… Rest assured, Aden. Sooner or later, you will give in and let me make you happy.”

“N…No,” Aden said, looking away, stiffening in his bonds. “I won’t… you can’t…”

She sighed, extending a hand. “Bring him forward.”

Aden shivered as he felt long fangs hooking into the back of his shirt, lifting him, a warning growl coming from the tiger. Konki’s hand was looping around one of his restraints the next moment. He wanted to struggle, but he was paralyzed, unable to move as they brought him forward, dragging him towards the chair, Konki reaching under his chin to lift his head to meet Elora’s hand-

“Hey guys.”

They all stopped, startled, turning to look in the direction of the door that had opened without any of them noticing.

“I heard voices in here, so…” Shan frowned, looking at them, completely at a loss. “…What…What’s going on?”

Elora stared at him, blue eyes hard as ice… Then slowly gave him a sweet, sickly smile. “Why, hello, Shan! It’s so good to see you. Say hello, everyone!”

A chorus of half-hearted hellos rose in response.

((Hope you liked it! Next post comes out the day after I get a comment. :) ))

White Flag

((Next post comes as soon as I get at least one comment telling me someone read this. :)

Here's hoping everyone had a good Halloween!))

“You should realize I don’t trust you,” Shan said, watching Leon carefully. If he saw any kind of trap even appear to try to capture him…

“That’s alright,” Leon said ruefully, his mental software already scanning for building Gifted energy in any direction- a sign of an attack about to happen. “I don’t really trust you either.”

“So we agree that we don’t agree on a lot,” Shan replied. “We might as well start with whatever else we do agree on. Why do you think we have a traitor in our group?”

As Leon started to collect his thoughts to answer the question, he mused that Shan probably was convinced of this himself, or at least suspicious. Why else would he be out here?

“Back when I was… a little younger than you are now,” he said, looking at the seventeen-year-old. “Fifteen, I think. I met this girl….”

~~~

The Cat Lady hummed to herself happily as she straightened the blankets on the different beds in the sick room, gently shooing felines out of the way. They responded by either rubbing against her ankles affectionately, or moving with annoyed looks and sounds. Either way, it was wonderful, simply wonderful how quickly the others had healed. Even if they weren’t completely healed just yet, to have all but one up and moving around…

She paused for a moment to cuddle some of the kittehs out of gratitude, then turned, looking curiously at the one patient who had not yet healed. The thin, pale woman must have been very tired, to be sleeping so soundly, that she hadn’t been woken up yet by any of the chores the Cat Lady had been doing in the room. She was breathing deeply, lost in the sea of pillows and blankets, a vaguely worried expression on her exhausted sleep. How strange…

~~~

“She was beautiful,” Leon said, eyes far away for a moment. “And sweet. And for some reason, she was interested in me. I didn’t question it that much, even at first, because really, how often was a really pretty girl going to pursue me? That was my teenage logic. And I felt so happy, whenever I was around her, that I really thought I liked her back.”

He exhaled, shaking his head. “I was wrong. I did like her, loved her in fact- but only because she made me. She was an emotion-manipulating Gifted, it turned out. Even had a nickname among all the agencies trying to capture her- the Venus Flytrap.” He laughed dryly. “Because she could draw her prey in by making them love her, and then, when they were in her clutches…” He clapped his hands together, hard, simulating the closing of a trap.

“…She’d suck them dry.”

Shan watched him, frowning. “Is that what happened to you?”

As Leon’s hands fell back to his sides, they clenched slowly into fists, while the former agent struggled to keep the anger from overwhelming him just from remembering it. “She took… everything from me. Right now, my only goal is to see her destroyed- not just captured, this time, but completely obliterated. After that…” It didn’t really matter, anymore.

“I see,” Shan said. “And you think that she’s among our group now, and a threat to us.” He shook his head. “I appreciate the concern, but you’re wrong. We already know Null’s power- it isn’t that.”

“Null?” He frowned. “Who’s…?”

“Tall, thin woman, kind of pale. Brown hair, brown eyes. You fought her, once.” That time at the waterfall, that Shan had completely lost it…

“…Oh…” Something unrecognizable flickered in Leon’s eyes for a moment, before he lowered his head and obscured it. “No. No, that’s not who I’m talking about.”

Shan stared at him in confusion.

~~~

Aden shivered, watching, from his hiding spot as Konki moved past, slowly, eyes searching with trained skill to find him. This was… really bad. She was going to find him, to capture him, and with that dead look in her eyes… No, it couldn’t happen! It just couldn’t-

He was close to hyperventilating when Konki finally gave up and moved past. He exhaled slowly, fighting to steady his breath while he waited for her to get a safe distance away, forcing himself to count to fifteen.

Then, he ran. He ran, as fast as he could, trying to be quiet, but unable to stop himself from stumbling, or making little, terrified squeaks every time a shadow moved. Elora. Elora was… bad, and…

He ran for the front door, knowing, just knowing that he had to get outside. Inside of here was too dangerous, too full of places that Konki would be hiding! Where should he go? The path leading down the hill was too exposed- anyone could see him from the house if he took that. But the cliff…

…If only…his wings could actually fly…

Tori. She would know what to do, could come up with a plan to deal with this. She was their leader, after all. Or…had been, before... And he couldn’t leave her! He had to go back, get the key from where he’d left it, and find her-

He wheeled around a corner to find Konki waiting for him, crouched, ready to spring. He gave a dismayed squeak as he turned back and ran for his life, the huntress running after him.

~~~

“You said she was around your age when you met her,” Shan said. “Right?”

“Right,” Leon said, frowning.

“Which would mean that she’d be about your age now.”

“…I guess.”

“There’s the problem,” Shan said, folding his arms. “Null is the only one in our group that’s that old. The rest of us are still kids. If it’s anyone, it has to be her.” He frowned. “Although I don’t know how that works, since she’s already a nullifier. I didn’t think people ever had dual gifts, but… maybe-“

“It’s not her. No- …Null isn’t the Venus Flytrap.”

Shan glanced at him suspiciously. “You don’t know that. You don’t have any evidence to support that.”

“I do.” Leon’s fists tightened even more at his sides. “Just trust me… It isn’t her. It has to be someone else in your group. Maybe she’s in disguise or something.”

Shan let his mind flicker over the other members of the group, trying to think. Maybe…

“…If that’s the case, it could be any one of us. It could be me.”

“It’s not you,” Leon said, voice irritated. “She escaped when you idiots destroyed the Munia Agent base. Heh, thought you were only liberating good Gifteds, didn’t you? As if there is such a thing.”

“If that’s the case, then she’s someone recent,” Shan said, frowning as he narrowed the list down. “Someone who only joined our group recently. Someone like…”

…

Oh, this was bogus.

“…Konki?”

~~~

Tori exhaled, clearing her mind. No thoughts, no thoughts at all. Just exist. That was what her sensei had taught her, so many years ago. When you meditate, get rid of all the extra, all the unnecessary, and just be, yourself, without anything else. A controlled state. If she could get a hold of the monster within at all, separate it from her inner self in any way, this was it.

The candles flickered around her as she wrestled to relax, trying to do it without triggering the berserker state. She didn’t know if that would trigger it or not, but right now, she didn’t really want to take any chances. The shadows played on the wall around her, held by the candlelight, and seemed to flicker behind her eyelids as well, within her mind.

After a few moment, she thought she might have it, a good control over her self. Slowly, tentatively, she reached out, trying to find the berserker, the wild side that had taken over when she’d gotten angry. Anger… or fear…

Whatever it was, she was going to find it now. Behind her eyelids, black slowly began to spread.

~~~

“That may be it,” Leon consented, while realizing that he had no idea who Konki even was. “Whatever the case, I should be able to find her. I just need to take a look at your group, and then I should-“

“No way,” Shan said. “It’s risky enough, meeting you here like this. There’s no way you’re getting close to the others.” Not with so many of them hurt.

Leon snorted with impatience. “You think you’re going to find her on your own? You haven’t found anything so far! And trust me, if she stays with you long enough, sooner or later she’s going to start trying to feed off of one of you.”

We found something, Shan thought bitterly. We know something’s up with Null. We’re not completely blind. And if Null really wasn’t the same as this Venus Flytrap person… Enemies all around.

“Why should we trust you?” Shan said accusingly. “You’ve done nothing but try to hurt us or capture us so far.” He fought to keep his eyes from flickering to the sonic gun in Leon’s hand. “How do we know that we won’t end up in cages at the end of this, huh?”

“Believe me, once the Venus Flytrap is dead, all bets and alliances are off,” Leon said darkly. “But I gave you my word- this’ll be a truce until that happens!”

“Your word isn’t good enough.”

“What do you want me to do, sign a contract? Stop being an idiot! Nng…” Leon suddenly stumbled back a half-step, holding his head.

…Drat it… this anger…

Shan watched him, then spoke slowly. “…You promise you won’t try to hurt any of them?”

Leon struggled for a moment to wrestle control, enough to speak. “I… promise…” he said through gritted teeth. “I’m on… your side. It doesn’t make sense to hurt you right now.”

Shan was quiet for a minute. He couldn’t really explain it. But there was something tortured about Leon right now, something… He was suffering. He was really suffering because of this, whatever it was. And for the moment, at least, for some reason, Shan was certain that he was telling the truth.

He slowly nodded. “Okay. Then it’s a deal. Temporary truce, just as long as it takes to get rid of the Venus Flytrap.”

Leon slowly straightened, shaking his head to clear it. “Right.” He slowly held forth a hand, gaze piercing Shan.

It was a risk, to bring Leon that close to the others.

…But then, it was a risk just letting this flytrap thing go unwatched for much longer. Or, for that matter, Null.

Shan slowly reached forward and took Leon’s hand, sealing the truce.

Midnight Rendezvous

Clara stretched her wings out, fully reveling in the feeling of the night winds rushing past her body, filling the strong, powerful wings as she used them to lift herself upwards, then arc down. This was heaven! She loved absolutely everything about flying, everything! To be able to do this freely, with no one to stop her, no Agents…

Munia Gifteds. That was right- she needed to get back to them now! Hisoka had been dropped off with Camdyn and Ty, so all of that was taken care of for now. And she had to admit that for a brief moment, she had really considered staying with them. Where they were was safe, protected, some place she highly doubted Agents would ever get to.

…But… She wouldn’t be able to fly there- too cramped, too risky. So, until she, and every other Gifted, were free to stretch their wings…

Zoosh… A heavy gust of wind suddenly slammed in her, sending her tumbling through the sky, in heavy barrel roles. She yelled, forcefully spreading her wings, fighting to come out of it and straighten up.

She was so caught up in this, she didn’t see Kate, not far below. Didn’t see the trap, being leveled at her- a net gun, prepared to snag her and drag her forcefully from the sky. And by the time she had regained her grace and straightened back at, had time to look, it was already too late to stop Kate from pulling the trigger.

~~~

Akaru trotted down the hall, paws clicking on the floor, tongue hanging out and tail wagging good-naturedly behind him. He felt good today, for some reason. Better than usual. He wasn’t sure if it was just that he’d been able to get a full night of rest, or that dinner had been excellent, or merely the idea of being safe in a house with no predators anywhere in the immediate vicinity. But whatever the case, he was feeling good!

“Do yu finks it’s hangin’ strate? It luks not even tam eh.”

“Iz fine! Why you worry? Its straiter den de udders, akshully.”

A gasp. “You fink so? Den we need to fiks teh udders!”

Akaru paused, ears perking. Voices? The dog turned towards the door, frowning. The voices didn’t belong to anyone he knew, not even the old lady. Did someone else live here?

A sigh from inside. “Dun worry abouts it, Hemmie! No ones else ish as partikyulars as yu iz! Iz fine!”

“Iz not fine! Iz-“

The voices paused as Akaru nosed the door open. Akaru poked his head in, curious. An empty room, filled with shelves- a small library. No people, though. He looked from side to side, trying to find the source.

“Wat iz it?”

“Iz a goggie! Run!”

He caught a glimpse of a small shadow moving overhead. Getting a hunch, he lifted his head, about to sniff for scents-

Something grabbed him. The dog yelped as he was lifted by the scruff of his neck, pawing wildly, turning around to look. There was… no one there, holding him. But he had already begun to sniff for scents- the invisibility didn’t fool him. “Konki! What are you-“

“Well done.”

The voice. Different, but his ears picked it up immediately- there was no mistaking it. It was-

Elora smirked as she stepped around the corner. The dog was confused, worried. Easy emotions. She reached for it, expanding them, making them fill the animal’s mind.

It didn’t take long. The kicking slowed, then stopped, until finally the little beast was laying still, dull-eyed, in Konki’s grip as she flickered back into view. The assassin turned slowly, stiffly to face Elora, still lost in her own out-of-control emotions, as she held Akaru out. Elora smiled, rewarding her with mindless happiness as she reached for Akaru. “I liked you better as a bunny anyways.”

A gasp, from behind them. Elora jerked around, and caught a quick glimpse of a ragged wing disappearing around the corner. Aden…

She gritted her teeth. He was not messing this up for her! “Konki!” she yelled.

The girl blinked as she was pulled out of bliss, confused. She made a vaguely confused sound, trying to reach for thoughts, to explain what was going on.

Elora cut that off before she could become self-aware and snap herself out of it again, filling the girl’s body with rage. “Aden. He’s a threat- go get him!”

Konki was dashing forward in obedience immediately, flickering back into invisibility, dropping Akaru at her side. Elora smirked, listening to the fast footsteps dash further away, the sounds of Aden’s panicked breathing echoing through the empty halls. This was a chase she was sure wouldn’t last long.

In the meantime…

“Come,” she said, turning away. “Unfortunately, I can’t get to Tori for now- not until I figure out a way to get past that big ugly door. But there’s a whole house full of other potential meals. Let’s go find your friends, eh, mongrel?”

It was lame, but Tori’s food stores couldn’t last forever. And when she finally came out, there would be an entire army of people waiting for her. Oh yes, this was going to be quite a delicious meal indeed!

Akaru lifted his head. He winced as he got to his feet, wounded leg limping, then shook it off and followed dull-eyed after her.

~~~

Winds stirred the grass, blocking out sound. The sound was vaguely soothing to Leon’s ears, he guessed, especially combined with the swishing of the trees overhead. He supposed if he had possessed regular human flesh, the wind would have been cold, chilling. As it was, though, he didn’t feel much of anything, most of the time.

Footsteps crunched on a twig nearby.

Leon paused in running his internal systems diagnostics, the scans being run to make sure his body was functioning fully pausing. He glanced over his shoulder with a frown. “Shan?”

“Leon.” The shield gifted crossed his arms. “You wanted to talk.”

“…Yeah.” Leon turned to face him, slipping his hands into his pockets. “I think we need to talk about th-“

Dextera groaned as he accidentally brushed against her sleeping form, murmuring in her sleep.

Shan started, stepping backwards. “We agreed to meet alone.”

“Calm down, calm down! It’s just one of you freaks- her name is Dextera.”

“That’s Dextera?” Somehow, this seemed to make Shan even more distrustful.

Leon frowned. “Look. She agreed to let me drug her- she won’t wake up. She’s just a kid- a sleeping one. She’ll lay quietly, and we can talk.” He shrugged. “I need her to help me with some things right now, that’s all.”

Shan looked mistrustful, even now. “You really couldn’t have left her behind?”

“No.” Leon looked away, hands digging deeper into the pockets of his suit jacket. “…I didn’t want to leave her alone out here.”

Shan watched the sleeping girl for a moment, considering. The right-hand tool of the Captain, the person who had messed Tori up so much. An evil Gifted in so many ways. …Or maybe she was just being used, a puppet master with strings of her own. There was no way to tell, but no one could argue that she was dangerous.

…Still. Null might be dangerous, too…

He took a breath. “Fine, then. As long as she stays asleep.”

Leon smirked. “Alright. Let’s talk.”

((Here’s the update for now. Next update will be… Thursday or Friday, probably.))

Bindings

Elora smirked, stepping away from the older woman. She had tried to struggle- of course she had. She had opened her mouth to yell, had raised her arms to fight, and even with the nullification blocking Elora access to her emotions, it was so, so clear, the fear and revulsion that Null felt for her…

It hadn’t mattered, though. Null hadn’t been strong to begin with, even before the wound had weakened her. And right now, Elora was so much stronger than a normal human being. The pillow had smothered her, hadn’t been drawn away until Null had finally stopped struggling, passed out.

As Elora fitted the device around Null’s upper arm, for a brief moment she thought she saw something flicker in the blank, dark brown eyes- some sort of horror, of recognition. And it was true. The arm clamp was almost identical in design to the collar Null had been forced to wear for years, right down to the small, microscopic needles that punctured her skin as it was snapped into place, feeding in the drugs that would prevent Null from waking, however long she lay there. All that was different were the proportions, really, meant to fit the arm and not the neck, to pierce smaller blood vessels instead of main arteries.

She relished the look of suppressed anger, desperate fear on the woman’s face, as she was forcibly dragged into twilight. A pity that she couldn’t taste the emotions- they had to be positively delightful! But it was alright. There were so many others, in this household, just waiting to be tasted, to give her their emotions, their strength, their very life’s energy. Now that she had reached her final form, it was time for the final stage in the feeding process to begin.

Smirking, the tall, slender, beautiful woman turned away from Null, flicking blond curls over her shoulder as she walked away. Null could only watch, helplessly, as her eyes grew too heavy to hold open, pulling her into the undertow of suffocating sleep. It had happened again. She had sworn that she wouldn’t let this… happen again… wouldn’t let… anyone else…

Supremely frustrated and angry at herself, Null faded, sinking back against the pillow.

~~~

“Tori? You’ve been in there for over a day now. Please come out.”

Tori didn’t open her eyes, relaxed into the lotus position. “You know I can’t do that, Aden. I still can’t control it. If I can just…”

Aden slumped against the door from the other side, worried. “The others… They’re eating dinner. You want dinner. Right?”

Tori exhaled, inhaled, trying to focus. “I have food supplies in here. They’re not the best, but I’ll make it. You should go eat with the others.”

Aden frowned miserably, not moving right away. He realized he was only getting in the way, and worried that he was annoying her. She wouldn’t be able to focus, with him talking to her- he knew that. But just knowing that she was alone in there, in the dark aside from a few candles, with chains… heavy, metal chains…

…If, after everything, she still had to be tied up in there… Just what good had rescuing her from the Agents really done, anyways?

Crippled wings drooped in helplessness. It had been easy, before. Even if he was uncertain… useless… only a burden to the others… It seemed easy. Get Tori away from the Agents. Cure her of the brainwashing. That had been their objective. Now…

He couldn’t help her. He couldn’t help his ally at all…

So… helpless…

~~~

Konki frowned, holding one blade up to the light. It gleamed, flawlessly polished, and even she had to admit that it was in good condition. Its partner was the same way.

There wasn’t really any way to put it off now. She had finished working out. The chores were all done. Weapons polished. Showered, and clothes changed. As she glanced at the moon outside of her window, she realized that there really was nothing else for her to do. All that was left was to go to bed.

But… to go to bed, in this house…

She shivered. It shouldn’t have creeped her out, really, just because it was big and old, and held all kinds of secret things, and made those creaking noises every time the wind blew. Maybe it was just Null- supposedly an Agent now- being a few floors above her that worried her. Or the strange, evasive way Shan had been acting lately. Or Tori, chaining herself in the basement. Everyone was acting weird now.

Akaru! Akaru wasn’t acting strange. She would go check in on him, and make sure his wound was alright! That would occupy her for another half hour, at least! She turned towards the door, determined-

“Konki?”

She startled, then sighed. “Elora? You really shouldn’t sneak up on people like that.” When had the girl entered the room? She turned around, searching for her. Where…?

“I’m sorry. I was just lonely. I was wondering if you wanted to play.”

Konki frowned. “You’re my age. A little old to be playing, don’t you think?” Eyes glanced around. “Where are you?”

A giggle, from a slightly different location. “It’s not hide and seek if I tell you!”

Konki shook her head, sheathing her swords in one fluid motion. “I never said I was playing. And like I said, we’re too old for games! Come out, okay?”

Silence. Konki was about to call out again, when she caught a glimpse of a shadow moving, flaring out towards her out of the corner of her eye. She whirled around to meet it, opening her mouth-

“Nngh!”

The blond woman smiled cruelly as Konki stiffened, then slowly went slack in her arms. “Tag,” she said, her voice now deeper, more mature. “You’re it.”

As Konki’s eyes dulled, she was vaguely aware of the woman laughing, before all of her thoughts and senses dissolved into white noise.

((Dun-dun-dun! We're definitely gearing up for Halloween.

Post was going to be longer, but I've got to leave in about... *checks watch* Thirty minutes! Gotta pack, gotta pack.

If I have time, another update will follow from my hotel room, once we get done travelling. If not, definitely towards the end of the weekend. In the meantime, post comments and let me know what you think.))