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.))

Tension Among Allies

Leon waited quietly while Dextera ran her hands over his back, frowning as she checked for bullets to dig out.

“You’re lucky,” she said quietly. “At least, I think you are. Kate didn’t hit any organic tissues- aside from that one in your arm muscle, the rest is all machinery.” She sighed. “The thing is, we left all of your spare parts and repair tools back in the car. It’s going to be a while before we can replace some of these things, especially without access to Agency resources.”

Leon gritted his teeth as she moved the tweezers under his left shoulder blade, trying to dislodge one of the last bullets. “Geez, that girl can hit a target. I was moving as fast as I could, and she still got me- what, six, seven times?”

“Nine, I think.” The last of the bullets clinked onto the small pile beside the little girl’s knee.

Leon whistled, shaking his head. “She’s talented. Too talented for her own good.”

Dextera frowned, sitting back. “I don’t know why she was acting like that. She was fine until you got there, and then… suddenly she was so angry.”

“Yeah…” Leon rubbed the back of his neck, the motion awkward with one of his arm muscles damaged. “I don’t know what I did to tick her off. She was like this even before I went renegade- for some reason, she just… snapped.” Then again… He had always guessed that she would, some day. That she had put up with him for this long was incredible in itself. He stared at the trees surrounding them dully. It figured...

He felt his arm being taken from him, Dextera turning it over to look at it. She didn’t say everything, like the way Kate had felt to her- tampered with, off-kilter, something wrong. Instead, she examined the wound, trying to think of the best way to treat it without any supplies, and also…

“Mister Leon?”

“Yeah?”

“…Why did you save me? You even had to fight Kate to do it.”

He scoffed. “Isn’t it obvious? You’re the one fixing me up right now, and the one keeping a lock on Shan’s watch. You’re a valuable tool- it’s worthwhile to keep you around.”

She nodded, staring at the bullets as she thought. “You don’t like Gifteds, right?”

“Of course not!”

“But you’re currently trying to find them, and get their help.”

“…”

“And your sister-“

“Look,” Leon said hotly. “There is only one reason I’m doing this right now. I can’t go back to the Agency- not knowing they’ve been lying to me all these years. But that doesn’t mean I don’t feel the same way about your kind!” He glared at her. “We’re here to make sure that one particular Gifted is destroyed forever. That’s the only thing that matters to me right now!”

She flinched away from his look. “…And what about after that? Once the Venus Flytrap is destroyed, what will you do then?”

His face darkened. He jerked his arm away from her, rolling onto his side, back away from her. “Nothing after that matters. I might get destroyed, trying to take her down. Either by her, or the Gifteds, or even the other Agents. If that happens… so be it, as long as she’s gone.” Hands clenched painfully tight. “This is the only thing that can keep me moving, though. The only thing that makes sense. Anything that comes after that…”

She watched him, then smiled. “Alright. That’s all I wanted to know.”

“…Huh?”

“I’m your tool, right? Nothing more. If that’s the case, then knowing what I’m supposed to be doing makes my job easier!”

He closed his eyes, irritated and weary. “You’re so weird… Even for a freak, kid.”

~~~

Shan jerked as his pocket vibrated yet again, a hand slipping into it to grasp the watch. It had been useful until now, but this was getting ridiculous! He lifted it to confirm the identity of the sender, then quietly tossed it out the window.

He watched as it fell all three stories to the bottom , landing in the grass surrounding the cliff the house was built on. Shame it hadn’t fallen off the cliff into the sea below. At least now it would be quiet…

“Do you like the view?”

Shan turned away from the window, looking over the infirmary. “You’re awake?”

Null shrugged, slowly sitting up, wincing slightly as she moved around her wound. “Even I can only sleep for so long.”

He shrugged one shoulder noncommittally. “Certain birds keep squawking too loudly. But the scenery is nice, I guess.”

Akaru was gone, even though his arm was still injured- he had refused to lay around for so long when he was fully capable of moving, and had gone downstairs a long time ago to help the others do chores or something. Now it was just Elora, sleeping in one bed while surrounded by cats, and Null, watching him vaguely.

Something furry brushed against his leg. He looked down to see a calico looking up at him, wide green eyes questioning. “Mrr?”

“Where did you even find this place?” he asked Null, while the cat rubbed itself against his leg. “This random old lady, with… however many cats. You don’t seem like a cat person.” How many cats were there, anyways? Way too many for any one person, definitely.

Null smiled, shrugging. “It’s a long story.”

There she went again, avoiding talking about her past. He didn’t move. “I’ve got a long time.”

“There are better stories in books. Why don’t you go read one of those?”

Shan shook his head. “Not this time. You’re not going anywhere- it’s about time you answered my questions. I’ve talked to Konki. She told me what happened in Buma- that Leon is your… your…”

“My twin brother,” Null said, yawning slightly. “Did I ever say he wasn’t? Honestly, I’m a little surprised it took you this long to figure it out.”

“And not only that. But in that confrontation with the Captain. What did you mean, when you said that you worked willingly as an Agent? Did something change, or…?” She had said that she hadn’t regretted it, that she would do it again. How could she expect that to not bother anyone?

“I don’t see why it matters. That was a long time ago. I said I was on your side, didn’t I?”

“That’s not enough, and you know it. You can’t just say something like that and not expect us to question it. We’ve been honest with you. The least you could do is answer our questions, so the others don’t have to be suspicious.”

“Well, then.” Null shrugged again. “They’re Gifteds- it’ll be a valuable life lesson, learning to live with disappointment and suspicion.”

Shan met her eyes, serious for once. “So that’s it, then? You just refuse to answer any questions about your past?”

She offered him only a thin smile in return.

“…I see.”

The cat looked up, mewling curiously as Shan stepped over it, walking towards the door, even his blank face showing disgust. He knew that the expressions on the others, downstairs, would be much stronger. For him, there was only a firm decision, and the knowledge that he didn’t intend to come back here again.

Elora opened one eye as the door closed, smiling. “He doesn’t show it. But I can tell that he’s mad.”

Null sighed, leaning back, looking tired. “You were awake? You should have said something- it’s not nice to listen in on other people’s conversations.”

The girl- no, Elora looked more like a young woman now- pushed the blanket and several drowsy cats off of her, sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. “But I wanted to listen! I was curious, too, after all.”

Null’s eyes were closed, suppressing irritation. “I thought you were injured.” Though to be honest, the girl didn’t look injured at all. She had claimed to be, but Null had the nagging suspicion that she had just wanted to lie in bed cuddling with kittens more than she wanted to help with the chores downstairs. It wouldn’t surprise her…

“The others, they let me listen! They’re happy to let me listen! They’re happy to let me do anything.” Another laugh.

“Well, I guess I’m not like the others,” Null replied dryly.

Elora paused, taken aback at the subtle ice in Null’s voice. Subtly, she reached out for Null without moving, trying to reach the woman’s feelings, to shift the mood lighter. “Null… Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah?”

She blinked her big blue eyes earnestly. “Do you like me?” You do. You do like me! You like me so much you can’t stand it!

“Honestly? Not really,” Null admitted.

A momentary pause, as Elora tried harder. “…Why not?”

“Don’t take it personally. You just kind… of… remind me of…”

Null’s eyes snapped open, jerking to look at Elora again. She had thought of her for so long as an unrecognizable little girl, she hadn’t even thought…!

Now, though, looking at the blond, violently beautiful woman in front of her, there was no question, no way to not see the face of the same person she had seen before. For a moment, she was years younger, so wide awake it was almost painful, standing in a dark, abandoned building watching that woman wrap her arms around her brother-

Realization dawned on her face as she half-rose. Elora’s eyes narrowed in response, telling Null that she had figured it out, too.

Elora’s sickly smile faded to a dangerous frown of displeasure, as she rose, walking over to the weakened woman.

~~~

Shan walked along the cliffside, conflicted. On one hand, he really didn’t need to stir up any more trouble right now. On the other, this was trouble- it wasn’t like he could just ignore it. Sooner or later, he was going to have to figure out what to do about this- they all were. But the others couldn’t right now- they were all too wrapped up in their own individual things, or couldn’t be trusted. There was no one he could talk to about this, no one he could reason this out with, no one to help him form a plan, or at least an idea…

A glint of metal caught his eye in the moonlight, half-buried in the grass. Frowning, he walked over to it, while the surf crashed deafeningly far below him. Had it really survived the fall, all the way down here? Sure, the Agents built durable things, but this…

Slowly, his hand reached for the watch, determined that if it was still working, that he would take it as a sign of fate that he needed to-

~~~

Brrrrrrrr! Brrrrrrrrr! Brrrrrrrrrr!

The sound yanked Leon from his dreams, the ones he had just barely been able to latch onto, despite the chip in his mind that constantly jerked him awake. Seeing red, he stabbed at his watch with a finger to shut it up, sitting up quickly in irritation.

Dextera was curled up at his feet, shivering there, but looking content in her sleep as she huddled close to him. She didn’t stir at his movement.

He looked at her for a moment, then pressed the button to accept the call, forcing himself to wake up, to choke down anger. “Hello?” he said gruffly.

“Hello.”

The voice- apathetic, dry. Leon recognized it immediately. He sat up a little straighter, making sure he really had woken up before he continued. “So. You finally decide to return my calls. Is the mighty freak so gracious as to deign to speak with me yet, or did you finally figure out that one of your group isn’t all you thought she was?”

“You can taunt me later,” Shan said, not amused. “I can’t talk for long. Not with the others possibly watching. We need to talk. Privately.”

Leon watched the dark trees around him for a moment, growing serious.

“Yeah… we really do.”

The Cat Lady

Akaru didn’t open his eyes for several minutes after he woke, trying to process the sensations around him, to figure out where he was.

He was in monkey form.

Check.

There was a serious wound in his arm.

Check.

He was laying on something soft and warm.

Check.

The smell of cats and old people where everywhere.

…What?

“Mrrr…”

He opened his eyes to a pair of yellow, slitted eyes, watching him curiously. A cat was perched on the bed right next to him, purring quietly, flicking its tail in passive boredom. He frowned, sitting up, wincing slightly as the movement jostled his bandaged arm. “Wh… Where are we?”

“Somewhere safe.” Null’s voice was as dry and half-asleep as ever. She was sitting up in the bed next to him, out the window on her left. “A lot of us sustained heavy injuries in that… last incident with Tori. Just go back to sleep. You’ll heal eventually.”

Injuries… Akaru’s eyes strayed to the way Null’s hand rested over her side, where she had been stabbed. Her clothes had been changed, too- the other ones had probably been ruined. Even so, there wasn’t much difference- the same gray, unremarkable shirt, black slacks, no make-up.

He looked away, over the rest of the musty room. Three other identical beds, but two were empty. Elora slept in the other, surrounded by at least five cats, snuggling up with them happily. “Where are we?”

Null, who had no cats, sighed and leaned back. “A friend of mine’s home. Well… not really a friend. More of an ally.”

“A Gifted?”

“Sort of. We needed a place to rest and heal, and this was the closest one.” She closed her eyes. “Your injury and mine are probably the most serious. The others had a lot of minor scrapes and cuts, but they’ve all gone downstairs by now. I think they’re fixing lunch or something.”

That was right… The attack. “What about Tori?”

~~~

Tori jerked on the chains, pulling them across the small, poorly-lit basement. Candles were arranged in a circle around the edges of the room, still unlit. A small pile of packaged food lay in a corner, enough to carry her for several days if she was careful, along with several jugs of water and a blanket. Everything was almost set.

She stepped over her staff as she dropped the chains to the floor, turning back towards the one door to check that the lock was still on the door where it should be. Instead, she saw Aden, watching her with a worried look on his face. He didn’t say anything, probably being torn around by his thoughts. Still, she could understand the basic idea.

“I have to do this,” she sighed, waving around the room. “You saw me out there- I completely lost control! I can’t do that again.”

Null had explained, when she had woken up in the infirmary bed, still bound just in case she was going to go violent again. She was… unstable, volatile. She was fine, most of the time, but whenever she became angry or badly hurt, she risked slipping back into that berserker state, that… thing. The thing that had hurt all of the others. The thing that had stabbed Null.

She just couldn’t do that again. She reached for the multiple chains, giving them a good yank to make sure that they were still bolted to the wall. “It’s for the best, Aden. I’ll stay in here, meditate, try to get some control over it. And I won’t come out until I’m sure I won’t ever do that to all of you again.”

“You don’t have to.” His voice was quiet, hesitant. Pleading. “We can help you. You don’t have to be alone like this. I… I don’t like this.”

“It’ll be fine.” She smiled, snapping a manacle around her ankle. “Really. Watch- I’ll probably kick this in a couple of days!” Maybe.

He shook his head, still looking worried as she snapped her other ankle into a lock.

She frowned, hesitating as she picked up the wrist cuffs. Slowly, she stood. “Actually, I could use your help on something.”

Aden looked up, hopeful. Maybe she wouldn’t have to stay in this depressing place, locked away? What could he do? He was her ally- he’d be happy to help! Anything, if he could just-

Tori smiled, walking a few feet towards the door. The chains wouldn’t let her completely reach it, but she held out her hand anyways. “Hold on to the key for me? You can check in on me every now and then, if you want. When I’m through, you can be the one to let me go.”

His eyes fixed on the small bronze key resting in the palm of her hand, his hopes sinking. Quietly, he shuffled into the room, reaching forward and clasping her hand in his.

“…Okay.”

~~~

Konki stiffened as another cat rubbed against her legs, grip tightening on the wooden spoon she was using to stir the soup. “Is it healthy to have this many cats in one house?”

“They’re very clean creatures.” The old woman’s voice was creaky and worn, but amused. “You’d be surprised by how well they pick up after themselves.”

She fought down a sneeze, pouring more milk into the pot on the stove. “Not well enough.” They had only been here about a day and a half, but already, how many cats had she seen? Fifteen? Twenty? …More?

It wasn’t that the house wasn’t big enough- it was huge, practically a mansion. Most of it was unused, apparently- the old lady lived there alone, and there was no telling how old the house was. Everywhere was the scent of mothballs and potpourri. Still, it wasn’t bad- it was quiet and peaceful, the food was good, and she had slept so well since they got here.

…Now if only she could stop sneezing.

“We’re really grateful for the place to stay,” Shan said, working on slicing bread on the other side of the kitchen. “But if you don’t mind my asking… Who are you, exactly? Null passed out before she could give us an introduction.”

“Me?” the old woman smiled, pulling her shawl more tightly around her shoulders as she reached up for some vegetables stored in a basket on a shelf. “Would you believe I can’t remember my name? I’ve lived such an awfully long time, dearie. There’s a lot of things I can remember, but you’ll have to forgive me if some things have slipped down the drain!”

Konki and Shan shot each other a look before going back to their respective tasks. More than just memories has slipped down the senile woman’s drain, if the past hour was any indication.

“Then, at the least, how do you know Null?” Konki asked, stirring the soup a little more slowly as she listened.

“Ah? Oh, that’s easy! Such a sweet young girl. The first time she came here, she tried to kill me!” The old woman laughed, smiling. “So much energy, in that one!”

Konki stiffened, turning towards the old woman to ask-

Brrrr! Brrrr! Brrrr!

Shan nearly dropped his knife from surprise and annoyance. He snatched the watch off of the counter before anyone else could look, a flicker of something slightly irritated moving through his apathetic eyes. He scrolled for a few seconds, shaking his head. “Not another one…”

Konki switched the spoon to another hand, looking at him curiously. “Another what?”

“Nothing.” He shoved the watch in his pocket, and turned his back, returning to slicing. “…Miss. What are all of your cats named?”

The old woman had launched into an enthusiastic discourse over way too many cat names before Konki could say anything, cutting off her questions in a flurry of feline eagerness.

((Sami- That definitely sounds like a good idea! I'm caught up now, but if you ever want to write a chapter, just let me know. :) This story still belongs to all of us, after all.))

How much do I loathe thee, Leon? Let me count the ways...

((Sorry for the long hiatus, and even now, this post is a lot shorter than I'd planned. -_- It was originally going to be more than twice as long, but I'm so tired, and still have a paper to write before I go to bed...

School has been kicking me around something fierce. But I should be back now- I’m going to try for a Wednesday update, and we should be back in schedule pretty evenly now! There should be no excuse for me missing another update before the beginning of 2011- I’ve got the Elora arc pretty well mapped out now.

Sami, a few questions: I know Kate likes firearms. Does she have any particular kind that she likes to carry? Also, if you have any more details on her backstory, I could really use them!

Ironic, a few questions: Could I get Aden’s backstory and powers? (Okay, so that’s like one question.)

Also, a question for everyone- how should I do shipping in here? Or should I even do shipping at all? (Aside from Kateon- that’s a given. :3)

Just shoot me a NM or email and let me know. ^_^ See you soon!))

Dextera stepped back, watching as the Agents stepped through the whole they had just blasted in the wall, eyes locking on her immediately. She shivered, watching one of them reach to his side- for a weapon? No… Just for a communication device. She wasn’t sure if that was better or worse.

Behind her back, she gripped the eight different flash drives containing the information she had just hacked out of the Agency’s systems- having the former Captain’s passwords had helped a lot more than she had thought it would. It was all the information Leon had thought to ask for, and even more things he would need, that he hadn’t even thought of yet. Not just for the short term, either… Long-term, things he would need to survive if he couldn’t access the Agency’s resources. Leon needed these files and information!

She had to make sure they got to him. But with this situation…

Kate stepped through the gaping hole in the empty parking level, beneath an old, abandoned mall, Leon had chosen to set up camp in, two agents flanking her on either side. It had been frustrating, getting in here- layers of steel-enforced concrete, combined with all of the weapons and traps whoever was in there kept sending out at them- Leon must have hijacked a small armory along with whatever car he had stolen!

So she was surprised to find not Leon when she entered the large, empty room, but a little girl in a worn, faded Catholic school uniform, looking nervous as she backed up against the single, sleek silver vehicle in the concrete room.

Kate frowned, taking off her tinted glasses. “Dextera?”

Dextera’s dark eyes locked on Kate. She said nothing, taking another uncertain step back towards the car.

Kate pushed past the guards at her sides, in disbelief. “You’re okay? Where were you?! After Leon disappeared, I thought he’d-“

Dextera shook her head, lifting the single pistol she had managed to grab. Kate picked up on the posture immediately- not willing to shoot, just terrified. “He didn’t kidnap me. I went with him.”

Kate stopped, watching the girl in disbelief. “You…what? Why?!”

“Because I need her.”

The voice, male, irritated, low and husky, was unmistakable. The Agents around her stiffened, half turning immediately to face the man who had appeared behind them, the others staying trained on Dextera.

Kate turned more slowly, the voice sending odd prickles down the back of her neck. That odd feeling was back again… “Leon,” she muttered. “I was wondering why you weren’t in there yourself. I thought you’d gotten away.” She lifted her own pistols, one in each hand, definitely postured to fire. “Coming back like this, it’s just stupid.”

The former Agent watched her thoughtfully from his dark brown eyes, the mechanical part of his mind making calculations to track her weapons before they ever fired, the human part… Was that frustration in his eyes? Sadness? She couldn’t tell.

“I’m not so full of myself that I think I can do this on my own,” Leon said, before slowly raising his own handgun. “You have a tool I need in there, Kate. I’d like it if you gave it back.”

“Leon!” Dextera yelled, voice overjoyed. “I’m in here! I’m so glad you’re here- you got here just in time!”

Kate shot a scowl over her shoulder. “It isn’t enough that you had to turn traitor? You had to take her with you too?!”

“What do you care?” Leon asked, slowly walking, at an angle. Mechanical part of his mind trying to find a way around her, to dissect some sort of weakness. Human side brooding, still unreadable… “She’s only a Gifted. You’re in the business of exterminating rats. If your friend’s pet rat starts biting people, you have no business showing it favoritism just because it grew up in a soft cage.”

“The Captain was more than a friend,” Kate spat back. A father figure, a mentor, a hero… “And you… You are not my friend, traitor!”

“Then why haven’t you ordered them to fire yet?” Leon asked softly.

She started, realizing that she hadn’t yet. There was no real reason not to- it was thirteen Agents to one, and he was cut off from his weapons, all still stashed in the car and computer set up in the room behind them. Glaring at Leon, she opened her mouth to issue the command-

Leon moved in the blink of an eye, suddenly hurling his handgun at her. She gasped, unprepared for that, and stepped back, two other Agents stepping forward slightly in front of her in defense-

And then Leon was kicking out hard as the Agents swarmed him, clipping an Agent in the chest, stabbing his electric wand at a second one.

She kicked at the thrown handgun, getting it out of the way. A fake, nothing more than a toy- how hadn’t she seen it before! She had gotten distracted, by what he was saying, and his eyes, and the… Rrgh! “Stop it!” she yelled, jerking a pistol back up again. “Get away from him! I can’t get a clear shot in!”

The Agents glanced at her, confused. Two had grabbed one of Leon’s arms somehow and were trying to lift him off his feet, but he hadn’t stopped fighting, waving the electric wand at anyone who got too close, kicking, biting, moving with a blurred speed that even the three enhanced Agents in their group (who ideally should have been just as fast and strong as he was) were having trouble keeping up with. The wild light was back in his eyes, and he was yelling, laughing, turning and striking like a snake, never letting them keep a hold on him for more than a few seconds. She shifted, right, left, up, trying to get a lock that wouldn’t take out one of her Agents with it-

The starting of the car ignition behind her sent a plummeting feeling in her stomach.

Still deep in the haze of anger, Leon managed a smirk, watching as Dextera floored the gas. He wasn’t going to last more than a few seconds fighting all of these Agents off- he knew it. But Dextera, Gifted or not- was no idiot- she had taken the hint. He watched in satisfaction as the car sped towards them, jumping at the last minute.

Dextera gasped as she stomped on the gas pedal. “That was close!”

“You could have hit me, you know,” Leon muttered, perched on the hood of the car, aiming a kick at one of the Agents that hadn’t either been run over or darted out of the way.

She smiled, shaking her head. “I knew you would dodge! Just like you knew I would take the car, right?”

He glanced at her, about to answer, then stiffened at the sound of a gun firing.

But it wasn’t aimed at either him or Dextera. The air went out of his front tires with an ominous shhhhhh, and he felt the hood of the car sinking beneath him.

Kate stepped towards them, looking angry herself. She hadn’t expected them to work together like this, not after so short a time! Working in tandem, not having to talk, just knowing what the other one was going to do-

Just like she and Leon had been only a little while ag-

Her mind shot the thought down before it could even take full form, Elora’s tampering suppressing all thoughts that hinted at liking Leon. So she only knew that she was frustrated, without really understanding why. “You’re not going anywhere!” she yelled. “Not without your car, your supplies, your weapons. Just give it up already, you worthless worm!”

Leon turned, regarding her for one more moment, with surprisingly calm eyes.

Dextera squeaked as she was suddenly yanked up, slung across Leon’s back. Leon was crouching, then springing the next second, clambering up the side of the building with superhuman speed, leaving the car behind. After all, while the rest of the supplies was a loss, he wasn’t going to get out alive without them.

And his most valuable tool was clinging to his back, holding on for dear life as he climbed.

Kate gritted her teeth. She wasn’t going to lose like this! Not while risking being exiled from the Agency- her very life- as well! She raised her weapon, mind filling with the loathing Elora had given her, pointed it just slightly below Dextera, and pulled the trigger.

Berserk

Terrible sounds were coming from the darkness of the trees. There were sounds of firing weapons, flashes of light- but still the sounds continued, and only got worse. The small group of Gifteds huddled for a moment, not understanding, as they looked in the direction Tori had just run.

“What happened?” Konki breathed. She stumbled up, turning to Shan. “What happened?!”

“Her eyes,” he said vaguely. “…They turned black.”

“Again? But we took care of that!” Konki yelled. “The contract- Tau said he dumped it in a volcano!”

A dry scoff from behind them. They turned to look at Null, staring at her incredulously. “That doesn’t ‘get rid of it’,” she said, arms folded as she looked into the trees. “Believe me, I know a couple of things about Gifteds who work like Dextera. If they work through influencing your mind like that, just burning a piece of paper isn’t going to do anything!”

“But…” Akaru trembled, clutching his wounded arm to himself, not daring to try shifting while it was in there. “Dextera said that was how it worked! The piece of paper gave her the ability to control Tori. Or something like that, right?”

Null sighed, shaking her head, as the screams came from the trees. “Maybe the piece of paper helps her focus. It can be instrumental, for an inexperienced Gifted. And maybe she even transferred some of her energy onto it, so that it would work like a seal. But in the end, the influence she had on Tori’s mind stays there, no matter what happened to the paper. It was damaged somehow when Tau took it, but… There’s no telling, exactly how much hold Dextera’s instructions still have. Not without her here to question.” She sighed, rolling up her sleeves. “I had hoped she would stay cured, but now it looks like…”

A figure appeared in the underbrush, crawling towards them in a panic. They straightened up, going silent, Konki drawing her swords and Shan lifting his knife in preparation for the Agent-

Only to watch as a dark shape dropped on him from above, a resounding crack ringing against his skull.

The hair rose up on the back of Konki’s neck as she watched Tori, hunched over, snarling ferally, the shifting black weapon gripped in her hand. The regular Tori wouldn’t hurt anyone more than she had to, and definitely wouldn’t kill. But this one… There was no hesitation, whatsoever, in the violent creature in front of them.

She stepped back, foot over foot, keeping her eyes on the girl as she moved. Maybe if they backed away slowly, waited for Tori to snap out of it, then they could come back later and-

Krch!

A cold feeling ran down her spine as her heel crunched down on the dry twig. Tori’s head snapped up immediately, black eyes fixed on them. Konki gritted her teeth, motioning behind her back for the others to start backing away. Maybe she could turn them invisible, if she could only get to them. But for now…

Tori got up, weapon shifting in her hand, slowly forming into claws that covered her fingers and stretched out to long, lethal points. She stalked towards them, slowly, with all the grace of a predator.

“Tori,” Konki said warningly. “You got rid of the Agents. You’re safe now. We’re… We’re your friends. You can calm down now!”

The martial artist stepped into a beam of moonlight, not slowing down. The rods had fallen away somewhere in the trees, but she didn’t appear to be bleeding. Somehow, she had healed incredibly quickly. Konki had to wonder what toll that had taken on her body.

She had to wonder whether Tori would even notice if she were in pain right now. The three or four darts sticking up from one of her arms didn’t seem to suggest she could. Metabolism, the deeper, more cynical part of Konki’s mind suggested. If she can speed herself up, she can probably speed her metabolism up too, with enough focus. It would make drugs useless… Although how the heck she would even know how to do that is- !

The regular Tori hadn’t known how, come to think of it- the bear trap wound on her leg had taken forever to heal! In fact-

The bear trap wound.

Konki’s eyes flicked down to Tori’s legs on instinct, picking out the wound that had been injured before. “Come on, Tori, it’s us! We’re on your side! You don’t have to-“

Tori yelled and sprang.

“Konki!” Shan yelled. He tackled her, shoving her out of the way, and making the area echo with the sound of the black weapon hitting his ribs with heavy force.

Tori immediately whirled around, trying to vault over Shan to get at the more vulnerable girl behind him. Konki took a moment to gasp for breath, then rolled onto her back, swinging a sword up. It met Tori’s spear at the very last moment.

Shan lunged for her from behind, trying to grab around her neck, to choke her. Tori kicked out hard, forcefully, sending him flying. Snarling, she turned on him to try to finish him off, and Konki pushed herself up on one elbow, one foot snaking behind Tori’s, trying to trip her.

Tori jumped, and landed crouched a short distance from Konki, who was shakily getting to her feet. She growled, shifting the spear to a pair of swords to match Konki’s, then suddenly yelled out in pain as Akaru, still injured, bit her foot. She kicked him, hard, elbowed Shan’s return punch away, tensed at the sudden grab at her shoulder and whirled violently, stabbing behind her with the spear still half-morphing-

The grip on her shoulder tightened to white knuckles, Null staring at her in dull pain as Tori’s weapon sank into her shoulder.

Tori, Null’s hand still firmly holding on, stared in slowly-dawning, uncomprehending concern as the green flooded back into her eyes. “Wh-“

The hilt of Shan’s dagger came down hard on the back of her head, and she crumpled.

Null held on only long enough to see her fall, then released her, coughing hard as she stumbled. Shan stepped forward, grabbing her before she could fall on top of Tori.

“Null!” Konki yelled. “Wh… Why did you- !”

“I told you… not to touch me,” Null hissed quietly as Shan reached beneath her, scooping her up.

“You were just stabbed,” Shan replied flatly. “I can take being vulnerable for the few seconds it takes to get you out of here.”

“I’m fine- it’s nothing ser- nng!” The thin woman gritted her teeth painfully as Shan shifted, a wave of pain running through her shoulder. She rode through it for a moment, not speaking.

When she opened her eyes again, they were staring at her. Tori lay unconscious at Shan’s feet, Aden and Elora were crumpled on the ground not far away, completely out of it, Konki was holding an injured monkey, and Shan was still standing still, holding her in her arms, saying nothing.

…It didn’t matter, if they didn’t like her. They really didn’t know what to do, right now.

She took a shaky breath. “Tie her up,” she said, eyes flicking down at Tori, then up. “After that, find a way to pick up those two over there. We’re getting out of here.”

No one moved.

“Well?” she said, voice rising. “I know somewhere we can go so we won’t die. Do you want to get there, or do you want to stand here staring at each other until reinforcements show up?”

They began to move, rushing in the dark to get each other moving.

~~~

Leon hissed, keeping himself pressed flat behind a tree, watching the Agents scouring the wooded area just beyond him. Drat it, how had they gotten here first?! Someone must have tipped them off. Or maybe one of the Gifteds had been stupid enough to pull on a trap. In any case…

He swallowed down anger, fists gritting. “Well done,” he hissed. “Well done, Alia! Thanks to you, you’re probably still surrounded by Gifteds, and I can’t get to you through all of the Agents in my way!”

Red threatened to overwhelm him, and for a moment he was really afraid he was going to lose control, going to slip and do something stupid, maybe attack the Agents and get himself caught. But then Dextera’s voice sounded in his ear, and for a moment she snapped him out of it, forcing him to focus. “Leon?”

“…Yeah?”

She exhaled. “Where are you? Are you finished out there yet?”

“Working on it,” he hissed as he listened to two Agents stroll by, deep in conversation, barely five feet away from where he was.

“I know you’re busy, but is it okay if you come back?”

“Why?”

A pause. “…Kate’s here. She looks really mad.”

He stood there in silence, trying to figure out if he had heard that right.

Dark Shapes

((Aaaand, post is up. This week is a little more laid back, so I'm gonna try really hard to get ahead and have a post ready for Wednesday. If not, Sunday definitely, but I'm going to try hard for it!

Enjoy and let me know what you think!))

Elora smirked as she sat in front of the flames, watching things burn. So Null had walked into her game, a few hours ago, and snapped everyone out of it. That was alright, really. After all, it had only been a test run. And such a successful test run, too!

When the time came, she was going to have an absolutely delicious meal.

Konki caught the look on her face, and smiled a little. “Hungry? Don’t worry- stew’s almost done.”

“You could say that,” Tori said awkwardly, stirring the mix in the pot with a small flush. “It’ll be edible, anyways.”

“It smells good to me!” Konki replied. “I mean, I wasn’t looking forward to the canned stuff. But add in that deer and those herbs you gathered, and this is really starting to look good!”

“It’s nothing,” Tori laughed. “Just simple stuff. I’m really no good at cooking- I can make something small that tastes good, but that’s about it!”

“I think we have different definitions of small,” Shan said, coming up to the fire and taking a seat. “All I can handle is microwaveable stuff. By comparison, this seems hardcore.”

“Don’t worry, Tori!” Elora said brightly. “Anything you make is going to taste delicious. I’m sure of it!” Oh, was she sure of it. Such a delicious flavor, the martial artist was giving off. No matter what she was doing, everything tinged with that deep undercurrent of feeling that never went away, as surely as the black rim around her irises…

Akaru crinkled up his rabbit nose, turning away. “I’m sure it will…ugh… Just… give me a minute to turn into something carnivorous, will you? The smell of that deer is making my head hurt…”

They continued on, laughing and talking around the fire with the smells of hot, cooking food drifting out, the stars watching peacefully from overhead. Everything was relaxed and comfortable, in a way it hadn’t been for a while. There was no sign of anyone hunting them, all of their friends were safe (that they knew about), there was good food going to be served soon, and for some reason, they all shared the same, easy buzz of contentment, without really knowing why.

Until Null ruined it all by storming up towards them with a look of fury on her face. “Just what do you think you’re all doing?”

They paused in mid-laughter to some off-handed comment Shan had made, turning to look at her. “Talking?” Aden asked sheepishly, his voice small.

“No, I’m talking about that!” Null yelled, pointing at the fire, burning on freshly-gathered wood, cooking hunted and gathered food items. “Did I not make it completely clear that you weren’t to touch anything in the forest? Stupid!”

“Hey,” Tori said defensively, putting a hand on Aden protectively, even though the remarks were directed at all of them. “It’s just some food, okay? I’m not an idiot- I can tell poisonous plants from the good ones. It’s really not a big deal!”

“Not a big deal? If you can’t even follow a simple order like that, there’s no way any of you are going to survive where we’re going!”

“And who said we needed to obey orders?” Akaru’s serpentine voice was low, a slight tinge of resentment entering it. “Last I checked, this was a democratic group. I don’t recall electing you queen.”

“Null, it’s fine,” Shan said. “It’s just food. What’s the worst that could hap-“

Tkk!

He paused, frowning, as something ricocheted off of his neck, falling into the dirt. Curious, he reached down, feeling for the object, until his fingers locked around something small, cold and narrow. He held it up, trying to see in the flickering light. What-

A startled gasp came from Aden as a second dart suddenly hit him. He slumped, Tori half-rising to catch him. “Aden!”

Akaru whipped around, narrowly missing the dart that had flown for him. “Attack!” he hissed, spitting venom instinctively.

“Great!” Null replied with a hiss of her own, knocking over the pail of water onto the flames, instantly ending the fire- and their dinner- in a cloud of steam. “Shan, take the rear! Tori, pick up Aden and run, and I’ll- hey!”

Konki gritted her teeth as she deflected the darts that had suddenly soared for Null, deflecting more with her second sword. “No time for orders. Everyone run for it!”

~~~

Kate knelt in the ground, staring at footprints with a frown. The tire tracks had vanished not far away. While Leon no doubt still had his car, he was hiding it somewhere, somewhere they hadn’t been able to find. His footprints, however…

“I always told you,” she said with a sigh, under her breath. “You don’t do a very good job of covering your tracks.”

Which kind of made it puzzling, actually. She knew how easy it was to follow him- they should have found him within the first couple of hours, really, distracted or not. Just his watch alone gave off a signal that was easy to follow, and incredibly difficult to turn off. Unless he had found someone skilled to do it for him, there was no explanation for why they weren’t getting a trace on him. But who…

She sighed, straightening, conscious of the three squads of lower-rank Agents watching her back from behind. There was… still no sign of Dextera, the former Captain’s constant companion. But she had left her with Leon. For some stupid, idiotic reason, she had taken a vulnerable, helpless little girl and left her with Leon…

…Maybe it would have been okay, back when Leon was an Agent, bound by all the laws and restrictions she was. But he had gone rogue, and he hated Gifteds more than anyone she had ever met. If there was no sign of Dextera now, when she had last been spotted with him right before the betrayal… She could guess what might have happened. The poor girl.

Leon was a monster. She didn’t know how she hadn’t seen it before. But now, that she saw him for what he really was…

“Alfa. Bravo. Charlie.” She turned back to the agents assigned to her, divided neatly into their three squadrons. “Those are your names, for the duration of this mission, and those are the designations you will use when in all contact through radio or in person. Tell me your mission!”

“Kill the traitor, ma’am!”

Fifteen voices, loud, precise, obedient. And they would carry out their orders without hesitation, she knew. They didn’t know Leon, didn’t care about him. All he was to them was another task to finish, another paycheck to earn.

It was better that way. Surrounded by them, she could pretend that this didn’t feel wrong to her either, didn’t trouble her for some deep reason she couldn’t explain.

“Alright, then!” she yelled, every inch the cool, commanding authority figure. “Bravo, you continue along this track, following the footprints! Charlie, you cover them from the rooftops, guns at the ready. Alfa, you’re with me! Let’s go!”

They jogged out in three separate directions, silent and fatal and disappearing into their surroundings immediately. Leon’s stolen car was somewhere in this city. If they found it, they would most likely find his store of supplies, and whatever accomplice he had in this working the technical angle for him. At the very least, it would be another clue, another large, glaring arrow sign, pointing them towards their target.

“Leon,” Kate hissed under her breath as she ran. “I will find you. And when I do-“

A small knife was gripped at her side, metal glinting in the moonlight for a brief moment before she slid it back into its sheath.

~~~

An attack? What was an attack doing here? Null had said the clearing was safe!

Konki gritted her teeth as she ran through the woods, angry. Of course, leave it to Null, this is what happens. The Agent woman, thinking she could come in and order them around, twist them to her own ends. Nullifying powers? Hah, she was trying to nullify all of them as a threat!

Even as she thought it, she knew there was no stable reason to believe that. But she was angry, and she didn’t want to bother with rationality when she was angry. Just stay angry, get angrier, and you’ll run faster! Faster than-

“Angh!”

The anguished cry came from Akaru, who suddenly stumbled and fell off of Shan’s shoulder. Shan turned, confused, to look back for a moment, and tripped over a root, knocking Konki over as well.

Akaru stumbled up, then gasped with pain and sank back down, the large metal shaft in his arm gleaming in the moonlight, dark red pooling on the gray monkey fur. “Wha…”

“Stay still,” Konki whispered, crawling over to him. Darts had hit Aden and Elora, and Null was a little wobbly from the one that had hit her for a few seconds before Shan had plucked it out. Shan’s clothes were littered with the darts that had tried to pierce his skin and failed. But this… This wasn’t a tranquilizer of any kind. This was just a sharp, metal rod, like an advanced arrow, meant to maim, to hurt-

Akaru let out a shriek of simian pain as the clear cord attached to the shaft suddenly yanked backwards, dragging him along with it.

“Akaru!” Tori yelled, dropping Elora and Aden to the ground and turning to dart after him.

Null staggered up from leaning on Tori’s staff for support, face twisting. “Tori, don’t-“

It all happened quickly. Tori reached forward, grabbing the cord, planting her feet in the ground with a mixed look of determination and concern for Akaru. Her hands came up to snap the cord in half, forgetting that she had left her power-enhancing staff with Null. She pulled, her guard down for only a few seconds, the closest thing separating Akaru and the rest of the group from the hunters hidden within the trees-

And another long, thick, headless arrow zipped through the air, piercing straight through her chest.

Time slowed down. Akaru reached forward, face twisted with pain, and began frantically biting at the cord attached to his arm. Shan started forward, a look of vague concern on his face, moving to catch Tori if she fell. Aden moved blearily, fighting the drugs, staring at the scene in noncomprehension. Konki jumped to her feet, swords unsheathing in a flash of bright metal, as she moved forward and cleanly severed the cord attached to Tori’s rod, then defiantly moved to face the trees, preparing to unleash fire the moment one of their hunters dared to show their faces.

Tori felt Shan coming closer, and knew that she could fall. It would be okay- he would catch her. But she didn’t fall. She stood, wavering on her feet, staring down at the long, dark object in her chest, unable to process thought. Wha…wh…

It hurt. It really did. And on top of that, her friends were in danger. Putting themselves in more danger, because now instead of running, they had stopped to help her. So unfair… She turned to look up into the darkness of the trees, at the dark shapes moving among the trunks, trying to figure out how she felt. Felt… about what? These people? The ones that were hunting her and hurting her friends, and making this hurt…!

A dark feeling coursed through her veins as she recognized the feeling, fists clenching with the measure of her anger. The moment she realized it, acknowledged it, it immediately began to grow, swirling up into a mass of rage that fed on itself. Her fists tightened in shaking fury, the black manacle around her left wrist glinting in the pale light, then beginning to flutter, responding to her, elongating and beginning to separate from her wrist.

Shan frowned, watching her shake, starting to crouch. “Tori? Are you okay?” When she didn’t turn, he reached forward, putting a hand on her shoulder. “It’s going to be alright. We’ll get you out of here, and-“

Tori jerked back suddenly, slashing at him with the black knife that had formed in her hand. “Rragh!” He stepped back, uncertain, and caught a glimpse of black eyes, all trace of green lost, shrouded in fury. She slashed at him again, then stopped when a second rod hit her shoulder, not going in all the way, but bringing a shriek of pain from her lips.

She snapped murderously in the direction of the trees and the people throwing the weapons, running forward with superhuman speed, screaming with rage as she hurled herself up into the trees.

“Tori!”

A Little Game

((Sunday's post is up! I missed last Wednesday, but as soon as I get done with some homework here in a bit, I'm going to go ahead and write the next few chapters ahead of time, so that I won't have to miss an update just because I'm busy. If I can get it done, you can all expect pretty even Sunday/Wednesday updates for a while now.

Still, just because I'm writing ahead doesn't mean that things can't be tweaked or rewritten to be better! If you've got suggestions for the story or characters, or any comments at all, be sure to leave them down in the comments!

See y'all on Wednesday. ^_^ ))

Null frowned, standing in front of the small clearing, taking in the rain-soaked grass, the dripping, sodden trees, the gloomy dark gray skies. “Well… I guess this is it for now.”

“Here?” Elora asked, peeking over her shoulder. Her pretty, flawless face looked absolutely dismayed. “But there’s nothing here! You said we were going to get to sleep and eat soon!”

“I’m guessing we will,” Konki said with an indifferent shrug. “She had us walking through the trees for hours. What did you expect, a hotel?”

“It would have been nice,” Elora sniffed sadly.

Null sighed and shook her head. “We’re out of money. Besides, we need to avoid most cities for now, when we can. It’ll be harder for the Agents to track us in the woods than in the city- they have to leave all their big, fancy vehicles behind, and we have rougher terrain and easier camouflage to take advantage of.”

“It’ll be fine,” Tori said, smiling at Elora. The blonde teenager looked several years older than she did, but for some reason, it felt to Tori like she was reassuring a small child. “My sensei and the other students used to rough it in the woods all the time- I can get us a shelter built pretty quickly. She reached into her pocket, where the spear head waited to be attached to her staff. Not completely a machete, but it could work. Come to think of it, with Akaru’s claws and Konki’s swords… They might all dull up their weapons pretty quickly, but maybe-

“No need,” Null said, cutting off her temporary moment of leadership. “I borrowed a tent from Tau’s people before we left. I think it’s in Shan’s pack.”

Shan looked up from his watch, apparently drifting back into the conversation at the mention of his name. “Huh?”

“We don’t need to draw more attention by scarring the surrounding area through hacking at the trees and plants,” Null said, relaxing on to a tree stump. “You guys set up the tent, and I’ll work on making sure that the area is secured.”

Tori shook her head. “That doesn’t make sense. We could at least help save our food rations by foraging.”

“No touching the plants!”

Elora looked up as a wave of sudden bad feeling rushed towards Null. The funny thing was, it wasn’t just coming from Tori, like it had been earlier. Practically everyone around her was glaring at the tall, thin, pale woman as she strode away, obliviously scanning over the area with her eyes. Such strong emotions…

…This could be very useful indeed.

~~~

Leon hissed in silent frustration as he scanned the area near the edge of the city once again. There was no mistaking it. His former watch was still transmitting code to his new watch- it had definitely gone this way. The two Gifted trackers he had picked up, too, along with a whole lot of Gifted energy traces. He would have bet anything that they had been headed in this direction, and only an hour ago he had been able to follow a tracker proving the same thing.

So why had the signal disappeared now?

“They must be very good at jamming signals,” Dextera said, staring longingly at an ice cream shop half a block behind them. “Getting rid of just one signal is good, but all three? Someone in their group really knows what he’s doing.”

“Apparently,” Leon said quietly. He sighed, picking a medium-sized backpack out of the trunk of his car, and slamming it closed. “Leave it to Gifteds to make this as irritating and time-wasting as possible.”

Dextera turned reluctantly away from the ice cream shop as he stepped out onto the grass. “You’re not moving forward, are you? We haven’t locked on to a new signal yet- we have no way of knowing that they’re still even in the same direction!”

Leon smirked. “More like the computer doesn’t know.” He bent down, hand reaching forward to touch a long stalk of grass, bent from where something heavy had stepped on it. Brush it aside, and half of a human footprint could be seen, still pressed into the mud, not yet washed away by the rain.

“That’s the thing about Agents these days,” he scoffed. “They’re so powerful, with their computers and trackers and machines and subjugated Gifteds. They think they’ll always have them, so they don’t bother to learn the basics really well. Without a tracker, half of them couldn’t find the back of their neck.”

He looked up at Dextera, grinning. “And that’s why, if the Munia Gifteds are really blocking their signals, we’ll be sure to find them before anyone else does.”

~~~

Several hours later, a tent was more or less set up. It was sagging slightly to the side, but it would keep them dry if it rained again. The sun was preparing to set over the line of trees, and the make-shift campsite looked almost peaceful.

Except for the group of Gifteds gathered around the unlit campfire, that is.

“We can’t trust her,” Konki said, voice low as she leaned forward. “You heard what she said in Buma! She used to work for the Agents.”

“So did you, once,” Shan said, shrugging as he ripped out another completed crossword puzzle from his book, wadding it up and throwing it into the circle of vaguely flammable materials. If Null would only let them go gather some logs and branches…

“That was different!” Konki hissed. “I was being controlled. Null has no excuse! She said herself that they didn’t force her to do anything, that she didn’t even regret it!”

“I will admit that it’s suspicious,” Akaru said, panting quietly in dog form. “But think about it. Why would she admit that so openly, without even arguing? And she’s still with us, still leading and helping us survive. Maybe if she were hiding things, I’d be more concerned. But so far, she hasn’t tried to hide really anything that we’ve asked about.”

“Then why is she still with us?” Konki said, turning on him. “No one’s even asked yet, what she expects to do with us. She’s using us, for her own ends!”

Silence for a long moment.

She took a breath. “…I’m not the only one who feels this way. You all keep arguing and making me defend it, but you feel the same way, don’t you?”

By the way they were averting their eyes, she could tell that they were.

She waited a moment, then looked to her right. “Tori? You used to be the leader, right?” She didn’t know Tori very well, but… “What’s your opinion?”

Tori looked at the ground, biting her lip. “I… I’m not…”

“It’s so cute!”

They turned to look at Elora’s sudden exclamation. She had walked up to them while they weren’t paying attention, and was now standing, hands clasped, staring at Tori with shiny eyes. “This uncertainty and guilt- you’re really adorable, you know that?”

Tori blinked. “Um… I guess?”

“Everyone hold on for a moment!” Null’s voice made all of them jump, even yelled from the other end of the camp. They looked in her direction, uncertain-

Tori paled suddenly and wavered, gripping onto the rock she was sitting on. “Ungh… Wha?”

They all felt it, for a moment. Calmly, Shan lifted his pen, pressing it hard into his thumb. “Her nullification powers,” he said unworriedly, watching as a single bead of red dribbled up from the small wound. “She’s projecting it over us somehow.”

Konki started up. “Why? What is she trying to-“

Then, just like that, it was cleared. “All good!” Null’s voice yelled.

Akaru shook with displeasure, looking down at his human hands in distaste. “Well, that was… unnecessary.” He began to shift back into a more comfortable form. “But no harm done, right, Tori?”

Tori nodded to show that she was okay. It was Elora who was currently throwing a fit.

“Ugh,” she said, hands over her eyes, stumbling a little. “I do not like that! Why would she do that? So mean!”

Shan frowned, looking at her, noticing her for the first time in a while. He could have sworn that, when she had first found them, she had been a little thing, barely six. Now… Seventeen? Eighteen? And ridiculously beautiful. Why? “Elora,” he said quietly. “You’ve been getting a little older, haven’t you? Why is that?”

She stopped for a minute, staring at him. For a moment, he almost felt something. Like… Sadness? She frowned, as though he had displeased her somehow. “You’re weird,” she said, wrinkling up her nose. She shook her head, then perked up, beaming again. “Null said she wanted to ask you something! She wants you to go over there, right away!”

“Null?” Shan looked in the direction of the tent, then sighed. “Alright,” he said, getting up. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Elora watched him go, then slowly turned back to the rest of the group, smile widening. “Can I ask you all something? I kind of wanted to play a game!”

~~~

“They’ve covered all quarters within the city and the outlying area,” Marq said, sipping broodingly at his glass of wine. “It’s safe to say that they’re not within the limits of our territory anymore. We’re going to have to go out, send people after them. Which just means hundreds more Agents lost in the end.”

Kate looked down, smoothing her black silk dress, not touching the small, gourmet cuisine that had been placed on the plate in front of her. “Maybe ‘safe’ isn’t the right word,” she said quietly. “They nearly destroyed the world the last time they were free. If they’ve really broken loose this time…”

“Now, now, let’s not be hasty,” Marq replied, laughing roughly as he drained the wine glass and placed it back on the table. “The last time they were free was over three hundred years ago. Well, fully free, anyways. We’ve come a long way in terms of technology since then. We’ll have them by the end of the week, you’ll see.”

Kate said nothing, still looking down.

He watched her for a minute, then smirked, leaning forward and pouring more wine into her untouched glass. “You should relax. Leave the thinking to me and the other men. It’s not something for you to concern yourself with.”

“Concern myself?” Kate’s head jerked up. “I’m an Agent, one of those hundreds of lives you’re about to throw at that… that monster. I have friends who aren’t going to survive this! Close friends! Of course I should be concerning myself.”

He smirked, taking her hand without her permission, tracing the lines of her fingers. “Not as much as you think. It’s not like before, Kate. I’m in a position to… help you, if you’ll accept it. You know…” He chuckled. “I’ve actually been looking for a new secretary.”

“Secretary?” she watched him, then shook her head. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do…” Get her out of danger. Keep her by his side, in a safe job, that paid more than triple what she was getting now. “…but… I can’t. Being an Agent is everything to me.”

He frowned. “Really? Why?”

“It’s what I want!” she said, free hand clenching in her lap. “It’s dangerous and hard, but I love everything about it. I couldn’t trade that. I couldn’t.”

“Oh? And just what about it is so special? More special than being with me?”

“That’s not what I’m trying to say!” She took a breath. “I’m… This is what I wanted, all through childhood. To be good at something, something important. Protecting the world like this, even if it’s a small part, being a part of something, being close to other Agents like Raleigh and you and Leon-“

“Leon?”

She bit her lip. The words had just… slipped out. “No. No! Of course not Leon. I… I don’t care what happens to him.” She looked away, that feeling flashing up inside of her. Two feelings, twisting and warring and shoving against each other. One of utter disgust for Leon, utter love for Marq. Another, that something… Something is wrong. “He’s a traitor,” she said, trying to keep her voice disdainful, but feeling the tremor in it even as she spoke. “He’s… he’s dead to me.”

“Really.”

She didn’t have to look at him to sense the disbelief in his voice.

His hand withdrew from hers, picking up the dinner knife. Beginning to saw and cut and slice mercilessly at his steak. “Perhaps it’s better if you don’t become my secretary for now, then. After all, you were rather… close to that traitor, weren’t you?” Scrape. “It might look bad, is all I’m saying. Perhaps if you proved your loyalty first, beyond a shadow of a doubt, then maybe then…”

Kate winced as the knife slashed again, cutting the steak into dozens of small, uniform pieces. Skritch! Skrr! Sclhh! “Just… what are you saying?”

“That as new captain of the Northeastern North American Agency, I hereby give you official orders.” She didn’t meet his eyes. She didn’t have to. His smirk was gone, a look of suspicion and displeasure on his face as he watched her, evaluated her, tried to figure out just how much on his side she really was.

“You are hereby ordered to find and apprehend the traitor Leon, and kill him with your own hand. For this, you may call upon all the resources of the Agency, to put at your disposal. If you return without accomplishing this task…”

Skkkrrrrrrreeeeeecch!

“Then you may consider your life revoked.”

~~~

Aden watched Elora hesitantly, and glanced at Tori for help. He didn’t really want to play a game. They were in such a big, wide-open space… Just sitting quietly with the others was enough for him.

But Tori was watching Elora with a strange, blank look on her face, frowning, as though confused. As he looked around, he noticed the others growing similar looks. He was about to give in, to open his mouth and ask what was going on… When he felt it himself. A rush of simple, relaxing contentment, washing over him, pushing all doubts and fear out of reach. Maybe it was strange, but at the moment, he was too happy, too comfortable and warm with the feeling of it, to question or fight it. Filled with bliss, he sat back against Tori’s rock, staring at Elora with a small smile on his face and waiting for her to speak.

Elora giggled in excitement. “Good! Then we’re all ready to play. I really miss Clara- she was such a good friend, you know? She wanted to protect me, but now that she’s gone, I need someone else. So…” She looked around for a moment, considering. “Konki! You’re strong, right? And you have such strong emotions now! You’re perfect!”

Konki frowned, putting a hand to her head, disoriented. “I don’t know. I don’t really-“

“We’re going to be the best of friends,” Elora chirped, walking over and plunking herself down next to the assassin. She beamed around at them, going from face to face. “Akaru!”

He stirred. Funny, how he hadn’t been paying attention, distracted, up until now, but at the mention of his name suddenly he couldn’t look at anyone but Elora. “Hah?”

“You’re much cuter as a bunny,” she said, smiling widely as Konki put an arm around her with a look of confusion. “Turn into one.”

Akaru shook his head. “Well, technically I’m not an infant anymore, so I can only turn into a rabbit, not a bunny. And it’s not really an advantageous-“

“Turn into a bunny!”

A look of fear flickered through his eyes for a moment, and he startled into the rabbit form, then immediately curled up, shivering with fear.

She laughed. “Perfect! Now, who’s left?” She turned to Tori and Aden, considering, and a small frown graced her features. “Aden… You’re kind of useless, aren’t you? Okay, you can just sit there!”

Somewhere inside of him, Aden reacted negatively to that, but he couldn’t reach the feelings. He was too happy, too relaxed. Tori wasn’t quite as deep into the feelings, apparently, because she stiffened. “He’s not useless! How could you even say something like-“

“I don’t really want to eat stale food out of a can again tonight,” Elora said, wrinkling her nose in a charming way. “You said that you can hunt, right? And gather food, and firewood. Why don’t you go get something for us?” When Tori hesitated, her smile darkened, for the briefest moment. “I’m sure it’ll make both of us very, very happy if you go get those things. You don’t want to be unhappy, do you?”

A blank look crossed over Tori’s face, the black surrounding her irises flaring for a brief moment. Slowly, she shook her head.

“Good!” Elora said, laughing merrily. It was really interesting. For some reason, Tori was easiest to reach of all. Normally, she had to break down walls, sneak into a person’s subconscious, before they would let her at their feelings completely. With Tori, it was as though all of those walls had already been broken down beforehand, by something.

Her laughter trickled from the camp, as she reached for the emotions swirling around her, beginning to feed.

~~~

Shan pushed the tent flap aside, stepping in. “You called for me?”

Null looked up, staring at him blankly. In her hands, a machine of some sort and a small velvet box were pressed together. She dropped them onto the ground, frowning. “I didn’t call for you.”

“Really? Then what…” He glanced behind him, then shrugged. “Ah… What are those?”

“Hm?” Null looked down, tracing her hand over the velvet box. “I can project my nullification a short ways if I try really hard, but even then it’s only a yard at the most. This machine helps me boost that, stretching it for a pretty good radius. It’s a safety measure- if there are any traps in this area based on Gifted energy, they’re deactivated now.”

“Oh?” Shan considered that, then nodded. “That’s good, I guess. But… Agents don’t base all of their traps on Gifted energy alone, do they?”

Null sighed. “That’s what I’m afraid of…”

~~~

Tori’s hands moved quickly, reaching into the bush and dropping the small edible berries into her sack of foraged supplies. It had only been five minutes, but it had barely taken that to gather almost everything she needed. Her eyes were unfocused as she moved, her movements a little clumsier than usual. So she didn’t realize when her hand brushed against a wire hidden deep within the bush, wrapped around one of the stems, and didn’t hear the small, almost imperceptible bell that went off as the wire snapped.

~~~

Shan sat down, cross-legged, watching her. It was… absolutely ridiculous. But Konki had a point. What Null had said, in Buma, in front of everyone…

Warning- you are in more danger than you realize. You have a murderer in your midst…

“Why are you with us?” he asked suddenly.

She paused mid-yawn, looking at him. “…You guys are the ones that rescued me in the Munia base, and you’re really asking me that?”

He shook his head calmly. “I know how you got here. Now why are you staying? Everyone else seems to have their reasons. Tori wants to take down the Agents, Aden wants to help Tori, Akaru and I seem to be along for the ride. Konki’s here because we freed her and… I think she feels like she owes us or something. Elora…” He paused for a moment, thinking. “I guess she wants to feel safe.”

He cocked his head very slightly to the side. “What about you, though? You said yourself that you think that we’re ridiculous, that we can’t take down the Agents. And I don’t think you owe us anything. It’s not like we’re protecting you- if anything, you know more about staying safe from the Agents than any of us seem to. So…”

“So what do I think I can get out of you, huh?” Null watched him, an amused smile on her lips, then promptly shook her head. “You don’t have to worry about my motives. For now, it’s enough that I’m on your side.”

“Is it, though?” he asked quietly, voice still emotionless. “What did you mean, when you said that you used to help the Agents capture Gifteds?”

“It’s not important.”

“On the contrary, that seems like kinda an important thing.”

They met each other’s eyes for a long moment, challenging, testing, fighting without words.

“…Why won’t you talk about it?” Shan asked calmly. “You didn’t have a problem not denying it in Buma. What exactly are you trying to hide now?”

“We’ve all got our skeletons, kid,” she said, shrugging as she stood. “Look, you don’t want to trust me, that’s fine. You can just walk away, and take as many of your friends with you as you want. But believe this. You’re not going to survive another encounter with the Agents without me.” Something like a smirk crossed her face as she turned away. “So your choice. Trust me, and survive. Or get all nervous because I don’t want to talk about my past, and get flattened the next time they find you. See how long it takes before you all become like Tori.”

Something about that smirk… Shan sat in the tent for a moment, staring after her for several long minutes after the flap had fallen behind her, leaving him in the dark. He had seen it somewhere before. Where…?

The watch around his wrist seemed to grow heavier as he suddenly placed it, and his hand moved on its own, clenching the diamond dagger through the fabric of his jeans. Leon. For a moment there… She had almost looked like Leon.

He sat alone in the darkness, thinking hard. He didn’t come out to see Null join the others (and inadvertently bring Elora’s little game to a close just by being there). He didn’t see the looks of confusion on their faces as they realized that they couldn’t remember anything from the last twenty minutes. He missed the smug, patient, waiting look on Elora’s beautiful face as she watched them get up and make dinner, a combination of canned food and the stuff Tori had scrounged from the wild. He missed all of it.

Instead, he knelt there as the sun set and the moon rose, the message from the watch playing in his head, trying to make sense of it, somehow.

Warning- you are in more danger than you realize. You have a murderer in your midst. Please agree to a temporary cease-fire, and allow me to contact you. Do not ignore this- this is important!

Kate, setting out that night to kill the person who had once been her partner, wasn’t the only one struck by the feeling that something was horribly, horribly wrong.