Missing Chapters of The Extraordinary (for 05Pricee)

I hope these are them

Rachel: Can we do this? Is it even possible? I never thought I'd be..........doing something......like this. Trying to raid the Company prisons! It's madness! But I have to, I guess. I just can't leave Sarah, or Hex. I wouldn't have thought I'd be getting any help from the Organisation though.
Kent: I guess we have to split, then. I don't blame Rachel, but why is Elan doing this? It's not like her. Or is it only the Company that she fights, now? Still, it's stupid, reckless, hopeless......
....................................................................................................................................................
Danielle swallowed as the guard unlocked the door, and brusquely led her out. Stubbornly, she attempted to stop her trembling. She would not let them see her fear. Though she knew it was of no use, she could not prevent herself from wondering where she would be taken, what would happen to her now? Already, she had learned that she was wasting her breath in questioning her captors. The only evidence that she existed to them was their ceaseless vigilance. She shuddered at his hard grip, as she was forced through the lock-up, deeper into the bowels of the building. She could do nothing but keep walking, gritting her teeth and keeping her eyes lowered to prevent them from seeing the intent there.
When they finally stopped, she stumbled. She was caught, mercilessly, and thrown into the back of the transit van. Darkness overcame her as the doors were slammed shut with a metallic clang.
By the time she had recovered, the van had left the HQ. She forced herself to take deep breaths. The engine's growl and the reverbations were strangely calming. Now, with no threatening presence nearby to disturb her, she could finally think. Plan. Even though she was certain she was clutching at straws, she was determined to at least attempt an escape. Before, she had been caught easily, and had been the perfect, quiet prisoner. But she was no longer that girl. Her time in captivity, and afterwards, had changed her, and now, she thought, she would be a fighter. She smiled, pleased with this image of herself. Really, what would she do? What could she do? Talking about fighting was easy enough. After all that, she could not alter the fact that she was just a young girl. Just a child. How could she fight what was happening to her people?
Dispirited, she gazed vacantly around the cell formed by the back of the van. By now, her eyes had acclimatised to the faint lighting, allowing her to make out some detail. The outline of the doors; the plain, metallic walls; the restraints keeping her in place. The partition between her and her guards, siluetted in blue light. A very familiar blue light.
Danielle jerked her head upwards as she realised what this meant. An auma! She did not know how, but she was no longer powerless. She grinned. This was the mistake she had been waiting for them to make.
"Can we stop?" she pleaded, making her voice as pitiful as possible. "I've hurt myself."
Unknown to the guards, she was manipulating their aumas. Making them sympathetic, naive. They glanced at each other, then the one driving stepped on the brake pedal.
"Can you let me out? Just for a little while."
As soon as she was unlocked, she kicked that guard in the face. Before he could recover, she had manipulated his auma, making his too dispirited and despondent to pursue her. She did the same to the second guard. He slumped to the floor. She ran away as fast as her legs could carry her.
She was completely out of breath, and barely able to stand, before she paused. Glancing around, she realised she had no idea where she was. She braced herself on a nearby wall, and thought of what she'd done. For the first time, she'd used her ability offensively. And on a Company guard, no less! She was certain now that they would pursue her intently. It seemed there was avoiding this war for her. But she had no idea where to go.
....................................................................................................................................................
A strange silence still echoed around the room, reminding all in it of the Organisation's recent split, despite the hours that had passed. They had all been separated before, of course, falling into different teams and pairs to fulfil different tasks. But this seemed different. A rift had formed between them, with their cause already so forlorn, their members so few now. The atmosphere tasted of despair. A foreshadowing doubt clung to them; a warning, already too late, that they should not separate. Not now.
Trey shook his head, trying to clear it of these lingering thoughts and baseless fears. There was no reason to believe that something would go wrong. At least, no more reason than usual. He sighed. Waiting for Kent to return with news of their target, each hour seemed an eternity, dragging infinitely.
"Have you contacted Lincoln then?" asked Stevens. He nodded.
"He seemed eager."
Stevens laughed sourly, thinking to himself that these young men were mad, with their bloodlust, their willingness to throw everything away. He remembered a time when he had been the same, then smiled at himself, caught in nostalgia.
"While you're off having fun attacking these, I'll be holding the fort here?" he checked. "Babysitting? And trying to interpret what those girls stole, I guess. Could be useful. The worst it could be is completely disasterous."
Trey nodded once more, too terse to speak. He still could not completely shake off the anticipation of disaster. Or maybe not disaster, exactly. But something.......something would go wrong.
They glanced to the door as it opened, then relaxed as they saw that it was Kent returning.
"What news?" inquired Trey immediately. "What are they planning?"
"He'll have forewarned them, obviously," mused Kent, ignoring the question for now. "Looking for chaos as usual. So they'll be planning an ambush, expecting us, and we'll just have to spring it."
"Kent!" shouted Stephens. He took the hint.
"They're attacking the main Company prisons. They think they can strike at both groups that way - Organisation captives and Company guards."
He smiled crookedly.
"Looks like we'll be fighting there after all."
....................................................................................................................................................
After Rachel had left, Sarah had hesitated, hidden, for several hours. As soon as she was alone, with their best escape route lost, the recklessness and impossibility of what she had chosen to do struck her in full. And yet, she was also certain that she could not have left with her sister. She could not leave Hex here. Perhaps the reason they had come was, after all, not to spy, but to save him.
"Yeah, back to that," she muttered to herself, under her breath. "Now, how exactly am I going to do that?"
As soon as he was out of the cell, she knew she could hide him with her ability. Then they would have to search for an exit, but they would find one eventually - there had to be. The difficult part would be freeing him in the first place.
Suddenly, she was struck by guilt. What was she doing, hesitating, safely hidden and free, while Hex was depending upon her? Why did she wait? She would have to act now, with whatever plan she had. She knew that, whilst in the main section, the guards' section, all abilities were accessible, but were blocked within the cells. She would have to do something about that. If Hex could use his reality manipulation, he could easily get himself out of the cell. So she needed to cause that to happen.
She stepped forwards, regained visibility, and explained this plan to him.
"You'll need to find the inhibitor," he said. "Did you happen to find out where that was, in your search?"
Sarah forced her thoughts backwards, into her memories of the previous hours. Everything was vague, blurred by its repetitivity, and overshadowed by her excitement when they had found that information. Her fear of capture did not exactly help either. But she told herself to force this down. Concentrate. Finally, she recalled seeing CCTV footage of complex machinery with an extensive power source. That must be it. She focused further, and remembered where it had been located.
"I remember where it was," she whispered. "I'll go bring it down, then I'll be back before you know it. Don't leave before I'm back. Don't show them you're free."
....................................................................................................................................................
Moira sat uneasily in a room upstairs, trying to forget what she had heard. It wasn't as if she could do anything about it, anyway, she told herself. She had been told, over and over, that by no means was she to risk exposing herself by attempting to communicate with her friends once she was here. Whatever the reason. Still, she listened as the door slammed shut. She knew that those 2 had left for this mission of theirs. Only she, the young girl and the middle-aged man remained here. She felt she ought to go downstairs. How was she meant to make these trust her if she never spoke to any of them?
But she didn't want to. She hated these people. She had to. After what they had done.............that was unforgiveable. And therefore it would be unforgiveable for her to relent. She told herself this repeatedly. Chastising herself for the way she felt this loathing weakening, slipping away, with the time she had spent with them. Only a little, but then, she had only been here a short time? What would happen after weeks, months? When her friends attacked, would she still be strong enough to play her part? She could not help herself: with them, she began to see their humanity. But it was all an act. A trick. They were inhuman - they had already proven this last year. So, she would not be this weak, falling for this deception. She would have their blood. Her hands would be drenched in it; this was the only way to avenge her family. Didn't these deserve that? In her mind, she pictured it. Her crimson victory.
Reluctantly, but with new certainty, she came downstairs.
The man glanced at her briefly, obviously distracted by what he was doing. A computer was open before him, and he searched through some documents. He was focused intently on this task. The girl, some 2 years younger than herself, looked up at her and smiled in welcome. Moira shivered, then forced herself to smile back.
"What are you looking at, Stevens?" asked the girl curiously. As he replied, his expression was strange: one almost of pain. Moira wondered why, then reminded herself that these were of no concern to her. He shook his head, cleared his thoughts, then answered her.
"It's that stuff Rachel Westfield brought from the Company HQ yesterday. I'm searching through it for anything we could use."
She nodded. Moira felt a chill run through her at these words.
Stevens paled. He was visibly in shock at what he had found.
....................................................................................................................................................
Rachel waited, hidden, watching the building, and contemplated about the amount of time she had recently spent hidden in shadows and trespassing in Company buildings. What was happening to her? The one lifestyle she would never have chosen, when everything changed, and now, in truth, it was what she found herself living. She glanced at her companions. No doubt they were used to this - it was normality to them. They would find it strange to be otherwise. Perhaps they even enjoyed it. She would never know: all of these had to be vastly different people from her, with a gulf between them far too vast for her to cross.
Again, she looked at them, searching in their faces for some sign that would help her cross that gulf. After all, these two women were her allies now: she should try to understand them. She wondered what was different about these 2, why these had chosen to accompany her when the others in the Organisation had refused. One seemed calm, composed, at the surface, but a deep terror was hidden beneath, visible after closer attention. Rachel wondered what it was that she feared. The other scanned the building, her eyes glimmering darkly. Rachel remembered that she had claimed to have freed another from this place before. She wondered what drove her, what drove both of them. Both seemed to have an aura of pain and darkness: they personified all Rachel feared about the world they lived in and the life they had chosen. The almost certainty of losing yourself, if you chose to fight.
She was started out of her contemplations when the second woman gestured to her.
"How are we getting in, then? Can you take us in there? The security is too heavy to fight through."
Rachel shook her head.
"I haven't seen the place. I need to be able to see it."
Elan paused. Her telepathy was too weak to pass on her memories of the place into Rachel's mind.
"You said you'd been here before, though. How did you get in that time?" asked Rachel. "Why can't we just use the same method?"
"I used persuasion," she muttered, distracted, "but.........is there no other way? Could we run in, if we took down the power generators?"
"No, Elan," replied the other. "They've got measures to prevent electrokinesis from destroying them, remember? I doubt that they don't have measures against pyrokinesis or my heat blasts."
Elan grimaced.
"I could still run us in. We'd get past the first guards. It'd be the same with persuasion. Kent was right, we did get lucky that time."
Rachel felt more and more out of depth with every passing moment, and her only hope was to trust these. She reassured herself that they were experienced in fighting the Company. They knew what they were doing.
"So what do we do?" she asked hesitantly. "I'm not leaving!"
Elan smiled recklessly.
"Run in? After all, you can get us out if things go badly. Or, better yet, behind the guards."
....................................................................................................................................................
Sarah raced from the lock-up, up one flight of stairs and to the location of the inhibitor, trusting solely in her invisibility to keep undetected. She only paused when she nearly ran into a squadron of guards on patrol. They whispered hoarsely, exchanging rumours of an escape, a transfer gone wrong. She grinned. Soon they would have another escape to discuss. After they passed, she raced on. She did not stop until she reached the doors recognisible from the CCTV footage, and she ground to a halt. She savoured the sensation of being so close to her goal. She had doubted, in all honesty, that she could achieve this: it had not been hope but a sense of loyalty, almost duty, which had compelled her to stay. But now she was here. Seconds away from the inhibitor. Seconds away from freedom for both her and Hex.
She gently pushed the doors open slightly, and slid inside. Her anticipation blinded her at first. She was so close.......... now, there was nothing she could imagine that could stop her.
It took a while for her eyes to adjust to the vivid lighting glaring off white panels and metal. Dully, she noted that the CCTV footage must have been filtered for this room. When her vision cleared, she could see a network of thick cables from every direction, feeding into a complexity which she could barely take in, all contained within a vast, white room. Her footsteps echoed eerily, disturbing the quiet and the cathedral-like atmosphere. She could not help but realise this was a place where no one was meant to enter. She took a breath, and stepped closer to the machinery, until she could make out what she assumed could be the controls. Her breath caught in her throat. So close.........so close......... she felt as though she only had to reach out, and she could grasp their escape.
Slowly, she walked towards it. One step, two, three. Nearly there. Nearly free.
Her disappointment was so acute that it overwhelmed the pain when she was shot in the back.
Falling, she swore as she realised what she had done. So confident that she was already there, she had not considered that the inhibitor affect her in its immediate vicinity. She should have been more careful. She had not thought of hiding from the cameras, or noticed the guards entering. So arrogant. And now it was too late, she had screwed up and now they would have no escape. No freedom. It was over.

Wendy: So we're here. Agents of chaos, as planned. What do we do now? Is there even a plan of attack? I don't want to end up like those suckers in there.
Trey: Why do I have the feeling that something will go wrong? Not for me personally, or for the Organisation as a whole, or any of its members. Just..............something. And it won't go away, it clings and sticks to the back of my mind. A warning. But there's nothing I can do about it.
Beth: What am I doing here? I know, I couldn't help but somehow feel responsible when I heard their story, and that was relieved a little when I thought of coming here, with Elan and Rachel, to free them. But why? What makes it up to me, my task to fight here? I only started this because of Craig - why am I continuing now, without him?
Elias: This place is amazing! I've never sensed so much negativity, so much power - it's like ................being augmented, on an adrenaline rush..........everything! All together!! Here, I'll be unstoppable. I only hope those fuckheads from the Organisation took the bait, and will turn up. I'm in the mood to slaughter some.
....................................................................................................................................................
Beth nodded. In the short time she had been with the Organisation, she had been taught much about the defences the Company employed, and now she could think of no suggestions less faulty than those already offered. From the 2, Elan clearly preferred the thought of using enhanced speed, and Beth did not question this. She knew that, in the kind of world they lived in, everyone had their secrets, their shame and their right to privacy. Instinctively, she knew this was such an issue. Rachel chewed her lip, indecicive, unhappy with their so-called plan, but she said nothing, yielding to their superior experience in these matters.
"So, now?" Beth whispered. The two nodded. There was no reason to hesitate further.
Elan grasped hold of the pair of them, and raced forwards between the agents standing guard. They had barely enough time to notice the blur before the 3 had passed out of their sight. No time to marshall an attack. But time enough to set of the alarms, call out thousands of agents to the fight.
Elan ground to a halt, and crouched behind a corner, watching these deployed. Even with their abilities, they would be greatly outnumbered. The last time, causing an alarm had not exactly assisted; it was caution that was needed. She checked that the next hallway was clear, before rushing silently along it, with the others in her wake, and pausing at the next turning.
"Elan!" whispered Beth urgently, gesturing her beside her. "Can you use any of your abilities?"
She frowned. Why would she be unable to? The inhibitor would have been removed, that was the Company's policy. That had been its policy for 5 years. Still, the anxiety in Beth's face and voice urged her to test it. She attempted to create fire. Nothing. Electricity. Nothing. Telekinesis, telepathy, speed. Nothing.
In shock, she shook her head.
"What's happened? Have they changed it?"
"They must have," replied Beth. "Maybe put some sort of local inhibitor here? Or they have an antidote to the inhibitor, and that's released near their guards?"
"The second one, more likely. If they knew where we were, we'd be caught by now. Or maybe the antidote's not a gas, something they inject or give orally to all the agents before they start the shift. That's not important. What are we going to do now?"
"What can we do? I can think of fuck all. Except avoid guards......................what do we tell Rachel?"
Elan paused, unsure. It was better, surely, to know exactly what situation they were in....................but in reality, what good would that do? Rachel's hopes, she sensed, were already hanging upon a string. If they told her, she might give up. Only might...........but should they take the risk?
"Should we tell her?" asked Beth hesitantly. "Maybe she's better off not knowing. I was better off not knowing................"
Elan nodded her agreement. Then, she cautiously glanced around the corner, and once more motioned her companions forward with her.
A feeling of unease grew with her with every step. She tried to tell herself it was simply the knowledge that she had no power while her enemies did which caused it, but still it did not fade. She wanted to ask the other 2 if they had the same doubt, but she did not trust herself to speak. So she continued on, in silence.
They walked on, in this fashion, for what felt like miles, the hours dragging like millstones as their need for caution grew. Then, Elan darted back from the corner immediately after turning it.
"Guards," she mouthed. No other warning was needed. They turned back, and sought another way around.
But with every turning, every opening, every doorway, the result was the same. Never a clear route, always too much danger to attempt to go that way. Soon, it dawned on them that there was no way through.
They were surrounded.
....................................................................................................................................................
On the other side of the building, the 3 men discussed their plan.
"We have to get them before they reach the building's perimeter, before we'd be close enough to be affected by the inhibitor," warned Kent. "I'll try to block out Wendy Young, the other 3 will use physical attacks that we'll just have to dodge."
"What about the rescue mission?" asked Trey.
"We'll just have to leave that to Elan, Beth and Rachel. It'll be enough of a task to stop these 4 from wrecking it."
"Just leave Becker to me, ok?"
Trey hesitated. He knew that Lincoln was unlikely to be able to defeat Becker on his own, but he also knew how much this drove the man. A crusade similar to his own. And in reality, did he have that certainty that he could defeat Hiller? No, that was the same. So he remained silent, and acquiesced to the demand despite his qualms.
Kent gestured silently at the small group approaching the building. Although their features were hidden at this distance, it was clear who they were and why they were there.
"We go, then?" he suggested. The other 2 nodded, then turned away to start picking their way towards them. He stayed where he was, focusing intently upon the slightest figure. He imagined he could feel something encroaching upon him, shadowy and half-formed threats creeping up behind him, although he knew he was too far away from Wendy to feel her effect. He forced his thoughts away from this, away from the nightmares he was creating himself in fear of her. Concentrating grimly, he forced himself to think only of forcing her to stop.
So focused was he, his senses were cut off, and he did not see the other 2, crouch and creep their way until they could target the group. He did not see Trey fire a ferocious blaze towards them, arcing hidden in the sky until it fell fatalistically, nor the group scatter as the flames crashed into their midst. He did not see Leon turn and fire a blast towards Trey, nor Trey narrowly dodge. The air crackled with fire and electricity, countless forms of electricity caused by the battling energies, but he saw none of this. He saw nothing, until Wendy collapsed, her throat slit by air molecules manipulated by Lincoln.
Suddenly, with no one left to use telepathy on, he was violently thrown back into reality. He blinked in the bright, blinding light; taking in the flames, the smell of smoke, the intense crackling and the violent flashes. He took a breath. Calmed, he started to make his way nearer to the fight, carefully keeping himself hidden behind the outbuildings, until he was close enough to use his telekinesis.
But not careful enough. He barely had time to sense the beam of electricity as it cruised towards him. Barely had time to throw himself onto the floor, so that it arced over him and into the building. He shielded his head as the electricity was deflected backwards. It narrowly missed him. Another strike, and another, and another, bombarded the building. He noted that some had, instead of the luminant blue hue of electricity, a dull crimson gleam. He shivered. Forcing the flashbacks away, he crawled to a safer location.
He rose to his feet. Seeing that Becker and Leon had their backs turned to him, he flipped them over telekinetically. Leon fell limply to the floor, temporarily knocked unconscious. Becker crashed into the nearby wall, a cloud of darkness writhing out of his hands to shield him from the impact. Becker rose to his feet, smiling. The smile grew, fed; it seemed, by the increasing mass of ebony smoke surrounding him. His face was triumphant. Kent followed his line of sight, behind him. And froze. This time, the flashbacks were too powerful to overcome and force away. He saw the crimson beam rushing, Hetty falling backwards, the expression on her face as it struck. He barely noticed that, this time, it was rushing towards him.
....................................................................................................................................................
"What do we do now?" whispered Beth to Elan. They had stopped. Elan shrugged, indicating she had no plan.
"What's happened?" asked Rachel edgily. They hesitated on how to answer. Beth decided on the half truth.
"We're surrounded. Probably an ambush. Too many for us to be able to fight."
Rachel nodded her understanding.
"Surrendering won't get us in easier?" she asked. The 2 shook their heads. "Then there's no other option, is there?"
Beth pushed away the feeling of guilt which arose for lying to Rachel. It was true - surrendering would do no good. Elan would be killed immediately, and it was possible that this would happen to herself and Rachel too, as they were with her and attacking the most secure of Company buildings. Even if they were spared, there was no hope there. A base existence, a lifetime of captivity and manipulation, until the Company changed its minds or bored of them. Execution might even be better than that. And they had already decided that they should not tell her about how the inhibitor had changed. What good would it do? What difference would it make, if she knew they were powerless? She would only have the burden of anticipating death for longer.
They waited. Slowly, surely, the trap was set.
As the agents approached, those with offensive abilities preparing their strikes and the others aiming their weapons, Beth took up a defensive pose. She thought wrily about how things had changed, how a few weeks ago this would have been the last fate she would have imagined for herself, then pushed the thought away. Life did change. And perhaps this was not the worst scenario. She glanced over at Elan, her stance a reflection of Beth's and her expression completely unreadable, then over at Rachel. Another who would never have expected to die with the Organisation. She looked forwards. Her respiration was harsh, and her pulse thundered in her ears: they drowned out all sound. Reflexively, she raised a hand, to defend herself. To fight. In the corner of her eye, she saw that Elan did the same. They waited. Despite her focus, small details burst out of her from her peripheral vision. The agents aiming, the first strikes arcing towards them, dead on target. Rachel's acute intake of breath. A blur of movement. Involuntarily, she turned, seeing Rachel throw herself into the wall. She threw out a hand to catch her before the impact; she saw Elan do the same. Then she was blinded by white.
....................................................................................................................................................
Kent froze, stunned, staring in speechless shock at the beam which had stopped mere inches from his face. What had happened? Glancing around, he had seen that nothing else was stopped, time was not frozen. All others were too busy fighting to have noticed what happened to him, except Trey, who was staring at him with an expression of shock which he was sure, mirrored the one on his face. Had he done something? Kent shook his head, feeling as if it was somewhat loose, and stepped away from the beam. Once he was out of its path, it fell hissing malevolently to the ground, leaving a burn mark.
He looked around, taking note of the damage and how the fight was developing. Smoke hung in the air, now dampening out the firelight and electricity. The shouts and hisses echoed. Behind him, flames licked the remnants of an outbuilding, rendered useless by the combined strikes it had suffered. Something lingered stubbornly in his memory: that was important, somehow. He couldn't recall why. What was it about it?
Suddenly, he remembered that the fight was still on-going. Cursing himself for effectively abandoning his allies for a moment, he took aim. Fired. The man was thrown backwards by his telekinesis. He could not see who. There seemed to be too many fighting here. Again, this seemed vital, but he couldn't realise why. What had happened? Where had these come from? Ridiculous as he knew the concept was, he had the feeling their enemies must be duplicating themselves.
"No, you idiot," he chastised himself. "They can't do that. None of them have Duplication.What's happened?"
Then he realised. Where they were. What they were doing. Of course! The Company, they would not stand still with a battle raging outside. Reinforcements had been sent with the exterior guard to attack them.
The realisation seemed to snap him out of his daze. Again, he aimed, this time taking care to hit the densest pack of guards. They fell backwards, the sound of bones snapping audible even to his deafened ears. Another strike took a large piece of out of the wall, the rubble cascading down amongst them. Again, he found himself shielded.
When it was over, he gingerly lifted his head. Another eerie silence hung over their battleground. Now, however, it was matched by stillness. He lifted himself out, and went to search for his companions. He found them shortly.
"What happened? How did we survive?" he asked hoarsely. The stillness was beginning to affect him. It was too surreal.
"I think I did it," answered Trey. "Shielding. From Moira."
Kent nodded.
"Are they all dead?" he asked.
"Not Becker," warned Lincoln harshly. "He's survived something like this before. There'd be enough negativity around for him to shield himself."
"So what do we do now?"
Neither answered Kent at first, lost in their own thoughts. Lincoln seemed hesitant, conflicted. He cleared his throat several times before finally speaking.
"You go into the building, the generator for the inhibitor's been destroyed. I'll take care of Becker."

Lincoln: Why am I doing this? Honestly, I don't know. I just feel that he's my responsibility. Somehow. So I have to kill him, alone. I can't let anyone else get caught up in this.
Stevens: This is...............unbelieveable!! It's too much, it can't be..........is it a trap? Can we take the risk of acting on this? Can we take the risk of ignoring it? I don't know what to do, anymore.
Kent: We're going in there now apparently! This is madness! Even if that generator is down, we'll be outnumbered about a million to one! We don't know where the cells are, we don't know where the 2 we want are within the prison, we don't know where those girls are inside there..........why? Why am I doing this? Hetty was right. I'm hiding in the front line.
....................................................................................................................................................
Disorientated, confused, bewildered, Beth and Elan fell crashing to the floor, completely unaware of what had happened. Elan tasted the coppery tang of blood in her mouth for a few minutes before realising this proved she was still alive. Slowly, she rose, getting her bearings.
She glanced around, her head still spinning. The guards were nowhere to be seen. All that surrounded them now were plain, stark walls as far as her eyes could see, walls such as they had seen walking for miles in this place. She bent down to help Rachel and Beth up, using human manipulation to check that they were uninjured.
"What happened?" asked Beth softly. Elan shook her head. She did not understand herself.
"I transported us," stated Rachel. "Well, you did look a little outnumbered there!"
"Thanks," said Elan automatically. Then she realised. "How?!! The inhibitor.........it must be down! That means we have our abilities!"
An identical grin spread across Beth's face, but Rachel looked confused. Elan stopped her before she could ask.
"Doesn't matter," she said. "What matters is, we can fight them now! Where did you take us?"
"Back a few turns from where they sprang the ambush."
Elan almost raced in that direction. She turned, and noticed they were not following, but staring at her as if she was insane.
"We can fight them now," she repeated.
....................................................................................................................................................
"What is it?" asked Amy innocently. Stevens stared at her. But she was used to this by now, the way he would act near her, the way she obviously reminded him of his past bereavements. Although it saddened her, in another, selfish way, she was glad of it. It meant that he would do anything to protect her now.
"What is it?" she repeated gently. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing Moira also looking curiously.
"I'm not sure," he replied. "If this is what it seems to be..............but it's too easy. There's no way they'd let us get something like this!"
"They didn't let us. Rachel and Sarah stole it, remember? It wasn't easy, from the sounds of things, either."
He remained pale. She rose, and walked over to where she was sitting. She glanced at the screen, but it made no sense to her.
"It's all encrypted," he explained,"But they've been using the same system for years. If it's still that, then I can interpret it. I did..........but............."
She waited. He sighed. He looked up at both girls; he seemed to be studying their faces while deciding whether to tell.
He nodded abruptly. He opened his mouth to speak, then seemed to have difficulty finding the right words. Still she waited.
"It's a list," he answered finally. "A list of the top tier Company members. The very heart of the Company. And information...........I haven't managed to crack the whole of it, but I've succeeded with parts. There's a lot of information."
Moira seemed to almost faint at these words. She raced upstairs. Stevens looked strangely in the direction she had gone, then he shook his head.
"It is huge," he admitted. "It could be what gives us any chance of winning. It even says where some of them are."
Amy felt the blood rush to her head at these words; she had to sit down. Stevens came to her in concern, but she brushed him aside. She knew, she was barely involved in these events, she barely understood anything of what was happening. She was only a child. But she had spent a year in the Company's talons; an experience painful enough to alter her. She knew which side she was on. And she could perhaps understand the immense significance of this moment.
....................................................................................................................................................
Elan nearly laughed at the expressions of incredulity on their faces, but the building urgency within her prevented her. She raced on, throwing herself around each corner. She did not look back. Only the thundering footsteps told her that the other 2 were also racing behind her.
She stopped. One glance had showed her that she had reached her goal. She flung herself back around the corner before any agents could hear her, then waited, holding her breath, until the others arrived. She nodded curtly, indicating their presence. Beth inclined her head in return, already forming heat blasts within her palm. Electricity began to flicker in one of Elan's hands, but she kept the other free for telekinesis. She glanced at Rachel. The young woman was clearly nervous, more nervous than before. With a shock, Elan realised what vexed her.
"It doesn't matter than you can't fight. Just stay behind us, and after we take out some of them, you can pick up a weapon," she reassured her. "We do need you. We need you to get us away again, if the numbers get too high."
Rachel swallowed, then nodded. Her anxiety still showed, but it was now mixed with determination.
Elan threw herself around the corner, firing indiscriminately. The agents crumpled. She threw up her hand, throwing another section backwards into the walls as they began aiming towards the three. Behind her, Beth hurtled her heat blasts into their attackers. She felt a rush. It really had been too long, since she had last fought like this. Striking a blow to the very heart of the Company. In the corner of her eye, she saw Rachel signal. She nodded, then created a fierce blaze to trap the agents where they were. Temporarily. Ice and water were instantly thrown upon the flames. She bit her lip, hoping that she had bought Rachel enough time. Anxiety made the next minutes hours. Caught in the fire, placing every effort into extinguishing it, the guards could not effectively retaliate.
She spun around at the flickering movement in her peripheral vision, hand raised to attack. She then breathed a sigh of relief. The electricity in her palm faded out. It was Rachel.
"There's no need," she whispered. "I saw in one of their minds, the most direct path to the prison levels in through these. Did you see? After you take us past, we can blast them. They won't survive."
Both Beth and Rachel started at her callous tone. They started to argue, but she faced them straightly and they yielded. They, after all, were new to this combat, and compared to them she was a veteran. What did they know of what was required? Rachel nodded, grasped their hands, and once more flung herself into the wall.
....................................................................................................................................................
"We go into the building? How? Why? Trey, you know this is crazy, right?"
Instead of answering, Trey studied the building intently. He knew all the difficulties they would face, knew the dangers and pitfalls. But still he felt as though Lincoln was right: they should enter. If this task was too much for them, it was surely too much for Elan and Rachel and Beth. His thoughts squirmed at even considering abandoning them. After all, Elan had not left him. None of them would have. No, it was not the risk of entering that daunted and disturbed him, but rather that of leaving Lincoln to fight Becker, alone.
"Yeah, it's crazy. But then, isn't the whole concept of the Organisation crazy?"
He laughed at Kent's expression of shock. Then Kent seemed to catch his mood, and he grinned.
"How do we do this then?" Kent asked. "Straightforward, front-door job?"
Trey shook his head.
"I was in there before, remember? I could teleport both of us to the prison levels."
Kent nodded. It seemed a logical plan. Perhaps, he thought, if the girls had been caught, they would also be there. He forced away the thought that perhaps they would not be caught alive.
His eyes had trouble adjusting to the darkness after the bright sunlight ouside. All light sources had been destroyed here. Nevertheless, he managed to recognise the electric strike flying towards him. He threw himself to the side.
"Greene! What the fuck was that?"
Her eyes widened, realising what she had done. Immediately, she began apologising.
"Calm down, Elan," said Trey. "Have you found them yet?"
"We found Hex," she answered, "but not Sarah, not yet. Trey, there's millions here........."
"We need to start getting them out then. Rachel and I can take them to the base; I don't know what we'll do, but.........."
"OK. We need to keep searching............"
They searched, on and on, for hours, the misery and pain building up, reflected in their own thoughts. The task they had just set themselves seemed more and more impossible. But they did not give up. They could not. Tiredly, they continued, until eventually Rachel found her sister. She let out a strangled cry and ran into the cell.
Sarah lay, pale and weak, on a low cot in her cell. The wound on her back had barely been tended to. She made no response to the events around her: she may have been unconscious. Seeing this, Elan hurried towards her, and knelt beside her to heal her. She awoke, sobbing.
"This place is hell," muttered Elan. "We really have to free everyone. Rachel, Trey, can you start taking people away? The rest of us will stay and get more out."
"We should take them too," argued Rachel. Elan nodded.
"Ok, they can leave. I'll stay though."
She interrupted Trey before he could argue.
"You saw the state Sarah was in, more of them could be like that. I've been able to heal for longer than you, I have more experience at it. I stay."
....................................................................................................................................................
Once upstairs, Moira slumped to the floor. This news had terrified her to her very core, somehow she knew that this Company was how these termed her friends. If what that man had boasted of was true, they could now destroy them. Annhiliate them. She shivered. Was there nothing she could do to save them? She couldn't just let this happen! And yet, she had no way of contact. In despair, she slumped further, covering her face with her hands. She prayed that no one would come up to see her; she couldn't yet hide this.
Hearing footsteps downstairs, she slid to the stairs, sat silently on the topmost step and eavesdropped. A large number of people seemed to have entered. Nevertheless, their voices drifted up clearly.
"It was Elan's idea. Not sure what we can do with them all, hide some maybe, and help the rest go into hiding. Maybe some'd join us. Anyway, we couldn't just leave them. You should have seen the state of the place, Stevens."
An American accent. The empath, whatever his name was. Trey?
"Whatever, we'll cope. I guess this is why we started the Organisation, why we joined. Anyway, I want all of you to take a look at what I've found..........."
Their voices faded as he led them away, deeper into the house. She hesitated. The temptation to follow bit at her, despite or perhaps because of the risk that would entail. She chewed on her lip for a while before deciding.
She pressed an ear to the door, leaning in closely. Luckily, all their guests were away by now, left or in their allocated rooms.
"We've got a location for this one." The older man. Stevens.
"Who?" A young woman, Moira couldn't say which. But her urgency was vivid even when muffled by the wood.
"Esther Hancock. A televoyant - she can give herself visions of distant events. Should be an OK target, if we can get close enough." Stevens again.
"We'll talk about this later. Right now, we have to go get more of these."
Moira threw herself away from the door, but no one exited. Slowly, she realised they must have teleported out. She had been lucky. But it still did not solve her dilemma; she was still helpless to save them. Or was she? If those files contained locations, they might also contain contact information. Grimly, she determined to look at the nearest opportunity possible.
....................................................................................................................................................
After watching the other 2 leave, Lincoln had searched the rubble for Becker. A difficult and slow task, made more so by the caution he deemed necessary. Becker had beaten him before. He had escaped. And Lincoln himself had barely survived.
"Not this time," he muttered. "This time, I'll stop that bloody son of a bitch."
Stepping over the grisly remains of another member of that group, he found himself reminiscing of his first meeting with Becker. The memory was still strong, despite the intervening years. He could almost taste the bloodlust coming from the man, the desire for pain, hatred and misery. That was fuel for him. And he did not care what it took from others, as long as he had what he needed.
Lincoln shook his head; he had to be more careful. Every negative thought, every memory he relived, would only give Becker that fuel. He could not do so. Brusquely, he forced his thoughts into a more positive direction. This time, he told himself, he would succeed. He would stop Becker. The man would no longer darken their cities, and then, he, Lincoln, would be free.
Glancing around, he noticed that the dust rising from the ground had increased. It now cloaked the rubble, hiding it from sight. And grey, not brown, darkening by the hour, fed, no doubt, by the prisoners inside. He bit back a selection of swearwords. As he had predicted, Becker had survived. Grimly, he focused his ability, ready for the battle.
Becker rose, barely visible from within the swirling, jetblack smoke which healed and protected him. Nevertheless, his expression was obvious from the scorn in his voice when he spoke.
"Giving me another chance to kill you, North? Man, I'm so fucking glad you fell into the trap! I knew about that bloody asshole telling you lot. Did make it more interesting though."
Without wasting his breath replying, Lincoln manipulated the air molecules to kill Becker, as he had with Wendy Young. Or attempted to. Becker blocked it effortlessly.
"Man, its miserable here, isn't it?" he boasted, absurdly cheerfully.
The black cloud coiled and thickened around him as he spoke. Its threat was inmistakable, rife with the desire to destroy. Small strangling tendrils drifted out. They wove through the rubble, reaching out, tangling around Lincoln's feet, seeking sustenance or victims. Trying in vain not to panic, he attempted to cut through them, but in vain. They simply strengthened. Thickened. Swirled outwards nauseautingly. Becker watched, smiling mockingly, toying with his prey.
The smoke pulsated outwards. It devoured all in its path: buildings, rubble, prisoners and guards alike. Then it receded, leaving only Becker standing in an empty circle.
"I told you that the next time we'd meet, you'd breathe your last breath," he muttered as he walked away.

Kent: We can't ignore this, it's too big a chance to let go. What worries me, though, is that they must have noticed what happened by now. What if they know that we know this? It could be a trap. And yet if it is, we have to step into it.
Beth: What happened? Trey and Elan returned, but they were alone. I thought they were going to free the rest of the prisoners, but they didn't bring any back. No one will mention it. Something must have gone wrong.
Danielle: What do I do now? I got away, but I've no idea where I am, who would help me, who I should avoid....what can I do? I don't think I can continue on my own; I need someone to help me.
....................................................................................................................................................
"Are we going for this now, then?" asked Elan, her voice steady despite the darkness in her expression. Their recent failure clung to her, the faces and voices of the prisoners, whom they had been too late to save, as vivid in her mind as the circle of emptiness she and Trey had returned to find. If he had not suggested that she run some prisoners out while he teleported others, she too would have been a victim of........whatever had happened. But she was determined to focus forwards. It was no more than another regret among thousands.
"Now? It'd be dangerous. Don't you think we should at least plan it first?"
She knew Stevens was right, but still she longed to go ahead. Caution had never been a large part of her nature, and her doubts and regrets fuelled her impatience, her hatred of waiting. Whenever they waited, the impossibility of what they were attempting would strike her. The fears raised almost made her want to turn away, but she couldn't. Despite this, she knew he was right. They could not risk failure here.
"Shall we start planning then? What do we know about her?" she asked.
"Name, location, ability........it says she's "lightly guarded", whatever that means. No details. So we really should all go. And it also has plans of her home."
"And what if they expect us to come?" asked Kent harshly.
"We just have to be unexpected," replied Beth softly. She seemed unsure of herself, but she continued. "Plan ahead, have backup ideas. At least we've considered that they might be forewarned. And we've already decided that this is too important an opportunity to ignore."
Trey remained silent. No sign of Lincoln had been seen after the battle; he knew that he had been killed. And despite knowing that this had been likely since Lincoln had first encountered Becker, and that it was an outcome Lincoln had long since accepted; Trey still felt the blame. It had been he who had asked Lincoln to join them. He knew that this would have, most likely, happened elsewhere otherwise. But it hadn't. And a part of the responsibility fell on him. Now, he felt as though he should no longer voice an opinion on any plans. What if that led to another death?
They all acknowledged that Beth was right. If this was too much risk for them, then they wouldn't have been in that room at that moment.
....................................................................................................................................................
"Where are we going next?" asked Rachel. "They say you're all healed now, we shouldn't stick around for long. This place, these people, they're dangerous."
"What else can we do?" muttered Sarah, without looking at her sister. Sometimes, these days, her caution made her almost unrecognisable. She had believed that Rachel had understood her new determination to fight, but it seemed otherwise.
"Leave? Go back home?"
"That's what Hex tried, and he got caught," she replied."There aren't any safe places left, Rachel. Are you going to keep running for the rest of your life?"
She did not answer. She could not. She remained silent, incredulous. What did Sarah plan to do, then? Stay? With these? Did she not realise how fruitless this war was, how thin was any chance of victory for their side? Better to stay out of it, and not become yet another martyr to this cause. But she could not voice these questions and concerns. She knew how they would seem, how her sister would interpret them. She did not wish Sarah to think of her as a heartless coward.
Sarah watched as Rachel remained as she was, still and silent, and understood the unspoken answer.
"I'm staying," she muttered, staring at the floor. Rachel blinked. Although she had suspected that Sarah was beginning to feel this way, she was still unprepared to hear it confirmed.
"I'm not."
"You're leaving? Now?" asked Sarah. She still did not look up. If she did, Rachel would see the tears she was desperately forcing back, see the grief which she could keep from her voice but not her face. She did want to lose her sister. Not when they had only just found each other again, after losing each other over and over again. But neither did she want to keep her here in such a dangerous situation. And she could not flee herself.
Rachel nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She never thought they would part of their own volition, yet here they were, the second time within days. Parting.
"Goodbye then. Try to be careful, will you? Don't get yourself killed for this."
"You too."
They embraced, then Rachel turned away to face the wall. She was shaking, her hands clenched. Her breathing harsh, she forced herself to step forwards, slamming herself into the wall as if she hoped to erase herself against it. Then, once more, she was gone. As soon as she had left, the tears streamed thick and fast down Sarah's face.
....................................................................................................................................................
Danielle forced herself to stumble forwards, exhausted though she was. She had been walking around all day. And the day before. Ever since she had escaped. She had not slept, and she was by now near collapse, but she could not stop. Nowhere was safe. She had manipulated strangers into giving her food and shelter, but she could not sleep in case the effect wore off while she was unconscious. There was nowhere to hide where she could be certain she would remain undetected.
Or at least, nowhere here. She was far away from the only place which was even remotely safe for her kind. Far away from the people who would hide her and help her, the people who had saved her, the people who would fight and even die for their kind. Why had she left? She had believed that it was too dangerous, that it was safer elsewhere, away from the fight. But there was nowhere safe anymore. She had run from the only refuge possible, and now she had no way of regaining it. She was alone. Her ability had its uses, but it could not protect her forever. It could not bring her back to them, or bring them to her.
Miserably, she stared down at her feet. What was she to do now? She slumped down near a doorway and crawled into its meagre shelter, lacking the energy to drag herself further onwards. She used her ability to manipulate her auma, give herself that little bit more energy and motivation. Enough to remain awake, she could do no more. She curled up in a ball, and placed her palms upon her eyes to force them open.
In that position, she could not see properly, and at first she dismissed the flash of light for an optical illusion, or reflected glare from the windows of the nearby buildings. She only glanced upwards when she realised that the light was followed by footsteps.
Carefully, cautiously, she eased herself from the shadows in order to get a better view of the figure approaching. A young woman, tall and slight, with light brown hair, and pale green eyes made red with tears. The woman glanced around her, not in suspicion, but as if she was searching for how she should go. She looked as alone as Danielle felt. And she was one of them: how else would she be there? Maybe she could help. At the very least, she'd be some company. Danielle stepped forwards, and approached her. As she did, the woman turned to face her clearly, and Danielle started. She recognised her. Suddenly, she was back in the Company lock-up again, the first time she had been imprisoned. Seeing once more the face of the woman opposite, her fear and loss vivid. It was her.
"What are you doing here, Sarah?" she asked.
....................................................................................................................................................
Amy crawled further into the tight space in the attic, and pressed her face against the window pane. She and Moira had hid up here after she had tired of eavesdropping at the meeting room's door. They had been unable to understand all that was said, but it had disturbed Amy, and Moira too, from her expression. So Amy had suggested that they creep up here, and try to distract themselves with the outside world. She gazed out, through the mist created by her breath, at the rows of houses, the streets.....so much normality. A world she could no longer reach, a life that was no longer hers. Nostalgia began to creep in, remembering how things had been, so easy, so simple. But she shook her head. Things changed. Did she really wish she hadn't manifested? She'd be dead otherwise. And all of this came with being an evolved human.
Her thoughts cleared, she once more peered out through the glass. Her focus was improved now. Enough to notice the figures moving about below. Their actions seemed innocent enough; they could have been simply passers-by. But they were not: she could tell. An aura of destruction hung about them, which she could sense from here. She pointed them out to Moira, but the girl seemed indifferent.
"Well?! What do you think?" muttered Amy. "They look creepy."
The girl shrugged.
"Dunno. They seem OK to me."
Amy stared outside once more. How? Did she not sense that strange unnaturalness from them? They should not be here. She turned again, and looked closely at Moira. Small beads of sweat gleamed in the dim light as they trickled down her face, and her jaw was clenched. With a pang, Amy understood. The poor girl must be terrified, almost out of her wits. The nonchalance was simply an act.
"What are we going to do, then?"
Moira stared at her blankly, confusion open on her face.
"We have to do something. Warn the others. They're here to attack the hideout, if the Organisation are warned they can escape, or prepare to fight, or......" she explained. Moira shook her head.
"We have to," Amy insisted. She slipped from the window, and crept out of their hiding place. She glanced over at her friend once, then left to warn them.
Her hand shook as she raised it to knock upon the door. She told herself not to be so silly - they needed to know. She had the right to interrupt their meeting, when she was bringing such news.
They opened at once, and ushered her in, gazing at her expectantly. She swallowed.
"There's......there's people......outside.....I think...........I think they're here to attack."
Their faces reflected the shock and anxiety she herself felt. But they also showed a determination which gave her hope.
....................................................................................................................................................
While the others hurried with preparations for the fight, Elan hesitated, torn between her 2 commitments. She felt as she was trapped in slow motion and her life, as it was, was being whirled by past her. Never before had she felt that the 2 were pulling her in opposite directions, never to this degree. Never before had pursuing her personal vendetta asked her to effectively abandon her comrades and friends. Not until now. And she did not know what to do. If anything happened to any of them and she was not there to protect them, to fight beside them...............and yet such a chance as this might never come again. She knew why this attack was happening, it was a distraction. The Company knew. And if this was the strategy they chose, then perhaps the opportunity was valid. The opportunity to strike what might be a blow of victory in this war. And the opportunity to finally begin avenging her brother.
She shook her head, wondering faintly why none had noticed her confusion or remarked upon it. Surely she must be frozen in the spot, with her expression lost and distant? It seemed not. What was she doing? Caught in between her options like this, she was completing none of them. Brusquely, she forced it out of her thoughts, and continued in the preparations.
But still the chance haunted and dogged her. She began to wonder why she was staying, what difference it would make if she truly did leave. The others were experienced fighters; they could defend themselves this once in her absence. After all, she wouldn't be gone long.
She gritted her teeth. As soon as she had thought that, she realised that she could not stay.
....................................................................................................................................................
Elan tried her best to hide what she was planning, and she fooled all except Trey. He noticed that she had been different since they had heard of the approaching attack: silent, inverted. She'd spent her time alone, while still preparing for the defence. As if she was hiding something.
"You're going after Hancock, aren't you?" he stated. She did not deny it. There was no point in doing so.
"You're not stopping me," she replied, instead.
He shook his head.
"I'm not trying to. You've got every right to do this; I of all people would know that. But you're not going alone."
"This is my business!" she argued. "It has nothing to do with you! I don't want any of you involved!"
He hesitated. He understood her argument, but he could not let her go alone.
"I know, I'll stay out of it. But you're likely to need help getting in. And every time you go on a mission alone, you nearly get yourself killed. I'll just be there to have your back, that's all."
She did not answer, still uncertain and reluctant.
"How were you going to go, anyway?"
"Through the window. Fast."
He nodded.
"Risky," he mentioned. "Teleporting would be simpler."
She paused. She knew he was right, and yet................she did not want any of the others there. As she had said, it was her business. Or was it? Earlier, she had told herself that it was about more than Daniel, it was also an action they required for any chance of victory. How then could she claim that it had nothing to do with any other Organisation member? She had no right to do so.
"I guess I could do with some backup," she admitted.

Rachel: What do I do now? I got away, I left them, but........I've nowhere to go. Do I just wander around forever? Just keep running, like Sarah said? Looks like it. What else is there to do?
Elan: I'm finally here. I'm finally doing this. After 5 years, no..... 7, after all that waiting................ it has come. I can hardly believe it. All of that fighting, hiding, living for this moment.........and it's here. But now, I regret it. I shouldn't have................but I had to, I had to leave them. I made my decision. I took long enough. Now I just have to go on with it.
Stevens: What are we doing? There's not a chance we can get out of this safely, not by fighting through. That'll be why they left: Trey and Elan - they knew this is a dud. We should have evacuated. It's fine for us, for people like me, and Kent. We signed up for this. We've been here long enough to know what we're doing. But not the others, not Sarah, or Beth, or those girls.
....................................................................................................................................................
"Sarah?"
Rachel started at the familiar name, though the voice was unknown to her. Another surge of guilt stabbed her. She shook her head, telling herself, again, that she had done nothing wrong. Sarah had chosen to stay. It didn't mean she had to as well. She looked again at the speaker. A young girl, barely in her teens, exhausted and beaten, in dust-stained and torn clothes.
"Who are you?" she asked. "How.......how do you know Sarah?"
The girl stared at her without understanding.
"Sarah?" she asked again. Rachel sighed.
"Sarah's my sister. How do you know her?"
Again, she stared. Once more, Rachel noted her condition. She was too drained to be coherent.
"Look, can I help you or something? I'm Rachel."
"Danielle. Where..........where did you come from? Where's Sarah? She was with me in the lock-up. Before they saved us all."
Rachel nodded. She remembered what had happened.
"Sarah stayed behind, with the Organisation."
Danielle's eyes gleamed at that name.
"The Organisation?" she babbled. "Did you come from them? Can you take me to them?"
She shook her head.
"I left them. Why do you want to go to them anyway? It's safer as far away as possible. You're too young to be a martyr to them, all of us are."
"No, I thought that before, but it's wrong. There's nowhere safe now. At least they'd protect us, fight for us............"
"And expect us to fight in return!" retorted Rachel harshly. "And even if we don't, we'd more than likely end up as accidental victims of their war!"
Danielle stared at her, shocked.
"You're not going to help, are you?" she asked finally. "You might as well leave then. Again."
She turned her back on Rachel, and stumbled away.
....................................................................................................................................................
Elan glanced around at once as they appeared: defensive instincts kicking in, she searched for guards and traps. Uneasiness surged through her as she spotted none. What did that mean? Were they waiting inside, or preparing some unpredictable, inescapable ambush? It was too much to hope for that there would be none. She knew that. Watching Trey, she noticed that he too was surveying the area, and finding nothing. The unease grew. She shrugged, trying to force it down, as there was nothing either could do.
"Where next?" he whispered. She gestured, pointing towards a low building half hidden in the shadow of the landscape.
"According to the plans, there's a side entrance. Electronic lock system, but we could take that down."
He nodded, saying nothing of his doubts. It seemed too easy. But he knew that she'd be aware of this, too. They would both be careful. They expected a trap.
A feeling of being watched grew upon Elan. With a jolt, she remembered what her target's ability was. Was she watching, even now? Watching, as her hunters drew in, preparing a retaliatory strike? She had been so confident that the trap was back at the base. Was she wrong? Were there 2 traps? Everything they did could have been monitored and played. Just like the Company did.
"Maybe.....we should split up. One of us go search, or......just in case it is a trap. We could use telepathy to communicate, anyway.........it's not like we'd be alone........"
She fell quiet, already sensing his reaction to her suggestion. She knew, it was dangerous.
"I'm not trying to give you the slip, Trey. Just for now, for better reconnaissance."
He hesitated, then agreed. He left, disappearing as soon as he did. Elan crept on, trying to shake the feeling, yet again, that she had made a mistake. Nothing will happen, she reassured herself, scanning the area and listening out with telepathy.
....................................................................................................................................................
They were finally prepared. All afternoon and evening, the attackers had waited there, hardly moving, leaving them to ready their defences without interruption. Nothing had happened. This strange behaviour, instead of alleviating any fears the remaining Organisation members had, only added to the unnatural aura around their assailants. If any addition was needed. They were close enough to be recognised, and that was the only evidence necessary.
"What are they waiting for?!" hissed Kent, tense and impatient.
"Some signal, most likely," muttered Stevens. "We all know they're not here on their own accord. Just like the Company, to rip up these poor pawns instead of risking their own agents."
Kent stared at him, showing disbelief at his words. Poor pawns? They couldn't have changed that much, even if for now they were being used by the enemy.
"You take that one, remember?" reminded Stevens.
"As we agreed."
They both glanced over at Beth, the remaining defender. She stood ready to aim the first of many heat blasts at the enemy. Inside, both Sarah and Amy were waiting, a sortie at need.
Stevens nodded at her, indicating she start. As she fired, he murmured under his breath: "She hits."
Soon, he was too busy repelling enemy strikes to be able to increase her accuracy. The house shook as it was battered by arcs of electricity and fatal crimson beams, each narrowly missing the defenders. He looked at Kent. The man was concentrating intensely, biting deeply into his lip. But he was winning. The evidence of that was obvious. Otherwise, they'd already be lost, defenceless, senseless from his target's own attack. Stevens shuddered at the thought.
"We're ready."
He glanced up at the voice. Sarah, and Amy. He swallowed, forcing back that familiar nagging fear that something will go wrong. It won't, he told himself. Just because of what happened last time........He shook his head. Much as Amy reminded him of her, she isn't. It won't be like that. She can protect herself, and she won't be distracted. He watched as she spread her bubble over Sarah, and the young woman turned both invisible. He then listened as they left.
....................................................................................................................................................
Disappointed and hopeless, Danielle wandered on. The experience had done her some good: her earlier fatigue had left, replaced by bitterness. The words she had spoken clung to her like acid, burning truth. How had Rachel become like that? How could she feel that way? Turn away; leave, as she had said? But she knew the answer. It was written within the auma which haunted her still, defeat personified.
She shook her head in an attempt to clear it. Nothing had changed: she had been helpless before, and she was helpless now. Or was she?
Suddenly, she was struck by the memory, fresh and vivid, of the time she had first manifested. Seeing her friend Susanna's aura and auma, with her ability of wind manipulation. Reaching out, to examine the aura, copy the ability. The memory of Rachel's aura was still strong.
Doubts shadowed her. Never before had she done this by memory. Was it even possible? Yet she did not hesitate. She could not. She closed her eyes, focusing on the exact detail of her transportation ability as she had seen it in the aura. Gradually, the complexities unwound themselves, until she understood exactly what to do.
....................................................................................................................................................
Numbly, Rachel stared at the corner around which Danielle had turned. She remembered the girl's expression, sharp with accusations. These stabbed her.
".....not going to help.....might as well leave then......Again......"
She shook, guilt once more hitting her. After all, it was true, she did keep leaving. Running as soon as she could, evading any possible danger. It was her nature. What else could she do? She truly did believe what she had said of the Organisation: it was suicide. Only the newer members, naive and foolish, could ever believe otherwise. Ones like her sister. She sighed. Believing this, she had still left her there........not that she could do otherwise.....but......... Stronger and stronger grew a conviction that she should have done things differently.
Differently? How? She laughed at herself. Was she really trying to convince herself that Sarah had been right, that they both should have stayed behind? Why was she doing this? Even if that was true, there was nothing she could do. No way to fix it. She couldn't exactly go back and remake her decision. She didn't even want to. This way, at least one of them would survive.
"Sorry, Sarah," she whispered, "but it's how it has to be."
She walked on, wishing bitterly that Sarah saw things as she did. She had, before. They had decided, together, to stay out of this. A long time ago, of course. Before Sarah had been caught, and freed by the Organisation. Was that when this started? She could understand how that might have perhaps changed her sister's viewpoint. She remembered, afterwards, Sarah beginning to speak of fighting, changing things. Maybe she should have stopped it then.
But at the time, she recalled, she herself had been caught up in that belief. The shining vision of a world free of the corruption and manipulation of their kind by the Company. Whatever the price. She had longed to fight for this.
She stopped, shocked by what she had regained. That vision had not faded, only forgotten, and the urge to fight for it remained. But still, the instinct to keep running was as strong. What to do?
....................................................................................................................................................
Alone, Elan crept closer to the house, keeping within the dense shrubbery. Still, that feeling of surveillance shadowed her, with no obvious origin. She shook her head. Foolishness. Nothing more than a vague feeling. No one was there, she would have sensed their thoughts.
Moving forwards, she picked up a presence in the opposite direction, where Trey had headed. Not wary or watchful, but still, malevolent. She stopped, hesitating over whether to continue, or to turn from her path to aid him. Did he need it? Whilst deliberating, she sent him a telepathic warning.
"I'll go investigate," he replied. "You continue."
She did so, telling herself that her worries were baseless. He was probably in less danger than she was. After all, he was stronger.
As she reached the eaves of the house, she turned back in shock, reflecting the thoughts she had heard. Him. That was what she had heard. But who? Who would evoke such a strong reaction? She had never sensed such hatred from Trey before: it made him almost a stranger.
Trey's thoughts were now in turmoil, desiring to confront the man, and yet feeling he should return to Elan, aid her as he had come here to do. Hearing that, the truth struck her like a blow. Of course! The man who killed his family, his enemy, the man with metal hands. Hiller.
She paused, understanding completely. She, of all people, could not ask him to turn away from his own personal crusade, and neither could she stand by and let him do so for her sake.
"Go," she thought to him. She walked forwards without looking sideways, focused once more. Reaching the side door, she threw a bolt of electricity at the lock, then slid it open. She entered, knowing none would be there. She walked onwards.
....................................................................................................................................................
The noise, lights and chaos should have been overwhelming. However, the bubble and their invisibility caused a sort of film between them, shielding them off. Sarah noted this half-heartedly, her mind not fully there. It was the situation which overwhelmed her. It did not, could not, feel real. Perhaps that too contributed to this effect, she mused.
They walked onwards, undetectable and lethal. The first of their targets was before them, facing the opposite direction, focused completely upon the house. Electricity flew from his hands, his face avid. He had no idea where the danger was.
He did not need to. A flash of white light, and Sarah, recognising it, pulled Amy backwards. She ran forwards, out of the bubble, joy on her face. That joy fell. The light faded, enabling her to see the girl who had appeared there. Not Rachel.
"Danielle!" gasped Amy, spreading her bubble to envelop both girls."Sarah, she was freed from the lockup the same time as you were, remember? What are you doing here?"
"I came back to help. I saw Rachel, but-------"
Sarah nodded, a bitter lump in her throat. Rachel would not be returning. This was what was to be expected, but still, when she had seen that flash.........
A loud crash, shocking even through the daze she was in, diverted her attention. She span around, stared at the wreck that had become of the house. What had happened? How? Slowly, she was aware of cries of jubilation from their enemies. Amy made as to attack them, but Sarah pulled her backwards, and Danielle manipulated her aura to make her stop. They were heading into the ruins; by the time she would reach them, it'd be impossible to attack without harming the survivors. If there were any.

Well done, I'm sure they'll appreciate it. Anyway, I'm off now. Happy New Year and all that...

Night. And Happy New Year and all that.....

He/she said thanks. What's going on with the forum?

It's being weird

Can you remember the name of Hetty and Kent's dad? Or at least the name you used?

I'll go check.

It's Dave

Thank you. How are you doing by the way?

I'm doing ok, you?

Yeah not bad. I've just started writing another chapter. Had an exam on monday, so haven't had a chance till now. Little break for writing now I think. Have you thought any more about continuing yours or are you undecided?
Heroes has started on the beeb, d'you watch it? I'm sticking with them now, since I don't really like watching online. I'm just impatient!
Thought anymore about joining the new forum?

I'm delaying writing it til my exams finish next week, then I think I'll restart it. Or try to, anyway. Yeah, I've started watching it, just for the ratings really. I still watch online. It'd be too long to wait for a completely new episode otherwise. And I think I've decided not to join, no offence.

i have been watching it on beeb

danny the new episode is awesome i watch them online too, i just get too excited

Flickerflame wrote:I'm delaying writing it til my exams finish next week, then I think I'll restart it. Or try to, anyway. Yeah, I've started watching it, just for the ratings really. I still watch online. It'd be too long to wait for a completely new episode otherwise. And I think I've decided not to join, no offence.

OK that's cool. I'm really looking forward to new chapters. Do you have a plot ready?

None taken I guess. It just means I have to carry on posting FF in two places... It's fair enough, why not though?

I have ideas for a plot a bit like I had for V2. It sort of grew as I was writing it.
Mostly because I've tried using 2 forums before, and didn't really succeed. I'd find myself using one for a while, remembering the other, going there and forgetting the first.

Awesome! I have Arc 2 pretty much planned out. I know the ending at least which is always good. I didn't know how Decisions was going to end until about halfway through!

I guess. Did you join that other random one? Made by a poster called Sylar (that's not confusing at all!) on Wallfly's board, he might have been on the beeb, but I'm not too sure.
Anyway, just thought you might want to reunion with some of the old members. I did suggest you for a mod, but if you're not going to join lol.
Hopefully I'll be able to come on here more often, but I'm scared of spoilers since I'm a terrestrial viewer again (sort of). And I don't have to be worried about that on WF's one.

I joined, I've only used it once though. I was bored, and it looked like they needed members

Another reason not to join then. I'm sure I'll end up confused as to how far the BBC's got.

Yeah, I guess you're right. Might this be the last season of Heroes? I'm a little worried. There are so many mixed opinions from different sources out there. Some seem to say due to DVD sales and online viewing it definitely won't, and some say it is inevitable. Worried!

Don't they have those rumours every season?

Yeah, but the ratings do seem to be a lot lower this season.