Instinctively Totem had drawn his knife when the shadow emerged from behind the air conditioning unit and when he was certain it was Cowboy smoothly tucked it back into its sheath on his belt. "Damn good to see you too." he answered to the Texan's greeting then went on to let him know that the others were fine, "And, Morgan's on the mend." he told him truthfully. Even though the last time he had seen her she was still bleeding he somehow felt that she was doing a lot better. He couldn't explain it scientifically but it seemed as if the spirits were talking to him.

When Cowboy asked about Toril, Totem stiffened. "I was watching him on the news, Cowboy and I don't think he made it." he informed him, "I saw two rockets detonate right when he made the two twisters collide. I made several passes over this area, and saw no sign of him. RAID enforcers and agents, plus the police are everywhere. They have closed this entire area down to make sure we don't escape." Totem then turned and faced south, "The base is this way. What ever you want to do I will follow, I guess if I was lying out there injured I'd be wishing someone was lookin' for me too. I have the spirit of the wolf within me and my senses are sharp, you lead and I'll keep an eye, ear and nose out for any bastards that might be waiting in ambush."




Selena stared at Grey through the rear view mirror, studying him quizzically. She took a long pull on her cigarette, seductively blowing a trail of smoke through her full blood red lips. Tossing her hair to the side, she glanced at Stefan for a brief moment then back to Grey who was still awaiting an answer to his question, but she wasn't about to give it to him. Selena just smiled and stared with her bedroom eyes.



Scavenger could see his buddy checking out the girl. 'Some things never changed', he thought. Grey still had a thing for the ladies, while he himself still preferred them a little younger. Glancing back to the road, Stefan screamed, "Holy shit!" as some homeless dude came out of nowhere. Grey expertly swerved and skidded around the bum swearing and cursing every word in the book as the tail end of the car clipped a mail box and launched it through the window of a closed convenience store.

As they sped away, Stefan hung his head out the window to check out the damage and when he flopped back into the seat shared a malicious grin with Grey then the both of them started laughing insanely. Scavenger slid down into his chair and through his boots onto the windshield and Selena just sat back and watched the two punks delighting in their vandalism, shaking her head with a slight smile on her face.

Amazon saw the internal battle the man was having. Take the help of the dreaded enemy or risk being captured by the authorities. It was never an easy choice to make but in the long run, self preservation won out. Just like she knew it would. Good, bad or indifferent all meta’s had that same trait. It was far better to flee and live to fight another day than to be captured by an agency that has made it their mission to eradicate all meta’s from the face of the earth.

Amazon smiled triumphantly when she finally saw the resolve in Wraith’s eyes. When he faltered those couple of times prior to taking her offered hand, she actually reached out to help support him but he was being stubborn to the very end and refused her aid. Until he had no other choice.

The minute his hand touched hers, he would feel the warmth and know she was indeed quite human despite all things he may have heard about her. Her hand gently closed around his and as he told her about his debt payment, she quickly took his hand and draped it over her shoulder before she leaned down and scooped him up into her arms. Seeing the look that crossed his face, she smiled pretty again.

“Put a cork in it, handsome. You know just as well as I do that you don’t have the strength to do anything right now so just leave the driving up to me. Consider me your own personal Greyhound Bus.”

If his weight was a strain to her, it never showed. She seemed to hesitate a moment before she moved and if Wraith could read minds, he would have blushed at what she was thinking. Did her body pressed against his feel as good to him as his body pressed against hers did to her? Wonder what it felt like with nothing between them? The next instant, she leapt into the air and drifted high into the air making sure she kept well above the buildings. As Wraith glanced down he would see the vehicles with flashing lights quickly converge on the area they had just been standing in. Amazon’s voice slipped softly into Wraith’s ear then as she turned her attention to the direction they were headed.

“We’ll be there in a few minutes. Relax. Nothing’s gonna happen to you. I promise.”

The view of the city was nothing short of spectacular from this vantage point. The city street lights, neon signs, vehicle lights and twinkling traffic signals made for quite a show. When they grew closer to Lake Michigan, Wraith would feel the difference in the air temperature knowing they were getting close to the destination Amazon told him about.

Circling a tall building for a few times before she landed gently on the roof. She set Wraith to his feet but held onto his hand as she guided him to a roof entry door with an electronic key pad. Keying in a series of numbers, the LED turned from red to green and he heard the magnetic lock release on the other side of the door. Pulling the door open, Amazon led him down some stairs to another secured door with the same type of key pad. Keying in the code once more, the door unlocked and she opened that door to lead him into a darkened apartment.

With a flip of a few switches, the lights were lit and Wraith found himself standing in a penthouse suite. The furnishings were exquisite and the place was decorated beautifully with a huge ceiling to floor, stone fireplace as the center piece of the wall in the great room. Antiques from around the world as well as world renowned paintings were set out all over the place. It was wide open and spacious and he could see several rooms off the great room.

Amazon let go of his hand long enough to walk over to a wall of curtains and press the button that automatically opened the heavy drapes. As the drapes opened, Wraith could see Lake Michigan stretched out before him and an in ground pool on the large patio just beyond the multiple sliding doors. Walking back over to him, Amazon smiled and took him by the hand once more and led him further into the penthouse. When Wraith faltered again, she put her left arm around the small of his back and draped his right arm over her shoulder so she could lead him through the place using her as a prop.

“Over here you have your kitchen which should be well stocked. Depending on how long you end up staying, I’ll contact the benefactor to have some stuff brought up to you. Back this way we have the master bedroom suite complete with rain forest bathroom. That little piece was added just for my indulgence. There are two more bedrooms a little smaller than this one off the opposite side of the great room. But with your size, you need this bedroom for right now. Call who ever you need to call but don’t tell them where you are. This is our little secret and if you tell someone, I’ll have to kill you. Since I really don’t like to kill people and you don’t want to be dead, let’s agree on this one thing, shall we. Good.”

Was she kidding around or was she being serious? It was so hard to tell right now. Walking Wraith over to the side of the bed, Amazon turned and helped him ease his large frame down onto the bed before standing back up again in front of him. That constant smile she wore was still there and the twinkle that now seemed to sparkle in her brown eyes was ever present. Her eyes assessed his body once more before she waggled her brows.

“Too bad you’re out of energy, Wraith. I think you and I could have a grand time together. Oh wait….you wouldn’t stoop that low as to let yourself go with….gasp….the enemy. Oh the horror and shame it would bring you.”

Bending over so that she was eye level with Wraith, Amazon leaned in as close as she possibly could without actually touching him. Her eyes focused in on his lips as she whispered seductively against those lips she was focused on.

“Too bad. I’d love to show you what fun a girl from the wrong side of the tracks could give you.”

Slowly pulling away from him, she stood straight once more. Reaching her hand out, she let her fingertips ease through his blond hair before she sighed forlornly and turned on her heel. Calling to him over her shoulder as she spoke, she waved lazily.

“I’ll double check the fridge before I leave. Make yourself at home and stay as long as you wish. No one will bother you. If you need anything before I return tomorrow evening, just pick up the house phone and order it from the lobby. It’ll be sent up with no questions asked.”

When she reached the doorway of the bedroom, she turned and leaned against it letting her eyes slowly ease over his form once more before clicking her tongue and shaking her head.

“Damn shame, Wraith.”

Blowing him a kiss, she struck a French show girl pose with both hands on one side of the door frame, her head tilted back as she looked at him and her leg bent at the knee before she disappeared down the hallway to check the fridge and kitchen for supplies.

“Ce la vie!”

Yelena was worried sick. Tim and Toril were missing. Morgan needed Toril’s medical expertise and to make matters worse, Yelena had no clue where to even start looking for them even if she COULD leave Morgan right now. Which she wasn’t about to do. The girl was distraught enough when she woke up and the last thing Yelena wanted to do was leave her with a group of strangers she didn’t know. No. It was best she remain here with Morgan and help out any way she could.

Still, she hoped Tim and Toril showed up as quickly as they could. SHe would feel much better when they arrived. At least then she wouldn’t have to worry so much about them. And with the others back safe and sound, she could relax a little as well.

Looking around, the shape shifter saw the damage the group had taken. Kekoa had suffered a gun shot wound but thanks to Tim’s field medic quick thinking saved the young man from loosing any more blood than he already had. Anaya appeared to be alright despite some of the bruises and stuff Yelena could see starting to form on the young woman’s dark skin. Totem had suffered some damage to his back but all in all he seemed fine before he left to locate Tim.

Why? Why did these encounters always have to end the exact same way every time? Why couldn’t they just be left alone? Before that stupid Riggs Act, things were doing just fine. Sure they had their share of bumps in the road, but all in all, they were fine. They helped mankind and mankind accepted their help. The meta’s that turned against mankind were being dealt with. And meta’s like Yelena made sure they were dealt with away from society if things got too bad. But now…it seems like they couldn’t escape the mainstream of society no matter how hard they tried. It was almost like they were being lured into the big cities where there was little escape that could be made.

Looking over at Shawn and seeing him retreat to a corner of the room, Yelena knew just exactly how he felt. What she wouldn’t give to become obscure and live a life no one would see or find. With a sigh, knowing things would never be that easy ever again, Yelena went back to the room Morgan was resting in to remain by the young woman’s side until the others arrived.

Morgan was awake when Yelena walked in to the room. She was laying on her back, staring at the ceiling. One thing Yelena would notice was the hardness in Morgan's eyes, a hardness that wasn't there before. Morgan moved her eyes to look at Yelena before returning her gaze to the ceiling. She didn't know what to say to the shifter and sorry just seemed to lame. So, she didn't say anything just yet.

When Yelena pulled up a chair and sat down next to the bed, Morgan finally moved her head, looking directly at her.

"What do you want, Lena? Do you want to say 'I told you so'? Go ahead. I deserve it. My father was apparantly right in one thing. 'A demon can't help others. A demon can try to be good, but even those deeds will turn bad because they were done by a demon.'"

Morgan gave a sarcastic laugh at the look on Yelena's face, her guilt overriding her common sense, filling every empty space she had inside of herself.

"What, you look confused, Lena. Well, little Morgan has seen the truth now. My actions have done nothing but bring more trouble to you all and now Tim is out there somewhere because of what I did. Tim had told me that the group's safety was number one priority, so I took him seriously and thought I'd get rid of my father since he was working for RAID. Yea, that really worked out well, didn't it?"

Morgan once again laughed, looking away from Yelena so she wouldn't see the tears shining in her eyes. Once she was composed, she turned back, dark circles under her eyes, lines of pain lining her face.

"Daddy was right, Lena and I see that now. A demon can't do a good deed for she is evil and evil can't do good. You all would have been better off to leave me there. Frank would still be dead and RAID wouldn't know that you all were here."

Rolling over onto her right side, Morgan became quiet, silent tears trickling down her face and across her nose to drip onto the pillow.

"Go away, Lena. I will use what I have to find Tim and then I think I'll call it a day."

Yelena listened to Morgan talk and what she heard from the young woman angered her more than anything. One thing Yelena didn’t care for was self pity and right now, Morgan had that written all over her. Unfortunately, for Morgan, there was only one way Yelena knew how to deal with self pity.

“Were you born this pathetic or do work hard at being like this?”

When Morgan slowly turned her head to look back at Yelena, she would see the anger clearly showing in the shape shifters eyes as that golden, metallic color began to bleed through.

“You think you first one to do something like this? Not just no but hell no. And you won’t be last. You learn many lessons today and biggest one is the trust what friends say. We never….NEVER….let father get hands on you, no mater what. Patience is what needed to be practiced. Something you obviously not know about. You act like you only one to have special abilities that cause family members to look at you like freak. I got news, sister. You not alone in that category so stop acting like you are. Look past own nose and see who you in company with. Others stories are not so unlike yours. The only difference between you and rest of us is we understand what makes us different and if family not understand, then that their loss. But for you to wallow in own self pity like lazy pig ready for slaughter house, you not do it around me. You want babying, then fine, you find babying. But you not get babied by me. You are woman. Grown…woman. Act like one.”

Yelena got up from the chair she had occupied when she entered the room and walked to the door way then turned to give Morgan another hard look.

“Das vidonya, Morgan.”

With that, she shape shifter left the girl alone and went to seek privacy else where. Passing through the main area Yelena saw Shawn huddled in the corner still and walked over. Gently placing her hand on his shoulder, she took his device in her hands and typed out a message for him.

Want me take you to room for privacy? I find some for self too.

At first, Shawn gave her a cross look at being disturbed but when he read her message, he nodded reluctantly. Yelena stood up and waited for the young man to get to his feet. Once he stood up, she took his hand and placed it on her shoulder then slowly led him down the corridor to a quiet room. Leadingd Shawn into the room, she guided him to the edge of the bed. If he wanted to sit down, he’d be able to do it on his own. Taking the device in her hands again, she typed out another short message.

Thanks for help today. Would be gone if not for you. Rest well.

As soon as Shawn had the device back in his hands, Yelena turned and headed out of the room seeking a room of her own. Her quest took her to a set of sliding glass doors that led to a private balcony. Checking to see if anyone was watching and seeing that no one was, she slowly eased the door open and stepped out into the night air. Closing the door behind her, she found a louonge chair and sat back looking up at the twinkling stars overhead. Closing her eyes, she tried not to think of everything that happened this day.



If only it were that simple.

Morgan stared at the door where Yelena had slammed out, confused.

They didn't blame her? But they should. Why didn't they blame her? She didn't understand and was beginning to wonder if she ever would. She'd been alone for too long, maybe. She'd hadn't had to care about anyone else but herself for the longest time and then Tim came along and all of that had changed.

She curled up on her side, calling to the every animal she could come in contact with within a 5 mile radius, draining even more of her strength, stretching her abilities as far as they could go, but she no longer cared. She had to get Tim back to safety somehow.

She called to pigeons, squirrels, raccoons, dogs, cats, rats, and mice, even the few hawks that resided in Chicago, more animals than she'd ever called at one time, her eyes glowing brighter than they'd ever glowed before. She projected Tim's image into all of their heads along with his smell, making finding him the utmost importance and bringing him back to where they all were, at Allie's apartment.

Once she was done, her eyes lost their glow and were dull, frightening so. Yelena was right, self pity was for others, not them. So she began working on hardening herself, withdrawing into herself so that she wouldn't feel like this again.

When Tim would eventually return, he would find a Morgan that was different for the new Morgan was burying the innocent Morgan. The one who enjoyed life and carried her heart on her sleeve would be gone, but not dead. Just buried deep where she wouldn't get hurt anymore.

Wraith wasn't used to being man-handled especially by a woman, in fact he had never experienced being at the mercy of such a powerful yet appealing female ever. Perhaps he might have enjoyed the close contact if he wasn't feeling noxious but by the time they made it to the roof top, the man who literally walked on air was thankful to feel solid ground beneath his feet.

Passing through the two security doors, Wraith noted the magnetic locks and air tight seals. He wouldn't be getting out that way. When she turned on the lights, the super-hero staggered into a vast room adorned with treasures and antiquities from around the world but all he saw was a display of ill gotten goods. He had no doubt that she would counter his accusations with stories that justified her acquisition of her expensive collection, but he hadn't the strength nor the inclination to banter with his benefactor. No matter what she would always be a thief in his books. Still he owed her, if she hadn't flown him away, he'd probably be in the custody of RAID or worse and so he would turn a blind eye to her villainy at the present moment.

When she opened the wall of curtains to reveal the night-scape of Lake Michigan, Toril made a mental note of their location in relation to the angle of the lake, or at least he tried. Chances are he wouldn't be able to pin point the building but he would at least have an idea of its general vicinity. The swimming pool was also a nice touch, making Wraith shake his head in disgust of the money she had allotted, but he was weary and instinctively she had carried him to the bed in the master sweet. She lied him down gently onto the soft mattress and seductively leaned over him like a lioness toying with her prey. Wraith could feel the heat burning over him, the pounding of his heart in his tensed chest when he allowed himself to gaze upon her long, powerful legs and micro thin waist line and her...

He closed his eyes and drew his hand across the exposed part of his face, letting his hands trail down to the point of his chin. 'Focus Wraith. Just focus.', he told himself, as he watched Amazon exit the room. He'd never forget that body, but her face was too obscured by the ornate emerald war paint, so he wouldn't know her unless more of her was revealed and even then he'd be hard pressed to know for sure.

Now that he was sure that she didn't intend to harm him, Wraith felt secure to let himself fall asleep. He needed it. He started to drift off thinking that he'd just rest for a few hours then replenish himself so that he could make sure that no one unduly risked their lives looking for him. Hopefully they just thought he was dead. As, Wraith drifted on then, it was quite evident that he would be sleeping far longer than a few hours considering the time and what he had been through. If he managed to wake up before nine in the morning it would be a miracle.

Unfortunately, despite the laughter, the shock of the swerve and the swearing that ensued set Grey off and he continued to swear loudly and uncontrollably as they moved down the empty streets towards the flashing lights.

"F$*&! Shit! Asshole!... f*&%in' hobo," he mumbled, taking a long pull on his cigarette before tossing it out the window, his head twitching. "DICK!" They pulled up a few yards away from where the streets were blocked off and Grey caught the tell-tale sounds and lights of RAID. Grey exchanged an uncomfortable glance with Scavenger. "F$%#in pigs," he said, "PIG! PIG!"

"Shit, dude, what the f$&^ happened around here?" said Scav as he surveyed the damage that had become evident as they drew closer. When Grey stepped out of the car and peered around the buildings at the debris and smoke reflecting the flashing lights, Scavenger sat up. "What the hell're you doin, Grey?" Strolling up to the cop standing behind the caution tape, Grey tried to lean past him when the cop held up a hand to stop him.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"Get outta here, son," said the cop, "it's dangerous. There are loose metas running around. They did this," he said, motioning to the damage which proved to be catastrophic. "You're best bet would be to turn around and get as far away from here as you can. Ya never know where those freaks could be hiding." Grey glanced around the cop for another moment, his gaze settling on the RAID truck parked across the street, before meeting the cop's eyes, noticing the strange look the cop was giving him. While he'd healed significantly, Grey still had a black eye, a pretty good bruise on the other side of his face, and a cut on his lip. Saying nothing else, Grey turned and headed back to the car, opening up the driver side door and looking back at the girl.

"There's cops and shit all over. No one's gonna mess with you. Get out," he said, coldly as his face twitched, "WHORE!" he shouted then looked away.

Tim smiled at Totem and said quietly "Well Russell, dead or alive, I reckon we best be gittin' ta findin' Toril. I shur as hell ain't lettin them R.A.I.D. bastards havin his body ta go cuttin' up like a slaughterd cow. Ifin' ya ain't figured it out yet, I ain't partial ta leavin' a fallen comrade behind. Family got a right ta be sayin' goodbye ta family an puttin' him ta rest proper, ya know?"
Tim then walked to the edge of the roof and looked out over the night time skyline of Chicago. Off in the distance he could see the lights of a ship crossing Lake Michigan. Tim glanced at Russell, aka: Totem, standing beside him then back out over the city and said softly "Damn I miss tha open range, feel kinda like a caged coyote in one of them thar zoos in a big city. Hell any city big or small, ain't 'nough room ta take a proper breath." He exhaled a long breath and said "Let's git ta it." then stepped back from the edge and walked over to a fire escape ladder.

Amazon made sure the things in the fridge were still good. Not that they wouldn’t be. The hired help always kept things fresh. Speaking of the hired help. Picking up the phone, she made a quick call and cancelled the daily cleaning until further notice. When she hung up the phone, she walked back towards the bedroom to make one last check on Wraith.

Seeing him fast asleep, she moved silently closer. He was about the only man she’d ever met that was taller than she was. Well…the only man she found appealing that was taller than her anyway. Too bad things wouldn’t work out between them. She’d enjoy matching wits with him. He wasn’t all about the brawn and proved he had a brain he used as well.

Walking to the end of the oversized king bed, she pulled the blanket from the end up and covered his still form. Once more her fingers eased through his hair and this time, she leaned down to peck his cheek softly then whispered softly in his ear.

”Sweet dreams, Wraith.”

Standing back up, she sighed softly then turned and left the room again. As she made her way through the penthouse, she stopped to pen him a quick note in her feminine writing.

Wraith,

Hope you rested well. The sliding glass doors are always open if you choose to leave before I return. Of course I hope you don’t, but, free will is always a fickle bitch. Take care of yourself and I hope to see you soon.

Yours,
A

Setting the note on the kitchen counter for him to see, she closed the heavy drapes to keep the sun from illuminating the place fist thing in the morning. Turning the lights off as she moved through, she exited the penthouse the same way she came in and left Wraith alone, just as she promised she would.

It was a little while later when Yelena morphed back into her ‘normal’ form and walked back into the apartment. Finding a desk, she took out a notepad and started writing. When she was done, she folded the paper in half and wrote a single word on it.

Cowboy

Finding Anaya, she asked the young woman to please make sure Cowboy got the note. With one last check on Morgan, the shape shifter slipped out of the apartment morphed a hood over her features so no one could get a clear view of her. When she entered the elevator, she pushed the button that would take her to the lower floor of the warehouse.

When the elevator opened up, Yelena stepped out and looked around. The warehouse seemed quiet considering all the activity that had just taken place a little while ago to get them here. Walking out the door of the building she felt the cool rush of air followed by all the scents of the city. All she wanted right now was to find her way to a place that wasn’t quite so densely populated. How she was going to do that, she wasn’t sure. All she knew was that she had to do it now.

Hopefully Tim would understand. Of all her friends, he was the one who seemed to have that same need for wide open spaces. If anyone COULD understand, Yelena knew it was him.

When Anaya looked at the note, she would find it written in Russian and unable to understand what it read.

Я знаю вы не будет счастливы с моим решением, но я чувствую он чего я должен сделать теперь. С всем которое случилось в виду того что я возвратил к положениям, я чувствую ограничиватьле чем всегда. Я не могу двинуть без быть поохощенным одной организацией или другими. Я не могу проводить моя жизнь живя ОН нелегально или в прятать. Я должен мочь чувствовать солнце на моей стороне и получать некоторый свежий воздух время от времени который не включает ход на моя жизнь.


Я знаю я не может пойти домой. Слишком опасно для меня даже думать перемещать назад там. Я сделаю моим путем самое лучшее я могу здесь в положениях. Возможно я могу сделать новый старт где-то. Возможно в Техас и имейте мое собственное ранчо козочки.


Пожалуйста скажите другим до свидания для меня и воспрепятствуйте им знать его был ничего они сделали что сделано мной разрешение. Специально Morgan. Она идет все успокаивание она может получить. Главным образом от вас. Не получите слишком разочарованным с ей. Она до конца много. Ей как только яркое сердце теперь изнурённый и она будет нужно вы помочь ей осуществить там жизнь, котор нужно найти которая не включает смерть и ненависть.

Позаботьтесь, мой старый друг. Zoe давал мне ваш безопасный номер в случае если мне нужно он. Я увижу вас когда наши пути пересекут снова.



Твое
Yelena,

Morgan heard the door open and cracked open any eye, seeing Yelena checking on her before shutting the door once again. The way she looked, she had a feeling that Lena was leaving, for how long, she didn't know. But, she understood. She herself hated cities and as soon as she could she had planned on finding somewhere more open, less people.

Opening her eyes, she concentrated again, focusing on the bats now, merging with one of them, using their eyes and sonar to see if she could locate him.

There!! Climbing down a fire escape. From the looks of it he was quite a few blocks from Allie's warehouse apartment. She switched animals and located a raccoon nearby scavenging through a garbage can. Merging with the animal she directed it to where Tim would be climbing down, having the animal waiting on him. Once Tim was down, he would see the raccoon raise a paw at him in greeting, then try to get him and Totem to follow him back to Allie's.

"Amen, brother." Replied Totem to Cowboy's comment about the open range. The urban landscape was foreign to him, and the Haida man had never spent more than a week in a city at one time. The woods were his home and the skills and experience he had developed was wasted in the concrete jungle.

Looking eastward through the buildings, Totem gazed upon the moon which had just begun to rise over the black surface of the lake. "Kúng rises." he muttered referring to it in his native tongue. Her light seemed far more prominent since Wraith's tornado had knocked the power out all around Green Street, but it was a cloudy night and so they would retain their cover of darkness.

"You're right, Cowboy." Totem finally said, "We should find Wraith. Whether he is alive or dead, he deserves a respectful burial." He then looked into the night with his wolven eyes, studying the world brightened to that of day by the rise of the moon. "I think he was thrown to the east. I remember seeing something large streak away from the blast on TV and it might have been Toril. We should head that way first, maybe we'll get lucky."



Not too far away from Totem and Cowboy, Grey and Scavenger were on the perimeter of the disaster area cordoned off by RAID and police, waiting for Selena to get out of their car and go on her own way. Unfortunately, she wasn't going anywhere.

She casually lit herself another cigarette and made herself comfortable in the back seat, a confident smile on her pretty face. "I'm not getting out here." she flatly told them, her eyes darting toward the cops, "You can drop me off somewhere else, and don't get any big *#@$ing ideas, or I'll have these cops crawling all over you in a matter of seconds. You get me." She threatened.

Scavenger who had been staring at her from over his seat turned around and said nothing. He glanced over at Grey the worry evident in his eyes.



Sigma drove slowly down the Bridgeport streets as he intently listened to some late night radio host talk about the latest meta-human event that had just occurred north of Greek town, around Green street. "Why the hell, were the others creating a scene in their own part of town anyway!" he wondered then cursed aloud, "Damn fools!" It was only a matter of time now before they were exposed and after a years time he was just finally getting used to the place.

Slate parked his car a couple of blocks away from the apartment of Silicone Surfer and kept the engine running. The night was cool and he wanted to keep the heater on as well and listen to the rest of his radio program. Checking the time, it was only a little after midnight, so he had some time to kill before he met with Grave Sight, if he in fact decided to show up.

Sigma awoke with a start and try as he might to hold fast onto the fleeting memories embedded within his dream they faded away into nothingness the moment his eyes focused on the steering wheel. Thus were the pains of a man without a past, but he was confident that one day he memories would return and until then, he'd make his own memories.

He checked his watch; one in the morning. Still no sign of Grave Sight so Sigma decided to check over Silicone Surfer's apartment one more time and see if he could find anything he might have missed before. Putting on his mask, he slipped down the darkened alley, the collar of his trench coat drawn high and the blueish grey hood of the sweater he wore beneath drawn over his head, obscuring his face all the more. No one was awake, all the tenants were hard working folk and Sigma was able to once again access the fire escape and sneak into Silicone's floor quite easily.

Sigma expertly picked the lock and slipped into the room. He produced a pen light with a blueish coloured beam and began his search for anymore clue that might bring him closer to the truth and as he rounded the corner a man, casual sitting in a chair with his hands clasped before his face was staring at him. If Sigma felt fear like normal people he would have reacted with a yelp and a jump, but instead he just inquisitively shone his light in the man's face, forcing him to shield his eyes with a hand.

"Hello Grave Sight." Greeted Sigma.



"Sigma." The man said with a nod, "I was beginning to think that you were a no show." he commented with his mild new zealand accent, somewhat toned down from his many years living state side.

"Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you, Everet. Have you checked the place over yet?" Inquired Sigma.

The man just smiled. It was never matter of him 'checking' a place since he couldn't turn his abilities off. The moment he had stepped out of his 'psy-scrambled' office building floor where he worked and lived his psychometry had begun to read every step he took. His medication helped him decipher between the now and the past, but he still had deal with the flood of information that his mind wanted to process.

Everet smoothly rose out of the chair and crossed the room. He smoothed any wrinkles in his fine suit then reached out and shook Sigma's hand with no apprehension whatsoever. "It's good to see you, Slate." he said using Sigma's real name, the only one that actually knew it. "I'm sorry about my behaviour earlier, the Surfer was a good friend. I should have come to you sooner."

Sigma didn't trust anyone else with the knowledge of his name and he if he could, would have kept it from Grave Sight as well, but his powerful ability had drawn it out when he was trying to restore Sigma's lost past. Even as they shook hands, Everet still couldn't get a reading off of Slate, even his name was obscured, which was truly an impossible feat considering the magnitude of Grave Sight's ability to see into the past. He actually preferred the silence, however. Slate was the only person he had ever known who he could be around and not be bombarded with a wave of history, even recent events weren't recorded by the odd meta-human. It was as if he didn't exist from a psychic perspective and Everet doubted that other psychics would even get a name from him. He'd never encountered anything like him before.

Allie watched as Yelena left, somehow sensing that she felt penned up and was seeking more open spaces. She understood for the most part for sometimes she felt that way here in the city and would head out to Mikey's ranch that Allie and her father helped her set up to take a breather. That was when she had a brilliant idea.

Grabbing the phone, Allie called Mikey, apologized for waking her as it was close to 1 a.m. and asked if she would come over right away. Mikey, in a sleepy, voice said she'd be there soon. Then, allie called Green Street Base and asked Snap to put the girl Zoe on the phone.

"Zoe, Flaming Angel. Hey, can you get a hold of Cowboy somehow, find out if Totem is with him and if he is, have them use the phone I gave Totem and get their asses back her pronto. I'd appreciate it."

She knew that Mikala would be okay with her plan, but common courtesy called for her to ask first anyway. It would take Mikey a few to get to her apartment since she was sleeping over at the gym as she was prone to do from time to time.

Once she got there, Allie let her in and Mikey waved hi to Ayana and peeked in on Kekoa. Then Allie led her to Morgan's room where Mikey was dropped to her knees from the emotions rolling off of the girl. As Allie helped her regain her feet, Mikey quikcly slammed up stronger blocks to block the girl's pain and....something else.......Mikey couldn't quite put her finger on it. Morgan was different from the innocent girl she'd felt when she'd read the journal.

After that, Allie showed her Shawn and Mikey could feel the need to be treated less like an invalid and more like a normal person. She smiled, admiring the boy's courage.

Once all was done and Mikey told Allie what she'd felt from the two, they sat down on the couch and Allie told Mikey her idea. Move the newbies out to the ranch. They would be close enough to the city that if any help was needed they could get there quickly and Allie would lend them their choice of any of her vehicles in the garage below the warehouse she lived in.

Mikala thought for a moment and decided that she liked the idea. Then Allie told her about Tim, Totem, and Toril and Mikala concentrated, trying to see if she could get a reading. She wouldn't be able to get a reading on Toril as she had nothing to go on, but Tim and Totem she might be able to. Closing her eyes and concentrating on their faces and auras, she got a feeling on where they were at and relayed it to Allie. Allie in turn went to Ayana and informed her that she was going to go pick up the two men and get them back here. If they hadn't found Toril yet, then they could regroup and she would join the search as she was familiar with the city. Maybe even, if they had something of Toril's, Mikey could get a reading or something.

Heading out, she checked on Morgan, seeing that she was once again asleep. Mikey came and stood beside her.

"She is wrought with guilt, Allie and is withdrawing into herself. Why isn't Cowboy here with her? He or the indian may be the only ones who can pull her back from where her soul is heading. She is losing herself, who she is. Becoming hard. We can do nothing to help her."

Allie didn't like the sound of that one bit, but she tried to explain where Cowboy was coming from.

"He wouldn't leave Toril out there alone. And I can understand, I think Morgan does, too. He knew that I would take care of her so he felt okay leaving her with me and the others. Her father did a real number on her."

Mikey turned and walked back into the living room, her eyes much older than her 23 years.

"She wasn't expecting it to be that bad, Allie. I can sense that in her. Her whole plan fell apart and she can barely handle the guilt of it. I can't bear to open myself up to read much more or I will simply break down for the poor girl. You go and collect Cowboy and Totem and then we'll concentrate on Toril and getting these guys moved out to the ranch if that is what they choose to do. I will stay and keep an eye on Morgan. Ayana has Kekoa under control, or as much as one can have water under control."

Allie headed for the elevator and once inside, pressed the button that would take her underground to the garage. There, she looked at her toys. A black Harley Davidson sportster, the black '68 Mustang, a 2010 flaming red Chevy Camaro, a 2009 Dodge Charger and a 2009 black Dodge Ram truck with full cab and four doors. Choosing the Camaro, she headed out headed for where Mikala had seen Tim and Totem in her vision, hoping that they were still there or somewhere close by.