The RAID enforcer, Pete scowled at Morgan as she thrust the gun under his chin. He couldn't believe that Stan was right! Following the instructions of the girl, he continued to to working away on her fake injuries but as he did he whispered angrily to her, "My partner's already on to you and we have already sent for back up, they'll bee here in a few more minutes. Give up now and you might live through this."

Stan watches from the cab as his partner worked away on the girl then the bloodied driver of the vehicle came staggering out. He clenched his stomach and fell to his knees obscuring his view of his partner. 'Holy shit!', Stan thought to himself. What the Hell was he going to do now? He thought of lending a hand, but then something occurred to him. Why didn't Pete jump up and help the injured man? He didn't even react. The whole situation just wasn't sitting right with the experienced enforcer and he quickly through on an armoured vest in preparation for what he feared was to follow.

As Tim Rutherford watched the remaining enforcer through half-closed eyes he observed, Stan as he quickly punched a code into a keypad on the wall at the back of the cab and a heavy iron door slid open granting passage into the back of the van. He then engaged the van's loud speaker and tested his theory. "Pete! If you're okay return to the truck, alone. Now!" He requested, his voice echoing through the forest around them.

If Pete made his way back to the transport with no incident, Stan would be able to put his mind at rest and lend a hand. If not, he'd follow protocol and seal himself into the back of the van with the prisoner. According to RAID procedure, they were never to negotiate with meta-humans and no prisoners were to leave their custody while still alive. It was a situation that Stan had never imagined he would be in, if the worst came true he'd have to kill their prisoner, an unconscious kid to ensure that he never rejoined the resistance.

Sean rises up in the passenger seat slowly. The shadow is takes on a humanoid shape with an arm sliding behind Stan. The other hand moves over his weapon. He then solidifies, looking at the guard. "Do not make a move or a sound. I wouldn't want to have to hurt you." Now in a solid form Sean can easily block access to the man's weapon or just smack his head on the steering wheel.

When Tim saw Sean slam the drivers head into the dash, he reached in his jacket, pulled out his 40 caliber semi automatric, turned quickly and shove it in Pete's face. "Now, mister I've had a right hard couple of weeks an' I'm in a right ugly mood so ya git up slow as mollassas on a January day. Ya even look like ya are gonna reach for that thar pistola and yur brains 'll be spatterd all over this har highway. Comprendae amigo?" Tim said solemly with a hard determined look on his face. He then glanced over at Morgan and said "Sweetheart, git some uf that thar surgical tape an a fist full of them gauze bandages. Bring em' over har."

Tim looked at the R.A.I.D. officer "Now spread yur legs wide, git yur hands on tha back of yur head and lace yur fingers tagether. Remember ya even twitch wrong an next time ya see yur family 'll be in tha sweet bye and bye." ..... "Ya know all you people had ta do was ta leave us alone. Ya'll started this war an I aim ta finish it."

Tim grabbed both thumbs and twisted and bent them back towards Pete's wrist with one hand, while with the other, he removed Pete's 9mm from the holster and threw it several feet to the side. Tim then took one of Petes thumb and index finger, bent them back towards his wrist while twisting them an pulled Pete's left hand behind his back. Still twisting Pete's thumb and index finger, Tim brought his right hand behind Pete's back. them grabbing both thumbs and index fingers in one hand Tim taped Pete's wrist together, wrapping the tape around his wrist, then wrapping the tape between his wrist several times, then back around his wrists again, them repeating the process. Pulling up on the taped wrist, Tim pushed Pete over to the side of the road next to a tree. While Morgan held her gun against Pete's temple, Tim taped the man's ankles together. "Now get yur ass down on tha ground on yur belly. Once Pete was lying flat on his stomach, Tim taped his ankles to his wrist, then rolled him over an his side, stuffed a rolled up gauze in his mouth and wrapped tape over his mouth. Tim rolled Pete back on his stomach and turned his head to the side, so the man could breath through his nose. He then taped his eyes shut. "That outa ol' ya fur a spell." Tim said .... "Now lets see ifin' we kin get yur pardner out har ta join ya."

Tim walked up to the armoured truck and tapped on the window. "Hey Shadow open up."

Listening to the message from Shadow, Zoe hesitated. She didn't have a direct link to the armored van but there was one way to shut down the safety systems. With little time to sit and consider safety precautions, Zoe laid her fingertips on the tower and melted into the strange, viscous binary goo. Seeping into the computer, the cyber form of Killswitch traveled through the networks and connections, whizzing at near light speed along the highways she had hacked through earlier. Settling within its systems, Zoe systematically destroyed the safety programs making the car unlock and nearly shut down. She managed to maintain those, however, and paused again, considering.

Pushing through the "exit" as she called them, the dark binary ooze seeped out of the equipment set into and around the dashboard like some toxic infestation. As the thick substance reached out from the equipment, it began to take form from an amorphous blob to a vague human shape. The binary faded and the black quickly changed to that of her pale flesh, brown hair, and plain clothing. She emerged crouched between Shadow and the unconscious man and wordlessly pushed the door open to let Tim in.

Tim looked a bit surprised as the door opened and he saw Zoe. "I ain't even gonna ask. Who all they got in back?" he asked then rurned to Sean (aka:The Shadow) "Hep me drag this har piece a shit over ta his pardner, Sean." as Sean and Tim drug the driver over next to his pardner and Tim trussed the driver up like Pete, Zoe stepped into the back of the van. There she saw the unconcious Shawn (aka: Demon)........Tim turned to Morgan and said "Alright sweetheart get yur friends ovar har to watch over these guys. Then you, Sean and Zoe git the hell outa har."

Tim walked up close to Morgan, took her in his arms and whispered so that the bound officers could not here. "I need ya ta take the armoured vehicle ta Troy. Thar we kin have Zoe do her computr zoodoo an fix it up fur us ta use. This is right importent ya need ta purtect em. Them R.A.I.D. guys 'll be on tha prowl fur this har truck and who out foxed em. So ya be right carful. I'll take tha hummer an lead em on a wild goose chase, ta give ya some time. Then we'll meet up in Troy."

It was then that Zoe stuck her head out of the van and said "Shawn is the only one back here. He's been drugged but looks alright."

Tim said "Damn it ta hell on a armadillo." he then walked over to the van, and said soft enough so that only Sean, Morgan and Zoe could hear. "You guys get this har Van ta Troy. I'm goin' afta Yelena, Cassius and Terell." Then with out further words he grabbed the plasma weapon walked over the Hummer, slid the weapon in the floor boards of back seat, climbed in, shut the door and drove south on NY Route 30 past a car parked along side of the road that looked abandoned, then turned west on New York Route 8 back towards Lake Pleasant.

(2:55 AM North East of Lake Pleasant on New York Route

Colonel Petrovsky checked his watch. Three in the morning. He then returned to surveying the sleepy little cove called Bernhards Bay. A gruff looking African American man, much taller than Colonel stood beside him peering through a pair of night vision binoculars.

"Anything, Major Jackson?" Asked the Colonel a little amused by the man's persistence.

The Major read the Colonel's expression and his stern features stretched into a broad smile, "Man, I miss this shit." He stated, since it wasn't that often that the older man ever got out on maneuvers or saw much action anymore, but he was still a formidable soldier.



"It is invigorating." Concurred Vacily as he reached out and picked up a thermos off of the hood of their hummer. He poured himself some more coffee into a metallic green cup and offered the Major some more.

"No thanks. Doc, says I gotta watch my intake." Mentioned the Major, "But, thank you" He took another scan of the area, "Maybe I should send the chopper over one more time." he suggested.

The Colonel shook his head, then he spied a part of the town that they had foolishly over-looked. "Those trailers and mobile homes over there, east of town. Are they in use?"

The Major furrowed his brow. "As matter of fact, Colonel they're not. They're seasonal homes." Reading the intentions of his commanding officer the Major immediately alerted one of his subordinates, "Send some men to scout those summer homes." he ordered.

Colonel Petrovsky and the Major, stayed at their current position and monitored the progress of the soldiers both visually and through their helmet cameras. They had stationed themselves on a high hill to the west, that over looked the town, giving them a view of the entire area.

The soldiers mobilized and quickly made their way on foot to the vacationing area of Bernhards Bay. They began a systematic sweep of every dwelling using thermal imaging scanners to detect heat signatures within. They had three scanners, so they split up into three teams of five soldiers and began to move through the trailer park.



Toril stirred awake, alerted by the screech of a cat startled by one of the passing soldiers. He saw Yelena's eyes flash open and raised a staying hand to her as he quietly sat up and took a peek out of front window.

"Shit!" He softly swore, "This place is crawling with soldiers." He whispered then looked closer and recognized the device they were carrying, "They have thermal imagers. We have to get out of here!" He warned. "Check on Cassius."

Yelena, awoke Cassius who against all odds seemed ready for action as soon as he was able to focus his eyes. "Yo! Ready, willing and not so able, but I'm like ready to go." He quietly groaned.

Toril smiled, then exhaled nervously as his face turned sober. "You're going to need a diversion to get out of here and this is a job for a ghost." He began to twirl the pure platinum wedding band on his hand anxiously as he planned his moves.

"Their imagers will be able to see me in my wind form, unless I mimic the air temperature around me, which isn't that easy, but it seems that they only have a few of the devices. Hopefully I'll be too quick for them. I'm going to draw them north, so that you and Cassius can make your way east along the shoreline." Toril relayed, then he focused on Cassius, "Kid, if there was ever a time that you shoot to kill, this is it, but not unless it is absolutely necessary." He then looked to Yelena, "Hopefully once we make it to the shore, you might be able to use your ability to masquerade to your advantage."

Toril took one more look out of a window then crouched back down. "Well, here we go. Good luck."

The large man vanished and Yelena and Cassius could feel a cool gust of wind on their skin. There was, for a brief moment, a very faint, blueish aura of the man visible in the dark that seemed to filter through the doorway then Toril was gone. Moments later, they could hear shouts and gunfire, moving away from them and Yelena and Cassius knew that it was now or never.

Yelena could have used a few more hours rest but she was grateful for what she’d been given. It was far better than none at all. Even Cassius, as bad as he looked, seemed to have regained some of the energy he had lost. Adrenaline kicked in for all of them the instant Toril uttered that one word. Years ago she had been with John as they tried to stop a bank robbery from happening when she heard the big man say that same word and when she asked if there was a problem his response was simply, “Ever know a SHIT to be any good?”

Like then, that one uttered word spoke volumes as to just how bad things were outside the trailer they occupied. With Cassius awakened and up, Yelena listened to Toril’s plan and knew he was right. If any of the three of them could pose as a decoy to avert the Marines attention it was Wraith. She just hoped he was very cautious and didn’t get hurt.

“Be careful, Toril. We meet you on other side of lake.”

Yelena remembered the boat that was docked on the shore of the lake and it was there she intended to get her and Cassius to. When Toril vanished and she heard the gun fire following him, she darted to the door and peered out. The boat was in sight and it was pretty much a straight shot for her and the kid. Looking back over her shoulder at the young man, she asked if he was ready.

“Ready as I’ll ever be, Dudette. Let’s blow this popsicle stand.”

Opening the door and creeping down the steps, Yelena closed the door quietly behind them, looked all around then signaled for her and Cassius to make a run for it. They had just made it to the dock when she heard shouting behind them and an order for them to stop. Glancing over her shoulder, she yelled at Cassius.

“Get in boat and go! I hold them off. Get to other side of lake. Without you, they not get hold of Zoe.”

Cassius started to argue the point with her.

“No way, dudette….we’re in this together…I ain’t leavin y….”

Yelena turned to the young man and he saw the way her gold, metallic eyes glowed.

“I said get in boat and go. Now.”

Cassius held his hands up in surrender.

“Alright, alright….I’m going. You don’t have to be pushy.”

As Cassius made the run for the boat Yelena turned to face the team of five charging Marines. Her eyes scanned the oncoming aggressors and sized them up. There was no doubt they were the best of the best and she was going to have her hands full but she was confident she could handle this situation as well.

Still in her true form, she stood her ground and watched as they approached her cautiously. Seeing her in her true form caught them enough by surprise that they forgot about Cassius and stood, guns aimed, trained upon the shape shifter. Behind her she heard the boat fire up and speed away and a slow smile turned the corners of her mouth up. A Marine snapped out of his stupor and yelled at the boat and took a step towards it.

“HALT!”

Yelena quickly stepped before the Marine and held her hand out, shaking her finger at him in a negative gesture the slowly lowered her arm to let it rest at her side once more. The Marines now surrounded her and were not sure exactly what to do now. They’d never seen anything quite like her before and with her not threatening them, they didn’t know how to react to her. One of them finally spoke to her.

“Get down on the ground with your arms outstretched beside you and ankles crossed.”

Yelena turned her head to look at the Marine who had just given her an order and tilted her head slowly to the left. She noticed the small camera on the side of his helmet then and knew exactly who was watching on the other end. Righting her head, she spoke to the man on the other end in Russian, letting him know she was well aware he was there.

“Still using puppets to do your dirty work I see, Vicily. When will you stop killing innocent people just to satisfy your own need?”

All hell broke loose then. Yelena was close enough that in one fluid motion she knocked the assault rifle aside the Marine she was looking at was holding then took a step closer to him shoving the palm of her hand viciously up and slamming it into the Marine’s sensitive nose. Instinctively he fired off a shot and all it did was hit the ground in front of the Marine opposite him.

Grabbing the Marine’s arm he tried to reach up and protect his nose with, Yelena hooked elbows with him and spun around so she was behind him. His fellow Marine’s began firing to hit her but all they were hitting was the Kevlar vest of their fellow Marine. Ducking behind the Marine she now held, she fired off a few shots of his weapon hitting them in a couple in their vests as well, knocking them down.

To throw her opponents off she shoved the Marine towards them knowing instinctively they would reach out to catch him. When they did, Yelena took the three quick steps that separated her from the Marine on her left and then quickly dropped down, striking out with her foot to take the feet out from under the surprised Marine. When the Marine fell backwards she sat up and cold cocked him in the jaw knocking him semi conscious.

With the remaining Marine now drawing down on her, Yelena quickly rolled out of his way as he squeezed the trigger and shot the ground dangerously close to his fellow Marine. Just as he blinked to see where she went he was rewarded with a solid foot strike to his lower jaw making his head snap back violently. That didn’t drop him as easily as she thought it should have but it did rattle his cage.

As he pulled his gun up to fire at her, Yelena knocked it out of the way then struck the Marine in the jaw again with her right hook. He stumbled backwards again but not down. Yelena knew he was a bit tougher than the others and realized she would have to use a move she knew was effective. Turning her back on the stunned Marine she did two quick back flips and was in the process of doing a third one when she jumped higher and landed on the Marine’s shoulders. Shifting her weight and rolling at the same time it forced the Marine’s head to roll with her and where ever your head goes, the rest of your body follows. The Marine went down hard and as he attempted to roll over to regain his senses, Yelena kicked at his face finally knocking the Marine out cold.

By now the other group of Marines had seen what was going on and now came rushing to aid their fallen comrades. Yelena snapped her head in the direction she heard their yelling then quickly got to her feet and ran a couple of steps before she stopped and leaned over to one of the cameras attached to a helmet again.

“Dos vadonya, Vicily.”

Not wanting to engage in the next group for she could already feel the drain on her energy, Yelena took off running for the dock. She was just to the end and had jumped to dive into the water at the end when one of the Marines fired at her. Just before she hit the water there was a grunt and it looked like she flinched.

By the time the Marines converged o the dock and shone their flashlights on the water, there was no sign of the shape shifter, but did that mean because she had been fatally shot or because she got away?

Meanwhile out on the Lake…..

Cassius pulled the boat to a halt out on the lake and turned the boat towards the shore he had just left. He could see some action where he left Yelena to face the Marines alone. A couple of the lights the Marines had on their guns made some jerky movements before they were grounded and he could only assume the shape shifter was giving them a run for their money. It wasn’t until he saw the next group of Marines rushing the docks that he knew Yelena had escaped and was heading for the water.

When he saw he flash of the gun the heard the splash in the water he thought the shape shifter was done for. He wanted desperately to go look for her but he knew that would be suicide so he turned the boat towards the opposite shore and keeping the motor as quiet as possible headed in the opposite direction.

The womp womp sound of helicopter props filled the air in the distance and Cassius knew it was just a matter of time before the helo’s swarmed the lake looking for him and he was just getting ready to give the motor all it cold do when he saw something on the surface of the water just ahead. He was lucky he could see it at all considering the pitch blackness he was swallowed up in on the lake but he could see a fain, gold like light getting closer.

It wasn’t until he got almost beside it he realized it was Yelena. Her eyes were like two small, gold beacons leading him to her. He pulled the throttle back to idle the motor and leaned over the side to help her up into the boat.

“Dudette….I thought you were a gonner.”

Yelena half slithered half fell into the boat and leaned back breathing heavily.

“Me too….hurry…we not have much time…”

“Color us gone, sister…”

Cassius turned around and shoved the throttle forward letting the motor open up completely. It was just a few minutes later when they pulled up on the opposite shore of the lake. Cassius turned around to let Yelena know they were at the shore but the shape shifter was already on her feet and climbing over the side. When Cassius looked back where she was sitting he saw the crimson stain on the bottom of the boat and frowned.

“Hey….you’ve been hit….”

Yelena merely nodded as she pressed forward.

“Da….I know…..”

Upon closer inspection Cassius would see the hole left when the bullet the Marine fired at her entered from the back of her right shoulder and exited out the front. There was no doubt it was painful and it was still bleeding.

“Dudette….you need to get that taken care of.”

“No time…come…quickly….they find us soon if we not hurry.”

“You’ll bleed to death if we don’t get you some help.”

Yelena stopped and looked at the young man then.

“Where is help around here? Is not like I can go to someone and ask. Not unless I have death wish. Niet…we keep moving. Will get help when I can.”

Cassius shook his head.

“Wait a f*&^%$%# moment, here. At least let me try to wrap it up as best as I can with what I have available on me.”

Yelena was about to turn him down but when she saw the look on the young mans face, she knew there was no arguing with him.

“Fine….make it quick.”

Cassius didn’t waste one minute. Getting the shape shifter to sit down, he ripped the sleeve off his shirt and wrapped it around Yelena’s shoulder as best he could and tied it as tightly as he could without cutting off her circulation. Yelena grunted a couple of times and winced a few more, but other than that, she didn’t say anything.

By the time they got done the helicopters were making their way slowly across the lake heading ion their direction. Cassius took Yelena’s hand and started away from the lake once more.

“Come on…we gotta get the hell outta here…”

Yelena thought that sounded like a good idea and didn’t argue with the young man.