"You think you're so much better than me!"

Jack winced, listening to the conversation from upstairs.

"I never said that!" his brother, Tyler, was responding. Though 'responding' seemed too civil a word for the harsh venom in his voice.

"You don't HAVE to say it! Just cuz you're older, you think you're in charge!" Crystal snarled.

Jack peeked out of his room. They were yelling again. It was typical of brother and sister. Though their family was anything but typical.

"What do you want me TO DO?" Tyler demanded. "I've tried EVERYTHING! Absolutely everything! We're never going to find him! Why can't you just GIVE UP?"

"Because he's OUR FATHER!" Crystal shrieked. "And I can't just stop LOOKING!"

"He left for a reason!" Tyler spat.

"EXACTLY! What was his reason? I have to know, Tyler!"

"And what about Jack?" Tyler snarled in reply. Jack winced. He hated it when they brought him into it. "Where do you think this crazy wild goose chase will get him? An EARLY GRAVE?"

"I NEVER ASKED YOU TO COME ALONG!"

Tyler took a step back. "Is that it, then?" His voice dropped to a whisper. "Are you going to leave us? Just like dad?"

Crystal looked down. "Maybe that's my only choice." She went to the door and opened it, disappearing on her way out.

Jack went back in his room and closed the door, unable to watch anymore. He sat with his back to the door, tears falling steadily down his cheeks.

An hour later, Tyler came into Jack's room. "Hey." He whispered.

"Hi."

He stood awkwardly in the doorway for a moment. Jack said nothing, looking out with blank, emotionless eyes. Finally, Tyler sighed and spoke. "Look. Crystal was having a hard time, so…"

"She left." Jack took the words away from his brother. A tear fell from his eye.

Tyler swallowed. "You know?"

"I heard."

Tyler took a deep breath and slowly walked over to Jack's bed. He sat down next to his little brother's feet. "How much?"

"Everything." Jack replied.

Tyler nodded slowly, and there was silence.

Crystal walked over to the pay phone. She inserted a quarter, dialed the number, and waited.

The phone rang three times before someone picked up. "Hello?"

"Diane? It's Crystal."

"Crystal? Oh, thank goodness. Your brother said you'd gone and I…"

"Look. I know I said I'd never do this, but…" She sighed. "I need to see the records."

"The records? That's a pretty big favor, Crystal."

"I don't care what I have to do, just let me see them." Crystal hissed through clenched teeth. "Meet me here in an hour. I'm sure you can trace the call."

"Sure, sure. We already have."

Crystal rolled her eyes and hung up. Of course they'd already traced the call. It was exactly like them.

An hour later, a tall man with dark hair came up to her. "Are you Crystal?"

Crystal's eyes narrowed. "Who wants to know?"

The man lifted a finger, and a bright flame lit up the dark. "We need to talk."

Crystal nodded. Obviously, this was the man Diane had sent. She walked with him. They entered a small, blue car. Black would have seemed more suspicious than the whole situation already was.

"I'm sorry about this, Crystal." The man said. "The Company won't be happy with me."

He pulled something out of his pocket. Before Crystal had a chance to see what it was, the needle was in her arm. She cried out as the sedative entered her system. Slowly, her world turned black.

"I'm really sorry about that."

The man looked genuinely apologetic. Crystal wasn't buying it.

"Who are you?" She demanded.

He held his hands up, almost surrendering. "My name is Matt." He replied. "Matthew Erickson, if you want to be formal about it. I was sent to get you away from The Company."

"Why?"

"Because you're simply too powerful to fall into their hands." He replied. There was genuine fear in his eyes. "Far too powerful."

Crystal rolled her eyes. "Please. I can turn invisible. So what? It's not exactly end-of-the-world."

"Please, LISTEN. The Company will do ANYTHING to get to you. ANYTHING." He sighed. "You don't need to get the records." He handed her a piece of paper. "This is all they have."

Crystal's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but she took the paper. Looking at it, she swallowed. "These are exact accounts?"

"To the letter." Matt replied. "Please. Don't go to Primatech. If you need something, I can help. But don't go NEAR them." He sighed. "I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to you…"

"Promised who?"

Matt looked at her. "Your father."

Crystal didn't know why she trusted Matt.

But she didn't call Diane again.

She ended up out on the street with nothing but a piece of paper and the word of a stranger that the information was correct. She sighed. Nothing for it. She had to follow it.

She read the first address and started walking. It would be a long night…

Samuel looked at Crystal. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Dad… don't go! Please, don't go!"

He smiled a watery smile, lifted up her chin, and looked into her eyes one last time.

Then, he turned around and disappeared into the night. Jack was looking from his room, through a crack in the door. Tyler was behind Crystal. Samuel had given him a 'goodbye, son', a pat on the back, and an 'I'm sorry.' He'd already said goodbye to Jack. Jack simply didn't want his father to see him cry, watching from his room, not saying a word.

Samuel hadn't simply disappeared into the shadows. Not like a normal person would, anyway. No, Samuel had disappeared, literally vanishing from sight, thanks to an ability that had appeared so long ago…

Jack came back to the present and began to sob. He couldn't control the shift in time when he was like this. It was his 'gift.' His 'ability.' He could see through time itself.

But he couldn't change it.

Tyler raced over to him, a blur as he ran. That was HIS ability. A speed so great no normal human could manage it.

"You ok?" he asked in a concerned whisper.

"I'm FINE." Jack snapped, trying to push his brother off the bed, with no effect.

Tyler stood up. "All right, it's ok. I'll just… go, shall I?"

Jack nodded, crossing his arms. The last thing he wanted was for Tyler to see him cry. It would make him seem weak.

Tyler left, once more a blur in Jack's vision. The six-year-old sighed. He just wanted his father to come back. He wanted his sister to come back. He wanted his family again.

And yet, for some reason, it seemed almost selfish to say that to his older brother. Because, put simply, Tyler must want that more than he did.

Crystal looked at the street. Her breath caught in her throat. She was invisible; no one would see if she cried.

This was one of the last streets her father had been on. One of his last tracked movements before he disappeared entirely from the grid.

She sighed. He might have been there once, but not now. There was no sign of him.

A single tear found its way down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly, annoyed with herself. She'd get no where if she always broke down crying…

She sighed and kept walking. One street down, a million to go…

"We've lost her, Diane."

"We haven't LOST HER." Diane hissed. "We're GOING to find her. It will just take time."

"Time is the one thing we don't have. We have our best trackers following her, but…" Scott shrugged.

"But NOTHING." Diane snapped. "I want her FOUND. NOW."

"Look, we're not the only ones looking for her." He sighed. "I heard that… HE'S on her trail."

Diane paled. "You don't mean…"

He nodded. "That's exactly what I mean."

Diane shook her head fiercely. "He'll never find her. She's invisible, for crying out loud!"

"And HE'S a shape shifter. He can easily trick her. Get her to reveal herself."

Diane swore. "How in the WORLD did HE find out about her?"

Scott looked down. "He saw the records."

Diane swore again. "WHEN?" She demanded. "HOW?"

"We don't know. But he found information. Information we were desperate to keep from him."

Diane began to pace furiously. "This isn't happening." She spat. "This CAN'T be happening."

"I'm afraid it is."

"Get EVERYONE out there. I don't care what you have to do. We need that girl and we need her here NOW."

"We're doing the best we can…"

"It's NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" She snarled. "I want EVERY special out there. I don't care WHAT they can do; they're out LOOKING, understood?"

Scott nodded quickly. "Yes, ma'am."

He was out the door in a heartbeat.

Diane pinched the bridge of her nose. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be happening. THIS COULDN'T BE HAPPENING…

In the dark, he watched carefully. He blended in with the shadows.

He smiled as she appeared a short distance away. He looked at the file. It was definitely her. He looked up again, and she was gone.

A faint smile crossed his lips. This was going to be fun…