What Happened On Earth

"I really thought this was a good idea."

"Yeah well now we know not to listen to you when you say you have a 'really good idea'."

"Be quiet or else they'll find us!" Nebula snapped at Titanium and Electric Storm. The two elementals had not stopped arguing the whole trip to Terra. Not for a second. Now Nebula was stuck crawling in the sewers underneath a Terran museum at night with them waiting for Earthquake and Inferno to disable the alarms. The trio had been waiting for almost 5 minutes and already Nebula had restrained herself from snapping necks.

"I'm just saying," Titanium continued. "I truly thought that their scanners wouldn't find us under here."

"Yeah well next time check to make sure there aren't any camera blind spots we could wait in before you shove us under here to be cramped for an hour!" Electric Storm glared at Titanium.

"It's not going to take Inferno and Earthquake an hour to get us inside." Titanium countered. "They're faster then that."

Nebula scoffed. "Not if they get caught."

Titanium glared at her. "They won't get caught. Those two are great sneaks. Plus Inferno can turn human since she isn't fused. That's an extra disguise built right in!"

"I still think Hijinx is being unfair by not fusing her." Electric Storm huffed. She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted like a little kid. "What is this, Favor The Elemental That Ran Away Day?"

"Technically Inferno never ran, it was the fire sprite." Nebula corrected. "Inferno is the one who came back." She turned to Electric Storm. "Hijinx does not want to fuse Inferno because he wants to study her powers more. If her brain chemicals helped her bypass her weakness and increase her control, then just imagine how he could do that to the rest of you."

"We'd be invincible." Titanium whispered.

"Yeah well invincibility doesn't make up for stupidity." Electric Storm murmured.

Titanium growled at Electric Storm. "I'm not stupid!"

"You are so stupid I bet cavemen had better IQ's!"

"Yeah well dinosaurs have more common sense then you!"

"My common sense is better than half the people in the lab so check your facts scrapyard."

"Scrapyard! How dare you, you walking lightning rod!"

"I control and create electricity. Lightning rods don't do that."

"You are so infuriating!"

"You're the one getting mad. Not my fault scrap has a short temper."

Nebula whirled on them both. "Oh will you just SHUT UP!" Both elementals froze mid fight and stared at Nebula as she struggled to contain her rage. Deep breaths, deep breaths. Nebula reminded herself as the red in her vision slowly faded.

"Sorry." Both girls apologized. Nebula gave them a warning glance before turning away and reveling in the silence. None of them spoke for a long time as they patiently waited for some sort of sign that Inferno and Earthquake had successfully taken down the security. The sounds of the night filled their ears and a cool breeze swept by them and through the tunnel. Nothing stirred inside or outside. The world seemed to have paused.

Suddenly a flicker of warmth burst through the tunnel. Nebula glanced up as her sensors detected the temperature change. "What was that?" She asked. Neither Titanium nor Electric Storm had noticed. Then it came again, but this time it was longer and the orange of the flame lit up the steel walls. "That's the signal." Nebula jumped up and tore off towards the flame. Electric Storm and Titanium were right behind her.

Nebula stopped underneath an opening in the roof. There, perched on the opening, was Inferno. Her flames danced around her like servants performing to a goddess. Inferno cocked her head in a motion for Nebula and the others to come out. Electric Storm pushed ahead of Nebula and grabbed the grimy ladder on the wall to hoist herself through the opening.

Something seemed off though. Inferno was wringing her hands around in a circle and tapping her foot against the ground rhythmically. The fire element was never this jittery. Nebula watched closer and noticed how Inferno's eyes kept glancing to the other side of the hole in quick rapid looks. Almost like she was watching something or someone that was trying to hide. Nebula put her hand on the ceiling and used her sensors to scan for heat sources.

"Electric Storm wait." Nebula called. She could feel them standing there, waiting for them. Their heat signatures weren't elemental. They were Terran. Terrans were up there waiting for them. "It's a trap." Nebula whispered.

Inferno looked at Nebula suddenly. "That's impossible! Do you really think I'd lure you into a trap? You should know by now how loyal I am! I've never changed sides in my life, doesn't that atone for some credibility?" Inferno locked eyes on Nebula harshly.

Nebula understood. Inferno was trying to tell them that something had gone wrong. The Terrans were onto them and somehow her and Earthquake had gotten caught. Inferno was pretty smart to figure out a semblance of a code to inform them. Electric Storm didn't seem to be getting it.

"Stop being paranoid Nebula." She continued going up the ladder.

Inferno bent down closer to Electric Storm. "We need to always trust each other."

Electric Storm rolled her eyes and pushed Inferno out of the way to climb up through the hole. "I don't see what you guys are so concerned about. There's nothing up-" Electric Storm's words turned into a scream as the sound of gunfire started. The elementals body dropped onto the soil and Inferno ducked down. Nebula grabbed Titanium and they both took off running back down the tunnel.

"What's going on?" Titanium shouted as the sound of fire and electricity sounded from up above.

Nebula forced herself not to look back as she heard Inferno's cry of pain. "We're being attacked." She answered and the two kept running until the sound of fighting died behind them. They stopped to catch their breath and it was only then that Nebula realized they were out of light, and lost.

"Where are we?" Titanium asked. It was so dark Nebula couldn't even see her.

"I'm not sure." Nebula replied. She reached out to feel the cold walls and tried to find some sort of pulse that could lead them above ground. All she could feel was water that was dripping down from the ceiling. Nebula sighed. It was useless. She had no way of finding how to get back up to the surface. "We're lost." She told Titanium. The two just stood in the dark silence for a few minutes. Both unsure what to do next and unable to contact anyone.

"I really did think this was a good idea."

Meanwhile...

"Stay where you are or all of you are gonna get blown to bits." A fierce looking guard with full riot gear on stood in front of Inferno, Earthquake, and an injured Electric Storm. All three elementals were cuffed by thick padded cuffs to the cement wall. There was a total of ten other guards in the room and they all had various weapons that Inferno didn't remember humans having previously. She didn't even know if these guys were humans! They had helmets that covered all of their faces and bodysuits that hid all distinguishing features.

"We couldn't find the other two." A group of three guards spoke as they entered to make thirteen total armored assailants in the room. Inferno was mapping out a plan of attack to take them all out when suddenly a needle was shoved into her neck by one of the guards. Similar needles were inserted into Earthquake and Electric Storm. Inferno felt her energy being sapped almost instantaneously. The fire around her slowly decreased as her ability to control and maintain it decreased. Her vision was blurry and fuzzy, like she was on some sort of drug. The room seemed to spin as her hearing became distorted. The background noises were heightened; like the clacking of shoes or the rustle of air; while the prominent noises were muffled; like the guard's voices.

"What'd you do to us?" She slurred. Inferno heard her own voice but it was barely recognizable. Drawn out, deeper, slower, almost like she was underwater. Inferno shook her head to try and clear it but all she got was a bought of nausea.

The guards laughed. Their voices sounded like crackling fire. Inferno tried to pull up some of her fire power, but all she got was an empty longing. Her fire was gone, suppressed and locked away, and she couldn't even feel it there anymore.

"Those three won't be any harm to us." One of the soldiers' voices rose up to Inferno's ear but she couldn't identify which one said it. It seemed like the words floated to her ears from every direction. Almost like everyone in the room was talking at once. She tried to fight through the haze but colors were starting to blur into each other and trying to make sense of it all gave her a headache. Whatever drug was running trough her veins, it was tough and it had effectively taken her down.

The soldiers footsteps echoed in her ears as they all left the room. The lights were turned up till the glare engulfed what was left of Inferno's sight, and she felt the cuffs tighten around her limbs. Inferno hung her head in shame at having been captured and left all the old feelings of doubt and self hatred overwhelm the last of her senses. The solid door slid shut on the Elemental's bright steel prison, leaving them to suffer in their drug induced loneliness.