Part 1

Gia chuckled as she heard Riley call Adel's bluff again.

"I believe the deck is yours." Henri quipped.

Gia continued her surveillance of the internet. It had now been a little over a month since it all went down. Everything had settled down by now, the hunt for them had fallen out of the public's eyes. But that didn't mean Earth Garde wasn't still out there waiting for them.

She continued to scan the headlines. Her laptop chirped for an incoming email. She turned from her setup to her laptop and opened the new email. Her laptop was completely secured from anything that could give her away. Only her parents and grandfather could contacted it. The email was her grandfather Malcolm.

Gia I've been researching the supposed cure. It works like a antibiotic almost. Legacies are genetic I believe either inherited or a genetic mutation or both. Like a disease the antibiotics kill it and the body disposed of it. They can't identify a source of it though so that's why it takes a day to fully take effect. Legacies aren't in a specific part of the body their everywhere and it's different for everyone. But they've only tested it on human Garde. I think it only works because these people are still human, just with legacies. If I understand how it works it shouldn't work on Garde like your mother or Henri and Adelina. Because they don't have a single human strand of DNA in them. It's all Loric inside them. I hope your all safe and sound. I love you both.

Malcolm

Gia sighed and closed the email. She heard Adelina squeal with joy and call out Riley. Gia shook her head and laughed.

"Alright guys keep it down while I listen to the scanner frequencies." Gia chuckled.

She turned to a different device and put on her headset. First was the police channels. Which were usually very boring, maybe a petty crime or a car chase. But today they were alive with communication of lots of officers. She pulled up her map on another screen and looked for the location of all the commotion. Volunteer park in the heart of Seattle, Lincoln park on the outskirts, Freeway park nestled into the urban area, and Carkeek park to the north. Units were scrambling to cover such a vast area.

Protesters by the hundreds were spreading out throughout the city. She rolled back over to her laptop and pulled up the news, what had the whole city stirred up? She couldn't believe she's missed it earlier it was practically everywhere. Congress was working on a law to ban sanctuary cities for Human Garde. It was up for vote on Capitol Hill.

"Holy crap." She muttered.

She yanked her headset off and faced the others.

"I'd be on high alert now. Seattle is exploding with protestors."

"Congress is working on making a bill that would ban sanctuary cities for Human Garde." Gia announced.

"Can they do that?" Adelina questioned cautiously.

"Yeah does it really matter what Congress says about sanctuary cities? Earth Garde is an international organization. Isn't the UN above them?" Sidney inquired. Gia gave Riley a sharp look.

"Well? What's the official verdict Mrs know it all?" Gia glared.

"All I know is Earth Garde funds the academy and EG. Don't ask me who's the head honcho. I'd assume it's who holds the purse strings." Riley shrugged.

"Why are we quoting Mrs Litia?" Casey chuckled. He walked in with Kat.

"Discussing who's the head honcho of Earth Garde." Gia answered.

"You say my father I bean you." Riley warned.

"Oh I know for a fact if he was head honcho of EG things would be very different." Casey smirked.

"We'd all have very different lives." Kat scoffed.

"So the UN can do whatever they want pretty much." Gia groaned, turning back to her computers.

"No they can't storm into any country without reason. Just like police can't break into houses without justifiable cause. EG can't just start ripping apart the world until they find each and every last of us." Riley explained.

"So in the case we get caught the only one guaranteed safety is Riley." Casey replied casually.

"Oh really? Says who?" Riley inquired with a smirk. She knew his answer but needed to hear it for herself.

"Because your father is professor Nine. The head of the Human Garde Academy. EG doesn't want to tick off you father by curing you so you get the free pass because your father is the big bad wolf." Casey answered with a grin.

"And yet again the one who doesn't even know how to control herself gets the free pass because of daddy." Gia drawled, voice dripping with disdain.

"I thought you got over this weeks ago." Riley groaned. Gia whirled her wheelchair back around to face her.

"Does this look like it'll go away in a few weeks?" Gia featured to her legs. "No it never will so bite me princess." Gia hissed. She turned back towards her tech and put her headset back on. Riley heard Kat sigh in defeat.

"I apologize that my sister has a double dose of our mothers temper." Kat frowned.

"Is she ever going to get over the fact that the loss of her legs isn't my fault?" Riley huffed.

"I believe you have a better chance of Earth Garde leaving us alone than Gia getting over that." Casey quipped.

"Or Adelina winning this game." Henri joked. Adelina glared at her twin brother and put down another card.

Katarina laughed as Casey tried sparring with Riley but she had to admit the girl was getting good. She was flickering in and out of sight and when she appeared she was on the offensive with no mercy. Casey kept tripping on his own feet trying to keep up with her.

Kat knew if Riley didn't knock him down soon she was going to run out of steam and get creamed by him. They'd been going for almost ten minutes and Riley hadn't been able to hold it for more than ten minutes. Casey dodged the spiky green ball assault and dived for where it came from. With a cry in alarm he managed to break her concentration.

They both tumbled to the ground and Riley flailed in his grip. Kat already knew the girls last line of defense and it wasn't going to be pretty for Casey. Riley smacked the floor with her open palm and instantly her body shifted to become like cement. Casey didn't have time to recover before she nailed him straight in the jaw. There was a horrifying crunch of bones breaking Casey crumpled to the ground. He let out a moan in agony. Riley reverted back to normal. She braced her hands on her knees and panted. Adelina tossed her a bottle of water and then walked over to Casey. She knelt next to him and went to work on his broken jaw.

Sidney clapped enthusiastically. "That was amazing!"

Henri chuckled. "You are getting significantly better than since we met you."

Gia scoffed from her corner with the software.

"Problem?" Riley inquired, hands on her hips with an eyebrow raised. "Nope not one single problem." Gia casually replied, but Riley sensed the tenseness in her tone.

She was biting her tongue, a skill Riley had come to believe the girl didn't possess. The music coming from the radio stopped and a crackly voice came across the airwaves.

"Betrayed by one of their own, the remainder forced to scatter. Five gone and five remain. Are you guys out there?" It spoke.

Gia glared at the radio before setting to work. Objects started floating around her workstation as she started mumbling to herself.

"Whatcha ya doin G?" Kat questioned.

"Getting ready to get us some info should that come on again." Gia snapped. The radio crackled with static for five minutes as they all anxiously waited.

A cough echoed over the airwaves.

"One fell at eight. Two fell at twelve. Three fell at sixteen. Four will fall next. Is anyone out there?" The voice spoke.

"It sounds female." Adelina commented.

Gia was madly working as the voice goes silent. Everyone else went silent waiting for more.

"Five betrayed his kind again. Are the rest of you out there?" The voice questioned.

"One more moment." Gia mumbled.

The radio went static again.

"Ahah! Got them!" Gia exclaimed.

The radio gave a sharp and loud sound of feedback and the music resumed.

"Who was that?" Sidney quivered.

"Obviously someone who knows the tale of the original Garde." Henri replied.

"So where we gonna G?" Kat questioned.

"We are," Gia spoke.

"Hold up. Pause for a moment. Let's think about this." Riley held up her hands. "We can't be brash or we'll be the next group to fall to EG. Didn't your parents teach you anything?" Riley inquired, looking at Kat.

"Our father told us about the internet post number two did hours before the Mogadorians killed her." Adelina offered.

"Exactly." Riley spoke with certainty.

"And that Six's CĂȘpan commented on it which led to the Mogs capturing them weeks later." Henri helpfully added.

Gia scoffed.

"So we need to think about this and approach with caution." Casey replied. "How do you know it's not another group of refugees begging for help?" Kat demanded.

"How do you know it's not EG trying to smoke us out?" Riley shot back. "Ladies." Casey interrupted.

"We don't know either that's the point. The source of our radio pirates are or were broadcasting from Olympia Regional Airport. Feeding off the airports radio tower." Gia answered.

"If it's coming from an airport what's the chances EG is screwing with us?" Kat questioned.

"It's a fifty fifty shot." Casey and Riley answered.

"If it's our friends Earth Garde why would they use a airport radio tower?Don't they got their own radios strong enough to broadcast statewide?" Gia inquired.

"But they could be trying to throw us off scent and make it look like another fracture of the camp is trying to get help." Casey argued.

"Or it could actually be our compatriots begging for help as a last resort." Kat demanded.

"Shut up!" Adelina hollered. They all stopped and stared at her in awe.

"Kat why don't you assign two of us to scout it out? How far away is Olympia airport from here? How we getting there? What if it is actually a group asking for help? What if it's EG trying to smoke us out?" Adelina buried Kat in questions.

"I'll go." Riley offered.

"You most certainly will not. Why must you keep throwing yourself to the wolves?" Casey argued.

"Casey you are way too valuable to everyone to go. I'm expendable. Besides think about it for a moment. I'm the daughter of Nine who is the head of the Human Garde Academy. Even if I'm caught they won't dare use the cure on me without inflicting my father's all encompassing wrath on them." Riley pointed out.

Casey's shoulders slumped.

"She has a point." Kat remarked.

"Your worse than Ceci." He groaned.

"Who goes with her though?" Gia questioned.

"Sidney stays put, you and Casey aren't going either." Kat listed off.

Gia rolled her hazel eyes.

"Much as it will irritate you I'll go with her. That way either way we're prepared." Kat decided.

"Awesome when we leave and how we leave?" Riley inquired, bouncing to her feet.

"Olympia regional is only about a little more than an hour south." Gia added.

"I hijack a car and Riley hides under a blanket?" Kat suggested.

Riley rolled her bright blue eyes at the idea.

"How do you plan to hide someone who is six and half feet tall?" Henri quipped.

Casey laughed. "He's got ya there Ri."

"Well I'm available to any other options?" Kat huffed.

Casey locked eyes with Riley and smirked.

Don't you dare or I will cave in your skull. Riley warned.

Trust me Ri. I got a very different idea. He teased.

Remember, I can cave in your skull. Riley reminded.

"How about we use a Xithras stone? Kat can shapeshift but she can also infuse one with that ability and give to to Riley? Then Riley could shapeshift." Casey suggested.

"Riley your father gave you one right?" Kat questioned.

"Duh." She answered.

"Okay we'll start packing and leave immediately. Gia find out anything and everything about what we're walking into." Kat requested.

Riley could've sworn she saw Gia sneer at her sister and mutter to herself as she went back to her technology. Gia was getting crankier by the day.

Right before they left Casey snagged Riley away from Kat.

"You will be coming back to me this time. I don't like you going out when you still need lots of training." Casey frowned.

"I'll be fine Casey. Have a little faith in me. Besides it's probably nothing." Riley reassured. He pecked her on the cheek.

"Just be safe Ri." He sighed.

"Come on Riley! If we leave now we can be there and back before dark." Kat called from the door.

"Love you, see you tonight." Riley smiled. She kissed his cheek before walking over to Kat.

"You got two hours before I'll need to recharge it." Kat advised, tossing her the yellow stone. Riley caught it and chuckled.

"Let's get this show on the road."