Hey everyone! Thanks so much for the reviews! I'm glad to see some people are enjoying this! Sorry about not updating when I said I would. I've decided that I'm not going to make anymore promises about when I will get to post the next part, because then I feel horrible when I'm unable to do so. But to make up for it this part is almost 2x as long as the last part, so I hope you all enjoy. It's a lot of exposition and more setting up the story in the first part, but it gets more exciting toward the end.
Thanks for sticking with me, and hope everyone tunes in wednesday night for the new Aaron Stone episode!
Disclaimer: own nothing, making no money
When Stan and Charlie arrived at Mr. Hall's new hideout, they were greeted by two security personnel and escorted to a large office, overlooking an impressive mountain range, the Alps if Charlie guessed correctly.
He could not help but fidget as they waited for Mr. Hall. Two guards were present in the room with them, and Charlie knew he had seen more outside. He glanced over at Stan, who wore a robotically stoic face. Earlier, he had tried to pull some information out of his android friend, to no avail.
"Psst!" Charlie whispered. "Stan!"
Stan looked over at him. "Yes, Aaron Stone?"
Charlie glanced at the two, armed guards. "You sure you don't know what this is about?"
Stan actually sighed. "As I informed you on the way here, several times, I have not been briefed on the situation and know as much as you do."
"But I don't know anything."
"Precisely."
Charlie sighed in exasperation, sitting back in his seat. Stan shook his head at Charlie's persistence.
Before he could ask Stan anything else, he was interrupted. Mr. Hall entered the office, as usual sticking to his shadows. Charlie was not surprised to see guards with Hall as well, but he was definitely more curious than ever as to what was going on.
Mr. Hall went to his desk and sat down. "That will be all, gentlemen." All four guards quickly and quietly left the room, leaving Charlie an android and the most secretive and elusive man Charlie had ever met.
Mr. Hall folded his hands on the desk in front of him. "Thank you for coming on such short notice, Aaron. I apologize for my tardiness, it has been very busy around here today."
Charlie glanced at the door to the hall, behind which he knew a small army of security waited outside. "Yeah, I noticed the extra security."
Mr. Hall nodded. "Indeed. I promise to tell you all that is going on, but first, I need you to tell me if you noticed anything else at the warehouse with Cerebella and Xero you may have forgotten to tell me."
So it did have something to do with the mission last night, he thought. He racked his brains; going through everything he'd seen or heard do. But he'd already told Mr. Hall everything in his report. After another moment he shook his head, "Sorry, but I told you everything. Do you think they got away with something important after all?"
Mr. Hall shook his head carefully. "There is still no indication that they took anything from that warehouse, but the situation still troubles me. Especially since in the last few weeks we have had similar situations arise, robberies, with nothing of any significance taken."
Charlie frowned, confused. "The last few weeks?" He glanced at Stan, who did not appear surprised. "Why wasn't I called in for any missions?"
Mr. Hall smiled. "Stan here seemed to think you needed a break, and none of the missions required highly-skilled field agents."
Charlie glanced at Stan again, who pretended to look anywhere but at him. Charlie smiled slightly. Maybe the android did understand the human need for sleep.
"Our regular field agents, accompanied by some of our tech specialists were sufficient enough for most of the jobs. Even your friend, Dark Tamara, was called out on a few occasions." Charlie's eyebrows shot-up, wondering why Emma hadn't mentioned any missions. "No Omega Defiance members were ever present that we knew of. Until we went back and checked some footage."
Charlie leaned forward as Mr. Hall pressed a button on his desk, bringing up a video feed on a small monitor. He watched as a blurred figure appeared briefly and then disappeard. As Charlie, watched, the feed zoomed in and the image cleared up to reveal Kronis.
"This is at a research facility for some of the top security organizations in the world," Mr. Hall explained gravely. Charlie glanced up at him. "And this is the only camera he was caught on."
Charlie watched the footage loop, noting Mr. Hall's uneasy tone and fully sharing in the sentiment. "Where is the rest of the footage?"
Mr. Hall pressed another button and the image turned off. "After two minutes the entire system went offline and when it came back on Kronis was gone, along with years of the companies' research as well as a few prototypes."
Charlie sat back in his seat, thinking. "How did Kronis knock out the system if he was the one robbing them?"
"He didn't" Mr. Hall said simply. Charlie looked at him, confused. He watched as Mr. Hall brought up a weather map. "When you told me about Cerebella and Xero I started taking a closer look at each robbery and discovered that in each, only one Omega Defiance member was ever present, however--" he typed a few keys and an image appeared, "—it appears maybe another person was present after all." He indicated the screen. "This is a weather forecasting model above the facility at the time of the robbery."
Charlie frowned and watched as the broadcasting model came up. It was completely clear, but as he watched a small red and yellow blob appeared in the center of the screen and grew until it covered the entire map. Charlie's eyebrows raised to his forehead in understanding and he looked right at Mr. Hall. "Zephyr," Charlie stated knowingly.
Mr. Hall nodded grimly. "I believe so, yes. The storm lasted only a few minutes, but was powerful enough to knockout their entire system. And there are other instances I have looked back on and found what I believe to be indications of other pairs of Omegas in the same place."
Mr. Hall shut down the weather map and turned back to Charlie. "I wanted to update you on the situation since you were the one to bring it to my attention, but I actually called you in for a mission, Aaron."
Charlie sat up at this. He'd been under the impression that this was just an informal meeting. He wasn't even suited up. "Right now?" he asked, surprised.
Mr. Hall nodded. "Unfortunately, this morning one of my top research and development facilities was infiltrated. A large amount of equipment was taken, and though I cannot seem to find any reason for the robbery or connection between the items stolen, it is the most troubling theft as of yet."
He pressed another button and a security feed came up. It was a storage room, though it looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. Everything was white or silver and various recessed compartments lined the walls. Charlie watched as the door at the far end suddenly imploded, sending thick white smoke into the room and causing the camera to fizzle. His eyes narrowed as he saw a silhouette emerge from where the door used to be. The figure cleared the smoke, and Charlie's eyes widened slightly, his jaw clenching.
Elias Powers strode calmly into the storage room, looking much too relaxed for a man in the middle of stealing from a top-secret facility. He glanced around, then his eyes found the camera, and for one moment Charlie locked gazes once again with the man who had become a prominent figure in his nightmares. He got scared on missions. He could admit that. The Omega Defiance threatened his life on a regular basis, but he'd learned to deal with it.
The first time he met Elias Powers, the man had seen right through him, tricked him into letting his guard down. He'd given him a glimpse of Charlie Landers, and Powers had used that to threaten his family. He had been terrified.
Charlie watched, incensed, as Powers smiled, then waved. He was suddenly glad he hadn't suited up, or he might have shot the monitor just to make himself feel better. The image suddenly crackled a few times, and then finally went out, and only static ran across the screen.
Charlie looked at Mr. Hall, who had been watching Charlie the whole time. "I thought you might consider this a second chance to recapture Elias Powers." Charlie knew Mr. Hall still thought it was Charlie's fault Powers escaped, and maybe it was, but he didn't care. He'd saved his brother. He would admit, however, that he was looking forward to making sure Elias Powers was locked-up and could never threaten his family again.
"Is Powers why this theft has taken priority, sir?" Charlie asked. He knew Mr. Hall probably wanted the man behind bars as much as he did, if not more.
"Unfortunately, no." Mr. Hall folded his hands on his desk, wringing them slightly. Charlie may not have been able to read his facial expressions, seeing as he was deep in shadow, but his body language was speaking for him. Mr. Hall actually seemed anxious. Charlie remembered when Mr. Hall had first brought him in, scared and wearing nothing but boxers and a nightshirt. They had been discussing the end of the world, and Mr. Hall had seemed calmer then than he did now.
"Though Powers is a concern, there is a more alarming threat. The facility that was broken into was at one of our most heavily protected and classified locations. It is considered above top secret and there are only four people, including myself, with security code access to that information. They are all trustworthy." Mr. Hall seemed very adamant that no one had betrayed him, but Charlie could not help but think about the story Stan had told him about how Mr. Hall had trusted the Omega Defiance, and paid dearly.
Mr. Hall interrupted his musings. "I know what you must be thinking, Aaron, but I promise you that the three others are not responsible." Charlie was still wary, but Hall went on. "One is Doctor Martin." Charlie tried to hide his dislike for the doctor; still unhappy with the way she had deceived him. "… There are reasons I trust her without a doubt," Mr. hall said pointedly. "The other is your constant companion, and a good friend," he said, indicating Stan. Charlie turned to Stan, who nodded gratefully at Mr. Hall.
Charlie turned back to Mr. Hall, eyebrows raised in curiosity. "And the third?"
Mr. Hall watched him for a second and Charlie fought to resist looking down under the man's scrutiny. He knew Mr. Hall had trust issues, understandably. But it still made him upset and a little nervous that the man still didn't think he could trust him fully. Especially after everything he gave up for Hall Industries. He was disappointed, but not surprised when the man simply told him he was certain that the leak had not come from the final person.
"It would appear that someone has figured out a way to hack into our secure systems, even accessing files classified above top-secret."
"Someone in the Defiance? Like Powers?" Charlie asked, suddenly remembering all the extra security.
Mr. Hall looked uncomfortable. "Possible, but not necessarily. It could have originated inside our operation, which is why we are taking so many precautions, … and it is why I wanted to assure you that we are doing everything to figure out how this information was obtained and making sure it never happens again. There is no need for you to worry."
Charlie believed Mr. Hall was doing everything he could, and judging by the man's tone, he almost felt sorry for whoever had hacked the system. Then the last comment Hall had made caught his attention. "What do you mean?"
Mr. Hall and Stan exchanged a glance. Charlie's eyes narrowed. He stole a glance at Stan, who was looking down guiltily. Mr. Hall sighed and folded his hands together. "Aaron, the location of this base was classified so high because of the potential for the research done there to be weaponized by the Omega Defiance… Hall Industries also keeps personnel information in the same top-secret classification."
Charlie eyes widened slightly. He felt his heart start pounding, not liking where this was going.
"Your information, the true identity of Aaron Stone, was classified in the same database due to the importance of your anonymity."
Charlie gaped at Mr. Hall. The man actually thought he shouldn't worry that the Omega Defiance cold have found out who he really is? That Elias Powers, who'd already promised to find out who he is, wasn't using that information to track down his family this instant? His identity as Charlie Landers was everything. It allowed him to be normal, like he was before Hall Industries tapped him to be their on-call Hero. It allowed him to keep his family safe while he was out fighting the most dangerous people in the world.
Charlie stood up. "Are you saying the Omega Defiance probably knows—". Mr. Hall interrupted. "They don't know, Aaron."
Charlie let out a long breath. He looked hard at Mr. Hall, practically pleading with the older man to give him some sort of assurance that he could still be Charlie Landers, that his mom and Jason were still safe. "Are you sure?" he asked, hating that his voice shook.
Mr. Hall leaned forward slightly, which brought his face slightly more into the light. Charlie could actually catch the man's gaze, which was confident. "I am positive they don't know, Aaron."
Charlie took a deep breath and nodded, but remained standing. Mr. Hall went on. "We were able to monitor the outgoing signal. We couldn't gain a location, but we do know it did not come from headquarters and that only a small data bit of information was gained. Now that the facility has been hit, we know what was on that data bit… Charlie Landers is safe, Aaron."
Charlie digested this information, his heartbeat returning to a normal rate. He met Mr. Hall's gaze again and nodded, thankful.
Mr. Hall leaned back in his seat, once again disappearing into the shadows. "Now, are you ready to be briefed on the mission, Aaron Stone? We have already wasted crucial time."
Charlie squared his shoulders and stood a little straighter. He'd worry about how close he'd come to risking his entire family later. Now he had a job to do, and he felt more ready and willing to go after the Omega Defiance than he ever had before.
A new image appeared on Hall's monitor. Charlie studied it. It looked like a map, with one small, blinking dot. "Several pieces of equipment were stolen by Powers and his accomplices. One is still transmitting a location."
He typed a few keys and the image zoomed in on the blinking dot. He and Stan leaned forward to get a closer look. "Where is that?" Charlie asked. He couldn't seem to find and roads or distinguishing marks on the map.
Mr. Hall sounded grim. " It is halfway up a mountain in the middle of a small village. It is very close to where we are now."
Charlie knew why Mr. Hall sounded unhappy. That beacon wasn't left on by accident. "It's a trap." It wasn't a question
Mr. Hall nodded. "Most likely. However, the device must be recovered and perhaps we will learn something important about what the Omega Defiance is up to."
Charlie nodded. He had a bad feeling about this, but figured it was because he was knowingly walking into an ambush. But Mr. Hall was right. Something was going on, something the Omega Defiance was going out of their way to keep secret, and Charlie intended to figure out exactly what it was.
Charlie and Stan walked warily into the small village. It was halfway up a mountain and hugged a ridge overlooking what would have been a breathtaking sight in any different situation. Charlie let out a tense breath, visible in the freezing air. Snow was falling in steady sheets, and a light dusting already covered the ground and surrounding buildings. He glanced at Stan, who looked as apprehensive as he felt. They nodded at each other and Charlie put his left arm over his gauntlet, ready to fire at a moment's notice.
Cautiously, they entered into what looked to be the middle of the village, marked by a small statue. There was no one in sight. He listened carefully, but could hear only the snow as it lightly rained down and the slight howl of wind coming around the mountain. The whole situation was incredibly eerie and Charlie felt a chill go up his spine. He felt like he was in one of those horror flicks Jason always made him watch. He swore he'd seen this particular movie, and any minute now the monster who ate all the villagers was going to run out and devour him.
A sudden clatter made him jerk and he whipped around, raising his gauntlet, then just as quickly lowering it. A window slammed shut, but he had seen the small child and man behind it. He let out a small, amused huff. No more D-horror flicks for him. He looked at Stan, who looked as startled as he did. "They're scared," he said, stating the obvious.
Stan nodded. "But of whom?"
Charlie nodded. He had a feeling he didn't want to find out, but they had a mission. He thought he saw something through the snow and squinted. Sure enough, a large crate with the logo for Hall industries sat a short distance from the statue, completely in the open. Oh yeah, Charlie thought, glancing around warily, definitely a trap. He tapped Stan on the shoulder, indicating the crate. Stan nodded and they both approached it cautiously.
While Stan bent to examine it, Charlie raised his gauntlet, covering the android and watching for the imminent ambush. Stan scanned the outside, and finding nothing, slowly lifted the lid. Charlie turned to look, but the sound of crunching snow made him look back toward a gap between two houses.
Elias Powers, wearing a black jumpsuit and large backpack, walked casually toward him. Raising his gauntlet, he fired a shot. Powers ducked, falling to the ground and pulled something off his belt, holding it up above him. Charlie prepared to fire again, but Powers' cold voice stopped him.
"Shoot me and this whole place will slide down the mountain," he yelled. He'd rigged a bomb. Charlie gritted his teeth but didn't fire. He also didn't lower his gauntlet.
Smirking, Powers slowly stood up, dusting snow off himself while the other hand held out the small device, which looked like a remote.
"Hello, Aaron." Charlie didn't answer, just kept his weapon trained on the evil man. Elias smiled. "I'm very glad to see you again. Did you get my message?"
Charlie couldn't believe it. Powers sounded more like he was asking if he'd received a birthday card, rather than the threat he'd gotten after the mad man had escaped. "Drop the remote, Powers."
He merely kept the same, thin smile on his face he seemed to wear all the time. It was like a perpetual smirk he wore because he thought he was smarter than everyone around him. "I wonder, Aaron… how often have you thought about me, because I have thought about nothing but you for so long," Elias chuckled, shaking his head, " and how I am going to find you… and end you." Powers' smile disappeared after his last sentence, and he glared with hatred at Charlie.
Gulping and trying to hide his discomfort, Charlie tightened his gauntlet arm. "Well, you found me. So how about you put that down and you and I settle this, huh?"
Powers' smirk was back and he gazed hard at Charlie for a few moments. "No, he finally said calmly, "I haven't. Not yet." Before Charlie could ponder his odd statement, Powers took off the way he had come, darting behind a home and taking off toward the edge of the ridge. Charlie ran after him, refusing to let the man escape a second time. He didn't understand it, Powers was headed for the edge, with nowhere to go.
Right before he reached the edge Powers slid to a halt, turning, the remote held up, reminding Charlie why he couldn't shoot.
"Drop the remote, Powers!" he repeated.
Powers sighed. "I'm afraid I can't do that. I have somewhere to go." Charlie took an angry step forward. "The only place you are going to is back to your cell!"
Charlie became even more angry as Elias chuckled and shook his head. "You have nowhere to go!" he bit out, sick of whatever game the man was trying to play.
With his free hand, Powers reached up and pulled at something on his shoulder strap. What had appeared to be a mere mountain pack transformed into a liquid fabric that poured out then hardened, creating a long, shell-like contraption that covered Powers from his shoulders to his knees.
Charlie leaped forward, knowing he was about to attempt an escape, but Powers threw the remote, and Charlie quickly changed direction to lunge at the device as it tumbled through the air. He fell forward, catching the remote safely, the switch still not activated, as he crashed into the snow.
Without anytime to sigh in relief, he turned toward where Powers was still standing on the ledge. The man threw one last smirk toward him, lowering goggles onto his face. "Say hello to your little brother for me."
Charlie's eyes narrowed in white-hot anger and he jumped to his feet with an angry cry, raising his gauntlet. Too late. Powers had jumped off the ledge. He raced to the edge and watched as the man careened down the hill on his back, the shell acting as a kind of sled as he flew down at a dangerous speed. He finally stopped, too far away for his weapon's range, and got into a small ship that had been camouflaged. Charlie recognized it as the SSJ he'd crashed and Kronis had refurbished. He watched as Elias Powers got away, again.
He was breathing heavily, though whether from exertion or anger he wasn't sure anymore. He tried not to think about what Powers had said to him. He knew the man was trying to make him scared. Unfortunately, it was working. And what had been the point of this whole encounter? Powers had set a trap, but hadn't caught anything. In fact, he was almost caught himself. So what was the point?
"Did you get him, Aaron Stone?"
Charlie turned to find Stan running up awkwardly behind him. Charlie glared at him for asking such a stupid question. "No, Stan, I didn't get him," he said testily. He suddenly realized Stan hadn't been right behind him like he expected. "And where were you anyway?"
Stan looked at him, confused. "I followed you after you took off in pursuit." He looked around, obviously realizing he was missing something.
"What took you so long?"
Stan looked behind him, seemingly very perplexed. "I must have gotten turned around. Or perhaps this snow is affecting my servos."
Charlie looked at him oddly. Stan had been acting off for a while. He decided he needed to ask him about it. "Look, Stan. Are you feeling okay?" Stan looked at him oddly, confused. "Feeling?" he asked.
Charlie shrugged. "Do you feel sick? Or I guess… broken in any way?" Stan actually seemed to give it some thought.
"Now that you mention it I have felt like some of my circuits are running slower than usual." He gestured to certain parts of his android body. "I have also noticed some overheating in some of my—"
"Okay—too much information. Sounds like you could use a check-up. How about we get Emma to help you run a full diagnostics when we get back home?" he didn't want to know about the androids odd robot parts malfunctioning.
Stan smiled and nodded.
"Great. Now let's get off this mountain, I'm freezing."
* **********
By the time Charlie got back home it was dark and very late. He'd been gone a lot longer than the few hours he'd promised Jason and was not looking forward to facing a disappointed little brother. He entered the house and heard the TV. He headed into the living room and saw Emma sitting, headphones on and reading a magazine. He didn't see Jason anywhere.
"Emma."
She didn't hear him so he walked up and tapped her on the head. She growled and pulled off her headphones. "Jason, for the last time, I will—," she stopped as she saw it was Charlie and let out a long, relieved groan. "Oh, thank you!" She stood up and started packing up her stuff. "How'd the mission go? You can tell me about it later. I--."
"Emma?" Charlie asked carefully, aware she hated being used as a babysitter and probably wasn't very happy with him right now. She looked at him, expectant. "Where's Jason?"
Emma rolled her eyes. "In your room playing Hero Rising. Said if you were going to stay over at a friend's house all night he was going to do whatever he wanted to… blahblahblah. Just a bunch of other angsty teen ramblings"
Charlie winced. "So he was pretty angry, huh?"
Emma raised an eyebrow. "I was pretty angry. It's Friday night and I'm stuck here babysitting." She got up in his personal space and poked a finger into his chest. " I have a black belt, a ridiculously high IQ, and I'm a technical and weapons expert. I don't baby-sit."
Charlie smiled and took a step back, thinking of his own safety as he backed away. "Speaking of technical experts," he said, trying to change the subject. "Stan has been having some problems and needs you to run a full diagnostics. Please?" he added sweetly.
Emma narrowed her eyes, and then shook her head in exasperation. "Why not? My Friday is already ruined anyway." With that, she took off toward Stan's room grumbling to herself. Charlie smiled slightly. He always knew he could count on Emma, even if sometimes asking means risking his health. He knew she probably had all sorts of weapons hidden in her room that would really hurt. He cringed even thinking about it.
He headed for the stairs, taking them two at a time. He could heard hero rising playing through his closed door, but was surprised at the lack of trash talk, or talking period, that usually accompanied the game when Jason was playing. He pushed open the door and stepped inside. Jason was playing the game, but he was sitting perfectly still, only moving his fingers to manipulate the controller. He walked around so he could see his brother's face. Yep, he thought with and internal wince, definitely mad.
His little brother could be very stubborn if you made him angry enough. Though usually loud and obnoxious, you always knew when he was upset because he didn't make a sound. He would just clam up.
"Hey, Jay," Charlie tried. He got no answer, only a slight twitch in his brother's jaw that told Charlie his brother knew he was here, and he wasn't happy with him.
He went and sat down in the game chair next to Jason. "Look," he began, hoping his lie would pass, "I'm sorry I took so long. You know Freddy… he's hopeless when it comes to anything not directly related to skateboarding or biking." He chuckled, but stopped when it became apparent Jason was not amused.
Sighing he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and watching the game as Jason's avatar fought off Zephyr's ninjas. He sighed. He never could escape the game.
He decided to try something else. "Jay-man. I lied." Jason did nothing so he went on. "Freddy didn't need help studying for a test. I went out because… well I have a friend, you don't know him, and he needed help." It wasn't the whole truth, but it was closer than all the lies he was always feeding his brother. He was just so sick of lying to him.
"I can't tell you why, but I want you to know it was really important. I wouldn't have stayed so long if it weren't, man." He didn't know what Jason was doing, he was still watching the game, but he noticed a few ninjas get some good hits in on Terminus Mag. "I just wanted to let you know I didn't mean to ditch you tonight."
He waited, but it seemed Jason felt like holding a grudge tonight, not that Charlie could blame him. He was about to stand up when his brother finally spoke.
"Want to play?"
Charlie glanced back at Jason, who still didn't look happy, but at least he was talking to him. He smiled, grateful for the peace offering and took it. "Yeah, man." He grabbed a controller and entered the game. He was tired and just wanted to collapse in bed, but he could stay up a little longer to play a few games with his brother.
"I knew Freddy didn't study."
Charlie found himself cracking up at Jason's statement. He looked over while laughing to see that Jason was trying not to grin and knew he'd been forgiven.
Emma came up a few minutes later to tell me that she was done looking at the "thing" he'd asked about and would have the results for him in the morning. He and Jason had said goodnight and then gotten back to their game. They continued playing for almost an hour before Charlie noticed Jason beginning to look sleepy. He turned off the game and they both got ready for bed. He was out the moment he hit his bed, finally able to sleep and forget about hero Rising, the Omega Defiance, and Elias Powers.
He didn't know what exactly had woken him, but he knew something had made him jump. Groggy, Charlie rolled over slowly, trying to think despite the fact he still felt half-asleep. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He didn't hear any sounds in the house. Deciding he had lost it, he closed his eyes, intending to get back to sleep, when a piercing scream had him jerking back awake.
Startled, he jumped out of bed, falling over as the covers tangled around his legs. As he was getting up the door to his room flung open and Jason rushed in, pale and terrified. "Jay, you okay?" Charlie asked, panicked.
Jason looked at him, frowning. "That wasn't me!"
They both jumped as another yell was heard. Now completely awake, Charlie recognized the voice. "Emma," he breathed. Together, he and Jason ran to his window, flinging back the curtains and pulling up the window.
Emma's bedroom was on fire, the whole side of the house practically in flames. He stared in horror for a moment before turning around and looking for something. He saw what he was looking for, a bat, and grabbed it, returning to the window.
He started to climb out and onto the roof when Jason grabbed his arm and pulled him back inside. "What are you doing?!" he yelled. Charlie looked and saw that he was still white and scared. He gripped his shoulders, looking right at him. "Call 911. I'll be right back, I have to get Emma." His brother's eyes were huge, but he didn't have time to worry about Jason right now. Only a small section of Emma's roof was not on fire and he had to go now if he was going to make it.
Stan suddenly burst through his bedroom door. "I've called the proper authorities. They're already on their way."
He climbs back through the window, not waiting to hear anything else. He took a deep breath then ran and leaped, not hearing Jason yell his name. He landed dangerously close to the flames and scrambled back, rising to his feet unsteadily. Turning to the window, he brought his bat up and swung. It took two hard hits, but the window broke, sending smoke out into the night sky. Without hesitating he leaped into the room.
There was so much smoke he could barely see anything. "Emma!" he yelled, then quickly dissolved into a coughing fit. He dropped to the floor, trying to remember what he'd been taught. He crawled forward, calling out for Emma.
Suddenly someone was tying a piece of cloth around his face. He struggled for a moment before realizing it was Emma, trying to shield him from the smoke. He grabbed her hand and pulled her back the way he had come. They both reached the window in time to see the roof below it collapse from the flames.
This time it was Emma who led him back through the room to her door, He tried the handle but noticed it wouldn't budge. The lock looked mangled and melted. They were stuck. Emma dragged him toward one of her walls, where a painting was mounted. She grabbed his bat and then pointed to the picture.
Charlie understood and with a giant swing, shattered the painting. He doubled over in a coughing fit as Emma moved forward and grabbed at something pulling away to reveal a small ray gun. They went back to the door and she pointed it at the lock. Charlie backed up slightly, knowing that even Emma's little guns packed a punch. He was smart. The door splintered all over, some of the pieces still managing to catch him, stinging as they cut.
Both of them coughing and dizzy from the heat and smoke, they made their way out of her bedroom, walking carefully but quickly down the flaming hallway. Emma fell down once, but Charlie still had her hand and hoisted her up. They made it down the stairs, only stumbling a few times and ran right into two large firemen.
They lost their grip on one another as each fire fighter grabbed one of them, acting as supports as they quickly made it outside. The minute they hit the fresh night air Charlie tried to take a large breath, resulting in another coughing fit. Well that didn't help, he thought. He could feel tears streaming down his face caused by the smoke. The fireman placed him on the grass, sitting up, and the next thing he knew an oxygen mask was placed over his nose and mouth. He knew it would help, but he still tried to push it away. Everything was happening so fast, he couldn't think straight.
"Charlie!"
He looked up at the sound of his name and saw Jason rushing toward him. He watched as his brother dropped to his knees beside him. He looked scared and Charlie tried to say something reassuring, but he just started coughing again. Jason reached out and gripped his shoulder. Charlie grabbed his arm and held on, wishing he could catch his breath, but grateful for the support.
He grabbed the mask away from the medic and took a few long breaths, trying to calm his breathing. As the medic moved to his other side he finally got a glimpse of Emma, in a similar position, but flanked by both her frantic parents. She looked up and met his questioning gaze. She nodded and raised an eyebrow. He nodded, smiling through the mask.
Stan suddenly appeared, talking to one of the medics. They both nodded and then Stan came and squatted in front of both boys. "As long as you breath through that for at least a half-hour they said you can go home. Are you alright?"
Deciding it was better not to talk, Charlie merely nodded. Stan looked unsure for a moment, but finally decided to go check on Emma and her parents.
Realizing he was still gripping his little brother's arm tightly, he let go, throwing an apologetic look at him. He jerked his head toward the house, trying to indicate he should go wait inside. It was freezing tonight.
Jason merely released the grip on his shoulder and crawled over in front of Charlie, sitting down and facing him. Charlie watched him play with the grass as he concentrated on breathing in and out through the mask. Finally, his little bro looked up at him, gazing at him for a few long moments.
"That was really stupid, Charlie."
Charlie figured he couldn't deny that, so he shrugged.
"Pretty awesome, but stupid." The last bit was mumbled and hard to hear but he caught it, and smiled.
"You sure you're okay?" Jason asked quietly. Charlie realized his brother still looked as pale as he had when he ran into his bedroom, if not more so.
He couldn't talk without coughing, so he smiled and held up a fist. Jason looked at him a moment, then brought up his own clasped fist and bumped against his, a shaky smile finally coming through.
So there you go. Hope you all enjoyed it and sorry again it is so late. I feel awful. I'm excited though, because we are starting to really get into the meat of the story and I have a lot of that written already! So, no promises, but I will try to be prompt, college allowing. :)
Let me know what you guys think!
