Layla smiled as Key finished. "You really didn't need to do the make over."
"Ah, it was fun, I never had a sister to do this with." Key smiled back. "You are going to steal a heart tonight. Now go get in your dress so I can fix your hair."
"So…what are you doing tonight?" Layla asked as she got off the bed and headed to her closet.
"Oh, I have some plans." Key shrugged. "Going to be a surprise, and a chance to test out one of Barron's inventions."
"What?"
Key blinked. "Wren didn't tell you did he. Barron Battle is an inventor, apparently right up there with the tecnopaths."
"What are you testing?"
"This." Key held up a silver armband. "Stylish isn't it. And like all Battle toys made for spies so it doesn't even look like any thing more than a pretty band."
"What's it do?"
"Well, It should let me barrow a flame or ice from some one and be abul to use it later, with out freezing or burning my self." Key explained. "I'm trying ice tonight, going to get some off of Jay. Now as soon as you're dressed I'm going work my magic. "
O.O
Warren scanned the crowd once again before finally spotting her.
"The guys at this school are jerks." Layla told Mr. Boy.
"Thanks a lot." Warren came up behind her.
"Hay…" Layla turned her eyes widing as she saw the lack of black leather jacket. "I thought you weren't going to rent a tux."
Warren had to lean closer and speak up to be heard over the roar of bouncy pop music. "It's my Dad's. He doesn't have much use for it in Solitary."
Layla didn't know how to respond, groping for a conversation she reached behind her and pulled up a "Cheese cube?"
"Nice save." Warren smirked. "You look nice."
"Oh, thanks the dress is my mom's, not much use for it in active duty." Layla twirled, putting the cheese cube down.
"Looks good on you." Warren nodded, "Will's loss."
Layla sighed walking over to a side where they wouldn't have to yell to be heard. "Then why do I feel bad about it?"
"Its just life," Warren shrugged, "but trust me hippie, there are other guys out there. One's that will recognize what a gem you truly are. It's Will's loss, you can do so much better."
"Key's right, you are an angel." Layla smiled. "To bad know one else knows."
"They don't need to." Warren shook his head. "I have no interest in their approval."
Layla raised an eyebrow at him.
"They're a bunch of power happy teenagers, they've never known war, or death, or the stress of having someone else's life in their hands, some call them selves adults but can only clame it by age. Most of them will grow in to the tight rubber boots their parents leave them and once the cape it put on they'll never admit a mistake. Why would I bother with them?" Warren turned to see what the sudden cheering was for. His hands clenched at his sides as he saw the Commander and Jet-Stream stroll in to the gym. "Why would I want the approval of that?"
"It'd make life here not a stressful on you." Layla offered.
"Let's just not talk about it." Warren muttered.
"So how is every one?" Layla asked.
Warren smiled, "Same old, same old." He frowned as Layla gasped staring in shock at the stage.
He couldn't say he was sorry to see the Commander go down but he felt a twinge of panic as Jet-Stream was turned into an infant again.
"Hot head find an exit! I'll slow her down!" Coach Boomer tossed his plate of food aside as the gym ran about in panic. Warren grabbed Layla's hand and lead her over to a vent, flaming up and blowing the cover off. The sidekicks that had once fallowed Will scrambled in first, and then Layla, Warren crawled in last. He had plenty of experience crawling through vents in the dark, he knew they couldn't have.
"Where are we?"
"Hay Warren how 'bout a torch?"
Warren rolled his eyes. "Only if you want to get barbequed." Layla glanced back at him, and Warren shrugged to the best of his ability. So maybe he had used that tactic on a mission, the building had to be destroyed and he'd lost the explosives.
"Ladies if I may." Glow stick crawled to the front.
"And then all the reindeer loved him."
Warren closed his eyes trying to listen to the air currents, breathing slowly through his nose. "Turn right, it leads to a hall."
"How do you know?" Popsicle looked back.
"Trust me and move." Warren growled.
O.O
"Do you even know where we're going?" the girl named Magenta called up as Warren reached down to help them up the vertical shoot.
"Yes, now give me your hand."
"Can't we have just stayed on one floor?" Zach huffed caching his breath.
Warren shook his head, pulling Magenta over the edge. "That's were Royal Pain is." He reached down for Layla.
"So how do you know where we're going?" Magenta raised an eyebrow.
"The air is cooler up here, and it smells different, and if you all would shut up, you could hear where the fans are and where it echoes." Warren snapped, this wasn't a team of Battles and Peaces that could have each navigated on their own, crawled through silently, communicating though short gestures and looks, this was four high school kids. And he was responsible for them, and possibly their lives.
"You've done this before?" Layla smiled.
Warren sighed, "The closest exit is right around that corner, try and be a little more quiet before you give away where we are if you haven't already." He'd never been so glad to just be dealing with a teenage villain, if it had been one of the rival families like the Blades or the Swifts, they all would have been dead by now.
"You really have done this before." Magenta crawled after Zach and Eathen.
"Family bisnus?" Layla whispered.
Warren sighed looking after the others as the sound of an air vent being ripped off reached him. "Crap."
"Hay Will's here." Magenta called
And now every one knows that. Warren rubbed his temples. "Come on," he motioned for Layla to go first.
O.O
"Way to go Popsicle." Warren high fived the geek. He still wished that they had been quieter in the air vents, and then maybe, just maybe they wouldn't have had to deal with the three in convinces. "Come on let's find the others."
"Are you going to leave him there?"
Warren glanced back at the flaming rear-end sticking out of the wall. "It won't burn him to bad."
"Cool."
Warren nodded jogging off to find Layla, the freshman Popsicle close on his heals. It didn't take long before they almost literally ran straight into Layla.
"She sabotaged the antigravity!" Layla gasped. "We'll fall in ten minuets!"
"We got to tell Will!"
Warren shook his head; "He can't hold it in the air. Any idea where Royal Pain would have hid the device?" Layla shook her head. "Who told you?"
"Penny."
Warren nodded. "I'll talk to her."
O.O
Warren walked out of the lab to see the small group of freshmen eyeing him sapaishously. "Here." He hand then a roll of blue prints.
"Do we even want to know what you said?"
Warren glared at them, "Just fix it quick." He leaned against the wall. "She sealed off the main vents." He rubbed his side. "How much anger did you put in those vines?"
"Did they get you?" Layla blushed.
Warren scowled, closing his eyes blocking out the conversation, concentrating on the hole in his side. Thorns on vines, never would have expected that from hippie. He opened his eyes to see a small rodent looking up at him.
"Not one word." It squeaked. "Just blow the cover off that vent and not one word."
"Alright," Warren shrugged and 'blew the cover off that vent'. "Hippie you're with me, let's go find Wonder Boy, you two stay here and be back up for Maj." He turned and jogged off in the direction they had originally came from, Layla close behind.
"Warren?"
"Yeah?"
"What happens if we don't stop her in time?"
"We will." Warren nodded, turning and sprinting towards the sound of crashes. "Hippie, it a family rule, even if all else fails, we don't. Come on sounds like Wonder Boy could use so help."
"You'll be the one in need of some help!" a Penny clone jumped on Layla's back, pulling her down by the hair.
"Warren!"
Warren grabbed the clone throwing it off of Layla. "Back off bitch." He growled pushing Layla behind him. Penny ran flipping at them. Warren pushed Layla down and out of the way before reaching up and grabbing Penny's ankle, mid-flip, spinning her around and into a wall. The clone crumpled and vanished. "You all right?" he offered a hand to help Layla up.
"Fine, thanks. Let's go find Will now." Layla started off towards the gym again. "So where'd you learn to do that?"
"Grandpa, for my fifth birthday." Warren ran after her. "Sometimes the oldest tricks are the best."
Layla nodded and shoved the doors to the gym open. Will was about to deliver a punch to Royal Pain. "Will!" She called. Will made the mistake of looking up, giving Royal Pain her chance. The tecnopath charged her suit and before any one could move had punched Will across the room…and though the window. Warren felt a rock hit his gut, even if he left at the same time, there was no way to catch up to Stronghold. He was falling to fast and flew to far out. The closet Warren would ever get, even if he could reach his top flying speed, would be just close enough to hear the splat. Will was gone.
"Nooooooooo!" Layla cried. Warren cringed; no fortune cookie could make this feel okay.
"And there goes you last chance of stopping me." Royal Pain stood.
"We'll see about that!" Layla snarled, marching forward.
Down hippie! Not now! Warren put his arm out. There was no way Layla was thinking clear, and that was the fastest way to die in the field. Will was gone, nothing he could do about that, but he sure as hell wasn't going to lose Layla. What the…
Royal Pain saw Warren's surprised gaze and spun around to see Will floating outside the window. "What the!"
"Surprised? So am I." Will looked like a younger, much dorkier, Superman as he pulled one fist back and charged through the air.
"But that's impossible!" Royal Pain cried as Will lifted her up and dropped her, finally landing that punch.
"You did it!" Layla smiled running up to hug her new boy friend. Warren clapped him on the shoulder. Looking back at the once homecoming queen. She was moving…and pushing a button on her suit…
All at once the school just dropped.
"The school is falling?" Layla looked at Warren. Did Magenta make a wrong turn?
Will ran out the window and dove under the school. "I'm giving him ten seconds before I carry you out of here." Warren looked out the window as the clouds whizzed by and disappeared altogether.
"What about the others?"
"I'll save who I can!" Warren gritted his teeth. There was no way he could save them all. He had grabbed her ready to bring out his wings and fly when the school slowed down, stopped, and flew back into the sky.
"We did it!" The other three ran into the gym as Will flew back through the window. Magenta looked around, "So where's every one else?"
"The front yard! Pain and Stitches were loading them into a bus!" Will took off.
They didn't have to worry. Ron was telling stories and making faces at his audience of newborns, the villain's sidekick was sprawled in the grass.
"Come on let's get them out." Warren opened the back door and Ron handed him down a baby.
"So now what?" Layla sighed after a while.
"Perhaps I can be of assistance," the baby Warren was holding spoke up. Warren blinked surprised as his teacher went on. "It should only take me a couple of hours to reconfigure the pacifier. Mr. Peace, would you please carry me to the Mad Since lab?"
"Sure," Warren answered, still a little shocked at the talking baby.
"And Mr. Peace,"
"Yeah?"
"Regrettably I have made boom-boom."
Ah no. I am not changing you. Warren scowled carrying his teacher off into the building.
O.O
Warren had left the group earlier to secure Penny, Lash, Speed and the two villains that had code names, Royal Pain and Stitches. All it took was a few threats, that were more like promises, and a swift kick to the temple (on Royal Pain, as she tried to escape) to get them all to walk into the detention room. Warren then welded a few bars over the door, just incase. Sure he'd have to take them off later, but he needed to let out some flame any way. The group stopped as stared at him as he walked back to them. "What?"
The group was sitting out on the front steppes, watching the babies crawl around, and talking amongst them selves, or at lest they had been. "So are you like a secret ninja or something? Cuz those moves weren't taught in gym." Zach looked up in awe.
"What are you talking about?" Warren's eyes narrowed.
"We saw you re-take out Royal Pain, and Layla told us about the Penny attack in the hall, and the air vent thing." Magenta shrugged, "Where'd you learn it?"
"Field work." Warren sat down next to Layla. Some of the babies crawled over to him, and pulled on his pants leg. Warren sighed and sat on the grass letting them crawl over his legs.
"Aw," Layla giggled.
"It's because I'm warm." Warren huffed. "It's the same thing with cats, they like warmth, so they stay near me, or any other pyro."
"So…what field work?" Will tried to hide a smile.
"I'm still not sure if I like you or not Stronghold." Warren shot a warning glare up at Will.
"Why do you hate my dad…is it because of…you know?" Will asked getting down to sit beside him.
"Not just that, it's complicated Wonder Boy." Warren shook his head. "That one is your mom." He pointed at a little baby girl that was chewing on Zach's shoelace.
"How do you know?" Will blinked surprised.
"I've seen photos." Warren leaned back looking up at the stars. "Our parents used to be best friends. Steve and Dad were the Best Man at each other's weddings, there's photos of Josie and Mom making mud pies at your grandma's house in this old album at home."
"I've never heard that." Will looked back at Layla.
"Didn't expect you to." Warren muttered. "It's just complicated."
"I've done it!"
The gang looked up at the triumphant mad scientist. He tossed down Jet-Stream's costume. "Now which one are you?" he peered at the babies.
Magenta pointed at the baby Josie. And a moment later, Jet-Stream was re-caped and ready to go. "And you didn't even call your uncles." She smiled at Warren, giving Will a tight squeeze.
"They'd never let me hear the end of it." Warren stood.
Josie laughed, "Knowing them,"
"Wait, do you two still talk to each other?" Will blinked.
"Of course I do…do you mind?" She glanced at Warren who sighed and nodded his head slowly as if to say, 'might as well'. "Will, Warren's our godchild."
Thanks Miss J. Warren nodded thanks. Josie could have said so much more, she was the one hero he trusted close to him, and she earned that trust. So what if Will now knew, there was still so much more he didn't. He didn't know about Jay, and how he now had used Josie to fill the hole in their life where a mother should be. How Josie took care of Warren when Barron couldn't be there. There was much Will didn't know, and Warren liked it that way.
"You're my godbrother?" Will gasped.
"What of it?" Warren challenged. "Come on we should get some sort of system set up so we don't have a bunch of naked people running around once they're de-babyed."
O.O
Warren shook his head as the annoying loud bouncy music turned back on. Layla and Will were making out miles above the ground, and the flashing lights were starting to hurt his eyes.
"Hay, a little help? It's kind of cold."
Warren looked over and smiled, lighting his hand and melting the ice, leading Key away. "Where'd you get the wig?"
"Oh, you're not the only one with connections." Key grinned as they left the building, walking out on to the grass.
"Are we going somewhere?" Warren smiled.
"Oh, you might want to come home early." Key grinned. Stepping to the edge she looked back, "Can you catch me?"
Warren picked her up, "Every time." He took off, feeling the fabric part to let the wings out. He loved his dad's inventions, like this one. Once the heat/wings were gone the suit would mend it's self. "So what's going on at home?"
O.O
Warren yawned awake, rolling out of bed. He almost ran down the stairs praying he hadn't been dreaming.
"Morning Wren." Barron smiled at him from over a mug of coffee. Jason sat right next to him, his breakfast untouched. Charlie, the guard that would have to come with Barron on his trips home, was helping the girls make chocolate milk. "Sleep well?"
Warren nodded speechless; his father was home. He didn't care if it was just for a few days per month. Barron Battle was home.