So here it is. Long time no post me. -rubs back of neck- Sorry 'bout that.


Never a Dull Day

I woke up feeling pretty decent. My command prompt was pinging slowly in my head, telling me that I had slept adequately and that my Wake Up command was now dormant. Everything was as it should be. In my body at least. I looked around my room, and it looked just as I left it. Bare. It was blue, something about color coordination that all couriers were obsessed with. There was a desk, a bed, a chair, and a shelf with a couple of items. Most of the items were just shells.

Well, the shells weren't really 'shells' from the ocean per say, but shells of things. Like my sphere, the outer casing that was left behind and I kept it on my shelf so I could look at it. A few kids pictures books were on my table, innocently staring up at the ceiling and begging me to re-read them. With a stretch, I declined the luxury and hurried to the kitchen, because, as everyone knows- I am starved after sleeping. Ol' Skool claimed it was because my brain was still growing if not just my body.

I never questioned it.

The kitchen was silent, which was only slightly unusual. If it was early enough, everyone would eat together, but it was obvious that I had missed that point of the morning. I stretched and yawned, scratching my hair as I grabbed a bowl and poured myself some cereal with orange juice. Loogie, unfortunately had taught me that one, but needless to say it was good. Salt was, too. That one was all Dr. Pinch's fault. Then Bacon was all Burn, along with chicken, but I didn't like it as much when it was fried as he did. Deets unfortunately, loved fruit, which I could not stand unless it was in some form of liquid.

Fizz and I had a lot of the same preferences: chicken, cereal, liquid fruit, and ice cream. Strangely enough we both hated the same things: raw meat, beans, tofu, and yogurt. Uck. Ol' Skool absolutely adores yogurt. I personally can't see how it is good… I munched on my cereal slowly as I tried to go over the quantum chemistry of yogurt in my head. Fizz made it seem hard, but its algorithms followed closely with most bodily-functions when completely understood.

"So I see sleeping beauty is up, huh?" Ol' Skool said, yawning not a moment later. I had heard Ol' Skool walking before he talked, but I wanted to keep some secrets to myself, so I only turned around when he directly addressed me. His gait was a little less than ninja, but rightly loud. I guess it was like a wounded ninja, if that makes sense at all.

I said, "I slept surprisingly well. You know… considering." Somehow it was still unsettling that everyone knew nobody but Ol' Skool and I were in the room. I thought as I took a bite. Chewing slowly. I felt naked, but surprisingly free. Was this what it must be like to streak? Huh, I don't think Ol' Skool would be particularly happy to allow me the chance to try that thought out, but it was still a thought. I wonder what cold air felt like down the-

"Well? That's… good." Ol' Skool broke through my thoughts. It seemed like Ol' Skool was nervous. Why? With narrowed curious eyes, I watched his movements. Left hand twitching as he reached for the yogurt, eyes looking anywhere but mine. A bite of cereal and I was watching even more closely. Eye twitch of frustration as he tried to open the yogurt, hand shaking. Tell-tale signs of nervous anxiety, but also tension in his shoulders told me that he was waiting to be attacked. By who? It took me a moment to realize this was him, being nervous. Around me. An almost forgotten bite of cereal as I thought.

Nervous. That was two steps away from being scared.

My eyebrows shot up, I knew that feeling well, just never around other people. Ol' Skool was nervous, about me or something that followed me. Predictably, this didn't surprise me, but the fact of the matter was that my parental figure was… alarmed to the fact of me. I had always known that Ol' Skool was uneasy about me in general. He would have been crazy not to be, honestly. Sometimes, that's what made me better at reading people. The strongest emotions followed a close pattern that I was only now starting to pick up on. I had been getting progressively better at analyzing the people around me. Faster and faster, actually.

"What is it about me, exactly-" I asked Ol' Skool suddenly. The thoughts in my mind had poured into the words I had left unspoken. He was nervous, and it was making me edgy. The look I received was almost a jittery confusion, borderline naïve. "That is so different? I mean, I am aware that I am half engineered and half creation. That makes me different, yes, but I don't understand why that matters."

It took a moment for Ol' Skool to mull over the question; thoughtful expressions crossed his face before he answered. I was chewing quietly.

"You're special Ed. Different is… Well, it's like beauty." That threw me for a loop and I almost choked on my orange juice concoction. Beauty? My expression of disdain didn't stop him from continuing. "It's in the eye of the beholder."

Ahh. That made sense. I think. Humans are very fickle. One day they could love me, and the next they could hate me. Their nature was different than mine. It seemed to… touch and go for me. I know me. I am steady and changing infrequently. Once I find me, that is. I learn, thus I change with my knowledge, but I have a structure I hold too. I know what I am as much as the humans change who they are.

"I understand now. I believe." I told Ol' Skool, smiling. My face was getting unsuited to the unused muscles. I hadn't smiled like 'dumb' Ed in almost a day. I hadn't gone that long without smiling since I was in my test tube. Amniotic fluid is not, in fact, the best mouthwash. "Thank you."

"Any time Ed." Ol' Skool said, patting me on the shoulder as he passed to his room, yogurt in hand. Ugh, it smelled like hard blueberries. Not even grape-juicy. My nose wrinkled as I finished the last few bites of my cereal and slurped up the orange liquid that I held in esteemed over the cereal itself. I think oranges are fruits… but they are just so good.

Orange might be a fruit, but in my mind it was an honorary vegetable.

I wonder what the world would be like if everything looked like an orange?

Deets POV

Ed had just woken up, we all know it, but none of us wanted to be the first one to actually talk to him. It is not that Ed is a bad guy, but a certain level of trust had been breached. I thought I had known him. Goofy, happy, trustworthy, and naivety included and loved. I couldn't quite wrap my head around the fact that Ed had lied to us, for the entire time we had known him. It seemed like we needed to learn to live with this new guy in our house that shared some characteristics with the old Ed. Ol' Skool backing him left a bad feeling in my stomach. We all felt a little… confused and used at the moment.

Burn was sitting on the couch, angrily pressing button after button on his game-console, as Loogie and Dr. Pinch sat in a hammock arguing about Shrimp and their evil plots to take over the sewer system. I have long since made a pact with myself to never understand Loogie. Fizz had locked herself in her lab, claiming that she had found a new way to 'destabilize the oxygen molecules to create a hybrid of contextualized super metal'. The only concepts I understood were oxygen and metal. Even that was a stretch.

Well, they were all slowly hiding themselves away; I was sitting here writing in my journal. A daily thing that kept my sanity with me. That and talking to Ol' Skool, but I didn't really want to face him at the moment. Betrayal was a little too steep. I knew I would be interrupted by Ed soon though, that was a normal and eventful thing. Then again, after what had happened last night… I couldn't help but wonder how much I was going to really trust this new person I was learning about. Ed. Goodness. He's engineered, by Ol' Skool. It didn't stop me from thinking back to what Ol' Skool had said. How dangerous Ed was.

He could level the city, and who could stop him?

I shivered as pen met paper again and again. My thoughts, emotions, and fears trembled to life on the pressed material beneath my pen. It was a hobby I had picked up a little before Ed had joined us. Ol' Skool had promised it would be a stress relived, and at the time- I swore I would do anything to release the pent up anxiety building inside of me from being used as little less than a trained-thief. The rage and humiliation of being used by Bedlam for such menial and degrading tasks still haunt my nightmares and sometimes my day dreams. The clicking and 'bloops' of Burn and his video game were calming as I rested myself for a longer period of time than I had before this all went down.

If I was honest with myself, I would say I knew this was coming. Chalk it up to paranoia, but this was normal almost. Well, not exactly like this, but similar. Ed was different. We all had something to hide. We all accepted it, and he accepted that nobody asks those kinds of questions unless there are major problems in paradise. You don't just go around asking stupid questions. This was a dangerous world.

I once saw a clown get run over by a DNA and nobody batted an eye, I later found out of some kind of feud had been going on for a year. For some reason, they were able to set their differences aside afterwards… I have a suspicion that was why the package-steal count on both sides had dropped dramatically. From each other anyway.

And our package-steal rate had rocketed as a result. Less packages guarded means more packages stolen. It was just too sweet to see the scowls that littered their faces when a package was stolen by me or Ed. We were the only ones qualified for enough speed and agility to get in and out of the situation safely. Clowns and DNA were no laughing matter, even though they were simpletons at most. Then again, I am starting to think it might be just Ed who is the one for the job. Super human strength and all.

His aerial work was a masterpiece. In my team, I was the only one allowed to even make a judgment on such an act of passion and fluidity. When he dove, my heart fell into my stomach, forgetting that Ol' Skool had just told us only hours before what and who he was. The power in every stroke of his board as he pulled a feat equally as stunning as the last amazing dove or roll or twist. My goodness, the muscles that must be working.

My face flushed as I reviewed what I was thinking. It was hard to admit it to myself when Ed was little more than a brother to me, but… Yes. Ed was hot, no doubt about it, but he was also half alien-tech. Every time I even thought about his abs or his sculpted body, I had to remember. I shouldn't be feeling even the slightest bit attractive to him. Even if he was powerful… and adorable… and talented… And dangerous. If I wasn't lying to myself, I would readily admit that the 'danger' aspect gave him an extra boost in my mind.

Then again…

Who am I kidding? He's a freakin' superman who fell into my life from a lab underground. Would 'climb into my life' be a better phrasing? I chewed on the end of my pen as I tried to think of something else, besides how I was trying to hide my attraction to someone who probably didn't even know he could feel attraction. He is a baby. Wait.

Does that make me a Pedophile? My eyes widened as I stopped chewing. No. It couldn't be. He looked like a teenager. His mind was developed as well, just… not as much as ours. Was he smart? I knew he was naïve… but what if he has been hiding his true face behind a mask?

Oh my gosh, I could be falling for a Lex Luthor. Eww. If Ed went bald prematurely, he might still retain the adorableness that makes him so cute, but I don't think I'd like him as much. At least I hoped I wouldn't. What would that be like? Kissing a bald guy. Maybe it would be like kissing Burn.

The image of that was burned into my retina and I wanted to retch.

"Hey guys." I leapt as I looked over to see Ed smiling and stretching. Did he always sleep in a short sleeved shirt and pants? Huh, never noticed. The room went silence for a second, before Loogie and Dr. Pinch yelled 'hi', Burn grumbled 'busy', and Fizz said absolutely nothing. Was it really up to me to make things seem normal? Teenage girl to the rescue.

A sigh and I did.

"Hey Ed." I said, smiling, already tumbling through my shock with ease that I had developed through my year with Bedlam. Just another part of normal everyday life, when you were with him. I shook myself out of remembering those… particular memories.

When Ed heard me, he gave me a dazzling smile. It was genuine. Strange. I had seen that fake smile for so long that I had thought that was real. This smile was so much better when he actually wanted to do it. His eyes smile, too. Okay, so everything about him just seemed more real now. It was kind of like being in the dark, and stepping into the light. The change was almost blinding. Terrifyingly blinding.

"Hey Deets." He said, plopping himself down between me and Burn. Normal. This was going to take some getting used to. I almost expected him to grow two heads as soon as the news was out. This was not the case. He was bubbly and energetic, almost like a three year old. He was so like the old Ed. It all just fit into place, now that I had someplace to categorize him. Different.

"What're we doing today? Any packages?" Ed asked.

"Nothing. It has been unusually quiet over the airwaves, too." Burn said, not looking away from his video games. I think I heard Loogie and the puppet say something about sharks and minnows. Whatever that was supposed to mean.

"Nothing?" Ol' Skool question, walking in with a towel around his shoulders. His body spoke of relaxation and Zen. That was what I loved about him. Not just the fact that he was my savior, but he had become the mentor I had never had. The parental figure willing to fight off the evil known as Bedam. Seeing him calm and sweet was all I needed to know that Ed, no matter how powerful as long as he had Ol' Skool, would never turn on us. Or me.

"I got a package you can grab, if you all are willing-"

The words were no sooner out his mouth before Ed, was already decked out in his gear and begging for the location. This was not new behavior, it actually happened every single time Ol' Skool wanted us to so much as breath on a package for him. I would say Ed was enthralled with anything even involving Ol' Skool, but sometimes Ed wouldn't want to have anything to do with him. Then again, maybe all of that had been an act. I smirked as I rose, a little slower.

"Yeah. Sure, Ol' Skool, what'd you need?" Burn asked, glaring at Ed's back as he paused the image. I couldn't help but sigh, this was going to be a long year. If we even lasted that long.

Ed was still as excited as always, oblivious to us.

Or was he?

Ed's POV:

I was not stupid. Even though I did not see Burn glaring at me, his voice gave it away. I mean, I know we hadn't had the best of relationships before all hell had broken loose, but he was at least civil. Now it was as if being Genetically Engineered was my fault. Like I had put myself through everything.

If he wanted to play that game, I could find a way to make it his fault for having different colored skin. Though I could never understand why that mattered at all, just that he would get increasingly pissed if someone so much as thought he was lesser than them. Which, technically, he was. Not because of something as arbitrary as skin color though, more or less the tactical command.

"Yeah. Sure, Ol' Skool, what'd you need?"

I didn't look away from Ol' Skool, momentarily putting back up my mask of naivety and innocence. Only half of it being a lie. If I ignored Burn, then maybe he would back off. I though it highly unlikely, but I still wanted to give it a try before I brought out the guns to start battling. Which I knew I would win.

"It's over in sector three, I think. Under the name D. J. Stickyboots." I wasn't the only one confused as to where this was going. In fact, Burn and I both gave each other a scathing look. "Bedlam attacking like that, well that was unexpected- so I decided that an alias for anything related to Ed was going to be needed."

Deets beat me to the punch.

"D. J. Stickyboots? Isn't that a character from an old television show…" TV? What was that… I listened quietly as Ol' Skool and Deets argued for a moment. Still trying to figure out the world I was born into.

"Your point is?" Ol' Skool asked pointedly, his voice never angry. His left eyebrow was raised as he crossed his arms. Deets almost got another word in before Burn said, quite loudly, as if we couldn't hear him,

"Ok, Ol' Skool. We'll get the package."

"You will? Great!" Ol' Skool said it as though there was a chance that I, or anyone else for that matter, was going to entertain the thought of obeying him. We lived under his roof and his protection. I wasn't about to go abandoning that for some simple thing as not wanting to run a package.

"Alright then, well- the package is in…" And he gave us the coordinates, which Burn typed into his GPS tracker. Deets suited up, followed closely by Loogie. I was already ready, but I waited patiently for the rest of my team. Burn shared a few more words of wisdom with Ol' Skool before turning to us, eyes shining in glee of the thought of a hunt.

"Wait're we waiting for? Let's go!"

It didn't take us more than a minute to get outside with boards, vehicles, skates, and wings out, ready for action. We were on a major hover-way before I could truly start to enjoy the feel of the wind running through my hair. It was freeing, being out here. The loud scuttle of huge hover-things made the world a large and dangerous jungle gym of intensity that would punish you if you even thought about looking away. That was what I loved about the world. It could keep up with me.

I smiled as the air brushed through my hair repeatedly and hurriedly, as if I was escaping it, not the other way around. I was just above the tippiest-top of the largest hover-van, and as such only had to watch for my team mates safety. Which was easier said than done. Deets and I still watched though, and waited for someone to make the mistake of underestimating us. Or vice versa.

Oh how the world was dangerous, and how it bowed to the end of my board. Burn, below me, was too intent of the GPS and staying out of the way of moving auto-vehicles to really enjoy the road as Deets and I were. Speaking of Deets…

I looked over to see my pink-haired sidekick enjoying the breeze of the morning. We shared a look and immediately understood. Nobody would ever understand the pull of the sky like Deets and I. It was a kinship I shared with her and only her. Ol' Skool rode on a board, Fizz rode a scooter, Burn a one-wheeled trike, and Loogie practically ran. They were comfortable and in their element, but they missed so much.

Even in my stupor of enjoyment, I could see Deets look of uncertainty. I could not even say I blamed her. We were close. Closer than close. If I had to think of one person as family, including Ol' Skool, it would be Deets. She understood. Even as my heart pounded at the fact that I had knowingly betrayed her all those months of being with everyone, I couldn't say I would change my actions. Because she understood.

I was grounded by my thought process. The wind still pulled my hair and tight-jumpsuit like the fingers of forest-nymphs playfully luring me into a state of ease. I did not pay as much attention to the pleasure as before. Bedlam was now my top priority of battle, and protection would be a number one for a number of months. I would have to keep a constant vigil. Yet still, Deets would understand.

I watched her from the edge of my vision. And I thought. My brain was still so unsure of everything, as it was still so immature. I could accept that I did not know everything, and therefore I could not stop from hurting people until I did know. I would probably never understand the length of my betrayal, but I hoped Deets would not hold it against me for long. It had not been a choice I had totally undergone with on my own. Ol' Skool had only been trying to protect me. I accepted that, but it still burned a small hole in my stomach as I thought of what betrayal really meant.

What would I feel if Ol' Skool had done the same to me, that I had done to Deets? I would feel hurt. Alone. Vulnerable. Used. And yet. Even though that was me, I didn't think it would be Deets. Deets was stronger than me in mentality alone. She had survived fifteen years in this world, where as I was only in my first.

I sidled up next to Deets as we both flew, following those on the ground as they weaved through hover-car after hover-van.

"What do you think of me?" I asked, mentally adding the now. My voice was caught in the wind and taken far away, but I knew she heard. Deets shoulders hunched up as neared me a little more. Her eyes were wide behind her visor and her head was turned towards me momentarily. Enough time to get a look at my face before having to face the wind again so that we didn't get hurt.

"I don't know." She said, simply. Her voice honest before it was snatched by the airstream. My ears were perked and I heard the whispered 'now' that was caught before it should have reached my mind. I kept my eyes on the air in front of me, but I listened to see if she would elebaort.

"The Ed I knew was naïve, young, independent, but not dangerous." I listened as she talked, little surety in her voice than usual. "It's a lot to take in. The fact that, if you so wanted to, you could destroy this city."

I shot her a look at that. Destroy a city? Why would I ever want to? I scoffed mentally, but kept my tongue in check. She believed what she believed, and me interrupting her explanation would not lessen that belief. So I flew stiffly, and listened to the best of my so few months.

"But, you're still Ed. Not our Ed. Not yet. Your smile was fake, but I can get used to the new one. You didn't trust us enough… that was why you kept your existence a secret, and I know it wasn't all your fault. You're not that old- to concoct something as diabolical and distrusting as telling us lies. Ol' Skool wanted to protect you and I guess I can see that. You only knew so much…"

I held my breath as she continued.

"I just… I don't know what to think. It's a lot to take in, but I… I think I can forgive you in time. 'cause I know what it feels like to distrust people you don't know."

It was silent in the air as we continued to fly, turning only when absolutely necessary. My usual air acrobatics were silenced in favor of this silence I was trying to understand. She wasn't as angry as she could be with me. As she should be. I could tell the anger was boiling under the surface, but she was trying more so than anyone else to hear my side of the story. Or at least, not judge me.

"Thank you." I said, sincerely and got an estranged looked from her which had me chuckling darkly to myself. I added as we turned, closing onto our destination. "For giving me a chance. I may act old, but I don't understand a lot… Trusting is not easy. Being forced to trust people is not as easy as I thought it would be. I just-I- I want a chance to be me, without a mask of something else."

This time she listened well as I tried to convey my feelings and thanks.

"I was always told by Ol' Skool that when the time came to tell people about me, I would have a choice. Bedlam took that away, and I do so very dislike him for it. 'an I never really thought about how anyone else would feel. I am a very selfish thing. It's in my nature, but that was mostly from me being childish. And if I'm honest, I don't want to stop being a child."

I kind of just let out a strangled breath I had not really been aware of, and looked over at Deets who was kind of staring.

"Is that so wrong?"

It took her a second, but she shook her head. Then, we were silent, again.

"We're about a half a click off." Burn shouted up to the both of us and I pressed my heel into the back of my board, urging it faster. A jump in my heart led me back to being excited. Subdued from our talk, but excited. I smiled slightly as I surged in front of Burn, watching for any trouble. I could see Burn grimace but I didn't pay any attention. The world was on end, and I had to watch it to keep my team safe.

You never know when a Clown or DNA will drive up and snatch something that is yours.

"Turn right, Ed!" I heard Fizz shout from below, and I followed her orders. Turning sharply down an alley as the rest followed. The old rustic buildings I was now seeing were strange. Older than me and my team's combined ages. I had never seen anything like it. So my speed was suffering only marginally as I looked around the area in wonder.

Burn, Fizz, and Loogie were all asking me what was wrong. I said nothing, confused. I looked down to see that I had dropped in elevation and slowed a lot more than I had originally meant to. With a sheepish smile I regained my altitude and kept my slack-jawed wonder to a minimum.

The city was huge and amazing. In the back of my mind I wondered how I could possibly ever destroy or hope to destroy something so massive and amazing. Old and both new.

"We're here. The building should be there." I didn't see where Burn pointed, but I heard the tone and the directional impact of his voice. So I dropped to the ground and leveled out near Loogie, behind both Fizz and Burn. I could actually feel the smugness radiating from his backside, and didn't quite understand. Though, with narrowed eyes, I caught up and we both stopped at the door to the package's location.

"Here it is." Burn said, momentarily looking down to the GPS. Looking up he nodded to us all, and I stepped off my board, heeling it to my hand and strapping it to my back. Reaching the large stainless-steel door I couldn't find a door-ringer. Feeling at a loss, I raised my knuckle and knocked like I had seen in so many old films.

The sound rang out as three sharp blows were made. And then I stepped back and waited.

Nobody answered for almost a minute and in my impetuousness, I stepped forward to knock again. I never got close enough as a red light came out of a hole in the side of the door, and it ran over my body- chilling. I shivered as the light retracted and a package came shooting out of a newly formed square-hole in the door. I caught it with an 'umph' and landed on my butt. Surprised was an understatement.

The package was almost four hands large, but only a hand high. It was also extremely light, like a feather. It was packaged in a light brown paper one would see over a book or some kind of antique. That covering was covered in what looked like liquid plastic with an eighteen-digit key on top. And it pulsed. Almost painfully.

As I looked at the package in my lap I had to look back up to see if what had happened, really had happened. My mind caught up a millisecond later. And caught on fire in its rapid run to get back up to speed. The package in my hands felt right as I lifted it. Examining done, followed by my hand reaching forward of its own according. The lock on top was destroyed in seconds as I punched in the combination I wasn't even aware of.

As the plastic melted away, the paper sat in my lap, crisp and as beautiful as the day it was pressed.

Nobody spoke behind me, already having seen this reaction once before.

I slid my fingers under each of the taped parts. The part inside was calling stronger and stronger as I moved faster to open it. By the end I was ripping rather than simply lifting. I was careful with my abandon though. The thought of even thinking about hurting whatever was in the package was heart breaking.

Then the top came off the cream-colored box and my breath caught in my throat. Inside, covered in foam, was a long stick, with two bulbs on both sides that made it look almost bonelike. But not. It was metallic and shades of blue roped up and down the sides and top. Honestly. It was really beautiful and the pulse it was giving off was more than enough to sate my hunger for belonging that I felt needed at the moment.

There was another object nestled in the foam stopping the rod from moving about a lot. A small disk, no bigger than my thumb that was inside a clear box, on a small pedestal. It looked like a USB disk, but what was inside was unknown. My jaw dropped as I looked up at the faces that were surrounding me and my new treasures. When did they get there? I wondered dazed as I stroked the blue.

"Another one?" I heard Loogie ask, throwing his hand up as Dr. Pinch berated him for his ignorance.

"Another two." I breathed, finally steeling myself for the touch of cool metal in my palm as I picked up the rod. I shivered as it pulsed delicately in my own little language, telling me, showing me. It was happy to be with me and I with it. The pulsing was latching onto my heartbeat, and soon enough- they were the same. I wanted to purr with pleasure.

"What does it do?" I heard Fizz ask, leaning over my left shoulder to look. I grudgingly raised it to her eyelevel, not wanting to give it up. She reached for it, and seeing me tense asked, "May I?"

I nodded and relinquished my hold. She took it with care and looked it over like a mad-scientist. Tearing my gaze away, I picked up the box with the disc and opened it. It popped up and I looked it over, critically. I popped it out, and before anyone could complain shoved it into my cuff. The port opened and took it, and I waited for it to download.

I did not have long to wait before a small voice spoke.

"Hello." And I looked to see a small holographic sun floating around my palm. "My name is TORCH. Technological advanced to help with any and every task. Might I ask your name?"

"Uh- Ed. Edward. But I like Ed better." I murmured, watching the small sun float around me like I was the center of its world. I heard a muttered 'cool' that was uttered by at least two people behind me, but I didn't pay them a whole lot of attention. TORCH had my undivided attention, even as my other part was manhandled by Fizz. Burn hadn't said a whole lot, but it was understood that he didn't quite know what to do.

"Hello, Ed." TORCH said, emotionlessly as he hovered around. After a moment of staring, I snapped out of it and got up, grabbing a hold of an offered hand by Burn of all people. I shook myself of the dust I had gathered from the archaic ruins. Fizz offered me the rod back and I smiled. I still was unsure with that the stick thing did, but I loved how it felt.

"I wasn't expecting that." Deets said as I attached the stick to my belt and TORCH floated harmlessly by my head. His presence was comforting, but unclear. I looked towards Deets to see her expression. She seemed hesitant, as if her whole world had been simply shattered. Maybe not that horrible, but enough so that it felt wrong.

"Neither did I." I whispered as I turned to face everyone. It was silent for all of three seconds.

"Well…. At least the trumpet wasn't falling on the Western front." Loogie said, Dr. Pinch agreeing heartily. It dawned on me that Loogie had his skates off. Then, I was laughing at the pure outrageousness of the entire situation. I was becoming more complete and Loogie was still the same. The world had not changed with me. A chuckle escaped Deets as it dawned on her how strange the world was turning. What was the world coming too? I thought to myself wryly.

"What are those things, Ed?" Burn probed, not finding the situation the least bit funny. My chuckles died next to Deets as we both quieted. I tried to think of a suitable response.

"Well. This is TORCH… 'an I guess this is some kind of weapon." I pointed to the object currently attached to my waist. It pulsed contently. Much less hazardous than the sphere that made itself a part of my chest. This finding of myself was actually half-way pleasant.

"Yeah. But what do they do?" Burn asked, prodding TORCH through his holographic body. I blinked. Really thought. Then, I blinked again.

"I- don't… know?" I said, trying to phrase it like a question. Burn stopped his prodding and looked at me indignantly.

"How do you not know?" He said, incredulous. Like I knew everything. I drew back from his hand as it reached for my waist and the stick. Narrowing my eyes, I answered again.

"I don't know. It's not like I am born with the innate knowledge of everything. I have to learn, same as you."

Watching him stiffen and harden his eyes, I could not fathom this switch in personality. We had never really gotten on, I knew that, but this attitude was almost like saying I was the scum under his shoe. His body language screamed that he wanted to hit something, whether out of fear, sorrow, or anger I will never know.

"I mean honestly Burn, I'm like five months old. Would you expect a five month old to know what I know?" I told him point blank and watched him shift and blink, uncomfortable. He took a step back as I took a step forward. Apparently, my age was a sore spot- I was going to exploit that. "How am I supposed to know how everything works? Magic? It's rude to think that, and not fair. Besides, it's got to be a weapon. That feels like the right description. Another thin-"

I was going to continue when I heard the sound of a trashcan being torn into bits and pieces. My thought process ruined, I twisted to find what had ruined my conversation. I looked over to the left side of the alley only to see five of Bedlam's large robots looking sheepish over a ruined trashcan. I was surprised and even a little angry at being interrupted, until I noticed that there were six down the other alley. Another five to our backs.

We were surrounded.

We all stood there staring at each other for almost a second, me wondering how we had gotten into this position and them probably scolding their little mechanical brains for being caught, before I dodged a blast aimed for my legs. The rest of my team scrambled as the robots fell on our position with a vengeance. Nobody had any time to yell out a warning. Heart beating faster, I leapt to my feet, whipped out my stick thingy and brandished it in front of me. I didn't know how to use it, but hell if I was going to let them know that.

A surge of energy overcame my gauntlets and flowed into the stick. It surprised me as it leaked into the world in hues of azure and bright white. Blue energy sizzled over the metal flesh as I swung without really having a place for it to land.

I hit a red torso and it exploded. Eight feet away from me.

Eyes wide, I watched the bot fall to the ground, writhing as its systems failed and collapsed. Mouth hanging open I stared as the stick, which had extended almost ten feet, came back to me. It fell back into its uniform place and it was silent as the whole of the robot army looked at their fallen comrade, calculated a new strategy, and then all walked towards me in a uniformed stride akin to Hitler's own troops. My courage failed me slightly as over fifteen bots leveled their blasters at me and started forward

I may be brave and slightly reckless, but faced with an army- Even I fail. The exits were blocked and my teammates were somehow corralled on the outer edge of the circling bots. There weapons were crushed on the ground and their vehicles strew about. They were forgotten as the mob turned its sights only on me. Everyone could only watch as I was surrounded.

"Possibility of capture: 97.923 percent." TORCH said to my right, startling me slightly. I inched backwards as the red closed in on all sides. "Possibility of harm from Bedlams bots: 12.567 percent."

"Do you mean to tell me there is some way to escape?" I asked TORCH- some three percent was better than nothing- arms failing as I tried to hold my stick in front of me, with a power I did not have at the moment. Anxiety was slowly choking off any and all adrenaline rushing through my body. There was maybe five or six feet between me and the closed bot to my right. Seven or eight to my left.

"Question conclusion: Plausible."

"Then tell me how already!" I demanded hotly of my new part, sparing a glance to see his eyes, a coal black look back at me. Unmoving and machine. I faltered.

"Option of escape: Down." TORCH told me, his voice warbling as he floated up and down like a ghost. My mouth dried as I looked around. Down? Underground? I looked at the street and saw a large man-hole covered by a slab of metal. It was ancient and I had no clue what part of the city it would lead to. My heart clenched as I looked between it and the bots. Suffocating underground or being taken to bedlam. The lesser of two evils.

With a snarl as a bot stepped forward I jumped towards the man-hole, stick already extended to grab ahold of the top. Mind made up the cover flew into the air and I had only a moment to slip under and into the darkness. Sliding on the bottom of my pants, I entered the darkness just as a red arm grazed a few of the hairs on my head. So close.

I dropped a good three yards into the darkness before my suit blew into epic proportions to save me from bodily harm. I bounced along the side of what I could only assume was the sewer system. The alley beside the water was huge, but the canal for water was three times its size. I just didn't have any luck and ended up floating along in the disgusting water, smelling like rat and all things unholy.

By the time my suit deflated, I was a good two miles downriver. I heard nothing of machinery that would suggest that the Bedlam bots had followed me, but then again. I didn't hear them when they surrounded us either. I floated to the edge of water and climbed onto dry, slimy land. My body collapsing into a heap as I coughed at the smell of the place. Ugh- no more Sewer runs. I wasn't made for this. I was sky and water, not earth and slime.

As I looked around, I noticed that the path was actually lit. Bright blue hieroglyphs curved along the walls and alley ways, making it look like a maze. I could read the markings though. Always could and always would be able to, but when I had brought up the fact of their existence to Ol' Skool he had told me he couldn't see them. I was the only one.

With a sigh I got up and started towards the signs signaling 'exit'. There were other signs telling me about drains, entering points to buildings long forgotten, and even shortcuts but I only ever paid attention to the exit. It was the only sure fire way to survive a tunnel navigated by machine-people. Or at least, I thought so. I didn't want to trust my life to a simple misprint.

TORCH was silent and floating around me, probably trying to triangulate our position, which might as well be like trying to count the sand in the ocean. Under old cities, GPS doesn't usually work. So I walked and followed the signs, hoping to be led to salvation.

Instead, all I got was a junkyard.


And there we go. Sorry about the forever long update time. School is kicking me while I am down and I also, apparently, have developed an allergy to Strawberries. yeah me.-sarcasm.

As always, reviews are adored. Criticism is welcomed, because I can't become better unless someone tells me what I am doing wrong.

Have a nice week and thank you for reading.