Alrighty all, sorry this chapter took so long to post, but hopefully the next chapters will get posted sooner.

As always Amonrophoenix, best beta in the world, you are awesome! Many, many thanks for all of your input, ideas and beta reading skills!:)

Also a giant thank you to everyone who reviewed so for, thank you thank you!

Please enjoy! Hopefully it was worth the wait!

Chapter 9

Toshiro tapped lightly on the glass of Shadow's living room window. He looked around, his eyes trying to survey the darkened night before turning his attention back to the window which was silently slid open by Logan, Shadow's younger brother.

"Hey," he said with a nod.

Toshiro climbed through the window and returned the nod with one of his own. "Is your sister here?" he asked. Toshiro had waited until the next evening to go and tell Shadow everything that had transpired the night before, and figured that she would be close to bursting with curiosity.

"Nope," Logan answered shaking his head back and forth.

Toshiro frowned and wondered where she was, until the thought that perhaps she had gone out on a date crossed him mind.

Logan, his dark green eyes smiling, gave a knowing smirk. "Don't worry; she just went to pick Mom up from the hospital."

Toshiro resisted the urge to grind his teeth together in irritation at the fact that everyone seemed to know that he had a crush on Shadow. He realized then that if his feelings were so obvious, then it was possible Shadow knew of them as well and had just not wanted to hurt his feelings by acknowledging them.

"Hey, if you want my opinion, I think that you'd be a better choice than some of the losers that she's brought home," Logan put in encouragingly.

Toshiro snorted. "Even better than the guy with the Porsche?" he questioned before his brain finally caught up with what Logan had said about where Shadow was. "How is your dad doing?" he asked suddenly feeling ashamed for worrying about his and Shadow's relationship and his own family problems when their dad was in the hospital.

"Dad's okay. We went and seen him today and Mom decided to come home for the night since he is recovering. He should be out of the hospital within the next few days, knowing dad, probably sooner," Logan said with a smile. "Dad is a very bad patient," he chuckled slightly and Toshiro found himself giving an answering smile. He knew his uncle hated being injured. He always wanted to get out of bed sooner than he should and was very cranky; very much like his Uncle R- his father, Raphael.

Toshiro frowned as the revelations of the night before came crashing down around him.

"And especially better than the dude with the Porsche," Logan answered his previous question, probably misunderstanding his suddenly dark demeanour.

Toshiro glanced back at Logan who continued to talk.

"That guy was so full of himself," he shook his head in disgust. "He thought he was all that just 'cause he had a nice car, which I would bet twenty bucks that his parents bought for him." Logan snorted, shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest, blowing a stray lock of dark black hair out of his eyes.

"Yeah but at least the dude's got money." Toshiro growled as he thought about what he had and came up with nothing.

"His parent's money," Logan said with a shake of his head. "She didn't like him anyway," Logan, said uncrossing his arms and looking at him with concern.

Toshiro realized then that it didn't matter if Shadow did return his feelings; he could never be with her, because he was a mutant freak that lived in a sewer. He could never get a job or support Shadow in any way because he would always be hidden from the outside world. He knew that it was dangerous knowing them, but Shadow and her family had known them since before he was even born, so this didn't bother him as much as knowing that he could never be a part of her outside life.

He hung his head sadly.

He knew that his father, Leonardo, had always warned him about becoming entangled with humans in any way, but his warnings had always fallen upon deaf ears, until now.

His mother had been murdered and both his uncle's relationships hadn't worked out. A relationship with a human just couldn't work…It just couldn't.

Sage's words come back to him, when she had said that their mother would have had to be 'brave to not be afraid of their father and to leave everything behind to be with him'. His mother had obviously possessed bravery in spades, which in the end, had only gotten her killed.

The thought of what Shadow's life with him would be brought a new feeling of disheartening bleakness rolling over him. Shadow's family would know of him, but no one else would. Not her friends, her co-workers, and where would they even live? Thoughts of domesticity brought up the thought of kids an if he would even be able to have any. He knew he was being ridiculous, imagining a future with a woman he hadn't even dated, but he was being unusually insightful and he hated that he was not going to pursue Shadow anymore, because she deserved so much better than him.

"Hey, you want to play, SkyKeepers 4 with me 'till Shadow get's home?" Logan asked into the silence.

Toshiro swallowed down the lump of hurt in his throat before he was able to reply. "No, thanks. I'm just going to head home. Don't bother telling Shadow I was here, it wasn't anything important," he said as he turned and headed back towards the window.

"Hey, Toshiro-" Logan began but the sound of the door opening caught both of their attentions.

Toshiro managed to get one foot through the window before his aunt's voice called to him.

"Toshiro?" his aunt asked in question.

Toshiro felt his shoulders slump slightly in defeat as he eased his way back inside.

"Hey, Aunt April." He said with a strained smile as his eyes shifted from his aunt to Shadow and back again. "I didn't hear you," he lied. "How is Uncle Casey doing?" he asked in genuine concern as he took in his aunt's pale and tired face.

His aunt gave a slight smile. "He's getting crankier by the minute, which is good. He will be released in a few days, so I came home to get some rest. But Casey will be very excited to see all of you when he gets home."

Toshiro gave a genuine smile. "I'm glad he's feeling better. I know everyone is anxious to see him. It's just too bad we can't visit him in the hospital." His voice became slightly bitter.

His aunt walked up to him a put a hand on his shoulder. "Casey knows how much all of you care," she said as she gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze.

Toshiro turned his head away so he wouldn't have to see the slight worry or perhaps it was pity in his aunt's eyes.

Unfortunately turning his attention away from his aunt only focused it upon Shadow, who was looking at him pensively, her footing shifting from side to side in agitation.

He reluctantly turned his attention away from her and looked at his aunt again. "I know," he answered as his aunt stepped away.

"What was my mother like?" he asked suddenly.

His aunt's face suddenly became guarded. "What do you mean?" his aunt asked cautiously.

A million questions came to his mind, but he discarded all of them and settled on one. "Do you think she ever regretted marrying, Dad?" he asked quietly. He had decided not to let his aunt know that he knew about his two fathers and the fact that his mother had married them both; or that he knew what his mother had suffered at the hands of the man named Hun.

His aunt frowned and seemed to contemplate the question, most likely contemplating whatever restrictions his father, Leonardo, had no doubt placed upon her as well.

"No," His aunt finally answered said shaking her head back and forth. "I know that she never regretted it for even a minute."

Toshiro nodded thoughtfully and turned to leave. "Thanks," he said to his aunt.

Shadow grabbed him by the arm. He paused and then turned to face her.

"Can I talk to you for a sec?" she asked as she bodily dragged him towards her bedroom.

Toshiro shot a quick glance at his aunt, who was frowning slightly, and to Logan, who was grinning broadly.

Toshiro briefly wondered if it was possible that his aunt had also not known about his interest in Shadow as her eyes were not suspicious, more concerned.

Shadow dragged him into her room and closed the door behind her. Toshiro took a moment to look around Shadow's room and realized that he hadn't been in her room for years.

Gone were the band posters that had been trying to cover the little girl wallpaper, instead the walls had been decorated in a beige and blue colour scheme. Posters still decorated the walls, but now they were of landscapes and inspirational sayings. His eyes fell upon one wall where there were a few old school comic book posters taped upon it.

"Don't judge me," Shadow said as she stood in front of him, crossing her arms over her chest. Toshiro couldn't help but smile. And then he remembered that he couldn't be with Shadow...ever. The smile fell from his face and he turned his head away.

"What happened last night?" she asked touching his cheek and forcing him to look back at her. "I waited all day to hear from you, but you never called."

She almost sounded disappointed, which made him feel good before he shook his head. It didn't matter, she was probably just curious.

"Sorry," he apologized. "Dad made us train this afternoon and then meditated before another 'family' talk this evening." Toshiro grimaced in disgust.

"Sooo...Raph is your real father?" Shadow asked in confusion.

Toshiro ran a hand down his face. "Yes and no," he said as he walked over to her bed and flopped down on the unmade surface. Shadow took a seat at her desk as she listened to him talk. He told her everything he knew about his mother's marriage, their paternity and the reasons his mother had married both of his fathers in the first place.

When he had finally finished Shadow stared at him in shock. "I really don't know what to say," she said hollowly, as if too stunned to process everything.

"Yeah well, that makes both of us," he admitted softly.

"Are you okay?" she questioned in concern.

He looked at Shadow seriously. "No," he answered truthfully. He was not okay, mostly because he had just realized his place in the world; and no matter that his mother had never regretted any of her choices, she had still ended up dead, and Toshiro could never allow that to happen to Shadow.

Shadow stood and walked over to him, sitting beside him on her bed. She reached over and clasped his slightly cool hand in her own warm one. "It's going to be okay," she said as she gave his hand a comforting squeeze.

Michelangelo's words drifted through his mind, about spending time with those you love because you never knew when they could be taken away forever.

Toshiro looked down at Shadow who was looking up at him with a concerned look on her face. The guilt of being responsible for his mother's death had broken both of his fathers, and he could never bear it if Shadow was hurt or even worse, killed because of him. But she was already in his life. He argued in his mind. But he could never really be a part of her life. He argued back. These thoughts quickly swirled around in his head as indecision rode through him.

Being near Shadow seemed to be a problem. He had been perfectly willing to walk away from her earlier because he knew she deserved better than him, but now, sitting this close to her…She smelled too damn good, and the heat from her body was burning through his clothes to his skin.

He suddenly stood up. If he didn't leave he was going to do something stupid, like kiss her. But he supposed he would then know if she had feelings for him. But then if she did he would never be able to walk away from her. But if she only thought of him as a brother he would have ruined their friendship.

He was too confused. So he blurted out, "I need to find out who killed my Mother.

Shadow blinked, taken aback by his sudden movement and words.

"Toshiro..." Shadow began but trailed off as she looked at him in confused concern.

"I feel as if...me, my family… that we can't move on or go forward until we find out what happened to her," he told her truthfully.

Shadow nodded. "If you need any help..." Her words trailed off again. "Just...be careful."

Toshiro nodded. He would be careful, but he wanted answers, and he only had one very elusive lead, the new Wraith.

Michelangelo knelt down, resting as his other brother's surveyed the inky night. They had paused in their search for the new Wraith and Michelangelo felt exhausted, more mentally than anything. Toshiro had gone to Shadow's even though he was not supposed to leave the lair, but Michelangelo had let him go, telling both Leonardo and Raphael that it was better to let him out to process everything, than keeping him cooped up and unable to vent.

They had then left Sage in charge of her siblings and began scouring the streets of Manhattan for any signs of the new Wraith. He believed that searching for and confronting the new Wraith was a waste of time, but kept his opinion to himself, following his two oldest brother's lead.

Raphael and Leonardo were busily discussing what part of the city they should scour next, bickering lowly in disagreement. He glanced towards Donatello who was standing away from the rest of them, arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the wall of the rooftop exit.

Michelangelo had been meaning to have a talk with his genius brother about one more secret; a secret that Donatello had been keeping for nearly twenty years. Michelangelo had discovered the secret and kept the knowledge from all of his brothers including Donatello for nearly fifteen years and he was done keeping secrets.

Michelangelo stood and sauntered over to where Donatello was standing. Donatello glanced at him before turning his attention back to Raphael and Leonardo.

"This is a waste of time," Michelangelo mumbled under his breath, but just loud enough for Donatello to hear him.

Donatello turned his attention away from Raphael and Leonardo, his face resigned. "I agree, but..." his voice trailed off.

"Yeah, I know. They need to do this, even if it's only to find out that she knows nothing. It's like a strange kind of...closure I suppose," Michelangelo observed.

Donatello gave a nod of agreement, looking away and remaining silent.

Michelangelo studied his brother wondering if bringing up the children's paternity and their strange genetic anomalies had brought up all of his brother's unpleasant memories associated with Ivy and their own child.

"You okay, Donny?" he asked in concern.

Donatello looked back at him and nodded, uncrossing his arms and letting them fall to his side. "I keep wondering if we did the right thing. Actually that's not true. I know we didn't. It wasn't the right thing to keep Raph away from his own kids, but..." his voice trailed off.

"We can't change the past, that's why it's called the past."

"I know," he sighed. "I just...How can he ever forgive me for what I did?" he asked.

Michelangelo looked at Raphael still immersed in his conversation with Leonardo. "Just give him time," he replied. "The important thing is that all of the secrets we've been holding onto all these years are finally out. Which means maybe we can all begin to forgive each other, ourselves, and maybe even begin to heal." Michelangelo watched his brother's reaction to his words intently, noticing Donatello's slight flinch as Michelangelo had said 'all of the secrets'.

Donatello remained silent.

Michelangelo had decided that he was done with secrets. They only seemed to fester and hurt rather than protect. Everything needed to be out in the open, so he would give Donatello the chance to come clean.

"So why did you lie?"he asked, his voice lowering.

Donatello's gaze snapped to his, eyes widening in genuine confusion. He glanced back at Raphael and Leonardo as if trying to understand what Michelangelo was alluding to.

"No, not them. I know why we created and held onto all of those secrets and lies," Michelangelo said grimly. "I want to know why you lied to us when Raph and Leo wanted to know Toshiro's paternity."

Donatello paled slightly. "I don't know-"

"Don't lie to me," Michelangelo hissed as he stepped closer to his brother, entering his personal space. "I am tired of the lies."

"H-how long...?"

"Thirteen, fourteen years," he swiftly answered. "I wanted to see the results of the paternity test myself. I didn't think I would understand it, but I wanted to see ours and Toshiro's results. I read them all, but yours was missing. I was going to ask you about it, but with everything that happened, I forgot about it for a few years. You, Raph, Leo, everyone was recovering from...from what had happened at the warehouse and I was looking for something in the garage and I found your desk and the secret compartment. All of our test results were hidden in there, including your file, the files on all of the kids, Katherine, Ivy, Holly, everyone."

"So you've known all this time that the children were all Raph's?" Donatello asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I knew, and I still backed you up because I had been with Raph and knew how unstable he had been while searching for Katherine. But when I realized he was done searching, had accepted that Katherine was dead, I was ready to let him come back into the kids' lives again. But then he and Leo fought and I..." he shook his head, trying to clear it of the images and feelings of horror and grief that had filled him when he had realized that he didn't know if Raphael was alive or dead, and if he would ever see his oldest brother again.

He focused his attention on Donatello again. "Stop trying to change the subject," he bit out angrily. "You told everyone that we were all related by blood. You said that we all had the same mother, and that Raph and I were full brothers, but that Leo and you both had different fathers. But I want to know why you lied."

Donatello flinched, but didn't answer, avoiding his eyes.

"Donny," he growled.

Donatello looked at him, his gaze filling with fear and misery. "Because I didn't want any of you to look at me differently," he whispered wretchedly.

Michelangelo blinked in shock. "Why would we look at you differently?" he asked in surprise. "You are our brother."

"No, I'm not," Donatello said sharply with a shake of his head.

"Donny," Michelangelo grasped Donatello's shoulder.

"We aren't related at all, Mikey," Donatello hissed. "You are Raph's full brother and Leo's half brother. You have blood that binds you together. Me, I have no blood relation to any of you!" he whispered angrily. "So I lied. Being a half brother was better than all of you knowing the truth."

Michelangelo's eyes narrowed. "After finding out that you and Leo were only my half brother's, I never once thought of you as half a brother. You two were just as much full brothers to me as Raph was. Even after I found out that you weren't actually related to us by blood, I never thought of you as anything less than my full brother," he insisted fervently.

Donatello's eyes shimmered with tears that he quickly blinked back.

Michelangelo gentled his voice. "I thought for sure that you were going to finally tell us when you revealed the children's paternity and talked about you and Ivy and Holly and myself, but you didn't."

Donatello shook his head. "It just... I was afraid. I still am. After what we had done to Raph, keeping him away from his children, and then me hiding the children's paternity from Raph and Leo. They already had enough reason to hate me. Finding out I wasn't even their brother..." his voice trailed off miserably.

"You have to tell them," he insisted.

"Why?" Donatello asked. "It's my secret. It isn't hurting anyone."

"Except you," Michelangelo softly pointed out. "It's hurting you, and because you are hurting, I am hurting."

Donatello's eyes looked at him in surprise.

"They will still love you like they always have. You are our brother."

Donatello shook his head back and forth in denial.

"Leo doesn't love Sage, Ren or Ryu any less now that he found out they aren't biologically his children." Michelangelo pointed out gently.

"It's different, Mikey. Leo raised those children thinking they were his. And besides, regardless of who the father was, they are Katherine's children, of course he wouldn't think of them any differently."

"You raised those kids like they were your own, Donny. And you have never stopped thinking of them that way, even though they have no blood connection to you at all." Michelangelo insisted. "And by using your own logic," Michelangelo gave a half smile. "Raph and Leo have thought of you as their brother for the past 42 years, I don't think they are going to think of you as anything but their brother." Donatello glared at him, knowing Michelangelo had a point.

Michelangelo turned serious, "Blood, not blood, it doesn't matter. You are our brother, and because you are our brother you shouldn't have to carry around all of the secrets and lies that you have been. Just tell them the truth."

"But what if they don't look at me the same way and start treating me differently?" Donatello asked in a soft voice.

"This is Raph and Leo we are talking about."

Donatello sighed and gave a nod of acknowledgement. "Okay, I will tell them, once this thing with the new Wraith is over, okay?"

"Okay," he said giving Donatello's shoulder another squeeze.

"Thanks, Mikey."

Michelangelo smiled and gave a curt nod before turning his attention back to Raphael and Leonardo, who had finally agreed on their next move.

The man tapped on the glass of the large liquid filled tank that stood in front of him, looking at the creature suspended within.

"Don't tap on the glass," his companion growled in irritation.

The man raised an eyebrow, but didn't bother acknowledging his companion; instead he looked at the panel of controls to the right of the tank.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked in question. It was not so much that he believed his companion's plan would fail, or that all of the hard work they had put into place over the last fifteen years would be unsuccessful; he knew it would be successful, once all of the pieces were in play. But there had been so many failures, that he just didn't want to pin his hopes on something doomed to failure.

"Yes," his companion stated emphatically. "We have waited too long for this."

The man finally turned his attention towards his companion, lifting and inquiring eyebrow. "True, but is this going to work?"

"Yes," He answered tersely. "With Project Tyche a success, Project Oedipus, will be a success as well. In fact, I quite expect it to be an even greater success than Tyche was."

"How can you be so sure?" He asked skeptically. "Look at how many 'volunteers' never made it through the initiation stage with project Tyche; and then out of all of the ones that did survive long enough to be useful, only three managed to make it through the training process." He shook his head. "And besides, even if this creature manages to get rid of all of them, what then?" he inquired crossing his arms over his chest.

His companion turned his full attention upon the man. "Imagine, if you will, not needing to hope, wish or even weigh the odds of success. Imagine being able to get everything you want, just by having the power of Luck at your disposal."

The man looked at his companion skeptically.

"You have seen the evidence for yourself." His companion pointed out. "Luck isn't some abstract notion or some concept manipulated by an anthropomorphic personification or gods. It is simple math and genetics. It took years but I was finally able to unlock the gene which gives one particular person a slight advantage in the world. Science was the key, not some false notion of magic or superstition. Specific DNA markers common to all three subjects were identified, catalogued, and manipulated. I know it has taken time, but this," he placed a metal hand gently against the glass, " is my greatest creation. At first I did not understand what I was working with, even though I knew it was somehow possible. But once I found the key, it was so simple. And as for making more, I have a plan for that. I just need a little more...material. It is a shame he was so long in the making, but they do say that revenge is a dish best served cold.

The man looked at his companion and knew that he would be grinning manically, if he still had the ability to do so; which he didn't. Instead the man turned his attention from his pleased companion and slammed his hand down on a large red button, activating the pumps that began to drain the liquid from the tank, better revealing the green-hued creature in front of him.

"How will you know that this creature will be greater than it's DNA contributor?" he asked in question as more and more of the olive and white hued creature was revealed.

"The donor specimen is -I grant you- a formidable opponent, as are the others, but they would be no match for my creation. I know there were many failures before I perfected the science; understood the missing components I needed to create him, and I know we must still run him through his paces -see what he can do- but I have the perfect task in mind to prove his usefulness. Project Tyche, that was just a test run, a prototype if you will. This creature is the culmination of all of that research, amplified by the serum that I had originally created for project Tyche, as well as an added aging serum. I am not waiting another fifteen years to get my revenge upon those... Turtles."

"And Karai?" he asked.

"Karai, has been dying for years, a suitable punishment. She is not my concern any longer. The Turtles, well, they managed to survive my little...trap fifteen years ago, but with what I have in store for them, they shall not survive for much longer."

Raphael tried not to grind his teeth together in frustration. They had been out scouring the city for over a month now, and they hadn't been able to find even a hint of the new Wraith; until tonight. And Leonardo had decided that they had to be cautious.

Instead of getting in her face and confronting her, Leonardo had decided that they should find out where she was going and what she was up to. He wanted to determine whose side she was on. It was possible that she was working for one gang in particular who was trying to take advantage in the change of leadership of the Foot Clan, and Leonardo wanted to make sure of her allegiance before confronting her.

Leonardo had decided that the new Wraith most likely had no information regarding Katherine and her Ghost Squad partners, but Raphael wasn't so sure; and quite frankly he didn't care. He was going to get in her face and demand answers. If she knew anything, great; if not, he wouldn't be overly surprised. If he got to beat her up for being gangland scum, even better.

He watched as the new Wraith and her two dark shadowy companions ran across a rooftop and stopped. Raphael smiled in anticipation.

Leonardo placed a restraining hand on his shoulder and shook his head firmly. Raphael growled but didn't move. He instead looked over their surroundings. They were currently three buildings away from their target and standing on the rooftop of an abandoned building close to the docks. Most of the buildings in this area were abandoned and used for illegal business.

Raphael frowned as he looked around, his eyes trying to discern anything in the darkened, moonless night. He suddenly had the unpleasant feeling of being watched. He took his time and surveyed his surroundings again, feeling the blood drain from his face slightly as he realized where they were. Not four blocks away was where the missile had been launched into the warehouse fifteen years ago, nearly killing all of them and scarring them all for life, both physically and mentally.

Kismet stood on the rooftop waiting for her two companions to catch up. Her eyes darted around as she attempted to shake the feeling of uneasiness that rode along her skin, making the fine hairs on her arms and the back on her neck stand up on end.

"What's wrong, Love?" Hermes asked her in a quiet voice as he slowly walked up to her, his lips close to her ear.

"Something's not right," she answered as she crouched down, Hermes following her. Shai caught up and stood at attention, his hands clenched tightly around his pulse gun, his eyes darting around in agitation.

"You talking about the tail we picked up over on 76th?" Shai asked quietly.

Kismet spared him a quick glance before turning her attention back to the street in front of her. They were going to break into a ten story building owned by the Saki Corporation. Around them were several abandoned office towers and other buildings, some slated for demolition, others just abandoned.

Kismet studied the windows of the building all of which were dark, the building giving off an unused and abandoned appearance.

This mission was more clandestine than their previous missions and required a certain amount of stealth. They weren't going after a few small gangs squabbling over territory; they were going after The Gang that had ruled New York for the past 20 years. But it was not this fact or their tail that sent the fission of danger dancing along her spine, it was something else; something as indescribable as it was intangible. It was a feeling of wrongness and threat that had her searching in vain for a cause.

"No, not the tail," she finally answered Shai. "But I don't think we should go through with the mission," she affirmed as goose bumps rode across her skin under her black armoured suit.

"Listen, Kiss, I know that Karai Saki used to be a big deal back in the day-" Hermes began, but Kismet was already shaking her head back and forth.

"It isn't that," she interrupted. "I feel like we are walking into a trap."

"Are you sure?" Shai asked as his eyes scanned the skyline again, looking for the tail that had been following them for the past several blocks.

"Then we double back and confront our tail and see what they have to say," Hermes said firmly as he stood, clutching his pulse riffle close and making sure the safety was off and the gun charged.

Kismet held up her hand and closed her eyes. She was trying to sense where the danger was coming from. She couldn't tell the future or even understand the events that were about to unfold, but she could sense...intent, would be the best word to describe what she could fee; that and danger. And right now all of her senses were screaming at her that they were in Danger with a capital 'D'.

She scanned the area. In her mind's eye the building that they were supposed to infiltrate was lit up in muddied reds and blacks.

She turned her attention behind her and towards where she knew their tail to be holed up. There was a plethora of colours churning and swirling around a rooftop three blocks away. She frowned. There were muddied reds, blacks, blues, and greens, all writhing around, which was unpleasant to her senses. Feelings of anger, grief, fear, jealousy and resentment burned across her mind's eye. She tried to focus on the tail's feelings towards her and her team instead of just overall feelings and got no real shift in colours, but had the distinct impression that their tail wasn't where their danger was coming from; that was straight in front of them.

"So we call into command and abort," Shai said readying his radio.

Kismet opened her eyes and stared at the unassuming building, wondering what lay before them.

Shai was listening to his com, which he had just turned on, but from the disapproving grunting noises he was making, Kismet knew the news wouldn't be good.

"Bastards!" Shai snarled in anger as he threw the com device over the edge of the building where it disappeared into the blackness below.

"I take it that Command did not give us permission to abort the mission?" Hermes asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No. They said that we could handle it," Shai grumbled bitterly.

Kismet looked back at the building thoughtfully.

The air had suddenly become charged, electric. Something important was going to happen. Unfortunately she was unsure what it was, or if they were even going to be able to survive it.

I hope everyone enjoyed!