Alright people, welcome back to the story. Heh. Sorry for the massive delay, too much going on but I did have the majority of it sorted a few weeks back... It just loses itself before I get a chance to add much more. Hopefully, you'll enjoy the latest chapter. I tried to add as much drama that was suitable. Unfortunately, I did have a lot more ideas, but it was already about 22 pages in my OpenOffice word processor, so I basically just... Gave up, lol. I hope that I've written it as fluently as I would like, and that you enjoy it. All the characters belong to their rightful owners.
Chapter 12: One Step At A Time
"What the hell am I going to do?" Patrick asked, his voice high and shrill as he held the collapsed girl. She looked almost peaceful in his hold, but he knew that was not the case. It must have been over ten minutes ago, when she had been brutally electrocuted.
The clock was still ticking away, but all Patrick could hear was his own heart beating with unwanted adrenaline. Carefully, he placed the unconscious girl on the sofa as he stepped back. Nervously, he rubbed the back of his neck.
The thought then dawned on him – what could he do? For all he knew, the girl was dead. Her chest wasn't moving, black marks were forming on her skin and her face remained stoic.
"Oh God..." he murmured. Just what could he do? The sleek, black laptop remained on the girl's night-stand. Should he contact the other members? If they found out that she appeared as someone else, she would automatically be known as a spy. They wouldn't help her.
Then he realised, why should he help her? He had always thought she was spy but she must have been risking her life at that last moment when she was conscious. "Okay... Maybe I can phone for an ambulance or something. Get her to hospital," he blurted, trying to calm himself.
The phone started ringing loudly. Patrick jumped. He rushed towards it then hesitated. This couldn't be a good thing. Biting his lip, he pressed a button that would record the conversation as he lifted up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hallo?" a voice seemed distorted.
"Yeah, it's me," Patrick turned his head to look at the unconscious stranger. "Who is it?"
"It's Delphi," the feminine voice suddenly became more clear.
"Gina?"
"Mhmm."
Patrick looked shocked for a moment, "What are you calling for?"
"I just had a vision."
The boy remained quiet for a few moments, "Really?"
Delphi's voice began to sound more business-like and hoarse, "Yes, Hallo. A vision. May I please speak with Tempest – your leader?"
Patrick's eyes slowly scanned the girl, her limbs were spread around the sofa and her long eyelashes cast shadows down her face. If the girl with the phantom-like appearance had called him so suddenly, did that mean she knew about her collapse? Patrick wasn't certain as he studied the white-skinned, white-haired girl. The hair fell down her face and back like tendrils. Her white skin seemed almost flawless, but bruises and cuts were seen on her face. She had a normal-looking nose, it peaked out a bit but was not too long or too snub. Her lips were thin and small, but not pouty. Patrick felt his heart beat faster as he stared at her. Just who was she?
"Hallo?" Delphi's sharp but usually quiet voice stirred through Patrick's mind and brought him back to reality.
"Oh? Uhm, sorry, I can't. Lane..-Tempest is currently unavailable," he forced himself to say, still staring at the stranger.
"I know it must be quite late for you both, but this is urgent, I wouldn't be calling otherwise," Patrick could hear how strained the young woman's voice was. He needed to think of a good excuse, and fast.
Patrick hesitated, "I'm afraid I can't get her to the phone right now, but you can tell me what's wrong. I-I'll pass on the message, w-when I get a chance."
Delphi seemed hesitant too, her sharp voice cutting off as she thought. "Okay, tell her that she may be next to get captured."
Patrick looked over at the girl, who was still unconscious. "What do you mean?"
"When I first had a vision, I saw Lane, Alice and Natasha," Delphi explained. She waited to continue until after Patrick gasped. "They are all alive, but weak. They are imprisoned in S.T.R.I.K.E's facilities, since they know about us – but we don't know where they are. Since Lane is still with you, that means she will be next. Please keep her safe."
"Wait, did you have any kind of vision that relates to Lane's capture?" Patrick asked, his voice strained.
"Well," Delphi hesitated again. "I did have a miniature one this morning, but I'm afraid it was all jumbled up and I can't complete the sequence."
The boy then pleaded, "Can you please just tell me what you know? If it relates, then maybe I can use it to my advantage to keep her safe."
"Okay," Delphi sighed in defeat. "The images came in flashes, none of them were very long, and none of them made complete sense. The first one was you entering Lane's room, you looked pretty distraught. It ended with you sitting on the couch." Patrick nodded to himself, remembering the previous scenario. "She appears by the window, a far-away look in her eyes. You are still sitting on the couch, looking even worse. Suddenly another image appears, and she is... Electrocuted? I don't know, but a pain is evident from her and she collapses." Patrick felt sad as he remembered.
"Anything else?" he asked, after she paused.
"Then... There's a woman," Delphi struggled to find the right words. "Quite tall, curvy, a bit pale. Long, red hair, kinda wavy and curly. Her eyes... Really hypnotising, they were green."
Patrick listened to the description, "What about her?"
After another agonizing moment, Delphi replied with a sad tint in her voice, "I saw an image of her talking to this other man – he was tall with this really black hair and these... Striking blue eyes. She told him about some girl... Libitina? The woman told him that this Libitina betrayed him, and he went berserk. He started yelling, then it fades out after a few moments."
"Okay," Patrick said, hoping that one word would be enough to encourage the girl.
"The next image is of those two people again, the woman tells the man that he must destroy this Libitina. He nods and walks out of the room," Delphi took a moment to catch her breath before continuing. "The next image – he comes into Lane's room, with a blade. I think he wants to kill one of you. I think he's after Lane. The final image, he drags Lane out of the room, after stabbing her. I don't know where he stabs her, but she's bleeding and unconscious."
Alice, Lane and Natasha were once again sitting uncomfortably in their cells. They all appeared much thinner than before, and their clothes were beginning to gather dust and dirt. They had all refused the food, but it would be their biggest mistake if this was to continue.
A low growl came from Alice's stomach and she gave a nervous laugh, automatically embarrassed. "I'm sorry," she murmured.
"It's alright," Lane sighed. "We're all hungry." Their voices quietened again. It wasn't fair. They were all trapped, hungry, tired, bored and now – they didn't even know what to say to each other.
A whine came from the other side of the room and Natasha looked over, startled, towards Luna – who was lying miserably on the hard floor, her cold, black nose touching the bars. Natasha noticed that the electronic collar had been removed and was hanging on the wall, with the main key. She could feel a powerful and familiar energy radiate from the collar, and felt control being regained in her body. Just for a moment, she heard the scrambling of electricity run through her head and a faint help become clear.
Standing up, she stared at Luna in wonder. "You there?" she asked. "Are you called Luna?"
Luna raised her head, blinking before nodding.
"You understand what I'm saying?" Another nod came from the wolf-dog hybrid. "Good." Alice and Lane shared a puzzled look.
Alice then looked over at Natasha, "What are you doing?"
"I can feel electronic waves from that collar over there," Natasha pointed to the device, "And I have a feeling that if I can talk to her, it might help us."
"But how?" Lane questioned, giving Luna an anxious glance. The wolf-dog stretched and stood still as she watched the humans carefully and slightly worriedly. She occasionally kept stealing glances at the large tube that held her red-headed friend.
Veronica hadn't looked much different herself. Her red hair was floating around her, and her skin appeared slightly more paler without her energetic glow. Gold lines covered her body, giving her a more eerie and almost inhuman look. Luna didn't like seeing her like that. Flashes of memories of Veronica telling her and her partner about her past was running through her mind as she watched the golden lines glow immensely.
"Luna?" Luna turned her head to look back at Natasha. "I want you to try and say something." The wolf-dog gave her a questioning look. "I might be able to understand you through that collar that you seem to be connected with."
"The collar is still connected with her?" Lane asked disbelievingly.
Natasha frowned, "I want to check." Luna gave a small grunt, gaining attention again. "Okay, say anything."
I want out of here, Luna tried to say. A small beep came from the collar, making a part of it light up. Natasha was focused on it, listening to the words as they entered her mind.
"I heard you," Natasha let out a relieved breath. "You said I want out of here," she told her. Luna nodded, eyes wide. Alice and Lane looked over at Natasha, eyebrows raised. "At least we can communicate now," she smiled at the canine.
Luna nodded again, Yeah, that makes it more handy.
"Indeed."
Alice and Lane gave each other another puzzled look.
"Now, Luna, I want to help you out – but we need help getting out ourselves," Natasha began. Luna sat down carefully, watching her with anticipation. "We have a plan, a small plan, but a plan anyway."
I'm listening.
"Good," Natasha grinned for a moment. "We still have a portion of our powers, which explains why I can communicate with you through your electronic collar-"
That makes sense.
"-but our energy is decreasing due to us refusing the food we're given."
Then why not eat it? Luna tilted her head in confusion.
"We're afraid that it's drugged, you see?"
Oh.
"Which is why we need that girl's help," Natasha pointed to the tube. "Boom Baby?" Luna gave a sad nod. "Is she a friend?"
Yeah, a good friend.
"A few days ago, Hypnosister confessed that the neutralisers that were placed in us don't work in that girl," the brunette explained. "And it's given us the idea that maybe the suppose drugs in our food won't affect her either."
Luna looked thoughtful for a moment, Yeah, they shouldn't work. V's been trained to not be affected by drugs so I don't think they would harm her.
"Well, that's what we're hoping," Natasha replied. "If we can get her out of the tube and ask for her to eat some food – to see if they are in fact drugged, then we might have a source of energy. If it isn't drugged, we will eat the food to regain our energy and hopefully become strong enough to attempt an escape."
But how do we get her out? Luna whined.
"That's what we're trying to figure out," Natasha frowned. "I was thinking that since you seem to know this Boom Baby, then maybe you can help us out. Give us some suggestions?"
Uhm? Luna looked startled, and confused. She shook her head. I'm sorry, I don't know what would work.
"It's okay," Natasha said, disappointment in her voice. Alice sighed, understanding what the canine must have said. She looked at Lane and gave her a weak smile, trying to find some encouragement.
"Excuse me, but are you talking to the dog?" a fresh voice occurred from the doorway. It was Black Cat. Her tail was swaying quickly, noticing the hybrid. She was feeling a new amount of fear trample her mind as she watched Luna carefully.
Luna's pupils slitted and she bared her canine teeth in annoyance. A cat! She stood up and growled at Black Cat, the fur on her tail acting frenzy.
"This is Luna," Lane explained as Black Cat rapidly raced towards the girls, and as far away as Luna as she could. Her eyes were wide, and her heart was racing.
Damnit, why a dog? She asked herself as she looked away from the furry canine and at Lane. "Luna, huh?"
"Yeah, a new prisoner," Natasha explained glumly. "She appears to have a connection with Boom Baby, but we don't have any more ideas on how to get her out."
"You still trying that?" Black Cat asked. As Natasha and Alice nodded, she continued, "Well, hopefully I have some good news and an advantage for you on getting Boom Baby out."
"Really?" Alice's eyes went wide. "How?"
"There has been some... Betrayal in Hawaii, Honolulu-" Alice's eyes narrowed and Natasha clenched her fists "-one of the spies, called Libitina, has confessed to her team-mate: Hallo-" Alice lowered her head, "-that you are alive, and she was recently electrocuted by Hypnosister. Well, technically by Slade." She shrugged.
"What do you mean?" Lane asked in wonder.
"Libitina was the spy that acted like you," Black Cat nodded to Lane, "As far as I know, and she was being watched by S.T.R.I.K.E. Apparently, after she came clean, she was quickly electrocuted by us – we don't know if she survived it yet. This means, that Hypnosister's attention has decreased on you and she is going to send someone to Hawaii to get rid of Libitina, and possibly Hallo."
"What?" Alice blurted, eyes wide. "She can't!"
"Precisely, that's why she's going to send someone else to do it," Black Cat rolled her feline eyes. "Whether she wants to rid of this Hallo guy or not is beyond me, but after she will leave, security will falter here. You'll probably have only one guard: me."
Natasha gave her a curious look, "So, you can set us free?"
"No, no," Black Cat shook her head quickly, "That's impossible. What I can do is help you get this Boom Baby out of the tube and into your cell. Only problem is, she'll need to go back in before Hypnosister gets back or suspicion will truly rise."
Luna forgot about her hunter's instincts and sat down, staring at the cat-girl in amazement. Really? She can release Veronica? Natasha's eyebrow raised slightly for a moment as she heard Luna's question. She chose not to reply, however.
The question hung in the air for a few minutes before Alice asked, "When?"
"Hypnosister will take off quite quickly, she wants rid of Libitina immediately, so perhaps in the next couple of days," Black Cat explained simply. "I can't guarantee that I'll be able to truly do it, but I'll try."
"Thank you," Lane smiled, "For everything."
"Hey, no need to thank me. Obviously, I have my own reasons," Black Cat shrugged before she left the room, giving Luna a quick worried glance.
I don't like that stupid cat, Luna growled to herself.
Natasha chuckled, "I assume it's your instincts then?" Luna nodded slowly before lying down, staring at the tube that held her explosive friend.
The silence that followed was quick to end, "I can't believe it. We have a chance!" Alice raised her fist in the air in triumph. Lane stepped back, bewildered at the sudden enthusiasm. Natasha smirked.
Lane snorted, "It doesn't mean we have a bigger chance of escaping," she declared. Alice felt all enthusiasm leave her body.
"Oh.. Why not?"
"She's right," Natasha sighed, "If we can get her to eat the food, and determine if it isn't drugged, it still doesn't mean we can escape."
"Well, we are a step forward, we should at least celebrate," Alice snapped at them, placing her hands on her tiny waist.
Cake? Luna wagged her tail, almost forgetting that they were prisoners and cake would probably be close to impossible. Natasha heard the single request and looked at the wolf-dog hybrid in disbelief.
"No cake," she scolded. Luna sank to the floor, whimpering in despair.
"Seriously, you guys, we shouldn't let this small victory overwhelm us," Lane scowled. "We still need to figure out what to do if all goes to plan on the whole drugged food thing."
"So, let's start thinking," Alice sat down eagerly on the hard floor. "Any suggestions?"
Eyes closed, the auburn-haired villainess had her head placed on the many pieces of paper that covered her wooden desk. Her hair was sprawled around and she was softly snoring. Stress was causing her headaches and tiredness, and she didn't like it. Even as she was fast asleep, she was having dreams of failing. This was not what should happen, she had reminded herself over and over.
The door slowly creaked open and the young teenage pyromaniac known as Lava Girl entered the room slyly. She looked over at Hypnosister with her bright orange eyes. Her eyes widened at the sight of the sleeping villainess. "Really? Now of all time?" she growled to herself.
Hearing a voice, Hypnosister stirred and raised her head. Sleepily, she opened her eyes and looked at the impatient Lava Girl. "Hm?" It took her an unnecessary moment to regain her full consciousness and realisation. "W-What are you doing here? In my study?" she blurted.
"Well, considering you couldn't talk to me a few days ago when I had something urgent to tell you, I thought I would pay you a visit," Lava Girl frowned.
"Without my permission?" Hypnosister snapped, narrowing her emerald green eyes. Sighing, she stretched. "How long have you been in here?"
"Just came in," Lava Girl replied.
"Oh really?" the leader of S.T.R.I.K.E questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Well, since you've caught me in a bad time, you might as well hurry up with what you want to say. I am somewhat busy, you know."
"Yeah, a couple more hours of sleep, right?" Lava Girl snorted. She refrained from adding anything else when she saw the darkened glare being pressed on to her. "U-Uhm. Yeah."
"Get on with it."
"I don't trust that new arrival," Lava Girl said quickly.
"The mutt? Don't worry, she's restrained," Hypnosister shook her head then turned her attention back to the papers on her desk.
"Not the mutt. The new guard – that Black Cat girl."
Hypnosister raised her head and stared at Lava Girl. "Why not?"
Lava Girl frowned, her orange eyes narrowing, "I think she's a spy."
"You think?" Hypnosister raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I think."
"Pray, tell me why you don't trust Black Cat, and make it short," Hypnosister ordered, obviously frustrated and tired of the conversation.
"I heard her talking to the prisoners, something about helping them escape," Lava Girl shrugged. Hypnosister froze in shock.
"You sure?"
"Positive."
Hypnosister sighed as she sunk in her leather chair. "I don't want to hear accusations."
Lava Girl was growing irritated by the leader. "I'm not lying, or whatever. I know she's our enemy."
"Prove it," Hypnosister frowned.
"P-Prove?" Lava Girl looked blanked, her face paling as she discovered that she didn't have any solid proof. "Uhm..." How can I prove it?
"Can you not?" the auburn-haired villainess asked smugly. "If that's the case, then please leave my study." Lava-Girl was ready to attack with stern words, but realised that it was pointless and simply left.
"Fine, but I'll come back with proof."
After the door closed, Hypnosister sighed once again and shook her head. Closing her eyes, she relaxed her tense muscles into the chair. A pain was gathering in her head and found herself tired again. Placing her elbows on the desk, she rested her head in her palms. She took a deep breath as she tried to level her breathing. Why didn't she feel right?
Minutes past and she remained still with her head in her hands. More time flew past and she didn't move. Her breath slowed down and her arms collapsed on to the table, her head following.
Meanwhile, a frustrated Blade was marching through the corridors, in search of some painkillers or anything related. A pounding pain echoed in his head, his ears ringing with sharp taunt. He was walking with anger, the walls around him spinning. A hot wave of nausea had risen in him. He realised that he need to sit down but he didn't know where he was.
Placing a hand on the wall, he blinked and regained some control over his own body and consciousness. "Ugh," he groaned and kept walking. Where was he? The walls in the corridors all looked the same. Grey, boring, steel-like. He didn't mind them too much, but he felt like he was going in circles.
Deciding to keep moving, he came across an unfamiliar door – to who was behind it seemed impossible to figure out for Blade, but he could recognize some emotions that was leaking from the room. Opening the door, he peered in and to his surprise, found a study.
It was a small room, with wooden panels in the floor and dark red walls. Three bookcases were placed under the large window. Light poured in from the window, suggesting it wasn't too late in the day. A clock was hanging high on the wall, telling Blade the correct time. Looking down, he scanned a wooden desk, covered in paper. Lying on it was Hypnosister.
A shiver ran up his spine as the conclusion of her death settled into his mind for a few moments. He paused before walking uneasily towards her. He took her wrist in his firm hand and felt for a pulse. It was there. Breathing a sigh of relief, he dropped the woman's arm back on to the desk, in time to hear her gasp in her sleep.
Blinking, he watched her curiously as she wrestled against thin air in her sleep. A thought that she was having... A slightly inappropriate dream entered his mind before realising that she sounded as if she was in pain. Terror shot out towards him from Hypnosister and he seethed as it threw him backwards in shock.
"N-No!" she cried out, her voice rasped but shrill. Blade quickly darted towards her and held her shoulders, pulling her from the desk. Her chest was moving rapidly, a result of her heavy panting. "N-No! Leave him alone!" Blade shook her violently but it kept stressing the sleeping woman.
"Come on," Blade seethed as his firm hands held a death-like grip on her shoulders. She kept struggling against him, her skin turning paler with fright. Letting out a deep breath, he pulled her from her chair and crouched to the floor, placing her on his lap. She slumped obediently.
"Wake up, you awful woman," he glared at the struggling woman, who was thrashing against him. He tried to pinch her cheek but it only made her struggle harder. "What has gotten into you?" he groaned, her loud gasps and cries making his headache even worse.
"T-Take me," her voice sounded defeated, murmured and frightened. "Leave him alone!" Blade watched her curiously as she kept fighting thin air, before leaning against him, losing this strange dream battle. She seemed completely still, resting unevenly in his arms.
What's going on? He absent-mindedly began thinking of the solutions, and came to the obvious result of a nightmare. She had always been a strong-willed, stubborn woman, who could get anyone to do what she asked, but after today, she seemed fragile. She had lost a fight, but with who, and why?
Carefully placing an arm under her legs, he hitched her up and carried her bridal-style towards the black, leather sofa. He gently put her down, making sure she looked like she was in a comfortable position before walking towards the door.
Hypnosister stirred after a few seconds. Opening her eyes lazily, she sadly looked over the room to see the door closing quietly. Sighing, she realised that someone had walked in when she was having a nightmare. It was then she noticed she had been placed on her sofa. "Who was that?" she asked herself before stretching. Blinking slowly, she crossed her arms against her chest. "I don't think I should go back to sleep so soon," she admitted to herself nervously.
The sofa creaked as she stood up. The window revealed that it was still light and the room was colder than she preferred. She shivered. It took her a few moments before she strolled to her door and decided now would be the best time to go to her own room.
"Damn memories," she muttered as she closed the door behind her. "Brings nothing but pain – pain I don't need."
"Are you guys sure we should be out here?" Leela asked her companions, Grace and Amberlee, nervously. They were walking down a busy street, where adults rushed past them and children were playing innocently around them. Apartments suggested that people lived around there, and cars drove past them quickly.
Grace sighed, tucking a lock of her white-blonde hair behind her ear, "The doctor said that Jen should be conscious by tomorrow – they are just checking over her again, and we need some fresh air." Her black boots made a tapping sound as she power-walked ahead of them.
Leela realised that Grace was rushing ahead, and tried to jog to catch up with her. She looked over her shoulder to see that Amberlee hadn't moved faster and was a few meters away from them. Her head was turned and her red eyes suggested she was thinking about something else.
"Amber?" she questioned, slowing down.
The red-head blinked and raised her head, "Hm?"
"You okay?"
"Yeah, why?" Amberlee's voice was quieter than usual, she seemed distracted a lot.
"Grace!" Leela turned her head to see that her friend hadn't slowed down.
The white-blonde rolled her eyes as she glanced at Leela, "Yeah?"
"You go ahead, I want to stay with Amber for a bit," the element-enchanter told her firmly. Her team-mate remained still for a moment, thinking it over before nodding then advanced along the pavement. With a sigh, Amberlee folded her arms across her chest and blew a strand of red hair from her face.
"Why did you do that?"
"Because I know something is bothering you, girl, and I want to know what," Leela argued, her normally warm brown eyes narrowing.
Amberlee levelled her stare with Leela and shook her head, "My problems wouldn't interest you."
"Well, you've gained my attention so you might as well tell me."
Good point, Amberlee frowned. "I bumped into an old friend, and from our past relationship – it's making me nervous and a little guilty towards my new partner."
"An ex?" Leela's eyebrows raised, "In Paris?"
Amberlee nodded, smiling shyly, "The annual modelling show is featured in Paris around this time of year."
"So your ex is a model?" Leela asked, tilting her head curiously. Amberlee nodded. "And your new partner?"
"We met in Jump City," Amberlee explained, rubbing her arm uneasily.
The brown-haired hero smiled, "So, since you bumped into your ex, you're worried that it may ruin your relationship with your new partner?" Another nod determined what had been worrying the Red Panda to Leela. "Well, do you have a steady relationship with your ex?"
"We're good friends," Amberlee smiled, her eyes softening. Leela watched her curiously as her previously worried mood was put aside to reveal that Amberlee had cherished her relationship with this ex. Thoughts stirred in Leela's head. She stared at Amberlee's eyes.
She's become softer all of a sudden, Leela thought to herself. What does this mean? Man, I feel like some boyfriend guru right now.
"Then you shouldn't have anything to worry about."
"I hope so," Amberlee released a deep breath.
Leela nodded towards the street, "Should we continue going then?"
"Alright."
The two girls began to stroll down the street, chatting casually to each other. The ultimate thought of Jen's condition still lowered their spirits, but the burst of fresh air had returned them to a reasonably good mood. Leela was still worrying about her unconscious friend, of course, but she knew that their mission was still active and they still had to continue it. Jen would be fine.
Amberlee froze.
Leela looked over her shoulder to see Amberlee standing in the centre of the pavement, her eyes wide in alarm. "Amber?" The girl's mouth was popped open to reveal her surprising animal fangs. Confused, Leela waved her hand in front of Amberlee's face. "Anyone home?"
Amberlee sniffed the air, suspicious. "Someone's here," she growled. "Someone familiar, but I don't know who." The Red Panda suddenly burst past Leela and entered the alley-way. She darted from corner to corner, searching around.
"Hey! Amber!" Leela ran after her, bewildered.
Suddenly, a long white line shot out at the red-head and entangled her. It rapidly formed into a web and trapped Amberlee to the wall. "H-Hey!"
"Amber!" Leela rushed to the wall and grunted as she tried to yank the web off. "This thing is firm," she panted. Amberlee struggled against it, her eyes wide. A high-pitched laughter filled the alley-way, alerting the two heroes. "W-What was that?" Leela stepped back, looking around in fear.
The web suddenly pulled itself off the wall, and both it and Amberlee was thrown upwards. Leela's eyes widened then she shot a ball of fire to hopefully melt it. Amberlee was pushed to the side so the fireball flew upwards and missed it completely. Leela then pushed her hands upwards, hurling more dense air, almost like a mini tornado towards Amberlee. The web was moved again.
A tiny needle flew through the air and lodged into Leela's neck. Gasping, she felt herself go numb. "W-Woah..." She collapsed to the wall, banging her head. "O-Ow!"
"AMBER TORRIE LEE!" A loud and energetic voice crashed the eerie silence in the alley-way. Leela absently looked upwards to see the Red Panda being thrown towards the ground and into another girl's arms. "My beloved panda!" the girl bounced.
"Uhh..." Amberlee looked surprised and a little dizzy. "S-Spinnerette?"
Leela dazedly stared at the newest arrival. She was a girl with fair skin, and long, wavy black hair with a silver band mask across her eyes – it gave a light purple tint to her eyes. She was wearing a pastel purple long-sleeved shirt, and a silver almost see-through spider-web paster vest on top. Her bell-bottom trousers were a darker shade of purple and a large silver black-widow spider necklace hung around her neck.
What..Who is this? Leela thought, her thoughts jumbling up as she felt herself go more numb.
"Amberlee! My panda! Oh, how I missed you," the strange-looking girl cried out in delight, squeezing the still confused girl.
Leela felt the effects of the numbness wear off and stood up uneasily.
"Ooh, Spin," Amberlee shook her head, "Next time – don't be so dramatic, you could have gotten yourself in trouble," she patted the other girl on the head.
"Sorry, Amber," the black-haired girl giggled, "I wanted to surprise you."
Amberlee then realised something, "Why are you in Paris, anyway?"
"The modelling contest, of course!" Spinnerette grinned, letting Amberlee go. The Red Panda rubbed her head cautiously.
"Oh."
Spinnerette then gave her a weak smile, "Plus, it gave me a reason to come here to see you."
"W-Wait, hold on," Leela stood up and walked over to the two girls. "You told this girl about our mission?" she asked Amberlee sternly.
"Not the-"
"What mission?"
"-mission," Amberlee frowned. "Just where I was going." She sighed, remembering the memory clear in her head again. The distress in Spinnerette's voice when she had told her that she was going to Paris tugged at the red-head's heart.
Spinnerette rubbed her arm anxiously. "...Yeah."
"Okay, okay, I accept that," Leela raised her hands in submission but turned to Spinnerette, "But I guess we better introduce each other."
"Hero form or casual?" Spinnerette giggled.
Leela's eyes widened, "W-Wait, what?"
Spinnerette laughed at catching the girl out, "I saw your attempts at destroying my webs, so obviously you're a hero. I think I recognize you as someone from Jump City." Leela exhaled a breath of relief.
"Alright, well, I'm Leela Garcia."
"Spinnerette," the said girl smiled warmly and they both shook hands. Spinnerette and Amberlee then shared a long look, catching Leela's interest. "Nice to meet you," she turned back to Leela, nodding.
"Likewise," Leela grinned. An uncertainty built in the girl, wondering whether or not she could trust this strange hippie. Her team-mate appeared to trust her, so it was enough for her to try and get to know the stranger but now wasn't the time. "I think I better head back to the hospital," Leela told Amberlee carefully.
"Alright, I'll come by later," Amberlee gave her a small smile.
"Ooh, are we going shopping?" Spinnerette bounced.
Amberlee's chuckle was heard by Leela as the girl left the alley-way and went back to the way of the hospital. She shook her head in disbelief.
"Let's go look for some ice cream or something," Amberlee grinned at the black-haired girl.
Spinnerette squealed and glomped Amberlee in an incredibly tight hug. "Let's go now!" Amberlee chuckled once she managed to catch her breath.
"Okay, no time like the present!" she declared as the two then raced off.
Dave was strolling casually in the hotel's garden, hands in his pockets. His dark green hoodie hid his face, but his raised shoulders determined that he was feeling tense. As he kept moving forwards, he passed green shrubbery and flowers of all kinds. It took him a few minutes before realising he was about to enter a maze.
"Huh?" He stopped as he saw the gate that would lead him into the difficult-looking maze. "Oh, no thanks," he muttered before walking to the side. He noticed a wooden bench so he sat on it. Breathing in the fresh English air gave him some relaxation.
As his muscles sank into the bench, thoughts automatically rushed into his head. Delphi, visions, S.T.R.I.K.E, missing members, England, clues, dead ends, deadlines, crime, team-mates, distorted leads, etc. Dave took a deep breath and closed his eyes, ready to rid of the thoughts.
"Oh, hey Dave," came a slightly more cheerful and feminine voice. Dave opened his eyes to see his team-mate and new friend, Annalee. Her dark brown hair was unusually placed in a high ponytail and her normal caption-covered t-shirts were replaced with a simple blue t-shirt with an orange dinosaur trying to eat the sun. He found the t-shirt quite... Weird, but didn't say anything about it.
"Hi," he said simply.
"Mind if I sit down?" Annalee asked innocently.
Dave shrugged, "Go ahead."
Annalee sighed happily as she sat beside him and stretched. "So... How are you today?"
The tall, muscular guy shrugged once again, "Same as yesterday. You?"
"Kinda bored," Annalee admitted, giving him a lop-sided smile. "The fact that we have no leads is making me feel kinda useless."
Dave gave a hollow chuckle, his face still hidden by his hood. He was looking straight ahead at the maze. "You're not useless. If you were – we wouldn't have placed you in the team," he said sharply.
The brown-haired girl felt a small tinge of hurt at how forward he was with his words, as if a simple sentence could melt ice – her boyfriend's ice. She had been worried that the two guys wouldn't get along, but there was nothing there between them. They hung out and talked, but it seemed to be a bit of a struggle sometimes. No arguments had been shared, thankfully, so Annalee found it easier to relax.
She found herself liking Gina, even though they were very different. The girl had a kind heart and had other people's interests at heart, and she felt a small connection. The two girls would talk when the guys had disappeared and they had some things in common. Overall, Annalee just thought it was great to be in another girl's company. She was missing Lane like crazy.
Lane... Annalee stared ahead at the maze. She had felt a small tug in her heart when Lane's name came up. Something wasn't right. There had been no casual contact with each other. It was only during briefings that the pyrokinetic girl had spoken to her friend.
She's probably just busy a lot, Annalee thought to herself. She is the leader of Team One, and she's had to worry about two members that have gone missing. Another thought then occurred to her – Gina had finally described her vision, and Lane appeared to be the next one to go missing. Maybe the girl just needed some time to herself, some time to think and cool off.
"Weren't you and Jesse going to go somewhere?" Dave's sharp voice sliced through Annalee's thoughts.
Annalee looked up at him, "Hm?"
"I heard Jesse saying he was going to take you out."
"Did he now?"
"Yeah, I did," came Jesse's voice, slightly nervous. Annalee looked up towards him to see how he rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. "So, wanna go?"
The brunette smirked, "To where?"
"Uhh," Jesse looked blank for a moment then laughed. "Oh yeah. There's a family pub down the street, and it has some entertainment on. It's not much but, y'know, it might be fun."
Annalee smiled, "Sounds great," she stood up. Her head turned to look at Dave, how he was crouched over so they only so the tip of his hood. "Why don't you come?" she asked him.
Dave's hoody raised slightly, "I don't think you'd want that. You two don't get enough peace as it is." Annalee chuckled and put her arm around Jesse's shoulders, he in return put his arm around her waist.
"I don't mind," she grinned. Turning to Jesse, she said, "Do you?"
"Not at all," Jesse shook his head. "Get Gina to come, we'll have fun. Take a break."
"Hm."
Annalee separated herself from Jesse and took Dave's hand. She tried to drag him to his feet, but he seemed reluctant to go. "Gahh!" she ran out of breath and slumped back to Jesse. "Oh, c'mon."
With a sigh, Dave stood back up. He crossed his arms before nodding, glancing at the hotel – to where Gina would be. "Fine."
Slowly, Victoria (still disguised as her twin sister) was walking through the park, a thoughtful expression on her peachy face. "Hm." The trees crowned over her, guarding themselves from the young Blood Witch. Victoria noticed this and smirked. I feel so powerful all the time now. Stretching, she continued walking down the concrete path that ran down the park.
A small pond was gaining attention from passer-bys. Bread was being thrown in to feed the ducks and children cried in delight when they watched. Benches were placed randomly around the area, as well as picnic tables that surrounded barbecues and trees. All different kinds of vehicles were sitting in the nearest car park. Children ran past the teenage girl, shocking her slightly.
"Hm," Victoria ducked under a tree branch and looked around cautiously. Which way did Silver Wolf live again? She calculated the distance in her head, trying to retrace her steps. The last time... She took meh from the shop to her place. We went through a forest, Ah think. That was when Jinx, Mammoth and Gizmo were to attack. That was when Ah realised Veronica was alive, she thought to herself miserably.
A branch cracked and fell to the ground in front of Victoria's feet. She watched it cautiously, before picking it up. As her fingers curled around it, images suddenly shot into her mind.
It was Silver Wolf. Sweat trickled from Victoria's brow as she kept her power active. She laughed as her whole body turned into concrete. The silver-haired hero's eyes widened in alarm. Shock broke onto her face as she stepped back cautiously. Victoria forced her fist to the wolf-girl's gut. Silver Wolf cried out in pain and tried to lash out her claws to attack, but only splintered her nails on the concrete.
Victoria smirked, knowing she had the advantage. With determination, she lifted her foot from the ground and went to kick the other girl. Silver Wolf saw this almost instantly and ducked for cover. She grabbed on to one of Victoria's feet and tried to trip her up, but the concrete melted back into the ground.
With a low chuckle, Victoria threw her fist into Silver Wolf's jaw, sending her to her feet before falling to her knees. Victoria cracked her hollow knuckles, stepping back. Silver Wolf's eyes narrowed, determination bringing her to the point of rage. She shot upwards, her fist clenched. She hit the Blood Witch on the chest, sending cracks to slice through the area.
Victoria elbowed Silver Wolf on the neck and sent her to the ground. The broken shards of concrete healed and another coat painted itself on to her. "Do y'all really think ya can beat meh, wolfy?"
"I can try," Silver Wolf panted as she stood up again. Victoria gave a deep laugh again and went to punch the other girl, when her arm suddenly exploded. The concrete shattered to a million pieces, falling to the ground. Her eyes widened, her eyebrows shooting upwards. "Veronica..." Silver Wolf gasped, looking upwards.
Victoria stared at the tall building that stood behind her. She had remembered that Jinx, Mammoth and Gizmo had imprisoned her twin sister into it – but how did she escape? Veronica was standing on the arch window, one of her fists clenched. Her amber-golden eyes were even brighter, her lips turned into a frown.
"No," Victoria whispered in annoyance. Growling, she healed her arm again and swung a punch at Silver Wolf. The wolf-girl ducked, and both of Victoria's arms exploded, the shards flying everywhere.
Seeing her triumphant attack, Veronica smirked. She waved at Silver Wolf, but kept both of her eyes on her sister. Victoria glanced upwards once more before turning the concrete back to skin. One of her arms was sliced open and formed into a blade. She instantly grabbed at Silver Wolf, and with fury in her eyes, held the blade to her neck.
Silver Wolf cried out in shock, not expecting that kind of attack. Her arms swung at Victoria, but the blade was digging in, so she left them by her side. Veronica grimaced, realising that she was at a loss.
She raised her hands in mock defeat. Victoria was uncertain. She relaxed her hold on Silver Wolf for a moment. Veronica immediately saw this and exploded her metallic arm once more. Victoria seethed as Silver Wolf ran from her position as victim and raced towards the building.
Victoria shot her hand to the ground and sent ripples down the earth. Spikes of earth erupted from the ground, aimed at Silver Wolf. The silver-haired girl gasped. She plummeted forward as one went to hit her. She hit the ground and rolled to her feet. Turning around, she noticed that the ground softened. Victoria's hand turned a dusty yellow colour. The colour of sand.
The ground around Silver Wolf melted into a sand-like texture. Confused, she stepped back, but her foot got stuck in it. A squelching noise was made as she tried to move it. She grimaced. "Gahh!"
A sense of rage came over Victoria – revenge. She wanted to kill this silver-haired girl, and also her twin sister, who had suddenly disappeared from the tower.
Victoria suddenly came back, dropping the stick. The thick gravel that she had been thrown towards left a small mark on her cheek. It was a painful experience – meeting her sister, and now she was unsure if she wanted to meet her again. The voice of Hypnosister kept ringing in her head, reminding her that she had to do her mission. She had to bring in Silver Wolf, and perhaps the two other girls, their names saved to her computer.
Moving some more branches away from her, using her hand, Victoria looked beyond the park. In the distance, she spotted a familiar forest. There it is, she thought, a small smile creeping up on her. Ah remember... She licked her lips in annoyance, Oh, the embarrassment, she sighed.
Now tae make ma appearance, but how? She stared at the faraway forest, thinking deeply. If Ah showed up withou' the damn mutt, how's that gonna look? Ah can... Oh, Victoria smirked darkly. Ah'll tell her that Ah escaped, but Luna was in a separate cell, an' Ah couldn't get her out. That's why Ah came back for help. She chuckled to herself. Excellent.
The pale yellow light that entered from the window shone on the unconscious girl. A brown-haired, muscular but curvy girl stood before her, her hand outstretched to gently hold the blonde's hand.
"Oh, Jen, you've got us so worried," Leela frowned, her warm brown eyes narrowing. "Please come back to us," her accent clipped from the anxiousness of waiting for her friend to wake up. "We need you."
A slow gasp escaped from the unconscious girl's mouth. Leela looked up in surprise, her mouth popping open. Green eyes opened and stared at the brunette. "L-Leela?" her voice rasped.
"Jen!" Leela sighed with relief, exhaling a tremendously long breath. All the worry and fear that had once countered her mind vanished. Her lips flicked up to the sides as a smile. "Thank God that you're okay."
"Ugh, I feel like I wrestled an elephant," Jen groaned, putting a frail pale hand to her forehead.
Leela chuckled, "Glad to see you're back to normal."
"Did I miss anything good?" Jen asked, folding her arms and looking up at Leela expectantly.
Always one for gossip, Leela thought to herself before smiling at Jen. "Nothing that major. We haven't had any real good links to S.T.R.I.K.E yet." She pulled a plastic chair beside the bed and sat down on it. "Amber's having some boyfriend troubles," she rolled her eyes.
Jen gave her a confused look, "Boyfriend troubles?" she repeated, as if the thought startled her.
"Yeah," the brunette blinked. "Something wrong?"
"No," Jen smirked. "Nothing wrong at all." She gazed out of the window, thinking of the red panda before changing her attention back to Leela. "Continue."
Leela gave her a suspicious glance, as if not convinced. She shook her head before leaning back on the bright orange chair. "Grace is herself, not much difference about her," she said casually. "We were all really worried about you."
"Hm."
"Gina said she wanted to call me later, something about a vision, but she didn't exactly describe it much," she frowned. "But I can tell from her tone that it isn't something good."
"I see," Jen nodded.
"What about you?" Leela tilted her head sideways comfortingly. "How do you feel?"
Jen's lips twitched, her nose wrinkled. "Groggy, but okay."
"Can you recall what happened?" Leela asked.
Jen's eyes seemed to fog up, a cloudy apple green colour. The whites turned green. Leela's own eyes widened in surprise and she reached a hand out towards her. Jen blinked, her eyes returning to normal. "N-No. I can't remember anything."
Leela stared at her, still unconvinced. Was the young blonde lying to her? Maybe she couldn't remember it either. Why did her eyes change then? "Are you sure?"
The flash of green swept over Jen's eyes again but returned quickly, "Yeah, I really can't remember anything," she scowled. "I must have hit my head or something." She touched it gingerly. Leela wrapped her hand around her friend's wrist gently. Jen stiffened at the touch, the green returning to her eyes, brightening them but scaring Leela. They stayed when Leela wouldn't let go of her team-mate.
"Jen. Speak to me," Leela ordered.
Jen's voice was even more raspy than before, "The woman... She hit me, she threw me across the walls. With her mind? No. Her eyes."
"Who?" Leela shook Jen's wrist worriedly, trying to gain her attention. "Who is this woman?"
"S-She told me to send a message. She told me that I was that message."
"What did she look like?" Leela commanded, her voice going higher with anxiety.
"The w-woman," Jen stammered, her eyes blank and her skin paler. "She's a murderer. T-told me to tell you that I will not be the only one."
Leela shook her harder, "C'mon Jen, wake up!"
"Leela... What are you doing?" A cautious and dangerous voice shocked her into letting the staggering blonde go.
"Grace!" Leela looked at her, fear written on her face. "Jen's having some sort of fit.. Or something. She's babbling and I can't get her to snap out of it."
Grace whisked across the room and studied Jen carefully. "Man, what happened to her eyes?"
"I don't know," Leela threw her hands up in the air exaggerated.
"Jen," Grace quickly took hold of the girl's shoulder. "It's Grace. Can you hear me?"
"G-Grace?" Jen's breath hitched in her throat before she looked around absently. "W-Where a-are you?"
"I'm right here," Grace frowned, tapping her fingers on Jen's shoulder.
Jen tugged at her tighter, "You need to stop the w-woman."
"What woman?" Grace asked, before glancing at Leela, who shrugged.
"Hypnosister!" Jen cried out, panting heavily. The brunette pouted. Grace rolled her electric green eyes at her team leader.
"Who is this Hypnosister?" Grace asked. "Is she our enemy?"
"She's the messenger!"
"Wait..." Leela stole Grace's bag, receiving a glare, and opened it up. "Lemme see here." She rummaged through it and took out a familiar card. "The card from S.T.R.I.K.E. Maybe that's what she means."
Taking her bag back, Grace frowned, "This woman attacked Jen then, leaving the card?" Leela bit her lip, uncertain.
"Maybe." Both girls stared at the trembling girl, her fogged up green eyes representing fear in its finest form. Her skin was covered in goosebumps, it was paler, and she shivered at every opportunity. "She doesn't look well."
"Ya think?" Grace snorted, before holding Jen carefully, her own green eyes narrowing in annoyance, but also worry. "Jen, listen to me. Who is this woman? What is this message?"
Jen's mouth popped open in surprise from the fierce hold, her lip trembled before she continued, "S-She leads the Scientific Technical Remotely Isolated Killer Exhibit."
"S.T.R.I.K.E..."
"S-She h-has allies. Slade, Mad Mod, Mumbo Jumbo, Doctor Light, Professor Chang, etc. Her base holds all villains, and those that have been captured. She told me that I've been left of easily, that I was simply there to remind the Underground Alliance that this battle is far from over," her voice sounded muffled, but still clear at the same time. It was as if she had practised the speech over and over again. Her eyes clouded then cleared repeatedly. "She told me that more are to be captured, until we are all killed. She's sending someone over to capture her next victim."
As the girls drank all the information in, Grace then came to the final question. "Who is this next victim?" she asked sourly.
"She has many victims," Jen replied, her voice returning to normal, her eyes clearing up. "H-Hey... What happened?"
"Jen, are you okay?" Leela asked, almost immediately. She wrapped her hand around her wrist for the second time in that period, her worried gaze matching Jen's confused one.
"I'm fine," she replied, blinking, realising that it was true. "Better than fine. Well, better than before, anyway."
"Can you remember anything?" Grace leaned forward, her sharp eyes daring for truth.
Jen raised a neatly shaped eyebrow, "In what way? Like.. From when I was born, everything everything?"
"No," Grace snapped, shaking her head, her white-blond hair falling like waves onto her shoulder. Sighing, she added, "You kind of had a little fit right about now, and you started blabbing on about this Hypnosister and S.T.R.I.K.E."
"I did?"
"You did," Leela nodded sympathetically.
"You woke up before we could get an answer from you. Something about a new victim."
"Oh," Jen's eyes widened and she put her hand to her mouth in shock.
"What?"
"Dave," she looked up at Leela, who stared back in confusion. "Dave is next."
Next chapter should hopefully be slightly more dramatic, and give you more of an insight on what is about to happen. More characters should appear, and more stuff should happen. The chapter was rushed, yet still long, due to the fact that I wanted to show some more things that are involved with the characters all over the place. I thought it was unfair how I managed to leave out a lot of the characters in previous chapters.
Since it's Summer now, I should be able to add more chapters at more... Acceptable times. Please stay tuned :)