The school bus seemed almost to clean after the morning's events. Jackson and Duncan looked the worst, covered in tiny cuts and blast marks. Mindy had suffered a few as well and her perfectly pony tailed hair hung around her face as she nursed a cut on her cheek.

Flinch and Matilda sat there demanding every detail of the events. Ruby reluctantly relented. Once she got to the EMP device her voice faltered but she pressed on. Jackson felt eyes on him as the story continued but he didn't have the effort to care.

"You alright now?" Mindy's voice whispered.

"Fantastic," he groaned, not opening his eyes.

"Agent– I mean Jackson..." Ruby spoke, his voice nearer to him. He opened one eye. "As much as I know you don't want to I need you to describe what happened... Like, an exact description."

"Ruby that's mean, I'm sure there's no way he could know exactly–"

"It felt like I got stabbed right in the center for my gut," Jackson said sharply. He didn't need Mindy's mollycoddling. "I couldn't breathe and my head felt like it was going to burst." He stood, looking down at Ruby. "Happy?"

None of the team had even seen him loose his temper like that and Ruby heard Mindy's words come into her head. "The stability and effectiveness is kept by emotion."

"Just calm down," Mindy smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He sighed, his shoulders slumping and he fell on the chair. "Sorry Ruby. I just don't feel so great."

"Don't worry about it," she passed and took the plunge. "But I need an acurate description. Getting stabbed isn't exactly... accurate."

"You don't believe me?" He lift his shirt and, on his hip bone, still white and clearly visible was an inch long puffy white scar. "Rio, two years ago. He had me go after some mob boss. The big man himself ran me through and left me for dead."

"G-got it," Ruby felt herself trembling. How had she missed so much about her teammate– no – her friend?

BREALIKNE

They sat down in the mission room, waiting for Miss Holiday after they had cleaned up. Jackson had taken a shower in the boys gym and looked wet but much better. Duncan had cleaned up as well and was looking over a blue print while waiting.

"What are we going to tell her?" Flinch asked, his fingers twitching.

"What do you mean?" Matilda tilted her head.

"He means Ivan has gotten away from us not once, not twice but three times now," Ruby drummed her fingers on the table.

"Sorry," Jackson winced.

"It's not you're fault," Ruby lied. It was an obvious lie. Everyone knew that.

"But..." Duncan put down his blueprints. "Come here," he pointed at the paper. The team gathered around, Jackson and Mindy included. "Look at this. It's a tiny micro chip, stabilized with stainless steel."

"Like silver ware type stainless steel?" Flinch asked, examining the picture.

"Something like that, but the pice will burn up after very use."

"So the stabilizer would be faulty," Ruby nodded.

"Which was why the thing exploded?" Matilda asked.

Duncan nodded. "When the steel touches the regulator it causes the EMP's needed power boost. That helps it hone in on specific devices and to specific frequencies."

"Like nano bots?" Mindy asked.

"Exactly," Duncan nodded. "With the nano bots in his blood stream instead of an outer object or part of the brain. The EMP affected Jackson most of all." Duncan said.

Jackson sighed. "So that's why it hurt like-"

"Hello children!" Miss Holiday smiled, walking into the room. "How was the mission?" She gathered all the information front heir faces. "Did he get away?"

"He was never there." Ruby spoke up. "It was only a robot. He lured us there to show off his fully completed EMP device."

"He finished it?" Holiday's eyes widened. "What happened to the device."

"It blew up after he used it." Duncan looked to his feet.

"Good," she sighed. "He hasn't figured out how to stabilize it."

"So you know about the stabilizing agent?" Duncan asked.

"I recently discovered," she nodded. "Our scientists have been working on it the entire morning. There's only so much you can do."

"The silver wouldn't hold up," Ruby said. "So what else could he use."

"We're still working on that," Miss Holiday sighed. "They've discovered a dozen that would be most useful, blocking out a few options. But the list is still inconclusive."

"What do you use in my harness?" Flinch was twitching in his seat.

"Silver," Miss Holiday smiled. "But I can see where the thought comes from. I had the same idea." She rubbed her head. "I'm afraid I'm not much of a scientist myself. I know basics."

Jackson raised a tentative hand. "I think I have an idea."

"We're open to anything."

"I know of four metals used in EMP deceives. I looked them up a while ago, trying to see what metals I could create."

Mindy smiled. "You told me about that."

"How many can you do?" asked Matilda.

"All the ones I have the scientific formula for, so everything that shows up on the periodic table."

Flinch whistled. "Dude that's kinda awesome."

"Thanks," Jackson chuckled. "But that's not the point. While looking I ran across a chart that tests conductivity and resistivity."

"Which means?" Ruby sighed. She may have been leader but all the science was frying her head.

"It's ability to hold and keep and electrical charge with out wearing out or," he glanced at Duncan, "blowing up."

Duncan nodded. "I assume you're going to tell us some alternatives to silver?"

Jackson smirked. "Magnesium and Rhodium have between four point fifty and four point seventy, the are ones with more, but purer forms and stronger resistivity."

"But," Duncan bit his lip, "four isn't a strong number. What is their conductivity?"

"Half of the resistivity" Jackson rubbed his neck. "It's isn't strong, but valences out and is stronger than silver's messily one point fifty."

"That wouldn't hold up well."

"Which is why I think he's use Beryllium," Jackson offered. "It's resistivity is stronger. In large amounts it would serve a much better conductor."

"Beryllium then," Miss Holiday smiled. "I will tell the others in a moment."

The team looked up. With information like this she should've have been rushing off to tell everyone as soon as possible. But instead she stood and faced Jackson like a furious mother.

"What is it?" Jackson remained confused while his team mates backed away.

"I want a thorough inspection of your injuries from past missions so I know how hard I can slap agent brand when he returns."

Jackson turned white. "You don't want to do that."

"Show me," Miss Holiday snarled.

Looking down he lifted his shirt off with one hands it slid over his head held tight in his white knuckled hand.

The team gasped; Mindy having to avert her eyes. Across his abdomen was a glinting silver stain, spreading across his skin, the veins nearest to the splotch nearly black.

I know now I have no excuse for the long update. But I promise I'm almost done. Thank you for your pateince

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