Author's Notes: Sorry I personally don't think this is one of my better chapters, but it's a chapter needed in order to setup the plot. Muahaha! I hope yall enjoy it.

A New Team, A New Age
Chapter 20: Shadow Warning

The sun was beginning to set and that's when the darkest parts of the city decided to come out from hiding. Everything that ever happened happened at night because it was easier and more comfortable for many.

Hecate and Linx walked, confidently, along side one another down the darkening street. They both stopped in their tracks at the same time as they stared in front of them at the warehouse.

"Is this where he wanted to meet us?" Linx asked calmly as her two different colored hazel eyes never looked away from the warehouse.

"This is the place." Hecate said with no emotion.

"Alright." Linx shrugged before beginning to walk towards the warehouse door at the same time as Hecate.

A tall young man dressed in all black with black sunglasses stood in the shadows of the alley across the street from the warehouse where Linx and Hecate were walking. He lowered his sunglasses down a little bit to get a better look at one of the girls; revealing a pair of deep green eyes. His deep green eyes followed the young girl with platinum blonde hair (Hecate) as she disappeared into the building.

Once the two girls had disappeared inside the warehouse, the young man pushed his sunglasses slowly up over his eyes once again.

"Early I see." A voice with a thick French accent said smugly as it walked behind the young man, who turned around.

"Are you Diamond?" He asked in a thick Australian accent.

"Please," Karen paused, "call me Karen, but yet. I am the one they call Diamond, and what is it that I can do for you…?" She trailed her voice off to get a name out of the mysterious young man.

"Arcane Tripidicus. Codename: Shadow Runner." The young man said as he held out his hand.

Karen placed her hand gently in his, "Charmed. Now what is it that you want with me and/or Chaos?" She said bluntly as she flicked her blonde hair with pink tips behind her shoulders.

"My friend told me about Chaos and I want to join." He smirked calmly.

Karen looked him over once and then stared up at the reflection of her in his black sunglasses. "It's not that simple, you know."

"I'd hope it wasn't."

"Good."

Both Hecate and Linx walked confidently side-by-side through the warehouse, until they came to an opening in the middle of it. They both stopped walking and looked around into the shadows.

"I'm glad you two could make it." An Italian voice said seriously.

"Cut the mysterious crap Orion." Hecate sighed in frustration.

Orion walked out of the shadows towards both of the girls. "I'm sorry Hecate, but I can't." He smirked. "It comes naturally."

Hecate rolled her deep blue eyes at the older man. "Why'd you call us to some abandon warehouse?"

Orion paused and took a deep breath in. "Because I wanted to warn you two."

"I said cut the mysterious crap." Hecate sighed in annoyance.

"Warn us about what?" Linx said calmly, but in concern.

"About what's to come."

Hecate looked over at Linx and sighed. Make him stop talking in riddles. She thought to herself, though her deep blue eyes spoke her thoughts.

Linx sighed before she looked back at Orion. "What do you mean? What's coming?"

"A fight."

"A fight?" Hecate said aloud.

"Did I stutter?" Orion asked as he looked down at Hecate.

Hecate resisted the urge to yell at him because he seemed to have valuable information.

"A fight between whom?" Linx asked.

"X² and Chaos."

"There's no surprise." Hecate said under her breath.

"What's so bad about that?" Linx chuckled. "We do that a lot."

"This one is going to be different." Orion said in a pleading voice. "Please, just don't go to the next fight against Chaos."

"Why?" Linx said softly.

"Just please. Don't go." Orion pleaded.

"Why shouldn't we?" Hecate snapped. "We're both valuable members of X² and we can't just not go because you don't want us to."

Orion looked up at the ceiling and around the building before looking back down at the two girls. "Please. Trust me. Don't go." He sighed. "I can't exactly tell you why though."

"Well then we're going." Hecate said in retort.

"No!" Orion shouted, which caught both Hecate and Linx off guard. "Please. I can't explain anymore than that because you need to leave. There's already too many mutants in the area and the Sentinels will be coming soon so you must leave."

Hecate glanced out of the corners of her deep blue eyes into the shadows and then looked at Linx. "He's probably right." She said softly.

Linx nodded her head to Hecate and then turned back to Orion. "Can't you just tell us real quick?"

Orion sighed as he looked down at the young girl with two different colored hazel eyes. "No, I'm sorry. Just promise me that you won't go." He pleaded.

Linx sighed as she looked into Orion's pleading yellow eyes, and then looked over at Hecate. He knows something, and I think we should do as he says.

Hecate sighed in defeat and then lazily turned her head to look at Orion. "We promise."

Orion's shoulders suck down in relief. "Thank you." He nodded sincerely.

Linx smiled softly at both Orion and Hecate, before Hecate spoke, "Come on. We need to leave before the Sentinels decided to show."

Linx nodded to Hecate and then looked at Orion, "Thank you for the warning."

"Anything to protect two beautiful ladies." He smiled softly at her. Linx shook her head as she quickly followed behind Hecate out of the warehouse.

Karen turned on her heel and began to walk through the alleyway, while Arcane saw movement from inside the warehouse. He glanced over his shoulder just as the two girls were leaving the warehouse.

"Well are you coming?" Karen said in a snappy tone of voice.

Arcane quickly turned back around to face Karen, who was a few feet down into the alleyway. "Yeah I'm coming." He said calmly as he slowly walked towards her.

"So the deal is that we go back to the Chaos headquarters and let the other members decided upon you, no?"

Arcane stopped in front of the young French girl and nodded. "That's our deal."

"Good." Karen nodded. "Now I'm assuming that since your codename is Shadow Runner, your power has something to do with the shadows, am I correct?"

Arcane smirked as he wrapped on arm around Karen's waist. "How about I show you?" He said with a smirk before closing his eyes from behind the dark black sunglasses. He cleared his mind of all thoughts and in moments, Karen and he had melted into the shadow on the alley floor beneath them and disappeared.