Windstar: This chapter is going to be a bit hard for some people, but just so everyone's aware: there is a rhyme and reason for everything and all will become clear in time. I don't make a habit of killing off my characters, but I have made a few exceptions. It will all become clear though. I hope that you all enjoyed the quick update. Another one's coming right back at you soon enough! Truth be told: we're getting close to leaving this arc and entering another.

Thanks to my awesome reviewers.

Disclaimer: See first chapter

Chapter Twenty-Five:

For three days Antonio stayed with Kai, bringing him to and from the brink of unconsciousness. For three days there was no rest, and there was nothing except Antonio's burning desire for revenge. For three days Kai remembered and blocked out what was happening. He didn't care, and he didn't want to care.

And so, on the eve of the fourth day, when Antonio had finally left him to suffer in silence, Kai awakened from his memories and musings of happier times. He stared into the surrounding room, his soul crushing under the weight of Vita-no...Adrien's...absence. He didn't care though. He was done.

"Tala." Kai whispered softly into the darkness of his room. His body was on fire and his mind was a mess, but there was one overwhelming urge that he just couldn't silence.

Elsewhere in the complex a sleepy redheaded commander snapped awake, his LXCom active even as he dreamed. He groaned slightly, touching his head in annoyance. "Jesus...turn off you son of a-"

Tala. The Commander hesitated. He wasn't going crazy. At least he hoped so. One never knew in this place, but he knew that voice. Closing his eyes he accessesed the Temple's security cameras and he skimmed through the files until he came to his very slightly younger brother's room.

Kai was leaning against the wall for support, blood had coagulated on his arms and legs and he looked like someone had whipped him for all he was worth and just kicked him around for fun. The hacker glowered at the site.

"Tala turn the camera off and on if you can hear me." Kai whispered softly, his eyes staring straight at the green light that showed the camera was functioning. Smirking Tala did as he was told, carefully leaving an after image for any security guard to see and freezing the screen so Kai didn't move while he overwrote onto the tape. Within moments the light flashed on the camera and Kai nodded.

The security wouldn't notice a thing. As far as they were concerned, Kai was simply leaning against the wall and mumbling to himself. He'd be doing that for however long it took for this conversation to take place. As one sided as it kind of was, Tala was listening and there wasn't anything that he wanted to do more then to help out his brother.

"Where's Senior right now? Can you do it in Morse?" He flashed the light so that it spelt out that he'd check. Quickly he raced through the various security cameras and looked for the man in question. When he found him, he quickly sent the message back.

I.N H.I.S R.O.O.M A.S.L.E.E.P

"Directions?"

I. W.I.L.L. F.L.A.S.H. T.H.E. L.I.G.H.T.S

O.N.C.E F.O.R L.E.F.T. T.W.I.C.E F.O.R R.I.G.H.T.

Kai nodded. "Unlock the door." He said softly, and there was a buzzing sound. The door was electronically fried. He smirked and started forwards. Tala didn't question his brother's motives, right now he understood full well what Kai intended, and while it was no skin off his back, he knew it probably wasn't the safest decision in the world. Still, no one was going to talk Kai out of this. So he wasn't even going to bother.

The injured man walked slowly yet confidently down the hallway. Antonio hadn't broken any of his bones, and that was something he would deeply regret. Deeply regret. Kai was blinking back only skin and muscle pain, and while it was severe – his grudge against Senior Ottilia was stronger still. He was not going to let this bastard keep tormenting his life and tormenting his family.

Tala watched his brother move, his eyes following his every move. A guard started walking down the opposite hall and he flashed the ceiling lights in the corridor to warn the heir. Kai didn't need the warning though. The second that man even thought about turning the corner he had a hand crushing against his temples and the unfortunate was out like a light.

Tala worked quickly and started to hack into the com systems that were running on the standing guards. It took him a while to bounce of the various radio networks and reprogram the signals emitting from Kai's guard, but he was gratified when he realized that Kai had been waiting for him. He was crouching over the man either waiting or catching his breath. Either worked fine because after a few moments he was in, and Kai was grabbing the head set and walking with renewed confidence. He had an Operator. That's how he liked his missions.

"Why Senior?" Tala asked as he put a time loop on every hallway that would be used and shut down communications to the ones they'd passed. The body had been hidden, but it was only a matter of time.

"He fucking pissed me off." Kai hissed back as he slinked through the floors. He opened a door, and stared in silence at the staircase that had been the death of him. He stood at the top, peering down it as though it was the entrance to the gates of hell themselves. It was ironic that they were in a sense.

Just down these stairs and a few turns over was where the bastard himself was sleeping.

Tala stayed quiet as he watched his brother stare at those steps. Kai's eyes took in each one. Every single bit of marble that made up those stairs. He looked at each and every one of them. He stared at them, stared them straight in the face. It was like overcoming his greatest fear. It was a battle that he needed to face though.

Closing his eyes he took a deep breath, nodded once, and proceeded. He made the first step, then another. One of his hands touched the railing and he walked slowly down them. He looked like he was struggling mightily. Another plane ride that needed to be conquered. He took another step. He walked one step more. There was blood on this one, and his fingers twitched towards his head.

He pushed it passed him though and kept going. He kept walking. He never stopped. When he reached the bottom, he didn't look back. There would be no looking back. He knew as well as everyone else that if he did what he was going to do, and if he was caught, there would be nothing left of him to bring him back.

Tala closed his eyes for a moment. He tried not to think of that. He tried not to imagine that this was Kai's great plan. He couldn't handle life as it was so he was going to die. He tried not to imagine his brother dead. He had controlled himself when he first had heard the news because he had known what had happened.

He had guessed, as Michaels had, that Adrien had been coerced into reviving Kai. He had guess, correctly, that Kai was still alive. Upon seeing him though...upon staring at his brother's face...he knew truly that his brother was a very changed person. He wasn't able to let go of something, and he knew then more then anything else, he was unable to move on.

If this was Kai's great plan for suicide, he knew that he wouldn't be able to stop it. Hacking out of his own room and rushing down to drag him to safety wasn't going to happen. There was no way he was going to be able to get there in time. If Kai wanted to die, he'd pull the trigger himself. Which is why Tala had to just sit back and watch.

He didn't think that Kai wanted to die though...and that was why his heart was more steady that it probably should have been. He felt like he was just watching a movie. Occasionally Kai would look up at the camera and smile, and he would smile back and say something charming. More often then not though, there was silence. That's all there needed to be.

Tala was simply the force that Kai needed to hold on to right now. Any second now and it looked like he was going to collapse. It looked like his very body was giving up and that he wasn't going to be able to concentrate or focus any more.

"Kai?" There was no response. The heir had been leaning against the same spot on a wall for over five minutes now and Tala licked his lips. So far away it was highly improbable that help was going to get there in time. It was highly unlikely that if anything should happen they'd be able to make it. "Kai?" Still nothing. "Sacha." Red eyes snapped open and stared at the camera.

"Fuck you...I'm just taking a rest." He snapped and Tala smiled.

"Sure thing, why don't you do what you're planning on doing and then go back to rest in your room, huh?" Kai shrugged and nodded. He slid against the wall and kept going.

The door was right in front of him now. He could almost feel it. Then he heard footsteps, and he froze. Closing his eyes he slowly turned. He didn't have to look to know he'd gotten caught. A gun was raised right at his head and a man that he recognized was standing across from him. He frowned when he looked at him at long last.

Christopher Hughes. The man was staring him straight in the eye and he had his gun raised right at Kai's head. His intention was obvious and the Captain knew his time was up. He knew that his game was over. He could hardly believe it, but he knew it as true. Chris did something odd then though...he did something very odd.

He took one final step closer. In perfect sweeping distance. The safety was still on the gun and he wouldn't have time to move in time. He moved his front foot, and Kai snapped to the floor and kicked out.

Down the traitor went. He snapped his head onto the ground and his hand opened just enough for Kai to grab the gun out of it. Christopher looked up at him with wide eyes, but before anything could happen, Kai kicked him as hard as he could in the head and that was the end of that. The man was unconscious and Kai was standing over him. He had no energy left. None whatsoever. He was completely spent and his legs were shaking from underneath him.

"I don't get it." Kai whispered softly. His mind was doing it slowly, and everything still didn't add up. He honestly couldn't figure it out. Closing his eyes he tried to put two and two together and he couldn't do it.

"Kai I'm coming down there, I'll help you get back up." Tala told him quickly, he stood up in his own cell and started for the door.

"No...no don't come. I can manage."

"Fuck you Kai, you can't manage. I'm coming." And he slowly started hacking his way out.

Meanwhile the heir sighed and looked at the door. He smirked slightly and slowly reached for the door knob. It was locked. Glancing back towards Christopher he laughed when he saw a set of keys. He took them from the jerk, giving him another kick for good measure, and then started trying them out. One by one.

It was the last one that finally worked and he pushed the door open quietly. Stepping inside he could just see Senior sleeping peacefully on his bed. Besides him was his wife or mistress. He didn't particularly care which one. Kai raised his gun, checked to see if there were any bullets, slid the magazine back into place, clicked the safety off, and with the aim of an assassin fired two shots in rapid succession. Both hit the two in the heads, and both killed them instantly.

He couldn't help it, he laughed. Closing the door to the bedroom, he turned and started to make his way back to his own room. He didn't care much for secrecy right now, he just needed to lay down. He walked slowly yet confidently for a while. Even if he was killed, he was gratified in knowing that Senior was dead. That was good enough for him.

He slid against the walls and used them for support. Whenever he saw someone he knocked them out and left them there. He was so beyond caring it was rediculous. He was about halfway there when he finally lost all of his ability to move and sank to the floor. He looked at either end of the hallway and he sighed.

"This...sucks..." He murmured softly before closing his eyes and letting darkness take him. He couldn't make his body move even if he tried.

As he sat there he could feel Adrien in his mind. He could feel where the boy was. Five hallways to the left, take the next right, up a flight of stairs, and on the second door to the right the boy was probably sleeping. Walking back had given him a great deal more energy then he thought he'd had and he supposed that it was because he was walking closer to him.

Still, it hadn't helped him in the long run. He was still incapable of moving any closer. He was simply too spent. He thought about Addy some more. He thought about how beautiful she looked in that nice pair of jeans and top she had been wearing to that business meeting all those years ago. He remembered how happy she was when Tala had taken over HE and given them some time to spend together.

"Whatever happened to easy missions?" He asked to no one in particular.

"What, this isn't easy enough for you?" He looked up and stared at the helmet of a hacker, and he had to laugh.

"You look rediculous in that." He couldn't see the eyes but he could all but feel them rolling behind that mask. He was certainly scowling enough. Strong arms scooped underneath him and pulled the gun from his grip. "I...need that." Kai groaned as he followed the pistol with his eyes.

"I'm sure you do. You can't even fire it. Leave that to me. You need to go beddy-by before someone realizes what you've done."

"Oh goody..." Two carefully brought his brother down the halls towards the cell block that had been designated for him. He walked swiftly and he kept a mindful eye on everything around him. He wasn't in the mood to get caught and they were risking enough as it was with Kai's conspicuous body trail he'd been leaving.

Seeing those bars was the best thing he could have seen at that moment and he hurried to Kai's particular home. Stopping before them he sighed and started to mumble, ever mindful of the cameras that were staring at them.

"K...we're here...now if this could be unlocked..." There was a click and he smiled gleefully. "Bingo." Pushing the door aside he entered and lay his dear friend down on the bed. He cupped the pale cheek in his hand. "Hey...I've got to head back before they miss me...you're going to be okay alright?"

"Yeah...yeah...thanks..." Kai mumbled, barely keeping track of what was being said around him. Two sighed and bit his lip before ducking out of the way and starting for the door.

Only five minutes later did an alarm go off. Sirens flashed everywhere and Three sat up in his cell as he listened to them. He glanced to Two's empty cell and hissed in frustration. They weren't going to have enough time. This was bad. This was very very bad.

Two was running as fast as he possibly could, and taking down as many people as possible, but he knew as well as the management of the Temple that soon enough he was going to get caught. Guards were filling up every hall and every guns were drawn on each of them. Soon the command was sent to check up on Antonio and Senior as they were the highest of priorites.

Antonio woke up and stepped out of his room in confusion. He glanced towards Adrien who was still huddled in the bathroom where he'd all but barracaded himself in the night before. The boy refused to come out and he hadn't bothered to deal with him. He was still in a good mood after playing with Kai for so long.

"What are those noises you stupid boy?" He hissed as he asked as he motioned to the blaring noise. The child shook his head though.

"I don't know...they've never gone off before." He admitted softly. His mind was still on the blood drenched image of the man when he'd come in and exclaimed how his Uncle had been severely punished for everything. Antonio just snorted. It didn't seem like Adrien was useful in the slightest. He moved towards the door and he opened it.

A man was at it in an instant.

"I'm sorry sir, but there's been a breach of security, I'm stationing men outside this door for your protection please stay inside."

"What are you talking about, a breach of security. What breach?"

"There's been an incident sir." The man stated cooly.

"What incident?"

"Sir...we have reason to believe that someone has murdered your father." Antonio felt his blood run cold. Adrien felt his body turn to stone. No! That meant that he'd have to bring someone else back to life! No!

Vita's voice was slowly whispering to him, calming him down and telling him of secrets. He squeezed his eyes shut and he listened because he didn't know what else to do.

Somewhere else in the complex Anna looked out into the hallway. There were men running passed and she hailed one down. He looked at her in confusion and she quickly asked him the question she was desperately trying to figure out.

"What's happening?"

"Someone has killed Mr. Ottilia ma'am. Please stay inside." She blinked, her mouth dropping.

"He's dead?!" She screamed. He nodded and quickly went about his watch. She was left staring after him feeling as though she'd been socked in the gut.

At that exact moment someone dropped down from the ceiling and she screamed. Two was standing directly across from her looking worn out and exhausted. He caught sight of her and hissed. Snapping a hand out he covered her mouth.

"Do you mind keeping it down I'm trying to escape here!" Her eyes widened and she looked at the gun that was in his other hand and she could hardly believe what she was hearing. She started talking but his hand smothered it. Only moments later were there guns pointing straight at his head. He groaned as he looked around. Her scream had attracted attention. He couldn't possibly out maneuver all of them.

He pulled her to his chest and pointed his gun at her head. She screamed and started to struggle out of instinct, but he held her to him.

"Now now...no one needs to get hurt...why don't you just let me go and I won't harm your nice scientist?" He said brightly as he started to move slowly down the hall. The guards followed him, their guns aimed straight at him. She glanced wildly back at him. This was his great plan?! They were liable to kill both of them this way!

"Why don't you let the nice scientist go and I won't splatter the brat's brains on the wall behind him?" All eyes turned to where an extraordinarily pissed off Antonio Ottilia was holding tiny Dmitri Ivanov by the arm, a gun pointed straight at his skull.

Anna screamed, tears coming to her eyes as she struggled hard against Two's hold. There was no strength behind it though. He instantly released her and she was rushing back towards her Uncle and son. The man rolled his eyes and shoved the child towards her. He had bigger fish to fry and he wasn't stupid enough to kill the boy when he was the only leverage they really had over her at the moment. There was no garuntee she'd listen to them if her baby brat wasn't with her. Even if they did have that other boy.

"I do believe...the jig is up. Wouldn't you say, you murdering bastard?" Antonio hissed and Anna looked back at Two who was standing there in stoic silence.

"Ah...I suppose." The hacker allowed as he held his hands up and got onto his knees. "Didn't think I'd make it that far anyway." He admitted before someone came up from behind him and smashed the butt of their gun clear into his head.

"Oh you're going to wish you were never born by the time I'm done with you..."

"Tala!" Anna shouted as she saw them carry him away. Antonio glanced back at her.

"Your fiance? Kai's brother?" She snapped her mouth shut and that was all the answer he needed. "Oh this is going to be more fun then I had originally thought. Lock her up with one of the others...take the kid. You're never going to see either of them again you little witch." He'd have fun tormenting her with her child's well being.

"No!" Anna screamed, holding Dmitri close to her. She picked him up suddenly and started running. One of the men raised his weapon though and fired. The electric chords snapped out and attached to her, sending a current through her body and subsequently into her son. Both went down for the count, unconscious and unresisting.

Antonio looked at Christopher (who had seemingly woken up and had hurried to respond to the scene) and glowered. "Bring me that boy from my room and my Father's body. He has work to do." The man nodded and hurried off. All the while glancing back at the body of Anna that was laying on the floor – tears streaking down her cheeks.


Adrien sat up the moment he saw Christopher come into the room. He scooted back under the sink a bit more, and squeezed his eyes shut. He held his hands over his ears and he tried to breathe. He tried to disaccociate this seen from him. He tried to take himself out of reality. He didn't want to be here and he didn't want anyone to talk to him.

"Adrien?" The man asked as he slowly caught sight of him. He took small steps into the room and the boy squeezed his eyes shut and focused on Vita. Christopher instantly felt a shiver of cold air and he glanced at the flowers that were on the sink. In seconds they fell from being bright and blushing to dead and withering. He froze where he stood. He got the hint. One more step and he wasn't going to appreciate it.

"Go away." The boy hissed as he squeezed his eyes shut even tighter. He didn't want this man within feet of him. He just wanted to be left alone!

"Adrien my name is Christopher Hughes I as a friend of your father's." Green eyes opened and he looked up at the man's face in awe.

"My...father?" He nodded, a smile forming on his face.

"Yes...I worked with your father and the other Demolition Boys on Operations Freedom and Free-fall." He guard dropped, mystified by the man's honest words. "I was the head of the BBASS and I was their boss in a sense."

"Were...were you the one who killed Senior and set off all those alarms?" He asked as he moved slightly from under the sink. Christopher looked a bit guilty and rubbed the back of his head.

"Well...I had something to do with it." He admitted lightly. It was his gun after all. Had he not been there, Kai might not have had the opportunity to kill the man. "Come on, lets go." He motioned towards the door, and Adrien hesitated.

"Where?" He asked softly, and the man simply gave him his most charming smile.

"Don't worry...I'm here to get you out." Of the room at least. He didn't need to tell the boy that. As long as the child was close enough for him to render unconscious that was all he needed. The boy took an uneasy step forwards, and Christopher caught sight of the chain that Vita was hanging on. He made a mental note not to touch it for any reason.

"Where are we going?"

"There's someone who wants to see you...an old friend who thinks you've stayed here too long and shouldn't be alone anymore." The boy was drawn in by the man's trusting words. Each one was not a lie. He was telling the truth...from a certain point of view.

Channeling Obi-Wan Kenobi and using the force to meld the minds of this weak minded boy seemed to be how Christopher got his kicks these days. He held out his hand and the boy took it. He looked up at him with such frightened green eyes. They were beseeching.

"I want to go home...please...can we go home now?" The man nodded and put his hand on the side of the boy's head caringly.

"Yeah...soon enough." And just like that he struck the overly naiive child and Adrien was unconscious in his arms. He just laughed as he looked at the sleeping boy. "You Abbey kids are always the same...talk about home and you go all gooey inside." Rolling his eyes he scooped the boy up and started to walk back the way he'd come.

Elsewhere Three was staring at a rather irate woman who had been thrown into his room and was now screaming at him like he'd done something wrong. He sat across from her and listened to her rant and rave and point to the stun gun injury like he could do something about it. It had been fourteen hours since Senior had been murdered and in that time everyone was scambling this way and that to try to figure out what it was that they were supposed to be doing right then and there.

He glanced anxiously towards where Two's cell was, but he had yet to come back. The only thing that had come back, much to his displeasure, was this harpy who was not leaving him alone. Suddenly he was the cause of all of her problems and because of him she couldn't stay with Two more.

"God, you sound like you're in love with the guy." He hissed at long last, glowering up at her as he tried to close his eyes and get some sleep.

"I am!" At that he snorted and looked over to her.

"You don't even know what he looks like under that helmet. How do you know that he's not some scar ridden hideous freak that has green hair and a barnicel for a nose?" She reeled back at that and gave him a look.

"What?"

"How do you know? You've never even really talked to the guy."

"That guy is my fiance." Three couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Oh really, did he ask you himself?" She glared at him and reached into her pocket. Pulling something out and slipping it on her finger she showed him her hand only a moment later. His eyes narrowed in on the ring that Kai had slipped her all those months before. She was grinning like the cat who ate the canary and he was oddly quiet.

"That man is Tala Ivanov." She said boldly. He looked up at her.

"How can you be sure?" He asked in wonderment.

"His hacks, I'd know them anywhere." He grinned slightly.

"You should take that ring off." He said simply as he rolled over. "You're wrong. That man is not your fiance. Whoever your fiance is...it's not Tala Ivanov...I'm quite certain that Tala Ivanov doesn't even want you in his life anymore."

He expected the first punch, but not the second or third or fourth. He glowered as he rolled over and was about to yell at her when she punched him in the jaw. He hissed, but she kept on hitting him. Over and over again as though it was the only thing that she had on her mind. She hit him and she screamed and cried and yelled.

She was so far at the end of her rope that there was nothing left for her to do but punch and yell and kick, and cry. She was tired of everything and she didn't want to hear it from this bastard. She didn't want to hear his sneers or his feel his glares through that eyeless helmet. She didn't want it.

"I hate you!" She shouted and he just laughed.

"I know. That's what started all of this." She hit him again and again, ignoring those damning words and just kept going. He let her, he too was far passed caring.

"They're going to kill my little boy. They're going to kill him!" He snorted.

"They're not going to kill Dmitri. They need him."

"They still have Kiril."

"Like you would give your life up for a boy you abandoned all those years ago. You don't even know who he is anymore." She punched him once more.

"I hate you."

"I know. And I hate you too...more then you'll ever know."


Twenty hours after the death of Senior Ottilia, Antonio slammed his hand against the wall behind Adrien's head and grabbed the boy by the hair. He had tried working this boy's mind for hours now and yet the boy wouldn't listen to him. He wouldn't listen to him at all. Instead he seemed to have adopted a cool out look on life. He was ignorant and abrasive and he wasn't bothered in the least by all of his threats.

Now there they stood. Standing in a large room. All the boys from the Abbey were there, Kai was slouched painfully in the corner, staring at the scene with growing horror. Mikhail was at his side, trying to help him to even breathe properly. Everyone was staring straight at where Adrien was steadfastly refusing to help Antonio.

The corpses of Senior and that woman he was with were sprawled out on the floor. The man pointed to them and shouted over and over again for Adrien to bring them back, but the boy didn't listen to him and didn't respond. He stood there and stared at him as though he were the lowest form of life he'd ever seen. He stared at him with cold and calculating eyes. He stared at him long and hard, and when he'd stared for so long that it looked like the man wouldn't be able to even think, let alone move without Adrien knowing about it, the boy smiled.

"What the fuck is so funny?" The man snapped as he slapped the boy across the face. The teen didn't seem to care though. He just looked straight at Antonio with unflinching eyes and a steadfast gaze.

"You don't scare me." He admitted lightly. The man growled and went to punch the boy in the stomach when he saw the teen laughing. Actually laughing at him.

"What the fuck are you laughing at?!" Adrien couldn't help it. The situation was actually rather funny. Senior forced him to bring Antonio back to life so that he could fulfill his wish of having his son alive and well. Once he was alive though someone, presumably one of the Officers, murdered the man in his sleep. Now he was the only one who could bring him back!

The only thing was, over the past three days that Antonio had been playing with Kai; he had been in that God forsaken room learning about Vita. He'd been practicing using her just the way Mikhail had said he'd be able too. He knew that she could bring people back to life...but what could he do? What was his special power or gift that came with being a master of a bitbeast?

And he'd found it too. He'd found it. He'd perfected it. He was good with it. It came naturally once he realized all he needed to do was understand the premise of it. It came as easily as moving his hand to write a note. It was second nature now...and that's why it was funny.

This man didn't scare him. He couldn't scare him. He was weak and pathetic and he prayed on children who were easily scared of people like him. He prayed on people who could see past the threats. He prayed on people who had things to be scared of. But what did he have to be scared of? Pain? That went away with time. He could handle pain.

He could never die, and the people around him were safe. He was immune to this man's way of coercing people. He was simply immune. He laughed and shook his head as he looked at the man. Antonio was on the edge of his rope. He'd had the last straw.

"Bring him back now, or people die." Those were the very words he longed to hear. He stopped laughing, turned eerily serious, and looked him dead in the eye.

"Why don't...you try it?" He dared as he looked at his fathers and his friends who all were looking at him like he'd lost his mind. Kai and Mikhail though simply stared at him. For some reason they didn't think he was crazy. They knew just how calm and collected Adrien was about things. They knew he wouldn't do something without thinking about it thoroughly first.

So when Antonio raised a gun straight at Kai's head, and fired, they were ready for it. Kai had half expected to see the blinding light of love and then be brought back just as he was welcomed by his family. Only he didn't. He simply stared at the bullet that had stopped as though by some invisible hand just before his forehead. He glanced towards Adrien who was staring at the bullet as though it was gold.

Everyone was. They could hardly believe what they were seeing. The bullet had just stopped! Antonio blinked and looked at his gun as though it was the problem. Kai just laughed, and Mikhail couldn't help but nod. They'd both figured it out relatively quickly. Adrien was extraordinarily talented to have been able to figure out his gift so quickly.

Another bullet fired. Again it stopped. Another bullet, another life that refused to die. No matter how many times the man shot it stopped. Finally he gave up and tried another tactic. He pulled a knife from his pocket and rushed the nearest kid. The moment the blade was about to impale the child though it stopped and he was thrown backwards. Adrien stared at him calmly, his eyes taking in everything.

"I should probably thank you. When you wouldn't let go...and you were thinking all those things about killing me and my family...Vita pushed you back." Antonio glared at the boy who was walking towards him calmly. "It's when I realized what that meant. She's in control of bringing people back from the dead...and as such...I'm in control of whether someone can even die. You can try all you want. You won't kill anyone of these people."

Antonio glowered and stood before the boy. With a sudden look of grim satisfaction he grabbed the boy's face in his hands and he leaned down.

"Oh...that may be so..." He said wickedly... "But you'd be surprised what you can live through!"

A sudden dash of fear splashed in those green eyes and that was all he needed before he dragged the teenager away from his friends and family who caught the threat only a moment too late and weren't fast enough to get in the way of his departure. The guards were there and they were more then ready to start giving them superficial blows if they dared to do anything stupid.

Kai bit his lip and looked out the window. Mikhail glanced towards him and followed his gaze.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked softly, but Kai didn't have to say a thing.

Two more days until the cavalry arrived.