AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks for all the reviews! Responses below. Hope you enjoy this chapter too!
Delta808th- some of your desires will be touched on soon, haha. :)
Rokusan23- yay! I shall incorporate some adaption of that in a future chapter.
Thorber Stone- responded to you before, but thanks again!
Nightmare Nurse and Guest- thanks! :D
Canuck101- Sounds cool! One suggestion, it seems a little random that the janitor would just happen to be at the same bar (maybe? unless the cloning facility is near enough the school...) Perhaps it would be more streamlined to have Julian go looking for Laura, and Quire accompanies, and they stumble on the clones along the way? Also, I don't know if you know this/if it would affect anything, but Quire has hosted the phoenix before too.

CHAPTER 36

Lost Again

"Julian." Frost looked up from her desk to see him opening her door. Her eyebrows raised. "I sensed you had returned…but I will confess to surprise. What brings you back?"

"Laura." He closed the door behind them, moved over to a chair.

Frost paused, her eyes on his cheek. "Have you been slapped recently?"

Julian closed his eyes. "I don't want to talk about it."

"I see." Pause. "Have a seat."

He sat down and leaned forward on her desk. "Laura wants to get out of here...and I think she should. I'm way happier now, away from all this. This place is bad." He gritted his teeth for a moment. "She needs a fresh start."

"I see." Frost arched her eyebrows. "I take it there is a request following? Or have you come simply to complain?"

"We need, uh, help." Julian said this reluctantly, like an admission. "Bigger place. We're bringing her clones. She's going to enroll, too. Have a future outside of all this." He paused. "You owe her that, after what you did to her."

Frost's eyes narrowed. "Do not presume to tell me what my debts are." She paused. "It saddens me, but I am going to say no."

Julian stared at her. "…what?"

"I have assisted you a great deal already." Frost straightened. "I suppose we all have our weaknesses and flaws. Yours seems to be an innate belief that you are entitled to my help, no matter how you broach the request. Probably a remainder of your parents replacing affection with handouts, but I will tolerate it no longer."

Julian's forehead wrinkled. "But…"

"Laura is welcome to make the request herself." Frost raised her eyebrows. "Perhaps you could learn through observation."

He got to his feet and headed for the door, then leaned out, into the hallway. "She wants to talk to you."

A moment later, Laura entered Frost's office as well, her eyebrows drawn together. "Hello."

"Hello, Laura." Frost paused. "I take it your excursion went well."

Laura glanced at Julian, who was watching them with folded arms. "Yes."

Frost smiled for a moment. "Good. Have a seat, dear. I believe you have something to ask me?"

Laura nodded as she sat down. "I would like to…attend the university." She paused. "I will need to support my clones eventually, and my current…skillset…is no longer viable."

Julian sat down beside her, his eyebrows drawn together, but he remained silent.

"What do you wish to study?" Frost asked.

"I…I do not know." Laura paused. "I am not certain what…what the options are."

"I see." Frost frowned. "You can take some time to decide. Many people begin with no idea of what they want to do."

Laura said nothing.

"I do not know if taking your girls would be in your best interest, though." Frost leaned back in her chair. "University is hard work. You will have many assignments to complete."

"I do not want to be separated from them again." Laura paused. "When I was in Japan…I missed them."

Julian glanced at her.

"What about Sarah?" Frost raised her eyebrows. "She has spent a great deal of time with them…knows their history…perhaps could she move nearby, so you could visit them as you please?"

"I…" Laura's eyebrows drew together. "Perhaps. I will ask her."

"Very good." Frost paused. "Let me know what she says. Then we will speak details."

"Okay." Laura rose. "Thank you."

Frost looked at Julian pointedly.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, I get it. I wasn't—" He sighed, folded his arms on the table and looked at her. "I'm sorry. You know I'm grateful for your help. We both are. I thought that went without saying." He glanced at Laura. "She wouldn't even be free, without you."

"You of all people should know that being a telepath does not mean it is acceptable for others to not bother with common courtesies." Frost paused. "But, apology accepted. Now, I have several phone calls to make, so I would appreciate privacy."

They left her office, Laura closing the door softly behind them.

"You were in Japan?" Julian asked, as they headed down the hallway.

"Yes."

"When?"

"I left right after you woke up."

"After Nori, you mean."

"Yes."

He paused. "Why'd you go there?"

"Logan asked me to monitor his son, Daken, who was interacting with individuals known to be linked to Bastion."

He raised his eyebrows. "His son?"

"Yes."

"I didn't know he had one." Julian paused. "He never talks about him."

"They are not on good terms."

Julian frowned. "Wonder why. Logan's alright. I mean…I was a little angry at him, for how he treated you…but in another way I got it, you know?"

Laura stopped. "How he treated me?"

"You know. When we were helping Hope." His eyebrows drew together. "He said you would die for the mission."

"That was not untruthful." Laura paused. "We both nearly died."

"Yeah." Julian looked down. "But he sounded so…cold. Like he didn't care. Like you didn't mean anything to him."

"I do not believe that." She paused. "He was pleased that I left the team."

He was silent for a moment. "Huh."

"Locate my clones. I would like to see them before we speak with Sarah."

"They're outside." Julian paused. "With Cess and…Santo? Those two are hanging out?"

"They have been, yes." Laura headed to the door.

"Think they're picking up again?" He followed her. "Like, dating?"

"Perhaps." She raised an eyebrow. "You are a telepath. You could answer this yourself."

He shrugged. "I don't dig around unless I really have to."

Laura said nothing, opening the door and walked down the stairs, her eyes searching for her clones. She saw them on the lawn, playing catch with their supervisors. No sooner had she spotted them than they were running toward her. She prepared to kneel and receive their greeting, but they passed her and hit Julian's legs with a series of soft noises. Whump! Whump! Whump!

"Hey!" He crouched down. "Miss me?"

Unintelligible screaming, following by loud, bellowed statements.

"JULIAN WE HAVE ATTAINED MUCH KNOWLEDGE—" Gabby.

"I NOW OWN A CEPHALAPOD NAMED WALTER—"Alice, waving her plush octopus in his face.

"HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF PANCAKES—" Betty.

"—WE ARE BECOMING HIGHLY COMPETANT IN SOCIAL SKILLS—"

"—HE IS AN IMITATION ANIMAL—"

"—AKA IHOP—"

"—WE HAVE MASTERED THE ART OF POLITE CONVERSATION—"

"—I NAMED HIM AFTER WALTER DISNEY WHO CREATED—"

"—IT IS WHERE PANCAKES LIVE AND YOU CAN EAT THEM I HAVE DECIDED IT IS MY LIFE'S WORK TO—"

"Woah, one at a time." Julian grinned up at Laura, as he wrapped his arms around the clones in a hug. "Forgot how loud you are."

For a moment the corners of her lips turned upward, then it faded. "Cessily is coming."

They both turned to watch said Cessily snaking through the grass toward them. Julian shoved the clones away and stood, shielding himself and wincing, obviously preparing for an assault.

But Cessily stopped in front of him. "Hi Julian, how's school going?" Her tone was neutral.

"…" His eyes narrowed. "You're just waiting for me to drop the shield, aren't you?"

"No, I'm trying a new thing where I give people the space they so desperately want." Cessily stuck her chin in the air as she spoke, her eyes on Laura, her voice sharp.

Laura shifted. She suspected this comment referred to her actions the other night, yet she did not feel regret.

Santo shoved Cessily out of the way and gave Julian a one-armed hug. "Good to see ya man. Knew you couldn't stay away long."

"You too." Julian frowned. "But I'm not back. I'm just helping Laura get ready."

"Ready for what?" Cessily's tone was indifferent.

Laura glanced at her. "I am joining him in California."

"WHA—" Cessily closed her eyes. "Ahem. That's nice."

Santo grinned. "Ten bucks says she can't go an hour without raising her voice."

Cessily glared at Santo. "Excuse me?"

"You're on." Julian paused. "But I can make her be quiet, right? Otherwise the odds are, like, worse than winning the lottery."

"Nope, that's cheatin'."

"Ugh. Both of you are just the worst." Cessily rolled her eyes. "So…Laura…are you going to go to school? Or…?"

"Yes."

"That's…cool." Cessily shot a glare at Santo, who was watching her closely. "I hate you, you know that?" Her tone was stiff.

"She raised her voice a little." Santo glanced at Julian. "Pay up."

"Hey, if I can't use telepathy, then you can't bait her." Julian looked down as Betty tugged on his sleeve.

"What is a California and how does one 'join' it?" Her eyebrows were drawn together.

"Should we prepare for combat?" Gabby was frowning. "Will this be a strategic alliance?"

"Perhaps we should bring it gifts." Alice whispered this. Pause. "It cannot have Walter. It cannot."

Julian grinned. "California's a place, not a thing." He glanced at Laura. "We should also talk about school or something for them, too. I mean, when I was their age, I already knew what states were."

Laura raised an eyebrow. "Unlikely."

"Oh come on. I'm not slow. I knew that kind of stuff when I was four or five."

"They are less than two years old."

"…" Julian's forehead wrinkled. "…what?"

"Shit, really?" Santo.

"Yes. The cloning project began after my recapture by the facility." Laura paused. "They were artificially matured, either via accelerated activation of their healing factors or further genetic engineering."

"Yes, that is correct." Gabby raised her chin. "You can scan our microchips to locate unit information, including production dates. It is located on the back of our necks."

Julian stared at her. "You mean…they're going to be our age in under a decade?"

"Possibly sooner." Laura shrugged. "Their healing factors are not at full effect yet. The artificial maturation process will likely continue to adulthood."

Pause. Everyone was staring at her now.

"So, X…" Santo grinned. "How 'bout you? You jailbait?"

"Don't." Julian's forehead wrinkled, and his heart rate quickened. "If I don't know, it's not a crime." He shifted. "Right?"

Cessily shook her head. "Trust me…that's not how it works."

Laura raised an eyebrow. "'Jailbait'?"

"Santo, don't." Julian paused. "When…when were you born, Laura?" His voice was very small, and there was adrenaline in his scent now.

"Approximately twenty years ago." She raised an eyebrow. "Sarah would know the exact date. I have never inquired."

He exhaled hard.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because…it would be bad if you weren't." Cessily paused. "This isn't really an appropriate topic to talk about right now, though." She glanced at the clones. "Little pitchers have big ears."

"I…what?" Laura's forehead wrinkled.

"I'll explain later." Julian glanced at the clones, who were observing the conversation keenly. "Promise me you girls won't repeat this to anyone, okay?"

Three heads nodded.

"Great." He frowned and looked at Laura again. "Speaking of Sarah."

"Okay." Laura glanced at Cessily. "We will return for the clones shortly."

"Cool." Cessily pretended to feign indifference again.

"Damn, maybe you are gonna win this bet." Santo glanced at Julian. "Clock pauses till you're back. I ain't got any bombshells that compare to what you guys drop on her."

Julian grinned. "Deal."

Cessily gritted her teeth, shook her head, then stretched her arm around all three clones. "C'mon, let's go to the pond."

Laura gave them a stern look. "Do not eat the amphibians, do you understand?"

Reluctant nods.

As they walked back into the building, Julian shook his head. "They need to be in school. Or getting tutored. Like, right away."

"I did not attend school."

He gave her an unimpressed look. "And how'd that work out for you?"

Laura paused. "Yes, I see your point." She paused. "Locate Sarah."

"Already did. She's in the lab with Hank." He grinned. "You don't have to talk to me like I'm the danger room or something." They reached the and he pressed the button.

Laura glanced at him. Her face began to warm, and she looked down.

"Something wrong?"

"No."

"You sure?" His voice was a little sharper. "Remember…you're supposed to tell methings now. Or—"

"I…" she closed her eyes. "You are causing me to…react physically."

His forehead wrinkled. "Huh? What do you mean?" He paused. "Like, bad, or—"

Laura hesitated. "No. I want to…practice reproduction…with you." She glanced at him, her eyebrows drawn together. "But the time is inappropriate. We have…tasks. And It is too early."

Julian stared at her for a moment. "Oh."

The elevator doors opened, and she stepped in.

He followed, his eyebrows drawing together. "There's…we don't have to wait…"

She tilted her head. "I thought it was an activity associated with sleeping."

"No." He pressed a button on the panel, eyeing her. "We can do it whenever we want." Pause. "Like…for example…right now." The doors slid shut behind him.

"Oh." Laura paused. "Yes, please."

Julian pressed something else on the panel, then leaned forward and kissed her, backing her toward the opposite side of the elevator. She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her fingers in his hair, her eyes closing.

A few minutes later: Snkkt!

Laura looked to the side, to see her fist pressed against the steel wall of the elevator. Snakt! Two small holes remained. Her forehead wrinkled. "I…should not have done that."

Julian ran his fingertips over the damage, and she watched as the material warped back together. "That's how I know you had fun."

Her eyebrows drew together. "You cannot tell—"

"No, it was a joke." He grinned. "Trust me. I can tell."

"Okay." She hesitated. "Do you want me to verbally indicate—"

"Nope." He held out her t-shirt, grinning. "Sex is the one thing we don't need to work on." He paused. "Much. Maybe a few things about initiating it."

"Okay." She began to pull her garments back on, the corners of her lips also turning upward.

After they were both dressed, and Julian had fixed his hair using the wall as a mirror, he hit the button for the elevator to resume. A few moments later the door opened and they stepped out. Onto…grass.

"What the fuck?" Julian blurted.

Laura said nothing, but she was also mystified. It seemed they were now situated in the middle of what looked like a savannah. The sky was dark overhead, but there was enough moonlight for her to see the blades of grass in detail. She could smell it, too, a dry, earthy smell, sunbaked grass. She frowned, looked over her shoulder, but the elevator had disappeared. "Someone has…transported us."

"I can see that." Julian closed his eyes, gritted his teeth. "Remind me to punch them in the face when I meet them."

"That may not be wise." She frowned. "We do not know why they brought us here…and presumably, they will be able to send us back."

"Presumably." He sighed. "Just…first the Collector guy, now this. What the hell is going on? Why can't we just have a stretch of time where nothing weird happens?"

Laura raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps the events are connected." She paused. "Perform a mental scan."

"What did I say about talking to me like I'm the danger room?" Julian rolled his eyes. "That was the first thing I did."

"And?"

"Nothing." He shrugged. "As far as I can tell, no one around. But that doesn't mean anything. They could be cloaked. Or out of range."

"But your powers are working."

He raised his metal fist and ran energy through his hand, lighting the area with a soft green glow. "Yep." He pulled his phone out of his pocket with his other hand and looked at it. "No signal…how about you?"

Laura checked hers briefly. "The same." After a moment, she replaced it and began walking.

He followed. "Where are we going?"

"I am not sure." She glanced at him. "But I do not think we should stay still and wait for something to happen."

"Yeah, true."

They reached a small stream.

Laura stood beside it for a moment, sniffing the air. "Lions." She had smelled these while completing facility missions in Africa. There was an unmistakable acrid scent to their territorial markings.

Julian's eyebrows drew together. "What, really?"

Laura glanced at him. "They are an apex predator, but I do not anticipate difficulties." Pause. "I will protect you."

"Not if I protect you first."

"…" Laura's forehead wrinkled.

He grinned.

RRRRRrrrnnnnnrrr….

His grin faded. "Was that…?"

"Yes." She paused. "Perhaps we should fly."

"I like the way you think, Kinney."

A moment later they were shooting upward, toward the sky, Julian holding her hand, his other stretched out in a fist as he directed their trajectory. "I'll get us up high enough so we can get a sense for where we are."

A few moments later, Laura frowned, focusing on her hearing. Her eyes widened in alarm as she recognized the high-pitched whining sound. "Stop! There is a barrier ahead!"

He increased his speed, his shield slipping over her skin too. "We'll be fine. When we get above the clouds—"

BANG!

Laura's eyebrows drew together as a sharp shock of electricity coursed through her system. Then they were tumbling back down toward the earth, gaining momentum with every passing moment. As the ground rushed toward them, Laura realized he was unconscious. And that they were falling toward what looked like a forest. With any number of sharp objects. At the last moment, she managed to curl her body around his.

SHLUNK!

"…" Laura wheezed, rolled him away, and looked down at the broken branch trunk sticking through her abdomen. She could just see it with her night vision, that and the pool of dark blood forming around it. She made a face and pushed herself up slowly, trying not to pay attention to the sounds it made.

"…did we…" He raised his head, saw the blood and scrambled to his knees, his eyes fixed on her abdomen as he lit his hand again. "Ffffuck."

Laura followed his gaze. A piece of her intestines was still hanging out of a small hole. She sighed and shoved it back in with her fingers.

Julian's forehead wrinkled. His hair was sticking up at all angles. "Uh…you good?"

"I am fine." Laura glanced up. "We are trapped here."

He leaned back. "Yeah. Electrified barrier. Hand went through it fine, but it stopped when my arm hit it. Must be programmed to stop bio matter."

She nodded. "I sensed it. A moment before we struck." Pause. "It extended in either direction for…a long distance. Probably a dome."

"Well, whoever brought us here wants us to stay." Julian frowned. "I've got a hell of a headache…let's walk. In case there's other surprises waiting." He rose to his feet, swayed briefly, then offered her his free hand.

Laura accepted it and stood, her eyebrows drawn together. "You have a concussion."

"Just a little one." He shrugged. "Nothing to worry about. Where to?"

She thought for a moment, then pointed downstream of the water source. "Water flows downhill, so it will be easier terrain."

"Clever." He squeezed her hand. "Let's go."

They began to walk, picking their way carefully through the foliage.

"Any thoughts on who's behind this?" Julian paused. "Facility? Purifiers? Bastion?"

"No." Laura frowned. "This does not feel like any of them. They are usually upfront about their intentions to harm us. This is anything but direct."

"Yeah, good point." He frowned too. "Great, just what we needed. More enemies."

She nodded.

They reached a small lake, the water glimmering slightly in the moonlight.

Julian paused, eyeing it. "Think that's okay to drink? I'm getting thirsty."

Laura took several steps toward the water, sniffing the air. "This is fresh water, not salt. However, there is a high level of impurity. Bacteria. I would not drink it."

Julian frowned for a moment. Then he reached out and a stream of water rose out of the lake and coalesced into a large green bubble. The water began to boil, steam rising off the bubble. A moment later it cooled, developing small patches of frost. He grinned at her. "Better?"

Laura raised an eyebrow. "Yes."

After they had both drunk, he looked around them. "We should look for somewhere to sleep. I'm getting kind of tired here. And sore." He paused and pointed at a dark silhouette. "Under that tree? We'd be close to water."

Laura hesitated. "No. I do not think we are alone."

Julian's forehead wrinkled. "What?"

"I have sensed another presence in the area since we arrived." She frowned. "But I cannot detect any vital signs. I think it may be in the water." Pause. "Perhaps some sort of reptile. Like a crocodile."

"…" He looked at the perfectly still lake. "Cool."

"How big is this place?" Julian sounded frustrated. "I just want to find a place where I can sleep without getting ripped up by lions or gators. Is that really so much to ask?"

"You did not list the monkeys."

He closed his eyes. "Don't."

Laura said nothing.

The encounter had begun pleasantly enough, with Julian smiling as he saw the small creatures, and approaching them, not heeding her warnings that they might interpret his actions as aggressive. One had run up to him and hopped on his shoulder. He had mocked her for being overcautious and had just claimed that the primate was now his 'little buddy,' reaching to pet it, when it had seized his ears and attempted to remove them with its bare fingers. Julian responded with a loud noise as he blasted it into the canopy. The other primates had not responded well. He had become a target for various projectiles. The corners of her lips turned up as she thought of this, and she made a small noise.

He glanced at her. "Are you laughing at me?"

She looked away. "No."

Julian shook his head. "If it were anyone else…I'd tell them to shut up. But I've never heard you laugh…so…"

The moonlight they were bathed in suddenly disappeared as it was blocked out by clouds. "Aw c'mon." Julian grumbled, then held up his hand and lit it with energy again. "This place is creepy enough as it is."

Laura pointed ahead. "Look."

There was a small cave, ahead and to the right. She approached it cautiously, her eyebrows drawn together, and her hand balled into a fist, ready to pop her claws if needed. But after reaching the small mouth of the cave and brushing away some of the bushes that concealed it, she knew it was empty. Any animal activity had taken place long ago. "This will suffice." She crawled in and removed her jacket, to use as a makeshift blanket.

"Great." He followed her in and flopped down beside her, on his back. "Just…fuck this day. Why was I stupid enough to think I could visit the school without getting sucked into something weird?" He glanced at her. "Like, my life was normal, except for the stupid alien thing. My biggest concern was keeping pace with my term paper. And now I'm trapped in some kind of weird dome with safari animals."

Laura frowned, sat up and pressed her hand against his chest. "Perhaps…I am the one they want." She hesitated. "Do you…regret—"

Julian sighed. "No." He wrapped his fingers around her hand, lifting it slightly. "I'm just…venting." He kissed her palm, then pressed it to his face. "It's not your fault that everyone wants you."

The corners of her lips turned upward. "Okay."

A few moments passed.

Laura hesitated. "Would you like to practice—"

He pulled her back down and kissed her, hard, his hands running up and down her sides, and she closed her eyes, leaning down into him.

Julian awoke with a start. He was alone, in a strange place. The ground was hard, and it was almost pitch-black. Then he remembered last night. The cave. Laura. He sat up, lighting his fist and looking around. She was nowhere to be found. He reached out and touched the place she had been. Still warm. So she hadn't been gone long. He scrambled to the mouth of the cave, then paused to summon his clothes and pull them on quickly. Then he crawled outside.

It was light out already. Dawn was just breaking. And now he could see that the forest around them was actually a jungle, full of bright greens and pinks and oranges and many other hues in the strange flowers and vines and trees. He got to his feet, wondering how he was going to find her. Why had she taken off without him? She got what she wanted. For a moment, he felt a sense of panic. He shook his head, annoyed at himself. He had promised himself that if he was going to do this with her, this trying again, he would really do it. He wouldn't second guess her, or accuse her, or doubt her. Then don't, he told himself firmly. "Laura?" he called out loud.

No response. His forehead wrinkled. After a moment, he began to walk toward the jungle. Maybe she needed his help.

"Where are you going?"

He turned, to see Laura approaching, a large creature slung over her shoulders. It looked like an antelope. Blood was smeared on her face and sides, but it didn't seem like hers. "What…" he stared at her, his relief fading as he took in the details. "What are you doing?"

"I have obtained food."

Julian wrinkled his nose. "Really? I'm good for now…I mean, yeah we're stuck here, but we're not that desperate yet that we need to start eating the wildlife."

"Your powers consume a large amount of energy. On days when you use them frequently, I have observed you nearly doubling your caloric intake." She paused. "And you will likely use your powers frequently today. Start a fire in the cave and I will prepare the meal."

He gazed at her for a moment, then shrugged. If she wanted to eat it, he wasn't going to stop her. He looked around and saw some dry-looking sticks a little way off, then reached out and summoned them to his hand before returning to the cave. Lighting the sticks on fire and tossing them on the stone floor took him even less time.

Laura joined him about a minute later, her hands soaked with blood, and chunks of meatjammed onto a stick. "Hold this." She tried to pass it to him.

"Uh, no, I'm good."

"I need to wash my hands."

"Wash them after."

"Blood will attract predators."

"…" Julian looked at her hands. The red blood particles rose into the air as a mist, which he tossed into the flames. "There. Now you can stop worrying and keep holding that stick."

Laura gave him a flat, unimpressed look. "You are impractical. That action cost energy. The food in this area is mostly lean meat. Protein. Which is lower in calorie content. You will require carbohydrates and fats to continue your usual energy output for flight."

"Are you…" Julian raised an eyebrow. "You make it sound like I'm a car that's going to run out of fuel."

"Yes, exactly."

He stared at her, then shook his head. It was hard to put the two ideas together. She had said she loved him, but she also thought of him like an object?

She paused. "You…do not agree." More of a statement than a question.

He hesitated. "I don't like when you make me feel like an object, no." He paused. "I don't want to eat furry woodland creatures. You need to respect when I don't want to do something."

"…" Laura's eyebrows drew together. "'Furry woodland creatures?"

"Like Bambi's friends." He paused. "I'm guessing you have no idea who that is."

Laura gave him a flat look. "No, I do not."

"Never mind." He leaned back. "Just…I'm not having any, okay? Leave it at that."

She said nothing, only twirled the stick in the fire.

Several minutes passed in silence. And then Julian realized that a delicious smell was filling the cave. He tried to ignore it, looking away, but then his ears focused on the gentle sizzling sound. By the time Laura was beginning to test it for doneness, his stomach was growling, and he had forgotten what the meat used to look like before she had put it on the stick. "I guess it can't hurt to taste it." He paused. "Since you already…killed it."

Laura raised an eyebrow. "You have changed your mind?"

"No, I still think it's wrong." He paused. "Just less wrong than before."

"…" Her forehead wrinkled, but she tore off a piece and handed it to him.

After eating, they had more to drink at the lake, then took to the air, Julian careful to stay lower than the barrier. His head still ached slightly.

"This place is huge." Julian mumbled this, about an hour later. His arms were cramping from carrying Laura, even though he was supporting most of her weight with his mind. She was really freaking heavy. About four hundred pounds.

"Yes." Laura paused. "Stop."

He did, holding them steady in the air.

She looked to the right, then the left, her eyebrows drawing together. "Others."

"What? Really? Where?"

"Nearby." She paused. "A male. And a female. I do not recognize them."

Julian began to take them to the ground.

"No!" she hissed. "We should be cautious. We do not know who brought us here."

"What? You think it was them?"

Laura pressed a finger to her lips, and pointed up, to the tree above them.

He rolled his eyes but took them up and set her down into the crook of a large branch, close to the trunk, then perched on a nearby branch. The moment he stopped focusing on his telekinesis, he became keenly aware of the two minds approaching. Normally, he would stop himself there, almost without thinking about it. But Laura had a point. Right now, they didn't know anything. So he poked around. Just a little.

Hazmat. No, Jennifer. That was the girl's real name. She had some kind of radiation powers, lived in a hazard suit. The guy was Ken. He was a little harder to read. Probably his skin. Or his skeleton? Red metal…iridium, the girl knew. Something about invulnerability. Maybe that's what was making his thoughts fuzzy. Both of them were from a school. The Avengers Academy. He glanced at Laura, wishing he could just think this all at her. "We can trust them."

She wrinkled her nose.

He shrugged, then dropped out of the tree. "Hey, I'm—"

FWWAASSSHHH!

Julian barely shielded himself in time. Before the yellowish green mist had even cleared, a figure swept past him, and he heard a Snkkt! "No! Stop!" he shouted, grabbing Laura's arm and dragging her back.

"She attacked you!" Laura's lip curled.

"I'm fine. It didn't go through my shield."

She held up her arm. The skin was bubbling.

"…" he grabbed her hand and tried to put out whatever reaction was occurring with his mind, but he couldn't. He dragged her out of the mist, back to the lake.

"Stop! Whatever I sensed last night is still here!"

"Yeah, well, you're in immediate danger, so we're going to take care of that first." He pulled her into the water, his eyebrows drawn together. Why had Hazmat tried to burn his face off? Why was everything in here trying to take his face off? Maybe he should have done more mental poking. He shook his head slightly.

"I will heal—"

"Not if the reaction is still going." He paused. "Did it stop?"

Laura glanced at her arm.

The water behind them exploded very suddenly, as a mass of black reared into the air. Along with the loudest, strangest roar that Julian had ever heard, somewhere between a trumpet and a T-Rex roaring. He scrambled backward onto the bank, his eyes wide. For a moment, he couldn't speak.

The billowing creature surveyed them. He saw that it was made of…black smoke? And…electricity? It was huge, towering above them. And it didn't seem to have a head. Now it was making some kind of deep clicking noise. As if a metal chain were being wound up around some kind of gear wheel.

"I recognize it." Laura paused. "We should run."

"Wait, what?"

AAAAHHH-ROOOOO-OOOO-OOOOOO-OOO-OO-O— a strange siren sound echoed through the air.

"RUN!" Laura shouted as the thing thundered toward them, now making sounds like that of a rollercoaster about to come off the tracks.

Julian realized he was never going to outfly it, so he dropped to the ground and covered his head with his hands. The ground shook, and he felt a sharp blast of wind pass over him. Then the thing made a long last snarling sound that faded into nothing.

He sat up. "What. The. Fuck."

Laura paused. "I believe it—"

In the distance: "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH OHMYGOD SANTO RUN!"

"HOLY—"

They traded looks, then they were in the air.

"Tell me when you hear them!" Julian said, his voice filled with panic.

"To the north."

"And which way is north?!"

AAAAHHH-ROOOOO-OOOO-OOOOOO-OOO-OO-O

"Never mind." Julian changed their direction slightly. The sounds were growing louder. He heard that rollercoaster sound again, and more screams. Then they were there, flying over the thing, toward Santo, who was clearly its target.

"IT'S GOT ME!" he shouted, seeing Julian.

"Break apart!" Julian yelled back.

"But—it's got my legs!"

"You're made of rocks! You can always get more!"

Santo clawed at the bank as the thing began to engulf him with black smoke, as if it were eating him. Laura swept her claws through it, and Cessily was trying to wrap her arms around to wrestle it away, but neither were successful, and it didn't even register as physical matter to Julian's brain, so he couldn't move it. Then, at the last moment, when it was about to swallow his friend's torso, he brought his metal fists down on his back.

BLAM!

"NO!" Cessily screamed, as Santo shattered into pieces. The black mass tore away the chunk it had bitten, and suddenly it swept into the forest, making noises like a rattle snake.

"…" Santo looked up at Julian and grinned. "Thanks, man."

Julian crouched down. "When did you guys get here?"

"Sometime last night." Santo paused, then his upper body reformed, with a muffled scraping sound. "Any of ya see some good rocks around? Like, the body-worthy kind?"

Laura shook her head. "We are surrounded by forest. Perhaps you could use minerals from the soil?"

"Nah, not goin' to make a new body out of no wimpy minerals." Sant pushed his torso up with his arms. "I guess I could rearrange some shit here, but I'd look stupid as hell. Like a toothpick."

"Laura, did you see what that was?!" Cessily asked, seeming to finally get over her shock enough to notice her friend's presence.

"Yes."

"DUDE!" Cessily's eyes widened, and she grabbed Laura's arms, shaking her slightly. "Do you know what this means?! Maybe it was real! Maybe it all happened!"

Julian folded his arms. "So, either of you feel like sharing?"

"That was the smoke monster from Lost." Santo paused. "God dammit. Hate that I know that."

Cessily raised her eyebrows. "I thought you liked Lost."

"Er, I love Lost." Santo glanced at Julian. "Best thing ever."

"Wait." Julian's forehead wrinkled. "That thing was from a TV show?!"

"Yes." Laura paused. "It is dangerous. My claws did nothing to it."

"Strong chompers, too." Santo sighed. "Goin' to be awkward to walk like this."

"Don't be stupid." Julian raised his hand.

Santo floated up to his normal height. "Cool!"

"Where are my clones?" Laura's eyes were wide.

Julian's forehead wrinkled, and he looked at Cessily. "Please tell me they aren't here."

"I don't know!" Cessily's orange eyebrows drew together. "We were out on the lawn for a little bit after you left…then we all headed inside except when I stepped in—"

"You were in the middle of a savannah?" Julian guessed.

"No, we were by the ocean. A sandy beach." Cessily paused. "Then we got attacked by a bunch of little frog people—"

"Murlocs." Santo paused. "From this game I play sometimes."

"Right." Cessily rolled her eyes. "Because the rest of us none-geeks are totally going to get what those are."

Julian gave them a flat look. "The girls."

"It was just totally crazy. Loud. Action everywhere. I never saw if they got pulled in with us or not." She paused. "The chief muckduck or whatever—"

"Murloc." Santo grunted.

"Or whatever had this staff that shot lightning bolts…and I was basically useless against it, you know I conduct electricity like crazy…so I wasn't able to think about anything else. Then we got chased into this huge tornado zone…and then we wound up here, getting attacked by the smoke monster." Cessily frowned. "We should go back."

"Yeah we should." Julian glanced at Laura, took her hand in his and squeezed gently. "I'm sure they're fine. If they're here, we'll find them. Don't worry."

She said nothing, but her eyebrows were drawn together.

He made a fist with his free hand, and the four rose several feet into the air. "So what direction is this beach in?"

"South." Santo grinned. "Wait. Forgot you're kinda navigationally challenged." He pointed.

Julian rolled his eyes.

"There!" Laura was pointing at the beach below them. "Julian! Set us down!"

She was drifting through the air alongside Julian, who was holding her hand, Santo and Cessily floating in their wake.

"Yeah, relax, I see it." He began to descend, toward the series of small footprints on the beach, along the shore, disappearing every now and again as they entered the water. "Don't see them. Or sense them. They must be out of my range."

Laura's eyebrows drew together. "Follow the footprints."

"Yep." He squeezes her hand. "It's okay. They're trained for combat, remember."

She closed her eyes. "I do not want them to…have to use their training."

"I'm so sorry, Laura." Cessily put a hand on her shoulder. "It's all my fault. I—"

"No." Laura shook her head. "This is no one's fault but mine. I should—"

"It's no one's fault, period." Julian paused. "Except whoever brought all of us here in the first place. It is most fucking definitely their fault."

"Yeah." Santo pointed at the ground. "What's that?"

Laura followed his rock finger and saw a sandy lump below, almost at the water line. Along with a number of deep gouges in the sand. "Lower us."

Julian brought them down to the shore, his eyebrows drawing together as he reached out and unearthed the lump. It was Alice's toy octopus.

Laura's forehead wrinkled. The clones' footprints ended here. Either they had been attacked and taken here or had entered the water and not returned.

"Can you smell them?" he asked.

She shook her head. "They have the same scent-cloaking modifications that I do."

There was a deep grating noise, a few feet away. They looked and saw Santo reassembling his missing appendages from several large boulders nearby.

"What?" he asked. "Gotta make sure I'm ready to kick ass."

"Yeah." Julian frowned. "Okay. I think we should keep going, along the shore. All we know is, they didn't turn back. Maybe I'll pick up something on the way."

"Sounds like a plan." Cessily patted Laura's shoulder. "We'll find them. Promise."

She looked down but nodded slightly.