"Liz..." Sally started, looking over to her friend. Her hands were clasped in her lap. "Y'know... I've actually been thinking about it..."

Liz Allen was sitting off to the side of the minibus and was one of the two people sandwiching Sally Avril in the center of the row of seats. The other was an impressed-looking Rand. Sure, it was no limo, but the fact was- they had hopped from a premium economy flight straight into a private rented bus. For free. The Osborns were more... generous than he'd expected. Than anyone did for that matter.

The bus was filled with the loud chatter of teenagers in a bus, the kind typically expected of well, high schoolers. And the loudest voice of them all was Harry Osborn's bragging about the hotel they were heading to, and all the places he had been to in the past.

"He isn't all that bad. Y'know takes pictures for the Bugle," As Sally spoke the name of the newspaper, her eyes sparkled. She threw her hands up in the air excitedly, before letting them drop back down. "Heck, he probably took those last pictures of that Spider-freak!"

"Don't tell him I said this... Or ANYONE for that matter, but..." She lowered her voice to barely just a whisper. Was that... concern in her voice? "He can be kinda brave sometimes. I've thought about it, and obviously the social order matters. Like, duh! But... If he makes you happy, I won't stop you now."

"After all," Sally grinned and nudged her boyfriend, "Not every great guy, like my Randy , gets to be this cool and popular."

Rand looked over wordlessly, offering just a simple 'Mhm'. They didn't always agree on things, but as far as Liz knew, when the couple did, he tended to leave it to her to do the talking.

"I-" Liz nearly smiled but stopped herself just in time. Her face fell. She bent down to reach under her bag.

"What's the matter? C'mon, if you just talked to him about it, I bet he'd come whimpering back to you like a lovesick puppy." Her friend teased.

The brown-haired girl pursed her lips. It would never work.

She unzipped her bag and pulled out a grey hoodie.

"...Who exactly are we talking about?" Liz's eyebrows knitted together, and she turned away from Sally and Rand to look out the window. She knew exactly who she was talking about.

Sally reeled back.

"Peter. PARKER. King Geek? He's only the guy you've been dating?" The blonde girl scoffed. "Don't tell me you've forgotten him already?"

At the sound of his name, the aforementioned boy turned in their direction. His eyes settled straight on them, and Liz swallowed. Hard. She could still see him in the reflection of the window, looking at the three of them. With a great effort, she threw the hoodie on. Liz shut her eyes and forced out a sentence.

"I don't know who you're talking about."

There was a moment of silence between them. All at once, the mood changed. The message she got across was obvious. I don't want to talk about it .

"Fine. Forget I said anything." Sally Avril groaned and crossed her arms in defeat. "Just... be nicer to him. He's got a dangerous job. You never know what could happen to him."

Liz screwed her eyes tight.

Peter had his eyes set on the teens seated by the left row. The moment he heard his name called, his head eyes darted in that direction. His eyes narrowed as he eyed Sally Avril, mouthing words he couldn't decipher. He couldn't quite see who else was there, but a glimpse of Sally's blonde hair and light blue shirt was all he needed to quell his curiosity.

Out of the frying pan, and into the fire. He really should've just stayed in New York. He buried his head in his hands, leaning forward in his seat.

"Woah there Pete, don't look now, but I think that isn't the blonde you're looking for. This one's a wreck." A firm, but gentle hand patted his shoulder. Peter turned around to see a familiar redheaded girl. "You'll get to talk to Gwen later. Need some earplugs? I promised your Aunt I'll make sure you get a break, so you'd better. I'm not the kind to break my promises."

Morris Bench had moved over to the front of the bus to sit next to Emily Osborn, who had seemed to have a lot to discuss with him. Not that Peter had ever heard her speak before. Somehow, Peter had found himself lost in his thoughts, sitting on the second last row, with MJ joining him at some point.

Some... point. He found himself frowning. When did she get here? Peter's eyes widened.

"Shoot, s-sorry MJ! I didn't- I-" He snapped out of his daze, turning his attention to her. The brown-haired boy forced out a laugh, trying his best to feign a light spirit. "I didn't see you there. I..." Peter looked at Sally, then back at MJ. Then looked back at Sally again. He sighed. "I-it's nothing, I'm fine. It's just... morbid curiosity I suppose. Can't look away from a train wreck right?"

"Don't sweat it, Tiger." MJ laughed and raised an eyebrow. "Train wreck hmm? Think the Bugle would want pictures?"

Peter smirked. "Nah, this disaster's a bit too ordinary for that. Even the Bugle has standards."

There was a shout, catching everyone's attention and coursing everyone's heads to turn. Speak of the devil.

"Hey! It's an ALLAN Hotel!" Sally Avril's shrill voice cut through the chatter of the bus. "It's your surname, spelling and all!"

"Sally, keep it down." A lightly accented voice replied in a strained, almost panicked tone. Rand shot his girlfriend a look.

"What?" Sally scoffed. "I'm just stating the truth."

Peter leaned forward and noticed, suddenly, Liz. The Latina girl was the one Sally was talking to. Great... absolutely fantastic. What were they saying behind his back? The boy didn't have enough time for another mental pity party session, however as the bus had come to a screeching stop. Kids were suddenly unbuckling their seatbelts, grabbing bags, and getting up. The chatter built up into a cacophony... rivaling even the loudest jackhammers and construction sites.

He could hear the groaning from the two officers sitting in the row right behind them.

Morris Bench stood up, holding a large brown paper bag in the air.

"If you could stay in your seats, everyone!" He waved his hands above his head, trying desperately to catch the attention of those present. "Please!"

His distressed pleads went completely unnoticed, as the teenagers continued to move around the bus.

"Mmm, if you'll take a look at that view." The redhead on his left purred, leaning just a little to her left to peer out the slightly misted bus window.

Peter himself stood up to take a look. The hotel illuminated the sunset with soft and welcoming light as if it were a ray of sunshine in gentle pastel hue. True enough, the signage hung above the rotating doors, much like those of the Bugle, had the letters A-L-L-A-N in large font. Huh.

"SIT DOWN." Morris Bench's voice boomed. The floor of the bus shook.

Peter jumped in his skin, dropping back onto his seat. it seemed like everyone did, for the bus fell dead silent. Eyes snapped towards the source of the yell. In a flash of anger, the chill, laidback demeanor of the man disappeared, completely replaced by... well, whatever that was. And just as quickly as it came, it went.

"Listening?" His voice lowered to a normal speaking tone. The man with the loud voice was... gone. He reached into the bag and held up a small brown card. "Good. I'm going to walk around and pass each of you one room card. There should be enough for each of you to have one room for yourself. If there are any problems with the rooms or arrangement, you can talk to me or the Bosses." He gestured to Harry and Emily Osborn with the card. "When you get your card, you'll leave the bus and head into the hotel lobby one by one. Got it?"

There were silent nods.

"...Good."

Morris Bench walked over to the second last row. He held the room card out to the red-headed girl. "Your room miss."

"6...66...no wait... 616. Bingo. Should be easy to remember." She squinted, holding it up to the light and reading it aloud. She smirked and saluted, before getting up from the seat. "Thank you very much, sir."

"My pleasure miss." The man returned the smile and stepped aside, making way for her to walk away with a spring in her step.

"Catch you later Tiger!" She turned around to glance back at him over her shoulder, pointing to a specific row of seats at the front and mouthing a 'Good luck'.

Before Peter knew it, the girl had waved goodbye and skipped out the doors of the bus. He waved back, and soon everyone was gone. Well, almost everyone was gone. Sure enough, where MJ had pointed, there was Gwen and Harry, still standing at the front of the bus. Emily Osborn was sitting calmly near the bus driver, reading a newspaper from a newspaper he didn't recognize. The Alternative. Huh. Then, of course, Morris Bench, who was standing right there in front of the teen.

"Well then... Lovely company you got there." Morris rested an arm on the chair adjacent. There was a teasing tone in the way he spoke. "Girlfriend of yours...?"

"Wh-what?" He squeaked. Peter nearly choked on his own breath.

The green-eyed, sensuous... quick-minded redhead... With a low sultry voice that flowed like- like jazz and-

Peter shook himself. Gosh, MJ was right. He pinched himself. Get it together, you distract too easily! "I- I no. No no no nope. MJ? No way. No one can tie her down."

Besides, it was Gwen he was holding out for. His mind rolled back to her. Kind, and clever, with her long blonde bangs... and warm smile. The image of her unfolded in his mind's eye like a snapshot out of time. His eyes darted around the room in search of her- but she wasn't anywhere in the front rows. Peter found himself turning his head around, twisting his body in an almost inhuman shape. Where-?

He hadn't even noticed he was blanking out until Morris Bench forced out a cough, startling him.

"Hah!"

Peter felt a familiar tingle down his back, and he instinctively dodged to the right.

"You can't even tie shoelaces. Forget tying Mary Jane Watson down." Harry's head popped through the gap between the bus chairs. He pointed at Peter's decidedly shoelaces...less, shoes.

He lifted himself up to rest his arms and chin on the chair.

"Besides, Pete's dating Liz Allan."

Peter veered around to look at his friend.

"Oh- uhm... actually..." He lifted a finger awkwardly.

"-A-actually they kinda broke up." Gwen dropped in, leaning over the seat next to Harry. She chewed her lip. "A bit... explosively."

"It just didn't really work out," Peter added slowly.

There was a momentary silence.

"A-aw man... I- I'm sorry." Harry stopped at once, and his voice dropped its teasing tone. "I- I just. I didn't think... I'm sorry Pete. I didn't know."

"W-when...?" His eyes darted from Peter to Gwen.

"The day you weren't at school. Y'know... that, day." Peter swallowed.

Harry took a moment, but everyone could see. His gaze hardened and his hands began to stiffen.

"Uh- and I think by that day... he means the day the Connors moved out," Gwen swooped into the rescue, resting a hand on Harry's shoulder. Her eyes darted around the room as she reached for a change in subject. "And speaking of the Connors... you said they're here right?"

Harry relaxed slowly, breathing out. Like lightning stuck him, he suddenly straightened his posture and looked straight at Gwen and Peter, seemingly both all at once.

Everyone was glad for the change in conversation.

"I nearly forgot!" He slapped his forehead. "Mom told me that we'd be heading to the Connors' lab. Well, I heard it's not really as grand as the ESU lab but it's still one. It's about them moving out of that lab into a new one we're going to build for them."

"That's kind of what he's here for." The carrot-head looked to Morris Bench, who was fiddling with a toolbox in his hands. While the teens were talking, he had moved to sit at the row across and opened up the kit to check, well, something. At the mention of his name, he looked back up and waved awkwardly at them.

"She said to ask you guys to come, y'know, say hi and all that jazz. Catch up with them I suppose." He added slowly. "-I'll be coming too of course! Just, maybe, I was hoping that afterward, the three of us could.. talk."

"You think? We're both coming." Gwen gasped. She shot Peter a look, and he couldn't help but nod. Peter was sure that for the first time in a long while, her smile looked genuine. And he wouldn't ruin that for the world. "Harry, that would be amazing! Thank you. "

"Y-yeah." The blood rushed to Harry's face and his ears turned a light shade of pink. "You're... you're welcome."

The bus had initially roamed down a busy street, surrounded by towering buildings with their lights flickering on slowly, one by one. It was like seeing the night sky light up with stars in an unfamiliar pattern, only brighter, and much closer. Shops were different, and the layout was unfamiliar, yet exciting. It was certainly noisy, with cars zooming past on each end.

Everything looked almost the same like it was copied and pasted along the way over and over.

Until at Emily Osborn's direction, they turned off the bustling street into a quieter side road. It was a minibus, no more than a little wider than a normal car, but the turn was sharp, causing the vehicle's tires to screech.

The further the bus drove, the more the noise of the city's life was muted, a subliminal rumble in the background. There was no room for any other vehicles to squeeze past them. The buildings grew shorter and shorter, as did the electric wiring. The wires hung low, almost low enough to scrape the roof of the bus. It was a one-way street.

Gwen turned around in her seat, "Um, where exactly are we going?"

Harry played with his thumbs, eyes darting around.

"Okay, look here. I don't actually knooooow..." He drawled out his words, sounding unsure. "Mom didn't tell me the location."

Peter forced out a cough. "She didn't say where we were going?"

"It could be a stop off the way! This isn't necessarily where the lab is."

Harry's friends shot him disbelieving looks.

"H-hey, look. All I know is that he's the country's top biogeneticist. This could be a secrecy thing. Security and stuff?" The more the redhead talked, the more he sounded confident in his words. "I mean, the ESU lab got broken in because everyone knew where it was... Right?"

All at once, they pulled up in front of a nondescript shop front, carefully parking as close to the side of the road as possible. Peter was sure he could hear the bus driver grumbling and letting out small curses with every jerk the bus made before coming to a stop. It was certainly a revelation. Peter hadn't noticed that the mostly mute driver, until now, was fluent in so many languages.

The door swung open, slowly... creaking like some entryway in a horror movie.

"I'm going to assume this is our stop." Gwen blinked. "...Oookay then."

"Alright. When I heard it wasn't as grand as ESU I was not expecting this." Peter deadpanned. Stared up at the building, a simple two stories tall. Both he and Gwen turned to Harry, shooting him incredulous looks.

From the side of his eye, he could see Emily Osborn getting up and walking out the door.

"Woah Woah Woah, don't look at me. I haven't been here before." Harry shot his hands up in the air, scooting back.

"Have you ever heard of, looks aren't everything...?" Morris Bench rolled his eyes and got up from his seat, making his way to follow the only other adult ( besides the driver).

He pushed in through a narrow doorway by the side of the building, that was swinging ajar. Obediently, the three teens trailed behind him, climbing up an immediately flight of stairs to the upper floor of the building. He knocked.

"WILLIAM CONNORS! Can you get the door? Curt, stop hiding in your office." The muffled, commanding voice of Martha Connors thundered through the door. "You know they c an't open it from the outside."

Although the door looked like a normal wooden door with a simple handle, pushing it open revealed just how big it actually was. Width-wise, it swung open with a loud creak. From the inside, it was suddenly obvious. The door to the lab was a metal safe door, and from the inside, an intricate series of locks and screws. There was a rope tied to the handle.

" Finally ! It's about time. I heard you might be coming today, but I didn't know I'd have to wait the whole day ." Looking down revealed the boy, with a hand on the rope. He had his arms half crossed. "I'd have actually brought something fun to do otherwise. Mom made me leave my computer at home. I was already bummed out enough that missed saying goodbye last month!"

Morris Bench walked straight past the boy, making a beeline for two figures, silhouetted against the light.

The room, or rather, hall, was in demi darkness. The only light came from the full-length window of what seemed to be the only room in there. Well, not counting the many streaks of electric blue in the tanks, sending bolts of bright colors at unpredictable intervals. There were a few smaller windows, but they had been shut, cutting off whatever little moonlight intruded. The tables were piled high with shelves, as were the walls. And on the shelves were row upon row of lab equipment. A bunsen burner sat on the ground on one end of the room, unattended, seemingly. Meanwhile, half-filled test tube racks were messily scattered about.

There was a picnic mat messily dropped at on the corner of the room, surrounded by numerous books of shapes and sizes, scattered candies with their candy wrappers... and a large half-opened coke bottle.

"Woah. Okay, now this is cool." Gwen walked in, turning her head around. As she did so, she was grazing her hand along the rope. Her eyes twinkled, reflecting blue and yellow. Following it would reveal that the rope followed a four-wheeled pulley system, with Billy holding the other end.

"If this isn't smart, I don't know what is. How old are you now? You've grown in more ways than one for sure."

Gwen made a motion around her ribcage, raising and lowering her hand from the boy's forehead to nose. "You went from my shoulders to my chin!"

"I'm 12 now, thank you very much!" Billy began to smile. "Well, you've changed too! Not baaddd..." He pursed his lips, looking her over. "But you could use a change in attire... And I'm not sure about the hair... And unlike Peter, for you, the glasses definitely need to come back."

Peter chuckled.

"Don't worry about it. I'll wear them the next time I come." She rolled her eyes, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "I know basic lab safety."

"You better!" The young boy was grinning from ear to ear by now as he looped the rope end to a hook nearby. "I'm not putting it out if your hair catches fire."

"Trust me, it won't. Good to know you've learned lab safety rules." Gwen shook her head fondly and rested a hand on the side of her hip. "I'm impressed."

"Hey hey hey, don't let her words go too far to your head." Peter jumped in, giving the currently proud-looking Billy, (who had stuck his chest out and lifted his chin at the high-praise), a humbling pat on the head. "You're brain... and ego's big enough already."

"Hey!" The boy huffed, crossing his arms again in mock anger. Despite this, the grin was quite cemented on his face. "Let me have this dude!"

"Lower your voice. This is a lab." Peter ruffled the kid's hair. "An empty can clinks the loudest."

Billy rolled his eyes.

"So... you did this all by yourself?" Harry stumbled in, turning his head about. He pointed at the pulleys, with two wheels cemented to the ceiling and the floor.

"Pfft, obviously not," Billy said. "My dad helped me. I can't climb ceilings. Who do you think I am? Spiderman ?"

Harry set his jaw at the mention of the vigilante.

"So, where's Eddie?" The blonde child followed up immediately, peeking around the large metal door. "I don't see anyone else here..."

Eddie . Peter grit his teeth.

"There's something I really reaallly gotta show him!"

Peter and Gwen looked at each other. Harry looked... oblivious, stepping sheepishly through the lab and looking like he was tiptoeing through a bed of thorns.

Billy definitely wasn't there or watching anything when the young adult was being carted away on a stretcher. He didn't read newspapers either, at least, not after they found Peter's pictures. He idolized the guy, wanted to be just like him... If the Connors wanted to keep what had happened from their son...

They couldn't blame the parents. Billy would be devastated.

"Uhm... he's..." Gwen chewed her lip. Her eyes fell to the ground. "He's not... Eddie can't..."

"He can't come. Dude's busy in college ya know?" It was Peter's turn to swoop in to the rescue. "I guess ESU just doesn't let up, yeah?"

The air changed. Billy pulled back from the door. All excitement was gone.

"Stop." The boy held a hand up. His gaze was dark. "You don't have to hide it. I guess losing the ESU board meant losing more than I thought."

He turned around, lifting the rope from the handle. The metal door creaked slowly, clicking close with a loud, satisfying 'swoosh'.

"Should've known..." Billy mumbled under his breath. "He leans where ESU leans."

He turned away, dragging his feet to the pile of books at the side of the room.

Gwen looked as if she was about to speak and call back Billy when the door of the only room in the hallway swung open.

"C-Coming Martha! Just, give me a bit."

Just then, the light of the full-length window behind turned dark. Out of the office, came a worn-out-looking Dr. Connors. The only thing that had changed about him since Peter last saw him was his hair, which had grown just a little from the short cut he donned since he left New York. His hair, however, was a mess, and his lab coat was slightly slanted on his shoulders, with a sleeve hanging off his shoulder. Curt Connors closed the door behind him, looking at the newcomers with tired, smiling eyes.

"Peter! Gwen! H-hey, good to see you here." He chuckled softly and ran his hand through his disheveled hair, making his way towards the trio. "And this would be..."

He squinted at Harry.

"I'm Gwen's bo-"

"He's our frie-"

"He's just my f-"

They all rushed out to answer the question.

"WOAH there kids. One at a time. It's late at night and my mind's a little lagged." He stuck up both his hands, one reflective and the other dull. He yawned.

"Red hair? Dark green eyes? If genetics and common sense don't do me wrong, you're... Harry Osborn aren't you? Norm- E-Emily's kid."

He lowered his left one to offer Harry a friendly handshake.

"Uhm, uh, yeah. That's me." The teen took the hand firmly. He was still stammering, recovering from the rush of all of them speaking at once. He looked at his friends, frowning just a little. What... were they going to say?

When he turned back to the doctor, he seemed to jump in place. His eyes were now fixed on the prosthetic. Almost instinctively, he reached to touch his own right arm. Dr. Connors laughed, and soon the metal hand started to move. He lifted it up, turning its wrist and flexing its fingers. Gwen and Peter were used to it, but Harry certainly was not.

His jaw practically fell to the ground.

"H-how? How are you doing that?" He gawked. "That's amazing!"

"A scientist-"

"Never openly reveals his research." The three deadpanned in unison, breaking out in laughter almost immediately after. Laughing is contagious, and soon enough, whether he got the joke or not, Harry joined in.

"I can see I'm missing out on all the fun." A second Dr. Connors walked over, looking a lot better than her counterpart, certainly. With her came Emily Osborn, and Morris Bench. "Gwen, Peter! You must be... Harry."

The aforementioned teens turned their heads at their names, shooting her sheepish, or excited waves.

The moment Martha set eyes on her husband, who was still recovering his breath, she gasped. "Curt!"

"We have guests!" She walked dashed over to him, reaching up to flatten his hair out. She sighed a strange mix of fondness and chiding that only a mother could muster. "If you can't find the hair gel again, can't you use just a bit of water? I told you to get a haircut."

"S-Sorry, I guess I was just-"

"Busy?" She sighed tiptoeing up and adjusting his lab coat and shirt. "I'll take you to the barber tomor-"

She must've seen something, for her smile faded at once, replaced with a look of concern that disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared. Replacing it, was a look of a forced smile as she turned around back to their guests.

Peter paused. Something about this was familiar.

"I think it's about time we wrapped things up here and headed home, don't you?" Her voice came out forced.

"Martha?" Curt looked as if he was about to turn around.

She dropped her hands to Curt's shoulders, squeezing them tightly. He stopped.

Martha Connors turned to Morris Bench, giving him a curt nod. "You can leave the plans on the table over there. I'll sign them before you come back tomorrow."

"O-okay then ma'am." He did as he was told. Having bought her excuse, he simply shrugged his shoulders and headed towards the metal door.

The words 'headed' and 'home' seemed to be keywords to activate Billy, and suddenly, he came rushing back to the group like a flash of lightning.

"What? NO! Mooooom... So soon?" He was holding up a small packet of mentos, and that half-opened bottle of coke that was lying around earlier. His eyebrows were turned up in a desperate puppy look. "I haven't even shown them any of the stuff I've been up to!"

"I... " His mom looked down at him sympathetically. She looked conflicted. "We have to head home. It's almost your bedtime."

"Mrs. Connors?" Gwen took a step forward. She could sense something was off for sure.

Martha Connors' eyes darted from Peter to Gwen, then back. She seemed to think for a while, but eventually, she made up her mind and nodded to herself. She headed towards the metal door, unlocking and unscrewing mechanisms expertly, with practiced ease...

"Tomorrow morning. Come tomorrow morning." She turned to Billy. "You can show them your experiments tomorrow morning."

The door creaked open...

And before they knew it, Peter and Gwen, (with the inclusion of a calm, unfazed Emily Osborn and Morris Bench... and Harry Osborn.) found themselves outside the door and heading down the staircase back to the bus.

"Curt."

He sat in his chair, hands clasped in his lap.

His shirt and lab coat had been taken off and he was sitting there, eyes cast to the ground.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Her voice cracked. It was still low, simply because Billy was still in the vicinity. In the office. With his books. And the door closed.

He stayed silent.

"The progression is slow, much much much slower than it was, but still..." Martha Connors paced the ground before him, rubbing her temples. "What would you have done if it suddenly sped up and deteriorated at once?"

Curt Connors swallowed.

"If you were feeling anything, anything off why didn't you tell me?" There was desperateness in her voice. "This isn't something you keep as a secret, least of all from your family. Don't you remember how you got in this whole- this whole mess in the first place?"

"We've just moved and it's all so much, and I thought it could wait, and-" He breathed. "I-I didn't... I didn't want to worry you or Billy too much ."

She stopped pacing. Her gaze softened.

"...Honey, you can never worry us too much." Turning around, she pulled her husband into a tight hug. "No more secrets, promise?"

Curt Connors' eyes were wide, his lips pressed tightly together. He felt like any moment now, he would burst into tears. Screwing his eyes tight, he wrapped his arms around her.

"...promise."

She pulled away from the hug, still grasping the sides of his shoulders firmly.

"Now, let's fix this. We'll work together this time." Her smile was small but hopeful.

"Together." Taking in a deep breath, Curt nodded. He watched his wife grab a stray marker from one of the tables. It took him some time, but eventually, he regained his balance, (When did he start to lose his balance...?) and stood up to follow her.

Step... by step... by step...

There was a knock on the door.

"Is there a... Dr. Connors here?" A feminine, accented voice called.

Both scientists turned, frowning. No one knew where the lab was. No one except the Osborns and those they brought here, and this voice was not familiar.

The knocks grew louder.

"Hello? Anybody? OPEN THE DOOR! "

Curt took a step forwards.

"Very funny Michael." A third voice panned. "As if anyone will reply if they didn't the first time."

There was another knock on the door.

"Feel the door when you knock it. The density indicates it's more than it seems. Try something else." The third voice continued.

There was a loud crash, sending a loud echo throughout the hall. Billy had opened the office door ever so lightly, peeking out. Curt yelped, falling to his knees. It was like a nail was being pierced through his skull. Martha rushed towards him, grabbing his coat and throwing it over him.

"You need the Gene Cleanser. Go hide in the office with Billy." She whispered in his ear, pushing him to stagger in that direction. "I'll keep them away."

Hearing the commotion, they could hear a laugh from outside. Whoever was laughing was definitely smiling.

"There we go. Hear that? Someone's inside." The woman with them chuckled. "Be a darling do something about that, won't you Tink?"

"Gladly."

There was a mess of beeping sounds, and then a finalizing click.

"Explosives set... and ready to blow ma'am."

Finally! This chapter is twice the length of the normal ones, since this week... I have exams. *brr*.

I'm trying out moving the story through dialogue more, a suggestion made, so if this works out well, I might use this style a lot more in the upcoming chapters.

I'll see you in two weeks! Don't forget to drop a comment, or favourite or something! It really does help, and it lets me know that people are actually reading the latest chapters. The formatting is a little wonky, and I actually have no idea if people are just reading the first two chapters, leaving, and not noticing the newest ones, haha.

Til then,

Ciao!

~ cassie