SHEN

Shen glared at the target of concentric circles. None of her kunai had missed, but only four of six were in the centermost region. Unlike Nik's neighboring target, with all six kunai tightly packed in the middle.

She turned to him. "How do you even do that? I know you can't see the circles they've painted on."

He looked at her and blinked. "I aim for the center."

Oh, that was it. She was really going to kill him.

Before she could move, he threw up his hands in surrender. "No, I'm serious. The target is a physical object and radiates different energy than the air around it. I just look at the potential trajectories of my throws and use the one that lands closest to the center of the target material without overlapping the jaggy energy of the other kunai."

She shook her head. There was really no point in letting it drive her nuts. Nik was Nik.

"Let's just go. This should be enough to satisfy our parents. We've got to start thinking about touring." She said, switching gears.

He raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Sure, you're not jumping the gun on that? We haven't even released our album yet."

"But I've got so many ideas. I can see it already." She prattled on as they stepped into the hallway.

"Uh oh." Nik grew serious and Shen followed his line of sight to a frantic Grey McCoy arguing with one of the instructors.

"Well if Sensei Leo isn't in, what about someone else in the family? Please." He was begging.

The instructor, Cal, Shen thought his name might be, shook his head. "I'm sorry they're all out on personal business at the moment."

Grey punched the wall in frustration and Cal started to protest, but Nik was already there.

"It's cool. I got this."

When had he closed the distance?

Cal shrugged and walked away.

As she approached, Grey looked to her and Nik in wild desperation. "Scout's in trouble and no one will listen to me. The police think I'm pranking them, and now I can't find her parents or anyone. You have to believe me."

Shen felt her stomach bottom out. Scout was in trouble again? How? Things had been good. Right?

Nik grabbed Grey by the shoulders. "What happened to her?"

Grey began to shake. "They took her. They shot her and took her."

Nik looked to Shen in alarm.

Their phones dinged simultaneously. She pulled hers out to see a text blast from Nellie.

Emergency meeting about Scout. Park by the pizzeria. Now.

Before Nik could play his message aloud, she grabbed Grey by the arm. "Come on. We need to go now."

JEM/CHANE

Jem was trying to be patient with Mimi, but his twin was definitely in some sort of danger, and his girl was slowing him down with all her questions. Questions he didn't know the answer to. Questions he wanted to know the answer to. And he hoped someone knew.

At least they were close to Nellie's chosen meeting spot, the park across the street. He was opening and closing his fists, rubbing his fingers over his palms as he walked up on Nellie, seeing Shen, Nik, and Grey coming from the opposite end of the sidewalk.

Just as he was about to tell her they might want to call his mom and dad, Drea came running up, swerving around him and Mimi. She stopped right in front of Nellie. "I've got a bad feeling about this. Two bodies in an alley. That's got to be cleaned up. It can't be traced back to our family and we don't have those kinds of skills." She shook her head. "Maybe we should call Uncle Mikey, Aunt Denim, or Uncle Leo. This is serious shit, Chanel."

Bodies? Bodies? "What? WHAT?" Jem heard himself yelling.

"Jem, calm down before I have to slap you, Captain Ryan style." Chane quelled Jem's histrionics before turning back to Drea. "We need to get a hold of Scout and learn her side before deciding what to do about it. You're sure it was her?"

Drea held up the remains of Scout's bracelet.

"Shit." Chane shook her head. So much for that thin sliver of hope. "Where the shell is she?"

Grey stepped forward. "I don't know anything about the dead bodies, but I do know what happened to Scout."

"Well? Don't stop there. Spit it out." Drea demanded.

Jem's eyes were wide discs, Mimi beside him frowning as she looked back and forth between him and Grey. "Where is she?"

Grey grimaced. "I found one of her charm thingy's like the ones Drea has." He reached into his pocket fishing out a tiny female martial artist executing a kick. "I'd seen them on her warrior bracelet. So, I thought I'd take it to her." He looked at Jem. "But right as I was approaching your apartment building I saw these guys shoving her in a black van with Marcos painted on the side. She was all limp, her eyes closed."

"Why didn't you try to stop them? Did you yell anything?" Jem grabbed Grey by the arms. "Why didn't you do something?"

"What was I supposed to do, Jem?" Grey snapped, his dark brows forming sharp triangles above steely eyes. "I was on the other side of the street with New York traffic, which I ran out in front of while screaming my head off, but by the time I got across they were driving off. The license plate was covered with some kind of tinted cover and mud was smeared over that. So that was no help either. Marcos was the only identifiable thing I got."

Mimi's fingers curled over Jem's forearm, working his hands-off Grey. "Jem, he tried. We're all trying. We've got to stay calm and figure this out. Fighting with each other is not going to help Scout."

Jem was scowling, his hands beginning to shake. "We should be telling my parents. What if we try to do this on our own and Scout ends up-" His throat was closing, he swallowed hard his voice coming out low. "We don't know anything about Marcos. That's not a lot to go on."

"Actually, Marcos gives us plenty to go on." Drea spoke up. She glanced at Mimi, mouthing the words, 'trust me' to which Mimi gave a solemn nod.

Drea rubbed her face then looked at Chane. "I may have gotten tangled up in a fight club fiasco a few weeks ago. Don't worry, my dad knows. He and your dad saved my butt. Anyway, you know how I started teaching to help the girls at school who'd been attacked? Well, one of them said she was assaulted in the mall parking garage, that the guys were in a black van with Marcos on the side. So, I went there, ended up in a fight with the bodyguards, one of them drugged me- like what Grey is saying happened to Scout- only I woke up in a fight club. The thing is my dad and Uncle Aries followed up on that ring. It's been gone since that night. So, unless they took her to Marcos, which by-the-way is a strip club-" Drea shook her head. "I don't know where they've taken her or for what. But it is a start."

Chane stepped back from her emotions and examined the situation pragmatically, taking in each piece of new information, fitting them together then analyzing the result for the best course of action. It was a capability she'd developed early on as she addressed the endless stream of her mother's mistakes and bad decisions while along for the ride. At least the investment of her childhood was paying out dividends now.

"We'll hold off on telling our parents until we've found Scout." She announced.

"What?" Jem protested. "Why?"

"Because they won't do what needs to be done to save her." Chane concluded solemnly.

Jem's eyes narrowed in an uncommon flare of anger. "That's not true. How can you say that? Of course, they will."

Chane met his eyes, untouched by his fury. "They won't want to endanger the rest of us."

Jem frowned. "Well of course, not. But why would they have to?"

"They've been working this case for weeks already." She started.

Drea canted her head to the side. "What?"

Chane was more thinking aloud now than answering. "It's connected, all of it. There's too many intersections and coincidences. Those missing kids Grandmere and Uncle Casey are looking for, the drug dealers targeting hybrids, the underground fights, the assaults, Marcos. In one form or another someone in our family has been looking into each of these things and turning up nothing. Because whatever it is, it's designed to shut them out. The targets are the young and the vulnerable. They'll never catch who's responsible without proper bait."

Jem swallowed hard. "Bait? You mean one of us...?"

"Not just any one of us. They particularly want hybrids with disabilities." Nik pointed out quietly.

Chane nodded. "Yes. It has to be Nik."

Shen's brow furrowed. "But-"

Chane shook her head, cutting Shen off. "If we go to our parents now, they'll sideline us for our own safety and because of that, we might lose Scout."

"Maybe we should let the police handle it?" Mimi ventured.

Shen scrunched up her snout. "Cases involving mutants and hybrids aren't a priority."

"Assuming they'd take us seriously." Grey added bitterly.

Drea looked to Chane. "What's the plan?"

She considered a moment. "Nik, take Shen and Jem to your dad's lab and have them hook you up with some kind of tracker. Troll around Marcos until you find a dealer. Do whatever you need to in order to get taken. Shen and Jem will keep tabs on your location and follow at a distance."

Shen raised a brow at Chane. "While we're busy with this, what will you be up to?"

"Drea and I need to hide those bodies, so Scout doesn't go down for defending herself." Chane replied.

"Seriously?" Drea asked, looking slightly green.

Chane nodded. "When it's time to clue our parents in, we'll tell them where they're stashed and let them deal with it. But we have to cover it for now."

"What about us? What should we do?" Grey asked.

"Yeah." Mimi nodded, uncertain but willing.

"Go home and don't tell anyone what we're up to." Chane deadpanned.

"What? No way!" Grey and Mimi protested in unison.

Ignoring them, Drea lifted a finger. "Uh, Chane, we've got no idea how long this is going to take. I mean the dead body thing, okay, an hour or two tops- but Jem, Shen, and Nik- before they set out on this mission I kind of think they should pack backpacks with essentials, and-" she hesitated, "arm up. I know I hadn't planned on getting knocked out and relocated when I went snooping. Hell, if they realize those guys are missing- the body guys- and they come for them while we're there-" Drea shook her head.

Jem nodded. "Definitely, arming up. What say you, Leader?"

Chane squared her shoulders. "Five-minute detour to either your home or the dojo to arm up. Ninja speed. There's no time to waste. Drea, you meet me back here. Nik, Shen and Jem meet at Niks and do as planned." She pointed at Mimi and Grey. "Go home. Mouths closed."

Before they could argue, Chane gave a hand signal indicating her team move out. Without a word everyone set out on their task except for Jem who lingered a second to grab Mimi and kiss her. Keeping her close he whispered, "If I don't check in by midnight tonight, call my dad or my mom and tell them everything."