With the events of the last week finally settled, the Guardians are finally able to breathe again. However, there will be no rest as Rek'Sai is cooking up another plan, and this one will be focused on one thing, finding the Guardians. Can Lux, Janna, and Poppy keep their identities a secret and still be able to protect their families and friends?
Chapter 16 - The Hunt is On
"With the numerous Star Guardian sightings around, how do we know they are really fighting for us? We don't know who they are and they are constantly showing up after something has started and not before. If we don't know who they are, then I say we can't trust them. I mean look at the damage they have caused. They do not seem to care for collateral damage."
"And are you saying the police would be better? Look at what they have done. How can you keep saying that?"
Lux turned the TV off as she rolled her eyes again. Allison Harper had come out of nowhere and started harping on all of her work. She kept poking at them, clearly trying to get a response, but she, Janna, and Poppy were able to resist the jabs. Except it was getting harder in recent days since there hadn't been an attack or anything to keep their minds off of it. As Lux turned the TV back on and flipped to another channel, Garen walked in.
"Please tell me you aren't watching the news." Garen said.
"I just turned it off. I can't stand that woman. She just doesn't like the Guardians and isn't being shy about it. I mean, I've had a lot of…experiences near them but I don't hate them." She said as she passed the remote unable to find anything. 'It's also hard to hate yourself and your friends. I think.' She added to herself as an afterthought.
"I guess. I mean it's clear that they are trying to help. So where she gets off on this rampage is beyond me. Anyway, game shows?" Garen asked as he settled on a channel.
"Huh? Oh sure." Lux just relaxed back into the couch, for two reasons. One to make herself look relaxed. The other is because her muscles still hurt from the training secession she, Janna, and Poppy put themselves through. All of them went home sore so Lux just figured to relax on the couch. Getting a snack delivered was just a bonus.
On her end, Janna just relaxed on her computer watching videos and catching up an TV show since the prospect of laying on her bed might just put her out. And she didn't want to do that. Yet. She was still moving gingerly even a few hours later. Being at her computer still allowed her to bluff her parents into thinking she was doing homework and got lunch delivered. She was thinking of pushing dinner, but decided against it, especially once she smelled what her dad was cooking.
Poppy meanwhile was following Lux's example of relaxing and watching TV. Except she was in a nice lounge chair. Poppy enjoyed the time but kept thinking about the homework she was backed up on but she just couldn't move. Normally she was perfectly fine after a secession where Lux and Janna were spent, but today was an exception. She was just as tired as the others and given how hard they went it wasn't surprising. Eventually she summoned the energy to get to her room and get the work done.
Nasus was seated in Vel'Koz's office and was working on his second large bottle of water. "Was it that bad?" Vel'Koz asked.
"No it was good. They were just going hard as can be today. I don't know why. Perhaps frustration but whatever it was, they were going really in overdrive. They all left exhausted. So can I take the rest of the day off?" Nasus replied turning to Vel'Koz.
"Sure. I think though we won't be in the dark for much longer. I have a feeling that we will be dealing with something before long. Rek'Sai has been quiet for too long. She has either been up to something or she has been planning something. Oh I thought I turned that garbage off." Vel'Koz quickly grabbed the remote and shut the TV off as Allison Harper reappeared. "She's really getting me pissed. How can she not trust the team?"
"Simple. She doesn't like secrets and everything about those three is secret." Nasus replied as he grabbed another water. Vel'Koz thought carefully about what he said and realized he was probably right, but the fact she came out of nowhere was also a bit concerning.
As the day ended, Allison Harper left the news station and made her way outside of town. Once she was there, she found a secluded cave and went inside.
"So how's the investigation going?" Asked a voice.
"Well enough. This host isn't even resisting me very much. I have looked at as much as I can with regards to the previous attacks but I can't get a viable idea who our problems could be with."
Rek'Sai emerged from the shadows and moved right in front of Allison. "Well that doesn't help us out. I have invested a lot into this operation so what do we need then?"
"Another attack. I might be able to track the Guardians as they are leaving or something else that relates to them. You just need to be careful with it because cause too much chaos, I can't track them."
"Very well. I have an idea, but you have to be ready tomorrow. I will get the seeker started tonight. Now go to her residence before suspicion arouses."
"Yes ma'am." Allison turned and left while Rek'Sai exited the cave and burrowed under the surface. Rek'Sai already had a target picked out, but she was hoping that she could have saved it for after this but apparently that wasn't an option. Making her way to the residence of a salesman who was always aggressive with his stand in the mall. Knowing that Kha'Zix had attacked that place a couple of times made it risky, but she saw little choice. After planting her seeker, she quickly made her way back to her cave to prepare for the following day. Even if she didn't get what she wanted from the attack, she might at least get some energy to take back.
The following day saw the Guardians planning to take a rest day, but as they all woke up with a chill on an otherwise warm day, they knew that their rest day would have to wait. Lux was the first to be up fully and after poking Dorcha and Solas awake, headed for the tower.
"What's the situation?" She asked walking in to see Vel'Koz hovering over a new map. "New map?"
"New program. With how Rek'Sai does her attacks, it isn't enough to just track small temperature drops. I've fine tuned the system to detect a very localized temperature drop, which is what we are looking for. And it appears to be working." Vel'Koz pointed a tentacle at a building that Lux knew only too well.
"The mall? Again? That place doesn't get a break does it?" She sighed.
"Not really. But there is another problem. I'm tracking three different types of temperature drops. One big one, probably the seeker." Vel'Koz said.
"Makes sense." Lux said, looking at the map.
"The second is a smaller but almost just as big. It might be a second seeker. Rek'Sai might be going for another 2v1 and that seeker is keeping itself hidden." Vel'Koz said as he examined the map.
"Great. And the third?" Lux asked.
"Lots of smaller ones. I'm thinking the seeker imbued objects with its power to draw a lot of energy at once. There is one advantage, you three don't have school today. That might make whatever Rek'Sai's plan harder to pull off." Vel'Koz pointed out.
"Assuming that is her plan. I don't know. She wouldn't go through all of this trouble without some reason." Lux said studying the readings from the mall.
"Perhaps you are right. There must be something else. Be careful Guardian." Vel'Koz said.
"I will." Lux grabbed her bag and reached for her phone. Texting Janna and Poppy to meet her at the mall and she'd fill them in on what was going on.
As Janna and Poppy arrived at the mall, Lux filled them in on what was going on and everything she had seen at the tower.
"So do we have an idea who the seeker is possessing?" Janna asked. Lux just nodded over to a stand where the sales guy was going crazy. Janna rolled her eyes while Poppy suppressed a laugh.
"Well normally we wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Give that creature some credit." Poppy said once she calmed down a bit. "We need to be careful. Wait who's that?" Poppy pointed to the second floor below them causing Lux and Janna to turn. Standing there was Allison Harper. Lux, Janna, and Poppy were immediately suspicious. Why would she be here? Espeically when nothing had happened yet.
"Let's keep an eye on her. Split up." Janna said. Lux and Poppy quickly split off to keep an eye on her while appearing to shop. Which for people their age, wasn't hard. Ms. Harper was walking around doing much of the same things, but she appeared to be following notes in her notebook. Janna was able to make the connection between the notebook and what was going on.
'She just seems to be checking popular stores and where we have all shopped in the past. Along with every other teenager in the city.' She texted Lux and Poppy while keeping an eye on the reporter.
'That still doesn't mean we shouldn't drop our guard. She's here and that concerns me.' Poppy texted back.
'Agreed.' Lux responded. 'Find a place quickly!' She texted a second later. Janna and Poppy whirled around, along with everyone else. It seems that time was up and the three quickly took cover to find a place to transform. What they didn't notice is Allison taking up a position with a camera, clearly expecting the Guardians to transform in the thick of the crowd, but was disappointed when the three of them quickly surrounded the other seeker as the crowd collapsed around them.
"Well that didn't work. I'll just have to follow them afterwards."
Meanwhile, Lux, Janna, and Poppy noticed the crowd collapsing and Janna pulled a keychain from one of the people who passed out. 'Well at least it was obvious.'
"Well it seems that even here no one can escape you three."
"Enough you annoying seeker. You just ruined a perfectly good day." Lux said.
"Sorry, but it wasn't perfect. Now it is."
"It was fine before. Now either stop this nonsense or surrender. We are the Star Guardians. Sworn to defend the universe against all those who would throw it into chaos. And that means you."
"Such a cute catch phrase. But it never does you anything does it?"
"No it just distracts you. And everyone else." Lux replied. The seeker turned to see Poppy inches from its face. Poppy pinned the seeker into a wall and then got in a good hit with her hammer to be on the safe side. Janna quickly followed with a twister which seemed to a bit overdone as it blew the seeker through the glass roof and onto the solid roof. Lux, Poppy, and Janna, after checking on the status of the seeker's host, quickly followed. None of them noticed Allison perform the same jump as them onto the roof. She quickly took cover behind one of the many structures on the roof and watched.
Janna quickly threw a twister to keep it immobile while Lux threw a singularity. Lux detonated it and threw a couple of bolts for good measure. Poppy got in a few more hits with the hammer before the seeker managed to get away from the trap it was caught in. Lux threw a binding to try and hold it down again, but missed, barely. The seeker managed another dodge, landing close to Allison, who had to quickly duck behind to avoid being spotted.
Poppy charged again and while she missed, Lux didn't. Landing a binding, Lux threw a few bolts while Janna threw a twister and Poppy dived out of the way. Focusing her powers, Lux threw her baton in the air. "Final Spark." The beam lashed out and turned the seeker to dust. Lux landed gracefully back on the roof and Allison peaked out from around the corner. Ready with her camera to catch the three powering down.
"Good job. Now let's get back." Lux said and they quickly jumped from the roof. Allison knew that it would be a problem to keep up with them, but decided to risk it. Reaching the edge, she saw the three carefully walking through the police barricade and from there they took off. Allison carefully picked her spots and tried to follow but quickly lost sight of them. Meanwhile she failed to noticed Dorcha and Solas nearby who were keeping a careful watch on her.
Lux, Janna, and Poppy managed to make it back to the tower without getting followed by Allison who they lost quickly. The three powered down and grabbed things to eat and drink while they cooled down. They all knew there was another seeker out there and they all had a good idea what it was trying to do. They were all just waiting for Dorcha and Solas to confirm their suspicions. Both Nasus and Vel'Koz had joined them before Dorcha and Solas slid down their slide. They both just nodded.
"It seems that Malzahar and/or Rek'Sai is stupider than they were when they left." Vel'Koz said after a brief moment.
"It was that annoying reporter woman. She is clearly infected with a seeker because no one I know of can jump off a two story roof without sustaining some kind of injury." Dorcha said as she caught her breath.
"It seems like she was going to try and follow you as you three powered down and from there, it would have been easy to figure out where you three live. Until she is dealt with, it complicates our mission. She will no doubt figure out your ages, as that isn't hard, but for everything else. You all have to be careful. One slip up and we could find ourselves in a very bad situation." Solas said as he looked between the three of them carefully.
"That adds to our list of complications. But he is correct. Your powers protect you and your identities, but they do not protect your family or friends. If you are discovered, then there will be little you can do to protect them." Vel'Koz said with a very serious tone in his thought-speech.
"Normally that wouldn't be an issue. Guardians join into the society and avoid making friends outside the team. There are no family and friends to protect outside the team and maybe a few local allies. Because of how everything worked out this time, we don't have that luxury. This is just an unusual situation but we can still work. I would even say that we have an advantage because of it." Janna said as she echoed Vel'Koz.
Lux and Poppy both turned to their much more experienced teammate and nodded. They all knew that there would be tradeoffs with how they did things, but having a vested interest will probably work in their favor since they will fight harder, longer, and better if they have a vested interest.
"Still though, we should be careful until she is dealt with, we should power down inside places we know are safe. As for your two" Lux continued turning to Dorcha and Solas, "keep an eye on her as best as you can. Don't blow your cover and if that means we miss something, we miss something." Dorcha and Solas just nodded in reply.
"Everyone just keep an eye on her. She will probably be near our schools tomorrow trying to get anything about us. If you do get on camera, think before you speak. That includes me." Poppy finished reminding herself in the process. "In the meantime, let's head home. I think we could all use some time before tomorrow." Lux and Janna just nodded and they all grabbed their things and headed home.
Once the three Guardians had left, Vel'Koz turned to Nasus. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"Because everything that needed to be said had already been said. I was only here if something else needed to be said apart from the obvious. They said everything that I needed to. And don't forget we could protect their families, but not for long." He replied.
"True, but if they knew that, it could cause their own problems. And even then, I'm sure they know that." Vel'Koz said, but even then there was a tone in his speech that said he was unsure with what he just said.
"I'm sure they know that in an emergency situation we could shield them for a period of time but even that protection wouldn't last forever. Their own protection is better than anything any of us can offer them." Nasus said as he stood up. "I'll get back to my actual job now." With that, Nasus walked out and left Vel'Koz to his thoughts.
That night was spent with the three Guardians tossing and turning in bed and Vel'Koz float pacing around the library. No one could really get a night's sleep or rest as they all expected to have to be dodging a crazy reporter all day. The following morning saw them a bit groggy but they all knew that missing a day of school would be a bad idea as it would make it obvious who they were. So they all resigned themselves to having a tired day.
On her way to school, Lux waited for Amy at the usual location and their walk to school was filled with talk about the recent attack and who the Guardians might be. Well Amy was going on about that while Lux was trying to just ignore the obvious questions. Responding with simple answers she played up the oblivious person who was just tired after a weekend and didn't want to go back to school.
"Lux are you even paying attention or not? I said what are the odds that we go to school with them?" Amy's ranting questions finally got the better of Lux and she finally started paying attention.
"Well you've seen them you can probably guess their ages. As for your question, I'd say the odds aren't that good. I mean think about it. There are how many schools in the city?" Lux's mouth was able to form questions and thought patters she would have done before all of this, especially with her brain thinking about 15 other things. With number one being how to keep their identities a secret.
"Even as groggy as you are, how can you still process everything?"
"Talent? Experience? I don't know. My mouth moves ahead of my brain." Lux said almost absentmindedly.
"Isn't that the truth." Amy said smirking and moving further away from Lux.
"Oh no you didn't. Come here." Lux finally woke up and started chasing after Amy and the chase lasted until they got to school. Once they arrived, Amy finally stopped running allowing Lux to tap her gently with her bag. As Lux and Amy calmed down from laughing, Lux looked around and saw that her suspicion was right. Allison was sitting in a car at a safe distance with a camera and telephoto lens. Lux took a look around and found Poppy who already had her phone out and Lux felt her phone buzz and resisted the temptation to look at it. Once Lux got inside, she did pull out her phone to see what Poppy had sent.
'Reporter here. May not stay. Keep eyes out.' Lux just looked at it and rolled her eyes. As she was looking, Janna responded.
'Ok. I'll watch during lunch and when I leave.' Lux was more receptive to Janna's text, until a punch at her hip brought her around.
"It is rude to punch someone." Lux said turning to see Poppy next to her.
"I get an eye roll and Janna gets a nod. Nice." Poppy had a look of sass on her face while trying to conceal a smile.
"Oh come on, your text was a perfect representation of you and so was Janna's. Which is exactly why we like you. You're suppressing a smile so cut it out." Lux said shaking her head while smiling.
"Yeah I guess. Well hopefully we can get through today with um…everything intact." Poppy said as she walked to her class while Lux headed off towards hers. Once in class, Lux could easily resist looking out the window as her classroom faced away from where Allison was sitting in her car, but Poppy wasn't so lucky. She kept looking out the window to check in on her, but two things made it look like she was just a board student. First was her height being a yordle, second, she could really pull off the whole "I'm boarded beyond belief" look.
Allison herself was looking around outside and after a few hours noticed she wasn't making headway. She couldn't risk going into the school without a reason and she knew that it would only take a second to alert the police, and possibly the guardians. Allison packed up and headed to the next closest school where Janna was all too annoyed to see her pull up. Checking quickly, Janna texted the others to let them know, but more than likely she would move on.
Still Janna was careful about what she did over her lunch as Allison was still watching. Trying to meet up with Poppy and Lux was a very bad idea so she had lunch with Garen, Jayce, Darius, and Draven. Having to endure a lunch with them was almost tolerable, but when put next to compromising her and the others, it was more than worth it. Allison moved on not long after the lunch hour ended, and Janna knew she would be checking the rest of the schools.
The school day let out without any further incidents or sightings but they all knew that it wouldn't be long before someone else came checking. They all had the inkling that another attack would be soon, but just how soon would be the real question.
Rek'Sai was rather infuriated that evening as no progress was made in finding their identities, and realized she would need to get another seeker involved. However, she also knew that no real target existed so she would have to get lucky. She spent the night searching the city and she even went beyond to try and find something but she came up empty. As dawn approached, she ripped open a portal to the moon and entered the palace. Walking quickly through the corridors she eventually found where Kha'Zix was hiding.
"Well it seems that your plan has fallen apart hasn't it?" He said as Rek'Sai entered.
"No I just hit a snag. I can't find a target to plant a seeker so I need something. I know you have something."
"In fact I do. However, it will be up to you to convince them to help you. They know full well that they might end up dead so convincing them will be difficult. I won't help you." Kha'Zix said with a smirk.
"Then I will do that myself." Rek'Sai stormed out of the room, and Kha'Zix turned his head, then followed.
"Wait. What do you need one for?" He said catching up. Around the corner, both Malzahar and Cho'Gath were watching with interest.
"I need a distraction. Something to draw out the guardians. I have a seeker in place already to try and capture them before and after they transform. Then we hunt them down when they aren't transformed, and anyone else close to them." Kha'Zix, along with Cho'Gath and Malzahar who stayed hidden, smiled.
"In that case, may I present an alternate option. It will cost energy but it will better." Kha'Zix lead Rek'Sai towards a room that she had never entered before. "You probably don't know about this because you are always so close to your seekers." Inside the room, there were thousands of small creatures wandering around on the floor. "These are what we call Zz. For what you want to do, these are perfect. If you infuse one with energy, it will grow to a large size and will be extremely effective. Unfortunately we can't bread more right now, especially after Malzahar's stupid attack decision, so be careful with it and get its full use."
"So they are designed to be thrown away?"
"That is their purpose." Rek'Sai gave a quick nod to Kha'Zix and left to pick out a prime one. Rek'Sai searched for a few minutes before grabbing one that was following her and after looking it over, it was ready for a good attack. "Good now come." Kha'Zix lead Rek'Sai over to a device with an energy orb on top of it. "Infuse as much energy as you think you need into it, and step back as you do so. You can always stop but you can undo so be careful."
Rek'Sai placed the cup over the "mouth" of the Zz and pressed the button. Immediately the thing started growing and after it reached a decent size, Rek'Sai stopped but after looking it over, added a little more for good measure. Unhooking the creature, Rek'Sai followed Kha'Zix out of the room and the creature, which was now very large, followed.
"Now you have to head back to the planet. Since are bringing some rather large with you, you need to pick your point carefully. My helpfulness ends here." Kha'Zix fluttered his wings and headed off. Meanwhile Rek'Sai studied the magics around Runeterra carefully and after finding a large enough gap, headed through it with the Zz.
A chill went down the spines of Lux, Janna, and Poppy as Rek'Sai returned to Runeterra with the Zz. They all knew that time was up. Looking at the clock, Lux was relieved that school was almost over, but she also knew there was a danger. If Rek'Sai waited, and attacked just after school started tomorrow, the "reporter" would catch them without much of an issue. Little did Lux know this was Rek'Sai's plan, but Lux, Janna, and Poppy had ways around this. Lux started writing down things quickly as class concluded and met up with Poppy as they walked home. Janna would have normally joined them, but instead got a ride home from Garen to keep up their illusion.
Once Lux got home, she quickly sent a message to Janna and Poppy to meet at the Library. They all managed to get there hopefully without being detected and entered the tower. Vel'Koz was there as Lux asked him to attend. Lux was also the last to arrive.
"Sorry, I could see that reporter looking for anything out of the ordinary. She is staying near schools trying to pick us out. But since she went to our school first, for probably a few reasons, I think she will be back tomorrow. I find it highly likely that Rek'Sai will attack just after the start of the school day and she can catch us cutting class." Lux said taking a seat at the table.
Vel'Koz and Poppy nodded, while Janna spoke up. "I would agree, however we do have ways around that. However, pulling it off will be complicated. We will have to involve the police and it will effect every school in the area. That is even if they believe us."
Poppy put her head down trying to think; Vel'Koz "paced" back and forth; Janna twirled her pendent between her fingers; Lux stood up and leaned against a wall. They all tried to come up with a solution, but it was Poppy who spoke first. "OK we know that there is a seeker who will try an catch us, but what else would she be using?"
"I have no idea. That is a good question. Whatever it was, it was rather large so I'm guessing something along the lines of that giant thing. I honestly don't have an idea with this one. Rek'Sai distrusts many of the void creatures apart from her own. But she respects them and that isn't as big of an issue. She would seek out help, but again, what she could be using is a mystery to me."
"Ok so it is large. That means instant public safety threat. I say we just transform, head to the police station, and talk to Caitlyn directly." Lux and Janna looked at each other, then Poppy, then back at each other.
"That actually isn't a bad idea. Sometimes direct is the best option." Lux said after about a minute of silence.
"I'll get Nasus to drive you. It would be probably best." Vel'Koz almost flew out of the room tracking down Nasus.
"Ok then. Ready?" Lux said, turning to Janna and Poppy, who just nodded in reply. "Star Guardian Power Up!" After they all settled back down after transforming, they grabbed the cloaks that they had left in the room for purposes like this, and headed to the garage to find Nasus waiting.
"OK then get in." Nasus said as he climbed in the driver's seat and took off towards the Police Station.
"Nasus, do you mind doing all of this?" Poppy asked as they drove along.
"No actually. Most of job is rather boring, well usually until recently. So things like this are a welcome change. Not to mention even with all of the excitement, what my job mostly consists of is managing. Vel'Koz may be the operator, but I do a lot of the busy work. Which means a lot of paperwork. But again, it isn't a bother. The staff runs things so well, that often most of my job is just walking around checking in on everyone and seeing that they have everything they need." Nasus said in reply.
"Just curious. It must have boring days?" Poppy said.
"It does, but again there is always something that comes up that makes the day different. This is today's. Once we get there, I'll drop you off and park unless you see that woman. I'm glad Vel'Koz finally shelled out the money for tinting these windows." Nasus said as they rounded the final corner to the police station. They did indeed see Allison taking pictures, but she wasn't focused on the police station, nor did she seem to notice them passing as she kept the camera trained in the opposite direction.
Arriving at the station, Nasus let the Guardians out and found a secluded place to park. The Guardians entered the station and headed up to the desk. The officer there didn't even look up, considering everything going on around them, it wasn't surprising. "What I can I help you with?" He said as they finally got to the desk.
"We need to see the Chief." Lux said, keeping her voice straight and steady.
"No one sees the Chief without an appointment. Especially kids. Now run along."
"I think she'll make an exception." Lux said, placing her baton on the counter. The officer sitting there took one look, then at Lux, or at least as much as he could make out under her hood. It was good enough to get a look at her tiara. That was enough apparently.
"Give me a minute." He quickly grabbed a phone. "Chief. There is someone here to see you. I understand that ma'am, but I think you will want to make an exception. Yes I'm sure it's worth your time. How much would I bet on that? My pension. She'll see you three. Officer Crownguard will be here in a minute to escort you. Please just wait here." The officer quickly made himself look busy but took no further action, nor did he attempt to signal anyone else. Lux felt a sight ping of annoyance and worry as her father would be escorting her, but the magic around them should hold up. Hopefully.
A nearby door opened and Lux's father exited. He was actually in uniform for once and waved the three of them over. "If you three will follow me, I'll get you to the Chief's office." They headed through the detective bullpen, it was then Lux noticed the Lieutenant's bars on his lapels. Lux knew that he hadn't been promoted, or hadn't said anything. Probably would make her mother worry but he would probably come clean soon. Or her mother would find out soon enough. As they walked through the bullpen, the eyes that went on them were surprising. Clearly no one expected this and everyone was curious.
Upon reaching Caitlyn's office, they found she wasn't alone. Vi was also present and she seemed eager to punch something. As the Guardians entered, Caitlyn stood up and Vi stopped leaning against the wall. "Thank you Lieutenant."
"Ma'am." With that, Lux's father headed back to wherever he had his desk now. Caitlyn on the other hand, turned to the Guardians. "Well. I guess I do owe the desk officer a month paid vacation then." She said as Lux, Janna, and Poppy lowered their hoods. Lux was especially nervous. Caitlyn had seen her both ways, but after studying the very intuitive Chief for a few seconds, Lux determined that the magic surrounding them, was holding.
"So what is your reason for coming? I'm guessing that some kind of attack is imminent. I'm aware that you can sense these attacks, but have no idea when they will attack. I'm still an investigator at heart." She added as the three gave her a puzzled look. "So what is it and where?" Caitlyn asked as she reached out her hand to offer Lux a seat.
"We have reason to suspect that there will be a large attack tomorrow morning against several schools in the city." Janna watched as a brief look of concern crossed Caitlyn's face, while Poppy noticed one on Vi's, which stayed. "We don't have specifics but the problem is that there is someone hunting for us."
"What gives you that idea? Please I am curious." Caitlyn's face went from forced calm to interest.
"There's this reporter who keeps searching for us. Allison Harper." That got a look from Caitlyn and Vi. "She was outside a lot of schools lately."
"Probably trying to catch you lot before you transform. A few weeks ago, I might have helped her. However, if I can guess anything about the three of you is that you are teenagers and that you do attend school. So I'm guessing you need us to evacuate schools during the day tomorrow after they start. As I said, I'm a very good investigator. Had I been assigned to find out your identities, I probably would have succeeded, or have a very short list.
"However, I have no interest in that anymore. It is clear that your safety is ours as well. Our police department isn't equipped to handle these kind of things. Well not without a lot of very banned weapons. We still have them, but unless there is a serious threat, I can't get them out. Now about tomorrow." Caitlyn finally let up so Lux could get in a word.
"Yes. We believe it will start after schools get in. We are unsure if it will be against a school directly, so we figured we'd inform you just in case. We saw Ms. Harper downtown taking pictures so we are unsure what she was doing."
"With regards to the schools, do you have any likely targets? Usually the first is the key or at least the one she suspects the most. As to what she was doing downtown, I have no idea, so I'll have her tailed. Even if they are spotted, the fact she was taking pictures randomly downtown is something that warrants suspicion."
Lux responded immediately. "We don't know. We saw her checking out a few schools over the course of the day. We didn't see which one she started at first." Poppy who was about to move and speak, stopped herself before she did so. Giving up their own school would only bring more attention on them, and to the point where they couldn't get away. "We'll be ready, but you have to be ready as well to evacuate or move people."
"And if we do anything before, it is likely they will do something worse, or wait. This isn't the first time we've kept something from the public. We will do what we can. You just finish it before it does too much damage. Well one thing all of this has done is that it has both been a benefit to our police, and a boon for construction companies." That got everyone laughing. Caitlyn stood up as Lux took the hint and pulled her hood back up.
"I'll have someone escort you out the back?" It was a question not a statement.
"The front door would actually be better. If she saw us come in, then it is likely she will except us to walk out the back." Janna said, keeping her voice steady.
"Good idea. I'll walk them out boss." Vi said as she moved ahead of them while Caitlyn just put her head in her hands and shook it. As they left the station, they met up with Nasus and they managed to get back to the Library without incident. Ms. Harper was having a hard time evading the police if Nasus' police scanner was anything to go on. She did eventually lose them, or rather just went home. The seeker probably wasn't happy.
It wasn't. In her home, Allison fumed. It was honestly hard to tell if it was the seeker or Allison that was more angry. Still she made a stupid decision of taking pictures of downtown for tomorrow's attack. She knew that the police would be mobilized and she had no idea who the Guardians where. Carefully looking over the photos she took, tomorrow was going to be a good day.
The next morning dawned with Lux hearing her parents arguing over her father's promotion. More of the fact he didn't tell her than anything. She wasn't angry with his expanded responsibilities, but as Lux and Garen just shook their heads as their father pleaded for help. Both were barely suppressing all out laughter. But that changed when Mrs. Crownguard just turned to them and gave them a smile. Clearly knowing he was on the receiving end of a joke, he just left because of the busy day ahead.
"Well, that will teach him to not keep things from me. Although I did just cheat myself out of a nice dinner now that I think about it." Garen was holding a chair for support at this point while Lux was sitting on the stairs because she couldn't stand anymore. "Ok enough you two, get off to school. And be careful today."
"We know mom." Their father briefed them the night before about what was going to happen, but Lux knew that it would only be a matter of time before she would be fighting for her life. As they both made their way to school, they gave each other a hug as they parted ways. Lux caught Janna's eye and she just nodded, while Garen tripped over himself to try and impress her. That just got Janna to roll her eyes and laugh. Lux then hooked up with Poppy as they walked into school together. Amy was nowhere to be seen today, but as they entered, Lux spotted her with their other friends.
As everyone was about to head to class, Headmistress Fiora came over the speakers. "All students and staff report to the gym immediately. Poppy and Lux separated quickly as they made their way into the gym. Dorcha in all of the chaos, managed to find Lux, while Solas found Poppy.
"Lux. Allison was outside this morning, but apparently she was chased off by the police, who were here on an anonymous call about a stalker. She is still trying to ditch them as last check. You should be free to get away." Lux carefully slipped Dorcha into her bag and she saw Poppy do the same with Solas. As they filed into the gym, police where everywhere. They all sat down and you could hear a feather drop in the room.
"Ok everyone. In about 2 minutes, you will follow these officers out and into the nearby trees. From there, you will all head home. If you are bussed here, busses will be waiting. We have reason to suspect there might be an attack on the school. Now? Ok now then. Everyone move. Quickly and Quietly!" The students somehow proceeded orderly and quietly along the path that was dictated. Lux and Poppy stayed close together as Amy wasn't far behind. Lux turned to her and nodded, telling her that she was going to go with Poppy. Amy quickly linked up with Ariel and they headed towards their homes. Lux and Poppy then wasted no time in getting away from everyone and to Nasus, who was waiting with the van.
They sped towards the library, only pausing to pick up Janna as she was also evacuated. Ditching Garen however was a challenge. Once they arrived at the library, they made their way to the tower, where Vel'Koz was watching a TV showing Allison's car being chased by the police. Apparently the seeker let loose with some void magic and they speed off in pursuit. Lux turned to Janna and Poppy. They nodded.
"Star Guardian Power Up!" They quickly left the tower and moved to head off her car. Along the way, they noticed the police evacuating downtown in an orderly fashion. Finally reaching a police barricade, the Guardians joined Vi who was in command, who just nodded to acknowledge them.
"Looks like you were right. The void magic was a surprise, but gave us the authority to evacuate everything. There's nothing left in downtown, or mostly. Here she comes. That thing work on a car?" Vi asked pointing to Lux's baton.
"Never tried it. My guess, is probably not, but those would probably work better." Lux countered pointing to the spike strips that were already in place. Vi just laughed and rolled her eyes. The spike strips deployed and the car was brought to a grinding halt. Allison got out of the car only to be surrounded by void energy. "That's our fight. Get everyone back."
Vi just whistled and the police quickly left the area. Looking around, Lux noticed the area was dead quiet and had a lot of open area. Janna meanwhile noticed Debonair making a quiet entry and leveled his weapon.
"So I guessed you three would be smart, but apparently I underestimated you. So if I can't find out your identities this way, I guess I'll just have to hurt you enough to force you back."
"Dream on. You were outsmarted and now you can't stand it. So just give it up. We are the Star Guardians. Sworn to defend the universe against all those that would throw it into chaos. And that means you."
"You know that only works if I can't see you three." Lux just smiled, and Allison turned only to get a full throttle energy blast right in her face, knocking her out. The seeker finally emerged from its host. "So it seems you have some help. I will not stop until I learn what I want to. The great and wise Yaila always learns what she wants to know. It was so nice to have a corporative host for once. Now you will tell me what I want to know or I will force it out of you." Yaila charged forward and lunged at Janna, who just threw a twister in her face and dodged to the side as gracefully as the wind.
Lux and Poppy moved around to keep Yaila from escaping while Debonair moved in to complete the triangle parameter. The four of them kept rotating around keeping Yaila on her back foot, literally in some cases. Yaila, getting frustrated, lunged at Poppy who just smacked Yaila back with her hammer and swapped places with Janna who moved into the parameter.
Yaila kept trying to attack those that encircled her, but Poppy just kept up the hammer hits and they kept moving towards a tree. Once they were close enough, Lux, Janna, and Debonair jumped out of the way and Poppy rammed Yaila into the tree. Lux threw a binding to keep there while Janna threw a twister. After all of that, Poppy and Debonair brought their hammers to bear and rammed them home into Yaila's torso. Roaring from the pain, the team backed off until Yaila got to her feet again.
"Well it seems that I underestimated you. Now I will come at you with my full power."
"Oh so you weren't coming at us before? So bring it." Lux taunted. Yaila charged only to be met full in the face with Lux's singularity. Janna moved around throwing a barrier on Lux while Zephyr latched onto Yaila to slow her down. Poppy once again brought her hammer to bear charging into Yaila again and while she didn't pin her, Poppy still managed to push her away. Poppy dived out of the way as an energy blast occupied the space where she had just been a split second before. It hit Yaila full in the chest and she roared again.
Yaila just slumped down and Lux prepared to finish her, but as she readied her baton, a rumbling beneath her caused her and Debonair to dive out of the way. Janna and Poppy turned to see Rek'Sai erupting from the ground trying, and successfully, disrupting Lux. For her part, Lux managed to tumble roll away and came up with her baton in one hand with the other on the ground with her legs bracing behind her. Rek'Sai, thinking that this was much more vulnerable than it looked, charged, only to be hit with a binding, which froze her in place, but then Debonair decided to do some knocking around. Taking his hammer to the still rooted Rek'Sai sending her flying.
Yaila tried at that moment to try and reenter the fight only to have Zephyr slow her down, get knocked up by a twister, Poppy throwing her buckler, then a hammer to the face. Yaila tried to dodge around, but Poppy kept her eyes on her and Janna kept Poppy between the two of them almost as if saying "try it". Yaila did just that, and charged attempted to fault over Poppy and hit Janna. Unfortunately that is exactly what Poppy wanted. As Yaila moved over Poppy, she brought her hammer up and knocked Yaila back into a nearby tree.
"Do it!" Janna yelled as she moved off to join Lux and Debonair. Poppy was only too happy to oblige. Taking her hammer and spinning it above her head, Poppy brought it down with such force that she sent Yaila into one of the few nearby bone of the few nearby buildings. Yaila took the hit hard and slumped down at its base. Poppy, after making sure that Yaila wouldn't be getting up, ran off to join the other fight.
As they separated, Lux took one quick look behind to see Janna and Poppy keeping up against Yaila, and then threw another singularity at Rek'Sai as she attempted to dodge, and failed. Lux threw a few bolts from her baton while Debonair got a hit through with his energy pulse. Rek'Sai roared and charged against, burrowing beneath the ground. Lux and Debonair stepped apart from each other and kept looking around. Lux kept feeling the ground, and waited.
"Move!" She yelled. Debonair jumped to the side as Lux threw a binding where he just was. Rek'Sai emerged from the ground only to be immediately hit by the binding that Lux threw. Lux threw a few more bolts while Debonair deployed his gate, and threw yet another energy pulse. Rek'Sai roared again and dived off towards Lux, who threw up a barrier to defend herself and threw a singularity as she dived out of the way. Exploding it, Rek'Sai roared again while Debonair got in a knock with his hammer.
"You just never learn do you? You can't beat us when we are together." Lux said as she managed to stop herself from sliding further along the grass.
"But you are separated. So I should be able to beat you, and your friend here." Rek'Sai said as she charged again and lashed out with her claws. Lux threw her baton backwards covering herself and Debonair. Rek'Sai's face as she realized what was happening was priceless. Lux dived out of the way, and Debonair brought his hammer to bear and gave Rek'Sai a good smash right in her face.
Knocked against a tree, Lux turned to high five Debonair but just as they got close he pointed behind her. Lux turned to see Rek'Sai lunging again. She threw her barrier readied herself for the blow, but the only thing that happened was Rek'Sai flying through the air. Lux turned to see Janna floating up and Poppy sending Yaila into a building. Wincing at the hard hit the void creature had as she hit the building. Poppy then came springing over. Rek'Sai landed with a thud only to pick herself up, however when she saw what was facing her, it was clear that now was a good time to leave.
"I'll get you brats next time." Rek'Sai ripped open a portal and disappeared through it before anyone could respond. Lux turned her attention to Yaila who was still slumped against a building. As the team made its way over, she stirred.
"Foolish plan. All of this for nothing." She said as she just made herself comfortable.
"What do you mean?" Lux said, who brought her baton down as it was clear that she had something to say.
"All of this was to distract you, but she continues to underestimate you four. I never could even figure out who you are. I'm not Vel'Koz. I can't do a lot of what they ask. Although if he is still here, I can see why he stayed. Although you might just want to finish it. Rek'Sai is preparing another large attack. She took a Zz and is planning to attack downtown. However, you got that evacuated with what I did. So she'll find nothing."
"What do you mean you aren't like Vel'Koz? Who's that?" Janna was careful to keep her voice neutral. Janna knew that they apparently didn't know about Vel'Koz and now they had to resist telling her.
"Vel'Koz was the one who accumulated knowledge and shared it. He was left behind when the void fled this planet and we haven't been able to find him since. He won't be able to survive here for long but why we haven't found his remains is beyond me. However I feel I'm not being told everything. I know they are hiding something."
"So then what was your job?" Poppy asked.
"To try and catch your all before you transformed. But I failed. Now that my mission is over with no results, Rek'Sai will need a large amount of energy to justify this whole thing. However, my actions, her actions, along with yours, will rob her of that." Yaila grunted in pain as she grabbed her side. "Just find a way to end her, or at least stop her. She must pay for what she did to me."
"She'll be stopped. She won't win. They won't win." Lux said. Her own voice betraying her.
"Of that Guardian. I have little doubt. You three are strong, and as soon, when you find your other two, you will be unstoppable. Don't give up."
"Why do you even care?" Janna asked now more puzzled than ever.
"If Vel'Koz is still here, I can see why he stayed. This world is beautiful and maybe there might have been a way for us to coexist. But they all ruined that. I studied under him. Hopefully he can finish them for good. Or at least, send them packing." And with that Yaila just turned to dust. Lux looked at everyone else and they were all just staring.
"Well, that isn't what I expected. I wish we could have gotten more however." Janna said after a few minutes.
"Yeah, but at least she told us enough. Now where did Vi go?" Lux looked around for Vi who was still with a police unit near the edge of the fight. Lux sprinted over to her and Vi turned with a slight frown on her face. This wouldn't be good.
"Vi, how evacuated is downtown?" Lux asked as she stopped in place, breathing a bit to catch her breath.
"Mostly. But since the threat is over, we were about to lift the roadblocks. Why?"
"You don't want to. Yaila, that creature just gave us some disturbing news. Rek'Sai failed this operation. Now she needs energy to make up for the loss. She plans to attack downtown." Lux said with a bit of panic in her voice.
"But there is nothing in downtown anymore." Vi said.
"I know. Which means, she will go on a rampage." Vi's face, normally calm or angry, flashed to panic for a split second.
"That's not good. Get me a radio. All units, this is Vi, keep all roadblocks up and all officers maintain a perimeter around downtown."
"Vi, what is going on?" Caitlyn's voice came over the radio. Before Vi could even respond, a loud roar echoed between the buildings. "Nevermind."
"Well it seems your day is just beginning. Let us know if there is any way we can help." Vi said turning back to her car.
"Evacuate the remaining parts, and leave it to us." Lux turned to the team, who all nodded in reply. Janna tightened her hand on her staff. Poppy brought her hammer onto her shoulder. Debonair nodded as he transformed his hammer back into his weapon.
"Then let's go." Lux said as they all charged off past the police roadblocks and into downtown. This fight might be one of the toughest they have faced yet.