Tess blinked. Michael. Oh my God, Michael!

He was here. He was safe. He was sitting down on a grass field and not being tortured and not dead and not being forced to slave for the Dark Angels and just sitting there and not getting up and not running over to meet them with a huge grin and--dammit, what the hell was wrong with that boy?

"Come on," Taylor announced, and they got out of the Beetle. Max and his group walked over.

"What's wrong with him?" Maria asked worriedly, chewing on her lip. All that lip gloss would get on her teeth, Tess thought cruelly, before mentally slapping the thought away. Maria was nice. Maria was a good person and didnt' deserve to be mocked.

Maria loved Michael.

"Now would be our cue to run away screaming, wouldn't it?" Alex joked half-heartedly. Nobody laughed.

Max looked worried. "That might not be Michael. It could be a shapeshifter, or an image or something."

No. He was wrong She handed Max the device. "Look. It's him."

He looked, and nodded. "Okay, so it is Michael. But still. We should approach with caution."

"You're all full of bullshit." Isabel scowled, and Taylor and Tess grinned at each other. This was the ice princess they'd known and loved. "I'm going over there. Come on." She walked over to the Michael-thing that must have been Michael. "Michael!"

The Michael-thing that must have been Michael looked up and smiled so genuinely that Tess knew he was Michael. "Izzy!" He looked up at the rest of the rest of them. "Wow, all of-" he stopped, raising his eyebrow. "Taylor?"

Taylor smiled apologetically. "Long story. We'll tell you later."

Tess ran over and fell in front of him. "Michael? It's really you?" He was alive and safe and looking at her like she was a diamond. So why was there a nagging feeling that this was too easy?

He kissed her forehead, and she fell foward into his arms. "It's me," he whispered. It's him. It's him, and he's safe, and we'll take him home, and-

"Ahem." Alex cleared his throat, and she turned around so that she was almost sitting on Michael's lap. He nudged her a little, she leaned into Michael, and he grabbed her hand.

Maria. They met eyes, and Maria turned away. Immediately, Tess straightened up and let go of Michael's hand. God, she was such a dog. Not even a week after they'd agreed not to jump Michael, and here she was, hanging onto him like she was an extra limb or something.

Taylor's voice broke the silence. "We should get out of here. They might come afer us. Michael, where are they? Will they come after us?"

Michael looked confused. "I--um--I don't think so. But I can't go until I disable their...machine thing. They have some device down there-" down where? "-that has an invisible shield around the place, and they put some of my blood into it. If I try to leave, it'll electrecute me."

Not a problem. Nothing could be that big of a problem now, it seemed. "Can we break it?"

"Probably," Michael replied. "I think it shatters." He started to walk, and they all followed. Where were they going? It was just grass for miles and miles. "It's underground. Come on."

Oh.

Suddenly, Michael stopped. He leaned down, and Tess, when looking right at it, saw a hole big enough to fit a person. Michael lowered himself into the hole, and then called back up. "The coast is clear! Come down!"

Tess looked at Isabel, who was next to her by the hole. Who first? she asked. Isabel shrugged. I don't know, Tess shrugged in return. I don't care. "I'll go," she finally said aloud. She put her hands by the sides of the hole and carefully lowered herself into the ground. Then she jumped the last foot or so.

Moving out of the way for the next person to come down, she looked around. The room/cave thing was completely dark, except for the entrance at the top. She could see the outline of Michael's body, but no more. Suddenly, she felt frightened. "Michael, where are we?" she whispered.

He put a finger to his lips. "Later."

The rest of the group came down, and the room started to feel crowded. It was smothering, and Tess wanted more than anything to get out of there. Where was that...whatever it was? And where was the oxygen?

"We're all here," Max's voice emerged through the darkness. He sounded annoyed. The great leader couldn't stand being led by someone else. He's your king, Nasedo's mental programming berated her, kicking in. Don't disrespect him. "What now?"

"Now you die." A figure approached from the formerly-invisible hallway. She held a candle, and as she waved her hand over it, it lit up. Now Tess could see her face, frozen in an evil grin, with long, dark brown hair framing her features. Who was she? Despite the slight warmth from the candle, Tess shivered as she felt her eyes go wide.

The woman waved her hand at them, and Tess felt her limbs freeze over. She tried to move her arm, but it lay stiff by her side. Oh my God. Dead. They were all dead. Maybe Michael could do something with his powers. she looked at him.

He smiled and waved.

Oh. My. God.

The woman walked over to Michael and kissed him on the lips. "Good job, Michael."