Chapter 36: Smoking Mirror

A couple dozen feathers propel through the city to search for the missing recruits as Hawks scans the streets below him. His heart jumps when he feels a tingle from one of his nearby feathers.

'Found them!' He exclaims telepathically to Jean. 'The coffee shop on 4th and Main! Go through the back door.'

'See you there!' Jean responds.

As they enter the building, smoke is beginning to gather from the basement. "Hurry!" Jean screeches, hearing coughs from the far corner.

As the four sprint towards the thickening smoke, Hawks freezes when he feels a tingling from another of his feathers on the opposite side of the city.

"AH! We have to get out of here!" Hawks grabs Tokoyami, Jean, and Amara with his feathers as they fly out of the building just before it bursts into flames.

"NO!" Jean screams, running back towards the burning building.

"Hawks, look!" Dark Shadow yelps, surrounding a small stream of goo flowing out of the flames.

"JEAN, STOP! They're doubles — from Twice!"

Jean screeches to a halt, whirling around and meeting Hawks' eyes. Her green eyes soften in relief that the recruits are not dead, then widen and freeze before closing them and touching her temples.

'Professor, we have doubles of the recruits spread across the entire city. Please spread the word and be careful!'

'How should we know which are doubles and which are the real recruits?' Professor asks.

Jean looks up to Hawks, asking him the same question. The air seems to leave the city as the weight of the realization sinks in that, unless the doubles die, there is no way of telling the difference between doubles and the real recruits.

"You know him best, Hawks. You're always one step ahead. I trust you." Jean says, looking into his eyes. The group jets back into the sky as a few pros and a fire truck whips around the corner wailing.

.***** **** *****.

"Here's your damn coffee." Dabi scoffs, handing it to Twice.

Though it closed three hours earlier, the peaceful smell of coffee fills the air of the shop, a stark contrast to the tension now inside.

"Thank you, want to share it? No way, it's mine." Twice says taking the cup from Dabi. "I mean, I am kind of doing most of the work. All you're doing is blowing shit up. I'm placing doubles in every coffee shop across the whole city... and let me tell you, this place has a LOT of coffee shops. I need my caffeine. We're a great team."

"What are you three staring at?" Dabi bellows, looking back at the recruits, whose hands and feet are bound.

"At a sorry piece shit that screams daddy issues." Boom Boom shoots back.

Dabi blasts fire in her direction.

With a flick of hand her hand, a loud *Boom* rings out,countering Dabi's blast.

"Crazy bitch! I am going to-"

"-What? Kill me, you don't even have the balls to that."

"Oo she got you good. Wipe the floor with her. No way she's scary." Twice says.

*Ziiip*

Drake elbows Tabitha as Dabi begins taping the three recruits' mouths shut. With their hands and feet bound to one another so they are all facing back to back, their only way to communicate is now eliminated.

"There, you're much more pleasant with your mouths shut." Dabi sneers.

.***** **** *****.

Following their noses, Logan and Wolfbaone lead Berzerker and Scott through the streets of Bayville to join the search of the missing recruits. Just as Hawks warned, Logan and Wolfbane were able to find many coffee shops in the area within the city. Each shop, as expected, had duplicates of the five people missing.

"This is a death march. There's no way we'll be able to tell between the doubles and the real recruits." Scott hisses.

"Listen here Cyclopes. Red and Feathers are out there helping too, we aren't the only ones searching for our comrades. We need a lead and get the upper hand." Logan said.

"All the leads we've gotten lead to dead ends. I'm telling you, Hawks is trouble."

Logan, Berzerker, and Sunspot exchange glances behind Logan's back.

.***** **** *****.

From the corner of his eye, Drake notices a quick flash of red peer under the door to their right. He nudges Tabitha, gesturing towards it. Tabitha looks over, then nudges Drake back understandingly.

Tabitha shifts the rope up her wrists enough to create a small explosive, then flicks it onto the feather.

*BOOM*

Dabi snaps his head back around to face the recruits. "Oh, you kids just think you're so smart. It's been real." Dabi says, illuminating the room by a blue flame stemming from hand.

"As much as I'd love to watch these brats burn, let's get out of here. I think our statement has been made." Dabi smirks, setting the door aflame as he and Twice slide through it and into the back alley where a taxi is waiting.

.***** **** *****.

Zooming through the air with Jean, Tokoyami, and Dark Shadow, Hawks' mind is spinning, unsure how he's going to distinguish the real recruits from the doubles. Knowing how he works, he wouldn't want to stay close- he's gotta be on a far end of the city. Jean's telekinesis cuts through Hawks' thoughts.

"Hawks, what's wrong?"

"One of my feathers just got blown up. I think it's them."

Barely slowing down, Hawks shoots into the opposite direction towards the blown up feather. The other three chase him.

'Jeez, a little warning next time?!' Jean jokes. 'And do you think or know?'

'Know, trust me.'

'We do, Keigo.' Jean responds as she and Dark shadow pull up on either side of Hawks, forming a V-shape.

Hawks shoots a few more feathers to the coffee shop to gain as much information as possible about what they're going to walk into.

"Fuck!" He exclaims, feeling his feathers getting hotter and hotter. "The building is on fire! We're about 2 minutes away. Hurry!"Hawks shouts.

"Jean, we're gong to need a barrier ASAP when we get there. Embers, you're in charge of keeping the fire at bay with her. Tokoyami, you and Dark Shadow are with me. They're not going to last too much longer!" Hawks squeals as he shoots more feathers towards the coffee shop.

"Yes sir." Tokoyami says

"You've got it." Jean and Amara respond.

.***** **** *****.

The recruits stare at the closed door, which is becoming less visible by the second as the smoke accumulates and fire slithers across the floor towards them.

The rope cuts into their limbs, tightening more as they struggle to break free from it. An unbearable salty burning touches his watering eyes as beads of sweat roll down his face. Drake looks frantically around through his burning sweat and smoke- filled eyes.

The sound of Jamie's muffled cough ceases as he collapses into Drake's side. Drake looks over to see the recruit's eyes lucid and hazy eyes and his once flushed face now ghostly white.

Through his panic, Drake almost doesn't recognize a light tickle against his wrist.

To his left, Drake feels Tabitha's body getting heavier as well. Despite his drive to keep his friends alive, Drake, too, begin to drift in and out of consciousness as the darkness threatens to take its prey.

A sudden sharp prick snaps Drake and Tabitha alert. The snapping of rope echoes through the smoke filled shop .

Drake blinks a few times, the rope falls away. Ripping the tape from their mouths, the three begin to coughing. Tabitha braces Jamie, who is still lying helplessly on the floor. Squinting to try to shield her burning eyes from the smoke, she leads the other two towards the window with the crackle of fire quickly approaching them from behind.

Tabitha collapses, sending both her and Jamie to the ground. Drake rushes to them, both now unconscious, concerned it, too, would soon be his fate.

A sudden whoosh along Drake's ear loops through Jamie's shirt, flying him through the air and out the window. Drake swings Tabitha on his back and continues to make the slow crawl to the window. His trembling arms give way as he collapses to the ground. Tabitha stays lifeless on his back. Time jus ran out.

.***** **** *****.

"You got the first one out!" Jean exclaims, seeing Jamie getting flown out front he window as Hawks, Jean, Amara and Tokoyami sprint toward the shop moment their feet touch the ground.

"Remember your roles. We don't have much time." Hawks shouts back, leading the way inside. He dashes over to Drake and Tabitha with Tokoyami. Jean and Amara work to push the flames back together.

Just as he reaches to pick up Drake, a hissing noise cuts through the air.

What the-

"Hawks!" Amara shouts pointing to the kitchen.

His head whips over to see the flames racing towards the stove and gas line. "Everyone out!" Hawks snaps, taking Tabitha with him. "Amara, Tokoyami, get Drake!"

"Yes sensei." Tokoyami says as he and Amara host Drake up between them swing his arms over their shoulders. Hawks holding Tabbitha, Jean quickly at side Hawks' to help taking younger female's other arm.

"Let's go!" Hawks orders,as they all races out of the building.

The hiss of a gas line leak echoes out louder from the behind behind them. Hawks and the others launch through the open door, Jean letting go Tabitha and turns. With seconds both a force field goes up and the stove explodes as the others hit the deck.

"Holy cow." Sunspot voice cuts in right as Logan's group arrives, their eyes wide in shock. Hawks looks up his eyes wide staring at the ruin scene before them all.

AN: Hey thanks for your guys patience. My writing partner is very busy so the schedule will change up a bit. I will try to get a chapters out each month and 2 chapters if luckily. Thanks to all reading and enjoying this story.