ON THE HUNT
Natasha was a little nervous being out on the streets again, especially after their fight with their friends, relatives, and loved ones. She felt rotten, having to chase them again. why couldn't they just change back to normal again, and come home? There wouldn't be any hard feelings, she knew. It didn't work that way.
"I hope Adam's friend is worth his word," Shalimar grumbled unhappily, striding down the street, her short leather coat zipped up to the neck.
Natty sighed. "Yeah, or we're out here on a wild goose chase."
"I wouldn't say that," Shalimar mumbled, holding up a hand, indicating three figures discreetly as they moved into an alleyway, everyone in their path moving aside immediately at the intimidating appearance of the three.
I don't blame them, Natty thought, and followed Shalimar in that direction, asking, "What's the plan?"
"I don't exactly have one yet," Shalimar replied, looking around her, and noticing a fire escape ladder leading up the side of the building by the alley.
"So, what are we going to do?" Natty inquired, peeking into the alley, noticing Claire, Brennan and Jesse halt at the end.
She quickly removed her head from their line of sight, and thanked her lucky stars none of them were feral. They would have sensed their presence in no time at all.
Which would have meant another confrontation, which Natty didn't ever want to go through again.
"Okay," Shalimar breathed, "I'm going up the fire escape. You provide a distraction."
"That's your plan?" Natty blurted quietly, managing to keep her voice down in the tense situation.
Shalimar cocked her head, and shrugged. "What, you were expecting something more complex?"
Natty watched with a frown as Shalimar scaled the fire escape with frustrating ease, leaving her alone on the path.
With a deep breath, calming her erratic nerves, Natty glanced into the mouth of the alley, spotting a collection of tin cans. She smiled.
Perfect.
Using her telekinesis, she lifted them into the air, sending them one by one shooting down the alley, over Jesse and the other's heads.
They started when the can clattered against the building behind them, and looked to the alley mouth.
Natty sent all of the remaining cans in their direction immediately, without hesitation.
She heard Claire say something, and the rushing of feet as she and Jesse ran to the edge of the alleyway.
Natty had jumped up, and climbed onto the fire escape mere seconds before, avoiding immediate detection.
She peered once again into the alley as Jesse and Claire looked around in puzzlement, trying to locate the source of the disturbance.
Brennan stood alone, looking down the alley at Jesse and Claire, his arms at his sides, clearly not thinking about shooting electricity at this point in time.
That was when Shalimar leapt from the building's fire escape, five floors up, and landed squarely on Brennan.
The tall man crumpled to the floor under Shalimar's weight, giving a small cry.
Immediately, Claire and Jesse's attention flicked back to the alley, and they started to move in that direction, evil expressions of anger clouding their faces.
With a deep breath in again, Natty managed to lift Jesse completely off of the ground, only managing to cause Claire to hover about two feet in the air.
That was when they noticed her, and Claire caused a gust of wind to buffet against Natty, jogging her concentration.
Claire landed on the ground, Jesse merely falling a few feet towards the floor, before halting again, helpless to prevent the telekinetic attack.
Claire ran down the alley for Shalimar and the now unconscious Brennan, only to be stopped by the feral, who spun up, kicking Claire back and away. Shalimar quickly bent down, picking Brennan off of the floor, and into her arms, leaping away and up into the fire escape again. She started to climb quickly up the steps.
"Jesse!" Claire thundered, calling the other New Mutant to her.
He struggled futilely for a few more seconds before Shalimar called Natty away. He crashed to the ground, picking himself up immediately, and moving to Claire.
Natty ran up to meet Shalimar several feet up, looking down at the ant-sized figures of Jesse and Claire.
"How did you know he'd stay behind?" Natty asked breathlessly, indicating Brennan, who Shalimar had lay on the ground momentarily.
"I didn't know for certain. I knew they wouldn't all go investigate for some reason. I just hoped to pick off the straggler," Shalimar explained, smiling wanly, "and that happened to be your cousin here."
"We should get back to Adam," Natty suggested, casting another glance downwards. She could see Claire and Jesse starting to climb the fire escape.
Shalimar nodded, and scooped Brennan off the floor. "Hopefully, he'll be able to find out how to reverse the process," she said, moving with Natty over to the stationary Double Helix.
By the time Claire and Jesse had scaled the building, the Double Helix was airborne, and already flying away, leaving them standing on the rooftop, staring after them.
Natasha was a little nervous being out on the streets again, especially after their fight with their friends, relatives, and loved ones. She felt rotten, having to chase them again. why couldn't they just change back to normal again, and come home? There wouldn't be any hard feelings, she knew. It didn't work that way.
"I hope Adam's friend is worth his word," Shalimar grumbled unhappily, striding down the street, her short leather coat zipped up to the neck.
Natty sighed. "Yeah, or we're out here on a wild goose chase."
"I wouldn't say that," Shalimar mumbled, holding up a hand, indicating three figures discreetly as they moved into an alleyway, everyone in their path moving aside immediately at the intimidating appearance of the three.
I don't blame them, Natty thought, and followed Shalimar in that direction, asking, "What's the plan?"
"I don't exactly have one yet," Shalimar replied, looking around her, and noticing a fire escape ladder leading up the side of the building by the alley.
"So, what are we going to do?" Natty inquired, peeking into the alley, noticing Claire, Brennan and Jesse halt at the end.
She quickly removed her head from their line of sight, and thanked her lucky stars none of them were feral. They would have sensed their presence in no time at all.
Which would have meant another confrontation, which Natty didn't ever want to go through again.
"Okay," Shalimar breathed, "I'm going up the fire escape. You provide a distraction."
"That's your plan?" Natty blurted quietly, managing to keep her voice down in the tense situation.
Shalimar cocked her head, and shrugged. "What, you were expecting something more complex?"
Natty watched with a frown as Shalimar scaled the fire escape with frustrating ease, leaving her alone on the path.
With a deep breath, calming her erratic nerves, Natty glanced into the mouth of the alley, spotting a collection of tin cans. She smiled.
Perfect.
Using her telekinesis, she lifted them into the air, sending them one by one shooting down the alley, over Jesse and the other's heads.
They started when the can clattered against the building behind them, and looked to the alley mouth.
Natty sent all of the remaining cans in their direction immediately, without hesitation.
She heard Claire say something, and the rushing of feet as she and Jesse ran to the edge of the alleyway.
Natty had jumped up, and climbed onto the fire escape mere seconds before, avoiding immediate detection.
She peered once again into the alley as Jesse and Claire looked around in puzzlement, trying to locate the source of the disturbance.
Brennan stood alone, looking down the alley at Jesse and Claire, his arms at his sides, clearly not thinking about shooting electricity at this point in time.
That was when Shalimar leapt from the building's fire escape, five floors up, and landed squarely on Brennan.
The tall man crumpled to the floor under Shalimar's weight, giving a small cry.
Immediately, Claire and Jesse's attention flicked back to the alley, and they started to move in that direction, evil expressions of anger clouding their faces.
With a deep breath in again, Natty managed to lift Jesse completely off of the ground, only managing to cause Claire to hover about two feet in the air.
That was when they noticed her, and Claire caused a gust of wind to buffet against Natty, jogging her concentration.
Claire landed on the ground, Jesse merely falling a few feet towards the floor, before halting again, helpless to prevent the telekinetic attack.
Claire ran down the alley for Shalimar and the now unconscious Brennan, only to be stopped by the feral, who spun up, kicking Claire back and away. Shalimar quickly bent down, picking Brennan off of the floor, and into her arms, leaping away and up into the fire escape again. She started to climb quickly up the steps.
"Jesse!" Claire thundered, calling the other New Mutant to her.
He struggled futilely for a few more seconds before Shalimar called Natty away. He crashed to the ground, picking himself up immediately, and moving to Claire.
Natty ran up to meet Shalimar several feet up, looking down at the ant-sized figures of Jesse and Claire.
"How did you know he'd stay behind?" Natty asked breathlessly, indicating Brennan, who Shalimar had lay on the ground momentarily.
"I didn't know for certain. I knew they wouldn't all go investigate for some reason. I just hoped to pick off the straggler," Shalimar explained, smiling wanly, "and that happened to be your cousin here."
"We should get back to Adam," Natty suggested, casting another glance downwards. She could see Claire and Jesse starting to climb the fire escape.
Shalimar nodded, and scooped Brennan off the floor. "Hopefully, he'll be able to find out how to reverse the process," she said, moving with Natty over to the stationary Double Helix.
By the time Claire and Jesse had scaled the building, the Double Helix was airborne, and already flying away, leaving them standing on the rooftop, staring after them.