A/N 1: I hadn't planned to post this until sometime next week, but my muse was on a roll, so...

A/N 2: As in the previous chapters - ideas, questions, plotbunnies, suggestions, flames, character pictures, corrections, additions, comments, and everything in between can be mailed to d.angelino@caramail.com (oh, the joys of multiple e-mail accounts ;)

A/N 3: I'll start to introduce some new characters in the next chapters - just thought I'd warn you ;). This part will focus on Ryan and Blade, and their respective groups, while the next will focus on Kyle and Laetitia, and their groups. It was better to split this chapter up in two parts, otherwise it would probably get too confusing.

In response to what the teams have against each other - I hope to clear that up a bit in this chapter, and those that follow. And create some confusion now I'm at it *he, he*

'...' Indicates telepathy
_..._ Indicates thoughts

* * *

Chapter Eight: Oh, What A Tangled Web We Weave, part I

* * *

To Ryan's credit, he didn't waste any time staring dumbfounded at Blade. Thanks to years of training, he immediately took a defensive stance, and quickly analyzed his opponent - or opponents in this case.

Sure, they had the advantage of numbers - four against three - but the Shadow Alliance had their ruthlessness working for them. Besides, Ben and Diana's powers weren't very useful in a battle.

_Fuck._

Blade and Ryan slowly circled each other, neither letting their guards down even for a second.

"Cretes. We meet again."

"Unfortunately," Ryan replied coldly.

Blade smirked, and without warning he lashed out at Ryan. He was fast, faster than most human fighters, but Ryan quickly ducked and parried the blow. The two men took a step back, both reassessing their opponent.

"You've gotten better," Blade admitted.

"So have you," Ryan replied. "Been killing a lot of people recently?" he asked acidly.

"Cute," Blade smirked. "Too bad it's all in your mouth."

Up until that point, the two teams had followed the fight from the sideline. So far they had settled with exchanging dirty looks, but Blade's comment made Diana's temper flare.

"How brave - picking on a wounded man," she scorned.

"Pandora, stay out of this!" Ryan snapped, his eyes never leaving Blade.

"Oh, don't worry, little girl. He can defend himself. Never afraid to use a mind trick, are you, Cretes?" Blade remarked acidly.

Ryan didn't reply, but kept circling Blade.

* * *

With all of them absorbed in the fight, no one noticed the man who watched the two groups from a nearby window. He noticed the light hovering above Deirdre's hand and sank.

"Jenny! Call the police! We have mutants on our ground," he said.

His wife sent him a horrified look.

"Mutants? But-"

"Just call the police!" the man snapped.

His wife hurried out of the room, and the man stepped away from the window. To tell the truth, he had nothing against mutants as long as they left him and his family alone, but the government had offered a reward for each mutant that was turned in...and they were very generous.

* * *

Deirdre exchanged a worried look with Diana and Ben. With the condition Ryan was in, it was doubtful that he would win the fight...which meant that they had to do something before things escalated.

Deirdre tore her eyes away from the tense scene before her, and focused on the two other members of the Shadow Alliance instead. Being the most recent addition to the Guardians, Deirdre wasn't too familiar with the members of the Shadow Alliance, but she *did* know enough to recognize them.
The blue and green haired woman was Melee, Blade's second in command and rumored lover. Well, with a hair color as crazy as that, she had to be. She was also a person you didn't want to piss off, so Deirdre quickly dropped any plans involving Melee. That left the boy. He was young - couldn't be more than a few years older than Deirdre herself - but he looked like he would kill anyone who got too close to him.

"Who's the boy?" Deirdre whispered.

"Blitz," Diana replied in the same low voice. Then she noticed Deirdre's speculative look. "Don't even think about it! He can control electricity - he's dangerous!" Diana hissed.

Deirdre didn't reply, and Diana sent her a stern look before turning her attention to Blade and Ryan again.

_He's dangerous?_ Deirdre thought. _Well, so am I!_

She looked at the boy - Blitz - again. Sure, he looked more than a bit homicidal, but with his shaggy, brown hair, and *very* nice body... he was actually kind of cute.

_Oh, no! Don't even go there, girl!_ Deirdre berated herself. _He's the enemy!_

She shook her head, and intensified the light in her palm. Dangerous or not, she had to do something to help Ryan - she couldn't just watch and do nothing.

Deirdre took a step towards Blitz. The boy spun around immediately, and in the blink of an eye, he was aiming a ball of electricity at her.

"NO!"

The order came from both Ryan and Blade, although neither had dared to look away from the other.

Blade motioned towards Zach, and the boy reluctantly withdrew the electricity, unwilling to get into an argument with his boss.

"Stay out of this, Seraphim. That is an order!" Ryan snapped.

Deirdre looked worriedly at him, but followed the order and stepped away from Blitz. Ryan and Blade continued their slow and ironically graceful movements, both determined to settle things without any further interference from their teams.

'Ryan...be careful' Diana thought, knowing that Ryan would hear her.

'I will,' Ryan replied.

A sudden rush of dizziness hit Diana, and she leaned against the wall for support. Ben was instantly by her side.

"Are you okay?" he asked concerned.

"Yeah...I'm just...a bit dizzy," Diana mumbled.

She looked up, and was shocked to see that both Ryan and Blade were watching her - Blade with cruel smirk, and Ryan with something akin to terror in his eyes.

"You're doing it again, I see," Blade noted with the satisfaction of a predator closing in on its prey. "Admit it...you like the rush of power. Feels good, doesn't it?" he continued ruthlessly.

Ryan shook his head.

"You're insane," he whispered.

Blade shrugged.

"Maybe...but at least *I* haven't spent the last five years helping the fucking flatscans. Betrayer," he spat out. "Helping the race that's trying to get us killed."

Ryan's eyes grew cold.

"You know, Heron, I don't think your random attacks against high-profile humans helped our situation, either," Ryan bit back. "If you and your team hadn't spent so much time working against the government, maybe we wouldn't *be* in this situation."

"Ha! With the kind of politicians that run this country, I was doing us a favor!" Blade retorted.

Ryan smiled slowly.

"You enjoyed it, didn't you?" he asked, although it was more of a statement than a question.

Blade's eyes narrowed, but he remained silent.

"I'm not a kid anymore, *Blade*. You can't intimidate me," Ryan continued ruthlessly. He had expected that the comment would goad Blade into attacking...but it didn't.

Instead, Blade just nodded slowly and smiled. It wasn't the smirk or sneer that people usually saw, but a cold, ruthless smile that send a small shiver down Ryan's spine.

"You're right, *Ryan*. You've grown up."

Blade paused briefly, still with the cold smile on his lips.

"Maybe you'll prove to be a worthy opponent after all."

The sudden sound of distant sirens tore through the night, and Zach looked at the two driveways that led to the motel. On one of them, the distinctive lights from several police-cars became increasingly brighter as the cars got closer.

"Fuck! Blade, it's the cops!"

"Get the luggage and get into the car!" Blade snapped, but didn't move away from Ryan.

Zach and Jordane sent the Guardians a final dirty look before they ran into the room and grabbed the bags. Ryan nodded to his team, and they, too, left to grab their things.

The two opponents waited for a long moment, then the others returned and hurried to the cars. Blade waited until Zach and Jordane had reached the car, then he finally allowed himself to relax slightly.

"We'll finish this...trust me," he threatened, and glared at Ryan.

Ryan met Blade's angry glare without blinking.

"Good. Then we'll settle this once and for all," he replied, in a voice that was every bit as cold as Blade's.

For a long moment, neither moved. Then Blade spun around and followed Zach and Jordane to the car.

Ryan glared at Blade's retreating back for a second, then followed his own team away from the motel.

* * *

Hmm...is Ryan hiding something from his team, or is Blade just playing mind games again? Just how does the two know each other? What's with Diana's sudden dizziness? And what's happening to the rest of the runaway mutants?