A/N 1: Ideas for fic and character development, questions, plotbunnies, suggestions, flames, character pictures, ficlets, corrections, additions, comments, and everything in between can be mailed to hack_heaven@usa.net.
Italics indicates thoughts/telepathy
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Chapter Sixty: Metamorphosis
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The force of the explosion tore through the air, leveling buildings and snapping solid concrete pillars like they were nothing but matchsticks. For a seemingly endless second there was silence as the flames and the shock wave engulfed the area, then the flames retreated, quickly being drawn back into the center of the explosion by the sudden lack of air. High above the devastation, the flames and the smoke intermingled, creating a rapidly expanding mushroom cloud...and with it came the deafening roar of exploding fuel.
"Shit!" Zach looked away, momentarily taken aback by the sharp light and the thundering sound that followed. "What the fuck was that!?"
Hal's eyes widened at the sight of the large fireball. Even at the opposite end of the complex where they now were, the heat from the explosion could still be felt clearly through the afternoon heat.
"I don't know, but whatever it was, it just destroyed at good part of the prison!" she replied, still watching the dark mushroom cloud. "Christ..."
Another, smaller explosion went off in the general direction of the fireball as the flames reached another fuel storage, making the ground rumble once again.
"We have to get out of here," Ryan said, then turned to Deirdre. "How much longer?"
Deirdre looked up from underneath the dashboard of the second van she was trying to hotwire. While the first of the vans had responded almost immediately, Deirdre had discovered that the one she was now working on was nowhere near as agreeable. "I don't know - they completely messed up this one. There's no system in any of this!"
"Just hurry, okay?" Ryan said quietly, keeping an eye on the surroundings.
"I will," Deirdre promised, and started to sort through the mess of wires again.
Ryan nodded absently, and looked back to the others just in time to see Aaron's collar fall to the ground, joining the small stack of metal collars that were already there. Well aware of the dangerous situation they were in, Daryn had worked as fast as he could to convince the collars to unlock, and as Ryan looked around, he saw that Aaron's collar had been the last one.
"Done," Daryn breathed and ran a hand through his hair. Usually, using his powers wouldn't affect him at all, but in this case the urgency of the situation had managed to get to him and make him slightly out of breath.
"Good," Ryan replied. "Are you okay?" he added, a bit concerned about the young addition to the group.
Daryn sighed. "Yeah, I'll be fine. I just need to relax for a moment."
Ryan nodded, then turned his attention to the rest of the group. They had wisely decided to get away from the center of things, and behind one of the buildings, sheltered from enemy eyes, they'd found a couple of vehicles. The fact that the building was now hiding them from view did nothing to help on Ryan's nervousness, though, and looking at the others, it became clear that they felt the same way.
Ryan's eyes slowly surveyed the group, eyes pausing for a moment to watch the second new addition to the group - the dark skinned girl called Zahra. From what Ryan could see, she acted much like a loner, and unlike Daryn, she seemed to prefer the company of the four members of the Shadow Alliance. And while that fact didn't exactly sit well with Ryan, there was also a part of him that was relieved that Zahra had a fairly harmless power - the kind of havoc that Blade could have caused with Daryn under his control was not a pleasant thought.
Ryan forced the gloomy speculations aside, and let his eyes continue their slow survey of the group - Diana, West and Ben standing near one end of the building, keeping an eye out for any trouble. Pheonix and Viper, staying near the other end of the building, watching for any possible attack from that direction, and a part of Ryan couldn't help but think that they were too young for the life they'd chosen. The lack of any surrounding water had started to affect Pheonix, and she seemed slightly paler than usual, whereas Viper almost seemed to thrive on the desert climate, moving around with restless, snakelike motions. Ryan let his gaze wander further until it came to rest on Hal and Blitz, who were both standing a bit away from the building, out where they would be able to see what was going on closer to the prison. Not surprisingly, Blitz was ready to defend himself if needed be - electricity sizzled around his clenched fist, caressing his arm before it obediently retreated to his hand again.
Again Ryan let his gaze wander, finally reaching the last member of the odd group of mutants.
Jhonen.
Young, innocent Jhonen, who had helped take a life, and had no guilt to show for it. Young, innocent Jhonen who had trusted Ryan and the rest of the Guardians to help and protect him. He had trusted them, and they had failed miserably. And although he hated to admit it, deep down Ryan knew that there hadn't been anything they could have done to prevent it, and somehow that only made him feel worse. This was his team - he was supposed to lead them, to guide and protect them, and the fact that sometimes even he couldn't know everything that was going on, was far from easy to admit.
Ryan sighed and pushed the depressing thoughts aside as he continued to watch Jhonen.
The boy was standing in the shadow of the building, a bit away from the others, but he didn't seem to notice his solitude. In fact...he didn't seem to notice much of his surroundings at all. Ryan frowned and watched Jhonen carefully. Something was wrong, that much was certain. The boy leaned against the wall and seemed to have no strength left in his body.
Concerned, Ryan walked towards Jhonen, and the motion caught the attention of Hal. The albino followed Ryan's gaze to Jhonen, and like Ryan, she quickly realized that something was wrong. She said something quietly to Zachary, then walked towards Jhonen with fast strikes.
Hal reached Jhonen only seconds after Ryan did, and put her hand gently on her teammate's shoulder, hoping to snap him out of his daze.
"Jhonen? What's wrong?" Hal asked worried, and the unconscious way she took charge reminded Ryan that like it or not, the young albino was currently the leader of the Shadow Alliance, and should be treated as such.
Ryan knew beyond any doubt that Blade would not have put his team in the hands of someone he didn't trust, and that fact alone was enough to make Ryan watch Hal more closely than her teammates. But Hal would have to wait - right now Ryan's main concern was Jhonen, who had yet to give any indication that he'd heard them.
"Jhonen?" Ryan asked.
Finally Jhonen looked up, brown eyes wide with a confused and almost faraway look, but he didn't reply.
"Jhonen! What's wrong?" Hal repeated.
The boy blinked once, then twice, and slowly he seemed to become aware of his surroundings again.
"Hal?" he asked, noticing her presence for the first time. "I'm...fine. Just...just dizzy, I think," he explained and shook his head. "My head feels strange."
Hal and Ryan exchanged a frown, team loyalties temporarily pushed aside by their worry for Jhonen.
"Strange? What kind of strange?" Ryan asked.
"I don't know..." Jhonen replied with a small sigh. "It just feels...off, like someone-" He suddenly stopped, eyes widening as he realized something that Ryan and Hal had yet to see.
"Jhonen?" Ryan reached out to touch Jhonen's shoulder, but the boy shook his head.
"No...I think I know what it was," Jhonen explained. "I think it was a spirit, but I need to concentrate to be sure."
Not waiting for a reply, Jhonen closed his eyes and let himself be transported to the ever-changing landscape of the spirit world, leaving a worried Ryan and Hal to watch over him.
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A warm breeze toying with his hair, bringing with it the smell of the ocean, of warm sand and endless lines of coconut palms. Cool, damp sand under his feet, and a faint taste of salt as he licked his dry lips. The gentle sound of waves rolling in on a shoreline, of birds singing somewhere nearby.
Jhonen opened his eyes and found himself on a beautiful, Caribbean beach that seemed to continue forever in both directions. There was a faint rustle of leaves against leaves as the breeze played among the many palm trees by the beach, and there, in the shadow of a particular tall palm, was the shape of a human being.
There was a nagging feeling in the back of Jhonen's mind, a feeling that he knew this person, but the thought kept eluding him. He hesitated for a moment, then started to walk across the beach, feeling the damp, cool sand turn almost scorching beneath his feet, heated by the stinging sun overhead. Jhonen reached the tall palm and felt the comfortable shadow engulf him, its coolness caressing his already warm skin.
The figure was female, Jhonen could see that now. A flimsy bikini did nothing to hide her shapes, and an equally flimsy skirt hugged her hips loosely, caressing her tanned legs. Small grains of white sand entangled in wavy, black hair, and Jhonen reached down to brush the hair out of her face...and all too sudden, that nagging feeling of recognition turned into knowledge.
No!
The shock sent a surge of adrenaline through Jhonen's body, pulling him out of his trance-like state and back into the real world with an abruptness that almost physically hurt. But that unpleasant awakening was nothing compared to the anguish visible as Jhonen's eyes snapped open.
"Jhonen...?" Hal asked, worry creeping into her voice once again at the sight of Jhonen's obvious pain. "What happened?"
Jhonen looked up, watched the many faces around him, all drawn closer by the sudden commotion. Oddly, he felt no confusion, no uncertainty, no need to deny what he had seen. His powers didn't lie, he had known that for a long time. For a moment he stood motionless, desperately hoping that time would stop, stop where it was and not force him to say the words that pained him more than he had ever imagined possible.
But as always, time didn't listen, and Jhonen let the silence stretch out for another long moment before he sighed and looked away.
"It was a spirit."
"Jhonen..." This time it was Ryan, but he stopped as Jhonen shook his head.
"It was a spirit," the boy finally repeated, his voice barely a whisper. "Laetitia is dead."
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