Thank for the reviews

And for support from Bomb Voyage and Sahara on the i-kronos (dot com) board

Thanks then to: Dash, goldfish078, soccergurl1990, Jack-Jack Incredible and Scary Vampiress

Much appreciated, as ever

But now I'll just carry on with this

It contains some mild drug references

But seriously – unbelievably mild, I just don't want to take any chances

Enjoy! Love LJ xXx

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Throw Me. Chapter Four. Keep Your Friends Close

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It is strange how, when people get used to things and wonder how they lived without them. Helen Parr pops her head around the living room door, just before heading out the door with her husband, and smiles in on Mirage detailing one of Syndrome's more brilliant inventions to Dash.

"...but that was only temporary so he came up with one that worked through two small pin-type things inserted just behind your ears." Mirage explains.

"Cool!"

"Ew, that's gross, Dash." Violet wrinkles her nose and then disappeared, leaving a rattle shaking in midair in front of Jack-Jack's amused face.

"Hey, we're just about to head out," Helen tells them and Dash looks at her with hopeful eyes.

"Can I come this time, Mom?" he begs. "Please? I promise I won't get in your way..."

"Dash..."

"Please, Mom? This isn't fair; why do you get all the fun?" Violet reappears in the room, having been playing with Jack-Jack who promptly shrieked with laughter and pelted his big sister with stuffed animals.

"Please Mom?"

"Please Mom?"

"Please?"

Helen folds her arms and sighs; two against one, this was hardly fair.

"Okay, okay," she relents, but adds firmly," But only in an hour. We'll meet you outside the City Hall and you two better have finished your homework by then."

"Of course we will, Mom!"

"Who do you take us for!"

She smiles slightly and, smoothing her mask over her eyes, she heads out the door.

"Dash, slow down," Violet calls at the distant shape of her brother, his feet blurred across the tarmac; just a sweep of bright red heading towards Municiberg.

"Vi, hurry up!" Dash hollers back. "We're missing it!"

Violet rolls her eyes and, sweeping back her long dark hair, sprints to catch up but her brother is soon so far ahead she can barely see him. They are almost there anyway, so she holds back, choosing not to waste her energy before anything really happens.

Apparently, though, it is too late and there are blue flashing lights ahead of her in the street and she increases her speed only to see her mother swing by, springing to a gentle halt beside her.

"Attempted bank robbery," she explains briefly. "Try to stay out of trouble, honey. Don't go too far." And then she's gone again.

Violet approaches the scene, slowing up out of curiosity but suddenly Dash is coming back with an uneasy look on his face.

"Vi, Vi – maybe it's not a good idea if you see this..." Dash tries to usher her back again but Violet keeps advancing, her eyes narrowed and scrutinising her brother's expression.

"Why? What's going on? What did you do?"

"Nothing, but – uh – loads of – uh – violence and...shooting. Really not pretty. You don't want to see this," he nudges her softly backwards but she pushes past him and heads through the crowd.

"Trust me, Vi – you don't want to see this..." Dash runs after her but it's too late.

As the police cuff the attempted bank robber, they sigh and shake their heads at each other.

"Jesus, he's just a kid. Just a boy."

"What did you think you were playing at, young man?"

The boy's eyes are dazed and out of focus.

"Huh – wha? Where...where am I?" the boy turns to the officers but can make no sense of anything.

"Christ, drugged right out of his mind, too," one of the comments with a click on his tongue.

They bundled the boy into the back of the police van and he leans his confused head against the cool Perspex window and stares out of it, blinking.

"Shows over, people – go on back home now."

They wave their hands at the small crowds that have gathered and the onlookers start to wander off, leaving two kids in strange bright red clothes standing in the darkened street. The smaller kid has a shock of blonde hair and looks up at the taller kid, a skinny, dark-haired girl of about fourteen or fifteen.

Somewhere in the boy's mind, it jerks a faint and distant memory. As he stares blankly at the masked face of the strange figure in the street, he sees a tear, illuminated by the streetlights, slide down her cheek. She shakes her head slow and mouths something he can't make out because she brings a slender hand up and covers her lips with it. Her dark hair catches the light slightly, shimmering deep blue and black. It bothers him; he knows he's seen her before but where?

Then he closes his eyes and falls back into the van.

"Vi...?" Dash tugs on his big sister's sleeve but it's like she doesn't hear him. "Vi, maybe we should go home now."

"No..." she murmurs to herself, shaking her head slowly. "Tony..."

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