We left her office with an ominous cloud of doom hanging over our heads. Our lives were on the line every time we went out to capture experiments. In terms of abilities there is a broad spectrum for experiments. I was one of the few people that received the short end of the stick. I had no really potent powers what so ever, which I don't know wither to consider that a blessing or a curse. But it wouldn't hurt every now and then to have some super cool power like Aquaman or something. All I can do is withstand enormous amounts of force, but I am no juggernaut. After leaving Dr. Risa's office, me and Raf parted ways and headed for our separate rooms. Another perk in working for the bad guys is that you got good meals, money, and a big room, which included a TV and its own private shower. I lied down on my bed in the dark. The bed wasn't very soft but it sure beats sleeping in a cage. I lied down on my stomach momentarily to listen to the sound of my breathing, the envelope of info being crushed under my belly. My mind wondered about from various topics including my history some of the memories happy others sad. I tried my hardest not to think about Blaze, but an image of her frightened face seemed branded in my mind's eye. I grunted and turned on my side and turned on a small lamp that sat next to the head of my bed. The dark room became illuminated with a soft yellow glow and again I sat their and pondered. I turned my head slightly and looked over at a door on the far side of the room, this was the door that the Whitecoats came through if I became "unruly". Good thing I was on my best behavior. That door used to open a lot when I plotted to escape several times. I learned to stop planning and I also learned to stop asking questions, if I did either one of those things I would be punished…severely and I am not a big fan of pain. To shake Blaze from my thoughts, I opened my envelope to learn about our next target. I pulled out the info sheet and read it:

Experiment # 22006

Name: Max Crucil
Age: 18
Experiment type: bestial recombinant (crocodile)
Date of Escape: Oct 31, 2000
Experiment Name: Lyle

Lyle? What kind of name is that?...Uh oh…..could it be?

1000…There are 1000 tiles on the ceiling of my room. I've counted them numerous times so you shouldn't question my counting. It makes me angry. My name is Rafmire…just incase you didn't know or if I didn't repeat myself very often. I've been a Collector for three years…just like PC, although I was not employed by Jeb under the same conditions as PC. Me, I had no one to love, no to love me and on top of that I had nothing to lose, which makes me…according to Jeb …unpredictable….a valuable asset I am told.
I stared at the bare walls of my room. The television screen was made of plastic…the bulb on the over head light and in my lamp was also made of plastic…Why? You might ask? Well its quite simple really…I can manipulate glass. It's a deadly gift and I don't wield it was well as I would like too. So, a word of advice for you…NEVER to sneak up on me and attempt to pull a trick…because if I get scared, you'll be dead. A Whitecoat learned that the hard way back when I was very young. He had cornered me in an observation room. You know the ones that are padded and have a nice big glass window so the Whitecoats can look in and watch you squirm? Yeah. He was trying to inject me with something and for some reason or another my fear triggered my ability and I used the glass from the window to turn him into a human voodoo doll. What happened before or after that I don't feel inclined to tell you, maybe later when I am not too tired. I directed my gaze towards the envelope sitting on my bed. I didn't know why I hesitated to open it, maybe it was the memory of the fire girl that we had picked up that stayed my hand. I hugged my knees and sighed still staring at that envelope, the one that could end someone else's life or my own. But like I said I had nothing to lose or to gain for that matter. So I reached out and read its contents...

The file that I read worried me and my pigeon instincts were buzzing...all night long. I had the sudden urge to climb up the walls and cling to the ceiling. I did do this several times hoping that it would tire me out, but it didn't. I finally got some sleep at 4:00 in the morning but even then that was short lived when I woke up from a nightmare. After that I ditched sleep altogether and decided to take a walk. I could go almost anywhere in Lab7 except for the rooms where the procedures were held and also the rooms with the mutants. At this point I really didn't want to go into either. I wondered outside of Lab 7 with its mile high fencing surrounding the facility. The sun was coming up and the dark blues and blacks of the night were beginning to recede. Land Sharks and Wraiths were patrolling the grounds. Wraiths were another kind of Eraser that specialized in seeing at night. I was attacked by one the day Roc and I attempted to save Bree. Of the new Eraser models they were in my opinion the creepiest. They were extremely gaunt with fluffy rills of fur that stuck out in all directions on their necks. The Wraiths defining feature is their pale blue eyes that light up like headlights on a car. As far as special abilities Wraiths have the gift of night vision, superspeed, skin that didn't tear and most importantly stealth. Living among them, Raf and I were able to detect their presence. But I feel sorry for the poor sod that is being tracked by one…because a Wraith always gets its quarry. Not only that they are nearly impossible to disable or even kill. I watched them make their rounds. The Wraiths eyed me from a distance but didn't attack me. They had orders not to harm me unless they were told otherwise by either, Dr. Risa or Jeb. Another thing to note about the new Erasers was that they were almost 99 obedient. The other 1 were rare but there had been some that went rouge…but they didn't last very long.
The morning air was nice and cool not to cold but just right…which is rare. My mind was busy. I couldn't really tell you what I was thinking at the time, because to be honest I didn't know. I looked at the fence longingly. The two things that prevented me from climbing over that fence, were the hypothetical image of Bree's corpse among others and the thought of the hell I would be in if I did escape and got caught. Suddenly something caught my attention. I saw a fluttering shape out of the corner of my eye. I turned to see the silhouette of a pigeon preening its feathers at the top of the fence. It was exotic looking bird, its feathers where white with grey at the tips. The pigeon bobbed its head and cooed softly. I began to approach it slowly not wanting to draw attention to it. When I got close enough I began to coo too and held out my hands. The pigeon fluttered from the fence into my hands. Handling it carefully I noticed a little ringlet on its left foot. "Bree." I muttered softly…..

I checked the bird's right leg and sure enough there was a little roll of paper strapped to it. I untied it and read the note:

PC, how are you? Everything is fine. Send us info.

Breeaka

I snorted and allowed the pigeon to perch itself on my shoulder. Next I pulled out a small pencil that I had swiped from Whitecoat and began to write a brief message.

I'm fine. Target. Possible. Gozbud. Warn.

PC

I had anticipated the arrival of at least one of Bree's birds. This is how we stayed in touch. I would inform the Network about what was going on inside the School and Lab 7. This was a dangerous game I was playing and if one of the birds was to be intercepted it could be the Network's undoing. What bothered me the most was how the School found out about Gozbud? There is no conceivable way unless they caught one of his subordinates. I was glad that Jeb or Dr. Risa never knew that I was one of the 10 Ghosts. If they did I don't really want to know what would happen to me. We were good at rattling the School without revealing our identities. I rolled up my response and tied it to the pigeon's leg.
Next I held it close and whispered to it "This is an important message make sure it gets to her. Now FLY!" and with that I set the pigeon free. In a few frantic flaps it flew over the fence and then over the trees. I didn't know wither the pigeon understood me or not …but I would like to think that it did…..

Light poured through a window scorching my eye lids. I opened my eyes slowly so that they could adjust. My bed was pressed against the dusty grey walls of my room. Finding a secret place to hide with in your territory was little difficult, but I managed to find a nice place to live. It was away from the city…out in the suburbs someplace. I made sure not to totally isolate myself so the nearest town is only about ten minutes away …if you walk. I lied in my bed and listened to the wind howling outside the lonely window above my bed. Things hadn't been the same since PC left. I try not to think about him much…every time I do it makes me sad. But I am comforted in the fact that he's alive. I sat up in bed and looked at all the plants that I had scattered throughout the room it was like a forest in itself and I maintained it well. Next I looked at the clock it was 10 am. I figured I'd better get up. Slowly, I eased myself out of bed and went about getting ready for the day. I had just finished throwing a clean tank top over my head when someone knocked at the door.
"Just a sec!" I called. My senses were buzzing. Was there an Eraser at the door? I casually walked over to my bed and pulled out a gun out from under it and as quietly as I could I cocked it. As I approached the door, I held it behind my back and unlocked the door, bracing myself. Standing in the threshold was a short old woman in a blue dress with a basket in her hands. I sighed and let my gun hand drop to my side.
"Hello, Bertha."...

"Good morning, Bree, how is my little bird doing this morning?" she asked sweetly.
"I'm fine. You want to come in, I'll make some coffee."
"I would like that very much I think, thank you sweetie. By the way cover yourself child. People will get the wrong impression if you go answering the door in nothing but a tank top and your underwear." I smiled sheepishly and stood aside to let the old woman in. Bertha was my neighbor and the only person that knew I was only half human. She was a kind hearted soul and would stop by and chat with me. I escorted her to the kitchen, where I made some coffee. Bertha placed her basket on the floor and settled down in a chair.
" So what is in the basket ,Bertha? Something new you've been baking?" I asked sitting down in front of her, while the coffee brewed.
Bertha smiled devilishly at me "No, child. They're for your birds. Some mice I caught in my house."
" I'm sure some of my birds will enjoy them, but I can't say that all of them will."
" Don't worry I'll bring some extra seed later." I smiled and rose again to pour the coffee. I had my coffee black now and loaded with sugar. I poured some cream and added a light dusting of sugar for Bertha and then went back to the table.
"So, now that we have our coffee. How have things been going at home?" I asked.
"Oh fine dear. Its not the same without my husband around."
" You'll manage. I'm sure," I said taking a sip of the warm brew and wondering why the heck PC liked his coffee this way.
Bertha smiled " I always do manage to pull through , especially in my younger days…Young love is a fickle thing." I nodded but said nothing. " Speaking of which I haven't seen your boyfriend around here lately."
I nearly choked. " What boyfriend…You mean Roc?"
"Yes."
"Bertha, Roc is not my boyfriend…He's younger than me about three years younger."
She smiled quizzically at me "I was younger than my husband. Age doesn't matter, Bree its all about how much you love each other. Are you sure he isn't?" My temper flared and for some reason I was blushing but I didn't know why.
"I'm positive." I said firmly even though subconsciously something told me that I was lying to myself.
"Come on, dear . You at least have feelings for him don't you?"
"Of course I do …but it hasn't gone that far," I said chugging the coffee now.
"I see. Well would you care to hear some wisdom from an old woman?"
"Possibly," I said not knowing wither to listen or dash into the next and get my gun. "Get a boyfriend, my dear, Bree. A young beautiful girl like you doesn't deserve to live out in the wilderness alone. It's almost a sin."
"Don't worry about me Berth—." Suddenly, I heard a pecking at the window outside the kitchen. I looked up and discovered one of my pigeons sitting on the window sill.
"Excuse me," I said and rushed over to the window to collect the bird. I untied the message rolled up on the bird's leg and read it. Gozbud? Lab 7 is going after Gozbud? How did they even find out about him?
"Bree are you alright? You look pale."
"I fine, Bertha. Listen I don't mean to kick you out, (matter of fact I really wanted to) but I need to get started on my day." She smiled and nodded respectfully. I showed her out and then I closed and locked the door…How could this be?

"WHERE IS HE?" I snarled, slamming a bird kid against the side of a building. The poor kid was scared out of his wits, but he was trying not to show it. Blood streamed down from nose, which I broke. We had no idea where to start looking for Lyle, whom I presumed was Gozbud. It wasn't in me to seek out other mutants and threaten them. But I was hoping that this Lyle wasn't our Gozbud and if I had to bust a few heads to prove myself right, I would. Rafmire stood in the shadows holding a little bird girl and watching the entrance to the alley way.
"I told you, I don't know who Lyle is," the bird boy said.
"Don't lie to me, bird brain. I've been trained to sniff out a liar and you've got the scent all over you." He just stared at me defiantly…he was asking for it. I concentrated hard and turned my nails into claws and raked them hard and fast across his face. He grunted and the little girl that Raf held screamed, but it was muffled by his hand. I blinked as beads of blood splattered in my face.
"I'm telling you nothing," the bird kid retorted.
"Is that so…you are trying my patience, Raf," I said. Raf stepped out of the shadows and held one of his claws against the little bird girl's throat.
"I don't want too, boy. But…if you don't tell us what you need to know…I will cut her throat," Raf said placidly. The girl squealed and thrashed around in his grip.
"NO! You wouldn't dare!"
"Try me!" he snarled starting to press the tip of his claw into the side of the girl's neck until it started to bleed.
"STOP IT! Lyle told us he was going to Foxtrot…That's all I know I swear," the bird kid said desperately. Rafmire immediately withdrew and let the little girl go to her brother. I withdrew too and wiped the blood off my face. Without another word we left the alleyway….

I yawned as I watched the scenery go by. We were on the road again, Raf ALWAYS behind the wheel. I can drive grant you I'm just lazy. As we drove on I sat and wondered if my message got to its destination and I was also feeling a little guilty to…because I intentionally left out the little piece of information that would tell Bree that I was supposed to go after Gozbud… ..Some things are better left unsaid. According to the two bird kids that we had ruffed up, Gozbud A.K.A. Lyle was last spotted near a city called Foxtrot. It took us a few hours to reach the city. When we arrived there, we agreed on stopping for lunch first. You can't capture anybody on an empty stomach, so we stopped at a Taco Bell for some burritos. While we ate, we discussed our latest assignment…as discreetly as possible.
"This whole mission has me a little worried," I said.
"I am a little worried too…When Risa mentioned people getting crushed by large projectiles I got chills. I wouldn't want to go that way," Raf replied. We tried to keep our voices low.
"Yeah I don't think I would like that either," I said.
"So physically, what kind of person are we looking for? Is he a shape shifter like you?"
"No…all the sighting reports say all the people saw was an enormous croc like creature, wondering around the sewer system," I replied drinking some soda.
"This is going to be fun," Raf said sarcastically. "Especially when we travel back smelling like raw sewage."
"Don't worry about it…lets be thankful that is the only thing we have to endure. I heard one of the other collectors got thrown into a heap of—."
"PC. I'm eating."
"Right," I shut my mouth and we ate in silence. "Wouldn't it be easier if the experiments just came to us and said 'Here! take me!'"
Raf snorted "Yeah it would be."
I looked down at the watch secured around my wrist. It was more than just a means of keeping time. It was the way Lab 7 kept tabs on Raf and I. We couldn't take them off unless we were inside Lab 7. If we tampered with it there were several things that could happen…a) you'd get electrocuted… b) a metallic spike will form under the band and puncture your wrist …causing excruciating pain and possibly cause you to scream, and c) if you were exceptionally naughty, more spikes would appear skewering your wrist in all directions then spin causing you to lose a hand and rendering you useless to Lab 7 and probably lead you to a most gruesome death. Anyways it was 12:53.
"Come on we'd better get going." I said. Raf nodded and crammed the rest of the burrito he was eating into his mouth and we were out the door.
We searched for a man hole that would provide good accesses to the sewer system, which was surprisingly difficult. The idea about asking some one for directions was a bit absurd but Hey! It never stopped me. I asked around talking to construction workers mostly. Raf , who thought it was a stupid idea, walked off to look on his own. To keep the construction workers from asking too many questions I came up with a multitude of stories so they wouldn't give me such strange looks. My personal favorite involved a girl…naturally…, a trash can and a box of kittens. But despite my efforts of finding a suitable manhole, Raf found one before I did.
"SO, which story did you use on them?" Raf asked with a hint of arrogance in his voice, as I dragged the manhole cover away.
"Why do you care?" I asked.
"I don't…but, I just find it amusing that you can come up with the most far fetched stories and people will actually believe you."
I grinned, "Maybe I can add it to my list of superhuman powers."
"I doubt it. Last time I checked being a convincing liar wasn't a superpower." I looked down into the manhole its warm intoxicating fumes rising up to meet us.
I recoiled pinching my nose, "Good job, Raf –you had to pick the extra STINKY one didn't you." Raf didn't reply and pinched his nose too. To avoid a dispute about who was going to go down first I started to go down the slimy ladder that descended into the noxious waters of the sewer. Raf followed me soon after…

The sewer system under Foxtrot was surprisingly cleaner than the hole Bree used to live in. Which was a hopeful indicator that we wouldn't smell too bad on our way back "home". I was becoming nervous as we wondered around in this dark, wet, underground world. It looked like a place you walk through on your way to eternal damnation in hell. Charming thought eh? Anyways we searched for Gozbud as if we actually liked our job. I wasn't sure what I would do or say when I came face to face with him. If I fought him, the odds of me winning were against me. Gozbud out weighed me by several hundred pounds, he was also taller and far more muscular than I will ever be. If I was hit head on by his tail, it could easily collapse my ribcage. His mouth was another hazard. If I made him angry enough, Gozbud could easily bite me in half. This wasn't a fair fight by any means. I looked over at Raf, his head jerking around in different directions every few minutes, listening for anything unusual. Knowing him for three years, I did tell Raf about my connection with the 10 Ghosts. He swore to me that he would always keep it a secret and I trusted him with that …and so far he has kept his word.
"To bad there is not a neon sign that says Gozbud…this way," Raf muttered. I snorted and said nothing. Suddenly I saw a huge shadow rise up behind me. Before I could react a large hand wrapped its meaty fingers around my neck. The grip instantly closed my windpipe and I began to choke.
A long snout came along side my ear and in a throaty unfamiliar voice said "I heard what you did to those kids back in Gavin Port. You'll pay for that." Then with awesome strength my attacker hurled me down into the water dirty water. I lied there dazed momentarily. Luckily I came to my senses before the creature's foot came down. I barely missed it, if it had hit home I would be dead. I quickly scrambled out of the water winded and shaken. Raf darted forward and raked his claws into the croc man's flesh. The croc was to slow to react and Raf slipped through his fingers avoiding his crushing grip. Raf instantly turned and instead of attempting another attack grabbed me by my hoody, forcing me to run along with him and we began our hasty retreat.
"Come back!" the croc roared after us.
"This is suicide. How did Risa expect us to take down something that big?" Raf said with anxiety in his voice.
"I don't know…but one thing is for sure…. that THING is not Gozbud."
"Really! Are you sure ?"
" Posi—tive," I said still trying to breath normally. It was true. The creature we had encountered was not Gozbud. I felt stupid for jumping to conclusions. But at least, if my message had reached Bree as planned, Gozbud could move himself to avoid potential detection.
"How did you know?" Raf asked. Water splashed up into our faces and the scum covered walls passed us in a flurry of dirty browns and brackish greens.
"That's very simple…Gozbud is an alligator…"

"An alligator? What's the difference?" Raf snapped at me. It's rare that he loses his temper, but given the circumstances I don't blame him.
"Crocodiles have a pointier snout on top of that their teeth stick out the sides of their mouths. Gators on the other hand had a rounded sound and their teeth don't poke out as much," I said as we ran.
"Great! Now I know!"
I was glad that Lyle was Gozbud, because now I would have no problem with kicking this guy's butt to high heaven.
"Where are we headed?" I asked
"The surface we will have the advantage," Raf replied.
"The surface? If we go up there, we will be making a scene and Risa told us to keep these things quiet."
"If you have a better idea PC please share it."
"I don't."
"Then don't argue with me." We heard Lyle roaring and shouting behind us. It sounded like he was gaining on us. Suddenly a shaft appeared in the distance. YES, A way out! We scrambled up the ladder as the angry croc closed in on us. I stuck my head out of the hole. We were in the middle of street in the city, so much for keeping this mission quiet. Once Raf had gotten out I quickly replaced the manhole cover.
"I don't think he can squeeze through that," I said with some relief. Raf nodded, but he looked doubtful that the chase ended here and he was right. Suddenly a huge fist punched through the asphalt. People on the sidewalks either began to scream with hysteria or stood there awe struck as an 8 foot tall croc humanoid exploded out of the ground. He slapped his tail on the ground and gnashed his teeth at us. Lyle's was build was very similar to Gozbud's, only his coloring was slightly different.
"How do you want to do this?" Raf whispered to me. Looking over our formidable target I said," Let's negotiate. It will waste a lot less time if we can convince this guy to come with us willingly."
"Negotiation has never worked for us in the past. What makes you think it will work now?"
"Just give me a chance," I replied.
Raf nodded "Fine… your funeral." I stifled a grin and walked towards Lyle...

As I approached, he began to thrash around even more. He needed better intimidation tactics.
"Calm down! I just want to talk!" I said making sure to keep a safe distance. Lyle stopped thrashing.
"I don't negotiate with SCUM like you !" he said, lashing out with his tail and slapping the ground next to me. I wanted to run away, but stayed put.
"Come on. We haven't harmed you in anyway…have we?"
"But you will. You harmed Halcon and Lucy," Lyle replied.
"Only a little bit. If you hadn't been so hard to find we wouldn't have resorted to that."
"Are you saying it is MY FAULT?" He lashed out again.
"No, I am not saying that. Please, just a moment of your time." I said calmly. I watched the people that were in the area. They stared at us with eyes the size of grapefruits. This wasn't good to have this many witnesses.
"Fine then. Talk." Lyle snarled.
" First off, what are you called?"
"Those stupid Whitecoats called me Lyle. My real name shouldn't matter since you are associated with the Whitecoats. You're trash!" I wasn't offended by the accusation. I am sure that Lyle would have more to say to me if he knew that I was once of the 10 Ghost. " Fine then I'll call you Lyle," I said.
"What are you called?" Lyle asked.
"That shouldn't matter to you, Lyle…after all.. I am as you call it, trash."
"Fair enough. What do you want?"
"We have been sent here to bring you back too Lab 7," I said earnestly. There was a faint wave of whispers that erupted from the on lookers. I was definitely going to get reamed for this later.
"You! Were scent to take me back…to that…HELL HOLE!" he shouted.
"Yes."
"GRAAHHHWWAAAH! I'll kill you!" Lyle charged toward me. In any other circumstance I would've run for my life, but miraculously I held my ground.
"STOP!" I shouted holding up my hands. Surprisingly Lyle did stop a few feet away.
"Look around you. There are innocent people here. If you start a fight, people are going to get hurt! If you come peacefully you can avoid taking some innocent bystander's life." Lyle looked around and seemed to consider the words that I had said and then looked at me… The next thing I remember is being hurled through the window of a convenience store….