Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize.


"It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend."

William Blake


Tasha

Tasha's wrists had rubbed raw a while ago. The rope wasn't loose by any means, even if she wasn't guarded like Douglas. James hadn't let go of her arm since they left Los Angeles, either. His dirty nails were digging into her skin, but she didn't think he noticed. He was watching someone ahead of them as they approached, the heat of the day obscuring their silhouette. She couldn't see who it was, but they were holding something. Douglas was standing on his toes, straining to see over the shoulder of one of his guards. "Who is that?"

"Shut up." James didn't even look at Douglas. He was squinting himself, holding his rifle with one hand. She hoped it didn't slip. It was aimed right at her feet. She glanced at Douglas again, but he wasn't helping her. He was too busy glaring at James now, not that James seemed to notice. "Is that one of your friends?"

Tasha swallowed and shifted her feet some, just enough to get her toes out from under the rifle. James didn't stop her small motion, thankfully.

Douglas sank back down into his heels, rolling his eyes. "Yes, I got a message through to Mission Creek about you guys during this hike."

Douglas didn't get to say anything else. One of the guards turned his rifle around and hit Douglas square in the stomach. Douglas doubled over with a gasp, letting out a small cough. Tasha flinched at the sight. Why did he have to cause so many problems for himself? It was a miracle they hadn't shot him yet, between his whistling and his sarcasm.

James jerked Tasha's arm. She stumbled closer to him as he raised an eyebrow at Douglas. "Are you serious right now?"

Douglas straightened up after several seconds, breathing hard. "Warn a guy next time." He forced a few deeper breaths with a wince as he watched James. At least the pain seemed to be fading.

"I think that's one of ours." The guard on Douglas' other side spoke up, taking a couple of steps forward. "They look familiar."

Tasha squinted again. She still couldn't make out any details, but her eyes weren't as good as they used to be. Whoever it was sure was wearing a lot of black, though. It didn't make sense in this heat. Tasha gave up looking and shuffled around again.

James focused on her at last. His voice lost some of its edge when he spoke to her, at least. "Are you okay?"

Tasha nodded, eyeing the rifle he held. A smile flickered on her face for a split second, fading out almost as soon as it appeared. "I'm okay. It's just that you keep aiming that right at my feet." It wasn't her only problem at the moment, but it was the one she could deal with, if James was so inclined.

"Oh, sorry." James angled the rifle away from her. Tasha shot him a tight smile again.

"What do we do?" The guard who had hit Douglas watched James, his hands tightening on his gun. The man was ready to fire at something, whether it was Douglas, Tasha, or the person in the distance. Douglas was back on his tip toes, squinting again.

"Right now, we wait." James watched the figure, sucking on his cheek for a moment. "I guess we can sit down for a minute."

It was easy to see relief on the faces of the guards. Tasha felt the same way. She would love to sit for a bit. Water would be even better, but she didn't dare ask. She didn't want to end up drugged again, or worse. James had to help her down, since she couldn't use her hands, but it didn't matter. It was nice to get off her feet. She crossed her legs, letting out a sigh. She wished there was some shade to cool them off. Douglas had to struggle down by himself in the middle of his guards. It took a moment – and some curses - for him to make it down to the ground, but he managed.

She had to admit that these people were disciplined. They had enough restraint to stay still and quiet as the mystery person approached them. She couldn't imagine why they would need to, but they did it. Tasha bit her lip, looking at Douglas. He met her eyes for a second, shrugged a shoulder, and looked away before they were really caught. He didn't know what was going on, either. That wasn't reassuring at all. She shifted a bit to get more comfortable.

She looked back towards Los Angeles. She didn't doubt Donald was searching for them by now. Adam, too. She didn't know how they would find the trail, though. Leaving to go back to Mission Creek was the most insane thing she could think of. If someone was missing, it was the last place she'd think to look. So far as she knew, they would be searching around town, which meant she and Douglas were on their own, for now.

She shifted again. She didn't like that feeling. It was like she was jumping from a cliff without a parachute or a net at the bottom. They weren't even armed or anything. Sure, Douglas proved he could snap someone's neck, but they were ready to shoot her earlier to prevent that. They needed a little luck and a plan, and they weren't allowed to talk to figure something out. It was four against two, anyways. Any plan she could come up with involved her and Douglas escaping, not beating these people in a fight. Douglas likely wanted to fight at least James, if she was reading him right.

They needed time. They needed a plan. They needed help.

The person they were waiting on did look familiar now. Tasha squinted as she tried to make out details. She could've sworn she'd seen them before. Whatever they were holding didn't look like a weapon. It looked more like a limp animal. She let her eyes relax again. She would just have to wait and see, she supposed.

More time passed. The sun shifted overhead. Tasha swallowed, her tongue darting out in an attempt to wet her lips. She recognized that person now. That was Chase's friend, Samantha, or so she thought. It was what her mind was telling her. When he got back from the Otherworld, he was going to be so relieved his friend survived. Moreover, she couldn't imagine Sam ever being on the side of Hunters. With any luck, the Hunters would recognize that the girl wasn't a part of their group and let her pass right by with whatever gray bag she was carrying.

Douglas suddenly sat up, his eyes widening. His guards jumped, their hands going for their guns as Douglas let out a strangled yelp. "Oly?"


"If chaos is a necessary step in the organization of one's universe, then I was well on my way."

Wendelin Van Draanen, Flipped


Chase

I couldn't take my eyes off the TV.

A news station was showing an aerial view of Mission Creek, or what was left of it. It was ruined beyond recognition. I couldn't help but remember the house fire Douglas and I escaped as home after charred home flew past the camera. Christ, how many people died there? It had to be a mass casualty type situation.

Beside me, Bree had her hands covering her mouth, her eyes shining with tears. Undoubtedly, she was thinking of everyone she could have saved with her speed if she had just been there. I knew I had so many different scenarios running through my head about what I could have done, but none of them would have helped as much as her zipping around at Mach One.

This city and these mortals aren't your problem, half-breed.

I pinned my ears. At least Apollyon had be demoted to nothing but a voice in my head again. I couldn't tell which head was which anymore here on Earth, but it didn't matter. At least I knew now that I didn't have the innate instinct towards violence. That little voice never was mine. It was at least seven different heads, which explained a lot about how it sometimes jumped around.

After a moment of the news anchor's cheery reporting – by the way, how could she be so cheery when talking over this kind of footage? – I tore my eyes away from the screen. Leo had sat on the other side of Bree, watching both of us. His eyes darted down to the bandage that covered about half of her upper arm every once in a while. He had questions about what we had been through, I could tell. Hell, I had questions about it. It was such a bizarre blur. I remembered it, but…through a lens, if that made sense. There was some kind of filter on it that made everything seem so positive and wonderful there. Only bits and pieces stood out as awful, and those revolved around Bree getting attacked or hurt. That bandage was Mr. Davenport's training kicking in to save her life, no doubt.

As much as Leo wanted a story, I didn't have much of one. Bree's memory would be clearer than mine, and I didn't think I wanted to know just now. She didn't look ready to talk about it, even though we would have to eventually. The only thing we got out between us was an apology from me, and her saying it wasn't my fault that I nearly burned her alive.

Everything we left unsaid would have to wait, though. Leo had more of a grasp on what was happening here than I did on the Otherworld.

I sucked in a deep breath, grimacing as I did. I was sure now that a few of my ribs had cracked in that crush. Hell, I felt like one big bruise, if I was being honest. Once the adrenaline wore off, everything hurt. The awkward way Leo had to bandage my wing up didn't help things. I couldn't extend it. It was like he tied it closed with the bandages. It was less than ideal.

A military encampment outside of town was on screen now. Leo pointed at it with the remote. "There's nothing they can do. I don't know why they're still trying. Apparently, tanks and missiles don't work on Soad."

"Wait, Soad?" My eyes widened at that. "We killed him. Like, blew up the Arm of Raziel and everything."

"Yeah, well, he's stomping around Mission Creek with an army of demons right now," Leo said.

Bree ran shanking fingers through her hair, gathering the strands in a fist. "He's probably the one who got me in the first place. I recognized his voice in that office."

That was probably true. It would take a powerful guy to pull that kind of soul separation off. I guessed it was one of his unique demon powers, like Apollyon's telepathy. My tail twitched on the bed as I ran through the implications of that. "A greater demon is loose on Earth without a Master now." I threw my hands up. "Thanks, Krane." Even when he was dead, he was still causing problems. "Douglas lost his arm for nothing."

"Don't act so flippant about this," Bree hissed, looking up at me with narrowed eyes.

I pinned my ears and gestured at the screen. "Well, it's not like we can go back in time and undo that. All we can do now is deal with Soad before he hits somewhere else." I forced myself to my feet with a wince and started to pace. The new kid pressed himself further into the corner he was hiding in, watching me like I would bite his head off. I was pretty sure that I wouldn't be able to convince him otherwise for a long time, what with Leo claiming he was orphaned by demons. "Let's run through this: Soad attacked Mission Creek with demons about a month ago, right?"

By the way, we were only gone a month? My system timer had Bree and I in Otherworld for a year and a half. A month?

"Right." Leo watched me as I hobbled through the room. "Are you sure you're up for this right now?"

I waved his words away. Otherworld adventures be damned, this was where I needed to focus right now. Besides, thinking was kind of my thing. "Most refugees made it here?" I pointed at the floor, trying to convey Los Angeles as a whole.

Leo and Bree were both watching me now. Bree dropped her hands, clasping them together in her lap. "Why does that matter?"

"Just seeing how many people got out," I said.

Leo grimaced. "There's no telling."

I blew out a sigh. That was true. Mission Creek wasn't exactly small. I turned around, heading back for the other end of the room again. "Right." I gestured around the room. "Did…did anyone not make it here?"

Leo shook his head. "We held out in the Lab for a while. Kevin and Perry are missing, though."

"Then where is everyone?" Bree asked. It was a valid question. I would have expected a hug-fest by now.

Leo set the remote down on the bed, glancing at the window. "Douglas and Mom are kind of missing."

Bree sat straight up at that. I stopped in the middle of the room, turning back to face Leo. "Kinda missing?"

"They…. The desk clerk says they went for a walk last night and never came back," Leo explained, gesturing towards the door.

I furrowed my brow, frowning. That didn't sound good. "I'm guessing Mr. Davenport and Adam are looking for them, then?"

"With Ysthry and Yahn." Leo scowled. "Mr. Davenport didn't let me come with them to help."

I glanced at Trevor, who was still watching me with wide eyes. The poor thing was so pale. I could see why they didn't want him running around out there with a couple of imps. "Well, we're going to help him now." We couldn't just stay here. It would drive me crazy, at the very least. I had a feeling Leo and Bree would be feeling the same way.

Bree let a bitter laugh out. "How? It's not like we know where they went."

"I can track them." I started for the closet. As I pulled it open and dug through the shirts, I could feel their eyes boring into my back. I sighed, pulling out an older shirt of Mr. Davenport's. "My nose isn't as good as an imp's, but I can still hunt someone down, if they only left a little while ago." I had to resist saying that a mixture of bionics and demon senses helped a lot in that department, but I couldn't stop a grin.

"What about him?" Bree pointed to Trevor.

As impractical as the kid was at the moment, I shrugged. "Bring him." We couldn't leave him alone, and Leo would likely try to follow us if we left.

Bree's eyes widened. "We can't just bring a kid with us when we-"

"Why not? I want Douglas."

My ears perked straight up. That was the first time I heard Trevor speak in my presence.

Leo was standing up already. "Sweet, let's go."

"Guys, he's going to get hurt." Bree was looking between us now, her fists on her hip as she did. That flexing had to hurt. "We can't."

"We're looking for people, not walking into Mission Creek," Leo protested. "How dangerous could it be?"

"Exactly." I pointed at Leo, then shoved my face into Mr. Davenport's shirt. I inhaled loudly, trying to commit the scent to memory for as long as I could. It took a couple of huffs before I felt confident enough to try tracking them down. I looked at everyone again – wow, those looks they were giving me were insulting. Haven't they seen a djinni smelling a shirt before? – and pointed at the door. "Come on, then."