Hello, earthlings! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and I hope you enjoy! I own nothing except a dysfunctional computer.

After the factory exploded, Davey, Les and Romeo wandered around beside the ditch/river until they found where the others had emerged. All of them were safe, somehow. They probably all owed their lives to the girl with the tunneling mutation that defied the laws of science. The mutants were all anxiously walking around the area. Race, Henry and Finch ran over as soon as the three other boys stumbled up to the group.

"Where were you?" Race asked, hugging Romeo tightly as he did.

"They were on the roof," Davey told him as the rest of the remaining factory kids ran up to meet them. "Jack and I reached them just in time."

"Where's Jack?" Jojo asked, glancing around nervously. Davey sighed. He wasn't completely sure what to tell the others.

"Jack ran off after we got out. I think he was a little…"

"Freaked out?"

"Yeah. That."

The kids looked at each other. None of them were sure how to react. All of them were worried about their friend, and none of them were quite sure what to do without their leader. Davey wasn't quite sure what to do either. Stick with the other mutants? Go off by themselves? Which one was safer?

"Hey," a voice called from a few feet away. Davey looked over and spotted a teenage girl, one of Spot's gang members probably. "We're leaving in five."

"Thanks, Dollhouse," Race emotionlessly responded. Davey blinked in surprise and confusion.

"Wait, we're going somewhere?"

"One of Spot's bases," Finch told him after a few seconds. "Most of the mutants are gonna hide out there, and where else are we gonna go?" He stared at the ground.

All of the kids seemed numb and tired. Davey didn't blame them. He was kinda in shock too. Their home was gone, exploded into a million pieces. His home was gone. The only place where he'd ever been able to fully use his powers and not have to hide them every hour of every day was gone. He tried to tell himself that everything would be fine, that at least no one had been hurt, but it did hurt to see his home reduced to rubble. But he had to keep moving. He made brief eye contact with Specs across the solemn group of kids. They both understood what Jack's disappearance meant: that they were the oldest kids now. That made them the leaders. They had to keep going, and hope for the best.

"Alright, c'mon," Davey said, trying to sound at least somewhat energetic. "We should get a move on. Don't want to be left behind."

A few hours later, everyone was in Spot's underground lair. Where he got an underground lair Davey didn't know, but it wasn't a very good one. It was cramped and smelled awful. It was honestly most likely part of the sewer system.

The kids were all sitting around when they heard a commotion near the entrance, a tiny ladder leading up and out. Two new people were climbing down, arguing with the young man on guard. Davey felt a rush of relief when the two finally dodged past the man and he recognized Jack and Katherine. The two made their way to where the factory kids were clumped.

"Glad to see everyone's alright," Jack said,not bothering to give a greeting. "Where's Spot?"

Davey wordlessly pointed further into the tunnel, and Jack marched off. Katherine and Davey looked at each other, then followed. They walked to the small side area where Spot was resting. His leg was slowly healing, but he'd been shot in the leg a few days ago. He still couldn't walk, obviously. The only other people in the space were a few of Spot's bodyguards. Jack strolled right on in, and the other two teens cautiously walked in after him.

"Oh, hey, Jackie," Spot said from his spot on the small couch. How'd they even get that down there? Davey probably didn't want to know. "Glad you're alright-"

"You need to call off all the fighting and try to get a truce with Pulitzer," Jack announced. Davey blinked in surprise. He hadn't been expecting Jack to say that.

Spot frowned. "Why should I?"

"My home was just destroyed! A whole bunch of people could've been hurt, and more people'll be hurt before all this is over! If we just talk to them-"

"I'm done talking! They'll never listen! We'll win the fight and then-"

"Then they'll make fairer laws, and it'll all be rainbows. Until they put the old laws back in place, and we're right back where we started. We can win this way. But I think at least Pulitzer is willing to negotiate. I've seen him, and-"

Beside Davey, Katherine inhaled sharply. Spot's eyes narrowed, and the earth shook slightly. "You've seen him?"

Before Jack could answer, they heard the sound of screaming from outside the space. A woman ran in, her face frantic. "King!" she shouted. "Hunters! Right outside!" Davey gasped.

"You led them here!" Spot screamed at Jack, who looked like he was in shock.

"No," the boy whispered. "I…"

"Traitor!" The ground shook even more quickly, so much that even the people above ground probably felt it slightly. "All of you get out of here! Go!" Davey didn't argue. He ran from the room, wondering how Spot planned to get out. He probably had a plan.

"Jack," Davey said, trying to keep his voice calm as they broke into the commotion in the main room. "Did you bring them here?"

"I-I don't know," Jack gasped. "I… I saw Pulitzer and…"

"You led them here?" a stranger's voice cut in. A nearby kid had heard him speak. The cry spread throughout the mutant's and all of them glared at Jack as they ran for the backup tunnels. A hunter started climbing down the ladder.

Davey didn't have any more time to question Jack. He ran off, trying to find Les in the crowd. "Davey!" someone shouted. He turned to see Elmer standing nearby. "Les is with the others!" the younger boy said frantically. Davey nodded thankfully, and the two raced into the tunnels.

The tunnels were confusing, and definitely part of a sewer. Eventually the two boys were able to find a ladder and burst into the relative light of a street in the middle of the night. They were standing on a sidewalk, near Medda's theater incidentally. A couple of other mutants were milling around in an alley nearby. Davey looked around but only recognized Tommy Boy.

Another boy pushed his head out of the manhole, and Davey recognized Jack. He sullenly helped Katherine out and turned to face the others. "Who all is here?" he asked quietly.

"I heard you led the hunters to the tunnels," a woman said accusingly. SHe glared at Jack with eyes that looked unnatural, like a cat's.

Jack swallowed. "I… didn't mean to…" The woman just scoffed. All of the members of Spot's gang turned around and walked away. Tommy Boy, Elmer and Davey were the only ones who stayed.

Davey looked over at Tommy Boy, and only then realized how upset the younger boy looked. "Davey," he whispered. "I… Les was with some of the other guys down there and… and I saw a hunter grab him…"

Davey couldn't understand what he was saying. Wouldn't understand it. "No. You probably saw the wrong thing. That's- no."

Tommy Boy looked like he was about to cry. "I… know it was him. Les… the hunters took him, Davey."

Davey just stared. That couldn't be right. That wasn't fair. Davey had run away from home and everything he knew to protect his brother and now this? It was a mistake. Some huge, tragic mistake. But it wasn't. Tommy Boy was telling the truth. Les really was gone, taken away by some awful people who would cut him open or put him in the Refuge or… Davey realized that he was crying. He didn't care. "I have to go back for him," he said, walking back towards the hole they'd come out of.

Jack grabbed his arm. "Davey, there's nothing you can do, they took him-"

"And who's fault is that?" Davey yelled, whipping around. He realized if anyone happened to walk by they'd come investigate the noise's source immediately and that this wasn't all Jack's fault, but he didn't care. He needed to take out this anger on something, because otherwise he'd turn it on himself and how he should've been there for his brother, should've protected him- "You led them to the tunnels, and now we're all in danger again!"

"He didn't mean to," Katherine said quietly.

"Well, he did, and now my brother and who knows how many other mutants have been taken."

Jack stared at him in stony silence for a second, than whipped around and ran away, down the street towards Ms. Medda's theater. The other kids just watched him run off before turning and walking into the alley, leaving Katherine alone on the empty sidewalk.

This is a bit shorter than my usual chapters, but it felt like the right place to end it so… what do you think? I remembered while writing this chapter that Jack was supposed to sell out the other newsies, but because of what happened in the last chapter that wouldn't be logical, so I improvised. Please leave a review with constructive criticism, suggestions and/or words of encouragement! Later, potaters!