Gosh, sorry I'm taking so much time with updating this. I feel bad to make you wait because I know how it feels to be waiting for a new chapter of a story you're reading and now I'm not better. o_o

I would love to promise that it won't happen again but I guess it's better not to do so. But be assured: I'm definitely gonna finish translating this. I hate to start things and then don't finish them. It might just take some time - working on the next chapter already so it will be out a little bit sooner than this one.

AddictWithAPencil: The problem with asking friends is that I'm going to change a few things while translating. There's a lot of stuff and scenes in my head that didn't seem to fit within the story when I started it back in last June. God, this seems to be so long ago. Translating and (kind of) republishing the story gives me more possibilities to rewrite and add stuff. Other than that my biggest problem is that I just don't seem to have enough time due to my job etc. I have to be honest though that I'm writing down little scenes and ideas while I'm at work. :) I'm glad no one noticed that so far.

hooray4natasha: Thank you! :D I'm happy my English doesn't suck completely and people understand what I'm writing. I'm also happy you like Yana. She's actually the.. fourth or fifth version of the first OC I had in mind. Let's just say a lot of things changed except for the name.

Thanks to Random Chick and betzz98 as well. I hope you'll enjoy this and also the next chapters. :)

Also thanks to everyone who follows this story. It's great to see people are enjoying this. I never expected this in the first place.

Two little sidenotes for this chapter: describing houses/apartments is something I find very hard to do. Especially in a different language. I do have a blueprint of the apartment and I might upload it some day so you have a visual - even though I'm afraid because you probably imagine something entirely different than what I wrote. *coughs*BecauseIsuck *coughs* :'D And the second thing: Brownie is a Norwegian Forest cat.

And now have fun with a rather long chapter!

It probably wasn't the best idea to take both men to the place she lived. If Natalie ever found out about this she would be angry with Yana. No doubt about that. Bringing strangers to your home had always been a bad idea. At least in movies.

But there were a few things the brothers wanted to talk about, like explanations to what was going on. Since there were too many people around, Yana decided it would be for the best if they went somewhere the three of them could talk without being observed. She had questions as well. Like if Delsin was one of the Conduits who escaped the transport. The news stated there were three of them. One had already been caught again; the second was Fetch so Delsin could as well be the third one.

No one paid attention to the trio as they made their way to Yana's apartment and that was a good thing if she was honest. She had no idea if the people around here knew about Delsin already. From the bit she heard earlier he had already met the D.U.P. and caused some trouble. The trucks Yana had seen a few hours ago when she was enjoying her cappuccino? Now she knew what that fuss was all about.

Yana lived on the third floor of a big apartment building in a quiet part of the city given the recent events. She had lived there for two years by now, but there still were a few neighbors she didn't know well or more like not at all. Through one of her neighbors, an elderly woman right next door, Yana knew that there was no way to know everyone around. Not only because you didn't see each other on a regular basis but also because people moved in and out. Some fast, some not. She had seen a lot of moving companies outside the building herself since she lived here.

"Come in", Yana turned around the key and took a few steps inside her apartment.

The corridor the brothers found themselves in was small. Almost too small for three people. While Yana put away her keys and jacket, the men took a moment to look around.

There were two built in cupboards, one behind the front door and the other one on the opposite wall. The one behind the door was the same Yana put her jacket in so Reggie supposed the other was for cleaning utensils. The small wall right next to the door was adorned by a corkboard with lots of notes and flyers from various delivery services. Reggie noticed a key box hanging on the wall as well.

There were two doors straight from the front one. One that was slightly ajar on the left side - it seemed to lead to the bathroom - and an open door on the right. The men followed Yana through the open one into the living room. They had already noticed the female touch the moment they entered. There was a pleasant smell in the air. Something that reminded them of coming home. Warm brown colors graced the walls and the whole place was tidy – one thing that definitely didn't match with Delsin's room most of the time.

Yana sure didn't need to worry about bringing people to her home spontaneously.

"Take a seat", she pointed to a white couch in the middle of the room. "I'll be right back. I'm going to change into something more comfortable if you don't mind."

"Not at all", ignoring Reggie's look, Delsin plopped down on the shorter side of the couch – which was formed like an 'L' - making himself comfortable. His head turned after Yana as she approached a sliding door behind him, opening it a little and then closing it behind her again. "Damn."

Again, the look Reggie gave his brother was ignored. There were more important things than flirting with someone both barely knew. Not that this was something that kept Delsin from doing so. At least Yana didn't seem to care about it or she didn't notice it in the first place. Reggie decided to look around a bit more. Right next to the way they came from was a small open kitchen with a bar and two stools. He immediately noticed two bowls standing on the floor. "You have pets?"

"A tomcat yes, his name is Brownie", came a muffled answer from Yana's bedroom. Cappuccino could have been an option as well.

"You named your cat after food?", Delsin asked confused. What kind of people called their pet's food names?

"Yes, I named him after food."

Suppressing a smile at her answer, Reggie's eyes roamed around the big room further. There was a small coffee table, a cabinet holding the TV, as well as a small showcase. Also a few shelves with books and lots of knick-knacks which probably all held a sentimental value. A cat tree stood next to the door leading on the balcony. "You have a nice apartment", his eyes fell on a photo-collage. Reggie noticed Yana was in most of the pictures. Either together with friends or her parents – well, at least with her father from what he could tell. There was no sign of her mother.

"Thanks. It was a lucky find", the sliding door opened again. Yana was still dressed in a pair of light gray jeans she wore earlier but now with a green t-shirt instead of a blouse. She was tying up her shoulder long red hair as she made her way over to the small kitchen. "Do you want something to drink? I got water, ice tea. It's too early for beer... uhm...", she opened the fridge studying what was inside. "Orange juice! And of course cappuccino."

"Please, no more cappuccino for today. Water is fine with me", Reggie now took a seat on the couch just like his brother did before.

"Beer doesn't sound too bad."

"Okay, water for you as well", while she prepared the drinks a brown fluffy fur ball made its way right up to the couch where the two men sat. Brownie looked at them, head turned to the side a little as he tried to figure out who they were. And more importantly why they sat on his couch. When Yana finished pouring in the drinks for Reggie and Delsin, she started to make a cappuccino for herself before she walked over to the couch. "Here you go", she handed them their water.

"Thanks. I do have to wonder though: do you drink anything else besides cappuccino?"

"Sure", Yana nodded. "If I have to. Everyone has their little addictions."

"May I ask how you two met? We haven't talked about that so far."

Both, Yana and Reggie, turned to face Delsin. It was Reggie who spoke in the end. "I ran into her while trying to call you. Which didn't work at all by the way."

"Hey, I already told you I had some problems with the D.U.P. and all", he shrugged. "There was no time for me to answer your calls and those relays? Man Reg, you should have been there! I've got some new tricks that will become handy in the future."

"There's no need to see what you've got. Besides I heard a few things before the connection broke of and you ran away without saying a goddamn word."

"It's not like anything happened to me and besides: it was running away in order to save my ass. There's a difference."

Yana couldn't help but to smirk at the brothers. It held something funny even though she knew it probably wasn't. She had only known Reggie since a few hours but even after that short amount of time and the things they talked about, it was obvious to her that his little brother was dear to him. All in all Reggie seemed like a person who worried about a lot of things. Not only about his family but also about strangers like her. He brought her back her keys, something not everyone would have done. Yana didn't believe that it was only because of his job. Reggie seemed like a kindhearted man and god, Yana wished there were more people like him around. Especially these days.

"Well, I guess since both of you seem to be okay everything's fine right?", Yana said as she sat down between the men, the warm cup still in her hands. She took a careful sip. "I mean... you don't have to play the dotting brother anymore now do you?"

Before either Reggie or Delsin could answer her, the later found himself staring at Brownie who had jumped onto the couch. Brownie tiptoed over to where Delsin sat, eyes fixed on the mans. With a jump on Delsin's stomach everyone turned their attention towards him. "What does he want?"

"I don't know. Maybe he expects you to pet him. Brownie's always curious when strangers come here."

Raising an eyebrow Delsin turned his attention back to the tomcat. Before he even came anywhere near to pet or to shoo him away, Brownie came closer and tapped one of his paws against Delsin's nose. At first careful but when he noticed the man didn't react at all, the tapping became a bit stronger. "Meow!"

"Stop that!", Delsin turned his head away so Brownie couldn't reach his nose anymore. "I don't know what you want but stop tapping my nose!"

"Meow!"

By now Yana had a wide grin spread across her face. Now she understood what kind of problem Brownie was having. It wasn't because he wanted to be petted. "Hey Brownie, it's okay. Come here", she patted her legs. It took Brownie a moment before he finally 'let go' of Delsin and walked over to Yana. "I'm sorry. That's usually my place; I guess he wanted you to go somewhere else. When he was younger and did something bad I tapped his nose. Like when he slept in my bed", she gave Brownie a look. "It didn't work though right?"

"Meow", not always at least. Brownie had his own head, much to Yana's dismay and right now he decided to pay the second man a visit instead of staying by her side. He didn't encounter strangers often, so this was like a onetime chance to make new acquaintances. Just like his brother before Reggie raised an eyebrow when Brownie jumped on his lap. But instead of annoying him Brownie started to make himself comfortable and began to purr once the man began to pet him hesitantly.

"Looks like he likes you", Yana smiled.

"So what? He likes my brother but because I'm sitting in your place I'm the bad guy here?", Delsin didn't understand what was happening right now.

"Maybe it's because you're different."

"Talking about different", Delsin turned his attention towards Yana. "You called me a Conduit and you had no problem with taking both of us with you. Most of the people I have met in the past hours weren't happy to see me because of what I am. They called me 'freak' and 'bio terrorist'. I suppose none of them would've taken me home even if I asked them nicely."

"Well, I don't have a problem with people like you. I mean... up until now", she answered with a shrug. "I know the D.U.P. likes to say stuff like 'bio terrorist kill your pets' as well as other things and I suppose there are some that would do so. It's just that I never had contact with a Conduit who did harm me or people I know."

"That means you did have contact before?", both Rowe's became curious now. Especially Delsin since he saw a chance for getting a few new powers.

"I'm originally from New Orleans, there were Conduits too. Our neighbor's son was a real nice boy. He was shy but he would always smile at you and... well, he was ten when they took him away. He never did anything bad but some people were afraid he might blow up the whole street one day. Or something like that. They called the D.U.P.", she closed her eyes for a moment remembering the day it happened. "I still remember his frightened look when he got into the car and it drove away. His parents were devastated. There was nothing they could do."

"They took him to Curdun Cay?"

"They take everyone to Curdun Cay. No one knows what it looks like or what the D.U.P. does to the Conduits", the people weren't interested in things like that. They were happy they were safe and as long as no one did hurt them, they didn't mind if the Conduits got hurt instead.

"Well, I suppose the D.U.P. isn't really nice to the Conduits staying there", Delsin knew only little about what happened in Curdun Cay thanks to Hank. He guessed there were differences in how you were treated depending on how willing you were to work with the D.U.P. in the first place. He wondered what they did with children who were young and still needed someone to show them what was right and wrong. Children were much more open to influence. The thought about what someone could do to them was more than just a little frightening. He could only pray most of the Conduits who 'lived' in there didn't have to spent their childhood behind concrete walls. That they had been older when the D.U.P. took them away. Which still was a bad thing. He couldn't deny that but it didn't sound as bad as raising up in custody and missing a big and important part in your life.

Yana became curious. "You know something about Curdun Cay."

"Not much. I saw a few things when I got Hank's powers."

"Who's Hank?"

"One of the Conduits who ran away after the crash", Reggie had finally given in completely and petted Brownie's stomach as if he had all the time in the world. Yana didn't say anything. Brownie was particular when it came to petting him. It took Yana years until she was able to touch his stomach and Reggie just came in and was allowed to do so as it wasn't a big deal at all. There must have been something very special about the man if Brownie was so comfortable with him. It made Yana a little jealous to be honest. "The truck crashed near the preserve."

"Preserve? In Salmon Bay?", it was the first time she heard about that or maybe she had just forgotten about it. Yana was sure it was never mentioned in the news about the accident and Reggie only mentioned the tribe for a short moment.

"So you know about Salmon Bay."

"The inscription on your brother's jacket. We only talked about it for a few minutes, he told me about Betty. That's more or less everything."

Delsin gave her a small nod before he began to explain. "We're part of the Akomish. Betty is, more or less, the tribes patriarch. She doesn't like it when we call her that though because it's the wrong word for what she means to us. She's more like... a mother or a grandmother. She keeps an eye on us and... she's the reason I'm here", he seemed sad when he talked about her like that. Like something had happened to her. "If you'll ask my brother he will tell you I'm a 'worthless fellow'."

"Which is right."

What followed was another little banter between the brothers Yana didn't understand. It seemed that Reggie took responsibility for taking care of his brother after their parents died. So while Reggie's path brought him right into the job of an officer, Delsin decided to spend his time with spraying pictures he called art. That of course meant that both, Reggie and Delsin, would argue a lot because it was Reggie's duty to care for the safety of the people. Also to make sure everyone maintained the rules. Maybe he needed to loosen up a bit but Yana could see Reggie was just worried about Delsin's well being.

"I'm sorry to disturb you but may I ask why you're here exactly?"

"Because of Augustine."

Yana took a deep breath when she heard the name of her mother. "You know her?"

"Unfortunately yes. Two of the Conduits ran away right after the crash. Hank decided to set the fish cannery on fire after Reggie pointed a gun at him and ran away after that too", before Reggie could explain himself Delsin continued to talk. "Well, he had been stuck under a part of the trucks door and while Reggie tried to catch the other two, I helped him. When Reggie came back Hank panicked and fired a smoke shot at him. Things got out of hand... I thought I could outplay him but the second I touched his arm I absorbed his powers."

"Why did he set fire anyway?"

"To buy himself time. He lost some because he was stuck. I was knocked out when his powers 'transferred' to me, Reggie's leg was stuck under a car and I had to help him first... Hank wanted to distract the D.U.P. so he could get away in time before they arrived. But since I had his powers I fought with him. I wanted him to fix whatever he did to me; to make me normal again. So by the time he left the cannery the D.U.P. had already arrived. And that's where Augustine appeared", he stopped for a second. Delsin was sure he would never forget the first meeting with her. The hate in her eyes. "At that time I didn't know it was a bad idea. But the way she talked and acted towards Conduits... I asked her if she wasn't one as well and then things didn't go as planned, not like they did before. She threatened to harm Betty so I told her I was a Conduit. She didn't believe me at all, rammed some concrete shards in my legs. She did the same to Betty and a lot of the other tribe members to make them speak."

Yana took a deep breath. She knew her mother wasn't a nice person. That had been clear as glass years ago but hurting innocent people that were just at the wrong place at the wrong time? Because they didn't tell her what she wanted to hear? She remembered how fondly Reggie talked about Betty. To think Augustine hurt her made Yana feel sad and also angry. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be, it's not your fault and I'm here to get Augustine's powers in order to help my friends. I'm a power sponge after all", Delsin looked at his hands, a smile tugging at his lips as he did so. This whole power thing was getting quite handy. "Technically I just have to shake her hand."

Now Yana had an idea why he seemed so eager when he shook hers when they met not long ago. "I suppose you're after Fetch then as well."

"Fetch?"

"Yes, she's... she would be one of the two Conduits who managed to escape. I thought you were one of them but I guess there's still someone else."

"How come you now the name of the Conduits?"

"Well only hers to be exact. You could say she's popular around here or as popular as you can be when the D.U.P. is in charge of the news to some extent. It's said that she killed some random people. There are no pictures though but it's enough for people to believe it's the truth", Yana shrugged and took another sip of her cappuccino. "I mean they believe anything – even the stuff with Conduits killing your pets. I just don't get it."

"Do you think they're just making stuff up?"

"Really now Delsin, you think the D.U.P. is telling lies? Why would they?", Delsin rolled his eyes with a sigh. And how come his brother always believed in the good side of people? He had seen how the city looked. How the people looked. What Augustine did. The D.U.P. had to make sure it looked like everything they did was justified. The whole lock-down. That was one thing Delsin didn't understand. Why would you prevent the normal people from leaving? The Conduits yes, but some destroyed bridges was nothing a Conduit could stop.

He remembered the scan stations. Everyone had to use them and a few people were held in those suspicion pens because they had the gene. Just the gene, no powers and they were still treated like they were pure evil. This wasn't only about the Conduits, this was about control.

"You seriously want an answer to that?"

Before they could start arguing again – Yana had the feeling this happened quite often – she interrupted them. "Okay you two, it won't help anyone if you continue to argue. Just remember that right now, even though there are a lot of people who don't like Conduits, the D.U.P. is the worst problem to have. If you destroy the cameras, the scan stations and everything the D.U.P. uses to keep the city under control, the people around might help you or at least not freak out as much when they see you."

"Mhm, maybe yes. I few people were happy when I destroyed that little command center they had set up in Queen Anne", it was worth a try. Even if the people did hate him it would be okay because Delsin was sure Augustine would notice him and that was all he needed. "I might get Augustine to show up while rampaging around and destroying her precious D.U.P. equipment."

"You should be a bit more worried about this. The cameras record everything you do. She'll find you sooner than anticipated and by sooner I mean before you get more powers", Reggie stood up and began to think about what they could do while he moved through the room. Brownie had already walked over to his cat tree a few moments ago so getting up didn't turn out to be a problem. Now the plan was not only to find Fetch but also to hinder Augustine from controlling the city and thus knowing where exactly Delsin was running around. "There has to be some kind of headquarters. Something we, well, you can disrupt."

"Great. What are we waiting for? Let's go and look for it", Delsin stood up as well and gave his brother a pat on the back before he turned to look at Yana. "It was nice meeting you. Once I have a little bit of time to spare I'm gonna visit you, I promise", that said Delsin vanished in a cloud of smoke, using an open window instead of the front door.

Yana turned to Reggie. "Could you tell your brother that I'd appreciate it if he would use the door like everyone else instead of flying through windows next time? I might not have a problem with Conduits but I don't need people to talk about stuff like this. The last thing I need is the D.U.P. on my heels", or Augustine for that matter.

"Sure, I'll tell him. I guess I should follow him so...", he pulled a piece of paper out of his pockets and started to scribble something on it. "My number. If anything happens don't hesitate to give me call."

"You two sure are strange you know that?", seeing the questioning look, Yana continued to talk. "It's like you don't care about anything besides helping people. You should worry about Delsin or your own well being more than mine."

"Let's say it's a bad habit coming with my job."

Yana took the paper, giving it a short glance. Reggie was already on his way towards the front door when she spoke. "Thanks... and good luck."

"Ah, there's one thing I wanted to ask a bit earlier", he turned to face her once more. "You said you're from New Orleans. Seven years ago, in New Marais..."

A sad smile appeared on her lips when she remembered the old times. "It was close. The Beast if that's what you mean. You could see him from miles away. I guess we had luck nothing bad happened even though I have to be honest and say that a few people I knew died back then", she paused a second before she continued. "You know Conduits aren't so bad. We probably only live because one of them sacrificed his life. Your brother... he's doing something similar."

"I know. That's what I'm afraid of."