Two weeks later

The rain was coming down in blinding sheets that soaked one to the bone. Splashing through the puddles underfoot and running through the wet streets and alleys. The two bodies ran together and ducked into an abandoned warehouse to escape the rain. Riley yanked her drenched hoodie off and threw it on a hook.

"Perfect day to be a duck." She commented.

Kat chuckled and stripped her hoodie off as well.

"Now Kat I got a legit question before we go see the others," Riley spoke cautiously and slowly.

"What?" Kat questioned.

"The first day I was in camp why did you randomly tell me not to wash my hair? I've been wondering." Riley chuckled.

Kat burst into laughter.

"I'd completely forgot about that. In our original plan, we were all going to sneak into that ball incognito. If Casey approved my thought of you being part of the team I was going to bleach your hair for your disguise." Kat answered.

"Who says I would've agreed to that?" Riley huffed.

"Eh, Casey can be very convincing when he wants." She shrugged, but she had a mischievous grin.

Riley laughed and walked into the main room.

"Honey I'm home!" Riley called.

She walked over to where Casey was sitting with Gia by the tech. She rested her head on his and wrapped her wet arms around his neck.

"Riley!" He complained. "You're wet."

"Yeah, that's what happens when it rains outside." She teased.

"Do you mind?" Casey questioned, emerald eyes looking up at her.

"Nope." Riley laughed.

She released him and walked over to her cot on the ground. She dug into her backpack for a change of clothes and stripped right then and there. Casey gave an inappropriate whistle. Somehow a random metal pole floated up and whacked him upside the head. Casey mournfully rubbed his head.

"That was completely deserved." Gia quipped.

A small and light laugh came to the corner. Henri was sitting on the mattress in the corner with Sidney. He'd been reading The Son of Neptune to her. Riley had lent it to him.

The laugh had come from Sidney. She had started regaining consciousness about five days ago. Slowly Sidney was regaining her strength, still not using any of her legacies.

Riley slipped a new shirt and pants on and walked over to Casey in her socks. Kat was still undressing her soaked clothing. Casey whistled appreciatively at her. A shoe came from Kat's direction and smacked him straight in the face. Riley laughed.

"Listen pervert. Don't make me start calling you Zeus." She teased.

"I'm sorry was that a burn? I barely felt a pinch." Casey smirked, looking up at her.

"Listen wise guy." Riley flicked him on the nose. He wrinkled his nose in response.

"So what's the good or bad news?" Gia questioned, turning her wheelchair around to face Riley and Kat. Kat had finished dressing and walked over to sit on an old bench they'd found.

"Good news is we haven't spotted one Earth Garde official yet," Kat answered.

"Seattle is a sanctuary city butthead." Casey chided.

"Ya know what?" Kat demanded, planting her hands firmly on the bench and leaning forward.

"Children," Adelina warned. She plopped down next to Kat.

"Bad news is that Casey might be killed by his peers." Riley quipped. She plopped down on his lap.

"Can I help you?" He questioned.

"There is no help for me." Riley gave him her best innocent grin.

"Well, Lexa's got all sorts of bad news for us. Where shall I start? The big file Lexa found on Earth Garde servers called The Book of LANEs? The fact that all the original Garde have gone into hiding except for Nine? Or maybe I should start with Cecilia's bad news? With a full report for Casey about the evacuation of the camp?" Gia drawled.

"What the crap is a LANE?" Kat huffed.

"Legacy afflicted native earthling. It was the original name for human Garde. There was also legacy augmented native earthling depending on who you ask." Riley answered casually.

"Do I even want to know?" Gia inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"What? My father told me all sorts of stories growing up. Sue me." Riley huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Kat leave it at that. The Book of LANEs is pretty much a giant database of everyone who lived in the refugee camp. Except Lexa has made notes next to each name. Those who have been caught and the price tags for the ones who haven't." Gia explained, giving her sister a silencing look.

"Price tags? Like a bounty on each head?" Casey questioned.

"Exactly my perverse friend," Gia answered with a smile.

"Perverse?" Casey questioned in shock.

"Perverse, it means she's calling you a pervert. Which you are." Riley smirked at him.

"Such as Casey is worth ten grand. Cecilia is worth twelve grand." Gia read.

"Why is Ceci worth more than me?" Casey scoffed.

"Because the academy is very familiar with Cecilia's work. She has been wanted longer than most of us have been alive." Riley explained to him. She seemed to keep correcting him.

"I'm going to start calling you Athena if you keep this up." Casey threatened.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Riley retorted.

Gia laughed and continued reading. "The rest of us are one hundred bucks, although Riley care to explain why your two hundred bucks? Actually, all Garde children are bringing in more than a hundred. Kat, we're worth one hundred seventy-five each. Adelina you and your brother combined bring in three hundred. One fifty each."

"Why would we cost more?" Adelina cautiously questioned.

"Alien blood is worth more?" Casey joked. Riley reached up behind her and smacked his cheek.

"A parent's love for their child is their greatest weakness." Kat simply answered.

"So there going to use us against our own parents? Why doesn't that surprise me?" Riley questioned exasperated.

"Because this is what the world has come too." Gia pessimistically answered without looking away from her screen.

"So don't get caught." Kat summed up.

"If we're in a sanctuary city as stated by Casey were safe here aren't we?" Riley inquired.

Gia shrugged. "For the moment we are safe. That's all I can say."

"Next topic is either the fact that all the original Garde minus Nine have taken their families and fallen off the face of the planet or Cecilia's report."

"Is all the Garde going into hiding really a topic? They've all gone into hiding for their safety and their families safety." Casey impatiently stated.

"So then there is Cecilia's report. The first numbers are one hundred out of four hundred and twelve were captured. Thirty-two groups escaped and scattered. Ella rounded up all Garde children and with the help of Six, Sam, John, and Marina they all evacuated to a safer place." Gia never looked up from her tablet.

"That safer place is probably the meeting chamber up in the Himalayas where we live," Adelina added.

"That's gotta be fun, no technology, no water, no electricity." Gia quipped with a small grin.

"There's electricity for somethings. We have a generator." Adelina argued.

"Alright continue on the report." Casey reminded Gia. He shot Adelina a look.

"Cecilia has a group of nine with her. She has Chase and a bunch of the younger ones that are weaker. Were supposed to stay safe and under the radar." Gia finally looked up and met Casey's eyes.

His green eyes darkened as if what Gia had said had filled them with darkness.

"I should've been there." He spoke softly.

"We couldn't have known. Our mission was already in phase two before anyone knew we were in danger." Kat reassured.

"But one-fourth of the camp was caught. What will they do to them? Strip them of their legacies? Kill them? Torture them for info? If I had been there." Riley felt his body tense.

"Casey. You did fine. What good would it have done for you throw yourselves at them? You're important to the cause. We can't lose you too." Riley wrapped an arm around his shoulders and leaned back to face him. She spoke softly as gently to him.

Casey caressed her cheek and knelt down until their foreheads touched.

"Thank you, Riley. I don't think I could do this without you." He whispered.

Riley felt herself blush at their closeness. Her heart was racing and her stomach was doing jumping jacks. He lifted her chin to his and planted a kiss on her lips. For a minute she froze, unsure what to do. But then she let it all go. She wrapped both arms around his neck and returned the affection he was pouring into her.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen don't make me hose the pair of you down," Kat announced rather annoyed.

Riley senses her words carried an extra sharp edge for some unknown reason. She detected the slightest bit of hurt in her voice but trying to mask it. She filed that little tidbit away for future contemplations.

"Yeah, we got to look on the bright side. There's still three hundred and twelve of us to fight back. We're not out of the fight yet." Adelina cheerily replied.

Riley had to appreciate Adelina's naivety some days because it lead to optimism. The girl was so full of optimism and pure joy. Riley smirked at Casey.

"Please don't." He groaned.

"We may have lost the battle but we may yet win the war." Riley gleefully replied.

Everyone cheered at that. Even Sidney tried from her corner. Henri laughed at her attempt. Even though it sounded like a mouse's squeak it warmed Riley's heart that there was hope for them. Earth Garde had no clue what they'd started. They maybe shattered but nowhere near out for the count.