(For those of you who have read the latest chapter of "First Comes Love. . ." by TCGeek, as of 10/22/07, you will recall that she says that life is not all gloom and doom.

I am here to tell you that she is WRONG if you try applying that ideology to this fic. GLOOM AND DOOM, MY READERS. GLOOM AND FUCKING DOOM.

Except not yet. In a later chapter.

Yet another short chapter... there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG WITH SHORT CHAPTERS. Anyone who tells you otherwise is WRONG.

Let's begin.

Victor, Tyler, Leslie © Nintendo

Sidney's daughter, Erika © Me

Dr. Niles Stannis © TCGeek)

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Days of the Phoenix

Chapter Three- Moving

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"Tyler, are you sure you have everything?"

"Yeah, I'm sure..."

At ten forty-five, they had all gathered in the basement, each person carrying a bag stuffed to the brim with personal effects- clothes, pictures of family, and the like; a few of them had packed snacks and water in case they got hungry along the way.

Erika carried Victor's bag; the black-eyed researcher was forced to carry a heavy messenger's bag, completely filled with results from his research- cures for various diseases.

All his works-in-progress had been burned to destroy the evidence.

"What about you, Leslie?"

"I have all of my things, as well as Erika's."

"Good..."

"And I got everything I could take from the 'lab'," Victor added, patting the messenger bag gently. "What about you?"

The brunette woman pointed to the oversized tote bag that was slung over her shoulder.

"We should go now," she muttered softly. "Before they come."

"Then someone help me with this," Tyler spoke, trying to shove a bookcase that was pressed tightly against the wall. "It's stuck-- I need a hand."

Victor carefully placed the messenger bag on the ground before he and Leslie helped the blonde man shove the bookcase to the side...

...revealing a hole in the floor that lead to the underground passage.

The woman shone her flashlight into the hole, biting her lip softly.

"At least there's stairs this time..." she commented. "Victor, you go first."

"Oh, hell no. You're going first this time."

"Victor, you're the one with all the research and the brains to understand it all. If you're caught, they win. We wouldn't be able to create cures fast enough if you're gone. You go first."

"While I'm so proud of you for finally realizing I'm a genius, I have to ask... are you an idiot?!" Victor snapped. "If they catch you, then they've finally silenced the last Kasal- they'll have gotten rid of your entire family. Then, everyone will lose the will to fight the system, and it wins. Do you want that? Didn't think so. Go."

"No!"

"Oh, for God's sake!" Leslie screeched. "Tyler, help me here."

Leslie stood behind the woman as Tyler crept behind Victor... before both husband and wife shoved the stubborn researcher and young woman down the stairs, into the passage.

"Ow!"

"What the hell!?"

"Oh, quit complaining," Leslie scowled as she, Tyler and Erika walked down the stairs. "Here, Victor- take your bag."

Victor grumbled, taking the heavy bag and slinging it over his shoulder as the young woman pressed a button on the wall.

The bookcase slid over the hole, hiding the entrance to the passageway, sealing it shut so that the passage was inaccessible from the other side.

"Why can't we have one of those switches on the other side?" Erika queried, clinging tightly to her mother's arm as the five people began quietly walking down the long, dark passageway. "Wouldn't it be easier to get here, then?"

"It would, Erika, but if we did that, then it would be easy for the Police to follow us and find all the people who are helping us," the woman explained gently, shining the flashlight a few feet in front of the group.

"Oh..."

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At three in the morning, Niles Stannis was woken abruptly by a loud pounding sound coming from his basement.

Sighing, he rose from the couch, slowly walking down the stairs to his dark basement and opening the trapdoor in the middle of the room.

The first person to step out of the passage was Leslie, who was carrying a sleeping Erika on her back.

She was soon followed by her husband, who struggled to keep his eyes open.

Victor was next, grumbling as he rubbed the soreness out of his shoulder...

The last person to resurface was the woman, who was tiredly brushing her hair out of her pale face.

"Thank you again for warning us, Dr. Stannis," she spoke softly, bags beginning to form under her hazel eyes.

"Don't thank me; thank Officer Montag for being able to tell me this time," Niles replied, his voice reflecting his own exhaustion. "It's a damn good thing he's sympathized with our cause, isn't it? I'll get you to your new home after we've all had a chance to sleep... Leslie, Tyler, you can take the room on the second floor, as always... you can put Erika in the guest room, if you want."

"Thank you, Dr. Stannis..." Tyler mumbled as he and his wife slowly went upstairs.

"Victor--"

"I'll stay here," the dark-haired researcher muttered, placing his messenger bag on the floor and sitting down against the wall.

"Whatever floats your boat... and you, Miss Kasal..."

"The couch will be fine."

"Very well."

As they slowly walked up to the main floor, Niles Stannis placed a strong, comforting hand on the woman's shoulder. She turned her head to see his tired, lined face, his dark eyes looking directly at her, and a small smile playing at his lips.

"It's good to see that you're still well, Rylee."

She smiled softly.

"Same for you, Dr. Stannis."

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(End chapter three.

Nine chapters after we first meet her, we finally learn her name...

Like you didn't see that coming.

Please review!)