A/N This was actually a really tricky one to write - I think it's because everything's starting to come together and they're getting to the end of their wee group numbers. *shrugs* Anyhow, here's chapter 26.

And then he stopped praying, because suddenly Holden's world erupted in a burst of flames.

Burning. That was all he knew. He was burning, and it was like a nightmare, because he'd known it would be something like this that killed him; he couldn't drown, couldn't die from a gunshot wound or a knife slash. But this could end him. The pain was more than he'd ever known – just because he healed quickly didn't mean that he couldn't feel the damage that was being done – and he couldn't move because of it. All his energy was going into regenerating the flesh that was being burnt off his bones, and if he could just get out of the fire then it would be fine, he'd heal up and be fighting fit within seconds, but he couldn't get out of the fire because he couldn't move.

He wondered what he would look like to anyone watching. Not that there was anyone watching; the only people around were Star and Kokoe, and he'd told them to get out, and even if they hadn't moved from just outside the doorway, they still wouldn't be able to get close enough to actually see him. That was probably a good thing – he reckoned it wasn't a pretty sight. He was stuck halfway between life and death, halfway between burning and healing. He could picture the image of his flesh continually being eaten away then growing back, his face like a melting mannequin's, his body writhing in the flames like some kind of grotesque, dying snake. The screams that tried to climb up and out of his throat were stifled as the fire jumped into his open mouth, momentarily burning him from the inside as well as the outside. He clenched his jaw closed, hunching over to try and protect his most important organs. He hadn't really believed in any kind of god since he was first brought into this world of experiments and laboratory tests and mutations, but he found himself praying, praying to any and every god he'd ever heard of to save him, or just let him die so that it would all stop.

Holden wondered what would get him first; the flames and the heat and the incinerating and the pain, or the smoke that was billowing around him, forcing its way into his lungs and making it hard to breathe. His body couldn't fight that. It could heal his lungs as they were damaged by the scorching gases around him, but it couldn't find oxygen where there was none, couldn't supply it to his muscles and organs as they fought to keep him alive. This was hell. This was what hell was. Every second was more than he could endure, but then the next second came and there was no relief, no respite.

Until suddenly, impossibly, there was.

He wasn't sure how long it had been – the passing of time had kind of come second to dealing with the unbelievable pain and fear – but at some point in the ordeal his whole body started tingling. Immense pressure built up beneath his skin, as if someone had shoved an air pump into him and set it on high, then suddenly the fire didn't seem so bad. He could still feel it, could still feel the sting of the flames, but now the pain wasn't nearly as bad. Now he could stand up.

Eyes closed and head hunched, Holden pushed himself onto his feet; he didn't really fancy testing whether or not whatever was protecting him covered his orifices, too. A stab in his gut made him double over for a moment, and he realised that his organs must've been pretty badly damaged, seared and penetrated by the flames. Although the actual tissues had been healed, he probably had a whole lot of blood and other fluids pooled in various internal cavities. It wasn't a massive deal – his body would be siphoning it all off even as he stood – but it was going to take a good thirty seconds longer to complete than normal. The walk to the doorway was going to be uncomfortable.

He made it two steps before walking into something large and metal; the cages, he thought. They must have fallen over in the blast. Reaching out blindly, he felt around until he was able to get a grasp on the metal bars, then pulled hard. The first cage shifted, giving way and falling with a clang at his feet as he jumped backwards quickly. He ignored the throbbing in his stomach, focussing on getting himself out of the fire – he didn't know how he was protected from the flames or how long it would last, but he didn't want to push it. He forced a second cage, warped from the intense heat, out of his way, clearing enough space for him to slip through, and then he was feeling his way across the burning room as the aching inside him faded, still choking on the smoke and still squeezing his eyes tight shut. Things could've been better, but they definitely could've been worse; he wasn't dead, and as he walked through the crackling flames, that was good enough for him.

Reaching the door, she slipped into the hallway and stood there, pressed against the wall and on the alert for anyone else coming towards the room.

Star felt like she was trapped in some kind of awful dream; the alarm blared around her like the amplified cries of an animal in pain, Holden was stuck in the fire, cut off from her by a pile of cages, her shoulder was still aching, Kokoe was flapping his or her webbed hands around in panic, and she could hear shouts and footsteps just around the corner. And on top of all that, she was starving. Not just my-stomach's-rumbling starving, either. More like I-haven't-eaten-in-hours-and-I've-been-using-up-way-too-much-energy-and-I-might-just-be-about-to-pass-out starving. The walls of the corridor swam a little in front of her as she tried to prepare for the oncoming fight, but she blinked hard and forced herself to breathe slowly. With any luck, adrenaline would tide her through this.

The first guards rounded the corner into the hall, their footsteps pounding on the floor. They were followed closely by a number of Erasers.

'Kokoe, stay close,' Star said, her eyes fixed on the threat coming towards them as she stood her ground.

'Kokoe can fight. Fight well.'

Star's glaze flickered down to the small thing by her feet, crouched on all fours. It didn't look like a creature that could hold up in a fight, but as she watched, Kokoe's eyes seemed to protrude slightly from her – despite the low voice, Star thought it was female – head, shifting to sit wider apart and higher up.

'Eyes show Kokoe more. Can see bad people when they are all around. Kokoe is ready to fight well.'

Turning back to the approaching men, Star shrugged.

'Okay, whatever. Just don't get yourself killed.'

Then the guards were upon them, and she was sending out a flurry of lightning-fast kicks that made contact before her opponents even knew what was happening. But she wasn't as fast as usual, fatigue and hunger slowing her down, and it was all she could do to defend herself against the crowd of men and Erasers. Her blows hurt them, sent them staggering back, perhaps winded them for a moment, but within seconds they'd be back again, jostling to take her down.

Beside her, Kokoe had literally leapt into action, bouncing around in the mosh pit of fur and uniform, spitting at anyone who turned their face in her direction; anything she hit seemed to sizzle, flesh and clothing alike.

'Kokoe, wha-?' Star shouted over as she kicked out at another guard, wincing as the movement jostled her shoulder.

'"Kokoe" short for "Kokoe poison dart frog",' she replied, her deep voice cutting under the shrill wail of the siren. 'Scientists use words a lot. But too long for Kokoe to use as name. So Kokoe made it shorter. Poison is good for guards. Makes pain.'

'Well, keep it up.' Star shifted along the wall, feeling the heat of the fire against her legs as it spread out from the room. She didn't want to move too far from the doorway, didn't want to feel like she was leaving a member of the group behind to be burned to death, but she just couldn't deal with fighting a bunch of steroid-pumped losers whilst flames were lapping around her feet. She could barely deal with it without that; the corridor really was swimming now, and she knew she wouldn't be able to keep up the fight for much longer.

She became vaguely aware of someone standing next to her, nearly throwing out a punch in that direction with her good arm, but she was stopped short when she span to see Holden by her side, grinning as he took out a guard. All over his body, his flesh was raised up into bumps that made it look as though someone had stuck smooth, flat stones underneath his skin.

'You absolute ass!' Star shouted at him, throwing a man aside with a fresh wave of energy now that this new force had been added to the team. 'It's cool, you just laze around in the fire completely protected whilst I'm out here dealing with this lot.'

'It wasn't exactly a picnic for me in there, Star,' Holden retorted as he kicked an Eraser in the chest, forcing it back into another and causing both of them to fall to the floor in a furry heap. The one on top picked himself up off his unconscious teammate, giving his head a shake as he ran at Holden a second time, but before he could reach his target he was floored by a swift chop to the base of the skull delivered by Star.

Their opponents were dwindling now, the majority of them lying out cold on the floor. The fight went on, Kokoe hopping around and proving to be far more useful than Star had first imagined as she took out enemy after enemy with well-aimed shots of poison; when the last Eraser standing threw a punch at Holden, the force of the dodged blow sent the hulking beast spinning around by his own momentum, turning just enough for Kokoe to leap up and deliver a spray of acid directly into his face. He disappeared down the hall, howling as he went, and then the three of them were left standing amongst the bodies and the smoke, the orange light from the flames flickering behind them.

Star staggered, her legs giving out slightly beneath her, and Holden put out a hand to stop her from falling over.

'We've got to find you some food, huh?'

'What time is it?' Her voice was fainter than usual, just audible over the still-blaring alarm.

'Not a clue. Watch melted. But you won't be able to do anything unless you eat first.'

Kokoe jumped up, her bowed legs splaying out behind her.

'Kokoe knows food room. Where scientists go. Break time.'

Holden nodded.

'Right, then you can show us the way.'

'Hold it, Starfish,' Star said, her eyes on the floor, her breathing carefully controlled as she fought the fuzziness in her head. All the same, there was a smirk on her lips, and a definite snigger in her voice when she spoke again: 'You might not have been burnt to nothing in that fire, but your clothes weren't quite so lucky. Cover up, man.'

'Dylan, Kate, Ratchet. At the risk of sounding like a clichéd movie villain, I've been waiting for you.'

The General stood from her seat on the desk, her face calm, the gun still trained on the group standing in the doorway.

'I must admit, I hadn't foreseen your little pack breaking out of Hold 13. It was quite the remarkable achievement. Of course, the device implanted into Maximum's head let me know exactly what your plans were; the walls of the holding cell prevented all transmissions, but as soon as you went crawling through the ventilation shafts I was able to retrieve a signal again and overhear everything. It's a shame that you're not all fitted with similar pieces of technology – I really would have enjoyed watching the different threads of this story unfold – but no matter. Exterminatory teams are on their way to each of your intended locations, ready to cut off all attempts at achieving your goals. And if, by any chance, those teams should fail, there's a somewhat larger force positioned outside.

'For the moment, though, it seems as if your biggest problem is me. Because I do believe that the task of my capture has been assigned to you three, and you may be able to tell that I have no intention of letting that happen.'

'We should just go for her,' Ratchet said, not bothering to lower his tone; it didn't seem worth it. 'She can't shoot all of us at once.'

The General smiled coolly at him.

'I can't,' she conceded. 'But I can shoot one of you at once. Are any of you willing to take that risk?' They were silent, and she regarded them with a cold detachment, as if they were mildly interesting exhibits in a museum. 'No, you're not, are you?' she said quietly. 'And not because you're afraid for your own lives, either. No one is willing to risk the lives of their comrades, the other two mutant experiments who stand beside them, not even at the gain of bringing me down. Your loyalty is touching.' She fingered the trigger of the gun. 'And your stupidity is overwhelming.'

Kate made a small sound of fear, taking what seemed to be an entirely involuntary step sideways so that her left side was almost completely shielded by Dylan's right. She ducked her head a little, hiding her face in his shoulder. The General chuckled sadistically, watching the group as they stood, defenceless, across the room from her.

'Our stupidity?' Ratchet asked conversationally from Dylan's other side. 'Seems to me that sticking with each other has been the only thing that's kept most of us alive this long.'

'What you don't appear to understand is that to achieve anything you must be willing to do anything. Your petty ties to other living beings are an indulgence, and they leave you vulnerable; I imagine that if any one of you had been prepared to sacrifice the other failures standing in the doorway in order to make a move towards me, I would be detained by now. After all, I'm not physically strong enough to take any of you on in combat, and I have no defence to hand other than the gun I'm holding. But I don't need one, do I? I've got all the power over you that I need, and you placed it right i-'

A sudden blur flashed through the air, spinning from Kate's hand. The gun went flying from The General's grip, a crack sounding as a bone broke from the force of the thing hitting her arm; Kate's own shoe, removed surreptitiously under the cover of Dylan's body with an accompanying whisper of "keep her talking" aimed at Ratchet's keen ears. In seconds The General was on the floor, Kate's knee digging into her back, her hands pinned by her sides.

'Sick!' exclaimed Ratchet. 'Y'know, anyone who can turn a sneaker into a serious weapon has my respect for, like, always. Kate the Great strikes again.'

The girl in question looked down at the back of The General's head, breathing down her neck as she spoke:

'I really thought you'd be smarter than to do the whole "bad guy spiel" thing. It's always where they fall down in movies."

'You think I'm the bad guy,' The General replied, her voice still horribly calm but now with a new hint of insanity beneath it. Her lower arm was bent at an unnatural angle, her face pale. 'Interesting. It's all a matter of perspective, Kate, my dear. The only thing that changes is what side of the line you stand on.' She laughed, and this time it sounded manic, deranged. 'There are others who believe in the same cause that I do. Thousands of others. I'm not afraid let them take my place when I am eliminated. Go ahead. Do what you came to do.'

'It would be my pleasure,' said Dylan, and as he delivered a quick kick to the side of The General's head, Kate felt the tension leave the woman's muscles. Standing up, she stood by the two guys and the three of them looked down at the limp body on the floor.

'Insane,' Ratchet said into the silence. 'Completely nuts.'

The other two nodded in agreement, and Kate bent down to lift The General onto her shoulders in a modified fireman's lift, making sure her hands and feet were pinned securely in case she regained consciousness. Then she kicked out at the door, the metal crumpling beneath the force of her blow, and the three teenagers made their way back out into the hall.

'Right then,' I said, turning towards the hall. 'Let's get outta here.'

We raced through the corridors, feet squeaking on the floor as we swung around corners and lashed out at anyone who got in our way. Ella kept up pace well enough, running with the rest of us around her, making sure she didn't get hurt.

Okay, come on, we're nearly there, I thought. Let's just hope that the others have all managed not to get themselves into trouble. I snorted quietly to myself as I sprinted past the opening to a stairwell. As if.

'Max!' A voice sounded from behind me and I whirled quickly, fists at the ready to deal with whatever I was facing this time.

I swear by Iggy's frilly pink oven gloves, my heart stopped beating when I saw Fang emerge from the hallway we'd just passed. And no, I'm not even kidding; Iggy actually has a pair of frilly pink oven gloves. But seriously, that's so, so not the point.

He was alive. He was alive, he was alive, he was alive. There really wasn't much more than that strolling around in my head at that moment. I wanted to… God, I don't even know what I wanted to do. I wanted to scream or pass out or throw up. I wanted to slap him or hug him or just touch him, just to make sure that he was real, that he was here, in the hallway in front of me, holding some kind of tiny person in his arms. The astonished cries of Iggy and the Gasman rang out as I strode back along the corridor towards Fang, not knowing exactly what I intended to do once I reached him. "There's always a plan", huh? Screw that.

As it happened, I didn't get the chance to reach him before he spoke again.

'Max.'

I was almost too overcome by just hearing him say my name to understand what he meant by it – don't judge me, it had been a long day and I honestly thought I'd never hear that sound again – but then he held out the thing he had in his arms, and his face was full of that deep sadness that I'd seen far too much recently. Realising that something more was going on than just Fang being alive and okay, I slowed as I got close, my gaze falling to the person he was holding.

My hands clapped themselves over my mouth, all the breath leaving my lungs in one great whoosh as I realised who it was.

No, no, no, no, NO, but YES because she's alive but she died and she was dead and the building and the explosion, WE COULDN'T FIND HER BODY and that's why, because there wasn't a body because she's not dead, GOD, my baby, what did they do? why are you so thin? why aren't you speaking or looking at me or even opening your eyes and are you that far gone? what did they DO to you? oh, my baby, my baby girl, just look at you, you brave, brave child and yes, yes, yes, she's ALIVE and ANGELANGELANGEL if you can hear my thoughts right now then I love you more than you could ever imagine and I will never let them lay one finger on you again for as long as I live.

My hand ghosted over her bald head, unable to believe that I wouldn't crush her if I really allowed myself to touch her properly, that she wouldn't just crumble beneath my fingers and disappear again.

My baby.

Fang nudged me gently with his elbow, forcing me back into the noisy, bright hallway, forcing me to breathe again and look up into his face. For a second that felt like a split-second we just stood there, then I bit back the tears that were coming, sucked in the unbearable, sickening relief that was trying to topple me, and turned back towards the others.

A/N I would've like to make the reunion with Fang a bit more emotional, but it seemed to me that discovering Angel was alive would take precedent. Dammit, Megan, this is the problem with having all these scenes in the middle of a dangerous, time-sensitive sequence! But there are chapters scheduled for more emotional stuff later, I promise. Right now they're just fighting for their lives. They don't have a lot of time to stop and chat about stuff. :P Review!