Things start to come to a close here. The battle will come soon. And we finally get to know exactly what Landon's ability is!

I'd like to have your feedback, and I'm worried because I'm getting nearly no reviews. Did something screw up halfway...?

Anyways, please vote on what I should write next. The list is in the A/n two chapters back.

Mr. Avery walked the cool, silent halls quietly, searching. Searching for what he'd lost nearly five years ago. Searching for the boy who'd eluded him time and again.

He turned a corner, then spotted a lone figure leaning casually on a wall. As he approached, the connection grew stronger, until it finally peaked and disappeared completely.

"What are you doing here, boy?"

The boy turned to Mr. Avery, but said nothing. His eyes were an icy grey, and his face unreadable. A long red line stretched from his left cheekbone all the way along the jaw.

Mr. Avery paused. The scar seemed all too familiar, and he suddenly realized why.

"Landon Crane?"

The bitter smile widened, and Landon laughed humorlessly.

"So you still remember me."

Mr. Avery nodded in satisfaction.

"Of course I do. So, finally stopped running, have you? Come to turn yourself in to Director Hotz at last?"

"What makes you think that?"

Every word was punctuated with hate, and suddenly Landon's eyes blazed with fury.

Mr. Avery slammed into the wall, gasping for breath as he tried to free himself. After a brief struggle, he slumped back against the wall, exhausted. He glared at the teenager standing in front of him.

"Don't try anything funny, Landon. I certainly know what your negative force field is capable of. My back up team is just outside, waiting. They include mental specialists. Nothing you can do about those."

Landon advanced, seething, and the pressure of the force field crushed Mr. Avery back even further into the wall.

"The only thing I regret about this moment, is that I cannot grant you a slow, painful death. It'll be quick. Be grateful for that."

With that, Landon summoned all his energy, then smashed the force field into the wall, with Mr. Avery trapped in between. He was instantly killed. From the end of the corridor, more figures emerged, running towards him at full speed.

He took one last look at the man he'd just killed, and a calm spread over his features. He'd finally avenged his parents. Then, with one last fleeting look at his pursuers, he turned and ran.

"Hello?" Massie waved her hand in front of her face.

"Earth to Landon Crane?" Derrick gave a short laugh, snapping his fingers sharply to catch Landon's attention.

"What?" Landon looked vaguely annoyed.

"We were just talking about Josh, you know. Derrick was telling me about what he thinks is going on when he overheard him talking to Chris the other day…"

"Josh? What?" Landon shook his head; his thoughts were muddled and blurry.

"Josh. You know, Joshua Hotz? The stupid guy who supposedly made Massie climb the building?" Derrick looked like he was trying not to laugh at Landon's confusion.

Massie started to say something, but Landon sucked in a sharp breath.

Joshua Hotz…Director Hotz…it could'nt be…

"Shit." Landon muttered, and Massie saw a sharp spasm of realization flash in his eyes. "No. Way."

"Um…? Landon? Care to clue us in to what discovery you've just made?" Massie huffed, looking impatient.

"It's a long story." He grinned ruefully, running a hand through his hair. "But I suppose it's necessary."

"Kay, then." Derrick grinned. "What are we waiting for?"

"Hey, Landon!" Claire greeted him enthusiastically.

"Not now," muttered Derrick, "apparently there's some groundbreaking revelation that's left him tongue-tied for the last ten minutes or so. We tried to get him to talk, but he says he won't unless you're here, so, here we are."

Massie sighed. "Just get on with it, Landon."

When the four of them were seated on various items of furniture in Claire's room, Landon proceeded to tell them the story of his life.

"My parents were killed in a car crash when I was ten. It turns out that an organization was looking for me – they wanted to recruit a powerful endowed child, so they could train me and use me as a tool for their own purposes. My parents refused to hand me over to them, and while they were escaping from my pursuers, they were killed. My ability was first activated in the car – a negative force field that kept me from being crushed. But after the death of my parents, they chased me into a forest, where I met the senior tracker from the company – Mr. Avery. He tried to catch me and bring me back, but my powers saved me again – but not before I got this," Landon's eyes narrowed and he traced the scar on his face, "from him, as a constant reminder of how he'd killed my parents. Over the next five years or so, they chased me halfway around the globe, but I always managed to escape. Eventually, I got better at controlling my ability, and also using the Reichenbach shield, because Mr. Avery tracks people by locating their thoughts. After a while, I got so good at using it that he thought I had disappeared completely. But I knew he was still looking for me, so one night I opened my mind again, waiting for him to come. He came, and," Landon gave a bitter laugh, "I avenged my parents. Before he was killed, he mentioned that he was working for a certain Director Hotz."

There was a brief silence in the room, then Massie spazzed.

"Shit! That's just completely freaky, you know! I've known him for what, five years? And now you're telling me I don't know him at all? Josh is responsible for nearly killing me, and his fathers after you? What kind of a messed-up world is this?" Her voice rose higher and higher, and she took quick, shallow breaths to calm herself down.

"That's…wow." Derrick shook his head and blinked, then turned to Massie and put his arm around her, stroking her back in soothing circles.

"Um, Landon? So what are we going to do about this?" Claire remained completely calm and rational, staring at him with wide, serious eyes.

"We are doing nothing, Claire. However, I am going to have to leave again." Landon replied calmly.

"The hell you are! We are all in this together, Lan!" Claire put one hand on his shoulder.

Derrick nodded. "We're not leaving you."

"Look." Landon waved Claire's hand away. "I've caused enough danger to you guys as it is. You realize they'll try to kill me if they don't succeed?"

"Yeah." Derrick shrugged. "Let's go for it!"

Massie crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm coming whether you like it or not, so suck THAT."

Landon sighed and cast his eyes towards heaven as if to plead with god for patience.

"Lan." Claire shuffled closer to him. "Listen to me. You probably know that I have feelings for you, and I can't let you go alone. I don't care if you feel nothing for me, just know that I'd die for you."

He shook his head.

"Claire. I know how you feel about me. It's just that – I think of you as a little sister. Overprotective, I know, but I can't bear for you to get hurt either."

"All right. It's settled, then. We're all going." Declared a voice from the doorway.

All four occupants of the room turned to look. Alicia was standing with her arms crossed, with Dylan and Kristen behind her.

"Oh,well. This just gets better and better." Muttered Landon sardonically.

"All right!" Cheered Dylan.

"Admit it, Landon. The odds are better with us here. There's approximately six times the chance you'll win with us backing you." Kristen added, a tad unhelpfully.

"Let me just warn you, Kristen. There is a ninety nine point nine nine percent chance we're all going to die."

"And that zero point zero one percent is?" Retorted Kristen smugly.

"Pure luck." Landon rolled his eyes.

Kristen smirked. "I've heard that the average person's luck depends on his mood. If he's feeling happy, the margin of luck increases with his happiness. So if you feel like not getting killed anytime soon, I'd suggest you do yourself a favour by lightening up and multiplying that zero point zero one percent of pure luck by six."

Dylan laughed. "Give it up, sucker."

Landon put his hands up in mock surrender. "If you insist."

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