"Don't give me that." Anomaly was saying to her Florlics. "They're safe now. They can't get hurt."
Kesea growled, low in her throat. Anger pulsed off of her in waves.
Anomaly whirled on the winged dog. "I did what I had to!" She cried. Tears filled her eyes. "Do you really think I WANTED to do that?"
Kesea took a small, startled step back. She nodded slowly, acknowledging the truth in Anomaly's words.
Anomaly turned around and began walking again.
Kesea looked at Ikesa. He let out a long, breathy sigh. The Guard whimpered. Ferakesa did the same, turning to Ikesa for answers. He was, after all, the leader of the pack, excluding Anomaly.
Ikesa just followed Anomaly.
The others padded after him. Though no human had realized, all of the Florlics knew. Anomaly was a person with a broken past. She had the battle in her heart, hate looming like a dark shadow, dancing across her mind. There were never any other emotions, just hate, sorrow, fear, and betrayal. The worst emotions in the world. And she'd felt nothing but those emotions for SIX YEARS.
And then she'd found the ARC.
Connor, Abby, Jenny, Cutter and Steven, though they hadn't known it, had brought her out from where no one should go. They had found the smallest light in the storm. They had brightened it, chasing the shadows of her dark past away. They had done more for Anomaly then they could ever have imagined.
How could Anomaly allow them to get her in HER war?
Connor didn't know what happened. One moment, he was falling.
The next, he'd landed.
"Ooof!" he cried out as he landed on his back. He should have been falling for longer.
More importantly, he should be dead.
Abby landed next to him, and Connor, desperate to make sure she was all right, cracked open his eyes.
The flickering light of an anomaly danced before his eyes, before closing quickly.
Connor turned to Abby. "You ok?" He asked, anxiety filling his voice.
Abby nodded, swallowing, her face pale. "I'm fine." Her voice cracked. "You?"
Connor nodded, looking around him. "What happened?"
Abby struggled to her feet before helping him up. "I don't know." Her eyes were still wide with fear.
Connor swallowed as he suddenly realized where they were. "Abby…"
"What?"
He pointed to something behind her. She turned to face it.
It was the ADD.
They were in the ARC.
I'm dying!
The thought hit Jenny like a wave. But I can't DIE. I have a life ahead of me…
Tears streaked down her face, and she tried to cry out. The wind swallowed her words hungrily.
She saw Cutter fall from the edge.
Fall? She thought bitterly. Pushed, more like.
Hate seared through her, so strong it was almost painful. How could Anomaly betray them like that? After everything they'd done for her! They'd come to this time, allowed her to paint their faces so they'd blend in, been prepared to help with anything! How could she just IGNORE that and send them over a cliff?
He loves me.
The thought struck her, coming from no where. Cutter kissed me. Does he love me? How can he love me? Is it really me, or is it…
Claudia?
The name rang in her mind. Claudia. The person she once was. Claudia. The person Cutter had fallen in love with. CLAUDIA.
Does he really love me? Or is he fooling himself, thinking that I'm Claudia?
Her heart skipped. She was going to die. She was going to die without ever knowing if Cutter truly loved her.
What a way to live your life. She thought bitterly. I don't even know who I am anymore…
Suddenly, she landed.
It was a softer landing than she'd expected. She winced, and tried not to move, thinking that if she was still alive, she'd at least broken a few bones. But no, she was fine. Slowly, she got to her feet.
"Jenny!" Abby's relieved voice sounded out. Jenny looked towards her and saw Connor and Steven waiting.
Steven pulled her out of the way just as Cutter fell into the same spot Jenny had been.
Cutter's eyes closed. "Ow."
Jenny smiled. His hair is all messed up. It was the first thing she thought of. Of course his hair was messed up. It looks good on him. Her thought continued, and she allowed a small smile to cross her face.
She helped Cutter to his feet. "You ok?" She asked.
Cutter brushed himself off. "Fine, surprisingly. I mean, considering the height of that cliff…" He looked up. "Oh."
Above them, shining and flickering, was an anomaly. After a moment, it closed.
"That explains it, then." Cutter said with a sigh.
"Explains what?" Connor asked.
"Anomaly saved us." Cutter replied. "There was never any danger. She just needed to get us back to the ARC."
"Why?" The question slipped from Jenny's lips.
"I don't know." Cutter sighed. "Maybe… maybe she just had to fight her own battles."
"But what happened?" Connor spoke up again.
"The anomaly was there when we fell. We came through it, and landed here. Simple enough."
Jenny looked at him. "And what about Anomaly?"
Cutter sighed. "It's up to her now."
Anomaly stared out across the large area of desert. The Council Member looked back at her, a smirk on his face.
"Give up now, Anomaly. While you still have a chance."
She chuckled darkly. "You don't know me very well if you think I actually would."
He smiled. "There are only so many ways this can end up. And all of them involve you either dead or in prison." He shrugged. "Your choice."
Anomaly laughed, an unnamable darkness and hate in her eyes. "You can't kill me, SIR. You'll die as well."
He chuckled. "But your greatest fear is a cage. Give up now, and I promise I'll go easy on you."
Electricity flew from her hand and melted the sand next to him. "I'd sooner die." She spat.
He smirked. "Then your decision is made." He motioned to the guards.
"We can't just LEAVE her!" Connor was getting frustrated.
"THIS is what she WANTED." Lester hissed.
"I don't care! We'd be fine, if we could just HELP!"
"He's right." Steven spoke at last.
"WHAT?" Lester roared. "You can't be SERIOUS!"
"I'm deadly serious." Steven's eyes were hard as he glared at Lester. "She is facing an ARMY. We can't just leave her to die."
"I'm afraid we can, and we MUST. There is no way we can reach her. And that's FINAL!"
The Council Member had to give Anomaly credit. She had tried so hard, had fought so well, had taken down half the army before she'd finally been captured.
"I'll get out of here, you know." She hissed. Her Florlics were in cages next to her, low growls unceasing in their throats.
He smiled. "I doubt it." He replied coldly.
She looked at him for a long time, then sat down. "It's not as though I've never been a prisoner. I was in a cage my whole life. A huge cage, covered with sand…" her eyes glazed over.
The Florlics stopped growling.
The Council member didn't like the look on her face. He swallowed and walked out of the room, leaving Anomaly to her dark memories.
As soon as he'd left, Anomaly smirked. She knew more than one way to make a person scared.
And she knew more than one way out of a cage.
Her smile widened. "Ikesa! Norklo marta!"
The Florlic obeyed, pawing at Kesea's collar. He had been wondering why Anomaly put it there in the first place, but he wasn't about to question her. It wasn't like he could, anyway.
Finally, the collar was on the ground. He nosed it over to Anomaly's prison. She grinned and took it off the ground. She popped open the hidden packet in the leather, and pulled out the tiny chip.
She attached it to the lock, tapped her pattern once, and the chip exploded.
The Florlic's yelped in pain.
"Sorry! Sorry!" She shook her head, trying to clear away her pain that had hurt the Florlics in the first place. "It'll be ok."
She pushed the door, which swung open without problem.
"Now for the guards." She whispered, a dark smile crossing her face. Her hands sparkled with electricity.
The Florlics came in first. The Council Member identified them immediately as Anomaly's, though he knew that was impossible.
And then came Anomaly herself.
Her eyes were blazing with a cold fury. Many of those surrounding drew their knives with a snarl, but Anomaly held up a hand, holding a chip.
"I'm a bomb!" She screeched.
Everyone froze.
She chuckled darkly. "That got your attention, didn't it? Yeah, I'm a bomb, and I'm set to explode if you come a single step closer!" Her eyes locked on her son's. "Now. I will speak to one person, and one person only."
The Council Member stepped forward with a sigh.
She smiled. "You always think you're the important one. Unfortunately, that is the case this time." She sighed.
"What do you want, Anomaly?"
She grinned. "I want you to listen and listen carefully." She sighed again. "I sent the others away for a reason. And that reason is…" She looked down. "We're all going to die. I'm not planning on making it out of here alive. I never did. I plan on destroying the place."
She looked at the others. "Out. This is a family matter."
They turned to the Council Member, who nodded once, briefly.
Everyone ran. Every single one of them.
Except Kierto.
"If this is a family matter, Anomaly, then I more than qualify." He told her.
"I don't want you to die." She whispered.
"It doesn't matter. If you die here, than I never meet you." He sighed. "And I wouldn't have gotten anywhere without you, Anomaly."
Tears pricked Anomaly's eyes. "Oh, Kierto…"
But Anomaly didn't get to do what she'd planned. Because at that moment, two anomalies appeared in the room, one on either side.
Connor, Abby, Cutter, Jenny, Steven, and Lester came from one.
"Told you I could do it!" Connor shouted triumphantly.
Anomaly paled.
But, at the other end of the room, where the other anomaly was open, someone else came in. She had metallic blue eyes, short blonde hair, and a metallic blue pattern surrounding her eye. She had a brilliant smile as she looked around the room, holding an air of grace and brilliance, like a person of royalty.
"Hello!" The older version of Anomaly said as she turned first to Kierto, then to her son. "Miss me?"
