Jane's Hideout- Just before Dawn

A group of men and a little girl were just leaving the hideout.

"You won't be able to get back in before nightfall," warned Jane "Good luck, bring us some extra food back, our supplies are running low."

"Don't worry about us," said one of the men "We'll be fine, Jane."

"Be careful," said Jane "The Avengers are still looking for Maddie and we're not sure if they're still searching this area, when you come back, make sure you aren't followed."

"Understood," replied the girl. The six of them slipped out through the fissure just as the sun came up, causing the rock to expand and hiding the entrance.

Jane walked back into the lower area of the hideout. She checked the cave where Maddie and the rest of her people were sleeping. Nobody was awake yet. She knelt on the ground, putting her hands either side of a small crack running between her legs. She closed her eyes and slowly moved her hands apart. When she opened them, the crack had widened enough for her to drop through to another, hidden cave below. She stared into the hole for a moment, until her eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, then held her hand out, palm up, and concentrated, until a tiny ball of light appeared there. She threw the ball of light into the hole, were it floated about halfway between the widened crack and the floor of the cave below her. She eased herself into the hole, then held onto the two sides of the fissure and closed it, dropping to the floor of the cave as she did.
Concentrating on the light, she made it larger and brighter until it illuminated the entire cave.

She then clenched her hand into a fist at her side and slowly started to raise it. As she did, a large rock raised up from the ground until it was at eye level. Then, she opened her hand, causing the rock to fly a few feet and crumble into dust, falling to the ground in pieces.

"Don't blame yourself," said a voice from the darkness on her right. She leapt around, her fists clenched and two rocks floating in the air. She relaxed as a figure stepped into the light of her light ball, holding a fireball.

"Why shouldn't I blame myself?" Jane asked "It was my powers that got us into this mess, and now I find I can't even control them right."

"You seem to be doing fine with the light," said the boy "Maybe you should concentrate on that."

"If I did that, my brother, I would not be fulfilling my full potential," Jane explained "If I don't fulfil my full potential, then what good am I?"

"You know, my suggestion to join the Avengers is still open," said Jane's brother

"The Avengers are the ones chasing us, Jack," said Jane "They're looking for Maddie, who also has powers."

"I'm sure there must be a misunderstanding," said Jack, surprised at Jane's opinion "The Avengers are heroes."

"The Wasp came to the camp under a false guise of friendship, and then called in the other Avengers to attack," said Jane "Although both myself and Maddie felt there was something wrong with how that happened."

"What do you mean?" asked Jack

"I'm not sure," said Jane "It seemed like she had a complete change of character, that might have been how she really was and she had just been putting on an act, but somehow, I felt that there was someone else talking through her, like it wasn't really her speaking."

"If there's one thing I learned from our experiences," said Jack "Then it's to trust your feelings, I'll go find the Avengers, and see what I can do about Wasp."

"Thank you, Jack," said Jane "There is one more thing I want to ask, should I tell Maddie about my powers?"

"It's your choice," said Jack "It's your secret to give away, but as she's shared her secret with you, and she's on the run, she's not likely to tell anyone your secret if you tell her."

"I agree," said Jane "Good luck, brother." Jack slipped back into darkness, the fireball in his hand brightening slightly to light his way.

Jane's Hideout- Morning

Maddie awoke, stretching out on the surprisingly comfortable stone floor of the cave. As she sat up, she saw that the cave around her was empty, but she could hear merry voices from somewhere. She got up and walked towards the voices, eventually finding a cavern that seemed to have been changed into a dining hall. Tables were everywhere and all of the men, women and children amounting to about a few dozen, were all sitting at the tables eating. Maddie saw Jane across the cavern, beckoning. Maddie joined her at the table.

"What's new?" she asked Jane

"We managed to get enough money last night to replenish our food supplies," said Jane "So we're all having a bit of food."

"What's the news on the Avengers?" asked Maddie

"They're still searching for you," said Jane "They must really want you on their side."

"I still can't believe they're trying to capture me," said Maddie "They're supposed to be the good guys."

"I sent one of my best men to keep an eye on them," said Jane "He'll report back tonight."

"Good," said Maddie, tucking into the food on the table in front of her.

"There's something else I wanted to tell you," said Jane "I know you have powers, I've been watching you for a while, the truth is, I have powers too."

Maddie, having just drank from a cup on the table, immediately spit it out. Coughing as Jane slapped her on the back, she looked at Jane.

"What do you mean you have powers?" asked Maddie.

"I can create light and manipulate the earth," said Jane simply "Let me show you."

She held out her hand, palm up. Maddie watched as a small dot of light appeared there and expanded until it filled her palm.

"That's cool," said Maddie

"I don't think the Avengers are evil," said Jane "They're being manipulated by someone or something to hunt us down."

"Honestly," said Maddie "The more I think about it, the more I agree with you."

"You should come and train with me," said Jane "I have a hidden cave within this place which also has an escape route out of here if we need it, I use it to try to hone my power over the earth."

Maddie considered. She had not used her powers since she had left home to escape the Avengers, so she was a little out of practice.

"Let's go," said Maddie, finishing her breakfast and standing up from the table.