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'Meanwhile, Rick James' is performed by Cake

". . . and don't go and rearrange everybody's personal things while they are out of their rooms. All right that should be it. Behave and I'll see you all later."

Gar ducked out the door as Eddie called his farewell, Rose gave something resembling a grunt, and Blackfire took a long draught from her mug. Sliding from her perch, she deposited the cup in the sink and then drifted out through the door that led deeper into the base. Eddie moved to the sink and reached for the mug, but was stopped when Rose commanded, "You're better off tossing it in the trash. Cause I'll bet you the contents of your swear jar that you'll probably spend the rest of the day scrubbing if you don't."

He held the mug in his hand then angled it to study its contents, grimacing at the sight before opening the closet beneath the sink and tossing the mug into the trashcan. Straightening up, he caught sight of Rose opening the door and he whirled about and called out, "Rose!"

She paused and turned to stare at him, patiently awaiting for the continuation of his exclamation and after stumbling over his words for bit, he managed, "Hey, um, are we, you know, uh, good?"

"What?"

"From, uh, yesterday. When we were . . . wrestling and then my tail, it kinda, you know sli-"

"We'd be a lot better if you never mentioned, much less thought about, the incident ever again," she informed him.

"Right," he gave a short chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Consider it gone. Erased."

"Yeah," she nodded, pursing her lips and rolling her eyes. Eddie opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it as though afraid of pushing any further. A terse silence stretched between them, Rose staring and waiting to see if he was going to say something while he shuffled slightly. In part to do something aside from just stand there under her gaze, but mostly to relieve the ferocious itch with as much subterfuge as he could muster.

Finally, he blurted, "Hey, you want to come along with us? I was going to ask yesterday, but I figured it might not be the best of ideas. I don't know if you're still a bit stir-crazy, but . . ."

She nodded in understanding, "Right. Well, I'll think about it. Don't wait up for me though. If I decide to, I'll give you a call. Now do you mind if I take a shower, or is there something else you need?

"Of course, yeah, yeah. Please, go right ahead."

Rose gave a small smile and chuckle before she headed through the door while Eddie berated himself under his breath, "Great job, Eddie. Could you have been anymore awkward?"

He glanced back towards the door and once assured that there was nobody else entering, he scratched viciously at his inner thigh to relieve the itch that had accompanied him since early this morning. Giving a grunt, he ambled over to the cabinet and reached for his box of cereal when there was a sudden tearing sound. Pausing, he offered up a plea to the Heavens before glancing down and uttering a particularly rude epithet at the hole his claws had torn in the canvas shorts. As though his prayers had only served to anger some Power That Be, the door chose that moment to open and the voice of Alya and Alexei intruded upon what he had hoped to be a private moment.

"You look fine, Alya. Why do you need all this extra input?" her brother grumbled under his breath, but Eddie's senses allowed him to pick up the hushed words.

She gave no answer but strode purposefully towards Eddie who quickly pressed himself against the counter and gave a smile he hoped she didn't recognize as uneasy. As his gaze fully settled upon her, he faltered, his eyes widening as he admired her outfit. Smooth porcelain shoulders were bared, one thin strap running over and beyond her collarbone while the other circled about her toned arm. The shirt skimmed several inches above the baggy cargo pants, revealing a strip of alabaster flesh that his eyes were magnetized to for a second until she shifted, holding out her arms and giving a demure a smile as he had ever seen on her though her eyes were still guarded. The glowing lines running along her skin were visible but she did not appear nearly as troubled by them as she had the day before. Eddie was glad that Gar had yet to see his painstakingly decorated dummies, but as he reviewed her form, he found a new source of happiness.

"Does this look as odd as it feels?" she asked, half laughing at herself.

He shook his head and gave an earnest smile, "You look great. The clothes suit you."

Words fueled the fire of her smile that grew stronger without entirely reaching her eyes, not possessing them fully. Glancing down, she looked as though she were about to say something when her brother stepped forward. He had donned a white muscle shirt that fit to his sculpted body and over which he wore a violet hooded jacket that his hands were tucked into the pockets of. Blue athletic shorts stopped slightly below his knees, leaving a view of his sturdy calves and the glowing lines that ran along them. He interceded, "What's the plan for today?"

"Well, I figured since we got you guys clothes and everything, we'd just go around town. See the sights. First, I got to grab something real quick and then have some breakfast," he said. Pulling out the bowls, two extra for the siblings, he set them on the counter and then sidled around them, trying to make the hiding of the tear subtle, before racing out the door. Returning moments later with fresh shorts and the persisting itch that he struggled to ignore as he joined them at the breakfast table. Much to his chagrin, but not his surprise, they ate their food faster than was probably healthy, guarding it jealously, and watching any movements towards or close to their fare. After the rushed and silent meal, Eddie rinsed out the bowls and turned to the pair, Alya perched on the counter to his side as Alexei merely leaned against it, arms crossed over his chest.

"All right. We're good to go. Any idea what you guys want to do?"

"Exactly what is there to do?" the brother returned.

Eddy paused and considered the attractions of the town while he tried to ignore the relentless itch. Finally, he shrugged, "We'll just head out on the city. See what's out there."

It had taken Eddie several minutes to find an appropriate route into the city, mostly as he debated on where they would go to pass the time. Having missed out on the chance to secure more substantial funds from the shape shifter, he was left to rely on his own cash. The money left to him by his aunt was considerable, but he couldn't touch that for several more years and it held a value beyond its monetary worth, one of the few remnants of the woman who'd raised him. This limited their options and Eddie was surveying them, pursing his lips as they passed each establishment of entertainment before deciding against them and leaning onward. Finally, he paused at the open structure, listening to the cacophony that surged from the yawning maws as his eyes fixed upon the flickering colors and lights. A grin grew on his face and he turned to the still cautious siblings whose glares encouraged anybody on the sidewalk to give them a wide berth. One hand in the pocket of his hooded sweatshirt, he jabbed a thumb towards the arcade.

"I believe, my friends, that I've found our jackpot."

Dubious stares were affixed upon the slowly dying enterprise, but they followed in after Eddie whose appearance cut a clear path through the otherwise thick crowd. They stuck close to the crimson boy but the crowd would close in too fast for them, forcing Alexei to shoulder their way through or let Alya emit low level shocks to anybody who touched her. People and voices pressed in all about them, unnerving them and causing Alexei to wince.

"Yeah! C'mon! That all you got?"

"Die, freaks, die!"

"Nonononononononono! Dammit!"

"Aim for the head, the head! Shoot him!"

"What?! No way! I was blocking!"

"Hah! You ghosts are dead! . . . No, waitaminute-"

Along with the shouts and cries of lament that populated the arcade, there were simulated screams, gunshots, and combat. Music laced the clamor, projected from the dance games but also from the speakers perched in the rafters that drowned out their own thoughts. The lighting was dim but the flickering glow of the screens provided enough to see by as they pushed through the crowds. As they dove further into the den, Alexei's steps began to falter and his brow furrowed even while his sister forged onward, oblivious to his growing unease as she tailed their guide. He squinted through the pain as he stumbled forward, pressing a hand against his head and silently pleading for the growing headache to recede. When it didn't, he scanned the thick, jostling crowd for his sister or even Eddie but he couldn't make out either of their forms in the mass. Struggling forward, he nearly toppled to the floor and was roughly shoved away as the figure growled some threat that he mumbled an apology too. Pain roared in his head, intensifying and he placed one hand on a nearby support beam before sinking to his knees. His vision blurred as it overwhelmed him, and he could feel energy building in his chest giving a groan as he tried to push it back down.

Suddenly, the lights flickered and a cerulean glow filled the room as the crowd gave a collective shout and then cleared away. Alya and Eddie appeared seemingly instantaneously at his side, the former projecting fearsome bolts that were attracted to the metal beams and the arcade games. Screams rang through the air as the video screens shattered and lights burst, showering the occupants with shards of glass. Her slender fingers wrapped around his shoulder and she helped him to his feet while Eddie moved to reassure the crowd. Alexei mumbled incoherent apologies as his sister dragged him out of the arcade and propelled him down the sidewalk. Eddie emerged seconds later, charging after them as they slipped into an alley where Alya propped her brother up against the wall. A faint sheen of sweat coated his skin, making his shirt stick to him, but his ragged breath was calming as Alya ran her hand along his back. Any sense of joviality that had once danced across her face was gone and her features had once again gone harsh.

"Is he all right? Are you all right?" Eddie asked, looking between the pair.

"Headaches," Alexei managed after a minute as he struggled for breath. "It's . . . it's getting better."

"I'm fine," she answered shortly, focused upon her brother as she demanded of him, "Are you sure that you're all right? We can head back if you want."

"We don't need to do that. I'm fine; I promise you," he gave a wavering smile that didn't fool either of them and Alya's frown deepened as she straightened.

"We're going back to the base," she decided.

Alexei shook his head and continued to protest, "No, no. You should be enjoying yourself. You're all dressed up and everything."

"And you're hurting. That takes precedence," Eddie agreed, earning a grateful smile from Alya that turned into a victorious smirk as the turned to regard her brother who resigned under the majority rule. They helped him to his feet and Eddie glanced about for a minute, gnawing on his lip, before guiding them further down the alley towards the entrance to the tunnels. As the hammers inside his head receded, Alexei's strength returned and though his sister seemed reluctant to release him, he was standing on his own before they had entered the capsule. Back within the valley the base was nestled in several minutes later, Eddie loped to the door, trying to generate friction between his agitated nether regions and boxers. As the doors slid open, he was met with the vision of Rose gloriously attired for the warm weather. Her phone was in hand and she blinked as they nearly ran into each other before slipping it back into her pocket.

"I was just about to give you a call. When did you guys leave?"

"Actually, our little trip was cut short. Alexei got one of those crazy headaches of his, so we came back early," he explained as the youth in mention shuffled inside along his sister, easing past Rose. She glanced after them and then turned to back to the red boy.

"What happened?"

He shrugged, "We went to the arcade and he got separated. Next thing I knew, Alya was freaking out and Alexei was on the ground. She pretty much fried all the games there getting him out."

"Okay. Let me think about this for a second. You took a pair of metahumans who've had to fight for their lives for as far back as they can remember . . . to a place that pretty much specializes in simulated war and combat and treats it as a game."

There was a moment of silence during which Eddie mulled over his words, while combatting the urge to scratch, before rubbing his hand on the back of his neck, "When you put it that way . . ."

She rolled her eye and then fixed a pointed stare upon him, regarding him with a narrowed gaze before demanding, "And what's up with you? You look you got something up your ass."

"Nope. Nope. No problems here. Come on, let's go check on them," he rushed past her. She stood there for a moment, a devious smile growing across her face before she closed the door and followed after him.

In the control room, Blackfire was sprawled out upon the couches, watching figures play across the projected screen when the siblings burst into the room, followed shortly by her younger teammates. Her eyes flickered up and she sighed, "Gar is gone. You would think as a result of this, the base would be quiet. But I guess that would be too much to hope for, wouldn't it?"

"I'm sorry. Are we intruding on your lazing about?" Rose returned and then paused as she watched the screen where mangy hounds rampaged through a quaint kitchen. "What're you watching?"

"Nothing important. Just something Gar suggested I view – it's a long list," she huffed, refusing to meet anybody's gaze. Rose's grin turned carnivorous and she placed her hands on the back of the couch, leaning over the extra-terrestrial with a Cheshire grin.

"What's this? Big, bad Blackfire's trying to make the green bean happy?" she leered.

Blackfire sat up, snarling at Rose, "It helps cut down on the prattle, child. Stop talking as though you have any idea as to what an actual relationship resembles."

Rose scowled and then barked, "Eddie!"

"I wasn't!" he shouted, jerking his fingers away from his thigh before giving a cough, "I – I mean, uh, what's up?"

"Make sure Sparky there doesn't fry our system," she ordered and he rushed over to the pair of siblings, the female member of whom spared Rose a glare.

"Are you feeling any better?" Eddie asked the tall boy.

"Considerably," he answered, "See, I told you we didn't need to – Ah!"

He doubled over again, hands flying to his temples as a vibrational field suddenly pulsed from his body and Eddie yelped, pulling his hand away though Alya seemed unaffected by the shockwaves rippling from her brother's body. She pressed a hand to his back and tried to help him sit up as the others fought to get closer to offer some sort of assistance. They were forced away by the waves as the framework of the couch began to shatter and even Blackfire could not stand the vibrations.

"Alya! You need to get out of there!" Eddie shouted as he pressed towards her.

"It's fine. We're immune to each other's powers," she reassured him. "Come on, Alexei. Pull through this. You're going to be all right. You need to be. Please."

"It . . . hurts . . ." he groaned, his words barely intelligible. "Worst one . . . yet."

"Put him under," Blackfire commanded as the barrier pushed her away yet again.

"No!" Alya snapped, sparks leaping from her body.

"Settle, electro-cun-"

"Swear jar, Rose," he chided automatically.

"Safety of your internal organs, Eddie," she glanced back to him before regarding Alya again, "Look, we just need to sedate him before he ends up hurting himself – or, more importantly, us."

"I'll get some stuff from the med lab," Eddie volunteered before racing off.

"Alya, you're going to have to deliver the shot once he gets back. The rest of us can't get close without our bones and organs getting pulverized," Rose advised.

"That pretty much covers the extent to which I can be useful in this. Try to keep it down," Blackfire declared as she drifted back over to the couch to watch the movie.

"Seriously?"

She shrugged at Rose, "I can't get any closer to him. Eddie's already grabbing the sedatives. Aside from blasting him into unconsciousness, I can't offer anything more. Therefore, I might as well go back to watching my movie."

Rose blinked, "Damn. How the Hell did you even come to consider heroism as an option?"

As she stretched out upon the couch, she gave another small shrug as she focused upon the screen, "It was the best prospect at the time, particularly in comparison to the others."

Suddenly the entire room shook and Blackfire bolted upright as they looked to Alexei, the vibrational field around him expanding. Rose was blasted back off her feet and Blackfire took to the air to avoid the yellow pulses that cascaded off of him. Despite her claim of immunity, Alya winced at the force that shook through her body and as the waves pulsed through the couch, it was torn apart. Cracks like spider webs populated the floor around him and Blackfire prepared an energy blast when Eddie came crashing through the door. In his hand was a device that looked like some sort of futuristic firearm but as he presented it, he yelled, "Got it! I got the tranq! Gar said this could pierce the hide of anything on Earth and a bunch of stuff off of it. He actually named a whole bunch a species, but it was their actual scientific names so he completely lost-"

"Eddie!" the girls called and he jumped, tossing the delivery system into the air before he managed to catch it and rushed to Alya. He was soon brought to a halt by the vibrational field but the bicolored haired girl rushed to meet him, accepting the tool as he delivered the instructions, "Just press it against his arm and squeeze the trigger. It'll put him under, but he'll be perfectly safe . . . Probably."

Although she winced at his word, she raced over to her brother and did as he had advised, a hiss issued from the device as its payload was delivered. Alexei stiffened before his body went completely lax and his eyes fluttered shut, the pulverizing waves sending out a few more weak pulses before calming along with him. Silence claimed dominion over the room for a minute, aside from the background noise of the movie, and all eyes were on Alexei as she rearranged his body, moving him to lie out on an intact section of the couch. She gave a wistful smile as she stroked his forehead and she gave something similar to a sob, "We can't do it. We can't have a normal life. I can't do this. I need to find somebody to help my brother. This can't go on."

No words of comfort could reach her, none could be produced to offer any sort of condolence, the entirety of them only able to stare helplessly. Hesitantly, Eddie shuffled forward to place a hand on her shoulder, trying to find something to say as the lightly sobbing girl broke down.

This is a bit shorter than our last few chapters and we're sorry for that. Originally, this was meant to be a more light-hearted chapter. Then Ira kinda took over and this is what we were left with - a chapter that doesn't end with a quip! The bastard.

K. Hopkins: We regret to inform you that somebody beat you to naming Neil Richards (for those who didn't know, it's the real identity of Mad Mod - he's reformed and has turned to fashion. Comic inspired). Thanks for playing though.

Once again, thank you all for your reviews and please keep them up. We're nearing an actual story arc.