Kihonne: Hey guys. I'm so sorry for the late update. It's a long, boring story that you probably don't care about, but I was pretty busy within the last couple of weeks and everything got pushed back as a result. I appreciate all of you for being patient with me, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Xxx

SzymonS: It's fine, but for future reference – comments about word length are not highly appreciated by too many writers. After all, it's quality not quantity that matters. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! I'm pretty excited for the black magic too – it's going to be fun to write, that's for sure. And I'm glad you liked what I did with the shapeshifters – I would have been pretty disappointed in myself if they'd been easy to beat. And yes, we will see more of Alan in the future. I just needed to focus on specific characters for the past couple of chapters.

AlienGhostWizard14: I'm glad you liked it. Format-wise, yes, the story will be much closer to the Facility series, and it will have a few elements and themes I had in those stories, but unlike the Facility series, this story is going to stay much closer to the plot of the Power of Seven.

MayLeaf2001: Well, I thought that the finale was epic. And I know you said I didn't have to say thanks, but seriously, thank you for understanding. A lot of people tend to get frustrated with the author when they don't update weekly, so it's really refreshing when someone goes out of their way to say that they understand. I'm glad you like the idea I have for the other story, and I do want to do it, I'm just waiting for a good time. Maybe once this story is done (seeing as it's going to be a fair bit shorter than the Power of Seven), I might start posting it then. And yes, if Liam could trust Rani, I think they'd be an excellent combination (both in and out of battle), but it is going to have to be something he learns to do. Though, I think what Rani did in Against the Odds might be a good first step. Anyway, I'm really glad you liked the last chapter, and I hope you enjoy this one too.

LabGirl2001: Well, try and look at it from his point of view: Rani is a villain who has betrayed them before. After everything that happened at Mighty Med, it makes sense that his guard is up. Not to mention, he and Rani are almost polar opposites. That being said, he is being a little hard on her, and a bit of a know-it-all. But don't worry, he'll lighten up (usually I hate puns, but this one isn't so bad). Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.

EliteForce12; Thank you for understanding. Seriously, it's nice to know that some of your readers are on your side. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and I hope you enjoy this one just as much.

Bennyweirdlover17: I'm glad you liked it! I hope you like this one too!

Algernon23: I'm glad you liked it! And thanks for understanding. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Emc Superbionics: I'm glad you liked it, and that you get why the chapters are so short. I'm so glad you liked the last one, and I hope you enjoy this one just as much.

Xxx

Kihonne: Anyway, on with the chapter!

Alan: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med or Elite Force. She only owns this story, all the OCs, and anything else you don't recognize.

Xxx

Rani's POV

"C'mon! You've been in there forever, man!" Barry complained, pounding on the bathroom door. I shook my head and passed him by in the hall, hearing Spotlight shout for him to wait his turn.

"There is going to be no hot water left by time they're done." Alan complained, leaning against the wall. I ignored him and headed to the kitchen, where the Lily, Angela, Melody, and Alivia were all waiting. Angela and Alivia were in the middle of an argument, something about Angela not wanting to share the guest bedroom with anyone else.

Melody's apartment was small, made for at most three people, let alone eight. Between there only being two beds and two couches, and the one washroom, it already felt cramped enough. Not to mention, most of us didn't get along that well. While most of them had gotten used to my presence, Spotlight still was acting like a jerk (at this point, I think he was just hating me for the sake of hating me) and though I sort of understood why, it didn't man I had to like it. And being trapped in a small apartment with someone who hated you was even worse. At least last week's visitor gave us an excuse to get out of the apartment for a while.

FLASHBACK

"You know what? Why don't you-" Spotlight and I were in the middle of some argument when a loud creak in the hallway got all of our attentions. We all froze, knowing that the other apartments on this floor were supposed to be vacant for one reason or another, and that we should be the only ones up here.

"One of Dr. Wrath's minions? Or one of his partners'?" Angela guessed, standing up from her spot on the couch.

"How could they have found us?" Barry questioned, confused. I looked at the others, then crept towards the door. I listened closely, just in case it was a cleaning person or something, but then I heard more footsteps, definitely heading towards our door. I waited for a pause in the footsteps, then threw the door open and lunged towards the minion. I grabbed the girl by the arm and forced her against the wall, tightening my grip so that she knew I'd break her arm if she tried to pull away.

"What the hell?" The brunette demanded.

"Who do you work for?" I demanded as the others stepped out into the hall to join me. "Dr. Wrath?"

"Doctor who?" She exclaimed, bewildered. I pushed her into the wall even rougher, but Alivia stopped me.

"Wait…I know you." She realized. She nodded for me to release her, and after a moment, I reluctantly stepped away from the girl. "You're Calla Parker; you're part of the Elite Force."

Calla didn't answer her, instead looking at me. "What the hell is wrong with you? Do you attack everyone that comes to the door?"

"Pretty much." Spotlight spoke up. I turned to glare at him.

"What are you doing here? Is everything alright?" Barry asked Calla. The brunette shook her head.

"No." She said solemnly. "We need your help."

FLASHBACK OVER

Admittedly, defeating the shapeshifters had been a little fun, and just the break we all needed, but now that that was over and we were stuck back in this tiny apartment together, I was SO over the whole teamwork thing.

"I know I promised to be good, but if I have to stay here with them," I said to Melody, jerking my head at the others, "for one more hour, I'm going to kill someone. Probably Spotlight."

"I hear you." She agreed with me. She looked at Lily, who was staring at my brother's 2D gun intently, even as she ate her breakfast. "I don't suppose you've found Dr. Wrath?"

"It's not easy, especially with all of these distractions." She waved vaguely at the others. "I've narrowed it down, though. It's somewhere in the US, upper half I think."

"That's all you've got?" I protested. For all I knew, Dr. Wrath could have killed Gully by now. The quicker we found my former teacher, the faster I could get my brother and get out of there.

"I'm working as fast as I can. I know you want to save Gulliver." Lily assured me. She looked at Alivia and Angela, then added loudly. "It'd be easier if everyone just shut up and let me focus though."

The two arguing girls stopped, then looked away sheepishly. "Thank you." Lily said sweetly. I sighed dramatically and lay my head on the counter, the sounds of Barry and Spotlight arguing about who takes longer showers echoing in my ears.

Alan's POV

"Alivia is going to kill us." Barry insisted as we stepped into the guest room.

"She's not the boss of us." I replied dismissively. "She can't tell us what to do."

"Uh, yeah, she can." Barry pointed out. "She's in charge."

"Well, I don't have to listen to her." Alivia was nice and all, had even been nice to me back when most heroes hated me, but I was sick of her thinking she was our leader. No one elected her, and personally I thought I'd make a better leader than she would.

I threw open the window that led to the fire escape, ready to leave. We weren't going to be gone for long, just a couple of hours away from the others. This place was just too cramped. But before either Barry or I could leave, a subtle couch came from the doorway.

"What do we have here?" Rani mused, leaning against the doorframe. "You two making a run for it?"

"No." I lied. Barry smirked.

"We needed a break. You in?" He offered. I looked at him, surprised by how chill he was with the former villain. Rani smiled, a genuine, not bitter smile.

"Absolutely." She sauntered past us, swung her leg out the window, and fell down to the fire escape. "You boys coming or what?"

xxx

"This is your idea of fun?" I questioned skeptically, looking at Barry. He grinned, dribbling a basketball. Barry had dragged us (well, dragged me; Rani was going along willingly) to an empty basketball court, near a rec center.

"Well, there's not much we can do in the city without cash, and besides, I miss being on the court." He reasoned, passing the ball between both his hands. He stopped, then grinned. "Now c'mon. A little game of twenty-one never hurt anyone."

He threw the ball at me and, thought I fumbled with it, I caught it before it hit the ground. Rani watched us, amused. "Uh, I've never played, and besides, this is boring. I bet Rani would rather do something else."

"Nah, watching you get your butt kicked is all the fun I need." She replied, sitting down on one of the bleachers. She leaned back and crossed her legs, a smirk plastered across her face. Barry mirrored her expression.

"Alright, Diaz. Let's see what you've got." He declared.

Alivia's POV

I sighed, lounging on the couch. I flipped through some pages on my new IPad, curtesy of Davenport Industries. With Roddiseus' death, we'd managed to take out one of Dr. Wrath's partners, but not only were two of his sons still out there, wanting revenge, but he still had another partner. I had an idea of who it might be, but I needed to be sure before anyone did anything stupid.

I was just getting through the last of the articles when Crossbow walked into the kitchen. She looked around, confused. "Hey, anyone seen Rani, Barry, or Alan?"

"Have you checked their rooms?" Liam questioned, raising his head away from the TV. Lily, who was sitting on the couch, focusing on the 2D gun, even broke her attention away from it.

"I just did." Melody announced, stepping out from the hall. She shook her head. "They're gone."

"You think something happened to them?" Lily inquired. I shook my head.

"More likely they snuck out." I guessed with a sigh. I expected this from Rani and Alan – she was trouble and he usually didn't think too much before doing something he wanted – but Barry was supposed to be reliable. "Damn it, guys."

"Chill." Liam told me, a resigned smirk on his face. "I'll go grab them and bring them back."

"We'll come with." Angela offered, as she and Melody stood up.

"Some fresh air would be nice." The Brit agreed. "And besides, it'll give Lily some peace and quiet to locate Rani's brother."

"Thank you." Lily agreed, not taking her eyes off of the weapon in her hands. She frowned in concentration, deeply focused.

"Alright. Call me if you get into any trouble. Don't forget – Dr. Wrath's still got guys coming after us, so be careful." I insisted.

"Got it, boss." Liam assured me as they walked out. I sighed, irritated. The last thing we needed right now was for half our team to get into trouble. We needed to focus, we needed to plan, we needed people to not do anything stupid.

"Hey, let up a little. We all needed a break from each other; they just took the initiative." Lily reasoned.

"Yeah, but there's Dr. Wrath and his minions to worry about. And not to mention, Roddiseus has two sons unaccounted for, and I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure Reese handed one of them the list of superheroes and their locations."

"They can handle themselves. I mean, you saw them when we fought with the Elite Force and the Bionic Heroes." She reminded me. I sighed, then chuckled softly.

"Liam's still sore about Rani pushing him out of the way of that shapeshifter's blast." I mused. Lily nodded, finally looking away.

"Oh, yeah. He's trying to be mad at her for being a villain, but even he's having a hard time." She agreed. "But seriously, you saw how they fought and they're not stupid; they're not going to get into any trouble."

Alan's POV

"C'mon, that's not fair." Barry complained. I laughed, throwing the basketball towards the net. Like the others, it started to fall short, but then it floated higher into the air, and back into the net. "No powers, guys!"

"Magic doesn't count as a power; anyone can learn it." Rani teased, smiling as she lowered her hand. Barry looked at her incredulously.

"Why are you even helping him?" He demanded.

"I got tired of how pathetic he looked." She shrugged. I raised my hands and used my telekinesis to draw the ball back over to me.

"The score's 6 to 5 now, right?" I guessed. Both of them looked at me.

"12 to 3." Rani corrected. "Man, you are really bad at math."

Before I could argue with her, another voice broke into the conversation. "Hey, you guys got room for a couple more?"

Spinning around, we discovered that there were two guys, about Barry's age, standing behind us. They both had dark hair and daring glares, identifying them as the two missing shapeshifters that destroyed Mighty Med – Rune and Riker.

"We hear you've been looking for us." Riker mused, smirking at us.

Kihonne: Alright guys, I'm afraid that's all for now. But I promise, next week's chapter is going to be fairly interesting, and not just because of the fight scene. And maybe, if I finish up the chapter for The Power of Seven in good time, then I might just make it a double update. We'll see. Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter, and I promise that the next update will be on time next week.