Chapter 5: Insufficient

Evelyn hadn't exactly been pleased with Delsin since the incident. It had only been a day and she could feel herself stronger and more powerful than before. She didn't want it. She wanted to be rid of what she was. Being a bio-terrorist was part of her life now, but she always tried to suppress it as much as possible. Now that her abilities were stronger and keener than before, it was harder to ignore. And the noises, the noises got louder and more distinct that before. It was like she had to learn to cope with them all over again. Sleeping that night was difficult and by the next morning, she was exhausted.

Delsin ran off to go and try to find some more core relays after she blew him off that morning. He'd been a bit irritated, but most likely because she decided she would rather take up Reggie's offer of going out to lunch and coffee than running off with him to "upgrade" her powers.

She just didn't understand his draw to the powers that he attained. Half of the city would be running after him and he didn't even seem to care. It probably had to do with his seemingly rebellious nature. Either way, she didn't want to worry about trying to control new abilities, so she took up Reggie's offer and here she was, sitting in the passenger seat of the police car again to head to the local Latte Owl.

Today, it was pretty clear out and decently warm, but she couldn't take of her usual hoodie in fear of revealing herself. Reggie mentioned that Delsin had started to destroy the surveillance cameras in the area so it would make it a bit easier for them to walk around freely and try and get their goal accomplished. Despite their differences, she found herself liking Reggie. He was at least more even tempered and predictable than his younger brother.

Though he still didn't exactly approve of what she'd done in the past, he seemed kind enough to want to help her out and realized that she didn't exactly take pride in her abilities like Delsin did.

"Here we are," Reggie announced after he'd parallel parked.

Unbuckling herself, she got out of the car. She stretched lightly and made sure her face was covered enough before following the sheriff into the little coffee shop. Both of them ordered regular coffees and a few baked goods before sitting down at a spot near the window. It was slightly awkward at first, but luckily she didn't have to think of a conversation starter because he'd already come up with one.

"Sorry if Delsin is a little bit impulsive. He's always aired on the risky side," he started, picking at his croissant, "are you feeling okay after...?"

Evelyn warmed her hands on the Styrofoam coffee cup, nibbling on her lip for a moment before answering. "Yeah I'm okay. I just...I can feel its presence stronger. I don't like it..."

"I guess you're just not used to it. When did...you know...?"

"Oh um... I was young. Thirteen. It was really weird at first, but then I grew to like it. But after...things happened and I was on my own, I just...well it causes more trouble than good."

He nodded slowly, taking a sip of his coffee and looking out of the window, seemingly deep in thought. After a moment, he spoke, looking slightly troubled. "I don't want Delsin to be like that. But I don't think there's a way to make it stop. I know not all of them are bad... One of them is my brother. But I've seen so many doing bad things... I wish it was a dream."

Me too.

She ducked her head slightly, eyes locking with the maroon color of the table. It had only been a few days since Elijah's kidnapping and yet, she was exhausted. Mostly because of worrying and the extreme shift in events.

"I know you might not want to talk about it but...what happened to your family?" Reggie asked suddenly.

Her family was always a sore subject. The only one she ever really spoke about it to was Elijah, but that took a lot of coaxing and trust-building. She barely knew this man and they got off on the wrong foot, but he was being friendly now and treating her like a real human being.

"They just...died. Because of me," she murmured quietly, not looking up to meet his gaze. "I don't really want to talk about it. I'm sorry..."

"It's okay. If it...makes you feel any better, my parents...they died in a car accident when we were young. Delsin and I were raised by our tribe... We're Akomish. Been in a tribe since we were young. Our tribe leader, Betty, she became our mother. Got really close with Delsin. She's the reason we're even here. We had Augustine show up near us after a truck load of bio-terrorists crashed. Interrogated us. Hurt and killed a lot of our own. Betty's...hurt and the only way to stop it is using the way she was hurt to reverse it."

Augustine had hurt so many people. Not just her family, but now Delsin and Reggie's as well. She'd hurt even innocent civillians, who weren't bio-terrorists or even associated with them. It made no sense to her, since Augustine was also one of them. What was she trying to accomplish? Total control?

"I'm sorry... That woman has killed a lot of people who didn't deserve it."

Their conversation got rather quiet after that and the two of them ate and drank their coffees silently. She had always been rather shy and awkward with conversation, so she didn't really try to start it up again. But it only remained awkward and if there was one thing she hated more than speaking up when she was feeling shy, it was feeling awkward. So she forced herself to speak, deciding to pick a lighter topic than before.

"So how did you become a cop?"

He seemed to light up a little with this question, indicating his passion for the subject. "I always wanted to be a police officer. There was just something in me that wanted to help others. And when our parents died, it just... I guess strengthened that. As soon as I was able, I went in for the training and here I am. What did you want to do? You know, before all of this?"

She sighed gently, tracing her coffee cup and thinking. Part of her always wanted to be a musician, but that was more Elijah's dream.

"Honestly? I don't really know. I like music...but I don't know if I'd want to make that my career. Maybe a music therapist, though? I've always liked kids. Or a writer."

"You've got a creative mind, then," he commented.

"Yeah. Definitely," she agreed.

Before the could continue their conversation, a phone rang. Reggie reached for his pocket and pulled out the smartphone. She caught a glance of the screen, seeing that it was Delsin, before he picked it up. Judging by the reaction and responses of the man sitting across from her, she guessed he was looking for more core relays and needed the locations. She finished off her coffee and watched as Reggie tapped away some things on his phone to send the location to him. It reminded her that he didn't really want to do all of this, but they were trying to save their tribe. Time was precious.

"Hey do you think we can go back and try to figure something out...you know with my situation?" she asked suddenly, causing him to look up after hanging up with his brother.

"Yeah, might as well while we're waiting for baby brother to get back. Come on," he heaved, pushing his chair out and getting to his feet.

She smiled gratefully at him, taking her garbage to the bin and tossing it before following him outside. The ride back seemed a lot shorter, probably because she was anticipating what they were going to be doing when she got back. Delsin was nowhere in sight, so it gave them a little bit of peace and quiet to work.

"Okay so, I did do a bit of research on your friend the other day when you told me his name, but there wasn't much. Just the standard stuff that everyone has heard from the D.U.P. I think that if he's going to be anywhere, it's going to be the main control tower in the center of the city." Reggie sat down at the table, pulling his laptop in front of him.

She took a seat next to him, taking a mental note of what he was saying. The city center was full of D.U.P.s and it would be really difficult to get in there unnoticed. Going and shooting up the place would be suicide, but sneaking in was an option. A difficult option, but plausible if they worked hard enough and maybe even created a diversion.

"Okay. So if they're holding him there, we have to figure out how to get in. Ideas?" she asked, adjusting her ponytail.

"I think our best bet is to try and weaken the D.U.P. as much as we can before storming in. That means taking out any of the bases spread out across the city. It means there will be less back up to call on and they'll be forced to spread their assets thin. Delsin's already taken out a few, but I think you'll need to at least take out ten more before getting in the tower is even an option."

Evelyn blanched at the thought of having to actually go out there and use her powers. She knew that at some point she would need to come in direct contact with Augustine and the D.U.P., but she didn't think this early. Most of the time, she always tried to use her stealth to her advantage, but attacking the bases head on and destroying them was active action rather than passive action. The thought of it unnerved her and she wasn't sure how she felt about it.

"So a cop is telling me to break the law?" she spoke, raising an eyebrow and using the joke to try and mask her uneasiness.

"I know, I know. Despite what you might think, I may be willing to bend the rules a little bit to get this over with. But don't take it as a free pass. Getting into that tower won't just help you and your friend. It's likely Augustine is staying there and if Delsin can get some of her powers, we can leave this city and fix things back at home."

So he was mainly doing this for him, if she was reading between the lines correctly. Still, at this point it didn't particularly matter. As long as she could get to Elijah to free him, she didn't care if he was piggy-backing off her.

"Okay so...if I have to go out and fight the D.U.P.s...does it mean that I'm going to need to go out and collect the core relays like Delsin?"

"Not necessarily. I mean, it may bring an advantage, but I would advise against it," Reggie said, his lips forming a thin line and his expression more serious than before. "If it's the two of you, I think you should manage. Look I know I'm not a big fan of bio-terrorists, but...you're very powerful. With or without the core relays. I wouldn't be telling just anyone this and...I just think that you're different than the rest of the others out there. Don't give me a reason to regret helping you."

She blew some air out of her lips, trying to understand exactly why he went there in the first place, but ultimately dismissing it when she couldn't come up with anything. Neither of them really got a chance to say more because Reggie's phone went off once again and she sat back in her seat, figuring it had to be Delsin. She was right when the normal brotherly bickering began.

With a tired expression, she stood, heading to the bathroom in a quick decision to soak in some hot water and calm her nerves at the prospect of fighting. She turned on the faucet and let the hot water fill the tub as she stripped down and slid inside.

This was a lot to process. She could keep saying that all day long, but it was true. Who would have thought any of this was happening? And now, she had to face some of her fears and put herself directly in the line of fire in order to get to where she needed to be. Thinking about it was exhausting and taxing, but it was all she could think about. This city was up in shambles because of the numerous new bio-terrorists roaming the streets and the D.U.P. were scaring the civilians into thinking they were monsters.

Well, some of them were anyway.

Everything seemed to sink in much faster like the water soaking into her skin. How could she even be doing this? Sure, she was getting help from Delsin and Reggie, but it seemed like it wasn't enough. She was so used to running away and hiding in her own shadow that this was all a shock to her. It seemed like she couldn't stop doubting herself and repeating the same thoughts over and over. It was exhausting and she wanted to sleep.

Unfortunately, she didn't get much more time to ponder over this because Reggie was banging on the bathroom door, calling for her to come out because of an emergency. So she quickly rinsed out the soap in her hair and got out, letting the tub drain and drying herself with a towel. She got dressed as quickly as possible before opening up the door to see him ramming things into a bag, including his gun.

"What's going on?" she asked, her heart speeding up a bit at the shift of atmosphere.

"Delsin found another bio-terrorist. She's been killing a lot of people. Drug dealers to be specific. He sent me some pictures and I was able to get some information on her. I think he's getting her right now. And I need your help," he explained, heading for the door.

"Wait, I can't… I don't do stuff like this!" she exclaimed, stopping in the doorway.

"Look, Delsin likes to do things he really shouldn't. I can't keep a rein on him to keep him in line because he's my brother. But someone else might. I don't need him going out of line. We're helping you, so you help us."

She was surprised by the sudden snappiness in his tone. The whole day, he had been rather kind and understanding, but now he was being a bit demanding and bossy. She equated it to him just being worried about the situation with Delsin, but it still didn't give him the right to snap at her like that. She supposed she should be grateful for his help, but she still wasn't ready to trust them enough just yet. For now, she would tag along and try to stay out of the way, hopefully for the entire time.

With pursed lips, she followed after his quickened pace, sliding into the elevator and waiting for it to hit the bottom. Reggie was out the door before she could even blink. With a small sigh, Evelyn picked up her pace and got into the car.

"Where is he?" she asked, barely having the time to buckle before he was taking off at a most likely illegal speed if he wasn't a cop.

"He said he's be waiting for her at Olaf's, but the tracker on his phone is showing him darting all around the area. He's chasing after her, I think. Probably got a hold of her powers. He's a sponge. Soaks up the powers of whoever he touches. You're lucky he hasn't tried to steal yours yet," he huffed, turning on the sirens so he could weave through traffic a little more quickly.

"How long was I in the tub?"

It had darkened a little bit outside, the sun setting and casting a slightly red hue across the mostly black sky.

"Hour or so? Wasn't keeping track."

They suddenly swerved around a car stopped at a red light and she rammed her side into the car door, wincing lightly at the sudden pain in her elbow.

"Sorry," he apologized, slowing down just a little bit.

She shook it off, rubbing her elbow lightly. At least the pain didn't last as long because of her abilities. Otherwise, she would be sure to have shooting pain in her elbow throughout the trip.

As they neared Delsin's location, Reggie turned off the sirens and parked on a street across from one that looked as if the roof had caved in. That had to be them, or else she was just that stupid.

"Guessing that's them?" she queried, opening up the door and taking a moment to look at the building that was now in shambles. How much destruction could they do in one night?

"Yes. We need to hurry. They've got each other cornered."

He moved across the street more quickly than she did. She was wary about the situation and wasn't sure if it was the best idea to even get involved. But she knew there was no stopping Reggie and she had to at least follow him inside. If he wanted her to get in the fight, she was going to decline. She could barely fight a D.U.P. let alone another of her kind.

They arrived at the back door, which was barely even able to be opened because of the way it was propped and bent from the fighting inside. Reggie used all of his strength to lift it out of the way and she was actually surprised by his strength.

She slipped through the little doorway that was half-blocked by a beam from the inside, but was easy enough to get past. Reggie never slowed down for a second and even she had a difficult time keeping up, mainly because she was hesitant about going in there. But soon enough, they arrived to the main part of the building where Delsin and this new conduit were fighting. Or where they were both laying on the floor.

Debris littered the floor, mostly neon signs from the top of the building. A couple here and there were lit, but most of them were drained from all of their light. Given the fact that Delsin's palms were glowing a bright pink, it seemed like he picked up a new power from this. What would controlling light - or neon - even be helpful with? Then again, how did controlling sound waves help with anything? Maybe besides causing everyone to become deaf.

She stayed back, eyes darting between the three of them as Reggie ran forward to apprehend the new bio-terrorist.

"I know just where to put filth like this," Reggie breathed, keeping his brother steadied. "Somewhere where Augustine won't find her and she won't be hurting anybody else."

"Hey, no no no... She's just killing drug dealers, man," Delsin explained.

"Killing? Delsin, murdering drug dealers."

"What do you think I'm doing to the D.U.P.?"

"What you have to to save Akomish back home!"

There was something in his tone that scared her a little bit. He was only doing all of this because it was his brother. His family. His people. Would he turn on her if she got in the way of that? It suddenly hit her that this wasn't what she was supposed to be doing. This wasn't what she needed to be doing. She couldn't trust anyone. Even these people who said that they would help her. Reggie was so desperate to save his own.

"No man. She stays free," Delsin clarified, shaking his head and stepping past his older brother.

"No. Dude, no way," Reggie grabbed his brother by the shoulders, "look, just because you have the same affliction, not gift, affliction, doesn't mean we're going to pick up every little piece of trash we find."

"But what about Ev? We picked her up. You're calling her trash? You're calling me trash?"

A glance was shot in her direction and she clenched her fists, taking a few steps back and debating on whether she should run for the door and separate herself from these people once and for all.

"She's not killing people, Delsin. She's trying to live normally. And I'm never going to abandon you, alright? Not ever. This one goes in a cage," he answered.

At that moment, the pink-haired woman decided to bolt, but she wasn't quick enough. Reggie grabbed onto her and she struggled to get free. Delsin stood in between, unsure of what to even say to get his brother to let her go free.

"Ev...you're with me on this right? She's like us, she's...," he started, turning toward her and trying to get her to side with one of them.

"No, Evelyn, she's not like you. You're not a murderer!" Reggie countered.

This only caused the brothers to break out into an argument, both of them shooting comments back at her to try and get her to agree while practically going at each others throats. Everything was coming in on her fast. Delsin's voice. Reggie's voice. The girl's struggling grunts. The fire crackling, the cars speeding outside, the conversation of passerbys...

Her hands slapped against her ears and she winced, willing the noises to go away but no matter how hard she tried, they wouldn't leave her. A scream rumbled in her chest but it never left her lips because she couldn't. She was frozen in place, trying to block out the noises and voices screaming in her head.

A hand on her shoulder steadied her and she blinked open her eyes, her surroundings rushing back to her in an instant. One distinct voice out of all of them echoed in her mind.

"She'll be my responsibility! Both of them!"

Those two sentences brought her spiraling back into the real world and the voices quieted. Slowly, her hands lowered from her ears and she stared at Delsin as he stepped forward, claiming responsibility for the both of them.

"Yeah, because responsibility is not exactly something you excel at!" Reggie countered.

"I got this."

The older brother shoved the woman toward them, causing her to stumble back as she bumped into her.

"Fine. I'm here for the tribe, not to haul in bio-terrorists," he spat, narrowed eyes shooting all three of them a nasty look.

"I'm a conduit!" the woman corrected, seemingly exhausted.

"He's...cool. He's normally cool, just not today...," Delsin breathed, watching as his brother left, not even sparing them a glance.

"Let's...let's talk."

A small silence settled between them and she used it to try and process what had just happened. Reggie was leaving them to do their own thing...turning his back on them. Delsin was taking responsibility of the two of them... Something she never even asked for.

"Ev...are you coming?"

Her head snapped up at Delsin's voice and she looked at him, waiting a few steps away with the woman. She had to make a decision. Either leave to do this on her own, or go with him and get help. Reggie wasn't an option anymore. His tunnel-vision and hostility to those like her, despite their nice lunch time, was just too dangerous.

All her life, she'd had someone to help her. Except when she was on her own before she met Elijah. It wasn't a long period of time, but it was still long enough and she hated those memories the most. She couldn't do things by herself. She was too weak. It was why she ran when Elijah was taken rather than fight. If she didn't have someone to latch onto and help her get through it, she couldn't survive. What was she going to do if she went off by herself and tried to finish this? She wouldn't be able to do it. But Delsin...and this woman now...they could help her get through it.

Her lungs filled up and she locked her green eyes with his brown ones, her mind made up. "Yeah...yeah."

A/N: Long time no see! Have been insanely busy even though these chapters were pre written, I haven't really been online much. But hoping to start writing and updating again. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and thanks so much for reading and reviewing! :)