Chapter Two Hundred and Four

...

Unsuccessful in finding the reanimator, traffic jams, or any reason for her delay, Jetstream returned to the city morgue. Vaguely sweaty and cold from flying in the late night air (early morning, a glance at her watch corrected), Josie headed towards the small staff room so she could get something hot to drink and warm herself. She was surprised to hear laughter and paused in the doorway.

" - love Halloween and scary movies, and I should have handled it better!"

"You did just fine, Morgana," Marvin promised with a smile. "In fact, the first time I saw a dead body, I - oh, hello, Jetstream," he said, his smile falling away as he caught her expression.

"I'm so glad you're in here socialising while something nefarious could have happened to your colleague," Jetstream said pointedly, stepping into the kitchen and getting a mug off the shelf, starting to pour hot water from the boiled urn.

"I'm keeping Morgana company in case of concussion," Marvin replied, ensuring to keep his tone even so he wouldn't sound defensive.

"You've barely been gone five minutes after I fainted; I'm surprised you had a chance to look around all of Maxville in that time," Morgana said, defensive on behalf of Marvin and not at all pleased with the superhero at that moment.

"You said you worked at the morgue!" Jetstream snapped, spinning around to glare at the imposter, water splashing out of her mug.

Morgana flinched back, then steeled herself and glared right back. "I never said I worked at the morgue, and you never asked! You just said there was an emergency and I had to help! I was being a good samaritan!"

"I think you should go see the Commander and Judge Pepper, Jetstream. I'm sure they're waiting for your report," Marvin said, staying where he was in between the superhero and Morgana.

Jetstream flew out of the room without another word, still clutching her mug of half-filled water in her hands. Behind her, Marvin sighed and started to clean up the mess with a handful of paper towels, Morgana moving to help.

Landing in front of the morgue to see the Commander demonstrating his golf swing for Judge Pepper, Jetstream very nearly threw the mug straight at her husband's head. "Have you found the reanimator's phone number or address yet, Commander?" she asked, her voice cold.

"Oh. Uh, no. I didn't think of that. Excellent idea, dear!" the Commander replied, hurrying over to the computer that Marvin had been working on earlier.

"I suppose you didn't find her then?" Judge Pepper asked.

Even for his occupation, that was a highly judgemental tone, and Jetstream did not appreciate it.

"No, I did not. She wasn't at the airport, there were no car crashes or traffic jams, and it could be the work of a villain."

"That's highly unlikely; what would a villain want with a reanimator? In fact, having Baron Battle reanimated would be good for the villainous community, so why would they do that?"

Judge Pepper had a point, and it was a question that Jetstream couldn't answer.

"Ah, here's her address. Let me write it down for you," the Commander said, taking a pen and post-it and writing it carefully while Judge Pepper and Jetstream stood there waiting in an awkward silence. "There. Why don't we head over together?" he asked, all too aware of his wife's mood.

"No, you stay here with Judge Pepper. I'll be quicker on my own," Jetstream said, taking the post-it, handing her husband the empty mug, and flying out again.

...

Sarah stopped in front of a door, Faith almost walking into her by accident. While she was desperate to find her husband, there were some interesting aspects of the building that she couldn't help but be distracted by in the meantime. Namely, the giant cascading waterfall of plant vines which she was positive had moved on their own a few minutes ago.

"Here we are. Please, stay quiet as we move through the room; there's a lot of patients and not all of them will respond well to loud noises or movements," Sarah said, as though she'd rehearsed a script.

"Uh, maybe I should stay out here then; no one's ever accused me of bein' quiet," Bill said, nervous for several reasons.

Sarah shook her head. "No, Bill, Hourglass said you have to come in and see."

"See what?" Faith asked, but Sarah opened the door without a response.

Bill had an idea of what Hourglass wanted him to see: the consequences of the Super Bureau, up close and personal; and while he knew what they did wasn't always good, he wasn't exactly anticipating this deeper insight into his workplace. He gave Faith a brief nod, kept his mouth shut, and followed after her and Sarah into the stark white room.

For all that they were meant to stay quiet, that didn't mean the patients were under the same instructions. There were low groans of pain, soft weeping, louder crying, and somehow, the ones that were quiet were worse. They stared blankly ahead, as though waiting for someone to give them instructions or take them away or - Bill stopped the thought there, wondering how they'd find Faith's husband, which wasn't exactly a comforting thought either.

Sarah glanced behind her shoulder at them, then stopped again and indicated towards a curtain-covered area. "Xander's in here. He will be awake in a moment. I suggest you sit down until then, take some pressure off," she added, glancing at Faith in concern.

Faith nodded, though she didn't look as though she'd heard a single word, then opened the curtain and saw her husband for the first time in months. A soft gasp was muffled by her hand, tears filling her eyes in an instant, and she stepped around the bed to the waiting chair. She knew that her knees weren't going to hold her up through the next minute, let alone however long she'd have with Xander, and Faith sank into the chair with no small amount of relief.

"He's alive. He's alive, that's all that matters," she reminded herself, her voice soft and hands gripping the chair's armrests.

As though he'd heard her voice, Xander's eyelids fluttered open. He took in his surroundings, slow and careful, like he was afraid he was right back with the Super Bureau and his escape had all been in a dream. Then his gaze fell on Faith and he paled so fast that she was worried for his health.

"Faith? That really you?" he asked, his voice raw like he'd been screaming for months.

She could only nod, tears in her eyes once more. She struggled to take in a shuddering breath and then found her voice. "It's me, Xan. I'm here. You're alive," she said, her voice as watery as her gaze.

"You're... " Xander trailed off with a smile. "You're pregnant. Is it mine?" he asked, frowning. "I don't know how long it's been. I tried to keep track but... " he trailed off again.

"They're yours, Xander. You didn't miss the birth; we've been waiting for you. Oh, the kids have missed you so much. Harper's - "

"Harp's birthday? Already?" Xander asked. "I've been gone that long? Oh, Faith, sweetheart, I'm so sorry."

Faith shook her head adamantly. "You have nothing to be sorry about. The bastards that took you had better be sorry or I'll make 'em," she snapped fiercely.

Xander's crestfallen expression gave way to a soft smile and huff of laughter. "That's my gal."

"I... I don't know how to ask if you're all right, Xan. Do you want to talk about it or be distracted? I don't know what to do," Faith admitted, reaching across for his hand.

Xander flinched back. "Uh. No touching. Not yet. They... they forced... "

"No, don't. It's okay. We'll talk about it when you're ready, okay? And no touching, I can do that," Faith promised with a quick nod.

"I don't... I need... They took them from me," Xander said, his heart rate monitor starting to beep louder and more incessantly.

"Took what?" Faith asked, confused as she looked between her husband, Bill, and Sarah.

Sarah stepped forward hesitantly while Bill stepped back entirely.

"They took my babies. They made me have them and then they took them from me. I need my babies. Faith, they took them!"

Faith's eyes widened. "Xander, you... "

"Sorry I'm late. Xander, can you look at me?" Honey asked, squeezing Sarah's shoulder as she passed to stand beside Faith.

Xander looked like he used all of his strength to look at Honey, and he frowned at her. "Do I know you?"

"You will soon enough. I know where your babies are."

"What babies?" Faith asked in confusion.

"Xander first, please, then I can answer your questions," Honey said, not looking away from Xander yet. "I'm Hourglass, Xander, do you know who I am now?"

"You're... seer?" he said with another frown.

Honey smiled and nodded. "So you know I can see the future, right?"

He nodded warily.

"I have sent your babies to families where they will be loved. They will prosper, and apart from a few childhood scrapes, they will never know harm. I promise you on my own life that your babies will never be found by the Super Bureau, Xander."

Xander's whole body sagged back onto the bed like only his anxiety over his newborns had kept him upright until now. Then he blinked and looked around again. "Faith? Faith, did you hear that? My babies will be safe."

"Yes, I heard. That's a good thing."

"Faith? Are they a boy or girl?" Xander asked, his eyes focused clearly as he looked at her stomach again.

"Twins, one of each," Faith admitted, cradling her stomach.

"Twins? Oh, isn't that good?" he asked no one in particular, smiling up at the ceiling. "I thought of names when I was in my cell. Hundreds of names, maybe even thousands. I thought of names for girls and boys and non-binary babies and I even named the bricks in my cell. I would've named my babies if they'd let me see them," Xander said drowsily.

Faith swallowed hard, still not entirely sure what had happened to her husband, but certain that it deserved a slow death for the Super Bastards who'd taken him and tortured him. "I know, Xan. You can name these two when they're ready for the world, how about that?"

Xander's smile was bright and broad, and then he dropped off to sleep with a light snore.

"He'll be all right. Eventually. After a lot of therapy," Honey added with a slight wince. "I'll show you to your apartment."

Faith had been in the process of standing and almost fell over at Honey's words. "My what?"

"Your apartment. You've brought too much attention to yourself and your family, the Super Bureau will be investigating everyone involved in the rescue, whether or not you were actually involved, and I promised to keep all of Xander's babies safe, didn't I? Admittedly, you're his wife, but the promise stands and includes you as well. I've brought all of the necessities and your children are arriving with George now."

"With who? They're with my neighbour; they wouldn't get in the car with a complete stranger!"

"I told him your password and he has a photo of you and Xander. An older one so the children wouldn't be frightened of their father's current state. It'll be better in person when he can handle being touched again. Your neighbour was suspicious but the kids agreed the password was correct and you agreed for them to go with George by text message."

Faith frowned. She didn't even think her phone was on. She bit her tongue, desperate for answers and to ask the million and one questions swirling around in her mind. Remembering Sarah's instruction to stay quiet for the other patients, Faith decided she could be patient this time around and wait for privacy to find out what on earth had been done to Xander. She straightened and followed Honey, Sarah, and Bill to her brand new apartment.

"It was a minor miracle to get all of your essentials out without being seen. Thanks to your neighbourhood watch initiative after Xander went missing, Mrs. McClaire nearly ruined the whole thing for me, but we got Bunson out without an issue and a friend is repairing Donald Duck; she'll be done before your kids get here," Honey said.

"Who's Bunson?" Bill asked, frowning.

"My youngest's plush bunny rabbit; he can't sleep without it, especially these days," Faith said.

Honey led them into the elevator, swiping a panel with a card, and pressing the button labelled P as the doors closed behind them.

Faith looked at the button and then looked at Hourglass in confusion. "Penthouse?"

"It's the largest apartment we have without knocking down walls. Each kid gets their own room and there's a nursery for your twins near your master bedroom."

"Their own rooms? No sharing at all?" Faith asked incredulously, thinking of some of the arguments that had been starting between Mira and Harper as the two eldest girls, both still sharing a room and desperate for their own spaces and individuality.

"Not even bathrooms," Honey confirmed with a grin.

"Oh, I'd faint if I wasn't afraid of not being able to get back up," Faith said, fanning her face.

"Wait 'til you see your room. Xander will take a while to come up here, but I promise he'll love it."

"How long's a while? You're being awful vague, Hourglass."

"My name's Honey. I am being vague, aren't I? All right, let's see... hmm, from the penthouse door opening to that, then that, that's going to happen, ooh, okay, that's happening, too... Uh, we can replace the mirror, that's no big problem, then... hmm... ah, there he is. Minor setback, but that's to be expected, and... One month and six days. Give or take a few days, depending how fast he works on both therapy and physio exercises."

"Physio? What did they do to my husband, Honey?" Faith asked, her voice wavering now as the thought of a whole month and a week being without her husband felt like yet another eternity, even though he was right downstairs.

The elevator doors opened directly into the penthouse and Honey ushered them all inside. Sarah looked around, eyes wide at the view and interior, and gave a soft whistle. "Damn, this is nice."

While most penthouses were pristine and could have been pulled out of a catalogue for minimalism styles, Faith and Xander's penthouse had been designed to be lived in with a large area for their children to play and grow in, a games area, small nooks for reading or relaxing, and a kitchen with an island that could fit the whole family at once. The second storey landing had doors with names written in multicoloured letters, so Sarah assumed it was the bedrooms for everyone.

"You say that like you're surprised," Honey said, feigning offence.

"Hourglass! Answer me. Please. What did they do to Xander?" Faith asked, not even looking around the penthouse while she stared down the seer and waited.

"Right, of course. Please, come this way and sit down. Bill, could you help Sarah with the drinks? Lemonade's in the fridge, thank you," Honey said, leading Faith over to the lounge area.

"Is this our lounge?" Faith asked, doing a double take even as she moved to sit down.

"Same style, but updated to ensure it won't be ruined as fast as the last one. Now, Faith, I need you to do breathing exercises while I talk to you, okay? It's important that you keep breathing."

Honey's warning only served to make Faith more anxious and she gripped the throw cushion beside her, pulling it onto her lap and forcing herself to think of the video from Erin's screen, inhaling and exhaling in sync with the ball.

"Good, there you go. Keep doing that, okay?" Honey said, her voice gentle. "They tortured Xander with the usual kinds of torture that everyone went through while they were there. It's important, but not the worst part. The report from your midwife included speculation of Xander's abilities after she saw the family tree. It took the Super Bureau's scientists a few weeks to come to a similar conclusion, and they designed a ... machine. They extracted sperm from Xander, then used it to impregnate and artificially grow babies. The machine had the ability to speed up time for its inhabitants, but it could only be a small amount, which is why they decided on fertilised eggs rather than anything or anyone else."

The cushion fell from Faith's limp grasp, and she struggled to remember Honey's warning and instruction to breathe. It took a few seconds to inhale again, to exhale, inhale again, exhale again, and she cupped her stomach, wondering so many things she couldn't even focus on a single thought.

"Good, keep breathing, that's it," Honey soothed, waiting a few more seconds until Sarah and Bill arrived with the drinks to offer Faith one. "Drink, it will help you focus."

Faith sipped, not thirsty or entirely certain she could stomach it, but the sweet and tart taste on her tongue did bring back her focus, and she drank deeper until nearly half the glass was gone. "Thank you."

"Of course. I've given you a very basic understanding of what they did to Xander. Do you have any questions or would you prefer for him to tell you when he's ready?"

Faith bit her lip, placing the glass on a coaster. "He can't stand me touching him yet; is it because of what they did - how did they extract the sperm from him? I think it's important for me to know that so I don't do anything wrong; I don't ever want to remind him of them, if I can help it."

"The sperm extraction was done in several ways. First, they forced him to ejaculate, then when he was no longer able to do that or outright refused, they moved onto anaesthetic and sperm retrieval directly through both electroejaculation and microscopic testicular sperm extraction. I believe Xander has memories of being held down for the anaesthetic, which is why he is touch-averse at the moment. That will be a longer recovery thanks to PTSD, but he will be able to hold hands within a few weeks, which will help everyone."

"No hugs?" Faith asked.

Honey shook her head. "That will feel restrictive, I believe. It's best if you talk to Xander about that one."

"Okay, and... what about sex?"

Bill almost choked on his drink, but Faith refused to be ashamed or embarrassed.

"Xander will want to sooner than he'll be able to. In fact, you should probably bring that up in couple's therapy so you're both reminded of your love and attraction for one another without the need for sex. With or without you recovering from the birth of twins," Honey added.

"Couple's therapy? We don't have a therapist."

Sarah snickered. "The whole building has a therapist; Doc's great and is even helping me and Jared."

"What with? Oh, sorry, you don't have to - "

"We can't convince our mothers to let us get married again because they have a stupid bet going on, and I'm trying to do it in a way where I don't go full Bridezilla despite already being married," Sarah said with a grin.

"There's a welcome pack to the building, including the facilities and businesses. There's certain days that both are open only for residents, otherwise everyone would get cabin fever being stuck in their apartments all the time."

Faith looked over at the welcome pack that Honey had indicated, her mouth dropping slightly when she saw the three-ring binder. "You... you've done this before, haven't you? We're not the first, are we?"

"Nope, you're not the first. Unfortunately, you won't be the last, either. But that's for another day," Honey said when both Faith and Sarah looked at her curiously. "Now, we should head off before your children arrive. George will bring them up, don't worry. Oh, and keep your access card with you or else you can't get back into the penthouse without Security."

"Access card?" Faith asked.

Honey stood and grabbed the folder, placing it on the armrest beside Faith. She opened the cover to reveal a card slot page with swipe cards for each of her family members. "The holes are so they can be added to keychains or lanyards, if you want."

"Wait, before you go; if we've moved here, what about the kids and their schooling? They go to school in Westville and they have friends there."

Honey sighed softly and squeezed Faith's hand. "They're being teased daily about their father running away; they didn't want to tell you and worry you more, and Mira is two weeks away from being suspended. There's a school in the building, they'll make more friends than you know what to do with, and they'll be happier here. I won't say it will be an easy adjustment at first, but they will bounce back."

"They didn't tell me. I didn't know, I didn't think that they'd be going through that. I thought... Am I a bad mother?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"Oh, no. Faith, no, not at all. You've been under a lot of stress, you've been literally growing two new humans inside of you, emotionally dealing with the kidnapping of your husband and father of your children, as well as campaigning to find him, and you've been putting so much effort into trying to deal with everything at home with five children on top of it all.

"You're overwhelmed, overworked, and your kids could see that. They would have told you when Mira got in trouble, but... You're not a bad mother and they're not bad kids. You're human, so are they, and emotions can be difficult for everyone, even supers," Honey promised, squeezing her hand again.

Faith's chin trembled as she felt like she was about to burst into tears. Reaching for the tissue box that was beside the folder, she cried into a small fistful of tissues, all of her emotions overwhelming her: relief at Xander being alive and relatively safe, pride over her children being so thoughtful, then worry over her children being worried over her, and then exhausted and glad and a few hundred other emotions that resulted in more tears.

By the time she composed herself, Honey, Sarah, and Bill were gone, and Faith was left with a folder and a brand new apartment. Taking a moment longer to compose herself, Faith began to read the welcome pack to find out exactly where she was and where her family would be living from now on.

...

Decima's screams brought several people running, everyone stopping around her as the reason for her screams became obvious: the growing puddle of water beneath her. Layla and Warren looked around, uncertain as to what to do, but several of the frogs were already standing and heading to get towels and water with Robin directing them, sending others to find gloves and get Dr. Spattle.

"Dess? Oh, the babies! Are they... no, the doctor. Someone get the doctor!" Barney called, taking his wife's hand and murmuring to her in reassuring tones.

"They're all right, Barney. They're all right," Decima reassured him in return, clutching his hand as she prepared for another contraction.

Aleph and Oberon ran for the door, Bader on their heels.

"They're not due for another month!" Bader called.

"They don't care about that!" Aleph called over his shoulder.

"Stop talking and run faster!" Obe called, running for the elevator as the doors opened.

" - isn't my area of expertise; I'm a surgical doctor, not an obstetrician," Dr. Spattle said as Zero led her out of the doors.

"Honestly, no one's an expert in shifter births, so you're not alone there. It will be easy. Uh, according to Decima, at least," Zero promised, shooing the three brothers back to the room. "Clear out some room so Dr. Spattle can work! Quick, quick!"

Obe inhaled, exhaled, and turned around to speed back past his older brothers and return to his mother.

"Damn it, Obe! At least wait for us!" Bader called, turning and running after him.

"Should we be running, too?" Ida asked Zero, who shook his head.

"Nope! But Honey will be taking over when we get to the room; I'm not allowing myself to be mentally traumatised by watching someone have a live birth until I'm a teenager."

"Oh. Uh... Good idea. Are Rain and Storm in there, too?"

"Yes; Aleph will take them, he's meant to be meeting Thana and her twins in the playground later."

Before Ida could respond, Honey greeted them in the doorway. "Robin's ready with a basin and gloves; they've instructed people to get towels and while I'd normally try to get a private room for this, there won't be much time."

Dr. Spattle nodded and stepped into the room, passing by Aleph as he carried Rain and Storm on each arm on the way out.

"Good luck, Dr. Spattle!" Craig called, slipping out as well, a few frogs and friends joining him to wait nearby without crowding Decima.

"Thanks. I'm going to need it," Dr. Spattle murmured, hoping that Decima wouldn't lose control of her dart frog poison while she was giving birth to multiple babies.

Layla and Warren followed after their friends, still holding each other's hands, and headed back up to the prison break planning room.

...

Detective Fisher drove past the address twice, careful and slow, trying to determine what was special about it. The inside was dark, the outside looked worn down even with the limited light, and on Fisher's second pass, he could see cardboard taped to one upper window. Considering this was the seedier part of Maxville, the state of the property didn't exactly stand out or surprise him.

Stopping on his third round, Fisher looked up and down the street subtly using his mirrors to check for movement or lights. There was nothing, and even the flickering light from the lamp post was consistent and didn't change. Inhaling deeply and exhaling quietly, Fisher opened his door and stepped out of the car, leaning back against his closed door and looking out into the cool early morning air. Looking up into the starry sky - easier to see with the lack of lights in this area - he listened closely, waiting to see if there were any opening doors or windows.

Silence surrounded him on all sides.

It would have been pleasant if not for the area or for the way he'd been sent to this place.

Fisher looked back down, directly at the address, and headed across the street to the dilapidated building. He hadn't brought a warrant or called for backup, and even on the drive down here, he still hadn't worked out a plan. For all of his years and experience, this seemed new to him, and Fisher felt a small thrill of anticipation at what might happen. He might be surprised for the first time in several lifetimes.

The lower windows weren't covered by cardboard and Fisher looked inside, his hand obscured by his duster jacket as he tried the front door knob. The door actually opened, which caught Fisher off-guard, and he pulled a torch out, shining it into the small foyer. There were no responses to the opening door or sudden light, and he could see the foyer and adjoining rooms were empty.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" he called, his quiet voice loud in the darkness and empty building.

Fisher silently convinced himself he was entering under suspicious circumstances, and stepped into the foyer.

...

Jeslyn had clearly lied to her uncle, as she finished several plans to break her Suite free in the early hours of Sunday morning without even thinking about sleep. Her planning had also dismissed any thought of Eddie in hospital or Olivia in a prison cell without word of their welfare.

A buzzing sound distracted her from her fourth potential plan - taunting Airborne into punching the police precinct wall itself, which would be difficult if he recognised his surroundings - and Jeslyn glanced over towards the noise to see her phone screen flashing with a phone call. Her mind immediately jumped to Eddie or Olivia, and she rushed over to grab her phone and answer.

"Hello?"

"Good morning, Jester. Please, take a deep breath and sit down."

"Hourglass?"

"Yes. I'm going to hand the phone to my colleague so you can coordinate your Westville prison break for Monday."

"What colleague? Wait, Monday?! As in tomorrow? Hourglass, I'm not ready for Monday; I need backup."

"Good morning, Jester. My name is Poison, and I have your backup," Layla said with a smile, looking at her own wall of plans she, Warren, and her friends had come up with for the Maxville prison break.

Jeslyn inhaled, exhaled, and Jester sat down. "Well. In that case, Poison, let's talk."

...

Morana had returned to the room she'd been given without protest, her body exhausted and mind overwhelmed from being... possessed? Was that what had happened to her? She couldn't think about it for too long because it made her head hurt and her everything already hurt, so she didn't want to add to that feeling.

Collapsing on the bed, Morana tried to will herself to sleep, to forget this awful day, and instead spent far too long staring at the door. It was open, not locked or chained, and while she was technically a prisoner for the moment, she wasn't confined in a cell. Since she couldn't sleep, Morana grabbed the soft blanket off the end of the bed, wrapped it around her shoulders, and left the room.

"Oh. Hello. How long have you been here?" Morana asked the bald child sitting on the lounge.

"A few minutes," Zero admitted with a wide yawn. "I've had a big day, and this was the closest room with a comfortable lounge. My apartment's all the way on the other side of the building, and I don't want to walk there right now."

Morana didn't quite know what to say to that and moved to sit on the lounge, looking at Zero as he leaned his head against the armrest.

"You can ask, y'know. Quick, before I fall asleep."

"I thought you said I'd have nightmares?"

"You will, but it will be worse if you don't know now."

Morana weighed the potential nightmare of knowing over the potential nightmare of forever wondering, and gave a short nod to herself. "How did you get that hole in your neck?"

Zero blinked a few times, as though to wake himself up long enough to answer her. "The Super Bureau claimed it would control my powers. My parents were scared of me; I couldn't see much of the future at the start, but it was enough to worry them. They sent me to the orphanage and said they would come get me when I was cured. They didn't mean it, and we all knew it."

Morana felt herself gasp, the sharp intake of air as her lungs burned in her chest and tears burned in her eyes.

"The scientists liked to tell us that our parents would come back to get us, even the families that they killed. Some of the kids blocked it out or were drugged and stolen or just believed that what they'd seen or knew had been wrong." Zero sniffed, wiped his nose on the back of his hand, yawned again, then continued, "They put collars on us and connected wires to our brains to control us. They really enjoyed using the shocking button for any supposed infraction or misbehaviour. It hurts more when the wires are directly connected to pain receptors in the brain, and they were sadistic fuckers. Uh, don't tell Honey I swore, okay?"

"After what you went through, swearing is the least of your concerns," Morana muttered, clutching the blanket at her throat.

Zero grinned. "You'd think so, right?" Then he shrugged. "The scientists tortured us which increased our powers, but then they continued to torture us without needing to increase our powers anymore. They even managed to get a few of us up to a full power state, like Poison and Fire did with you, but they kept going to see what would happen. They just wanted to hurt us by that stage. They succeeded," Zero murmured, rubbing the back of his neck gingerly.

"Stop. Please, I don't need to know anymore. I... I can't know anymore or... I don't know what I'll do. I don't know what I can do," Morana admitted, sighing. "I want to do something, but I'm one person and my power doesn't exactly lend towards revenge, y'know?"

"Yeah, I know. But one person can help another person with their actions - or inaction, as the case may be - and that can do more than you'll ever know."

Zero yawned again, so wide his jaw cracked, and Morana winced in sympathy.

"How about I carry you to your apartment? I'll come back here, I promise."

Zero made a tired sound and snuggled down onto the lounge instead. "I'll sleep here. Don't worry about waking me in the morning; I can sleep through a storm."

Suddenly, sleep felt like the best and only idea Morana could stand. The bed was too far, so she rested her head against the armrest, and fell to a restless and nightmare-filled sleep.

...

End of the two hundred and fourth chapter.

Thanks for reading; hope you liked it!