Kihonne: Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter. I know you guys have been waiting for a bit, so I won't talk for long. I do want to clarify one thing, though, given that there seems to be some confusion over the final scene of the last chapter. Reese is not Darius' mother. Darius and his mother were speaking with Reese/Victoria. Darius' mom, who has so far only been identified as Venus, was the one to call Reese by name. I suggest re-reading that last scene if you're unsure. Hope that clears some things up. Anyway, it's shoutout time!
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LabGirl2001: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, especially the Darius twist. Thanks for your vote, and I hope you enjoy this chapter too!
SzymonS: Thanks for the review – I responded over PM too :)
Guest: I think a lot of people guessed that there was more to Darius than meets the eye. Yes, Reese is back in the picture too, though I wouldn't say she's that old. She's in her late thirties, early forties, which is the same as the Elite Force. Thanks for the name suggestion. I do like the name, it's definitely one of the forerunners for the contest.
Guest: Okay, I'm glad you didn't hate the chapter, but I also hope you understand that I won't alter themes or concepts for chapters just because a reader doesn't like them. I didn't do that for the Halloween chapter – I'd already planned for the chapter to turn out that way – and I won't in the future. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the twist. I recommend you re-read that scene though – Darius is not Reese's son; she was the other woman in the room. She is, however, part of the team with Darius' mother, so it will be interesting. It was Dani, actually, who killed Roddiseus in this version, and yes, Reese is still very upset about that. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
PrincessDiana: I'd heard those were myths and that they'd been debunked, actually. Still, it is good to be careful. Yes, Darius is on the bad guys' side. A lot of people were suspicious of both boys, actually. Anyway, thanks for the vote, and for the name. I hope you enjoy the chapter.
Guest: Yes, Darius certainly does seem hesitant to do what his mom says. His mom, however, is not Reese, and he is not a shapeshifter. That doesn't mean he doesn't have some awesome abilities waiting to make their debut though. I hope you enjoy the chapter.
Guest: No, they can't catch a break, can they? Darius' secret does make things a little interesting though. As for the baby, I'm afraid I'm not doing twins again, but I'll put both baby names in the pot.
Guest: Actually, the villains do live in the Milky Way. The Venusians that the Elite Force are dealing with don't live in our galaxy, but those aren't the villains that the team is dealing with (though Reese's ancestry does lead back to that planet). But I see your point – everyone does seem to know earth, and the names (actually based off Roman gods, tbh) are pretty simple. I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Guest: Yes, Reese is back for revenge! I'm glad you liked the chapter, and I hope you enjoy this one too!
Guest: Well, I'm glad to hear that some people enjoyed the holiday chapter. Personally, I love Halloween, and can't wait until October. As for Darius, I guess you'll just have to speculate for now. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.
Guest: I'm glad you're excited! I will add your vote to the list. I'm not guaranteeing or promising powers though – frankly, unless I make major changes to my plans for the final season (which is highly unlikely), he'll still be pretty young when the story ends. That being said, I like your enthusiasm. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much!
Guest: That is an interesting theory. All I will say right now that she is definitely a woman, so maybe that'll affect your guesses. And yes, is does seem that Darius is turning out to be another Marcus. Emily certainly won't take it well when she finds out, that you can be sure of.
Guest: Wow, tell me what you really think of Darius? Lol, he certainly isn't anyone's favorite character this week. Interesting name choice, and I will add it to the list. I loved Kim Possible when I was a kid, so it's definitely one of my favorite names.
Guest: I do recognize the reference, but I can't place my finger on it. I've definitely heard it before, lol. Yes, Reese is back and working against the team. And though Darius isn't her son – he's Venus' son – he does seem to be following her playbook. He should be careful; it's not wise to anger a Davenport. He's definitely walking on thin ice. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!
CuriousKitKat: Yes, it is the same Saturn, but keep in mind that they went back in time. Right now, he's the same age as he was when he went through the portal with them. He's definitely got it in him to fight the new Elite Force. As for Reese, she's about Calla's age, about late thirties/early forties. Maybe not as young as she used to be, but still younger than Douglas was when he first faced the kids. Interesting theory about Matt – I guess we'll see if you're right or not. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the last one (no offense taken, by the way. Action-filled chapters tend to appeal more to readers, so I suspected it would be a more popular chapter).
Magpie93: I like the name. I'll add your vote to the list. As for when the baby will be born, Calla's still fairly early on, so, assuming that Chase comes back on time, she'll still be pregnant when he returns, but will be very close to her due date. That would be very amusing though, Chase coming back to an unexpected baby. And Calla would probably try that joke on him, to be honest.
QUESTIONSOFLIFE: The show never confirmed what state Centium City was in, but I've always set it in Illinois, given the climate and some little details here and there. I'm glad you like the story so much!
SummerSunShine: It's not that weird that you like Kameron more. You know more about him, for starters, and I'm guessing you were probably a pretty big Kaz fan. And like you said, Kameron is a total sweetheart. He's definitely my favorite of the Elite Force's kids, though Sera and Emily tie at second. I'm glad you like the contest, and I like your name suggestion! I'll definitely add it to the list. I hope you enjoy the chapter!
BingeReader9: I know. Poor Emily, her Darius is on the wrong side of this. I'm glad you liked the twist! Thank you so much for the compliments! I'm glad you're excited for the contest! I will definitely add both names to the list! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Guest: Thank you. That might have been the best compliment I've ever gotten as a writer, lol. I hope you enjoy the chapter.
Guest: That's a shame. I hope your classes since then have been a bit better. Hopefully this chapter will cheer you up if not.
Gummy bear: I think a few people were pretty of suspicious of Darius from the get-go. He definitely does appear to be another Marcus and Troy. Em's certainly not going to be happy, that's for sure. Darius is Neptune, I will confirm that. They all wear masks, so it's entirely possible. I guess we'll have to see what happens. Anyway, I'm so glad you liked the chapter, and I hope you like this one too!
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Kihonne: Anyway, it's time for the chapter!
Ben: Kihonne doesn't own Lab Rats, Mighty Med, or the Elite Force. She only owns this story, any and all OCs, and anything else you don't recognize.
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Kameron's POV
"Morning." Noah greeted, as I walked out of the bathroom, steaming pouring out from the room behind me.
"Morning." I greeted, walking past him to our dresser, looking for a clean shirt. "Where're you off to so early? It's a Saturday."
"I got stuck with a weekend shift in the warehouse." He sighed, sitting on his bed and ruffling around the covers, looking for something.
"You know she did you a favor, right? My parents would have murdered me if I'd done what you had." I commented. He cocked his head to the side a little.
"Yeah, well mine probably still will, even if she vouches for me." He grumbled. He paused and glanced at me. "I am grateful, I just hate working weekends."
"Fair enough." I agreed, finally finding a shirt I liked. As I pulled it over my head, I heard him sigh irritably.
"Have you seen my Davenwatch? I must have dropped it." He commented. I shrugged, then opened another drawer to grab a pair of socks. As I did, I spotted his Davenwatch sitting on the ground by my bed.
"Found it." I called, bending down to grab it. As I did, I accidentally hit a button on its side, activating the holoscreen. It was still locked, but I could see that there was a message from Blake waiting for him. "Blake messaged you."
"Awesome." He commented sarcastically, taking the watch from me and strapping it on without looking at the message. I frowned.
"Everything cool with you two?" I asked, concerned. He sighed.
"She busted me for lying to her about going to the gym last week, and we had a fight." He explained.
"Where were you?" I asked, confused as to why he would lie to his girlfriend. He didn't seem the type to cheat on her or anything, or to deceive her on purpose.
"It was that mission for Calla, the one with the dude who thought it would be a great idea to break into a tech store while drunk." He explained. "But I couldn't exactly tell her that, now could I?"
"Right, she's not supposed to know about your bionics." I remembered. He nodded.
"I get why Calla and Leo have a rule about it - I've heard my Dad's stories about how much danger he and Calla were put in when they were growing up because they were dating bionic superhumans. I don't want to put Blake at risk like that, but I don't know how long I can keep on lying to her about it."
"What are you going to do?" I asked, turning to lean against the dress. He shook his head.
"I have absolutely no idea." He admitted. He sighed. "Look, I have to go, or I'm going to be late."
"Good luck." I commented. He chuckled and started for the door but stopped at the last second.
"By the way, there's some girl downstairs, says she knows you and Kira?" He shrugged. "Whatever. Charlotte and Sera were chatting with her."
I frowned, mildly confused, then followed him downstairs. Sure enough, sitting on the couch between Seraphina and Charlotte was a tall girl with midnight blue hair. She was in the midst of telling them a story, so absorbed in it that she didn't notice me come downstairs, nor Kira standing at the base of the stairs with a face akin to that of someone who had just smelt a dead skunk.
"...and then I handcuffed him to a pole. He looked so pissed off, being taken down by a teenager the way he was." Nyssa was saying, very proud of herself.
"I can't believe you took down Crimson Demon on your first mission." Seraphina told her, grinning widely.
"So, guess who started her training early?" Kira muttered under her breath, glancing sideways at me.
"Nyssa, it's good to see you." I called loudly, getting the other girl's attention and purposefully ignoring my sister's frustrated tone - the two of them had been competing with each other for as long as I'd known them, and I wasn't about to get in the middle of it now.
"Hey Kameron, Kira. I didn't see you guys there." She greeted with a grin just as Emily started down the stairs. The girl genius stopped short on the stairs, confused. "Hi, I'm Nyssa Bennett."
Emily blinked at her for a moment, then turned slightly and called up the stairs, "Mom! You promised you'd stop taking in kids I don't know!"
Ben's POV
I looked around uncomfortably, feeling a little out of place in the bar Naomi had told me to meet her at. It wasn't the type of place I usually frequented - there was a much nicer place uptown whose customers didn't look like they'd just escaped from Nightstone Correctional.
For a moment, I'd hoped that I'd gotten the wrong address, but then I spotted Naomi sitting at the bar, dressed in dark jeans, a leather jacket, and a sparkly gold shirt Bree had gotten her for her birthday and her hair pulled into a tight ponytail. "What are we doing here?" I hissed, sitting down beside her. She looked me over, then sighed.
"That's what you wore?" She muttered. I glanced down at my black button-up shirt and jeans.
"What's wrong with it? You told me to wear dark colors." I commented. She rolled her eyes, then immediately began messing with my collar so that the shirt was a bit more open. "What are we doing here?"
"I'm working on a story." She said. I raised my eyebrows at that.
"Here?" I questioned. She rolled her eyes.
"Chill out a bit, Benji. It's important. Someone's been selling high tech weapons on the black market." She explained, removing her hands from my shirt collar once she was satisfied and turning back to the bartender. "Hi, can my friend get a Sazerac, and can I get another Whiskey Sour? Thanks." She turned back to me. "What was I saying?"
"How much have you had to drink?" I asked, watching the bartender make our drinks.
"Just the one. It looks a little weird if you're at a bar in the middle of the afternoon and you don't order something." She told me.
"It looks weird to be a bar in the middle of an afternoon." I pointed out. "Wait, did you say high tech weaponry?"
"Yes, I did. And what tech companies do we know of that have had their tech stolen lately?" She asked, smiling proudly. "Look, if we can catch the guy selling it, Calla gets to know who stole her tech and I can crack one of the best stories of my career. It's win-win."
"Unless we get killed doing it. You know nothing about the guy selling the stuff." I pointed out. She nodded.
"Which is why I called my nearly indestructible best friend. It'll be fine." She assured me. "Look, I'm meeting one of the seller's middlemen here in about ten minutes. Are you in or are you out?"
I sighed. "I really don't have much of a choice, do I?"
She smiled and shook her head. "And that," she told me, "is why I love you."
Seraphina's POV
"Hey guys." Calla greeted as she walked into Mission Command. Shortly behind her was Alivia McLean, an old friend of my mom and dad's as well as the current leader of the New League of Heroes. "I see everyone's getting acquainted."
I glanced over at Nyssa, who was sitting on the ground next to Emily, scratching behind Helix's ears. After explaining that no, Calla hadn't agreed to take in another kid and that she had just come to visit while Alivia was in town for business with Calla and Director DeCook, the two of them had started getting along fairly well. Nyssa was pretty cool, and, having just started her training as her father's superhero sidekick, she had the most interesting stories. The only one who wasn't excited to see her was Kira, who was being uncharacteristically cold to the other girl.
"Why'd you want us all to come down here? I thought you had a meeting?" Charlotte asked, tilting her head as she turned to Calla. Calla nodded.
"We did, and we resolved it early. Geminus?" She stepped back, allowing the Irish superhero to take the floor.
"So, for those of you who were wondering, our meeting was regarding the new group of villains that have popped up in the city. Specifically, Janus." She waved her hand and MISS projected an image of the two identical super villains in front of us. "Tell me, what do all of you know about the super villain Catastrophe?"
Before any of the rest of us could answer - though most of us probably couldn't - Nyssa's hand shot into the air. "He is one of the most powerful super villains in the world. So powerful, in fact, that Caduceo had to split him into two souls, only able to be reunited through the use of the Dyad of Nebulon."
"But the Dyad was destroyed back in early 2016. So, he's dead." Kira added quickly. Alivia nodded.
"That is what we thought." She agreed. "However, it seems that he somehow survived."
"How?" Emily asked, looking up in confusion. "If the Dyad was the trigger for his powers, and it's gone, how can he still be a problem today?"
"We always suspected that Wallace and Clyde, the beings that Horace split them into, survived without their powers." Alivia began, leaning against the cyber computer. "We believe that they may have found an alternative way of accessing their abilities, without using the Dyad."
"What sort of alternative way?" Charlotte asked, raising her hand a little. Alivia smiled a little at the gesture.
"It's possible that they found a way to reverse Horace's abilities, or perhaps used magic to sever their connection to the Dyad." She explained. Emily made a face.
"Magic isn't real though." She commented. Nyssa looked over at her, confused.
"What do you mean?" She asked. Emily raised an eyebrow.
"Well, magic is just science we don't yet understand..." She trailed off. Nyssa, to my surprise, wasn't offended.
"Can your science explain this?" She asked, raising her hand and held it over the bone that Helix was gnawing on. "Fac os maior."
The bone started to grow until it was twice its original size. Helix stopped chewing on it for a moment, then, now wagging his tail excitedly, dug into it with new vigor. Emily stared at it for a second, then, in a slightly frightened and confused tone, "Mom...?"
"I know, honey." Calla sighed, shaking her head. "I know."
"Anyway," Alivia chuckled a little at Emily's reaction to Nyssa's actions, "we don't know exactly how he's back, but the important thing is that he is. And you need to be prepared to fight him."
"But, Alivia? Wasn't Catastrophe beaten by Alan? He can't be that powerful is he was beaten by Alan, right?" Kira asked.
Alivia's expression darkened. "Alan is a fully capable hero, Kira." She chided.
"Who wears sweater vests." Kira finished. "Yeah, he's strong and stuff, but what kind of superhero wears sweater vests?"
"Alan does." Alivia sighed. I bit my lip – from what I'd been told, Alan wasn't exactly the friendliest member of the New League of Heroes. But while Kira had told me about how his reputation amongst the younger heroes ranged from people generally disliking him to questioning his competency as a hero, Kameron had claimed that he wasn't much worse than Nyx, and that so long as you did as you were told, you wouldn't have any problems with either of them. "Anyway, don't underestimate Catastrophe. It does look like whatever it was that brought him back made him weaker, but he is still incredibly powerful."
"How do we beat him?" I asked, looking up at Alivia. She smiled.
"Good question, Seraphina." She encouraged. "Unfortunately, until we discover how he was brought back, it won't be as easy as dropping an artifact into an energy core."
"Damn, there goes my first idea." Charlotte commented sarcastically. Calla cleared her throat loudly and Emily flushed. "I mean, darn."
"Until we figure out his weakness, assume that he can be taken out like any other criminal. His abilities appear to be limited to disintegration and being able to split and combine at will. We're going to focus on the second of those today."
"Shouldn't we be focusing on the first? You know, so we don't die?" Kameron pointed out.
"I've lined all your uniforms with a special material that's proven immune to these types of abilities." Calla said reassuringly. "So long as he doesn't touch your bare skin, you'll be fine. Just be careful to avoid letting him touch your faces, and you should be fine. Kira, I want you to be extra careful to avoid coming into contact with him, as your suit is sleeveless. I can add arms if you want."
"No, I can use my powers better if I don't have fire-proof material in my way." Kira shook her head quickly. "Thanks though. I'll make sure he can't touch me at all."
"Alright. Now, since I have the ability to split, multiply, and combine at will, we're going to have you guys train against me. In teams of two, you'll be trying to take me and my three duplicates down." She explained. "The teams will be...Kameron and Emily, Kira and Seraphina, and Nyssa and Charlotte."
"You and three duplicates?" Kira repeated, frowning. Alivia nodded.
"If you can beat four of me, then you have a better chance at being able to beat two of him." The red-headed hero reasoned. She put her hands on her hips. "So, who wants to go first?"
Ben's POV
"Riley." Naomi and I both looked up as a short, older looking man with a goatee walked up to us. He spoke with a heavy Jersey accent and was dressed fairly nicely for a place like this, like he was actually some kind of legitimate businessman. "It's a pleasure to finally meet in person."
"I agree. This is my boyfriend, Kai." Naomi told him, wrapping her arm around my waist. The man nodded and offered to shake my hand.
"The name's Mort. I hear you're interested in doing business with me and my associates." He greeted. I shook his hand and forced a neutral look on my face.
"It depends on if you have what we're looking for." I replied. He smiled, liking my answer, and gestured towards a nearby table.
"Let's sit, shall we?" He offered. Naomi and I followed him to the table and sat across from him. "Now, Riley told me you were looking into some gear for...protection purposes." He drawled, looking us over.
"We are." I agreed. He narrowed his eyes at me.
"You could buy something like that at any artillery or hunting store." He commented.
"But they don't have what we're looking for." Naomi cut in, smiling flirtatiously at Mort. "We're looking for something a bit more...well, we want to be 'secure', so we're looking for something that could 'protect' us from, say, a bionic attack."
"You planning on pissing off any bionics any time soon?" Mort questioned. She closed her lips tightly and shrugged.
"You never know what might happen." She reasoned lightly. Mort looked her closely for a long time, long enough to make Naomi uncomfortable.
"Do you have something that might be able to do the job, or not?" I asked, feigning impatience. He looked up at me, and his lips twisted into a smirk.
"I might." He admitted. "But I don't think you'll be able to afford it."
"Money's no problem." I assured him. He raised an eyebrow at me.
"And where does a little punk like you get that kind of dough?" He questioned suspiciously. I leaned in close, smirking.
"What's the point in a trust fund if you don't get to spend it on something nice?" I asked back. He leaned back and looked us over once more before nodding to himself.
"Alright. Let me run it by my boss and see what she says." He decided, getting up from the table. He pulled a phone out of his pocket - not a Davenwatch, I noticed immediately, despite them being the number 1 communication device in the US - and stepped away from the table. "I'll be right back."
As soon as he was out of earshot, I turned to Naomi. "Alright, what's the plan? Assuming his boss agrees to sell to us."
"We got to the sale and kick their asses." Naomi reasoned. I looked at her. "Look, we'll get Miles on board for the sting, and we'll have agents ready to storm the place. We just have to get through the rest of this meeting, then we can go talk to him."
"Alright." I agreed reluctantly. I still didn't like this. Something about that Mort guy gave me the creeps, and not just the way he was looking at Naomi. Something about this just felt off, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
Kameron's POV
"Well, that could have gone better." Emily muttered half under her breath, glancing at Calla to make sure she wasn't looking before pulling a piece of pepperoni off her pizza and handing it to Helix. The cavapoo gobbled it up quickly, wagging his tail and placing his head in Emily's lap once he was finished.
"It wasn't that bad." Charlotte reasoned. Kira gave her an annoyed look.
"You're the only team that actually beat her. And Nyssa did most of the work." She insisted. Charlotte considered her point for a moment before shrugging and turning her attention back to the movie that was on the TV.
"We didn't do all that bad," Sera tried to placate my sister, "especially considering that none of us have ever trained against someone with her powers."
"Except Nyssa." Kira added, still annoyed.
"Hey, it's not like you didn't start going out in the field early either. You've been fighting Catastrophe." Nyssa made it sound like the greatest thing in the world, his ability to make things and, more importantly, people disintegrate not fazing her in the slightest. I didn't understand how she could be so relaxed about all of it, but Kira was the same way. They both saw the threat as more of an adventure than anything else. They were crazy, in my opinion."
"And you've been fighting..." Kira trailed off, frowning. "Demons?"
"Is that the best you've got?" Emily asked, half joking. Charlotte frowned.
"What has the League been dealing with, anyway?" She asked, glancing at Nyssa before twisting around to look at Alivia. The Irish superhero looked up from her own dinner and realized we were all staring at her expectantly.
"We're still handling all that witchcraft stuff from last year," she began, smirking a little at Emily's expression when she heard the word 'witchcraft', "and a series of global villain outbreaks are our number one concern."
"I got to go to Switzerland a few weeks ago." Nyssa added proudly, smiling smugly. "And before that, Amsterdam."
"Seriously?" Emily grinned, turning to her. "That's awesome."
"What about school?" Kira protested. "Mom and Dad never would have let us skip it for a mission."
"My parents are homeschooling me so I can still do training with the older League members." Nyssa explained.
"I didn't know that was an option!" Kira exclaimed. Alivia chuckled.
"Spotlight and Nyx both have college degrees, and Nyx got hers at fourteen. Your parents, despite being incredible heroes and doctors, are both high school dropouts." She reminded my sister. "They're not quite as qualified to homeschool you, and honestly, neither one of them were ever that attentive in class anyway."
"I wouldn't want to be home-schooled anyway." I added. Kira sent me a look. "Well, I wouldn't."
"Be on my side, Kam." She scowled at me just as the front door opened and Noah walked in, hands in his pockets.
"Hey Noah, we saved you a few slices." Calla greeted. He shrugged, not looking all that interested.
"I'm not hungry." He mumbled before heading upstairs. Calla frowned.
"You sure?" She called after but received no response. She glanced at Emily and Charlotte, still frowning. "Do you two know what that was about?"
They both shrugged and turned back to Nyssa, who'd begun to tell another story about how she defeated a witch back in Prague.
Ben's POV
"Alright." Mort came back to the table after a few minutes, a satisfied grin on his face. "She's agreed to make a deal. Why don't we go see the merchandise?"
"Right now?" Naomi clearly wasn't expecting that. Mort frowned.
"Is that a problem?" He questioned. I glanced at Naomi - we'd been hoping to get back up set up. Without it, it was just the two of us against very possibly the people who broke into Davenport Industries. Those weren't odds I liked.
"We...weren't expecting to buy anything today. We didn't bring the money with us." I lied. Mort nodded thoughtfully.
"You can write us a check." He assured us, gesturing towards the back door of the bar. "I'm parked around back. We can take my car."
"Alright." I said slowly, getting up. I stepped carefully to place myself between Naomi and Mort as we followed him to the back. He didn't know who we were or about my powers, I reminded myself. The moment anything went wrong, I could fly Naomi and I out of there. It would be fine.
That's what I thought until we stepped outside to find that there were already a couple of people waiting for us. A tall thug with brown hair and a skinny woman with straight brown hair were waiting, the latter armed with a large, silver blaster that was unmistakably from Davenport Industries, given the red Borromean ring symbol on the side of it. "Hello there." She greeted. "I take it you must be Naomi."
Naomi stiffened beside me. "How do you know who I am?"
"Because it's not the first time that a Davenport has tried to stop my business, and it probably won't be the last." The woman explained, raising her weapon towards us. "But unfortunately for you, you will be the first to die."
"Not happening." I growled, lunging at the woman. She raised her blaster at me, and a mist spat out of it, forming into a crystallized ball of ice before my eyes and hitting me in the chest. I shrugged it off, feeling the impact but knowing that it wouldn't cut through my skin at all. The tall thug tackled me to the ground before I could reach the woman though, and we both hit the asphalt hard.
I wasn't expecting him to be as strong as he was, I had to admit. I'd rarely fought against anyone who was as strong as me, or stronger like this guy seemed to be - Adam Davenport had given me a few pointers a couple of years back, but that was the extent of my training in terms of fighting someone with super strength.
I couldn't see Naomi from where I was on the ground, but I could hear her shouting at someone, presumably Mort or the woman, and then there was the sound of blaster fire. "Get off me!" I growled at the thug, pushing against him and trying to roll him onto his back, but he wouldn't budge. "Alright, you asked for it." I muttered, raising my hands into his chest. I felt the vibrations rebound into my hands as I simulated an earthquake into the guys chest. He cried out in pain - even though I'd done it with as little strength as possible, it was still incredibly painful and not something I normally liked doing to even villains - and fell to the side, giving me the chance to escape from under him.
"Ben!" Naomi called. I could see her standing over the woman, holding a small blaster in her hands. The woman's stolen blaster was lying on the ground behind Naomi. "Mort got away."
"Where did you get that?" I demanded, staring at the weapon in her hands. She gave me an incredulous look.
"Did you really think I'd come to something like this unarmed? Give me some credit, Benji." She teased.
Seraphina's POV
I rubbed my neck as I walked down the stairs. I'd been trying to sleep for a couple of hours now, and just couldn't manage to. I had this big history test on Tuesday, and even though Emily had agreed to help me study the night before (coffee does wonders to convince that girl to do just about anything), I was still worried about it. It was my first big test since coming to Millennium Academy, and of course it had to be on something like history, covering subjects that none of my tutors or even my parents had taught me. Punching things had always been a good way to release stress for me though, so I figured that I would take advantage of the empty Mission Command and work myself to sleep.
Except, when I took the hyperlift down there, it wasn't quite as empty as I'd been expecting. "Noah, what are you doing down here?" I asked, a little startled to find the older boy 'going to town' (as Kira would phrase it) on a punching bag hanging from the ceiling. He was working pretty hard, the back and chest of his muscle shirt soaked with sweat, and didn't acknowledge me as I came in. "Noah?"
"Couldn't sleep." He replied, his voice hoarse as he slammed his fist into the middle of the bag once again. It swung a bit when he impacted with it, and I suspected that he was using some of his super speed to give his punch an extra kick. "Go back to bed, Sera."
"I couldn't sleep either." I frowned, noticing how tense his shoulders were. "Is something wrong?"
"No." He growled, punching it again. I hesitated, concerned. Should his voice have been that rough?
"Are you sure?" I pressed. "You skipped dinner, and Kameron told Kira that you went straight to bed, and now-"
"Blake broke up with me."
I bit my lip, a little surprised by his answer, but not quite as surprised as I'd have thought I would be. We really hadn't seen too much of Blake since I'd been here (Emily had mentioned offhandedly a couple of weeks ago that she used to come by quite a bit, so it seemed like it was unusual behavior) and I'd known they'd been going through a rough patch.
Noah had stopped beating the bag and just stood there, one wrapped hand lying flat against the punching bag. "I kept lying to her, and she's had enough of it, apparently." He continued, his voice growing in speed and emotion as he continued. "I don't blame her, really. I'm lying to her about the bionics and where I'm going, I lied to Calla, Leo, and Katherine, and to my parents and everyone else about school. And even if I wasn't lying, it's not like the truth is any better. She's a law student, top of her class, and I'm a college dropout. Why on Earth would she waste her time on me?"
"I'm so sorry, Noah." I apologized. He shook his head, turning away from me. "But I don't think you dropping out makes you a bad boyfriend. You're trying to figure out what you want - I think that's brave."
"Brave?" He repeated incredulously, glancing over his shoulder at me. I nodded. "Okay, I know Calderans sometimes have different meanings to words than we do, but I think stupid is a better word."
"Wouldn't it be stupid to work for a degree that'll only lead to a job that'll make you miserable? I think it's brave that you're taking a chance to figure out what you want, even if it means taking a risk like dropping out." I reasoned. He looked at me, then chuckled darkly and shook his head.
"I think you're about the only one who sees it that way." He told me. I shrugged.
"It doesn't change what I think." I replied. He just gave me this look, then smiled a little and shook his head. "So, do you want someone to hold the bag you're beating up, or do you want to give me a shot?"
He opened his mouth to reply when the hyperlift lit up again, and Kira suddenly appeared, also wearing her training clothes. She flinched back when she saw us, apparently also having expected to find Mission Command empty. "What are you doing up?"
"Uh..." She trailed off. "What are you doing up?"
Noah hesitated as well, glancing at me. "I have a test coming up that won't let me sleep, so I woke Noah up to be my work out partner. I would have gotten you though if I'd known you were going to be up."
Noah flashed me a grateful smile, then cleared his throat. "You didn't answer our question, Kira."
Kira sighed. "Fine. Nyssa's pissing me off with her better-than-thou attitude, and I want to prove I'm better than her." She replied. "So, I came down here to train."
"How is Nyssa acting like she's better than you?" Noah frowned, confused.
"She..." Kira broke off, making an irritated noise. "She keeps telling these great stories about everything she's done with the League, half of which I guarantee you are exaggerated, and she's acting like she's doing more important work just because she's arrested more people."
"She also did better than the rest of us in training today." I added. Kira nodded.
"Exactly, which is unfair because she's probably sparred with Alivia a hundred times by now." She growled. Noah frowned.
"A hundred seems a little much..." He trailed off, seeing the look on the pyrokinetic's face. "Not that it matters."
"Look, I just...I want to prove to Geminus that even though I'm not training with the League, I'm still a badass." She explained.
"As badass as a fifteen-year-old in a pink 'muscles and mascara' tank top can be." Noah corrected. Kira narrowed her eyes at him.
"I can set you on fire with my mind." She reminded him. He thought about that for a moment, then stepped back from the punching bag.
"How about we find you a way to beat Geminus instead?" He suggested casually. He looked between the two of us. "I don't see me going to bed anytime soon. You up for it?"
"I came down here to train." I agreed instantly. Kira looked between us and smiled.
"Thanks guys." She told us sincerely. She tightened her ponytail, then put her hands on her hips. "Let's get to work."
Ben's POV
"Seriously?" Calla sighed dramatically, walking into the holding area at S.H.I.R.T. Naomi and I looked up as she, Alivia, Leo, and Katherine walked in. "You've got to be kidding me."
"Which one of us are you annoyed with?" Naomi asked, frowning. Calla ignored her and turned to the woman we'd arrested.
"You're out of prison for what, a year, and you're already stealing from me?" She demanded, glaring at the woman, who rolled her eyes in return.
"What can I say? I like making money off your shit." She commented back, earning a scowl from Calla.
"I take it you two know each other?" I guessed, looking between the two of them. Leo nodded, standing behind Calla.
"Her name is Carrie Perry. She's Terry Perry's niece." He explained.
"Leo Doody. I remember you." Carrie commented. Leo ignored her.
"She's done time for assault, armed robbery, and basically everything under the sun." He explained. Naomi nodded at the thug I'd fought, who was sitting in the cell beside Carrie.
"And him?" She asked. Katherine sighed and walked over to stand in front of his cell. "He's not talking."
"Talkin' ain't really his thin'." Katherine explained, shaking her head. "'Is name's Tank. He's one o' Krane's bionic soldiers."
"Like you." Alivia confirmed.
"Except he's not as pretty." Leo commented. Katherine cracked a smile at that.
"And he left the Academy to join Sebastian an' Lexi back when the Academy firs' started up." She explained. Alivia nodded thoughtfully, then turned back to us.
"You said on the phone that Mort was there?" She questioned. I nodded.
"I checked the databases while we were waiting; it's definitely Mr. Terror's Mort. He got away though while we were fighting them." I explained. Alivia cocked her head to the side.
"Yeah, he's always been a slippery fellow." She commented thoughtfully. "It does make sense that he'd be working with someone like Carrie though - he's always looked to serve powerful women."
"I appreciate the compliment." Carrie smirked.
"I think you mean psychotic women." Calla commented. Alivia smirked.
"That too." She agreed. Carrie scowled at that and Leo turned to her. "Where'd you get the tech, Carrie? We know you didn't steal it yourself."
"What makes you say that?" Carrie questioned, standing up. "Maybe we are stealing it."
Alivia raised an eyebrow. "How many are in your crew then?" She challenged. Carrie hesitated.
"Five." She replied.
"Wrong. Besides, you're not smart enough to pull it off. Now, where'd you get the tech from?" Alivia demanded. Carrie rolled her eyes.
"Now why would I tell you that? You did just insult my intelligence, after all." She replied, sauntering back to her seat, looking far smugger than she should have been sitting in that cell. Naomi opened her mouth, possibly to threaten the criminal, but Calla beat her to it.
"Because if you don't, I'll tell your aunt exactly what prison we're sending you to. I'm sure she'd love to visit." She drawled. That made Carrie stop.
"Mort got it from an old friend. They ended up stealing more than what they wanted and figured we'd be the easiest way to get rid of it. I didn't question it." She commented.
"What friend?" I asked. She shook her head.
"He didn't say, but they used to work together." She replied. She looked at Calla. "Good enough?"
"For now." The genius hummed. Carrie sighed.
"It was a woman, if that helps." She added. Calla glanced at Alivia, then over at Tank. I wasn't sure what she was thinking, but I could see the wheels turning in her head.
"Kath." Calla said softly, looking meaningfully at the blonde. Katherine looked at her for a moment, then a look of understanding came over her.
"Tank." Katherine turned to the bionic soldier. She knelt down by the bottom of the cell. "Was it Lexi?"
The thug looked at Katherine for a moment, then grunted in agreement. Alivia sighed. "Lexi Krane and Catastrophe. Just who we needed working together."
Kameron's POV
"I told you it would work." Kira teased, walking out of the hyperlift.
"Yeah, but we beat Geminus first." Nyssa commented, smirking over her shoulder at the girl. "And you guys have an extra team member. It's not fair."
"Combat usually isn't." Ben commented from where he was sitting on the couch. He sat up and looked at us. "I take it your training with Geminus went well?"
"Yeah, she's just talking to Calla downstairs for a moment." Emily replied, heading for the kitchen. "I'm making popcorn. Anyone want any?"
"Sure." I called after her. Ben looked back at us.
"Seriously, guys. I'm glad you were able to learn something from Geminus; she's a great teacher." Ben's smile faded a bit as he turned more serious. "But combat is rarely fair, and training isn't at all like the real thing. Sometimes you have advantages, like having your friends at your side, but sometimes you're outnumbered four to one. It's not fair, but you've got to be ready for that."
"We know. We understand." Sera assured him. He nodded.
"What's got you in such a grumpy mood?" I asked, dropping onto the couch across from him.
"I'm not in a grumpy mood." Ben frowned.
"Well, you're more serious than usual. More adult-like." Charlotte commented. Ben gave her a look. Noah, on the other hand, smiled a little and leaned on the back of Sera's chair.
"He got his butt kicked by a bionic super soldier." He explained. Ben opened his mouth in protest.
"First of all, I beat him." He insisted.
"Barely." Naomi laughed as she, Alivia, and Calla made their way onto the main floor.
"Thanks Naomi." Ben rolled his eyes. She shook her head and sat down next to him.
"Oh, don't be a baby." She teased him. He rolled his eyes at her and shook his head, not arguing with her about it.
"Nyssa, you ready to go?" Alivia checked. Nyssa nodded, but Sera looked up in surprise.
"You're leaving already?" She asked, a little disappointed. Alivia nodded.
"I'm afraid I'm required back in New York. Next time, we'll try and extend our stay." She promised. Sera nodded, still a little sullen, and Alivia offered her a smile. "If your parents get back before that happens, tell them I expect to see them and you at the League for at least a week before they go back to Caldera with you. It's about time you meet more of the League."
"Okay." Sera smiled eagerly at the idea. Kira and I exchanged looks, smiling a bit too. Sera was a little shy at first, but she was actually kinda cool once you got to know her, and it would be pretty cool to see her working with the League some more. I knew Kira had hoped that we could team up in the future, the three of us. It was nice to see that Sera seemed to be liking the idea as much as the two of us.
"Sacculos, huc." Nyssa called, raising her hand towards the stairs.
"Be careful, and stay safe, you two." Calla told red-headed hero and the witch as Nyssa and Alivia's bags came floating down the stairs. I glanced over my shoulder to see Emily staring disconcertingly at the feat of magic and had to force myself not to laugh out loud at her reaction.
"You too." Alivia told her, tone serious. "If you're dealing with Lexi and Catastrophe, chances are, at least some of the other members of their team are people we've fought before."
"If we beat them once, then we know how to beat them again." Calla assured her. "But I will be looking through our old records, see what we can figure out. Thank you for everything."
"Of course." Alivia nodded and turned to the rest of us. "Alright guys, last bits of advice. Combining your powers together, that's the key to beating multiple people at once. Kira, Emily, and Noah showed that. Work together, figure out which combinations are the most powerful. Don't get too cocky though - I've seen dozens of heroes taken down because they got too far ahead of themselves. Rely on each other, and you should all be fine. Understood?"
"Understood." The rest of replied instantly. Alivia nodded and looked at Kira and I.
"You guys are doing really well. Keep it up, and we'll talk about having you join missions when you come back to New York." She encouraged. Kira beamed.
"Awesome!" She had to stop herself from screaming. I chuckled.
"Thanks, Geminus." I told her appreciatively. She nodded, said her last farewells, and walked out, Nyssa waving goodbye at the rest of us before following her out.
"So," Emily cleared her throat after they left. She was looking at her mom. "Lexi, did she mean...'Lexi' Lexi?"
"Who's Lexi?" I asked, confused. Mom and Dad hadn't mentioned the name before, so I assumed that she had to be someone from Calla and Chase's past from before the Elite Force. Calla sighed.
"Alright, story time, I suppose." She decided, gesturing to the couch. We all moved to sit down on it, as Emily passed around bowls of popcorn. Calla paused for a moment, trying to figure out where to begin. "Alright, so there was this guy on the Academy named Sebastian…"
Kihonne: So, officially, we know that Lexi, Catastrophe/Janus, Saturn, and Reese/Victoria, and Darius/Neptune are part of the team. That leaves 4 unidentified villains. I wonder who they are…?
Alright, here's the deal for updating. Apparently, I suck at being able to keep a schedule during the summer while I'm working. However, I tend to be better at it during the school year (so long as I'm not drowning in assignments). So, for the time being, I'm just going to update when the chapters are done (I'm aiming to have at least one more done in August, if not 2), and then I'm going to set a real schedule in September, after I've moved into dorms. So, I can't say exactly when I'm going to update again, but fingers crossed that it'll be soon.
When I do update, these are going to be next chapters:
Chapter 10 – Study Break
Chapter 11 – Camping Trip
Chapter 12 – Abducted
Oh, and two more things. 1, if you haven't already suggested, I am allowing the readers to choose the baby name and gender for Calla's unborn child. The full details are at the end of Chapter 8's author's note, but basically just choose a name and gender and send it to me! Number 2 is a request – I'm noticing a surplus of guest reviews lately, which is awesome – but I am encouraging you guests to sign a name to the review. It doesn't have to be a real name or anything creative – if you want to put something like Guest1, or Bob that would be absolutely fine. The reason I ask is because it's getting a little confusing for doing the reader responses, especially when I've got 13 different reviews all labelled as "Guest". It would be much appreciated.
Anyway guys, I hope to see you all soon! And don't forget to review!