HEROES Chapter 5

The more Morgan fought to focus on connecting with the animals, the weaker she became. She simply didn't have the strength to hold any connection for more than a few minutes. She finally stopped, swaying where she was standing, her eyes unfocused as she looked at Wraith.

"He's out there because I wouldn't listen, Wraith and I can't......I can't help him. It's my fault."

Then, she collapsed, slipping into a coma, her mind unable to process whatever has happened to her. For something did happen in that warehouse when she was being held by her father. Something dealing with her mind.

As Morgan wavered and collapsed, Wraith was quick to catch her, but instead of placing her back in the recovery room he took her into the laboratory. He laid her down on a padded table and quickly began to set up leads to monitor her vital signs.

There was a knock on the doorway that separated the medical and research facility, then Sigma's voice came over the intercom. "Wraith. You need any help?"

Wraith jogged over to the door and punched in the code, unlocking it, then quickly returned to the lab with Sigma on his heels.

"What happened to her?" Asked Sigma, standing at a distance with his hands thrust into the pockets of his trench coat. He seemed uncomfortable, but then again it was not uncommon for people to dislike hospitals and medical tests.

"She over-taxed herself. Using too much of her meta-ability." Wraith answered while he finished up attaching several leads to Morgan's temples and forehead. He then turned on another monitor that revealed five different wave patterns and pointed at the bottom one, drawing Sigma's attention to it. "You see. This is the omega wave. Notice how it looks like two different patterns, only now the underlying wave is even stronger."

"So what does that mean, doc?" Asked Sigma, shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, in her present state the omega wave pattern should not be unlike her alpha waves, but instead it's incredibly active. It's as if her mind is connected to something." Replied Wraith as he calibrated the monitor.

"Or someone." Added Sigma.

Wraith stopped what he was doing and cast the other man a worried look. "Or someone." he repeated, considering the possibilities.

Sasha sat in the park for a few more hours, trying to figure out where she knew the man she'd seen in the alley. As she stood up, she felt something, like a surge in engergy. Not big, but she was definately more alert. It felt......good.

Turning, she headed for the small mom and pops store she frequented, walking along the sidewalk, looking at people as she walked by them, smiling at their somber expressions. Shaking her head, she didn't bother wasting a smile on any of them. A half an hour later, she reached the small store, seeing Henry and Emma Jackson, the old couple who owned the store. Both gave her a smile when she strolled in and she smiled back, walking over to the counter.

"How's it going, Henry? Hi Emma."

Sasha loved these two people. They were in the late 60s, Henry standing only about 5'6" and Emma only 5'3" both with grayish/silver hair. Henry's blue eyes were always full of mischief and laughter while Emma's brown ones were more serious looking, but she always had a quick smile for just about anyone. Their store was located 6 blocks north of the Green Street base. It was called 'At Home Groceries'.


"Everything's going okay, Sasha. How about you?"

"Not too bad, Henry. You had any trouble around here?"

Sasha had noticed the last couple of times that some things had been knocked off shelves and Emma had looked a little frazzled, but she'd said nothing. Now, Emma once again looked frazzled and Henry looked even a little panicked.

"Just punks, Sash...wanting to make a name for themselves. You know how youngsters can be."

Sasha knew exactly what Henry was talking about now and she also knew that by the words he'd used, whomever it was causing trouble was still in here. She smiled at Henry and Emma, motioning for them to stay put as she quietly began to walk around the small store, acting like she was looking for something.

"Well, these kids need a good kick in the ass every now and then, but no one wants to step up and give it to them. You know what I mean?"

As she rounded the end of the aisle near the small freezer section, she looked up into the large mirror in the corner and saw a guy standing near the storage room door. He wasn't very tall and looked hispanic. She smiled, making her way over to him, her eyes turning black as she called on the yellow jackets that were just outside the rear door, buzzing around the dumpster. They found their way in through a small hole in the back wall of the storage area and advanced onto the man just as Sasha came to stand in front of him.

Just as the guy saw her and her black eyes, the yellow jackets swarmed on him, not stinging him....yet.

"I wouldn't move too much if I were you. Now, why don't you tell me why you're here and what you're doing. Lie, and I'll have my little friends here sting the shit out of you."

"You damned bitch!! I don't have to tell you shit!!"

Sasha made a tsking sound as her eyes grew even blacker and she focused on the yellow jackets, having a couple of them sting him, which had him hollering in pain as their stings are extremely painful.

"Now, I don't like repeating myself. Answer my questions or I turn them loose on your sorry ass."

Alright!!! I collect insurance from them....a guarantee that my gang won't rob them and we'll protect them from rival gangs. That's all, lady!!

Sasha knew the ins and outs of 'insurance' collecting and had the yellow jackets swarm just above his head. She smiled at him, her smile as cold as her eyes were black right before she socked him right in the jaw, knocking him back into the storage room. The yellow jackets followed him, hovering above his head.

"I would advise you to get the f#@ck out of here and don't come back!! Tell your guy that Henry and Emma already have protection and her name is Wasp!! You got that?!!"

The kid stuttered out a 'yea' as he ran by her, running by Henry and Emma and out the front door, the yellow jackets hot on his tail. When Sasha walked back up to Henry and Emma, her eyes went back to normal. The older couple were all smiles when she got there. They knew that Sasha was different, but she'd always been there for them, so they didn't judge her.

Emma came around and gave her a hug, tears in her eyes.

"Thank you Sasha....but you know that they will retaliate now."

Sasha smiled at the two older people, returning Emma's hug.

"Don't worry about it, Emma. I'll just stick close for awhile....make sure that if they return, they get the message. I am all the protection you need."

Wraith had been so interested in studying Morgan's omega wave phenomena that he lost track of time. "Shit!" he exclaimed checking the clock on the wall, "I gotta get outta here." he said to Sigma who had been idling standing by.

"What? You gotta a hot date or something?" Joked Sigma.

"Something like." Answered Wraith as he hastened to leave the room. "She'll be fine. I'll be back later, and if Cowboy and Totem should happen by tell them to sit tight and I'll be back as soon as I can."

Wraith started heading out of the lab then vanished into the air. Sigma could just make a pale ghostly image trailing off through the crack of the closing door as stood by Morgan's unconscious body. Thrusting his hands into the pockets of his trench coat he coldly glance at the girl then made his way out of the shadowy laboratory.


Wraith made it back to the home of Bronze Devil, flying in his physical form part of the way then dematerializing and appearing in his basement room. He quickly changed out of his costume, ran through the shower then threw on some kaki's, a dress shirt and a sport coat. Checking the time he was please to see that he was well ahead of schedule for his interview, and would have plenty of time to find the address. Skipping up the stairs, he rushed through the kitchen and grabbed himself an apple off the counter and said good by to Julie who wished him luck.

Bronze Devil had given him his old Taurus. It wasn't much too look at, but it ran well and for that Toril was grateful. He backed out of the driveway and pulled slowly away and down the street while crunching down on the red apple. Checking the address again, he made his way as best he could. He wasn't familiar with the city and so he was forced to stick to busier main routes, and Toril positively hated a traffic, but he had little choice but to endure it, he couldn't fly to his interview, although at some lights it was awfully tempting.

Toril endured the drive and eventually reached is destination which wasn't at all what he had expected. The address was for some club, which was a first for him, since most 'lab rats' preferred to give their interviews in their office, not over a drink. He parked his car and before he went in double checked the address one more time just confirm that he was indeed at the right place. It was apparent that the established was far more active during the night, and as Toril walked down the main corridor he checked out all that the place had to offer. Acts, specials and a listing of all the services were shown on large flat screens set into the walls which came to an end a large hall with several sitting areas, set along the walls and around the six large pillars that reached up to high balconied ceiling. On the wall to his left he could see the entrance to the lounge, which he assumed would be the meeting place and to his right he could hear the enticing baseline radiating from the dance club.

Having some time to kill, Toril couldn't help wandering into the club. He had always loved dance music and in his day was quite the dancer, although he'd be 'ancient school' compared to what the kids were doing these days. Wandering in, he was surprised to actually find a small group of kids working on their moves during the day. About six guys had formed a ring and were showing their stuff, throwing out variations of complicated hip hop and b-boy moves; they stopped and stared at Toril when they noticed him. Even though he appeared to be a man in his early thirties that was still grandpappy old to the youngsters and he figured that they thought he was a cop.

"Sweet 'Nike-Kick'." Toril complimented one of the guys who had just finished performing.

The kid laughed. "Yeah, okay. Whatever, old man." Replied the kid with some attitude.

"&%#@ look at you man! You're like a freaking linebacker! What the hell d'you know about this shit?" Asked another.

Toril smiled, took off his jacket and laid it over a chair. A new song had just began with a fast, heavy base line as he strolled into the middle of the circle.

One of the kids started laughing and stretching his arms wide started backing up, "Whoa! Back up a guys this &$%#er's crazy!"

Toril then then started with some flares, which were a feat for a man of his size and with his length of leg. Then he broke into some broncos which he kept in sync with the beat. His hand stands were flawless, and as he performed an array of dazzling acrobatics he used his flying ability to assist him in achieving what only smaller people could normally do. The kids just looked at one another, the jaws hanging open as the large man performed spins, floats, kicks and freezes with amazing precision, then he ended it all off with a move that Toril had always called a tornado. A high flying, horizontal aerial spin which he did directly at one of the kids, forcing him to duck under as he rotated several times and landed gracefully.

Soon as Toril jumped out of the circle, one of the kids came at him and offered a respective high five grasp and spoke in a b-boy language that the old man was out of touch with. "Thanks.", he said not sure what he was exactly replying to, but it was obvious they liked his moves. They were also quite amazed that a man of his age could move like them, and Toril could only imagine what the would think if they found out how old he really was.

As he picked up his jacket, Toril was alerted to the sound of someone slowly applauding and when he looked to the direction it was coming from was surprised to the beautiful form of Sara-Lynn Tessier. Turning around he acknowledged the b-boys then threw on his jacket as he strode toward the Beacon operative. He found remaining cool around Sun Storm difficult since she knew that he had always deeply cared for her despite all the crap she had done in her life, but he managed to stay composed.



She was leaning against a bar stool and clapping her hands above her head as Toril approached, a mischievous smile on her perfect lips. "When are you going to grow up?" She teased.

Toril stopped in front of Sara-Lynn, towering over her. "Where is he?" Was all he asked, his face expressionless.

She looked up at him, playfully smiling, then when she realized that she wasn't going to get the reaction she wanted stood up and lead the way to the lounge. Gesturing with a nod of her angled jaw, she pointed to a booth where Toril saw the man who was supposed to be conducting his interview at a new company. His jaw flexing from his grinding teeth, Toril made his way to the booth and slid into the seat.



"I hear the veal comes highly recommended." Commented Vacily as he perused the menu.

"How did you find me?" Toril coldly inquired.

Vacily put down the menu and laughed. "Are you kidding? You leveled a city block. Wraith is back on the grid and he's on RAID's top ten most wanted list. How do you think I found you?"

Toril couldn't believe that he was just sitting there across from him, speaking civilly, after he had tried to kill him. "I ought a rip you head off right now for what you did to Cassius, you egotistical son-of-a-bitch!" he growled lowly so as not to attract any undue attention to them.

Vacily picked up the bottle of wine on the table and filled Toril's glass, his stern expression softening. "I have called off Shinnigami." He told him, "I just wanted to let you know personally and to do what I can to make amends."

"Amends?" Scoffed Toril, "I know that you killed Silicone Surfer and you sit there asking for forgiveness!"

Vacily looked shocked at the accusation. "You think I could have something to do with that?"

"We have proof it was you! How can you even deny it?"

Surge leaned back, horrified at the revelation but then he said something that Toril felt in his heart was the truth. "She was my daughter." he revealed, tears welling in his eyes.

Tim heard the faint clink of metal hitting metal behind him and quickened his pace thru the old brick lined drainage tunnel, searching for a side passageway as his hand slid along the damp bricks. His hand fell into nothingness and Tim stopped abruptly, taking a step back he felt the edge of another passage to his left. Following the wall for approximately fiftey feet, he stumbled slightly on something on the floor. Slowly kneeling and reaching down he felt the damp slimmy surface of a rotting wooden beam. Running his hand across its surface, Tim found another and another laying across the second. Sliding his hand along the surface, Tim felt it rise until he felt another brick wall and what felt like an old coal oil lantern hanging on a rusty nail. He lifted the lantern off the nail, brought the lantern close to his ear and shook it. What he heard he could hardly believe, the slosh of liquid. Hoping, beyond hope, Tim pressed the metal lever that caused the glass to rise, reached in his pocket, removed his lighter and lit the wick of the lantern. A dim light illuminated the the area in front of him. Tim stood infront of what appeared to be a side tunnel that had never been completed. Lowering the wick so the light was but a small dim illumination, Tim lowered the glass, turned and started to make his way back to the main drainage tunnel. That is when he heard the sound of water splashing and the murrmered "Shit Charlie watch where your stepping." Tim extinguished the light, stepped back a couple of steps into the darkness and set the lantern down on the ground.

Tim knelt down, lifted his pant leg and withdrew a Navy Seal killing knife from his boot,watched as one red laser beam spot danced back and forth on the floor, walls and cielings of the tunnel and passed by him a few feet back another danced along the walls, floor and cieling of the tunnel. As it passed, Tim reached out and grabbed the second R.A.I.D officer around the neck, covering his mouth and nose with his left hand, driving the six inch blade of the knife into the side of the officer's neck with his right hand. Tim quickly stepped back and lowered the slain man to the wet ground, withdrawing the knifefrom the officer's neck, knelt down, wiped the knfe clean oh the slain officer's vest, replaced the knife in his boot. He searched the slain officer, finding the officer's side arm and spare clips, Tim stepped out of the darkness, flipped the laser sight on an took aim at the lead officer just as he turned to say something to his pardner. Tim let off two rounds striking the lead officer in the neck just above his body armour. The officer fell to the ground, Tim walked up slowly, lifted the man's face shield with the toe of his boot and placed another round in the fallen officer's head between his eyes. Tim then found officer's side arm, and spare clips, placing them in his jacket. He then searched the man's body for his radio, removed the man's helmet, ear piece and mic, follow the connecting wire and removed the slain officer's radio. "Wrong place wrong time pardnar." Tim muttered under his breath, as he reached down and drug the slain officer back to where his slain pardner lay. Tim searched the bodies and found their flash lights,. He then removed the slain men's Kevlar vest and hydration packs. Tim removed his own jacket and shirt, donned one of the Kevlar vests and put his shirt and jacket back on. Tim then keyed the other man's mic and said "11-99 ... 10-57 ...Multiple Shots fired! .... Code 20 Officer down! Tunnel 29-877" ........ Tim fired three more rapid rounds ..... "Send backup! Repeat 11-99 Offic (Static)......." Tim then turned the radio off, stuffed the spare radio in his back pocket and the first radio in the inside pocket of his jacket, slinging the spare vest and the hydration packs over his shoulder. Using one of the pilfered flash lights, Tim then made his way on down the old drainage tunnel, searching for a shaft going up.

Morgan regained conscionsness, briefly while Toril was gone, and after Sigma had left. She didn't try to move around, she was too weak but she saw that she was no longer in the same room as before. She remembered trying to connect with various animals and unable to hold t he connection, then passing out, feeling as if someone was sucking the energy from her. She heard the door open and saw a young woman enter the lab and walk over to her.

Jessica smiled down at the young woman laying on the lab bed as she approached.

"Hi, Morgan. I'm Snap Dragon, but you can call me Snap. Wraith had an appointment, but he'll be back soon."

Morgan just looked at her, trying to focus on the woman, her words sounding like they were being spoken inside of a well. She wanted to tell her that something was wrong with her, how she knew she didn't know, but she knew that something wasn't right inside of her. But, she couldn't seem to get her vocal cords to work. Panic began to show in her lavender eyes and Snap placed a gentle hand on Morgan's arm.

"It's okay, Morgan. Really. Wraith looks like he knows what he's doing. Just rest. I'll stick close by, okay?"

Morgan nodded her head, her eyes closing as she slipped back into the darkness again.

Totem's panther eyes stared blindly ahead as he made his way along the tunnel. Behind him he could hear the first group of enforcers closing in, but then he stopped in his tracks as he caught scent of more of them ahead. He was trapped! Cursing in his native language the blind Haida slid his long knife from its sheath and prepared to take a stand. There was no way he would survive the fight, but he was damn sure going to take a couple of the bastards with him.

Crouch low in the dark, Totem waited. He made peace with this world and prepared to use the abilities of his cougar spirit to their upper most limit. As he tensed and readied himself to spring before they could lay eyes on him, the foot steps both behind and in front of him stopped.

"Man down!" Totem heard one of the enforcers announce. "Tunnel 29-877, bring up the map."

'A man down?', pondered Totem, 'Cowboy! He must have taken one of them down.' He then heard the steps behind him, retreating back the way they had come, but the one's ahead were fast approaching. Totem, thought fast, and began chanting lowly calling to him a totem that would hopefully save his life one way or the other. Closing his eyes he concentrated, and when they next opened they were black. Quickly then he took a deep breath and submerged himself in the knee deep water, pressing his body up against the side of the cylindrical passage. He had summoned the totem of the great polar bear, it's great strength surging through his pained body, but he cared more for the bear's ability to hold it's breath for long lengths of time.

Totem felt the force of displaced water against his face as a boot of one of the enforcers just missed his head. In their haste the RAID enforcers, focusing on assisting their fallen comrade failed to notice the Haida's long dark hair floating on the surfer of the water as they moved past him. Totem then waited until his lungs burned, and only then did he feel that it would be safe to rise out of hiding. From darkness to darkness he emerged and used his new keener sense of smell to tell him that he was safe, then he carried on letting his instincts guide him through the labyrinth and hopefully back to the base.



Illuminated by the flickering flame of the ornamental lantern in the middle of the table, the two men sat in silence for a moment in the dimly lit lounge processing the revelation.

"Your daughter! I never knew you had children." Exclaimed Toril, finally breaking the quiet.

Vacily, brushed away a tear from his hardened face with his sleeve and slugged back a gulp of wine. He clenched his teeth, searching for words but none were uttered, he just sat wallowing in despair and anger.

Toril suddenly felt terrible. As misguided as his old friend was seeing him as a grieving father burned a hole in his heart and sunk to the pit of his stomach. "I — I'm sorry, Vacily.... for your loss. I didn't know... how could I have known?"

Vacily sighed and procured from his breast pocket and picture which he laid on the table before his ex-partner. The photo was of Vacily, and Silicone Surfer when she was just a girl. "Her mother contacted me out of the blue one day and told me that I had a thirteen year old daughter." Vacily began, staring warmly at the picture. "It seemed that Joanne had hacked into a federal database and they needed my help. It was one of the greatest days of my life."

Toril joined his old mentor in a smile as he reminisced about meeting his daughter for the first time, then he just sat back and let him go on about the good times that he needed to share with someone who remembered the person he used to be. He knew how important it was for people with their longevity to never anchor themselves to the past, but in times of loss it was a blessing to speak with one who could walk back in time with you. Unfortunately, Vacily's reunion with his daughter occurred during his marriage, when he had left Beacon but that hardly seemed to matter to the old super-hero.

After a while, Toril mustered up the courage to ask a question that had been itching his brain for a while. "This is not an accusation, but, isn't a strange coincidence that your daughter's killer had a power identical to yours?"

Vacily who had now switched to coffee, took a sip of the hot beverage while contemplating the observation. "How is it that you lost control of that tornado?"

Toril leaned back, curious what one had to with the other. "I don't follow." he said.

"Have you ever heard of a meta called Apex Fusion?" Vacily proposed.

Toril bobbled his head. "A little. Isn't he the guy whose been organizing that gang called Umbra?"

Vacily nodded. "He has a unique ability that allows him to copy the powers of other metas.", he revealed and this made Toril realize just what had happened that night when the dying twister had suddenly had its strength rekindled.

"So he mimicked my power and yours. But why?" Wondered Toril.

Vacily shook his head the stared coldly into Toril's eyes as his hand tightened into a fist. "That, is what I intend to find out." he vowed.




"Can I get you anything else?" Asked the server.

"No, I'm fine. Just the check please." Replied the dark haired, man.

Sigma leaned back and strained his ears once more to eavesdrop on the conversation between Vacily and Wraith occurring in the booth behind him. He knew better than to try and use any surveillance equipment around the electrical mutant since not only would he short it out but would also detect the signal. The powers of Surge were almost legendary, and so Sigma had decided to stay low tech and learn what he could the old fashioned way.

He had to admit that he was a little disappointed to learn that Surge was not the ultimate bad guy in this situation, he had been looking forward to matching wits with him. Perhaps another time, since now he had someone else to focus on, a man who had been slowly making a name for himself on the Chicago streets — Apex Fusion.

The server returned with meals for the two men. Toril hadn't ordered, but the plate placed before him seemed satisfying enough. "I took the liberty of ordering for you ahead of time." explained Vacily, "I recall you enjoyed blackened salmon and apparently its a dish that this place is known for."

"Thank you." Said Toril, as he placed a napkin on his lap.

The men were silent while they sampled the flavours of their dishes. Both of them quite worldly in their tastes exchanged satisfied looks at the quality and it felt for that moment as if they traveled back in time, when they were partners working for the European division of Beacon. No matter where they were, Vacily always had to sit down to a fine meal at least once during their assignment; good food was always his one vice and it seemed it still was.

"So, this was supposed to be an interview for a new job." Toril queried before he took a sip of wine.

Vacily smiled. "Forgive me, but after your stunt with the tornado I used Beacon's resources to track you down, Mr. Devon Gale." he mentioned.

Toril was surprised that Beacon had been able to track him down so quickly, but after considering that he provided an organization with access to high security government resources a start point it didn't seem that remarkable. "Is the company real, then?" he was curious.

Vacily nodded. "Yes, its completely legitimate, no strings attached. Beacon had no affiliation with it, nor do they have any records of you under your new identity. Sara-lynn, doesn't even know."

At the mention of her name, Toril glanced across the lounge to the bar where the beautiful woman seemed to be have no problem entertaining herself, as she flirted with a couple of businessmen types. "Sara-lynn's unaware?" he repeated, "What's going on Vacily? You've always been a company man."

"After the incident at Oneida, I decided to relinquish my command and finally take that cushy Pentagon job." Vacily explained, "You and Yelena, helped me open my eyes. You made me realize that no matter what I tried to do to help our kind, it wouldn't change a damn thing. My daughter had been trying to tell me that for years and I was on my way down here to share my revelation in person and found that I was stinking day too late." Vacily's jaws clenched. "The difference of one stinking day." he sadly muttered and his blood pressure became noticeably elevated he winced and the lights of the lounge flickered.

"I'm sorry sir, may I have your card once more." A server requested of her customer as the mobile interac console reset itself from what Toril knew to be static interference generated from Vacily.

"Calm down Vacily." Toril told his old friend, "The tremors are getting worse, aren't they?" he figured.

Vacily procured a vial of pills from his pocket and chased a few down with a drink of water. The effects were fast acting and soon he was breathing normally and didn't feel the need to discuss his health with the good doctor. He just waved off Toril's concerns and continued discussing his new job. "The president of the company owed me a favor so I called it in.", he said as handed Toril a business card, "As soon as you give him a call and let him know you're interested you're on the payroll at Genomorph Laboratories."

Toril took the card. "Just like that, eh?" he questioned with a wry smile. "Beacon has nothing to do with this."

"I give you my word." Vacily assured him.

Wraith tucked the card in his pocket, wiped his mouth and slid out of the booth. It was a lot for him to take in, Vacily suddenly turning from ultimate enemy to grieving friend over the course of a meal. Toril figured that he would have to sleep on it and process the information before he would truly begin trusting the man again.

"I wrote my number on the back of the card." mentioned Vacily without looking up, his eyes remaining fixed on his wine glass.

"I need some time to think about all of this." Toril told him, "I'll call you."

As Toril strode away from Vacily no goodbyes were exchanged and he acknowledged Sara-lynn with a fleeting glance as he exited the lounge. Walking through the lobby, hundreds of scenarios were flashing through his mind but he couldn't deny the fact that Silicone Surfer was Vacily's daughter, that in itself legitimized everything that he had revealed. Still, the man was as devious as they came and so he was aware that he needed some time to weigh all the possibilities and approach everything from a fresh perspective.

Toril drove back to Bronze Devil's where he dropped off the car and changed back into his costume. He then flew back to the base, and along the way his thoughts kept wandering back to his conversation with Vacily, analyzing every word. By the time he entered through the west door he was ready to accept Vacily's word, but he wanted to talk to Sigma before he allowed himself to fully commit to accepting the job. He hadn't known the man very long, but he seemed to possess an uncommon logic and felt that he could provide him with an objective perspective on the situation. Seemed he had left shortly after he did, however, and since Sigma wasn't one to share his comings and goings with anyone, it was impossible to know when he'd be back.

As he wandered back into the base's medical facility, Wraith went into to check on Morgan and found Snap Dragon sitting at her side. She informed him of Morgan's brief awakening, to which he didn't seem that surprised. "I'm glad you were here for her." Wraith told her, feeling guilty that he wasn't around, after all her care was his responsibility now and it wasn't like they could just take her a normal hospital at this point.

Wraith started some preliminary checks on her vitals then decided to transfer her back to the recovery room, where he got Snap Dragon to assist him in transferring her from the gurney to the bed. He then added another dose of an anti-biotic to her i.v. and continued to monitor her, charting all of her current stats.

Using the pilfered flashlight, shading the beam with his cupped hand,Tim made his way along the drainage tunnel until he came to a shaft, with a metal ladder going up. He stopped and listened closely but all he could hear was the sound of water trickeling down from above. Off in the distance he thought he could hear the faint rumbling of water falling a great substancial distand and slashing ont another body of water of a wet floor. Cautiously he shone the light up the ladder a few feet. "Well ya gonna stay down har like a rat in a trap ur ya gonna get the hell outta har an'find Totem." Tim muttered solftly the thought "Damn boy now ya ar talkin' ta yurself. I reconkin it's 'bout time ta get outta this har hole."

Tim stuck the flashlight in his belt, turned it off and began to climb up the ladder. After about forty feet, he stopped with just the top of his head and eyes above the rim of the shaft. Tim, listened closely, holding on to one rung, removed the flashlight from his belt. Holding it against the wall he turned it on, shielded the beam with his hand, lifted it and swept tunnel he was peering at. Seeing and hearing nothing but the sound of running water, Tim climbed out of the shaft and stood against the wall. He made his way along a short passageway until he came to an arched opening to an adjoining tunnel. Faintly he could hear the occasional splash of foot steps. "There is only one set." he said to himself, as he turned the flashlight off. Tim took a step back into the darkness, stuffed the flashlight back in his belt. knelt down scooped up some mud, smeared it on his face and hands. He then withdrew his Navy Seal killing knife from his boot, stood up, leaning against the side wall of the drainage tunnel and waited as the foot steps grew lounder and closer. ......

While the RAID enforcers initiated their sweep of the lower sewer levels in search of the fallen comrades, Totem stumbled onward down another tunnel, positive that he was still heading toward the base. Giving up on moving silently the blinded man, sloshed through ankle deep water announcing his presence to all within ear shot. It was more soothing to keep his eyes closed so Totem did not even bother to rely on them, feeling his way along the wall, guided by his powerful sense of smell granted by the spirit of the polar bear.

Totem knew that he was a sitting duck for ranged weapons but he hoped that he would smell the enforcers before they got him in their sights, of course in the stale underworld the early detection was debatable. His only hope was to cover enough as ground as possible and increase the distance between him and RAID and maybe find his way back to the base if he was lucky.

As the Haida man made his way along the tunnel, the sound of running water came to his ears and further off in the distance the sound of rapids. "Shit!" he thought to himself, and hoped there would be a way to avoid the rushing water, but then that issue suddenly became secondary. His first and foremost concern was the scent he picked up — the scent of man. It was not possible for Totem to determine how many there were and turning back was not an option, so gripping his long knife in his right hand he felt his way along the wall until he felt the lip of another passage. The scent was stronger now, and Totem knew that his only chance was to strike hard and fast with his bear-like strength and hope that he would wound the man seriously enough that he could not fight back.

Totem breathed in the scent as he slowly approached the corner, then he realized that their was something very familiar about the fragrance of the man.

"Cowboy?" Totem called, still ready to strike blindly, "Godammit, I hope that's you, otherwise one of those RAID bastards stole your clothes." He waited then, his back to the wall, just at the edge of the other tunnel waiting to defend himself if he was wrong. The sound of his own heart beat counted off the seconds while he waited for a response, but before the identity of the stranger could be determined the shouts of other RAID enforcers echoed in the distance. The voices were scattered and Totem couldn't tell where they originated from, but it was evident that they were getting closer.

Shawn read Mikala's response and furrowed a brow. As his mind worked her point of view over, his anger dissipated until he finally sat down on the floor by her feet. He'd read and experienced the world enough to know that he was the different one in this aspect, but that never made it easier to understand. This concept of caring about other human beings . . . he just didn't get it. There was 6 billion humans on the planet and not one had ever struck him as important enough to put oneself out for. Still, he realized that his own actions could be easily mistaken for this . . . altruism. He wondered then what they would think of their amazing little disabled kid if they knew he was merely entertaining himself.

"I'm not interested in teaching any snot nosed kids . . . " he said finally, the "image" in his head consisting of the very kids he grew up with in the orphanage who used to torment him suddenly sitting listening in awe to his life story. Just thinking about it made Shawn unsure if he wanted to laugh or vomit. "I'm not interested in other people either. I don't think I'm going to get your point of view . . . and I definitely don't think we're going to agree." His hands motions were smoother, his tone calmer as he spoke with his head lowered to its usual position. "All I can tell you is I'm not amazing or admirable or any of that bullshit," said Shawn after a moment. "You can think whatever you want."
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A soft tap on the door turned Snap Dragon's and Wraith's attention to Ayana who stood hesitantly just outside the threshold.

"Hey," said Seizure with a somewhat uncertain smile, "how is she?" she asked, nodding towards Morgan, "and how'd the interview go?" While she was never one to read thoughts without permission, especially when those thoughts belonged to a friend, Ayana could tell there was a bit of storm going on with Wraith's mind. Although she refused to let her curiosity surpass her principles, she couldn't help but wonder still. It didn't seem like typical nervousness about how the interview might have gone. Still, if the man didn't want to share with her, she wouldn't pry. The most she could do right then was let her concern show on her pretty dark face and hope Wraith trusted her with whatever was troubling him.


The sea spread out endlessly in front of Kekoa, glistening and undulating invitingly as the sunlight played across the surface. The sound of the folding waves and shouting seagulls filled his ears as a cool, salty breeze brushed past him. As the cool water slipped over his feet, Kekoa felt himself rushing against the slight current until he crashed down onto the water, floating along the surface and letting his already sun-baked skin soak in the sun.

When he opened his eyes, the dingy, off-white tile stared back at him-- scratched and gritty such that it didn't look clean no matter how much he and Seizure scrubbed at it. As the steaming water rolled soothingly over his aching muscles, the image of his long abandoned beaches settled in the back of Kekoa's mind, the sounds of the ocean giving way to the screams of the pipes behind the wall. Running his bronze hands through his long, black hair, he finally shut off the water and stepped out of the tiny shower. Drying off, he re-dressed his bandages and put on a pair of loose, linen pants and a white wife-beater. Long hair hanging loose and still wet, Kekoa meandered seemingly aimlessly down the halls, his thoughts in their own, private place.
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Grey wasn't sure what to think, but as the doctor work, he grit his teeth and suppressed his tics and true to the man's word, he felt ready to take on the world. When Stitch had finished, Grey slowly sat up, half expecting the now all-too-familiar agonizing pain to shoot through him again. When nothing happened, it felt almost foreign.

"Wow... um ... thanks," he stammered, letting a few face-twitches slip by. After another moment, Grey slid off of the table and paused, unsure if he should ask as he still had no idea where he was or where this guy had come from. "Hey um . . ." he paused, shouting "QUACK! Shit!" before looking away uncomfortably, searching for the words. He so rarely breached the topic that now it seemed he was trying to speak a foreign language in which he wasn't yet fluent. "Can you . . . um . . . like . . . ya know, fix my brain?" At this, a gentle understanding smile slightly curled the doctor's lip.

"Sorry," he said, "I can't make you better. I can only restore you to the way you were." At this, Grey merely nodded, dropping the topic. He then shifted his weight again, digging into the pocket of his cargos and pulling out two empty pill bottles.

"What about these?" he asked, holding out the bottle for clonadine and the bottle for the illegal vicodin. "I need these. Ya got 'em?"

Tim whispered softly to Totem... "Ya know fur an injum ya sur kin make one hell of a racket? Now ifin' ya ain't fixin' ta poke me with that thar hog sticker, I'd feel a might betur ifin' ya lowered it a bit. An git behind me pard. I figur we're 'bout ta have some cumpny, an it might be betur if'in they did'n know wur har right away." Tim reached in his back pocket, took the second radio and headset out and placed them in Totems hand.

The sound of the R.A.I.D. officers feet sloshing through the ankle deep water grew louder. Tim could hear the chatter of their radio traffic through the ear piece of the communication headset and radio he had taken from the dead operative in the tunnel below.

"Team 3 ... 10-97.... 10-108 ..... Damn it! The bastards killed Charlie and Max ...... Mother of God! The bastads damned near cut their heads off! ...... All teams proceed to Tunnell 57-983 ...... 10-40 .... 10-0 suspects may be considered armed and dangerous. ......... Team 8 .....10-76. ....... Save a peice of the bastards for us." came over the radio as the sound of rapidly approaching feet sounded in the tunnel. Tim held up three fingers, indicating he decearned three pairs of feet. He then pointed at Totem, and motioned for him to move a bit further into the darkness, pointedd to himself then to the oppisite wall of the enclave, placed two fingers to his eyes, pointed towards the approaching sound and swept his finger back and forth. Indicating he was moving to the opposite wall to see if he could see the R.A.I.D officers approach. Tim then moved quickly to the oppiste wall and flattened hiself against it best he could

Totem was glad to hear Cowboy's voice and felt the transceiver being placed in his hand, but did not visually acknowledge the exchange. In the dark of the sewer and preoccupied with the approach of the RAID enforcers bent on revenge, the ex-seal did notice that the Haida man's eyes were closed. He was oblivious to Cowboy's silent signals he made in the dim light of the covered light source but hearing the near inaudible stirring of Cowboy's feet as they swept away from him, Totem sensed that something was wrong. Forcing his eyes open, his dark bear eyes peered into a field of blackness, pock marked with bright flashes of pain. Without the spirit of the cougar within him, in the dark of the sewer the eyes of the bear were as useless as his own, despite the flash blindness. He also realized that even the darkness would not save him since the enforcers were equipped with both night and thermal imaging visors. All he could do was move around the corner, force his back to the wall and wait.

As the splashing steps of the approaching RAID enforcers grew louder, Totem prayed that Cowboy was as fast as he seemed to be since his own attack would be blind. When the time was right, he'd lunge at the enforcers, raging with all the power and ferocity of a blind polar bear and he wouldn't have time to distinguish friend from foe.

"She's stable." Wraith answered Seizure not raising his eyes from his chart. He didn't like people prying into his personal life, especially telepaths but he didn't hold it against her. He realized that a telepath could no more not receive a person's surface thoughts than a person could choose not to hear someone else's conversation. Try as one might they would still pick up on a word or two. Still, he concentrated on Morgan's medical information to prevent any other thoughts of his encounter from leaking out.

Wraith remembered the method what his old friend Mind Field had taught him. A simple discipline to keep the mind from wandering which was more beneficial to the telepathic super-hero than those around him, since it helped reduce the 'psychic noise' that at times could be overwhelming for him. He knew the tell tale signs of a mind-read, but trusted that Seizure wouldn't attempt such a invasion.

"My interview," Wraith repeated, "went well.", and he left at that, reminding Seizure with a serious glare just why he wore a mask. His privacy was important, not only for himself but for those around him.



It was at that moment, that the masked Sigma came strolling down the hall. He made sure he made enough a noise so as not to startle Seizure. Her telepathic abilities which were an extension of her senses couldn't read or even detect his presence. He wasn't even a void, just nothing and if she'd get quite a start if he didn't audibly make his presence known before squeezing past her into the room.

"An interview?" he questioned with a knowing look in his eyes that troubled Wraith, and at that moment Seizure could not help but pick up on the face of the man that Toril had met with at the lounge. The only other bit of information that accompanied the face was a single name — Vacily.

Sigma glanced over at Seizure as if he suspected that she would get some more information out of the big man's head, then he ended with a, "Guess that's something you'd like to keep to yourself?" Then he left the room and proceeded down the hallway toward his office.

Wraith, remained silent. He suspected that Sigma somehow knew something about his meeting with Vacily, but how? He have to speak with later, but presently he was more concerned with Morgan.




Stitch nodded when Grey revealed the bottle of vicodin and motioned for him to follow. He walked down the long corridor to the end, then rummaged in his pockets until he found a key ring and opened the four locks that secured the door at the end of the hallway. As he opened the door, Scavenger appeared behind Grey munching on an icecream sandwich and peeked over his shoulder.

When Stitch turned on the light, Scavenger's eyes widened and his jaw hung lose. The entire room had shelves of drugs, the place was basically a pharmacy with everything a doctor or addict needed.

Stitch strolled in and non-chilantely turned to the potential thieves with little concern. "I don't have to remind the both you who actually owns all of this." he told them in usual dry manner. "Take what you need." he then offered and left them alone.



Scavenger knew precisely who the 'owners' were, and didn't want to piss of the mob, Umbra or any of the other gangs that relied on Stitch's talents. The illegal pharmacy wasn't his that was for damn sure, which is why he didn't think twice about leaving them alone in the treasure trove.

"We'll just take what we need." he shouted out to Stitch as he made his way back down the aisle, assuring him that they'd behave.

Tim had laid the spare body armour down next to Totem after he had handed him the second radio and headset. As the first two R.A.I.D. officers ran past them, Tim waited for the third to run just past the opening to the side tunnel, then sprang on him from behind. Tim covered the officer's mouth with with his left hand and drove the six inch blade of the Navy Seal killing knife into the side of the man's throat slowly lowering him to the ankle deep water. Tim then moved switftly forward, just as the second officer turned, noticed that a mud covered form was moving rapidly towards him. The officer started to raise his weapon, to take aim at Tim, when Tim threw his knife, striking the officer in the throat. The officer dropped his weapon, brought his hands up to his throat, gave a slight gurgled sound and fell to the ankle deep water on the floor of the tunnel. Tim, leaped up grabbing and overhead pipe and pulled his feet up after him, wrapping them around the suspended pipe. Tims ribs and shoulder sceamed in pain, from the injuries he had received in the fight against the cursing man in the alley. The first officer turned, his night vision goggles saw his two fellow officers lying in a pool of blood and water. "Team 8 leader Tunnel 57-983..... 10-108 .. 10-30 .... Code 30 ...... two I repeat two officers down ..... who the hell are these guys?" The team lead screamed into his radio as he ran back in the direction of the side tunnel, sweeping his weapon from side to side, as the laser beam site danced along the walls. After the oficer had passed, Tim slowly swung down, knelt and removed his knife from the fallen officer's throat, wiping it on the officer's vest. Staying crouched he watched as the Team leader ran towards where Totem laid in wait.

Before the second officer fell, Totem struck him like a bull, his usual fluid style of attack reduced to a brutish charge. Tim just managed to pull himself out of the Haida's path as his long broad blade skewered the dying man and lifted him off the ground.

Totem was at least sure that his first victim wasn't Cowboy, but had lost track of him. He had no idea where his partner was and had little choice but to run toward the familiar sound of a weapon being cocked. Using the body as a shield he barreled down the narrow tunnel toward the sound with all the speed he could muster.

The last RAID enforcer stood his ground, taking aim with his plasma rifle. He had to make a split second decision and determining that the other two were already dead leapt up and wedged his legs against the sides of the tunnel so that he was suspended above the water. He took aim and fired.

A burst of bright white light filled the tunnel as the plasma blast struck the body and transferred the deadly current into Totem.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Screamed Totem as the electricity coursed through his body. His momentum carried him into the enforcer throwing him back into the shallow water.

Totem fell in the water on top of the body, hydroplaning for ten feet before he lay groaning, his head resting upon the chest of the dead RAID enforcer he had used as shield.

The last RAID agent, protected by his armour sprang to his feet with hardly an injury. He took a moment to slosh around the water looking for his rifle but then seeing the second meta-human descending from his perch opted to reach for his knife. The other meta-human was behind him and incapacitated, it was just him and the one that killed his other men.

"Com'on boy! Let's see what you got!" Challenged the agent, urging the meta to fight him blade to blade. "After I gut you I'm gonna cut that f&$%*ing Indian's head off!"

The agent was a big man and he moved like someone who knew how to handle a knife. It was very apparent to the ex-seal that the RAID enforcer was once special forces or something comparable.

"Ya sur ya wana do this son?" Tim Tim asked as he stared expressionless at the big officer with eyes as cold as icebergs, shifted his knife into a fighting position, gripping it tightly in his right hand. Tim's left hand came up and hovered between his throat and heart.

Mikala could feel the emotions coming from Shawn and she understood some of what he was feeling, but even she had sense enough to know that she may feel his emotions, but she had not walked in his shoes. Taking his device, she began to type again.

"Okay, Shawn. We agree to disagree then. I know that you can take care of yourself I just want you to know that if you ever need someone, I will be there. I will leave you to yourself now."

She leaned over and gave the young man a peck on the cheek, knowing that he probably wouldn't appreciate it, but that was her way. She rose off of the couch and went looking for Allie.

The reflective visor of the RAID agent hid the man's features and so Tim was unable to see the sinister smile forming. He had no intention of playing fair against a meta, and when he was sure that the man was off guard let loose his hidden weapon. With a flick of his wrist a CO2 driven micro missile was fired toward Tim, barely giving him enough time to raise a hand or step to the side. The device, however, was not intended to wound, it was timed to explode in a blinding flash with intent to blind his opponent.

The RAID enforcer's visor would automatically shield his eyes from the light. Even, if the meta did remarkably realize that the projectile was timed to explode in front of him with blinding light, he'd still have to shield his eyes for few seconds allowing the enforcer at least one free attack.

Shawn about jumped out of his skin when Mikala kissed him. A good few seconds passed in which he honestly didn't know what had happened. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt something like that. When he recovered however, he simply furrowed his brow, wiping his cheek off on his shoulder and saying nothing more. These people were weird.
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When Scavenger agreed to behave himself, Grey immediately assumed he was lying. But as he watched him cherry-pick what they needed, the assassin furrowed his brow. He had no idea who this stuff belonged to, but apparently they were enough of a threat to keep Scavenger in check. Grey first took what he needed of the clonadine before turning to his friend.

"OK . . . who does this stuff belong to?" he asked, "why are we not cleaning this place out?"

"Jeezus man! You wanna get your nut-sack served to you!" Exclaimed Scavenger, "All this shit belongs to the mob, gangs, anyone who counts on Stitch to put them together again. The guy's like there own personal Jesus f&$%*ing Christ." he explained.

Scav then hoped up onto a chair and sat on the back perched like a bird as he hunched over and started balancing on the two back legs with remarkable steadiness. "None of this is Stitch's, they just leave it here, man, 'cause no one, NO ONE, is f%#@ing stupid enough to rip him off. If anyone even looks at Stitch the wrong way one of many axes is going to be chopping at their balls!

"My cousin set this up for you. He recently broke out of a maximum security RAID prison; no one EVER gets out of those places alive, and he got out and brought along a few others with him." Scavenger announced proudly, "I put in a good word for you, and soon as he calls me back he'll let me know where he want's us to meet him. How's that sound, man? I mean, it's a sweet f*$%^ing deal he's offering. We do our thing as usual and anyone f$%^ with us and they're messin' with the gang! How sweet is that!"



Stitch came wandering back into the room with a large, half full bottle of gatorade in his hand. "Sounds like a sweet deal, until you gotta pay up." he commented in his monotone manner, "You see, once you're in their pocket, they got ya. They got by the short and curlies."

He shuffled past Grey, gulping down some more of his drink and grabbed a vial of some drug, then turned around and walked out. He looked positively wiped after healing Grey as he sluggishly sauntered down the hallway. "Gatorade guys." he said without turning around, raising the jug, "After you use metabilities... gatorade..." then he raised his other hand and shook the vial of pills, "centrophenoxine, chase them down with it. Works every time, well just about every time. Shit I'm tired. Night guys, just let yourselves out or crash, whatever." He disappeared around the corner and there was the sound of a door shutting.

Morgan came to again about the time Sigma entered the recovery room. She looked up at Toril, her lavender eyes lacking their energy. She knew something was different with her, but she didn't know what, all she knew was that she was horribly weak and she felt as if she were missing a piece of herself.

"Tim? Is he here? Has he made it back?"

She closed her eyes, finding it hard to keep them open. Forcing them open, she peered into Toril's face, her weak gaze demanding an answer.


******************************
Sasha was sticking close to Henry and Emma's store, waiting for the whole gang of hoodlum to return. She'd be damned if they were going to hurt the only two people on this earth she considered family. She hadn't known them long, but so far, they had been nothing but good to her and she wouldn't leave the old couple to fend for themselves against cold-hearted bastards like these gangs. No, she told them she would stick close and she always kept her promises.

She was still confused though, over the memory she'd had of that man she'd seen in the alley. She knew that she'd never seen him before, but he seemed so damned familiar. And then the spike in her energy. That had just been weird. Sitting in the alley behind the store, she munched on an apple when she found herself staring at an older man with a mean look on his face. He was hitting her.......only, it wasn't her. She couldn't tell where she was, only that she could feel a lot of pain in her legs. Then, just as quickly as it had come, the memory was gone, leaving Sasha with a feeling of severe confusion. She quickly checked her legs, fully expecting to see blood. Seeing none, she looked around, unsure as to what was happening to her. She could feel the pain in her legs, only.....they weren't her legs.

Running a hand through her long hair, she got up from her crouching position and headed back into the storage room of the store.

~Your losing it, girlfriend. First the guy and now some girl getting the crap beat out of her. And why could I feel it happening?~

She didn't understand what was going on, but she knew her first priority was Henry and Emma. If the gang struck, it would be within the next 2 or 3 nights. Sighing, she went up front to talk to Henry about a cot or something for her to sleep on after they closed up. She didn't want the jerk offs breaking in and destroying the only thing the elderly couple had to live off of either. So, she planned on sleeping here as well.

Tim heard the projectile, recochete off the side of the tunnel and spash to the wet floor. He instictively shut his eyes, concentrated and time seemed to stop. Tim then moved behind the R.A.I.D officer, ducked down behind him, turning away and shuting his eyes. Time snapped back and the flash grenade exploded. Tim could still see a bright light even though his eyes were closed and he was facing the opposite direction. As he opened his eyes, small stars flitted across his vision as he turned , slipped his knife under the stap and cut it loose. Grabbing the helmut he ripped it off the oficers head and flung it down the tunnel. Tim then took several steps back and said. "Well now hombre lets git this done. I'm right tard of messin with ya'all."

As soon as Stitch left, Grey gave Scavenger a hard punch in the arm.

"What the f%*&, man?!" he demanded, "I told you I didn't wanna be in nobody's pocket! I just gotta outta that same f%*&in' situation, man!" In spite of his own words, Grey shoved the pills into his pockets and peeked out the door as though expecting one of the big ones in charge to come raging in at that very moment. "C'mon," he said finally, "let's just get our shit and go."