HEROES Chapter 3

When Tim saw Sean slam the drivers head into the dash, he reached in his jacket, pulled out his 40 caliber semi automatric, turned quickly and shove it in Pete's face. "Now, mister I've had a right hard couple of weeks an' I'm in a right ugly mood so ya git up slow as mollassas on a January day. Ya even look like ya are gonna reach for that thar pistola and yur brains 'll be spatterd all over this har highway. Comprendae amigo?" Tim said solemly with a hard determined look on his face. He then glanced over at Morgan and said "Sweetheart, git some uf that thar surgical tape an a fist full of them gauze bandages. Bring em' over har."

Tim looked at the R.A.I.D. officer "Now spread yur legs wide, git yur hands on tha back of yur head and lace yur fingers tagether. Remember ya even twitch wrong an next time ya see yur family 'll be in tha sweet bye and bye." ..... "Ya know all you people had ta do was ta leave us alone. Ya'll started this war an I aim ta finish it."

Tim grabbed both thumbs and twisted and bent them back towards Pete's wrist with one hand, while with the other, he removed Pete's 9mm from the holster and threw it several feet to the side. Tim then took one of Petes thumb and index finger, bent them back towards his wrist while twisting them an pulled Pete's left hand behind his back. Still twisting Pete's thumb and index finger, Tim brought his right hand behind Pete's back. them grabbing both thumbs and index fingers in one hand Tim taped Pete's wrist together, wrapping the tape around his wrist, then wrapping the tape between his wrist several times, then back around his wrists again, them repeating the process. Pulling up on the taped wrist, Tim pushed Pete over to the side of the road next to a tree. While Morgan held her gun against Pete's temple, Tim taped the man's ankles together. "Now get yur ass down on tha ground on yur belly. Once Pete was lying flat on his stomach, Tim taped his ankles to his wrist, then rolled him over an his side, stuffed a rolled up gauze in his mouth and wrapped tape over his mouth. Tim rolled Pete back on his stomach and turned his head to the side, so the man could breath through his nose. He then taped his eyes shut. "That outa ol' ya fur a spell." Tim said .... "Now lets see ifin' we kin get yur pardner out har ta join ya."

Tim walked up to the armoured truck and tapped on the window. "Hey Shadow open up."

Listening to the message from Shadow, Zoe hesitated. She didn't have a direct link to the armored van but there was one way to shut down the safety systems. With little time to sit and consider safety precautions, Zoe laid her fingertips on the tower and melted into the strange, viscous binary goo. Seeping into the computer, the cyber form of Killswitch traveled through the networks and connections, whizzing at near light speed along the highways she had hacked through earlier. Settling within its systems, Zoe systematically destroyed the safety programs making the car unlock and nearly shut down. She managed to maintain those, however, and paused again, considering.

Pushing through the "exit" as she called them, the dark binary ooze seeped out of the equipment set into and around the dashboard like some toxic infestation. As the thick substance reached out from the equipment, it began to take form from an amorphous blob to a vague human shape. The binary faded and the black quickly changed to that of her pale flesh, brown hair, and plain clothing. She emerged crouched between Shadow and the unconscious man and wordlessly pushed the door open to let Tim in.

Tim looked a bit surprised as the door opened and he saw Zoe. "I ain't even gonna ask. Who all they got in back?" he asked then rurned to Sean (aka:The Shadow) "Hep me drag this har piece a shit over ta his pardner, Sean." as Sean and Tim drug the driver over next to his pardner and Tim trussed the driver up like Pete, Zoe stepped into the back of the van. There she saw the unconcious Shawn (aka: Demon)........Tim turned to Morgan and said "Alright sweetheart get yur friends ovar har to watch over these guys. Then you, Sean and Zoe git the hell outa har."

Tim walked up close to Morgan, took her in his arms and whispered so that the bound officers could not here. "I need ya ta take the armoured vehicle ta Troy. Thar we kin have Zoe do her computr zoodoo an fix it up fur us ta use. This is right importent ya need ta purtect em. Them R.A.I.D. guys 'll be on tha prowl fur this har truck and who out foxed em. So ya be right carful. I'll take tha hummer an lead em on a wild goose chase, ta give ya some time. Then we'll meet up in Troy."

It was then that Zoe stuck her head out of the van and said "Shawn is the only one back here. He's been drugged but looks alright."

Tim said "Damn it ta hell on a armadillo." he then walked over to the van, and said soft enough so that only Sean, Morgan and Zoe could hear. "You guys get this har Van ta Troy. I'm goin' afta Yelena, Cassius and Terell." Then with out further words he grabbed the plasma weapon walked over the Hummer, slid the weapon in the floor boards of back seat, climbed in, shut the door and drove south on NY Route 30 past a car parked along side of the road that looked abandoned, then turned west on New York Route 8 back towards Lake Pleasant.

(2:55 AM North East of Lake Pleasant on New York Route

Colonel Petrovsky checked his watch. Three in the morning. He then returned to surveying the sleepy little cove called Bernhards Bay. A gruff looking African American man, much taller than Colonel stood beside him peering through a pair of night vision binoculars.

"Anything, Major Jackson?" Asked the Colonel a little amused by the man's persistence.

The Major read the Colonel's expression and his stern features stretched into a broad smile, "Man, I miss this shit." He stated, since it wasn't that often that the older man ever got out on maneuvers or saw much action anymore, but he was still a formidable soldier.



"It is invigorating." Concurred Vacily as he reached out and picked up a thermos off of the hood of their hummer. He poured himself some more coffee into a metallic green cup and offered the Major some more.

"No thanks. Doc, says I gotta watch my intake." Mentioned the Major, "But, thank you" He took another scan of the area, "Maybe I should send the chopper over one more time." he suggested.

The Colonel shook his head, then he spied a part of the town that they had foolishly over-looked. "Those trailers and mobile homes over there, east of town. Are they in use?"

The Major furrowed his brow. "As matter of fact, Colonel they're not. They're seasonal homes." Reading the intentions of his commanding officer the Major immediately alerted one of his subordinates, "Send some men to scout those summer homes." he ordered.

Colonel Petrovsky and the Major, stayed at their current position and monitored the progress of the soldiers both visually and through their helmet cameras. They had stationed themselves on a high hill to the west, that over looked the town, giving them a view of the entire area.

The soldiers mobilized and quickly made their way on foot to the vacationing area of Bernhards Bay. They began a systematic sweep of every dwelling using thermal imaging scanners to detect heat signatures within. They had three scanners, so they split up into three teams of five soldiers and began to move through the trailer park.



Toril stirred awake, alerted by the screech of a cat startled by one of the passing soldiers. He saw Yelena's eyes flash open and raised a staying hand to her as he quietly sat up and took a peek out of front window.

"Shit!" He softly swore, "This place is crawling with soldiers." He whispered then looked closer and recognized the device they were carrying, "They have thermal imagers. We have to get out of here!" He warned. "Check on Cassius."

Yelena, awoke Cassius who against all odds seemed ready for action as soon as he was able to focus his eyes. "Yo! Ready, willing and not so able, but I'm like ready to go." He quietly groaned.

Toril smiled, then exhaled nervously as his face turned sober. "You're going to need a diversion to get out of here and this is a job for a ghost." He began to twirl the pure platinum wedding band on his hand anxiously as he planned his moves.

"Their imagers will be able to see me in my wind form, unless I mimic the air temperature around me, which isn't that easy, but it seems that they only have a few of the devices. Hopefully I'll be too quick for them. I'm going to draw them north, so that you and Cassius can make your way east along the shoreline." Toril relayed, then he focused on Cassius, "Kid, if there was ever a time that you shoot to kill, this is it, but not unless it is absolutely necessary." He then looked to Yelena, "Hopefully once we make it to the shore, you might be able to use your ability to masquerade to your advantage."

Toril took one more look out of a window then crouched back down. "Well, here we go. Good luck."

The large man vanished and Yelena and Cassius could feel a cool gust of wind on their skin. There was, for a brief moment, a very faint, blueish aura of the man visible in the dark that seemed to filter through the doorway then Toril was gone. Moments later, they could hear shouts and gunfire, moving away from them and Yelena and Cassius knew that it was now or never.

Yelena could have used a few more hours rest but she was grateful for what she’d been given. It was far better than none at all. Even Cassius, as bad as he looked, seemed to have regained some of the energy he had lost. Adrenaline kicked in for all of them the instant Toril uttered that one word. Years ago she had been with John as they tried to stop a bank robbery from happening when she heard the big man say that same word and when she asked if there was a problem his response was simply, “Ever know a SHIT to be any good?”

Like then, that one uttered word spoke volumes as to just how bad things were outside the trailer they occupied. With Cassius awakened and up, Yelena listened to Toril’s plan and knew he was right. If any of the three of them could pose as a decoy to avert the Marines attention it was Wraith. She just hoped he was very cautious and didn’t get hurt.

“Be careful, Toril. We meet you on other side of lake.”

Yelena remembered the boat that was docked on the shore of the lake and it was there she intended to get her and Cassius to. When Toril vanished and she heard the gun fire following him, she darted to the door and peered out. The boat was in sight and it was pretty much a straight shot for her and the kid. Looking back over her shoulder at the young man, she asked if he was ready.

“Ready as I’ll ever be, Dudette. Let’s blow this popsicle stand.”

Opening the door and creeping down the steps, Yelena closed the door quietly behind them, looked all around then signaled for her and Cassius to make a run for it. They had just made it to the dock when she heard shouting behind them and an order for them to stop. Glancing over her shoulder, she yelled at Cassius.

“Get in boat and go! I hold them off. Get to other side of lake. Without you, they not get hold of Zoe.”

Cassius started to argue the point with her.

“No way, dudette….we’re in this together…I ain’t leavin y….”

Yelena turned to the young man and he saw the way her gold, metallic eyes glowed.

“I said get in boat and go. Now.”

Cassius held his hands up in surrender.

“Alright, alright….I’m going. You don’t have to be pushy.”

As Cassius made the run for the boat Yelena turned to face the team of five charging Marines. Her eyes scanned the oncoming aggressors and sized them up. There was no doubt they were the best of the best and she was going to have her hands full but she was confident she could handle this situation as well.

Still in her true form, she stood her ground and watched as they approached her cautiously. Seeing her in her true form caught them enough by surprise that they forgot about Cassius and stood, guns aimed, trained upon the shape shifter. Behind her she heard the boat fire up and speed away and a slow smile turned the corners of her mouth up. A Marine snapped out of his stupor and yelled at the boat and took a step towards it.

“HALT!”

Yelena quickly stepped before the Marine and held her hand out, shaking her finger at him in a negative gesture the slowly lowered her arm to let it rest at her side once more. The Marines now surrounded her and were not sure exactly what to do now. They’d never seen anything quite like her before and with her not threatening them, they didn’t know how to react to her. One of them finally spoke to her.

“Get down on the ground with your arms outstretched beside you and ankles crossed.”

Yelena turned her head to look at the Marine who had just given her an order and tilted her head slowly to the left. She noticed the small camera on the side of his helmet then and knew exactly who was watching on the other end. Righting her head, she spoke to the man on the other end in Russian, letting him know she was well aware he was there.

“Still using puppets to do your dirty work I see, Vicily. When will you stop killing innocent people just to satisfy your own need?”

All hell broke loose then. Yelena was close enough that in one fluid motion she knocked the assault rifle aside the Marine she was looking at was holding then took a step closer to him shoving the palm of her hand viciously up and slamming it into the Marine’s sensitive nose. Instinctively he fired off a shot and all it did was hit the ground in front of the Marine opposite him.

Grabbing the Marine’s arm he tried to reach up and protect his nose with, Yelena hooked elbows with him and spun around so she was behind him. His fellow Marine’s began firing to hit her but all they were hitting was the Kevlar vest of their fellow Marine. Ducking behind the Marine she now held, she fired off a few shots of his weapon hitting them in a couple in their vests as well, knocking them down.

To throw her opponents off she shoved the Marine towards them knowing instinctively they would reach out to catch him. When they did, Yelena took the three quick steps that separated her from the Marine on her left and then quickly dropped down, striking out with her foot to take the feet out from under the surprised Marine. When the Marine fell backwards she sat up and cold cocked him in the jaw knocking him semi conscious.

With the remaining Marine now drawing down on her, Yelena quickly rolled out of his way as he squeezed the trigger and shot the ground dangerously close to his fellow Marine. Just as he blinked to see where she went he was rewarded with a solid foot strike to his lower jaw making his head snap back violently. That didn’t drop him as easily as she thought it should have but it did rattle his cage.

As he pulled his gun up to fire at her, Yelena knocked it out of the way then struck the Marine in the jaw again with her right hook. He stumbled backwards again but not down. Yelena knew he was a bit tougher than the others and realized she would have to use a move she knew was effective. Turning her back on the stunned Marine she did two quick back flips and was in the process of doing a third one when she jumped higher and landed on the Marine’s shoulders. Shifting her weight and rolling at the same time it forced the Marine’s head to roll with her and where ever your head goes, the rest of your body follows. The Marine went down hard and as he attempted to roll over to regain his senses, Yelena kicked at his face finally knocking the Marine out cold.

By now the other group of Marines had seen what was going on and now came rushing to aid their fallen comrades. Yelena snapped her head in the direction she heard their yelling then quickly got to her feet and ran a couple of steps before she stopped and leaned over to one of the cameras attached to a helmet again.

“Dos vadonya, Vicily.”

Not wanting to engage in the next group for she could already feel the drain on her energy, Yelena took off running for the dock. She was just to the end and had jumped to dive into the water at the end when one of the Marines fired at her. Just before she hit the water there was a grunt and it looked like she flinched.

By the time the Marines converged o the dock and shone their flashlights on the water, there was no sign of the shape shifter, but did that mean because she had been fatally shot or because she got away?

Meanwhile out on the Lake…..

Cassius pulled the boat to a halt out on the lake and turned the boat towards the shore he had just left. He could see some action where he left Yelena to face the Marines alone. A couple of the lights the Marines had on their guns made some jerky movements before they were grounded and he could only assume the shape shifter was giving them a run for their money. It wasn’t until he saw the next group of Marines rushing the docks that he knew Yelena had escaped and was heading for the water.

When he saw he flash of the gun the heard the splash in the water he thought the shape shifter was done for. He wanted desperately to go look for her but he knew that would be suicide so he turned the boat towards the opposite shore and keeping the motor as quiet as possible headed in the opposite direction.

The womp womp sound of helicopter props filled the air in the distance and Cassius knew it was just a matter of time before the helo’s swarmed the lake looking for him and he was just getting ready to give the motor all it cold do when he saw something on the surface of the water just ahead. He was lucky he could see it at all considering the pitch blackness he was swallowed up in on the lake but he could see a fain, gold like light getting closer.

It wasn’t until he got almost beside it he realized it was Yelena. Her eyes were like two small, gold beacons leading him to her. He pulled the throttle back to idle the motor and leaned over the side to help her up into the boat.

“Dudette….I thought you were a gonner.”

Yelena half slithered half fell into the boat and leaned back breathing heavily.

“Me too….hurry…we not have much time…”

“Color us gone, sister…”

Cassius turned around and shoved the throttle forward letting the motor open up completely. It was just a few minutes later when they pulled up on the opposite shore of the lake. Cassius turned around to let Yelena know they were at the shore but the shape shifter was already on her feet and climbing over the side. When Cassius looked back where she was sitting he saw the crimson stain on the bottom of the boat and frowned.

“Hey….you’ve been hit….”

Yelena merely nodded as she pressed forward.

“Da….I know…..”

Upon closer inspection Cassius would see the hole left when the bullet the Marine fired at her entered from the back of her right shoulder and exited out the front. There was no doubt it was painful and it was still bleeding.

“Dudette….you need to get that taken care of.”

“No time…come…quickly….they find us soon if we not hurry.”

“You’ll bleed to death if we don’t get you some help.”

Yelena stopped and looked at the young man then.

“Where is help around here? Is not like I can go to someone and ask. Not unless I have death wish. Niet…we keep moving. Will get help when I can.”

Cassius shook his head.

“Wait a f*&^%$%# moment, here. At least let me try to wrap it up as best as I can with what I have available on me.”

Yelena was about to turn him down but when she saw the look on the young mans face, she knew there was no arguing with him.

“Fine….make it quick.”

Cassius didn’t waste one minute. Getting the shape shifter to sit down, he ripped the sleeve off his shirt and wrapped it around Yelena’s shoulder as best he could and tied it as tightly as he could without cutting off her circulation. Yelena grunted a couple of times and winced a few more, but other than that, she didn’t say anything.

By the time they got done the helicopters were making their way slowly across the lake heading ion their direction. Cassius took Yelena’s hand and started away from the lake once more.

“Come on…we gotta get the hell outta here…”

Yelena thought that sounded like a good idea and didn’t argue with the young man.

Toril headed for a clearing of tall grass, approximately two hundred meters away from a thicket of trees that followed a ridge on the outskirts of town. When he felt that he had enough distance between himself and the marines he materialized in a low area and popped up as if he had been hiding, then when they spotted him he ran like hell toward the trees. In his prime, the super-hero could run the 100 meter in 8 seconds flat, and though older now, he could still put world class sprinters to shame so staying ahead of the encumbered soldier wouldn't be a problem. The soldiers ahead of him that had been combing the ridge north east of the town — That was a problem.

Toril cursed under his breath. "Damn." If he had been well rested this would be child's play, but in his current state he could feel the strain of maintaining his fast pace. Thankfully he could still maintain his wind from more than long enough to evade them and the well trained marines wouldn't shoot while there fellow soldiers ahead of them could get caught in the cross fire. He, fell to the ground and dematerialized, slowly sifting through the grass like a ghostly snake.

The marines formed a skirmish line and slowly moved ahead searching the field but none suspected what they were looking for. Perhaps if they had been informed that their quarry could move like the wind and once in a while cast blue aura in the dark from his movement they might have had a chance, but without this knowledge Wraith was able to easily evade them. He had hoped to lead further away from the others but he had not anticipated that he would run into any other soldiers to soon and as he made his way back, he could hear some of the soldiers holler to get back to the dock. Suddenly then all the soldiers were making a dash toward the lake and Toril could see that Yelena was fighting for her life against some marines that had spotted their get away.

Toril knew he couldn't stop the soldiers that were already sprinting down to the docks but he could divert the attention of the other ten that were following behind them, so he appeared once more and started running eastward. The soldiers spotted him right away, but this time there was no risk of hitting any friendlies and they opened fire. As the bullets whistled by him, Toril dove to the ground once more, dematerialized and quickly made his way to a different location then popped up again still running. He repeated this several times, ducking down behind bushes or diving into a ditch then just when the marines thought they had him trapped he would jump out from some other location way ahead of them.

"Christ! This guys like a ghost or something!" Exclaimed one of the marines as saw the big man move out from behind a distant tree just when he thought he had him pinned in a ditch he had seen him dive into.

When Toril finally got some distance between him and the marines he increased his gate and pushed his body as hard as he could, running along deer trails in the forested areas that fringed Lake Oneida. He knew that the soldiers would not expect him to be able to maintain such a pace through dense forest and without light so he forced himself to run like the wind and then when he was well out of sight became it.



Colonel Petrovsky's expression was cold and unreadable when Yelena, addressed him in the soldier's camera. He watched the video feed as she out fought his marines and when she had used his first name, the Major had thrust the Colonel a curious look but said nothing. She had just placed him in a very awkward position, one that would require much explaining on his part, starting with why they were pursuing a meta-human and how she knew his first name. Even though the Major couldn't speak Russian, one would have to be an idiot not pick up the fact that she and the Colonel shared some sort of history. At that moment then, Vacily had wished he HAD killed her when he had the chance. He had worked too hard to maintain his identity as a Colonel while secretly maintaining his position at Beacon and she exposed him know, he'd hunt her to the ends of the Earth.

When the shot rang out simultaneously with her cheeky farewell and dive into the water, Vacily flexed his fist triumphantly, but when his soldiers yielded no body his heart sank. While they were convinced that they had shot her dead and had yet to find her body, he knew that she was alive. How could this have happened? Where was Shinigami? He would exchange some harsh words with that assassin when he found him, but until then, he ordered his men to search the far side of the Lake, and shoot to kill. No prisoners!






Toril made his way back toward the shoreline. His chest was heaving, sweat was pouring down his back, but he had to keep moving. He couldn't maintain his wind form any longer, he was just too exhausted but he had managed to put enough ground between him and the marines that they would most likely be searching several kilometers behind him not imagining anyone could make such a distance so quickly. He passed by an intersection that read Route 49 and Widrig Road, then made his way to the shore down a driveway marked with a number 9. Along it were several cabins, all dark. Some with cars parked in front of them, some still boarded up. He jogged a little further then when he spotted a well hidden cabin that had not yet been opened for the year, he forced himself to dematerialize just one more time.

The big man appeared in a bedroom of the vacant cabin and collapsed on the bed. He no longer cared if the marines found him, he couldn't run anymore but before he passed out he thought of Yelena and Cassius. Were they okay? For one brief moment he considered trying to make it across the lake, but then darkness enveloped him and Wraith passed out from sheer exhaustion.

(Time - 4:00 am - North side of Oneida Lake - Drive #9 off of Route 49. Between Widrig and Hall Road.)

Tim sped the Hummer southeast along New York Route 8, through Lake Pleasant, Preso and Higgins Bay. The little towns slept peacfully as he passed. When he was about two mile outside of Hoffmeister, three Hamilton County Sheriff vechicles sped past him with thier lights flashing. Seeing them approach, Tim stiffened slightly and slowed down to just two miles over the speed limit.

As he approached the junction of Route 8 and 356, Tim decided to take 356 through Hinckley, Barenveld, Floyd and into Rome, New York where he pulled into an all night convenience store and filling station. While filling the Hummer a Rome Poilce patrol car pulled slowly through the parking lot and stopped next to Tim and the Hummer. The young officer inside rolled down his window and said "Good morning sir."

Tim looked over to the patrolman and said "Howdy thar officer, right nice mornin' it is ain't it."
The officer said "Yes sir it is I just thought I should tell you it appears your right rear turn signal is not working. I noticed it as you pulled in."

Tim walked over and turned the key to accessory, the turn signal on then walked back to the back of the hummer. He tapped the light and it flickered then went out. "Thank ya officer, I'll be gettin' a new buld and fix that righ cher, ifin' they got any."

"They should have, you have a nice day sir." the officer rolled up his window and pulled out of the parking lot. Tim finished filling the Hummer, removed the lens and bulb from the rear tail light walked into the convenience store bought a cup of coffee, a new bulb and paid for the gas. He then replaced the bulb reinstalled the lens and drove away He turned right out of the convenience store and noticed the Rome Patrol car across the street and raised his hand as he passed the patrolman, who waved. Deciding it would be best to avaoid the interstate, Tim turned north onRoute 69 turned back south on Route 46 through Stacy Basin and State Bridge. Tim reached over and typed in a code into a small keypad. The license plates on the Hummer changed to Texas plates CBRESQU. Turning back west on Route 31 Tim pulled up to a Military road block manned by two Marines, he could see several lights from helicopter scanning the surface of the lake. Tim rolled down his window and asked "Ya looking fur a body over thar Sergeant?"
"I can't say sir. May I see some identification sir?" the Sergeant said as the other soldier walked around the Hummer with a large German Shephard sniffing.

Tim reached in his jacket and removed his identification wallet, flipped it open and showed his driver's license and his Gold Shield to the Sergeant, who looked at it and Tim, unemotionally the sergeant then said "What buisness have you in this area sir?" the Sergeant asked .

"Fishin'" Tim answered with a bit of annoyance in his voice. "My uncle, General Pace got a summer place har on the lake. Any thang wrong with that, Seargeant?"

"No sir, just following orders sir. Thank you Sir." and waved him on through the check point.

"Thank ya thar Sergeant and thank ya fur your service." Tim said, then pulled away slowly and drove along the route 31, turning north on route 13 along the eastern shore of Lake Oneida towrads the community of Verona Beach.

Watching the scene from the sideview mirror, Zoe quickly drew her sidearm and leapt out of the car, gun aimed at Frank just as Morgan came running back. She fired once, hitting the front drivers side wheel. She was taking aim again when Morgan jumped into the car and snapped at her to go. There was a brief moment in which Zoe hesitated, gun slightly lowered but still aimed toward Frank before she jumped back into the drivers seat and seemed to merely glance at hte car before it started up and she went peeling down the dark forest road again.

Checking the rearview mirror and seeing only blackness, she glanced over at Morgan a moment before stabilizing the car with her knee and tearing the sleeve off of her shirt. Handing it over to Morgan, she muttered, "best I can do right now." After a moment, she glanced into the back to check on Shadow then turned to the young woman once more. "What the hell was that?" she asked finally in a tone that, for her, sounded at least slightly perturbed.

The burning pain in Yelena’s shoulder was getting worse. Clenching her jaw to keep from screaming, the shape shifter began to feel light headed and knew she would have to stop for a brief rest, but that was near impossible with the Marines hot on their tail. The make shift bandage Cassius had put on her shoulder was now soaked through with blood. The loss of blood was causing her strength to wan even more.

The vegetation on this part of the shore was much thicker than where they had come so it made moving much more difficult. The only good thing was that it would slow the Marines down as well. Still, with each jolt and jerk Yelena winced, grunted and gasped…anything to keep from yelling out like she really wanted to.

Through the thick vegetation they came upon a concrete pillar and upon closer inspection saw it was a support for an overpass. Cassius looked up and all around then reached out to help Yelena to the bottom of the support so she could rest.

“We make quite the pair, dudette. Your bum shoulder and my swollen eye. I just hope ole Windy got away from those bastards.”

Yelena, still breathing heavily, nodded in agreement.

“Da….”

She dared not say anything else. It would expend too much energy and she needed to save all she cold to move on. Cassius looked all around the place and found a road crew access ladder then came back to get Yelena to her feet.

“Come on, ‘Lena….time to get moving. We need to get up over this bridge cuz it’s too thick to go under it. I found us a ladder. Let’s get going.”

Cassius helped the shape shifter to her feet then guided her to the ladder. Yelena looked at the ladder and started shaking her head. Cassius pointed to the ladder and gave her a dose of her own medicine.

“Get up that ladder now.”

Yelena would have argued more with him had she been able to but as it was, she merely narrowed her eyes at the young man and muttered something in Russian that was obviously meant to voice her displeasure.

”Right back at cha chica…just as long as you keep moving, you can call me every name in the book in that pretty language of yours. I really don’t give a shit….”

Cassius had Yelena go ahead of him and start taking the ladder steps one at a time. It wasn’t easy and a few times he had to push her forward. It wasn’t easy climbing a ladder one handed but Yelena did and by the time they reached the top she felt as though she were going to pass out. Thankfully with one good heave from Cassius and using all her energy she half climbed half rolled over the last rung and onto the side of the road near the guardrail. Cassius dragged himself over the top of the ladder then quickly dragged Yelena to her feet and over the guardrail.

”Oh no you don’t…not now…the hard parts over with now….get your ass up and lets get moving.”

With another grunt, Yelena pushed forward and stepped over the guardrail. They were halfway across the road when she lost her footing and tumbled down, landing on her wounded shoulder. Unable to hold back her voice now she let out a scream of sheer pain and curled into the fetal position as she tried to fight off the wave of blackness that threatened to engulf her. Cassius knelt down to help her up when a pair of headlights appeared behind him. Glancing over his shoulder he saw the vehicle was large and he could only guess it was the Marines.

”F$#* ME! GET UP YELENA! NOW!”

Yelena saw the headlights through her blurry eyesight and knew she HAD to move, regardless of how bad it hurt. With Cassius’ help she got to her feet but the first step she tried to take sent her tumbling once more. Her strength was gone and the blood loss made her weaker than she realized.

Cassius, knowing Yelena couldn’t move anymore decided to take a last stand. Turning to face the oncoming vehicle, he drew his hand gun and, with both hands gripping it steady, aimed it at the vehicle and waited for the perfect time to start firing at them. Of course he’d have to wait until they tried to exit the vehicle since the armor plating and bullet proof glass would deflect his bullets like they were gnats.

Tim drove slowly up route 13, turned left on Kensey Rd then right on Beach Road, turning around in the culdesac, re turned left back out on 13 driving south. At the South Bay he turned right and slowly down route 31. Just west of Messanger Bay, the headlights of the Hummer illuminated a young man stanbing in the road leveling a gun at the Hummer. Just behind the young man was Yelena, curled up in a fetile position and a small pool of blood spread across the pavemnet. Tim rolled the Hummer's drive side window down and stuck his head out as he continued to pull closer. "Ya'all need a hand thar pardner, or ya gonna shoot that thing at tha calvary?" Tim then stopped the Hummer and stepped out of the vehicle.

Cassius lowered the gun when he heard Tim’s voice.

”Holy f*$# am I glad to see you. Help me get the dudette loaded in that thing, will ya.”

Yelena recognized the voice as well and when she lifted her head she saw Tim’s face swimming before her blurry eyes.

“Tim?”

“Yep…it’s me Yelena…lets git ya loaded up har in the truck.”

Tears filled the shape shifters eyes and as she felt herself lifted up her one hand reached up and wrapped around Tim’s neck as she whispered hoarsely in his ear.

“Chto ty delayesh? ya blagadaryu boga chto vstretil tebya. Eta kharasho” (What are you doing here? I thank God you are. It is good)

Tim whispered in Yelena's ear "I reckon I can't leave ya alone fur five minutes with out ya gittin' inta trouble. .... Now ya hang in thar ya har me. ...... I'ma gonna fix ya right up soon as we git offa this har road." He then laid Yelena in the back seat of the Hummer. "Cassius, git yur ass on in thar an' ya keep pressar on that thar wound." Tim then climbed in behind the wheel, shut the door and dove a block down Route 31 turned right onto Wilson Point Rd and pulled up in back of an empty Lake Front Home. Tim climbed out, walked in front of the Hummer and around to the rear passanger door. He opende it and moved Cassius's hand from Yelena's shoulder. Looking at the wound he said to Cassius. "Ya get up tha road a peice an keep a look out. I'll tend ta this. Ya see anythang ya high tail it back har."

Tim then reaches behind Yelena's shoulder and felt the exit wound. "Well ya are right lucky thar pardner it went clean thru." Tim then reached in his jacket and took out a clip for his pistol, removed a bullet and twisted the slug off with his teeth, spitting it on the ground. He then emptied the gunpowder into the entry wound of Yelena's should. He placed the clip between her teeth and said "This might hurt a might, but it'll stop the bleedin' and stop any infection, so ya bite down on this." Tim lifted Yelenas shoulder, then took out a lighter from his jacket and lit the gunpowder. A flash and the smell of burning sulfur and flesh followed as he held Yellena down.

”I need you….to keep me…out of trouble…Da….”

Yelena had seen some of Tim’s field medic work in the past and knew that while his methods worked, they weren’t the most delightful things to experience. When he had Cassius take point up the road she knew it wasn’t just to keep a look out, it was to make sure he didn’t see what was about to happen.

When the shape shifter saw Tim pull the cartridge out and break it open, she knew exactly what she was going to be in for then. Her heart started beating faster and faster and when he poured the gun powder onto the wound, Yelena let out a cry of pain then. When Tim placed the clip in her mouth to bite down on, Yelena nodded slightly as her gold eyes held Tim’s gaze as her free hand gripped the back of the seat she had been reclined on.

When the flame of the lighter set off the gun powder, the sudden flash of sulfuric heat cauterized both holes as the flash penetrated through her wound and sealed the blood vessels on the back of her shoulder as well as where Tim had poured the powder. Yelena bit down as hard as she could on the clip and gave a muffled scream as the searing pain caused her to see stars, her body jerking involuntarily from the pain.

A roaring sounded in her ears and as she looked up into Tim’s worried face, her gold eyes slowly dimmed before they closed. The pain was too much for her to take and coupled with the blood loss and exhaustion she was suffering from, Yelena quickly passed out.

Tim slowly released Yelena and reached under the front seat for the first aide kit. Pulling it out, he opened it, Poured some peroxide on the wound, then ripped open an iodine swab, applied the iodine to the wound, ripped open a second and repeated the process. He then poured iodine on two steril gauze 4X4 an applied then to both sides of Yelena's shoulder. After doing that he wrapped her shoulder in a steril gauze bandage securing it with tape. Tim then took a luggage strap and fashioned a sling to support her arm. "Ya'll be just fit as a fiddle my Russian friend. Ya just rest now, whilst I get us tha hell outta har."

Tim took a blanket from the back of the Hummer and placed it over her, tucking it around her so nothing but her down tuned face was exposed. He then arranged her hair over her face to hide it as much as possible, shutting the rear passanger door quietly, he walked up the drive to where Cassius was standing.

"Yelena 'll be right as a new barn calf in a few hars. Now let's get tha hell outa har. Ya just falla my lead at them damned check points. Ifin we have ta make a run fur it make sure yur winda stays up an hang on ta yur ass." Tim said tyhen turned back towards the Hummer "Come on boy daylight's a burnin' an folk ain't takin' too kindly ta us har 'bouts."

Helicopters swept across the shores of Oneida Lake and check points had been set up all around it's perimeter. Colonel Petrovsky had ordered his troops to concentrate on the south side since the pursuit of Wraith was futile and pointless, he could catch up with his former partner any time he wanted. All that mattered now was the boy. He was the key to controlling Killswitch and achieving his ultimate goal of obliterating all meta-human records on the planet and once they were gone, Beacon's other operatives would concentrate on disbanding the Riggs Act. The needs of the one did not out weight the needs of the many! Why couldn't Yelena have understood that the sacrifice of her colleague meant freedom for them all. It didn't have to come to all this.

"Colonel Petrovsky. Road blocks are in place and air surveillance is patrolling the south side of the lake." Informed Major Jackson, whose tone was now more professional.

Vacily could tell that the Major had distanced himself and it was obvious that he was going to file a report in lieu of this morning's events. The timing couldn't be worse. Even though he was confident that he could handle the investigation, he would have to take measures to conceal his operation which would cause a considerable set back. He had already over extended the budget sanctioned by Beacon and had gone against their protocol and dipped into military slush funds to complete his 'disrupter'. The money trail was untraceable, unless someone started snooping into his personal files specifically looking for discrepancies and if Major Jackson's report drew him into the spotlight there was always a chance that some egg-head would connect the dots.

"Colonel?" Repeated the Major.

The Major's deep voice snapped Vacily back into the moment. "Thank you. Report to the south side of the lake and oversee operations." He commanded.

Colonel Petrovsky returned the officer's salute and stood by while the major boarded a helicopter that had recently landed on the hill. The gusts of wind it kicked up reminded Vacily of Wraith and he wondered what kind of hole he had crawled in to to evade his marines. The helicopter lifted off and the Colonel watched as it flew across the lake and already he could see the pale glow of dawn in the east. In another hour, they'd have to abandon the search and head back to the base and he had feeling that Cassius was already long gone. There were just too many roadways to cover and he knew from experience that meta-humans did not differ much from rats when trying to contain them, it seems they always found a way to slip through the cracks with little effort.

As the helicopter disappeared into the distance, Colonel Vacily got into his vehicle. "Back to the base." He ordered the driver as he sat stiffly in the back seat, his eyes filled with plans. Already he had resigned himself to the escape of the fugitives and was just going through the motions. Once he got back to the base he would immediately proceed with the shut down and removal of the 'disrupter array'. He would clean out his files, then maybe take a nice long leave. First, though, he would contact Shinigami and learn why he did not complete his assignment, so many problems could have been avoided by the swing of his sword.

"We'll be back at the headquarters in less than an hour," Zoe replied to Morgan's question, glancing in her direction as she sped down the dark road. "We can get you cleaned up there too." A long silence passed between them as Zoe dug into her pocket and looked crestfallen as she saw only one slightly weathered cigarette sitting in her pack. Rolling the window down part way, she lit it and held the tip out the window letting the blue-gray smoke stream by in the pitch blackness.

After a few minutes, she called back to Shadow.

"What's going on with Demon back there?" she asked, "is he still alive? And what's that shit they're pumping into him?"

Sean had been looking over the equipment in the back and checking the young man. "He's alive. Looks like they've been keeping him sedated for some reason. Is this kid dangerous or something?" He looks over the fluids and and the equipment pumping it into Demon. "I'd shut it off but I don't know enough about this stuff."

"We're all dangerous in their eyes," Zoe replied flatly. We'll figure it out when we get back." They went on in silence as Killswitch puffed on her cigarette before she flicked it out the window and rolled it back up. The silence was broken, however, by Tim's message through the radio.

"Hey thar, Zoe. Ah'v pick'd up a coupla friends'a yurs." At this, Zoe's empty eyes widened and she turned towards the radio with a rare look of shock over usually flat expression as though half-expecting Tim to come straight through the equipment as she had done. Connecting her mind to the radio she spoke aloud as though he were on a speaker phone.

"YOU FOUND THEM?" she cried, "where? Are they alright?"

"Doin' fine now I picked 'em up. No sign'a tha big guy yet, but we'll mosey on down ta yer place an evry'one'll be just fine and dandy." At that, Cassius' voice suddenly rang out over through the car.

"Hey baby! I'm like seriously craven some oral fixations if ya know what I mean! Stock up for me before I get there!" Her expression frozen, Zoe managed to hide the lift she felt within her heart at hearing the voice of Dominic Cassius-- rasped and exhausted but alive and well. For a moment she remained still, saying nothing until she seemed to swallow the tiniest of lumps and spoke in her usual monotone.

"We are about 45 minutes away," she said, "we'll meet you there. Just come to the door. I'll know it's you."