Re: The Other Kind of Roommate

[Tartra]

It looked like he didn't have to worry about Xander getting drunk anymore. Not that that was still crowning his list of priorities, but it was one thing he was allowed to check off.

Okay, Alex said, keeping calm. What's the plan?

"Plan?"

Not so calm.

Are you serious? We're just gonna sit here? What if he comes over and drags a hundred Agents behind him?

"Uh... he doesn't know who we are? We're random people sitting in a booth. And if he is getting chased - as in right this damn second - I find it hard to believe he's gonna waste his time checkin' to see if there's any friendly faces around."

Or celebrities?

"Awwww! How sweet!"

I'm not saying it as a compliment, he snapped. Unless you decided to forget, that's how we ran into Peter. He 'recognized' you. He tagged along.

"I'm old news, buddy," Xander said. "My reputation's stunning and glorious, but it's been crammed under piles of 'top secret'. You heard what the Agency's calling me. 'The boogeyman' - ooooooh! So relax." He rolled his eyes. "Why does everything I say end with me telling you to calm the hell down?"

Maybe because you do such an awful job at it! What if the Agents see you?

"The Agents who aren't here yet, if they know where this guy is at all? Yeah - I think we're safe, twinkletoes." Under his breath, he added, "This is really gonna bump up the order time."

More popping. Faster, closer. The kid was on the move and not wasting any time about it. He was suddenly on the third level, then the fourth, then the fifth -

He's there, Alex said. He was whispering. What a waste of effort.

"For the last time, I have eyes, and I can clearly see what a non-threat he is," Xander told him. He gulped down the rest of his glass, then spun it around lightly on the table. "Look - if anything happens, I'll take care of it."

Great! Then you can be the new problem.

The boy did the same thing he'd been doing down there: as he wandered from table to table, he grabbed whatever the patrons had abandoned - Alex thought it'd make them stand out if they were the only ones still sitting, but he saw another couple petrified and frozen in their places, so at least they weren't alone - and shoveled it into his mouth. Whatever wasn't immediately eaten was thrown haphazardly into that bag of his, which was leaking gravy or spaghetti sauce or something else that looked gross.

"Would'ya look at 'im? He's cute! He's like one of those ugly, molting puppies you see people kick out onto the street, and then it starts raining and it crawls under a little box, and you drive by just as it sticks its head out and looks at you -"

The boy whipped his head around. With his eyes wide, twitching and unstably fearless, he stopped doing whatever the hell he was up to, opened his mouth and bellowed, "Gwendolyn Stewart! You're still alive!"

There was no indication Xander had even moved until he was standing in front of the kid and hauling him up by his grimy, holey shirt. One sharp mind blast later and the boy's eyes rolled into his head. He drooled a little bit, but he'd be okay. Xander was keeping him for interrogation.

"Let's go," he muttered. "I'm feeling... everything..."

Xander's eyes had drooped for an instant. That exhaustion - the one Alex had been specifically trying to avoid - was swooping in again.

You're taking him with you?

"Can't leave 'im running around," Xander said. "Come on, Gwen. Ooh! What's that?" With the chunk of shirt still in his grip, he and his new captive bounced over to that terrified couple. It was an old man and woman who'd ordered a plate of something red and soupy that'd floated up the wrong nose. "You mind if I just try a bit of this?" He helped himself anyway, grabbing the dessert spoon and diving in. "Oh man. That's good. I'm definitely coming here again."

"Did... did you kill him?"

The old woman's eyes were bulging out of her head.

"No, no. Not yet. Have a good night," Xander chirped. "Oh - and - uh... don't talk about this to the cops, 'cause I have magic powers and I'll find you."

The scary thing is, you probably will.

"I'm not a liar." He headed for the stairs, gesturing to Gwen for the third time. "Hurry up. We've got what his Agents want and I don't wanna explain how he ended up this way."

[Guest]

There it was, the phone-call conversation again, with the light humming on her skin letting her know when Alex was speaking. It was still annoying only hearing half of what was said, and extremely tempting to peek into his mind in order to hear Alex, but at least Xander provided the "answers" side of it. From what he said, Gwen could somewhat tell what the questions had been and she knew that Alex was worrying again. As well he should be.

She wanted to believe Xander had everything under control, but she remembered something Alex had said before about them not exactly being quiet about damage control. Xander definitely had a way of handling things and fixing them, but it always got worse before it got better. Well, I'm part of the 'team' now, aren't I? she thought to herself. Normally she would be willing to depend on either one of them to make the decisions that needed to be made, but they spent at least 40% of the time arguing about who's plan was better.

She had her own opinions at any given moment about the best action to take but had kept quiet, mostly because she didn't want to interfere and possibly screwing something up. There was a lot she didn't know and had trusted them to make decisions based on experience about what was best. But now she realized that was a foolish way to go about doing things when it was her life at risk too. Afterall, Xander had said it himself; he'd never really needed to look after a third person before, so this was all pretty much new to him too.

Coming to the decision to offer her own vote whenever possible she leaned across the table and spoke in a low voice, "We should leave. As in right now. We can sneak out the back." The mysterious "he" and anyone following him would be none the wiser...unless Agents were surrounding the place. But so long as they didn't make a big deal out of things, they probably wouldn't even think them anything other than another pair of patrons fleeing the scene.

She'd taken too long however, as the young man finally came into view, as he got closer the noise following him making goosebumps cover her skin. They still might be able to get away with looking like scared people running away if they went now, but she found herself frozen and staring at him. As Xander started going on about the kid being cute or whatever, she took the time to look him over, wondering at his derelict appearance. He looked like he hadn't bathed in days and like he curled up in the corner of a sewer drain every night as a bed. That mixed with Xander's description of him made her heart go out to him for whatever life had thrown at him to end up this way. But surprise replaced sympathy as he turned around with purpose and looked directly at them - at HER! - and shouted her name.

Gwen was still sitting, blinking in shock before she realized Xander was right beside the young man, grabbing him up by the front of his clothes. Not even a second passed before he was staring into the kid's eyes and he went limp in the man's grip. Without her connection being made with either of them, she still felt the power of it but in a less direct way like before. A small bit of dizziness overcame her and she wobbled in her seat, but it was gone as soon as he'd shut the power off, leaving her sitting there for just a few seconds more to catch her bearings. Luckily, her nose did not start bleeding again and hearing her name called, she shook her head to clear it and started to gather her things.

By the time she'd risen from her seat, he was standing in front of another table talking with some old people who were looking at him with a mixture of both fear and concern. For the boy? Or for Xander? No. That was a silly question. When he glanced in her direction, he gestured at her impatiently, imploring her to hurry, and she followed after him as he descended the stairs. She only looked back at their table once with a bit of regret that the evening had been interrupted and she sighed. Any kind of relationship with either man was impossible because the day never ended and they were never alone...

Speaking of which, she turned back and stepped down the stairs with a light foot, her head surprisingly clear and silent for the block she still had up, and she looked over the man Xander was dragging along. Barely having left puberty, he looked like such a lost soul with the ragged clothing and trickling mixture of sauces wetly dripping from his bag. Who the hell was he and how did he know her name? As much as these questions pressed at her, she did not reach out to touch his mind, still holding fast to staying inconspicuous. Xander had of course broken that rule when he'd zapped the guy, but she was not going to make them an even bigger red flag by opening up her own powers. At least not yet.

She wanted to ask Xander about him, but as they were running away she didn't want to delay them by starting the interrogation here. However, she couldn't help when they'd reached the lowest level again, commenting, "These dates with you are really a blast. Although, a girl might tend to get the wrong idea with you constantly dragging somebody else off in the middle." She laughed a little, adrenaline and fear making her feel light. "And the fact that they're always men."

[Tartra]

Xander was having too much fun with this. He was in his element again, barely bothered by the juice leaking from the kid's bag and landing more than once on the side of his leg. At Gwen's jibe, he laughed and tightened his grip on the shirt.

"What can I say? I'm a popular guy. I can barely get through a door without a mob of adoring fans," he said. "But from the sounds of it, this is your friend that crashed the party. I don't see a point in asking, but what the hell: do you know him?"

He was making good time, but the confident steps Alex was used to seeing him take were getting shorter and heavier. They had a fifty-fifty shot at making it to the hotel without help. Alex hoped tonight - this part of tonight, anyway - fell in their favour, because Gwen didn't need to drag two people around. She already had her hands full and, to be honest, he needed her awake enough to look at his foot again. Xander might've been too hopped up on the adrenaline running through him to care, but each time his toe was placed on the ground, that was another jostle that took them closer to... he didn't know - losing it entirely, maybe. And the shards in his hands... Dammit. No one ever bothered looking after him, and whenever he tried, he was always blocked by Xander/the Agents/some random explosion/the hand of God slapping him in the face for thinking he could go ten minutes without something stabbing into him.

This sucked.

Xander's new friend was not going to go over well. Alex didn't want him in the hotel room. He was dirty and that was a huge part of it, but he also didn't like the new threat hanging over him. Sure, if they ran into the Agents, he could - or Gwen could, because Xander wasn't going to be awake for much longer - always say he'd been in the middle of dragging the thief to the cops or... or that they just felt sorry for him and wanted to give him a place to stay for the night. But that'd only work during the short time they were travelling to the hotel. Once they were actually in there, records would start getting checked, pieces would be put together and then they'd have yet another person to babysit and add to this happy, happy family. Unless Xander felt like listening to him today.

What're you gonna do with him?

"See what he's doing here and what he knows," he replied. They were outside, walking back up the street they came from. Starbucks loomed in the distance, but other than an overly longing look at the place, Xander kept his eyes off of it. "He could tell us what the Agents around here are like."

But you're not gonna tell him who you are, Alex said. You're gonna keep it to yourself?

"'Am I gonna reveal the one secret that's worth anything to anyone to some person I haven't even known for an hour'? Is that what you're asking? 'Cause I'm insulted you'd think I'm that shit-stupid."

Ha, ha. I get it. But seriously, you're not telling him, right?

"We'll see how it goes."

What? You're actually thinking about it?

"He knows who Gwen is and he got excited," Xander said. "Tell me you don't see the benefit in doing a big reveal." If the kid knew Gwen, he had to know Xander. Under the very real threat of having his mind explode if he got out of control, they might be able to keep him from doing anything stupid. "Besides, it could get him interested long enough to stick around. As a last resort, I mean. We can't tell him anything if he's going to disappear a second later."

We'll tie him up.

"... Can you see in there? Were you paying attention? Dude was teleporting all over the place," Xander said. "Unless you've got some magic -"

Alright, alright! Enough! Let's - just... let's come up with a back-up plan.

"I have a back-up plan."

One that's not sociopathic, Alex said. And stay awake. We're almost at the hotel.

He could see it now. They were moving fast. They might actually do this.

[Guest]

His laughter in the midst of all this helped ease the tension she felt and the regular humor with which he answered her made the smile stay upon her lips. Even when they'd entered another possibly life-threatening situation with a ticking clock over their heads, the fatigue setting into his posture and gait, he was able to let it brush off his shoulders like nothing was wrong. Just another day in his life. With the visual of him slowing down somewhat, each step seeming more and more labored, she knew that he was reaching his limit, despite what his expression and voice said and worry set in again.

At his question, she looked again at the young man's face as it bobbed with Xander walking ahead of her, her brow furrowing and trying to place it. Through the grime and dirt, it was a bit hard to tell, but she didn't know very many people his age anyways - and most were 16-17 year old girls who were fans of her books that she'd kept in touch with over the years. She doubted from the way he'd addressed her, that he was a fan. "I don't think so," she finally said, shaking her head as they left the restaurant. "He doesn't look familiar."

Out in the open again, she immediately tensed and had to stop herself from reaching out to scan the area. Not yet. Xander's side of the conversation confirmed this choice for her, since it probably wouldn't do any good anyways. She had no idea what she'd be looking for. The next words he uttered made her glance at him sideways and she tried not to smile. Even though it had been a terrifying experience when he'd exploded at her and Alex on the sidewalk near their apartment building, she couldn't help finding their circumstances and how they'd come together to be quite amusing to remember, considering how deep in it she was now. And of course, he was still angry about Alex blabbing to her all about it.

She continued to keep her eyes open and looking around them and behind them to make sure they weren't being followed - at least as much as she could tell, visually - and kept an ear to their conversation. She was very interested in knowing why or how the boy knew her, but with the prospect of Xander doing his disappearing act again, she was growing more and more worried. Maybe she might be able to fend for herself if the guy suddenly turned violent, but with the ability he supposedly had - teleportation? Really? Why did everyone have something more useful than she did? How cool would that be in enabling them to get to the hotel if he passed out in the street. - would definitely give him an advantage over her.

"Is there anything I can do to stop you from going out again?" she asked as they reached the street with the light, again the cars coming to a stop just in time for them to cross. "You can't leave me alone with him... I have no clue who he is and yet he knows me. If it's a choice between being alone with him and not finding out what he wants, I say we just drop him now. If he's in the same position as us, adding to our numbers will make it harder to hide and cover our bases. If he's not..."

They were almost to the hotel now, walking past the illuminated sign again, the engraved words shining in the lights as they passed. "What if he's like that Peter guy? Your friend?" Adjusting the clothes on her arm as they spanned the distance to the hotel, she held her breath tightly as they approached the doors they'd left earlier, feeling like a lifetime ago.

[Tartra]

"He wasn't my friend and I learned my lesson. Calm down."

End of story.

Xander didn't bother talking again until they made it to the elevator. The walk over was stiff and silent as he gave everyone - every guest, every clerk, every bellboy - a quick nod of his head and a strict 'shut up and go back to work' smile. It went double for anyone who looked like they wanted to say something about the boy dangling from his right hand, but fortunately no one wanted to put their neck on the line about it. What Alex really found amazing was that the cops hadn't been called. He guessed it must've been so completely out of the ordinary, they'd assumed it was for a legitimate and legal purpose. Hey, he wasn't going to push his luck. It was about time something worked out for them. He would've smiled if he had access to his mouth.

The elevator ride was the closest thing he'd had to a rest all day; it was gentle, straight-forward and worked like he'd wanted. He was disappointed when they reached the fourth floor again, because as the doors opened and they stepped out, he felt like he was jumping back into the mess. It was more exhausting this time around and her comment on the very real possibility that this kid was Peter the Sequel had wrapped around his mind and choked him. Good work, Gwen. She was thinking like she was supposed to. And if anyone was going to pull up a reason for Xander to pay attention to something, it'd be her. He had no control over what she said or did, so if she demanded an answer, he really had no choice but to give her one. It was a subtle and unspoken form of blackmail neither of them realized was in play, but Alex did. Having this much time on his hands put things into place.

When they were in the hallway, Xander decided to break the silence and get to work putting her at ease.

"He's sixteen. His powers are 'running away'. He's the kind of person Alex could take, so you should have no problem kicking his ass. But we'll tie him up." 'We' meaning 'Gwen'. "It'll stop any outright attacks and you'll have the advantage."

Unless he is like Peter.

"Then he's not stupid enough to stick around once he finds out who I am," Xander said. "Or else he's here on a mission, and if that's the case, he's not dumb enough to try and fight anyone yet."

He could just take her -

"You're an idiot. That's not how it works." They'd reached their room, but he wasn't heading inside yet. Instead, he swung the kid around and put him in the middle of their merry group, making sure everyone got a good look. "See that? That's a stab at sympathy. Either he's truly down on his luck and on the run like us, meaning he'd have information on what he's running from and that'd help us out, or he's undercover and needs to get our trust for whatever retarded reason. If he wanted to kidnap or kill Gwen off the bat, he'd've done it instead of this... thing. So calm down. We'll play into it. He's not gonna hurt us."

He was a hundred percent confident in what he was saying. Alex believed that he believed he was right and he'd made a fairly convincing case, but there were so many questions surrounding this... Well - almost. Not yet. So far, there were only two he needed to ask: who was this guy and how did he know Gwen? The other questions would come later and come fast, but they'd have to wait a few hours. He hoped the blast wasn't enough to knock him out for the entire night. In the morning, they'd have to run again. Alex might not be the brains of this operation, but he was definitely its common sense.

You're going to be awake to make sure? She's right, you know. Given the options, we should get rid of him, at least until you're up.

As if he'd been reminded of how tired he was, he drooped again. He swayed - actually, literally swayed - before snapping his eyes shut, shaking his head violently, then forcing out a hefty breath through his nose and opening the room door.

"Just give me a bit," Xander said, now incapable of hiding his weariness. He took three steps inside, dropped the kid on the ground and made it as far as the couch before he fell. He managed to land on it, but with all the grace of a wet sack of cement. "I'll be up... later... ish..."

We'll set the timer, Alex muttered. No response for that. Xander was gone, face-first on the couch's far arm and right foot slung over the other. The other one was lying on the ground. Not that he'd let on, but he was going to be very stiff tomorrow morning or whenever he got up. So... Gwen. Uh... maybe you should sleep, too.

[Guest]

As they passed through the doors, she shut up about it, even as his response made her want to argue. Calm down? That was easy for him to say! He seemed to know what was going on all the time and yet was about to collapse any minute in the middle of the hotel lobby while hanging onto a possible hostage! HE shouldn't even be calm right now! Even so, she marveled at his ability to make everyone who saw them ignore the obvious implications and tried to keep a cool head. He would give her answers before he closed his eyes. She'd make absolute sure of it, for her own sanity.

In the elevator she watched him closely, obviously waiting for the answers she wanted and resolved to demand them once they got to their floor. He beat her to it however as they walked towards their room, his words giving her something to chew on for the moment. What he said - even the minor slight at Alex - made sense and she felt a bit calmer now that he'd let her know of a sort of 'plan' with dealing with this problem. He still didn't answer her about what they could do to stop him from passing out again, and she immediately assumed it was because he didn't know. It was not comforting to hear that he didn't always have an answer for everything or then again, it could just be not very important to him - although she doubted that was the case.

When Xander continued going on a related tangent, she hesitantly stretched out her senses again to hear Alex's part of the conversation. They were far enough away now that it probably would be okay, and now that were nearing 'home' she felt a little safer when using it. And also, it was annoying not hearing everything that was going on, the silence becoming like torture to her when she was forced into it by circumstance. Almost reminded her of the static cloud that Stephanie engulfed her in.

At the doorway to their room, Xander presented the young man and began to analyze his appearance and alternatively shut down and explored the different theories surrounding their new 'companion'. Again, she understood completely what he was saying but the prospect of being alone with the kid did not appeal to her any more than it had before. His confidence in his own convictions did not transfer to her like it usually did, watching him swaying on his feet with an overwhelming weariness she could now feel dragging him down. "I can't do this..." she mumbled, touching his shoulder lightly before he moved into the room.

But he was not listening to them anymore, the fog around his head so deep, she thought it a testament to his skills that he was still able to navigate into the room enough to drop the kid in the entryhall and land on the couch. The door swung shut behind her and all of a sudden she shivered to know that he was gone again. For several moments, she just stood there staring off into space, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth before she finally shook herself out of it at Alex's words echoing into her head.

With a sigh, she walked straight into the bedroom to the chair where she'd left Xander and Alex's bag and began to deposit her new clothes into it, taking a moment to fold everything up and put them in with his own things so they all fit and were separated. The automatic response to organize their belongings helped clear her mind for the moment and keep her calm but once it was over, she immediately began looking for something else to do. Kicking off her shoes and tucking them by the inside of the bedroom doorway, she went searching for a rope or something to make a rope. There were thin, golden braided cords that adjusted the drapes and using some scissors from the medical kit - tiny and not very sharp, so even as thin as the cord was, the braid made it thick and it took a while for her to break through it - she cut a length of them down.

Collecting that and tearing the bed sheets off the bed, she dropped them in the middle of the living room floor on her way to the entryhall. Grabbing the young man by the arms, she started to drag him into the living room, only stopping to unstrap his bag and fling it aside in disgust. Pushing him onto his stomach, she began to tie up his arms behind his back, stopping and untying him when she realized she had too much rope and wanted to use some to tie up his feet, getting up and going into the other room to retrieve the scissors to cut it in the middle. Working silently, she flipped him over when his hands and feet were tied and started to bind his arms and legs with the bed sheets. She remained focused on what she was doing, still not saying anything to Alex as of yet.

Stepping back after she was done, she looked proudly down at what she'd accomplished even though it would probably become useless in light of the man's gift, and she looked back at Xander, reaching out mentally to touch him but finding him unresponsive and completely dead to the world. Sitting on the coffee table, she sat for a few moments, slumped and staring into space before she reached out further to make sure he was okay otherwise. Immediately the pain in his foot blared in her own and she cried out in surprise, falling back and off of the table with a painful gasp, gripping her leg. Good God! What the hell!? He had been walking on that?

Guilt flooded her as she realized she should have been keeping an eye on it, as she got up and limped into the other room to get the medical kit. Tuning the pain out, she was still breathing heavily as she came back with the little plastic suitcase in hand. Kneeling by the coffee table, she pushed it out of the way so she could work and grunted while pulling his shoe off. Hissing lightly, she pulled out the medical tape and began to bind the big toe to the second toe on his foot, having difficulty with the way Xander was positioned, but finally managing to get it to a point where it would not longer move.

The swelling had not reduced very much and the toe was mangled with dark blues and red purples spotting the flesh and she sighed as she got up once more and went to the bar for some ice. Wrapping a cluster of five cubes in a napkin, she brought it back over and held it to his toe, sitting kneeling upon the ground next to the couch with his foot halfway in her lap. Remembering Alex and his suggestion, she looked over at the thoroughly wrapped up boy and shook her head.

"I can't go to sleep now," she said worry plain in her voice. "What if they come looking for him? What if he wakes up?" She was starting to feel exhausted herself, but the pressure of everything that might happen kept her alert and awake. Then again...there wouldn't be much time for it later would there? "I'm fine," she said finally, adjusting the icepack on his foot carefully. "I'll be fine. I'll just wait for Xander to wake up and he'll take care of everything..." Except himself, obviously. Today was so long and it would get longer still.

[Tartra]

'He'll take care of everything'? Why were you gasping? It's the foot, isn't it? What a fantastic person he'd been paired with. Maybe the next thing Xander'd take care of was his annoying ability to walk, feel with both hands and maybe that nasty 'seeing' disease. He's gonna kill me. He's gonna kill me because he can and because he can't wrap his head around the fact that this is his body, too.

It might've had something to do with how Alex kept saying it wasn't. He was right - anyone would agree with him - but as long as the guy was going to be in control, he needed to cut this shit out. Xander had always been like this. No - seriously. From day one, when he realized he wasn't alone anymore, the first thing he'd heard from the part of his mind that'd slipped from his exclusive mastery was a big, bright, cheery, 'Let's steal a TV!'

'Let's steal a TV.' Yup. That about set the bar.

They hadn't even wanted the stupid thing. Xander didn't really know how to take over yet, but he was a manipulative dick. Ten minutes after the idea had sprouted, Alex had walked into the nearest electronics store and given twelve people seizures. Then he'd rolled the TV down a hill and kicked its remains over a bridge, all because it seemed 'fun' and he'd never had a lot of it before. When the cops came, he'd spun some laughable story about how he'd been held up at gunpoint and forced to do it. They didn't buy it, obviously, but a quick glance at his medical record was enough to get him out with a fine. That whole incident was what caught the Agents' interest. There'd been no way to explain why those people had seized at the same time, but it'd been brushed off as some... Actually, he never found out why they stopped asking questions. They just had.

Thinking about it now, it was probably them trying to keep a secret under wraps. Thinking about a lot of things now... The first time he'd seen an Agent, the man had been so friendly, if not more than a little bitter. That was the French guy, the one who'd spend the next six years stalking him. But looking back, the conversation had begun as if it'd be meant for someone else entirely. They'd never thought they'd be hearing from Alex again because he was supposed to be dead or out of the way. Xander was the one they were trying to get in touch with. They'd thought the transfer had been a success. When they realized it wasn't, that was when he'd had to run, and he'd been running ever since.

Alright. Fine. So maybe he deserved to get laughed at. Not realizing Xander was an Agent was one thing, but he should've known it was more than a burst of insanity he'd picked up when he'd been in that coma. The things that popped into his head like they were from another person were actually from another person. He was an idiot, but that didn't give Xander the right to kill him off like one.

Can you fix it? My foot, I mean. He paused for a second. Or - uh... if you did that already, can you fix my hand? The one that's got cuts. There's chunks of mirror in it from when someone decided to put my hand through it yesterday.

Xander was crazy. Alex had said it a hundred times before, but now he was really starting to wonder if he meant 'wild and unpredictable' or 'extremely unbalanced and mentally unstable'. Gwen thought he was funny - hooray! Great! He'd made a friend. But this was day one. He'd thought the guy was fantastic for the first week, too. Xander was a superhero - big and glorious and completely untouchable by those monsters that were chasing him, but then the fighting started and then power grabs and then... Maybe she'd always think he was fun and exciting to be around, but she was on the outside. Everything was better from out there.

He heard a noise. For a second, he swore it was that kid waking up. No. Traffic. Outside, not in here, and certainly nothing to panic about. He should've known better. Maybe he wasn't a 'hero' but Xander was as super as it got, and if he said the boy was going to be out until he was awake to deal with it, Alex had every reason to believe him.

The hand's more of a comfort thing. If it'll make it worse, don't do it. He'll be fine. I don't think it'll matter anyway. He wouldn't come here if he knew the Agents were following and he wasn't that asleep... so... you should get some rest. You're gonna need it.

Everyone was.

[Guest]

The dramatic response from Alex was expected of him and she couldn't help shaking her head and scoffing. Maybe she'd been wrong about who was the drama queen of the pair, or had things really changed so drastically since they'd switched? She stayed her response to it however as she followed him through a memory that flashed in his mind. It wasn't old but probably the oldest thing she'd sensed from him and for a moment it was almost like she was feeling something that had happened to her, like she'd been there. Gwen had enough control now that she could separate herself from it with ease, but the sensation was the same with her standing off to the side as events played out around her.

In real-time, she uttered a small giggle seeing the look on Alex's face as he tossed the television set down the ravine, feeling absolute boyish triumph from his inner companion and the nervousness with which he stammered an explanation to the police made another small giggle bubble up. God, what a little psycho! she thought with a touch of affinity for them both. Such troublemakers, even in the beginning, although Alex was a lot less trouble now but still had the habit of getting into it as much as Xander did.

Her expression changed and the laughter died as the memory altered to something new, something just as old as the first and yet not completely ancient in when it had occurred. The man was not someone she recognized and beyond what Alex sensed and felt she could not extend her power to the others in his memory. Going from Alex's own musings on the man however, she immediately understood him to be an adversary. An Agent. The one he was running from all these years.

Each memory only lasted a minute or two to run their course and when they were gone, she still held onto the images in her head, able to replay them back like watching a movie. The one she tucked fondly away as something that would always bring a smile to her face and the other she kept in the forefront of her mind of things to remember. Someone Alex dubbed "The Frenchman", she now had a face and a few details on what to look for next time she scanned to see if they were being followed.

Looking over his foot when he asked about it again, she saw that it was looking somewhat better but not much, and when he mentioned his hand, she instantly remembered it and reached out to look it over, at the same time as she mentally touched it to see what the damage was. It was his left hand so it made it easier to access it and it ached a little but it was not infected as far as she could tell - which was surprising. The memory of how it had happened flashed into her mind and she cringed a little as his fist slammed into the mirror. THAT was a memory she'd been a part of, remembering the noise of the breaking glass coming through the wall between their apartments, although at the time she'd had no idea he was hurting himself - or rather fighting with someone.

It definitely made her adjust her opinion of Xander, especially feeling the waves of Alex's own thoughts on the man, and she wondered if he wasn't somewhat right about him. Xander's priorities did seem a little skewed sometimes to the point where it was almost like he was all alone or thought he was, dragging Alex and Gwen along like a coat he wanted to keep with him just because he was obligated to. Shaking her head, she set the ice, now melting a little and starting to dampen the cloth, aside and brought out the tweezers from the first aid kit. Using her senses she probed the flesh inside and out getting every tiny little sliver out of it while she spoke.

"Alright, he is crazy sometimes, especially to do something like this over coffee. But think about it, if it is something he actually needs then no wonder he'd get upset," she shrugged a little and used the napkin with the ice in it to hold the tiny mirror pieces she removed. "I'm not defending him and I agree, my behavior around him lately has been a little...bimbo-ish, but it's really hard for me right now. Maybe I'm just clinging to him because he seems strong and like he can do anything and I don't want you to think poorly of me if I said I think I have feelings for him..." she blushed a little, not meaning to admit that to him, but continued to work on his hand pulling a still reflective piece from his flesh.

"Anyways, you have me now and I'm done sitting by and swooning like an idiot and making stupid mistakes. Together we can keep him under control a little bit. I haven't really tried to get him to listen to me yet but I'm sure I can sway him to see reason. I mean...he likes boobs, right?" she laughed a little with a smirk, setting the tweezers down and cleaning the now open and lightly bleeding wound. "If I cannot trust him to make the right decisions on his own, you and I will have to make them for him. I'll try and keep a level head and my ears open." By that of course, she was referring to him and any advice he might have to offer.

Once she was finished bandaging the hand she sat back with a sigh and looked over the glass she'd collected. "Shit, Alex, I don't understand what's wrong with him as far as pain is concerned. It's not that he doesn't feel it; I can feel it from his own nerves and everything. He's just really desensitized to it or something. I have enough glass here to make a touch-up mirror for myself. Well, anyways, your hand will be alright now and the foot should be sore but okay tomorrow. I didn't find any aspirin for him, but like I said, it's probably not gonna matter much to Mr. Hulk."

She shook her head before wrapping up the napkin and the soggy pieces of ice still within it and rose with a long exhale of breath. Stretching, she looked over at the young man she'd tied up with a bit of worry in her eyes, eventually letting her gaze fall to the room beyond him. She was not going to be any use tomorrow if she didn't try and get a few hours, so the smartest thing to do was to take advantage of everybody else being unconscious at the moment and get some sleep.

Walking into the other room, she tossed the napkin with watery ice and mirror shards into a waistbasket and got an extra bundle of sheets from the closet. Tossing two onto the bed, she walked back into the other room with the third, unwrapping it as she stepped over the teenage boy. Tossing it over Xander's sleeping form, she adjusted it so he was covered and leaned in close to his ear. "I'm glad you're no longer stealing things just because he told you to," she said to Alex, kissing him audibly on the cheek. She knew he couldn't feel it but she meant for him to hear it and in that way, it was meant for him. "Goodnight, I'll see you both," she paused. "You three in the morning or whenever wake-up time is scheduled for..."

Going back into the bedroom, she closed the doors and locked them from the inside before walking further into the room. Undressing down to her underwear, she put on a T-shirt and climbed into the bed, spreading the sheets out so she could use them and snuggling down beneath them. Sleep wasn't as hard to find as she'd originally thought, and it came swiftly, dragging her under without a fight.

[Tartra]

Gwen, without a doubt in his mind, was the most forgiving person in the world. Everything about her had to do with things ending up on the right side of life. He was amazed by it. It was... beautiful. And naive. She was still stuck thinking this was something they were going to ‘end’, that every problem had a solution and through sheer will and determination, or at least Xander’s intervention, they could stop these people and this messed up life once and for all. Maybe go back to normal. Something like that. It was a great thought and he wanted to agree with her, but he’d been doing this too long to get the words out. So he kept quiet and let her talk, trying to enjoy the sound of it. If she was going to bed, he’d be alone until one of them – any of them – woke up, so he needed to hold onto her voice for a little while longer. Alex didn’t find it terrifying so much as he thought it was sad, but as fun as pity parties were, he could do without one for now.

But the other stuff she said...

First of all, Xander didn’t ‘need’ coffee. He liked the taste, he liked getting his way and the more it festered in Alex's mind, the more pissed off he was about how far out of his way he had to go to get his roommate his stupid fix. Until today, he’d never stayed around to feel the effects of caffeine. He still hadn’t, technically, since Xander had thrown those out because the order was ‘wrong’, but for Gwen to even try imagining it was some... some physical need or anything other than an asshole obsession was... Well, he’d said she was amazing, hadn’t he? It was worth saying again. But he’d asked the guy. Xander had openly admitted once upon a time he got a kick out of those ridiculous, page-length orders. That much was obvious, and while it might not've explained why Starbucks was his number one and maybe it didn’t touch on why he’d dive for instant coffee if he’d been without it for a week... No. Alex was standing by it. Their necks had been risked too many times for a damn latte he'd barely been able to afford at first – and although he’d agreed that it was hilarious, especially when they messed up the order, he wasn’t going along with it now that there was a neck that wasn’t his he had to watch out for.

He’d been ready to break his short-lived vow of silence to set the record straight, but then she went on and – what. What? Was she serious? Or was she crazy? No, no, no-no-no-no-no – that didn’t... no, he hadn’t heard that right. No. No way. Xander had killed people in front of her. He’d dragged her around to get the damn coffee, too. She couldn’t... ‘like’ like him. Alright, it sounded stupid saying it that way even if it was only in his head, but... Xander? Xander. Xander. There - just - wasn’t –

Yeah. Yeah, we’ll... keep him under control...

He didn’t know if she’d heard him or if the hollow laugh he’d offered at her joke – Xander’s kind of joke; they were building a world without him – covered up any indication that his mind was... Xander barely had a soul! And he was an Agent! Ex-Agent – whatever – but still one of them and probably leading them into a fucking trap because he knew they needed him to lead them around and especially because he had a full half of their team under his grip and... Good God. The last few months had been a growing and uneasy tolerance, but right now, a solid thought was forming in his mind: he hated him. Alex hated Xander. Not a lot, not yet, but the seeds had been sown. It was something he was keeping to himself because she was too busy dealing with his foot – no more asking how it was because he didn’t want to hear the answer for – and maybe she wouldn’t pick up on it for a while, but he was grateful if it was something they never had to deal with. There was enough going on without her worrying about how they were getting along, and she would worry because she was too kind-hearted to let them seriously and maliciously fight.

Why the hell was this so complicated? Why – what was that sound? Did she kiss him? A surprised smile almost broke out in his mind until... Had she meant it for Xander? And the first one, back in the apartment - had that one been for him, too? He’d acted like it and Alex had rolled his eyes, because who’d expect any less from him when it came to that kind of thing, but Xander, more than anyone, specifically more than Alex, knew when people were flirting.

He was the third wheel in his own damn head. But how long would that last?

Sure. Good night. I’ll yell if something happens, he said.

He didn’t expect it to. And it didn’t. Alex was awake for hours listening to the sounds of three people breathing. It wasn’t as bad as he’d thought it be, but he was distracted by the very simple fact that for whatever reason, or maybe no reason at all, Gwen had found a way to convince herself that Xander wasn’t an evil son of a bitch who was probably only keeping her around to be a sentry or something. Not that anyone would tell her. She’d run off. And she certainly should because now the guy was blacklisted in Alex’s mind. And - no - it wasn't because of a girl. He’d been thinking about this more and more lately, before Gwen was suddenly in the picture. Okay, it was part of it, bit it was not the main issue. He just refused to trust this man any further than he absolutely, positively had to.

It was six in the morning when light flooded in. Xander’s eyes had popped open, and exactly as he’d expected, he took his time getting up because he was probably stiff.

“Gwen got me a blanket,” he said.

I guess she did.

“Good morning to you too, sunshine.” Fuck that guy. Xander stretched. “There better be a toothbrush in here. Or – like – mouthwash or something.”

Ask her. I’m sure she’ll be delighted to get some if it’s for you.

That was Xander's problem. He didn’t bother asking ‘what’s wrong’ and invite Alex to talk things out; he laughed about it, enjoyed the entertainment and would let it build until the wrong words were said and then freak out and start attacking. That was attractive? Maybe if Alex killed puppies or something, he'd rise up the ranks a little.

“Think I should wake her up before I start this thing? She’s the star of the show,” Xander said.

I don’t care. Do whatever you want.

“Okay.”

And that was that. Xander got up, found a toothbrush, spent some time looking over the slab of blue flesh where his foot used to be –

Thanks, by the way, for letting it get that bad, he snapped. Gwen called you ‘Mr. Hulk’. I think it fits. You’re bipolar and masochistic, but that’s apparently a charming mix.

“She took the glass out,” was all he said, rubbing his fingers over the scabs on Alex's hand. “Huh.” Then he walked over to Gwen’s bed. Where a normal person would’ve seen fit to gently prod her until she woke up, or better yet, not try to include her in the interrogation at all, he decided to be ‘spontaneous’ and jump on it beside her. Sure – because the one thing someone on the run for their lives needed was to fly half a foot into the air and land flat on their face.

You’re a jerk.

Alex wouldn’t’ve done that.

“Wake up, sleepin’ beauty,” Xander chirped, relaxing and rolling around in the plush covers. “This is a great bed. We should grab a business card before we go. Anyway, I’ll be getting our new friend on his feet in a minute and I thought you’d wanna come along. Also, watch out for Mr. Grumpy-pants. He’s a little pissy this morning.”

Shut up, Xander.

“Aww. I love you, too.”

[Guest]

The bed was nicer than anything she'd ever slept upon before, the pillows cushioning her head like she was sleeping on clouds. Sleep came and hit her hard, dragging her so deeply under that she barely tossed and turned through the night. Even so, the finely woven sheets wrapped around her form snugly, keeping her both cool and cocooning in her own heat against the evening chill.

Dreams flittered through her mind, memories that were not hers, transferred straight to her from other guests on their floor, her gift running freely without her consciousness to control it. So, all through the night she was several different people: A man on his wedding day standing at the altar nervously awaiting the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Gwen felt a burst of pride as she saw Jennifer come walking down the aisle towards her, her face aglow and all dressed in white, excitement and nervousness mirrored in her eyes as well. Then she was a woman who was a scuba diver, down into the Caribbean blue taking pictures of the fish in the reef. Fear gripped her as she lived through the moment of seeing a shark swimming nearby, floating like a ghost through the bright, ethereal depths, but it paid her no mind and swerved placidly deeper giving her enough time to return to the boat waiting for her.

Gwen was still so deeply under that she did not notice the sun rising nor the audible conversation of the two men she shared these rooms with, still lost in being a Mr. Noe who was teaching a class in his memories, standing at the forefront of the auditorium in front of a podium. Her heart beat rapidly as she adjusted her glasses and saw men walking down the aisle towards her. They knew what she'd done, that student had talked. It was all over now. Her eyes darted to the side of the room where there was another door. She could make it if she left now. She could run. She could get away.

Feeling all too much like a caged and wild animal suddenly she was ripped backwards violently, the bed beneath her lurching and coming up to smack her full-bodied in the face. A sharp gasp left her as gravity took over and her eyes popped open wildly, her heart beating so fast she felt like she'd swallowed it. Leaning up on her elbows, she blinked frightened at Xander who now occupied the bed with her, that smug smile on his face doing nothing for her after what had just happened.

Immediately following her abrupt wake-up call came the anger at being woken up so unceremoniously. While he was busy responding to Alex, the pillow she had under her head came whipping through the air like a plushy club, hitting him thickly in the face. And once it happened, the adrenaline rushing in her veins releasing the rage she now felt, she did it again and again, murmuring through gritted teeth.

"You bastard!" she spat angrily. "Don't you EVER wake me up like that again, you motherfucker!" Breathing heavily, she stopped suddenly and shrunk back down, kneeling in her spot on the bed a hand clutching her forehead. Not only did her head hurt from being put through a wringer all night, but she'd still been connected to him and had ended up hitting herself in the face. The headache was awful and she let out a soft moan, rocking on the bed for a moment before it had faded enough for her to get up.

Calmed down now, she just looked at him, her face drawn and weary and said, "Just don't jump on the bed, please." Throwing the covers off of her bare legs, she got up and started to rifle through the bag on the chair for a moment, getting out some new clothes to wear for today. Walking with a firm yet weakened purpose towards the bathroom she said, "Let me just get dressed," she paused to yawn, daintily covering her lips. "And I'll be right out..."

[Tartra]

"Wooooow. Great! Thanks! That's what I wanted first thing in the morning - sure." Because he had every reason to be upset. Xander rolled his eyes and then sat up in bed, annoyed as he watched her walk to the bathroom. "What the fuck is wrong with everyone today? Seriously - it's like you all got together and decided to be pissed off."

She hit herself, he said. If you'd been paying attention...

"What - so I'm in charge of keeping us alive and her motor control? That sounds a little unfair." At least they knew he was awake. And - he had to admit - it felt good seeing him slapped around like that. Even if it was Alex's body, knowing Gwen's 'love' had a bit of an end to it was something to keep in mind. But - no - he wasn't going to - that wasn't... He was fine. He just didn't want her following him blindly, like he was going to fight against. "'Don't jump on the bed'. I got it. Geez. And I'm the bipolar one?"

Yes. As if he even had to ask.

Xander didn't accept that answer. He rolled his eyes again and muttered, "Yeah, well, I'm more justified than 'I had a bad dream' or whatever the hell's wrong with her."

Maybe you could try taking this seriously for five minutes, Alex spat. This is day two of the rest of her life. She just discovered she has powers and she's being chased and someone's trying to crawl into her head and some random kid knows enough about her to scream her name in the middle of the restaurant and then - because that's not enough and you need to make her life extra miserable - you come flying out of nowhere and dive-bomb the damn bed!

"Yes. That is an excellent recap of everything that's happened so far. Good to see you've been paying attention." He got up, stopped caring, then stretched his foot out. He said nothing about it, probably retracting whatever rare nice word he had for her, then got up and put his full weight onto it, testing it out. "Guess this makes us even."

Is it better?

"It's fine."

That's not what I asked.

"That's what I answered." He was already walking to the captive, but he stopped at a mirror hanging on a wall long enough to smirk at Alex through it. "See? I'm not the only one who can have a bad morning. Time to spread the agony, right?"

Don't kill him.

"Why is everyone treating me like I'm a monster? I swear to fuck - Alex, I know this is your fault somehow." When he didn't reply, Xander nodded his head a little. Then he moved until he was standing in front of the boy, who'd been cozily wrapped up in what were apparently curtains. Gwen's handiwork. Not bad for her first time in Alex's opinion, but Xander picked at it the second he was in reach. "Wow. Once again, I saved the day. Good thing he didn't have a knife on 'im or he'd've slit all our throats when he escaped."

I thought you said he wasn't dangerous.

"I said he wasn't here to hurt us. I've been wrong before. " He got down on one knee and started flicking at the boy's nose. "Hey! Wake up!"

"Ehn..."

"Better tell Gwen to stay in that bathroom. I don't want her clawing me for being a 'bastard motherfucker'." With his final pout out of the way, Xander reached forward and popped the boy's right eye open. He gave him a jolt, more than enough - much more - to bring him back to reality. "Rise'n'shine, kid. Don't suppose you wanna throw a swing at me, too?"

And then the boy began to scream.

So where'd that charm of yours go?

"Here it is." Alex saw his hand reach out and clamp over the kid's mouth. It was like a switch had been flipped. The boy shut up but continued looking terrified. Xander, undoubtedly smiling like a psychopath, took it as a compliment and told him, "That was a really annoying sound. If you do it again, I'm going to make your head explode off your shoulders."

The boy nodded.

I'm never asking you to babysit.

"And yet you still come crying to me whenever an Agent's around."

You're an Agent.

"Ex-Agent. Is that what this is about? Again? Dude - what do you want me to say?"

How about 'I'm on your side'? And this time, try not to say it like it's a joke.

"I never joked about that. But since everyone's 'panicking' over it, fine. I'm on your side. I have been on your side this entire time, regardless of what I was sent here to do, and if I have to tell you that one more time - well... I can get along on one foot."

Alex froze.

You're bluffing.

"Yes. I am. Finally you get it," Xander said. "Where is she? I fucking swear, if she hits me again, she's on her own. Excuse me for trying to lighten the 'holy crap AGENTS' mood a little."

[Guest]

Closing the bathroom door and turning on the light, she stood for a few moments listening to the rest of what he said. She hadn't meant to react that way and she definitely didn't want to make him angry, but it had been an automatic response to the situation and...he'd been in the way. This was not a good way to start the day at all, and even through the doorway she could hear him clear as day. He was going to be sore about this for a while. She could tell. But Gwen was not above getting on her knees and begging for his forgiveness if it would get him to eventually let the damn incident go.

Still, even as she listened to him rant and rail to Alex about her, knowing that he was basically just whining because she'd hurt his feelings and wounded his pride, the things he said made her mad. Even after Alex repeatedly tried to explain to him the situation from her end - which made her feel a flutter of gratitude towards him - he still insisted on being pissy in her general direction.

Shaking her head, she walked into the room and set her things roughly on the counter by the sink. He would demand that she be in a sour mood just like he was and do his best to make it happen to justify his current mood even further, but she would not let him. As soon as she got the chance she was going to apologize for him being a dickhead, kiss his ass until he purred like a kitten and they would get on like normal.

Not wasting a moment more brooding about it, she started to go about her daily routine, first jumping into the shower for a quick rinse off. A lot of adrenaline and sweat had been collected on her body yesterday and she didn't know if they were checking out of the hotel tonight or when they'd be able to find another shower. Anyways, it did not sit well with her the idea of running around another day without cleaning herself off. She knew she'd promised to just get dressed but he had to understand that women spent a long time getting ready anyways.

Stepping from the shower, she wrapped herself in a towel and went over to her new clothes, looking them over. Biting off the tags, she tossed them all into the peach and gold waistbasket, not expecting for a moment that she'd either need or have the opportunity to return anything that didn't fit. Slipping into new underwear and bra, she pulled on the pair of dark blue jeans that hugged her legs in a snug yet comfortable way, buttoning them an inch below her belly button.

During her shower she'd turned down the volume of what was going on in the other room, keeping an ear out if Alex said her name but basically reducing them both to nothing but murmurs. That is until she felt Xander use his power on the boy. She was sitting on the fuzzy toilet cover, still shirtless, wearing her new silky pink bra and pulling on her second sock when the jolt hit her. It was a hot pulse and she gasped aloud, her arm flinging out to grip the edge of the sink to keep herself from falling over. When her head cleared, and she heard the kid start to scream, she cursed under her breath and began to hurry.

Quickly she slipped on a red T-shirt with a flattering, low hanging v-neck, the shirt slim and hugging her curves yet not overly revealing. The hem did not reach down as far as she would have liked, letting a bit of flesh peek out between her pants and shirt - it was either that or pull it down to cover herself and let the v-neck dip even lower. Not her usual state of dress and she hadn't been thinking to impress anybody with it, but she'd no doubt turn a few heads. At the moment, despite truly liking him, she did not care if Xander took notice of her.

Gwen only took a minute longer to brush out her wet hair before leaving the bathroom, already having turned up her senses of what was happening in the other room and glaring at her reflection to hear him still acting like a child over their incident. And now she wouldn't be able to apologize properly because they had to deal with someone else he'd forced to wake up.

Stepping from the bathroom she tossed her old clothes over on the bed and stalked angrily to where he was in the living room part of their hotel room. "What the hell?" she asked curtly. "I'm in there for not even 10 minutes and you can't wait to start zapping people? You know it hurts me, right? If I'm not prepared, I can feel what you do to them. And stop using it when it's not even necessary. There was no need to wake him up that way. You just did it because I didn't laugh when you pounced on me. Well I'm sorry, Mr. Big Man! I have trouble finding things funny when I wake up in a strange place with the memory of people trying to kill me still fresh in my mind!" She came to an abrupt stop, standing there still feeling flushed and angry, finally remembering that they weren't alone and looked down at the frightened eyes of their new "companion".

[Tartra]

"'M'I... terrup... som'thin'?"

"I love it," Xander said. "Half-awake, barely got shocked, and he's already making jokes. I'm either gonna adore this kid or legitimately hurt him by the end of the hour." He looked up at Gwen from where he was kneeling and gave her the same angry smirk he'd given Alex. "And as for what you 'dramatically revealed' - no, I didn't know that. I don't know how your powers work 'cause - surprise! I'm not a mindreader, but thanks for blaming it on me anyway even though we, as everyone likes to rub in my face, are in a strange place with people trying to kill us and very limited time and there's no better way to get him up."

Except for landing on him.

"Well - it's tricky. He's on a chair."

The boy shifted under the curtains in a way Alex thought meant he was uncomfortable. On his second glance, however, the kid looked excited to hear this happening.

"What's goin' on...?"

"She hit me in the face with a pillow," Xander said. "It made me a very sad panda."

Wow. A pillow.

"It's the principle of it. Next time, it might not be something so fluffy. That's the fun part of having a crazy dream and grabbing the first thing that hits your hand. Anyway! Enough about us. Tell me what you know about her."

The budding smile on the grimy face slipped off instantly and the boy started struggling against his makeshift restraints. As he did so, managing to make some progress, he loudly whined, "I didn't do anything - I don't know where I am - lemme go -"

"Annoying sound."

"Okay-okay-okay-okay-okay," the kid rolled out. He stopped squirming long enough to give Gwen a once-over, then prompting returned to wiggling every inch of his body in a growing attempt to make an escape. "I don't know her - who is she - I saw a picture - no I didn't - I was in a lab - I escaped - you know the Agency?"

"So right away, we're not keeping you, because we have a slightly higher need to have a secret than what you've graciously offered," Xander said. "Plus the 'crazy guy' role's been filled already. Twice."

"I don't know - I don't know - I don't know -"

"Annoying sound," he reminded.

The kid straightened up, his shaved head as dirty as the rest of him but focused on Xander anyway. He stared for a minute, changed his mind, then went back to pulling at the ropes.

He knows something, Alex said.

"Nooooooooo, really? Damn, Alex. You should be out here doing this." He didn't answer that. It went into the pile he was pulling together on reasons why Alex and Gwen were right to hate him. Xander snapped his fingers in front of the kid's face, drawing his attention back to where he demanded it. "What picture and what lab?"

"I never said that!" Without a second in-between his words, the boy sat up and said even faster, "The lab - it had it - the one with everything - with the faces - it had hers - I saw it - I saw the name - she was dead - she's one of me - she's a friend -"

"And you came to warn her?"

"Nononononononono - I thought she was dead - everyone is dead - the Agents are crazy - they killed them - I escaped - they've got a machine -" This was what they had to deal with now? One of them was on already on an indefinite hunt for caffeine. They didn't need someone who was wired to a mountain of it. "The machine, the machine - it kills them - makes zombies - they die and then they're walking - it's weird-"

"In case anyone missed it, he's talking about what they use to do the transfers," Xander said. "Where's the lab?"

"I dunno - I dunno - I ran - I didn't - I can teleport -"

Xander stood up and rubbed his eyes.

"My head hurts. And since someone doesn't want me to get to the point the usual way, she might as well talk to him instead." With that decided, he walked to the closest wall and sat down at it, scratching his hand absently and waiting for Gwen to start. "If you need help, I'll grab you a pillow. I know you like those."

[Guest]

Alright, so she'd been mistaken to assume that he would know that - how could he? She'd kept it mostly to herself until now, she realized, but he knew just about everything else it hadn't occurred to her that he DIDN'T know any more about her powers than she did. Even less, apparently. So she ended up blushing and feeling somewhat foolish when he responded which he was excellent at doing. Luckily, he didn't stay focused on her too much - offering another pout about her possibly hitting him with something harder in the future - before he turned his attention completely on the bound young man.

Rolling her eyes at the 'sad panda' comment, she ran a hand through her wet hair before folding her arms and watching the interrogation. The man had no shame when it came to looking like a jackass or complete baby in front of strangers. She should have known this by now but half the time she thought it had something to do with her, that he'd been putting on a show. It was becoming ever clearer with Alex's shared memories that was not the case and it was starting to get annoying.

There was something odd about the kid and the way he spoke, beyond the obvious fear and nervousness, his voice coming out in short, rapid bursts like someone firing a gun repeatedly. And he seemed to change his mind and alter his story from moment to moment. Stretching forth lightly, she sensed that he quickly switched between the desire to get away and an eagerness to talk to them while the whole time he struggled against his bounds. He had not loosened them enough yet.

She didn't know what to think of his comment about seeing her picture somewhere - especially considering his denial immediately after mentioning it, which was flimsy and motivated by fear - but the lab and Agency instantly sent up red flags and she got very brief images in her mind of what he was talking about. Unlike the memories she'd shared before, it was just a picture of a very sterile facility, filled with menacing promise - his emotions not hers. She tried to poke into it more, to pull more of the images from him, but he really struggled and did not want to be thinking about that place right now. The direction of conversation was making him more than uncomfortable.

At Xander's second warning, she immediately realized what had the kid answering questions at all, when a very gore filled image of the boy's head exploding before Xander's lazer filled eyes flashed into her mind. He'd obviously threatened the kid in order to make him cooperate and from what she could tell, it was exasperating an already addled and hyper sensitive consciousness. Glaring at Xander, Gwen shook her head to herself. The guy had no class sometimes and used the same methods over and over again no matter what the situation and their probability of working. This was NOT the Agent in the alleyway. He was just a teenage boy.

Xander's next questions got another flash of denial and she tried to hang onto the feeling of paranoia, but again he was speaking so quickly that when the images came along with the words, she barely had time to examine them for more than a few seconds at a time. Again she got a clearer view of the sterile room with pictures of people upon a board with their names attached, and suddenly she was staring back at her own image and reading her name.

Even before he went into an explanation of "dead" she knew he didn't mean the natural death where someone released their soul from the body, but along with the explanation came a very visual memory, the most she'd gotten from him so far. He'd watched someone go through the process of having an Agent put inside them. Whether he'd gone through it himself or not, she didn't have enough time to ascertain when he was shifting rapidly away from the memory. Why couldn't he hold still and let her see? It was like his consciousness itself was teleporting around his mind, jumping from one area to the next without stopping for breath. Connected as she was to him right now, he carried her along with him and it was becoming very frustrating.

Even Xander lost his patience for it and stood back from the kid with a small pulsing headache. She didn't need to sense it to know that he was referring to her and her protests against him needlessly using his powers and she was thankful in a way that he was listening to her. But she did not show it and gave him a humorless smirk at his pillow comment. "You're so funny, I forgot to hit you," Gwen said sarcastically trying to bring a bit more light to her comment than he'd had in his. She really hoped he got over this soon. The traded slaps and pokes between them were beginning to upset her and she did not look forward to traveling like this.

Turning her attention back onto the teenage boy, she ran her hand through her damp hair again before stepping forward to stand before him. She wasn't really sure how to start this sort of thing, especially since she'd never questioned anyone before let alone someone like him, but she tried to go with a more gentle approach. First thing was first, she had to get that image hanging over his head out of there.

"Listen, no one's going to hurt you, alright? We just need some answers," she said in her most soothing voice. She had the urge to untie him but knew that Xander would object and she was almost completely certain that when he was no longer stuck to the chair he would vanish and they would never see him again. At least at this point. Sensing that he was still uncertain and the way his eyes darted to Xander, she glanced at him too before looking back at the young man. "He won't do anything, I promise. He listens to me."

Tucking her hair behind her ears she thought about what she could possibly ask. As far as the lab went she knew he had trouble thinking about it and it made him uncomfortable to do so. Wanting to set him at ease, she decided to start with simple things to help him eventually open up. "What is your name? How old are you?"

She knew Xander had said he was 16 but it was more to comfort the kid with a somewhat normal conversation than identify his age. Remembering how he'd been stuffing his face and his bag last night, she then asked, "Are you hungry? Maybe we could get you some breakfast. Do you like eggs and bacon or are you a pancakes and sausage kind of guy?" She smiled then, the expression genuine, even though she was nervous. She hoped the idea of food might make him more comfortable and pliable and she had every intention of fulfilling the offer if he proved to be cooperative.

[Tartra]

It was funny how everyone had the same way of dealing with Xander: good cop/bad cop like it was natural law, except he'd always been pushed into being the guy behind the mirror playing with the video camera and trying to look like he was involved. When those all-too-familiar words came from Gwen, the vague promise to the kid that he ‘wouldn’t do anything’, Alex reasonably assumed it’d be a repeat of the last time this had happened. Not with the guy they’d had tied up in their most recent of former apartments, but the one before that.

They weren’t in the habit of chaining Agents up and pumping them for information. There was only so much they’d give and only so much they had in the first place, but that one'd had a good idea of what the Agents’ plans were for the next week, so they’d gone ahead with it. No sooner had he expressed what little intent they had to harm the prisoner than Xander very discreetly mouthed the words ‘You’ll be dead by the end of this conversation’ and shut the guy up for an hour – and he’d done it while he was in control and talking, clearly a master of multitasking on top of everything else, so it took another ten minutes after Alex had coaxed the Agent into speaking to find out what had happened at all. Five minutes after that, Xander was bored, so they never got any details.

For the second time in two days, he’d been wrong. At what was practically her command, the guy shut up and let her do the talking, staying out of it and biding his time until he felt he was needed. Maybe she’d slipped him something while Alex’s eyes had been closed. Whatever it was, he was buying it in bulk from now on.

Just don’t tell him anything he doesn’t already know, he said quietly.

That didn’t feel like it was going to be a problem. The kid was barely listening to her. She might’ve had some weird sway over Xander, but everything he was doing was half-connected and contradicting. There was no controlling it. He’d pull at the restraints, sink back into them, whip his head around to see the room and then squish his eyes shut like he was trying to wish himself out of here. At every break between her words, he’d stick his neck out and bare his teeth like an animal, just as quickly cowering into himself when she moved on to her next sentence. Oh yeah. It was a much, much better idea having Gwen handle this. A little slower, but not by a lot, and if they really needed it, there was always that ‘head popping’ thing. It seemed to have a good effect on the boy.

So did the word ‘pancakes’.

“Pancakes! Pancakes – pancakes – pancakes –”

... Is he drooling because he’s hungry or because he’s insane?

“Bit of both, probably,” Xander said. “The pancakes are your reward for playing nice, kid. They aren’t free.”

That helped. The boy was alert and friendly and bouncing like he’d been stuck with a needle of crack.

“I want them – I want them –” His eyes started flashing, like he was hurling through a hundred thoughts at once. “My name. My name, my name – uh... Patrick! Patty!”

“Peter?”

“Peter! Peter – that’s it, that’s it –”

Now Xander was enjoying himself. This stopped being an interrogation and turned into a very fun show he was more than willing to put a stop to if it got out of hand, started going after Gwen or just got plain ol' dull.

“I take it back,” he said. “The guy’s nuts - one hundred percent.”

He could still be helpful.

“Yeah, for sure, very helpful. He’s had a run-in with our guys, looks like he knows what they can do.” He snorted. “Just would’ve been nice if he’d survived it.”

Alex wanted to feel sorry, but the kid seemed so feral that it was hard to pin down where the humanity he would’ve mourned was supposed to come from. What the hell had happened to him?

You should ask him about... He drew a blank. ‘Where do you know Gwen from?’ ‘What picture are you talking about?’ ‘Where did you see her name?’ ‘Do you know who we are?’ ‘Do you know if there’re others?’ ‘How the fuck did you get away from their headquarters if we can't hide across the country?’ But it seemed pointless now. The kid’s answers were random and – as Xander had now proved – easily changed. ‘Peter’? That was a bold choice. Did they really want someone around that they’d have to call ‘Peter’? Ask him about who’s chasing him. When did he get away? How much time do we have?

“A lot.” Of course the ex-Agent would know. “Labbies are stupid and they don’t send Agents against something if they’re blind. They’ll need a full profile on his powers, the tools to stop it, a team trained exclusively to get the guy... All that fun stuff. Hell – he’s in more danger being around us than he would’ve if I’d left him.”

... Well, at least they didn't have to worry about drawing another crowd.

[Guest]

Despair fought against hope within her as she watched the young man struggle against his bounds and twitch erratically, his attention focusing and blurring on her so much she could not tell how much of what she was saying got through. A sense of relief burst within her when he recognized the word pancakes and was instantly hooked onto the conversation - with a little bit of Xander's helpful prodding. But instead of easing his thought processes, it only seemed to cloud them and throw them into an even bigger spiral. He remembered the questions but it was like he was answering with what she wanted to hear instead of giving her the actual answers. And the thing that dominated his mind was pancakes and the desire for his reward.

When Xander interjected and got the boy to say his name was Peter - and she knew that was not his name, even though for this moment he thought it was - her shoulders slumped in dismay. Whoever he was before whatever had happened to him, he'd been so damaged by it, he was barely even a human being anymore. Reaching deeper, she could still catch glimmers of it, so she knew he was still in there, but she couldn't help feeling helpless in reaching it.

Alex's voice drifted to her in that echoing way she began to find comforting - she could almost trick herself that he was talking in her head and not Xander's - and she waited for him to give her something to ask him. Faced with how disturbed the young man was, she was beginning to feel incredibly lost not having ever dealt with this type of thing before. Alex's suggestions were good ones and she was about to pose them to the guy but then Xander had to pipe up with answers of his own.

Gwen didn't know why it made her mad, but she'd assumed when he'd stepped away that he was giving up and allowing her to take over. His constant butting in - although filled with useful and pertinent information - made her feel like he was trying to make it seem like her method wasn't working just so she'd admit defeat and allow him to zap the young man, 'Peter', to high heaven. If he kept up like this, she wasn't going to even ask any more questions because he'd have proven them all irrelevant in some way.

"Listen, I thank you, for your input and everything, but you had your turn," she said to him calmly, trying not to sound as snippy as she felt. "Just relax over there. I haven't given up yet."

Turning back to Peter, she folded her arms and adopted the patient tone she'd had before, even though patient was far from what she was feeling. "I need you to tell me about when you escaped the lab. What do you remember?" She paused and bit her bottom lip before continuing on. "How long ago was it? Do you know? How long have you been running?" Xander might be confident about how much time they had but he didn't know how long ago the kid had escaped. It could have been just enough time for the whole "team" of Agents to have been assembled and sent after him. Afterall, Xander had said the boy was being trailed, hadn't he?

"The people following you, what can you tell me about them? Do you know how they might find you?" she searched his eyes for that glimmer she'd seen before and recoiled for a second at what she saw there in it's place. "Remember, pancakes, as many as you'd like. Just tell me what you know." Focus, she pleaded silently.

[Tartra]

The kid was trying to focus. His mind was still looked like it was wrapped around the thought of food, about the only thing that made him normal right now. He closed his eyes like he was trying to jam them shut for eternity and he stayed that way for a solid two minutes. The time ticked down in Alex’s head. It was almost enough for him to want to quit, even if Gwen believed there was a point to this, but her eyes were locked on the boy’s because she wanted this to work. She wasn’t stopping until she got some kind of answer out of him. Xander was paying attention, too. For a minute, Alex convinced himself it was because the scolding had finally set in and he’d decided to behave. Maybe, but that didn’t explain the way Xander was starting to sit forward. There was something he was waiting for he didn’t seem sure of yet. Something was wrong. Something... And if Alex could feel it from inside of here, inside of the head temporarily removed from his control, then it was obvious that Gwen, on the outside, had full access to notice it one way or another.

“I don’t know,” the boy mumbled. The words rolled around in his mouth. “I don’t know. I don’t know – I don’t know – I don’t know...”

It echoed. He thought it did, anyway. What the boy said sounded thick against his ears and faded too slowly. Blinking came as a reflex and didn’t actually reach his eyelids, but the effect was the same. It pulled him from the mud his thoughts had walked into. He blinked again, realized it was Xander doing the same thing for the same reason, and then Alex got creeped out.

Did you –

“Shh.”

He leaned closer, shifting in his seat as though he wanted to get up. He didn’t. Xander backed off without moving an inch, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out a little of that bad mood he’d been fuelling his tantrum with had just been sucked out. Normally, it’d’ve been a good thing because it meant he’d stopped whining and was focusing on what was in front of him, but given their increasingly terrible circumstances, it made Alex feel worse.

Gwen –

“Shh,” he hissed again. Sharper, yes, but quieter this time, too. If something was actually happening, he was trying not to interrupt. That was not Gwen’s influence but she’d certainly kept him in his place.

“No one’s there – no one’s following me,” the kid insisted. His voice had gone back to the hectic, high-strung squeal and Alex was overwhelmed by the distinct impression he’d shared a bit of the boy’s crazy and made it up. Well... Okay. No problem, then. But Xander kept shifting. “I’m alone – I’m always alone – I’m always never not alone –”

I’m really glad he’s tied up.

No ‘shh’.

“Pancakes – I never left,” the kid said. “I left it but I never left –” He stopped, caught his breath and then tried again. “I left it. I left it – the lab – it’s there – I don’t know where – they don’t know where I am - I left – but they want me – they need me – I’m new – I’m special – they want me in the machine –”

Well, yeah. Of course they did. If they were trying to stick someone in his head too, they’d have to bring him to wherever they did the transfer to make sure it happened properly.

“How many times did they put you in there?” Xander’s voice was low. “Do you hear any voices?”

You said they’d get it right if they got another chance, Alex said. The boy was struggling to understand what the hell those words meant. You said the technology improved.

“I think it did,” he muttered. Then louder, “Hey! Crazy kid! Were you always this crazy?”

“Nononononononono – they made me – all of us – everyone - I'm insane – no one left –”

“‘Peter’,” Xander said, halfway to sounding friendly, “how many times did they put you in the machine?”

“I don’t know – I don’t know – I don’t know – I don’t know –”

You’ve got a point?

“I've got a theory. I think they have more than one person in there.”

Not again. For fuck’s sake, hadn’t the Agents had enough time to figure out how not to screw this up? Seriously – it was getting to the point where Alex thought he could do a better job.

“Pancakes,” the kid shot out. “Pancakes – pancakes – pancakes – pancakes – been running – a week – running a week – always running – pancakes – pancakes – pancakes –”

“I'm convinced. He’s earned himself some pancakes.” He got up and headed for the phone. “Anyone else want breakfast? I’m still hungry from yesterday.”

[Guest]

The internal struggle he went through held her transfixed, watching both inside and out as he fought for a response while all the while clinging to the promise of a breakfast meal to keep himself rooted. Inside she could feel that struggle, almost like he was fighting tooth and nail for some kind of focus. What was this constantly shifting consciousness? What had they done to this boy? His response came out in the rush it normally did, but seemed drawn out as well and for several moments, she stood there blinking wondering what had happened. Even hearing Alex say her name in low tones, she did not turn away, waiting for whatever had happened to occur again. But then Peter was answering her questions again, while internally she felt flung around in a tornado trying to keep up with him.

And of course as he described things, verbally they didn't make sense but she got a few flashes of him being put into a chair, the one he'd shown her before of someone else being put into it. Seeing it from his eyes, even for the small second that she did, was a horrific thing. The image of him being strapped into the machine and even his associated feelings towards the event was something that would never leave her, seared into her own nightmares as it was.

Again, Xander offered his own input but she did not protest or get angry this time, a cold hitting her in the pit of her stomach to hear his theory on what was wrong with this kid. Was that what the shifting consciousness was? Did he really have...Agents in his brain? But when she was inside his head, she didn't hear anybody else, not like she did with Alex. Peter dwindled down to incoherently pleading for pancakes and she looked at Xander when he stood up. At his offer of breakfast, she felt her own stomach rumble hungrily, having not eaten dinner or anything else yesterday and with a wary glance at Peter, she approached Xander where he stood by the phone.

"I'd like something, please, anything will be alright. And can we stay here long enough to eat it this time?" her tone was teasing and she smiled but looking back over at the bound teenager her face grew serious. It was several minutes before she spoke again, turning back to him. "If what you said is true, about him, why can't I hear anyone talking inside? Like I do with you? All that's going on in there is he's jumping all over the place, like he can't stay focused on one thing for more than a few seconds."

Talking with him normally like this suddenly reminded her of earlier and she let her eyes fall downward. Even after all that planning while she'd been getting ready, to sweet talk him into a better mood, after her continued antagonism upon rejoining him, she wasn't really sure how to apologize. She felt like she still needed to, despite his return to good-spirits, because she really was sorry. But at the same time, she felt kinda dumb if she brought it up now when he probably didn't even care anymore.

"How's your face?" she asked suddenly, then quickly moved to correct herself. "I mean--from when i hit you. With the pillow." No, he'd definitely not look at her like she was an idiot now. Remembering that he'd mostly been worried about her hitting him with something else if it ever happened again, she decided to try and assuage his worry. "i was conscious," she shrugged. "When I beaned you. I mean, I knew what I grabbed; I knew what I was doing." Oh, waitaminute, that sounded bad.

"That is--what I meant to say..." she paused for a moment and tried to think of a way to fix what she'd said and came up with only one thing. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again." By now, a healthy blush had collected in her cheeks and she was trying to look anywhere but at his face and found her eyes trailed down to his toe. The tape binding his first two toes together on that foot had held through the night and the swelling had gone down a lot, but it was still ugly and bruised.

Gwen reached out and touched it from the inside and could feel it pulsing painfully, but she looked up at him and asked about it anyway. "How does your foot feel? You should probably stay off of it while you can." There was a very real possibility that he could develop a permanent limp if he didn't start taking care of it, and that had nothing to do whether he could feel the pain in it or not.

[Tartra]

He’d had his hand on the phone when she’d started asking questions. The first one got a tight wince as an answer. Alex knew why. Even if they were reasonably sure, as Xander always was, that they were safe from a fresh army of unpredictable Agents, saying they had time of any sort was going to be a guess. Alex still felt trying to eat at a restaurant had been a stupid idea. Caught in the moment, though, and craving one more taste of normality, he’d gone along with it, offering fewer complaints than he usually did. But they shouldn’t’ve have stayed the night. That was something – he hoped it was something – everyone could agree on. In case they’d forgotten, there were three... no – four Agents who knew exactly what they were looking for. He didn’t want to bring it up, especially if Gwen was going to ‘hear’ it, but they couldn’t afford to play pretend for very long.

Alex was about to say it out loud as nicely as he could, but Xander, still barefoot, took the few minutes of silence she was giving him as she did whatever her powers let her do to find the bag they’d brought and toss it closer to the center of the room. He’d returned in time for Gwen to give them something new to worry about. She couldn’t hear anyone else’s thoughts, she said, but if the Agents had done the same thing to the kid – were they really going to call him Peter? – as they’d done to him, there had to be another voice in there or Xander was making stuff up. Or he was paranoid. That was even worse than him being in a bad mood. He switched gears and got ready to ask about the contradiction when she came up with her third question: how did he feel?

Xander was grinning. At mention of the pillow, Alex saw his hand go up and idly rub his jaw. Whether that was from this morning’s battle or the fight he’d had with himself, the one that’d started this whole stupid mess, didn’t really matter. Alex had no idea what it looked like because he couldn’t walk to a mirror, but at least the guy was kind enough to glance down at his foot. He was not so kind at helping it get better. Like an idiot, he lifted it up and wiggled his toes, predictably flinching before going right back to ignoring the thing.

“Foot’s fine,” he said. “And my face is okay. I’m not saying it was a gentle caress and I’m sure as hell not hanging around if you start sleeping near bricks, but as far as that goes, I’ve been hit with worse.”

Yeah. Like my fist. He could feel the pain even now.

“Your fist’s like cotton, buddy,” Xander said. “I’ve broken it three times doing the simplest shit.”

Was he serious?

Punching through glass is not ‘simple shit’, Xander!

“Yeah – not for you. Sorry, Mr. Paper Hands, but we don’t all skip on calcium.”

Which is absorbed by coffee, you dick! You’re killing me day by day and you don’t care!

Xander didn’t bother acknowledging that. Why? ‘Cause he had no answer for it. He knew exactly what Alex meant and that damn –

“The foot’s fine,” he said. “And his hand. Thanks for that. I’m not sure I wanna know how much was in there.” So now he was squeamish? “You like how I said ‘his hand’? I’m acknowledging that this is your body, ‘cause I sure as hell wouldn’t’ve picked it.”

Gee. Thanks.

“You’re welcome.” And then he rolled his eyes. “Anyway, Gwen. About him.” He paused for a minute, thinking it over. After, he shrugged and shook his – Alex’s – head. “I don’t know. Bottom of my heart? I don’t know. I’ve never... seen this. Like I said, it’s a theory, but having more than one person in there makes sense. Mostly.”

He was talking like someone who should’ve had the answer and was pissed by the fact that he didn’t. This was Agency stuff. If he’d truly left their damn group, he would’ve been alright with not knowing. Alex didn’t enjoy being unable to understand, but he wasn’t beating himself up over it.

How does it make sense? How did anything Xander say make sense?

“His powers. You felt it. You had to have felt it – that... sleepy... weird, sluggish second. I don’t know what it is exactly, but if it’s affecting all of us, then it’s an outside force, and one with no legitimate reason to be there. Explain to me how someone who teleports can link up with 'targeted fatigue'?”

Time travel.

That seemed almost intuitive. Slow down time, slow down minds...

“No, it’s not time travel. I’ve seen time travel and it’s a quick, unnoticeable change. Very powerful. Took us weeks to find that girl.” Agent, Agent, Agent, Agent... “It’s not coming from some other direction, either. There’s no one else here and I saw Gwen looking like something was off way longer than I noticed it for. That means it’s got a limited distance and that means it’s from him.”

You sound proud of yourself.

“I am proud of myself. I earned some pancakes, too.”

That doesn’t prove anything. He could just have two powers.

“It’s very, very possible he’s got a second power, but I’ve heard dozens of other cases and hundreds of other people – we killed a few Agents trying to get them to talk –” Xander killed a few. He had to make that clear. “There’s no one I’ve seen who’s ever had more than one. Occasionally, they could extend it. Peter could fly a little, which was understandable.” ‘Flying was understandable’ were the words that had just come out of his mouth. “Telekinesis and flying fits. Teleportation and sleeping pills? No. I’m not seeing it. But maybe there’s something I’m missing.”

And it doesn’t explain why she can’t hear them talk.

“I know.”

So?

“No clue,” Xander said, getting on his knees to rummage through his bag. “I’m not a mind reader. I said that, right? So you’re probably gonna figure it out before I do.” He nodded at Gwen. “Let me know if you come up with any ideas.”

“They’re dead – they’re dead – they’re dead – they’re dead –”

Peter Number Two was babbling again. Xander flicked a hand in the kid’s general direction, then added, “Maybe they’re dead.”

Charming.

“Thanks. As for the first thing you asked me that got rudely pushed to the end, I may not know where the Agents are...” He pulled out the goggles he’d stolen at the apartment. “... but I can find out.”

Typical.

Let me guess: you can use those, too.

“Helped get the bugs out and everything.”

I see. And I’m sure it’s complicated enough that I won’t recognize you flagging down your friends to pick us –

“Gwen can do it,” Xander cut him off. He held them out to her. “You’d have to be an idiot to not figure out how they work, so don’t give them to Alex.”

That’s –

“I’m ordering everyone pancakes. Pancake day – yaaay!”

[Guest]

There was that smile again. It was so good to see him not upset at her anymore and she made a note to herself to be gentle with him, lest she get tossed onto his grumpy side again. And of course, the banter between the two was semi-entertaining, but mostly she was enjoying the feeling of having returned, for just a few minutes at least, to a time where they were not running away. Gwen wanted that so badly. It was only day two and she was already feeling strung out and worn thin with the constant highs and lows. The only way she was able to go on right now was with the hope there would eventually be an end to it all. She needed to believe in that.

It was also nice to be thanked by him for something he'd been ignoring - and thus, she'd assumed he wouldn't even have noticed it - but the moment passed by when he was once again talking about their new companion. He surprised her by actually admitting that he didn't know something but as was typical for him, he seemed frustrated by this fact and did so almost begrudgingly. As he went into the "event" she'd sensed a moment ago - she'd known they'd felt it to, at least she knew Alex had - he brought up some interesting questions that she hadn't considered when it had happened.

She didn't really know what it was, when it had occurred, but had assumed it had something to do with his powers. She wasn't exactly sure of everything the kid was capable of, so she didn't know what it was limited to. But taking Xander for his word, she'd assumed Peter could teleport. Whatever else was involved, she hadn't thought to ask, thinking that she would be told - she had to stop doing that. Now apparently he was only supposed to teleport and nothing else - well, only if it was reasonably related. The mention of the other Peter put her on edge, especially with Alex's associations with the story they'd told her about, but she shoved it away. No, Xander was trying to help them. He was connected to all this as much as they were and even though he'd been one of them, it didn't make sense to keep running like he was now if he was still on their side.

With everything that he'd said so far, she really didn't have too many ideas, none that withstood her own internal scrutiny to fit into all the spaces anyways - she'd been leaning towards Alex's theory of time travel until Xander had shot it down. And then Peter had his own idea to add to the conversation and she looked at him as if he were crazy. What did he mean exactly? There were dead Agents in his head? Or was he talking about something completely different? Even steeped deep in his mind while he said it, she could not make sense of the words and how they connected, if at all, to the current conversation. After knowing what people thought and felt, it was frustrating to suddenly know all these things with someone but not being able to make sense of them.

Then Xander was handing her a pair of goggles from his bag, something she'd noticed before when she'd reorganized everything but had not thought anything of it. From what he said, she gathered that they would somehow help them find out where the Agents were and...he was handing them to her! For a moment, she blinked at him, a smile slowly spreading on her face, before she reached forward and took them from him. Turning them over in her hands, she figured out how to put them on and proceeded to ignore both of them in favor of her new toy.

Sliding them on over her neck, she continued to look them over, trying to figure out what buttons did what before she put them into position over her eyes. Orange light swept over her vision and she gasped with a laugh as she looked about the room. Then something started happening that she didn't realize she had control over - as she turned around in a circle in the middle of the floor different objects in the room were zoomed in on for a brief moment, with an analysis of them popping up on the screen.

With a giggle and without turning towards him she said to Xander, "I now know the make and model and manufacture number of the TV! And everything inside the bar and how much they all cost!" She laughed again and said in excited tones, "This. Is. So. Cool!" Then she stopped and frowned. "Those windows aren't locked very good. Geez, glad no one decided to break in! Do you know how much you paid for this room? Some security! Tsk!"

Turning around more she faced Xander and the same thing happened as before, except the information that came up was some sort of file. She squinted at him for a few moments but other than a physical description and a heading, there was nothing else. Number 05? Geez, how many cases are there? 10? He'd said he'd been after hundreds of cases hadn't he? Always the exaggerator. At least she thought that before she turned to "Peter".

Instantly on the screen for him came up a name and brief physical description - which she now knew had to do with the goggles analysis rather than something actually on file and she only knew this because it made a note that he was currently physically restrained and how well. She scoffed briefly at it's determination that the bounds she'd made were "moderate".

"Nathan - #35, successful transfer. Does that mean you were right? It called you a success," she couldn't help laugh a little. She was feeling giddy and enjoying this way too much. Slipping them off of her face she said aloud, "Hey, I was thinking, maybe what we felt before was him trying to teleport the room or something. Maybe there's a limit to his powers and it didn't work?" She shrugged a little and eagerly put the goggles back on, adjusting instantly to the orange light that seemed to illuminate everything.

Then she stopped as something foreign popped up before her eyes.

WTF? Were have u ben?

Some words flowed before her on the screen as if someone had sent her a message. "Oh, shit... Someone's talking to me..." she murmured nervously. A keyboard came up in front of her face as well and after a moment of trying to manipulate it with her hands, she realized she had to type by thinking.

Just one second. busy.

At first it was slow going as she tried to think of each letter first, but once she got to the word "second" she had moved smoothly into place mentally. Having operated a keyboard for a living she had no trouble after that, but she was suddenly looking at Xander again, seeing him through everything that was up on her screens right now and asked, "What do I say?"

Were r u? A hotel? lol

It was only then that she realized she must have been sending information about the room to someone else on a receiving end. Suddenly having the goggles on wasn't fun anymore and she moved her hands worriedly in Xander's general direction. "Help!"

[Tartra]

He’d worked out all the bugs in an impossibly sophisticated shred of technology – he was taking Gwen’s reaction on that, not Xander’s – and could, as far as they’d discovered, swarm a small army of Agents, whip up credit cards and full bank accounts in hours, get a headshot on a moving target from a block away with a handgun, and yet he couldn’t figure out a phone.

“Why the fuck isn’t this thing working?” Xander was jabbing at it. “I’m pressing 9. I’m clearly pressing 9.”

Xander, how old are you? Because I’m starting to think you’re eighty.

“Please hang up and try –”

“I wish this thing had a brain so I could melt it.”

Hang it up and then press 9. Xander instead pressed the button on the phone, trying to trick it into thinking it had its receiver back. When the dial tone refused to return, he scowled, clearly under the belief that it’d been possessed. Hold it for longer. Now he did it for half a second instead of just the quick tap like before. No. Press it down and hold it.

“I did hold it.”

Hold it longer!

“I did hold it longer!”

She knew how much the bar was gonna cost. Great! She could start counting the money out while he got drunk enough to never have to hear this guy again.

Hold it down –

“Got it, got it, shut up.” It started ringing. And ringing. Xander’s attention split when he heard her voice come up again. He’d left her alone to play with the goggles while he handled breakfast-duty, but the thin line of panic in her voice called him back to her. He turned and leaned against the closest wall and watched her while his other hand fiddled with the curly cord dragged across his chest. He kept quiet until she explicitly asked him what she should say next – wait – say next to who?

Who is that?

“Good question.” She started waving at him. With the phone ringing in his ear, Xander walked over, slipped the goggles over her head and put them onto Alex’s. There was suddenly a lot of orange in this room. “You’ll get ‘em back in a second. Just let me shut some of this shit off.”

“Hello?”

“Yes, hi, I need about forty or so pancakes to room... 4... 0... this one.”

So much orange. So many little blurbs of text popping over everything. Xander ignored those. He was focused on the keyboard floating in front of his face. It wasn’t real, but if Alex had tried to measure it, he’d’ve said it was three inches away, crowded by the text box and words that seemed to point at him and laugh, ‘There you are.’ He raised his hands and pinched the corners of where the keyboard would’ve been, pulling it down and flattening it out in front of him until it was like he’d been set up at a computer.

“Sir, we don’t accept breakfast orders at this time of day. All requests of that nature are to be made the night before.”

Wow.

Gwen hadn’t moved her hands, but was this her conversation – with an Agent – on the screen?

“You crazy kids and your gadgets. Can’t even stand a phone, let alone want to use my head to type." He was grinning too brightly. He was accessing things too fast. Alex was beyond comfortable with how familiar he was with this. Louder, he said, “Why would I have to order the night before?”

“It’s so we can prepare them for your morning.”

“It is morning. I want my pancakes.”

OMG you would never believe me if I told you what happened today. Idk who I’m talking to. Who is this?

LOLOLOL wtf u break somthing?

My whole ystems down. I can’t tell anything apart

its gary you loser eveything looks ok to me

I swear the system reset. Fix it!!

“Unbelievable. This guy’s still working here. How the hell is he not fired?”

“Sir, the kitchen has already finished accepting orders for room service. If you’d like to come to the hotel restaurant, we’d be happy to provide you with a meal.”

Not that I need another not to trust you, Alex said, but would you mind not talking about these people like they’re old friends?

“Old faces, not old friends. If this’s the same Gary as the one I know, he’s obviously fucking someone’s wife to stay employed.” Xander snorted happily to himself, fondly skipping down memory lane. Then he remembered someone had dared to argue with him and got annoyed. “I’m not coming down to a restaurant. I don’t care if it’s ‘closed’ – I want my damn pancakes.”

“Pancakes – pancakes – pancakes –”

“My poor son is craving this one, simple thing. He’s been through hell and back. I spent every dime in my pocket bringing him here, promising daddy would find his cancer-ridden, flu-inflected, diabetically-blessed, almost-orphaned soul his favourite food on his last morning out of a hospital from his dream hotel.” Menus flipped up and were closed. Buttons flashed and then were silenced. Suddenly, a list streaked over eyes, too fast for anyone to possibly read, but it seemed to be exactly what Xander had been waiting for. “Are you telling me, in his final days of walking on this Earth without a wheelchair and a fleet of doctors, you’re going to –”

“We can get you the pancakes, sir,” the receptionist interrupted, sounding more irritable than Alex would’ve liked. “The problem is we’d have to charge you extra.”

“That’s A-OK with me. Forty-seven. And make one of them like a heart, would you? It’s his dying wish.”

“Pancakes – pancakes – pancakes –”

“We’ll get right on that, sir, but your order will take some time to process.”

“Oh, just send them up when you get them,” Xander merrily replied. “Stacks of ten, please – thaaaanks!” He stopped typing long enough to hang the phone up, then jumped right back into his chat.

ur gonna kill me fr this... i have t clear evyething out if u want me to ‘fix i’

I know I know. Just get me locked onto my lead and I’ll be happy

lol thats not th jason i know. im gonna save this so u dont come cryin t me latr like i did soething wrong

You’re my angel gary. Hugs????

hugs 4ever lol!!!!

“Good God, I remember why I hate him,” Xander said. He took the goggles off and held them out to Gwen for a second time. “Here. He’s resetting the system. He’ll put a link up between you and whoever’s in charge, who I’m guessing is the psychopath who beat you down.”

You say it like she’s not your soulmate, Alex muttered.

“They can’t find us, they can’t trace us and, until one of them sends in a report – which has to be done in a very secure way and requires a teeny bit more effort than calling somebody – headquarters isn’t gonna know we have this unless they run into someone else with a suit. Unlikely but, hey. Keep your eyes open. We’d probably have to make a request if we want any real information on this kid. It’d require justification and an access code. That’s normally automatic, but only because it scans the eyes and I forgot to take those, too.” He sobered up after that and lowered his voice. “Is that all it says about me? ‘Success’? No notes, no... nothing?”

She’s already writing a book about you. You don’t need two.

“Right.” He immediately scrunched his face up as though he’d been reminded of something mildly amusing. “I’m gonna get you some aspirin.”

What now?

“A headache. A good one, too. The suits are specifically designed to adapt to the mind of the first person who straps in. After that, unless you and that guy match each other’s wavelength on every possible level, there’s going to be some ‘mental tension’ as your mind gets crammed into the system like a fat guy in a speedo. In this case, Gwen, you’re the speedo, unless your powers are strong enough to set up a shield.” He grinned and draped the goggles over her head, then patted the side of her arm. “Sorry. Forgot about that little side effect.”

... Am I gonna have –

“Ear-splitting, mind-rending, eye-burning agony? Hell yeah! You really shouldn’t’ve been watching while I did all that stuff,” Xander said. “I mean – she used it for five minutes, she’s fine. I used it for about the same time, but did you see how much I did? This’ll hurt. A lot.”

But – you’ll feel it, too!

“Oh, I already feel it. It’s coming on bit by bit. But I’m the Hulk, remember? I don’t feel pain.” He gave Gwen a thumbs up. “It’s a blank slate now, in case you were wondering. You can screw around to your heart’s content, but I don’t recommend you tell the guy who owns these. They – and me, too – get really, really touchy about people messing with this stuff. But it’s great, right? I’ll go get you that aspirin.”

You did this on purpose! I know you did!

“Shut up, Alex. No one wants to hear you whine.”

Hear me whine?

[Guest]

She hadn't expected him to take them from her, but she offered no complaints when he came over and slipped them off of her head, instantly putting them on himself. Watching worriedly, she listened to him try and order them breakfast, while attempting to still see the conversation he was having with the anonymous texter by probing his eyes. Meanwhile, locked with his senses as she was, she could hear the person he was speaking to on the phone. Standing there, barely a foot apart from him, she didn't even really see or sense anything in front of her own face anymore due to the amount of multitasking he was putting her senses through.

Even feeling a little dispirited about the lack of pancakes - she should have thought to order something last night for them! - she was mostly focused on the conversation he was now typing out to the other Agent through the goggles, which continued to fascinate her. This gadget was like something out of a spy movie and it seemed too cool to be real, but here it was in front of her, being used. The language used by the other person, this "Gary", was not something she'd expect from an Agent, but rather a boy much the same age as their friend Nathan over there, and she felt her preconceptions about the people running this show alter quite a bit.

And apparently they were old pals. Her reaction to Xander's knowing the guy was much the same as Alex's and she couldn't help feeling a little unsettled by his familiar tone while discussing this "Gary" person. Gwen wanted to trust him but it was moments like these that made it hard for her to do so and she understood Alex's paranoia. Maybe it was seeing how easily he could turn his moods around this morning, suddenly hating her over one little thing - which would be understandable to just about anyone else who wasn't a conceited baby - that made her realize his loyalties could be just as flimsy. But then again, he'd forgiven her pretty quickly as well, and that meant something didn't it?

Even though she felt it was being smarter than she had been before to be more wary of him and his motives, she couldn't help also feeling like she was jumping over simple shadows and making a bigger deal out of things than they really were. In her current situation it was a double edged sword: if he was going to turn on them, she was still very attached to the guy, a bit like Alex, as if she didn't have a choice between walking away and getting captured. But if he wasn't, then she was being suspicious for nothing and he really was betraying those he'd worked with this whole time and had been sticking his neck out for her when he really would have been better off throwing her under the bus to get away himself. It was a hard situation and all she could do was stay with him and watch and wait for now. If she eventually collected enough knowledge she might be able to leave him and try to hide from Agents on her own...

When the man on the phone told Xander he'd need to come down to the restaurant in order to get breakfast, she of course was willing to be reasonable. But predictably, Xander wasn't. Folding her arms, she disengaged from him long enough to give him a disapproving look at his sob story about a "son" who'd just gotten out of the hospital and was terminally ill. For pancakes. It wasn't the fact that he was lying to a stranger - no, she understood that it was necessary for their survival to break the truth when talking to people they didn't know - but this hardly fit into that category. The man was an unbelievably spoiled brat, always demanding his own way over the smallest things and making up a story that was excessively dramatic.

When he hung up, she merely shook her head and reconnected with him as he finished up the second conversation he'd been having with the less than impressive Agent. She didn't really understand what he was talking about when he said 'resetting the system', but her eyes widened a bit when he mentioned Stephanie. Relaxing when he explained it, she looked at the goggles in his hands with a bit more soberness than when he'd first handed them to her. In the midst of her excitement, she'd forgotten why he'd given them to her in the first place. Now she felt a bit foolish for playing with them as she had.

And just when she thought the situation wasn't already filled with tension, he decided to inform her about the side-effects of the goggles. As they were placed upon her head, she gave him a level look and said, "Thanks. Fun toy."

Although, Gwen had to admit, she didn't feel any different than before she'd put them on. The pain he described sounded awful and she kept expecting something to start hurting but nothing happened and she'd actually been wearing them even while he'd had them on. She considered telling him she was alright, but then she thought of Alex and what he'd have to go through when the headache finally hit him, and decided to let him search for aspirin for her. Maybe when he found some, she could convince him to take some for Alex too. With his complaint about the man's whining, she knew exactly what she was going to say to convince him.

Turning back to the goggles that still sat upon the crown of her head, and now realizing what he'd meant about them being "reset", she slipped them down over her eyes with more determination than she had before. Enough playing, time to get serious. Well...at least until she'd found out the necessary information. Taking a deep breath she waited for a link to Stephanie to appear and opened it.

Apparently, the woman was wearing goggles or something just like she was and she could see through them. Technically, it wasn't through her eyes but it basically was the same thing. She was sitting in the backseat of a car, and instead of orange, everything had a slight oily green tinge to it. Not overly so, like the goggles, but a bit like looking through a tinted glass. Sunglasses?

The car was nice and roomy, with smooth shiny leather seats and in the driver's seat was a very large man she did not recognize. But she instantly froze when she saw the Frenchman from Alex's memory sitting in the front passenger seat. They were together! The woman who was after her was with the man pursuing Alex and Xander! Of course, they'd found each other and were working together! She was more disheartened by the fact than surprised, as she'd been secretly hoping - based on what Xander had told her about the Agency - that it was some complex bureaucracy where nobody talked to each other and fumbled to complete assignments. Her hope that they'd each be left chasing their tails before picking up her and Xander's trail was completely crushed. Now it was only a matter of time.

Stretches of highway passed by windows that were also tinted but there didn't appear to be any cars with them, almost as if they were on a special, secluded road of some kind. The signs that they passed however were the same and Gwen was able to identify where they were. They'd just passed Afton so they were about 20 minutes out of the city where she and Alex had lived. That gave them an hour and 45 minutes - probably less if there wasn't a speed limit and other cars on the road. She was about to break off the link when she saw the woman turn to the other occupant of the back seat, bringing him into view for the first time. A young man, in his early 20s sat huddled uncomfortably in the seat next to her. His skin was gray and glistening with a sheen of sweat, his hair matted down by it and his eyes were glazed with a terrible haunted look. He looked like he was in pain and extremely ill.

Had they...captured someone? It only took her a minute to realize that he was one of them by the suit he was wearing - there was an identifiable pattern on his left shoulder that mimicked the one on the side of the goggles - and she further assumed that he was the previous owner of the pair she was wearing. Remembering how Xander had stolen them off of a guy in the hallway where she'd fought Stephanie, she swallowed thickly to compare the image of her memory to the sickly thing she saw now. Curious, she started to reach forward through the goggles and see if she couldn't hear some of what was going on.

Sitting slowly on the edge of the bed, her lips curled up in a small smile as she connected with the woman who had been able to block her before. It was an exciting feeling, not only because she'd broken through somehow, but also because she fancied herself sneaky at not being detected. She blamed this on the distance between them and even that was an amazing feat to have accomplished.

Voices came through and now she was no longer looking through the goggles but actually seeing through Stephanie's eyes and glasses which she saw now were of the same kind of technology as the goggles. The woman had turned to the young man sitting next to her and spoke in a completely deadpan voice that came in a hollow and echoed way to Gwen's ears. "We couldn't have taken an Agency aircraft?" she asked, no emotion entering her voice whatsoever. Deeper inside, Gwen could feel a glimmer of annoyance from the woman however and she felt a wave of triumph run through her own mind that there was absolutely no static at all. She got the sense that Stephanie was blaming her partner for something but the connection was so faint, she couldn't detect what it was.

The woman turned away from him in disgust of his current condition and watched the road that passed outside her window. Then the Agent began to think about Gwen, a sense of victory filling her even as impatience battled within. All of a sudden, Gwen was taken aback by the surge of emotion coming from the woman and all directed at her. There was an obsessive quality to it, an eagerness bordering on hysteria, and something akin to...hunger in her thoughts of Gwen. Sitting on the bed in the hotel room, Gwen felt her heart drop through her feet and her whole body grow cold, swallowing thickly at the woman's insane desire to consume her. It had the same texture as someone might feel towards idolizing a celebrity and wanting to be them and live like they did, but taken to such an extreme level, she couldn't help but feel deeply disturbed by it all.

And towering over all these thoughts was an overbearing confidence of reaching her intended goal. There was not a sliver of doubt in Stephanie's mind whether she would eventually own Gwen's mind and body. Following the train of thought, she realized it came from the information she possessed; they'd already pinpointed the direction they needed to go. There had been reports of an unexplained incident in a woman's clothing store in the city of Vestal. The type of incident that was Alexander's trademark. And they were heading in a beeline straight for them.

Gwen glared at nothing in particular as she realized that it was all Xander's fault. Instead of just helping her pay for the clothes she'd gotten, he'd zapped the woman in Sally's Boutique for no reason. If he wasn't secretly working for the Agency, then he was doing a piss poor job of proving otherwise by constantly leaving behind a trail! He would most definitely get a stern talking to after she was done here.

As thoughts of Gwen faded from Stephanie's mind, she caught her thinking of her idiot partner and even worrying about him a little bit. There was a general and deeply hidden, amount of dislike for the man working with her, but underneath it, even deeper, she sensed there was a bit of fondness as well. Probing just a bit further as Stephanie thought about how she could help the man without seeming to help him, Gwen came upon a few thoughts that hinted at a crush on her partner. Uncontrollably, a smile appeared on her face again and she said aloud in a sing-song voice, "♫ Somebody's got a boyfriend! ♪" That was just the kind of thing Stephanie needed! A healthy distraction and a normal relationship to get her mind off of this twisted obsession.

Gwen gripped the bed for balance as her vision changed a little bit with Stephanie jerking upright in her seat and looking wildly around the car. "Something's wrong..." the woman murmured in a monotone that Gwen was beginning to find annoying.

For a few minutes, Gwen sat tense upon the edge of the bed, not moving or making a sound, waiting for the woman to calm down. Finally Stephanie sat back in her seat waving off the look from the Frenchman - whom she now knew was named Benoit, thanks to Stephanie's thoughts of him - her body still rigid and on alert, her mind racing and trying to figure out what had just happened. She'd...felt something. No! She'd heard something inside her head.

Without thinking, Gwen mumbled in an amazed tone, "She heard me...?" wondering what the implications of that were. Could she make herself be heard in other people's heads? Or did the goggles allow this to happen for some reason?

The reaction in Stephanie was immediate, having already been on alert when Gwen had spoken the first time. With a clawed hand, she grabbed at the glasses on her face and tossed them up towards the front seats of the car, letting them hit the front windshield with a small "Tonk!" sound. Anger of an unbelievable degree filled the woman and Gwen recoiled physically with her mouth gaping open in horror at the amount of rage that was spilling forth from the woman's body.

She'd at first thought it had been the glasses that was the cause and now knew that whatever had invaded her consciousness was still inside her independent of the gadget. And it pissed her off. With a growl of frustration totally out of character for her, she screamed "What the fuck!??" her body trembling with rage. Gwen started to tremble too, but for different reasons, rooted in place and struggling to disengage herself but unsure of how to do so at this distance. And she could feel parts of Stephanie's mind closing down with heavy reverberating slams that grew louder as they neared where she was in the woman's consciousness.

Reaching with a clawed hand, her face contorted with rage, she grabbed a fistful of Jean's shirt and stared with insane eyes. "STOP THE FUCKING CAR!!!"

Only when he complied - after looking to the Frenchman for an uneasy nod of approval first - did she let go of him, her breathing coming in labored gasps as she jerked the car door open and stepped out onto the empty stretch of road. Gwen was locked in this one part of consciousness in Stephanie's mind, unable to move from it or hide anywhere else and she was starting to emit panicked gasps, her hands clutching the sheets of the bed underneath her. Pacing on the asphalt in her black highheels, the static returned and Gwen felt her nose start to gush blood as it filled her head with a higher pitch than she'd ever experienced before.

Panting and coming to a stop, Stephanie grabbed her own head in her hands and began to scream as loud as she could. Back in the hotel, Gwen's own scream of pain came in unison as she was shoved violently out of the woman's head.

Stephanie stood for a few moments, her shoulders shaking as she slowly let go of her head and began to laugh loudly. Not having laughed at all in years, it was an alien sound to her ears, but it bubbled up from her throat as naturally as if she'd done it yesterday. When it died down, she turned to the three men, who were all waiting and watching her, and with a breathless smile proudly said, "She's reached the next stage in her development, gentlemen. And they now know, we're on our way." Placidly, she smoothed the mask back into place and re-entered the car.

***********************

As soon as she was let go, Gwen fell off of the bed and began to curl up in a fetal position on the floor, her whole body shuddering uncontrollably. A headache blasted through her skull, like an echo of the static, pulsing behind her eyelids and ringing in her ears and she rolled from side to side on the ground in an attempt to get away from it, to assuage it somehow. In the process, she pushed the goggles up off of her face and sat up enough to gag and drool and bleed on the carpet, her eyes tearing from the dry heave that had wracked her body as the sound in her head made her feel sick. With a soft moan, she lay like that for a while, her face pressed into the floor and trying to collect the pieces of her brain that had been splattered across the wall.

[Tartra]

Jason felt the pain in the back of his throat the most. It was suffocating sitting in the car like this. The air was too stiff and hot, he was sweating and struggling to breathe, but even if the pain had spread smoothly across his entire body, his neck would still refuse to give up its throne.

Frenchie and Flunky had dragged them to some random restaurant in the middle of the city, insisting on spending hours there chatting with each other. They hadn’t bothered trying to include him and his lead, obviously deciding their discussion would’ve gone over his head, and they’d refused to see any point in hurrying things up. It’d built up a wonderful air of resentment around his boss and he was waiting until she took it out on him. Now would not be the best time. He was sick and starving. Jason hadn’t eaten anything back there. He’d ordered, sure, and he’d made Frenchie pay for it, but he’d sat there and stared at his food because his throat hurt too damn much to bother with it. He was beginning to regret being one of the only suit-wearers who wasn’t hopped up on a hundred different drugs to prevent this kind of... reaction. It might’ve made him cripplingly addicted, but he already was that with his suit and the health hazards weren’t a lot to worry about because this kind of work and their kind of case seemed to have put a timer on his life already. Two months? Maybe nothing. Maybe. If those two knew something about it – and he was positive they did, since that denial had come way too quickly – they weren’t sharing.

It was something he would’ve liked to research. If he had his goggles, the very thought of which gave his throat another unpleasant twitch, he could’ve tried. No, he couldn’t look up things on Alexander, but he would’ve had access to the more important bits and pieces on whoever had been on the team. There were certain comments to be made that were mandatorily filled out and posted, and with those under his belt, he might’ve been able to answer his own question. But he didn’t. He had these. These glasses, these toys, these basic bits of software that almost made him cry to look through. Any request for information, be it a model number for a car or just the weather in a different country, had to be manually entered. There was no feed constantly refreshing and no way to customize the information he got so it’d always be up-to-the-second, if it worked as precisely as that in the first place. And how was that information entered? Through a keyboard. Virtual, fine, but they didn’t have the mental-manipulation capacity like his goggles. He never enjoyed typing things with his mind – it’d been a pain to get started and sometimes he’d forget to shut it off – but the speed that it allowed him to work at was incredible. He’d taken it for granted. Every. Single. Letter. Had to be typed, and that alone was enough to hurt.

He wasn’t talking to anyone. He hated the Flunky, Frenchie’s head was in the clouds and he was not going to let himself get pulled into a fight with his lead. He’d felt a chill in his soul when she asked him why they weren’t flying, but that’d been their choice, not his, and they were lucky to get it. The very tiny fraction of news they got had picked up on some kind of attack in a store a city away called ‘Vestal’. No one had died, which he’d taken as an unimportant thing, but Benoit and his special-ass lenses – goggles sounded so much more powerful than glasses, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that ‘lenses’ trumped all – dove through the victim’s medical history and declared this the work of his case, of Alexander. And then they’d gone back to eating. They’d actually had to be convinced to get up and move. Clearly, whatever plan they were sticking to had a trail they’d been following already. Maybe the direction the attack pointed out to them was knowledge they’d had for hours. It certainly looked that way. Although they’d been going almost directly to the Vestal, every now and then, Frenchie would point his finger and Flunky would drive down a different road, like they could see the path their case had taken.

Well, whoop-de-hella-do.

He needed his goggles back. The pain was getting worse. He was fine, really, and he’d last for at least a week. That was one of the requirements of getting this suit; he had to test himself and prove his final limit was strong enough to keep from breaking right away. Those who failed got the drugs. He hadn’t failed. But whatever happened after that week – if this somehow took a week – was something he hadn’t been introduced to. At least the glasses helped a bit. He could keep himself distracted. ‘Part of the old team’ for Alexander included the Agent that’d been transferred in. Not a lot on him either, but enough for a decent read. Flunky hadn’t bothered resetting the system and flushing out the records before he’d handed his over, but it was because there was hardly anything private in there. He was in the middle of how they’d gotten Alexander to hold still for the process when, without the slightest warning, his lead sat up. She waited for about half a second, then hurled her glasses at the windshield. Frenchie didn’t budge. Flunky almost had a heart attack. And then she grabbed the mammoth by his shirt and shrieked at him to stop, which he didn’t do until Benoit gave a half-bored, half-expectant nod, and then pulled over to let her out.

“Boss...?”

He wanted to ask how other suits could manage this weakness, but then he realized he was the only one who’d either a) lost his goggles or b) lost his goggles while not on drugs. He was setting the standard and he wasn’t leaving a low bar. He got out of the car and stood up straight, forcing air into his lungs. Then he stayed the hell away from her, because she was screaming like a banshee and he didn’t know how to handle that.

“Give her some time,” Frenchie said, suddenly beside him. The Flunky was on his other side, as usual. “Jean, pay attention to this.”

“I have it recording.”

The lenses could record? At will instead of all the time? Great. Something else he was missing out on, thanks to these stupid glasses. He wanted his goggles back and he wanted them –

She was laughing.

He really, really did not know how to respond, so he didn’t. Instead, he waited until she was getting up again and reporting a conclusion he had no idea how she’d reached. Next level? What the hell was that? Why didn’t anyone ever feel like letting him know the full story? Yes, he was missing a crucial piece of his suit, but he was still the information guy. He needed information.

“Boss,” he said again, following her back into the car. “What happened? How do they know we’re coming?”

Damn. They were going to be moving again. Not just his case and Alexander, but Jason, his lead and the other two. He’d never been carsick before, but he was finding lots of new things to experience.

“If she has been compromised –” His ears perked up. “– he will have nothing left defending him.” Oh. Flunky meant Jason’s target. But that was a good idea to think about. Was there something wrong with his lead they now had to watch out for? “It is as risky running with her as without, but her usefulness to him will be cut short if she can no longer serve as a guard. He may leave her.”

Flunky said it as if it were a bad thing. Didn’t they want his target and theirs to split up? Jean was gagging to get away from Jason and his ‘failure’.

“I doubt it. If she is conscious, she has a purpose.” The man was smoking again. “Besides, I think he made a friend.”

“Because it worked out so well before,” Flunky muttered, putting the car back in gear and driving.

* * *

What the fuck did you do to her?

Xander didn’t answer. He walked over and knelt beside her body, tossing the pointless bottle of aspirin onto the bed. She was curled up and shaking, wrapped in agony and hurt in a way Alex couldn’t begin to fathom. Xander brushed her hair away from her neck and put two fingers on its side. Was he taking her pulse? Seriously? She was alive, but barely! He had to do more than that!

“Just relax, Gwen,” he said, less soothingly and more distracted. “This might be uncomfortable.”

What –

He put his thumb and his index on either side of her throat, clearly looking for a pulse in the wrong spot because that was under her jaw. He started to grind his fingers in, pausing as if he were checking something, then ground them in even farther. And he did this three times, like he was trying to bore holes into her, before – finally, while she was still alive and could breathe – easing off the pressure and rubbing the now red spots, as if he was brushing away the pain.

“She’s up to forty.”

... What?

“Forty percent,” he said, explaining absolutely nothing. He stood and walked back to the bathroom, grabbing a cloth and running it under water. “I’m forty percent sure she’s not an Agent.”

What – you – How was that even an issue anymore? What was –

“I was checking her neck to make sure there wasn’t a tag,” Xander said. “Or a tracer or a chip or anything. That’s where the Agency puts them, under the jaw, off to the side. They bury it so it’s not easy to find.”

Alex didn’t know what to say. Gwen had been screaming in pain at the top of her lungs and he was talking about a tag?

So she’s not an Agent, he sputtered.

“That’s not what I said.”

You’re ‘forty percent’ sure she’s not, he tried again, panicked and exasperated and only slightly relieved to find Xander taking the cloth and going back to her with it. What does that mean? You don’t trust her?

“It means I’m sixty percent sure I shouldn’t trust her,” Xander replied, “because she might be a Agent.”

She hasn’t done anything –

“She could be a very good actress.”

He was dumbfounded. This was too much. He was quiet as Xander started wiping away the mess on her face and taking the tissues from the night table to block her nose – it was still flowing, unbearably bright – while he tried putting his thoughts together.

She hasn’t done anything to make you not trust her, he finished.

“Exactly why she’s only at forty.”

They’re after her, too!

“They were after Peter.” He was being gentle about his work, returning the favour she done for him when she’d picked the glass from his hand and set his foot. “They could’ve stepped up their game.”

You saw that woman drilling into her, Alex said. She was like a demon!

“And then Gwen started walking like it’d been a scratch. She’s tough, I’ll admit it, but no one’s that tough.”

You’re paranoid.

“Hasn't killed me yet.”

You’re delusional, Alex said. They weren’t trying to kill her. They just wanted her... disabled. Of course she’s going to be able to walk around. They can’t break her spine. And she’s not some girl made of glass. You know what she’s like.

“Yeah.”

He didn’t seem remotely convinced. Gwen’s face was clean, but her eyes were unfocused and Alex could almost feel the pain she was going through. Unless it was that great headache he’d been promised. Xander had said hers wouldn’t be so bad because she’d only used it for a few minutes. This couldn’t be that. It couldn’t. It was something else, it had to be.

You didn’t find... whatever you were looking for? It wasn’t there?

“Yes to the first part, no to the second. They could’ve hidden it somewhere else, used a smaller piece... It’s been eight years since I’ve seen what their procedures are.” Six years. “That’s more than enough time to change them. And I’m willing to believe she’s got powers, but it’s the kind that’re hard to prove exist. I haven’t seen any tangible evidence, so maybe –”

Then what the fuck is this?

“Dunno.” And he didn’t even seem to care that he didn’t know! “Could be another way of proving she’s being hunted, part of the act, all that, or she’s legitimately hurt and... we’ll have to wait and see.”

‘Wait and see’? That’s your big idea?

“You got somethin' better?” He’d cleaned her up nicer than Alex had expected. He put a hand on her back and lightly said, “Gwen, I’m going to put you on the bed. If you’re okay enough to say anything and you don’t want to move –”

I thought you liked her.

“Yeah, she’s great. Awesome with a pillow.” At least he was fine with laughing about it now. “What’s your point?”

You like her but you don’t trust her?

“Peter.”

They’re not the same person!

He didn’t answer that, either. Xander turned his attention back to Gwen and said more insistently, “Can you hear me in there? Do you know what happened?”

Please be alive, Gwen. Please, please, please be alive.

[Guest]

She drifted in darkness, suspended. Neither warm nor cold, content and comfortable in the lack of sensory input and aware of a vague sense of pain somewhere behind her. Like lying nestled in front of a fireplace, she could feel the heat and light of it on her back but she felt no desire to return to it. A low buzzing could be heard from that direction and she shivered and curled more into herself to erase thoughts of the menacing sound, letting the soothing emptiness fill her and turn her into nothing.

Gwen lay there for what felt like hours and days unconnected from her body in one of the deeper recesses of her mind, time seeming to stretch around her and yet speeding by with every half-breath. After what seemed like forever, she began to wonder idly to herself where she was, a feeling of discontent seeping into her consciousness. As nice as it was to be so separated and cocooned, she knew that this was not where she belonged. How did I get here? Like a fire roaring to life suddenly, the pain she'd noticed earlier flared against her back at the question and she snuggled away from it, letting her mind slip once again into the void.

Eventually, her thoughts were wandering again and the questions came more forcefully than before and she did not shudder away from the buzzing and the pain that seemed to grow the more she thought of these things. Something had happened. She'd been hurt. Alex. All other thoughts had left her wandering lost, slowly edging towards the light and blazing heat, but this one memory of the man she knew brought her surging up into consciousness. Along with it came flooding back the memory of their situation: he was running from someone. Her? No. They'd been running together. They'd left their apartment behind where they'd lived as neighbors. The taxi. The hotel. The goggles. Stephanie.

Blinking rapidly at the light filling her vision, she squinted as a loud and piercing hum consumed her head, throbbing painfully through her skull. Distantly, as if through a fog, she heard a voice and it was saying her name, asking her something. Turning her face a little bit she looked up and immediately recognized Alex, a feeling of indescribable joy filling her to see him. He'd regained control of his body! Finally, he was no longer trapped! But then as the voice became clearer and her vision as well, she realized it wasn't him but the man he shared a mind and body with. Xander. That's right... Xander was in the body right now, because of whatever had happened in the apartment.

Xander! That's right! The goggles! Remembering what had happened while she'd had them on, she realized she needed to tell him about it. They didn't have much time. The static that had filled Stephanie's mind and severed her from their connection was all she could feel inside her own head right now and for some reason, as consciousness and awareness flooded back to her, control of her body came slower, the waves of static making it difficult to communicate with her limbs.

For several more minutes, she attempted to speak, moving her lips in a parody of speech with no noise coming forth, making her feel frustrated and helpless. The discordant noise subsided a few notches before she was finally able to form words and even then it felt like a tremendous effort and expense.

"They're coming..." he needed to know, he had to understand what she'd seen. "They know..." Her voice dwindled down to a breathless gasp and she winced painfully, an urgency coursing through her and yet pain keeping her immobile.

Weakly she reached out a hand to touch him, to hold onto him and raise herself up, but the first pass it made against him, her fingers slid uselessly over his shirt, not even having the power to grab on. She waited for several more minutes, feeling every second tick by, pounded into her skull by the static that just didn't seem to want to fade, before trying again with more confidence. Grasping his arm and shoulder, she sat up on the floor only letting go of him when she was sure she could support her own weight.

"We need to go now... They're on their way here and they know where we are... Benoit...the French guy Alex told me about was with her and they're working together..." Speech returned to her fluidly, leaving her just barely gasping between sentences. The static had been reduced to a low hum in her head that caused her discomfort but was somewhat tolerable. "I...don't know what happened... I got stuck inside her head and she did something... She pushed me out but it was more... Now there's nothing but white-noise everywhere and it hurts like a son of a bitch."

Gwen lightly touched a hand to her forehead when she realized she couldn't hear Alex. Trying to reach out to him, the buzzing grew in volume and lanced through her head with a vicious pain, causing her to retreat immediately. She wasn't sure if that was a result of something Stephanie had done or if she did it to herself by connecting with the woman long distance. Either way, she decided not to try to force it right now, lest she be left a mindless, pain-filled mess.

Struggling to rise, she had a bit of difficulty and held her hand out to Xander for some assistance. "We need to get out of here now." A bitterness filled her tongue and her stomach growled fitfully as she realized once again that if the pancakes weren't here yet, then they'd need to grab something else while getting away. They couldn't abandon meals forever - if the Agents didn't catch up to them by catching them off guard, they eventually would when the both of them collapsed from lack of nutrients. At the moment, despite knowing why the Agents knew where they were, she decided not to bring it up. Now was not the time to argue about who's fault it was; they just needed to get away.

The incessant murmuring of their new companion caught her attention as well and she glanced in his direction, slightly worried about what they were going to do with him. Nathan still struggled against his bounds, spouting nonsense as he did before and she made even less sense of it all now without the benefit of knowing what he was thinking.

"Running-running-time to run again-stuck in a corner-always catch up-need to keep running-pancakes-" Needless to say, it was not the most comforting train of conversation.

**********************

Slipping back into the her seat again, Stephanie let out a bored sigh, her mask once more firmly in place. What a fantastic experience that had been! Even as angry as it had made her to be violated in such a manner, what she learned from it was absolutely priceless and filled her with even more pride for her target. So much so, she felt excited to share the new information with her companions.

"Oh, I doubt he'll leave her behind. I don't know much about Alexander as far as character goes, but if he's keeping her around mainly for the usefulness of her powers, then he most definitely will stay with her now," as usual, her voice had returned to the placid monotone, her face staring blankly ahead out the front windshield. "Before today, her newly awakened powers gave her the ability to hear the thoughts of others and to feel their emotions as if they were her own. She connected with me somehow - through those glasses, I know, possibly using a form of similar technology... such as the goggles they stole from my partner..."

She glanced at Jason apathetically, wondering what that news would mean to him, not having much information on his connection with the suit in the first place, but understanding it's absence was having a detrimental effect upon him. She only hoped that his own skills and strengths would not decline as time went on, because she did not want to have to part with him. He was the most informed on their current project and although not trained to resist Gwen's abilities, he was her biggest asset and...she enjoyed working with him. Thinking of that made her remember Gwen's comment drifting through her head and she internally smirked at the teasing tone the other woman had used. No, it was not meant to be. Ever. Not in their line of work and it was definitely pointless to engage in such frivolous relations when after capturing Gwen, a relationship wouldn't even be possible. It didn't mean she stopped caring about the man's health and sanity, as much as she seemed to show otherwise. It was best not to encourage the appearance of feelings towards him.

"She can span a wider range through long distance connections now," she continued, turning back to the front seats of the car without another glance at Jason. "Telephones, and direct links like live television feeds and possibly even computers. That means she's already passed the second step which is access to memory. The next and final stage is the ability to manipulate not only thought, memory and emotion, but even action." A hint of her fervor entered into her dull tone, but she corrected herself as she went on.

"Not to worry though. At this point, her abilities are still so new, she's like a toddler trying to fly a jet plane. She's pushing buttons and making things happen, but her control is weak and she has no real understanding of what she's doing or how. We...were hooked together for a while. Even after she realized I was aware of her presence, she did not let go and I think it was because she didn't know how. Even a full connection over the distance between us should be a breeze to break away from on her own and yet she struggled until I forcibly severed the link. As a result, she should be sore for a while and unable to use her powers, but it's a temporary stun and she'll recover them quickly."

Pausing then, Stephanie glanced around the car and out the windows for a moment and spoke again. "I'm sorry to say that I wasn't paying too close attention and I do not know how long we were connected before I became aware of it," even in an apology she did not let emotion enter her voice. "I was looking out the windows for a while, so she's probably seen where we are by the road signs and maybe even has a bit of information...that I'd rather she not have, but it's not important. And now that I know where she is in her development, I will not let my guard down again..." Alright, that was enough, she was done apologizing now. "We might be able to make it there with her still disabled and catch them while they're on their way out. No doubt, they will try to escape now that they know we're nearing their destination."

There was a slight prod in her words, hoping to spur Benoit into action. Earlier, back at the apartment, she'd decided to wait, watch and learn from him, but so far it had been torture. The eagerness for capture had not left her and had festered like a spoiled wound in the past 14 hours. She'd tried to remain civil and tried to stay firm in keeping patient, knowing that it was necessary to think things through in order to succeed, but she could not help getting the feeling there were plans that were not being shared. So a lot of the time they were left lounging around as if they had all the time in the world. With how fast Gwen was developing, she knew that was not the case and it frustrated her beyond belief.

[Tartra]

“Good to know you’re alive,” Xander said.

They’re coming. We have to get out of here now!

“Alex is happy, too.”

I am happy, he spat. I was more worried than you were! But maybe you could try having priorities on the same page as everyone else –

“Right! Pancakes! Where the hell are they?”

Xander, stop screwing around. We need to get out of here before they come for us. I know you’re used to taking your time with everything but things have changed, he told him. You’re falling asleep every five minutes and something’s wrong with Gwen.

“Like I said, we'll wait and see,” Xander answered, wrapping one arm around Gwen’s back and one under her knees. He lifted her up deftly, placing her on the bed and putting the tissue box at her shoulder. “I don't want to jump to conclusions. Even she doesn’t know the full story yet.” Then his hand went out towards the phone and Alex had no choice but to watch him poke at the stupid thing until he finally had an answer. “Room service?”

Please tell me you’re asking for a number to a taxi.

“I need a taxi.” Finally. “And I’m still waiting on those pancakes.”

“Pancakes! Pancakes, pancakes... pancakes –”

“There should be a stack presently en route. What time would you like your taxi to arrive?”

“An hour should be good.” Xander wrapped up the rest of the conversation and put the phone down. “Yeah. An hour’s plenty. I need to eat and I need to shower.”

Xander – holy shit...

“Look, sparklepants, I get that you’re suddenly ‘at your wit’s end’, but let’s back the fuck down a little.” That sentence went from annoyed to angry very fast. “Get over whatever piss-party you're in and stop heckling me."

I would if you'd take your mind off the damn pancakes for ten minutes.

"When are you gonna figure out that I do everything for a reason? Huh? I’m the one who’s been saving your ass from the beginning. What’s your track record? Got caught, joined Peter –”

I never got caught.

“No? Then how do you explain me?”

That was different.

“Riiiight. And this is completely new for me. I should defer to your mighty wisdom ‘cause you, clearly, have a better idea of what’s goin’ on than I do. By the way, where’s the bag of clothes you so desperately needed me to have?” He found it by that other kid, still half-open from when he’d pulled out those miraculous goggles. He took the entire thing with him, stopping before he headed off to the shower to walk back to the side of the bed. “There’s not a lot I can do for you, Gwen...”

Not like you’re gonna try.

Xander had been looking down at her with something not far off from sympathy. He dropped that face at the sound of more words, gave a terse smirk to the air Alex knew was meant for him, then replied, “If we’re gonna have a ‘talk’, you should at least have the decency to wait until we’re out’f earshot. Or mindshot. Whatever.” He reached over the woman and picked up the bottle of aspirin he’d tossed there offhandedly. “It’s not a lot. Probably won’t do anything – but... it’s there.” He snorted. “And now, if you’ll excuse me, I think Snippy’s got something he wants off his chest. Which is currently my chest.”

And I want it back!

“Oh, shut the hell up already.”

Alex was seething. It grew as he was dragged along to the second bathroom, the one she hadn’t used yet, and simmered while Xander undressed and hopped into the water he’d started running. Interesting tidbit: he had a thing for ice-cold showers, and he used to devote himself to taking control just long enough to suck out all the heat of whatever relaxing temperature Alex had it at. That was the kind of crap he’d spent his life putting up with and brushing off as a stupid game. He’d honestly lived under the idea, despite the scratches and blows they’d very literally trade, there was a brotherhood between them buried deep, deep, deep, deep down. How? Because he'd chalked it up to the other assumption that Xander had been a part of him. It was why he’d given the guy the end of his name in the first place; why come up with a new one if it was really only him? It’d be crazy. He wasn’t crazy. He was cursed.

I want you gone the minute it’s an available option.

“Uh-huh.”

I mean it. Out of my body, out of my life, out of existence if it has to be that way –

“Remember yesterday when I agreed to let you handle things and you got weepy and went upstairs and got hit with a switch-ray that subsequently locked you out of power?”

Stop bringing it up!

“Stop acting like it didn’t happen,” Xander snapped. “You’re like a child that keeps insisting they can have a dog even after they just came home with a giant bite mark on their neck. You don’t know what you’re doing and you keep spazzing at me for running things my way. When have I ever let you down?”

... Fuck.

... You haven’t.

“I haven’t. Exactly. Keep telling yourself and maybe you’ll remember why you leave this up to me.”

He closed his eyes as he started scrubbing the night’s dirt off of him. Alex gave him the time he needed to get clean. With his foot in the hands of someone who’d have no problem cutting it off because he knew how to get along with only five toes, he wasn’t going to try to set Xander off, but the minute he was out of the shower and drying, Alex spoke.

Why are you helping Gwen if you don’t trust her? She’s hurt. She’s... unstable. You, more than anyone, should’ve called her ‘dead weight’ and left her behind and you didn’t. She’s still here. I had nothing to do with that. His voice got lower. I don’t get it. If you truly learned your lesson, you wouldn’t be here, right? You’d be in a different city - without her.

“Implying something?”

No! He wasn’t! I just think it’s weird –

“I’m not a portrait of self-control either, Alex, powers or whatever else. And I do have the ability to empathize.” He grabbed a cleaner pair of jeans from the bag and the first shirt – a grey one – his hand came into contact with. “I have her at forty percent of my trust. It’s better than the two I give everyone else.”

A lot better. Much better. Obscenely and blatantly better.

I asked you before if you liked her, he said. You gave me an answer screaming ‘I keep my business and personal life separate’.

“That’s a good philosophy to live by.” Xander rubbed the towel over his hair, trying to dry it in under a minute. “You should live by my glorious example.”

Are you?

“Excuse me?”

I know you’ve got this... more or less handled. We might not see eye-to-eye on a lot of things... or anything but... I do trust you with this. If nothing else, I know this is where you shine.

“Aww.”

But I think you’re the one who needs to wrap his head around something: for the millionth time, this is not the same situation we’ve been dealing with. We have a new person on our side – for now, anyway – and your usual approach isn’t one we can depend on for every possible scenario anymore. He took a breath. He couldn’t breathe like this, but he took one anyway. She’s not expendable and that’s something new. Every other person you and I come into contact with is someone you can kill on a moment’s notice. Not her. Not Gwen.

“So?”

So if it were only me realizing this, it wouldn’t change anything. You’d’ve been right about and I would shut up because you’d be clear-headed and I should sit in the backseat like a happy clam, but as long as you’re driving, Xander - and you will be whenever there’s Agents involved - you have to understand that your emotions –

“We’re not actually having this conversation.”

I’m not kidding. I know how it could be, but this can’t be a distraction.

“‘Distraction’? What –”

Can you do this? The sudden roar of his voice sent a sharp silence through the room. Xander was looking in the mirror. In that moment, they were staring at each other, and Alex was not letting the rare second of the man's full attention slip by. I need to know. Is this something you can handle? Or at least compensate for?

He didn’t say anything. For a moment, Xander seemed... lost in thought. He snapped out of it a moment later and grinned, pulling the towel around his neck.

“I’m an Agent. I can handle anything.”

'Yes', it meant. Alex was relieved.

You’re an ex-Agent.

“Oh, we’re being technical? The Agents were formed –”

– after you escaped and yadda, yadda. Xander laughed. It got a lot of the tension in the room to fade. Just stay focused, okay? Whatever’s going on in that insane head of yours, remember what we’re trying to do: survive.

“Yes, sir. And that’s why we need those pancakes.” They heard a sharp knock from outside, followed by a mild announcement that the stranger did, in fact, have pancakes. “Right on cue.” He turned to leave, but stopped. Nope, no last-minute insight, just more stupid. “You think I should take the soap from here? And the shampoo and –”

Pancakes, Xander.

“Right, right. The feast!”

With that, he went to open the door. Alex's mind flashed back to what Gwen had said last night, moments before she'd given him that kiss. He'd keep that to himself until he was sure it was safe, but it might mean he'd have to keep it forever.

He was okay with that.

* * *

Someone was using his goggles.
Someone was using his goggles.
Someone was using his goggles.

Jason was going to break somebody’s face.

He hadn’t even heard the rest of the words from his lead’s mouth. Something... something about Gwen – his target... his target was evolving – someone was using his goggles.

Oh God. He was going to puke.

“My concern has never been where they would run,” he idly heard Frenchie say. “Alexander is not one to bounce from place to place. He finds a haven, rests in it, fortifies his surroundings and leaves only when he is absolutely certain it is no longer worth the effort to maintain his stronghold. But that could be at any time and he enjoys sending up false flags.” Jason could smell another puff of smoke floating around the car. “This is why we have invested in a tracking system. Relying on reports of what attacks were made where are the ancient ways.”

“They were barely effective in the first place,” Flunky said. “Too sporadic.”

“Oui. Useless. Archaic and time consuming. This is much better. Highly advanced.”

A tracking system. A tracking system like his goggles had. So much effort had gone into perfecting his interface... What if they had changed it? What if they changed everything?

Holy shit. What if they reset the system?

“The boy is shaking.” Flunky sounded disgusted. “It is jostling the car.”

“I’m fine,” he spat. “I’m perfectly okay. Just mind your fucking business and watch the road.”

The car screeched to a stop, tearing at his ears with the insufferable noise of hard rubber on asphalt. Jean whipped around in his seat and almost looked like he was going to lunge. Jason fucking welcomed it. Bring it on, asshole! He’d love to see what this mutant could do.

“Jean. Stop.”

“I will not work with this infant,” the Flunky snarled. “This is a serious case! I refuse –”

“Jean,” Frenchie said, somehow calmer than before. “Stop.”

The Flunky ripped his eyes off of Jason with a hate he’d would've found mirrored if he’d kept looking. He gave his lead a very low bow of his head, gripped the wheel like he was trying to crush it, then slowly started off again, muttering to himself the whole way. The end of that spat brought him to his senses. Jason’s mind was left struggling to come up with a decent response.

“Sorry,” he said at last. He brought his hand to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose, awkwardly closing his eyes behind the not-as-good-but-decent-enough glasses. “Sorry. That was uncalled for.”

“You lost a part of your suit,” Frenchie said, waving it off. “From what I hear, the effect is not far from losing your arm.”

An arm he could stand to lose. Hell – he’d trade his arm for his goggles in a heartbeat and call it a deal.

“Sorry anyway.”

“I accept. Now let us move past this fight and focus on our goal.” His target. Their targets. Those targets... “Miss Agent, if you would be so kind, do enlighten us on when you feel your mark will move onto her ‘next level’. I admit, it is something I have not encountered before. Alexander’s powers have grown in strength over time, but it levelled off years ago and its basic premise remained the same.”

Alexander. Sure. And Gwen. His target. His target named Gwen. Gwendolyn Stewart – he knew that from the files. They were out there somewhere and they were following a trail only those two could see. He didn’t enjoy the dependence on them, but he had no right to complain about it now.

He needed his goggles back.
He needed his goggles back.
He needed his goggles back...

[Guest]

So, this was why they had been going so slow. Understanding blossomed within the deeper layers of her mind, as the two Agents in the front seat explained Alexander's habitual movements and how they caught up with him. With comprehension of their plan came a calmness that settled in and eased her impatience but not by much. They still had a limited time before Gwen would become too powerful to deal with face-to-face, and although she still had a lot of control to develop, the clock was ticking. She was confident in her ability to deal with Gwen, even at full power, but with her powers at full maturity it would make things unnecessarily difficult. If only they'd gotten her the night before last, they wouldn't even be dealing with all these problems now.

Stephanie was jolted from her thoughts by the sudden attention drawn to Jason and his explosion at the man driving made her cringe inside, as did the resulting jerk of the vehicle to a stop in the road. Sighing hollowly as the two men argued and stared each other down, she internally twisted and turned, giving Jason the blackest look she could muster through her mask. She'd started this case full of arrogance and obsession and had learned to get along with others calling the shots and even sharing information that she'd never given anyone before. Things that were almost like a diary for her, secret things she'd become more invested in than her own personal intimacies and guarded as if her life depended on it.

And yet her partner seemed to be reacting in the opposite way. She had no idea what set the two men at odds - in their current situation as professional adults, it hardly seemed necessary for them to both act this way - but she was growing tired of it. Jason, as a part of her team, represented her and her goals and he insisted on making her look bad by squabbling with the other Agent like a child. When Benoit or anyone looked at Jason they would automatically see her as well and judge their team accordingly; afterall, she did the same thing when she turned to look at the man driving needing to be reprimanded in front of her. She felt it reflected poorly on Benoit even as she worried about how Jason's behavior looked to the other two men. She felt like a rookie when working with them. There was no need to assure them of that fact by her colleague acting like an idiot.

But then he surprised her with the offer of an apology, explaining his behavior as a result of his having lost the goggles that went with his suit and she suddenly felt guilty since she'd been the one to tell him Gwen had been using them to spy on her. Stephanie had been more than aware of his current condition - a lot like a junkie going through withdrawal - and still she'd callously offered up information that could prove even more disastrous to him. His current irritability was partly her fault. However, she did not let the sympathy or the guilt show, preferring to ignore him completely as if his predicament and even his return to civility in the midst of it were of no consequence to her. While inwardly she worried about what she could possibly do to help him. What would happen if the goggles were not eventually retrieved? Was this something he could recover from?

Her internal musings were brought to a halt as Benoit addressed her again, smooth as ever moving onto a new topic of discussion while graciously accepting Jason's apology. She thought for several moments, estimating quickly in her head how fast the young woman's abilities would reach their final conclusion. This part was key, for it decided their exact time-line and how much of it they had left before Gwen became more of a problem.

"There are limits to what she'll eventually be able to accomplish and it is all related to her core empathic abilities. She experiences everything as if other people's emotions, thoughts and their lives were her own and were happening to and being thought by her. When she reaches the final stage she really will, in a broad sense, own all these experiences and thoughts as if they were hers in origin. Since they are not and she stands apart from it all, outside looking in, it gives her the power to change them, manipulating them with suggestion. So, intrinsically, it is basically an intensifying of already existing powers and circumstances."

"As for how long," she sighed through her nose before continuing. "She has possessed her abilities and been working with them actively for less than 24 hours and has already reached the third stage of development. This goes way beyond the charts and predictions I've made based on my study of her life and I think it has accelerated due to being around Alexander when his own powers are released. Her ability to sense both ends of such intense exchanges probably has the effect of stretching and exercising her abilities, like 10 days of practice capitalized within a few seconds."

"However, the final stages - extending her range over longer distances, controlling her psychic presence, and mastering manipulation to a degree where it will become harmful to us - will definitely take time and effort. She cannot just learn these things overnight, not to the point where she can wield them as they were meant to be. So, taking into account Alexander's usage of his mind 'overload' powers and the regular effort it would take her to master the last stages, I estimate that we have about a week. Maybe a few days more if Alexander restricts himself to using his powers only once a day."

Throughout her analysis, Stephanie had maintained a hollow and guarded tone and when she ended, she blinked levelly at her companions, hoping that the information she'd provided would be sufficient for their purposes. She very rarely got the chance to talk about Gwen in all her years of being on the woman's case and was finding despite the paranoia that Benoit would somehow steal the glory of her case and double cross her, she rather enjoyed talking about her. Gwen afterall, was her favorite subject.

*********

It was nice to see him almost completely unaffected by what she'd told him. Actually, no it wasn't. They were still going to wait for pancakes? Was he crazy? She was starting to feel anxious as he once again decided - despite Alex's protests which she still couldn't hear but were obvious from the one sided conversation - that they were going to take their time as if nothing had changed. Hanging onto him weakly as he lifted her and placed her on the bed, she wanted to try and convince him, but couldn't get a word in edge-wise as he left her side to go use the phone. Gwen was pleased at least that he was planning ahead, although she would have preferred they leave now to get the greatest head start they could achieve.

Just about to put in her own two cents about the necessity of such a plan, her mouth instantly shut when Xander started addressing his other half in an angered tone. It made her apprehensive about trying to get him to change plans, since whatever Alex was saying was getting him to dig in his heels about his current goals even to the point where they were arguing about who had them into and out of more trouble in the past. Of course, Xander would win out for both sides, but still despite his assertion that he did everything for a reason, she couldn't help feeling that familiar paranoia that he wasn't completely sincere.

Sitting upon the bed now, her mind numb and buzzing, she sighed in frustration being forced to wait, especially since encountering Stephanie again made her extremely anxious about a rematch face-to-face and knowing the woman was on her way. Her worried musings about how the next fight would go if use of her powers didn't return by that point were interrupted as Xander spoke to her again. There was something in his manner that made her blush briefly, a sense of concern that she very rarely got from him and she took the bottle of aspirin he'd tossed to her, not really sure what to say.

"Thank you," was all she managed before he was leaving her side to enter the unused bathroom and shutting the door. Immediately, she reached out to sense what the conversation was about but the static flared like a bunch of fireworks exploding in her brain and made her lie back on the bed with a moan of pain. Gasping lightly, she tried to shake the headache off while uncapping the bottle in her hands but it did not fade until several minutes after she'd popped two pills into her mouth.

By this time, control of her limbs and body had completely returned and when she sat up again, she scooted to the edge of the bed and let her feet rest on the ground. Looking down at the carpet, she saw a few red droplets marring the clean beige next to the abandoned goggles which had completely slipped off her head while Xander had been with her. Touching her face for a moment, she did remember getting the nose bleed and assumed that Xander had helped it stop. It made her feel foolish for her suspicions. No, he was trying to help her and he was right, just as he'd told Alex; so far he hadn't gotten them caught and had plenty of opportunities since she'd been with him to turn the both of them in. It was okay. Everything was going to be okay. She just needed to trust him.

Standing up from the bed, she reached down and picked up the goggles, looking down at them as she turned them over in her hands and was about to put them back on, when Nathan caught her attention. He was pulling on the curtain ropes that she'd tied around his hands and almost had one of his wrists free. "Hey! Stop that!" she said in as authoritative a voice as she could muster as she approached him.

"You may be the one they want - YOU may be - but not me - they won't take me back - !" his tongue flapped quick as ever and just as insane as before and he jerked his arm violently against his binding, almost easing it out from between the ropes by the time she came to stand before him. "Finishing it - they still need me - but they want you - I can get away - I can get away-!"

Gwen wasn't sure what to do exactly. At first, she'd set the goggles aside and started to fight him to pull his ropes tighter, but then stopped. What was the point? Were they even keeping him for anything? For several minutes, she contemplated letting him go and whatever happened would happen, but then shook her head. Xander might get upset with her if he still had plans for this kid - although she still wasn't sure how they were going to check out of the hotel and run with the teenager tied to the chair. It seemed like a plan that would more than likely hinder them.

So then she worried about how to convince Nate to stay. Before, they'd used the promise of food but if she untied him there was nothing stopping him from teleporting away from the room and leaving their sights probably forever. And suddenly he was grimacing at her, almost seeming to bite towards her arm as she pulled the ropes tighter and more firmly around his wrists. Needless to say, such action totally erased any thoughts she might have had of releasing him.

"They do still want you," she said as she finished with the ropes, tugging the knots so he'd have more difficulty loosening them again. "Just think about it, Nathan. If we stick together we can protect each other. Don't you see? We can stay ahead of them and stay away from them a lot easier with more people watching our backs." It was still uncertain whether they could trust him or even depend on him and he didn't seem convinced by her reasoning. She knew he still had to be hungry so she sighed and said, "What about pancakes? You still have time to eat. If you leave now, you can't come back and I'll eat your stack so you don't get any."

He glanced at her as if she were retarded, his face taking on a skeptical and even condescending cast. But when she folded her arms and raised her eyebrows a little in a gesture articulating a firm stance, the smile faded from his lips and he began to look worried again but for a different reason this time. Satisfied, Gwen left his side to go sit on the couch next to his chair and slipped the goggles on over her head, letting them rest on her neck for the moment, just enjoying the feel of them on her skin for right now. And she didn't bother testing whether she could hear his thoughts or not, the static still ever-present in her mind and making her feel empty and alone. She hoped her powers would return soon, because as it was, she was walking around blindly without them.

Roused from her idle reverie when there came a knock at the door, she rose from her seat just as Xander emerged from the bathroom. Immediately upon the announcement of the voice beyond the door, Nathan had started to sway eagerly in his chair, bobbing his head like a parrot, his voice insisting upon what the room service clerk offered. "Pancakes-pancakes-pancakes-gotta get out of here-eat and run-eat and run-pancakes-"

Seeing Xander fresh from the shower with dark, uneven hair, wetly spiked on one side and wearing clean clothes, she felt that familiar flutter in her gut that she occasionally got when looking at him. And it only intensified when as he passed through the living room into the entry hall, he gave her a grin that melted her insides. God, why did he always do that? she thought with a slight irritation, even as a voice deep inside hoped that he never stopped. Before Xander had reached the door, Nathan was starting to grow more incessant with his yammering and she stood beside him and gave him a swift, light smack on the back of the head. It wasn't a hard blow by any means but he immediately shut up and glared at her, much to her amusement.

[Tartra]

Jean was losing his patience. The leather on the wheel he steered had begun to fray under his grip. He was trying to restrain his nails from digging in as well, simply because there was a limit on how much ‘pouting’ he was allowed before Benoit grew weary of it, but it was a lost battle before he'd begun.

That brat. What was the reason for bringing him along? The answer was obvious and should have registered with both the leads: the boy was here to provide information and analyze his surroundings purely through the use of his suit, and that was no longer an option. The suit was gone – or from what he gathered, the important part had vanished. Were they suddenly so charitable, they had to drag the snivelling child along as he wept for his precious toy? He was a liability now and a dangerous one. As easy as it would have been to crush his head in Jean’s hand, the boy had training. He was quick, he was likely armed, but while what happened if the woman failed was to be accepted, Jean would be damned if Benoit fell because of 'onset separation anxiety'. It was supposed to have been cured through several chemicals, and he knew enough to realize that, at some point, regardless of how well Jason had performed during his tests, he would have had the drugs offered to him and consequently refused. It meant he had an ego. Jean hated egos, especially when based on the nothing he had seen so far.

“It sounds as though you underestimate how fond Alexander is of shocking people,” Benoit said. “You assume several days more if he limits himself to once a day, but from our records, we have a count of six from yesterday: two on your team – one was shot, the other is unaccounted for – both you and the young man, and the innocent shopkeeper in this fair city.” They were entering Vestal now. Jean was uninterested by this fact. He continued driving and attempting not to break the car in his fingers. “The last one was a man by the name of Mike Weir. He was killed yesterday in an alley. His body was discovered under four bags of trash.”

“Who’s Mike Weir?”

Even the boy’s voice annoyed him. Jean gripped the wheel tighter, but did not pretend to think he could block the sound out.

“Mike Weir was an early entrant in the contest to win Alexander. He failed, of course, but he has been – or had been, I should say – somewhat depraved by the loss. There were six others considered: Daniel Alistair, Peter Dremi, Rockland – quite a name – Noel... all picked and prepared and failed to make the transfer. Mr. Weir, however, took the disappointment harder than the rest.” Benoit smiled and turned his head to the side, telling Miss Agent, “And what would you do if we had not changed our ways? Before, when these cases were led by dozens, your precious Gwen would have been hunted by ten. Would you have managed the competition, or would you have fallen like Mike?”

It wasn’t a test. It wasn’t philosophy. It was simply a question Benoit felt like asking. He was being too easy on them, Jean felt. Fighting Alexander was one thing, but losing a little girl and letting her side with the most dangerous of the successes was an unforgivable mistake. They should have been stripped of their authority governing this target. If this had been the old days, the Agency would have moved on to a new lead by now.

“So,” the boy said, grunting or panting or making type of noise to remind everyone that, yes, he was in pain and that, no, he would not stop calling attention to himself despite the great lack of concern Jean, Benoit and his own lead were giving him. “What happened to the others?”

“They are still around. Most of them,” Benoit said. “One is working on a new project, I hear, and another on a new case.”

“Any of them die after two months?”

“One died after three months,” Benoit replied. “Alexander put a brick down his throat.”

“That’s not the same thing...”

“At any rate,” Jean said,“your calculations are gross underestimates. Six attacks that we know of in one day are lower than the average. Ten, usually, is what we hear of, and I doubt it will dip past five even with the trick we played.”

“Another gift to him from us,” Benoit added, happy to share the news of their work. “These lenses are the height of anything the Agency has produced.” The boy snorted. “Thanks to them, we not only know where Alexander is, but we know the pace he plans to move at. I find it hard to believe he wants to wait for us to catch up, but experience has taught me to expect it cut close. And he does this, Miss Agent, because when he runs, he does not stop until he collapses. That is where your case comes in.”

“If your profile neglected to mention any physical training, we would appreciate an updated version,” Jean said. “It is not enough to rely on the damage we have caused. By factoring in your target and the speed at which she moves, it is more likely he will be forced to wait for her.”

“At the very least, his guard will shift.” His lead was enjoying the options available. Any of the scenarios fit what Alexander would do and the effort of planning for all of them was what kept Benoit entertained. “If he raises it out of paranoia, dreading a repeat of his last companion, he will close himself to all outside help and we will wait until he consumes himself. If he lowers it, we can attack his soul and find the fastest way to pierce his precious heart.” Benoit chuckled in his throat, sounding wry. “It sounds crueller than it is. We must always remember why we work the way we do: while one person with such abilities may prove noble and compassionate, one who insists on acting otherwise can do enough damage to destroy a country.”

“And the fact that you’re getting his fancy mind-beam is just a bonus, right?”

Jean took great offence to the implication. Benoit was not in this line of work for personal gain. Anyone who dared to think of this as a ‘shopping spree’ or ‘upgrade’ was as much a menace as the plague they worked to solve. Yet another point against Alexander-the-guest.

Benoit exhaled and let the smoke curl around his face.

“A bonus, yes. A noted one,” he answered. “Just like your goggles. It seems we all have added motivation. Reaching them is something to look forward to.”

He heard that yappy mouth open long before it did.

“Out of curiosity,” the boy globbed out, “what did you do to him? So we know what to expect.”

“I am afraid the science behind it is above my head,” Benoit said. “Rest assured, the guest will die, and if he refuses to come to us to be removed, we have no choice but to destroy the host as well.” He tapped under his eye, gesturing to the lenses. “Maybe you should look into these. They are not as easy to lose, and they have less of an effect if they are.”

And that was the closest Benoit was going to get to outright insulting him. He might as well have been giving the child a lollipop. Jean said nothing, however. The matter was finished. He simply grit his teeth, pressed on the gas, and drove.

* * *

Xander was really fighting that kid to be king of ‘happy for pancakes land’. He smiled delightedly as the cart of them wheeled in. Alex couldn’t believe they’d been made so fast. Forty – actually forty – of the hot, fluffy, plate-sized, sugar-bread, not-actually-a-healthy-breakfast bits were sitting under ten trays, obviously in preparation for a party. Nope. Only three people here. They’d be devoured as if an army was hiding in the closet anyway.

“Thanks, my good man.” A quick tip, a frown when it looked the man wanted more, and then the pancakes were theirs. Finally. Eat and then go - that was the plan. “Breakfast-plus-yesterday’s-dinner is served, everyone. Unless you want whatever’s in that sack.”

The kid’s bag was still in the corner by the door. It hadn’t started stinking yet, but there was a nasty, red-brown puddle formed around it. And it’d congealed.

“Pancakes! Pancakes, pancakes, pancakes, pancakes –”

“Annoying sound.” The kid shut up. “Yeah – you thought I forgot about that, huh? Nuh-uh.”

Real nice.

“I am nice. I’m the one who’s trying to stay long enough to give him the damn things,” Xander said. “You two were jumping to leave.”

We’re eating fast and then we’re going, Alex told him. Xander. Xander, we’re eating –

“I heard you.”

Oh, okay. So he was intentionally trying to waste time. He felt a lot better.

“Pancakes-pancakes-pancakes-pancakes-pancakes-”

“And I heard you, too! Shut up!” The cart was brought in completely, resting near the wall as Xander grabbed two of the trays and handed one to Gwen. “Eat up. Alex wants to go. Hope your head’s feeling better.”

“Pancakes! Pancakes!”

“Okay, stop screaming,” he shouted back. Xander ripped the lid off the tray in his hand and carelessly tossed it to one side of the room. “Do I have to feed you or do you think you can manage it?” He wasn’t asking to be friendly. He just wanted to know who’d get stuck with the job so he could drag it up as a favour to be repaid later.

“Pancakes, pancakes, pancakes –”

“Yeah, they’re right here.”

“Pancakes, pancakes!”

He’s not even looking at them, Alex said.

“So he’s completely insane. Well – that’s fine. I’ll eat it.” He immediately began to do just that, too restless to sit despite the admittedly nicer but still solid blue foot. “You can eat nothing for all I care.”

Are you sure? If we’re bringing him along, he’ll need his energy.

“Is that what we’re doing?”

... I thought it was what you were doing!

“Me? I never said that,” Xander answered. “I was gonna talk to him, which is not an option after seeing this, and then I thought we’d get him to follow us happily by bribing him with these delicious pancakes. Hot damn, I gotta get the recipe for these...”

Because that was something to look forward to: finding a stove so they could cook breakfast while the Agents swarmed. A new contest was on for who has the worse priorities. Right now, with the way that kid was straining to get loose, Xander was winning by a lot. Crazy didn’t want pancakes. Crazy just wanted to get out of here. He must’ve needed space to teleport. That struck him as odd, because Alex had always assumed he’d be able to vanish at any time, except he’d still be tied to the chair. If it were him, he’d teleport anyway, maybe to someplace with had something sharp around or anywhere Xander wasn’t. He...

Alex thought about it.

Xander, lift your head up. Let me see him. Surprisingly, the guy did as he was told, and the victory only grew as he realized what was going on. He’s trying to get something.

“His bag?”

Mouth full of food, face buried in the plate. How hungry was he? Damn. It was going to be one more thing he couldn’t trust Xander to pay attention to.

His bag’s on the other side of the room – no, look. Look at that. He wants the cart, Alex said. He was getting excited. He’d solved something.

“The syrup?”

“Syrupsyrupsyrupsyrupsyrupsyrup-”

“Knock it off,” Xander scolded. The kid did, but he kept bouncing in his seat. Reluctantly pulling his mouth away from his plate, he walked to the cart and pointed at one of the six pitchers neatly placed among the trays. “You want this?”

“Yeahyeahyeahyeahyeah!”

“And you’re... what? Gonna drink it?”

“Yeahyeahyeahyeahyeah!”

“I gotta see this,” Xander muttered, finally finding a reason to put his food down. He picked up the pitcher and carried it to the kid, mindful of the gnashing teeth nearly crawling out of the dirty mouth to get what it needed, and slowly tipped it until it poured into the kid's grimy throat. “Holy shit. He’s drinking it.”

Don’t get any ideas.

“You’re not letting me have coffee.”

You could’ve had coffee if you hadn’t been such a pain, Alex said. You’re not drinking syrup. Please stop taking your cues from hobo-children you picked off the street.

“Stop –”

“I actually picked him out of a restaurant,” Xander said. “A very nice one, in fact. I think it’s a credit to his taste he chose such a fanciful venue to rob.”

“Stop, stop –”

He’s talking, Alex noted.

And drowning. The kid had switched from gulping it greedily to sputtering as the sugar ran down his neck. Xander stopped tipping it to him and the boy tried shaking his head - as if that was going to get it off - but it couldn’t have been as bad as the kid's new face made it look. He was already so dirty, this could count as a bath.

“Had enough breakfast?”

Xander thought this was funny.

“‘S’not my breakfast, actually. S’hers. I’d appreciate if you’d grab me a towel to wipe this off.”

... Uh...

He... talks? Normally?

“You’re Australian?”

Because that was what was surprising.

“Towel, please,” the magically-sane kid said. “Not t’put the pressure on, but this’ll be reeeeallyyyy uncomf’tble in about 'alf a minute.” He looked around. “Oh. Gwen. Gwen... Stew... art. Gwen Stewart. Right! You’re still alive. That’s good to know.”

I’m so confused.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Xander spoke up, the pitcher still dangling from his hand. “... You’re... Australian.”

“Yes. Well... Sort of. Not any more, I suppose – can’t even guess whose body this is,” the kid said. “Younger’n me. I’m forty-two. How old do I look now?”

“... Younger than that.”

“Ah. I should be grateful then. Those people look to’ve given me a new lease on life. Plus a host of oth’a problems, but I try t’think as bright and ‘appy as I can.” The kid peered at Alex. “I don’t know you.”

“Yeah, and I’m starting to feel grateful,” Xander said.

“Right, well, I imagine there’s a lot less of that goin’ around than I’d like. It’s hard feeling good about anything lately, especially since I’ve picked up this banshee, plus another fourteen,” the kid said. “Thanks f’the syrup. Calms her down. ‘Bout the only thing that’s had an effect so far and no one appreciates how hard it is to find until you’re caught lookin’ for it in every corner. So! Mind if I have a few pancakes or’m I forced to stick with just that?”

[Guest]

Just when she felt like she had something of importance to contribute to their new team and had grown comfortable with working with them, Stephanie was made to feel like she'd barely given them anything they couldn't have figured out by themselves. A lot of it had to do with a lack of knowledge on her part; there were things about Alexander she still didn't know. His record as far as using his powers and what his personality was like were still a puzzle waiting for large chunks of pieces to be filled in. So she assumed and guessed a lot.

Sure, she'd known about the members on her team who had been killed and she also knew about the incident they were following here in Vestal, but most of these situations could be explained away as necessary for his survival and attempts to get himself and Gwen out of trouble. How was she suppose to know the man used it flippantly unless she was told? And Benoit had asked before he'd offered anything by way of a personality analysis that would suggest otherwise.

And then there was Benoit's whole demeanor, the smug arrogance that both expected these things to be obvious to her and yet rubbing it in her face that he knew things she did not. But, annoying character flaws aside, at least he was being forthcoming and that definitely was something. Her expectations of this teamwork they were currently doing was not for the long term. She hoped to acquire Gwen with his help but it was mostly for him to handle the Alexander part of the equation that was the reason they'd joined forces at all. So any information he provided was useful so long as the two remained together. If Benoit eventually decided to abandon her and Jason when he got what he wanted, she would not feel like she'd lost out in the alliance they'd made. The whole point was to separate the pair to make getting Gwendolyn easier.

As Benoit went on, explaining the relationship Alexander had to other Agents who'd been on his case, she started to fit the pieces together from what he'd previously told them. So, Alexander, the guest, had been in the running with these other Agents and had been selected for transfer before it had been disrupted and he'd escaped with the Agency's property. The internal squabbles between Agents did not concern her, so long as they didn't get in her way - and ironically enough, Benoit turned to her with that self-satisfied little smirk on his face and asked her exactly that.

Her face remained blank as she answered coldly, "I would have been cooperative and moved on. It's just a job."

It was a bald faced lie and even just the thought of hypothetically losing the rights to Gwen made her internally grit her teeth. Gwen was hers, and her life. Nobody else's. End. Of. Story. However, it wouldn't do to seem unprofessional, now would it? From what she could tell of Jean's behavior towards both her and her partner, he couldn't wait until they didn't need each other anymore - the feeling was mutual but she didn't mind their help - and she feared that if she continued to look incompetent and unstable to the other two, that they may abandon her without waiting for either of them to capture their targets. As long as Alexander was with her, Gwen would be practically untouchable and they'd continue to repeat scenarios like in the apartment building without a collaborative effort with the other two Agents.

Stephanie turned away after that, allowing Jason to pick up the conversation for a few moments and she gazed out the window watching as the city grew denser around their car, small residential houses and shops passing by on either side of the street they were on and slowly growing into larger, more closely knit houses and bigger businesses. Her attention was drawn once again when Jean addressed her and she internally rolled her eyes at his sneering jab. Yes, she knew all about Alexander's average use of power, didn't she? Oh, wait, no she didn't! Shut up, Sasquatch. Next time you ask for a fucking estimate, make sure you lay down all the facts that could possibly be relevant. Maybe THEN you'll be able to judge me.

Suddenly she blinked at the hostility bristling within her and glanced in Jason's direction, realizing what must have been his problem with the other two this whole time. They were annoying, arrogant jerk-offs - she got it now. Buuuut...she did not find it any harder to blame Jason for his tendency to argue with them. However that was how she felt about all emotional displays. Sometimes, she forgot that she'd had years of training to control her own emotions to the point where she could turn them on and off like pressing buttons and keep them hidden. So, she found other people's constantly letting them run loose to be a sign of weakness and vulgar display, often wondering what was wrong with them to allow themselves to become so out of control.

The explanation about the lenses he was wearing was another surprise she had not known about and felt both a tug of confidence in their ability to reach their goals by working with these two men and another cloud of resentment forming. What had she had when she'd entered the field? What special contraptions did she have in order to help her capture Gwen? She had nothing up her sleeve except the specialized equipment that Jason had offered - but was now missing - and her years of training to counteract and diffuse the target's abilities.

Of course, then again, Gwen was not suppose to have been trouble to apprehend. At the most, Stephanie had expected that if she needed to enter the field with Gwen on the run, that she'd be simple enough to track - not understanding what was going on or who was following her, even with the chance of developing her powers early without encountering Alexander - and able to capture her with barely any difficulty. Alexander had completely thrown a wrench into everything she'd been working on these past 5 years and she wanted to say it wasn't her fault, but as an Agent, she felt it just added to the list of reasons why she was not as prepared as she should be.

Again, she was being asked for information on Gwen and to make predictions based on what she'd been told. Benoit's analysis of his target and how he would possibly react to traveling with Gwen and how it would benefit them was rather astute and revealing and mirrored well with her own predictions about Gwen. She was still formulating her answer when Jason interrupted and Benoit offered up new information about Alexander's state of being. Making a slight alteration of her internal dissection, Stephanie let out a bored sigh and spoke.

"Physical training. Several months ago after an incident, Gwen took a series of women's self-defense classes and even moved up to their advanced courses at the local community center in her old neighborhood. In fact, she used such against me when I engaged her physically yesterday, seeking to subdue her. She has a routine she practices almost every day and it automatically kicked in when we fought."

She did not mention her own short comings in that fight and how her internal walls had not been properly fortified but did go on to explain, "In conjunction with her abilities, she could prove to be formidable in hand-to-hand combat. What she lacks in strength, she will make up for in speed and being able to predict another's actions with absolute accuracy 2-5 seconds before it is set into motion. As a result of her health conscious diet and regular exercise, she is not frail or easy to break and can bounce back pretty easily from a physical onslaught such as being chased for long stretches or being beaten. Even with the crippling and unfamiliar pain of the mental and psychic stress she has and will be going through, I think she will prove to be rather resilient and not easily kept in a vulnerable state."

Glancing out the windows, Stephanie paused and thought over what else Benoit had said about Alexander. "This might prove to be irrelevant, but since you mentioned Alexander's weakness of heart due to Gwen's presence, I feel inclined to inform you of my own understandings of Gwen's behavior in regards to their new...relationship. The information I have on Gwen spans over most of her adult life ever since the Agency first became aware of her. This includes a bit of history from her childhood and her...dating and occupational record."

She stopped for a moment and remembered how many times she'd reviewed Gwendolyn's secret files and a dissection of her younger years. Her father had abandoned both her and her mother to live his life with another woman and family running a lucrative business in the city. Occasionally he would return to pay support for Gwen and would shower the young girl with gifts. This caused some turmoil to brew between mother and father and Gwen, who had grown to idolize the man who had sired her, not knowing the full story behind her parents' relationship, began to resent and blame her mother for his constant absence. Every relationship she'd had with men from that point on was a reflection of this parental connection.

"This past year or so she's had difficulty letting anyone in and has been nursing wounds that have left her guarded and untrusting. But she desperately seeks that companionship and connection again and I think that the arduous conditions and traumatic experiences she is going through right now will draw her closer to Alexander. Normally, she is not a blind follower and in most of her relationships, she has taken the lead and made the necessary decisions. She doesn't like not being aware of what is going on and being helpless. But from what you've told me, and from what I've observed so far, I think she will more than likely bend to whatever Alexander wants."

"She's a hopeless romantic looking for a hero to save her in this time of crises where things she doesn't understand are happening all around her at a fast pace. A man worthy enough to submit to, whom she feels safe to give control. Again, I'm not sure exactly how noble or charming this "prince" is, but if he saves her life enough times, she will follow him wherever he leads her and most likely risk her own life if she thinks it'll help him."

She fell silent for a few minutes as the businesses outside the windows grew into more retail based enterprises. "Like I mentioned before, I don't know how useful this information will be to YOU, but it will help in predicting her behavior just in case wounding Alexander's heart and soul doesn't work out. There's always another angle and weakness to exploit."

****

Gwen sighed in exasperation as the cart was pushed into the room, staring in dismay at the trays laid out upon it. They would most certainly need the whole hour Xander had set up for the taxi to be called to finish this whole meal. She would probably eat half a stack at the most, so she really hoped he didn't expect to finish everything. Ignoring Nathan's annoying insistence, she took the tray Xander offered her with an uneasy smile and sat down at the living room table before removing the lid. The stack of pancakes had been made uniformly and neatly into the shape of hearts. No cutting was involved and they were all almost perfectly shaped. She smiled softly before picking up her fork and knife and started to cut into them.

She kept up an easy pace, opting to put strawberries and the red sauce they were mixed with on her stack, trying not to rush herself but not dilly-dallying either and keeping an idle eye on what else was going on and attempting to interpret the one-sided conversation Xander was having with the still blocked Alex. It was hard to follow what the questions were that these answers went to and she found herself wincing in pain when she tried to touch Alex again only to be blasted with a sharp wave of static. It was just a small push against the barrier and she stopped as soon as the pain came, so it didn't last very long, but she was stuck for several seconds not chewing the current mouthful and waiting for it to stop hurting her. This had to stop soon. She hated being in the dark.

She was about halfway done with the top two pancakes on the stack when Xander drew her attention again as if Alex was telling him something about the kid. Looking at him, she wasn't sure what they were on about until he indicated one of the pitchers of syrup and inquired about what Nathan wanted with them.

She stopped and murmured, "Oh no... Don't..." in disgust when he made it clear he planned to allow the kid to drink straight from the pitcher. There was no way that was healthy and although she didn't understand why he wanted the syrup, she wasn't fond of the kid being made sick by consuming it straight like that. Especially not this rich, thick mixture made specially by the hotel.

Having stopped eating while she watched, she saw it before he did when the kid was done and said his name, "Xander..." before he finally removed the pitcher from the boy's mouth. The whole front of his lips and chin and neck were drenched in the stuff and she sneered a little bit, knowing how sticky he was going to be now. And of course, Xander was naturally amused.

Then her fork and knife dropped from limp fingers to clatter against her plate when the boy spoke in a clear and articulate sentence. Not that running and garbled nonsensical way he'd spoken in ever since he'd started talking, but actual sentences with the appropriate number of nouns, verbs and adjectives for each, clear endings and beginnings and fully understandable meanings. What the hell had just happened? Gwen sat staring with her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide for several moments as Xander became fully introduced to their suddenly normal companion.

Physically, she recoiled as if he'd lashed out at her when he looked in her direction and said her name, again articulating what he had before that he was happy she was alive because apparently she was suppose to be dead. And a chill filled her bones the more he went on about what was currently going on with him. She'd seen some of what had been done to him and knew that what he was currently talking about was Agency business...and now he was thinking and talking coherently. That meant he couldn't be trusted. Standing up from her seat at the table she neared where the other two were and looked at the kid with a piercing and suspicious gaze.

"Why do you keep on saying that? What has given you the impression that I was dead? And why is this a good thing for YOU? Why do you even care?" then she stopped and shook her head throwing up her hands to stave off any answers he might give. "No, you know what? I don't care. Anything you say will probably be a lie anyway."

Moving closer to Xander, she turned towards him without letting Nathan - or whoever he was now - out of her sight and spoke in low, urgent tones to Xander. "Do your thing - zap him and let's get out of here, please!" she begged, the fear she felt starting to creep into her voice and she cast a worried look at the young man tied to the chair. "He's got people in his head and you have to know what that means, especially with him being listed as a 'successful transfer'. This is like with that Peter guy and I just know it'll end badly. We should just leave him..."

She looked away from Nathan long enough to search Xander's face and eyes anxiously, hoping he'd see reason. At this moment, the static clouded her thoughts and made it very difficult to read people and she felt incredibly paranoid about not being able to sense anything from the bound teenager. She didn't know how he could possibly convince her that he was on their side but at the moment she wasn't looking forward to it. They didn't need him and whatever trouble he was caught up in.

[Tartra]

Gwen’s voice might’ve been lowered, but the kid picked up on one word at least.

“‘Zap’? Is’at... Is that what she just said?”

“I don’t know. She’s crazy,” Xander told him. “Completely out of her mind. So! What’s your name?”

“I... Well – I’m David, if it’s worth anything now – but... ‘zap’?” The kid was deeply concerned. “‘Zap’ means ‘kill’?”

“No, ‘zap’ doesn’t mean ‘kill’. Calm down. She’s twitchy.”

“Oh. Right – I feel a lot better bein’ tied up.” The kid moved a bit, as if he were testing out the knots again. “So how about a towel? Minute’s passed and it’s sticky.”

“We’ll get to that,” Xander said, talking in-between bites of recovered breakfast. “David. Nice to meet you. I’m Alex, you know Gwen, we met your friend from a second ago...”

“She’s not my friend, mate. Like I said, banshee. She screams all the bloody time and I’m sick t’death of her already.” The kid’s eyes narrowed suddenly. “Don’t suppose it’s worth tryin’ t’pass her off as a split personality? Or that I’m crazy?”

“I’m pretty sure that ship’s sailed. Nice try, though.”

“Ah, well...”

Alex was jumpy. Gwen’s nervousness was feeding his and Xander’s refusal to play into it – or acknowledge it – was only making it worse. How long until the taxi got here? Twenty minutes? About that. Fine. Fine, okay. This was as ample a time as any to get some information on what the hell they were walking into. So long as they made sure to leave the guy behind when they took off, he’d be able to swallow this situation. But he had his eye on the clock. He wasn’t taking it off, provided Xander glanced at it every now and then, so it should be enough to make sure they left on time. And, preferably, in one piece.

We’re gonna talk, right? Just talk?

He realized already Xander wasn’t going to answer him. That was comforting. It meant he was on guard and being careful, something Alex desperately needed to believe in right now. The amount of information that was going to be traded today was undoubtedly going one way. At no time would this ‘David’ person think anything of him that wasn’t explicitly written across his face. He wished he could say the same for Gwen, though. Twice he named had been mentioned, more or less from two different people. Whatever connection it implied, he hoped it was weak and something stupid so they had one less thing to run from.

“So crazy guy,” Xander said. “How’d you get so crazy?”

“Ohhh, well...” The man-trapped-in-a-kid’s-body-and-not-in-the-metaphorical-or-pedophilliac-way breathed the words out, like he was letting out a sigh. “Can’t tell you everything I went through. Most of it’s a blur – bits and pieces – and the parts’at aren’t... I would like t’forget.” Once more, his eyes narrowed. “This may be a bit of stupid question but it can’t ‘urt to try it anyway, on the off-chance you’re feelin’ really, truly honest: are you an Agent or oth’awise affiliated with them?”

“Define ‘otherwise’.”

“Ha! I knew it! You’re one of us – or, at least, she is.” David nodded at Gwen, then sunk back a little, as if Xander’s blatant lie about her being twitchy had popped back up in his head. “Gwendolyn Stewart. I suppose you do ‘ave reason t’question my... knowing of you.” Xander snorted. The kid frowned. “Not in that way!”

“No, please, don’t mind me. Do tell.”

The kid must've already grabbed an idea of what spending time with Xander was going to be like because he shook his head and rolled his eyes. He kept talking to him anyway, now very obviously in discomfort around Gwen. He tried giving her a smile, but it faded after an instant and he slowly returned to answering her instead of making nice.

“I... was... in a lab, I suppose. Real dark and gloomy thing – ‘ardly a light t’speak of. I don’t remember how I got there, I just... was. And so were the oth’as, all twenty. Twenty-one, maybe. I didn’t keep quite as good a count as I should’ve. Now – ah...” He looked back her awkwardly. “Gwen. You’re right t’be concerned. Anyone would be – and I’m not sayin’ you should trust me but... let’s keep our heads about this, ‘ey? You’re runnin’ around like you know who’s done this to me and I wouldn’t be surprised t’hear they’re comin’ for you this minute.”

“In about an hour, actually,” Xander politely informed.

“Yes. Well... I expect t’be untied a bit ‘fore that." It depended on good behaviour. "Anyway... since sayin’ it out loud might be good for me, when I – and my unfortunate companion – saw you, it wasn’t as though we’d run into you before. We both saw your photograph – lots ‘em, like a gallery – in a file we went through gettin’ out’f there. Naturally, we assumed – or I did, rather – you were one of the ones in line for this little experiment of theirs. There were three piles: one for those who made the trip and got stuck in this thing, one for them they knew of but ‘adn’t captured yet, and then a big stack of everyone ‘pending’, but I guess that was more of a ‘catch-all’. I ‘ad a minute or two t’walk around and confirm it and some of the names in that pile were the ones who didn’t make it through. I thought they were all people who didn’t, but then you walk around and she sees you and suddenly it hits me you were on this list.”

“Cool story,” Xander said. “I know it’s what I’d do if I was in some psycho lab: read a bunch of files instead of teleporting my ass out of there.”

“No – you don’t –” David was flustered. “I didn’t sit up and think ‘now’s about th’time we should break for it, but let’s sit ‘ere and read these papers first’. It was in a big cabinet. They mentioned it a hundred times! They said it was what to look through whenever a colleague asked a question. Naturally, if they’re gonna put a dozen different people in me, I’m gonna want t’know who they are.”

“Uh-huh.” What kind of answer was that? Was it a ‘I agree with you’ uh-huh or a ‘you’re boring me and I’m gonna melt your brains’ uh-huh? “What’d you find?”

“Not much. Pictures, mostly, like I told you. A lot’f faces I blocked out but she memorized ‘em in a hurry.” The kid poked his chin at his bag in the corner. “I stuffed a few in there. I don’t recommend you poke around in it, seein’ as ‘ow she can’t follow th’simple instruction of ‘find a different bag to put the food in’.” He winced, then snapped at the air, “Oh, pipe down, will you? You ‘ad your turn. Work on those damn skills.”

Xander snorted.

“Twenty powers too much to master in a week?”

“Fourteen, and yes. Not sure what even half of ‘em do. The only ones we’ve got goin’ right are the ones we came in with.”

“Teleportation and the sleepy thing.”

Xander'd finished his second tray already.

“Teleportation’s right, but the sleep’s not my terrain. That was one of the ones we found and it’s bloody well useless.” David perked up. “My power’s’re a bit more on the explode-y side. I’d show you, ‘cept it takes some energy, and the two of us are tryin’ t’balance this thing so we don’t both run out’f steam at the same time. Unless you mind sharin’ some of those strawberries.”

Strawberries?

What do strawberries change?

“What’s the deal with them? The berries.” Xander obliged the guy while he’d asked his question and grabbed a handful out of the bowl they’d been brought in. “Open wide.” And then he mashed them – gently – into David’s face. The guy happily started chewing.

“Thanks, mate. They’re my new life blood. Emphasis on the ‘life’.” Chew, chew, chew. “S’not my body, and whoever’s it is doesn’t look t’be around. The power it takes to drive one o’ these things... Well – supposedly, ‘natural’ energy’s good enough to carry you for years. S’what those labrats kept sayin’, at least. ‘One of those gifted could last five years if they didn’t push, so a hundred’s good for forev’a.’ Right – well, they seem to’ve gotten that backwards. Crowding a mind’s as complicated as it gets, ‘cause then we need a schedule keep the ‘body sharing’ organized. Plus, the crazy one’s always hoggin’ and wearin’ herself out. Me? I don’t mind. I’ll switch out whenever I get th’ chance. Way I see it, if I do this carefully enough and back down th’ second I feel a wink of sleep comin’ on, I should make it for fifteen years. Maybe. Assumin’ I don’t find a cure. Oth’a than the strawberries, that is.”

Chatty Australian. Alex was happy he was being co-operative, but he was explaining an awful lot for someone who wasn’t suspicious.

Ask him why he’s –

“Shut up. I’m thinking.”

David looked surprised.

“Well – I was done. Y’can just cut me off, if you like. Sometimes I get t’talkin’ –”

“What exactly do the strawberries do for you?”

Xander’s voice was light and pleasant, but it’d taken on a harder edge.

“Keep me goin’, nullify the effects of the wear’n’tear. For me, it’s strawberries, for her, it’s syrup. Took a while t’figure it out, but it helps when the doctors all think you’re unconscious and they feel like describin’ things in front’f your bed.” David shivered. “They kept me in a coma for two months. That oth’a one? The crazy girl? She’d been in there for three years. Just – by herself, floatin’ around, waitin’ for the oth’as t’get rounded up so she could wake and join the party. She stopped givin’ two shits about what was goin’ on outside but, I tell ya, there’s a million questions she could answer better’n me if she’d stay sane long enough t’do it.”

“... So... if I were to ask her... what happens if you don’t switch out when you’re tired?”

“Oh! I know that one,” he said. “You drop. Good ol’ fall, flat on your face. If we don’t switch and we both run out’f steam... well - we end up in th’ road, as we so rudely learned. That’s not so bad in’n’of itself. The trouble’s when you get to the point where you drop even if you’re not physically tired, and from the way you’re lookin’ at me, mate, I think I should go on.”

“Yeah.”

He wasn’t eating his breakfast anymore. He was paying very close attention to every word out of the kid’s mouth and growing more serious by the second.

“Well – switchin’ out’s not hard. The fallin’ flat’s not a big deal either, really, so long as it’s not face first. It’s the exhaustion, that big rundown of energy. It’s like when a battery dies - sure, put a new one in, but the cost adds up and we lucky few who’ve been yanked from our bodies don’t get too much cash in our account.” David lowered his head a bit, then lowered his voice as if he were trying to build a mood. “That drop, that release... It’s not just you fallin’ asleep. It’s you lettin’ a whole heap of whatever life force’s keepin’ us in this suspended half-life go. Do it enough times and... poof. And I’ll leave you t’think what ‘poof’ exactly means.” He grinned now, having put a few pieces together. “So – uh... which is it? Which one’f you’s got the extra head?”

“She does. I don’t have any powers.” Xander pointed at Gwen. “And she’s had it for six years.”

Look at that. He finally got the time right.

“Six years?” David whistled. “Gwen, darlin’, y’better tell your friend t’start countin’ ‘er days. Unless she stops takin’ over or never did t’begin with, she’s quickly comin’ on some borrowed time. Unless, of course, she found ‘er version of strawberries and syrup.”

“And how would she know what that is?”

“Just experiment. You'll know when you get it. I did,” David said. “Wouldn’t ‘ave t’be fancy, but I’d much appreciate gettin’ stuck with lobster. Y’know I once ‘ad a lobster –”

“Fascinating.”

Alex was uncomfortable hearing this.

Xander?

“What happens,” Xander asked, “if after all these years, her friend suddenly can’t switch out?” The expression on David’s face got him to roll his eyes and add, “Hypothetically.”

“‘Hypothetically? I dunno. I guess you’d take it from an extra year to an extra month. Strawberries could help,” David said, having turned to address Gwen again. “Or whatever your oth’a half’s out for. Then again, that’s the sort of nitty-gritty detail you should be askin’ the crazy one, if she felt like she could stop screamin’ in my ear.”

... Xander?

“Anyway, I’ve been helpful enough. Unless you two have any more questions in the ten minutes you have t’ask, I’d appreciate bein’ untied. Teleportin’ – usin’ her powers – is tricky enough without bein’ strapped t’something.”

“Gwen has more questions, don’t you, Gwen? I’m getting more pancakes,” Xander said. “Who the hell knows when we’re stopping again, right?”

Except maybe to pick up more coffee.

Xander, surprisingly, did not have a reply to that, other than a quick bob of his head.

* * *

Benoit had approved of the woman’s answer. He sat back in his seat and, from the corner of his eye, Jean saw him nod his head respectfully. He was made all the more receptive to the rest of her explanation because of it. Jean was not impressed, but very little of that team had managed any reason for him to feel differently. He was used to playing the chauffeur when other Agents were around. Normally, they were of considerably less experience than he and Benoit, providing their failures with a decent excuse or at least chained to a case one could handle. He understood why a member of senior staff would be chosen to collect the girl now running with Alexander if such a case was capable of the things the woman behind him described; even so, a stronger group could have been arranged. The last tangible line of respect he had for her was clinging to the assumption that the Agency had assembled them. To imagine someone having willingly chosen to work with that child was beyond his patience. He nearly asked, twice, but both times he envisioned Benoit’s response and stayed silent.

“Try not to underestimate the importance of any information you provide, Miss Agent,” his lead told her. “Even if its merit has yet to be revealed, I have faith that everything you have told me will play an important role. With that said, I will need you to be alert for whatever chance you have to wield this against them.” His cigarette was finished. He glanced at it thoughtfully before crushing it into the car’s ash tray. “I do not pretend to know the extent of your need to capture dear Gwen. Likely, it was stronger than mine ever was. I was told my chances of a transfer were slim, so I distanced myself from my target. You have not. Regardless, you must believe me when I say I am not out to ruin this for you.”

“Forty minutes,” Jean reported. “Maybe sooner.”

“Good. Miss Agent? You may approach your case in whatever way you like. I am asking you, however, to not interfere with what I am trying to achieve. I can longer trust a surprise attack to work, and so extreme patience – the great Achilles heel of all that defines Alexander – will be my new sword. If this takes more time than you can bear, I will understand, but do not build your castle in my ocean. I have yachts there. And an octopus. And fish.”

“Are you hungry again, Benoit?”

“You read my mind, Jean! I knew there was a reason I kept you around.” Benoit checked his watch, then delightedly pulled out another stick to smoke. “Who would mind a short stop for breakfast? It should give us more time to wear Alexander down.”

[Guest]

Just when she thought she was merely tolerating the man, he always seemed to renew the reasons why she was fond of and respected him. Ever the smooth business man, Benoit presented her with options that gave her enough freedom and control within their temporary partnership to do as she pleased with her case, while still focusing congruently on his own. Both he and his right hand, Jean, could be haughty and conceited at times, but they did not allow it to get in the way of their ability to cooperate. She was internally grateful for that and it made her let her guard down even more around them, especially when he complimented her input.

It was not his approval she sought, technically, but rather she wanted to keep herself useful to him - that last shred of paranoia would not go away no matter how much he seemed to "enjoy" having her and her partner around. Maybe it had something to do with his manner, or maybe it was the fact that if their places were reversed, she would not hesitate to drop him at her earliest convenience, but either way, when he stopped thinking she had important information regarding her target, she assumed the partnership would dissolve. He didn't need her to capture Alexander.

Despite all this, she did not mind going slow, understanding that for now, she needed to run at their pace. When they were ready to pursue Alexander, that would be her opportunity to engage Gwen again. Blankly, as close as she would get to a smile, she said, "Breakfast sounds lovely - as long as they serve a good omelet, I don't really care where."

Turning away from Benoit her eyes fell of their own accord onto Jason and suddenly she didn't feel so sure anymore. She needed to do something for him and she couldn't help feeling like there was an almost visible clock ticking over his head as well. A thought to take him aside and inquire about his condition flittered across her mind - he had been trained to use the suit and no doubt knew what he needed to correct whatever had been done to him, wouldn't he? - but she shoved it away. No, she could not let him know that she cared about him. That left her only one option, the only thing she knew might help him. They needed to get back what he'd lost, to make the suit whole again.

Thinking it over, she realized that they had a rare opportunity at this moment that she could possibly take advantage of, but it was a very slim chance. "I do have a few ideas I would like to share with you and get your input," Stephanie said to Benoit in an empty voice. "There are a few things, first: I think our chances of capturing the targets increases significantly if they are separated. Despite her abilities, and until they reach full power, Gwen will be somewhat easy to manipulate but not with Alexander there with her. Second, there is a window of opportunity open right now that I may not get a second time. Gwen is stunned and will stay that way for at least a little while - as soon as Alexander uses his powers, it will jump start her focus and she may get them back. But if he is wearing down, as you say, and ready to collapse soon, a time when they are both vulnerable may overlap. I would like to try and capture her before they run off again.

"If Alexander can be distracted for long enough, he may collapse before he has a chance to play the hero like he did before. And we'd have both of them basically handed to us on a silver platter." And Jason's goggles as well. Sitting back smoothly in her seat, she adjusted the front of her red suit jacket so the lower hem laid unwrinkled across her lap.

"If you do not want to move in that fast, then there is an alternative method for getting them separated that will work just as well. If your man cannot stop himself using his powers within the time it takes us to reach them, then we can go a more subtle route. When I am within range of her, my mental signature will be detected by her. No doubt when she connected to me through the glasses, she thought she was being a clever little sleuth. I have no doubt she will try to spy on us again."

Her lips shifted a little and she held her head high. "However, I am now on constant alert for her presence, which I am now able to detect as well as she can me. I propose that if you wish to wait until Xander feels safe enough to let his guard down for you to strike, that we take the opportunity when it comes up to implant a bit of misinformation and seeds of doubt. If she does not know we are aware and waiting - which the illusion is very easy to achieve - she will take anything thought or said to be the truth. If we were to give her a reason not to trust Alexander, I could get her to leave him on her own - which even just a little suspicion right now could shatter her idolization of him. Then it's only a matter of snatching her up and using her as bait for him. That is, if you think he'll fall for it."

There. Both of these plans could be executed within the week - the first had a deadline today of course, but the other had at least until Gwen had gained complete control of her abilities, which Stephanie still estimated about 5-7 days before that would happen. She still didn't know how long Jason had before he became completely unable to work anymore, but it was all she could - and would - do to help him. She would not bring herself to care anymore than that and she would not disrupt the appearance that she only wanted to achieve her own goals, while simultaneously helping him with his. Glancing in his direction again, she gave him a cold, stony look that articulated pure, violent hate through her unshakable facade and turned away as if he had fallen off the edge of the world with the direction of her gaze.

****

Gwen didn't like being ignored. Especially not now when she was already feeling completely helpless. She wanted to smack his face when he called her crazy - She? She was the crazy one??? - and she wanted to hit him over the head with something and drag him off somewhere away from this accented freak. But she also wanted to trust him, no, she needed to. So, glaring at him, she physically jerked her arms in a small tantrum, just after he'd called her twitchy, and she stood off to the side to alternate between glaring uneasily at Xander and the stranger while they "chatted". And all the while, static continued to keep her from hearing anything except exactly what was said and that meant any input from Alex was missing. She was alone.

But in reality she wasn't and since they weren't leaving, she was drawn back into the conversation against her will as the not so young man started to answer her questions. As much as she narrowed her eyes at what he said, suspicious of every word because she could not detect if it was truth or not, she hung on his voice with interest, unable to stave off her own curiosity. Every time he said her name however, she felt a chill run through her and her defenses instantly lock up around her. Never before in her life had she been this jumpy and paranoid, but the one thing other than Xander that had kept her alive these past 15 hours had been her ability to see into other people's heads. And now she was completely blind without it. She was even having difficulty trusting Xander without being able to comfort herself with Alex's presence.

The story "David" told about the lab sounded familiar with what she'd caught a glimpse of from the kid's - or whoever's - mind when they'd tried interrogating him before, but Xander brought up the exact thing that made her suspicious about it. From the sound of it, he'd probably worked at the facility and was trying to play it off as this "pause-while-escaping" bull. As he went on however, she grew more and more uncertain about whether or not he was lying and for several minutes she struggled with the desire to believe him and the fear that she would be wrong if she did so. And Xander was no help at all, unreadable as always, seeming aloof and as if everything in the world were a funny game to be played. She couldn't tell if it was an act or not and instead of making her feel confident that he had everything in control, it made her feel even more alone and anxious, like she was the only one concerned about whether this guy was looking to kill them or not.

Gwen stood just a little apart from them both and was listening intently again as the guy started to go into his relationship with the other people all stuffed into this body together. Strawberries and syrup? Her body went cold when he described the situation they were now in with Xander and she looked at him with a bit of concern lighting her eyes. Was that what was happening to him? She glanced back at David when he asked which of them had another person in their head and she clamped her mouth shut tightly, the paranoia instantly putting her back on the defensive. Then she gave Xander a distraught look when he pointed at her, saying she was the one with someone in her head. Instantly she realized he had a reason for keeping it from the guy so adjusted her expression to a more neutral one so as not to break the ruse he was setting up. But David's warning still made her shiver a little bit, and from his questions, she knew Xander was concerned about it as well, despite his light tone.

When suddenly control was handed over to her, she struggled not to give Xander the same bug-eyed glare she'd given him before and kept her face placid as she looked at the tied young man. Okay, questions, questions. Even after everything he'd said, she both wanted to believe it was true and wanted to tell herself he was lying... but if it was true, then the information was more than useful, it was necessary. But with his attention on her again she felt the paranoia kick in at full drive and she glared at him as if she wanted to kill him. That's right. Xander couldn't switch out with Alex and his exhaustion spells would only be getting worse as time went on and he would die. Did that mean Alex would die with him or would he get his body back? And how long would coffee or whatever help?

She felt like she wanted to cry and like she was losing control. Not for herself of course, but for Xander and Alex and what had been done to them and was going to happen to them. Not only was she helpless right now because of this stupid static in her head, but now she couldn't even help the men who'd protected her. "If you don't even know of a cure," she said suddenly angry at the talky kid. "Then what fucking good are you?"

Needing to get away from him she stalked into the entry hall where his bag still sat. He probably thought she wouldn't look inside because of the mess that was filling it and leaking onto the floor. For that exact reason, she grabbed it up by the strap and dragged it back to her seat. Sitting on the edge of the couch, she merely glanced at David before pulling from the moistened bottom of the thing and upending it in the middle of the carpet.

Noodles of pasta, little chunks of seafood and meat and crumbly chunks of soggy dessert all slathered in an oily, thick saucy mixture spilled out in a small mountain on the floor. Without blinking or recoiling from it, she tucked her hair behind her ears and began to sift through it looking for the "pictures" he'd supposedly tossed in there while attempting to leave the lab he'd been stuck in. She could not go diving within his brain, but she could look through this other shit to find at least some smidgen of physical truth. Amidst the food there were several sheets of soaked paper in there and bringing them out from the pile with dirtied hands, she shook them free of sauce and started to look through them. Like he'd said, a lot of them appeared to be pictures, but a few were files, their pages stained by sauce and food squashed into the paper they were written on.

"So, we know you're not a complete liar," she said without looking at him, her voice dripping with vitriol, staring at a photograph of a man she didn't recognize. "But it all seems like such a likely story that you carry these with you. Wouldn't it make more sense if these were your cases and you were working with them all along?" She angrily smacked the files down upon the nearby coffee table with a wet slap and stood up, coming to stand over him with a penetrating gaze.

"And you seem awfully knowledgeable about all of this, knowing about stuff that suggests to me more than a cursory look over some files or a few eavesdropped conversations between doctors - REALLY? You were, what? Like a little kid pretending to sleep while mommy comes to check in on you and they just happen to discuss important information at your bedside? How fucking retarded do we look?"

Inside, Gwen was terrified while outwardly she was seething. She didn't understand what was coming over her and didn't even think to stop it as she grabbed up his shirt and pointed at him threateningly, her voice growing louder and out of control. "Why did they send you after us? Were you to wait until he dies and recover the body or was it something they couldn't wait for and sent you to FUCKING FINISH THE JOB!?"

The adrenaline was really pumping now and there was no going back, her restraint and any sense she had left gone out the window, replaced by anger and fear. The static burned behind her temple seemingly growing louder inside her head and only making her madder. Speaking in a lower voice she said, "I got news for you, stupid fucker. That trick ain't gonna work a second time!" It was like Peter and Stephanie - they all wanted to play pretend and get one over on them. They all wanted control.

Without thinking about it first, she bent her elbow and snapped it forward quickly, aiming for his face, not even with a clear goal in mind but just wanting to hurt him. Hurt him for all the lies she could not see and for the life that was no longer hers.

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