Re: Kids At War

[DracoMalfoy]

Noah’s blue eyes flickered open and, for a moment, he thought it’d all been a dream. He expected to find himself asleep in his bed with the smell of fresh pancakes invading his nose. But, like every morning he’d spent in this time, he quickly learned how mistaken he was. When the hard surface of the office floor registered in his mind, he bolted up right, his hands immediately death gripping the bow in his hands. The office looked destroyed and the sight of his temporary teammates unconscious on the ground and the witch and her partner nowhere to be found told him the obvious. He sighed and tossed a large pebble away with his hand. His head was pounding, but he was alright. A long, but thin cut on his arm and the archer could feel a bruise forming on his cheek, but he’d recover.

He scanned the unconscious bodies of the other adolescents carefully. They seemed to be slowly, but surely, stirring. The redhead came next; he was groaning, rubbing the back of his neck. Noah noticed a gash there covered in some dried blood. The kid looked like he’d survive, but that didn’t stop the blond from forcing himself to his feet, fighting his aching muscles, and walking over to him. “That doesn’t look great,” Noah said quietly, getting down on his knees in front of the other boy. “But I think you’ll live.”

The redheaded boy gave him a small, sad smile and nodded. “Can’t say I’ve been any worse, but I’ll be fine soon.” Both sets of eyes looked over as Scorpius had silently regained consciousness. He looked bruised as well, but showed no signs of real discomfort or pain. His icy eyes were just staring blankly at Daze, waiting for her to awaken. The heard Evadne wake too and all three guys got to their feet at the same time.

All five of them were conscious and alive now. It was silent for a few moments, but they were all wondering the same thing. What happened? They’d never lost a battle before; they’d even forced Oswald to retreat. And it was unlike Noah to let someone else get the best of him. Ben shifted on the balls of his feet, wincing when they stung. As team leader, this was his fault. He had to coordinate them better, he needed better ideas. He couldn’t let file thieves just go like that; it wasn’t an option. All three guys made their way towards Evadne in silence behind Daze. Ben was about to say something, but was silently grateful when the petite blonde decided to speak instead.

They nodded half heartedly when Evadne asked if they were okay. “We’ll live,” Scorpius said with a nod. It’d take a few days for their muscles to fully heal, and they’d need to bandage up their cuts and gashes. But the shadow manipulator was sure Katie would be more than willing to play doctor for a while. They certainly weren’t ready to face Audrey and Luke again, but they’d be back to their usual patrol in no time.

When Evadne turned her attention to Noah, everyone seemed to. The archer felt all their eyes on him and he was a little nervous. He finally realized how outlandish he seemed, how he didn’t fit in and how he was just an unpredictable variable in this equation. He swallowed the lump in his throat and attempted a scramble to get his thoughts together. “Gee, it’s sort of hard to explain,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s gonna sound bonkers, but, my name’s Noah and I’m sorta, kinda from fifty years in the past from now.”

Ben wasn’t entirely sure if he heard the archer, Noah, correctly. His emerald eyes widened as his mind struggled to process the other boy’s words. His friends seemed to be in the same predicament as him. He scratched his head, struggling to think. How could Noah be from the past? It sounded too much like some crazy science fiction movie. “So you’re a time traveler then?” Scorpius, of all people, was the one to speak up and read everyone’s minds.

Noah nodded. “Yep, but by accident,” the blond archer replied. “My folks and I, we’re trained government agents. We go around in secret stopping the Soviets from stirring up too much commotion. We heard they were working on weapons with some Organization, we went in to stop them and we were jimmy jacked. All the Organization fellas had powers, like you guys. And I figured out, the hard way, that they were building a time machine. Now here I am.” Ben and Scorpius were nodding, taking it all in. It seemed plausible to them. Heck, anything seemed possible at this point. “I’ve been doing research on the file thieves since I arrived in this time. It’s all similar stuff to what that group in my time seemed to be up to. I put two and two together and that brought me here. Guess it’s your turn.”

Noah nodded towards Evadne and, like clockwork, Ben and Scorpius’ eyes went back to her. Both stories seemed like they were accidentally connected. The Organization Noah spoke about and the one the file thieves were working did seem like one and the same. And Evadne knew a lot more than she let on. Ben had been all for keeping pasts on the down low, but it seemed necessary to pick the petite blonde’s brain.

The guys all folded their arms over their chests, giving Evadne their ears. They kept quiet at first as Daze asked the question on their mind. Ben was a little visibly shaken when Evadne used the word death. The idea of dying was so surreal, even though they were all risking their lives on a daily basis. Maybe it took tonight’s loss to remind the element manipulator that they could all die at any time. Scorpius just nodded, silently urging Evadne to continue on.

This Organization sounded like serious business. It was definitely not something they’d ever dealt with before. Ben felt uncomfortable thinking about it. It was their job now to protect Oceanship so dying didn’t matter much anymore. They all seemed to understand that. And he knew none of them would ever abandon Evadne. Even if they were all like Audrey and Luke and even if the team was in over their heads, they’d do what they could to help; that was just who they were.

“Daze is right,” Ben spoke up next. “We’re friends, we’re here for you. And we’re ready to do what we can to help others, it’s why we’re here.” The redhead tried to offer his friend a reassuring smile. “We aren’t afraid; you can tell us anything.”

“This assassin will have to go through us whether we know the details or not,” Scorpius added. “That was decided weeks ago when we met, after all. Before any of this. We are a team, right?” For once, the antisocial adolescent was smiling too, it was a rare sight, but a reassuring one.

Noah felt awkward listening to their encouraging best friend talk. Obviously, he didn’t have any part in it and he was beginning to feel like he shouldn’t be here. He rubbed his arm sheepishly and did his best to keep quiet as the four talked. He just needed to know what the blonde girl knew about the Organization. The archer needed a way to get home, to his own time. And this seemed like the best, and only lead, he had. He couldn’t just pass it up now.

[AppleMistress]

Daze's eyes widened as she listened to Noah explain what had happened prior to his arrival at the bank. And from intuition, she assumed he was feeling the same way she had a few weeks earlier. Oceanship itself was a hectic city to be lost in, after all. Perhaps he was just as much of an outsider as she was… Time travel. The prospect was… interesting. Definitely not impossible. But very uncommon. And the idea that this Organization had been around for so long was also news to the alien girl-- perhaps these files attracted Evadne for the same reason they attracted Noah? Because it wasn't very common news to hear that someone was taking files specifically about machinery and weaponry. Was it? So this probably wasn't as much of a coincidence then she figured it was. When she listened to Noah speak, she couldn't help but let a corner of her mouth quirk upwards just a bit. The way Noah spoke was rather charming… quite different compared to most, she supposed. Perhaps he could teach her some of the phrases he used on a day to day basis. But of course, that was her assuming that he would be accompanying them after their brief conversation. But things weren't that simple, she realized. She decided against asking him to join them without consulting Ben first-- plus, there were other things that needed to be discussed before they could dive into a subject like that. If he truly was new to this time period, then she doubted he had anyplace to go, after all. If he was fighting for the same cause they were, then why not? Perhaps they could aid him in returning home. "I see." She nodded her head, taking another few moments to register the information before offering him a small, warm smile. "Well, in any case, it's very nice to meet you. I'm Daze."

"I think what brought you here is part of what drew me here-- whether I knew it or not. I had a bad feeling that this might be the Organization's work… and I didn't want it to continue undisturbed. The closer they are to their goal, the closer we all are to being screwed." Evadne bit her thumb and considered Noah's story. It seemed plausible. She tried to listen hard for a tidbit of information in his story that could cast allow her to cast suspicion on him, but she couldn't. She didn't want to distrust Noah, but she had to be careful. It was obvious that the Organization had no problem sending kids their age out to do their dirty work-- this could be an assassin in disguise. But then, it seemed unlikely. Something told her that the archer was telling them all the truth. She nodded her head and hummed thoughtfully, crossing her arms. "It seems like something they would do. The Organization's desperate to get their hands on weapons and machinery, after all. Building a time machine sounds like it'd be right up their alley… I guess you're probably trying to find a way back home, right? Especially if the time machine is still in their possession.That makes sense." She paused for a moment before changing the subject, very briefly. "You might've heard my name already, but I guess it'd be best if I introduced myself too. I'm Evadne. That's Ben, and the tall guy over there is Scorpius." The petite blonde gestured towards her two friends to indicate which she was speaking about.

Evadne was taken aback at the abrupt approval she received from her friends. It was hard for her to shake the shocked expression from her features at first. Perhaps she'd underestimated how loyal they were… and she almost felt bad about it. But it was canceled out by the warm, cozy feeling of relief. It was nice to know that she had three supportive friends there to help her through this. She still couldn't shake the awful feeling she got when she thought about involving them in this… But it seemed like she wasn't going to have a choice in this anymore. They were warned fairly and all three of them insisted on helping her. It was a bittersweet feeling, quite honestly. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, contemplating what she was about to say. "All right. As long as you're all okay with this…. I just… I needed to be sure. It's not like they'll automatically know who you all are if I tell you, anyways." She opened her eyes and directed her gaze at the ceiling, settling her fingertip against her chin. "I don't know where to begin. This is going to be a pretty long story, I guess. If you have any questions, feel free to interrupt me."

It took her a few moments to contemplate what she was going to say. "I'll start with what's relevant and I'll work my way up. The Organization has several sorts of members. Those who are bound to it by blood and others who have committed to it on their own free will. As you've heard, the penalty is death-- no exceptions. They don't want to take a chance that someone might ruin their plans, they tarnish that risk by scaring its' followers into silence. If you're bound to the Organization by blood, you don't have a choice. You're forced to work with them, whether you like it or not. You may not agree with them-- but you'd better keep your mouth shut about it, or you'll be punished. And backing out isn't an option-- because if you back out, you're executed. Apparently there's only been one other instance where a victim of the Organization has tried to run away-- but she was unfortunately assassinated." Evadne let this settle for a moment, threading her fingers together before deciding to continue. "I'm bound to the Organization by blood. My dad was bound to it by blood and so was my grandfather. So ever since I was little, I was trained to master my electrical manipulation in order to perform missions for the Organization in the future. I didn't know that back then-- most parents wait until their kids are about sixteen or seventeen before they explain things. I happened to overhear my parents talking about it before they could talk to me about it themselves. I was… disgusted. My future was already written for me and they expected me to do dreadful, terrible things. I bolted and I found Katie and thought that'd be the least of my problems. I guess a part of me knew that I wouldn't really escape this just by running away from home."

"Haven't the police ever been contacted?" Daze decided to ask a question. The idea of murdering people lead her to believe that perhaps the culprits could be distinguished through old files. Perhaps there was a lead that connected back to the Organization. They could put the major leaders behind it behind bars and it'd all be settled. Evadne being born into a mission like this was understandable-- they way she talked about 'running away' definitely made sense. She didn't agree and had tried to fight back, somehow. Apparently it was uncommon for someone to run from the Organization, though, as Evadne mentioned it had only happened once before. For someone so small, Evadne was quite bold. Daze couldn't help but admire her for that.

"Yes. The Organization is made of people who are in respectable jobs. Scientists, doctors, lawyers. They have great reputations and connections. When they're accused, the evidence makes it seem like their hands are always clean. People just learn to keep their mouths shut after so many years… You can tell from Noah's story that they've been around for quite a while. They've got experience to back themselves up with and it's not easy to catch a flaw in their strategies." Evadne's shoulder's sank a little and she wrapped her arms around herself. Perhaps it was all the explaining or the fact that she was hit in the head earlier, but she was filling a little lightheaded. "Some people choose to work with the Organization because they share their crazy beliefs-- those sorts of people are usually put on probation and aren't entirely trusted until after a few years or so. And that brings me into the next topic-- the Organization's mission. If I put it simply, they want to push a restart button on the world. They're collecting blueprints and information about a certain weapon that's rumored to bring on 'the end of the world'. It's a mixture of scientific antics and magical ones-- it's hard to describe, the information gets pretty technical. Anyways, this weapon enables them to make everything disappear. I think there's a protection chamber or something along those lines that can save those who work with the Organization. And once they complete that, they're allowed to rule the world as they see fit. Some people want in just because they want to be saved if they actually succeed in their mission. They still have a ways to go before they collect all the information they'll need. Still-- they're getting close. I could see them finishing their preparations up in a few months if Audrey and Luke continue like this."

She closed her eyes and nodded her head, as though settling a debate in her head. "A few months sounds about right. I'm not sure how to go about stopping it. But it's obvious now that we should continue to keep an eye on these thefts… If they don't have the information they need, then they won't be able to proceed with their mission. And we also have to look out for that assassin that Audrey mentioned… I'm not sure what methods are commonly used, but I'm pretty sure whoever it is will know that I'm in Oceanship tonight." She opened her eyes and sighed. "And now for the matter of Audrey and Luke. I knew them from my parents work and school, quite basically, and didn't even recognize the possibility of them being forced into this until it hit me square in the face. I'd guess that they're bound by blood like I am. Being scared into working for the Organization with the penalty hanging over their heads-- I don't agree with what they're doing, but I can sympathize with them… to an extent. If they've got powers like we do, then they both stand a pretty good chance against an assassin. If I know Luke, then he won't go through the trouble… But Audrey's always been so paranoid and shy that I'm afraid they've got an iron grip on her. They're both decently sane, they're just doing what they can to stay alive." It sucked loosing Audrey to the Organization. And it sucked even more that she had been stupid enough to leave her without saying a word when Audrey was trapped in the same hell that she was. If only she'd done something earlier… She shooed those thoughts away. She'd have enough time to drown herself in self-pity later.

"Long story short-- I believed my parents and my life were generally normal until a month ago when I overheard them discussing all of this and how they were scared that I wasn't going to comply in terms of the Organization's goals. I did my research and then got the hell out of there before they could play any mind games with me. My dad's a scientist that works in some sort of lab and my mom is an assassin. I doubt she's coming after me herself-- they've probably contacted someone on their own accord to come after me. Whoever it is must suck, though, considering they haven't found me yet." Evadne rubbed her temples. This was exhausting to talk about. She basically lost everything to the Organization and she was trying to sum everything up as bluntly and emotionlessly as she possibly could. Because it still hurt. The betrayal and the dishonesty she experienced. Even though she knew her parents were no good, she still couldn't help mourning the seemingly normal life she used to have.

"That's some of what I know, off the top of my head. Do you have any questions? I might've left something out…" Evadne took a deep breath. Spilling her guts was sort of difficult-- but it was almost as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders as she revealed the Organization's antics. Perhaps they had some hope… They could always get stronger. She had a feeling they'd be able to compose a strategy that could help them take down Audrey and Luke in future instances. She could tell that they both got tired rather quickly in the battle-- if they could only hold them off a little longer or distract them, then perhaps their chances of success would heighten significantly. Audrey also couldn't perform spells as long as she was distracted… but then, her eyes. That part of the battle remained strange as well as a mystery. It was… haunting, almost. The very thought of it gave her chills. But that wasn't what she needed to ponder at that moment. For now she wanted to know more about what Noah knew about the Organization and how it might've related to what she had to say-- and what he was planning on doing, considering it seemed like he had no place to go. And so she directed her attention back at the archer. "And now, I've been wondering something. You don't have a place to go, do you? And I'm assuming we've got the same goal. If we can somehow invade the Organization's headquarters, you might be able to find your ticket home, isn't that right? I know you might not trust me, hell, I don't blame you if you distrust me… And we haven't discussed this yet… But maybe you should…"

"Consider staying with us?" Daze finished the sentence, almost eagerly. There was a light in her eyes that almost made Evadne want to smile. Although she was soft-spoken, it seemed apparent that Daze considerably liked meeting new people-- as long as they didn't treat her like an outsider. "I think so too. Perhaps we'll be able to assist you. Well, of course, unless you have someplace else to go." Heat pricked at her cheeks for a moment, as she knew that this wasn't her call to make. Scorpius needed to make his input and Ben did as well-- and of course, Noah was also a factor in making this decision. Perhaps making that statement was rather bold… But she felt that now was probably the right time to bring it up, if any.

[DracoMalfoy]

Noah smiled up at Daze; she was welcoming and that made the air floating between the five of them feel a little less awkward to him. She looked a bit outlandish, probably like he did, but it left him curious. Was she an alien? A few weeks ago, he'd never believe it, but after everything, it all seemed possible to him. The archer took in a gulp of oxygen; he couldn't judge or jump to any conclusions. He was confident he'd learn everything in due time, especially with the petite blonde so eager so clear some things up for him and her friends. He fought hard to keep his blue eyes from narrowing in suspicion at her. She had fought against the file thieves and seemed to want nothing to do with this so called Organization, but, someone's word didn't hold any weight to Noah; suspicion was natural for him to feel. Still, the blond kept in mind that his explanation of things sounded bizarre; who was to say that the electric manipulator wasn't thinking the exact same thing about him? He finally let the air he'd taken hostage escape his mouth. Patience; his parents had always said he had to work on that. Turning his eyes away from the blonde, his focus was back on Daze. "Thanks; pleasure's all mine, ma'am."

Ben was beginning to feel antsy. Evadne had piled a lot on them already, and it wasn't like he wasn't willing to face it, but, he could tell there was more to come; she'd barely just cracked the surface of things. While he kept his focus on the petite blonde, his emerald eyes glanced over towards Noah and Daze briefly. He was more than supportive of them all being friends and on the same side, but they needed to know what Evadne had to say and now. "I'm all for introductions, but can we put them on hold?" he asked, somewhat ordered. The redhead still hated having to be assertive with his position, but this took priority. For a brief second, he noticed Scorpius' focus on Evadne hadn't drifted once; the element manipulator decided to follow Scorp's example and put his eyes on Evadne. Noah followed suit.

All the guys listened intently. They each nodded, when appropriate, and let the information swim through their heads. It was a lot, there was no denying it. Ben's heart broke as his friend explained the idea of an Organization using kids to do their dirty work; it was absolutely disgusting. Even Scorpius seemed visibly shaken by the idea. Both adolescents noticed Evadne and Noah silently trying to read one another. They didn't trust each other just yet; the redhead debated speaking up about the slight tension, but decided against it. The last thing they needed right now was another conflict to deal with. He hoped it'd clear as everyone explained things. Ben pipped up as Evadne introduced him. Scorpius nodded in acknowledge.

"Nice to meet you fellas," Noah said with a small smile. This all felt awkward to him, but being on a first name basis with these kids made things a little easier on him. Still, it felt like he was intruding. The archer knew he'd feel uncomfortable if someone inserted themselves into his family's team without warning. His eyes moved done to the damaged floor, deciding he'd just keep silent until the end of the explanation.

The team's leader folded his arms over his chest, wincing slightly at the ache, and kept his attention on Evadne. Just when he thought things couldn't get more complicated, they through him for a loop. The look of disgust when she mentioned her mother being an assassin came too quick for him to hide. Ben thought of his mom, knowing full well she'd do what she had to if she perceived this entire situation as her version of normal. He understood, at least to some degree. Regardless, the threat of the assassin was real, even if they'd taken forever to get any leads on where the petite blonde had run off to. She was right; Audrey and Luke would probably tip the Organization off. They'd have to be ready to face this assassin; if they were anything like Audrey and Luke, it'd definitely serve as a challenge.

"A sucky assassin is still an assassin," he spoke up finally, feeling some sense of leadership among the five of them. "We'll have to keep our guard up, traveling in pairs, no exceptions. We need to warn Katie too." Ben felt somewhat satisfied with himself when he saw his teammates nod in acknowledgement. He didn't have any real idea how they'd go about this, but there had to be something they could all do.

When the attention turned to Noah, he almost froze. It was kind of them to even consider him in this whole mess. This Organization business was pretty extreme. He'd spent the last few years diving into Soviet territory and taking on enemy spies and this didn't compare. Super powers, a group hell bent on destroying the world...it all made him light headed and the archer was secretly wondering if any of the others felt that way too. He scratched the hairline on the back of his neck, feeling awkward again.

Truth was, he had nowhere to go. He'd spent the last few weeks moving from alley to alley, making the limited amount of emergency food he always had last and, truth was, his strength wasn't up, he was tired, hungry, weak, the whole nine yards. A place to stay didn't sound awful. "Gee, that's mighty kind of you guys," he started. Part of his pride was trying to force him into denying the invitation, but he mentally fought back against it. He looked between the girls, a smile on his face. "I'd love a place to stay. We all seem to be on the same team anyways." The time traveler hoped he wasn't wrong in assuming the invitation included a spot on their team. He was willing to do anything necessary to help. His blue eyes glanced away from Daze and Evadne and back towards Ben and Scorpius. It seemed like Ben was the leader here; maybe the decision fell on his shoulders. "...Uh, I mean, if it's all good with you guys."

Ben smiled. "No worries; you're welcome to stay with us," the redhead replied. Even if Noah didn't have any super powers, he could still be an amazing addition to the team, archery was pretty cool after all; plus, he did need a place to stay and it seemed like the right thing to do. The element manipulator just hoped Katie wouldn't mind. She was warm and welcoming enough to open her shop up to them, but, at the same time, Ben didn't want to seem like he was taking advantage of her. They couldn't start up a homeless shelter or anything in her bookshop's basement. Ben made the silent decision that Noah would be the last reckless invite. He'd talk to Katie before he invited anyone else to stay with them.

Before they could continue, the sound of sirens blared from outside; it'd taken them forever, but the police had finally gotten their act together. Without a word, Scorpius moved towards one of the cracked windows and gazed outside to the streets below. A second later, he moved back to face the other four adolescents. "The police have arrived," he stated the obvious in a monotone. "They've brought more cars than they would for a typical breaking and entering; my guess is they know someone powerful enough to attract our attention is responsible." The police force in Oceanship had been more of a hindrance than a help to the team, but that didn't mean they wanted them getting the wrong idea about tonight. Finding a broken a bruised team, no thieves and no files wouldn't look so good. "Do you think there's any way we can sneak out?"

"There should be," Ben replied. He made a way for the stairs they'd all ran up earlier and gestured his head in the direction he was moving quickly in. "C'mon. The less questions we're forced to answer, the better." He started moving, the rest of the team right on his feet. They moved down the stairs, trying to make as little noise as possible; if the cops busted in and caught them in this position, it'd be bad. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, the element manipulator caught sight of a hallway they'd all overlooked in their haste to confront Audrey and Luke. A quick glance around told Ben that his friends saw it too. "This way," he whispered.

They all moved with haste, Noah constantly glancing over his shoulder to see if the police were in fact secretly following them. He'd never ran from the law before, even if he and his new friends weren't exactly the culprits. "I'm lost," he whispered, breaking the short silence between the five of them. "Shouldn't we tell our story to the cops; get them looking for Audrey and Luke. Maybe we could force the Organization to go public."

"Law enforcement isn't handled well in this city," Scorpius immediately answered in a hushed tone. "Hence why we try and fight crime the best we can. We do a majority of the work and the police treat us like we're lepers; I highly doubt they'll believe our story, most likely, they'll arrest us for being vigilantes." The shadow wielder sent a quick glance towards Evadne walking in front of him. "And our knowledge of the Organization is limited. If they do have members infiltrated in esteemed positions, our cries could fall on deaf ears, or, we could just make ourselves sitting ducks by revealing ourselves."

Scorpius didn't know personally how exhausting this whole scenario was for the electric manipulator, and he knew of her temper. He'd answered simply because he didn't want her to get too upset over the ordeal. Noah didn't know any better, but she'd done enough explaining for the night."

"Oh..." with that, the archer silenced himself. He was used to working in secret, but this was an entirely different story. He kept behind with Scorpius as the group made twists and turns down the hallways. All five of them were silently sure the police were in the building now; none of them risked making a peep, the only sound in the dark hallways being the clicking of five pairs of feet against the floor. They all made a final turn and were faced with an emergency exit. They noticed an excited Ben resist making an "aha!" sound. They pushed through the door and were meant with the cool summer night air. They were in a parking lot, probably for the office's staff. Noah and Ben turned, noticing the lights of the second floor on; the police were searching inside, they'd barely made it out of there.

"Close one," Ben said, finally feeling comfortable enough to speak. "Let's go. We can explain the rest to Noah when we get home. I think we've all earned some rest. We can get back to training and develop a game plan for all of this in the morning." Handling something as colossal as the Organization was intimidating; Ben didn't even know where to begin. Trying to determine where Audrey and Luke would strike again seemed a good a place to start as any. If they could learn anything from those two, they could use the information to develop some sort of game plan. The redhead sent a look towards Evadne and offered her a small smile. He wanted her to know it'd be alright; they'd beat this just like they had everything else. It was what they did, after all.

[AppleMistress]

Evadne flinched when a raindrop plunged into her eye. She dared to look up at the graying skies and that's what she got. "Crap. I forgot to check the forecast." She muttered. Daze, beside her, was bewildered and fascinated. "It hasn't rained in a while. Looks like it could storm tonight too." Rain was no credible reason to stop patrolling the city, though. What's the worst that could happen? Catching a cold was the least of Evadne's worries. And storms enhanced her abilities quite a lot. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise. Or something of the sort. Her optimism had drained over the past few days, after all. They hadn't encountered Audrey or Luke in a while, no matter how many office buildings they would scout at night.

Daze was collecting a puddle of raindrops in her hands. "Evadne, does this happen very often?" The sun was out and setting only a few moments ago. In fact, Evadne had been complaining a bit about the heat before this even occurred. The air was still rather warm, everything had cooled considerably. Little drops of water were falling from the sky. It was… pretty. Quite different compared to standing in the blistering rays of the sun or under the stars at night. She stared into her hands, perplexed as the water trickled out from the cracks between her fingers. She could feel her bangs sticking to her forehead and dark speckles began to appear on her clothes.

Evadne smiled sheepishly. Daze still hadn't experienced a lot of what this world had to offer-- it was strange to think that even rain, something experienced in several cultures, was foreign to Daze. "More in the spring than in the summer. But from time to time, we do get a storm or two." She looked around. The crowds on the street were beginning to decrease because of the sudden downpour. People were heading inside restaurants and shops to steer clear of the rain. And those fortunate enough to have brought umbrellas with them were pulling them out. "We should keep moving, though. It might be less likely for us to run into a thug now that it's raining, but that doesn't mean we should let our guard down."

Daze lowered her hands and nodded. She was excited that she'd gotten the petite blonde to smile… She'd been a lot less energetic ever since that night at the bank. And that was understandable. She lost two of her friends to this Organization-- and she was practically forced to explain her past to everyone. It seemed exhausting. And living under the same roof as Noah seemed a little difficult for her too. Daze could tell that she was trying to trust him, but she still wasn't quite there yet. Her lifestyle was troubling enough to make it understandable, of course, but Daze could tell that Noah just wanted to find his way home. She felt as though she could… relate to Noah in a way where she couldn't quite relate to the others. Perhaps it was merely just the fact that she felt outlandish among the people on earth. And… in a way, she got the feeling that Noah sometimes felt that way too. Like a puzzle piece that just didn't fit with all the rest. Even Scorpius, who she felt shared many similar traits with her, still knew more of this city and people than she did. Noah was unfamiliar to the concept of certain genres of music and attributes of this time that obviously didn't belong to his. And for that, she felt as though she could share his worries in fitting in amongst everyone else. She was wrong when it came to trusting Oswald before… But Noah was a different case entirely. He was genuinely sincere.

Evadne was a good person. Daze knew that she'd treat him like everyone else on the team at some point. The blonde wasn't quite as cheerful as she used to be and she seemed a little more tense whenever someone walked in a room. She seemed ready to jump at even the slightest of sounds. She was afraid. And that fact in itself was rather unnerving. She needed some of her determination back if they were going to get any stronger. But Daze wasn't quite sure how to go about making Evadne feel better. Social interaction wasn't exactly one of her strong suits. If anything, Ben or Noah seemed like the only ones with potential to bring her out of her funk. Scorpius could offer his assistance-- but like her, he was at a slight disadvantage in comparison when it came to interacting with others. Lost in thought, Daze realized that Evadne was already a few paces ahead and rushed to catch up.

------------------------------------

Derek Carson immediately recognized Evadne Van Denend. Despite being shorter, having youthful features and unkempt hair, she looked like an exact replica of her mother. Reagan Van Denend had taken him under her wing after he'd decided that he wanted to work as an assassin for the Organization. She was strict and it took a hell of a lot to get her to smile, but she knew what she was doing and he appreciated that. Her daughter's disappearance seemed evoked some emotion in her for a change-- and it surprised him when she requested that he be the one to find her. It became clearer as she explained his mission to him. She wanted him to bring her back alive-- he couldn't kill her. She'd be kept in her father's lab. Reagan Van Denend had refused to divulge any more details and told him that he'd be reworded quite generously for this particular task. Derek was struggling through life in a rundown apartment and the Organization seemed to be his chance at making it big. They hadn't trusted him for years. And now he frequently went on missions-- mainly because he had Reagan Van Denend's trust. He owed her a lot.

He dug his hands deep into his pockets. He made sure to dress as a civvy so he wouldn't stick out too much. From what he knew, Evadne could manipulate electricity and she was rather agile. And it was just his luck that it was beginning to storm, that would only fuel her power. The tall girl accompanying his target worried him, to a certain extent. He had no idea what she was capable of. It'd be ideal if he could somehow separate the two, but he didn't want to attract a ton of attention. Drawing a crowd was particularly simple in Oceanship. He made sure to have at least three people walking in between them. He blended well with the crowd and he wasn't falling under either of their radars for the moment. He wondered where exactly their destination was. If they were leading him to their 'base', that would be even more ideal. It'd probably be simpler to bring the girl back alive if he could collect her while she was sleeping. That was wishful thinking, obviously. He had a feeling that he'd be able to pull this off-- she was just a kid, after all.

Just a kid. What a mistake. Some of the kids roped into this Organization were monsters if their abilities went haywire. He shook his head. Some had enhanced strength that gave them an edge in fighting. Another could duplicate himself. And the witch girl could kill someone in a single blow if she got mad enough. The thought made him want to shudder. Based on the report the two kids sent back, Evadne Van Denend had formulated some sort of team with approximately six members involved, possibly more. The explanations were vague and they still didn't have enough information to go on. He knew he had to watch himself. The Organization's plans were at stake here. He doubted this pipsqueak would be able to put a dent in the scheme, but he couldn't be too careful.

They were headed towards a deserted part of town. The tall girl gestured to an alley way, as something had seemed to capture her curiosity. The spoke quietly for a bit before turning and disappearing in the dark alley. The dark haired girl created an orb of light in her palms, allowing them to see as the ventured in. Derek realized that this was his chance. He quietly came in behind them to find that they'd quickly taken down a thug and were going through the two bags that he'd obviously taken to find some sort of identification. He was conked out and lying against the vermillion brick wall. Silently, Derek closed off the entrance to the alleyway with an invisible wall before raising his hands. Focusing, he generated a thin cloud of ink. This would cloud both their vision and also put them in a trance-like state. It'd make them sleepy, but he didn't have enough power to knock the two of them out entirely. He was immune to the effects, but he couldn't see either of the girls at the moment. Hopefully this would disorient them enough so that when the ink cleared, he could strike immediately and have this over with.

The taller girl seemed to be trying to create a source of light through the murky ink, but to no avail. Derek narrowed his eyes and tried to pinpoint Evadne's location. She was his priority. He'd have to knock the other girl out to keep her from alerting their 'team' in time, of course, but the tiny girl was the one he needed to collect. No exceptions.

-------------------------------

Evadne forced herself to swallow the scream she was about to let out when a rush of a cloudy black substance blinded her. She had to be alert. This wasn't the time to panic. Unless this was Oswald, for some reason, then it was obviously the Organization. Who else would corner and blind her? The culprit wasn't someone she could see. She wondered if it was Audrey. Or Luke. It seemed unlikely, though, as neither of them seemed to be able to control anything like this at the office building a few nights ago. The rain was doing nothing to help her vision. She saw a few silvery orbs of light through the murk, realizing that Daze was doing what she could to clear it away. It was too thick to even see a figure. The petite blonde felt for her little communication device. She programmed an entirely new one, now that Noah was a part of the team. Risking being heard over risking being overpowered by their opponent… She wasn't sure which she preferred. Alerting Ben and the others was probably the smartest thing for her to do. She felt around the edge of the device and pushed down on one of the buttons. She wasn't quite sure who she was contacting, she just hoped inwardly that it wasn't Noah. If he did have something to do with the Organization, it was possible that he'd ignore her request for help. She doubted it… But she needed to expect the unexpected at this point. She couldn't afford any mistakes.

She heard a click on the other end. "We've been cornered… I think we might need some help." Evadne couldn't hear a voice on the other end. She opened her mouth to say something more and was met with static. She closed her device and scowled. "Shit." Perhaps someone heard her. Hopefully. She didn't have the opportunity to say where she was and what was going on... But now wasn't the time to fret. The inky clouds were beginning to fade. Her eyelids felt rather heavy, but her fear forced her to ignore it. A tall figure was approaching. He looked to be in his early to mid twenties. He also looked like an average citizen.

When Daze could see again, she immediately took a defensive stance in front of Evadne, composing a shield. "Do you have any business with us?" She asked rather boldly. Evadne felt grateful for her friend at that moment-- she held her ground. Evadne scolded herself for letting the fear of the situation overpower her so quickly. A crack of lightening set the dark Oceanship sky aglow and their predator narrowed his eyes.

"I only have business with the pipsqueak there." He motioned to Evadne and then set his focus on Daze. "Now, if you'd step aside." He thrust a fist forward and Daze's shield seemed to shatter. Bewildered, the alien girl stepped backwards and created another one. Evadne's eyes grew wide before narrowing. How the hell did he break through Daze's shield? They were usually bulletproof.

"You'll have to go through me first." Daze stated, quite determined despite the fact that this man had somehow interfered with her abilities. Evadne felt somewhat tempted to roll her eyes at the cliche line her alien friend had picked up from the action movies that they watched. Seemingly impatient, their attacker took a step forward and broke through again. Daze recreated a shield. The pattern would probably go on and on. And as the minutes passed, she found herself growing agitated. She was standing back, helplessly. He continued to move forward and eventually, she and Daze had their backs to the wall.

"What the hell do you want with me?" Evadne spoke up for the first time, surprising both Daze and their opponent. Considering Daze's shield had been diminished yet again, she took a bold step forward and let sparks dance from her fingertips. "You're here to kill me, aren't you?" It made sense now. Cornering and taking them out immediately made his plans clear. They weren't stopping him from doing something, as they had with Audrey and Luke. He had a motive. And if they were cornered, then they were in trouble. She had no way of knowing if any of the guys heard her attempt at communicating them and she certainly didn't want Daze to die as a result of their encounter with this assassin.

"Evadne, stay back. Please." Daze sounded quiet once again, eyes wide. Evadne could tell she was terrified… But she was making such an effort to keep her from losing it. Evadne shook her head and then faced their opponent again. She rose a hand and a strike of lightening came from above his head and crashed down. He dove out of the way just in time. As the bolt struck the pavement, it left a black mark with smoke drifting up from it. He narrowed his eyes and launched himself at her, attempting to grab for her arm. Daze slipped in between them and managed to kick him in the stomach. He didn't so much as flinch at the action and took the alien girl's ankle in his fist. He tossed her towards the entrance of the alleyway-- but instead of crashing, she caught herself in midair and flew right back at him.

"I'm not doing the killing. I'm just going to bring you back to your parents." He smirked as he ducked away from Daze's next attack and moved towards the smaller girl. "They're worried about you." The mockingly sympathetic tone aspired Evadne to sent another bolt at him, which he dodged with ease. Daze sent an orb of light at him from behind, which caught him off guard and brought him crashing down to the sidewalk.

"Daze, the entrance! If we attract enough attention, maybe we can…" Evadne watched as Daze leapt to do as she was told. She looked as though she was a mime in a box at the entrance of the alleyway. "Smoke and mirrors, huh." Evadne narrowed her eyes. That explained his ability to break through Daze's shields earlier. He could create transparent walls, in that case. And on top of that, he could manipulate a smoky substance. Interesting. He also had some strength to use to his advantage. She couldn't help but wonder what else he may have up his sleeve.

"The entrance is closed off." Daze spoke, the worry in her tone extremely evident. The alien girl was worried that this would meet the same outcome as their encounter with Audrey and Luke. Defeat. And this time Evadne's safety was at risk. They couldn't afford to fail. She looked around for any other exits and couldn't find one. Except for up. But she wasn't about to leave without Evadne. That would be a fatal mistake.

Evadne seemed to read her mind. "Daze, get out of here! I can hold this guy off-- see if you can get in touch with the others!" The assassin aimed a punch at her and she ducked just in time for his fist to meet the wall instead. He cursed before latching onto her wrist and tossing her at the wall. Pain surged through her as she sunk to the ground. She felt like her limbs were becoming unbearably heavy. She was tired. Trying to gather more energy, she swished the blood in her mouth around before spitting it at the ground and picking herself back up.

"I'm not leaving." Daze lifted her hands and attempted to manipulate the wall their opponent had created. Perhaps she could somehow break through it, like he'd done to her shields earlier on. If she was standing by the entrance, there was no way that he could leave with Evadne-- even if he did manage to knock her out somehow. He'd have to go through her first. Forcing herself to focus, she began to weaken the invisible wall standing before her.

There was no use reasoning with her. Evadne forced herself to stay alert as she continued to dodge her attacker's punches.

Daze panted a little. She felt that she finally did something. Still, she needed to test it. She moved her hand towards the invisible wall and it passed through. She let a small and somewhat tired smile cross her features, relieved. It was short lived, though, as Evadne was tossed once again, quite harshly, at the entrance. Daze tried to catch her and they both stumbled out of the alleyway.

"Dammit, I'm not some rag doll." Evadne complained, picking herself up again. She looked towards Daze and offered her a small smile. "Nice going!" That enclosed space limited their options… Now if only they could find a place that was crowded enough to draw some attention to this brawl… Footsteps came from behind them. They didn't have enough time to think. Daze clasped onto Evadne's wrist and took off in a random direction.

"We can't lead him to the shop." Evadne mentioned. Her head felt like it was swirling, but she forced herself to move. Why had they come so far when patrolling? There wasn't a soul in sight. The two girls were both significantly wearing down and their opponent was catching up to them. "I don't think we have a choice, Daze. We need to knock him out… Somehow."

The alien girl sighed and nodded her head, coming to a halt and turning around.

-----------------------------------

Castor Van Denend was standing under his transparent umbrella and blowing smoke into the air. It'd been a while since it rained… And if he was being honest, he'd always loved the rain. Not because of the sound or the way it smelled, but because he would go out on the strangest endeavors on rainy days. Most usually, he would spend days like this with Evadne. He inhaled the smoke he just puffed out and cursed under his breath, dropping his cigarette to the curb and crushing it with his foot. His sister was finally discovered… Her location was currently marked as 'Oceanship'. It was a broad description… but it was still unsettling. He knew of Katie Clement. He also knew that his sister had fled to Oceanship based solely on childish hope that the redheaded young woman would offer her a place to stay. Apparently, she was in Oceanship. Her endeavor was probably successful, to say the least. Of course, Castor hadn't disclosed this information with his parents. He didn't intend to.

He heard footsteps and barely turned his head. Audrey was walking towards him-- without an umbrella. And underneath her right eye was a purplish mark that looked like it was beginning to turn black. He could tell she'd tried to cover it with something, but it wasn't doing her any good. Drenched and beaten up, she looked like an abandoned puppy. Damned Frost, working a fourteen year old girl to her limits. The Organization was cruel. They used to have an age limit according to the intensity of the missions they were sent on, apparently. It was a rule they'd long forgotten.

"That's quite a bruise you've got there. Your dad took you to the torture room again, didn't he?" Castor narrowed his eyes when Audrey shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. She was too stubborn to tell anyone anything about her training sessions-- but it was clear as day to recognize that hers' were especially brutal. It was hard not to notice. Each day she'd walk out of that training room sporting a new bruise or black eye. Sometimes they'd have someone come in to take her to the medical wing because she'd fallen unconscious. Castor sure as hell didn't know a thing about magic… and he was glad that he didn't. Part of him didn't care at all, as usual. Part of him felt some empathy for her. No kid should have to go through that sort of abuse. Maybe a softer side of him was kicking in because she was a close friend of Evadne's.

"Don't call it the torture room. We were just training." Audrey glared daggers at him, which made him roll his eyes. Fine. If she didn't want sympathy, he wouldn't give her any. That was the end of it and they were standing in silence for a moment, listening to the rain patter. She stared at the crushed cigarette on the sidewalk and then at the building across the street from them. The library. "Aren't you going inside?"

"I don't read anymore." Castor said simply with a nonchalant shrug. He didn't have time when his younger sister was treading through deadly waters, after all. The assassin was quietly sneaking around in Oceanship tonight and he needed to get there as soon as possible. He looked down at the young witch and quirked an eyebrow. "Why are you here anyways? You're going to get sick."

"Since our late night escapades are getting a little more risky, they want you to accompany Luke and me tonight. We're hitting another bank in Oceanship." Audrey knotted her fingers together, looking considerably uncomfortable. She'd seemed uneasy ever since she and Luke took Evadne and her team down two days earlier. Castor couldn't help but wonder what had happened. "They think tonight would be ideal, since it's possible Evadne will be confronted by the assassin while we're at work. It'll keep her preoccupied."

"Huh." Castor ran a hand through his hair and sighed heavily. Shit. This wasn't what he wanted. Not at all. He was planning to go to Oceanship tonight, but for a different reason entirely. Perhaps he'd manage to slip away from Audrey and Luke in time to help his sister. He just had to be careful.

[DracoMalfoy]

Both Ben and Noah were pacing the streets on patrol. Since moving in to the bookshop with the team, Noah had stuck close to Ben and Daze for the most part. Despite their compromise at the office a few nights ago, the archer had been in the shark tank with Evadne. They didn’t argue, but the silent distrust was obvious to all five adolescents. Both suspected the other of keeping some important information to themselves and the suspicion didn’t seem like it’d be lifting anytime soon.

Patrol had proven to be complicated with a fifth member on the team. The team had elected Scorpius, as the oldest and most capable, to patrol on his own. But, it had been a few nights since they’d encountered Luke or Audrey and it had all five of them on edge. The redheaded adolescent wanted to believe that they had the two thieves on the ropes, but Evadne didn’t think so. Still, the team had no leads and they were all growing restless walking in circles, Noah and Evadne in particular, which didn’t help ease the tension.

“Are you sure Evadne can be trusted?” Noah asked for the hundredth time as the two adolescents turned a corner. He just couldn’t shake the thought of distrusting her. She was so defensive, so abrasive, so unlike the girls he knew in his time. Everything had changed, from music to how folks treated each other. Maybe he was short with her because he was so fed up with everything, but Noah thought that the electric manipulator was way too close to this Organization to not be involved. It didn’t add up.

Ben shrugged. “I haven’t known her for very long, but I trust her,” he told Noah. “She gave us all a place to stay, she came to help me stop a bank robbery. She’s put herself in danger for us so many times; I don’t think she’s up to anything.”

Thinking it over, the redheaded leader did realize how ridiculous he sounded; he and Evadne had only been friends for three or four weeks. But still, she’d done so much for them all and he couldn’t believe that she’d throw her lot in with the likes of Luke and Audrey. It just wasn’t her. He’d trust her until he had a reason not to.

Both boys noticed the weather growing dreary and they decided it might be time to call it a day. With most of the public heading inside to escape the storm, the odds of thugs lurking about wasn’t strong. Ben was reaching for the communicator in his pocket to contact Evadne and Daze to let them know when it seemed the blonde had beaten him to the punch. “Hey, we’re heading back now in case you-”

The sound of Evadne’s voice cut him off. She was talking about them being cornered and in some sort of trouble. The element manipulator couldn’t make it out. Noah was peering over his shoulder, trying to get to listen. “We’ll be right there! What street are you-” She was gone before he could finish.

“What’s the matter with her?” Noah asked. It didn’t sound good to him, but Evadne and Daze could handle a thug on their own right? Or maybe they couldn’t. To him, it did sound like a bad idea letting two girls go off on their own, but he wouldn’t dare speak up about that; the blonde would sock him right in the jaw.

“I dunno,” Ben replied. He was fiddling with his communicator and he pressed a button right on the end. It beeped for a few seconds until he heard Scorpius’ voice on the other end. “Evadne and Daze are in trouble, I couldn’t get the details.”

“If it isn’t Audrey and Luke looking for a rematch, it could very well be the assassin Audrey mentioned,” Scorpius’ voice came through the device. The archer and the redhead both nodded. That sounded believable. And if that was the case, this guy would be aiming to kill; Daze and Evadne might not be prepared for that.

“Can you meet up with us? We’re on Fourth and Merimond,” Ben spoke their location into the communicator. He was getting antsy; who knew how much time they had?

“I’ll be there in a second.” With that, Scorpius disconnected and Ben and Noah were left to wait for the shadow manipulator’s arrival.

Both of them were getting anxious. They had no idea what they were getting themselves into or how little time they had to waste. Ben specifically had a hard time staying patient during the few minutes it took Scorpius to meet them. But, sure enough, his shadow came slithering up on the ground and he quickly rose from it taking human form.

The three guys huddled around each other, all of them peering over Ben’s communicator. The redhead powered it on and began to fiddle with two of the buttons on the right side of it. “Thank God Evadne was smart enough to install those trackers,” the leader said out loud, though mostly to himself. The screen on the communicator changed to a small scale map of the area. There were five blinking dots; three of them were right on top of each other and the other two were right next to each other just a small distance away.

“They don’t seem too far off,” Noah pointed out the obvious. Modern technology was still a bit of a wonder to him; he’d been impressed with a bunch of little things since taking up residence with the team. But it seemed fair to assume Evadne was nearby.

“Just a ways, we don’t have much time though!” Ben took off immediately after his words with Scorpius and Noah right on his heels. He held the communicator up in front of his face just so he was sure they were heading in the right direction. It was luck that the streets had cleared due to the weather. The boys were drenched in rain, but that didn’t slow any of them down..

They ran for several minutes straight, but it felt like an eternity. Their breaths became heavy as they pushed themselves to keep going and all three of them were beginning to worry they wouldn’t have enough energy for the possible fight ahead of them.

Finally, they turned a corner and reached their destination. Evadne and Daze were making a stand against some stranger. Still, the girls were at the end of the street; odds are, they hadn‘t even seen the three of them yet. They’d never make it in time before the thug got to them. “He doesn’t look like you’re average brawler,” Scorpius noted under his breath.

Ben nodded. All three felt useless, standing still as the attacker made grudging steps towards the girls. His mind was running a mile a minute, trying to come up with a quick plan. His hands bawled into fists as he was drawing blanks. “Guys…” he started.

He didn’t get a chance to finish. He noticed Noah already on his knee pulling a small device out of his shoe. The time traveler stood up straight and the device extended and widened. It unfolded itself and eventually became his patriotic colored bow. Noah unzipped his hoodie, revealing a secret pocket on the inside stocked with a few arrows. “No worries; I’m on it.” After he spoke, he placed an arrow in his bow and pulled back. Aiming right for the assassin’s back, he let the arrow go soaring down the street.

Immediately, the three guys took off right after Noah fired, knowing the arrow would give them enough time to catch up to the action. The assassin turned as the arrow approached. He jumped to the side, dodging the arrow. As he moved, the arrow started to beep and a small explosion erupted from the head. Caught off guard, the assassin was blown into the brick wall of a building. As he recovered, the boys approached.

Noah took aim with another arrow, keeping his blue eyes peeled on the grounded assassin. Ben shot his gaze towards the girls. “Are you guys alright?” He couldn’t resist asking. The team leader didn’t wait for an answer; he turned his attention back to the assassin as he pulled himself on the ground.

“Is this a play date now?” he asked sarcastically. Despite being caught off guard, he talked with a bored, cocky tone. “Sorry boys, but I just want the pipsqueak. Run along and I won’t have to hurt you.”

“If your fight is with Evadne, it’s with all five of us,” Scorpius said with hostility. Both Noah and Ben nodded in agreement.

Laughing smugly under his breath, the assassin smirked. He dusted his hands off on his pants. “Your loss then.” He then began to concentrate and a cloud of inky fog began to raise over the area. Evadne and Daze groaned, but the guys were unprepared. Ben began to feel like the ink was getting in his eyes. He narrowed them, trying to see.

The assassin had moved; he was nowhere to be found in the team’s limited vision. Even Scorpius, who had been standing just a few feet away from Ben was hard to see. The redheaded adolescent was about to call out to his friends when he felt an elbow jab into his back. The blow sent him forward, but he collected himself. Turning on his heel, he fired a gust of wind from his palm. The inky fog cleared for a second, but the assassin had moved again.

They heard Noah groan as he slammed against the wall, the force of the blow causing him to drop his bow. Scorpius melted into the ground, becoming a shadow in hopes of catching the assassin off guard. Ben had resorted to firing gusts of air at random, hoping he’d hit the enemy, by some chance.

It took him a minute, but Noah recovered and began stepping cautiously through the fog, ready to launch an arrow at the first sight of the assassin.

“Evadne!” the blond archer called out through the fog. Hopefully she was still here and the assassin hadn’t captured her and left them to fend in the fog. “Any ideas?” Maybe she knew a thing or two about how these Organization agents operated. The Lord knew the rest of them didn’t have a plan.

----------------------------------------------------

Luke was sitting on the bench at the end of the street. He held an umbrella over his head to shield himself and his seat from the downpour. His brown eyes were gazing at other end of the street where Audrey was confronting Castor. He felt a twinge of annoyance over the fact that the witch had neglected to bring her own umbrella.

With his free hand, the thief checked his digital wrist watch. Evening was about to hit and they didn’t have much time. His parents had promised the assassin would strike right around this time. If they wanted to hit that bank and get out without a scratch, they’d need to move now. With a sigh, Luke stood and made his way down the street.

He was beginning to feel that he was the only one of the three actually interested in getting the job done. Audrey hadn’t handled Evadne’s intervention well and, since then, she’d been off pace. It was beginning to bug him. The life was hard, the life sucked, but it was reality. Luke hated the idea of her, or Evadne for that matter, thinking they were above it. Frankly, he couldn’t wait to see the petite blonde dragged home. She’d be on missions with them before the end of the summer.

“I don’t want to ruin a moment, but we don’t have time to angst in the rain,” Luke said sarcastically as he approached the two blonds. He tapped his foot impatiently in a fresh puddle. “Evadne and her rag time team are going to be busy with Derek; we can hit that bank now with no problem if we want.”

Luke hated asserting himself as the leader. He wasn’t leader material, all the other kids constantly reminded him of that. But Castor was a lazy ass and Audrey was like a flower. If he didn’t take charge, they wouldn’t get anything done. “It’s a half an hour by bus, if we catch one now,” he continued. As if on cue, a bus began to approach the bench he’d been sitting on.

“If we mess this up, we’ll never hear the end of it. Let’s move it.” With that, Luke turned to catch the bus, not bothering to check if Audrey or Castor were following.

[AppleMistress]

Seeing Ben and Scropius was a relief. The signal on her communicator was tampered with somehow, she didn't get her whole message across. Thankfully they managed to find them. Just in time, as they'd just managed to break out of that alley. Evadne's eyes narrowed as she watched their adversary take a blow from Noah. As the guys ran towards them, she nodded her head. "Just fine." She muttered, watching the assassin carefully. "A little banged up is all. Bastard took us off guard." She couldn't help but wonder why this guy didn't want to take her out right then and there. The streets weren't very crowded. Why take her home first? Something didn't seem right. Her mind was moving a mile a minute, but she was too tired to really process any of it.

Having her vision clouded over by yet another thick cloud of ink made her groan in annoyance. Evadne squinted, but failed to see anything. Mr. Assassin needed a diversion of some sort, the boys had obviously taken him off guard. And to top that off, the electric manipulator figured that this inky substance somehow drained the energy from its' victims. It was soporific. Her eyes were barely open at this point and her body felt as though it was made out of lead. Being blasted with it twice was a little too much for her to handle. She heard Noah's voice. And it sounded like Mr. Assasin was giving everyone a little trouble.

"There's… something somniferous about this ink! Be careful." Evadne called out, deciding that it was important she be heard. Whenever she heard a sound near her, she'd take a few silent steps backwards. She knew it could've been Ben or Daze or anyone-- but she couldn't risk having the assassin locate her in this fog. They needed more to go on. All she knew was that this guy could make invisible walls, break through Daze's barriers, and he was extremely strong.

Daze discovered that this 'energy draining' technique wasn't affecting her in the slightest. If she could go for three days without rest, perhaps that was the reason why. Perhaps her kind merely had more stamina than the average human being. That gave her a slight advantage, she supposed. She only wished that her light could somehow help her friends through this murky, cloudy air. She created a ball of silvery light in her hand. It was barely visible, but she could still make it out. She would have done what she did to Oswald and his cronies a while back-- but that strategy would also blind her friends in the end. Their eyes were a little more sensitive to light than hers were. With her defensive strategy taken away from her, there wasn't much more she could do. She was normally worthless in a fight.

"This world is the Organization's playground." Evadne flinched and moved backwards as though a snake had bitten her. The assassin's voice crept into her ear, a cold whisper. She felt something slit her across the cheek and she could hear him move closer to her. "You're misunderstanding your situation. A tiny bitch like you won't put a dent in the scheme… They only want what's best for you. That's why they want me to bring you back alive." Angered, she conjured a bolt from above him to strike. He moved, but she heard him curse in pain. Perhaps she'd grazed his shoulder. His footsteps eventually disappeared. Persuasion wouldn't work.

Daze took a blow to the back and fell forward, wincing as she scraped her knees on the pavement. She brought herself back up on her feet and whirled around to where the blow had come from. A subtle change in the ink gave her an opening. It was clearing, no one else seemed to notice. Her eyes, better adjusted to the dark managed to pinpoint their opponent. With a relatively large blast of light, she hit him and sent him stumbling backwards. His curse as he hit the ground managed to alert the others to his presence as well.

The assassin picked himself up with ease. "Well, times up. We'll play another time." He directed a sharp glare in Evadne's direction before casting a careful gaze at the entire team. Five. He managed to figure out what they could do, for the most part. Next time he'd be prepared. Killing four kids and kidnapping one didn't sound ideal. Although there weren't very many witnesses out on the streets tonight, having the 'mysterious heroes' of Oceanship killed on the street would merely direct attention towards him and the Organization. This would be over in moments if he'd been able to use his acidic ink. But this wasn't a mission intended for killing. He was out of his element. He turned and created another cloud of thick ink and retreated into it.

The alien girl watched the assassin leave. His figure was a blur before it disappeared completely. Pursuing him would probably be a dangerous idea. Daze glided over to where Ben was. "I'm sorry for the lack of proper communication. He used an invisible wall to enclose us in an alleyway and created that thick substance. We were cornered." The alien girl felt it best to apologize. The situation could have been avoided if she were more careful. "… And taken off guard. I should have been more attentive."

Evadne watched the cloud of ink up ahead, somewhat perplexed as the upper parts swirled through the air like smoke. Using her sleeve, she tried to stop the blood from flowing from the relatively deep cut she'd gotten on her cheek. She stood there like that for a moment, thinking about what he'd said. The world was the Organization's playground. What a morbid way to describe things. She clenched her fists and turned on her heels. She approached Ben and Daze. "For some reason he didn't want to kill me. I think he could've if he wanted to. That ink of his is dangerous. He can break Daze's barriers too." The petite blonde ran a hand through her bangs and snorted. "Ran away when you guys came, though. Goes to show he's not completely prepared to take us all on yet… Thanks. My communicator gave me static before, I wasn't sure if I managed to reach you guys or not."

That being said, Evadne took a moment to look at her communicator. She programmed it to the best of her ability, but it definitely had its' imperfections. She wondered what tampered with the signal earlier. A bug, maybe? Or was it an effect of the ink? She made a mental note to tinker with it later. She needed it to work. Communication was important… especially now.

Sighing and shrugging it off, Evadne looked up at Ben. "So… Did you guys find anything patrolling? Any clues?" Maybe she was tired-- but in all actuality, figuring out where Audrey and Luke were going to strike next was her priority. If they found enough files, she knew that the end would come much sooner than they all would have liked. They broke their original pattern, it seemed, and they had no way of knowing how much progress they were making.

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Castor's worries seemed to drift away as Luke made it very clear that he was growing impatient with them. A smirk spread across the older teenager's face. "He's a bundle of joy today, eh?" He shook his head nonchalantly, handing Audrey his umbrella as he ambled after Luke. He didn't give a fuck whether or not his parents got mad at him. Hell, he hardly ever showed up to training sessions or on missions for that matter. So honestly, Luke's words did nothing to faze him. He just found himself amused at the controlling exterior he'd taken on. The kid could be smart, sure, but sometimes he was a little too arrogant. It could only be expected.

Audrey stood behind for a moment. Castor's demeanor seemed to change in an instant. That's what made him a little freaky, in her opinion. One moment he seemed to be contemplating something. The next, his face had twisted and expressed an aberrant sort of amusement at Luke's behavior. She wondered if it was a side effect of whatever he was smoking. She clenched the umbrella tightly and trailed behind, watching her feet. Unlike Castor, Luke's words sent dread through her veins. She used to be serious about the missions she was sent on. Now she was… absent. Not entirely there. Her thoughts were loud and crazy, but she never spoke a word. Her dad was growing impatient… violent.

He probably realized that she regretted it. Hurting Evadne and her friends at the bank that night. He could tell. That's what was setting him off. She exhaled softly and closed the umbrella, following the boys onto the bus. She felt like she was venturing into the jaws of a monster. The bus was practically empty at this time of night-- it only occupied a young woman, holding a sleepy toddler to her chest. Sitting across the aisle from Luke and Castor, she dug out the map she was provided with and studied the instructions they'd been given. It almost surprised her when she read that they were collecting blueprints tonight. That meant… They were dangerously close to the end. They were going to begin constructing that weapon soon.

Audrey handed the paper across the aisle to Castor and Luke so that they could go over the plan as well. She felt weirdly numb. The end was coming too soon. There wasn't enough time. She needed to make up her mind… But it was difficult. Luke tried to persuade her to stay on task countless times. The first night at the bank, it'd worked. She felt betrayed… And that was her main disadvantage. Now she was just doubtful. It was frustrating. Because now she realized she was a coward. Her jealousy had fueled her to fight Evadne and her friends before. Leaving on her own… The prospect was terrifying.

"So we're hitting a twenty story building… We need to clean out the files from the offices on the fourth floor and the nineteenth floor." Castor spoke quietly, drumming his fingers against the seat in front of him. Before the missions were in smaller offices… It looked like they were taking a step forward. This building was a little more well-known and the security would probably be a lot tighter than the first buildings he, Luke and Audrey raided before. Not that he went on very many of those missions.

Eventually, the bus came to a halt and the three found themselves out on the curb, headed towards their destination. Audrey pulled her hood over her head and Castor rolled the map up and pushed it inside the backpack he had slung over his left shoulder.

The cloud of smoke that emerged from down the corner was unexpected. Castor narrowed his eyes as he watched it swirl through the sky. "Well, fuck." He pointed over to it, capturing Audrey and Luke's attention. "Looks like they're close by. We should hurry."

[DracoMalfoy]

Sinking into the ground felt a little cowardly, but Scorpius had been low on options. He was sure his signature tactic would catch the assassin off guard - he clearly hadn't been expecting their arrival - so maybe that would turn the tide. The ink was foggy and the shadow manipulator noticed how it drained his friends of their energy. Ben seemed impatient, firing gusts of wind at random and then resorting to raising small pillars of earth from the cement sidewalk. Even Noah wasn't as sharp as he'd proven himself to be.

Yet, the ink wasn't that effective on him. Perhaps being part of the ground protected him, but Scorpius did feel its effects, just not to the degree that his friends were experiencing. He heard the man speaking; he had to be near Evadne. Scorpius' shadow twisted back and forth trying to find the petite blonde in the inky fog. He was too late, hearing the man grunt. He tried to assume that Evadne had landed a hit somehow.

And, just like that, the fog cleared and the assassin took his leave. Scorpius took this as cue to return to his normal form. Though short lived, that battle had been...frighteningly peculiar. He aimed his eyes to the ground, silent in thought, as the girls approached him, Ben and Noah.

Ben shrugged off Daze's reply with a small smile. His strength was returning, but it was still somewhat sapped. He felt irritated; this guy had caught them off guard and it was clear they had no idea how to fight him. Just another problem they had to add to their list. "It's fine, not your fault," the redhead said tiredly. "We're just going to have to be more careful. We'll have to stick closer to home during patrol." The element bender felt like a hypocrite saying that. The whole point of their team was to fight crime in the city. They couldn't limit themselves, but the stakes were getting higher. Luke and Audrey were running around doing God knows what and now they had this guy to deal with. He couldn't risk the assassin trying to block them off like that again.

Noah was rubbing his side, feeling a small bruise forming on his ribs. He tried to ignore the small pain as he folded his bow back down to its portable size and stowed it away again. This was all giving him a headache. First a fella that could clone himself, then a crazy witch and now this guy? The time traveler was trying to build up an immunity to surprises, but this was crazy, more than he'd ever signed up for. "We outnumber him and he's not sure how to put us all on the ropes, but we can't get ahead of him either," the archer noted. It felt odd agreeing with Evadne and he didn't do so intentionally. "What are we gonna do when he shows up again?"

Ben rubbed his forehead, trying to clear his mind. "We'll just have to rely on our numbers for now," he said. Being team leader, he felt like he should have a better answer than that, but there was nothing more he could offer. "We'll keep training, learn what we can about the Organization. Whatever gives us a better edge on that guy." Reluctantly, Noah nodded. He wasn't satisfied with that answer, but it'd have to do for now.

Evadne changing the subject was a bit of a relief to Ben. He sighed and exchanged a quick glance with Noah. Neither of them had found anything. No one was reporting robberies and no one on the streets had seen anything peculiar. "We've been drawing blanks all day," the time traveling archer replied. The fruitless search was beginning to get to him. In a small burst of frustration, he kicked a small rock off the sidewalk and into the road. "Ben and I got nothing."

The looks around the team seemed a little dejected and Scorpius decided now might be the best time to speak up. Being talkative was never his strong suit so he cleared his throat in an attempt to not look awkward. All four sets of eyes turned on him. "I may have something of use," he finally said. "Just a grid I've worked out. Comparing all the robberies lately, I've noticed they're hitting higher scale offices. Each time, they're stealing more relevant information. I imagine, the next time they strike, they'll be targeting one of Oceanship's most prominent offices. What they want, I don't know, but, if my odds are correct, they'll be hitting an A list business soon."

The four of them kept silent for a moment, processing what the shadow bender had to say. Finally, Ben began to nod his head slowly. "That makes some sense," he said. The redhead felt stupid that Scopius has been able to work that out, but he hadn't even considered it. "It's definitely a place to start and it'll help us narrow down our search."

"Especially now that it's getting dark," Noah added. "We know they like to do their dirty work at night." It'd been quiet for the past few days and Evadne's assassin finally revealing himself probably pointed towards Audrey and Luke wanting to strike again.

Ben turned towards Evadne. "I know you told us what you know, but do you have any idea what office they might target next?" he asked her. The redhead swore he could hear a clock ticking in his head; they didn't have much time, if any. Honestly, he had no idea if they were ready to face Luke and Audrey a second time, but, if the duo was going to strike tonight, they would have to try.

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The entire bus ride into Oceanship had Luke trying to drill the plan into his memory. Everything needed to be perfect, they couldn't afford to screw up. He and his family weren't high on the Organization's totem poll, but, the fact that they were stealing blueprints tonight spoke for itself; the Organization was preparing for its master plan and, if they succeeded, Luke wanted the share of the credit he rightfully deserved.

Tonight, everything was piecing together perfectly. Derek was holding off Evadne and her rag tag team of superhero rejects; all he had to do was keep them at bay long enough for the three of them to slip in and get the blueprints they needed. It was child's play, as long as Derek held up his part of the plan. And, if he was somehow able to retrieve Evadne, the team would return with the blueprints and the electric blonde; there was no way they wouldn't be rewarded for that.

Luke was pulled from his thoughts when the bus came to a halt. As he, Audrey and Castor stepped out, the super powered adolescent was quick to observe his surroundings. If they came back this way, they needed to know where they were. The office building they needed to hit was just a couple blocks up the road. He estimated that, without error, the job would take them a little over a half an hour. All Luke had to do was keep Audrey and Castor in line; that seemed simple enough.

When Castor drew his and Audrey's attention to the smoke around the corner, Luke grew irritated. Really, they were right there? That complicated things. How incompetent could Reagan Van Denend's hired help be? Very, apparently. "I guess someone doesn't know the meaning of keep away," Luke groaned as he rubbed his forehead with the tips of his fingers. Now they had less time than they thought. Evadne and her friends could be right on their trail in minutes.

With his patience already exhausted, he gestured to Castor and Audrey with a shake of his head. "Come on, we've got work to do." Luke started down the street, moving at a faster pace. He wouldn't let Evadne ruin this for him again. She'd done a good job of throwing Audrey off her game; she was the muscle of their team, he couldn't risk losing her. They turned a few blocks, making haste. Castor and Audrey lagged behind and Luke was quick to criticize them and nag at them to keep moving. Finally, after what seemed like forever, they reached their target, one of Oceanship's largest offices.

"We'll have to split up if we want to get this job done quick," he said to his two partners. Luke was already concocting a plan in his head. "Castor, take the fourth floor, we'll take the nineteenth. Remember take everything and don't leave any evidence." Then, Luke turned to Audrey. "Make sure there's a psychic link up. We can't fail because you can't keep us connected, got it?"

[AppleMistress]

Audrey couldn't help but stand dead still as Luke hurried forward. Castor stood beside her, both were silent and watching the smoke. It seemed clear that they were both somewhat worried about Evadne-- this was an assassin she was dealing with, after all. And if for some reason she escaped harm, there was no question that she'd sniff out their trail sooner or later. The young witch clenched her fists. If they encountered Evadne tonight, she didn't know what she'd do. She didn't want to hurt anybody. Not again. It shouldn't have been her job to fight-- stealing files should have been simpler to achieve then that. Swallowing her inward fears, she moved to keep up with Luke.

Castor, watching Audrey leave, looked over again to see that the smoke had cleared and Evadne and her friends were gathering and discussing things. It was a relief to see his sister and he couldn't help but let a lazy smile spread across his face. "Nice going." He whispered under his breath. He cast another glance at Audrey, noting that neither she or Luke was looking in his direction. He waved at his sister, hoping to get her attention somehow.After doing that and lowering his arm, he turned and looked over at Audrey, who was coming back for him.

"Castor, quit being a fish head. Lets go." Audrey mentioned, gesturing for him to move with the wave of her hand. She couldn't seem to hide her anxiousness very well. She started to walk ahead-- Castor smiled and jogged to keep up with her. "Luke's gonna give us an earful when we catch up."

"Fish head? Really, Audrey?" Castor let out a light laugh. Although the girl took on a demeanor of seriousness, sometimes her insults told him that she was really a little bit of an oddball. Well, if she was friends with Evadne, that probably explained it. Audrey glared at him. Finally they caught up. Luke was still in a bad mood, apparently, as he'd started nagging at them as soon as they were in a close enough range to hear his voice.

When they stopped in front of the office, both Castor and Audrey taking a moment to let Luke bark orders at them. "Wait a second." Castor held his hands up once Luke mentioned him taking the fourth floor by himself. "Splitting up? If this were a horror movie, I'd be fucked."

Audrey glared at Castor and then glared at Luke when he told her to set up a link. Castor, noticing the bad air, crossed his arms. "Hey, you had a tough session yesterday. Why didn't your dad just let you take tonight off? You look tired." He turned to Luke, knowing well that he probably wouldn't comply. It was worth a shot. "Maybe she shouldn't set up a link. It might sap her strength."

"Please." Audrey rolled her eyes. Sure, lately she was a little out of it. But she loathed being treated like she was useless at the same time. She wasn't sure what Castor intended to gain by coddling her. And Luke shouldn't have had to give her orders. She got that enough from her dad. 'Link's up, happy? Lets move. At this rate, Evadne's going to catch up to us.'

'So what's the signal? I'll be on a lower floor, if Evadne and her team come, they're gonna find me first. I should give you a signal.' Castor wasn't used to links quite yet, it was odd. But at the same time, convenient. The three headed in past security with ease. Audrey managed to use a simple sleep spell on the one guard that was standing towards the doorway. 'We should have codes and shit, like in the movies.'

'Shut up, Castor.' Audrey huffed, nearing the elevator. It was odd how Castor was starting to treat everything like an amusing game. Maybe his cigarettes made him act like a goof, she wasn't entirely sure. Her nerves were getting to her and Castor's behavior was only making it worse. She found it ridicules that she and Luke had to babysit a guy who was four years older than them. 'Get the hell out works just fine.'

'Right-o. I'm taking the stairs. Let me know if the elevator breaks down.' Castor nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders and eventually disappeared down the hall. Audrey shook her head. Sometimes it was hopeless trying to deal with Castor. His demeanor tended to transform all the time. Deciding not to decipher Castor Van Denend's motives, Audrey turned to Luke.

'Well, lets go then.'


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Evadne nodded her head as Scorpius began to talk about his theory on Luke and Audrey infiltrating more prominent offices in the city. It made sense. Conveniently, she and Daze had ran in the direction of one of the more crowded areas in Oceanship when they tried to throw Derek off their trails-- perhaps they were close to wherever it was they were striking. It was an optimistic thought, though, which made Evadne feel like doubting it.

When the attention was turned to her, however, she wasn't sure how to respond. "Well… It could be a lot of things. But if we're talking about files of the utmost importance, they could be looking at mathematical or scientific sorts of files. Or even blueprints for that weapon." She crossed her arms and hummed to herself before casting a glance at Noah. "Or they could be looking for files on Noah's disappearance. If you guys were battling the Organization for the government, they could want some intel on you and where you come from."

Perhaps it was sort of strange for her to call Noah out right out of the blue-- but for some reason, she wanted to see his reaction. She still didn't trust him like the others did and she had no idea if he was telling the truth about his situation or not. He seemed to be willing to fight with them and got along decently with the others. Still… The fact that he knew of the Organization but wasn't a huge part of it made her think something was… off. She needed to be on her guard and she had to expect the unexpected. A betrayal was the last thing this team needed.

Daze bit her lip at that, noticing a somewhat expectant look on Evadne's face. Her distrust of Noah created a lot of tension in most situations. As an attempt to diffuse it, Daze clasped her hands together. "Audrey and Luke probably know nothing of Noah and his family, especially since he's from the past. They didn't hear his name either." Daze hummed gently to herself. "I doubt we'll have to worry very much about that. Where would they store blueprints, though? There are several offices in this part of town, it may be difficult to pinpoint only one."

Evadne sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I'm not sure exactly but…" Something caught her attention. A familiar figure, waving his arm. A hooded figure prompting him to follow her. An abrupt turn around the corner. It had to be Castor and Audrey. But Castor and Audrey? Where was Luke? And why the hell was Castor there? "You've got to be fucking kidding me."

Daze tilted her head at Evadne's outburst. It wasn't unusual for her to loose her train of thought and curse-- that's something that was just a norm for Evadne. Trying to be patient, she decided to wait a bit for Evadne to explain what had startled her.

"We need to move, now!" Evadne seemed pale, which was a little worrying to Daze. It was rare for the tiny blonde to react to anything with panic. "If they just turned… they should be headed for that big building down the corner! The one near that old, deserted laundromat."

Despite some of the confusion raised through Evadne's yells, they all knew well enough to take off after her down the corner. As she glided after the team, Daze squinted and could notice that a security guard was conked out on the curb. It must have been one of Audrey's spells. It was a little sad that Audrey and Luke could sneak into such important buildings with such ease. It was easy to assume that Evadne had spotted either Luke or Audrey earlier.

When the team stopped in front of the building to take a quick breath, Evadne pushed the doors open. "There's something that I forgot to tell you guys before. About my family." She inhaled a deep breath and headed inside the building, everyone following. "It wasn't important at the time and it's not too big a deal… But…"

"Long time no see, pip squeak." Castor was leaned casually against the doorframe leading to the stairs. He set his gaze across her team, finding them a little amusing. How in the world did she round up such a… unique team? The other girl in the group didn't even look human and another appeared to be overboard patriotic. He grinned a grin that could be compared to a cheshire cat's. "Introduce me to your squad."

"I thought you weren't going on missions." Evadne narrowed her eyes. Yet another encounter that would probably make her look suspicious… at least to Noah. This was the last thing she needed. And the last thing she wanted. First her best friend, now her brother? She didn't think Castor cared enough about their family to even do their dirty work. He never gave a shit about anything. That's why she hadn't even thought to mention him when talking to her friends about the Organization before. "Shouldn't you be getting high at a party somewhere?"

"I wish." Castor snorted and then turned to her friends. They all looked very… confused. Somewhat defensive. Some of them a bit angry, maybe. He faced them nonchalantly."Castor Van Denend, at your service."

Evadne sighed heavily. There was no point in denying it, anyways. The entire team knew that she came from a pretty rotten family tree. "This is my sorry excuse for an older brother." She crossed her arms and sent him a glare that could slice through anything. "Are we going to have to fight you, Castor, or are you gonna let us pass?" It was odd, because she was pretty sure he waved earlier to get her attention. Could that mean he might be on her side? It seemed unlikely, though, based on the way he was guarding the staircase. If he were on her side, he'd hand her a few important files as hints and send them on their way.

Daze tilted her head to the side. She'd assumed that just Evadne and her parents lived together, the existence of this brother was something she didn't see coming at all. It was somewhat surreal, meeting someone who held such a strong resemblance to Evadne. It also seemed like he shared her skill for charisma-- he was good at pulling a distraction. Evadne seemed to see right through it, though, keeping Daze's thoughts in check. They needed to focus on finding Audrey and Luke before they could steal more files.

"Oh right. I knew I was forgetting something! Gotta give the signal." Castor stood there, appearing not to do anything. The link made things weird-- the team couldn't hear what he was doing, of course, so they just raised their eyebrows at him when he continued to lean against the doorframe in front of the stairs. 'Audrey, Luke! Evadne and her team have graced us with their presence. I'm confronting them… outnumbered, you might want to get down here.'

"If you want a fight, pip squeak, then we can fight. If you want. You know I'll win, though." Castor let a smirk play across his features and moved away from the doorframe. He took an offensive stance and Daze immediately set up a barrier. The team had no idea what he could do, after all. Castor took a more casual stance afterwards, tapping Daze's shield with his finger. "Neat."

He let his guard down so fast. Daze let the barrier down for a moment, puzzled. "Weren't you about to attack?" Evadne's brother's antics seemed rather confusing to the alien girl. He looked so… relaxed, despite the fact that he was just about to attack them.

"I'll do what I've gotta do." Castor scanned the team with his eyes once more moving fast, taking an abrupt and dire change in his demeanor. He knew Audrey and Luke were coming, he had to make it look like he was trying to give this team hell. He threw a few punches at the redhead and then at the archer-- he moved so quick and skillfully that he managed to dodge any counter attacks he would have received in the process. He took Evadne by the wrist, spun her around and pushed her towards the wall when she didn't expect it. She hurled a bolt at him in return, which he dodged calculatingly.

Evadne backed up and Daze began to watch him with caution. The alien girl realized that he was very quick. His demeanor as the calm, absentminded brother changed very quickly-- so quickly that it was almost frightening. She hadn't even expected that he would begin attacking all of them at once with such confidence. It was bold, considering there was only one of him and five of them. However, it was apparent that Audrey and Luke were someplace in the building as well-- Daze couldn't help but wonder if they'd have more company soon.

[DracoMalfoy]

Luke hadn’t noticed at first that he left Audrey and Castor in the dust. He was much more preoccupied with completing their mission. He was nervous, but he felt he was doing a good job of covering it. Compared to Castor and Audrey, he was just target practice for Evadne and her team. If it hadn’t been for Audrey the other night, he’d be toast. The feeling of being overpowered was frightening. He needed Audrey and Castor under his thumb to complete this mission without any trouble. Without them, he was useless.

Eventually, the adolescent noticed that they’d slipped away, but he didn’t think for a second that it was to catch a glance of Evadne; perhaps that was the fatal flaw in his logic. Either way, he started rambling to himself, repeating the game plan several times until the other two caught up. Then, he let them have it. Luke couldn’t tell that his ranting was going through their ears without them processing it; the schemer was too caught up in himself to notice anything else.

He silenced himself once the trio approached the twenty story office. Luke gave Audrey a nod and she used a spell to knock out the security guard. It was too easy; a high profile office building had to be crawling with more security. They were about to split up when Castor spoke up, being his typical dumb ass self. Luke rolled his eyes. “Lucky you’re the strongest of us then,” he snapped under his breath. And now he was trying to talk Audrey out of setting up the link? Luke’s brown eyes narrowed in absolute frustration; they didn’t have time for this. “Screw off Castor,” he snapped again. “If we mess this up, we’re all gonna have tougher sessions.”

When he felt the link go up, Luke forced himself to relax a little. The link was definitely weird, but after working and training with Audrey for a few weeks, he’d grown accustomed to it. He kept his mind quiet, trying to ignore Castor and Audrey’s back and forth. It seemed like the older boy was screwing around and holding them up on purpose. He shook the thought off, deciding to focus on the mission at hand.

”No time to bicker; come on,” He cocked his head towards the elevator and made his way towards it, with Audrey right behind him.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Noah couldn’t help but feel a little relieved. The dead ends were beginning to get to him and now they finally had a lead to work off. Yeah, there were tons of buildings in this city, a lot more than he’d ever seen in his home town, but it helped to narrow down their search. The way he saw it, this Organization had to have their old time machine still sitting around. Once this was over, the archer was looking forward to heading home and setting things straight. Maybe he could even help undo some of the Organization’s damage in his time; that could make things lighter for everyone in this period, right? Still, the blond hadn’t been expecting Evadne to turn the focus onto him.

He tensed up a bit. It was clear as day that she didn’t trust him, which was fine with him because the feeling was mutual. Still, the archer wasn’t sure what response to give her. Noah rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to gather his thoughts. “Gee, I imagine there’s some record of me,” he replied. “I mean, not everyday that a kid wanders through your time machine. But, if they’re so fascinated in their big mysterious weapon, I dunno why they’d focus their attention on me.” He narrowed his blue eyes at the petite blonde. If she wanted to test him, he’d test her back. Ben didn’t seem to believe it, but Noah knew there was more she was hiding. He’d figure it out.

The archer relaxed when Daze came to his defense. She’d been so kind this past week and defending him seemed to be a habit of hers, not that he was complaining. He decided to keep quiet as the two girls went back and forth, bouncing thoughts off each other. But, he realized Evadne had seen something. His eyes immediately followed hers. Was someone waving? Signaling her? He didn’t like that idea.

When Evadne took off, the entire team followed. Ben hadn’t seen what she was chasing after, but, if this was some ground breaking lead in tracking Luke and Audrey, he wouldn’t question it. After patrolling the entire day and fighting off the assassin, he was exhausted and short of breath. He focused, trying to channel the air inside his lungs. It was a risk but, the redhead imagined expanding it, keeping it hostage and using it keep his breath and pace steady. The effort paid off as he began to find his energy again.

When Evadne made a great point, Ben couldn’t hide his smile. The twenty story office building down the street! Ben felt stupid for not having thought of it. He exchanged a glance with Scorpius as they ran and the shadow bender smirked in response. Perhaps they were finally going to one up Luke and Audrey. This might be the end of things…

“How do we know she’s not leading us into a trap?” Noah’s question beside his ragged breaths gained Ben and Scorpius’ attention. Scorpius rose an eyebrow, prompting the archer to explain. “I mean, suddenly, she has an idea? She saw someone, I saw them too. I don’t know who, but they waved or something. She might be leading us right to her real teammates.”

“She’s not,” Ben responded almost immediately. “She wouldn’t. I know she’s hard on you, but she’s trying to protect everyone. Don’t worry, I promise you that we can trust her.” Scorpius nodded, the gesture seeming to strengthen Ben’s statement. Though not entirely convinced, Noah nodded anyways. Convincing the other two adolescents of his suspicions seemed to be a lost cause.

They all shuffled in through the office’s front doors, almost falling on top of each other. Evadne’s words were lost on the guys when they found themselves face to face with a stranger. He was kid, just like them, but Ben noted that he was clearly older. Whoever he was, he seemed familiar with them, well, at least with Evadne. Had they met before? Ben kept silent during Evadne’s back and forth with the strange young man, but Noah’s narrowed eyes didn’t go unnoticed by the team’s leader. Had this guy led Evadne here? Maybe Noah hadn’t been wrong…

So he, Castor, was her brother? Ben had a problem hiding his shock. Scorpius’ face was neutral, as always, but the redhead was sure the introduction had thrown the older boy for a loop. On the other hand, Noah didn’t look happy. Ben thanked God that looks couldn’t kill.

The way the element manipulator saw it, the blonde had every right to hide her brother from them. They’d never asked. And he didn’t seem all that bad. Castor reminded Ben a bit of his sister and, at that revelation, he realized he couldn’t be angry that Evadne had left something out. She’d done it out of fear of being judged and that made perfect sense to him.

“Are we going to have to fight him?” Scorpius leaned to the right and whispered down at Ben. The leader was sure that was the first time he’d heard Scorpius ask a legitimate question. Ben merely shrugged. He wasn’t sure of anything at this point.

Noah kept silent, not offering anything to the conversation. He’d known something was off about Evadne and it angered him even more that he wasn’t listened to. He didn’t trust this Castor fella anymore than he trusted Evadne. He kept his blue eyes glued to the bantering siblings, but he wouldn’t be caught off guard. Subtly, he unzipped his hoodie - the action seemed to pass unnoticed by anyone else - and retrieved his folded bow from inside. If Castor was going to attack, the archer would be ready.

And, just like that, Castor caught them off guard and attacked. Ben ducked under a bunch aimed for his head, but Castor’s fist hit his stomach and he bounced back. Noah had been ready. He dodge rolled to the side, rested his weight on one knee and fired an arrow off at Castor. The older boy had dodged it, but the arrow gave off a small blast when it shot into the wall of the building.

Ben recovered his breath from the blow. He furiously kicked at the air twice, his movements sending diagonal gusts of wind at Castor. Scorpius formed his shadow into two hand blades and then ran behind the gusts of wind Ben had sent. The plan was to overwhelm Castor.

The older adolescent crossed his arms over his chest to block the wind and then met Scorpius head on. The shadow manipulator swung with skill, one blade horizontally and one vertically, hoping to find an error in Castor’s footing. With a smirk, the enemy dodged expertly. The two older boys seemed at a standoff, with neither able to find an opening. Finally, one of Scorpius’ shadow blades clipped Castor’s shoulder. He winced, but only the fabric ripped and the cut wasn’t deep. Without warning, Castor swiped his foot at Scorpius’ legs, the action catching him off guard. Scorpius fell to the ground with a thud, but rolled to the side, dodging Castor’s followup kick.

When all five adolescents regained their footing, they stood, somewhat surrounding Castor. It seemed, alone, Evadne’s older brother overpowered them. But how long could he evade them? Noah took a second arrow and took aim, ready to release it at their foe. Ben was running strategies in his head. Evadne’s brother was amazing. How could they beat someone so fast?

“We need to cut the warmups,” Noah said with narrowed eyes. “He’s just stalling. The other two gotta be here.” At this rate, this was going to be a repeat of the other night and the archer wasn’t going to lose again.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Unconscious guards littered the nineteenth floor of the office. Luke was hard at work, hacking into computers and scanning through their hard drives. It’d taken a few minutes of digging, but the adolescent was smirking. It seemed as if he was looking at the exact blueprints the Organization was in need of. He pulled a flash drive from his pocket and plugged it into the computer, watching as the data began to transfer.

“This is it, Audrey,” he whispered over his shoulder. “Everything our parents have worked for. This design is the icing on the cake. We’re going to go down in history.” Unfortunately, Luke didn’t have time to brag anymore. Castor sent them the mental signal and they both looked concerned. Evadne and her gang were here? “Dammit, Derek!”

He’d be sure to inform Mrs. Van Denend that her trusted assassin was a waste of a space and a failure. Luke’s eyes returned to the computer monitor. The data had a few more minutes. He couldn’t risk losing the information;if it fell into Evadne’s hands, she’d destroy it. Luke glanced at the stack of files Audrey had collected. A plan was beginning to form in his head. He stood and approached the blonde witch. Without warning, he snatched the files out of her grasp and returned to the computer.

“You need to go help Castor,” it actually sounded pretty friendly, for Luke, but there was no secret that it was intended as an order. “The files almost landed up in Evadne’s possession last time and we aren’t risking that again. I’ll stay here, make sure everything transfers and then sneak out. We can meet up back at the bus stop.”

Luke knew full well his plan had been concocted out of cowardice. He didn’t want to face that team again; he’d taken a real beating last time. He wasn’t fit for fighting. Plus, he wanted the credit for the blueprints. Audrey was the strongest in their age group and all Castor did was slack around, they didn’t deserve any credit. He cocked his head towards the staircase. “Go on, now.”

[AppleMistress]

Audrey crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes as Luke turned back to his work at the computer. It was tempting to accuse him of cowardice and to tell him she wasn’t a dog and didn’t need to be given orders. Regardless, Castor needed help and arguing with Luke wasn’t going to get her anywhere. “Right. You go and do that, then.” The annoyance in her tone was obvious, but she was sure Luke wouldn’t care. To him, she was just a strong, brainless teammate he was forced to cooperate with.

She headed down the stairway, hearing the signs of a fight as she neared the lower floors. The young witch was growing weary with each and every step. Yes, maybe Castor needed her help. But she didn’t want to fight Evadne again. In fact, she didn’t want to be in this office building stealing files to begin with. Her stomach kept tightening and the guilt was almost unbearable. She wasn’t too bad a person until…

No. Audrey didn’t want to go back. Meeting her father’s fists, doing his dirty work, taking it all with silence. She didn’t want to hurt Evadne because that’s what he wanted her to do. But she didn’t have a choice. She was a lousy coward. Guilt and jealousy continuously welled up inside her and she just couldn’t stop it. How was she supposed to explain this now? To Evadne and her team, she’d already chosen a side. She already hurt them… She wasn’t going to be trusted. It was impossible. She’d thrown herself into a slippery hole and there was no chance that she was going to climb out.

She’d gotten to the bottom of the first floor just in time to hear the archer’s words. “Not exactly. One decided to ditch.” She answered pointedly before casting a glare at Castor. “Luke decided he wants to meet us later.”

“You didn’t kill him, did you?” Castor laughed. “Good thing you came down, though, things are starting to get pretty heated!” He sunk his hands in his pockets and took a step back to stand next to her.

‘So he’s getting the files and we’re distracting the team? ‘Cause he thinks he’s the brain of the group, huh?’ Castor shook his head in disbelief.

‘Luke’s still a part of the link, idiot. He can hear you.’ Audrey rolled her eyes before casting a glance at Evadne and her team, who’d all gone extremely wary at her presence. She swallowed hard. How was she supposed to do this a second time?

“Okay, lets do this fast!” Castor pounded his fist against his palm before giving Audrey a questioning glance. “You’re tired, I get it. But I can’t exactly do this by myself.”

Evadne shook her head to snap herself out of a trance. Audrey appearing a second time should have been expected, but she grew as still as a statue when she approached. There were obvious bruises and scars along her arms and legs wherever her skin was visible. Something wasn’t right. Being friends with Audrey for so many years told her that. And the fact that someone beat her up that badly also gave her shivers.

“I’ll give you enhancements.” Audrey murmured, hands shaking. “I… can’t fight. Not tonight.”

“If you don’t fight,” Castor hissed, trying to keep his voice low enough so only she could hear, “You’re dad is going to come close to killing you. He’s going to get angrier. Don’t you understand that?” He’d kept himself from using the link. Because if Luke listened in, it was possible he’d report the circumstances to Frost. That’d put her in even more danger. He was just as against fighting Evadne and her team as she was. But they had to do what they were told if they wanted to live. Sure, maybe he acted like an idiot a lot. But Frost was putting Audrey through abuse. Sure, Castor wasn't the best guy in the world-- but that was something even he couldn't stand to see. He needed to make sure that she made it out of this alive-- just like he wanted to see to it that Evadne and Luke were also safe.

Daze watched the two try to have a whispered conversation, bemused. Weren’t they supposed to be fighting? And Audrey was growing pale; she didn’t look very good at all. Although that might have been a good thing and the team would have an advantage, she couldn’t shake the twang of pity she felt for the girl. There was something about the way Evadne explained the Organization that made Daze feel a little bad for those trapped within it. But the witch was still responsible for harming the team at the other office that night. Daze would fight back and protect her friends at all costs.

Something snapped. Audrey whipped her hand around, sending Evadne backwards with a force when the electric manipulator didn’t expect it. Castor drew in a deep breath, resisting the urge to check and see if she was all right as he turned and prepared to fight the others, sending calculated punches and kicks towards the archer and the element manipulator he’d fought earlier.

After dodging a few blasts of light from Daze, Audrey used a quick enhancement spell on Castor. Daze came at her again, sending a narrow kick towards her legs. Audrey jumped over it and arched her back in order to dodge yet another ball of light. As the team’s defense, it was obvious that she was trying to pick up a little more weight.

With a regretful sigh, Audrey used a spell to enhance the springy cord on one of the nearby telephones and wrapped it around the alien girl, letting it spring back to it’s normal size afterwards, slinging the girl across the room and against the desk the telephone had been sitting on top of. Daze, tangled in cords, quickly attempted to regain her composure. She wasn’t the best fighter, but she’d tried.

Evadne attempted to catch Audrey off guard as she sent Daze across the room, coming at her from behind with a bolt of electricity ready. The witch turned quickly, the bolt narrowly grazed her cheek with a light cut and a burn. Evadne attempted a few kicks and punches, which Audrey flexibly dodged. She continued to dodge, making no attacks herself.

“What’d Castor tell you? It seemed like you weren’t going to fight earlier.” Evadne attempted to talk to the young witch as they did a dance with punches and dodges. Worry sparked in Audrey’s eyes for a moment and she pushed her away with a force, not so big this time; that made her stumble backwards.

Evadne was back up in a flash, narrowing her eyes. “Who’ve you been fighting with? We didn’t do that much damage the other night, I know that for sure. I know something happened to you.” Now Audrey was the one trying to attack and Evadne was the one dodging.

“I thought you’d trust me enough to tell me something like that.” Evadne continued, noticing that Audrey’s attacks were beginning to lack force. “Is somebody threatening you? Hurting you? I can try and—“

Audrey quickly murmured a spell. Evadne, bewildered, opened her mouth and no sound came out. “It’s a temporary silencing spell, I promise. Your voice will come back in five to ten minutes.” Audrey answered her silent question shakily. “You need to stop digging. Got it?” She pushed both of her hands forward, sending the electric manipulator into the wall with another invisible impact. The witch wasn’t sure how Evadne managed to hold conversations as she fought. But the fact that she was still trying to be friendly after everything that’d happened made her feel ten times worse.

Audrey didn’t want to fight. She wanted everything to stop. Throwing the battle would surely get her killed. ‘Coward.’

‘You’re a selfish, good-for-nothing coward.’

Audrey turned, ignoring herself, and used a spell to send a few objects around the office flying at the shadow manipulator. A plant, desk items, and various other things. He’d come close to stabbing her with one of his shadows the last time they fought and he seemed quite strong. Fighting rather recklessly was probably going to be a poor choice, but it provided enough of a distraction that she didn’t have to worry much over her self-deprecating thoughts.

[DracoMalfoy]

Noah grew impatient when the witch emerged and began communicating with Evadne’s brother. He felt duped, as if the villainous duo were making fools out of him and his teammates. He narrowed his eyes and had an arrow in his bow immediately, ready to fire. Both enemies seemed to favor the element of surprise in their battles. The older boy had caught them off guard with his first attacks; the archer was going to make sure it didn’t happen again. He noticed both Ben and Scorpius taking the brief pause in fighting to catch their breath. Good. The witch was a formidable opponent; they all needed their strength.

For a split second, the blond time traveler dared to glance at Evadne. He found it odd that she was fighting her brother, and she seemed to have once been close with the witch. Maybe he had the wrong impression; but, even if she wasn’t in cahoots with the Organization, Noah still didn’t trust her. He’d consider trusting her when she revealed everything she knew. Obviously, she was still keeping some things to herself and Noah didn’t like that, not one bit.

“We already know she’s the powerhouse, but try and focus on Castor,” Ben whispered. They needed a game plan; it didn’t need to be perfect, but it had to get them out of here in one piece. The redhead just hoped he’d been loud enough for his entire team to hear. “He’s big and fast, but he’s just one guy; that’s his weakness.” Numbers didn’t win battles, but they sure helped. Ben noticed Scorpius nod; he was sure he and the older adolescent could take Castor down. Noah was considering the instructions over, his blue eyes darting back and forth between the witch and Evadne’s brother. The witch needed to be neutralized, but the archer wasn’t sure how he could successfully balance his efforts.

“Daze, give offense a shot,” Ben continued on, his green eyes aimed at the alien girl. Scorpius and Noah sent the element manipulator looks, silently wondering if he was crazy. Daze was amazing on defense, but, against Audrey and Castor, she could end up hurt. Feeling gazes on him, Ben shook his head, gathering his thoughts. “They expect you to play defense. We need something to throw them of their game.”

“Their strategies are firm, but they don’t handle improvisation well,” Scorpius added in a hushed tone. Noah nodded; that was a good point. Without the third boy, perhaps the team had what it took to win this battle and put the thieves behind bars.

And just like that, the battle began. Out of habit, Ben turned to watch Evadne get thrown through the air and was about to call out to her. His efforts were cut short as Castor’s fist knocked the wind of him. He winced back, but, before the older adolescent could continue his assault, Noah had sprang into action. The archer fired a string of three arrows, all of which Castor barely dodged. Castor was surprised when Noah took off towards him; he’d expected the younger boy to be more of a long distance fighter. The two exchanged blows, blocking punches and kicks; Castor winced as Noah’s swung his bow into his arm. Though unharmed, the momentum of the blow sent the older boy back a few steps.

Ben regained his composure and focused his energy on raising the ground. Four tiles from the floor obeyed his command. They hovered in the air around him before the redhead sent his arm forward, commanding them to fly at Castor. Evadne’s brother caught the first one, but the second one nicked his jaw as it flew past, drawing blood.

Castor jumped into the air and kicked the next two tiles back at Ben, who dodge rolled to avoid the attack. Castor felt his strength enhanced, made a note to thank Audrey later and charged after Ben, hoping to take the team’s leader out of commission first. Before he could reach Ben, however, an arrow landed on the ground right in front of him and erupted in a small explosion. The blast sent Castor back into the wall. Ben sent gusts of wind aimed at the older male who ran to the side in order to dodge them.

“I think we’ve got him on the ropes!” Noah remarked to Ben with a smile. The redhead nodded and continued his wind assault at Castor. The archer fired an arrow that flew at Castor at an enhanced speed, thanks to Ben’s wind. Evadne’s brother ducked and the arrow lodged deep in the wall.

“I’ve gotta say, Evadne knows how to pick her friends,” Castor said with a smirk. Noah was about to interject, pointing out that he and the petite blonde certainly weren’t friends, but Castor came charging before he could do so. The two adolescents danced around him, all three throwing carefully placed punches and kicks. Castor ducked, dodged and sidestepped, while able to occasionally jab both boys when he saw an opening. After a moment, he noticed an opening in Ben’s form and reached forward, grabbing the redhead by the arm. He spun him around and threw him into Noah, sending them both into the wall.

“It’s best to keep him at long distance,” Ben noted, rubbing his head.

Scorpius was about to attack Castor when the battle began, but quickly noticed that Ben and Noah seemed to have things under control. He’d intervene if needed, but, he decided it best to assist Daze and Evadne against Audrey. He stood by, waiting for the girls to present a proper opening; Scorpius was one of the team’s powerhouses; as much as he hated the thought, he’d sneak in and deliver a hard blow to take Audrey out, if he had to. His eyes widened as he noticed Evadne and Audrey speak while they fought. Was she trying to get through to the witch?

The shadow manipulator stepped in when it seemed that Audrey had beaten the girls. He formed his shadows into blades again and came running at the witch. She suspected the attack and sent an array of objects his way. His icy blue eyes narrowed and he focused, imagining time coming to a stop. With that thought in mind, he gained composure and sliced through each object before it could collide with him. They fell, free of Audrey’s magical control. He continued running towards her, meeting her head on. Expertly, he swung his blades at her, hoping to make a hit. She was an expert at evasion; she seemed to dance around his attacks with grace, despite the stressed look on her face.

As he continued to swipe his blades at Audrey, Scorpius noticed Castor approaching Ben and Noah out of the corner of his eye. The younger two boys were still in a heap, scrambling to get off each other. The shadow bender deduced that they wouldn’t make it in time. He channeled as much force as he could into physically shoving Audrey away before whipping one of his blades around. The blade flew towards Castor, extending in length and transforming, its sharp point becoming a noose. The nose wrapped around Castor’s ankle and Scorpius yanked, pulling the older boy away from his teammates.

Scorpius focused all his strength into his arm and he swung with all his strength. The shadow tied around Castor’s ankle sent him flying and he crashed into the wall, breaking through it into the drywall. The antisocial adolescent released his grip on the older boy’s ankle and took a second to catch his breath. Ben and Noah approached him with smiles.

“Audrey, I’m dying over here!” Castor called out to her with a groan as he emerged from the hole in the wall. He had to admit, he was glad Evadne had found friends that could hold their own, they’d need to if they wanted to keep up with her. But, he wasn’t sure how long this could go on before someone seriously got hurt.

[AppleMistress]

Daze brought herself up to her feet after finally untangling herself from the cords she'd been wrapped in. She noticed Audrey recovering from Scorpius's shove and she seemed to be beginning a new spell to attack him. The alien girl narrowed her eyes and quickly moved. She managed to put herself between the two and distracted the witch from completing her spell. The taller girl flashed an orb of light in front of her instead with the intention to temporarily blind her. Daze knew she needed to change her tactics, considering the fact that her blasts of power weren't very effective when it came to doing damage to her enemies. When Ben told her to try offensive attacks, at first she was very surprised. Now she knew what he meant. Audrey seemed a little wary of her as they fought, she was unaware of the extent of her abilities.

Audrey stumbled backwards and tried to throw a punch at the alien girl, which she deflected with a small barrier. The blonde adolescent realized that trying to attack with punches and kicks head on would be pointless-- the alien's shields were nearly impossible to break through. Instead, Audrey whispered a quick spell that made the floor warp. First it sunk down and then jerked quickly to the side, sending the alien girl down on the ground. Before the taller girl could pick herself back up, she yanked her up by the arm and threw her at the wall with all her strength.

Daze felt the wall make contact with her head and saw black dots dance before her eyes. She closed her eyes and pressed her hand to her forehead. Luckily, she wasn't out. But she was too dizzy to jump directly into battle again. She was already very bad at offensive attacks, going in unprepared seemed unwise. She didn't want to be the first one to be knocked out again.

Evadne narrowed her eyes as Castor called out for help and decided to keep Audrey preoccupied before she could even bother helping him. Coming behind the witch, she caught her off guard and sent a kick at the back of her legs, which made her knees buckle. Audrey was back up in a matter of seconds, she whipped around and sent a kick at the smaller girl's stomach. Evadne felt winded for only a moment or two before she regained her composure. She sent a bolt of electricity at her angled downwards. Audrey attempted to dodge, but the bolt made contact with her ankle and made her stumble and fall.

Evadne wondered if they were actually going to win this one. It seemed like they had the upper hand, at the moment. She opened her mouth, attempting to speak. And couldn't. She didn't know why Audrey used that spell… or why she seemed so panicked tonight. Evadne took a chance and send another bolt at the witch-- who rolled out of the way just in time. She picked herself up, a little shaky, as her ankle had taken a considerable amount of damage. Taking advantage of that weakness, Evadne grabbed Audrey's wrist, yanked her towards the wall and pinned her there by her shoulders.

"It'd be simpler if you just handed over the files, you know. We don't have to keep doing this." Evadne felt relieved when she heard the sound of her voice. "I don't actually want to hurt you. Or Castor, for that matter." That was the truth, all in all. Audrey used to be a friend and Castor was her brother. If they weren't working towards constructing the world's downfall, she wouldn't be fighting them to begin with.

"I don't want to fight." Audrey agreed through gritted teeth. The bolt cut and burned her ankle-- pain sprang up and down her leg. But she did a relatively good job at hiding that struggle. She felt like she was hearing through layers of cotton and her heart was beating too fast. Those words could be the death of her and she knew it very well. "I don't, I don't. I really don't."

'Audrey, get a hold of yourself! I need help here!' Castor's voice appeared in her head. Audrey looked over Evadne's shoulder, noticing that he was doing his best to try and hold off the boys on Evadne's team. All three of the boys were giving him quite a hard time-- so much that he couldn't come to her aid, nor she to his. 'Are you tired? You've used a lot of spells tonight… Dammit, I knew the link was a bad idea! Shut it down if you need to! We can't lose!'

"We collected blueprints for that weapon tonight. They're going to construct it. Luke has them-- he already left." Audrey spoke quickly, shakily. She wasn't sure why she was telling Evadne this. She'd gotten to a point where it didn't matter anymore. She needed to send her own wellbeing to hell or the entire world would suffer. Her thoughts were a jumbled puzzle and she wasn't sure how to sort all of the pieces. "This fight is pointless. Completely pointless. I want it to stop."

'Earth to Audrey! We need to make it out of here in one piece-- at this rate we're both going to get chewed out!' Castor felt a little conflicted. There was nothing for Evadne's team to gain by taking him and Audrey out, really. Luke had the files they were looking for. By now, Luke could have gone to the bus stop and left without them, for all they knew. As much as he cared for his sister, he knew he had to make it out of this fight with Audrey-- they'd both be in some major trouble if they lost. Especially considering Derek failed his mission tonight. The 'masterminds' behind the Organization didn't like to lose-- nor were they used to it. Two losses in one night would make things… complicated.

Audrey was tempted to say that she didn't need to be given orders all the time. She was tempted to just teleport out of there and leave Castor to fend for himself-- even if it was unfair. She was tempted to tell Evadne that she was done. She deserved to be taken to the cops and dealt with behind bars. Put somewhere the Organization couldn't reach her. If only.

She could just see how her dad would react to the things she'd said tonight. She said that she didn't want to fight… He'd call her a coward and give her a beating. He knew she was doubtful when it came to fulfilling the Organization's purpose and he knew she was falling from his seemingly iron grip. He'd probably come close to killing her if he knew what was happening to her tonight. He'd do something to make sure she never even considered defying him again. Castor wasn't wrong about that… and she knew it… Dying and doing the right thing. She didn't know if she could pull it off. She wasn't really strong enough for that, was she? No, probably not. The world was going to go to shit.

The witch sunk down, out of Evadne's grip and on the ground. The electric manipulator seemed to be trying to say something to her, but she couldn't process any of it. Audrey felt as though all of her thoughts were incoherent. Her hand seemed to move on its' own and she felt like she was losing control over both her mind and body. Her eyes went cold, a soulless shade of black. Somewhat aware of that change, she screwed her eyes shut. "Get out. You're going to get hurt."

Evadne was taken aback. She took a slow step back before kneeling down at Audrey's level. "Your eyes… they're black again." She observed, concerned. She didn't know what it meant… She didn't know what was wrong. Her former friends' hands began to tremble violently. And in a matter of seconds, the entire office began to mimic her hands. Shaking almost uncontrollably, faster and harder by the second. The floor shook, the walls were quaking and the ceiling appeared to be caving in on them. Evadne attempted to scramble up to her feet, but couldn't quite manage it. Everything was moving so fast, she couldn't gather enough balance to properly stand. She ducked as an office desk smashed into the wall near where she was sitting.

Daze jolted when the room began to shake. The alien girl attempted to stand, noticing that the ceiling seemed ready to fall and crush them all beneath it. Summoning as much strength as she could, she created an extremely large shield, covering the entire office room like a big umbrella. Immediately, she felt that the weight of the entire building was crushing down on her. Ignoring the pain, she screwed her eyes shut. Defense was the role she played, she needed to make sure her friends made it out of this ordeal alive.

The lights flickered and eventually went out completely, enveloping the entire room in darkness. Evadne was completely bewildered. She wasn't sure what was happening to Audrey or what motivated her to destroy the entire office. And she was scared out of her mind-- were her friends hurt? "Are you all okay?" She asked. She hadn't been hit by any of the items that'd moved after that strange quake-- desks, chairs, things from the shelves… they all scattered everywhere in the jumble. She hoped that the others were as lucky as she was. "Is there a way out of here? I can't see anything…"

"G-give me just a minute." Daze managed a few words. Her arms were starting to shake, she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep the building from crashing down on them. She sent a bright, white light streaming through her fingertips and into the shield she'd created. It made a giant lamp over their heads, casting a dim glow over the destroyed office room. Castor and Audrey were nowhere to be seen. Daze realized that their disappearance could be discussed later--there were more important things to attend to, like making it out alive. "I don't know how much longer I'll be able to stand this. Someone needs to find an exit… or make one… quick."

"There was an emergency exit somewhere." Evadne mused, quickly bringing herself up to her feet. She walked around the piles of rubble, fallen and cracked computer monitors, and furniture scattered about. Narrowing her eyes, she noticed the narrow door at the other end of the room. She ran towards it and pushed it open, gesturing to it. "Right here!"

"Alright. You all need to go ahead." Daze mentioned, trying to focus her energy on keeping everyone safe. She felt like she was going to collapse at any moment. She had to keep this up for as long as she possibly could.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay? I don't feel right about leaving you back here." Evadne bit her lower lip. She had to give Daze some credit here. She'd been confident earlier when they fought Derek, attempted offense, and was holding a collapsing building up for them so they could escape. After that encounter with Oswald, it seemed that she'd taken a dive out of her comfort zone.

"Please make haste! I will follow as quickly as I can." Daze insisted. She listened to no protest and eventually everyone found their way out through the emergency exit. Knowing that everyone was safe, Daze let herself relax a little. Bracing herself, she let her shield disappear and shot directly for the exit. She nearly made it out before a large portion of the ceiling crushed her left ankle, trapping her right at the doorway.

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Castor spent a minute walking by himself before noticing Luke. He'd approached Audrey, got her to snap out of her trance. She used a teleportation spell. Sent him a block away from the bus stop and sent herself somewhere completely different. He doubted she was coming home after what'd happened. Breakdowns, frustration, sadness. All sort of things triggered a witch's emotions-- and dark magic. Castor had a feeling that the young witch was ready to crack... but not tonight. It'd taken him by surprise and he had to literally smack her across the face to get the real Audrey back. He hoped Evadne and her friends made it out. It seemed that the taller girl in the group had things under control before he and Audrey left.

He ran a hand through his hair, trying to clean out the dust out of it. His mouth was still bleeding. That team could sure pack a punch. It seemed that Evadne was in good hands-- that was a relief, at least. He wished he could've done more to somehow help them. Or at least give them a hint without blatantly letting Audrey know what he was doing. Luke was standing there expectantly, by the bus stop, just as Audrey said he would be.

"Audrey has to go on an errand. She's not coming home with us. Got all the prints?" Castor mentioned, rubbing his neck in an easygoing fashion. He wasn't going to say anything to Frost about what happened. And because of that, he couldn't let Luke suspect that anything had happened. Luke was eager to please, after all. Castor didn't want to gamble Audrey's safety by explaining things to Luke. The older teen stretched his arms high over his head and yawned. "So, when does the next bus come by?"

[DracoMalfoy]

The guys had been so focused on cornering Castor that they didn’t notice Evadne’s occupation with Audrey. Ben shot pillars of earth from the wall, in hopes of slamming the older blond in the back while Noah fired the occasional arrow. They were both attempting to create an opening so Scorpius could charge in and put Evadne’s brother out of commission. Despite being overwhelmed, he dodged their onslaught well. It seemed all four adolescents were fighting to a stand off.

When the floor began to shake, they all stopped their fighting and turned, realizing something had happened to Audrey. “What is she doing?” Ben asked. He was, partly, hoping to get an answer from their enemy, but, when Castor was silent, the redhead began to grow worried. At this rate, the office was going to come down on top of them, killing all seven of them. Evadne seemed to be trying to calm the blonde witch, but to no avail.

“Dark magic!” Scorpius called out and both Ben and Noah were sure that was the loudest they’d ever heard the antisocial adolescent speak. With wide eyes, they both looked to Scorpius for an explanation; Ben knew about magic, obviously, if he and his friends could do these amazing things, witchcraft had to be real. But Noah looked horrified. “It’s powerful, almost always deadly,” the shadow bender elaborated. “If someone doesn’t stop her, we’ll likely all be dead.” Ben swallowed the lump in his throat and ignored how his head was beginning to throb. He’d been afraid of that.

With narrowed blue eyes, Noah raised his bow and pulled back his string, ready to fire at Audrey; even if she was destructive, she was defenseless. He could end this. Before he could let the string go, Ben slapped his hand, breaking his concentration. The archer turned to look at the team’s leader with a worriedly irritated expression. “Are you crazy?” the element manipulator yelled, hoping to be heard over the shaking office. “We can’t kill her!”

There was no time to debate the manner as the building’s shaking increased in intensity. Out of options, Ben shut his eyes and held up his hands. He tried to focus, imagining holding the building up. It was a long shot, but maybe he could keep the building up until Audrey calmed down. The redhead could feel the building staying intact, but, he felt no stress, no weight on his shoulders; he wasn’t using his powers. His emerald eyes hesitantly peaked open and he realized Daze was protecting them with a barrier. Ben grinned. He wanted to congratulate the alien girl, but now wasn’t the time. “You might want to,” he began, turning his head to face Castor only to find the older boy long gone.

“The witch is gone too!” Noah called out, seemingly reading Ben’s mind. The blond archer was bitter. Of course, those two were the bad guys, but, crashing a building on them and then ditching? That was just downright nasty. He felt jimmy jacked. He dismissed his thoughts as the group came together, huddled around Daze, ready to form a plan of escape. As Evadne suggested searching for the emergency exit, four pairs of eyes circled the floor, trying to find out where their last means of escape was hiding.

When Evadne found it, the four rushed towards it. Like the electric manipulator, the guys felt guilty leaving Daze behind while they escaped, even if it was just for a second. Despite how stressful holding her barrier was, they lingered. Knowing there was nothing he could to assist, Noah exited first. Scorpius realized this wasn’t his area of expertise either; he didn’t have the strength or the abilities to support Daze. With his head hung low, the antisocial adolescent sunk into the ground, becoming a shadow, and slithered out of the office behind Noah.

Ben lingered the longest. He was still next to Daze, offering her a sympathetic look. He remembered again that this was technically his team; they’d entrusted their lives to him after they foiled that robbery. If Daze was hurt, or worse, he’d never be able to live with that. He’d made the decisions tonight, regardless of how poor they were. “Are you sure?” he asked. When Daze didn’t respond, he wasn’t sure if it was because she couldn’t hear him over if she was choosing to ignore him. “Maybe I can help?” The redhead was near positive he was powerless, but better he get hurt than her. He recognized a strong look of defiance on her face. Perhaps she really was the only one that could help. She’d really grown from the girl he met a month ago at the bank. With a slight ‘thank you’ nod, Ben turned and finally exited the office.

All four of them looked nervous, watching from outside as Daze finally lowered her barrier and bolted for the door. She barely made it in the nick of time and Ben and Noah both released the oxygen they’d held hostage in their lunges. Scorpius was at her side immediately. The older adolescent wrapped his arm around her shoulder, giving her support to lean on. He couldn’t tell how severely she was injured at the moment, but, from the fight and her act of heroism to save them, the shadow bender knew she was exhausted. “Are you alright?” he dared to ask her.

The team was exchanging awkward glances now. None of them had imagined that kind of power from Audrey, or how life threatening she really could be. They had no idea what to consider this battle; a victory? Their enemies had escaped and who knew what the third member of their team had been up to. But, it didn’t feel like a total defeat either. They were strong and intimidating, but Castor and Audrey weren’t impossible to beat. That was good news.

Though originally prepared to fire at Evadne for the information she’d been withholding, Noah decided against it. Daze deserved praise and attention; plus, the archer was too exhausted to pick a fight with the petite blonde. And, Daze had shown him immense kindness during his first week on the team, it was time he returned it.

The time traveler was at her other side, ready to help her just in case Scorpius wasn’t enough. “I say there’s a cabinet full of snacks and some cocoa with your name on it,” he grinned up at her. It was the calmest, and friendliest, Noah had been since the team met him. Especially after a battle like that, it was an odd sight to see.

The three started walking off, ready to head home for a night of rest, but Ben lingered behind, hoping to catch Evadne. The idea of confronting on her anything, especially after that battle, was exhausting and not something he was excited about. But, the team’s leader felt they needed to talk, if not about Castor, at least about Audrey. “I think we need to talk,” he said to the petite blonde, quiet enough so the three walking in front of them couldn’t overhear. Audrey had clearly been a friend of Evadne’s. And, despite how terrifying her magic had just been, Ben was curious as to whether or not Audrey was all that bad. He had a hunch that maybe Evadne was wondering the exact same thing.

---

Luke had been waiting, rather impatiently, at the bus stop for Audrey and Castor to return. How hard was Evadne’s team to beat? Audrey had done so with relative ease the other night. With a powerhouse like Castor, fighting them had to be a synch. The brunet forced the thoughts away from his head as he eyed the flash drive in his hand. It was so small, but it held so much information, the key to the Organization’s plans. And he was delivering it. He could already hear the credit and the praise in his head. No one would tease him or his family anymore; they’d be able to take their rightful place right at the head of the Organization.

He was pulled from his thoughts when he noticed Castor approaching. He looked really beat up, and he was missing Audrey. This provoked a look of concern. If they returned without Audrey, how would Mr. Frost react? Would he get blamed? Frost’s wrath was terrifying and Luke began to grow anxious thinking about it. He was about to fire an interrogation off at Castor, but the older boy beat him to the punch.

“She didn’t mention any errand to me,” he muttered, his eyes aimed at the dirty sidewalk. He and Audrey weren’t necessarily friendly, and he didn’t treat her the best, but that didn’t mean he hated her or anything. Luke was under the impression that Audrey would tell him if she was up to anything else. He snapped back into reality and nodded. “Right here,” he held up the flash drive and smirked. He tried to remember the victory, how, apparently, they’d defeated Evadne and her team of dumb asses. Luke turned his head and aimed his eyes down the street. “It shouldn’t be too long now,” he said. “We’ll be home, and heroes, before you know it.”

[AppleMistress]

Daze appreciated Ben's offer to help her and knew well that he was capable of assisting her-- but she didn't want to take any chances. The alien girl knew she was in charge of keeping everyone safe, so she felt that this was her responsibility. Her fight with Audrey proved she was incapable of assisting them, after all. They did what they needed to do, so she needed to do what was expected of her in return. In the end, she was satisfied that she was able to get everyone out safely. But upon coming out, she found that she was nearly as exhausted as she was that night the team fought Oswald-- even more so now. The assassin had sapped her energy, she'd taken a chance with offense, and she tried to keep that building from crushing them. It was almost embarrassing that it was hard to keep herself upright-- but she eagerly accepted Scorpius's help when he offered it. Her ankle had been injured and she was a little bruised and tired. Otherwise, she was still well. "I'm fine as long as everyone else is." She smiled lightly, despite everything that'd happened.

Daze caught her breath, biting her lower lip thoughtfully as she directed her gaze at the sidewalk. They'd come rather close to defeating Castor and Audrey this time and no one ended up losing their consciousness, so it didn't feel completely like a defeat. But at the same time, the blueprints were stolen and the Organization was one step closer to completing their goal. She was still awestruck with what'd happened. The alien girl had certainly never met a witch before-- when Scorpius pointed out that their opponent was using dark magic, she couldn't help but wonder what'd provoked her to do such a thing. Audrey and Castor had also been in a considerable amount of danger as a result of that spell. She wasn't sure if it was done on purpose… But Castor had looked genuinely surprised by what was happening in there. It seemed like something they didn't plan to begin with. Daze hoped with all her heart that they hadn't been in there, merely going unnoticed somehow. She glanced over at the wreck of the building before turning to face the team again.

Everyone ultimately seemed a bit too worn down to discuss everything in detail. She was sure that they would all come together and try to figure something out the next morning. Daze gave Noah a gentle smile when he offered her his kindness. She wished that Evadne could learn to trust him-- she could tell very well that he was genuine and telling them all the truth about where he came from. She felt a little sheepish at the praise she received, at the same time. "I think we all deserve a little something after tonight." She admitted. Everyone did a great job fighting tonight-- it'd seemed like they were going to win before the building came down. Noah seemed to know what lifted her spirits, in any case. Cooking, baking and food were all things she couldn't help but be interested in. She didn't remember anything about what sorts of food she might have had where she came from before. Her memory loss was still quite troubling-- but she didn't let it bring her down right at that moment. Candy was quite new to her as well-- she'd recently been introduced to a few different brands. She couldn't quite remember the names of them, though. "I believe we still have some of those tiny sour men in the cabinet."

Evadne stood silently, watching as Daze, Noah and Scorp started to walk on ahead. Her thoughts were tangling and she wasn't sure how she could understand what had just occurred. Audrey had said she didn't want to fight and even warned her to get out before she destroyed that office building. Her intentions were far from malicious. In the havoc of it all, she hadn't even noticed that Castor and Audrey had escaped. Where could they have gone? They weren't following any exquisite strategies like Luke and Audrey did the first night they faced them. It seemed that the both of them weren't entirely determined to do what the Organization expected of them. Evadne knew Castor well enough to tell that he was holding back, playing defense more than he did offense. And Audrey was having a breakdown. And not only that, it'd looked like she was getting into fights with other people did. Those scars and bruises didn't come from their fight a few nights ago. Nothing was adding up.

Evadne surfaced from her thoughts when Ben spoke up. She offered him a small, grim and somewhat guilty smile. "Am I kicked off the team?" She sighed, kicking at the sidewalk and looking at the ruins of the building. "I didn't talk about Castor because I didn't think he was involved. Things just keep getting worse." She sighed and raked her fingers through her bangs in attempt to brush out some of the dust from the crash. She knew she probably looked suspicious to her friends by now. She came from a pretty rotten family tree, she supposed it'd probably be hard to overlook that. Trying to hold conversations as she fought probably didn't help her out much either, she realized. She'd been talking to Audrey before the building came crumbling down… It was just difficult. She was losing everyone she cared about, aside from the team and Katie. She needed to know why Audrey and Castor were willing to plan the world's downfall.

Evadne noticed Ben's expression and realized that Castor's involvement really wasn't what needed to be discussed at the moment. They'd almost been killed by Audrey's dark magic spell, after all. "I saw Audrey's eyes turn black before the building came down. She warned me to get out before I got hurt… After that she wasn't herself." The petite blonde wrapped her arms around her small frame and looked at the fallen office building. "Earlier on she told me about the blueprints and that she didn't really want to fight. She was having a breakdown. I think that's what set her off. I honestly don't know what to make of it."

---

Castor clapped a hand on Luke's shoulder. "It was a last minute thing. She realized she needed toothpaste as we were leaving. Audrey's a bit of a nut." He decided the sillier and simpler the reason, the less likely it'd be for any suspicion to land on him or Luke for Audrey's disappearance. Because he was pretty sure that they wouldn't be hearing from the young witch anytime soon. She looked pretty freaked when she turned back to normal.

"I guess." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Wouldn't surprise me if we're sent back to get more prints in a few days, though. If it was that easy, they wouldn't have worked for years planning this shit out." Sad but true. Most the kids weren't given enough credit when it came to their missions-- guys like Frost and his parents usually got to walk all over everybody else. Castor could sympathize with Luke, to an extent. Evadne was always the favorite child in the family, their parents didn't really care much for his wellbeing till she ran out. He and Luke both had something to prove, in a way. Luke's family wasn't as prominent, nor did they have the strongest supernatural abilities needed to prove their worth in the Organization's ranks. It sucked, but that was just the way things were. The main forces behind the Organization were crabby-- everyone jealous and everyone trying to stomp on each other to get to the top.

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