The Gifted

[Willard]

Zenith stood in silence, shocked by the cowardice of the other two students. They had the power to help, and yet they chose to run away? Uncharacteristic anger flooded his mind as thoughts of his sister surfaced. If she were threatened, if she were hurt... He would never be able to look in her eyes again if he didn't help these people.

"You have a chance to help the Gifted escape. I can mask our faces with illusions!" Zenith called out to the other two telepathically as he stepped out from his hiding place.

"There is time for us to help people escape before this turns sour. But the humans will try to stop me, and I can't do this alone."

Zenith extended his hand pleadingly.

"Help me do the right thing."

[3Dog]

Kyo regarded Zenith with sympathy, biting back the frustration that had previously been welling inside him from being telepathically communicated with and realising that this was the person who had also been meddling with his dreams. With the impending danger of outright chaos, it seemed petty to still be angry over this and especially when the target of his former fury was displaying such admirable nobility and selflessness.
"I want to help them too, trust me, but we can't and there's no point in pretending that the three of us can fight off hundreds of elite soldiers!" said Kyo pleadingly. "I'm not doubting your ability, but somehow I think those riot helmets provide much more than a pretty look. They probably have all sorts of resistance to our powers, if we challenge them outright we're going to get slaughtered! The best thing we can do is be passive and that means getting the hell out of here, whether we like it or not!"

[Wolverbells]

Jade began jogging, but slowed down in front of an old, run down house. She thought about ditching the bus and hiding there until it was safe, but a voice in her mind stopped her. "Damn Psions, always getting in the way." She looked up at Kyo as she heard him speak. The Psion was speaking to him too. The sirens of the police cruisers were blaringly loud now and they were approaching fast. "Come on. We can figure out what we're going to do in here." She ran to the door of the old house and tried opening it. "For gods sake." She hissed. The cruisers were close now and she could tell which streets they would be blocking off by their sirens. She quickly picked up her bag and drew a bobby pin from inside. Straightening it with her teeth, she dropped to her knees and inserted it in the key hole. Living in the slums had its advantages. She had picked this skill up with plenty of other tricks. The door clicked and Jade pushed it open, running inside and waiting until Kyo was inside to shut it closed. "There are way too many of those soldiers out there. Do you know what they do to our kind?" If he was telepathic, then he'd be able to read her thoughts and she recalled a memory of her father coming home bleeding and bruised.
"Unless you want us to be like that, then I suggest you find yourself a good place to hide. The cruisers have the immediate area surrounded." Jade sighed and ran a hand through her hair. It killed her that she couldn't help. She wouldn't have minded getting a good hit or two at one of those soldiers, but who was she kidding. They were twice her height and three times her size.
Jade made her way to what was the kitchen and looked through the window. "I think if we can sneak through the back, we'll be able to get out safely." She leaned on the counter and rubbed her temples. "I hope my brother wasn't in that damn riot." She remembered her father having said he was out running a few errands, but Derek had been known for lying.

[Willard]

Dashing to the side of the house quickly, Zenith crouched down behind a partially broken fence, just enough to remain hidden.

"I promise I won't delve into your deep thoughts and memories, I'll only be reading surface thoughts to keep in touch." Zenith wanted to prevent as much animosity as possible between the three.

"I know exactly what they'll do to us if we display our powers in any way. But that doesn't change what they will do to anyone in that rally if we don't do something to help them. Whatever we do, we need to proceed carefully." Zenith bit his nail nervously, trying to get a good look at the soldiers at the end of the street. There were at least 5 personal carriers, each with a mounted turret and containment units. Even escape wouldn't be easy if they had to pass them by.

"We have a few options. We can run away, and leave these people to be detained and executed by the MPs. We could charge head on and try to take as many out as possible. I believe the best course of action would be to raise some sort of wall around the soldiers, preventing their movements for a time, hopefully long enough to provide an opportunity for all the Gifted to escape. Then we can get the hell out of here, and still have tried to help."

Lowering his hand to a cement block nearly covered in dirt, he concentrated hard on the shape and form of a mask... and a thin, nondescript concrete mask now disguised Zenith's face.

"I suggest you two hide your identities as well, even if we are to escape right this moment, we could have our identities recorded by Humans who got the wrong idea."

A sharp pain caught Zenith on his right side; he clasped his hand over the old wound, gasping for breath. His vision faded for a moment, and his breath fell short. He couldn't believe the imperfect timing!

"Listen, both of you. I don't have the strength to raise a wall as large as we need by myself. Does anyone have a better plan? Or do you still think the better option is to run away?" The latter seemed to be a better idea every moment that passed.

[3Dog]

Kyo rested his hands on the counter and gazed out of the window longingly. He knew what he wanted to do, but also knew that the use of their powers would aid greatly in giving their location away.
"I don't know," he sighed frustratedly, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the edge of the counter. "We can't be hasty. If we use our powers first, they'll blame Gifted for igniting the situation. There's still hope for this to be resolved peacefully."
His words sounded hollow because he didn't truly believe them, but he was not going to act without being sufficiently provoked. Despite their yearning to help the protesters, they had to understand that it was entirely probable that their action could make the situation much worse for everyone involved.
"We need to leave before the shit hits the fan." said Kyo firmly. "I'm not gonna argue with you. If you want to stay here, then stay, but if you want to get out of this in one piece then we've got to go now."

[Savi]

Aqua got up and noticed she ran into a tree. She started to curse herself when she heard it. A gang. She started to run. She heard a scream and realized it was her own. She turned and saw a person running up to her. She made a fire ring around her to protect her. She heard a hiss and opened her eyes, not realizing she closed them. She saw them pouring water on the fire as they said "she probably had a lighter man. I got it. GET HER!" She screamed again when they started to attack her. She pushed one of the crazy people off and ran. She had to find somewhere to hide, but where? She yelled "Help! Some one, please! Help!" She looked around for an escape and couldn't find anywhere. She heard the group getting closer, so she closed her eyes and waited for the torture that was about to come upon her.

[Wolverbells]

Jade listened closely to what the Psion said and what Kyo responded. He had a point. The Gifted had been living a quiet and calm, so to speak, life here in the slums. If they were going to use their powers, that would raise hell and once again, the humans would run out the gifted. She couldn't do that, not to her mom who could barely walk right now. "No. I am not about to out my family and others that have made a life here at risk. Those who were protesting will get away. Trust me. I have seen it with my own eyes." Jade looked out of the window and tied her hair up in a bun. "We haven't got much time. We'll have to go through the back...." She shut up, and jumped back a good distance from the window, letting the old curtains close. The shadow of a small group of soldiers walked by with, what looked like, guns in their hands. "The back door." She whispered at Kyo, fastening her bag and walking slowly over to it. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. 'What the hell are you doing just stay in the house until everything is clear.' her conscious told her. She pushed the thought away and looked at Kyo. "Lead the way." Jade stood by the door and bit her lip. She'd regret leaving the, but it was for the good of not only her, but most importantly her family.

[3Dog]

Barely managing to step out of the doorway, Kyo heard an awful scream that sent powerful shivers of dread down his spine. It did not take him long to find the source: a single woman standing in the middle of the street, just a few metres away from them, her eyes closed and her body language conveyed the imagery of one ready to meet her fate. Without thinking, Kyo leapt forward and clamped his hand over her mouth, dragging her back into the house and crouching on the floor with the others just before the savage group of mobsters tore past angrily, searching for their potential victim.
He breathed a sigh of relief as their footsteps and voices died down, releasing his hold on the girl's mouth and holding his own face in his hands.
"Well, there goes our escape plan." he said somberly, his heart still racing at the infinitesimal amount of time in which they avoided conflict with a bunch of bloodthirsty scoundrels.
They were unspeakably fortunate that the darkness outside had managed to conceal them as he hadn't been able to close the door in time. If they had dared to move a single muscle, it was very likely that they'd be found. Kyo gently stood up and looked around, making sure that nobody was watching them before he gently shut the door and turned around to face the others with a panicked look.
"What now?" he asked. "What do we do if a riot breaks out? Stay in here 'til it's over or run?"

[Willard]

"We have very little choice now," Zenith said, reflexively trying to bite his nails through his mask.

"We need to run. The idea was to help people without drawing attention to the fact that we are part of the Academy... we can't hide ourselves effectively enough if a riot breaks out. Our best bet is to get out now."

Morphing the wall open and shut as he walked through, Zenith handed more masks out to the others still in the building.

"If we don't run now, we won't have another chance. At the moment, we can still leave through the back."

Zenith looked at the girl who, for a moment, reminded him of his little sister, back home...

"I'll help you take care of the girl here. We need to make sure we all get out."

[Yael Stellarand]

The Man looked in the direction of the riot police in anger, but this anger was also steeped in anticipation, for he knew that the powder keg was full and was set to blow. A mere spark away from creating an event that could potentially be dangerous for both humankind and the Gifted. Dragus watched as the protesters began arming themselves with nearby objects, the black mages concealing fire balls behind their backs. This situation had escalated exactly as they had predicted. This made The Man tingle all over as he cracked his knuckles and straightened out his neck, the thought of what could–what was about to happen reminded him that this was war. *"All it takes is one. Little. Push.”

BANG.

That was the first. "I DID NOT GIVE ANYONE AN ORDER TO FIRE." a voice bellowed over the chaos, but it was too late. The protest crowd, Human and Gifted alike, began charging the officers hoping to overpower them with sheer numbers. However, as rubber bullets rang out, gas cans flew through the air and the modified static-charged batons started meeting the backs, heads, and arms of various people, the crowd began to fall back. The Man began to approach the riot officers, using a telekinetic force to slowly clear the smoke from the path.
"Stay back or we will be authorized to use potentially lethal force!" an Officer said.
The Man smirked and remained silent as he continued his approach.
"STOP!" the Officer said again.
The Man just raised his hand in a taunting motion as he walked towards the numerous police vehicles, unfazed by the Officer's order to stand down.
When the man was about 30 feet away from the riot police, a series of shots rang out and a volley of rubber bullets and tear gas bombs collided with a telekinetic force, the protest grounds became covered in a thicker cloud of smoke for a brief moment before another, stronger telekinetic force cleared the area and staggered some of the riot officers ahead of him. The Man's hood managed to fall off, revealing a sharp face with narrow eyes and red irises. His hair a dark lavender, wild fire raging with the wind but the most distinctive aspect of his face was the smile that greeted the riot officers, one of excitement and perhaps a little bit of bloodlust. The man looked at the riot police, then to his hand where he managed to catch one of the rubber bullets and back at the riot police, again, his smile never wavering for one moment. The Man gripped the rubber bullet tightly as it was covered in a dark, purple flame. The way that the rubber bullet burned was as if it was covered with gasoline and the man looked like he exerted very little effort in the process.
Underneath all of the armor, the senior officer's face went pale. He knew what he was dealing with but did not have the time to think. He had to act now before this situation got any worse.

"MEN THIS IS A CODE ORANGE, YOU ARE ALLOWED AND ARE ENCOURAGED TO USE LETHAL FORCE ON THIS MAN. NO QUESTIONS ASKED!"
The Man just laughed in response to the new set of orders and began sprinting over to the *riot police, charging a ball of fire that was about two or three times the size of a basketball. When The Man was fifteen feet away from the front line, he jumped in to the air with a telekinetic push that placed him high in the air and tossed the ball towards the edge of the frontline.
Not a enough to kill them, but just enough to make ‘em crackle like the pigs they are.