Wraith

Wraith hadn't exactly been active in the days since their past missions. Honestly, she didn't feel as though she could be blamed for that. Contemplating morality and all that kind of stuff took a lot out of a girl. You know, that and having your nose broken. She could deal with the injury, really, but it made wearing the mask quite painful to do. And breathing. Other than that, though, it wasn't too bad. It at least gave her something to focus on other than her own problems.

The nose thing wasn't something she could really hide. It really wasn't fun to explain to her dad, who was probably the main reason she hadn't left the house. She'd ended up giving him some made-up lie about tripping over and slamming head-first into a rock. It wasn't her best lie, but luckily her father was a very trusting man, which was a polite code word for gullible idiot. She still had to admit to leaving the house, though, which meant that she'd completely ignored his attempts to ground her.

This hadn't gone down well. Apparently she was 'double grounded' whatever the hell that meant. From what she could tell, it was basically the same as being single grounded, but with a lot more shouting. And he was still buying decaf, which was basically torture. She'd actually looked up the Geneva Convention at one point, but apparently being given decaffeinated coffee didn't count as 'humiliating and degrading treatment'. Luckily, she'd thought of this, and was now stockpiling coffee underneath her bed.

That was basically how she'd spent the past few days. In her room with a flask of coffee, trying to make sense of her life, and that was exactly what she was doing when she finally got contacted by Ditch. She sprang out of bed like she'd been stung by a wasp, and grabbed her backpack, where she'd been keeping all of her vigilante equipment before rushing out of the door. Well, if rushing meant speed walking a little. She winced slightly as she put her mask in place, and set off towards Racket Avenue.

---

And so she'd ended up at their headquarters again, maybe ten to fifteen minutes later than she should have. Some people may have said she needed to work on being punctual. Those people did not understand the difficulty she had with remembering directions. She struggled with the things even when she wasn't busy doubting her status as a vigilante and/or mass-murdering psychopath. Some things made you forget if it was the first or the second left, okay?

Although, when she'd got there, it seemed like she wasn't late at all. Later than most of the others maybe, but not late enough for anything to have happened without her. In fact, she'd still had to wait there for about half an hour before anything happened. Anything coming in the form of Ditch holding a small child, and yelling at all of them about what was going on.

Wraith noted some of what she'd said, but was mostly concerned with the boy's condition. Not with helping him - she wasn't that much of a bleeding heart yet - but with his condition. A lot of his wounds seemed fairly fresh, which was worrying. What caused this? she wondered, as several of the group crowded around him. This was followed by a second, much more worrying thought. Or who?

For now, she walked over to Ditch. She wasn't exactly a healer, and if the kid was from this area, there was every chance he'd freak out if he saw her upon waking up. Wraith's reputation around here wasn't exactly stunning. She wasn't sure what she could do to help Ditch. There was one thing that might help, and she sighed as she opened her backpack, pulling out a flask. Still warm - these things worked well. Once she had a hold of it, she handed it to Ditch slightly awkwardly as soon as Omega was done talking.

"It's just coffee. You look frozen. Might help you warm up while you explain." she kept going back to her worries from earlier. Why was the kid in such a state? She realised that she wasn't going to be much help with the situation in here, so she decided to settle her worries a bit. She looked at the pair of supers and spoke to them, her tone having returned to the guarded one she normally used as she dumped her bag onto the ground next to them.

"Listen, I'm gonna go look around outside for a bit. I want to check that you weren't followed here is all." she said to Ditch. "You said the kid's eyes were glowing for a bit, right? Umbra's people could be anywhere, and even if they don't know who you are, they might have followed if they thought he was a super." she looked at the ground with a slightly forced smile. "You weren't exactly inconspicuous, from what I can tell. Just message me if anything happens in here."

Wraith turned to leave, but just as she was about to go, she realised something. It would be pretty suspect to any spies if they saw Wraith leaving the building that a super had just entered. Kara Banks, on the other hand, was a perfectly normal girl. She took off her mask and tossed it over next to her bag. That would at least make her less recognizable.

With that, she headed out of the door. To be honest, she'd mostly done this to sort out her own worries. She didn't really expect to see anyone except maybe a couple of random thugs. Mostly, Kara had wanted to get out of the room, with all of them being all selfless and caring and whatever. She didn't need to deal with seeing them being all morally superior again, even if she did feel a little ashamed about running away from it. Whatever. She just hated feeling like she couldn't help people - it felt like a reminder of how much of a failure she'd turned out to be.

Eric was sitting on the edge of the stage, leaning next to the wall, looking at his phone. He decided to come in regular form this time, donning a half mask he bought from a toy shop a few days earlier. He looked like the phantom of the opera, but he figured why not. If he was going to hang out with the team, he's get hungry sooner or later, and you can't really eat in spectral form.

He was also trying to figure out how to keep clothes on while shifting, or at least getting back to clothes when turning back. Not that he was going to practice here, with the others around, but he was in the middle of experimenting when Ditch contacted.

He was watching the news on his phone, ears plugged in and eating chinese takeout. He actually never heard about Lava King, but he sounded like an anime character. Still, his name implies that he is no joke. Umbra got him as well... how does the media even know about heroes disappearing? Do they have to like, check in each morning and if they don't they are missing?

But then the other news followed. When he heard the Captain's name he nearly choked on his food, coughing up pasta in large chunks.

"Holy *cough* holy crap guys, did you hear about Wall Walker getting captured? Captain Po" - as he looked up, he could see that the team was hetically forming up around Ditch, who has already arrived. She was soaked to the bone, and had a young boy with her, clearly injured.

"Oh." Closing his mouth, the slowly swallowed he leftover, and took out his earphones.

Girard looked around the main room of the theater taking in the work put into it and quietly smiling as he rested up against one of the walls. He had been there for a good portion of the day already but honestly he had been in no rush to leave particularly ever since he got the text from Ditch. It had been a hard pressed time trying to contact the woman since the first missions with her making scarce as she did which left the big man with a couple of choice things to do in the mean time. Over the past couple days he had been sending a serious message to the gang in his old neighborhood as well as a few of the others nearby to make it look like he wasn't picking them out specifically. It had been quite effective in halting anymore expansion since they were so preoccupied keeping what they had. Putting the squeeze on operations had become something of a specialty and honestly he felt it was far more effective at dealing with criminals when all of them were worried not just some. The news was looking less and less promising lately though as more heroes went off the radar not to mention Wall Walker having been captured, it was getting to be more of a mess.

The big guy had been earliest to the HQ greeting people as they showed up but he wasn't any less concerned that Ditch hadn't managed to beat everyone to the building as per usual. The feeling seemed mutual around the room for the most part for any who were thinking into it but they waited regardless. Earlier Tank had gone out for food as well though he hadn't touched much of it, which was saying something considering the large bag holding burgers/sides he brought. It hadn't been all for him but he had an appetite to match his size so extras never hurt if no one else ate much either. However, he found eating difficult as he sat or moved around occasionally attempting to chat up one of the others for small talk to pass the time. It was only when the knocking started that Girard's head shot over alert at the sudden commotion and once Reaper let Ditch in he could see the woman wasn't alone. It didn't take him long to get up and move over to where the soaking wet kid was before removing his large bomber to add to the pile. It would either make a good base or one oversized blanket for someone of the boy's size but it would be warm for sure. Reaper and couple others split Ditch off trying to console her while he heard Wraith say something about sentry duty.

Honestly he wasn't sure what to do from there though he did remember someone mentioning food and drinks so he retrieved his bag and brought it over before stepping back. He would wait for further instruction because as far as the situation was concerned he was clueless. knowing fuck all about first aid or most things medical really didn't help his usefulness but if he could help in some way they just had to say the word.

“It took you an hour to get him here?” Ditch swallowed, unsure of how to answer. “I..” She trailed off as Reaper’s shadow tentacles curled around her, pulling the cyber vigilante inside. The slamming of the doors made Ditch flinch, before she reluctantly placed the boy on the stage, allowing the others to swarm him.

“C'mon, let's have a seat.” She whipped around to face Omega, her movements a little bit jumpier than normal. The bags under her eyes were deep. She looked worse than the last time they’d all seen her. “Omega,” Ditch said firmly, refusing to sit. “You don’t understand, I.. I figured it out. I figured out how Umbra’s kidnapping the heroes. How.. how do you kidnap a girl with superspeed? How do you kidnap a 20 foot monster of lava rock? I did it. I figured it out. You know, you know when there’s just one pillar you have to knock out and the whole building will fall? I found the pillar. I did it. And then I swear, I was.. I sent you guys the message, and I .. I fell asleep.” Ditch had taken the coffee from Wraith but not even bothered to take a sip. “And when I woke up it was already forty five minutes late and I ran here, I didn’t want to.. To lose your trust, and then he just.. The kid just..” Ditch fell silent, eyes glazing over. She gripped the flask tightly but didn’t move.

“He talked about my dad. Talked about him like he was standing right there. Knew things he couldn’t have known about him. He’s too.. Too young to even know him at all..” Ditch shuddered.

At first glance, Wraith would find nothing of importance outside. Racket Avenue was empty, just like it always was. The rain beat down heavily, refusing to let up anytime soon. But if she walked farther ahead, leaving the auditorium in the distance, she’d find a bracelet sticking up out of the mud on the side of the street. A part of it was shining metal, glimmering in the light of the moon. Umbra’s mark was clearly engraved in it upon brushing away the dirt. Any further search would come up empty.

The child was beginning to warm under the large bundle of hoodies and jackets. Yes, Aurora’s attempt to heal him had failed, but upon closer inspection his wounds were not horribly deep. There were just a lot of them. TB was able to greatly lessen the boy’s fever with his newfound heat absorbing abilities, and he was beginning to look better already.

The boy stirred, letting out a string of incoherent words before his eyes slowly blinked open. They were an incredible shade of neon blue, glowing brightly just like Scarlet’s. He let out a sharp cry of fear upon seeing the crowd of people around him, sitting upright and scrambling back on the stage. “Please, please don’t hurt me, I swear I’ll be good after this I will, I will!” He’d raised his hands in front of himself in an effort to protect himself. The boy hadn’t even gotten a good look at the vigilantes before him, he’d just jumped immediately to a defensive stance.

Turn Back didn't even pay attention to the conversation going on with Ditch, preoccupied as he was by the child. He was pleased to note that he could indeed lower a fever this way, however as he started preparing to check the boy's wounds the child woke up, scrambling away and crying out in fear. "No no, it's okay buddy!" Turn Back cried, pulling his bandana away from his face. This was becoming a habit now... "We're not going to hurt you okay, we're here to help!" He reached down and grabbed some things off the stage, never breaking eye contact with this unnerving boy.

Holding out a water bottle, one of Tank's burgers, and his own warm hoodie, Jason smiled at the kid. "Our friend found you out there, she brought you here to be taken care of. You're safe here, buddy. My name is Jason, would you mind if I asked for your name?" He set the offering down and pushed them towards the boy. On a whim he pulled one of the nuts out of his pocket and charged it with a tiny bit of power, his own eyes flashing purple as he did so, and the metal bursting with a small amount of fire that quickly went out. "We're all like you... We can keep you safe."

Listing to Ditch, Raven tilted her head in thought. Her arms crossed at the explanation. Course the woman fell asleep, she probably worked herself to it. Honestly, she was tempted to drug her if she had to. She did have some equine muscle relaxers in her pocket, and she did have a coffee right now. Soooo...

No, not the time for that, her interest captured again. Raven knelt down by the woman, nodding her thanks to Wraith as she left. "Listen, you were disorientated, you just woke up, you were trying to get here, the child was hurt. We can ask him whats going on when his body is well, but for now, clear your mind. Its not the best action to push your thoughts when your shaking like a leaf in a winter storm." She could hear teeth chattering, words were strained, trying to remember.
"Least you got him out of there. If Umbra got Lava king like I been thinking, than he wouldn't stand a chance if the child is useful to his plans. Someone's going to have to figure out if he has family."

Hearing a cry from the stage however, had caused her head to turn. The albino standing only to hear Jason handle it. Offering a wave to the trembling thing, she shook her head. "Are you aright little one? Do not worry, you have nothing to fear from us." Her voice changing pitch, she offered a smile. A calming air about her, one that had calmed down pray animals when they thought they were about to be killed. Still, she did not advance, she had a raven skull on her head after all.

It looked as though Omega’s attempts to calm Ditch had fallen short. Seeing her up close like this, he noticed how awful she looked and it only increased his concern. When Wraith walked over to offer Ditch a flask of coffee, he noticed a change in her demeanor. She no longer oozed arrogance, but instead was pretty even-keel, maybe even a bit somber. He inwardly wondered if she was alright, but set it aside in his mind to deal with the issues at hand. As she left to check for potential threats, Ditch contiued her spiel. She had a real knack for leaving Omega puzzled whenever she spoke.

“Ok...so you've found out why supers are disappearing....and then this battered kid shows up talking about your father? Didn't you say he was dead?”

Omega furled his brow and shook his head.

“I'm not sure which one I wanna hear first…”

A sudden scuffling caught his attention and he turned his focus to the stage. The child had woken up and scurried away from the others. He looked scared, though who could blame him? He was surrounded by strange people in masks and such. His eyes definitely glowed like Ditch mentioned earlier, so by default they all already had that in common with the kid.

Just a few moments ago, he was this pitful little thing, and now he's on his feet without even being halfway recovered. Tough kid.

“Well, Ditch, it looks like we're all gonna get some answers. Just gotta get you both to chill.”

Omega followed TB’s lead and removed his goggles, placing them in his pocket, and he flashed his best kid-friendly smile, speaking after Raven.

“Yeah, little dude. We're the good guys. Just take it easy, alright? We're gonna help you get better,” Manny said with a gentle nod. “My name's Manny.”

“Please, please don’t hurt me, I swear I’ll be good after this I will, I will!” The boy scrambled back on the stage, in the verge of panic, and jumped up, ready to defend himself.
Eric was just a few feet right behind him, holding his breath as to not make a sound. It seems the kid didn't notice him, and does not realize that he is sitting there.

What should I do? If he sees me, he might freak out and do something extreme. Not good. What if he tries to turn my head into jelly? If I turn to spectral form to avoid that, he could take it as an attack, also not a good idea. Last time I intervenes, it didn't turn out so well.

He froze like a sitting statue, chopstick and food box still in his hands, only following the events with his eyes. TB, Raven and Omega tried to approach calm him, slowly approaching, as to a frightened deer. It was all so intense, but strangely comical for him.

“My name's Manny.”

Manny? As in... Emmanuel? Oh my good this is too good. Suddenly, a picture of a moustached Omega flashed before his eyes, Omega the latin lover, with spanish guitar playing in the background.
No, not now, idiot! Eric clenched his teeth, struggling not to chuckle.

Wraith

Kara had forgotten how much of a mess Racket Avenue was for a minute. She was quickly being reminded of this, as she jumped over her fourth pile of trash on her way down the street. She was trying her best to look lost and unsure of herself. If, worst case scenario, she ran into one of Umbra's people, hopefully she'd be able to convince them she was just a girl who'd gotten lost and wandered into the wrong part of town.

Of course, the further she got down the alley, the less that seemed like an issue. There didn't seem to be any sign of life near the headquarters, so she'd headed down the alley a bit. She looked down the alley, and for a second, thought she saw some movement in the shadows.

Without thinking, she ran towards it, preparing herself for a confrontation. She grinned slightly to herself. "I've got you now, you-" her words were cut off when she realised it was just a rat. She'd been about to use her powers to try and fight a rat. Suddenly, she was glad that there was no-one else helping her, as she watched it scurry away down the alley. In the corner of her eye, she noticed something shiny sitting in the mud.

Strange... She was sure that that thing hadn't been there earlier. She kneeled down, trying her best to ignore the stench of the trash around her, and picked up the object. A bracelet? It was pretty muddy, so she wiped it on her jacket to get the worst of it off. When she looked at it again, she couldn't stop the look of recognition and shock that crossed her face. That's Umbra's mark. Good thing she'd chased that rat after all.

If this had been left here, and she wasn't being attacked by who ever had left it, then chances were they'd gone. If it was a trap, they would have taken her out when her back was turned. With a quick glance over her shoulder, she pocketed the bracelet and ran quickly back to the others, making sure to shut the door behind her as she entered. She looked over at the stage, where most of them were. Looked like the kid had woken up.

She headed over to the group by the stage, clearing her throat. "Sorry to interrupt your little bonding exercise, but I think we might have a problem." she raised the bracelet, deciding to explain in case any of them didn't turn around. "Umbra's mark. Found it at the end of the alley. There's every chance that Ditch's little rescue mission didn't go unnoticed." Okay, so maybe she sounded a little hostile about it there. She wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea that Umbra knew about them. Besides, best to keep at least some part of her confident persona from earlier.

It was only when she was done speaking that she remembered she'd taken off her mask. Whoops. It wouldn't matter too much - not like any of them knew her anyway - but she could do without them realising how young she actually was. Too late to do anything about it now, though.

“Please, please don’t hurt me, I swear I’ll be good after this I will, I will!”

With that Girard couldn't help but feel even worse for the kid who had seemed to recover quick between the combined efforts of the team who were focused on it. Now he was scared out of his mind probably after waking up surrounded by them not to mention whatever put him into the physical state he was in to begin with. The big man wanted to know who was willing to do this to a kid because he had some very choices thoughts lined up for how to deal with them if or when he found out. It just wasn't something he could let go easily even if he had practically no information to go off of there would be an effort to look into this. For now though getting the little buddy back to health was the more important of the two and both Turn Back as well as Omega seemed to be on the right track for trying to calm him down. Raven Tale also contributing though the mask maybe was a little off putting but he couldn't fault her for giving a hand.

As for him he was in an awkward spot given his intimidating stature though it would have been worse if he actually had his helmet on. sure the thing had a moveable face piece but he liked to get the thing off more often than not if it wasn't necessary since it was far easier to get back on than to take it off. For now he would stay his distance to let the others handle the little guy for the time being until he was more settled down. When Wraith came back in her approach to getting the group's attention was maybe a little rough considering the situation but it got the job done he supposed. Tank also realized how young she was compared to the rest of them but he wouldn't bring it up out of respect for the other vigilante, not now at least. However, knowing the Umbra or anyone on his payroll could know the location of the HQ concerned the shit out of him because it wasn't like they were in fighting order at the moment. Let alone if the hammer got brought down on them there probably wouldn't be a huge chance of the fighting it off. he shook the negative thoughts away and focused on the present hoping that maybe Ditch even in her current state could make heads or tails out of the bracelet.

Thin, pale fingers stilled on the glowing screen from the harsh swipes of her gloved hand as Reaper’s search for Dr. Stagelson’s emergency number came to an abrupt pause. The slight noise of the boy’s incoherent, feverish words caused the vigilante to lift her gaze to look to the small child in front of her, one hand leaving the phone to reach out for him. When his eyes snapped open she paused, hand halfway out stretched only to jump when he scrambled back as though she were an actual reaper. That was wrong though – he hadn’t even looked. Not at any of them. The fearful reaction was ingrained, a reaction as natural as his eyes weren’t.

A boiling shot of anger flooded Reaper’s chest and the moving shadow around her feet bristled akin to a threatened animal. Against her will, without thinking, the shadow at her feet began to stretch up and around her frozen legs and the front of the stage, sliding over the top as a shadow began to reach out from it towards the boy, reaching for distressed child like her own hand, left hanging in the air. As soon as her eyes caught it Reaper’s eyes widened amidst her mask, and she abruptly stepped back as though physically yanking the shadows back to her, hand falling limply at her side. They retreated back to her shadow, which continued to wisp and curl angrily up to her knees. A few more steps back put distance between them before Reaper tore her gaze away. As much as she desired to help the obviously hurting boy - it was evident even in the way her powers reacted - she wasn’t exactly the mothering type.

‘Breathe.’

Closing her eyes and inhaling deeply through her nose Reaper then slowly exhaled, and when she opened her eyes the black of her pupils had begun to seemingly leak outward like a spiraling spiderweb, flooding the steel-blue and whites of her eyes until only black remained. Her now dark gaze swept along the wall of the auditorium to settle on the returning Wraith and take in her words that held little comfort. Eyeing the bracelet for a moment Reaper glanced away only to turn her attention outward, brows furrowing under her mask as she sought to find any beacons detached from the writhing mass of the city, directly around them in the city block. It was only their own.

“There’s no one else around, at least not that I can sense,” The redhead finally muttered gruffly, her fingers finding their way upward to rub at the back of her neck in agitation. “I think we’re alright for now, but they might’ve been followed before … whoever that belonged to split off.” Reaper's teeth grit beneath the mask as she glanced over her shoulder, watching the others. Turn Back and Omega seemed to be attempting to handle it. Giving them space was best. The boy probably felt cornered between all of them, not to mention Ecto behind him. Reaper raised her brow as he gaze caught sight of the 'ghost' before tearing her gaze away and taking a few more steps towards the entrance. There was little use hovering.

"If I'm right though, this place might have been compromised."

Ditch had whipped around hearing the boy's cry, but had not made any move as the others instantly ripped off their masks and bandannas, trying to gain his trust. Ditch stood frozen, tired eyes locked on the boy but making no move. Wraith entered, and raised the bracelet. Ditch's eyes widened, jaw dropping. "Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck, fucking shit, oh fuck, oh no.." Ditch grabbed the bracelet right out of Wraith's hands and closely inspecting it.

The boy lowered his hands from over his head, now actually getting a good look at the rag-tag group of vigilantes. He looked no less terrified, but now at least attempting to understand them. He stared at the items Jason presented him with, too afraid to even take them from him. When the energy absorbing vigilante charged the various nuts with power, causing them to burst with fire, he let out another screech of fear. It seemed that all their attempts only furthered his state of panic.

He was breathing and panting heavily, trying to calm himself down, when he glanced behind him and saw Ecto. Another startled cry as he took a few steps back, but now it felt like he was being cornered. And then Reaper's shadow hand reached out. If the boy had been terrified before, his eyes were now alive with fear as it reached towards him, crying and screaming, tears streaming down his face as he ran into Ecto and held tightly onto the man's shirt, sobbing so hard it hurt to look at him, and trembling visibly as well.

Ditch's attention on the bracelet fell away and she rushed towards the stage, pushing past TB and Manny, jumping right up next to Ecto and the child. Ditch gazed at Ecto, before touching the boy's backside gingerly. "Hey.. I swear we're not gonna hurt you, okay?" She said gently. He continued to cry into the ghost vigilante, though slightly less. He broke away from Ecto, head turning slightly to look at Ditch with red, puffy eyes, and his gaze fell on the bracelet in her hand.

He instantly stopped crying, tears still sliding down his face, looking aghast. "Please, please don't put the bracelet on me, please, please I'll do anything, anything you want, I'll talk to the ghost again, I'll do it, please, please.. please.." He begged, voice empty. Ditch, looked at the bracelet, and back at the boy. "No.. no, we're not going to.. no." The bracelet fell from her fingertips, and she raised her foot, crushing it beneath her boot. The boy looked at Ditch in awe.

"You're safe here. Just like they said." She promised. "Okay? You don't have to be afraid of them -- I know the masks look scary.. but they're good people. All of them. We were trying to help you." She hoped she was close to at least calming him down, and that was when he shook his head. "I need to go, you can't.. he'll come, and he'll hurt me, and he'll hurt you." Ditch blinked, kneeling down to be eye-level with him. "Tell me who, and we'll make sure he never touches you again. I swear." He shook his head again. "We only want to help you, that's all we want. I promise you, whoever did this, you'll never see them again." She meant it, and he had to see it in her eyes.

"Umbra." He whispered.

When Wraith suddenly came back to the warehouse, she was holdin something in her hand. But more interestingly, she wasn't wearing her mask. Wow, she's... pretty. Ecto was looking at her, dumbfounded, then Ditch started cursing and swearing at the sight of the thing in Wraiths hand. Looks like one of those lame power bracelets.

Then he heard a scared gasp. Looking up, his gaze interlocked with the young boy's.

"Ummm... Hi."

He took a few steps back in panic, only to brush off against black, shadowy tentacles, slowly reaching out towards the frightened kid. That must have been too much for him. He ran into Eric's arms and broke down, trembling as he cried.
Eric sat there, puzzled and slightly uncomfortable, not sure what to do. He awkwardly patted the boy on his back.

"There, there..." Poor kid. He must have been through some ban stuff.

Eric looked at Ditch for some backup, and she was thinking the same thing.

"Hey.. I swear we're not gonna hurt you, okay?" She took it over from here, trying to comfort him. Hm... maybe it's easier for her 'cause she's a girl, the guys aren't always a soothing sight. He glanced at Omega, Tank and TB. Wait, does that mean I look feminine? WHAT.

"...I promise you, whoever did this, you'll never see them again."

"Umbra."

Well, that might be a problem.

The boy was responding just very slightly to the attempts at calming him. He was still absolutely terrified, but could sense that he wasn't necessarily in danger. Manny had dealt with a few traumatized kids at the hospital, and he knew that this boy's whole worldview was warped. If they were gonna get anything from him, they would have to use a good bit of finesse...

...And just like that, they're chances took a nosedive. For some reason, Reaper had lashed out at the boy as he scrambled away and scared the daylights out of him. Manny wasn't sure why she'd done that after being the first to start helping the kid, but it made him a bit weary if the shadow manipulator. The kid immediately dove into Ecto’s shirt, and went into an all-out panic. Yep, we're screwed. And if that wasn't enough, Wraith had returned with some sort of bracelet.

"Umbra's mark. Found it at the end of the alley. There's every chance that Ditch's little rescue mission didn't go unnoticed."

Manny turned his head in Wraith’s direction wearing more of a surprised look than he may have intended. He saw how frantic Ditch had gotten over the news, and he was most certainly in the same boat. When she pushed passed him to get to the boy, he thought that there might still be a bit of hope when the kid stopped crying so hard. But his reaction to the Umbra bracelet had completely changed the game.

"Please, please don't put the bracelet on me, please, please I'll do anything, anything you want, I'll talk to the ghost again, I'll do it, please, please.. please.."

He had that bracelet on him? I'm not sure what it does, but if it has to do with Umbra, it's obviously not good. And what was that bit about talking to ghosts? Is that his power? We have got to calm this kid down so we can get some answers.

Ditch then proceeded to crush the bracelet underfoot, hoping that would gain a bit more trust from the boy, but he still didn't fold. Instead, he started to warn them about some potential threat.

"I need to go, you can't.. he'll come, and he'll hurt me, and he'll hurt you...Umbra."

Of course...of all the things to be dealing with right now, Umbra himself isn't exactly at the top of my list. If this kid had been attacked by Umbra, how did he escape? Is this a setup? Did the boy get dumped just so he'd be found? Is our secret hideout really a secret?

Manny made his best attempt to wash away the bewilderment that had taken over his mind, and return to his comforting manner. First order of business was to win the boy's trust. He slowly approached Ditch and the kid, and lowered himself to their level.

“She's right, kid. We may have gotten off to bad start here, but you gotta trust us. Umbra or no Umbra we're gonna protect you, ok? You really are with the good guys.”

Manny motioned to the crushed bracelet and gave the boy a reassuring nod.

Jason paused at the completely adverse reaction from the child, mentally cursing Reaper. He may not have had full control of his powers, and his display may have scared the boy, but his powers at least weren't reminiscent of the person Jason suspected had tortured the child. His suspicions were confirmed a moment later as Ditch ran up and began comforting the child, crushing the bracelet beneath her boot. Jason studied the fragments for a moment, perking up when he heard the word "Umbra ."

Jason stepped forward again, kneeling down and shifting the food and drink to his left arm, where his hoodie already was. Now at the boy's level, Jason put on a comforting smile and reached out slowly, offering the boy his real hand. "Omega's right. You're safe with us. And you're very brave if you dealt with Umbra, little man." He said quietly. "And now you've found us. We can help you. We've fought his people before, and we've saved people from him. We can keep you safe."

The boy stared at Jason's outstretched hand, swallowing as one more tear rolled down his already wet cheek. "You .. you saved someone from him?" He choked out, sniffing and wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. Jason nodded, keeping what he hoped was comforting eye contact with the boy. "A lady named Scarlett. She was being chased by his people. She was hurt. We saved her, and she's getting better now. And a man called Wall Walker. We warned him they were after him, and he got away from them." Jason stopped his story before the mention that Walker was later captured by MCPD. "We helped them. And we'll help you. Food and water, shelter and warmth. And we'll keep you safe."

The boy sniffed again, blue eyes staring into Jason's. "And you're gonna... you're gonna help me too?" His lip curled. "I don't want to go back, don't make me go back." He looked down at the floor, sniveling. Jason nodded again, setting his hand gently on the boy's shoulder. "We're going to help you. You'll be safe. He's not going to get you, you don't have to go back." Jason's mind ran through the possibilities, where they could put the boy, where he would be safe. Emma, he thought, could care for him. He didn't want to bring her into this, but she could deal with people better than himself, and loved kids. Nobody would think to look for him there either. "Can you tell us your name, little man?"

He flinched as Jason laid a hand on his shoulder, but not making many move to run away, though he did seem antsy. His gaze traveled past Jason, looking behind him. "..your mom says she misses you." He mumbled. Jason's breath hitched in his throat as he pulled his hand away from the boy. Of anything he had expected, that wasn't even on the list. "My... What? What did you say?" His voice began to waver as he felt a lump rise in his throat, the mention of his mother had taken him off guard.

"..your mom." His gaze fell on Ditch. "And your dad. They won't.. leave me alone 'till I tell you." He rubbed his eyes. "Why do you all have so many ghosts?" "I..." Jason was at a loss for words as he looked around the base for any signs of a trick. With all that had happened, the crazy things they had seen, this shouldn't shock him... But it did. "I'm sorry buddy... We didn't know we had... Ghosts. Thank you though, for sharing that message." He set down the hoodie and food in front of the child and turned to Ditch. "I need to go for a second. I'll be back."

Ditch swallowed, watching Jason freeze up. She looked like she wanted to stop him, but only nodded meekly in response when he said he needed a second. "Yeah.. don't.." She croaked, looking down. "Don't go too long."

"I swear, I'll be just a minute." Jason muttered as he backed away and ran out the door into the rain. He kept running until he was down the street, far enough away that he thought anyone watching wouldn't connect him to the others. He kicked a light post and cried out, though out of fear, frustration, or pain even he didn't quite know. He dropped to his knees and pounded the sidewalk with his fists, his eyes stinging with tears. He didn't know why the mention of his mother had affected him so much, but it had, and there was no other way to deal with it now.

A moment later, his frustration vented, Jason got to his feet shakily, his breathing heavy and erratic. He looked up at the dreary sky and wiped away the tears mixing with the raindrops. "... Momma?" He asked quietly, clenching his fists. "I... I know it's been awhile since I talked to you... I didn't think you could hear me... But maybe you can. I love you, Momma. I miss you every day. I think about you all the time. And if that was you... Thank you for finding a way to talk to me. But Momma, I need to ask you for something. That little boy is so scared. He's even more scared than I was after... After what happened to you. I want to talk to you Momma. But that boy needs peace first... I don't even know if you can hear me, but if you can... Be a Momma to him right now. Ask the others, if there are any, not to bother him for now. They can all say what they want to after we help him. Because that's what we're gonna do." Sniffling a little, Jason steeled himself and said goodbye, turning back to the warehouse and making the trek back.

Wraith was slightly relieved when Ditch snatched the bracelet from her hands. Firstly because it belonged to one of Umbra's lapdogs, which made her skin crawl. Secondly, because it had been sitting in Racket Avenue, which meant that it kind of stunk. Not that she got too hung up on that stuff, but if she had to choose between hanging on to it or not, she was taking the second option.

She didn't really try to calm Ditch down at all. While she understood that the hacker was trying to do the right thing, she didn't appreciate the idea of the group being stuck with a target on their back for the sake of a single kid. Maybe that made her a bad person, but someone needed to look at the situation logically, instead of going around trying to save every single kid in the city.

As soon as she thought that, she felt guilty. Maybe it's just that everyone else here values other people's lives, Kara. You've spent the past year killing anyone that looks at you funny. No one else in here is a murderer- she shook her head. No. Bad thoughts. She couldn't dwell on them too much, or she'd end up like the other day. She didn't want to show that much weakness again.

Still, it seemed like some of the group were actually even worse at comforting people than her. Like, seriously not doing great. The kid just woke up, had no idea who they were, so obviously the best thing to do would be to set fire to things and terrorise him with shadow hands. Not like that would freak him out at all. It took all her self-control to keep from rolling her eyes.

At last, Ecto and Ditch managed to calm the kid down enough to make him talk to them, basically just allowing the kid to confirm the suspicions caused by the bracelet. Sure enough, the kid's wounds were to do with Umbra. This started up a second attempt to comfort the kid from Omega and Turn Back. Omega said something about being the good guys. Wraith couldn't say that herself without feeling like a liar. She kind of envied that, but she wouldn't admit it to anyone that asked. Turn Back, though, managed to start a conversation with the kid.

She kind of just stood there, vaguely listening to them talk. She didn't pay much attention until the kid started talking about ghosts. Once she realised what that meant, she went pale and backed away from the kid slightly. She didn't want to know about her ghosts. Maybe it was just people that cared about you that the kid saw, but if it wasn't...

Well, she'd killed a lot of people, hadn't she? Hell, she'd laughed as she'd done it. The idea of them following her around, of ghosts like that existing. She'd at least taken some comfort in the idea that it'd be over when she died, that she could make up for her actions somehow. If she couldn't, if she'd have to face their ghosts? That idea scared her more than anything she could name.

Even if it was just people she cared about, the idea that her mom had been watching her do those things - she'd always been kind, tried to make her daughter the same way. Said that good things come to those who deserve them, which her daughter had stopped believing when she watched her die. Still, the idea that she'd made her spirit watch her become a monster was horrifying to her. She felt sick to her stomach, and backed away further.

The last thing that Kara Banks wanted was to hear her ghosts.

Like a frightened deer ready to bolt Reaper hovered near the exit of the auditorium, body tense and the gloved fingers of her left hand rubbing harshly against the back of her neck in an uncomfortable tick. Underneath the mask her black gaze alternated between the commotion surrounding the boy and her own feet, as though confirming her powers weren’t acting of their own accord once more. Well, their own accord wasn’t quite right – they technically didn’t have willpower. They just reacted to her own desires. Though, scaring the boy definitely wasn’t her intention…

Yet the damage was already done, and combined with the others’ poor attempts at comforting the boy was scared half to death, which considering he already looked half starved to death wasn’t a good thing. Hence Reaper’s hovering near the entrance, ready to leave if needed while silently cursing herself. Imagine if that had happened without her mask, as just Zoey. She tried to keep her mind off it – there was little chance of Zoey running into this situation. Meanwhile between Ditch, Turn Back and Omega – and she supposed Ecto, as awkward as his attempt was – he at least seemed to be calming. Something Reaper had no intention of breaking once more by approaching.

Wraith at the very least shared her sentiment, though she doubted for the same reason once the talk of ghosts came up. If Reaper was tense before she was absolutely rigid now, not even sparing Turn Back a glance as he swiftly made his retreat from the auditorium and into the rain, though she kept note of where his beacon went until it seemed to merge with the sea of indistinguishable blobs making up the city. It was almost tempting to slip out and follow his example despite the ache settling in her chest. There was an apology at the forefront of her mind, someone she needed to explain herself to for many years…

Now wasn’t the time. Physically shaking her head Reaper ripped her gaze once more away from the stage to try and pay attention, to keep track of anyone approaching that she could sense. It wasn’t like she could come close currently. She doubted Umbra enjoyed losing one of his assets either, however young the boy may be. Besides that, despite all the talk of being the good guys she highly doubted that the kid would appreciate her approaching once more.

“At least if the bracelet was his it means no one else was around here… that we know of,” The shadow manipulator muttered lowly, as though unwilling to be heard by the stage and instead glancing over to Wraith. “There was no signs of others where you found this?”

The tension in the air was enough to strangle her. The breathing of chaos, uneasiness....Despair...In a way, it was tormentingly straining. To hear and feel so much that could break at the smallest turn of events. It was at the tipping point from Umbra, only to be kicked when Reaper, for some unknown reason thought it was wise to use her abilities.
The child's sobs were something that pulled at her chest. She hated the sound of crying, tears of any kind. She couldn't stand the sound of it, the feeling of water falling down one's cheeks. TB and Manny were helping, Ditch soon jumping in, Ecto trying but was clearly out of his element, yet the child seemed to still be a bit untrusting. No surprise, he's a brave little one to be dealing with the masked faces looking his way.
Hearing the bracelet being crushed under Ditch's foot though caused Raven to hold back a groan. She was hoping she could feel that later. She needed to know what to look out for in the future. But it helped the kid so it softened the blow to her lost chance.

A sigh escaping her lips, she felt for the hood on the back of her coat, only to realize that it was still with the child. Carefully moving to the stage, her cane tapping in rhythmic patterns, head turned away so he wouldn't look directly into the raven's sockets. Raven Tale began to feel for her coat, the laced sleeves brushing her finger tips she pulled it close, donning the fabric and pulling the hood up. Her hand brushing the mask to disperse it only for the oversized hood to cover her face instead.
"Sorry little one, I can't show my face, but at least its not as scary now, right?" Offering a smile she sat on the ground, back to the stage to give the kid space, but to still be able to listen.

A chill ran down her spine when he spoke to TB. Talking of his mother, did he know him? No, the way he spoke, it was strange. As if he never met the topic of conversation. It was like a flip of the switch, TB, calm and collected began to break slightly. Leaving in a hurry to the awaiting rain. She couldn't help but bring her knees up when she heard a scream of suffering. A cry that was bottled up, it was more than faint, below a whispered call, but it was still a haunting melody.

Playing with the cane in hand, she ran her thumb over the designed engraved in the handle. Feeling the wooden stage at her back as she continued to listen. The child had spoken of ghosts before TB left. Could he see them?
The thought made her freeze up, biting her lip at the ideas that ran through her head. She began to hear a beautiful voice in her mind, one unmatched by all, soft words and kind laughter, and it was enough to almost make a tear fall down her own face. Kaite, could he see her?
No, Kaite should be watching over her family. There was not a day Raven had not thought about her best friend. But she wouldn't think the woman would be with her. She should be safe for now. "So little one, do you have a place to go? Family? Don't worry, ether way we'll still protect you from the bad guys, and Umbra. But is there anyone that might be worried?"
If it was the case, than someone must be looking for him. Family that must be worried sick, overworked in their quest to find him. But if not, where would they take him? She had her own place, and her neighbour could help, it was safe, but he might need something different. Something that feels safer.
All that she knew right now, was that they were probably going to mess up, they were going to make too many mistakes.

Girard couldn't help but cringe as the scene on and near the stage unfolded in front of him. They almost seemed to be making some progress by carefully talking the little man down right up until Turn Back and Reaper both showed they're powers though the latter somewhat seemed less than intentional. It triggered an absolutely pitiful moment of fear and more than enough sadness to go around as the poor kid clutched onto Ecto sobbing while Ditch moved over also attempting to comfort the boy and seeming to succeed where the others failed for the moment however the bracelet only seemed to bring out desperation. That seemed to change as the woman crushed the object underfoot taking that away and it looked like it made a better impression on they're guest than most anything else that was tried which was a good sign but what the boy had to say left them no doubt as to the culprit.

"That son of a bitch." He thought feeling on the verge of anger which he forced himself to rein back for the time.

The last thing anyone needed to do was get upset in front of the kid and it would only leave more room for him to get a negative feel for them. But the big man felt kind of frozen when looking at the boy who in a way reminded him of his brother in a way. That one major traumatic event that could and would change what you only leaving you and whoever else you had to pick up the pieces of a shattered perception. His brother had become much more quiet around them, particularly him, at times despite all the comfort his family tried to provide and Tank couldn't help seeing the similarities. His expression had turned from concerned to distant as his mind was swiftly making him relive the shooting and following weeks all over again. It hurt more than he was willing to admit having seen his brother become so different to what he remembered and there was every chance this kid could end up the same but they had to try everything they could to help and the cost didn't matter.

Girard had only caught the slightest of the conversation TB had managed to start being more than a bit preoccupied in his own thoughts but he heard the boy talking about ghosts around them and numerous at that and it made him think of his own family a little. He did notice the other man leaving but was hardly capable of asking why or in any rush to stop him because he looked less than good momentarily. It took him a moment to pan around the room noticing a few of the others were either uncomfortable or just unable to help with the situation kind of like how he felt before where as the rest at the stage were still trying to get a little trust back. He realized in a moment he had something to say to the boy and he felt it needed to be said for his sake at the least and it was him who inspired it in the big man. Tank moved himself over towards the stage slowly and deliberately, part for keeping the little guy calm and part because of the weight of the situation resting on him, as he sat on the still newly constructed side of the stage which thanks to him he knew would hold the weight.

"I know someone like you...someone who went through nothing anyone should have to. He more afraid than I could imagine of what happened to him and what was going to happen after. His family, friends and everyone one did everything they could to get him better and try to take away his fear. He did his best to fight that fear and it changed him too, it made him stronger than he was before but only because he realized he could do something about it. Maybe he couldn't do everything he used to but one thing he could was give everything he had to help others who faced the same thing and to be a better person than the people who hurt him. I learned a lot from him and one thing I learned was to help anyone who needed it and I'll make you the same promise to protect you and make sure Umbra doesn't get to do this to anyone else if you promise not to let what he did keep you from being a stronger you. I'll keep my end no matter what, I'll just watch and hope you get the same support from everyone who cares too."

The big man gave up something personal, maybe a bit vague, but very important to him. It was a memory of his great-grandfather, a man who had been nearly beaten to death and left to it by criminals in Millennium City and spent the rest of his life trying to put all of his money and influence to provide help for anyone who was hurt or otherwise attacked by the dark side of the city. The sheer determination and good heart of the man was something that Girard looked up to and had always been a part of why he did what he did trying to clean up the city and he hoped the kid could draw something from it too.

"So little one, do you have a place to go? Family? Don't worry, either way we'll still protect you from the bad guys, and Umbra. But is there anyone that might be worried?"

Glancing up at hooded vigilante, the young boy swallowed, moving closer to Ditch and gripping her arm tightly, hiding himself from looking directly at Raven Tale. Seemed that even though she had taken off the raven skull mask, he was still afraid. Ditch gently embraced the child, trying to assure him that there was nothing to be afraid of.

Tank moved up slowly towards the stage, and Ditch could feel the boy’s grip get even tighter, clearly afraid of the large man. One neon blue eye poked out from her embrace, watching the vigilante speak, and when he was done, the child pulled himself away from Ditch and tightly hugged Tank.

“Tank.. if you could just.. Keep him busy for a little while? That’d be great.” Ditch rubbed her eyes, and the child seemed perfectly content clinging onto Tank. She moved to the edge of the stage and sat down, letting out a curse word under her breath. “I would say four days of no sleep and only ramen is finally catching up with me.” She muttered quietly.

“Uh.. okay. Where was I? Game changing info. Yeah. So, um.. I was trying to figure out how Umbra’s abilities could help him to capture a person who can create illusions, the most powerful waterbender in the city, a girl with superspeed, and a twenty foot tall lava rock monster.

“He planned his attacks well, hardly any of them showed up on security cams, except for his latest plunder with Lava King. I hardly saw Umbra at all, he kept in the shadows good. Except, in one final moment, I saw.. I saw Lava King’s eyes. And unlike all the other times there were photos taken of that giant monster, they glowed. It was this light purple blue color, one I’d seen somewhere else.”

Ditch paused, glancing behind her, and then letting out a groan. “I.. didn’t bring my laptop. Never mind. I found this article, five years back, some guy --” She stopped, glancing back at the boy and Tank. The child had fallen asleep standing against Tank. All the crying and screaming had likely worn him out. Seeing as the child was asleep, Ditch went back to her story.

“He murdered his wife, eyes glowing that same color. But when the police apprehended him, his eyes stopped glowing, and all tests for signs of him being super came up as inconclusive. He was perfectly human.

“We knew Umbra wasn’t working alone, but I know his eyes don’t glow like that. They’re blue and green, not.. Light purple. And I know his powers don’t allow him to have control over others like that. He’s working with someone equally powerful. Someone who can control minds.”