The hawk and the fly shot toward him at astonishing speed, but Duncan still held the range advantage. His conjured red flail lashed out, its chain rattling like actual metal. Yet it did not obey the laws of physics at all. The launched flail turned sharply, curving into a trajectory that attacked the hawk-masked figure from the side. He didn't evade and to Duncan's surprise, the flail passed harmlessly through its target. The fly-masked woman did dodge, her movements small and instantaneous as she ducked down in her sprint.

They were upon him now, two against one. He also vaguely registered the heat that was building behind him - likely Clementine's doing. It was the hawk-masked man who crashed into him first, attacking with hand and feet against his raised shield. The other tried to slip past him, but he wouldn't let that happen so easily. Not while he still had cards to play.

Duncan pivoted, but the shield kept hovering in place to block the hawk-masked man. The red flail separated - the spiked ball flattened into a buzz saw, while the chain retracted to take the shape of a broadsword. The buzz saw sped toward his hawk-masked attacker without warning or wind-up, while he cut at the other with his broadsword. Both were forced to leap back, shifting the momentum of the battle in his favour.

He shot a glance at the buzz saw and it scattered into a cloud of daggers that shot toward the fly. Then the shield burst forward, which Duncan had aimed to bash into the hawk. It was a good counteroffensive, but he would need more red to keep this up and there weren't a lot of opportunities to scan his surroundings. The second he looked away, the fly-masked woman returned. Her suit was torn and her right arm was out of commission, but that hadn't stopped her.

Then there were other distractions too. In case of Noa, a helpful one at least.

"I'm working on it!" Duncan called back. The broadsword evaporated into a thick red mist to obstruct the fly-woman's view. He couldn't control the red energy properly like that, but it'd buy him some much-needed time.

Duncan glanced at Clementine, saw her state of being, and began to doubt his decision. Not that he had other options though. "Stay calm Clementine. We've got this." As he spoke, Duncan seized back control of the red armour - with Clementine still in it. The whole package catapulted toward Noa and once there, stopped instantaneously, faded to release Clementine, and began returning to him as a single stream of colour.

In that same view he caught a glance of Errol. His half-brother seemed to be on equal footing too, and there were more hostiles than they were currently facing.

That made this feel like a good time for the red traffic lights.

What had been a lit red sign on one of them became dull gray, its colour fired as a bolt of energy. Not at the brute of stone, the unnerving fly, or the uncatchable hawk. At Errol.

The bolt would hit his hand and wrap around the base of his fingers into semi-transparent knuckledusters. "Charge those!"

He was forced to the ground by a hard kick from the hawk-masked man. From the mist, the woman emerged. Perhaps he hadn't bought enough time after all.

Duncan's voice manages to pull her out of her hyperventilating panic, if only for a moment. His words, a beacon of focused reassurance amidst the chaos, cut through the turmoil swirling within her mind. With each syllable, Clementine felt a semblance of calm wash over her, like a soothing balm for her frayed nerves.

Yet, even as Duncan's voice anchored her in the present, Clementine couldn't shake the lingering sense of unease gnawing at her insides. She knows that her control over her powers is slipping the more she lets her emotions take control, the flickers of plasma dancing along her fingertips serving as a stark reminder of the storm brewing within.

As the red armour carried her toward Noa, Clementine's eyes went wide as her eyes flickered between her brother and the two masked opponents. Despite Duncan's attempts to reassure her, she can't shake the feeling of impending dread that weighs heavy on her chest.

Up until now, the third member of the fourth had watched the Hawk-masked and fly-masked allies go to town on Duncan, while the fourth had gone after Errol. The hawk-masked brute went for Duncan to pull him back up, just to punch him back down. Whether he wanted to knock out Duncan or just enjoyed punching down, was unknown.
The fly-masked woman looked to the third member of the squad, the one who hadn't engaged at all and looked more like he was observing the situation. The third member wore an owl mask and decked out with all manners of knives, swords and metal-reinforced gauntlets. With a nod, from the owl-masked man, the fly-masked woman left Duncan and the hawk-masked brute and went around the destroyed car to go after Clementine and Noa.

Meanwhile, Clementine had managed to quickly get up and over to Noa, having gained, somewhat, control over her powers again, the young girl just managed to lock eyes with Noa, before she felt a painful iron grip lock around her hair, forcing Clementine to release a pained scream as she was lifted into the air by her hair and held right in front of Noa, using Clementine as a human shield in case Noa had any bright idea of attacking.

As Clementine's scream echoed through the chaos, a surge of heat ignited within her, fueled by the intensity of her fear and desperation. With a fierce determination, she seized the fly-masked woman's wrist with both hands, channelling the raw power of her plasma abilities into a blistering inferno.

The air around Clementine crackled with searing heat as her plasma powers surged to life, enveloping the woman's wrist in what looked like incorporeal orbs of a scorching blaze. The intense heat radiated from Clementine's hands like fire, bathing the immediate vicinity in an oppressive warmth that bordered on unbearable. Anyone standing nearby could feel the heat washing over them like the searing breath of a furnace, forcing them to instinctively take a step back to escape its fiery grasp.

With a guttural cry of pain, the fly-masked woman recoiled as her wrist was seared by the scorching plasma, the skin blistering and blackening under the intense heat. The smell of burning flesh filled the air, mingling with the acrid scent of charred fabric as the woman stumbled back, releasing her grip on Clementine's hair.

The shrieking from the fly-masked woman pierced the sky, causing the other mutants from the group to pause, if only for a second or two as the fly-masked woman watched the blistering skin and blackening flesh of her hand and wrist fall off the bones in chunks, like meat served at a restaurant.

As Clementine broke free from the woman's grasp, her hands still radiated with the residual heat of her plasma powers engulfing her hands like miniature suns. The air around her crackled with the intense energy of her abilities, sending ripples of heat distortion shimmering around the traffic light.

Amidst the fighting, the temperature around Clementine soared to uncomfortable levels, the air thick with the oppressive heat emanating from her fiery aura. Noa immediately felt the spike of heat rise, her skin prickling with sweat. The owl-masked man who previously had purely focused on the hawk-masked man attacking Duncan had now turned his full attention to Clementine only to speak into his comm attracted to his wrist as he stepped away.

The chaotic sounds of the city were overshadowed by the crackling hum of Clementine's plasma powers. The air itself seemed to vibrate with energy, as if charged with the raw power of the sun, casting a golden glow over the surrounding buildings and streets.

Errol lifted his head off the ground, rising into a seated position. Once more, he took in his surroundings while ignoring the granite behemoth headed his way for another attack. He heard Noa call out to Duncan, ordering him to send Clem her way. He felt relief in his chest, knowing she'd be safest with Noa and Duncan would be able to divert his full attention on his attackers.

Errol's attention returned to Rocky, who was even closer now. Coming in for another attack, Errol lunged out of the way as Rocky smashed his hard fist into the ground where Errol was originally sat. Landing into a roll, Errol pivoted his body to face Rocky and shot to electric bolts from his eyes. Hitting Rocky's shoulder, they had no effect on him.

"You ain't bright are you?" Rocky growled at Errol with a smug tone.

"Hell nah, perra. Just stubborn!" he retorted.

It was all talk, in truth this was a ridiculously humbling experience. Throughout his entire life, Errol was constantly told of his power and more than made up for it in his actions. Running with the Strays, Errol had his fair share of fights with both humans and other mutants, never once losing a fight or even worrying about who he fought. He even developed a reputation from it, people feared him, he never lost and always dealt with his rivals quickly and efficiently.

Naturally, Errol would develop an inflated ego from all this. Now in his current position, being so helpless and useless against who he was fighting. The young mutant had a lot to reflect on. If he survived this.

Rocky once more rushed toward Errol, this time at breakneck speed. Errol attempted to hit Rocky with another torrent of electricity but met the back of Rocky's hand. Rocky's left arm swung back, connecting to Errol's jaw and sending him in the direction of where Rocky's arm swung. Once more, Errol landed on his back, spitting blood out from a cut lip.

Lifting his head, Errol saw a red blur shoot his way hailing from Duncan. Errol felt the red energy wrap around his left hand, shifting into a construct of knuckle dusters. A smirk crept on his face, and strangely, Errol could feel a small rush of energy enter his body from Duncan's construct. It felt... strange but he could feel that it was also energising him, similar to when he'd charge his own cells with electricity. Errol's eyes shifted to Duncan as his older brother called out to him, telling him "charge" them.

Errol also saw that Duncan was struggling with his two attackers. An eye for an eye, Errol directed his index and middle finger into a "finger gun". Shooting a dart of electricity at the hawk-masked man attacking Duncan with enough force to knock him off his feet, buying Duncan whatever time he'd need. Back to Rocky, he was coming in for another attack. But this time he was now strolling toward Errol, clearly confident in his advantage over Errol's powers.

Here goes nothing. he thought to himself. Channelling the electricity into the red knuckleduster wrapped around his knuckles, the merging of both his and Duncan's powers turned Errol's electrical output red. Electricity crackled around Errol's hand and he rushed toward Rocky, who was still strolling toward him. Throwing a straight cross toward the centre of Rocky's body, the impact created a small explosion, with red electricity dispelling around the surrounding area and destroying the knuckleduster construct in the process.

The punch left a hole in Rocky's armor, and sent him a few inches back. Shocked at what just happened, Rocky was too distracted to see Errol come in for a follow up attack. The mutant slapped his palm on Rocky's exposed skin and sent a large current of electricity through his nerves with enough juice to kill him. Rocky yelled out in pain before falling on to his back, dead. Smoke aporated from Rocky's chest and Errol could feel the temperature getting hot. Was that from his attack?

Then he heard a bloodcurdling cry, Errol turned his attention to see the fly-masked woman's skin practically melted and falling off her wrists. Errol shot one of his arms forward, blasting the woman with electricity and knocking her off her feet slamming her into one of the destroyed cars. Clem did that? He rushed over to both her and Noa, as he did so he thought to himself: he never really knew the capabilities of her mutation. Feeling the heat rise in the warzone they were in, he realised: was she really this powerful?

Instinctively, Noa reached to grab Clementine’s hand as soon as she was within reach but immediately withdrew it upon the realisation that she might accidentally harm Clem in doing so, aware that her own abilities were harder to control with heightened emotions. Though she tended to be level-headed, nothing could prepare her for an impromptu warzone in the middle of the street.

Without hesitation, she swung the rifle around from her back and aimed it towards Clem’s attacker. Though she had little experience in the way of marksmanship, there was a certain advantage to be gained from heightened senses and reflexes. Unfortunately, none of that would matter now as the attacker had prepared for such an eventuality by using Clem to ensure her own safety. "Buzz off, Bitch." She said sharply.

Noa’s focus turned from the scope of the weapon to the ebb of light emanating below it, shortly followed by a growing warmth which forced her to step back, lowering her weapon as she did, only to see the harrowing sight of Clem’s abilities in full force from the charred flesh to the gut-wrenching scream of pain. Nothing could have prepared her for what she had just witnessed.

It was probably just as well that she hadn’t accidentally grabbed Clem earlier, for her own sake.

Though still shocked by the situation she had just witnessed, she was not perturbed enough to forget their priorities, or at least not enough to show it. Noa had seen enough people act towards her with apprehension and she didn’t want to pass the same judgement she had experienced onto Clementine, even if she was feeling unsettled in the moment. Besides, she had no idea how Clem was feeling right now. It was just as likely that she was scared too.

Calmly, but loud enough to try and breach the sound of crackling around them to reach Clem, she approached as close as was comfortable before the prickling heat became too much to bear. “Come on, Clem. This isn’t your fight.” She spoke gently, trying to offer some comfort in their unprecedented situation.

Despite her calm demeanour, her expression when she locked eyes with Errol told another story, one of concern. There wasn’t time to discuss though as two of the brutes came barreling towards them.

“Get in the truck.” She told the pair solemnly without taking her eyes off of the incoming adversaries before quickly snapping and running to the open door of the armoured vehicle that she had cleared out minutes before. Even if Duncan managed to intercept the mutants heading their way, it was no good for anyone to be standing out in the open. Turning the key that had been left in the ignition, the engine roared to life.

The Continental soared through the lightly trafficked streets. With its roof down, a brisk stream of wind caressed the driver's longish hair. Nathaniel had received tidbits of information throughout the evening - all due to his affliction. Doctor Duncan Fraser, the former x-man who had a recent attempt on his life, was in town. Men and women armed to the teeth had just headed out in a number of black vans and an armoured car was speeding into the city. The information provided to him by his animal friends along with a call to the institute had been enough for the lawyer to conclude that shit was about to go down.

High above, birds could be seen flying towards the area. An observant eye could spot a few stray cats and mice heading in the same direction. All from a few simple words "Gather who you can and meet me there" - the wonders of the mutation never ceased to amaze.

Naturally, news carried by birds and critters could only travel so fast and Nathaniel's predictive powers ultimately boiled down to a hunch. When he finally arrived at the scene, the battle had been going on for a bit. Unexpectedly, a helicopter hovered in the air - something which his friends had completely missed. What's more - it wasn't just the doctor facing off against a bunch of armed goons, instead, it was a full on fight. Nathaniel's eyes quickly scanned the scene, seeing brutalised street lights, noticeably grey cars and traffic lights, asphalt was dented and a person had seemingly melted in front of a red-headed girl - one whom he knew, a former client.

"Right" he muttered, tightening his deep red tie, remembering that the professor had asked him to see if he could lend the former X-man a hand and keep civilians safe. With a subtle hand gesture, he summoned a dove who landed on the passenger side door. While the fight was raging - Nathaniel remained as calm as ever, safely observing and pulling a few strings from a distance. "See if you and your mates can cause enough havoc to force the pilot to either fly away or land, okay?"

A dutifully cooed "Aye aye" could be heard in response.

"No heroes, get out if it heats up. Make use of those side doors." he said, just as the dove took off to execute the plan. His gaze then turned to three rats who stood right below his own door "Can you guys understand me too?" - just as the question was asked, a violent red light lit up as another mutant seemed to create a powerful electric charge to put a serious dent in a rock-person. "This is way above my pay grade" he mumbled before looking back to the critters, having heard nothing but small squeaks from them thus far "If anyone raises a gun, just give them a small nibble and run away, okay?" - after hearing a few more squeaks, Nathaniel could do no more than to hope for the best.

He then saw the blonde across the intersection - clearly not part of the armed gang, climb into the armoured car, right before it hummed to life. "Grand theft auto, the prosecution will have a..." he trailed off as he saw a man raise a rifle at the doctor. Seemingly by instinct, the lawyer quickly flashed the car's main lights, creating just enough of a momentary distraction for a rat to arrive and nibble at the assailant's ankle. It wouldn't buy Dr. Fraser more than a few moments - but it was all he could pull off without getting directly involved in the fray.

There was an absolute furnace burning inside of Clementine, watching someone trying to kill her brother Duncan. The girl might have a difficult relationship with her oldest brother, but that doesn't mean she would just leave her brother. However, the fact that both Duncan and Noa wanted Clementine to go with Noa, jump into the black van and speed away.

Clementine's eyes blazed with the fervour of a solar flare, their fiery intensity a reflection of her deep connection to the sun itself. Like twin beacons of celestial energy, they shimmered with the radiant warmth of a thousand suns, each flicker of light a testament to the boundless power coursing through her veins.

In the golden depths of her gaze, there lay an undeniable resonance with the sun, a connection that transcended mere mortal understanding. It was as if the very essence of the sun's fiery brilliance had been infused into her being, illuminating her path with its divine radiance.

Yet, despite the radiant strength that pulsed within her, Clementine's eyes betrayed a lingering sense of uncertainty, a flicker of doubt that danced amidst the flames. As she turned to face Noa, her gaze wavered, torn between the urge to rush to her brother's aid and the instinct to heed Noa's call for retreat.

In that moment of hesitation, her eyes seemed to shimmer with a conflicted brilliance, their luminous glow casting a soft, golden hue over the tumultuous scene unfolding before her. Though her resolve wavered, the radiant power of the sun still burned brightly within her, a guiding light amidst the chaos that threatened to engulf her.

Then the blaring sounds of sirens filled the area, clearly, the police had finally arrived on the scene opposite where Noa, Errol and Clem, which caused even more chaos as more bullets started firing, but between the men in black and the city's police officers.

"We can't just leave Duncan!" said Clementine finally, clearly wanting to help her oldest brother as the red-haired girl looked to Errol and Noa. However, She was no hero, she wasn't brave and she was scared. But there was no way she would just leave her brother Duncan, despite him being a stupid ass most of the time see him.

Each orb crackled with the raw power of the sun, glowing with a brilliant radiance as she wanted to unleash upon the enemies threatening her family.

And yet, all of that fiery heat in her was interrupted by a stray bullet, strafing her shoulder. In a cry of pain, Clementine tripped and fell in Noa's direction. Luckily, Clementine had powered down, so Noa could catch the red-haired girl.

Errol finally made his way to Clem and Noa, placing one of his hands on Noa's arm, holding her while reaching out to Clem but quickly pulling his arm back once he felt the heat emanating from his sister.

"This is fuckin' crazy!" he exclaimed, still processing what Clementine had just displayed with her powers.

His electrified yellow eyes locked on to Noa's, returning her concern through his brows. So much was happening but his concern for Clem outweighed everything in his mind. However, Errol was forced to return his focus to the immediate threat as more of their adversaries threatened them. Noa, as always, was quick to think under pressure and immediately resorted to a solution - ordering him and Clementine to get in the truck.

However, Clementine wasn't all too thrilled about potentially leaving their brother behind. Errol wouldn't even be able to grab and pull her to the truck due to her current state, radiating all this heat. And if things couldn't get worse, the 12 pulled up. A bead of sweat began to trickle down from Errol's temple, whether that was from Clem's heat signature or the stress of the situation was up for debate. He knew he needed Clementine to be safe, and that she needed to get to the truck.

"Right now, mine and Duncan's priority is keeping you safe! The longer you take to get in that truck, the more--"

The sound of gunfire echoed throughout the area and a cry from Clem quickly followed. A small splatter of blood left her shoulder and the heat surrounding Clementine dissipated almost immediately. "CLEM!" he exclaimed, fury in his features. A sphere of electricity surrounded Errol's left fist and he promptly fired a torrent of electricity at the police cruiser, blowing it up.

Thankfully, Noa had caught Clem and was already directing her toward the truck. Errol followed after them and launched himself into the armored truck's backseat. Noa immediately hit the gas but not without direction from Errol "We need to get Duncan!" and quickly addressed his sister "How you doin', Tangerine? You still think its a good idea to live my lifestyle?" it was a stupid question to ask, but he hoped it would at least temporarily distract her.

As Noa drew the truck nearer to Duncan, Errol kicked one of the door's open and positioned himself on the edge of the exposed side of the truck's seat. Clasping one hand of the grab handles on the truck's ceiling, he outstretched his free arm as he called out to his brother.

"Hermano! Duncan!"

Errol shook his free arm, signalling for Duncan to grab him as they were about to drive past him. This was going to be tricky, and they'd both have to time this perfectly as this was their only chance at escaping together.

Noa half-stood over the driver’s seat, holding onto the handle on the ceiling while half hanging out of the open door as she urged the others to get in. When Clem chimed in with the reminder that they couldn’t abandon Duncan to his fate, Noa replied sarcastically. “Really? Why not?”

Regardless of the prejudiced feelings she held against Duncan, she wasn't cruel enough to abandon him. After all, he was somewhat of an ally and at the very least he was the brother of her best friend. Besides, there were plenty of people she didn't like but she wouldn't wish death on any of them.

The arrival of the police further complicated matters and heightened the urgency of their situation, especially as they seemed a little too trigger happy. Catching Clem with her free arm when she stumbled her way, she cursed under her breath. “Shit.” She knew how important protecting Clem was to Errol and Duncan. She didn't really care what Duncan wanted but in this instance it forced them to become a cohesive unit.

Hearing the anger and concern in Errol’s tone, Noa, as level-headed as ever, calmly reassured him. “I’ve got her.” She hooked her arm under Clem’s and dragged her into the truck whether Clem was able to physically assist or not.

With a quick glance over her shoulder to confirm the other two occupants were inside, she revved the engine into life but not without another reminder from Errol. “Yes, I know!” She replied, shouting back in response. "I'm not just going to throw him to the uhhh... ducks." She attempted to use an idiom she heard before, though not as successfully as she thought.

With only the side mirror for reference, she slammed on the breaks, fighting to keep control of the wheel as the truck skidded into a turn. As soon as she had visual confirmation of Duncan grabbing Errol’s hand, she immediately pushed the pedal to the floor, taking evasive manoeuvres to avoid traffic and whomever might be pursuing them.

“Oh shit, put some seatbelts on.” She told the group before frantically turning the wheel and roughly swerving into a hard left upon seeing a police car in the traffic ahead, slamming into the door as she did after neglecting her own seatbelt.

High above, birds swarmed the helicopter - a few failed in their approach a few times but the ravens learned quick. None of them were intelligent enough or capable of using the intricate control panels present in front of the pilot. Instead, they focused on affecting the pilot herself. Batting their wings in her face and clawing and pecking where they could, they eventually forced a misstep as a controler was yanked to the right as she tried to bat a raven away. It was not long before the helicopter turned, seemingly intent on departing.

On the ground level, Nathaniel sent a furious glance at the police officers who had just arrived by his side - they had shot the girl, a person whom he had defended and talked to in the past. He didn't have the chance to react before a torrent of electricity shot towards his end of the intersection. His eyes were immediately drawn to the source - the mutant - and then back to where it had just impacted. The Police officers who had been taking cover behind the car were bound to be injured.

"Scum!" he yelled at the aggressor whilst opening the door. "You dimwitted lowborn mutantspawned leech." he yelled from the top of his lungs whilst moving towards the injured officers. His eyes bore into the mutant, clearly filled with rage and fury. Right before entering into a light jog for the last few meters, he continued "You're the reason why so many people want the mutants out of our city! Its your fucking disregard for human lives."

Right before arriving by the exploded car, Nathaniel caught the attention of a crow and made a few simple gestures: First, his hands holding keys, then pointing to those in the police cruiser and finally the gesture of pulling them away. It was enough for the bird to get the gist of the message conveyed.

Joining the one officer who had tore himself from the fighting to help his injured colleagues, Nathaniel quickly confirmed that there was a pulse on one of the victims. Together, they pulled the injured officer towards a police cruiser before moving on towards the next person. As they did, Nathaniel hissed an angered "And you are an idiot. What were you thinking? Having a shotout in the streets, no warnings, no efforts to get civilians behind you or on the other side away? No sane lawyer would ever defend you against that lawsuit, Idiot." He didn't care for what the man replied - for when he was done talking, they had just arrived by the next victim.

This one lacked a pulse. Nathaniel checked once more as his heart pounded harder, curses slipping out from under his breath. When it still didn't have a pulse, he checked again, and then again. Feeling his eyes become wet, he looked away and muttered a bitter "Mutants"

It was then that he saw the armoured car leave as it had just picked up the doctor. "Idiot, look! You're letting them get away. Stop them!" The two men quickly rushed to their cars - only one of which still had their keys. Without wasting a moment, Nathaniel took off to pursue the escape vehicle.

Rough asphalt scraped against his skin. Duncan twisted and rolled. A black boot stomped down a hair's breadth away from his head. His own leg shot upward, connected, and in a flash the other was down beside him. Duncan found his footing first, launching himself shoulder-first into his rising enemy. They both crashed down again, this time with him on top. He intercepted the clawed hands that reached for his throat, yanked the figure closer, and retaliated with a headbutt that cracked his enemy's vizor and made his own head spin. Without hesitation, he brought his balled fist down where he thought the man's head was. Again and again, until his depleted strength made the downward swings more and more a means to support his unwieldy body. He could taste blood now too - although it was barely enough 'red' to make a post stamp with.

"Who-" he swung, "is your-" his other fist hit bone. "boss?!" A gurgle came from below him - the man's jaw was fractured. Before he could chastise himself for it, blades sung through the air, barely audible in the intersection's violence. On instinct he threw himself back, two tearing through his coat and one burying deep in the palm of his hand.

Adrenaline made him find the strength to spring to his feet, pulling the knife out as he backpedaled toward their wreckage of a car. His gaze locked on the owl, who approached with a confident, limber stride. "You think we are contracted killers?" Its voice was sharp and distorted. "Come now Doctor." daggers flashed in its clawed hands. "You should know better."

The metal glint was all the warning he had of their trajectory. It rained knives, all with deadly precision and strange curving paths. There was no red in his vicinity left, but he was able to generate it with smears he made on his white shirt with his bleeding hand. The projection - a small baseball bat - was only enough to deal with the brunt of the attacks and forced strategic choices. Prioritizing chest and head over limbs, and then legs over arms to keep his mobility. When he leapt forward to close the distance, his arms were already the equivalent of pincushions.

It was the associated pain that kept him going, kept him sharp. He couldn't quite roll with the punches, but with each hit he took, the buried memories of pasts conflicts resurfaced. Duncan was forced back by the ferocity of the owl-figure, doing his best to intercept and sidestep the flurry of blows. His admirable defense broke with a kick to the chest, slamming him into their crashed car. Duncan spun to wrestle himself out of the owl's grip, calling on the red of his wounds to bind the owl to the car. It was a thin thread, but the kinetic power was enough to hold even the largest of elephants.

"I'm not asking again-" he struggled to stand, but found the car wreckage to be an excellent support. "who are you?"

"The future!" the owl cried. "We are the future made manifest." he struggled against the bindings. "And you Doctor, you should know what the future holds for rampaging mutants"

Duncan's panting breath faltered. His head snapped toward the others, eyes wide. There were bodies and vehicles on fire. Police shooting armed mercenaries, and the mercenaries shooting back. There were still people running. Shapes that moved behind the windows above. But worst of all, most of the visible damage and deaths were caused by his family. "Oh you fools. You damn fools!" Duncan hissed. His own struggle had blindsided him.

Dazed, he reached into the wreckage. It caused the owl figure to fight his bindings even more. "Don't bother. Your ability is no match for mine." Duncan was pretty sure that all the owl had in him was the ability to manipulate trajectories. He felt around until he found the handle of his briefcase.

Then, as the mercenaries realized what had transpired and bullets came flying in his direction again, Duncan noticed the armored vehicle speeding up. Errol was on it, shouting his name.

Yet all that really stuck with him were the words of the Owl.

"Tell the Sentinels that the U-men send their regards."

Clementine sat in the back of the van, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she clutched her injured arm, the adrenaline still coursing through her veins like wildfire. The dull ache in her shoulder was drowned out by the rush of chaos and the roar of the engine as they sped away from the scene of the altercation. Her eyes darted around the interior of the van, taking in the blur of motion as Noa navigated the crowded streets with practised ease.

But amidst the chaos, there was a nagging sense of unease gnawing at Clementine's insides, a whisper of doubt that lingered in the recesses of her mind. She couldn't shake the image of the woman whose hands she had burned, the smell of burning flesh and the sound of her agonized screams echoing in her ears like a haunting refrain.

For years, Clementine had grappled with the weight of her plasma powers, the flickers of flame dancing along her fingertips serving as a stark reminder of the danger lurking within her. But never before had she unleashed such a force of her abilities with such ferocity, the searing heat of her plasma engulfing her enemy's hands in a blaze of incandescent fury.

"How you doin', Tangerine? You still think it's a good idea to live my lifestyle?".

There was no reaction from Clementine, her eyes, focusing on a singular point in front of her, nostrils rapidly expanding and contracting to match with her breathing.

The realization of what she had done hit Clementine like a ton of bricks, sending a shiver of revulsion coursing down her spine. She had always known that her powers were dangerous, but the extent of their destructive potential had never been made so painfully clear until now. The fact that she had been able to inflict such horrific injuries in a matter of seconds was a sobering reminder of the darkness that lay within her.

As the van rumbled on, Clementine's thoughts swirled with a maelstrom of confusion and fear. She had never wanted to hurt anyone, let alone maim them in such a gruesome manner. The guilt weighed heavily on her conscience, a heavy burden that threatened to crush her beneath its weight.

And yet, amidst the turmoil of her emotions, there was a spark of something else—a flicker of defiance that refused to be extinguished. Despite the horror of what she had done, there was a small part of Clementine that felt a twisted sense of satisfaction, a primal thrill at the display of power she had unleashed. And honestly? She wasn't sure if she was more afraid of the potential or that primal thrill she felt.

Clementine hadn't even noticed tears slowly slithering down her cheeks as her mind had trouble warping around with what she had done to that woman who grabbed her. The red-haired girl hadn't even noticed much of the sleeves of her oversized coat had burned much of the lower part off, giving them a ruined look.

The escape went as smooth as it could. Errol managed to pull Duncan into the back of the truck alongside Clem. Now that they were relatively safe, Errol could feel his adrenaline begin to subside and heavy breathing to catch his breath followed. Recalling Clem's failure to respond to what he said to her a second ago, he turned to face his sister.

She was in distress, of course she was, after what she just went through and what she just did to that woman. There was no doubt she was going through all the motions. Errol scooted closer to Clementine and examined the graze on her shoulder. He was no doctor, but from his experience, he knew this wouldn't be life threatening.

"There's gotta be some first aid in here." he muttered to himself, climbing over into the passenger seat. These guys looked like some sort of paramilitary organisation, mercs or something. They'd be pretty stupid not to carry first aid in their vehicles, right? Rummaging through the glove compartment, he found a small first aid box.

"Thank you, Noa." he said, placing a hand on her shoulder "For looking out for Clem."

Errol climbed back into the back seat and opened the kit. Thankfully the contents inside had everything he would need to treat an injury involving a bullet, due to the work these guys seemed to apparently be involved in. "Roll up your sleeve." Errol pulled out a disinfectant wipe and quickly warned his sister "This'll sting a little." before placing it on her wound and wiping around it.

"I'm proud of you." he said with a smile "You did good. Not dying is pretty impressive and you took a bullet like a champ." Errol hoped Clem would at least crack a smile with this.

Once he was finished disinfecting her wound as best he could, Errol began to cover it with some bandages. Hopefully, Clem's mutation would allow her to heal from this faster than most... or something. As he continued wrapping the bandages around her shoulder, Errol addressed Duncan "You used to run with the X-Men, yeah? Buddies of yours?" he asked.

"Also, some asshole called me a "mutantspawned leech". The fuck does that even mean?" Errol wasn't a stranger to mutant prejudice, but he had to admit, he'd never heard something as colorful as "dimwitted lowborn mutantspawned leech" been hurled his way before.

While the immediacy of their problems had been dealt with and they found themselves in relative safety, at least compared to the warzone from which they had escaped, they were not out of the woods yet. The city skyline was too dense for a helicopter to pursue them, if another one could be mustered in time after the loss of the first, but it was still not enough to stop them from being followed.

Despite the urgency of the situation and the initial shock, Noa didn’t act recklessly but rather remained highly focused on the task at hand and drove as responsibly as she could in the given circumstances, careful to avoid any accidents or create more damage. As much as she prioritised the group’s self-preservation, she didn’t want to do so at the cost of bystanders. It was a stance that she stood by strictly.

She glanced over at Errol when she felt his hand on her shoulder before quickly looking back at the road, drawn from the hyper-focus that she didn’t realise she had become absorbed in. She gave a curt nod to acknowledge his thanks. “Always.” She replied, but at this point she was wondering whether Clem really needed as much protection as she was being afforded. After all, they had all witnessed what she was capable of doing. Maybe the brothers’ days protecting her would be over before long.

The conversation behind her felt distant and detached as her attention returned almost solely to the road, at least until she needed to inform the group of their follower, at which point she caught the end of Errol’s insult complaint. “Don’t forget ‘dimwitted’. Maybe that’s why you don’t know what it means.” She chimed in for the first time. “Is that the same overzealous asshole behind us?” She asked, followed by another glance in the side mirror to ensure she could maintain a visual on the car to avoid any surprises.

Americans truly did live to work.

They were fighting a losing battle by trying to outrun a smaller, more nimble vehicle. The pursuit would have to end one way or another and she could only hope that no more people were hurt as a result. The damage already caused was beyond what was ideal. It was bad enough that they were de facto criminals without the threat of being branded as terrorists. "If anyone has any bright ideas, now is the time."

The 'chase' was surprisingly calm. The sirens soon disappeared into the distance as the armoured car and Nathaniel's Continental got farther away. The city was filled with cameras, however - and it was only a matter of time before law enforcement would be on their case. And then, there were the other assailants.

Eyes hopping between a traffic camera and the speed meter, Nathaniel eventually relented - if he kept this up, there was a real risk that he'd lose both his license and be forced to pay a fine. The blonde was probably in quite a bit of trouble too.

Slowing down and rejoining the flow of the traffic around him, Nathaniel produced his phone and went down the catalogue. Scrolling down to 'Fr' to see if he could find his former client. Her name sat right above that of Duncan's - a number provided to him by the X-men. His brows furrowed before proclaiming "Shit, I'm the idiot"

With a few clicks, he sent the girl a voice message, now assuming a calm and professional tone, unlike the one he had just employed with her brother and the police officer. "Clementine, this is Nathaniel Shanahan, I represented you in the vandalism case a few months back. I need to talk to you urgently. I saw what happened, you need to pick up and put me on speaker when I call."

Nathaniel continued and sent the eldest brother a similar message. "Haze, this is Nathaniel Shanahan, your friends at the Institute asked me to watch your back. We need to talk. ... Also, what the fuck dude? Ororo didn't tell you to pick better company? You've gotten yourself into some deep shit now."

The two voice messages were followed by phone calls, first to Duncan, and if he didn't pick up, Clementine. Whoever it was that picked up, Nathaniel would immediately speak "Thanks for picking up, put me on speaker, we need to resolve this quick." He'd pause for a brief moment, hoping that his request would be heeded before continuing "Get to the parking garage by Albee Mall. The cameras on the first and second floors have been out for half a year. Once there, I'll pick you up and get you someplace safe. And if any of you decide to go trigger happy again, I swear that my next call will be to my father or that inbred french fool Loxley instead."

The engine roared as the truck sped up to a destination away from here. Duncan doubted it'd be much safer, no matter where they'd go. Still bleeding, he took place in the backseat and glanced at the road before them. "My god woman, what's with the caution?" Duncan remarked angrily. "You're French, so drive like one." In all his visits to France, he had never seen a single one of them drive responsibly.

He made an attempt to open the briefcase that was now in his lap, but the blood on his hands made it too slippery. Duncan cursed under his breath and let his power flare up. The wounds on his arms and torso began to glow as he looked at them, until he was covered by bright red marks. It was a technique he had developed - using his power to create small kinetic barriers that stopped bleeding better than any scabs would.

"Looking after her?!" He forced his way past Errol to the front passenger seat so Errol could take his place in the back. "Not only did this fucking friend of yours get her shot, she let her kill someone! You call that looking out?" He'd trusted her with Clementine. Never again. "You'll get three days once this is over." Duncan growled at Noa. "If you're not out of Clementine's life by then, you'll get to find out firsthand why Giovanni Corleone avoids Scandinavia."

He was fully prepared for violence as he made another attempt to open the briefcase. Even from Errol - despite him being busy enough with Clementine to likely miss the last remark. Finally he heard the case click, and open. He let out a short sigh of relief when the smooth white box inside seemed fine. He wanted to study it, but Errol's interruption made him close the briefcase again. "I did." He confirmed. "Not precisely buddies. Call them admirers." Duncan explained with a sigh. "They're U-men. Homo Sapiens who harvest organs and body-parts from mutants and graft them onto themselves to become a superior 'third-species'."

Duncan's face flashed with genuine surprise at Errol's follow up question. Then snapped "How is that what you're thinking of right now?!" There was an urge to bash his head against the dashboard. A great one. "That is the least of our worries you idiot! Do you have any idea what you've fucking done? Killed at least one? Made a car explode?!" Duncan roared, barging over any protesting remarks with sheer volume. "Worse- Clementine did too, in public goddamnit!" He didn't believe it had dawned on any of them yet. "There's nothing I can do for her now. Nothing! By the end of the day you'll both be marked as mutant terrorists. Don't think for a second that your powers will save you then."

He let a short silence fall. Then said "Now be silent, I've a phone call to make. See if there's anything left to salvage of this godforsaken situation." His phone was in the briefcase, he'd seen the message pop up. Choosing to ignore the hard comments, he called immediately.

"You're on, Nathaniel." was all he said - in a remarkably composed way for someone who had just shouted at his family - before putting the phone on speaker.

"We'll head there immediately." He shot another angry look at Noa and his family, leaving no room for argument.

"Roll up your sleeve." There was little left of the coat's sleeve that Errol would almost not have to roll anything up.

"This'll sting a little."

Two sentences that only vaguely sounded like words, for Clementine didn't hear them properly until she felt the sharp spike of pain from the disinfectant wipe against her minor wound.

The distant look was gone in an instant, "Motherfucker!" cursed the 18-year-old girl and jerked her arm away out of instinct, but when she registered it was Errol beside her, she reluctantly returned it so he could clean the wound fully. She was used to smaller scrapes, cuts and other types of minor wounds and had them cleaned. Getting strafed by a bullet sucked arse in a whole new type of way, it wasn't just a surface wound, but a legit deep enough cut that she was bleeding properly.

On the positive side, it was still only a graze, instead of getting the bullet shot into her body.
Letting her brother take care of her shoulder, Clementine did give Errol a small smile, which then quickly turned into a short snort, hearing her Noa call her brother dimwitted.

Once Duncan spoke up, Clementine just watched, it was so rarely that she wasn't the one to get yelled at or lectured by Duncan that she almost enjoyed it and might have joined in, if it wasn't for the fact that she didn't really feel like arguing with her brother at the moment. Getting shot, even if it was a graze and not intended for her, still made her scared for what would have happened if the bullet's projectile had been a little more to the left when hitting her.

However, one thing she did think to herself, which made her slightly make a face, was the name "U-men" and all she could think, tuning out her brother's outburst, was how fucking cringe the group's name was. 'U-men', what? Was Semen taken?

Duncan's valid outburst was loud enough mixed with the armoured van rumble, that Clementine didn't hear her phone's vibration as Nathaniel attempted to call. In fact, after the crash, her phone might not even work.

Hearing the voice of Nathaniel made Clementine turn her attention from her thoughts to the direction of Duncan. Man, he sounded pissed. She remembered him helping her out in a particularly tough situation with a burned car. She also remembered him as pretty hot and how some of her friends in school just wouldn't stop fucking teasing her about it.

Duncan’s comment on her driving didn’t earn as much as a glance in his direction. In spite of his apparent insistence to become involved in yet another road accident today, she maintained her cautious stance but displayed a slight irritation under her breath. “Connard.” She muttered, uncaring of whether he understood or not.

His following comments, however, were nuclear levels of hostility and rife with accusations. Her grip tightened on the steering wheel but her gaze remained focused ahead. His words did not fall on deaf ears but she was not about to kill everyone in the vehicle on account of one asshole who deserved it most.

Noa seemed remarkably calm despite the barrage of threats and accusations with the only telltale sign of anger being the subtle shift in her body language and the brief iridescent blue glow of the veins on her hands, characteristic of her mutation, as her grip tightened. It almost appeared as though she was choosing to ignore Duncan, but that was far from the truth.

Duncan’s righteous crusade continued on to berate Errol but still she said nothing. Whatever feelings of contempt she had previously held towards Duncan were amplified and steeping in the silence. She had never liked him much before but now her anger had her verging on hatred.

The phone call broke the silence but did nothing to break the tension, instead prompting further annoyance from Noa as she heard her surname mentioned from the unknown caller. Still, committed to the safety of the group as her first priority, she followed through on the instructions she was given and headed to the agreed location, stopping with a harsh slam of the brakes.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve talking about responsibility.” She told Duncan, irritation rising over the initial calmness in her tone. “You’re holding me accountable for Clementine’s actions when you know damn well that none of us knew she could fucking do that?!” She began the rant that had been building up for the previous few minutes until it boiled over into the vitriol that she was about to spew at him.

“Why were they there, Duncan? You seem to know a lot about them. Was it in fact you who put her in harm’s way?” She returned her own accusations in a calm yet venomous tone. “You couldn’t even protect her from the influence of your cheating bastard of a father.” It was a low blow but it wasn’t unprovoked.

“And don’t you dare threaten me, you fucking self-righteous cretin.” She concluded by quickly moving to slap his face, aware but uncaring of the consequences of such an action should it succeed. "Fuck off back to Finland to pretend she doesn't exist again."

A snicker escaped Errol's nostrils when Duncan snapped at Noa. For 2 reasons: one, it was always funny watching the super composed Duncan Fraser blow a gaskit. Two, he had no idea what he'd just unleashed on himself by yelling at Noa. Noa was an otherwise level-headed individual, Errol's 'straight man' but when she, rarely, reached her boiling point. It was a sight to behold. So, instead of speaking up for Noa he just bided his time and prepared for the chaos to unfold.

Errol didn't visibly react to Duncan's disclosure of their attackers, the U-Men, but he took on what he said. Humans who cut up mutants and give themselves their powers. It made him think of that saying "They hate us, 'cause they ain't us." which felt relevant to the current situation. So, what? Were they intended to be the latest victims in the U-Men's campaign?

Duncan's anger shifted to Errol after he attempted to lift Clementine's spirits. However, Duncan quickly answered a phone call he received before Errol was able to say his piece. It didn't matter, he'd get in his last word regardless. Listening quietly as whoever called Duncan was put on speaker, he realised the voice sounded familiar. "Dimwitted lowborn mutantspawned leech" guy? You know what, it didn't surprise Errol that Duncan kept company like him around.

As soon as the call ended and Noa headed to the location they were directed to, Errol picked up where he and Duncan had left off "Sorry for trying to cheer up our injured and traumatised sister." he retorted sarcastically, rolling his eyes at the following statements Duncan made "The body I caught? Self-defence, kill or be killed. Blowing up the car? It was either that or let them keep shooting at Clem." Errol paused for a brief moment before continuing "Everyone's alive and sort of unharmed. My conscience's clear." he concluded as he put his jet black shades back on.

As they arrived at their destination, Errol was startled by Noa suddenly hitting the brakes. Almost slamming his face into the seat in front of him, he exclaimed "Maldita chica!" Then he realised that this was it, Noa was about to tear Duncan a new asshole. Errol watched the nuke that was Noa go off with a mischevious smirk. She raised several good points too.

That was until she went for the jugular, for all three of the Corleone children. Errol's smirk quickly disappeared and he averted his gaze, turning away to face the window. Noa made a remark about their father, linking him to Clementine and why she behaved the way she did. Highlighting an insecurity Duncan was sure to have about being unable to spare Clementine from their father. But not only that, she called attention to Giovanni's adultry which resulted in Errol's birth - and the main point of contention between him and his brother. It was a multi-layered sore topic for all three of them.

Biting his lip, Errol turned to face Noa as she continued to curse Duncan out "Noa, Duncan, that's en--" he started, only to watch in shock as he witnessed Noa send the palm of her hand toward Duncan's face. Was she going to land it? Or would Duncan stop her?

Nathaniel offered a satisfied nod upon hearing Duncan's seemingly composed and professional response from the other end of the phone. "Good, see you there." he said, letting his tone soften as everyone now appeared to be on the same page. Doing his best to manouvre his earpiece with a single hand, Nathaniel finally managed to shift the call to it and muted himself - effectively allowing him to drive whilst maintaining an immediate line of communication. Still, it was a mostly peaceful trip with silence on both ends - all he heard was the silent sound of his on own vehicle against the backdrop of the loud hum coming from the other end of the call.

He would be the first one to arrive at Albee Mall, seeing as he was closer to the destination and didn't drive quite as slow and careful as Noa did - the sporty image of the car gave him some leeway to speed up without drawing all too much unwanted attention. It was fortunate too - for it gave him the time to do a bit of shopping at the mall, a good cover for going there in the first place.

Somewhere between the dairy products and the bread, he heard breaks screeching and a french-accented woman through the earpiece. A soft smile grew on his lips and he nodded gently - good, they had finally arrived. His brows soon rose in surprise, however - the woman was not talking to him. In fact, 'talking' was a generous way to put it. A devious grin was quickly covered by an exasperated frown. Listening in to the conversation, he quickly made his way towards the checkout, picking up some hummus and frozen prefab pizza on the way there.

Multiple things were revealed in the debacle, not least why Duncan would associate with someone like the jackass who had killed the police officers earlier. It wouldn't be long before the sound of what sounded like a slap, scuffle or other physical altercation could be heard. His eyes went to the ceiling above as he gestured a cross over his head and core, whispering "Lord have mercy". When finally away from the cameras, he immediately entered a sprint.

Upon arriving by the armoured car, his chest rose and fell with every breath. The three piece suit stood in stark contrast to the wild hair and less than civil glare he sent through the windshield. Bringing his free hand up, he brushed his hair back before unmuting. Looking right at them, he spoke with a forceful and determined clarity "This lack of judgement will be the end of us. The enemy is bound to be approaching rapidly, you all need to hide. Stop the infighting,, now - time is of the essence, let's go"

With that, he waved them over to his own car and threw the groceries in the trunk whilst grabbing a hoodie "You're in the front, put this on, aviators and masks are by the dashboard" he said, pointing to Noa. The stress he was under was obvious for anyone to see - still, he maintained a degree of composure from dealing with somewhat similar situations. He then looked to Errol, a flash of uncertainty was soon replaced by a bitter "Truce?" Regardless of the answer, Nathaniel wouldn't stay up, instead, he continued with quick steps and the determination of a man on the run.

Unintentionally loud mumbling escaped him as he hopped into the driver's seat "Fucking redheads, couldn't blend in if..." His eyes shot up to the rearview mirrors where he could eventually find the siblings, his tone forcibly lightening a little "I am sorry Clementine, I didn't mean it. It is in moments like these we learn to appreciate these darkened windows" he said, nodding to the windows at the back before offering a conciliatory smile to her and Duncan.

"I'm managing a bankruptcy estate in Jersey, they've got this tunnel-dig-thing, it should be the best spot to weather the storm."

He hated those outbursts. They were unbecoming of him, as he rarely if ever raised his voice. But this trainwreck family somehow always managed to get him there. His anger simmered down as quick as it came. He swiped a hand through his hair and let out a sigh to somewhat regain his composure. Errol was quick to jump on him again though.

“Someone with your abilities shouldn’t feel threatened by guns Errol. Stunning them would’ve been just as effective and caused much less grief.” It pained him to think that the sorrow he felt over their deaths was likely greater than Errol’s. Innocent people had gotten hurt too. Had he not seen that? “It’s not about your conscience being clear.” He said, exasperated. “It’s about their perception. You, a hated minority, let loose in a busy street. People died in the process. The media won’t hesitate to frame us as the aggressors. That warrants action. A manhunt that will stop at nothing until you’re caught and plead guilty.” He paused, then added “if you’re ever going to take my word for anything, it should be this. They have the means to put you down. And you’ve given them an excellent reason to use it, even if unfairly provoked.”

Tiredness set in, marked by stiffening muscles and the faint awareness of the air-conditioning blowing against his damp shirt. He was still expecting some quip or boastful comment from Errol, and that alone would be enough for Duncan to consider his half-brother lost. Duncan wondered if he knew how subtly he had used his influence to stop the NYPD from opening an investigation against Acosta’s crimes for all these years now. More, Duncan wondered if he knew about the financial support, he had been giving Sinead Acosta since Giovanni had destroyed her life.

The remainder of the trip went quietly and he was happy for it. He needed the time to collect his thoughts. To try and predict why the U-men had gone after them specifically, in the middle of the street. Where had they gotten those resources from? More importantly, how had they known he was going to be there? The Owl had an informant, he was certain of that. But who knew enough about there whereabouts and relations to plan this?

Giovanni came to mind, but that was something he quickly dismissed again. This was way too overt for Corleone. Then who?
He was rudely shaken out of his thoughts by the hard stop Noa made. He made a mental note not to let her drive again just as Errol cried out something in Spanish. Duncan glanced over his shoulder to check on Clementine, and instead found himself wondering why he caught his half-brother smirking.

The driver's shift in tone was why. He had calmed down since his own outburst, and there was no strength in his bones left to reignite that anger again. Instead, he decided not to bother with it at all. He spoke dismissively, like a parent who was done dealing with their way too dramatic children in their car's backseat. No one knew Clem could do that? "Well wellcome to foster care. I'm sure you'd be great at it. Ready for everything and all." Why he knew an awful lot about the U-men? "You tend to learn who's out there when you try to actively contribute to mutant wellbeing. Try it some time."

The low blow struck at his family was usually not enough to get under his skin. People tried that all the time. Bringing it up in debates. Trying to goad him during conflicts and missions. Yet this time, more so out of annoyance than anger, it did earn her a resentful look. At least she had his attention now. "Careful now" was all he said. She decided not to be.

His left forearm blazed up, releasing the energy of the 'red' he had stitched his wounds with. At it's core, kinetic energy was displacement times required force. Half the object's mass, times velocity squared. With his ability, he could grasp those concepts. He could pour an obscene amount of kinetic energy into the imaginary red mass, with the equations always balancing. High force and little displacement made for destructive impacts, while high displacement and little force could harmlessly make target hit by 'red' move. Similarly, greater mass made for more stable and powerful constructs, while higher velocity made for faster and more dangerous projectiles. Practice had made him better at combining those equations. Like shaping 'red' to take on high velocity and high force to make it explosive. Yet that was barbaric to use against human beings. So he chose displacement to make his point.

In the same heartbeat as blazing up, the red on his forearm sparked like a firecracker in Noa's direction. Purely loaded with momentum to pass on, the sparks that reached the door made it immediately burst from its hinges with a sickening crunch. Fortunately for Noa, she wasn't bolted down. In her case, the sparks would imbue her with momentum that'd throw her through the newly made opening and cause her to land a good three parking spots away. All before anyone would be able to blink.

"She's right about going outside, we have to keep moving and all." Duncan said as calmly as he could muster. He half expected Errol to taser him through the chair, so he made his way out with haste.

He found Nathaniel waiting for them. "Are you sure? Infighting is what we do best." Duncan remarked, glancing in the direction where he'd thrown Noa off too. "Although I suppose therapy would be a more elegant way to get these things off our chests." Recognizing that his meddling would only create more resistance, Duncan chose to stay silent and let Nathaniel take the lead. In no time, they were on the road.

"I don't know much about the East coast, but I doubt they'll look for us in Jersey." If their assailants were New York locals, they'd definitely take issue with setting foot in Jersey. "So good choice." Duncan anxiously checked his phone again. Now in this shit show would be a really good time for Alba to reply. They could use all the help they could get.